Results 421 - 440 of 494
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Results from: Notes Author: stjones Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
421 | end times | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 23761 | ||
Hi, Kalos; It's an old joke, but it applies to me: I'm not a premillenialist or a postmillenialist; I'm a panmillenialist - it'll all pan out in the end. Peace and grace, Steve |
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422 | Are new worship songs scripturally OK? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 23324 | ||
Amen | ||||||
423 | Are new worship songs scripturally OK? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 23286 | ||
Hi, Hank; Thanks for the reply; I was afraid I'd been a little prickly in my post. As a mediocre bass, I've sung Handel's "Messiah" in a local symphony chorus (no solos for me!) and I've sung "O Sifune Mungu", a setting of "All Creatures of Our God and King" written in Swahili, in our church choir. I've been blessed by both of those pieces and by many songs in many styles in between. And I've sung a few I just didn't like very much that I nonetheless think Jesus must have enjoyed hearing. The key is this: Our choir director (he also directed "Messiah") never lets us forget to whom we are singing - an audience of one. Peace and grace, Steve |
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424 | Gen. l:26,27 | Gen 1:1 | stjones | 23214 | ||
Hi, Joe; Adam's rib contained red marrow which produces blood cells, so we might expect that they'd have the same type. Of course, God would have changed the chromosomes in the rib (at the very least get rid of the Y and add an X), so I suppose he could easily have modified the marrow as well. I envision Heaven having a huge library where every question of this kind can be answered. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve |
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425 | Are new worship songs scripturally OK? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 23165 | ||
Hi, Hank; I think the "push" comes from contemporary songwriters who, like the old-timers you revere, are moved to express their faith, their love of Jesus, their joy, and their gratitude in music. And I think you will find that much of the sacred music you admire was published and/or performed at a profit. Would you say that Charles Spurgeon and D. L. Moody provided all the sermons the church needs? Should we muzzle Billy Graham because Moody already said it? The church was well blessed with hymns before Fanny Crosby wrote her 150 or so, before Horatio Spafford wrote "It Is Well with My Soul", and before Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote (among many others) "Because He Lives". Although the style may differ, I don't think Keith Greene (several wonderful praise songs) or Graham Kendrick (most of the music for the March for Jesus), or Jack Hayford ("Majesty") have anything to apologize for and neither do the congregations who sing their music. Contemporary songwriters still turn to the Sciprtures and often to the Psalms for their inspiration. I'm a 56-year-old Presbyterian; we are sometimes referred to as "the frozen chosen". I think some folks in this thread who may not be Presbyterians could do with a little thawing too. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve |
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426 | Are new worship songs scripturally OK? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 23037 | ||
Hi, Lisa; [If you already know all this, I apologize. Maybe it'll be useful to someone else.] You're right, of course, about the Law, but please don't sell the OT short; it's the bible Jesus read and taught from. He obviously thought that his followers had something to learn from it. Consider this exchange: '"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."' (Matthew 22:36-40) This passage in known not only to Christians but to much of the world which calls it the Golden Rule and imagines that it was a brand new teaching of Jesus. But where is Jesus quoting from? the OT, of course: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5) "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:18) The NT focuses on Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The OT focuses on God the Father but with many references and prophecies concerning Jesus and the Holy Sprit. I love the OT, especially Job, Jonah, and Ecclesiastes (weird, I know, but there it is). Just my .02 part of a dollar. Peace and grace, Steve |
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427 | did the wine from the water make you dr | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 22839 | ||
Non-biblical note about grapes and fermentation - The yeast that turns the sugar in grape juice into alcohol lives on the grape skins. When the grapes are crushed to get the juice, the yeast is mixed in with it. If the juice is not consumed right away (or the yeast killed or filtered out), the juice will inevitably become wine. Grape koolaid, if it existed, could become wine only over a period of several weeks. Either way, Jesus performed a miracle. Peace and grace, Steve |
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428 | "seal of God" | Ex 1:1 | stjones | 22129 | ||
Hi, Bill; This statement seems a little tenuous: "The New Covenant says that God will write His laws (plural, loving God and loving our neighbor) on our minds, not Law (singular, the big 10)" Most translations I checked translate it in the singular. But it's not important because there's no meaningful difference anyway. The plural laws (as you refer to them) are given in the OT Law: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5) "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:18) And of course Jesus said that these two OT commnandments form the basis of the whole Law: "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:40) Singular or plural, Jeremaiah 31:33 says that God's law[s] will be placed in our minds and written on our hearts. I assume, of course, that this prophecy is fullfilled when we receive the Holy Spirit: "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:15) and "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified" (Romans 10:10). But if Jesus is the fulfillment and embodiment of the Law, then it looks to me like the Law (singular) and the laws (plural) - one and the same - are in our hearts and minds. Just my two cents.... Peace and grace, Steve |
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429 | Reasons for Rejecting our Witness | John 1:7 | stjones | 22095 | ||
Hi, Joe; I knew sooner or later we'd have to publicly agree on something. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve |
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430 | Reasons for Rejecting our Witness | John 1:7 | stjones | 22047 | ||
Hi, Joe; I think your assertion about the real reason for rejecting Christ is theologically sound. But I wouldn't declare other reasons invalid or ignore them to zero in on the unrepentant, rebellious heart. [I'm not saying you do, I'm just following up with another thought.] For example, the words "you must take up your cross and follow me" can be terrifying to a non-believer. Someone else may have been raised in a very legalistic, punitive church environment and find nothing more repugnant than the thought of spending eternity with such folks. To someone who does not know the real Jesus, fear of the cost of discipleship or bad experiences with people who claim identity with him can be very real reasons for avoiding him. God meets us at our point of need; we should try to do the same. Peace and grace, Steve |
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431 | Reasons for Rejecting our Witness | John 1:7 | stjones | 22038 | ||
Hi, Nolan; Unfortunately, that's a pretty popular one; the younger you are the more immortal you imagine yourself to be. I had the privilege of preaching on September 23. In talking about Satan's unnamed presence in 1 John 1:5-2:6, I mentioned the 11th. I told the congregation that on that day, hundreds or thousands of people lost forever their chance to escape his clutches. I invited anyone listening who was still thinking and deciding to imagine themselves on an upper floor of the WTC.... Peace and grace, Steve |
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432 | Religions, who is right???? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 21547 | ||
Hi, Searcher; I once heard a teacher on the radio (Malcolm Smith maybe? about 10 years ago). He was describing his first experience of freedom in Christ. Along the way, he said that you can divide all of the world's religions into two groups: Take two barrels. Place Christianity in the first one and put all the other world's religions in the second. Label the second barrel "Try and Do"; label the first one "Trust and Done". I kinda liked that. Peace and grace, Steve |
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433 | name of lost book in Bible | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 21407 | ||
Hi, Nolan; Thanks for the URL. Yes, I've read some of this nonsense and you can see why proponents claim that they present "alternate Christianities" - they definitely don't square with orthodox Christianity. The screwball theologians have found a way to project postmodern relativism back to the first century. "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves" (2 Peter 2:1) Peace and Grace, Steve |
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434 | On Harry Potter? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 21316 | ||
Hi, Tim; I think your approach is very balanced - both in the way you deal with Harry Potter and your refusal to try to impose your approach on other parents. When kids grow up and go out on their own, they're going to decide for themselves what they believe and where to place their faith. I've read that the majority of kids who grow up in Christian homes go through a period of questioning or outright rejection when they find themselves with the freedom to make up their own minds. I think a child who has learned how to deal with Harry Potter (or R. L. Stine or Stephen King or, for that matter, Edgar Allan Poe) will grow into an adult better able to deal with Wicca, or New Age neo-paganism, or Tibetan Buddhism. Just my .02 dollars' worth. Peach and grace, Steve |
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435 | Who are the "SO-CALLED CHRISTIANS"? | Eph 2:8 | stjones | 21312 | ||
Hello, Tom; Thanks for the reply. I am indeed saved but I appreciate your concern and your willingness to share the good news with me. To be honest, I was feeling kind of grouchy when I read your note, and probably read it wrong. I thought you were saying that a Christian who doesn't know that faith is a gift of God is not really a Christian at all. I'm sure you weren't saying that, so I apologize for misreading you. I occasionally run across folks - I'm sure you have too - who tell me that if you don't dot this "i" the right way or cross that "t" according their rules, then your're not really a Christian. It annoys me when somebody like that tells me I'm not a Christian. But then I just remember that "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment." (1 Corinthians 2:15) Anyway, thanks for the answer. In the future, I'll try to keep my bad moods to myself. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve |
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436 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21201 | ||
Naw; I've got it all figured out ;-) ;-) ;-) Peace and grace, Steve |
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437 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21190 | ||
Hi, EdB; Well, while I'm not entirely convinced, I'm convinced it's not terribly important: "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12) Peace and grace, Steve |
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438 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21168 | ||
Hi EdB; I guess I don't see the connection with Romans 8:38-39 since that has to do with the assurance of our reconciliation with God accomplished by Jesus on the cross. But I do wonder why Jesus (quoting Psalm 22) would cry out to God who had "forsaken" him? Are you saying that was just a final scripture lesson for the benefit of the spectators and not a cry from the heart? It seems to me that this cry suggests (probably doesn't prove) that God the Father had indeed "forsaken" him somehow. To say that God "turned away" is more metaphorical than factual. Clearly, nobody really knows. I don't want to start a whole new trinity discussion, but they are also Three. I assume that it would be one thing for God to contenance Satan and his sin and something entirely different to see his own Son (and himself, in some mysterious way) stained with the world's sin. Peace and grace, Steve |
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439 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21148 | ||
Hi, Tim; I agree. This is a topic that I've thought about in the past and felt moved to jump in. I once did a brief meditation at a community Good Friday service on some of Jesus' words from the cross. In it, I speculated about Jesus' separation from his Father at Christmas when he "stepped across the stars to Bethlehem and Jerusalem". I wondered if his prayer in Gethsemane wasn't motivated more by dread of this looming moment of complete separation than by dread of the cross itself. I concluded with the thought that the terrible, undeserved separation he endured assures us that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God." (Romans 8:38-39) Still, the details are a mystery that ought to pique our curiosity but also feed our sense of wonder. Peace and grace, Steve |
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440 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21150 | ||
Thanks; the quotes reveal that it's not original: Joseph Bayly, "Psalms of My Life" Victor, 2000. Hard to find but worth it. This is a review so I hope the following is fair use: A Psalm for Christmas Eve Praise God for Christmas Praise Him for the Incarnation for Word made flesh. I will not sing of shepherds watching flocks on frosty night or angel choristers. I will not sing of stable bare in Bethlehem or lowing oxen wise men trailing distant star with gold and frankincense and myrrh. Tonight I will sing praise to the Father who stood on heaven's threshold and said farewell to His Son as He stepped across the stars to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. And I will sing praise to the infinite eternal Son who became most finite a Baby who would one day be executed for my crimes. Praise Him in the heavens. Praise Him in the stable. Praise Him in my heart. (c) Copyright 1987, 2000 by the estate of Joseph Bayly. If you can read that dry-eyed, you're a better man than I. Our (retired) pastor used to say that without Easter, Christmas has no purpose; without Christmas, Easter has no meaning. Peace and grace, Steve |
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