Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'grace'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Christian Discussions
    • Study Group
    • General Discussion
    • Bible Study
    • Theology
    • Apologetics
    • Prophecy
    • Do you want to just ask a question?
    • Christian Culture
    • Everything Else
  • Videos
    • General
    • News
    • Comedy
    • Biblical Topics
    • Christian Music
  • Current News
    • Most Interesting News Developments
    • Worthy Briefs
    • World News
    • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    • U.S. News
    • Christian News
    • Worthy Watch / Worthy Insights
  • Worthy Ministries
    • Worthy Devotions
    • What's the latest with the Worthy Ministries?
  • Who's on the Lord side?'s Topics
  • Cooking club's Smokers & related recipes/techniques
  • Cooking club's What's your favorite recipe?
  • Cooking club's Salads - not just lettuce!
  • Cooking club's Soups and Stews
  • Cooking club's About Multi-cookers - features, tips, recipes
  • Cooking club's Taters!
  • Cooking club's Bread
  • Gardening.'s Gardening Club Forum
  • Photography How To (tips and tricks)'s Photography Club Topics
  • Maker's Club's Club News
  • Maker's Club's So, what do you make, what have you made?
  • Maker's Club's Physical Art, specifically!
  • Maker's Club's Life hacks & tips - useful things you know & have tried!
  • Bible 365's Misc. Things of interest
  • Bible 365's THE DAILY READING (see reading schedule)
  • Bible 365's Todays' Reading
  • Bible 365's Recently added or updated
  • Bible 365's Bible Trivia
  • Bible 365's Table of Contents
  • Bible 365's Tightly Moderated Discussions-Some Controversial
  • Bible 365's Specific Doctrines
  • Bible 365's WorthyChat Bible Studies
  • Bible 365's Bible Topics - Looking at the Bible Topically
  • Reading Club's Topics
  • Bible Trivia's Index to Bible Trivia and Answers
  • Bible Trivia's Bible Trivia Answers
  • Bible Trivia's Bible Trivia Quizzes
  • Bible Trivia's Announcements
  • Puzzle Club's Forums
  • The Prophecy Exchange's Resources
  • The Prophecy Exchange's Forums
  • Songs of Praise Poetry Club's Forums
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's Lessons
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's Testimonies
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's 12 Steps and Biblical Comparison
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's Forums
  • Diabetes and Low Carb Eating Support Group's Diabetes
  • Diabetes and Low Carb Eating Support Group's Low Carb Eating
  • Triumph Over Cancer's General topics
  • Triumph Over Cancer's Encouragement
  • Triumph Over Cancer's Tips and advice
  • Cat Chat's Information concerning cats and their servants
  • Cat Chat's Misc. unCATegorized cat things
  • Cat Chat's Our Feline Babies!
  • Gardening Club's Topics
  • Baking club's Miscellaneous
  • Baking club's sponge cakes
  • Bible - Daily Reading's Introduction
  • Bible - Daily Reading's 2023 Bible Reading Schedule
  • Deeper Discourse's Forum

Christian Blogs

  • traveller - Standing in the Wind
  • The Treasure In The Field
  • For the Love of God
  • Keys to the Kingdom
  • To Him be the Glory
  • Marathoner's Blog
  • Leonardo’s Blog
  • Word Studies Relating to Destiny
  • Searching the Scriptures.
  • Thought and Reflection
  • WilliamL's Worthy Insights
  • Marilyn's Messages
  • Bible Study Series
  • Albert Finch Ministry
  • Devotions
  • League of Savage Gentlemen.
  • ~~Angels Thoughts~~
  • A Desert Sage ?
  • Omegaman's Thought and Rants
  • Some Thoughts from AyinJade
  • Insights into Worthy Ministries
  • Bible 365's Reading Schedule - Click Read More to see
  • Bible 365's Basic Instructions
  • Bible Trivia's Guidelines
  • Songs of Praise Poetry Club's My Songs to the Lord

Calendars


Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


Website URL


Location


Interests

  1. There is a lot of debate surrounding ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) as to whether the "Subject" which in this case is the speaker is the bride or the groom? why the "Direct Object" which are the "Daughters of Jerusalem" are addressed as Masculine Plural in The Old Testament Plural even though "Daughters of Jerusalem" is by and in itself feminine plural? whether the "Indirect Object" is the bride, groom or even just referring to the general affection of love? However, regardless of all the debatable aspects of ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) mentioned at the top of this post, is One of the main overarching meanings of ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) is that love is gentle & patient? What would it have meant to the ancient biblical readers at that time? ( To sort of elaborate, would the ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) bible verse been a good reprimanding verse for ( 2 Samuel 13:11-14 ) Amnon who raped his half-sister Tamar (Genesis 34:1-5) Shechem who lay with Dinah by force
  2. There is a lot of debate surrounding ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) as to whether the "Subject" which in this case is the speaker is the bride or the groom? why the "Direct Object" which are the "Daughters of Jerusalem" are addressed as Masculine Plural in The Old Testament Plural even though "Daughters of Jerusalem" is by and in itself feminine plural? whether the "Indirect Object" is the bride, groom or even just referring to the general affection of love? However, regardless of all the debatable aspects of ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) mentioned at the top of this post, is One of the main overarching meanings of ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) is that love is gentle & patient? What would it have meant to the ancient biblical readers at that time? ( To sort of elaborate, would the ( Song of Solomon 2:7 ) bible verse been a good reprimanding verse for ( 2 Samuel 13:11-14 ) Amnon who raped his half-sister Tamar (Genesis 34:1-5) Shechem who lay with Dinah by force
  3. I know there is a perfect will of God and Jesus walked in it, even though he suffered & was tempted as we are. If you look @ the history of the OT, we can surely see there must have been a permissive will ! Sarah & Abraham told a half truth in Genesis to prevent Abraham's murder. A great nation and our salvation came through his loins. Lot's daughters committed incest with their father, yet God made 2 great nations from this. David, a man after God's own heart, well loved by the Lord, yet he committed adultery and had her true husband killed. He is Israel's most renowned king, to this day ! I do not think it is favourable to walk in this mind-set for the consequences of sin must be paid & the continuance of is death. I know that Jesus paid the ultimate punishment for OUR SINS in perfection. He took our consequences & they were nailed to his cross. We are to seek God's will and strive to hold fast to our profession of faith. Every day we are tempted, tried & pulled by our flesh to act against the truth; sometimes we FAIL! If God allows us a period of Grace to repent, is this not God's permissive will?
  4. The reasons why God chooses some for salvation and not others are given in general terms; and they are all based on God's will and pleasure, his glory and his grace. Eph. 1:4-6, 11 (KJV) 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 1) God has purposed to choose a people for himself, to make us holy and without blame before him in love 2) God has purposed to choose a people for himself, to adopt us into his family 3) God's purpose in election to salvation, is the good pleasure of his will 4) God's purpose in election to salvation, is the glory of his grace. 5) God predestined his chosen ones to salvation, according to the purpose and counsel of his own will. 1 Cor. 1:27-31 (KJV) 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. A) God has chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the "wise" B) God has chosen the weak things to confound the "mighty" C) God has chosen the despised, to bring to nothing those who are something, in human terms D) God's purpose in this is that no-one should boast in his presence E) It is of God that we are in Christ Jesus (i.e. not our will or decision) F) All this is for one, overarching purpose: that the one who glories, glories in the Lord Rom. 9:14-16 (KJV) 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 1) God's shows mercy and compassion to whom he will 2) The basis for God's choice of whom to have mercy upon, is not man's will, or works, but within God himself, who shows mercy.
  5. “This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.” (Galatians 2:4) It is incredible how history repeats itself. Today there is popular stream that has flowed into the Church, pretending to be Christians of a sort, but really seeking to enslave us again in laws and requirements Christ nailed to the cross. We must beware, there are those who “spy our freedom” in Christ and will seek to lead us into slavery.
  6. "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace ..." (1 Peter 4:10) What gift(s) have you received? How was it 'given'? And, how do you use it? (I want to hear about your experience: not an explanation of how Spiritual Gifts work).
  7. Are you a "might and power" "Christian", or do you believe that God saved you by grace ALONE, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone? Zechariah 4:6 (Webster) Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. ---What is the mountain that stands in the way of a man's salvation? Unbelief, pride, lust, greed, hatred, selfishness, etc. ---How is such a mountain removed? The "might and power" "Christian" says, in effect, although not in these words, "By my mighty will I have repented and turned to good works.". He also says, again, not in these words, "By my mighty will, I have generated faith in Jesus Christ, contrary to my wicked nature, which hates the light and does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, and thus have saved myself!". But, what does the Bible say? Ezekiel 36:26,27 (Webster) 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 2 Tim. 2:25, 26 (Webster) 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose him; if God perhaps will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. {recover...: Gr. awake} {taken...: Gr. taken alive} Philippians 1:29 (Webster) For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 1 Pet. 1:4,5 (Webster) 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, {for you: or, for us} 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ---It's ALL of grace. Salvation is of the LORD! Hallelujah!
  8. In the amazing sovereignty of God, my Palm Sunday search at Ligoneir.org brought up a message titled "A Puny God." All, please watch and listen to this. It is so appropriate at this time, when the infinite God is shaking the Church and the world with COVID-19 in His anger at sin. It could be so much worse and we deserve so much worse, but God is patient and not only holy, but gracious and merciful. In wrath, He will remember mercy (Habakkuk 3:2). A Puny God by Steven Lawson A Puny God by Steven Lawson If the church has a low view of God, its light will be dim, and the darkness will not be pushed back. Today, our... Love and God bless, Clive Campbell
  9. Just as there are two steps of grace...so Christ is to abide in us AND we are to abide in Him. His divine nature is within us at regeneration...but not His perfect walk...as Paul attests to in Romans 7. Without abiding in Christ we don't have the victory over the flesh that Jesus imparts to us through His resurrection. Jesus went through death and came out victorious...for US. In Him we have victory over sin and the power of death that causes us to sin. So then we give thanks to Jesus for His victory that WE can walk in by faith. Grace through faith! IOW...we only enter His life by abiding in Him... If we have received the initial grace that is Christ IN us...then we are to then go to God (the throne of grace) to get the fullness of grace and power. John 1:16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. It should really say...His fullness is grace on top of grace. It is His faith added onto our faith. The faith OF Christ was worked out in Jesus' humanity as He walked in this Earthly place. It is available to us as we enter into Him. We put on His victorious humanity when we put on Christ.
  10. Hi. I've been seeking the Lord for my Salvation and I come across the responsibility of man as mentioned in the Bible. So, I wanted to ask about the Responsibility of man and the Grace of God, Sovereignty of God. The Bible in different places commands us to do something, or rather, to change. For example, In 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" Matthew 23:12 "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Ezekiel 18:31 "Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?" 2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." And GOD, throughout the old testament, keeps telling Israel and even other nations also at times like- Nineveh (Jonah), through Prophets, etc to Repent and turn to HIM. And in the New Testament, we are told to Repent and Believe. These verses seem to put it up, like humbling oneself or having a new heart and a new spirit, to Repent, as human responsibility to do what's been asked of us to do. And so it implies also that we naturally have the ability to do what's been asked of us to do and that it's possible for us to do it without God's help, just by our will? Because if we can't', then why would He ask that of us? But the Bible also puts things the other way, which seems opposite, that we can do these things only by God's Intervention/ Grace, power: Acts 16:14 ".....The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul" Luke 24:45 "Then He[Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" Acts 18:26-40, The case of the Ethiopian Eunuch Ezekiel 11:19 (cf. Ezekiel 36:26, Hebrews 8:10, Jeremiah 32:33) "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh" In Daniel 4, God humbles Nebuchadnezzar, after which he praises God, for doing so and humbling him. So, what should we do when we come across such commands in the Bible? Should we wait for God to do something that we can't or we don't have the ability (will) to unless God intervenes in some way, or, should we do what we are commanded to (to Repent, be Humble, change our hearts and minds) assuming that have the ability(the will)? It is said that we have the ability and faculties for dong what we are commanded to do, that if we 'will', we can do it, but that the problem is that we can't Truly 'will' without the work, influence of God in our heart. Spurgeon says about this : "The question is, are men ever found naturally willing to submit to the humbling terms of the gospel of Christ? We declare, upon Scriptural authority, that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, and so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful. supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained towards Christ". If this is True, then, How should we then carry out our Responsibility ?
  11. I've encountered a teaching that seems to be quite prevalent, at least here in Israel. I first heard it taught in "The Purpose Driven Life" by Pastor Rick Warren and I have since encountered this teaching in 3 different Messianic Congregations here in Israel. That message is basically, 'forgiveness does not mean trust: that we as believers must forgive as Jesus taught, even 77 times (or 70 times 7 times) but that does not mean trusting the other person. They must re-earn our trust' and I basically just accepted this message as fact since it does seem to be reasonable. Then a few months ago, I finally watched the 1935 version of Les Miserables. For some inexplicable reason, I had been wanting to read or watch it for the last year or so but kept putting it off. When I finally encountered that scene with the Bishop and Jean Valjean, something hit me very hard about it. The way the bishop gave Jean the silver candlesticks when the police brought him back to the place and then the way the bishop told him before he left that he is always welcome there and that the front door is the proper way and not by any other means. It may be fictional, but it reminded me of a factual story. The story from "The Cross and the Switchblade" and the way in which David Wilkerson led Niki Cruz and gang to the Lord. How he had finally gotten several gang members and others from the community together in an auditorium to share with them the Gospel message and how David Wilkerson asked Niki Cruz and his gang to take up the offering. As they were going through the passage up to the balcony, they noticed an exit door and were about to run off with the money when suddenly it occurred to them: 'This guy is trusting us. No one has ever trusted us before' and they brought the offering up to David. That single act of trust was instrumental in dissolving NYC gangs and eventually lead to hundreds of inner city Victory Outreach Missions throughout the world today, including one in Haifa, Israel. So I started asking myself, "Why is it whenever this message of 'forgiveness does not equal trust' is taught, they do not bring any scriptural support for it?" And I'm kind of hard pressed. I am no doctor of scripture but I am quite familiar in a general overview sort of way and usually when I am troubled like this, the Lord will bring to memory scriptural support. But none arises to memory. Three insights have been occurring to me and I'd really like some input here: 1) Forgiveness minus Trust really equals unforgiveness; 2) The person may be being hypocritical, saying to the other that they are forgiven, but their behavior, attitude and actions do not outwardly demonstrate it; 3) We are supposed to show to others the same Grace God showed us. God doesn't tell us, "I forgive you but now you must earn my trust". How then could we approach His Throne of Grace... How then will He welcome us into His Home? If I am way off base here, then please let me know. I've been wrong many times in the past, and will be pleasantly surprised if I am way wrong about this: it will be an excellent reminder of how fallible I am and how much I need to be involved regularly in open discussions with other followers of Christ. God Bless! Joe
  12. What is the definition of "Grace" as given in 2n Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." Thank you for your response.
  13. Several weeks ago the Monday morning study leader announced that the following week we would be starting a study on vengeance. To show that the carnal side of me still exists, I wrote this on my notepad, Coming up next week, Vengeance!, Yeah baby! I was messing around, as the first reaction I had, was to moan because every study is a fitful barrage of legalism. When that particular “study” ended, I turned to my friend and said, that wasn't all bad. The leader was giving an introduction, but he had already lost me, as I was looking up passages on vengeance. The first thing I came to was a passage in Leviticus. Leviticus 19:18 ISV "You are not to seek vengeance or hold a grudge against the descendants of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." The first thing I realized is that this is “the law,” and we, are not under the law; or, are we? If we are not under the law, then what do I do with this statement from the Apostle Paul? Romans 12:16-19 ISV Live in harmony with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people. Do not think that you are wiser than you really are. 17) Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people. 18) If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people. 19) Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord." Wait a minute, Paul, the reformed Pharisee, and one of the most prominent advocates of grace; tells his audience of Jewish converts, and us, do not put yourself back under the bondage of the law. And yet, here it is. Nahum 1:2-3 AMPC The Lord is a jealous God and avenging; the Lord avenges, and He is full of wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries and reserves wrath for His enemies. [Exodus 20:5] 3) The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will by no means clear the guilty. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. [Exodus 34:6-7] There are many scriptural illustrations that Paul could have pulled from, but Nahum conveys the idea of vengeance well. If Paul could be comfortable drawing examples from the “law” while speaking of those same laws as a return to bondage, then your spirit should be telling you that there is something more involved in this idea of bondage than mere constraints put on us by God. The “laws,” such as, love your neighbor as yourselves, are, at the very least, a better way of living; And, they are the very thing that keeps us out of God's way, as we focus on the positive rather than our hidden agenda of supplanting God by dishing out vengeance and judgment. So then, even the New Testament conveys constraints that parallel the law. I have mentioned, many times, how we live under the perfect law of liberty. James 2:10-12 NASB For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11) For He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12) So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. James is also the one who tells us that we are blessed when we walk in this law. James 1:25 NASB But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. We then, do not have the freedom to seek vengeance, nor are we entirely free from the God's law. As the morning's study progressed a brash statement was made, when we get to heaven, you will not find a Pharisee there as they will all be in hell. A quick inventory in my head put me in remembrance of Nicodemus, Simon of Arimathea, and the Apostle Paul, all of which, were prominent Pharisees who displayed a love of Jesus Christ. Several minutes passed and I raised my hand. When the leader finally acknowledged me, I said, as a recovering Pharisee who struggles with judgment I want to share a story with you. At this point, I told them about a stepson who had inappropriately taken one of my handguns into the backyard to show a friend of his. You need to understand that there had been a series of events that ended with a stolen bicycle, and this young man in my backyard had played a role in that. I that moment, with them fondling my revolver, I merely held out a hand, and my stepson placed the gun in my hand. I simply said, had you asked me I would have taken you to the range and taught you how to respect the weapon and shoot it, but since you chose to go behind my back you have lost that opportunity. I began that day to pray that God would remove bad influences from my stepson's life. Two weeks later, the other boy shot himself in the head while playing Russian roulette. The important thing was I merely asked God to intervene, but I did not try to tell Him what to do about it. I remind you of Romans 12:19 which says, 19) Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord." I don't know how I did it because I was angry in the days that preceded that young mans death. I was the one who walked my son into the police station and made him “return” this obviously stolen bicycle, and this entire process was laden with humiliation and fear for both of us, but it worked out, as they apparently realized that my actions had ingrained a serious lesson in my son. Once again look at what James has to say. James 2:12-13 NASB So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13) For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. Pay close attention to verse 13 where it says, “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.” I my story above I feel like I did it right. I feel no blame for the young man, but I grieved with his father who explained how they had seen unusual patterns beginning to develop. I can assure you that there were multiple times that I did not get this right, and here is one. Having been raised in the church, I was severely wounded by a few sarcastic church elders. I carried their wounds most of my life. Did they always occupy my mind? No, but a string of events that I can relate to codependency, seemed to bring their brutal tongues to the forefront of my thinking. The bottom line here is that in my mind I hated them and wanted them to suffer slow, prolonged, and painful torture, for what they did. When you think about the logic in all this, you can see that this pain I believed I inflicted upon them, and the chains I held them in, was all in my head. That means I gave them too much free space in my head. And never, were they aware of this bondage I held them in. During the time involved, I had to maintain the chains, keeping the rust off those chains by oiling them. All this maintenance cost me a tremendous amount of time and energy. Sadly, I felt justified in all this. Primarily I learned I needed to forgive them. Yes, I needed to forgive; the problem is, I had no idea of what to do. Oh sure, mother had her designs, which amounted to letting people continue to slap you until you are spinning, but that was not going to work for me either (anymore.) Thankfully there was a day when a prophetic woman stopped me and said, you have to forgive those men who hurt you! I responded with, alright, but how? She said, it's simple, you merely release them from the debts you think they owe you. To be honest, it only took me a couple of days to realize that I was having no impact on them and that my efforts were simply me, judging them. After, what seemed like a lifetime I released them from the bondage that I felt they owed me. Quickly, I began doing that with ex-wives and others that had offended me. I have, over time, told these truths to others, only to have them say its hard to forgive! I responded briskly with, no, it's not. The only difficult part is you letting go of the imaginary control you think you have. You see, when we set ourselves up as judges and put people into the prison of our minds, we have set ourselves up as God. We have supplanted God and tried to take over His job. In doing this, we have set up our own fates, which James spells out. James 2:12-13 NASB So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13) For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. Since we are not under the law, and yet have an almost identical command in the New Testament, then let's try one more and see if we can find the freedom in it. Deuteronomy 32:35 CJB Vengeance and payback are mine for the time when their foot slips; for the day of their calamity is coming soon, their doom is rushing upon them.' On one hand, this tells us that all vengeance belongs to God, while on the other hand it speaks to payback, which is His also. Their day will come, whether they be religious or ungodly. I will show you Romans 12:19 once again. Romans 12:19 ISV Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord." By taking yourselves out of the judgment seat, you are putting these people back into God's hand. As the ISV translation says, leave room for God's wrath. Alright, there is time for just one more story. On a particular day, I was put in charge of the office where I was outnumbered by women who had taught us men, how to install and repair pay phones. A particular lady, who had a horrific case plantar fasciitis, whined incessantly about how she could not do the job. I suspect that I misread her that day, and thought that she was saying that she could not do the added dimension of installing the wiring. I asked her to stay in the office for a moment and proceeded to tell her, in my most Pharisaical tone, that as a Christian I was ashamed of her because, we, as believers, can do all things through Christ. The short of it, within about six months my judgment came back on me, and I found myself ashamed of my actions. I don't know what became of her, but I lost everything dear to me. So, I understand how this works, and you don't want to get into the judgment game. As an addendum: 4/16/18 Monday morning's Men's study Opened with, "Vengeance, we are not to even have the thought!" Is this possible? Paul, in his letter to Timothy, wrote (2Timothy 4:14,15) 2 Timothy 4:14-15 AMPC Alexander the coppersmith did me great wrongs. The Lord will pay him back for his actions. 15) Beware of him yourself, for he opposed and resisted our message very strongly and exceedingly. 2 Timothy 4:15 GNB Be on your guard against him yourself, because he was violently opposed to our message. 2 Timothy 4:15 MSG Fiercely opposed to our Message, he caused no end of trouble. God will give him what he's got coming.
  14. For as long as I have attended church, it seems to me that I have heard the phrase "tithes and offerings". Sometimes, I have heard the word "gifts" used. In most of these cases, it has been about putting money in a plate, a basket or sometimes a cloth bag. Over the years, I have heard my share of sermons on the importance of tithing. I had attended churches, when I was not even a believer, and when the plate came around, felt a bit uncomfortable, partially because I had no idea what was customary to do. I had wished they had just charged admission like a theater, rather than leaving me to figure out how much money I needed to put in the plate as it went by. Indeed, one of the things you often hear unbelievers complaining about is this constant begging for money, that is associated with attending a church, or even watching some religious guy on TV, it always comes down to money. When I was a new believer, I was fortunate to fall into the hands and teaching of the late Dr. Walter Martin. What a lovely man. He had such a way of communicating. I loved attending his adult Sunday school classes. One thing that sticks out in my mind about those sessions, was that when it came time to deal with the finances, he would say something to the effect: "You Christians know what your obligations are. If you are not a believer, please, keep your money, we just want you to enjoy your time with us today." That always impressed me, I wished that other churches I had been to, had that attitude. When I moved from Orange County years later, I attended a new church. There came a point where they were talking about 'Book Signed Members'. To be a book signed member, you were expected to tithe. At the church, a tithe was 10% of your income, your gross income, before taxes. Many Christians do not understand that a tithe is 10% by definition. In fact, it is - tithe literally means tenth. Well, I wanted to be a book signed member there, but to be truthful, I did not want to give up a tenth of my income. It left me a bit distressed. I told the pastor about my feelings, and he recommended a book to me. I bought the book and read it. The book presented the case that Christians should tithe, should give ten per cent to their church. It had scriptures about tithing, and I would look up the passages and read them in the Bible. The more I read, the less convinced I was about the point that the book was making. By the time I was through, the book had lead me to passages that actually convinced me that tithing was not Christian at all, not called for, not necessary, not related to my life in Christ in any way. The book had the opposite effect on me, than the author intended. I began tithing almost immediately. Why did I do that? The answer is very simple. My flesh, the rebellious part of me, resented being required to pay money that would impact my standard of living. However, the book had driven me to the scriptures, where I discovered, that tithing was a part of God's covenant with Israel, not part of any requirement that He placed upon the church. In other words. I was free from obligation to pay a certain amount of money. This freedom, made me thankful, made me appreciate the fact that God had instead, provided me with my needs, out of which He trusted me to give willingly, an amount that was comfortable and in keeping with my means. This freedom even meant that I did not have to give a dime, if I resented it. The strangest part to me was, that the same amount I resented being required of me, I was now happy to give up. God had done a small work in my heart. Later in my walk, I learned to trust God to supply my needs, just as He promised. Rationally, I cannot explain that I could live in a beach town in southern California (a very expensive part of the country where I grew up), and raise 5 kids on only a workman's hourly wage, letting my wife quit her job. Rationally, it is ridiculous. Never-the-less, we have never gone a day without food, never lacked for a roof over our heads, always had clothes on our backs. Right now, I do not have the money to pay my bills, and occasionally we have gone into default on our mortgage, with foreclosure proceedings begun, but I trust that God indeed, can provide all of our needs in spite of what seems reasonable. So far, He always has. Our church began to undergo a building program. Our pastor came before the congregation to ask us, to prayerfully consider how much we might give above our normal amount, over the next two years, so that the church could undergo a building program, and have an idea of what their budget should be. He asked us to pray about it, and if we heard from the Lord, to commit to that amount. My wife and I did just that, we prayed that night about it, and went to bed. In the morning, my wife asked me if I had any amount that I thought the Lord had impressed upon me. I told her that I did. She said she had also. We compared notes. Myself, I was not expecting to see the same numbers. I told my wife that I thought we should give $4000 dollars over our normal amount, over the coming two years. She said "Oh? I got a percentage, we should give 18% of our income as our total giving!" I wasn't expecting that answer. I was making $12 and hour at the time, working 40 hour weeks. Since I worked 5 days out of seven, that meant I got paid for 5/7 of 365 days each year - approximately 261 paid days. $12 an hour times 8 hours a day times 261 days a year times two years was $50112. I actually worked it out, because my wife and I had two different numbers. Hers was to make our total giving to 18%. I subtracted our ten percent tithe from her 18% total giving number, to arrive at 8% above normal. As it turns out, 8% of $50112 is $4008.96. I took that as close enough to be from the Lord, a skeptic might expect God to be more accurate. It is possible, that the discretion is due to my human side. I came up with $4000, because I felt that the Lord had moved me to giving the money, that I was setting aside for an individual retirement account (IRA), which was $2000 dollars a year. I believe that the Lord spoke to my wife, and gave her a number, in a different way, and that that number roughly corresponded to my number, so that I would see that He was at work. He gave her an even number spiritually, while He worked on my heart about what to sacrifice. Looked at in that light, to numbers rounded off and yet so close together (within about 2/10 of one percent), is pretty remarkable. Somehow, even though it would have been more accurate, it seems unlikely that God would have told my wife "Give 17.79821200510855683269476372924649 %". Maybe God knows I prefer round numbers. But what sayeth the Scriptures? There is much in the Bible, about money, and much confusion about it in the church. Tonight, we will look at a lot of what God has said, regarding money and regarding tithes, and see what He speaks to our hearts. Father, as we open your word tonight, we ask that you open our eyes and hearts. We seek to know your will, and ask that as we go through various verses, that you give us spiritual discernment, that we may know what is from you, and what may be from any agendas we might have. Give us the supernatural ability, to judge what is true, and what is error. Lord, I ask that you use all here, to bring forth understandings, that you want us to have. Give us the courage to speak out, regardless of what others may think, and the wisdom to be open to your voice only. We thank you that you hear our prayers, and have provided this place, where we can gather and learn from each other and from you. We ask these things, by the authority that you have given us, through your Son Jesus, and thank you for what you are doing in our lives. Amen 11/15/2017 - Updating this unfinished feature, should be done in a day or two. If you cannot wait, you can see it at: http://www.omegazine.com/biblestudy/tithe_1.html
  15. GOOD WORKS or KEEPING THE LAW DOES NOT SAVE US There are basically only two religions in the world today. These represent two different ideas as to how we gain acceptance with God and how we get into heaven. One is right. The other is wrong. These are: I. GOOD WORKS. The idea that if I am good enough then God will accept me into heaven(wrong). The problems with this view are that: 1. How good do I have to be? Where is the cut off point that determines entry to heaven? 2. If I can get into heaven by my good works, then why did Christ die? 3. How do you judge how much salvation each good work buys you? 4. If we have to earn our salvation, there is always that feeling of guilt, because maybe we haven't done enough good works to earn salvation. 5. If we are hoping to be saved by our good works, then we could lose our salvation by not keeping up the good works. This leads to uncertainty. We can never be sure of going to heaven as long as we trust in our good works. 6. Trusting in our good works leads to fear of missing heaven. 7. It leads to a wrong comparison. People say "I am a good person." They are comparing themselves with sinful man. We should compare ourselves with God. Then we appear as big sinners. 8. If we could be saved by our good works then, we could boast. Do you think God would devise a system of salvation that allowed man to boast? 9. It causes some people to give up trying to be good, so they sin as much as they want. 10. Does "man save man" or does "God save man"? 11. It leads to a religion of self denial to earn salvation. God has given us richly in all things to enjoy. Religious man likes to think that his good works can save him because: 1. It keeps people under the control of religious leaders, because people fear that if they stop coming to church, they will go to hell. 2. People like to feel that they have worked for their salvation and that they deserve it. They think "I earn everything else in life by hard work, why not my salvation?" 3. Man likes to make the rules himself, and does not like God telling him what to do. Sinful man does not want God to get the glory for saving him. 99% of the world's religions are religions of good works to earn salvation. Examples include: Roman Catholicism, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and Hinduism to name a few. II. FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AS MY SIN PAYMENT. (The right way). This begins with the idea that I am a sinner, that I have broken God's laws, and that compared to God I am not a good person, but a self centred sinner. God's law that I have broken condemns me to hell. The good news is that Jesus Christ on the cross had all my sins laid on him, so that Jesus Christ took the full punishment for all my past, present and future sins that I deserved in hell forever. He thus became the Saviour of all people. We are now responsible to receive or call on Christ to be our Saviour from sin. When we do this Christ saves us and gives us the free gift of eternal life. The benefits of Christ saving us instead of our works saving us are: 1. We can be 100% sure of going to heaven because Christ is 100% responsible for saving us and for keeping us saved. 2. We can concentrate on serving God in joy, rather than in fear of trying to earn our entrance ticket to heaven. 3. We know that we will meet our saved loved ones in heaven. 4. We rest in God's acceptance of us because of Christ. 5. It releases us from the bondage of fear of trusting a man made organization to get us into heaven. 6. It leads us to develop a loving relationship with Christ as our Saviour, Friend and God, rather than Mary. 7. It leads us to base our beliefs for living on the Bible, not on some man made organization. Let us study some Bible passages teaching that "good works don't save us". 1. Knowing that a man is: a) not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ; b) even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; c) for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Galatians 2:16. 2. If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2:21. 3. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Galatians 3:2. 4. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Galatians 3:6. 5. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Gal. 3:7. 6. The scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith. Galatians 3:8. 7. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Galatians 3:9. 8. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Galatians 3:10. 9. For it is written, Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Galatians 3:10. 10. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident. Galatians 3:11. 11. The just shall live by faith. Galatians 3:11. 12. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Galatians 3:13. 13. That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:14. 14. If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. This teaches that no law gave eternal life. Galatians 3:21. 15. The scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Galatians 3:22. 16. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up into the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Galatians 3:23. This means that we were shut up in the prison of the law until salvation by faith in Christ came. 17. The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24. 18. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:25. We are not under the schoolmaster of the Mosaic law. 19. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26. 20. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? Galatians 4:21. 21. If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Galatians 5:2. This means that if you are trusting your circumcision to save you, or your good works, or your baptism, or your sacraments, or your church to save you, then Christ has not saved you. You are still lost and going to hell. 22. I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.Galatians 5:3 This means that if you trust your works to save you, then you can only be saved by always keeping all the whole law, which no one can do. Therefore, those trusting their works are heading to hell. 23. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law. Galatians 5:4. 24. the hope of righteousness by faith. Galatians 5:5. 25. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision: but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 6:15; 5:6. 26. In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.Ephesians 1:13 27. For by grace are ye saved through faith; i) and that not of yourselves; ii) it is the gift of God: iii) not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8,9. Four times we are told here that we are not saved by works, but by faith. Question: Where then do good works come in? Answer: Good works come after salvation to show our gratitude to God in love for saving us. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10. Facts of → Faith in Christ → Salvation → Good Works Gospel as Saviour after salvation 28. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. Ephesians 3:17. 29. And be found in Christ, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Philippians 3:9. 30. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Titus 3:5. 31. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20. 32. The righteousness of God without the law is manifested. Romans 3:21. (Romans 3:22. 33. The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. 34. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ...a propitiation (forgiveness and favour) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins. Romans 3:24,25. 35. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? NO: but by the law of faith. Romans 3:27. 36. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Romans 3:28 37. One God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith,and uncircumcision through faith. Rom. 3:30 Question: Does salvation by faith and not by works mean that we can go out and sin as we wish? A: Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Rom. 3:31 The law is now written on the believer’s heart, so that we obey the law of the Spirit of life from an inward motivation. 38. If Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. Romans 4:2. 39. Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Romans 4:3. 40. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:5. 41. David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works. Romans 4:6. 42. Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? When he was in uncircumcision. Romans 4:9,10. Note: Abraham was saved by faith before he was circumcised. This teaches us that we are saved by faith before baptism, good works, sacraments or any human work. 43. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 5:1 Note: Peace with God comes by faith in Christ, not by good works. 44. The Gentiles ..... have attained to righteousness ..... which is of faith. But Israel ..... has not attained to righteousness. Why? Because they sought it not by faith, but .....by the works of the law. Romans 9:30-32. 45. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace. Romans 11:6. Note: If you think you are saved by your own works, then you miss God's grace. 46. Who hath saved us ..... not according to our works. 11 Timothy 1:9. 47. Q: What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? A: Jesus ..... this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:28,29. 48. i) He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Luke 7:50. ii) When he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. Luke 5:20. iii) Purifying their hearts by faith. Acts 15:9. iv) That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in me. Acts 26:18. v) Jesus said unto him (Bartimaus), Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. Luke 18:42. vi) Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. Mark 5:34. vii)To a repentant leper: "thy faith hath made thee whole." Luke 17:19. 49. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Acts 10:43. 50. By him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:39. Note: If the law of Moses could not justify anybody, how can keeping the laws of the Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Baptism, sacraments, or good works justify you? OBJECTION: Question: "But doesn't James 2:14-26 teach that works save us?" Ans: No, because: 1. James in 2:10,11 says that even if we have kept the whole law always showing good works every day, except in one act of sin, we are guilty of breaking all the law. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." 2. Wherever you have true believers, you have counterfeit believers. Eg:Neither the priest or the Levite who had religious training, helped the dying man. Matt.7:21, Luke 10:25-37 3. A poor believer, hungry and without proper clothing entered a church. A person with dead faith saw the visitor in need, yet did nothing to meet his needs. He just said a few pious words: "Depart in peace; be ye warmed and filled". James 2:1-5,16. Note: Each of these four people had dead faith. Each would defend the idea that he had faith, yet neither demonstrated that faith in loving works. To help a needy person is an expression of love, and faith works by love. Galatians 5:6. The question in James 2:14: "Can faith save him?" is alternatively translated: "Can that kind of faith save him?" What kind of faith? The faith that is never shown by practical works. The answer is "NO". Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration. That kind of faith is dead faith. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James 2:17. True saving faith always produces works.God sees our faith in Christ as Saviour, then he saves us. Man cannot see faith. Man can only see our works as the fruit of salvation. Faith is the Godward condition of salvation. Works is the manward evidence of salvation. James illustrates his point with two Old Testament characters: 1. Abraham. "Was not Abraham our Father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?" James 2:21. a) Abraham was justified before God by age 85. "He believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Genesis 15:6; 16:16. b) Abraham was justified before man by age 137, when he offered up Isaac upon the altar. Genesis 22:1-14. 2. Rahab. "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?" James 2:25. a) Rahab was justified before God (salvation) when she confessed with her mouth Jehovah to be God. "For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above,and in earth beneath."Joshua 2:11,1-14 b) Rahab was justified before man (service) when she received and sent the messengers out another way. "Then she let them down by a cord through the window." Joshua 2:15,16. Conclusion: 1. Forsake trusting your works to save you, and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour from sin today. 2. Leave any church that teaches a gospel of good works for salvation. God's curse is on such a church or religion. Galatians 1:6-9.
  16. Then why are you condemning your brother because he is not keeping the whole law as you claim you do?! The idea that people must be circumcised, keep the Sabbath (as if it was possible nowadays), or abstain from certain foods (such as pork), are not to be forced on anyone. Do not act like this: "But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”" - Acts 15:5 Scriptures are clear that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by deeds of the law. "Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." - Acts 15:10-11 Then please, stop thinking that people who are not circumcised, do not keep the Sabbath (as if it was possible nowadays), and do not abstain from the foods you do are condemned and do not have God. Those who have God have love for one another, they do not seek to live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit that was given to them. "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." - 1 John 4:13 Have you received the Holy Spirit by faith or by deeds of the law?! Scripture is clear that all one must do to receive the Holy Spirit is to repent, believe and receive from the heart the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. "Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:38 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - John 1:12-13 And the burden of the Lord Jesus is light, as He told us: "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Matthew 11:29-30 Then why are you requiring to people who believe in the Lord Jesus to keep the whole law, and eat the things you believe they should?! If anyone is being able to keep the whole law then Jesus would not need to shed his precious blood on the cross for all of us. "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." - Galatians 2:21 Then please, do not force rules on people so that they live like you or they're not saved. "For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him." - Romans 14:2-3 Then you will tell me: "Then you're saying that people can live the way they want, in perdition, in sin, and do whatever their flesh desires?!" Why do you think that?! Do you not remember that people have repented from their wicked ways and believed the Gospel from the heart and received the Lord Jesus?! "For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor." - Galatians 2:18 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." - 1 John 1:6 Do not be deceived, those who are truly born of the Spirit, seek and have pleasure in holiness and to be cleansed of their wickedness. "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." - Romans 8:9 "And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." - Galatians 5:24-25 We are now in Christ, we are not friend of this world and the flesh anymore. We are ONE in Christ, we are children of God, please understand this. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." - 1 John 5:4 And what the Lord Jesus expect from us is just that, that we walk in His Spirit, love one another, and consequently we abstain from evil. This is faith in Christ! "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." - Acts 15:28-29 And if the Spirit of Christ is truly in you, you will agree to what I have written. Because I do not write from myself. "When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”" - Acts 11:18 Glory to God! Amen.
  17. Matthew 7:5 - "You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Observation: Jesus condemned sin. And we condemn sin also, but the sin we must condemn first is the sin of judging others, for it obscures our vision from discerning sin in ourselves. I will never become holy by criticizing others; nor am I brought nearer to God through finding fault. Galatians 5:18-21 - "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest......which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Affirmation: I CONFESS THAT IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT JESUS CHRIST LIVES IN ME! I HAVE WALKED IN THE FLESH LONG ENOUGH; NOW I WALK IN THE SPIRIT. I LET THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCE THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST IN ME. "Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:16 There is a difference between HAVING favor and SPENDING favor. You can have money and not spend it. You can also have favor and not spend it, or not spend it wisely. It is time for the people of God to recognize that we have been given amazing favor through our relationship with Christ. In the New Testament, the word grace and favor come from the same Greek word, "charis". So when Hebrews 4 says to boldly come before God's throne of grace, it is for far more than just forgiveness of our sins: It is a THRONE OF FAVOR ("charis"—grace, graciousness, joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, goodwill, benefit, loving kindness, gifts, rewards, strength, and increase) which we can COME BEFORE BOLDLY ("parrhesia"—with free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, and assurance) to LAY HOLD OF MERCY ("eleos"—kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them) and to help in a time of need. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  18. Forever - Kari Jobe - Drum Cover by Daniel Quartararo Daniel Quartararo covers Forever by Kari Jobe on the drums! God loves you dearly, no matter who you are! Please just ask Jesus to prove Himself to you if you do not know Him! Ask Him to forgive you. Ask Him to give you a heart to turn away from sin. Ask Him to make you whole, and righteous, and worthy of everlasting life by accepting the blood that He shed on the cross for your sins. No, no good works will do, but good works will be evidence of your faith, as you follow God's plan for your life! But it starts by reaching out to God; to Jesus Christ, and saying, "Lord, I am done with myself, I am done living for me, I want to live for you, I want to live a righteous life and turn from my sin, I want to know you, Jesus, I want to love people like you love people, Jesus!" He will prove Himself! He is God. He is so big and powerful!!! There is no stone He won't overturn in your life to prove Himself to you! He loves you dearly and He wants what's best for you! His plan will fulfill you beyond your wildest imagination, and He will reconcile you to Him through the finished work of the cross; the work that He willing did for you!!!!!!! If you have prayed this prayer; genuinely prayed this prayer, welcome to the family!!!!!!!!!!!! You are now a child of God!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am here for you in whatever way I can be!!!!! Please don't be a stranger brother or sister in Christ!!!!! And may God bless you, richly, in Jesus' mighty name!!!! Much love to you, in Christ! -Daniel AMEN! I hope you enjoy! Please, share with all your music loving friends! Titus 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Romans 10:9 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Matthew 7:21 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. John 6:44 - No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 15:1-27 - I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Acts 16:30-33 - And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Psalms 3:8 - Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. Psalms 37:39 - But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. Psalms 62:1 - (To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.) Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. Acts 28:28 - Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Romans 6:14 - For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
  19. God Heals at the Gas Station! (Testimony) God loves to work with His children everywhere! Here is a testimony of just that; God working through His faithful servant to heal a man who was clearly in great pain at a GAS STATION of all places! How cool is that?! God is awesome! God bless you all, in Jesus' mighty name!
  20. The Lord has given me an absurdly supernatural testimony! And as a young Christian, it QUICKLY went to my head: "No one can deny my testimony, I have the greatest testimony ever, how could anyone ever deny my testimony?!" WELL, turn outs, THEY CAN! AND THEY HAVE! One of the things that the Lord deeply impressed on my heart not too long after my head inflated was that EVERYONE'S TESTIMONY OF THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST in their lives is INVALUABLE!!!!!!! And to encourage others to share their testimonies, especially if they believe that their testimony is not "spectacular" enough to share with the world! EVERYTHING JESUS CHRIST DOES IS SPECTACULAR! The Bible makes it clear how precise the Lord was about creating us to be exactly who we are, at the exact time and place we were born, for an exact and specific purpose of God! Our testimonies are the same way! No matter how big or small the SEEM, they are ALL INVALUABLE, every single one!!!!! Share your testimony as you go throughout your day! You'll be amazed at the lives He wants to touch at the supermarket, the gas station, while out on a walk, your workplace, while pulling up next to a homeless and broken man at a stop light! Start to ALWAYS look for the side missions while you are going about your life, those pulls on your heart, those times where you are moved by compassion to speak, to share, to pray, to hug, to love, to smile, to greet, to bless in Jesus' name, to spread joy, to conquer fear, hurt, pain, depression, to encourage, to lift up, to give rest! God is so good! We can't be so focused on ourselves and our own salvation that we forget to reach out and allow God to reach those around us! We know the truth!!!!! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE BLESSING!!!!!!! Trust the Lord will show us how to work out our salvation as we continue to pursue Him with all our heart (desire), mind (thoughts), soul (being), and strength (time and energy), and let's ALL be the city of the hill who's light cannot be quenched, in Jesus' mighty name! God loves you deeply! His glory is in the details of His plan for our lives! Learn the habit of praying without ceasing (talking with God about everything; it surely involves a lot more listening and repeating than speaking! ) and it is GOOD! Give yourself grace, it takes time to build a habit, but it CAN be built and it's BEYOND AMAZING to live this way; moving from GLORY TO GLORY in OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (like Paul talks about in his gospel; his good news of Jesus Christ in his life!)! Be intentional about continuing to form these habits when you find you have ceased instead of beating yourself up. Take joy with every step you take towards like the Lord like the Lord is taking from every step you take closer to Him!!!!! God is WONDERFUL, GRACIOUS, KIND, GENTLE, and full of love for you! Amen! ? ? ✝️ ? ? God bless you all, in Jesus' name! -Daniel
  21. God has already "granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness" so that "you may become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:3-4). The Bible says that we "grow up into salvation" in the same way we should grow to be responsible adults (1 Peter 2:2). Therefore, our experience of the FULLNESS of all that is available in Christ should be growing as well. There are reasons why some grow into "all things" more quickly than others: First, they know that they have nothing without God (see 1 Chronicles 29:14). Second, they are assured in their hearts that "all things" have already been granted to them by God because He wants them to "become partakers of the divine nature" through Christ. Third, they have learned how to receive of His increase. TWO GREEK WORDS USED FOR "RECEIVE" "...What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" - 1 Corinthians 4:7 It is very easy to assume, based on this Scripture, a mentality that whatever God gives us we will automatically and unintentionally receive. However, we must understand what it really means to receive, Biblically. There are two Greek words used in the New Testament which are translated "receive," and yet they have very different implications. The first word is "dechomai" (dekh'-om-ahee) and the second is "lambano" (lam-bah'-no). PASSIVE vs. ACTIVE AGRESSIVE Receiving: With a little research, we find that "dechomai" speaks of receiving in a passive way.It is a passive verb which indicates receiving in the sense of welcoming and accepting. "Lambano" is a completely different way of receiving and understanding. "Lambano" is an active aggressive verb which indicates receiving INTO ACTION or taking possession through ACTION. "And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night [trying to catch fish] and took [lambano] nothing! But at Your word I will let down the nets.'" - Luke 5:5 "When He [Jesus] was at table with them, He took [lambano] the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them." - Luke 24:30 Fishermen do not expect fish to jump out of the water and directly in into their boat. They know they must "lambano" the fish, taking them into possession through some kind of action. In the same way, Jesus reached out to lambano the bread, receiving it unto Himself through action. DO YOU "LAMBANO"? "For everyone who asks receives [lambano], and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." - Luke 11:10 Perhaps you were led to believe that you should ask of God and then wait for the answer to fall on you at the right time, as if you were expecting Him to throw a glass of water at you, if He felt like it. However, this scripture says that everyone who asks must take action to receive it. Everyone who asks must "lambano" the answer from God, who is not only willing now but is also waiting for us to do so. God holds out provision to us, making it available to all who are in Christ. Then He tells us topray the prayer of faith for it, asking and expecting in agreement with what He's already demonstrated is His will through Christ. Then we must reach out and take what He is offering in order to receive it. God assures us in His Word of His unchanging desire to answer our prayers, and yet He wants us to come asking earnestly, persistently, boldly, and expectantly. Our receiving from God is not meant to be a passive act. God wants to interact with us. There must be action in both His giving and our receiving. If you received Christ as your Savior and the sacrifice for your sins, then you do understand how to "lambano". Everything you receive from God comes exactly the same way: by grace through faith – reaching out to take hold of what He is freely offering. Not a single person has ever received Christ any other way. God acts and we respond. God initiates and we cooperate. INTENTIONAL RECEIVING ...What do you have that you did not [lambano]? If then you [lambano] it, why do you boast as if you did not [lambano] it? 1 Corinthians 4:7 In other words, nothing that you've received from God was automatically and unintentionally received into your experience, so why boast as if you don't know why God apparently gave you more favor than anyone else who is in Christ? Instead of boasting, you should teach others how to "lambano"! "As each has received [lambano] a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace..." - 1 Peter 4:10 This verse gives us permission, and responsibility as good stewards, to use what we lambano from God to serve one another. In doing so, it also illustrates a key on how to lambano. When it says "as," -- it means "in the same way." In the same way you take a glass of water to receive it, you intentionally take God's gifts and use them to serve each other, as good stewards would. So, in the same way, we take all things pertaining to life and godliness through intentional and cooperating action, putting them to use. In other words, do something in expectation that you have taken hold of what you reached out for. Receive it into action! "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received [lambano] it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:24 This literally means, "Whatever you ask in prayer, lambano it by faith, and it will be yours." Receive it by taking it! The Biblical act of receiving looks like the intentional action of taking. No one takes hold of something all the while wondering if they really have a hold on it. They take hold of it and know that they have it as they are receiving it to themselves. They reach out, grab it, and pull it in. That's how you receive from God. GOOD STEWARDS OF GRACE "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." - 1 Corinthians 15:10 It is only by the grace of God that we have anything, and yet it is by the action of faith that we make it ours in experience. The grace of God requires our cooperation in order for it to have its full effect in our lives. The Apostle Paul spoke of this very clearly, even implying that God's grace could have been released and available for him in vain if he had not cooperated with it. In the same way you receive a gift, use it -- 1 Peter 4:10 gives you permission to "lambano" a gift from God with the intention of serving others. In fact, doing so makes you a good steward of His fully available and varied grace. When someone needs something, you have access to a warehouse full of "all things pertaining to life and godliness" – all available for the taking. A good steward uses what God has entrusted to their care and produces increase from it (seeMatthew 25:14-30). This is part of the work that God gives us to do, and by doing it, God is glorified (see John 17:4). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  22. Have Christians today forgotten what real forgiveness is? It seems so, because for one thing, one reason abuse is so widely spread in our churches is because we have a faulty understanding of what forgiveness actually is. Apparently, being accountable for your actions is not a good message. Forgiveness is not an excuse for someone to keep behaving badly with no consequences. Forgiveness requires genuine repentance and desire to change on the abuser's part.
  23. Ephesians 2:5,6,10 - "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace we are saved;) And hath raised us together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." As a believer I shouldn't have to "try" faith. I exercise my rights as a member of the body of Christ. He has raised me up with Jesus and seated me in heavenly places. He has given me His name, His blood, His authority, His power, His spirit. These rights are blood bought. Jesus suffered and died to give me the rights of our new covenant. 2 Corinthians 6:1,2 - "We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. " Acts 16:25,26 - "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a greatearthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bands were loosed." OBSERVATION: MY LIVING BY FAITH MOVES HIM TO HONOR MY FAITH; HOWEVER, WHEN I PLEASE HIM THROUGH MY PRAISE, HE VISITS ME IN PERSON. GOD'S FAITHFULNESS IS TRIGGERED BY MY FAITH, WHILE PRAISE BRINGS ME INTO HIS PRESENCE. WHEN I PRAISE GOD, HE RAISES ME OUT OF MY SITUATION. WHEN I FIND MYSELF IN TROUBLE, I USE PRAISE AS A KEY TO UNLOCK THE "PRISON DOORS" OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES. NO MATTER WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY LIFE, I WILL FILL MY MOUTH WITH THE HIGH PRAISES OF GOD! "Now you belong to Him who was raised from the dead in order that we might be useful in the service of God." - Romans 7:4 Shall we stop short of what He says we ought to be (our CALLING in Christ)-- shall we cease to come into line with the Mind which is always thinking of our best - shall we cease to humble ourselves before Him who took the way of the cross for us -- shall we cease to give him our all? "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10 NIV To what profit will it be if we hold back anything from Him who gives us a thousand times more than He ever asks from us? In Hebrews 2 He says He is going to bring many sons to glory. It means that He is going to clothe them with His glory -- may that be our vision. AFFIRMATIONS: I have a Jesus indwelling me and vitalizing me with a faith that believes His word will come to pass when I speak it. I have Jesus within me who will never let me get faint-hearted or weary in advancing His PURPOSE for my life. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  24. 1 Corinthians 15:10 - " But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." THIS IS THE ORDER OF TRANSFORMATION WHICH EXPRESSES THE MYSTERY OF DIVINE GRACE: BY GRACE WE WERE SAVED; BY GRACE WE WERE CHOSEN; IT IS GRACE THAT GRANTS US ACCESS TO THE LIVING GOD; IT IS GRACE THAT MAKES US HIS SERVANTS; IT IS GRACE AT WORK WHEN HIS HAND FORMS US AND WE ARE CHANGED UNDER DISCIPLINE AND CARE INTO HIS LIKENESS. 2 Peter 3:18 - "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever." 2 Corinthians 5:17 - "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." When we were born again we received the very Spirit of God, and through His Spirit we were birthed into another realm -- the Kingdom of Heaven. Through the vehicle of the Holy Spirit we are united to the actual person of Jesus Christ who is seated at the throne of God. Our heart is attached to the power of God. We are never alone. Christ is always with us. What we were as a person prior to salvation, we will never be again! "Son of man, can these bones live? and I answered, O Lord God, Thou knowest" (Ezekiel 37:3) God wants men and women who are willing to submit and submit, and yield and yield to the Holy Spirit until their bodies are saturated and soaked with God -- you then realize that God your Father has you in such a condition that at any moment He can reveal His will to you. The Lord desires us to enter into a deeper level of pressing into Him, or what is called "pursuit after Him." It is a stirring of the Holy Spirit deep within that literally awakens your inner man, so that YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW there is something more that He wants to share with you. This is called HOLY HUNGER. "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." -Psalm 63:1 AFFIRMATIONS: God is bringing my life to a new beginning. I press into and lay hold of the kingdom of heaven in an aggressive way. I have a burning heart of fiery witness and passion when it comes to exhorting others in their walk with God. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  25. Ever wonder why? Why laws and rules? Why sin and sacrifice? The Law of Moses was the Knowledge of how one may live on earth without sin, yet the Law was perfect, mankind alone is not, soo sacrifices were instituted to take the place of the action called for when creation breaks the laws of its intended programming, which is immediate death. What was missing from The Law of the Knowledge to live a perfect life, was The Wisdom of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Mankind that they may decern how to properly apply The Law in their lives. Therefore since the flesh of man was corrupted by sin and not worthy to hold The Holy Spirit, an ultimate sacrifice must be made as a blueprint for cleansing ones flesh that the Holy Spirit may indwell and give wisdom and instruction to walk the narrow path successfully. Soo you see The Law, is the Law of Order for Mankind, The original purpose and rules, a lofty target that only God Himself could reach. We were given The Word which became flesh and overcame this sinful world and lit up the Way to redemption and a return to The Source of Love. The Spirit comes that Mankind may have the power to overcome this sinful creation, creation ruled by entropy, that mankind may abide in the fullness of the Creator forever. Every Living thing has rules for living an optimum orderly life. When you break these rules of living you sin. But the reasons for the rules are not random "unfair" rules, they are orderly and through obedience to these Natural Laws you will not sin. Mankind was not created for the scenario you see around you today, this is the reaction of creation to Sin, or disorder. Therefore to understand why we believe what we do you must start with Rule Number One. Do Not Reject God's Word. In fact hold to his rules that you may live out your life in peace. That is the task and purpose of life, to return your life to Order for eternity. Now, when you look at Moses Law you will see a program that causes the body and spirit of a man to live orderly, as intended. Now, when you look at Yeshua's commands you will see the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit on how to apply God's Knowledge of intended living and now cleansed of sin you receive the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT to overcome temptation. Notice that Yeshua said He was the Way, that we walk A Path, we do not and never were intended to walk in his exact footsteps, he gave us leeway to move right and left within the confines of The Path of optimal living. All this Knowledge ONLY made available THROUGH the Holy Spirit, which Who can only be received by the cleansing of sin, which is made possible by accepting the Sacrifice of The Word who became flesh and fulfilled the Law of Life, was sacrificed and resurrected and in BELIEVING in Him who cleanses us from sin, we are cleansed and are made WORTHY to house the Spirit of God that we may receive POWER to overcome this world!! We are free from the LAW because we are no longer UNDER it, we are ABOVE it! BUT as Paul states, Do not use this forgiveness of sin as a means to do evil, for you will GRIEVE the SPIRIT, and you will slowly lose your JOY. I hope you can see the simplicity of our faith. May God bless you.
×
×
  • Create New...