Results 61 - 79 of 79
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Zsuzsi Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
61 | I Timothy 1:4 - what does it mean? | 1 Tim 1:5 | Zsuzsi | 121534 | ||
Hmmm... Timothy was the delegate who administered Paul's teaching to the community (in Ephesus); he was to be regarded as an 'extension' of the apostle himself. The early, fast-growing and very new Christian communities were rather disorganized, and through his epistles, Paul wanted to 'sort them out': he tried to clarify doctrines, eliminate false teachings, encourage Christian love and give guidelines for Christian lifestyle. In 1Timothy 1:3-7 Paul warned the community against false teachings and 'meaningless talks'. These are teachings which do not come from God: they are based on myths or genealogies and therefore even end in contradictions. Paul confirms that "faith and a good consience" (1:5,19) will lead people towards the goal, which is teaching in, by and with God's love (1:5). He says to Timothy: "...remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines" 1Tim 1:3 If Christians disobey this only commandment of love, they 'shipwreck' the faith (i.e. believe and teach false doctrines; Paul calls this blasphemy). In 1Tim 1:20 Paul names two Christians, Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom he 'handed over to Satan' so that they may learn not to blashpheme. (Being 'handed over to Satan' means being exposed to him without God's protection; this is equivalent to the removal of consolation and/or support coming from God. See also 1Cor 5:5.) The two people he referred to were probably just two examples of disloyalty to the Gospel. In the fast-growing Christian community there were many problems of this kind. Hope this helps. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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62 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123548 | ||
Of course, Steve. But no Scripture should be taken out of biblical and historical context and so be used for teaching, reproof, correction or training in righteousness. (2Tim 2:14) If we read 1Tim 2 from the beginning, we see that Paul is calling EVERYONE to a modest and quiet life, not only the women... Women are LIKEWISE (1Tim 2:9) to be quiet and receive instruction from the men of the congregation who are not deceived by Satan as Eve was in the garden of Eden. Women were quicker to fall when it came to accepting false teachings. (2Tim 3:6) 1Tim 1 tells about existing misleadings in doctrine and living. In his epistles, Paul was trying to sort out this chaotic state of the early churches and he needed to clarify whom people should listen to and whose teachings they were to reject. Also see, for example, that in Rev 2:20 Jesus convicts the church of Thyatira of allowing the woman Jezebel to lead His people into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. The Lord is not saying the problem is that she is a woman - the problem is with her teaching. I think we should also look at the historical context in which these epistles were written: in the ancient societies, women by tradition remained at home as housewives, most often uneducated, while their husbands were responsible for supporting the family financially. By now the status of women has increased to the extent that men in many places are equally responsible for the household tasks and women also have professional jobs. It comes without saying that no woman should teach God's Word without first learning about it but I think it would be just wrong to apply rules which were mentioned in reference to the traditions of the ancient cultures and not ours. It is much more important to look at the intentions of God and the writer of the actual passages and apply the rules appropriately in our societies. There are several passages in the Bible which are, even though truly God's inspired Word (I agree- everything in the Bible is what He wants us to know), impossible to keep word-by-word today. They wonderfully prove the Father's meticulous care to teach us how to live a healthy and peaceful life - He designed us, He knows the best what is good for us. But we know He is a God of the living, not the dead. See for example Leviticus 15, where we are instructed to wash ourselves completely when we have even touched a chair or bed which a menstruating woman has touched, and till evening we are to be considered "unclean". Can we keep that today? No. We don't even know when a woman has her period. But in contrast, God told Paul not to consider "unclean" what He has made "clean". (Acts 10:15, 11:9.) God should be allowed to choose women into His service if He wishes so... God does not want us to live under the law but to be free in Christ to serve Him according to His will (Galatians 5:18). Similarly, in contrast to the seemingly anti-feminist 2Tim 2 and 1Cor 14, we are also taught that it does not make a difference in Christ whether we are women or men (Galatians 3:28). In fact, if we take all of Paul's teachings literally, we should think women are to pray and prophesy with their heads covered, and assume that it is shame for a woman to have short hair or her long hair uncovered at all. (1Cor 11:13-15, in the context of 1Cor 11:2-16) But obviously in our modern culture it is not disgraceful at all any more... And God did actually leave marks in the Bible that tell us that He does choose women into His service: female servants of God, including prophetesses and teachers, are mentioned several times (eg. Deborah, Hannah, Esther, Anna, Priscilla, the 4 daughters of Philip etc) and Jesus also chose women into His service just as well as men (eg. the Samaritanian woman who spread His coming, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha the sisters of Lazarus, His mother was also with the apostles when the Holy Spirit ascended on them, etc). Looking at the biblical and social setting of 1Tim 2:4, I, genuinely and with the intention of changing my mind if it is proven that I am wrong, believe that Paul instructs women against two things in both 1Tim 2 and 1Cor 14: 1) They should not teach false doctrines (learn in humbleness and submission instead of teaching something they themselves do not know) 2) They should not engage in gossip in church (keep quiet in church, ask their husbands if there is something they are interested in etc) "But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner" 1Cor 14:40 But being a (very) young woman myself, and feeling called to God's service, if what I have written offends you in any way, please forgive me and I promise not to provoke you with this any further. I just pray that God shows me if I am wrong before I do anything that would displease Him. God bless you, your little sister in Christ, Zsuzsi |
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63 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123607 | ||
Hi Angel, Thanks for your reply, especially that you took the time to write it even though you were falling asleep... Well I must say I disagree with many of your points. For example: yes, God did command that people must not kill - He said it as a very general statement, not specifying whom He was referring to. Yet it was He Himself who commanded certain people to be killed (I can also give you Bible references, there are many examples): lawbreakers, worshippers of idols, people of other nations etc. His people had to choose to obey His specific command in each case, rather than the generalized one... If He was allowed to so "change His Mind", I do not see why He should not be allowed to call women to His service when times have obviously changed. Secondly, I do not think "ministry service" (being a pastor, passing one's knowledge on to those in need, whether men or women) is equivalent to "usurping" authority over people in any way. I would personally consider it "service" to the Lord and to humanity, which requires serious dedication, persesrverance and humbleness. It is not about what titles we stick on the door of one's office - it's about how people get closer to Christ by us being there for them. Thirdly, if we are to take this passage separately from its context and accept it as you are suggesting we should, we see that Paul is talking about ALL forms of teaching or having authority - 1Tim 2 has actually nothing to do with church organization at all... That would mean that my mother, for example, who is a biophysicist and has male PhD students every year is sinning by simply teaching or guiding them... Priscilla herself would also have sinned by teaching Apollos - Paul never condemned her. Not to mention, of course, I would have been sinning by "teaching" on this forum and everywhere else, I would actually be sinning even right now by writing this to you! 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. Now I do not believe it was even close to either God's or Paul's intentions to create that picture of the ideal Christian community... Approving of women taking the position to which they are entitled in the Body of Christ is, in my opinion, not even similar to approving of homosexuality or abortion. About the relationship between the church and state I am again on a different opinion but I will not elaborate that now in detail. But since this question is so personal to me, I must accept that you can probably remain much more objective about it than I can... Indeed it is hard to ignore the quite strong emotions which statements that belie my own calling raise in me. I hope you can understand that. But of course it is not about how I feel - it is about discerning, without false justifications, what vocation God has intended me to have. Honestly I would rather be a toilet-cleaner all my life than grieve the Lord by becoming something I am not authorized to become... So I think I will now go on a few days' quiet retreat to seek the will of God before I start debating with you or anyone (especially older men!) about this issue. I would really appreciate prayers... May God bless you, and thank you again for your concern for my spiritual development, Zsuzsi |
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64 | Zsuzsi, which Scripture don't YOU keep? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123608 | ||
Hi Searcher, Thanks for your reply. No, I didn't say we get to choose what to keep and what not to keep. I only suggested that we keep all of them according to the intentions of God and the writers of the passages, by looking at the biblical and social setting for the actual passage - rather than taking them out of biblical context and so enforcing them in today's social setting. But maybe I am really mistaken... Please read my reply to Angel. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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65 | Zsuzsi, which Scripture don't YOU keep? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123609 | ||
Dear Godsservant, No problems. :-) Other people have disagreed with me in much more drastic ways but that does not mean they are being mean or anything. I thank you for sharing your opinion with me - you are more than welcome to disagree, as many times as you wish. :-) God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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66 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123611 | ||
Hi Emmaus, Thank you! Wow, this is long...! Seeing it is Roman Catholic, written by the Pope (whom I not only have heard of but have much respect for btw), I suspect I know what the conclusion is going to be; but I promise to read it through thoroughly. :-) God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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67 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123615 | ||
Hi Followinghim, Thank you for your words of encouragement. :-) I am glad I am not alone with my opinion. To me the Scriptures do not seem to be speaking against the possibility of women taking up pastoral jobs either. Nevertheless, as I notice, many people have very different views - and since this question is personally important to me in the period of discernment I am in anyway, I think I will directly turn to the Lord with this issue before my emotions make me too biased to accept if by any chance I am actually wrong. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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68 | Biblical - women preachers/teachers??? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123707 | ||
Dear Steve, Upon reviewing the ToU I do see now that I am underage. :-( When I registered I must have carelessly skipped over that point, thank you for drawing my attention to it. Of course I shall not violate the laws any further... I hope that in my replies I have not offended anyone by my immaturity. I'll come back two years later... Unless I -fairly- get deprived of my right to post because of "abuse" forever. Yet I think I will get in contact with you about this issue in a few days - privately. May God bless you, Zsuzsi PS: I have already contacted some of the people you mentioned by e-mail... |
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69 | Ordaining Others... | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121477 | ||
Dear Ourfathersheart, Why are you questioning what God has already decided? Jn 20:21: Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. If they are called, they are called and nobody is able to pluck them out of the Father's hand. (Jn 10:28-29) You do have the authority which God has given to you, to pray for them and bless them; as Christians we are to represent Jesus on earth: preach as He preached, send as He sent, teach as He taught... What we bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Mt 18:18) But you have no earthly authority to give them a 'legal degree': for that, they will need to attend some sort of education, a Bible school, university or seminary. I think it would be a good idea to send them to learn... They would grow in faith and wisdom, and at the same time they would get the qualifications they need for efficient service. But you can be convinced that they are already ordained by God. Hope this helps. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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70 | Ordaining Others... | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121497 | ||
You are very welcome. I am glad to know that God spoke the same thing to your heart and mine. :) "And He was saying to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" Luke 10:2 I will pray for them tonight.. And for you too. God bless, Zsuzsi |
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71 | Peace...? | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121801 | ||
Hi everyone, I have been reading your posts and this is my general answer to all of you: I agree that you need humility and subjection and patience and long-suffering when you are called by God... I also agree with the need for spiritual preparation before we get to His service. But I do think that sometimes 'staying under leadership' can do a person bad! If I had 'stayed under leadership' in submission, as you said, I would still be walking around kissing statues of saints, for example.. Mt 23:9: Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 1Jn 2:27: As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. Yes, learning is important, and listening to other people's opinion is also very important; it is true that only this way can we 'test our faith' (2Cor 13:5) - but nothing is worse than quenching the voice of the Holy Ghost for the sake of accepting some earthly teaching! We have to be careful not to judge the work of the Holy Spirit in another man, it is dangerous. We try to take out a mote from someone else's eye, but aren't we having a beam in our own? (Mt 7:3-5) I do realize the responsibility of being a 'minister' or 'ordained' and thorough study of God's Word is definitely required for His service. But in my opinion, no man has the authority to decide if God is calling another or not: it is a very personal issue, and it does happen at different times with different people. Maybe the called does not have the spiritual maturity right away, maybe he is even a 'blasphemer and persecutor' at the time he is called (1Tim 1:13), but I have no doubt that God's grace is enough to sustain anyone on his way... God teaches us humility and subjection in many different ways. One is actually to surrender to Him and forsake the opinion or approval of the world for His truth! If you are called, you are called and you must go... Even if it happens in your youth: "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe." 1Tim 4:12 There are false teachers in the world whom we should keep away from. We are not to 'tolerate fools gladly'! (2Cor 11:19) "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." 2Cor 11:14. But by studying God's Word, that becomes quite clear as well... We know the good tree from its good fruit. (Lk 6:43) Please do not misunderstand me, I am not questioning the authority of the church; but the authority of the church is not above the authority of Christ in any way! (Eph 5:23-24) Additionally, 'humbleness' (or 'humility') is the opposite of pride, it means believing you are not important (dictionary definition); 'submittance' and 'patience' are accepting other's decisions over you without grudging. None of those words reflect an attitude of mistrust towards the Holy Spirit within us... Paul says he 'humbled himself' so others may be exalted (2Cor 11:7).. Although he did accept persecution and suffering (humbleness, patience and submittance), never once did he say 'no' to his calling for the sake of obeying others (faith, trust, hope)! And we are to be imitators of him, according to 1Cor 4:16. In my opinion, we must 'allow' God to choose any man at any time for His service, no matter their age or academic background whatsoever! And the task of the church is to "Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions." (Romans 14:1). Yes, there is certainly a lot of pride in saying things like 'I am accountable to only God', but the task of the church or any group of believers is to teach God's Word and not to scare people away from it... Is trying to convince someone that he is not called -without Biblical reference- a proof of Christ dwelling in us? Constructive criticism would help a lot more! If anyone is unsure about ourfathersheart's calling, let us pray for him instead of judging a person we know nothing about! This dialogue seems to be going just wrong... Where is the peace Jesus left to us? (Jn 14:27) Also, may I ask: where does the Bible warn against being a 'lone ranger'? God bless you all, Zsuzsi |
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72 | Peace...? | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121855 | ||
Hi Justme, Thank you for your response, it was respectful and kind indeed. Thank you for your blessing as well! I also think there are differences between your theology and mine... But as a 16-year-old I am really no-one to argue with someone as knowledgeable as you about such issues. I was so concerned with this issue since it is something very close to me. I have updated my personal profile, have a look if you are interested in knowing where I come from etc. For many years I myself felt invited by the Lord to get closer to Him, to live for/in/by/with Him. It's been a great struggle for me to discern if indeed it was His calling... I actually believe the question is not whether we are called but what we are called to do: "to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." (Eph 4:7) In other words, God does not call the equipped, but equips the called. (Hebrews 13:20-21) According to my theology, being called and ordained by God does not require anything; being a 'minister' and legally ordained does require study and the approval of the church. I am young but my belief that I am called comes from many hundreds of hours of prayer, service and study, by now I know it is definitely not a temporary feeling or mere interest! Many Christians I have met from different denominations confirmed this... Thanks to a few supportive friends of mine, now I am learning Hebrew and Greek, systematic theology, counselling, missions theory, practical theology and church history. I am not yet qualified for earning a degree in theology,however, because as I said, I am only 16 and I have one more year of high school before I graduate. Although it is against the will of most people who have 'authority' over me, I will go through all that is needed to be properly 'ordained', for it is neither God's will nor mine to try to do it in any 'easy way'. I will pray, wait and study: right now I am too young and know little. But I am convinced of the calling and I know that I am already 'ordained' by God, who -I believe- possesses all authority to so 'ordain' anyone of His choice at any age. I have hope, faith and trust that the Holy Spirit is leading me; for the rest, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." 1Cor 4:3-4 You wrote I was 'standing behind' and 'defending' ourfathersheart - but please have a look at my first response to him: I did not approve of him ordaining or giving degrees to others either; I actually said he had no authority to do so. I also suggested learning as a solution to his problem. (See the supporting passage I chose, and 2Tim 3:16-18) Could you please specify what 'serious errors' I approved of? Nevertheless I believe any Christian can intercede for others and to bless them, it cannot be against God's will. This person claimed to love the Lord, and I do not believe it is anyone else's job to decide if he was honest or not. What is our job is rather to help him into seeing what is good in God's sight and what is not... We are allowed to tell him that it is not biblical to ordain or give degrees to anyone without being authorized; we are allowed to warn against sin, pride or bigotry, and to make him understand the meaning of being called; but I do not think we can question the existence of a calling for a person who says 'I live only for Him'. Yes, maybe he is lying; but even so, it is not our job to execute judgment. Maybe I am wrong, but I believe certain gifts of the Holy Spirit are necessary for ministry; those who do not have them fail and get weary of it very quickly. My sincere belief is that only fulfilling our calling will please God and satisfy our soul; trying to do things which we are not called to do, or refusing to do things which we are called to do, may give a feeling of temporary pleasure, but in the long run, will make us dissatisfied with ourselves and with the world. Only when we are following our calling can we say: "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8 Jesus said we would know the false prophets by their fruit (Mt 7:15-20); but false doctrines "promote controversies rather than God's work" (1Tim 1:4). Jesus clearly stated, though: "whoever is not against us is for us." (Mk 9:40) I also believe that whatever position we take up in church, we should remain servants of Christ, and not try to become lords of men. "For he who is least among [us] all – he is the greatest" Luke 9:48. Of course you do not have to agree with me. If you are interested, I can tell you more about my theology, and we can discuss our beliefs on different issues. I will post my views about 'lone rangers' in another thread. God bless you, and thanks again for your reply, Zsuzsi |
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73 | Peace...? | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121859 | ||
Thank you, Emmaus. To me it seems these passages are expressing the importance of accepting the need for all parts of the body to do their own job. Eg. all parts must recognize that the body does not function without all of them being co-ordinated with the other parts. But the eye has to do its job by itself; the ear cannot substitute for the eye, and cannot tell from another place, 'you are not needed here'. Speaking in 'church-terms', an evangelist, for example, has to do his job by himself, a prophet has to allow him, support him and cannot substitute him, because he himself lacks the necessary gift of the Spirit. And of course it works vice versa... We are individually members of Christ's body. As long as there is good co-operation between the different parts, the body will function. If the eye is weak, it is the task of the other parts to support him. But the system definitely breaks down when an ear tries to teach an eye how to see: the eye has to learn it by himself from the Spirit that holds the Body together. The ear might give advice on how to listen, where to look or study, but it cannot teach the eye his task. Although the eye must acknowledge that he is also a member of the Body, in this learning process (spiritual discernment) he is necessarily a 'lone ranger'. That's my thoughts for this now.. Blessings, Zsuzsi |
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74 | Peace...? | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121860 | ||
Thank you Tim Moran, I certainly agree! One thing I'd like to add: I believe everyone is called by God - ministry service is just one form of being called. When God chooses a person for His service (that is, 'calls' him), it is Him who first 'ordains'; that happens when the individual accepts God's calling, which can be before the church formally ordains the person. I would liken this to the baptism by the Holy Spirit, which can happen before batism by water (see Acts 10:47). The church cannot substitute God in this ordination, but can only confirm it later on. I.e.: ministry service does not start when the person has the papers but when he has the gifts of the Spirit for it. The significance of ordination by the church is not to 'help' the Holy Spirit give His gifts but as you said, it is 'the Church's recognition and authentication of one's call.' God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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75 | Peace...? | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121935 | ||
Thank you so much for this, Justme. I DO love the Lord, very-very much, but I think my parents would be more proud of me if I became a scientist instead of a theologian (both of them are physicists). They actually stated that I am only allowed to study theology afterwards if I also earn a degree in a natural science. But if that's the price, I will pay it... They got divorced when I was 4, since then I have lived with my mother. Right now I see my dad twice a year... We don't go to church and don't pray together; my own family is a mission field for me! But I cannot be proud of my wisdom or knowledge; God freely gave to me everything that I have. "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Prov 2:6) "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matt 10:8) For me, learning from Him is actually the sweetest thing in the world. :-) "His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely." (Song 5:16) I usually start praying and reading the Bible when I go to bed (as a high school student I have very little time for that during the day), and I can be so absorbed in it that sometimes I find myself still awake at half past 3 in the night... Often the Lord Himself needs to remind me that even He slept! But the more I learn about Him, the more I see how little I know. "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:7-8) Thank you again for your encouragement and blessings; may God bless you richly too. Your little sister in Christ, Zsuzsi |
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76 | Peace...? | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 122241 | ||
Thank you for all three of your messages, Kalos. I apologize for not having replied to you personally before, but I thought I answered your earlier comment in my response to Justme. Yes, I absolutely agree, "the church" is the body of Christ - and I also agree that "the church" is never separated from or in conflict with Him. But I think the major question is what we actually mean by "the church"... Is "the church" merely a financial institution to pay the salaries of "ordained" pastors? Is it some political or social authority to enforce certain rules on people? Is "the church" really the legal organization which calls itself "the true church of Christ", condemning to hell all those who do not belong to it? Or is Christ's Church rather the living community of ALL worshippers who belong to the Lord, united in the Spirit of Love, co-operating with one another to build the kingdom of God? Getting a bit more personal about this, do you believe that "the church" or Jesus Himself should forbid me to spread the Gospel to my non-Christian classmates and friends, both in words and actions, just because I am only 16 and have not been 'authorized' by a church in a formal 'ordination' ceremony to do so? I have no certificate in theology (yet) and I possess no legal right whatsoever to claim that I am a 'missionary' or a 'preacher' - but has the Lord not given me authority, or even an obligation, to do my best to make good use of the spiritual gifts He has blessed me with? I do study, to make my service to Him more efficient. But I do not believe it is His will that I (or anyone) should stop 'preaching' just because I am not formally ordained. "So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:5-8 "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." Ephesians 4:4-7 As I said in my reply to Justme, I believe the question is not whether we are called but what we are called to do. I do disapprove of 'Christians' who go about prophesying and teaching things that never came from God, for their own selfish purposes (eg. earning money for their online 'service')... But will their teachings not be futile and controversial because of the absence of God? (1Tim 1:3-7) Additionally, do we not need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to perservere in doing what God has called us to do? (Isaiah 40:30-31) If someone is not a Christian, he will obviously not go around preaching things about the Bible and Jesus (Mark 9:40). If nevertheless someone is a Christian (by which I mean "born of water and the Spirit" - John 3:5), I trust in the guiding power of the Holy Spirit to convince him of his calling (eg. Philippians 2:13; see also Romans 8). Possessing the gifts of the Holy Ghost is NOT the same as possessing a manmade certificate about it... Being Christian, whether a pastor or a toilet cleaner, is 24-hour service, 365 days a year. Concentrating too much on church formalities and far too little on the Lord Himself has resulted in the painful wounds in Christ's Body... Only when ALL members, not just the ordained pastors, are individually in but not of the world, ALL being made one in the Spirit, will "the" church of Christ function to His good pleasure. Or at least that's what I believe. May God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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77 | Peace...? | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 122243 | ||
Yes I know... :) I actually love the sciences too; I do see God's design behind them. But I like studying directly about God more than studying indirectly about Him through the sciences... The impressive people you talked about went from God to the sciences; you see, I would rather like to go from the sciences to Him... ;) But it should not be about what I would personally like but what He calls me to do. I am looking forward to walking the path He is showing me! Blessings, Zsuzsi |
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78 | My thoughts | Rev 1:1 | Zsuzsi | 122693 | ||
Here are my thoughts about this verse, as promised: Rev 1:1: "The revelation of (from?) Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" NIV "This is a revelation from (of?) Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could share the revelation with God's other servants." NLT Who revealed, what and to whom? - God the Father revealed what is to come to His Son, Jesus Christ. - Jesus Christ revealed what He heard from the Father to John, by sending an angel to him. - John revealed to the other servants of Christ what Jesus had told him through the angel. C.v: Luke 10:22: "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Who is John? Who is he writing to? John, the author of the book, is traditionally identified with the author of the Gospel of John, who is supposedly the 'disciple whom Jesus loved' (John 21:20-24). There is however no clear reference to confirm this in the Book of Revelations. The Greek 'bond-servant' also means 'slave'; so whoever John really was, he was definitely writing exactly what was revealed to him; we can trust that he was writing the truth. (See also Rev 22:18-19.) I would mention that God sent the original message to be disclosed to His [God's] 'bond-servants', not 'believers/bond-servants of Christ'. To me that means two things: 1) People of all ages are included, not only those who lived while Jesus was on earth. So it was meant to be read by us as well, not just the disciples of Jesus living at the time (though the letter is actually sent to the 7 churhces in Asia). 2) Also people of different religions, who claim to be 'bond-servants of God' (eg. Muslims) should be reading this book; as I was saying, John confirmed that he was writing the truth, and his book testifies of Jesus. (I know from experience that one of the greatest possibilities of a missionary is to talk to people about the end of the times - it usually makes them think!) What is 'to come'? The end of the times.. This is what the book is about. :-) What does 'soon/speedily/shortly' mean? Good question! 2000 years have passed and this has not happened yet. But God states that He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (1:8) - my sincere belief is that He is not limited by time as we are. Measurement and perception naturally originate from a comparison of something with something else. We can measure time because we know the difference between 'yesterday' and 'today'; with each second we get closer to our earthly death, so we know how to define time is. But does such a thing exist for an always-existing God? Remember His proper name, 'Yahweh', that is, 'The Existing One' - why that, have you ever wondered? But of course, this is just like the question: "Can the Almighty God create a stone that He Himself cannot lift?" We must accept that He has His own secrets! :-) As for us, our earthly life is rather short in comparison to eternity, so our death is indeed 'soon to come'. If we suppose that by our earthly death, we also stop perceiving time (can no longer die, become the children of resurrection, the children of God, like angels, etc, see Lk 20:35-36), then 'soon' also starts to make sense in this context. How was the revelation 'given' to John? - John reports that the angel, and elders in some places, speak to him, and most of the time he is passively watching all that is happening. - He is commanded throughout about what to and what not to write. (many examples) - He is, like many OT prophets, asked to do certain tasks (eg. eating up the little book, 10:8-9), which possibly help him understand the revelation more as he is personally involved in it. Again, he is given all the tools to write the truth. Rev 1:1 is part of John's prologue for the Book, in it he gives an idea of what he is going to write about, how he received the revelation, who sent it, who it is aimed at, and what purposes God and he [John] had with it. Theoretically it should be studied in the context of Rev 1:1-3... Just by this verse alone it is difficult to say much more than this. Hope this starts some thoughts. Blessings, Zsuzsi |
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79 | My thoughts | Rev 1:1 | Zsuzsi | 122696 | ||
Thanks, Peter22, and welcome to the forum! The passages you chose are really good, all from the Pauline Epistles. But there are also others in the Gospels, and the OT.. I'll only give some more from the NT: (All quotes are from the NIV) Mark 13 is actually all about what Jesus said the end of the times would be like. Mk 13:33: "Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mt 24:44 also says, "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." For worrying about tomorrow, Jesus said: Mt 6:34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." He also said: Mt 6:33: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." So God takes care of us, including our tomorrow, if we seek His kingdom and righteousness. Death is nothing... It's simply going Home, which we can look forward to. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phil 1:21 :-) God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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