Thursday, August 3, 2017

The Mercy Papers - 2


Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

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Reclaim the Bow

Discovering Original Mercy

Copyright Reserved, 2017

    The Mercy Papers (2)

            English is a notoriously imprecise language. Contentions leading to disharmony causing divisions are often provoked when people who may agree substantially, tangentially, minimally, rarely, or not at all cannot or will not communicate semantically.

            An initiative of this movement is to provide opportunities for mature discussions undeterred, detoured, or destroyed by semantics governed by biases that cannot or will not listen patiently as a path to conciliation if not reconciliation.

            Convinced reconciliation is possible through Jesus as focus and filter, we defer immediate as well as eternal judgments to Him alone as Lord and Savior; or as a saint once said, “You love ‘em and let God judge ‘em!”

            With extreme civil, ecclesiastical, political, and socioeconomic partisanship challenging reconciliation, this movement understands conciliation as penultimate to reconciling opportunities through soul-Savior Jesus as Lord of behaviors supernaturally enabling reconciled communities overcoming natural dysfunctions and segregations by class, color, gender, religion, politics, and other idolatries.

            Simply, mercy is a guiding principle of this movement.

            Mercy is complementary to God’s grace-filled love for us and our grace-filled love for others as evidence of loving God.

            Without laboring Biblical languages, the complementary words grace and mercy are intrinsically and irrevocably woven into the fabric of the distinctive agape love ethic of Christianity as personified in Jesus and prescribed in Holy Scripture.

            Agape love is praying and laboring for the highest good for everyone regardless of who, what, where, when, or why without needing or expecting response, regard, or reward.

            God expects such love from people who claim to love Him: “Love others as much as I love you…When you are loving others, you are loving Me.”

            Grace is God’s extended and unmerited favor to/for us; providing what we don’t deserve while not inflicting what we deserve.

            Mercy is God’s withheld judgment for insults to His holiness; colloquially, it means He and His “cut slack…cut a break…” Contextually, it means, noting this is a pret’ near perfect example of the challenge of semantics, God errs on the side of gospel over law.  God is our lover not kin to Pharisees.  God and Godly people are kind not cruel.

            Noting our love for God is expressed in our love for others, mercy is when we withhold judgments that proscribe grace-filled love.

            Original mercy is discovered when lavish love is disseminated not discriminated and identifications become irrelevant to the inclusive intentions of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

            Original mercy is extended to all without conditions or qualifications.

            Mercy is more about Whom than whom: “God said it!  We believe it!  That settles it!”

            The parable of the Good Samaritan is illustrative.

            A lawyer asks Jesus how he can become righteous and confident about his life after life.

            Jesus repeats the great commandment to love God and love others to love God: “Love God totally and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.”

            Simply, love God and be kind to one another.

            Love God by being kind to one another.

            The parable is provoked when Jesus is asked, “Who is my neighbor?  Who is included in this lavish love?”

            Unpacking the principle of inclusive love through grace and mercy, Jesus tells the story about a man who is mugged and left for dead.  While religious people who don’t walk the talk pass by the man while pursuing their missions not from God, a “good” Samaritan – unexpected hero because of religious profiling and mixed ethnicity – sacrifices time and resources without discrimination to help the man recover and receives recognition from God for proving love for God by loving like God: “He showed mercy…Go and do likewise.”

            Summarily, love through grace and mercy is normative, regular, and even habitual not optional or rare for people who have received Jesus into their heads, hearts, and guts as Lord and Savior.

            As David sang about God through the behaviors of the Godly, “His mercy endures forever!”

            Bob Andrews recorded a conversation parallel to the parable echoing the non-negotiable, compulsory, conciliatory-leading-to-reconciling love/grace/mercy ethic of following Jesus by the book:

                        1st Man: “God forgives you.”
                        2nd Man: “I don’t believe in God.”
                        1st Man: “Well, then, I forgive you, as a friend.  As someone who loves
                                    you, I forgive you.  I believe in you.”

            Many years ago as a cross was being given to me, the presenter said, “Jesus is counting on you!”

            Discovering original mercy includes knowing Jesus is counting on us to love like Him.

Evolutionary Updates


               TMP (2) contributors are B&B.

               Immediate financial assistance is necessary to begin the movement’s initiatives.  We are especially compelled to produce merchandise that will attract inquiry.  If you are being nudged by the Holy Spirit to help fuel this movement, please send a check to The Grove (4210 Countryside Estates, Poplar Grove, Illinois 61065) or First Presbyterian Church (221 N. Main Street, Belvidere, Illinois 61008) and write “Reclaim the Bow” in the memo.  You will be glad you did as we join hands in discovering original mercy.


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Blessings and Love!

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Shatter the sound of silence!

Wake up!  Look up!  Stand up!  Speak up!  Act up for Jesus!

Salt!  Shine!  Leavenate!

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