Group items tagged

I wonder, assuming this is true, might what psycology calls our subconscious be the residence of Christian flesh. However, I believe the existence of a 'subconscious' is, like 'evolution', a thesis that is usually stated as a fact and truth but no one can prove. Neither is a scientific theory and are certainly not proven theorems because they are not replicable through experimentation.

There is no command that we fast in either the Old or New Covenant that I can find. Verse 16 for me is a suggestion not a command. If I'm correct, why do Christian pulpiteers and writers talk about Jesus' quote here like, as this writer says, it should be taken as "an assumption" that Jesus Followers for all time should fast? Why not just consider it what it was? In context, I suggest that Jesus was teaching about an appropriate attitude to take in our relationship with God and our worship of Him. To do so, Jesus used illustrations about how to fast a worship activity practised by the Jews of his day and Old Covenant characters with whom they were familiar. His illustrations were made to a group of religious Jews when He was teaching them on a hillside by using inappropriate fasting practises which some of them followed that He and everyone else present probably observed regularly. Likewise, because Holy Spirit "drove" Jesus into the wilderness without food or water for 40 days for reasons unique to Jesus' ministry, why is it often taught that we must imitate that one time happening, as far as we know, in our Masters life? Undoubtedly, fasting can be healthy for some when properly practised. It may also have positive spiritual implications when done for reasons God leads the faster about. But, much of the super-spiritual things taught about fasting for spiritual reasons do not seem to have any real Biblical support. It is Holy Spirit Who "shapes us into spiritual people" using his lovingly slow process of sanctification ...as it says in Romans 8:29-30 at http://diigo.com/0lc07 ... not our disciplined, hard work by depriving ourselves to train our subconscious as Rob Mol says in this article. Undoubtedly, fasting can be healthy for some when properly practised. It may also have positive spiritual implications when done for reasons God leads the faster about. But, much of the super-spiritual things taught about fasting for spiritual reasons do not seem to ha

Christian: Jesus' (Yeshua's) Great Commission contains a confusing translation. Matthew 28:18-20 is what many Christians call Jesus' "Great Commission". It is the last command your Saviour and Lord left with you if you are His. The Great Commission is NOT a command to convert others NOR for professionals only. It simply says that Jesus Followers must share Jesus' love in their own way as they are led by Holy Spirit to let Him do the R-E-A-L work (Relational-Engaging-Authentic-Loving & Life-giving) ...as Jesus lives His life out through His Followers. You'll discover that the poor translation, as others would call it is explained in my Note on Verse 19. It has led many into believing something that Jesus (Yeshua) NEVER said. This mistranslation, I believe, has negativity impacted the sharing of His love with Jesus Followers' neighbours.

Jesus is the ONLY One who builds His Kingdom here on earth as He says here. A Jesus Follower does NOT convert ...anyone. Jesus, in the person of Holy Spirit living in you, will draw to Himself those He brings across your path that He wants to save as He makes clear in John 15: 5 at http://diigo.com/0jv2h . And if what you are doing seems like hard work, stop, because you're probably doing something wrong, e.g., not prayed for the person by name sufficiently, invested quality time in the person, nor built enough trust ...or you have the wrong heart about sharing Jesus.

Jesus Followers are not to convert others! We are to let Jesus do it by living His life out through us as we invest time in others and share His love with them. A Jesus Follower's real role is to be "a discipler"! A discipler acts like a farmer. S(he) simply plants, waters, weeds and, then, collects the harvest given to them by Holy Spirit. But instead of sticking your crop in a barn or building, a holding tank most Christians call "the church" and turning them over to paid professionals, Jesus says clearly that you are to help your disciple grow. You are to be a support to Holy Spirit Who is "the Sanctifier" of every disciple that He allows you to protect and assist until they reasonably mature and "grow out" into the world. Plus, you are commanded to do so until you have assisted your disciple to be ready to reproduce him/herself by "mirroring" Jesus to another and reproducing themselves by letting Jesus live is life out through them ...as you modeled for them and taught them to do. This simple process God designed as His "Plan 'A'" to be a constantly repeating one that each Jesus Follower performs as s(he0 is going along where God has planted them at that time ...until Jesus returns or takes them home. It's called "spiritual multiplication". And Jesus has NO "Plan B'"! And yes, with prayerful practise, you can work with more than one Disciple at a time.

"Contentment Brings Peace" Philippians 4:11-13 in the Christian New Covenant (Testament) of our Bible explains why the above is true. GaryFPatton (gfp '42™ 2012-07-24)

The Apostle (sent-out-one) Paul, the writer here, wasn't kidding when he used the phrase "whatever the circumstances". He was no ordinary stay-at-home, pulpit preacher. In 2 Corinthians 11:22-30, Paul advised his correspondents that he had been imprisoned often, repeatedly flogged with 40 lashes and beaten with rods, stoned 'till almost dead. He was constantly on the move ...being shipwrecked thrice in the open sea for some time before being rescued. He confirmed that he was in danger everywhere he went from rivers, the sea, bandits, fellow Jews as well as non-Jews and cultural Christians. He labored and toiled physically to survive and often went hungry, thirsty, sleepless and starved often going cold and naked. He was exposed to death again and again! So, we can trust what he says as being based in harsh circumstances and experience.

Regrettably to trust God "no matter what" He allows come our way is a lesson few Christians R-E-A-Lly learn. That's sad because it is truly Relational-Engaging-Authentic-Loving/Life-giving. Contentment IS so because in 1 Corinthians 10:13, the "words of God" make clear that nothing can touch a Jesus Follower without it first having having passed through our heavenly Father's loving fingers. There also it says that, when He does allow something hard to come our way, He promises to lead us through it.

When "speaking up" is regarding sin and/or wrongs in society when you are speaking to or writing politicians and others in authority, our enemy provokes F-E-A-R™. It is designed to keep us from being all Jesus plans for us as He God promises in Ephesians 2:8-10 (http://diigo.com/0n20e) ...for the moment. F-E-A-R™ is False-Evidence-Appearing-Real™. It is F-A-L-S-E™ because it also is Fear-inducing-Authoritarian-Legalistic-Sadistic-Enervating™ and not of God for those in King Jesus. Because of the promise of these Verses I believe most fear, which is not immediately either physically, emotionally or spiritually existential, is usually F-E-A-R. It and it's counter-F-E-A-R™ (Face Everything and Recover, in Jesus™) are what I coach Christians because God is a Promise Keeper re our NOT having to fear when stay dead and are walking in Him as the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 2:20 at http://diigo.com/0jggi . A true Jesus Follower's ability to be able to counter and thrive appropriately when F-E-A-R™ attacks is promised to every Jesus Follower repeatedly in the Bible including in Philippians 4:11-13 at http://is.gd/Zshro0 and in Proverbs 19:23 at http://is.gd/OfMz1s. So Christian: "Just trust God and speak up when yo feel led!"

The ONE GOD of the Old Covenant (Testament) and the Father of the Son of God, Jesus (Yeshua) of the New Covenant are clearly stated in this passage to be the same ONE GOD. Verse 20 is contradicts the mistaken claims of Islam and Muslim jurisprudents and scholars. Muslims proclaim that their deity, Allah, is One God, as do Christians and Jews. But Allah, for many reasons, is NOT the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Yeshua (Jesus) that Christians and Jews worship as the ONE and ONLY God.

1 Corinthians 2:14, in context below, explains why some unbelievers remain in denial about the truth about Jesus and resist the Gospel. Some BibleGateway Resources listed below, except for Matthew Henry, don't even mention the evangelistic application of this passage, i.e., Asbury Commentary. Might this be because "the natural/carnal man" is considered by many scholars, unBiblically I believe, to be a two-natured Christian? This is not what Bill Gillham believes the Bible says as he shares in his powerful article on this issue ( http://diigo.com/0j8w4 ). gfp (2012-02-19)

The Scripture that buids on this concept, which is NOT mentioned in the helpful cross-references below is 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Between them, this verse and that powerfully reinforce the truth of John 15:5 ( http://diigo.com/0jv2h ).

We have Messiah's mind provided we ask for wisdom and, then, listen. (James 1:5-8) Holy Spirit will tell us when and how to best approach another with the Gospel. As Matthew Henry shares about verse 13 above: "The Spirit of God knows much better how to speak of the things of God than the best critics, orators, or philosophers."

Interestingly, "conventional wisdom" when Israel was ruled by Kings thousands of years ago, said the same in lieu of trusting in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Every time they did, the leaders got into trouble and were over-rn by a foreign nation ...except by God's grace.

Yeshua/ Jesus came to earth and ministered (served) here for about 30 years as the God-Man...fully God and fully man as Philippians 2:5-10 at http://diigo.com/0m1ll describes. This passage also proclaims that He came to pay by his death the full penalty required by Yeshua's heavenly Father for our "sin nature" and sins. Later, In John 14:15-21 at http://diigo.com/0m1lw, Yeshua tells His gathered Followers that after He is resurrected from the grave and thereby proving His Father's acceptance of Yeshua's sacrifice, God would send "another personality of Himself", called Holy Spirit. It is only in the New Covenant, that Yahweh discloses that He, the One God of the Old Covenant Schema, is the "Three Personalities in One God" of the 'Trinity". Together, these three unique personalities of the God-head, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are the Old Covenant YHWH. YHWH is the Old Covenant unpronounceable and unwritable in full name of the Hebrew God. Christians have transliterated YHWH to Yahweh or Jehovah by supplying assumed missing vowels. But scholars cannot be sure. How a God-man existed and died is a mystery Yeshua's/Jesus' Followers cannot explain. We accept them as outlined in the New Covenant on faith because they are confirmed by the power of Holy Spirit working in us and through us. YHWH/Trinity are NOT and cannot be the Muslim Allah. Nor is Yeshua/Jesus the 'Isa' of the Muslim 'Quor'an' because Allah is not YHWH, Yeshua's heavenly Father or 'Abba' ('Daddy'). Islam includes no concept of their deity as 'Father', let alone familiar, Daddy!