Number Two

 An Introduction to First Love

Knowing that the scriptures describe His Church as a building, as a body as the good olive tree and as a grape vine we present these foundational teachings to you using these scriptural parables and allegories. The Father has revealed that the first foundation stone is love.

 1^st Love is the 1^st Stone

Jesus teaches us that we are a city in Matthew 5:14 …A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. What is he talking about? He is speaking in parables, as he always has and always will. Parables were spoken by Jesus to hide the revelation of the mysteries of the Kingdom (Mark 4:11). In the Book of Revelation Jesus revealed to John many of the symbols that He had used in his sayings in the four gospels. Revelation knowledge about the city set on a hill is uncovered in Revelation 21:2; 10-11:

²And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ¹⁰And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

Not only does the apostle John reveal that the city is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband but she has the glory of God and her light like unto a stone most precious. This is the 1^st stone, love! The prophet Isaiah also saw this bride, although from a different viewpoint: He prophesied; Arise, shine; for thy light (stone) is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1). Here we have the completed city ready to descend out of heaven and join the bridegroom at the wedding supper of the Lamb!

How are we prepared as a bride so that we may be adorned for our husband? We begin as earthen vessels with stony hearts on the potters’ wheel. Our Father gives us a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He then places a new spirit within us, which is the lamp of the Lord (Proverbs 10:27 ^NKJ) and commands the light to shine out of the darkness of our soul  (2^nd Corinthians 4:6-7). We have come unto the living stone, Jesus chosen of God and precious, as His lively stones we are built up a spiritual house precious unto Him         (1^st Peter 2:2-9). Why change a stony heart into a heart of flesh and then refer to this fleshly heart as a lively precious stone? Because a stony heart is dead! We have passed from dead as a stone to a lively stone of light (John 5:24).

We are now the building material. The material is the gold, the silver and the precious lively stones in the hands of Jesus as he builds His church upon His foundation           (1^st Corinthians 3:9-15).

Love is the 1^st Foundation Stone

We love him, because he first loved us. 1^st John 4:19

 1) His Love 1^st John 4:19 ~ …he first loved us.

  John 3:16

  John 15:13

  Romans 5:8

  Ephesians 2:4

2) Our Love 1^st John 4:19 ~ We love him…

 Matthew 22:35

 Matthew 5:43-48

 Luke 10:27-37

 John 13:34

 John 14:15-24

 John 15:9-13

 John 21:15-17

 Revelation 2:4

    The Tree, the Vine, the Branches and the Good Samaritan

We began life as a wild olive tree in this world. We have now been grafted into the good olive (Jesus) tree as branches (Romans 11:16-24) and we have been grafted into the vine (Jesus) as branches (John 15:1-14). The olive tree and the grape vine speak to the type of fruit of the Spirit we are to produce by abiding in Him. These two allegorical plants give us a picture of where we begin in the kingdom until the way the tree of the life is revealed and granted to us.  Meanwhile the olive and the grape have to be processed by crushing and produce the golden anointing oil and the wine of His presence. What is the purpose of the end result of the olives and the grapes being crushed by this process of the Lord?

 Who is my Neighbor?

Luke 10:25-37 ²⁵And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? ²⁶He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? ²⁷And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. ²⁸And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. ²⁹But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?  ³⁰And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. ³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, ³⁴And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. ³⁶Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? ³⁷And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.