Results 501 - 520 of 773
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: JCrichton Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
501 | God in his wisdom knows our hearts. | John 14:6 | JCrichton | 129880 | ||
Hi, nselke! As Hank's post stated, only in Jesus is our Salvation found... Though it is true that God knows our hearts, if our hearts do not reflect this relationship with Christ we will not be saved: Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3) It is not enough to believe in some supreme being or some form of deity or another--if it were so, the "just in case" believers would have it made! Jesus is exact in what He wants from humanity: "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. (Matthew 12:30) God Bless! Angel |
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502 | Define Christian entertainment | John 14:12 | JCrichton | 125674 | ||
Hi, Edd! I think the problem lies in the liberal interpretation of Paul's declarition to the Corinthians: To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22) But Paul never said that he practiced divination, witchcraft, idolatry... in order to fit in with those who would practice such vices in order to save "all"... Today, many "Christians" believe that we must engineer theatrical feats to gain the interest of the masses. So we find more and more merging of church and Performers (be it orators, singers, etc...); the Word of God has become a secondary issue--the main concern is bigger and better attractions! Apparently, Jesus was utterly wrong when He stated that: ...small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:14) "Christians" today are proving Christ wrong... they subscribe to the bigger is better and wealthier is best philosophies which they use to bring everyone (translation: anything goes) to God! Christ was not a performer! When the masses searched Him out with their hypocritical "Rabbi..." Jesus flatly told them: ..."I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. (John 6:26) Yes, all Christians have the duty to bring others to Christ; but, that duty does not give us the lisence to conform Scriture to the world's values! God Bless! Angel |
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503 | belonging | John 14:21 | JCrichton | 126074 | ||
Hi, mikec! Please do not be offended… No one can give you a prepackaged deal that would offer you a Christian identity with a personal fellowship addendum. It is just not possible--if it were we would not have a smorgasbord of spiritual pallets to choose from. Christ made it very simple: abide in me! (John 15:4) “still believe in some practices,not all” You gave yourself the answer! The problem we have today with Christianity is that we want to find the “perfect” building/people to fellowship with. We come to Christ with the values and expectations of society’s “self-indulgent ego trip meets disposable everything.” And we dot every “i” and we cross every “t” in Scripture while rejecting anything that does not reflect society’s presumptions. We do not desire to conform to God… so we keep searching for a fellowship group that gives us the old pat-on-the-back: “you’re ok--we’re ok.” You are the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) so your fellowship with Christ begins within you! Your fellowship with others will reflect what you have allowed Jesus to teach you! So, instead of wondering the world seeking for the perfect place to worship, worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23-24) and seek to build the Church of Christ (Matthew 16:18) by being obedient to Jesus Word (John 14:15). God Bless! Angel |
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504 | Who is Greater Jesus Christ or the Fathe | John 14:28 | JCrichton | 124180 | ||
Hi, Johnny! Part 1 or 2 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) This is the truth and I am speaking in Christ, without pretence, as my conscience testifies for me in the Holy Spirit; there is great sorrow and unremitting agony in my heart: I could pray that I myself might be accursed and cut off from Christ, if this could benefit the brothers who are my own flesh and blood. They are Israelites; it was they who were adopted as children, the glory was theirs and the covenants; to them were given the Law and the worship of God and the promises. To them belong the fathers and out of them, so far as physical descent is concerned, came Christ who is above all, God, blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:1-5) |
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505 | Who is Greater Jesus Christ or the Fathe | John 14:28 | JCrichton | 124181 | ||
Part 2 of 2 You see, God’s grace has been revealed, and It has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very own and would have no ambition except to do good. Now this is what you are to say, whether you are giving instruction or correcting errors; you can do so with full authority, and no one is to question it. (Titus 2:11-15) Simon peter, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith as precious as our own, given through the saving justice of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of our Lord. (2 Peter 1:1-2) Again, how can you separate the Father from the Son: We are well aware that no one who is a child of God sins, because he who was born from God protects him, and the Evil One has no hold over him. We are well aware that we are from God, and the whole world is in the power of the Evil One. We are well aware also that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know the One who is true. We are in the One who is true as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ, he is the true God and this is eternal life. Children, be on your guard against false gods. (1 John 5:18-20) Please meditate on the above passage. Allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten you: to give you enough Faith to Believe the One True God; the Holy Spirit can convict you, if you let Him! God Bless! Angel |
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506 | What is the truevinein John 15? | John 15:5 | JCrichton | 141138 | ||
Hi, Ellie50! Jesus is the True Vine! Remember that He is speaking to the people of Israel... though God's people their faith had been polluted by their religious leaders through eons of circumvention of the Mosaic Laws... Jesus is assuring Israel that He is the True Vine as He is the Good Shepherd that comes to rescue the lost and scattered! God Bless! Angel |
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507 | lords voice how do we know | John 15:10 | JCrichton | 126977 | ||
Hi, hgeo! Read John 15:5-25... this is Jesus' discourse in abiding in His Love: Commandment! When we stray from Jesus' Word we act against His Commandment. This is why He cautions that not all who call Him Lord will be saved (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46). It is not sufficient to say, "The Lord spoke to me..." We must gauge all claims and thoughts against Scripture (Galatians 1:6-12); the Lord will never speak to us with messages that are contrary to Scripture! I find this particular problem with many believers: While searching for the "perfect" mate they would pray to the Lord and await for His revelation--but seldomly is there reliance on the Lord; their "awaiting on the Lord" is tinted with personal biases (selecting the person then asking God to make that person fall madly in love with him/her; selecting a person who is already in a relationship; making a "Santa" list for God to fill; desiring instant reply and very short discovery period; confusing Christian affection with human emotions...) that void all prayers and supplications since they do not meet with God's approval (James 4:1-7) We must learn to listen to the Lord with a humble, patiente and impartial heart and mind... We must give Him time to offer His response; then, we must accept it and act on it--even when it is not the response we wanted to hear! I offer you Ephesians 4:14 through 5:21 as a guide in listening to the Lord! God Bless! Angel |
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508 | Delighting in the Lord? | John 15:11 | JCrichton | 140699 | ||
Hi, LPgal! We delight in the Lord by humble obedience! God is continuously inviting us to be part of His Kingdom... His call is that we become friends (Isaiah 1:18-19), that we delight in Him by obeying His Commandments--not in obedience to the Law that promises death, but in willingness to abide in Him (John 15:9-11; 16:24; 17:13)... John shows us how we are to delight in the Lord: 1 John 1 The Word of Life 1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete. (1 John 1:1-4) We take delight in knowing the Father and the Son... in abiding in God's Love! God Bless! Angel |
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509 | I dont call you servants but friends | John 15:15 | JCrichton | 119666 | ||
Hi, Aku! Being heirs to Heaven is not a right (will never find it in the Constitution) of creatures (all are part of God's Creation); being heirs is a privilege granted to us by no other than Christ Himself!: But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name who wre born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself. (John 1:12-13) I do not know if you have brothers and sisters... but, in all societies around the world siblings do not always grow up in a loving and caring environment where love is the rule of the day. Many siblings grow apart; and sometines, even those in such environment full of love and nurturing, they become their own brothers' and sisters' nemesis. When Christ first called the disciples they were aware of the Messiah's coming, they lived as best they could seeking to serve God... As Jesus taught them and prepared them for the complete revelation of God's Salvific Plan eleven of the twelve disciples matured in knowledge and spirituality... Their progress, as well as ours, was from being alienated from God, to getting to know God's will, to experiencing God on earth, to believing and serving Christ, to being born again into God, to becoming Christ's friends! Our potential is not merely to be one of God's children (co-heir with Christ) but to become one of God's friends! God Bless! Angel |
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510 | Other Unpardonable Sin Theories? | John 16:8 | JCrichton | 126751 | ||
"is it possible that the context could really just be nothing more than a situation in which Jesus warns the Pharisees/others of something else--the real unpardonable sin of supremely offending God by calling Him Satan? It seems to me, since God and Satan are arch-enemies, that it might just be that God hates being confused, in the face of such conviction and evidence, with His arch-enemy, Satan. And it seems that this interpretation could be just as likely as the other, more popular (final rejection) interpretation, since both concepts are Biblical." Hi, DrumLife! Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, if we do not believe that He is the "I AM" then we cannot have any part in His Resurrection and Life! By transfering the command of the Old Testament to the Holy Spirit, Jesus is attesting to the Holy Spirit's Divinity--since it is the Holy Spirit who brings man to God, if we reject Him we reject Christ: rejecting Christ we reject Salvation! Your quote is interesting, though not quite precise... in the minds of the religious elite Jesus was not God but an interloper who sought to usurp God's Authority! The Holy Spirit as an entity of God was introduced clearly by Jesus--yet since they did not believe in Him, they could not receive the Holy Spirit who, in turn, would open up their minds and spirits to Christ (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15). Blasphemy against the Holy Sprit is total denial and rejection of God, since it is He who brings the completeness of Truth onto the world. God Bless! Angel |
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511 | what is jesus saying to mankind ? | John 16:12 | JCrichton | 145172 | ||
Hi, naetaylomae! Jesus, the Word Incarnate, as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), did not come to reveal all; His function was to fulfill Scripture, return God's people to the Law (the Law had been circumvented and altered throughout the years), establish the New Covenant (Salvation through His Blood, a new form of worship--open to the gentiles and in a spiritual plane, establishing of the Church, sending of the Holy Spirit)... Jesus makes preparations for the Church to receive the Holy Spirit who will come with the fullness of Truth and Knowledge (John 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-15)... if you read the book of Acts, you will notice the evolution of the Church as the Holy Spirit teaches and guides it. God Bless! Angel |
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512 | When does Scripture apply to us? | John 17:12 | JCrichton | 132595 | ||
Hi, Dalcent! You are correct in noting that there are specific events and specific people that cannot be taken outside Scriptural context... But even the betrayal, the denial, and the crucifixion of Jesus are events that have been perpetuated throughout time by Christians: When we place ourselves or the world above Jesus... When we usurp His Authority... When we deny Him... When we reject/circumvent the Word... When we teach others our personal views of Scripture rather than humbly obey Scripture... It is Scripture that testefies to our obligation to apply God's Word to our lives: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20) "make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Clearly, Jesus not only expects the disciples to indoctrinate the world, but He expects them to teach them to obey everything He has commanded them! "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23) We are not meant to operate in a vacuum! Our call is to be united in Jesus with all of His disciples! This unity cannot be attained if we do not have one basic doctrine... as admonished by Paul (1 Corinthians 12:3-13)--Jesus Christ's teachings, aside from very specific events, are transcendent! Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26) "He who believes in me will live" Jesus is God, He is not limited by time or space: who ever believes in Him will live! Jesus instituted His Church (Matthew 16:18-19) to facilitate the News of the Kingdom to all that by hearing the Word would believe! Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:28-29, 30-31) This combined passage demonstrate that Salvation through Faith in Jesus, is offered to all, not just to the Eleven--those that were Jesus' contemporaries--but to all who, through the preaching of the Word, come to believe in Jesus! God Bless! Angel |
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513 | Do people disbelieve? | John 17:22 | JCrichton | 126745 | ||
Hi, Stultis! Negative! The problem is that there are those who are do not believe in the Scripture's revelation that Jesus is God... these are like wolf in sheep clothing who use feigned humility and concern to infiltrate this forum and others with their anti-Christian regurgitations. They are so confused that they call themselves Christians or "spiritual" but, as they are not seeking God in His terms, they reject Christ as their Lord! They reject Jesus' Divinity while still believing that they are obeying Yahweh! God Bless! Angel |
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514 | Who is "he"? Why greater sin? | John 19:11 | JCrichton | 130194 | ||
Hi, Mommapbs! Truly, we are all sinners... but Jesus, who is God, has stated that there are some (or at least one) who will be held at greater accountability than the rest of humanity... Though many see this person as Judas (John 19:11), I suggest to you that it is not Judas--from what little we know about Judas we can perceive that he is not a dovote believer... at best he is at the outskirts of faith, placing greater importance on the temporal values than on Jesus' revelation of His Divinity and the true Purpose of His incarnation... Now, there is a person who, through his office, demonstrated that he was representing God and God's interests as he used his authority to persuade others to follow his lead: Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life. (John 11:47-53) Being the high priest, Caiaphas had the responsibility of searching Scripture for the truth about Jesus and of commanding a fair hearing to determine Jesus' guilt/innocence... Instead, he sealed Jesus' fate and set in motion the plan to rid themselves of the stone that had began to make them shake and stumble (Romans 9:32-33). Though Judas betrayed Jesus, he did not do so while officiating on behalf of God--Caiaphas, who claimed to be the deposit of authority and knowledge did! God Bless! Angel |
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515 | Please explain John 19:27 | John 19:26 | JCrichton | 107881 | ||
Hi, Betty Jones! I believe that things don't happen in a vacuum in the Bible. We can see many events typified from Genesis on. Jesus had a human mother who is bequeathed to a disciple (the one He loved?) which is typified in Revelation 12:17: "Then the dragon was enraged with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, who obey God's commandments and have in themselves the witness of Jesus." These children were not her natural children; they were adopted children (as John). Many would like you to believe that that passage is talking about the Church; but clearly they are mistaken: Jesus birthed the Church, not the other way around! I must confess that I do have a question on John 19:27--I cannot understand why, since there were Biblical statements about Jesus' siblings--especially about James who is a prominent disciple, Jesus would bequeath His mother to someone other than a blood relative. Unless a) Revelation 19:27 applies or these siblings were not Mary's blood relatives! God Bless! |
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516 | Is THE SABBATH ON A SATURDAY | John 20:19 | JCrichton | 109144 | ||
Hi, kirbys! If you read the Bible you will find that the Catholic Church did not change the Sabbath! The Day of the Lord (the first day of the week) was celebrated by the apostles, were they braking the Law? Did Paul not say that we are no longer under the Law? Are we still sacrificing goats, sheep, bulls, doves, and burning oil and grains at the temple? Jesus said that He came not to abolish the Law but to give it fulfillment! He also told the Sadducees, Pharisees, Masters of the Law, Scribes and the general population that the Sabbath was made to serve man and not the other way around. So clearly we celebrate the Sabbath not as a hinderance but as a rest. In the beginning, did God started His work on Sunday, Monday...? God worked for six days and on the seventh He rested! When we search the Bible we will find that Christians (the early Church) made efforst to gather on the Day of the Lord, the first day of the week--our Lord's Day of Resurrection! Further understanding is given to us by Jesus when He announced that all food is sacred (good to eat); was Jesus unaware that there were certain animals that were forbidden in the Law? This was mirrored in Peter's vision of the various types of animals which he refused, following his conscience and the Law, and which God called sacred (truly God was being deeper than that; His reference was to the Gentiles which were still being despised by the Jew converts). But would we then say that Jesus and God were contradicting the Law and the commandments? Surely we can see that since Jesus IS the fulfillment of the Law some of the old covenant's functions would pass into disuse as Jesus perfected them in the new covenant! Also Paul, in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, understood that all of the days were created by God; that what is really important is how we offer our rest to God! (Romans 14:5-12 and 1 Peter 3:13-17) Any single verse of Scripture can add or detract from our faith, if we are like the man that looks in the mirror for approval instead of looking to the Lord! God Bless! |
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517 | Disciple Jesus Loved | John 21:24 | JCrichton | 121229 | ||
Hi, fsufitz! There are many beliefs out there... I follow what the Scriptures reveal: John 21:20-23 is a thought following Jesus' reinstatement of Peter (Peter's heart and spirit was broken after his denial of Jesus) into His intimacy and His commands to Peter to watch over the Church. Also, these verses precede John's (the Evangelist) declaration that it is he who has known these things and has put them in writing: ...But Jesus did not say he would not die; he said , "If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you?" He is the disciple who spoke of these things, the one who also wrote them down; and we know that what he said is true. (John 21:23-24) Some people would say that it is not clear that it is John speaking in John 21:24--if this were true then the man in the vision which Paul talks about cannot be Paul and must forever remind shrouded in mystery (2 Corinthians 12:2-5) since Paul uses the same tone of expression as John. Further evidence is the fact that John, not James or any other disciple, was given the various revelations (John 1:1-18--where John reveals that Jesus, the Word, is God incarnate--and the book of Revelation--where John is given the task to witness to things to come and further revelations that Jesus, the Lamb--who is God-- share the Father's Throne and Power!). There are many passages in the Bible where James' name precedes John's, I believe that John is the younger of the two brothers, sons of Zebedee, so it would be customary to mention James before John. And, finally, Peter, though separated by the Lord to unite the Church, would not have had the courage to face Jesus on the cross since he had denied Him just a few hours earlier God Bless! Angel |
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518 | Why so silent? | John 21:25 | JCrichton | 137213 | ||
Hi, Robb! As Doc pointed it out... it has to do with Christ's Mission... being God Jesus did not have to be baptized by John, but, as the Lamb of God, He had to fulfill every obligation of the Law (Matthew 3:13-16)... till Jesus reached the age stipulated by the Law there was nothing for Him to do otherwise He would be playing to Satan's game (Matthew 4:1-11)... we understand from Scripture that Jesus had gathered the disciples but had not performed any astonishing miracles... when prompted by Mary, His Mother, to resolve the wine problem at the wedding of Cana, Jesus expressly stated that His time (hour) had not yet arraived! (John 2:1-11)... through this latter passage (as well as the passages dealing with his birth, infancy and childhood) we can infer that Jesus was aware of a specific time schedule set at the very beginning of God's Salvation Plan (Genesis 3:15)... Scripture dealing with Jesus' ordinary life (as the son of a man named Joseph who was a carpenter) has no bearings with Salvation--the sole purpose for the incarnation of the Word! God Bless! Angel |
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519 | We ran from a major city. | Acts | JCrichton | 148461 | ||
Hi, Gospel! Perhaps you are referring to Acts 19:22 through 20:5: 22He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. The Riot in Ephesus 23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: “Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that manmade gods are no gods at all. 27There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” 28When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. Acts 20 Through Macedonia and Greece 1When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodby and set out for Macedonia. 2He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. God Bless! Angel |
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520 | In One Place | Acts 2:1 | JCrichton | 107803 | ||
Hi, Thomas8! For where two or three meet in my name, I am there among them.' (Matthew 18:20) One place is important--we are called to be one: John 17:21; pluralism is man's attribute. Being in one place (spiritually) is to be at one or to become one. Sadly, the Christian world is not ready for the fullness of Christ. As Paul said: "...for you are still living by your natural inclinations. As long as there are jealousy and rivalry among you, that surely means that you are still living by your natural inclinations and by merely human principles. While there is one that says, 'I belong to Paul' and another that says "I belong to Apollos' are you not being only too human?" (1 Corinthians 3:2-4) Christ warned us of the end of times when there would be a separation among the people: "I tell you, on that ninght, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left.'" (Luke 17:34-36) But it seems that we are too engrossed in our search for the Light (or is it earth bound wisdom that we seek?) that we have lost sight of what it means to be in the Light! Why don't we strive to be in One place? Ego! God Bless! |
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