<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 4;33&amp;34<div><br></div><div><b>33. &nbsp;With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;</b></div><div><b>34. &nbsp;he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>In Luther’s small Catechism we hear in the Explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles Creed, these words:</div><div><br></div><div><i>“I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord,</i></div><div><i>Who has redeemed me a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; &nbsp;not with gold or silver but with his&nbsp;holy, precious blood and with&nbsp;his&nbsp;innocent&nbsp;suffering and death,</i></div><div><i><u>That I may be His own,</u>&nbsp;and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,</i></div><div><i>even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.</i></div><div><i>This is most certainly true.”</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>A disciple is a person who ‘<u>knows’, Who</u>&nbsp;they belong to. &nbsp;(The entire world belongs to the Lord, but, does not know it. Sinful people believe they are best off running their own lives, they do not want to ‘belong’ to anyone.) &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Believers know that they belong to Jesus; (not as a slave belongs to a master, but as a Bride&nbsp;belongs to her Bridegroom). &nbsp;The relationship is founded upon His love for her. &nbsp;She loves Him, because He first loved her. &nbsp;When a man wants to marry, he should kneel before the girl he wants to marry, and ask her to marry him. &nbsp;She has the power to say “no,” but she must wait for him to ask. &nbsp;Jesus, is God come to us as our servant, humbling himself on the cross, asking us to be <i>“His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him, in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness” </i>as His own beloved Bride. &nbsp;From her, He withholds nothing. &nbsp;To her, He gives everything, true abundant Life with Him. &nbsp;He gives her&nbsp;all that He has, His own Self, the two become one.</div><div><br></div><div>Mere ‘hearers’ of God’s Word do not know yet Who they belong to. &nbsp;&nbsp;Disciples ‘know’ (by faith)&nbsp;and they follow Him in love.</div><div><br></div><div>It is to those who ‘know’&nbsp;(Jesus,&nbsp;as true God in flesh,&nbsp;crucified&nbsp;and risen for our salvation)&nbsp;<u>and</u>&nbsp;‘follow’&nbsp;Him (as his Bride who has received all His kingdom, when&nbsp;they received His name in Baptism), so&nbsp;that the depths,&nbsp;wisdom, meaning,&nbsp;purpose, and power of the Word is revealed to them over a lifetime with Him in His Word..&nbsp;</div><div><i><br></i></div><div><i>‘“Disciples” </i>love Him, trust, and obey Him, even <u>more than they trust themselves.</u>&nbsp; It is to them, that the Light of Life has come and enlightened them, so that they might be a forgiven&nbsp;fruitful Bride who loves Him and lives&nbsp;for the praise of his glory. &nbsp;(see, Ephesians 1;12)<b></b></div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, You&nbsp;sent Jesus in humble love for us, to the cross; bless us by repentance and faith&nbsp;to be His own Bride. &nbsp;Bless us to take His name in holy Baptism, bless us to follow Him, enlightened by&nbsp;his Word of life, enriched with all the treasures of heaven.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad, Baba, Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s living&nbsp;Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><i><br></i></div><div>A special “hello, love, and prayers” for all who are reading these words at Huron and Ionia! &nbsp;(GPP)<br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 4;33&34
33.  With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;34.  he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
In Luther’s small Catechism we hear in the Explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles Creed, these words:
“I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord,Who has redeemed me a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil;  not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death,That I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.This is most certainly true.”
A disciple is a person who ‘knows’, Who they belong to.  (The entire world belongs to the Lord, but, does not know it. Sinful people believe they are best off running their own lives, they do not want to ‘belong’ to anyone.)  
Believers know that they belong to Jesus; (not as a slave belongs to a master, but as a Bride belongs to her Bridegroom).  The relationship is founded upon His love for her.  She loves Him, because He first loved her.  When a man wants to marry, he should kneel before the girl he wants to marry, and ask her to marry him.  She has the power to say “no,” but she must wait for him to ask.  Jesus, is God come to us as our servant, humbling himself on the cross, asking us to be “His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him, in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness” as His own beloved Bride.  From her, He withholds nothing.  To her, He gives everything, true abundant Life with Him.  He gives her all that He has, His own Self, the two become one.
Mere ‘hearers’ of God’s Word do not know yet Who they belong to.   Disciples ‘know’ (by faith) and they follow Him in love.
It is to those who ‘know’ (Jesus, as true God in flesh, crucified and risen for our salvation) and ‘follow’ Him (as his Bride who has received all His kingdom, when they received His name in Baptism), so that the depths, wisdom, meaning, purpose, and power of the Word is revealed to them over a lifetime with Him in His Word.. 
‘“Disciples” love Him, trust, and obey Him, even more than they trust themselves.  It is to them, that the Light of Life has come and enlightened them, so that they might be a forgiven fruitful Bride who loves Him and lives for the praise of his glory.  (see, Ephesians 1;12)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, You sent Jesus in humble love for us, to the cross; bless us by repentance and faith to be His own Bride.  Bless us to take His name in holy Baptism, bless us to follow Him, enlightened by his Word of life, enriched with all the treasures of heaven.  In Jesus we pray, Amen. 
Love,Dad, Baba, EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s living Word is our habitation, and we are His.”
A special “hello, love, and prayers” for all who are reading these words at Huron and Ionia!  (GPP)


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