Matthew
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My Respond:
I pray My faith believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ will bring light into all the house , even mine house that allows me to have what I want , & the word of God returns back to me not void. AMEN
God Bless :)
Matthew 5:22 - But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
In Greek, RAKA means good for nothing. It is an insult! So first you have inward anger. And then you begin to express it, and it becomes an insult, "you good for nothing!" And then you say, "thou fool," and if you say thou fool, that is slander. It's the Greek word MOREH where we get our word moron from in English. So you go from inner anger, to insult, then it comes to slander when you say you fool or more literally "you moron."
First, when you say Raca, you are in danger of the council, and that would be the supreme court of the Jews, the Sanhedrin, who's the head of all of the civil and religious affairs of the Jews. We see the word council and we may not catch that this is the Sanhedrin. The Greek text has the word SUNEDRION which is the word for Sanhedrin. The translators could have used Sanhedrin instead of council. So, the first one for anger, you come before the judge. If it is insult, then you come before the Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin. If you say, "thou fool" or "you moron," you are in danger of hell fire.
Matthew 5:48 - Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Here is where many disagree with what the word "perfect" means. People will say that you can become perfect just like God because it says so right here. But this is why you have to love the Greek text!
The Greek word for perfect means to function in purpose. It doesn't mean to be perfect. It means to function in purpose! Jesus is saying that we, under the influence of God's Spirit, should be functioning in purpose like Him, because that is what Jesus does. He's the representative of God's love.
I'll stop here and pick back up perhaps tomorrow, Lord willing!
Matthew 5:10 - Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The word persecuted, without getting sidetracked on a word study because I could go on for several posts just on this one Greek word and you guys wouldn't like me very much. DIOKO is the Greek word, and it means to chase or pursue. Our English understanding of the word "persecuted" may be different than what we get from the Greek.
When Satan persecutes us, he chases us. In Ephesians Chapter 6, Paul says, after having put on the armor, stand. Satan likes to get us on the run. He can't stop us, but he chases us. We get tired, weary, frustrated, discouraged, and we quit. We stop ourselves. He runs us ragged!
It is interesting that the word persecuted here is in the Perfect Tense. What that means in the Greek text is that the Perfect Tense expresses a present condition based upon past action. So, they have already been persecuted. Blessed are the ones who have already been persecuted. But it is not just general persecution. It is for righteousness' sake. It is for doing what is right in the eyes of God.
Matthew 5:11 - Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
The word "revile" means to insult someone. When they insult and persecute you, when they say all manner of evil. The King James says "falsely" which is not in the best manuscripts. It was added to show saying evil about you, the evil that you haven't done. They made it up!
Matthew 5:12 - Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
"Rejoice, and be glad" are the only two commands in the beatitudes. Both are Present Tense commands, which means be continually rejoicing, and continually be glad. The word "glad" in Greek, AGALLIASTHE means to celebrate. We don't catch this in our English translations.
Matthew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MAKARIOS is the word that's translated blessed in our English bibles. In Greek, MAKARIOS means to experience the fullness of something. Many Bible translations and commentaries will tell you that it means "Oh how happy," and that the Lord is presenting how to have a happy life.
But technically from the original language and its presentation, what the Lord is saying here is how the disciples of the kingdom of God will experience all the fullness of who God is by these principles.
Matthew 5:5 - Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
This Greek word for meek (PRAOUS), means to be open, or to be receptive. Some commentaries say that it means humble or to be a nice guy. But that's not what it means, and we don't get the meaning from our English translations.
Matthew 5:6 - Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The word filled is not the normal word for fill. KORTAHSTHAYSONTAI is the Greek word, and it means to be satisfied.
Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
The Greek word for peacemakers, which is the only place in the bible where it is found, is a special word. It has nothing to do with going out and making peace on the earth. Paul made reference to this in Ephesians 6:15, where he said one of the pieces of armor is to "have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace."
Peacemakers are Christians that go out with the gospel and say, "You can make peace with God through Jesus Christ." Later, Jesus says, "Don't think that I came to bring peace upon the earth." So, what He is telling us is that it is not earthly. It's coming to tell people that you are fighting against God. Romans 5:1 tells us that "after having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Peacemakers!
"If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it."
In studying the entire chapter in relation to today's scripture verse we see the contrast between statements related to those of God not sinning and other verses which indicate anyone who says they are without sin are a liar and the truth not in them (actually 1 John 1:8 so I should have said in studying the entire book). I am not studying that but this verse specifically in regard to the "sin unto death" and its implications.
Paul mentions letting a man be given to Satan in 1 Corinthians 5:5:
"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
That could be one application. Another would be related perhaps to the law and justifiable punishment of a death penalty for homocide. It also applied to adultery although it would appear this punishment was not as common in the time of Christ and especially once the church stated to flourish towards the end of the 1st Century AD. Since the church was being addressed here the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit shouldn't be the cause; although it certainly would apply to unbelievers as the "unforgiveable sin" as mentioned in the Gospels ( Mark 3:28-29; also verses in Matthew).
The context of the rest of the verse shows how we can pray that God will heal and restore a brother caught in sin and once again emphasizes the idea of confessing our sins to one another ( James 5:16). This is also mentioned in the Gospels at initial salvation ( Matt. 3:6) and most often to God Himself in a plethora of other scriptures. Matthew 5:23-24 speaks of leaving a "gift before the altar" and restoring relationship with a brother which alludes to the Old Testament sacrifice but certainly is applicable now. Sin hurts us and others.
15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was JESUS, which had made him whole.
16 And therefore did the Jews persecute JESUS, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the sabbath day.
17 But JESUS answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I WORK. John 10:30- I and my Father are One.
It was the fourth Day or around 4000 years after Adam.--> Genesis 1:16- GOD made two great lights; the Greater Light to rule the day( 1Thessalonians 5:4-6), and the Lesser Light to rule the night: He made the stars also. JESUS said: John 12:46 -->I am come a Light into the world (like the Sun), that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
And the Lesser light: Who is him? The lesser Light receives light from the Greater Light because he has no light of his own (like the moon). So, who is him?
And the stars, who are them? By the way, the red Dragon with his TAIL drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. Who are them?
Furthermore, the woman is clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars-Re.12:1
I like so much to decipher biblical enigmas/puzzles.
Matthew 5: 5 and 14 -
5- Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
14- Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Very profound. GOD BLESS
Part 3.
Acts 1:6-8. sets our priority straight and is relevant to our topic we have been discussing over the last few days.
6) When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7) It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
We are given the Holyspirit for the purpose of being light that represents Christ to a dark world.
When we are on our mission there is unity, and our light shines and glorifies God as mentioned in Matthew 5:16.
When united as we should be we function as seen in Ephesians 4:6-14 as I mentioned in the previous thread. This Glorifies God.
John 3:17-21 also puts emphasis on the light.
For lack of time lets go to Revelation with our purpose and commission in mind.
Revelation 3:14-22.
15) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
As you examine the text, the Laodiceans is Lukewarm and neither cold nor Hot for various reasons.
Verse 19) they are asked to be zealous and repent.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
THEY ARE ASKED TO HAVE A ZEAL.
A zeal for what?
They are not shining light on the Lord by the work that was commissioned to them.
They have grown complacent.
Verse 20 the lord is not even in their midst!
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Continuing perhaps this weekend.
God bless.
I am trying to start a new thread. Somehow part one didn't separate from my previous post.
Here is Part 2.
Matthew 5:13-15
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
(Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.)
This is a picture of the Lampstand!
Who is in the midst of the Lampstand and who does the lampstand shines light on? Our Lord.
What does the oil represent in the Lampstand? The Holyspirit.
OILED FILLED LAMPSTANDS.
John 16:7-16.
Verses 7 and 8 we see the disciples is to be impowered by the Holyspirit to carry on the work of Christ as the light in the world that reproves it of sin.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Acts 1:6-8
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
See Part 3.
17The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
And JESUS said (around 2000 years ago): let the dead (they which have not the Spirit of GOD, Spirit of life) bury their dead. Matthew 8:17
Daniel 12:1-2 combined with 1Thessalonians 4:16
Michael comes first, and after of him comes Lord JESUS.
12:1 at that time(at this current time, or at this Day, the Lord's Day, the seventh and last Day/millennium)shall Michael (the archangel) stand up, ...
12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake (RESURRECTION), some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
1 Thes.4:15- For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord (the Word is GOD, self-executing), that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent(precede) them which are asleep.
1 Thes. 4:16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel-Michael- , and with the Trump of GOD: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
And 1Corinthians 15:51-54 reveal:
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery;We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,(Compare with Philippians 3:20-21)
52 ...at the last trump:for the trumpet shall sound,and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,and we shall be changed.
(the trumpet shall sound:Re.11:15-And the seventh angel sounded;and there were great voices in heaven(heaven??? Ephesians 1:3-8), saying, The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. Matthew 5:5-JESUS said: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth).
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (CAUGHT???)
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,Death is swallowed up in victory.-Hallelujaaaah!!!
Get ready --> Matthew 25:10
Today; in the midst of competing a discussion on Psalm 2; somehow I made a fleeting statement on how I believed in Predestination (maybe related to those who perish in Revelation who take the mark of the Beast). In any event; along with a disagreement I had with one lady who is the most vocal at this Bible Study and who is a diehard Catholic she stated that we shouldn't consider ourselves "special" related to what she considered a misguided opinion that indeed I was called and chosen (her issue was that Christ died for everyone).
Of course; even a diehard Calvanist will be the first to tell you that we aren't picked because we have any value-it is simply God's grace. My point is now that we are saved and know it; how do we define this blessing now; and in the future when He exalts us in heaven? Being His adopted children now certainly is "special"; even though as Paul said he was treated as the scum of the world ( 1 Cor. 4:13). Jesus; of course whose visage was marred more than any man for our sake on the way to the cross ( Isaiah 52:14) was uniquely loved by the Father and has a singular exaltation as Creator above all of creation as He should.
As His children we are called to be different from the world and part of His Body (see John 17:15-21). We are to be "salt and light" ( Matthew 5:13-16) and His sheep hear His voice ( John 10:27-28). What draws all men to Himself ( John 12:32) started with His Resurrection; but I would argue continues with the Spirit of God convicting men that lives within His church. To not have the power of sin and the fear of damnation as a reality is something which no one apart from His children can experience.
We should stand out; not as arrogant but as truly blessed; which comes of course from our character as well as our reverence for His Word and instructions of living; prayer and sanctification. John 15:18 shows the world hates us.
1 Corinthians 10:11 says: Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
This verse helps to tie in the examples; both good and bad from various characters and narratives in the Bible so that we can understand the temporal and eternal consequences of our actions; and hopefully learn the fear of the Lord as a result. The moral principles of the Lord never change; even if we study the lives of those under the authority of the Old Covenant vs. the New Covenant. The souls of all men are mine ( Ezekiel 18:4) states God. Therefore; it is just as true that not one "jot or tittle" of His word will fail ( Matthew 5:18); the spiritual laws in scripture of conduct are as certain as the natural laws that every man lives subject to.
One more point I want to cover before wading into the waters of the subject of secondary themes and applications is that although it usually involves large swaths of scripture and repeated concepts throughout with many cross references most of the time; there are a few key concepts that are rather limited. One which jumps to mind is Christ actually stating that He is the "I am". John 8:58 from what I know is the only place it is explicit; there are other places clearly where it is either implied or meant with the original language; certainly the Pharisees knew this or they wouldn't have tried to kill Jesus 10 times or so before they finally succeeded. More often seen is the unique claims of Christ as being the only way to the Father (I am the way the truth and the life may perhaps means the same thing as my last reference). He also showed this with offering forgiveness of sins which is only something God can do. We see in this what is implied if CORRECTLY interpreted shows much of the primary themes; we could cite the Parables as a good example of this.
So here in Ecclesiastes, to say that "a wise man's heart is at his right hand", implies that a wise, prudent person will always have his heart direct his thoughts, & then his actions towards his 'right hand' (and this is seen as the place of wise & correct action based on sound knowledge & judgement). Are there any then wise in their actions (i.e. always towards the right), or having hearts that are foolish, going to the opposite place (the left) of risk, speculation, with error & regret following?
Yet, as Christians, we are blessed above all, not relying (or, leaning) only on our own understanding as we fully trust in the LORD, only acknowledging Him in all that we do, and we will know how perfectly He directs our paths ( Proverbs 3:5,6).
The end of times has arrived and what the Devil intends to do as the father of the Jews( John 8:44), is to direct the current world under his rule towards a global environment that will facilitate the establishment of his much desired Universal Kingdom, his fifth Universal Kingdom, for which Satan has been working since ancient times starting with Abel's murder- Matthew 23:33-35.Take a look. GOD revealed to the king of Babylon through Daniel this desire of Satan by interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream: Daniel 2:41-43, but in verses 44 to 47 GOD reveals how He will destroy the Kingdom of the Devil, father of the Jews- JOHN 8:44.
There will be a TERRIBLE WAR from now on between GOD's people X Satan's people. Re.11:15 says: The KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD are become the KINGDOMS of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. ( Matthew 5:5 combined with Revelation 5:10).
But Satan as a God intends to do the same with global world ruled by him-2Thes.2:3-4&9-12 combined with Revelation 12, i.e. to establish his satanic Universal religious Kingdom.
The WAR will be against THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS LIKE FROGS-WHY FROGS?
Revelation 16:13 to 16
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like FROGS come out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of GOD Almighty.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Ar - mag - eddon.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. (Get ready)
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Wake up, quick, and get ready
I believe you know that the Hebrews had to cross the Red Sea,and walk through a desert,walk until they got to the Promised Land after 40 years of pilgrimage.What about GOD's people now or in this current time?
Now GOD's people will have to go through(I mean win a war)against the Red Dragon,that's exactly it,a Red Dragon yes,this is no coincidence,it was predicted millennia ago.He's a false messiah who will soon manifest,just ahead,with great signs of lying,he will manifest in Israel like a lamb with two horns,he's a Jew,of course, and he'll speak like a Dragon. Revelation 12.3-17 and Revelation 13: 11-18.
Let's get ready to go through this not easy FINAL journey of GOD's people here until the glorious,marvelous,and day of exceedingly joy - the day 1335.Amen.
Remembering and understanding that the departure of the Hebrew people from Egypt was not without first having taken place a battle against Pharaoh(by the way,there and now is Satan himself),and when the march began for the departure of GOD's people from Egypt, then the enemy army persecuted the Hebrews,the same will happen now,initially the persecution will be by the man Beast of the sea,it is he who will first persecute the Christian believers- Revelation 13:5 - for 42 months,that is the first half of the last week, week 70th Daniel 9:v.27.This POINT is only and only the half of the way -3,5 years or 42 months,the GOD's people will need to march more 3,5 years,so the murch will last 7 years,it will not be easy this journey of course.
Again:Let's get ready to go through this not easy FINAL journey of GOD's people here until the glorious,marvelous,and day of exceendigly joy-the day 1335. Amen.
JESUS in His prayer to the Father,said: John 17:15 - I pray not that thou take them out of the world, but that thou keep them from the evil.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
Get ready, yeah, get ready
Part 3.
How should Christian treat one another?
We are to be at peace with one another, forgive one another, have mercy on one another.
Just a few references.
1 Thessalonians 4:9
Ephesians 4:32
Galatians 5:26
Galatians 6:2
Matthew 7:12
1 John 4:7
However, we don't lie or deceive one another for the sake of peace. The truth hurts sometimes but it promotes spiritual growth providing that the Christ spirit is in the person.
BELEIVERS SHUNNING OTHER BELEIVERS.
To shun is to deliberately avoid something or someone. In the Bible, the word shun is applied to evil. Job 1:8, Job 28:28, Proverbs 3:7-8 Proverbs 14:16. So, shunning evil is good.
There is scripture that promotes excommunication. Matthew 18:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 3:14. but do we do it for harm or Good? What's the intent?
In any case, it would seem that extreme forms of shunning, such as considering someone "dead," utterly ignoring him, or refusing to acknowledge his existence, go beyond what Scripture commands.
After all, Jesus said that, when someone is put out of the church, he should be treated as "a pagan or a tax collector" Matthew 18:17. In other words, treat an intractable offender as an unsaved person.
How are we to treat the unsaved? With love and grace.
The "pagans and tax collectors" need to be evangelized. We are to love even our enemies ( Matthew 5:44).
The goal of excommunication and any form of shunning is restoration ( Galatians 6:1).
The purpose of any type of discipline is to prompt repentance and, ultimately, to reunite our fallen brother or sister with the church body. Being officially ostracized from the church, the sinner might be brought to repentance.
When the man in the Corinthian church later realized that he had sinned against God, he repented and came back to the church for forgiveness and reinstatement. Fellowship with the Corinthian believers was restored ( 2 Corinthians 2:6-11).
Isn't it hateful to ignore or shun other believers?
See part 4.
Paul prophesied:1Tessalonians 4:15
15We say unto you by the Word of the Lord,that we which are alive and remain unto the COMING of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep.
(Comment:Daniel prophesied:Dan.12:1
- At that time(END of Time) shall Michael stand up to fight against the red Dragon,whose satanic religious body has 7 heads,10 horns and a TAIL- Revelation 12:9-12;
- then there shall be a time of trouble (great tribulation), such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time( Matthew 24:21);
- and at that time(current time)thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book ( Revelation 7:1-14).
Furthermore,in this current time or now,even now,from now on,the Devil shall be cast down into the bottomless pit(Re.20:1-3).
Daniel 12:2-THERE WILL BE RESURRECTION SIMULTANEOUSLY
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake(according to the prophecy of Isaiah 26:19-21.Take a look), some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Comment: So, there also shall be resurrection in fulfillment of prophecy of Isaiah combined with 1Thessalonians 4:16, as follow:
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout (shall descend from the 3rd heaven,we believers are still in the 2nd heaven-Ephesians1:3-8 combined with Philippians 3:20-21),with the voice of the archangel-MICHAEL- , and with the trump of GOD: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Thes. 4:17 - Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds( Isaiah 60:8, and 1Corinthians 15:51 combined with Philippians 3:20-21 and Revelation 5:8-14), to meet the Lord in the air(in the 3rd heavenly environment-3rd heaven-far above of the current second heaven- Luke 20:35-36 combined with Matthew 25:6): and so shall we ever be with the Lord.(Where?- Revelation 11:15-18 and Re. 5:10, and Matthew 5:5, and John 17:24. Take a look).
That's for your meditation
Exercising authority in church bears with it proportionate levels of accountability ( James 3:1). There are crowns for those ( 1 Peter 5:4) who are overseeing the flock in any capacity. While we cannot dismiss someone receiving such a crown who has a sizeable and successful ministry from outward appearances the urge to compromise leads to the situation in Matthew 5:19.
One thing is for sure; no one is going to receive rewards for teaching heresy; and continued unrepentance in this area like any other sin shows that an individual is unsaved.
It is by no means a guarantee of God's calling; but it does help when other brothers can see we have a gift and calling to be a Pastor. It seems to be a favorite rationale for getting a degree in Divinity; but I admire a brother I met some years ago who had a desire to be an elder specifically; not a Pastor. (Techinically these require the same gifting). In light of that observation; ;I have found that many large churches seem to rarely if ever give credit to Associate Pastors or even mention those under them. It could be the sheer size of the staff that is prohibitive. As I have probably pointed out before on this site; it is NOT wise for a Pastor to have NO elders or deacons working to help them and guide them; but I have seen this happen on occasion.
It is often a sign of an immature or prideful man in leadership when this situation continues. Thankfully in the one case I am aware of one of my friends was elected to be an Elder; clearly gifted in counselling others and teaching abilities.
I hope myself not to be hypocritical even with my own "sermons" online. We all need to learn from each other; and no gifting should be considered the "penultimate" position. Laypersons also should be involved; at least as members in voting in areas of church polity. Room for dissenting opinions in regard to large financial expenditures should involve preliminary data for transparency
A general concept as pointed out in my last post is that the Old Testament law and sacrifices had temporal methods and sufficiency and were based on behaviors of Israel as to whether blessings or cursings resulted. The Spirit of God was more transient and was no guarantee of salvation such as seen in the example of Saul's prophesying as well as Baalam's repeated attempts to curse Israel and being overtaken to make proclamations under the influence of the Holy Spirit. David even asked God not to remove His Holy Spirit as apparently happened with Saul who needed David to play music for a temporary "fix" to his bizarre disorders.
John 16:8 essentially gives indication of permanent residence of the Father and Son in a believer and thus sealing them until the Day of Redemption. What we cannot do is glibly assume we are saved without testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith; and certain behaviors especially illustrated in Corinthians show the result of sickness and death with communion taken unworthily and the case of the man sleeping with his father's wife. There is always hope of repentance if someone is alive; but we cannot continue a LIFESTYLE of sin and be presumptuous thinking God will overlook our sin as an exception to His rule for the rest of mankind.
Matthew 5:17 states that Christ came not to abolish but fulfill the law and the prophets. This is a segway into the second theme in this introduction: Prophecy...
INTRO.
Prophecy begins with Genesis 3:15 in the garden with the serpent being told that he would receive a deadly wound and that Christ would recieve a wound on the heel (the seed of the woman representing the virgin Birth and the wound that of His piercing on the cross). Jesus was the end of Prophecy as THE Prophet; but in real time we still see Him as the Alpha and Omega in Revelation 1; and we still see 2 Prophets in Rev. 11.
1 John 4:20 is a stern admonition to those who would claim to love God that hates His brother. Other verses in 1 John show as with the Gospel of John the necessary commands for a believer to love one another. We need to look as well at verses in James which discuss the taming of the tongue. ( James 3:5-6) Gossip and slander are things that can destroy a person; hence the admonition about the fires of hell. You can bet that there will be plenty of cursing in hell for the state of misery against God and probably against others as well. Hating a brother without cause ( Matt. 5:22) is in degrees; but unforgiveness results in holding on to our own sins and is not beneficial for us even in this life. Holding onto grudges; for example is another example of a lifestyle of sin; there are people who may have already passed away who we still have bitterness about in our souls resulting in caustic behavior toward others including unforgiveness. Man cannot have unconditional love for their enemies apart from His grace. This of course doesn't validate the "political correctness" today coddling criminal behavior. Acts 2:23 is only one of several passages in the book clearly stating that the Jews killed Christ; and or complicit in His murder. Jesus didn't mince words either with this subject ( Matthew 5:21-22).
We cannot ignore the act of murder which includes abortions in this study either. Again; we dare not cede to the culture of today which doesn't want to follow Biblical precedent for a death penalty for such an act to vindicate an innocent party and to have some cohesiveness in society. We can complain all we want about dictatorships in the world; but many of them see much lower crime rates because no government can survive in anarchy. We also are foolish in trying to support ideologies that are antithetical toward the value of life because of some misguided notion that everyone wants a "democracy".
There is the old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." The same principle exists with the Word of God. Psalm 119 for instance is the longest chapter in all of scripture and incessantly talks about loving God's law. Hungering and thirsting for the Word is something said to characterize the last days ( Amos 8:11-12). This verse talks of a famine for God's word; but we also see Jesus talking about "hungering and thirsting for righteousness ( Matthew 5:6).
It seems counterintuitive or a "no brainer" to consider reading scripture and prayer as something a believer should do; but it has been my experience the enemy will use all sorts of tactics to dissuade believers from focusing on the Word and probably even more so on prayer. It is easy for the enemy to allow us with minimum distractions to read the Word of God because we can easily go into our own error in making it merely an intellectual exercise or feed off it to divert to the latest conspiracy theory or politics or whatever is trending. Prayer of course has it's own ways that it can deviate from scriptural standards; but from my experience it is the lack of prayer that seems to be a common denominator in many congregations. Yes; someone can try to use prayer as a means of spreading gossip or trying to get attention. It seems that too often there is a planned schedule for prayer and it is almost unheard of for it to extend any length of time beyond that planned timeslot even when nothing is pressing. Just to find one or two people who have an urge to pray before a service or for others when needs are expressed and can do it "on the fly" in my mind can literally mean the life or death of a local congregation. If we can't be as a weapon of warfare prepared at all times then we simply will in one way or another be compromised and heading for defeat in having any real impact on individuals or a local community.
To continue on the subject I would consider attending someplace for at least a year to understand fully doctrines ascribed to as well as to how genuine the love for Christ is in the church. If we are seeing little opportunities to contribute (which can happen in a place where one Pastor seems to hold all the cards); or where there is a great deal of pettiness; family pride (like where founders of the church and their children have had control for a long time in decision making) it may be a situation best avoided in such a commitment. This situation is occurring where a friend of mine is a new Pastor in a rural church in the Midwest.
Communion rules
In taking communion; there are what is known as closed or open communion. I am convinced that anyone who is Born Again and not living in unrepentant sin is eligible for communion. Nevertheless; there should be some discussion with a person beforehand to make sure they are indeed in the faith if someone comes in as a stranger and I can certainly get why some churches want to see if someone regularly attends for a period of time first. Waiting months on end without being given permission is something I have experienced in the past and I think that is going overboard. We shouldn't have a double standard either assuming just because someone has attended church as a member for years that they are "good to go" either; but without any real suspicion I can see how in that case an "open communion" (i.e for all members) can be given. We need to attend to warnings in Corinthians about those dying who take communion unworthily ( 1 Cor. 11:27-34). Unity in the Body of Christ in the church is represented with Communion and His presence is there along with any other actions such as two or more praying together. This is why we are to clear things up with our brother first ( Matthew 5:23-24) it should be settled-this discusses a gift at the altar but seems fitting nonetheless
In Matthew 25; starting in verse 14 we see the Parable of the talents. The first two individuals are rewarded with eternal rewards far greater than invested in this life but in accordance to their faithfulness now. The last servant of course lost it all including apparently his soul. There is a slightly different viewpoint in the parallel Parable in Luke 19 where reward is lost; but it would appear hell would be for those who wouldn't have Christ rule over them which is mentioned after the example of this servant at the end of the Parable. Either way; Jesus made it clear that we are commanded to go out and spread the Good News of the Gospel. A true believer therefore is in danger of losing rewards in heaven; making it in through the "skin of their teeth" ( 1 Cor. 3:15); while a professing Christian may not even be saved if they are not recognized by Christ as a true believer as we see in the Parable of the 5 unwise virgins. We see a similar pattern in the admonition that anyone who teaches others to break one of the "least commandments" ( Matthew 5:19) will be the least in heaven (i.e. loss of rewards). This makes one consider what happens for a greater commandment and how that is defined. This would be of course a "damnable heresy" ( 2 Peter 2:1) and clearly indicates damnation for such individuals in hell.
The great difficulty we have here is if we try to define what is necessary doctrine or unnecessary is that all of scripture is connected so that we are in danger of "cherry picking" what we want to follow rather than what is needed. We also have to look at the attitude of the heart. In the tale of Ananias and Sapphira; it is often overlooked that the problem was not that only a portion of what was sold was brought to the church offering; but that they had lied about their commitment or vow that was made to give all. The other issue is what people say is hard to understand. More to come..
Hebrews 12:6 states: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Matthew 5:44-46 says
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
These verses bring a clear understanding of those who are His children and possess His Spirit from those who don't. We can't love our enemies in our own strength in the same way we can in Him; but perhaps the other side of the argument should be examined; we cannot hate our sin; our former "good deeds" and appreciate the verse in Jeremiah 17:9 about our hearts being "deceitfully wicked" apart from a revelation from God through His Spirit. This truth results in a response of repentance whose origin comes from God; and results in actions coming from a new heart or nature; rather than just outer actions in some attempt to be righteous in our own strength. Atheists can often be more "moral" than we are in charitable giving; for example but they cannot without self righteousness. Thus; no amount of penance; fasting; etc. can save us. Jesus begins the work and to those He has called and chosen He insures that they are sanctified and glorified after being saved as we see from Romans 8:30.
Other Gospel verses show that His sheep hear His voice. We have true love for other believers if we are saved as well as a true love for Christ and we trust Him as well and have Him not just as Savior but Lord and Master as well.
The enemy will often convince us otherwise but believers have overcome the world.
1 John 1:10 says "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Someone claiming they haven't sinned is a sin; it's calling God a liar.
Either way, people sin, including you. No one in this forum believes you haven't sinned in your life. We should strive to be perfect and try very hard to avoid sin as Jesus challenged us to do, and that's awesome if we can make it through a day without any knowledge of wrongdoing. But we have a sinful nature and with God's rules it's extremely easy to sin. And I think we might sin and not even be aware of it.
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:28 KJV
I believe this means the same to a man or woman. Have you never once in your life looked at someone with lust? Never coveted? Never lied even in the smallest way? Never gluttony- overeating or not taking care your body? Always 100% respected God's holy temple? Anger? Loving others? Can anyone go an entire week or month without doing one of these?
Do you believe you've been perfect your whole life like Jesus, or do you just mean that since being a Christian you aren't aware of any recent sin?
My comment is intended to be helpful to you. I think I would do you a disservice to not challenge your assumption. God bless
About perfectness. I think the Bible uses this word with various meanings
1. Lets see as Richard says Matthew 5:48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.". Now the verb "be" in grk (esesthai) is in the future tense and denotes an expectation. So what Jesus is actually saying here (as I understand it) is that He expects us to become perfect like God is. Well this is impossible, isn't it? So what He means is that He expects us to strive to be like God (in character). And how is that to be done? By following His commandments, which commandments reveal the character of God to us. And since one aspect (and probably the most important) of God's character is love Jesus asks us to love each other like God does. This is something gradual, isn't it? It is something that we keep aquiring through our whole life.
If we compare it with Hebrews 5:8,9, "8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" Here Jesus iwas made perfect by obeying God's commandments.
So perfectness again here means a whole route/course that we follow in our lives during which, by following God's commandements/directions we keep growing spiritually and getting to be like God in character more and more.
2. But in Hebrews 10:14, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified", the word perfect has a different meaning. It means the one who has no sins. So we were perfected by Jesus' Blood, that is we are righteous through His sacrifice.
3. In Hebrews 11:38-40 says, "39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."
Here perfectness is something that we will aquire in Heaven when we will be dressed up with our new spiritual body, completely freed from sin, death etc
Such a passage should be enough to convince someone of the fact that there will always be the potential to sin. The first thing we should point out here is that even without any outer manifestations of sin man has a sin nature. I believe it is scriptural to say that at the point of salvation we are as Galatians 2:20 states "crucified with Christ". If we are truly saved we can theoretically continue after the time of our salvation to live without sinning but the pattern of living in sin is still deep in our minds. That nature therefore must meet resistance and a believer is therefore sensing that he is "grieving the Spirit" ( Eph. 4:30-31). These verses show one is sealed indeed until redemption (by death or rapture); but that we can still do things displeasing to God.
Another thing is the use of the word perfect. Matthew 5:48 shows how Christ commanded on the Sermon of the Mount to be perfect. This was in reference to agape love; that is loving your enemies as well as your friends; in other words the opposite of hypocrisy of the Pharisees in particular. I would agree that we are called to live out our lives in total submission to the Spirit which we all fail on but we are starting to be progressively sanctified as believers. We must be cautious also not to assume our legalism is attaining any righteousness; however. Loving our brother is stated in 1 John as an imperative as well; if we show disdain because of any sin in their lives in the flesh we are sinning ourselves.
Furthermore; we have the verse in Genesis where it states that Noah was "perfect in his generations." ( Gen. 6:9). This does refer to he being the only true worshipper of God (and probably his family) as opposed to those who missed the boat; but in context it likely is not biologically corrupted as the offspring of the Nephilim which was likely everyone else who missed the ark.
Being 'righteous' in God's Eyes & being 'sinless' (i.e. without any trace of sin, as Jesus was) are quite different states. Being righteous before God, shows us our standing before Him & acceptance by Him because of Christ's Sacrifice. Being sinless would require that not only our spirits & souls would be made new but also our bodies; in other words, through Christ's Blood we should attain an Adam/Eve state, pre-fall. Our flesh, which is corrupt & sin-prone since our birth, can never be changed, at least not until Christ's appearing for us, & it is to that flesh that Satan makes his appeal, to which we succumb (some strong in the Lord will resist, others weaker).
You shared a good illustration of what you considered a fault (i.e. your not exercising which helps you with your Fibromyalgia). I agree that this is not a sinful act. But as you know that sin has its roots in the heart & mind, not just in an outward action ( Matthew 5:21-28); here Jesus is teaching clearly the full meaning of the Law, & not just by the letter that those under the OT Covenant gauged themselves.
Even in my own example that I have shared here before: when witnessing a vehicle accident about to occur (a car ran a red light), my intial reaction of surprise & shock (which isn't a sin as it's a normal human response), turned into a thought of condemnation of a foolish indifferent driver who should know better. But did I know that driver to judge him? (maybe he was distracted, a medical episode, a one-off bad judgement)? My sin in my thoughts alone, not just a fault, came to the fore, for which I confessed.
The act of intercession; therefore is something crucial to communication throughout scripture that indeed gives us some insight of Hebrews 7:25 (He ever lives to intercede for us). Daniel also repeated this theme in Daniel 9:8-10. God's promise here was the prophetic insight given in Jeremiah 29:10. God stated this would happen; so it appears to be a done deal. There was no promise how many would do this; as is evident from the small group that initially rebuilt the wall; and the disobedience of many was seen with marriages to foreign wives. No doubt worldliness had affected the hearts of those who should have remembered the prosperity God gave them in Babylon and His promises to return after that time. It is a wonder that confession of the sins of church congregations isn't given much attention as compared to particulary egregious ones of individuals as it still affects the overall witness as we see from exhortations written for the churches in Revelation 2 and 3; for example.
Look at God's faithfulness to Israel as stated in Jeremiah 31:36 where the courses of nature would have to change with the sun and moon for God to abandon His covenant promises. In fact the only covenant changed is that related to the method of worship with the law and sacrifices which was of course replaced by the perfect sacrifice under Christ which abolished therefore the old ordinances. (see Hebrews 9-10). The object of worship was therefore Christ; God had stated in Isaiah 1:11; see also Psalm 69:31.
In understanding the New Covenant we should perceive that it is still the same God with the same characteristics today that existed in the Old Testament from eternity. We would on the surface expect that to be a "no brainer"; but how often do we see the fear of God demonstrated as in Acts 5:1-11 with Ananias and Sapphira? Our commitments to God should not be of fools ( Ecclesiastes 5:4). See Matthew 5:33-35 for ungodly vows.
To answer your point first; clearly bad works are evidence of bad fruit and hence an unregenerate heart. That comes from a lifestyle of sin that hasn't been changed; not from occasional sins that are still wrong but not something the Spirit will tolerate if we are one of His. Of course if we boast about all the great things we do for Christ it isn't edifying. The closest thing we can see in scripture is Paul where He had to give a laundry list of all the things to the Corinthians that he was suffering so as to keep them from being puffed up and to be able to take in the meat of the Word and stop living in carnality. His responsibility over the flock meant that they couldn't discredit God's character by exhibiting immature behavior so to disciple them this and sarcasm was needed.
Again the definition of works certainly involves our outer actions as James states must be present in helping a brother or sister in need not just words. It also would involve good fruit of character and things such as loving other Christians; having a listening ear and a general attitude of service. For instance; we can feed the hungry but also provide opportunities for them to hear the Gospel. Such actions need not be mutually exclusive.