2014-12-31 Love & Concern

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

March 4, 2015

This is a letter to our friends –

Love & Concern

Definition – To “love” is to unselfishly desire the very best for the loved one. [John 3:16]

Those who join us in reading through the Bible in a year have just been through the book of Revelations. In the latter half of the book is a graphic description of the events that face those individuals who have stubbornly refused to accept the divinity of Jesus Christ. It is not a pretty picture! One must reject a mountain of evidence.

Accepting that truth (Christ’s divinity) carries with it an obligation: Love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength – then – love your neighbor as yourself. Why? Because putting anything or anyone before your obligation to Christ is a form of idolatry. (That is the “legalist” answer.)

We should love (want the best for -) Christ, because He loves us and has put up with us, just as we are. He is a just God as well as merciful. We like the merciful part, but “justice” begins to frighten us! Christ had no penalty to pay – He lived without sinning. The fact that he endured a horrible death in my / your place should create obligation enough. The good news is that Christ has paid the price for our misdeeds and offers forgiveness if we will truly repent and begin obeying Him.

In the last days, we are told, men who did not repent, will be justly punished for the bad things they have done. In the midst of their suffering in the hands of a just God, they still refuse to bow. I have friends, today, who have seen the evidence of a benevolent God. In their hearts, they must know the truth, but somehow, they just can’t bring themselves to accept it. I want better for them and I am concerned for the tragedy that awaits them.

More than that – I am concerned for those who have believed lies about right and wrong. Most TV shows these days depict immoral lust and homosexuality as acceptable lifestyles. Those who accept these lies are as guilty as those who know the truth and reject it.

What am I to do about my concern? On one hand, it is not pleasant to be a “Grinch”! On the other, if I do not speak out and warn them, I am tacitly consenting to their bleak future. In effect, I am making “socially correct” an idol ahead of my obligation to Christ, whose heart is broken over their sin.

The good news that Christ brings is a rich, beautiful truth. It is freely offered to every person, regardless of the bad stuff that has been done. Letting Christ help you repent of the bad stuff is a good thing!

Let us make 2015 a year of mercy above justice!

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Ben Gilmore 1929-2023

On March 30, 2023 Ben Gilmore, the co-founder of ACHStudyGroups (co-founded with his wife Fran), went to be with the Lord in Glory.

A Memorial: https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/BenGilmore/