Results 201 - 220 of 259
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: khuck Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | where should I go to church? | Acts 4:32 | khuck | 105075 | ||
Acts 4:32 32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; Ethnicity in the congregation should not be of issue as long as the congregation is not inhospitable to those of other ethnicities, genders, economic levels...etc (God is no respector of persons) If your Sisters' Church is teaching the true unadulterated Gospel of Christ, I don't think it really matters what color the people who attend the fellowship might be. God is Good! -Kathy |
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202 | Are you Saved? | Acts 16:30 | khuck | 103874 | ||
Saved, Sanctified and Filled with the Holy Ghost! Yes I am saved, and that indeed. When I look back over my life and I think things over, I can truly say that I have been saved, I have a testimony! I know who I was... and I know who He has helped me to become. Without His saving Grace, I would still be one who knows of Him without knowing Him. Oh yes Brother Noble... I have a Blessed Assurance, I am born of His Spirit and washed in His Blood! Jesus is truly mine and I am His - Kathy |
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203 | Did thes boys die of starvation | Acts 23:12 | khuck | 102652 | ||
Shalor, This commentary may shed some light on the likely outcome of this oath. Such execrable vows as these were not unusual among the Jews, who, from their perverted traditions, challenged to themselves a right of punishing without any legal process, those whom they considered transgressors of the law; and in some cases, as in the case of one who had forsaken the law of Moses, they thought they were justified in killing them. They therefore made no scruple of acquainting the chief priests and elders with their conspiracy against the life of Paul, and applying for their collusion and support; who, being chiefly of the sect of the Sadducees, and the apostle's bitterest enemies, were so far from blaming them for it, that they gladly aided and abetted them in this mode of dispatching him. On its failure they soon afterwards determined to making a similar attempt. (ch. 2 25:2, 3.) If these were, in their bad way, conscientious men, they were under no necessity of perishing for hunger, when the providence of God had hindered them from accomplishing their vow; for their vows of abstinence from eating and drinking were as easy to loose as to bind, any of their wise men or Rabbis had power to absolve them, as Dr. Lightfoot has shown from the Talmud. Hoping this to be insightful. -khuck |
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204 | Removing church members | 1 Cor 5:7 | khuck | 102927 | ||
(excerp from article by - Keathley, J. Hampton, III) The Practice of Church Discipline - The Manner The above goals or purposes automatically govern the spirit in which all disciplinary action is to be given. Thus: (1) Discipline must be done by those who are spiritual, truly walking by the Holy Spirit and growing in the Lord (Gal. 6:1). (2) Discipline must be done in a spirit of humility, gentleness and patience, looking to ourselves lest we too be tempted (Gal. 6:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:24-25). (3) Discipline must be done without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality (1 Tim. 5:21). (4) Those who walk disorderly are to be admonished, warned, and appealed to in love (1 Thess. 5:14-15; 1 Tim. 5:1-2; Eph. 4:15; 2 Tim. 4:2). This admonishing, is not restricted to church leaders, but may be done by any person in the body with another if that person is Spirit controlled and spiritually minded (cf. 1 Thess. 5:14 with Gal. 6:1). (5) If there is no response in repentance and obedience, then the sinning believer is to be rebuked publicly and members of the body are to withhold intimate fellowship through the process and procedure of group disapproval and social ostracism as prescribed in the next section, Procedures for Church Discipline below (2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15; Tit. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:20). This action has a two-fold objective: It is to indicate to the offender that his/her action has dishonored the Lord and has caused a rupture in the harmony of the body. The goal is always restoration and the person is still to be counted as a brother (2 Thess. 3:14-15). It is to create fear in the rest of the flock as a warning against sin (1 Tim. 5:20). (6) If there is still no response in repentance and obedience, the church is to apply the procedures of excommunication as directed in Matthew 18:17. Several examples of church discipline are found in Scripture. The Corinthian believers were to be “gathered together” in order to take action against the offending brother (1 Cor. 5:4-5; Rom. 16:17; 2 Thess. 3:6-15; Phil. 3:17-19). This is defined by Paul as “punishment inflicted by the majority” (2 Cor. 2:6). As a protective measure, we also find that the whole church in Rome and in Thessalonica were to take action with regard to the unruly and schismatic, not just a few (2 Thess. 3:6-15; Rom. 16:17). (7) Finally, discipline in the name of our Lord always includes a readiness to forgive. The many or majority who discipline must also be ready and eager to forgive, comfort, and reaffirm their love to the sinning person (2 Cor. 2:6-8). |
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205 | oral sex? | 1 Cor 6:18 | khuck | 104665 | ||
Dearest Jessica, Even it you do not consider oral copulation to be the same as sex or sexual intercourse, admittedly it is lustful or lascivious behavior. Therefore there is no support and actually only warnings against lascivious (lustful) behavior in the Scriptures. It is good to hear that you will be marrying. Yet dearest Jessica, save yourself for that day. Your virginity can only be given away one time. I do not say this in a manner to make you feel low or put down. I just always desired that I had the choice to give away my virginity to the man that I love and am now married to. I lost my virginity when I was 7 and it was not by choice, and my abuser did in fact force oral copulation upon me. Even at 7 yrs of age, I knew it was not what God desired for me. (this is not written to elicit anyone's pity so please no obligatory responses -thx) Yet Jessica I will tell you, God blessed me with my husband who chose to give himself in marriage, and one of the greatest gifts he ever gave me was his purity and virginity. The Bible does speak out against all behaviors of lust and lasciviousness. 2 Corinthians 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. I hope that this will shed great Light and Love, -Kathy |
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206 | oral sex? | 1 Cor 6:18 | khuck | 104723 | ||
Or How about this: 1 Corinthians 7:9But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. |
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207 | oral sex? | 1 Cor 6:18 | khuck | 104737 | ||
I will be at Cafe' Latte awaiting your arrival, and I am sure that wherever we are, He will be in the midst! Yours in Christ, Kathy |
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208 | To understand one verse ! | 1 Cor 11:16 | khuck | 103692 | ||
Here is the Coffman Commentary, I use it quite often because he oftentimes than not substantiate my own beliefs: 1 Corinthians 11:16 But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. If any man seemeth to be contentious ... This was Paul's way of saying, "Look, we do not intend to argue this question endlessly; the whole matter is already solved by the type of behavior which marks God's churches everywhere." This is grounds for holding that in this whole passage it is decorous conduct with which Paul is concerned, since it touched on the all-important question of the proper submission of women to their husbands, and was also related to the prevailing opinion of the people in that community. This whole passage affirms the necessity for Christians to have a decent respect for the opinions of mankind, and not to flaunt social customs of any kind merely for the sake of being different. As McGarvey said, "One who follows Christ will find himself conspicuously different from the world, without practicing any tricks of singularity." QUESTIONS ON THE VERSES ABOVE If Paul meant "hair," why did he use the word "covered"? The answer is that in the vocabulary of the Old Testament "to uncover the head" was to shave off the hair. When Nadab and Abihu sinned (Leviticus 10:1), God commanded Aaron not to "uncover his head" in mourning at their death; and this meant not to cut off his hair (the customary sign of mourning). Job shaved his head when he learned his children were dead (Job 1:20). Many examples of this usage could be cited; but as Echols noted: "Wherever the expression "uncover the head" occurs in the Hebrew Old Testament, it means "remove the hair.'" The culture of that era as well as the environment at Corinth suggests that some of the Corinthian women (in the church) were violating decent rules of conduct, not by discarding the mantle (peribolaion) which there is no evidence that any of them were wearing, but by adopting the cropped hair of Aphrodite's priestesses. It is even likely that some of them had been converted and had neglected to change their hair styles. Furthermore, it must be evident to all who think about it that when Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:4 that a man praying or prophesying with his head "covered" dishonored his head, he simply COULD NOT have referred to any man's wrapping himself up in the type of mantle that was called a veil in those days. That type of veil (or mantle), as far as history reveals, was never worn by men in any circumstance. Therefore the fault Paul sought to correct in 1 Cor. 11:4 was not that of men veiling themselves like women, but that of sporting indecently long hair. Is there any word in this whole passage that unmistakably means the type of veil under consideration? Yes, the word (peribolaion) in 1 Cor. 11:15 refers to that type of covering; and this is the only word in the whole passage that does so; but this is also the verse where Paul said the Lord had given woman her hair "instead of" any such garment! What is Paul's subject in these verses? Whatever it was, it could not have been the type of veil or mantle that obscures the person of women, that having been mentioned only once. On the other hand HAIR is mentioned three times, "shaved" or "shorn" is mentioned four times; and, in this light, it appears certain that Paul's subject here was HAIR. One could not speak of a mantle's being shorn or shaved. How could this passage have been so long misunderstood? Echols' explanation is as good as any. He said: A clear understanding has been obscured by ambiguous English translations, as well as by established custom. There can be little doubt that the custom itself derived largely from Roman Catholic practice during the Middle ages. |
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209 | Just a thought. What's yours? | 1 Cor 11:18 | khuck | 102481 | ||
Greetings George, You ask our thoughts on what is the Church? It is; People in a community environment. It is; People worshiping. It is; People loving one another, sharing Christ. It is; People evangelizing. I believe that all of the above would be correct if the "people" described in each context are a group of believers working together as one unit in Christ, in the hope of His promise, having faith in the Word, and having love one for another. 1 Cor 12 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 24....But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Cor 13 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.... 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. These are my thoughts and beliefs. (Including Scripture to support them) -khuck |
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210 | can all churches worship together as one | 1 Cor 11:18 | khuck | 102482 | ||
Greeting Vanaau Even with the divisions mentioned in the Scripture you used (1 Cor 11:18), Paul is referring to the One Church, the Body of Christ. He is speaking to the Church congregation in Corinth. If you read the entire chapter in context, he is admonishing behavior that caused riffs in that congregation. Some of which we still see in the modern Church. But if I am understanding you correctly, then the answer would be that he is not speaking of a one world church, in this verse. If I have misunderstood you I apologize. -khuck |
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211 | Exhorting | 1 Cor 11:18 | khuck | 102801 | ||
Having been a party to the post that ultimately generated what you are now posting here, I will respond. 1st because I believe that no question that can be answered should be left behind, no matter how others will perceive the intentions of the writer or those who attempt to respond. First I would say that there are no unforgivable mistakes. We either choose to forgive or not. And as for mutual feelings of missing the forum and the forum missing you, of that I can't really know... I am new here. (I feel oftentimes like someone who stumbled on a neighbors wonderful backyard and garden, then making myself at home, took the liberty to just jump into the swimming pool) But having kept up with the entire thread, I see where there was a joke poking fun at himself that was posted by a contributor to this thread. The joke was innocently misunderstood by you, and you took it and ran with it, which has brought us here. Not to laugh at you ar the poster of: "Lord knows I need what little I have left." But if you have not realized it by now... the little left of which he spoke... was his hair. LOL I forgive your mistake, and I too have learned a great lesson from this entire misunderstanding. When responders ask, "Can you elaborate"?, "What exactly are you trying to ask?" or "Please explain the reason behind your query?" These are oftentimes valid, with no malice or insult intended. We all should probably get in the habit of asking, "What do you mean by....?" when it is not clear. This IMHO is a great lesson learned. -khuck |
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212 | Where can I find 3 kinds of Love? | 1 Cor 13:4 | khuck | 105005 | ||
Agape - Charitable Philadelphos - of a Christian loving Christians Philanthropia - love of mankind, benevolence Philoteknos -loving one's offspring or children Philandros - loving her husband |
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213 | don't be a LOSER | 1 Cor 13:11 | khuck | 105156 | ||
Dearest JoelK Though many of us here struggle to understand and appreciate one another, and at times we may quibble... It is my sincerest hope and belief that we all, (every "serious" believer on the Christ Jesus) seek to be one in Him. Even as misunderstood as I often am on this forum... those here who are more mature in Christ, have shown me why it is more beneficial for their sake as well as mine, that I remain, in spite of the bitter insults and misconceptions, that we ALL sometimes endure here. I choose to be humbly mature through it all... even though I have to step back often and pray for more grace. Yet, to give up on any true member of the Body, of Christ is to give up on Him and let myself down. There is a place where we can all peacefully agree... and that place is in Christ:) 1 Corinthians 13:10-12 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. I pray that God's Peace and Grace ever be upon you! In the Love of Christ, -Kathy |
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214 | Kathy .. why answer me here? | 1 Cor 13:11 | khuck | 105164 | ||
Oh Joel... I am learning and growing each and everyday just as you are. The words I chose were to only encourage you to endure through the trials. We all go through at sometime or another. My answer was directed to you. I have nothing to glory or gloat about regarding myself. I am not wise in my own eyes. It is no secret that I am nothing and no one special outside of my excellent friendship with Jesus. Am I ever wrong? Yes! Do I have all of the answers for this Forum? No! I questions some things that are said here, and I often wonder "why me?" I have questions of my own and often times due to the way some will always respond to my post, I have to find the courage that Christ promises that He gives me, to ask them anyway, without being intimidated. There are times I fear answering, but I know to fear is to doubt God, and I will step up and boldly respond, no matter the outcome. I often find that I must humbly approach yet even in humility, I must boldly go forth. I responded directly to you... and I accept what I got from you. I responded to your email as well as your original post. Let me add also to what you posted about losers: There are NO losers in Christ, and inside of every true loser there is the potential to be an overcomer and a winner in Him. Am I trying to appear wise? No. But I am going to continue my walk in Love and friendship with you. What I hope to be and appear to be to you is a friend in Christ. If I fail the test, then I will try all the harder, and you can count on that. God's Peace and Blessing be with you ALWAY and in ALL WAYS, -Kathy |
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215 | Kathy .. why answer me here? | 1 Cor 13:11 | khuck | 105214 | ||
Joel... I am not squabbling with you. Please read everything that I have posted. Sometimes I feel that no matter what I post or how I post it... it seems to comes off confrontational to a lot of people. I don't know what words to choose to express to you the encouragement that, I tried to articulate in the previous responses, in this thread. I am not insulted or offended, I am not angry. Never that! I only wish you God's peace right now. And in the Spirit of peace I am going to drop out of this thread, there is no more that I can say to reassure you of my sincerity, and I do not want to appear to be in a fight or squabble before the audience on this forum, since no such squabble exist. In His Love, -Kathy |
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216 | How do you deal with insults? | 2 Cor 12:10 | khuck | 102768 | ||
There were 2 members of our church who used to constantly insult my clothing. LOL Through prayer and patience, God actually taught me, that by keeping my eyes on Him, and not being steamed and complaining about their little barbs, he would give me what to say. (And believe you me... they used to get me hot under the collar!) One Sunday we were preparing to go to downtown Los Angeles, to feed the homeless and give them clothing. One of them looked at me and commented, "Sister Huck, girl how are you dressed?" The other chimed in with, "God called us to feed the homeless, not look like them." My heart and mind being in the right place... I just blurted out, "Oh come now girls, God is interested in the condition of my heart and not my clothes." And the clothing insults ceased. ... and might I add that the 3 of us are very close now. I noticed when I let insults from members of the church get me angry, I am not able to overcome the problem. But when I allow God to have the reins of my heart and mind... I always have the words to quench the fire. Here is a final more serious situation I endured. My mother who was very well loved and an active teacher in the church (don't get me wrong she was not perfect or anything) was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1997. Many of the saints prayed for her recovery and she did quite well through 1998. In May of 1999 on Mother's Day, she took a turn for the worse. The Pastor's wife who was one of Mama's closest friends took up the cause to pray for her healing. (through prayer groups and personal prayer) She would call me often and ask if we were praying for and with Mama. I told her we were. Mama died on the 2nd of June 1999 in my arms. When I called to inform the Pastor and his wife, she said our family should have prayed with more faith. (She was wrought with tears and grief) She accused our family of not having the faith to move God to heal my mother. I knew she was just grieving and looking to vent. The insult came when the Pastor called me 3 days before Mama's funeral, and said, "You all really need to work on your faith. If there had been more faith in your prayers, your mother would have been healed. (That really hurt me) I prayed about it, I did not want to go to the funeral mad as a hatter, plus Mama's final arrangements were my responsibility so I already had enough on my mind. When I spoke at Mama's funeral, God brought to my heart the words she shared with me before she passed into the arms of Jesus. I first reminded them of who we were in Christ. And I told them that my mother did not want you all to feel sorry for our loss or her death. Our loss is truly her gain. (as the Apostle Paul taught) then I turned to the pulpit and said; some of you think our faith was not strong enough to move the Lord to heal her... but my mother wanted you all to know in the event she should die, your prayers had been answered, God has given her the HIGHEST HEALING, she is with HIM forevermore. The next day the Pastor called me and apologized for the remarks that were made, going as far as to admit, that he'd taken his eyes off of the infinate goal of the Believer... ETERNAL LIFE WITH CHRIST! And for a brief moment he was looking at the finite world. We are closer than ever these days, the next year the day after the first anniversary of Mama's passing, his wife died of a massive stroke, my mother's words helped him and his family to see the eternal value of their loss. Take the insults to Jesus, He really understands and knows how to make it of greater value to all concerned. -khuck |
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217 | How do you deal with insults? | 2 Cor 12:10 | khuck | 102798 | ||
Though my previous post was rather lengthy I would sum it up with the following suggestion for how people can deal with hurt from other Christians. Insults can be very hurtful when they come from within the ranks the Body of believers. Yet it is likely that most of us would not abandon of familys or jobs due to such an insult. When my immediate family members insult me, I don't think to myself, "I am packing my bags, my husband and children are mean." I may be hurting but because my heart and mind are on the bigger picture, I choose to stay and work on the circumstance. (no matter who is wrong) If a patron comes into my salon and they hate their hairstyle, and insult our efforts, I do not close the business. My heart and mind are on the bigger picture. (LIVELIHOOD -LOL) Not only my livelihood but also that of the employees. I work to resolve the complaint to the patron's satisfaction. (no matter who is wrong) Therefore I guess my initial point was that nothing is resolved when we as Christians have hurt one another. Waiting for an apology, bolting from the Church or expelling another true Believer from the assembly will not resolve the conflict. (There is a bigger picture) If Jesus had waited around for an apology from those who hurled verbal insults at Him, or those who criticized His doctrine... we would still be waiting for Him to go to calvary and there would be no ransom paid for our transgressions. But God saw fit to take all that which Jesus endured and He brought it together for the good of mankind, even the whole world. I suggest keeping our eye on Him to the best of our ability in Him. We are more than conquerors, In Christ. Romans 8 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Don't you just Love Him? -khuck |
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218 | Don't you just love him? | 2 Cor 12:10 | khuck | 102896 | ||
It's me again Noble, The best way to deal with insults and wrongs committed against us is through God's perfect Love working in us. (The key to these verses is that they are describing God, Who is in fact Love.) "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy; it is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited--arrogant and inflated with pride; it is not rude (unmannerly), and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking ; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it--pays no attention to a suffered wrong. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness , but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best about every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything (without weakening). Love never fails--never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). This I believe is the whole sum of the answer. Yes... I love Him!!! -kathy |
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219 | fact or fiction STIGMATA | Gal 6:17 | khuck | 103083 | ||
Offer it up: Stigmatas, Suffering and the Catholic Church -By Jackie Alnor (Posted March 2, 2003) The Roman Catholic Church is full of traditions that seem so bizarre to those raised Protestant. One of the hardest things for Bible-based Christians to understand is the concept of self-induced suffering. This is seen most often during the season of Lent, approaching Easter. EWTN, the Catholic television network, airs footage of processions of the Catholic faithful walking up cobblestone stairs on their knees until they are bloody. Also in the processions are monks with their backs bared who lash themselves with leather whips while keeping in step with the crowds who are following behind a liter carrying an ornate and decked out statue of Mary. In some extreme cases, men present themselves every Good Friday, particularly in the Philippines, to be literally nailed to wooden crosses while the crowds gather around and look upon them with awe and approval. Some of these self-afflicted sufferers come back year after year to compete with each other to see who can stay nailed to their cross the longest. A well-known monastic practice is the wearing of hair shirts designed to make a penitent monk very uncomfortable. The wearers of the burlap attire would take vows to not satisfy the urge to scratch even as the itching became unbearable. They were to offer it up to God for merit in heaven. Bible-believing Christians look at this and get sick to their stomachs. It is obvious to them that these activities have no spiritual merit whatsoever. The Bible backs up that assessment. The Apostle Paul wrote of the spirit of this sort of thing when he said: "These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence" (Col 2:23). Stigmata Origins Historically, these sorts of traditions came out of the monastic practices of the Middle Ages. The Franciscan order of monks were known for their vows of poverty, strict rules, and harsh treatment of their bodies. The founder St. Francis of Assisi is the first known person to ever have the ultimate in pain piety -- the stigmata. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes this paranormal phenomena this way: "Many ecstatics bear on hands, feet, side, or brow the marks of the Passion of Christ with corresponding and intense sufferings. These are called visible stigmata. Others only have the sufferings, without any outward marks, and these phenomena are called invisible stigmata." for more on this Stigmata you can read the entire article at: http://cultlink.com/CathAnswers/Stigmata.htm -khuck |
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220 | What were the "marks of the Lord Jesus"? | Gal 6:17 | khuck | 103090 | ||
Stigmata - a archaic : a scar left by a hot iron : BRAND b : a mark of shame or discredit : STAIN c : an identifying mark or characteristic; specifically : a specific diagnostic sign of a disease ***Coffman- Galatians V17 Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus. This is doubtless a reference to the scars of such suffering as Paul's stoning at Lystra, among these very Galatians, on the first tour; and he considered such "marks" as positive and undeniable evidence of the genuineness of his apostleship. Any interpretation of this passage as a statement that nail-prints had appeared in Paul's hand and feet in some supernatural manifestations of the Stigmata belongs to the Dark Ages. Nothing like that is in the passage. There might be, however, some comparison intended with certain practices among the heathen. "The mark of the pagan god Dionysus was that of an ivy leaf burned into the flesh with a branding iron," and such a practice widely known to the Galatians might have suggested Paul's using the term "branded" here; but beyond that, there could have been no connection. As Ramsay eloquently declared, "The marks that branded Paul as a slave of Jesus were the deep cuts of the lictor's rods of Pisidian Antioch and the stones of Lystra!" *** ***Darby Finally, let no one trouble him with regard to his ministry. He bore the stigmata of the Lord. It is known that marks were printed on a slave with a hot iron to indicate the person to whom he belonged. The wounds which the apostle had received, fully shewed who was his Master. Let his right then to call himself the servant of Christ be no more questioned. Touching appeal from one whose heart was wounded at finding his service to the Master whom he had loved called in question! Moreover, Satan, who imprinted those marks, ought indeed to recognise them-those beautiful initials of Jesus.*** -khuck |
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