Hello Guys and Gals!
This is a history of the re-establishment of Israel that I put together as a response to a debate I was having and I thought I'd share it here!
The re-establishment of Israel as a nation has been a promise of God for many centuries now! Here take a look at what Isaiah 66:7-17 says:
7 "Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. 8 "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. 9 "Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb? " says your God. 10 "Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her, 11 That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, That you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom." 12 For thus says the LORD, "Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees. 13 "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you will be comforted in Jerusalem." 14 Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad, And your bones will flourish like the new grass; And the hand of the LORD will be made known to His servants, But He will be indignant toward His enemies. 15 For behold, the LORD will come in fire And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh, And those slain by the LORD will be many. 17 "Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, Following one in the center, Who eat swine's flesh, detestable things and mice, Will come to an end altogether," declares the LORD.
Not only does this passage call for the Israel Nation being born in one day, but also that God will be indignant toward His enemies and punish them with His fury!
UN Resolution 181:
The Balfour Declaration of 1917 formalized British policy preferring the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people! The Ottoman Empire ended by the end of World War I! Britain who ruled the area sent Sir Herbert Samuel to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish State. In 1937, the British recommended dividing the country into 2 separate states; one Jewish and one Arab. This plan was accepted by leaders of the Jewish movement but flatly rejected by the Arabs. The Arabs did not want to recognize Israel or give Israelis a homeland at all. Their top priority was the destruction of Israel and not obtaining a National State for their people.
In May 1948, President Harry Truman announced his support for UN Resolution 181. Un Resolution was the partition plan to divide the land between Jews and Arabs. This was seen by Israel as the beginning of the United States support of Israel and Israel and the USA have been strong allies up until the Obama Administration! Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948!
On May 15, 1948, one day after its independence, Israel was attacked in what is known as the Arab-Israeli War. The fighting continued until January 1949. In this war Israel was invaded by 6 Arab armies. Egypt, Iraq, Arab Legion of Trans Jordan were all part of the armies invading Jerusalem. So Israel occupied the Western Section of Jerusalem and Jordan occupied the Eastern Section of Jerusalem, which included the Old City and most religious shrines. Even though the UN had committed itself to protect Jerusalem as an internationalized city, they didn’t lift a finger to protect them against the Arab invasion. It was the Israel defense forces that held back the attack of those Arab armies. During this Arab invasion, they expelled Jews who had lived in the Old City for generations and destroyed 50 synagogues and many study halls including the one where the Talmud was studied. So from 1948 – 1967, Jews were banned from the heart of Jerusalem and could not approach the Western Wall.
We also have the fact that Jordan occupied the West Bank, and many still do, which is a portion of the previous Palestine. Yet there is no Palestinian outcry of Jordan’s occupation.
In 1964, in Cairo, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was born. The stated goal of the PLO in their charter states “The destruction of the State of Israel through the arms struggle and replacing it with an independent Palestinian State between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean!”
In 1967, Egypt had joined forces with Jordan and Syria, and received significant military support from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, and Algeria. In June 1967 was the Six Day War. Israel had ousted the Jordan occupation of the land and seized the Gaza Strip, the West Bank of the Jordan River, and Jerusalem. Israel even gave back the Sinai Peninsula in an attempt to keep the peace.
Yom Kippur War:
In 1973, we have the Yom Kippur War which was fought by a coalition led by Egypt and Syria against Israel. It was Egypt and Syria who started this war when their forced crossed the cease fire line and the Golan Heights. They attacked during Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days of the year for Israel, in an attempt to catch Israel off guard. 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1400 Syrian tanks. Along the Suez Canal, 436 Israelis were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians. Their strategy was simple: remove Israel from the map! The US, under President Nixon, after an appeal from Golda Meier, stepped in to help Israel and replaced all they had lost under the Arab aggression.
This created tension and led to an oil embargo against the US. Peace talks continued for 6 years until the Camp David Accords of 1979 in which Israel, in an attempt to reach lasting peace, agreed to rezone and reallocate the Holy Land.
Yet instead of peace, Israel keeps a vigilant eye over their land against state sponsored terrorism and nuclear threat from the nations surrounding it.
Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem only after it was attacked and today Jerusalem is a different Jerusalem that is an open city to everyone. The only way Jerusalem stays protected for all faiths is under a free, democratic Israeli leadership. If Jerusalem were to be re-divided and half given to the administration of the Palestinian Authority, then religious freedom under that rule would come to an end!
Some of my references include:
The video of the History of Israel: http://web.gbtv.com/shared/flash/mediaplayer/v4.2/R11/MP4.jsp?calendar_event_id=187-13903&content_id=19290175&media_id=&view_key=&media_type=video&source=GBTV&sponsor=GBTV&clickOrigin=&affiliateId=
GBTV Glenn Beck Show air date of 9/13/2011: http://web.gbtv.com/shared/flash/mediaplayer/v4.2/R11/MP4.jsp?calendar_event_id=187-13521&content_id=18834543&media_id=&view_key=&media_type=video&source=GBTV&sponsor=GBTV&clickOrigin=&affiliateId=
Please note that you may need a subscription to view these resources but it is only $9.95 per month.
May God bless you all this day!
21 September 2011
20 September 2011
Sexual Purity
Hello Guys and Gals!
I recently faced a challenge to my life that I truly did not think I would face to such a degree. The challenge was whether or not I would agree to have sex with someone who was interested in me before marriage!
Years ago I made the promise to God to not have sex with anyone other than my future wife and that would only happen AFTER I married her! I believe in sexual purity. True that I am not a virgin. True that I have gone to the extreme when I have had sex in my past, even taking drugs to enhance the sex so that I could FEEL it all the more! I indulged and I am ashamed of it! I never had real satisfaction from any of those sexual encounters. I never found fulfillment in my life from all those sexual conquests. And if you think you have gone as far as I have, I have a few friends who can tell you that you surely have not!
Let me tell you a truth: there is no fulfillment or satisfaction in sex before a true commitment in marriage with the blessing of God upon it! You will not find it! You will never find it until you seek God first and a Godly wife second!
This challenge was very tough on me because it has been years since I felt attractive in a woman's sight. It has been years since I faced this kind of challenge! And before that I always had the aide of drugs to help entice those I would desire to sleep with! Yes the drugs I used are sexual enhancement aids! And with all that, I found NO satisfaction whatsoever!
I implore each and every one of you to re-examine your life like I have done! I ask that if there is anything in your life that goes against God's laws, that you take it to Him and repent. This means you ask His forgiveness for it and turn away from it and go the other direction! Repent means to never want to do it again, even though the desire may still be there! Please do this, not for me, but for yourselves because you will find true joy and happiness if you do this! For true fulfillment and satisfaction, sexual and otherwise, can only be found in Godly relationships through God Himself!
May God bless you all this day!
I recently faced a challenge to my life that I truly did not think I would face to such a degree. The challenge was whether or not I would agree to have sex with someone who was interested in me before marriage!
Years ago I made the promise to God to not have sex with anyone other than my future wife and that would only happen AFTER I married her! I believe in sexual purity. True that I am not a virgin. True that I have gone to the extreme when I have had sex in my past, even taking drugs to enhance the sex so that I could FEEL it all the more! I indulged and I am ashamed of it! I never had real satisfaction from any of those sexual encounters. I never found fulfillment in my life from all those sexual conquests. And if you think you have gone as far as I have, I have a few friends who can tell you that you surely have not!
Let me tell you a truth: there is no fulfillment or satisfaction in sex before a true commitment in marriage with the blessing of God upon it! You will not find it! You will never find it until you seek God first and a Godly wife second!
This challenge was very tough on me because it has been years since I felt attractive in a woman's sight. It has been years since I faced this kind of challenge! And before that I always had the aide of drugs to help entice those I would desire to sleep with! Yes the drugs I used are sexual enhancement aids! And with all that, I found NO satisfaction whatsoever!
I implore each and every one of you to re-examine your life like I have done! I ask that if there is anything in your life that goes against God's laws, that you take it to Him and repent. This means you ask His forgiveness for it and turn away from it and go the other direction! Repent means to never want to do it again, even though the desire may still be there! Please do this, not for me, but for yourselves because you will find true joy and happiness if you do this! For true fulfillment and satisfaction, sexual and otherwise, can only be found in Godly relationships through God Himself!
May God bless you all this day!
11 September 2011
Remembering 9/11
Hello Guys and Gals,
This morning, as we remember those who were lost in that horrible attack 10 years ago, I think Psalm 18:4-15 is appropriate:
4 The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry.8 Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it.9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet.10 He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind.11 He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.12 From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, Hailstones and coals of fire.13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.14 He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, And lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.15 Then the channels of water appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
We will have troubles and distress! Yet the Lord God Almighty loves us so much that He folds over the very heavens in his efforts to reach down to save us from these troubles and distresses! So great and awesome is the Lord God that He reaches through time and space, which cannot bar Him for He is the One who created them, in order to save us! In order to bring us comfort! In order that we can have peace in Him!
Today, as you remember, know that God is there with you this day and even that day!
Grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you all today!
This morning, as we remember those who were lost in that horrible attack 10 years ago, I think Psalm 18:4-15 is appropriate:
4 The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry.8 Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it.9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet.10 He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind.11 He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.12 From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, Hailstones and coals of fire.13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.14 He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, And lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.15 Then the channels of water appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
We will have troubles and distress! Yet the Lord God Almighty loves us so much that He folds over the very heavens in his efforts to reach down to save us from these troubles and distresses! So great and awesome is the Lord God that He reaches through time and space, which cannot bar Him for He is the One who created them, in order to save us! In order to bring us comfort! In order that we can have peace in Him!
Today, as you remember, know that God is there with you this day and even that day!
Grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you all today!
02 September 2011
Where I've Been
Hello Guys and Gals!
I know I haven't written lately. Bear with me please. I have had a lot of things going on with moving into my new place, the sprained ankle, and many other things. I will resume soon!
God bless you all this day!
I know I haven't written lately. Bear with me please. I have had a lot of things going on with moving into my new place, the sprained ankle, and many other things. I will resume soon!
God bless you all this day!
14 August 2011
My Declaration That Jesus Is Lord
Hello Guys and Gals!
I would like to start off with Psalm 18:1-2:
1 "I love You, O Lord, my strength."
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I love how David, at the end of his life, looks back upon his life on his deathbed and writes this psalm! He describes God as his rock, or better described as a rock in the desert which provides shade so that life sprouts in the shade of this rock. He describes God as his fortress, or better explained as the only secure structure on which he depends. He describes God as his deliverer, the One who has delivered him out of the hands of his enemies. He describes God as the One in Whom he takes his refuge or seeks his safety. He describes God as his shield, or the barrier by which nothing can get by to attack him. He describes God as the horn of his salvation, or the instrument singularly responsible for sounding the clarion call so that he is saved from sin. He describes God as his stronghold, the place of security and strength upon which he could rest from all his worries and strife. Think about each and every one of these descriptions carefully as how David thought about God at the end of his life!
Now let us look upon Ephesians 6:10-17:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
We are supposed to gird ourselves with the Armor of God so that we can stand! Yes, that's right... stand! We are supposed to stand against all that opposes God, His Son, and His Spirit!
Now let's take a look at Jesus' words in Matthew 10:32-39:
32 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
33 "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.35 "For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
We are to confess that Jesus is our Lord before everyone, even if it puts our very own loved ones and family against us. We are to put Him first in all things!
So we are to Stand and Confess to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Now let us look at a great man who did just that. Let us look at Elijah who Stood up to Baal and Confessed that God was greater than Baal. Let's look at 1 Kings 18:24-28:
24 "Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is a good idea."
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it. "26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
We see here that, not only did Elijah stand and confess that God was greater than Baal, but he challenged Baal to a fight against God to see who was truly God. Further, we see Elijah taunting the prophets of Baal in front of all the crowd gathered that day to try harder and harder even getting them to spill their own blood to try and get Baal to answer them!
So now I get to the whole point of my message today. Is the situation in the Old Testament or even any in the New Testament any different from what is going on today? We have many other religions and other gods out there who are either claiming that they are the same as YHWH, the one true God, or that they're the true way to heaven and that following YHWH is the wrong path. And since Political Correctness entered the world, it is wrong to stand up and confess that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. On top of that, we are supposed to be considerate of their religious beliefs and not declare that they are wrong. Further, we are supposed to let them do anything they want to us: lie, cheat, steal, and even kill us Christians with the furtherance of their religion and we are not supposed to even defend ourselves against them.
I'm here to tell you right now that Allah is not YHWH! He never has been and never will be. The problem with the religion of Islam and their belief that Allah is YHWH is in how they have changed the characteristics of YHWH into some distorted misrepresentation of what God truly is. In doing this, they have defined Allah as something other than what He truly is and therefore have clearly said that they are not followers and believers of YHWH or Jesus!
Yet we, as Christians, are not supposed to speak out against Islam because theirs is a religion of peace. FALSE! Not only is it written in the Quran that they are allowed to lie to infidels, or non Muslims, to achieve the world wide dominion of Islam, but they are even encouraged to do everything they can, even killing when they see fit to do so!
Yet we see a similar situation with Baal in the Old Testament and Elijah standing up to that false god! What happened? Did God punish Elijah for not speaking to the followers of Baal in love? Did God punish Elijah for not being tolerant of their beliefs? Did God punish Elijah for taunting their priests in front of the crowds? No, He did not! As a matter of fact, God showed His power to those same crowds because of the belief of one man, Elijah, who Stood and Proclaimed the power of God to those believers of a false god!
I say to you today that God has not changed! He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He will show His power through the believers in Him if we Stand and Confess Him to the world! Shoot, let's even taunt the believers of false gods into a battle with our God! I say let us Stand up and Confess that Jesus is Lord and that He is the only way to Salvation and Heaven and that all other gods are false, especially Allah of that false religion of Islam!
Do you have the courage to do that today? I do!
I stand and proclaim that Allah is a false and impotent god who has no power! I stand and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to Salvation is through Him and any who do not believe in Him will burn eternally in Gehenna, the lake of fire! I stand and challenge any who believe otherwise to a fight with my Lord and my God Who will utterly destroy any who stand in opposition against Him!
May God give you the convictions of your heart and the courage to do as I have done today and declare that Jesus is Lord and nobody can reach Heaven unless they come to Him for salvation!
The Lord bless each and every one of you this day!
I would like to start off with Psalm 18:1-2:
1 "I love You, O Lord, my strength."
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I love how David, at the end of his life, looks back upon his life on his deathbed and writes this psalm! He describes God as his rock, or better described as a rock in the desert which provides shade so that life sprouts in the shade of this rock. He describes God as his fortress, or better explained as the only secure structure on which he depends. He describes God as his deliverer, the One who has delivered him out of the hands of his enemies. He describes God as the One in Whom he takes his refuge or seeks his safety. He describes God as his shield, or the barrier by which nothing can get by to attack him. He describes God as the horn of his salvation, or the instrument singularly responsible for sounding the clarion call so that he is saved from sin. He describes God as his stronghold, the place of security and strength upon which he could rest from all his worries and strife. Think about each and every one of these descriptions carefully as how David thought about God at the end of his life!
Now let us look upon Ephesians 6:10-17:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
We are supposed to gird ourselves with the Armor of God so that we can stand! Yes, that's right... stand! We are supposed to stand against all that opposes God, His Son, and His Spirit!
Now let's take a look at Jesus' words in Matthew 10:32-39:
32 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
33 "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.35 "For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
We are to confess that Jesus is our Lord before everyone, even if it puts our very own loved ones and family against us. We are to put Him first in all things!
So we are to Stand and Confess to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Now let us look at a great man who did just that. Let us look at Elijah who Stood up to Baal and Confessed that God was greater than Baal. Let's look at 1 Kings 18:24-28:
24 "Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is a good idea."
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it. "26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
We see here that, not only did Elijah stand and confess that God was greater than Baal, but he challenged Baal to a fight against God to see who was truly God. Further, we see Elijah taunting the prophets of Baal in front of all the crowd gathered that day to try harder and harder even getting them to spill their own blood to try and get Baal to answer them!
So now I get to the whole point of my message today. Is the situation in the Old Testament or even any in the New Testament any different from what is going on today? We have many other religions and other gods out there who are either claiming that they are the same as YHWH, the one true God, or that they're the true way to heaven and that following YHWH is the wrong path. And since Political Correctness entered the world, it is wrong to stand up and confess that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. On top of that, we are supposed to be considerate of their religious beliefs and not declare that they are wrong. Further, we are supposed to let them do anything they want to us: lie, cheat, steal, and even kill us Christians with the furtherance of their religion and we are not supposed to even defend ourselves against them.
I'm here to tell you right now that Allah is not YHWH! He never has been and never will be. The problem with the religion of Islam and their belief that Allah is YHWH is in how they have changed the characteristics of YHWH into some distorted misrepresentation of what God truly is. In doing this, they have defined Allah as something other than what He truly is and therefore have clearly said that they are not followers and believers of YHWH or Jesus!
Yet we, as Christians, are not supposed to speak out against Islam because theirs is a religion of peace. FALSE! Not only is it written in the Quran that they are allowed to lie to infidels, or non Muslims, to achieve the world wide dominion of Islam, but they are even encouraged to do everything they can, even killing when they see fit to do so!
Yet we see a similar situation with Baal in the Old Testament and Elijah standing up to that false god! What happened? Did God punish Elijah for not speaking to the followers of Baal in love? Did God punish Elijah for not being tolerant of their beliefs? Did God punish Elijah for taunting their priests in front of the crowds? No, He did not! As a matter of fact, God showed His power to those same crowds because of the belief of one man, Elijah, who Stood and Proclaimed the power of God to those believers of a false god!
I say to you today that God has not changed! He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He will show His power through the believers in Him if we Stand and Confess Him to the world! Shoot, let's even taunt the believers of false gods into a battle with our God! I say let us Stand up and Confess that Jesus is Lord and that He is the only way to Salvation and Heaven and that all other gods are false, especially Allah of that false religion of Islam!
Do you have the courage to do that today? I do!
I stand and proclaim that Allah is a false and impotent god who has no power! I stand and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to Salvation is through Him and any who do not believe in Him will burn eternally in Gehenna, the lake of fire! I stand and challenge any who believe otherwise to a fight with my Lord and my God Who will utterly destroy any who stand in opposition against Him!
May God give you the convictions of your heart and the courage to do as I have done today and declare that Jesus is Lord and nobody can reach Heaven unless they come to Him for salvation!
The Lord bless each and every one of you this day!
29 July 2011
The Image Of Jesus Christ!
Hello Guys and Gals!
I would like to thank you all who keep reading my blog for your continued reading of it. I never expected all of you to keep reading it faithfully as many of you do. Thank you!
Lately I have received many compliments on who I am. I have been told I am a good man, I have a good heart, I am doing good things in my life. And I am here to tell you all that you are wrong! It is not me that you see but Jesus within me!
I remember a time not too long ago when people did not like to be around me. It was said of me, 'You are just not a good person!' People did not like me to be around... period. And yet, I still did not change. I was too good for them 'jerks' who did not understand that I was smarter and better looking than them. I'm sure every one of you have had similar thoughts when someone says something bad about you.
Then something funny happened. Jesus decided that I had been running around long enough trying to do life my way and He decided to remind me of the commitment I had made to Him all those many years ago when He saved me. He then reached out and touched my heart with His unshakable love. In that moment, He showed me what the image of Him was that others were seeing in me. I am ashamed of how I portrayed Him to others all those years of my life! So now I live for Him! All that I do now is for His glory and the good you see in me is Jesus within me doing these things!
I guess I'm just tired of hearing about how everyone is putting off a bad image of Christ in their standing up for His truth and laws and His definitions of what sin is! Today we see Christians being attacked by non-Christians and even some Christians for not being tolerant or loving enough to those who are not Christian; such as Muslims, Gays, or anyone else who does not like Christianity! Let me remind you of a few things that are a direct result of loving Christians: Schools, Hospitals, and Charities. That's right, even the earliest known schools were because Christians thought that everyone should be able to read and write and get an education. And Hospitals because Christians thought that everyone should have access to good medical care. And while Charities may have existed before Christians, it was because of Christians that Charities have grown and become so worthy of us sending our money to help others through them; they started through churches and their outreach programs to help depraved communities!
Do not think that the image of Jesus Christ that is within Christians does not shine! It does and we should be proud of His light shining through us to the world! We have often heard of how some people put a bad image of Christ out there for the world to look upon. But seldom do we hear about the good image of Christ. Well that image is much more prevalent than the bad image and the world that sees it, hates it! They want nothing more to do than to keep others from seeing it because they know it is a good thing and they don't want to bring attention to it because they still have sin in their life they have not faced yet and that scares the hell into them! That's right! I said it scares the hell INTO them! This is because their fear of facing that sin is so powerful that they literally bring hellish, evil ways to bear in their attempts to keep the world from seeing it. Pray for the world that God opens their eyes to the truth!
And for all the mighty lights of Jesus Christ out there who are showing a good image of Jesus Christ to the world... do not be discouraged and keep letting your light shine! Even though the world hates your light, let it shine forth and pierce the darkness in their hearts! Thank you today for letting that light shine into my heart and helping me to face the sin in my own life! For now I am also shining the light of Jesus Christ that is in me to the world and all the good that you see in me, is wholly and completely coming from Jesus Christ within me!
God bless you all this day!
I would like to thank you all who keep reading my blog for your continued reading of it. I never expected all of you to keep reading it faithfully as many of you do. Thank you!
Lately I have received many compliments on who I am. I have been told I am a good man, I have a good heart, I am doing good things in my life. And I am here to tell you all that you are wrong! It is not me that you see but Jesus within me!
I remember a time not too long ago when people did not like to be around me. It was said of me, 'You are just not a good person!' People did not like me to be around... period. And yet, I still did not change. I was too good for them 'jerks' who did not understand that I was smarter and better looking than them. I'm sure every one of you have had similar thoughts when someone says something bad about you.
Then something funny happened. Jesus decided that I had been running around long enough trying to do life my way and He decided to remind me of the commitment I had made to Him all those many years ago when He saved me. He then reached out and touched my heart with His unshakable love. In that moment, He showed me what the image of Him was that others were seeing in me. I am ashamed of how I portrayed Him to others all those years of my life! So now I live for Him! All that I do now is for His glory and the good you see in me is Jesus within me doing these things!
I guess I'm just tired of hearing about how everyone is putting off a bad image of Christ in their standing up for His truth and laws and His definitions of what sin is! Today we see Christians being attacked by non-Christians and even some Christians for not being tolerant or loving enough to those who are not Christian; such as Muslims, Gays, or anyone else who does not like Christianity! Let me remind you of a few things that are a direct result of loving Christians: Schools, Hospitals, and Charities. That's right, even the earliest known schools were because Christians thought that everyone should be able to read and write and get an education. And Hospitals because Christians thought that everyone should have access to good medical care. And while Charities may have existed before Christians, it was because of Christians that Charities have grown and become so worthy of us sending our money to help others through them; they started through churches and their outreach programs to help depraved communities!
Do not think that the image of Jesus Christ that is within Christians does not shine! It does and we should be proud of His light shining through us to the world! We have often heard of how some people put a bad image of Christ out there for the world to look upon. But seldom do we hear about the good image of Christ. Well that image is much more prevalent than the bad image and the world that sees it, hates it! They want nothing more to do than to keep others from seeing it because they know it is a good thing and they don't want to bring attention to it because they still have sin in their life they have not faced yet and that scares the hell into them! That's right! I said it scares the hell INTO them! This is because their fear of facing that sin is so powerful that they literally bring hellish, evil ways to bear in their attempts to keep the world from seeing it. Pray for the world that God opens their eyes to the truth!
And for all the mighty lights of Jesus Christ out there who are showing a good image of Jesus Christ to the world... do not be discouraged and keep letting your light shine! Even though the world hates your light, let it shine forth and pierce the darkness in their hearts! Thank you today for letting that light shine into my heart and helping me to face the sin in my own life! For now I am also shining the light of Jesus Christ that is in me to the world and all the good that you see in me, is wholly and completely coming from Jesus Christ within me!
God bless you all this day!
22 July 2011
Accepting Them Just As They Are!
Hello Guys and Gals!
This one is a tough one to write because it deals a lot with my past! I am talking about being a drug addict and what people think of them. Too often I see how people who do not and have not done drugs look down upon those who have, even if they are now clean and beaten the addiction! This frustrates me. I'm here to let you know that a drug addict is just like everyone else. They make mistakes. Big ones even. But just like everyone else, they sometimes find their way out of that life and fix their life. Yet others are unforgivable of them because they had the audacity to have done something so socially unacceptable in the first place.
Well, let's talk about that. I've seen and met people who have never done drugs or even touched a drop of alcohol who do not have the compassion and love in their hearts that some addicts do even when they're abusing! It isn't about being an addict or not. It is about the person! And addicts, just like ever social level, have the good ones and bad ones in it.
Talk about hypocrisy huh? You have people who do not do drugs and look down their noses at those who have and beaten them, yet they do things like marital infidelity, abuse prescription medications, smoke way too much, whatever. The fact is that everyone has some sort of sin in their life and to look down upon those with a different sin than yours is outright hypocrisy!
Do you know why the biggest sinners sometimes turn out to be the hardest workers and most devoted to Christ's cause than others? It is because they were forgiven by God for so very much! Look at it this way, if you owed someone $5.00 and they forgave you, you'd probably thank them and maybe take them out to lunch or something. But if you owed $100,000.00 or more and they forgave you, you'd want to do something much bigger and grander to show how much you appreciate what they did for you in the first place! It's not about owing and paying back. It is about doing something, anything you can think of, to show how much you appreciate the one who has forgiven you so much!
The hypocritical part is that most who have very little sin in their life are not forgiven, in their own eyes, for very much. In God's eyes, a little sin has the same punishment as a big sin, that of separation from God! That is what Salvation is all about, restoring us, the sinner, back to God so that our relationship with Him can be mended. Yet those who feel they only had a little to be forgiven do not look at it from God's eyes in that sin is sin no matter how small or big. Instead they feel like they're already living a good life and do not seek to do much more.
Don't get me wrong here. There are plenty people out there who have not done much wrong and do get it. There are those who commit wholly to God and know His view of sin very well!
So I guess what I'm getting at is this, the next time you see an addict, or murderer, or alcoholic, or thief, or even a liar; try and help them out of their sin and then be accepting of them as you would anyone else who is working at living a good life now. Go out of your way to help them know that you realize all they've been forgiven of and help them to show their appreciation for that forgiveness!
We call come from different pasts and we all have different futures. But what if we all had the same heart to seek to help others out of their sin and then be fully accepting of them just as they now are? Wouldn't that be a much better place?
May God bless you all this day!
This one is a tough one to write because it deals a lot with my past! I am talking about being a drug addict and what people think of them. Too often I see how people who do not and have not done drugs look down upon those who have, even if they are now clean and beaten the addiction! This frustrates me. I'm here to let you know that a drug addict is just like everyone else. They make mistakes. Big ones even. But just like everyone else, they sometimes find their way out of that life and fix their life. Yet others are unforgivable of them because they had the audacity to have done something so socially unacceptable in the first place.
Well, let's talk about that. I've seen and met people who have never done drugs or even touched a drop of alcohol who do not have the compassion and love in their hearts that some addicts do even when they're abusing! It isn't about being an addict or not. It is about the person! And addicts, just like ever social level, have the good ones and bad ones in it.
Talk about hypocrisy huh? You have people who do not do drugs and look down their noses at those who have and beaten them, yet they do things like marital infidelity, abuse prescription medications, smoke way too much, whatever. The fact is that everyone has some sort of sin in their life and to look down upon those with a different sin than yours is outright hypocrisy!
Do you know why the biggest sinners sometimes turn out to be the hardest workers and most devoted to Christ's cause than others? It is because they were forgiven by God for so very much! Look at it this way, if you owed someone $5.00 and they forgave you, you'd probably thank them and maybe take them out to lunch or something. But if you owed $100,000.00 or more and they forgave you, you'd want to do something much bigger and grander to show how much you appreciate what they did for you in the first place! It's not about owing and paying back. It is about doing something, anything you can think of, to show how much you appreciate the one who has forgiven you so much!
The hypocritical part is that most who have very little sin in their life are not forgiven, in their own eyes, for very much. In God's eyes, a little sin has the same punishment as a big sin, that of separation from God! That is what Salvation is all about, restoring us, the sinner, back to God so that our relationship with Him can be mended. Yet those who feel they only had a little to be forgiven do not look at it from God's eyes in that sin is sin no matter how small or big. Instead they feel like they're already living a good life and do not seek to do much more.
Don't get me wrong here. There are plenty people out there who have not done much wrong and do get it. There are those who commit wholly to God and know His view of sin very well!
So I guess what I'm getting at is this, the next time you see an addict, or murderer, or alcoholic, or thief, or even a liar; try and help them out of their sin and then be accepting of them as you would anyone else who is working at living a good life now. Go out of your way to help them know that you realize all they've been forgiven of and help them to show their appreciation for that forgiveness!
We call come from different pasts and we all have different futures. But what if we all had the same heart to seek to help others out of their sin and then be fully accepting of them just as they now are? Wouldn't that be a much better place?
May God bless you all this day!
13 July 2011
Repentance And Backsliding!
Hello Guys and Gals!
Have you ever repented of something only to find that you fail in your repentance time and time again? I have! I would like to share with you something I read this morning.
'And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly.' Matthew 26:75
John Calvin says that Peter, probably in fear, ran away and hid somewhere to weep. Peter knew what he had boasted to Jesus and knew that he had failed Jesus in that boast. When Peter wept the tears were from a heart broken because he had failed his Lord! How many times this has happened to me must be as numerous as there are stars. I cannot tell you how many times I have had this same broken heart within me. It hurts. It is shameful. It is sure knowledge of my not ever being able to live the kind of life God wants me to live.
But John Calvin says that God does not despise weak repentance! And that our tears, shed in the private sanctuaries we retreat to, are testimony before God and the angels that our repentance is real, because the tears flow from the deep feelings of our hearts! He then talks about some who cannot shed tears at these times of deep repentance and says that even their repentance is just as real as those who do shed tears. In other words, it is not the tears that are the testimony, but the feelings of the heart! I believe this is where God looks to find the truth in all that we do and say. I believe it is from the motivations of your heart that God finds the truth of who you really are!
Think on this today: what are the motivations of your heart toward God, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your politicians, and even your enemies? Would God approve of them?
God bless each and every one of you this day!
Have you ever repented of something only to find that you fail in your repentance time and time again? I have! I would like to share with you something I read this morning.
'And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly.' Matthew 26:75
John Calvin says that Peter, probably in fear, ran away and hid somewhere to weep. Peter knew what he had boasted to Jesus and knew that he had failed Jesus in that boast. When Peter wept the tears were from a heart broken because he had failed his Lord! How many times this has happened to me must be as numerous as there are stars. I cannot tell you how many times I have had this same broken heart within me. It hurts. It is shameful. It is sure knowledge of my not ever being able to live the kind of life God wants me to live.
But John Calvin says that God does not despise weak repentance! And that our tears, shed in the private sanctuaries we retreat to, are testimony before God and the angels that our repentance is real, because the tears flow from the deep feelings of our hearts! He then talks about some who cannot shed tears at these times of deep repentance and says that even their repentance is just as real as those who do shed tears. In other words, it is not the tears that are the testimony, but the feelings of the heart! I believe this is where God looks to find the truth in all that we do and say. I believe it is from the motivations of your heart that God finds the truth of who you really are!
Think on this today: what are the motivations of your heart toward God, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your politicians, and even your enemies? Would God approve of them?
God bless each and every one of you this day!
04 July 2011
Bigger Than America OR Made In America!
Hello Guys and Gals!
Happy Fourth of July to you all!
I like superhero movies and comic books and all things associated with them. Recently there have been two superheroes who have made statements which are diametrically opposed to each other. Superman has stated that his mission is 'bigger than America'! Captain America's statement is 'made in America'! Both seem to me to be directly competing against each other for the hearts and minds of America today. And these statements are also a fair indication of the political climate here in America today.
On Superman's side, we have those who believe that we should put the interests of the world above the interests of America even if it should cause Americans to suffer in the long run. On Captain America's side, we have those who believe that we should keep American interests as the primary focus and use what we have already secured for ourselves and help others to achieve the same through their own governments, but in no way are we to sacrifice the interests of America so that the world would advance!
I do not believe that Superman is right here! I believe it is Captain America to whom we should look for our inspiration today! I believe in American exceptionalism and it is that very exceptionalism that has made America the great nation it is today under God!
To get to the heart of the matter, we have the very principles and ideas which our founding fathers established into the Constitution under attack today. Liberals are saying that these principles and ideas are open to interpretation in lieu of the changing times and that they are not set in stone. Conservatives believe just the opposite, that the principles set forth in the Constitution are unchanging and not in need of interpretation because they are so clearly stated as to what they are.
So I ask you today to think about the ideas set forth in the Constitution of the United States of America and also American exceptionalism. Think about what has made this country great under God and in the eyes of the rest of the world. Think about how the Constitution clearly states that the only powers the national government should have are the ones expressly given in the Constitution and any powers not expressly given belong to the state governments and the state governments alone and therefore forbidden from the national government. Think about how America is 'One Nation Under God', and was founded with our belief that God, the Christian God and not the Islamic god or any other false diety that men have devised, will bless America so long as we adhere to His principles and do not let ungodly ideas such as Socialism and Communism enter into our society. Think about how Capitalism and how every individual has the same right to succeed or fail as they work to advance themselves in American society. Think about how most people who are successful started their careers off by failing in so many other endevours before they found what they succeeded in. Think about how America lead the way in the Industrial Revolution. Think about how America lead the way in the Arms Race. Think about how America has never known defeat by another country. Think about how Hitler was unable to be stopped until America enterred into WWII and showed the world the power behind our mindset of American exceptionalism. Think about all these things!
Now think about the Socialist and Communist countries that have adopted the values thereof. Think about how their people are always suffering and always under one dictator or another. Think about how their people and how they actually protest when something is not right in their country only be be beaten and killed by the very governments they are protesting. Think about how they have done away with freedom to worship the god of their own choosing and if any are caught worshipping in any way, they are tortured and killed by their government. Think about all these things!
I believe in the Constitution and that what it says, it means. I believe in American exceptionalism and that when Americans set their minds to doing something, it becomes only a matter of time before that something gets accomplished.
Warning to all those opposed to the Constitution of the United States of America:
I give you this warning because I would that you reconsider your actions and your beliefs. I give you this warning because I do not think you know what you are doing. I give you this warning because I think you are unaware of the massive slumbering beast which you are about to wake up.
By and large Americans do not like to think too much about our political system. This is probably why America has gone so far towards Liberalism and Socialism and Communism in our political thinking today.
But most of America is Conservative and the Liberal machine has already woken up the massive slumbering beast. But there is one thing that Americans do better than anyone else: we get back up when we are knocked down! We get back up and we make WAR! We make war like no other on the planet! We make war better and stronger than anyone else ever has! When we march to war, the very sound of our marching sends fear into the hearts and minds of our enemies as if the Lord God Almighty were marching at the head of our armies! Because He is marching with us and for us! For our very core beliefs are based upon His laws and His principles and His might! He is known as the Lord of Hosts for a reason. Even should all of America and Israel be defeated by a coalition of the rest of the world governments, then the animals of the earth, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, the insects that dwell in the earth, all of these would turn upon those who worked to destroy America and Israel. And even if those governments should prevail against all those hosts, then the very rocks of the Earth would then turn and war upon those who fight against the Lord! He is the Lord of Hosts! His hosts are undending and undefeatable!
This is why America has stood by Israel through thick and thin until we wrongfully elected a socialist minded muslim into the White House. Even those that voted for Barack Obama now regret their vote if they have paid any attention at all to what he is actually doing in his fundamental transformation of America. But the massive slumbering beast has already woke up and now we have a battle of beliefs such as we have never before known on our hands. Do we adhere to the beliefs and principles and ideas set forth by our founding fathers in the Constitution of the United States of America, or do we let Socialism and Communism take over America when every other country who has adopted this type of government has either failed miserably or has oppressed their people?
Again, America, and Israel for that matter, know how to make war! And when we get knocked down, WE GET BACK UP! It does not matter how many times you knock us down, we will always get back up and we will not surrender our hard earned freedom to Socialism! WE ARE AMERICA and we will not be defeated even from within!
So as you all celebrate the Fourth of July today, also known as Independence Day, a day which America celebrates our declaration that we will not be oppressed ever again, celebrate it and think on these things and know that God is watching over both America and Israel today and that with Him standing with us, no one can stand against us and win!
Heroes are Made in America!
God bless you all this day!
Happy Fourth of July to you all!
I like superhero movies and comic books and all things associated with them. Recently there have been two superheroes who have made statements which are diametrically opposed to each other. Superman has stated that his mission is 'bigger than America'! Captain America's statement is 'made in America'! Both seem to me to be directly competing against each other for the hearts and minds of America today. And these statements are also a fair indication of the political climate here in America today.
On Superman's side, we have those who believe that we should put the interests of the world above the interests of America even if it should cause Americans to suffer in the long run. On Captain America's side, we have those who believe that we should keep American interests as the primary focus and use what we have already secured for ourselves and help others to achieve the same through their own governments, but in no way are we to sacrifice the interests of America so that the world would advance!
I do not believe that Superman is right here! I believe it is Captain America to whom we should look for our inspiration today! I believe in American exceptionalism and it is that very exceptionalism that has made America the great nation it is today under God!
To get to the heart of the matter, we have the very principles and ideas which our founding fathers established into the Constitution under attack today. Liberals are saying that these principles and ideas are open to interpretation in lieu of the changing times and that they are not set in stone. Conservatives believe just the opposite, that the principles set forth in the Constitution are unchanging and not in need of interpretation because they are so clearly stated as to what they are.
So I ask you today to think about the ideas set forth in the Constitution of the United States of America and also American exceptionalism. Think about what has made this country great under God and in the eyes of the rest of the world. Think about how the Constitution clearly states that the only powers the national government should have are the ones expressly given in the Constitution and any powers not expressly given belong to the state governments and the state governments alone and therefore forbidden from the national government. Think about how America is 'One Nation Under God', and was founded with our belief that God, the Christian God and not the Islamic god or any other false diety that men have devised, will bless America so long as we adhere to His principles and do not let ungodly ideas such as Socialism and Communism enter into our society. Think about how Capitalism and how every individual has the same right to succeed or fail as they work to advance themselves in American society. Think about how most people who are successful started their careers off by failing in so many other endevours before they found what they succeeded in. Think about how America lead the way in the Industrial Revolution. Think about how America lead the way in the Arms Race. Think about how America has never known defeat by another country. Think about how Hitler was unable to be stopped until America enterred into WWII and showed the world the power behind our mindset of American exceptionalism. Think about all these things!
Now think about the Socialist and Communist countries that have adopted the values thereof. Think about how their people are always suffering and always under one dictator or another. Think about how their people and how they actually protest when something is not right in their country only be be beaten and killed by the very governments they are protesting. Think about how they have done away with freedom to worship the god of their own choosing and if any are caught worshipping in any way, they are tortured and killed by their government. Think about all these things!
I believe in the Constitution and that what it says, it means. I believe in American exceptionalism and that when Americans set their minds to doing something, it becomes only a matter of time before that something gets accomplished.
Warning to all those opposed to the Constitution of the United States of America:
I give you this warning because I would that you reconsider your actions and your beliefs. I give you this warning because I do not think you know what you are doing. I give you this warning because I think you are unaware of the massive slumbering beast which you are about to wake up.
By and large Americans do not like to think too much about our political system. This is probably why America has gone so far towards Liberalism and Socialism and Communism in our political thinking today.
But most of America is Conservative and the Liberal machine has already woken up the massive slumbering beast. But there is one thing that Americans do better than anyone else: we get back up when we are knocked down! We get back up and we make WAR! We make war like no other on the planet! We make war better and stronger than anyone else ever has! When we march to war, the very sound of our marching sends fear into the hearts and minds of our enemies as if the Lord God Almighty were marching at the head of our armies! Because He is marching with us and for us! For our very core beliefs are based upon His laws and His principles and His might! He is known as the Lord of Hosts for a reason. Even should all of America and Israel be defeated by a coalition of the rest of the world governments, then the animals of the earth, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, the insects that dwell in the earth, all of these would turn upon those who worked to destroy America and Israel. And even if those governments should prevail against all those hosts, then the very rocks of the Earth would then turn and war upon those who fight against the Lord! He is the Lord of Hosts! His hosts are undending and undefeatable!
This is why America has stood by Israel through thick and thin until we wrongfully elected a socialist minded muslim into the White House. Even those that voted for Barack Obama now regret their vote if they have paid any attention at all to what he is actually doing in his fundamental transformation of America. But the massive slumbering beast has already woke up and now we have a battle of beliefs such as we have never before known on our hands. Do we adhere to the beliefs and principles and ideas set forth by our founding fathers in the Constitution of the United States of America, or do we let Socialism and Communism take over America when every other country who has adopted this type of government has either failed miserably or has oppressed their people?
Again, America, and Israel for that matter, know how to make war! And when we get knocked down, WE GET BACK UP! It does not matter how many times you knock us down, we will always get back up and we will not surrender our hard earned freedom to Socialism! WE ARE AMERICA and we will not be defeated even from within!
So as you all celebrate the Fourth of July today, also known as Independence Day, a day which America celebrates our declaration that we will not be oppressed ever again, celebrate it and think on these things and know that God is watching over both America and Israel today and that with Him standing with us, no one can stand against us and win!
Heroes are Made in America!
God bless you all this day!
Questions Answered For A Seeker!
Hello Guys and Gals!
Someone asked me a rather detailed question today which I have answered here because FB, as usual, would not permit a detailed response.
Here is what he asked me:
Paul says in Galatian 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek... neither MALE nor FEMALE; for you are all one in Jesus Christ.
Paul also says in 1 Timothy 11, 12 - Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, bot to be in silence.
Paul also says in 1 Corinthian 14:34 "Let your WOMEN keep silent in the CHURCHes, for they are not Permitted to SPEAK; but they are to be summissive, as the LAW also says.
Paul said in Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are NOT UNDER LAW but under grace.
What do you say on these things?
Here is my response to his question:
Galatians 3:28 is speaking about how believers in Christ are no longer themselves but are now part of Christ. If you are then part of Christ, then put on the whole of Christ and become a direct heir to the promise God made to Abraham!
Now 1 Timothy 2:11-12 is instruction on the woman's place in the hierarchy established by God. As God created man followed by woman and created woman to support the man, then the woman must therefore necessarily be in submission to the man as the church is in submission to Christ. Now this does not mean that Paul is talking about the type of submission put forth by the Islamic mindset. This is a submission knowing full well that the man will provide and care for her as Christ has provided and cared for the church. It is certainly not a submission of domination by a man.
Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 14:34, Paul is teaching about how the church hierarchy should be set up. Keep in mind that all of Paul's teachings come first from the Law as was established by God through Moses for the Jewish people. See, before Paul was converted, he thought that enforcing the Law upon people was how he would bring them to true devotion to God. Yet Jesus showed Paul how wrong his thinking was when He called him to become his apostle on the road to Damascus. Paul corrected his view and started looking at the whole of the Law from Christ's perspective instead of his own. But what Paul is expounding upon is what is already written in the Law.
As far as your Romans reference, it is true we are not under the Law as the Jewish people who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior still are. Nor are we under no law as those who are not Jewish nor have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. But we are under grace! Yet through that very grace, we believers establish the Law which is written upon our hearts as it states in Romans 3:31.
Too many people are trying to mix scripture references with other references because they're trying to say they have the same meaning just because it seems as if they are dealing with the same thing. In reality, each of these are actually dealing with different situations. But in the end, the Law still serves as a guide to the Christian in how they should behave. But that behavior shouldn't come from a legalistic motivation of obeying simply to make sure you do not break the Law. Instead, we should adhere to the principles which the Law sets forth as how we should behave both toward God and toward our neighbor. But not doing so just to obey, but doing so because it is in our hearts and desires to seek to do these things because of what Christ has done for us!
Please note that it all returns to 'context' in these references. If you seek to make an argument out of linking several scriptures together that in truth are actually dealing with different problems, then your linking of these references is in error. The only way they are not in error is if each of your references are referring to an argument being addressed by all of the references which you are linking together!
God bless you all this night!
Someone asked me a rather detailed question today which I have answered here because FB, as usual, would not permit a detailed response.
Here is what he asked me:
Paul says in Galatian 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek... neither MALE nor FEMALE; for you are all one in Jesus Christ.
Paul also says in 1 Timothy 11, 12 - Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, bot to be in silence.
Paul also says in 1 Corinthian 14:34 "Let your WOMEN keep silent in the CHURCHes, for they are not Permitted to SPEAK; but they are to be summissive, as the LAW also says.
Paul said in Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are NOT UNDER LAW but under grace.
What do you say on these things?
Here is my response to his question:
Galatians 3:28 is speaking about how believers in Christ are no longer themselves but are now part of Christ. If you are then part of Christ, then put on the whole of Christ and become a direct heir to the promise God made to Abraham!
Now 1 Timothy 2:11-12 is instruction on the woman's place in the hierarchy established by God. As God created man followed by woman and created woman to support the man, then the woman must therefore necessarily be in submission to the man as the church is in submission to Christ. Now this does not mean that Paul is talking about the type of submission put forth by the Islamic mindset. This is a submission knowing full well that the man will provide and care for her as Christ has provided and cared for the church. It is certainly not a submission of domination by a man.
Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 14:34, Paul is teaching about how the church hierarchy should be set up. Keep in mind that all of Paul's teachings come first from the Law as was established by God through Moses for the Jewish people. See, before Paul was converted, he thought that enforcing the Law upon people was how he would bring them to true devotion to God. Yet Jesus showed Paul how wrong his thinking was when He called him to become his apostle on the road to Damascus. Paul corrected his view and started looking at the whole of the Law from Christ's perspective instead of his own. But what Paul is expounding upon is what is already written in the Law.
As far as your Romans reference, it is true we are not under the Law as the Jewish people who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior still are. Nor are we under no law as those who are not Jewish nor have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. But we are under grace! Yet through that very grace, we believers establish the Law which is written upon our hearts as it states in Romans 3:31.
Too many people are trying to mix scripture references with other references because they're trying to say they have the same meaning just because it seems as if they are dealing with the same thing. In reality, each of these are actually dealing with different situations. But in the end, the Law still serves as a guide to the Christian in how they should behave. But that behavior shouldn't come from a legalistic motivation of obeying simply to make sure you do not break the Law. Instead, we should adhere to the principles which the Law sets forth as how we should behave both toward God and toward our neighbor. But not doing so just to obey, but doing so because it is in our hearts and desires to seek to do these things because of what Christ has done for us!
Please note that it all returns to 'context' in these references. If you seek to make an argument out of linking several scriptures together that in truth are actually dealing with different problems, then your linking of these references is in error. The only way they are not in error is if each of your references are referring to an argument being addressed by all of the references which you are linking together!
God bless you all this night!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)