“2 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. 15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.” (2 Co 7:2–16 ESV)

Measured response, and the clock ticks away. Measured response, and the Objective is Answered. Measured response, and the Networks are initiated. The Front Office of the Christian enterprise, the pan-religious enterprise, the pan-humanity enterprise, radically assembles at the hands of good men and women for whom the perimeters, the chains of command, the Instilling of an Education in the up-and-coming, whilst modernizing and Informing the elderly-stepping-down, are Things Novel yet Attainable. It is an Attainable Objective sometimes, to see the parts coalesce, the Spiritual unfurl its flag, the Tick-Tock of inevitability come home to roost.

Because Apostleship strikes a hard bargain, the Experience of Christianity somehow felt at the hands even of its so-called Enemies: we are Versooth and Peace in this Stupendous and Imaginary-Laden Enterprise. Everyone has their day jobs; the Christian work, however, forms their Raison-de-etre. To Recruit, helter-skelter first here and then There; to rally the troops, call in a few favors, and Learn, how always to assume to most optimistic interpretation from a friend or colleague, always to understand, no, they aren’t cutting me off; quite the contrary! For, who knows what alternate game he or she has going on in this or that locale? More, when in Rome… when in your colleagues city or town, they are the boss. Right? Or is there some pan-humanistic notion of the Modern Humanity’s Empire come home here and now, to roost?

Christians, therefore, always imagine the best from the deeds of their friends, sisters, and brothers. “To do that, sure, you can, but it would be a bit gauche”; “A bit wearying”; “I’m so far from cutting you off its just… that ain’t for you”. The Christian literally loves simply to Give, to Equip and to Give. The receivership, this is servant-led, servant-inspired, servant-taught: here, my main man, main woman, came to me in sheep’s clothing. And called upon me to lower myself, that I might be raised up. Not the opposite (not exalted, in order to be humbled).

Tag teams, duos writ in the stars, coming togethers Sublime and strangely in the dreamers’ minds Perfect, are dualities writ into the Scriptures, where apostle met apostle and… no male-bull-headed male caprice and competition between the two, nor female caprice or competition between the two, but Affection, but simply Building Up a trust network, clandestine communication channels the fruit of the work of the Soldier (front line!) and her or his Intel Training. Purpose. Intel purpose.

Because we are soldiers for a Christ, for a Prophet, for a Buddha and Krishna. We are possessed of an Aura that some can see, unwittingly Sainted as if borne directly from Mother Church on Angels’ wings. We were falsely worried some family or friends were “intervening” upon our gig, perhaps; when what they dispensed was just plain Love. Love to the son or daughter, to the brother or sister, to the aunt or uncle; love. And to long for More, another special time to Exchange quiet ideas no longer silenced but roaring in the jet stream of Inevitability Codified, entire neighborhoods, city blocks, cordoned off and the People Rising Up.

God intended us to know His love as modeled and as precedent-setting. He intended His peace to go the distance, as Sought Out, as Exemplified, as Flavor and Season Germane. We knew this to be true because of the Friendship Evangelism, wherein we cease trying to realize Personal Conversion to a Living Faith in Jesus Christ, and instead have the hope that to be good folk, simply to befriend, is to preach a better sermon, call for a better Conversion Story, and more. So the church is welcomed to open her doors, to believers of all stripes.