Search in this category
SearchLove All Men Equally
The meeting in the synagogue was just being opened by Abner and Lazarus, who were standing
together in the pulpit, when the entire audience of believers saw the form of the Master appear
suddenly. He stepped forward from where he had appeared between Abner and Lazarus, neither
of whom had observed him, and saluting the company, said:
―Peace be upon you. You all know that we have one Father in heaven, and that there is but one
gospel of the kingdom — the good news of the gift of eternal life which men receive by faith. As
you rejoice in your loyalty to the gospel, pray the Father of truth to shed abroad in your hearts a
new and greater love for your brethren. You are to love all men as I have loved you; you are to
serve all men as I have served you. With understanding sympathy and brotherly affection,
fellowship all your brethren who are dedicated to the proclamation of the good news, whether
they be Jew or gentile, Greek or Roman, Persian or Ethiopian. John proclaimed the kingdom in
advance; you have preached the gospel in power; the Greeks already teach the good news; and I
am soon to send forth the Spirit of Truth into the souls of all these, my brethren, who have so
unselfishly dedicated their lives to the enlightenment of their fellows who sit in spiritual
darkness. You are all the children of light; therefore stumble not into the misunderstanding
entanglements of mortal suspicion and human intolerance. If you are ennobled, by the grace of
faith, to love unbelievers, should you not also equally love those who are your fellow believers in
440
the far-spreading household of faith? Remember, as you love one another, all men will know that
you are my disciples.
―Go, then, into all the world proclaiming this gospel of the fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of men to all nations and races and ever be wise in your choice of methods for
presenting the good news to the different races and tribes of mankind. Freely you have received
this gospel of the kingdom, and you will freely give the good news to all nations. Fear not the
resistance of evil, for I am with you always, even to the end of the ages. And my peace I leave
with you.‖
When he had said, ―My peace I leave with you,‖ he vanished from their sight. With the exception
of one of his appearances in Galilee, where upward of five hundred believers saw him at one
time, this group in Philadelphia embraced the largest number of mortals who saw him on any
single occasion.
Early the next morning, even while the apostles tarried in Jerusalem awaiting the emotional
recovery of Thomas, these believers at Philadelphia went forth proclaiming that Jesus of
Nazareth had risen from the dead.