Results 121 - 140 of 407
|
||||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Brian.g Ordered by Date |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
121 | Are we bringers of peace or division? | Luke 12:51 | Brian.g | 36015 | ||
Joe I believe that the passages you have quoted may be taken out of context. For example, in your reference passage (Luke 12:51), when read in full context (even with adding only two additional verses, Luke 12:49-50), we see that Jesus is referring to His message of salvation being proclaimed to the entire world, and the seperation will be those who accept Jesus' message versus will not accept Jesus' message. And, that the division will be felt even within a household. Then, in Romans 12:18, Paul is speaking to the select group of people who have accepted Christ's message (Christians) and our duty of living our lives as Christians. Read Romans 12:1 - 15:13 to gain the full meaning. John 14:27 is a touch different. Here Joe, a single word is taken out of context. Peace, in this case, can be replaced with the phrase, "gift of salvation" Paraphrased - My "gift of salvation" I leave with you. My "gift of salvation" I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. Remember, John 14:27, is from Jesus' Passion, in which He is preparing to be crucified. So, your last sentence, "How can we be both promoters of peace and present a gospel which has always served to divide people (as indeed Jesus Christ claimed to do) is wrong. The purpose of the Bible is: 2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; And, read in proper context: paraphrased: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching (in righteousness), for reproof (in righteousness), for correction (in righteousness), for training in righteousness. Brian |
||||||
122 | jesus born prior to earth? | Heb 13:8 | Brian.g | 35792 | ||
Makarios Just a couple more thoughts from John 17: 3: ...and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. 5: Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began 24: ...because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Brian |
||||||
123 | Divisions and disunity?? | John 17:21 | Brian.g | 35670 | ||
childoftheking Thank you for helping to clarify my understanding of your post. Brian |
||||||
124 | Divisions and disunity?? | John 17:21 | Brian.g | 35598 | ||
childoftheking From your previous post "Surely a host of bickering among Christians and with all the different denominations; it can be a deterrent to some, but as followers of Christ, I think that if you believe something different than another, then you should speak up and voice your views." I read this as your focusing on division/differences among denominations rather than seeking Christian unity. Brian |
||||||
125 | Divisions and disunity?? | John 17:21 | Brian.g | 35590 | ||
childoftheking How do you reconcile your position to Mark 9:38-40 and John 17:20-23 Brian |
||||||
126 | Any info on the Human side of Jesus? | Matt 5:2 | Brian.g | 34855 | ||
xtrem4jc Some flags are going up in my mind regardng this question and the explanation which you have given to us. The flags of concern are simply this: 1. It appears that you are working with a group of people who have seen, in just a few short years of life, the absolute worst of mankind. 2. These people are mature beyond their years in ways most of us cannot even imagine. 3. These girls probably have been physically and psychologically abused, damaged and scarred beyond comprehension. 4. You are attempting to minister to their needs, but you have come to a public forum, in which answers and opinions fly around faster and more, off the cuff, than you can imagine. Some of the sources are outstanding, some are not. 5. I believe that many people here can offer a great amount of assistance to you, but I think it is extremely important that you give everyone a complete profile of your project. For example: 1. age group of the girls (boys?) 2. What is the typical problem experienced, drugs, prostitution, homeless kids, etc. 3. How many kids are involved in your project. 4. How is it that they are all coming together under one roof for this. 5. Are you the only advisor/leader. 6. Is this a one-time, one-hour session or an ongoing event. 7. Are the psychological needs of these children being addressed, as well as their spiritual needs. 8. How is it that you are leading this section of the group. 9. Any other information which you feel will be pertinent. I personally believe this information will greatly enable us, to further assist you in your wonderful efforts. Everybody loves to give advise, but I know that this forum is concerned and the last thing anyone wants to do, is misguide these children,further. Brian |
||||||
127 | Ash Wednesday, valid or not? | Esth 4:1 | Brian.g | 34828 | ||
Scott It's my pleasure. Brian |
||||||
128 | Any info on the Human side of Jesus? | Matt 5:2 | Brian.g | 34817 | ||
xtrem4jc I understand that you want to learn about Jesus. What is it about the teachings of Jesus that you would like to learn as opposed to customs and punishments from ancient times? This will help us, to help you. Brian |
||||||
129 | Ash Wednesday, valid or not? | Esth 4:1 | Brian.g | 34811 | ||
Scott I am happy for you that your are continuing your relationship with Christ. Regardless, of the church you are affiliated, there will be certain traditions and such, which will need to be studied by you, in order to receive its full benefit. I wonder if you had understood this better while you were a practicing Catholic, if it would have had more meaning to you. The Wednesday after Quinquagesima Sunday, which is the first day of the Lenten fast. The name dies cinerum (day of ashes) which it bears in the Roman Missal is found in the earliest existing copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary and probably dates from at least the eighth century. On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead -- or in case of clerics upon the place of the tonsure -- of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: "Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. In the blessing of the ashes four prayers are used, all of them ancient. The ashes are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. The celebrant himself, be he bishop or cardinal, receives, either standing or seated, the ashes from some other priest, usually the highest in dignity of those present. In earlier ages a penitential procession often followed the rite of the distribution of the ashes, but this is not now prescribed. There can be no doubt that the custom of distributing the ashes to all the faithful arose from a devotional imitation of the practice observed in the case of public penitents. But this devotional usage, the reception of a sacramental which is full of the symbolism of penance (cf. the cor contritum quasi cinis of the "Dies Irae") is of earlier date than was formerly supposed. It is mentioned as of general observance for both clerics and faithful in the Synod of Beneventum, 1091 (Mansi, XX, 739), but nearly a hundred years earlier than this the Anglo-Saxon homilist Ælfric assumes that it applies to all classes of men. "We read", he says, "in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast." This information is from the Catholic Encyclopedia. Brian |
||||||
130 | What is 'the fruit of the vine'? | Matt 26:29 | Brian.g | 34692 | ||
Hank I was hoping the common sense people were in your area, some days I have trouble finding them out by me. I put the John 2 in the wrong area (I edited wrong), it should have been put in the paragraph about Jesus making wine. Sorry. As far as free will and Calvinist, not today - I don't have the energy, I'm tired. By the way, I have also seen many lives destroyed by the bottle. There are no words to describe the human destruction and pain it causes. I have to tell you something. When I was growing up, our neighbor was a Baptist minister. He and I spent quite a bit of time talking. He was a good man, I had a great deal of respect for him, and I wish my children could have known him. I see a lot of him, in your posts. Brian |
||||||
131 | What is 'the fruit of the vine'? | Matt 26:29 | Brian.g | 34668 | ||
Hank I'm going to have to disagree with you a bit on this one. Anything done or consumed to an excess is dangerous. But, most men have common sense and they are able to reason. Because something has the potential to be dangerous doesn't justify staying away from it - even food in excess can be dangerous, driving a car in excess of safe speeds and so on. There are always exceptions to everything. There are people who abuse all things. But, that doesn't mean we lock up the world. We teach our children, the best we can, to be responsible. As with all things involving people, sometimes they learn and sometimes they don't. Very simply, Jesus would not have made wine if it was wrong, because Jesus did not do wrong things - wrong for Himself or wrong for others. By making the wine, Jesus encouraged/accepted/approved the use of it, not the abuse of it. Jesus recognized that man does have free will to decide. (John 2:1-10) Brian |
||||||
132 | Having problems with my faith. | Genesis | Brian.g | 34622 | ||
Chynna I have read all of your postings to this forum, and you ask some excellent questions. I don’t know if I can answer your question, but I would like to share an assortment of the thoughts that came to mind, as I read your collective posts. Maybe we can build on these thoughts. By the way, these are just random thoughts and not everything will flow together smoothly. Man's relationship with God can be difficult to comprehend, because God is so magnificent that we just can't always grasp everything about Him. Two things demonstrate God’s compassion: Genesis 3:21 and 4:6-7. Adam and Eve had just sinned, but here God is making clothes for them. In Gen 4:6-7, God had just told Cain He didn’t approve of Cain’s sacrifice. Then God spoke to Cain with love and encouragement that he, Cain, can do better. Here are two cases in which God was angry/disappointed, but still very concerned and loving towards His children. In Job 38-39, God describes himself. Take your time and read this. It puts into perspective the greatness of God. God created everything and then, out of His love for man, simply gave it to us (Re: Genesis 1:28) As God has dominion (supreme authority) over man, God gave man dominion over all other creatures. Ours is a jealous God. Now, in addition to being a magnificent, loving and compassionate God, ours is a jealous God. That means simply, is that God is intolerant of unfaithfulness. (Re: Deut 4:23-24, 5:8-9, and 6:14-15) Let’s talk about sacrifice, sacrifice means: to devote irrevocably to the worship of God by a solemn ceremony. Holocaust means: a sacrifice consumed by fire. The first time we see a sacrifice in the Bible is in Genesis with Cain and Abel. It does not say that God required a sacrifice. Why was Abel’s sacrifice pleasing to God, two reasons: First, it truly was to devote, irrevocably, to the worship of God. As a symbol his devotion to God, Abel selected the best firstling (look it up) of his flock. Why an animal? Abel’s job was to raise animals for food. And Abel offered God the best food he had. Abel had complete devotion to God and he did not keep the best for his own consumption. There is no purer sign of love, honor and devotion among mankind, as when a child picks the prettiest flower and gives it to his or her mother. Although, the mother did not require this act of devotion, she accepts it because it is pleasing to her. At this time, the relationship between the mother and child is one of complete devotion and is perfect in goodness and righteousness. It is holy. (Re: 1 Peter 1:14-16) Why burn the offering, how else will it be received by God? Offerings were burned, evaporated or decayed. The sweet aroma of the sacrifice – it is meat and in my house, a roast does smell nice when its cooking. However, this term is used symbolically in the Bible. Why did God look down upon Cain’s offering? Cain was a farmer and he offered to God the results of his efforts as a farmer. However, note in Genesis that Cain did not offer God the best firstling of the crops. It appears that Cain kept the best for himself and made to God, an inferior offering. Now, the second child, not understanding the full significance of giving flowers to the mother, grabs a handful of plants from the garden, which includes broken flowers and weeds, and gives them to the mother. The mother, who still loves the child, will explain why this is not a good gift (because it is not from the heart) and with the hope/expectation that the child will properly honor her love and their relationship, the next time. (Re: Genesis 4:6-7) God, in all of His magnificence, creates all things and with all love and compassion for us, He simply gave it to us. Then, man goes and creates false gods and idols to worship. As said earlier, ours is a jealous God. And when man created idols and worshiped them with sacrifices, our God said, no. Man has only one God and if we want to make a sacrifice, it will be to Him. (Re: Deut 32:16-19) Notice that God hasn’t demanded that man makes sacrifices, but if man is going to worship a god, it is going to be our God. First and foremost, it is pleasing to God when man does demonstrate his love and devotion to God. Second, God will not tolerate man making this devotion to a false god or idol. Third, God does expect the honor to be proper, which is Leviticus. In Leviticus, God also thought it good that man joins together in the celebration of the sacrifice. Together worshipping God, lead by a priest who insures that all join together to worship God, properly. This, in turn, helps build the unity of the family of God (Re: Job 36:22). Does God require sacrifices, let alone blood sacrifices of animals? Read Psalms 50:5-23, and pay particular attention to lines 5, 8-13 and 23. (Psalms 50:23 Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me; to the obedient I will show the salvation of God."). Sacrifices/Sacraments are pleasing to God. Brian |
||||||
133 | Geography of the Forum! | Acts 21:39 | Brian.g | 34411 | ||
Brian - Chicago, Illinois USA | ||||||
134 | Let's crucify Ezra Brown | Job | Brian.g | 34155 | ||
SRN It would be great if you could also give us some profile information about yourself. It just gives everyone a chance to know each other a little better. Brian |
||||||
135 | do we have any free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | Brian.g | 34089 | ||
WAK Just let me know if I can be of any further assistance. My email is in my profile Brian |
||||||
136 | do we have any free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | Brian.g | 34086 | ||
WAK As always, Jesus explains things much better than I. John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Peace is the gift of salvation Brian |
||||||
137 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | Brian.g | 34081 | ||
EdB I'm debating with myself, as to whether I have enough courage to ask which one? OK, I'm ready, go ahead - which one? Brian |
||||||
138 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | Brian.g | 34015 | ||
EdB If I mentioned every one of my typo's, this forum would have another 30,000 posts! Brian |
||||||
139 | do we have any free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | Brian.g | 33988 | ||
WAK Being at peace means that either: · Some type of conflict has been removed · Or the source of conflict never existed, thereby allowing peace to exist. Man, by God’s design, loves life and seeks to preserve it. When man is in a situation in which his existence is threatened, internal conflict arises as man fights death. When man accepts that he is not able to stop the death of his body, he obtains peace. The source of the conflict has been removed by mans acceptance of death. Christ taught us that life continues after the death of the body. Man does not cease to exist. With Christ, the source of the conflict (death) never existed. Yes, absolutely. Jesus was a peace on the cross. Although we know He was in a great deal of physical pain. Brian |
||||||
140 | suffering - for individual or family? | Phil 4:12 | Brian.g | 33976 | ||
Mrs. Shetty To fully understand what Paul was saying, it is important to read the complete Phillippians 4:10-20. In this section, Paul is thanking the Phillippians for the financial gifts which they had given him. Normally, Paul was reliant upon himself and God for his needs, but he did accept gifts, as in this case. But, while Paul was thanking the Phillippians, he felt it important to emphasize that monetary concerns needed to be secondary to God. With this, Paul was reiterating what Jesus said about God providing for human needs in Matthew 6:25-34. 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' 32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil. Mrs Shetty, as Christian parents, we want all good things for our children, but the greatest gift we can give our children is a relationship with Christ. One last thought, I have known many people whose high quality of character was forged by poverty. Sometimes poverty can be a greater gift than wealth. In all cases, it becomes a question of what do we do with that, which has been given to us. Should Christians who have wealth, be blinded of the needs of our fellow man or should their gifts be used to lift him up. And, should a man of poverty also use his gift to lift up his fellow man. Yes, to both - through Christ. Brian |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ] Next > Last [21] >> |