A KEYNOTE VERSE
2 Corinthians 13:14 NKJV
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
This is a verse I am fond of. This is the text verse for the very first message I ever preached at The Ark Church. We were meeting in one room of a building being used as a Montesorri school. There were a total of 27 people in attendance that first service. And this verse was the first verse that I shared with the church. I believe this verse is foundational to what we proclaim.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no way we can cover grace in this short devotional because it is such a major theme of the entire Bible, especially the New Testament. Paul wrote to Timothy and told his son in the faith to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. This is one of our teaching goals at the church. To help people understand what Jesus did for us in His death, burial, and resurrection. To help people grow in their knowledge of what the grace of Christ means in their lives today, not simply when they arrive in heaven. For believers to have a working knowledge of who they are because of their union with Christ when they made Him their Lord and Savior.
The love of God. Love is the very essence of who God is. The Scriptures tell us that God is love. He is love personified. His love is the reason we exist and the reason He sent Jesus on our behalf. The apostle John tells us that we must believe the love God has for us. Just as we believe that God is real, we must also believe He has an unconditional, never-ending love for each of us. This is vital to our relationship with Him that we are His much-loved children.
Not only do we need to understand God's love for us, we must also love God. We are constantly learning what loving God looks like. We can't give Him a hug, but we can give Him our hearts, our praise, and our obedience. And we show our love for God by loving His children.
The communion of the Holy Spirit. Another word would be the fellowship or partnership with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the least understood member of the Trinity, and yet His operation in the earth is more than vital. Without the Holy Spirit, The Ark Church would not exist. Without the Holy Spirit's help, we would be left to do things in our own power. We need His help, His guidance, His equipping, and His strength to make a difference on the earth. The Holy Spirit has been sent to be our Helper, so we must learn how to work together with Him.
Our verse for today has been a keynote verse for our church for the past 28 years. And it will continue to be a keynote verse for the years to come.