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Gary Patton

The Great Commission is For ALL Believers - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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matthew jesus Great Commission scripture gospel evangelism

shared by Gary Patton on 11 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Matthew 28:18-20
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 04 Aug 12
       
      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.
  • All authority has been given to Me
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 04 Aug 12
       
      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.
  • make disciples
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 04 Aug 12
       
      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.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • o therefore
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 04 Aug 12
       
      While the common, traditional translation of the King James Version (KJV) of the Christian Bible, plus many more modern translations uses the word, there is NO action verb "go" in verse 19 in the original Greek. The NASB alternate translation at (a) below is a better and more accurate rendering of the Greek. But, it still can be misunderstood to mean "Go over there" somewhere. For even better and more accurate clarity, I prefer: "As you are going along, make disciples ..." This rendering is best because it makes clearest that the Great Commission is the calling and commanded mandate of every person who has Holy Spirit living in them ...NOT just paid, professional preachers, pastors and evangelists... as too many Christians believe. For further documentation of the impact of the poor translation, here is what another Greek expert says: * "The sole imperative and central activity in the Great Commission as recorded in Matthew 28 is to " Make Disciples." "Go," could be translated " going" or "as you go," but takes any imperatival force it may have from the main verb. * "Baptizing" and "teaching" are also participles-not "decisions" or "converts" or "believers" or "acceptors," but "disciples." It goes without saying that the decision-making, conversion, belief, and acceptance are all involved, but the objective of the Great Commission is that we Make Disciples (followers, adherents, learners, and students) of the Lord Jesus. * Hesselgrave, David J., "Scripture and strategy: The Use of the Bible in Postmodern Church and Mission", Pages 106-07 John A. Finton makes a powerful case in his article at http://diigo.com/0qqdf for a poor translation in Matthew 28:19. Because of my evangelism experience, I believe this inappropriate translation has incorrectly preconditioned many English-speaking members of the Body of Christ since at least the publishing of the KJV.
  • Gary Patton on 11 Jan 12
     
    Matthew 28:18-20 is what many Christians call Jesus' "Great Commission". It's 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 says just share Jesus' love in your own way as led and let Holy Spirit do the R-E-A-L work (Relational-Engaging-Authentic-Loving & Life-giving) ...as Jesus lives His life out through you. gfp (2011-09-18)
Gary Patton

"The Gospel" (Good News) of the REAL Yeshua (Jesus) ...Not the Isa of the Qur'an - Bibl... - 0 views

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Jesus matthew Sermon scripture gospel evangelism

shared by Gary Patton on 22 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Blessed are the [c]poor in spirit, for (E)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.    4 “Blessed are (F)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.    5 “Blessed are (G)the [d]gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.    6 “Blessed are (H)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.    7 “Blessed are (I)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.    8 “Blessed are (J)the pure in heart, for (K)they shall see God.    9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for (L)they shall be called sons of God.    10 “Blessed are those who have been (M)persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for (N)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.    11 “Blessed are you when people (O)insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
  • Matthew 5:1-11
  • When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on (B)the [a]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 (C)He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying
  • Gary Patton on 22 Dec 11
     
    In His "Sermon on the Mount", quoted in Matthew 5:1-11 from God's "New Covenant" with those who would Follow Him, Yeshua (Jesus/ Isa), the First Century Palestinian, shares with His first Disciples (Learners) what has become know since antiquity as His "Sermon on the Mount" and "The Beatitudes". Yeshua's public talks always were directed primarily at His then and future Followers. Only secondarily did He intend them for the thousands of people often listening. (Huge crows followed him because of His popularity as a Rabbi (Teacher) and the power of what He said. People at the time and since say his talks were unlike anyone had come to them before Him. (Matthew 7:28) No one who has come after him has come close to his power and influence ...including Muhammad, Islam's principal Prophet. This will be attested to by anyone who reads these to men actually said in both the Gospels and the Qur'an. For His Followers, Jesus' words are a road map for their post-salvation lives as born-again people. What they meant to the crows you can discover in my Sticky note below. gfp (2011-10-24)
Gary Patton

True Jesus Followers Are ' Walking Dead Wo(men)'" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture scripture interpretation spiritual growth jesus death

shared by Gary Patton on 25 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • Matthew 16:20-25
  • Matthew 16:20-25
  • Matthew 16:20-25
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 25 Sep 13
       
      In Matthew 16:20-25, Jesus again confirms that the ONLY we we committed can follow Him is as a a " Walking Dead Wo(man)" through our own crucifixion with Him. He says the same thing in other ways in John 12:24 at https://diigo.com/014z8s and John 15:5 at http://diigo.com/0jv2h . Jesus' Apostle (sent out one), Paul, makes clear his permanent status as a Walking Dead Man in Galatians 2:20. GaryFPatton (2013-09-25 © gfp '42™)
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 25 Sep 13
       
      If this isn't a description by Jesus, "God, The One & Only" of an executed "Walking Deat Wo(man), I don't know what is!
  • Gary Patton on 25 Sep 13
     
    In Matthew 16:20-25, Jesus again confirms that the ONLY we we can follow Him is as a a " Walking Dead Wo(man)" through our own crucifixion with Him. He says the same thing in other ways in John 12:24 and 15:5. Jesus' Apostle (sent out one), Paul, makes clear his permanent status as a Walking Dead Man in Galatians 2:20. GaryFPatton (2013-09-25
Gary Patton

"The Story of Jesus' True Death and Resurrection for All of Humankind" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture matthew scripture interpretation scripture topics Jesus Yeshua Jesus Following faith

shared by Gary Patton on 08 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • And Jesus (A)cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
  • the [a]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and (D)the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the [b]saints who had (E)fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered (F)the holy city and appeared to many.
  • Gary Patton on 08 Oct 12
     
    "The Story of Jesus' True Death and Resurrection for All of Humankind" Matthew 27:50 to Matthew 28:7 in the Christian New Covenant (Testament) makes clear that Jesus, who was miraculously and supernaturally fully man of flesh and bones and yet fully a dimension of the One Almighty God, was crucified and His body but not His spirit, died on a torture instrument. It also explains how the living God Emmanuel, or God with us, was buried in a tomb along with the proofs of why no man could have, or did, steal our one and only Saviour's human body. Finally, ii clarifies how Jesus was later raised from His grave as the only God-man in a glorified body with nail marks in his hands and feet. Into those holes one of his first Followers put his fingers. He then fell to his knees as a Jew believing in One Gaod and exclaimed" "My Lord and my God!" (at http://is.gd/1wjS7f ). Why each of these facts are important are outlined in the further e-Sticky Notes on some individual versus below. Please understand that many of these facts are attested to outside the Bible by Jesus' contemporary, Josephus. He was a famous Jewish historian of Yeshua's (Jesus') co-coreligionists, the Jews. It's because of these facts that Jesus of Nazareth, described in the Christian Bible cannot be the Isa of the Qur'an. GaryFPatton (gfp '42™ 2012-10-08)
Gary Patton

"The R-E-A-L Gospel & Jesus...God's Saving Power Source" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture romans evangelism

shared by Gary Patton on 24 Nov 12 - No Cached
  • Romans 1:16
  • I am not ashamed of the gospel,(A) because it is the power of God(B) for the salvation of everyone who believes:(C) first for the Jew,(D) then for the Gentile.(E)
  • Romans 1:16
  • ...1 more annotation...
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 24 Nov 12
       
      The word "Gentile" is the English translation of the Hebrew word that means "non-Jew". It's the equivalent of "Infidel" to a Muslim. Gentile was a negative word for ancient Jews. Gentiles were nearly non-people as Nassara are to Muslims. (This is the Qur'an's derogatory term for Christian.)
  • Gary Patton on 24 Nov 12
     
    "The R-E-A-L Gospel & Authentic Jesus...God's Saving Power Source" To Muslims the Gospel is a long lost book. For Christians, it is what is described below. And the Jesus referred to here is NOT the Isa of the Qur'an! The 'Isa' of the Qur'an is the purely human, Jewish Prophet described there that pre-dated the Prophet Mohammad and he was a Muslim. (See Surahs 4:71; 5:116; 6:101; 19:35 & 88-89 & 23:88-92 among others in context ) Therefore, Isa cannot be the 'Yeshua/Jesus' of the Christian Bible's New Covenant ...Whom Christian believe is God Almighty, the YHWH of the Old Covenant. (John 10:28-30 at http://diigo.com/0ti6o and Thomas among others). says? When the Qur'an is properly read by Muslims in Arabic, not another language, the word used is Isa, not Jesus. Indeed, the revered Muslim historian Dr. Tarif Kalif (insert quote used by Tony Costa in debate) In addition: * The heavenly Father of Yeshua/Jesus is YHWH, the written name of the Jewish "One God", according to the Bible Book/Chapter/Verse(s): Mark 5:21-42). Isa is stated in the Qur'an to be a gift of Allah. (Qur'an Surah/Ayah(at): 47:19; 112:I Peter 4:8: "Say: He is Allah, the One and Only.") * Yeshua/Jesus was born to a virgin, Mariam, by means of an immaculate conception by God. (In Matthew I Peter 4:8:16, speaking of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, the verse says: "… the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ". Matthew does not say, "….and Joseph "the father of" (begat in some translations) Jesus" ...as he had done with the preceding generations. Matthew thus makes clear that Joseph was not the genetic father of Jesus. No man was.) Isa was "begat" by sexual intercourse between Joseph and Mariam. (Qur'an 23:91; 112:3: "He begs not, nor is He begotten" or, "God neither gave birth nor is born"). * Yeshua/Jesus said He was "Emmanuel" (God with us). He was orally proclaimed by His heavenly Father to be His Son. Isa was only a human Prophet (Qur'an 23:84-91 htt
Gary Patton

Fasting & Jesus Comment - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture scripture interpretation matthew fasting

shared by Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Matthew 6:16-18
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Is Matthew 6:16-18 and Jesus' comment on fasting His command to practise a "spiritual discipline" or a suggestion to religious Jews about their common practise? gfp (2012-04-07)
  • Whenever you fast
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      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 regulalrly. 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, such as in the Christianity Today article at http://diigo.com/0p9iv do not seem to have any real Biblical support, in my opinion.
  • Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
     
    Is Matthew 6:16-18 and Jesus' comment on fasting His command to practise a "spiritual discipline" or a suggestion to religious Jews about their common practise? gfp (2012-04-07)
Gary Patton

Was Jesus' Last Supper a Seder? - Biblical Archaeology Review - 0 views

www.bib-arch.org/...jesus-last-supper.asp

bible scripture interpretation Jesus judiasm christianity archaeology history

shared by Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12 - No Cached
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Why would two people, Matthew and Luke, who were the more consistent eye witnesses to the accounts that they report copy Mark? It makes no sense. Mark was a boy while Jesus walked Israel and did not travel about with Him. Mark also was not an original Disciple of Jesus and reported on most the events in his Gospel based on second hand information from the Disciples who did travel with jesus, one can assume. I feel the whole Mathew and Luke copied Mark plus Mark is based on some lost document called "Q" theory of many scholars is rooted in a desire by many to deny or ignore God's supernatural involvement in the documentation of His Son's incarnation and ignores the fact that Matthew and John were eye witnesses to all of what they wrote about. They had no need to copy but had their own perspective on what they heard and saw as do modern witnesses. Likewise, modern research indicates that the reports of most eye witnesses are highly unreliable. If God was not involved, one would have to question the accounts. If that one is not a Jesus Follower and without faith in the supernatural inerancy of the Biblical accounts of both the Old and New Covenants, that's another matter entirely.
  • Thus, in fact we don’t really have three independent sources here at all. What we have, rather, is one testimony (probably Mark), which was then copied twice (by Matthew and Luke).
  • Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Seder?
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      This April 2012 article in BAR analyzes the similarities between the Jewish Seder and what Christians call Jesus' "Last Supper" and the timing of the event based on archaeological evidence. gfp (2012-04-07)
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • the Gospels—with their hatred of the Jewish authorities
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      I wonder why the author construes an historical report of what the writer considered 'truth' and 'facts' as 'hatred'. The history of Christianity may be replete with antisemitism, especially some of the protestant Reformers of the Catholic Church, like Luther particulalrly. However, I feel the charge of hatred in the Gospel accounts of the Jewish involvement in the death of Jesus is an unfair one. The Roman authorities were jst as responsible for the crucifixion of Yeshua/Jesus. In fact the Bible seems to make clear that the sin nature and sins of every person who has ever or ever will live is the real reason for Jesus' death. We are ALL responsible ...not just the Jewish and Roman authorities!
  • John’s timing of events supports the Christian claim that Jesus himself was a sacrifice and that his death heralds a new redemption, just as the Passover offering recalls an old one. Even so, John’s claim that Jesus was killed just before Passover began is more plausible than the synoptics’ claim that Jesus was killed on Passover.
  • the Last Supper could not in fact have been a Passover Seder.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Christian historical tradition labels "The Last Supper" a Seder ... not Jesus. He is recorded to have simply called it the "last time He would eat this bread and drink this wine until ...". It was "the time for passover". That Jesus duplicated many Seder rituals seems to be clear from the Gospel accounts ...even if the timing was off. What's the big deal? The REALLY important thing about the Easter events is that Jesus died for humankind's sin nature and sins. Plus, the other big historical event is His resurrection from the grave as proof that God accepted Jesus' sacrifice on behalf of "all who will believe" in Him and what He did for us!
  • That Christians celebrated the Eucharist on a daily or weekly basis (see Acts 2:46–47) underscores the fact that it was not viewed exclusively in a Passover context (otherwise, it would have been performed, like the Passover meal, on an annual basis).
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Jesus called us to "do this", i.e., celebrate His sacrifice by eating together as a community of Believers in and Followers of Him. He did not call us to celebrate Passover an eternal commandment for Jews only. Jesus claimed that he had come to fulfill "all the [requirements of the] law and the prophets"!
  • Moreover, while the narrative in the synoptics situates the Last Supper during Passover, the fact remains that the only foods we are told the disciples ate are bread and wine—the basic elements of any formal Jewish meal.
  • “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant’” (Matthew 26:26–28=Mark 14:22; see also Luke 22:19–20). Is this not a striking parallel to the ways in which Jews celebrating the Seder interpret, for example, the bitter herbs eaten with the Passover sacrifice as representing the bitter life the Israelites experienced as slaves in Egypt?
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      I'd suggest it is more a replacement of, as I note above, rather than a parallel with a Seder!
  • For many Jews (especially non-Orthodox Jews), the process of development continues, and many modern editions of the Haggadah contain contemporary readings of one sort or another. Even many traditional Jews have, for instance, adapted the Haggadah so that mention can be made of the Holocaust.8
  • Almost everyone doing serious work on the early history of Passover traditions, including Joseph Tabory, Israel Yuval, Lawrence Hoffman, and the father-son team of Shmuel and Ze’ev Safrai, has rejected Finkelstein’s claims for the great antiquity of the bulk of the Passover Haggadah.
  • It’s not that rabbinic literature cannot be trusted to tell us about history in the first century of the Common Era. It’s that rabbinic literature—in the case of the Seder—does not even claim to be telling us how the Seder was performed before the destruction of the Temple.b
  • the Holy One, blessed be He
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Here may lie the roots of the similar Muslim practise regarding their reverance, not for God's holy name(s) but, for their human prophet Mohammud. Many Muslims are taught to rever their prophet at a level that approaches worship. The Judeo-Christian Bible reserves worship ONLY for Almighty God ...not the demonically inspired construct called Allah and certainly not a murderous Arab warrior from the 7th Century.
  • King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      As I wonder in the e-Sticky Note immediately above, here may lie the root of the similar Muslim practise regarding their reverance, not for God's holy name(s) but, for their human prophet Mohammud. Many Muslims are taught to rever their prophet at a level that approaches worship. The Judeo-Christian Bible reserves worship ONLY for Almighty God ...not the demonically inspired construct called Allah and certainly not a murderous Arab warrior from the 7th Century.
  • Might not Jesus be presenting a competing interpretation of these symbols? Possibly. But it really depends on when this Rabban Gamaliel lived. If he lived later than Jesus, then it would make no sense to view Jesus’ words as based on Rabban Gamaliel’s.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Most Jesus Followers would work from the premise that Yeshua's/Jesus' words during his last Supper on earth, 'till His return at the end of times, were inspired by God's Holy Spirit ...like all His other recorded comments in the Scriptures.
  • Virtually all scholars working today believe that the Haggadah tradition attributing the words quoted above to Gamaliel refers to the grandson, Rabban Gamaliel the Younger, who lived long after Jesus had died.14 One piece of evidence for this appears in the text quoted above, in which Rabban Gamaliel is said to have spoken of the time “when the Temple was still standing”—as if that time had already passed.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Like many scholars, including some Christian ones, statements like this one are often rooted in a disbelief of the supernatural plus a denial of the possibility that God gave Gamaliel, the Grandfather, a prophetic "word of knowledge"! Prophesy can place the words in the elder Gamaliel's mouth who did live at the time of Jesus who also prophesied the soon-coming (about 40 years later) destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
  • And presumably they would have engaged in conversation pertinent to the occasion. But we cannot know for sure.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      A Jesus Follower can know that s(he) knows by faith in the accuracy of our Scriptures. The Scriptures make clear, not 'presumably', that Jesus discussed His replacement of an Old Covenant commandment with a New Covenant. he explains clearly a NEW symbolism for the bread and wine as remembrances and tokens of His sacrificed body and blood on behalf of all who would believe ...NOT the Jews deliverance from Egypt but... all humankind's route to deliverance from the penalty of our sin nature and sins (Romans 3:23 & 6:23) through Him!
  • Having determined that the Last Supper was not a Seder and that it probably did not take place on Passover, I must try to account for why the synoptic Gospels portray the Last Supper as a Passover meal.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      The Last Supper being a Seder meal on the Day of Passover is NOT the key issue for a Jesus Follower as I mentioned in my e-Sticky Note above. The key on the cotrary is Who Jesus was as the God-man and what he was about to do for us on His cross on cavalry.
  • Another motive relates to a rather practical question: Within a few years after Jesus’ death, Christian communities (which at first consisted primarily of Jews) began to ask when, how and even whether they should celebrate or commemorate the Jewish Passover
  • The Quartodeciman custom of celebrating Easter beginning on the evening following the 14th day apparently began relatively early in Christian history and persisted at least into the fifth century C.E.
  • Early on, a number of Christians—Quartodecimans and others—felt that the appropriate way to mark the Jewish Passover was not with celebration, but with fasting.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Interestingly, no where, that I can find in the Old or New Covenants, does God command or even suggest that His people should fast. I have not extensively researched the issue but, I suspect I'll discover that, this propably is a Jewish ritual that was carried on by early Christians, i.e., another man-made tradition. There is the reference in Matthew 6:16-18 where Jesus says: "When you fast ...." This is NOT a command but simply, in context, an observational reference to a practise that was common among religious Jews ...the group to whom Jesus was speaking. I comment further on this issue in e-Sticky Note on the Matthew 6 Scripture at http://diigo.com/0piw0 and in the article on fasting from Christianity today at http://diigo.com/0p9iv .
  • Thus, until Jesus’ kingdom is fulfilled, Christians should not celebrate at all during Passove
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      here again, and depsite what Karl Kuhn says, the issue is not celebrating Passover, but Jesus' command to eat together as a group of his Followers whenever we can and "remember" him.
  • By calling the Last Supper a Passover meal, these Jewish-Christians were trying to limit Christian practice in three ways. Like the Passover sacrifice, the recollection of the Last Supper could only be celebrated in Jerusalem, at Passover time, and by Jews.c
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      This heresy didn't last very long. Some Messianic Jews still today follow Old Covenant feast and other practises that other Christians do not.
  • there are various reasons why the early church would have tried to “Passoverize” the Last Supper tradition.
  • This too is a Passoverization of the Jesus tradition, but it is one that contradicts the identification of the Last Supper with the Seder or Passover meal.
  • Surely the depiction of the Last Supper as a Passover observance could play a part in this larger effort of arguing that Jesus’ death echoes the Exodus from Egypt
  • a widely popular Paschal sermon, which could well be called a “Christian Haggadah,” reflecting at great length on the various connections between the Exodus story and the life of Jesus
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Typology as some call it i.e., seeing Old Covenant people, practises and places as 'types' or 'shadows' pointing to or representing Jesus is common in some Christian circles and with some teachers.
  • Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic custom of using unleavened wafers in the Mass is medieval in origin. The Orthodox churches preserve the earlier custom of using leavened bread.23 Is it not possible to see the switch from using leavened to unleavened bread as a “Passoverization” of sorts?
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      And regardless of leavened or unleavened bread or wafers, these kinds of issue are seen by many Jesus Followers as focusing on dead and deadly religious ritual, regalia and rules rather than on relationship, revelation and romance with a living God through Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah/Christ.
Gary Patton

Liberal Christian Scholarship ...Redaction Criticism, and Islam (Part 1) - 0 views

aomin.org/...index.php

christianity Islam christians muslims religion bible scripture scripture interpretation

shared by Gary Patton on 27 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Some Brief Thoughts Regarding Liberal Scholarship, Redaction Criticism, and Islam
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 27 Mar 12
       
      In this article, Dr. James White, of Alpha & Omega Ministries examines the dangers of "Redaction and Form Criticism" in Christian scholarship (sic) and the refusal by Muslim scholars to apply it to Islam while using it to attack Christians beliefs based on our Bible. gfp (2012-03-27)
  • the vast majority of those who embrace form and redaction criticism in all of its flavors and kinds do so out of tradition, not out of having examined the case set forth in defense of these methods.
  • I truly wondered why the Lord had closed all other doors and put me in that context, but, now I know) forced me to consider deeply why I could not in good conscience embrace the "status quo" of modern NT scholarship
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • I found, over and over again, the same kind of bald anti-supernaturalism at work, even amongst those who did not openly espouse such a view in their "religious life."
  • This kind of double-mindedness was epidemic in Christian theology then. It is still quite prevalent, but in the past decade more and more have shed the religious trappings and are seeking to be consistent, not even bothering with the religious garb any longer.
  • I would challenge (respectfully
  • saying the gospels were quite late, post AD 70, for example, I would ask why they would date them so late (and, as a result, deny the eyewitness authorship of, say, Matthew)
  • we would date them late because…of theories. Theories about how documents develop (in the natural world). Theories about how the early church developed (based upon, again, how such things happen in the natural world). And of course the big reason was…they had to have been written after AD 70 because, well, they couldn't have been written before otherwise they would contain…prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem! And we all know prophecy doesn't really exist, so there!
  • I only learned later in seminary and after graduation how confident scholarship had been in the past in giving even later dates, German scholarship, for example, having dated John as late as AD 175, only to have those dates thrown to the wind by manuscript discoveries.
  • the "consensus of scholarship," especially in a day when humanism and naturalistic materialism has become the religious dogma of the society, and of higher education, is not an option for the faithful follower of the teachings of Jesus the Messiah.
  • For years Shabir Ally had been making a presentation wherein he presents the "snowball" argument. It is a basic anti-gospel argument based upon a rather simplistic viewpoint of the origination of the gospels.
  • Shabir thinks there is an over-riding impetus on the part of both Matthew and Luke to "grow" Jesus, assuming, of course, an evolution in the development of Christology (another assumption that is just accepted, never proven). So, Matthew and Luke are looking for ways to "improve" on Jesus---which puts them in the category of deceivers, really, at the very least from an Islamic viewpoint
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 27 Mar 12
       
      Muslims who, like Imam Ally have a minimal knowldge of the New Covenat and wish to feign politness, can use this "improvement" approach. It prevents them from having to use the blunt English word change when attacking Scriptures validity. During the debate, I heard a Muslim and a Christian in the seats immediately behind me discussing the semantical difference between these words. The Christian suspected, as do I, that Imam Ally was accusing the Apostles Mathew and Luke of being "liars".
  • examples of where Matthew was "growing" Jesus
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 27 Mar 12
       
      "Growing" is Dr. White's word. Imam Ally never used it. Instead, he stated candidly that Mathew and Luke intentionally "deified" a human Prophet which Muslims say Yeshua only was because "Allah doesn't begat" (Qur'an 23:88-91).
  • Shabir did not know that Mark used the Greek term κύριος (kurios) when he was making his presentations before 2006, but he does now. But still, in our debate in Toronto, he argued that in fact this is still an example supportive of his thesis, no matter what his understanding had been before, for "lord of the house" is still different from "Lord." He likewise cited a scholar who, writing on the "synoptic problem," likewise mentions this "change."
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 27 Mar 12
       
      In other words, Imam Ally has found an obfuscating, so-called, Christian author to justify what he now knows is a 'lie" that he wishes to still feed to his ignorant Muslim audience, knowing that they will believe him over Dr. White.
  • let's talk about how this text could be seen in a very different fashion.
  • Let's admit something: We do not know when any of the gospels were written. They have no date stamps on them. If we examine the internal material of the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) without naturalistic biases, we would have to conclude they were written between 35 and about 65 AD (i.e., after the crucifixion but prior to the opening of hostilities leading to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in AD 70)
  • As Richard Bauckham has pointed out (and his role in our debate was most interesting, and again illustrated that I really do not believe Dr. Ally understands my point on this matter), the eyewitnesses to the events of the gospel continued in the church for many decades, forming a very important core element of the continuation of the gospel message.
  • The gospel story began to be proclaimed by the eyewitnesses and the first generation of believers immediately after Pentecost. It spread like wildfire, turning the world upside down. It spread both by zeal as well as by persecution. The oral tradition of the church was the context out of which the gospels themselves were written. The gospel writers were fully aware of that tradition. They were not seeking to supplant it, but to organize it and preserve it in yet another form.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 28 Mar 12
       
      During the debate, I could not understand why Dr. White kept referring to the "oral tradition" as he does here without once making the powerful point that the Gospel writers were the originators of the tradition as the disciples of Jesus. They were writing about their eye witness accounts ...not recounting an oral tradion circulated first by others.
  • This oral tradition, something shared by the entire community, is the source out of which they drew their narrative.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 27 Mar 12
       
      It is the source only to the extend that they, themselves, were the creaters of the so-called "oral tradition" as members of Jesus "inside group of disciples".
  • If we assume that Matthew and Mark are not liars, that they are not dishonest men, and that they are seeking to communicate a message faithfully, drawing from the tradition known to them, we conclude, upon examination of numerous texts such as the above, that
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 28 Mar 12
       
      Here Dr. White writes again like the Gospel accounts were repeated by the Apostles from what others said rather than them writing down the stories in which they, themselves, particiapted with Jesus. Dr. White's approach confuses me because, to me, it doesn't make the point regarding eye-witness testimony!
  • we can see that both are giving us perfectly proper renditions of the same incident and the same words, one in fuller form than the other, both seeking to communicate the same concept, though to two different audiences.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 28 Mar 12
       
      Police and lawyer studies confirm this type of variiance is common between eye witness accounts when an event is seem from different perspectives through the experiences and mindset of unique people. I'm unclear why Dr. white doesn't state this fact which reinforces his hypothesis about Scripture's timeline and seeming contradictions.
Gary Patton

Jesus' Peace-Making Commands of Non-Violence - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage

Matthew peace-making scripture confrontation evangelism

shared by Gary Patton on 21 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • a garment worn next to the body
  • But I say to you, (H)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
  • But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but (C)whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Matthew 5:38-45
  • sons of your Father who is in heaven
  • Matthew 5:38-45
  • Gary Patton on 21 Dec 11
     
    In His "Sermon on the Mount", quoted below, in Matthew 5:38-45 from His "New Covenant" with those who would Follow Him, Jesus (Yeshua/Isa) outlines how He would have us make peace not war! gfp (2011-10-24)
Gary Patton

Jesus Warns Great Evil Exists Around Us & Tells Us What To Do - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture matthew Islam islamism islamization evangelism jihadism jihad

shared by Gary Patton on 28 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • beware of men, for they will hand you over to the (G)courts
  • as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles
  • do not worry
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and (M)children will rise up against parents and [b]cause them to be put to death
  • I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so [a]be (E)shrewd as serpents and (F)innocent as doves.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 17 May 12
       
      Jesus Followers are commanded here to exercise discernment and wisdom, in the context of our Master's over-arching command to demonstrate and exercise gentle, peaceable love, while relating to family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues throughout our daily lives. We must love others regardless of what they do or say as noted in John 13:34-35 at http://diigo.com/0l8po . This is especially true when dealing with those of other faiths and sharing Jesus' Gospel because we are His ambassadors here on planet earth. We must NEVER forget that we live in a foreign Kingdom under the influence of Satan who hates everybody, especially Jesus Followers. Jesus' command and why He shares it here is important to remember, every day, in view of the aggressive and widespread advance of radical, violent Islam throughout the world and the current Islamization of Canada and the dangers here of Islamism that Prime Minister Harper warned about in his Sept. 9, 2011 interview on CBC TV at http://diigo.com/0koug . Abroad also, Christians worldwide are currently experiencing organized and Government-sponsored or, at least, unopposed genocide in most Muslim-dominated countries. Christians are persecuted heavily by Hindus in some countries, like India, as well. For more information to pray and give effectively to support persecuted brothers and Sisters I recommend http://www.BaranabasAid.org as a trust-worthy organization. They specialize in helping the persecuted church. Jesus' warning takes on a powerful and troublesome other dimension in the modern world. Many Christians do NOT appreciate it because they forget the companion warning to this one that our God left for Jesus Followers. Holy Spirit inspired Jude to caution the Body of Christ (Messiah) about rwhat he and other Bible writers called "false teachers" at http://diigo.com/0neqs . Anti-Christ, false teachers often were, Jude warns, in the pulpits and pews of some First Century gatherings ('churches' in mistranslated Greek in
  • Matthew 10:15-21
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 17 May 12
       
      Christian: Great Evil Lurks Around You ...Know What To Do? In Matthew 10:16-18 of the God's New Covenant, Jesus (Yeshua) warns His first plus His present day Followers that the world is filled with demonically-inspired evil and evil people. And this situation may be even worse in our modern world for many reason including the greater nearness of the end-of-days and Satan's desperation to keep as many as possible separated from Father God. Overt persecution is a current, ever-present experience in Canada for Christians ...especially active Jesus Followers. This is also true in the U.S. The Lord shares here how Jesus Followers should behave in dealing with others in the cruel and hostile environment in which they must live and work as ambassadors of God's loving Kingdom that will come in its fullness some day ...sooner than many Christians believe. We are to do so, however, in the context of Jesus' over-arching command to love others. gfp (2011-11-02+)
  • Matthew 10:15-21
  • Gary Patton on 28 Feb 12
     
    Jesus warns His Followers how to deal with others and to be wary in the world. We are to do so, however, in the context of Jesus' over-arching command to love others ...regardless of what they do or say. gfp (2012-02-28) 2012-02-28
Gary Patton

Jesus' "Golden Rule" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture scripture interpretation matthew gospel

shared by Gary Patton on 11 May 12 - Cached
  • Matthew 7:12
  • So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,(A) for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
  • Gary Patton on 11 May 12
     
    Matthew 7:12 is called by some Jesus' "Golden Rule". It is complemented, some would say inherent in what I call His "Platinum Rule" which you'll find in John 13:34-35 at .
Gary Patton

Trouble, Jesus' Warning about- Bible Gateway - 0 views

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matthew sheep wolves trouble scripture persecution joy hope

shared by Gary Patton on 16 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 16 Feb 12
     
    In Matthew 10:16 of The Contemporary English Version of the God's New Covenant, Yeshua (Jesus) warns present time Jesus Followers that the world hasn't changed since their Master's day. The Lord shares here how God's people should behave in dealing with others in the cruel and hostile environment in which they must live and work as ambassadors of God's loving Kingdom that will come in its fullness some day soon. gfp (2011-11-02)
Gary Patton

Matthew 6:25-34 NASB - The Cure for Anxiety - "For this - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible Scripture scripture interpretation Jesus christianity matthew anxiety

shared by Gary Patton on 01 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • So do not (M)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [i]care for itself. [j]Each day has enough trouble of its own
  • Gary Patton on 01 Jun 12
     
    Matthew 6:25-34 is Jesus' clear and unequivocal promise to provide to His first, and all subsequent, Followers EVERY THING of EVERY SORT that they would need to empower their followership of Him ...without frenzy, fear or workaholism while in this life. gfp (2012-05-01)
Gary Patton

The Visit of the Magi - Now after Jesus - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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scripture bible matthew Yeshua Jesus Christmas lukem

shared by Gary Patton on 01 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Matthew 2:1-12
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 01 Jan 12
       
      This passage expands on the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1-20 at http://diigo.com/0m5rh.
  • Gary Patton on 01 Jan 12
     
    Matthew 2:1-12 in the NASB expands on the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1-20 at http://diigo.com/0m5rh. It adds the event of the visit of the "Magi" or "Wisemen" from the far East to worship Yeshua/Jesus some time after His birth. This was probably in Nazareth before Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt to protect the child. This part of the story follows immediately after verse 12 in this passage.
Gary Patton

Jesus Models Appropriate Condemnation - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage

matthew peace-making scripture confrontation discipline

shared by Gary Patton on 04 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 04 Aug 12
     
    Jesus Models Appropriate Condemnation In Matthew 23:23-33 of His New Covenant Bible, Yeshua (Jesus) models how His Followers should speak out against those who would harm or lead astray others. gfp (2011-10-27)
Gary Patton

Trouble Lies Ahead - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage

bible scripture matthew sheep wolves trouble persecution joy hope

shared by Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Matthew 10:16-18
  • be (B)shrewd as serpents and (C)innocent as doves
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12
       
      This warning takes on a powerful and different dimension that many Christians do NOT appreciate because they forget the companion warning that Haoly Spirit insired Jude to caution the Body of Messiah about re false teachers. They are Jude warns in the pulpits and pews of some churches, still today.
  • beware of men, for they will hand you over to the (D)courts and scourge you (E)in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • the Gentiles
  • Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12
     
    In Matthew 10:16-18 of the New American Standard Bible Version of the God's New Covenant, Yeshua (Jesus) warns his first and present day Jesus Followers that the world hasn't changed since their Master's day. The Lord shares here how God's people should behave in dealing with others in the cruel and hostile environment in which they must live and work as ambassadors of God's loving Kingdom that will come in its fullness some day ...sooner than many Christians believe. gfp (2011-11-02)
Gary Patton

Jesus IS the Son of God & Building His 'Gathering' - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture matthew Jesus evangelism

shared by Gary Patton on 14 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • Matthew 16:15-18
  • He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
  • “You are [a](A)the Christ, (B)the Son of (C)the living God.”
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • I will build My church; and the gates of (G)Hades will not overpower it
  • Gary Patton on 14 Jun 12
     
    Jesus IS the Son of God & Building His 'Gathering' In Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus asks the most important question that every person must answer because of it's eternal ramifications. gfp (2012-06-14)
Gary Patton

Shine & Sting in the World - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture mstth matthew christianity evangelism theology Jesus

shared by Gary Patton on 17 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • “You are the salt of the earth.
  • “You are the light of the world
  • let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Matthew 5:13-16
  • Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house
Gary Patton

Jesus Followers Needn't Worry - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible scripture scripture interpretation matthew lifestyle

shared by Gary Patton on 01 May 12 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 01 May 12
     
    Matthew 6:25-34 is Jesus' clear and unequivocal promise to provide everything his first and all subsequent Followers EVERY THING of EVERY SORT that they need to empower their followership of Him without frenzy, fear or workaholism while in this life. So relax Christian and let Jesus live His life out from within you as you are going along (Galatians 2:20 at )! gfp (2012-05-01)
Gary Patton

Christian: You Gotta Make a Choice ...Jesus or Money - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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bible Scripture scripture interpretation matthew Jesus christianity evangelism

shared by Gary Patton on 01 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • No one can serve two masters
  • Matthew 6:24-34
  • For this reason I say to you, [b]do not be (D)worried about your [c]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • But [g]seek first [h]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (N)all these things will be [i]added to you.
  • do not (O)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [j]care for itself. [k]Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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