Results 421 - 440 of 645
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Results from: Notes Author: JCrichton Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
421 | Who is Greater Jesus Christ or the Fathe | John 14:28 | JCrichton | 124182 | ||
Hi, frank4Yahweh! Part 1 of 2 Yahshua also clearly stated: The Father and I are one. (John 10:30) As I wrote to Johnny, please to do not attempt to divorce a select few passages from the rest of the Bible. The Bible in its entirety is the Word of God. And the Word of God clearly states that Jesus is God: The Father and I are one. (John 10:30) Here’s my post to Johnny: “Please read the Bible in its entirety. Do not attempt to divorce the various passages from the rest of the Bible… if you persist on doing so, you will never please Yahweh (Hebrews 11:6), you will be found short of Grace by He who can save you or discard you (Matthew 7:22-23), and you will only be cheating yourself out of the Truth ( 1 Corinthians 1:19-31)--you who seek to glorify yourself, glorify in the Lord! I do not blame you for erring… it is our nature! When we seek to grow in earthly wisdom, that which is Spirit born confounds us! That is why I convey to you James commands to ask God for His Wisdom (James 1:5) and He will gladly fill you with the Holy Spirit! But you must be humble and truly thirsty for His revelations! Humble yourself to God and He will exalt you!: It is of the mysterious wisdom of God that we talk, the wisdom that was hidden, which God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. None of the rulers of the age recognized it; for if they had recognized it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; (1 Corinthians 2:7-8) True, there will be hard passages in the Bible that our finite understanding will never grasp; but the Holy Spirit, who is God Himself, can broaden our mind and understanding so that His Will is revealed in the fullness of times: For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them. (2 Peter 1:21) Think on this: When you worship Yahweh, do you direct your worship to only the Father? The same person who said that “the Father is greater than I,” also said: The Father and I are one. (John 10:30) How do you reconcile these two opposite statements? Either the Father is greater than Jesus or the Father and Jesus are one or they are both true statements since Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, had to suffer our infirmities in order to rescue us from our filth! (Isaiah 52:13 thru 53:12). Again, I ask: when you worship the Father, do you ask Him for enlightenment or do you tell Him how to receive your worship and prayers? You see Jesus and the Father are inseparable! They share one Throne (Revelation 22:1) , they share one Temple (Revelation 21:22), and they are the Light (Revelation 21:23). There is One Creator, One Lord, One King, One Savior, One God!: ‘Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me… (John 14:10-11 ) Paul understands this relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 2:17-18: He came to bring the good news of peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. Through him, then we both in the one Spirit have free access to the Father. (“both” refers to the Jews and gentiles) God is Three Divine Persons in one Unit of Perfection: John 14:16-17, 23: I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever, the Sprit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. Please remove your blinders! Let go of your ego and of the fallacies of man, and open your heart to Jesus, all the Apostles new Him as God: Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. (John 20:28-29) |
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422 | Jesus brothers. | Matt 12:46 | JCrichton | 123884 | ||
Hi, tgc! I was on my way out when I noticed your post (three copies)... did you not understand Emmaus statement or did your finger get caught on the keyboard? The reference was to Biblical reference of anyone other than Jesus being called Mary's son or daughter! God Bless! Angel |
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423 | Does "abstain" include more than eating? | Acts 15:29 | JCrichton | 123878 | ||
Hi, knucklehead! You totally missed my point! I respect your opinion... my point is that God has determined that the animals are eatable (and yes, that was meant as a metaphor for people which the Jews concidered uncleaned--not uncleaned animals!)... it is not the blood that makes an animal pure or impure; it is God's command (read Genesis--Garden of Eden) that sets limits or raises them! Jesus tells us that there is great joy in Heaven for just a single sinner that repents and turns back to God... this suggest that God is constantly appraising our corporal existence. So it falls to reason that God cares for our well-being even in the flesh! A transfusion of blood (or a human organ transplant) is as close as we can come to offering our own life for our brethren, which is following Jesus example! I can only pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten you so that you can come to the full understanding of the Word! God Bless! Angel |
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424 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | JCrichton | 123781 | ||
Hi, God's servant! Indubitably means without a doubt--obviously so! As I have said before, God calls all to service for the edification of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)... But not all are call to minister in the office of the priesthood. Paul is somewhat crass about this point, but he is merely testifying to God's selection of man as the vessel of the priesthood. Paul is not saying that Christian females are to be second class citizens--he affirms that a woman cannot occupy the office of the priest. But he also knows that the female, in the Jewish culture, was responsible for the household, including the male children. So crealy, a devoted Christian woman could bring about Salvation to the uniniciate, the unbelievers... However, I cannot convince anyone to obey God or to choose to serve in one form or another... each of us will be called to answer for his/her own actions! God Bless! Angel |
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425 | angel i missed your point | 1 Tim 2:12 | JCrichton | 123780 | ||
Hi, God's servant! I was attempting to convey the message that God chooses who He wants to appoint to whatever office He desires to fill... In the particular case of Barak, his cowardice kept him from achieving victory and being renown. When he refused to trust God, and rejected his office, Yahweh used a female, who was not a warrior, to bring about His Will! But the Promise was made to Abraham not his wife, Sara... every single covenant has been made to a male figure... the priesthood was entrusted to the male Levites... Am I saying that that means that God cannot use a female? No! But Biblical history demonstrates that He has chosen man to be the vessel of the priesthood. And Jesus did not change that selection! Has God ever use a female to bring about His Salvation Plan? Afirmative! Just like He chose Israel to be His people--and when Israel refuse to obey and exhausted His Patience (in God's terms of course), God used their disobedience to allow the Gentiles to come into Salvation. Again, I ask you to use the whole Bible as reference--we may choose to obey God or select a few passages that seem to OK "worship as you please." God Bless! Angel |
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426 | Where does membership come from? | NT general Archive 1 | JCrichton | 123700 | ||
Hi, Jal! I understand exactly what you are saying… part of the problem is that the Church has become a place of congregation, as common as the mall or any other public environment: a place where people show up, drop their tithes, do some sing-a-long, throw in some Amens, meet their acquaintances, get some “feel-good” emotions and… viola, they have fulfilled their daily/weekly/monthly Christian obligations! What we do individually matters to God--not what others do or do not do. Christ command to Peter was a general command to all disciples: “build my Church!”--paraphrased. Our task, as Christians, is not to sample every thing there is and accept certain things while rejecting others… Our task is to be faithful to Christ! Part of that fidelity can be demonstrated by enlightening the Church, correcting the errors that it may have, and uniting the Church--all of these task require love, humility and patience. Wondering from place to place will not accomplish this! Falling for whatever new doctrine that emerges will only accomplish more schism of the Body! It is your task, as that of every single Christian, not to find and point out the faults in the Church, but to work to eradicate them once found! And, to just dismantle the Church is definitely not the answer! Do not worry about you giving a thousand percent when others seem to just be parasites and leeches… our calling is to give a thousand percent, or 10 percent if that is all we are able to give (time, labor, financial support…), to the Lord without regards to anyone else’s offerings (check out the parable of the laborers and the vineyard--Matthew 20:1-16). Labor to build the Church and do not allow Satan to use the weaknesses of others to rob you of the beauty of serving our Lord, Jesus Christ. Maran atha! Angel |
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427 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | JCrichton | 123694 | ||
Hi Searcher56! Does God determine who serves Him and when? Yes! Do we determine who serves Him and in what office? No!: Now in the Book of Psalms it says: Reduce his encampment to ruin and leave his tent unoccupied. And again: Let someone else take over his office. 'Out of the men who have been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was living with us, from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us, one must be appointed to serve with us as a witness to his resurrection.' Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias, they prayed, 'Lord, you can read everyone's heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen to take over this ministry and apostolate... (Acts 1:20-25) 'Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the guardians, to feed the Church of God... (Acts 20:28) If you put all this to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus and show that you have really digested the teaching of the faith and the good doctrine which you have always followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales. Train yourself spiritually. "Physical exercises are useful enough, but the usefulness of spirituality is unlimited, since it holds out the reward of life here and now and of the future life as well"; that is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt it. I mean that the point of all our toiling and battling is that we have put our trust in the living God and he is the savior of the whole human race but particularly of all believers. This is what you are to enforce in your teaching. Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity. Make use of the time until I arrive by reading to the people, preaching and teaching. You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you; do not let it lie unused. Think hard about all this, and put it into practice, and everyone will be able to see how you are advancing. Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you. (1 Timothy 4:6-16) These Bible passages talk about the "anointing" into service of those who desire to serve. There are several things that are taken into consideration among them: a) The person's desire to serve b) His history within the Church and his history within the community c) The sponsorship of the bishops and elders d) The specific duties and functions of the office e) A direct link to God: prayer, imposition of the hands... The Body of Christ is formed by many members, each executing their pertinent functions... not a single one determining the extent of their service nor of the office that they occupy: There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. One may have the gift of preaching with wisdom given him by the Sprit; another may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit; another again the gift of healing, through this one Spirit; one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of recognizing spirits; another the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) Clearly, it is God who chooses who will serve Him and in what particular field that person will serve! I could wake up one day thinking that I should be healing people and I may employ all of my free time preparing myself for what I perceive to be my calling; yet, I cannot demand it from God. Each one of us receives a calling, but our calling must be from above and it must benefit the Church of God! God Bless! Angel |
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428 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | JCrichton | 123637 | ||
Hi, God's servant! I understand you position! It is true that in a widely diverse world as we have today, variety is a key function... but remember that it is the Holy Spirit that guides and touches us. I have witnessed mass of people congregating because a certain "somebody" was guest speaker/preacher... were they there for God or for the person in front of them? Our fidelity to God should not depend on the face representing God! As I said to Zsuzsi, I do not purport to have all the answers... but I have not found any proof that God is calling females to be pastors and preachers. Does God have the right to do so? Indubitably! Do we have the right to determine who serves God in what office? Not! (See 1 Timothy 3:1-16) God Bless! Angel |
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429 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | JCrichton | 123631 | ||
Hi, Zsuzsi! I am not suggesting that females are to be treated as second class Christians. Neither did Paul suggest such thing, after all, who was charged with instructing the children?: If a widow has children or grandchildren, they are to learn first of all to do their duty to their own families... (1 Timothy 5:4) True the widowed was no longer bonded to her husband, but her responsibility to the family--which would extend to the Church--was not dissolved with the death of her husband! And that responsibility included instructing the children, both male and female! "I do not see why He should not be allowed to call women to His service when times have obviously changed." This would imply that God consciously selected only "male" servants to appease man. It would also suggest that God approved of man's chauvinism, and that now, since society has deemed females to be equal to males, God has seen the way and welcomes female priestesses and preachers to serve the Church. This reasoning would make God as changeable and as incompetent as society, which celebrates homosexuality, upholds racial discrimination, exalts wealth, discards human life... "Taking this verse by itself would simply tell us that the true Christian lifestyle is against gender-equality, we are to be anti-feminists and discriminating." Here's Paul take on that: Husbands should love their wives, just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her. (Ephesians 5:25) Are Christians commanded to love only their wives and to discriminate against all other females? That is not the preaching of the Bible! Christians are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church! How can there be love without respect? How can one Christian love his wife and consider himself above all other females just because they are not his wife? Seemingly society has bested Christianity… then should we emulate society?: So this I say to you and attest to you in the Lord, do not go on living the empty-headed life that the gentiles live. Intellectually they are in the dark, and they are estranged from the life of God, because of the ignorance which is the consequence of closed minds. Their sense of right and wrong once dulled, they have abandoned all self-control and pursue to excess every kind of uncleanness. (Ephesians 4:17-19) We can witness this abandonment more pronouncedly in the entertainment industry: Females are demoralizing themselves just as badly as when they were demoralized by men just a decade or so ago (this includes even the top “talents“)! How does achieving “actor” status raises the female value when actresses gleefully sink to the same depths that they were forced to inhabit when it was an all “male” controlled environment? And how does sexually provocative acts, on stage or on video, demonstrates a superior singing talent or voice quality in today‘s female performer? Equality in human terms means the freedom to debase ourselves at equal levels. Equality in God’s terms means that we are all loved equally, regardless of our gender, ethnicity, and status! In Christianity, there’s a built-in equality that the world could never achieve: so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:42-45) I do not presume to have all the answers… But I know that, in Christ, you are just as important as the wisest of all human alive! Your age matters not to God, nor does your gender. But we are called to serve in God’s terms. I cannot determine your calling, nor am I attempting to dissuade you from what you understand your calling to be… who knows, perhaps God will use you to provoke jealousy in the minds and hearts of all who are serving in mediocrity--that they may wake up from their stupor and preach and live Jesus and unite His Church! My prayers are with you! God Bless! Angel |
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430 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | JCrichton | 123619 | ||
Hi, God's servant! How many judges were there? Why was Deborah appointed? It is God who choses! If a man is devoid of God or shuns his responsibilities God will use the woman to replace him! That's a given! But the actual covenant was not made with a woman! That has never changed; I am not projecting, this is God's own perspective--we must read the Bible and accept His Word! Could you tell me why Jesus chose 12 male disciples and not a single female disciple to entrust upon them the edification of the Church? Or are you saying that there were no females (single, divorced, widowed) in Galilee during Jesus' ministry? There was a purpose then, as there is a purpose now. Please, let this not be an argument about equal rights... in Jesus we are all the same, in God we are all equally sinners! But the Holy Spirit did not call a single woman to be a priestess! We must realize that when God instituted the priesthood He was not respecting man's cultural biases nor was He afraid of man. And to sugest that the Bible reflected the prejudice of the writers or of the Jewish culture would be to say that the Bible has been manipulated by man and thus not God's Word: About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we can hand over this duty. We ourselves will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.' The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, and after prayer they laid their hands on them. The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7) Not seeking to be argumentative... could this not have been an excellent point in the ministry to introduce female preachers and priestesses? The Apostles relied on the Holy Spirit to guide them, could the Holy Spirit not see that additional "workers" could have benefited the cause? Or do you figure that the Apostles, and the rest of the male disciples, were so prejudiced against females that they would rather work 24/7 in order to resolve the various problems that arose due to the constant need of the expanding Church? We have to stop accomodating the world and its values while simultaneously dismanteling God's statues and commands--God never goes out of style! What was constituted then was made eternal: So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. (Matthew 16:18) The status of the Church was set then and there! God Bless! Angel |
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431 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | JCrichton | 123588 | ||
"But obviously in our modern culture it is not disgraceful at all any more" Hi, Zsuzsi! It was never about cultural values... the purity was mandated by God. He said at one time: "thou shall not kill." That has never changed. He commanded the people of Israel to stay pure; that too has never changed! God is not a cultural fad! Here's how much He cared about doing things his way (I will give you only the examples--as I am falling asleep I can't recall the passages exactly; but if you need to have them, just ask!): *One of Aaron sons brought a strange fire into the service--Yahweh struck him dead! *When returning the Arc one of the servants of David touched the Arc because it seem to be about to fall--Yahweh struck him dead! Those were diffent times... but the penalty for sin is constant: death (Romans 6:23). Can God choose a woman to guide His people? Yes! Did God choose woman to guide His people? No! It is interesting that with the "modernization" of society "Christians" want to modernize the Bible! The promise was made to Abraham not to his wife! The chosing of the Twelve was among men not women or unisex! True, women in the Bible and in society have a value in the ministries of our Lord. But they are not placed above men as far as responsibility and authority in the Church is concerned! We can, and many "Christians" have, negate the Word while giving credence to society's values (separation of Church and state--which just means removing God from a visible position in society; homosexuality as a "lifestyle" approved by some congregations as ordained and blessed by God; abortion as a form of respect for women's rights--actually means: fornicate, fornicate, fornicate (the product of such liberal "lifestyle" is an excellent source of medical research and development: kill in the name of justice and justify by capitalizing on the spoils!); there are so many more examples... like the various states world-wide who are constitutionalizing the eradication of the Bible...), as I said, we are voiding the Word of God to serve the creatures rather than the Creator. You have a strong understanding of the Word, please do not let emotions and false justification derail you! God Bless! Angel |
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432 | Connection between Daniel 9:11 and US? | Dan 9:11 | JCrichton | 123414 | ||
“Philosophically, what about Communist Russia or China who have murdered Tens of Millions (if not more) of their own people? Would they not be subject to more severe "judgment"?” Hi, BradK! Though an interesting concept… No! God does not have a tit for tat dispensing of Judgment. There are various examples in the Bible, I have chosen my favorite three: It was just about this time that some people arrived and told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than any others, that this should have happened to them? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell, killing them all? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’ (Luke 13:1-5) It is not the immensity of sins that we are to concern ourselves with but our willingness to repent, ask God’s forgiveness and abide in Jesus! ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he let them both off. Which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one who was let off more, I suppose.’ Jesus said, ‘You are right.’ Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, ‘You see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, many as they are, have been forgiven her, because she has shown such great love. It is someone who is forgiven little who shows little love.’ (Luke 7:41-47) Again, God takes into account not the enormity of our sins but our willingness to love Him--by abiding in His Word! The Lord replied, ‘Who, then, is the wise and trustworthy steward whom the master will place over his household to give them at the proper time their allowance of food? Blessed that servant if his master’s arrival finds him doing exactly that. I tell you truly, he will put him in charge of everything that he owns. But if the servant says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming,” and sets about beating the menservants and the servantgirls, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful. ‘The servant who knows what his master wants, but has got nothing ready and done nothing in accord with those wishes, will be given a great many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but has acted in such a way that he deserves a beating, will be given fewer strokes. When someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of that person; when someone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even more will be expected. (Luke 12:42-48) Jesus states that it is those to whom much is given that much will be asked of them, and to those who much has been entrusted to them, much more will be demanded of them! James warns us of this very danger: Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in mind that we shall receive a stricter judgement. (James 3:1) So it is the extent to which we damage our relationship with God, once we have come to know Him, that will demand greater Judgment and not the sinful state in which we come to Jesus! God Bless! Angel |
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433 | What is the answer to this question? | Luke 20:4 | JCrichton | 123362 | ||
PS: I hope you do not mind that I have taken it upon myself to change your name--slightly... if you do mind please let me know and I'll cease the practice! God Bless! Angel |
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434 | What is the answer to this question? | Luke 20:4 | JCrichton | 123361 | ||
Hi, following Him! One more reason why John's baptism was from Heaven: the Messiah, Jesus Christ, had to be Anointed by a prophet of God--just as every prophet and high priest, before Him, had to be anointed before occupying his office! God Bless! Angel |
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435 | What is the answer to this question? | Luke 20:4 | JCrichton | 123358 | ||
Hi, WalkingTalkingBible! I have met many from various walks that do subscribe to that particular position. They tend to circumvent the Holy Spirit who issues forth all gifts according to His Will (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) and they totally ignore Paul's teachings (1 Corinthians 12:12-31--Are all of them apostles? Or all prophets? Or all teachers? Or all miracle-workers? Do all have the gifts of healing? Do all of them speak in tongues and all interpret them?) So then, does speaking in strange tongues demonstrate that a peson is filled with the Holy Spirit and, conversely, does the lack of speaking in tongue demonstrate that a person does not have the Spirit of God? To reply yes to the above question would be to diminish God to our finite being! Elizabeth, when filled with the Holy Spirit did not speak in strange tongues but recognized Mary as the chosen servant of God who carried our Lord, Jesus Christ, in her womb: Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.' (Luke 1:41-45) Not a single chant or unintelligible sound, but the Holy Spirit was present even in John--a six-month old servant of the Lord! God Bless! Angel |
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436 | "Least in the kingdom of God"? | Matt 11:11 | JCrichton | 123313 | ||
Hi, ralph2! I want to share the following Biblical passages with you, regardless of our interpretation, the Word of God is the Truth: Isaiah 43:10-11 establishes one God, one Savior: Yahweh!: …No god was formed before me, nor will be after me. I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Saviour but me. Yet when we read John 20:28-29 we find somewhat of a spin on the entity of God: Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. (John 20:28-29) Is Jesus telling Thomas that future generations will believe that Christ was nailed to the a cross and pierced on the side and that that particular knowledge will make them blessed? If Jesus is not God then Thomas made a grave mistake by calling Him Lord and God… why didn’t Jesus correct Him then and there so that all the Apostles could understand that it was wrong to believe that Jesus is God? But there was no correction! Why would Jesus correct the Truth?: Jesus and the Father are One! ‘Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me… (John 14:10-11 ) Please open you heart and mind to the Holy Spirit, when you do He will guide you to the Truth: Jesus is God! You too will be blessed of the Father when you finally accept Jesus as God! (John 14:1) Now in Acts 5:3-4 Peter confirms the Third Person of God: Peter said, ‘Ananias, how can Satan have so possessed you that you should lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land? While you still owned the land, wasn’t it yours to keep, and after you had sold it wasn’t the money yours to do with as you liked? What put this scheme into your mind? You have been lying not to men, but to God.’ First Peter establishes that Ananias has lied to the Holy Spirit, then he establishes that he had been lying to God: the Holy Spirit is God! Jesus explained this Spiritual relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) in a very candid yet numinous way: I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever, the Sprit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. (John 14:16-17, 23) In John 14:16 Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete (Greek word meaning: advocate, counselor, protector) who will be with Christians forever. In 14:17 Jesus makes it clear that Holy Spirit cannot be accepted (believed in) by the world (those who reject Christ); only those who believe will be able to know (believe in) Him, since He will be with us and in us! This is nothing less than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those who become Children of God (see John 1:12-13). In John 14:23 Jesus establishes our relationship with Him and, through Him, with the Father. He also promises that if we love Him and keep his word (commandments) He and the Father will come to us and live in us. That is another indwelling! There are three Persons of God who cohabit the true believer! No wonder 1 John 4:4 boldly states that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world! God dwells (lives) in His children! And Jesus put it in terms of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17) and Himself and the Father (John 14:23): three Persons of God! If you accept Jesus’ words as Truth when He says that the Father is greater than He (John 14:28), why can’t you accept Jesus’ words as Truth when He says that He and the Father are One? (John 10:30) One final thought on Jesus’ Divinity: Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, ‘Look, here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God, God-with-them. (Revelation 21:3) This particular passage is making reference to both Isaiah 7:14 and Ezekiel 37:27, wow! Who did you say was the God-with-them? God Bless! Angel PS: Due to the spatial restrains on the forum I cannot post an unabridged study; if you truly want to learn about the Trinity email me at jcrichtonfs1.yahoo.com; I have tons of Biblical passages for you--please open your heart to the Holy Spirit as you do, Jesus--He who is the Truth--will set you free! |
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437 | Where does membership come from? | NT general Archive 1 | JCrichton | 123284 | ||
Hi, jalanlambert! I respect you opinion... still it is my obligation to counsel you to rethink your position. True, we are in the world. But we are not meant to be of the world. The Church was established by Christ and it is our duty as Christians to nourish and maintain the Body of Christ--not the Spiritual Body, in which we have no authority nor means to influence as we are only made in God's image--and not God. But the physical Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head and the Foundation. Instead of looking at man and his limitations, we should seek the Lord and labor to correct the errors found in the Church: we should'nt strive to dismantle the Church since God has ordained her!: since, as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Chruch is subject to Christ, so should wives be to their husbands, in everythig. husbands should love their wives, just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy by washing her in cleansing water with a form of words, so that when he took the Church to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless. In the same way, husbans must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church, because we are parts of his Body. This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached to his wife, and the two become one flesh. This mystery has great significance, but I am applying it to Christ and the Church. (Ephesians 5:23-32) God Bless! Angel |
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438 | Hades shall not overpower the church? | Matthew | JCrichton | 123277 | ||
Hi, following Him! I understand what you are saying... my views are that Satan has no kingdom. As Lucifer he attempted to overthrow God but failed; not too miserably since he took a third of the angels with him! (Revelation 12:4) This demonstrates his eloquence and guile--no wonder Paul commands us to put on the armor of God! (Ephisians 6:10-18) If we are to hold fast we cannot do it on our own for we have neither the knowledge nor the power to battle, resist or overcome him that is in the world. The devil does have dominion but not in Hell or Hades or Gehenna: 'Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be driven out. (John 12:31--see also John 14:30; 16:11; Revelation 12:9, 12) Was Jesus fearful about the devil's powers? No! Many people do not seem to understand what happened in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11): when Jesus had enough, He commanded Satan to leave, and he did! Having all power and authority, Jesus commands us to abide in Him and in His Word. He demonstrates our dependence on Him: I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) Satan and his minions will suffer Hell or the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41), so there is no real hurry for them to get there nor to form a kingdom there: When he reached the territory of the Gadarenes on the other side, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs--they were so dangeroulsy violent that nobody could use that path. Suddenly they shouted, 'What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?' (Matthew 8:28-29) But knowing their eminent demise does not deter Satan and his minions from attacking the Church, in a twisted effort to rule (destroy) Creation. (Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 12:4-18) So... are we to fear Hell, Satan, his minions? No! We are to fear God (Matthew 10:28)... but not because He will cast us into Hell--God has no such interest: ...Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone--declares the Lord Yahweh--so repent and live!' (Ezekiel 18:30-32) We are to fear God because Judgment has already been passed (John 12:48) and those found out of the Fold--those who do not abide in Jesus--will be cat into the Second Death (Revelation 2:11; 21:8); these will include Satan and his minions. (Revelation 20:9-10) God Bless! Angel |
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439 | Norm, Is the way the same for all ? | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 123260 | ||
Hi, Searcher! Sorry about my post! I thought, from your query, that you were intending to take the meaning to a spiritual level. Since there are so many teachings about Christ and the Church (some that blatantly contradict Jesus Christ Himself), I thought that the thread was heading into an "all inclusive" fellowship: i.e.: Some try to twist Ephisians 4:4 to mean come as you are (keeping the old life and conforming not to the Lord, but Him to the old life). So, true, rear the child as he/she has talents and abilities... but when it pertains to the Lord: Throw out the old yeast so that you can be the fresh dough, unleavened as you are. For our Passover has been sacrificed, that is, Christ; (1 Corinthians 5:7) God Bless! Angel |
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440 | Why did the GOD create man? | Rev 4:11 | JCrichton | 123187 | ||
Hi! When the issue about God's identity arose here's what He said to Moses: Moses then said to God, 'Look, if I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you, and they say to me, "What is his name?" what am I to tell them?' God said to Moses, 'I am he who is.' And he said, 'This is what you are to say to the Israelites, "I am has sent me to you."' God further said to Moses, 'You are to tell the Israelites, "Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is my name for all time, and thus I am to be invoked for all generations to come. (Exodus 3:13-15) God revealed only that which He wanted to reveal: I am! Could Moses have gotten more information if he continue to pry? The Apostles knew that there was a purpose for God's revelations that His purpose went beyond personal gratification: My dear friends, we are already God's children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed. We are well aware that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is. (1 John 3:2) Now we are only reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face. Now I can know only imperfectly; but then I shall know just as fully as I am myself known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) Hebrews 11 is an excellent passage for meditation on knowledge, faith, and understanding, in the Holy Spirit, of God's ways. God Bless! Angel |
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