Results 321 - 340 of 1060
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Results from: Notes Author: azurelaw Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
321 | Is tattoos acceptabe as christians | 1 Cor 6:19 | azurelaw | 215344 | ||
Dear MJH, Thank you. I don't agree to it either. Most of us, like you and I, are living in a quite stable environment where we seldom face extreme challenges. I view those (soldiers, sailors or the like) putting on tattoo (hidden under clothes) for the purpose of forensic pathologists are doing it out of love and not pride. If they are not doing this for serving idols or showing pride, I don't think we should judge their such behaviour sinful. Another example I got from a speaker who once said about a case - a christian widow worked as a prostitute in a very very poor country. Her father was a long-time patient who needed considerable medical care and her children were still very young. No jobs were provided. What could she do to care for her family with basic need (food and medicine) but selling her own body? She came up to the speaker and asked him "am I a sinner as a prostitute?" Every time when I think of this case, I could not hold my tears. God knows our motives and our hearts. Just a bit of my sharing. Shalom Azure |
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322 | Resurrection Day, not easter! | Exodus | azurelaw | 215274 | ||
Dear Nick, We (Chinese) choose to cook it :-) No waste of food... Az |
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323 | Resurrection Day, not easter! | Exodus | azurelaw | 215264 | ||
Thank you, MJH. It is very informative and eye opening :-) The link provided by nickmostly (thanks to you, too, Nick) is worthy of a visit, too. Shalom Azure |
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324 | speaking in tounges | 1 Cor 12:30 | azurelaw | 215249 | ||
Dear Brother Tim, I have not read his books. In your note about his argument on 1 Cor 14:2 violates his own position that the singular 'tongue' always refers to the true gift of God, I am not aware of his notion on this point. However, my view is in contrast to his on this pertaining to this verse (see my post to Beja). Shalom Azure |
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325 | speaking in tounges | 1 Cor 12:30 | azurelaw | 215248 | ||
Dear Brother Beja, Thank you for asking and sorry for my late reply. I did not realize my post was so muddy:-( It is my fault. To answer your 2 questions in short - “Paul was categorically dismissing speaking in tongues as an intrusion of pagan religion into Christianity. The main evidence that it is not truly a spiritual gift was that it does not edify other men.” - “…do not go so far as to read Paul as condemning this as a non Christian gift…” It is a big NO to both :-) Let me try to see if I can explain myself better (sometimes I fail to make myself understood even in my own tongue, so please bear with me). By the way, I am open to be corrected as well. Speaking in tongues itself is not an intrusion of pagan religion into Christianity as it has been evidenced with the origin in Acts during the Pentecost. My understanding of speaking in tongues (plural) is a miraculous sign that the Holy Spirit empowers true believers to speak languages that they have never learnt of. Why I emphasized the plural form of “tongues” as I see it in contrast to 1 Cor 14:2 where it uses a singular form “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue…” that I view it as Paul’s denoting it the form of gibberish the Corinthians adopted (of course this is only my personal view and I could be very wrong on this, please correct me if so) for Paul always used the plural form for the gift of Tongues. For 1 Cor 14:2, as far as I understand it, Paul was criticizing the Corinthian’s abusive use/practice/counterfeit of speaking in tongues. As per the historical background provided by John MacArthur, the Corinthians were carnal minded (this we can see from Paul’s letter to them) and affected by the pagan religion - “…But as we come to the Corinthian situation, we find that they had counterfeited the real gift of tongues and substituted an ecstatic kind of speech that we very common in pagan religions…At the time of Corinthian church, the Greco-Roman world had a multitude of gods. In their worship of these gods, it was very common for a person to go into ecstasy, which literally means 'to go out of oneself'…this language of the gods was always gibberish…” (John MacArthur) So much has been discussed on the topic about speaking in tongues and I really lack the ability to contribute more to the discussion. I’d rather commend an article by Fred Zaspel where he has a systematic discussion on the Gift of Tongues at : http://www.biblicalstudies.com/bstudy/spiritualgifts/ch18.htm I hope I did not muddy further while I was answering and typing in “tongues”. Shalom Azure |
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326 | Why not braided hair for women? | 1 Tim 2:9 | azurelaw | 215240 | ||
Thank you, and I need your forgiveness as well as I have misread you :-) Shalom Azure |
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327 | Why not braided hair for women? | 1 Tim 2:9 | azurelaw | 215221 | ||
Dear humility, While I agree to the central idea you wanted to convey, I still find you have stretched a bit too far: "Paul was not against the plaiting of the hair like we do today..." I am sure Paul has no idea what the women and the world would be like today :-) "They would wear expensive, tight-fitted and skimpy clothing as well." Could you please provide scriptural reference for the above as I might have missed it? Of course God sees the heart and hidden part of a man, yet, a person's dress code denotes certain message he/she wants to express silently :-) Shalom Azure |
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328 | Banker are sinner or not | Deut 23:19 | azurelaw | 215209 | ||
Dear Rajeeb, Thank you for providing us your background and your earnestness in pursuing your belief is much appreciated. However, as far as I have noticed, your concern is so much on the law and God the Father. Do you have any idea of the Gospel of salvation through faith in Christ alone and by Grace alone? The Pharisees diligently study and keep the law, yet, they are cursed by Jesus our saviour (Mat 23:13). Satan and his dominion know God and the Son (James 2:19), yet, the lake of fire is prepared for them (Revelation 19 and 20). John 14:6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Shalom Azure |
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329 | Remember the price | John 19:1 | azurelaw | 215202 | ||
Dear John, Thank you very much for sharing, I need that, especially this Easter that the message at my church was not Christ-centred :-( Shalom Azure |
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330 | speaking in tounges | 1 Cor 12:30 | azurelaw | 215200 | ||
Dear Mike, I believe those who stop by your user profile will pray for your grandma and I will pray for her, too. Shalom Azure |
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331 | speaking in tounges | 1 Cor 12:30 | azurelaw | 215110 | ||
Dear Mike, I hope the below from John MacArthur would shed some light for our understanding: ****** "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God [lit. 'a god']; for no man understandeth him; however, in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." a. The Principal Purpose Violated What Paul is saying is this: "You people with your pagan ecstasies are not doing what all spiritual gifts were given to do--minister (or speak) to men. Rather, you are all wrapped up in speaking pagan mysteries in ecstatic speech to a god. Nobody can even understand what you're saying!" Paul's not referring to the mysteries (Gk. musterion) of God or the mysteries that he taught, he's referring to the mysteries of paganism. Now let me give you a basic, bottom-line truth: All spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of ministering (or speaking) to men. No spiritual gift was ever given for the purpose of ministering to God. All spiritual gifts are given to build up the body of Christ by ministering to the members of the body. God doesn't need us to minister a spiritual gift to Him--He's not incomplete! So Paul is saying, "You have fallen down on the basic use of spiritual gifts--their use among men to build up the body. The tongues speaking that you are involved in, however, is not for men, it's for a god." By the way, the word "God" does not have an article in the Greek (the anarthrous construction). And because of the context, I think it's better translated "a god" rather than referring to the true God. In other words, they were involved in ecstatic communication with some pagan god, and speaking in pagan mysteries. And they were violating the principal purpose of spiritual gifts--the fact that they are to be ministered to other people in the body of Christ. God certainly didn't need them to talk to Him in some ecstatic gibberish! ******* Shalom Azure |
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332 | Why did God tell Abraham to kill his son | Gen 22:2 | azurelaw | 215014 | ||
Dear Steve, You have provided very good answers. I hope the user find them helpful. Shalom Azure |
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333 | Why did God tell Abraham to kill his son | Gen 22:2 | azurelaw | 215007 | ||
Dear Bibleman, Tell him that CONTEXT is very important for proper understanding of sctriptures. By the way, you may also show him the below verses if you find them helpful: Psalm 51:16 Hosea 6:6 Shalom Azure |
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334 | Why did God tell Abraham to kill his son | Gen 22:2 | azurelaw | 215005 | ||
Dear Bibleman, Tell him that CONTEXT is very important for proper understanding of sctriptures. By the way, you may also show him the below verses if you find them helpful: Psalm 51:16 Hosea 6:6 Shalom Azure |
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335 | Why did God tell Abraham to kill his son | Gen 22:2 | azurelaw | 214976 | ||
Dear Bibleman, I see that you are not satisfied with all the answers given to you and perhaps it will not have a satisfactorily solution for you...and it is true that we might not get all the answers we want or the answer provided is beyond our understanding or reasoning. Just like Abraham, he might not understand why God asked him to sacrifice his beloved son, yet, he (Abraham) obey and put his trust in God for he knew God is loving and faithful. Now, do you see the point? If you believe God and His Holy Word, we should know about His attributes. Meanwhile, the way of revelation in Abraham's day is very much different from now - we have the Bible. We always have the Bible to teach and verify people's claiming their receiving special revelation or hearing from God. The proper way to understand the Bible is to build up the doctrine base on the didactic passage not the narrative ones. The historical narrative passages recorded how God has been interacting with people in different ways and most of them served with a unique function or plan of God. Furthermore, your friend is not Abraham after all. Shalom Azure |
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336 | Why did God tell Abraham to kill his son | Gen 22:2 | azurelaw | 214948 | ||
Dear Bibleman, The scripture said it is a test, then it is a test, period. Meanwhile, you should not just focus on the single incidence of what Abraham had experienced. You have to view his life as a whole to understand how he demonstrated his obedience and how did God interact with him with His promise. God did not just get to Abraham to give him such a severe test all a sudden in the beginning. From the scripture, we see that God chose Abraham to develop a close relationship with Him. He was guiding Abraham to walk His way. In the case of your friend, even the issue is not about "killing" but doing some other things, if he/she has never known God, never developed a right and close relationship with God (i.e. studying the bible properly, healthy praying life and a healthy church life, etc.), it is very reasonable to doubt about his/her claiming of hearing any directives from God. Ps 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. Ps 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. Ps 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. Ps 25:13 His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will inherit the land. Ps 25:14 The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant. I like what our brother Doc has shared some time ago : "We do not judge the character of God by His actions. We judge His actions by His character." Shalom Azure |
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337 | Can Angels repent? | Bible general Archive 4 | azurelaw | 214943 | ||
Dear Jay, In addition to brother John's fine answer, I think you might find the below link helpful. http://gotquestions.org/angels-repent.html Shalom Azure |
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338 | Can Angels repent? | Bible general Archive 4 | azurelaw | 214942 | ||
Dear Jay, I understand you are new to the Forum. So, this is a warm reminder to you that we should stay alert with our behaviour to avoid any possible legal problems that might arise to our gracious host the Lockman Foundation. Therefore, please provide source of reference of the article quoted and familiarize yourself with the Terms of Use of the Forum. * You agree not to post, email or otherwise transmit any Postings that you do not have a right to transmit. * You agree not to post, email or otherwise transmit any Postings that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights ("Rights") of any party. Shalom Azure |
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339 | Is tithing a command for chriatians? | 2 Cor 9:7 | azurelaw | 214875 | ||
Dear Pastor Beja, You said: He points out that the law is there to restrain the evil of evil doers, not the good of those who do good. Allow me to sum up what I believe him to be thinking here (but do read the passage). The idea is this, if we are truely following the spirit, and following Christ's leading we will be so far from the idea of stealing that the rule is pointless to us. We will be so far from the idea of murdering that the rule will have no bearing on us. It would be like telling somebody headed to Mexico that they can not go into Canada. The law has no application on one that is constantly asking "How may I most glorify Christ and serve others today?" So the law wholely remains upon us that stealing is wrong, that coveting is wrong, that lying is wrong, that murder is wrong, and we shall not do these things, no will it ever be abolished (as Christ said), it will never be permisable to us. Righteousness did not stope being righteousness when you and I were saved. But in Paul's eyes, "what does that have to do with you and me?" We are bound to Righteousness and following Christ, a restriction holding back the evil of an evil doer is not our concern, following Christ is. I have to agree with you with a big amen! I like the analogy you used :-) I remember when I was a young christian, the moral law being taught so much on the pulpit had either been a burden or a stumbling block of self-righteousness to me that proved I did not understand the Gospel and Its Power. Sadly that nowadays, still, on the pulpit, the Gospel is rarely taught in depth (I think not only the unbelievers need to hear the Gospel, believers have to always hear and meditate the Gospel -- 1 Cor 15:1-2) but being replaced by the repetition of moral teachings. This is one of my favourite quotes which I would like to share with you: "Keep your heart, O believer, much beneath the cross, your conscience in frequent and close contact with the blood, and the slightest touch of sin will make you restless and unhappy until you have confessed, and God has forgiven. This is the secret -- which, alas! few see, or care to know -- of preserving the garments white amid pollution, the mind serene amid turmoil, the heart happy amid sorrow, the life radiant and transparent as the sun, and the spirit, temper, and carriage Christ-loving, and Christ-like. Oh the wonders of the precious blood of Christ! Who can exalt it too highly, adore it too profoundly, love, magnify, and honor it too deeply and exclusively? Will it not constitute the theme of our study, the burden of our song, and the source of our bliss as ages roll on, and never cease to roll? Beloved, the surprise then will be, that here below we should have prized it so little, traveled to it so infrequently, and glorified it so imperfectly, and have regarded it with an affection so fickle and so cold!" --Octavius Winslow Shalom Azure |
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340 | Genesis 1:26 | Gen 1:26 | azurelaw | 214851 | ||
Dear Digital, Thank you for the clarification and the photo, too :-) It would help us to know you better if you could fill in your user profile. Shalom Azure |
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