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"Wage Peace ...Not War" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage Bible romans peace-making war violence scripture peace
shared by Gary Patton on 01 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • give preference to one another
  • Bless those who persecute [d]you; bless and do not curse
  • do not be haughty in mind,
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.
  • BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 01 Dec 11
       
      Placing Burning Coals on Another's Head Paul, quoted from Proverbs 25:21-23 here to make a crucial point for his First Century readers and Jesus Followers today. He did so to demonstrate that our heavenly Father does not overlook fairness and justice although He substituted New Covenant 'grace' for Old Covenant 'law' when He sent Jesus to die for us as outlined in His New Covenant. (You can read about Jesus' crucifixion in Matthew 27:27 to Mathew 28:20 at . Proverbs 25:21 at confuses some people because its Jewish cultural context is not clear from its words. A "burning coal" was essential in Biblical Palestine each morning so Jewish families could re-light their cooking fire for the day after it died out during the night. In each Jewish village, one man carried a pot of coals from home to home to assist the homemaker who needed one. "Burning coals" are blessings not torture instruments in this Proverb as some think. "The head", in Jewish culture was the place on another's body where one anointed them with precious perfumes and oils as a extension of an oral blessing on them. (gfp 2011-10-24)
  • Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
  • Never take your own revenge, beloved, but [g]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “(T)VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.
  • If possible, (Q)so far as it depends on you, (R)be at peace with all men.
  • Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
  • For (Y)rulers are not a cause of fear for [k]good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an (Z)avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
  • Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for (AE)he who loves [l]his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
  • YOU SHALL NOT MURDER
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 29 May 12
       
      Please Jesus Follower, do not mistake the Old Covenant commandment to "not murder" as permitting, as some unBiblically teach,: * so-called "just wars", plus * participation as a gun-carrying police person, or * participation as a politician who can vote on declaring war or laws sentencing a person to death for a crime. Jesus' clear, unequivocal call is to be a non-violent person who wages peace on his behalf ...not war... because Jesus came to "fulfill the [Old Covenant] Law'". Our commanded peace-making lifestyle is clear in this passage of Scripture plus Jesus' many commands to His Followers to live a life of non-violent behaviour in every way that I mention below. "Peace is not something you wish for. It's something you [first receive, then something you] make, something you do, something you are and something you give away." ~ Robert Fulghum (1937- ) U.S. author http://diigo.com/0kmml As Mr. Fulghum writes above, Jesus calls us to be non-violent peace-makers throughout His New Covenant with us! e.g.: * Matthew 5:9, the reward for peace-making at http://diigo.com/0kmjn; * His commanded peace-making approach in Matthew 5:38-45 at http://diigo.com/0kmlr and * God's condemnation of violence including war in Romans 12:10-13:9 at http://diigo.com/0kmml. Jesus has no concept of a so-called "just war" Jesus Follower please do not feel that because the State is authorized to use violence to protect society that you are permitted to: * participate in making, as a politician, or upholding, as a gun-carrying justice officer, a State's laws that contain a death penalty, or * voting as a politician or a citizen for your country to participate in a so-called "just war", or fighting in a war as a weapon-carrying soldier. You are not according to Jesus' clear calls to a non-violent life. How do I obey the law you might ask? Simple, I suggest! You will never be "forced" in a democracy to run for an elected office in "the world", as distict from "Jesus'
  • Romans 12:10-13:9
  • You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
  • Gary Patton on 01 Dec 11
     
    In Romans 12:10-13:9 in the pre-Jesus (Yeshua) New Covenant, Jesus' Apostle (Sent-Out-One), Paul, makes clear there are no "Just Wars" as far as Jesus Followers are to be concerned. Jesus Followers are called by our Lord and Saviour to wage peace ...not war. We are commanded to be non-violent radicals not passive pew-sitters. To be Gentlewo(men) Warriors not D.O.O.R.M.A.T.s (members of the "Dependent Order Of Really Miserable And Timid Souls"). You may ask me for my article about ""Real Warriors Are Humble & Meek" if the link doesn't work for you. Paul also includes an interesting Old Covenant Proverb in Verse 20 from Proverbs 25:21-23 the cultural context of which might fool you into thinking something it doesn't mean. To better understand what the Apostle meant, don't miss my Sticky Note on Verse 20. gfp (2011-10-24)
  • Gary Patton on 01 Dec 11
     
    So you think there are just wars, eh? Check this out! gfp
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"Islam, How it works" - 0 views

gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/...how-does-islam-work.html jihad jihadism sharia islamism Islam
shared by Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • It is a comprehensive system regulating all areas of life. There is no separation between religion here, politics there, law there — therefore none between Islam and Islamism, either. Islamism is not an abuse of Islam, because Islam is different from our worldview.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      Many Muslims don't like the terms 'Islamism' and 'Islamist'. They say the former confuses a political ideology with a religion and, the latter confuses a moderate Muslim with a violent Jihadist. This expert argues there is NO need to make a distinction because there is none needed because they all mean the same the same! Oh my! Are Westerners being 'conned' by liberal, politically-correct media terminology when they use Islam/Islamism distinction? Is it really Muslim taqiyya (dissimulation)? gfp (2011-10-27)
  • the Islamic norms and values system regulates the living together in Muslim societies far beyond the religious realm in the narrow sense of the word: without Islam they could not work at all.
  • you needn’t be an Islamic scientist to analyze the sociology of Islam.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      One may not need to be an Islamic scientist. But, given the danger of western cultural biases that the author mentions below (highligted in red), westerners may NOT understand Islam and the Islamic mind. A further danger is that violent Jihadists use taqiyya (dissimulation) to launch and perpetuate proganda lies. gfp (2011-10-27)
  • ...22 more annotations...
  • the role of religion in the social fabric of Islamic societies is quite different from that of Christianity in ours. Islam does not only relate humans to the hereafter, like all religions do, and determine what is good and evil, but it also defines what is legal or illegal in a juridical sense, legitimate and illegitimate in a political sense, true and untrue in an empirical sense. Islam is, so to speak, the DNA of its societies: not only a religion but a social system.
  • Religions shapes the system of culturally valid and (by socialization) internalized pre-assumptions about issues such as truth, justice, morality, ethics, society, or violence; i.e. all the assumptions that precede actual political thinking.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      This a dangerous key to Westerners' failure to understand Islam & what we, not Muslims, have labeled Islamism. Islamism is distinguished in the West from Islam as a political ideology. Islam, itself, is a political ideology. gfp (2011-10-27)
  • these assumptions are not just shared in Islam
  • We use a certain terminology fit for describing our own culture, but not fit for that of Islam.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      This is very wise observation. Given this crucial point, the imporatnt question that arises is how do non-Muslims guard against the trap of cultural misalignment mistakes. I believe only Jesus Followers are eqipped to do this consistently and well because the power of Holy Spirit is available to us when we choose to walk in it and Him! (Galatians 5:16 &25) gfp
  • the widespread assumption in this country under which we perceive Islam — that all religions are equal or “want the same thing” — is misleading.
  • Islam does not generally outlaw violence, not even in a strictly moral sense.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      This is a demonic opposite of Jesus' commands to His Followers to be non-violent and wage peace ...not war. e.g. Matthew 5:38-45 However, when dealing with criminality, violent Muslim jihadism or other activities by which people can be harmed, Jesus did not tell us to hold our peace and be passive D.O.O.R.M.A.T.S. (Dependent Order Of Really Miserable And Timid Souls). e.g. Matthew 23:23-33
  • Blaise Pascal once said. “Jesus let himself be killed, Muhammad himself killed”.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      With even more contarst, I'd suggest: "Jesus teaches His Followers to wage peace and allowed Himself to be murdered; Muhammad teaches his followers to wage war and himself murdered others!" ~ gfp '42™
  • Violence in Islam has a structuring function: it makes a difference between above and below, i.e. master and slave, men and women, believers and unbelievers. Islam doesn’t define peace as a universal principle.
  • The Islamic concept of society is based on the division of humanity into “believers” and “infidels” — and Islam leaves no doubt that the “infidels” sooner or later have to disappear in history. “Good” in the ethical sense, is what is good for the spread of Islam; “evil” is any opposition to it
  • No, “Islam” means, in friendly translation, “devotion” and less friendly, “submission”. The word is derived from the same word-root as “Salam” (peace), but it is not a synonym.
  • it creates a tacit social acceptance of violence, provided it is directed against the “infidels”, even among those Muslims who are not individually violent.
  • Jihad is not just war. It includes anything Muslims do to bring the world under the law of Allah.
  • Therefore, I conceive Islam as a Jihad System.
  • the Koran refers in the latest, the Medinan suras — which are in any doubt, the decisive — relatively little to the “greater” jihad, the struggle for one’s own faith, compared with the struggle against the “infidels”, the so-called “lesser” jihad which is crucial in these suras.
  • Islam rejects the notion of a universal ethics by which all people have equal rights, no matter what religion they belong to, or peace as a matter of principle. Such views contradict not only the teachings of Islam, but its basic structure.
  • Islamism is only the political side of Islam, that is, in fact, no degeneration, but a part of this religion. The Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has said quite rightly that there is no radical and no moderate Islam, but only Islam.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      Succintly put!
  • The idea of an Islam without Sharia law is absurd, that would be — not like soup without salt, but like soup without water. Therefore, Islamists are quite correct when claiming to be in harmony with the Prophet and the Koran. And consequently these Islamists are not socially isolated, but very respected for their strong faith and respected members of the Islamic community.
  • Couldn’t there be an Islamic Enlightenment
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      Dr. Tawfik Hamid, among others including some Islamic scholars, would agree this is possible and fight at risk to their lives for its arrival. Tawfik argues that there is a big difference between fundamentalist, Qur'anic Islam, correctly interpreted, and what is promoted by all Islamic judicial jurisdictions. So Muslims who feel like Dr. Hamid are very much alone among the approximately 3.5 billion Muslims world-wide. His Website is www.tawfikhamid.com where he operates as a Muslim "voice calling in the wilderness".
  • Firstly, I repeat: That would undermine the basis of Islamic societies. Therefore, there is enormous social pressure which prevents this. Secondly, Islam itself is already in some ways a kind of “enlightenment” as Islam has questioned anything in Christianity that is paradoxical and dialectical, sometimes incomprehensible, and to bring it to a simple formula:
  • was our Reformation something moderate?
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      Some prominet & well-known Christian writers argue that the Christian "Reformation" actually reformed very little of what was and still is variants of what is really paganism. They document from a variety of historical sources, including the Christian Bible, that pagan practises are what are practised on Sunday morning by most traditional Protestant denominations in addition to both the Roman & Orthodox Catholic Churches. Pastor Frank Viola's book, where you can learn more about this thesis, is called "Pagan Christianity". Reverend Viola argues that Christians are NOT pagans, but their traditional Western churches and church practises are. gfp (2011-10-27)
  • in Islam, as a “back to the roots”, means just the opposite, emphasizing the validity of the political model of the original community of the Prophet, whose political profile I’ve already described.
  • there are already first indications of an Islamist turn of these revolutions,
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      Some of my Muslim Friends who live in Canada make an even scarier case than this author. My Friends are well-tuned to accurate sources of Muslim and other information other than the politically-correct and often-leftist, western media. These Friends argue that all the current talk about Arab Spring democracy rising from the ashes of Afghanistan, Egypt, Tunisia, and as I write, Libya is absolute and utter nonsense. One well-informed Friend says that the prior leader of Al-Qaeda in Libya has returned to the devastated country and is firmly in control of most anti-Qaddafi forces. Al-Qaeda people will win any election held in Libya in the coming months, according to him. No commentator or group that I've heard or read at this writing, including the internationally-respected and knowledgeable Stratfor, the geo-politcal analyst group, has yet to even hint at this reality. That the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood will engineer the same coup in Egypt is being suggested in some quarters, already. I sense the same radical Jihadish coup will take place in Arab countries, possibly even Saudi Arabia, all across the Middle East and North Africa. And I bet it will be accomplished under the noses of Western political leaders who will pay for and host the forthcoming elections at great expense to western taxpayers to extend democracy. Duh! I also sense a modern Muslim Caliphate is in the birth canal of the 21st century with Satan as both the father and mid-wife. I'm awaiting with interest to see what the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will allow and whom will be the wet-nurse, anti-Christ whom emerges to lead it. (Turkey's Ardogan is already in the running according to some experts.) gfp (2011-10-27)
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Every Jesus Follower's Spiritual Weapons - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage Scripture bible corinthians weapons war peace demons warfare
shared by Gary Patton on 20 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 22 Dec 11
       
      Jesus commands His Followers to wage peace ...not war as He clearly says in Matthew 5:38-45 at http://diigo.com/0kmlr. And, as Ephesians 6:10-17 at http://diigo.com/0m0cu reminds us, our real enemies are Satan and his demons ...not the humans they motivate... no matter how evil those people may seem. Because of these truths, the only weapons that will work are our supernatnatural ones, particularly prayer. This passage also reminds us that our biggest battle sometimes can be in our minds where demons and Mr. Sin (http://diigo.com/0j8w4) manipulate our fleshly thoughts with powerful emotions. We can only control these in the power of Holy Spirit as it says in Galataians 5:19-25 at http://diigo.com/0m0c1.
  • For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.(E) 4 The weapons we fight with(F) are not the weapons of the world.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 01 Jun 12
       
      Unlike people in the world, Jesus Followers do not have to fight the attacks by very powerful demonic forces which everyone alive experiences using the Follower's own strength. We can do nothing of any value or protect ourselves from the demonic except in Jesus' strength and power as our Master makes very clear by what he says in John 15:5 at http://diigo.com/0jv2h . Jesus commands His Followers to wage peace ...not war as He clearly says in Matthew 5:38-45 at http://diigo.com/0kmlr. And, as Ephesians 6:10-17 at http://diigo.com/0m0cu reminds us, our real enemies are Satan and his demons ...not the humans they motivate... no matter how evil those people may seem. Because of these truths, the only weapons that will work are our supernatural ones, particularly prayer. This passage also reminds us that our biggest battle sometimes can be in our minds where demons and Mr. Sin (http://diigo.com/0j8w4) manipulate our fleshly thoughts with powerful emotions. We can only control these in the power of Holy Spirit as it says in Galatians 5:19-25 at http://diigo.com/0m0c1.
  • On the contrary, they have divine power(G) to demolish strongholds.(H) 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,(I) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient(J) to Christ.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • 2 Corinthians 10:1-7
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 01 Jun 12
       
      "Every Jesus Follower's Spiritual Weapons" 2 Corinthians 10:1-7 outlines the spiritual weapons and their offensive power that complements the "spiritual armour" that Jesus Followers are told about elsewhere in the New Covenant (Testament) that I outline in my e-Stick Notes below.. It is these DEFENSIVE weapons that we are to use while behaving non-violently in the world while waging peace ...not war... on behalf of the Kingdom of God in this life as Jesus commands in Matthew 5:38-45 at http://diigo.com/0kmlr . gfp (2011-12-20)
  • Gary Patton on 20 Dec 11
     
    2 Corinthians 10:1-7 compliments what what Jesus Followers are told in Galatians 6: ? are told about the weapons we must use when waging peace on behalf of the Kingdom of God in this life!
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"A Jesus Following Warriors Unbreachable Armour" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage ephesians spiritual-warfare terrorism scripture islamism Islamists islamization war warnings
shared by Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Ephesians 6:10-19
  • The Armor of God
  • be strong in the Lord and in (B)the strength of His might.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the (D)schemes of the devil.
  • our (E)struggle is not against [a](F)flesh and blood, but (G)against the rulers, against the powers, against the (H)world forces of this (I)darkness, against the (J)spiritual forces of wickedness in (K)the heavenly places.
  • so that you will be able to (M)resist in (N)the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore,
  • the (V)sword of the Spirit, which is (W)the word of God.
  • shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 08 Apr 12
       
      Some historians credit the Roman legionaire's footwear as one of the greatest reasons why the Roman Army was so victorious over its enemies. Every Roman soldier was equipped with sandals that had spikes on the soles. This provided them a strong enough stance and balance that gave them a superior posture in battle on hills and uneven terrain. In martial arts, the stance is the most important move and is what is practiced first, for from the basic stance are all manners of kicks and punches launched! Defensively, or if Jesus calls us, uniqely and clearly, into some form of offence, Jesus' peace will help us to stand with our feet planted firmly on God's promises to us in the Bible and whom it says we are in Christ. Our peace helps us tol stay put, unmoved by the threats and lies of the demonic forces we confront daily. Jesus' peace will protect us when we walk through the rough places and keep us steady in the heat of a battle. It will keep our spiritual foes where they belong...under His feet.
  • 12 For
  • shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace
  • take up (L)the full armor of God, so that you will be able to (M)resist in (N)the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore,
  • take (U)the helmet of salvation
  • With all (X)prayer and petition [d](Y)pray at all times (Z)in the Spirit,
  • to make known with (AF)boldness (AG)the mystery of the gospel
  • Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
     
    Ephesians 6:10-19 (NASB) clearly explains who and what are every Jesus Follower's R-E-A-L enemy (Real-Enervating-Authoritarian-Loathsome) ...moment to moment each & every day. gfp (2011-09-15)
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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)
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NASB - Be anxious for nothing, but in - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture christianity peace peace-making
shared by Gary Patton on 23 May 12 - No Cached
  • Philippians 4:6-7
  • the peace of God, which surpasses all [a]comprehension
  • Gary Patton on 23 May 12
     
    Philippians 4:6-7 is God's "Perpetual Promise of Peace" in Him! gfp (2012-05-23)
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"Contentment Brings Peace" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible Scripture scripture interpretation peace joy
shared by Gary Patton on 25 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • Philippians 4:11-13
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 25 Jul 12
       
      "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)
  •  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content(A) whatever the circumstances.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 25 Jul 12
       
      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.
  • the secret of being content
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 25 Jul 12
       
      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.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 25 Jul 12
       
      Here's the secret! It's being "content in" not "content with" one's circumstances as Paul says in Verse 12. We do ONLY our part to "get through" (1 Cor. 10:13) while trusting implicitly in God's guidance and strength as the Bible promises in this verse and elsewhere, regardless. Jesus is all and everything a Jesus Follower needs. And we Jesus Followers are not just cultural Christians, i.e., religious believers in Jesus as "heaven-insurance" ONLY because our ancestors were in a so-called Christian land!
  • Gary Patton on 25 Jul 12
     
    "Contentment Brings Peace" Philippians 4:11-13 in the Christian New Covenant (Testament) of our Bible explains why the above is true.
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John 14:1-6; 22-27 NASB - Jesus Comforts His Followers - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture john
shared by Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • John 14:1-6; John 14:22-27
  • Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me.
  • I go to prepare a place for you.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • I will come again and receive you to Myself, that (D)where I am, there you may be also.
  • “I am (F)the way, and (G)the truth, and (H)the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
  • You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
  • If anyone loves Me, he will (D)keep My word; and (E)My Father will love him, and We (F)will come to him and make Our abode with him.
  • But the (I)Helper, the Holy Spirit, (J)whom the Father will send in My name, (K)He will teach you all things, and (L)bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
  • Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. (N)Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
  • Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12
     
    These passages from John 14 were shared by my Friend, Bruce Malcolm, at the Funeral service for my Mom, Ina Donelda Patton (aka Donnie (family) & Donna (friends). These passages confirm the eternal promise of Jesus to His Followers, of which my Mom was one, that they will spend eternity with Him in His mansions in heaven. Each human is a "spiritual being in a temporary earth suit". And, therefore, we each will live forever. The only question is where we will spend the non-earthly part of our eternity ...in what Jesus called "heaven" or "hell". The answer to that question depends solely on whether one chooses to believe that Jesus was "a liar", "a lunatic" or "Lord" of us all and "God Incarnate", His eternal "Son" who choose to die on a cross to pay the full penalty for our sin nature & sins which our "good works" cannot pay for. In addition to the above passages, another Friend, Adele Van Caulart, read Psalm 23 ...another source of great assurance of God's love and His peace for my Mom and me. gfp (2012-04-04)
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KONY 2012 - YouTube - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch family justice warfare peace-making christianity evangelism
shared by Gary Patton on 10 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 10 Mar 12
     
    "Where you live [as a child] should not determine whether you can live!" ~ Invisible Children KONY 2012 is a film and campaign of "waging peace" by Invisible Children Inc.. It aims to make Joseph Kony, the LRA leader in Uganda, more infamous ...not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice. Please invest 27 minutes of your life in watching this video and learn why Joseph Kony MUST be stopped., this year, in 2012. Hear the cry of kids who are being robbed of life! Then, write the leader of your country and demand his involvement in Kony 2012. gfp (2012-03-10)
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Pacifist Quotes | Christian Pacifism - 0 views

christianpacifismblog.wordpress.com/...pacifist-quotes-2 non-violence love peace-making QQ
shared by Gary Patton on 13 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 13 Jan 13
     
    Some great quotes re the Scriptural requirement for Jesus Followers to resist violence non-violently.... to wage peace, not war.
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The future belongs to Islam- Culture - Books - 0 views

www.macleans.ca/...article.jsp jihad future islamism
shared by Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11 - Cached
  • Likewise, the salient feature of Europe, Canada, Japan and Russia is that they're running out of babies
  • the salient feature of Europe, Canada, Japan and Russia is that they're running out of babies.
  • Sept. 11, 2001, was not "the day everything changed," but the day that revealed how much had already changed.
  • ...22 more annotations...
  • start with demography, because everything does:
  • Greece has a fertility rate hovering just below 1.3 births per couple, which is what demographers call the point of "lowest-low" fertility from which no human society has ever recovered. And Greece's fertility is the healthiest in Mediterranean Europe: Italy has a fertility rate of 1.2, Spain 1.1. Insofar as any citizens of the developed world have "big" families these days, it's the anglo democracies: America's fertility rate is 2.1, New Zealand a little below. Hollywood should be making My Big Fat Uptight Protestant Wedding in which some sad Greek only child marries into a big heartwarming New Zealand family where the spouse actually has a sibling.
  • this isn't a projection: it's happening now
  • Experts talk about root causes. But demography is the most basic root of all.
  • Demographic decline and the unsustainability of the social democratic state are closely related.
  • Age + Welfare = Disaster for you;Youth + Will = Disaster for whoever gets in your way.
  • By "will," I mean the metaphorical spine of a culture.
  • Islam has youth and will, Europe has age and welfare.
  • We are witnessing the end of the late 20th- century progressive welfare democracy.
  • For states in demographic decline with ever more lavish social programs, the question is a simple one: can they get real? Can they grow up before they grow old?
  • Which brings us to the third factor -- the enervated state of the Western world, the sense of civilizational ennui, of nations too mired in cultural relativism to understand what's at stake.
  • But there is a correlation between the structural weaknesses of the social democratic state and the rise of a globalized Islam. The state has gradually annexed all the responsibilities of adulthood -- health care, child care, care of the elderly -- to the point where it's effectively severed its citizens from humanity's primal instincts, not least the survival instinct.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      This is an insightful and interesting thesis!
  • They corrode the citizen's sense of self-reliance to a potentially fatal degree
  • may talk about "winning" the Cold War but the French and the Belgians and Germans and Canadians don't. Very few British do. These are all formal NATO allies -- they were, technically, on the winning side against a horrible tyranny few would wish to live under themselves.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      WOW!
  • it's hard to credit the citizens of France or Italy as having made any serious contribution to the defeat of Communism. Au contraire, millions of them voted for it, year in, year out. And, with the end of the Soviet existential threat, the enervation of the West only accelerated.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      Harsh, like Mr. Steyn often is to grab one's attention! But also true!! gfp
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      An interesting observation about which I hadn't reflected before. gfp
  • in the old days, the white man settled the Indian territory. Now the followers of the badland's radical imams settle the metropolis.
  • Thomas P. M. Barnett's book Blueprint For Action, Robert D. Kaplan, a very shrewd observer of global affairs, is quoted referring to the lawless fringes of the map as "Indian territory."
  • In the old days, the Injuns had bows and arrows and the cavalry had rifles. In today's Indian territory, countries that can't feed their own people have nuclear weapons.
  • Though Eastern Europe and Latin America and parts of Asia are freer now than they were in the seventies, other swaths of the map have spiralled backwards.
  • The enemies we face in the future will look a lot like al-Qaeda: transnational, globalized, locally franchised, extensively outsourced -- but tied together through a powerful identity that leaps frontiers and continents. They won't be nation-states and they'll have no interest in becoming nation-states, though they might use the husks thereof, as they did in Afghanistan and then Somalia. The jihad may be the first, but other transnational deformities will embrace similar techniques. Sept. 10 institutions like the UN and the EU will be unlikely to provide effective responses.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      This is the thesis of what one portion of the U.S. military calls Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW) i.e. what unfolded in Iraqafter the Liviatan defeat of Sadam Hussein when the U.S. did not pursue an effective nor efficient strategy of "waging peace" as strategy as argued in Chapter one of Dr Barnett's "Action Plan".
  • Four years into the "war on terror," the Bush administration began promoting a new formulation: "the long war."
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
       
      Thomas Barnett's thesis in "Blueprint for Action" by the US is that the long war is waged as a "war for peace" fought by a powerful and numerous SysAdmin force of multinationals after the "hot war' is won by the US military 'Liviathan'. Iagrree that makes more sence than a 4GW approach which kees the West always in a "hot war". gfp
  • Gary Patton on 06 Dec 11
     
    Article on the dangers of spreading Islam | Macleans.ca 2011-06.

The Myth of the Existence of a Christian Nation - 1 views

started by Gary Patton on 20 Jan 13 no follow-up yet
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"No Pain. No Gain! - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage Bible scripture discipline spiritual growth
shared by Gary Patton on 15 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • Hebrews 12:1-12
  • Therefore
  • we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • ay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us
  • run with (C)endurance the race that is set before us
  • fixing our eyes on Jesus, the [b](D)author and perfecter of faith
  • consider Him who has endured
  • you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,“(L)My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,Nor (M)faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 (N)For those (O)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; (P)God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
  • we had [e]earthly fathers to discipline us, and we (R)respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to (S)the Father of [f]spirits, and (T)live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them,
  • so that we may share His holiness
  • All discipline (V)for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the (W)peaceful fruit of righteousness.
  • Therefore, [g](X)strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,
  • Gary Patton on 15 Aug 12
     
    "No Pain. No Gain! The author of Hebrews said the above in Hebrews 14:1-12 to challenge Jesus Followers to "run the important race of life" and "stay the course". And s(he) did so long before Nike used the slogan to peddle over-priced shoes one doesn't really need to make it to the "finish line that is REAL-ly important ().
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The Fruit of the Spirit - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage galatians Jesus Following Fruit scripture Holy Spirit
shared by Gary Patton on 17 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • If we live by the Spirit, let us also [d]walk (O)by the Spirit.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 25 Jan 12
       
      The Apostle Paul says in this verse that Jesus Followers must "walk in the Spirit". It is a repetition of the command that he makes in Galatians 5:16 when Paul tells us to "live by the Spirit". Both are really the same command that Jesus Himself makes in John 15:5 at http://diigo.com/0jvfh where He tells us to "abide" in Him. Jesus Followers are "Dead Wo(men) Walking" in the power of Holy Spirit while Jesus lives His life in His way and timing out through us in whom He lives permananetly by His Holy Spirit as clarifies in Galatians 2:20 at http://diigo.com/0jggi .
  • the fruit of the Spirit
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 17 Jan 12
       
      The Fruit of the Spirit is a package we receive when we are born-again as "New Creations" in Jesus because Jesus is them all living His life our through us.
  • Galatians 5:19-25
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 17 Jan 12
       
      This New American Standard Bible passage describes the character change that is who everyone in Christ already is when they "walk in the spirit". This is because Jesus lives in us by His Holy Spirit and we are dead to sin because of his paying the full penalty for our sin nature and sins on His cross.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, (J)self-control;
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      Here are the opposites of these: hatred, gloom, agitation, impatience, unkindness, evil, unfaithfulness, harshness, and unrestraint. This is the fruit of the fallen world. The above are fruit too ...the Fruit of the Flesh.
  • Gary Patton on 17 Jan 12
     
    Galatians 5:19-25 NASB
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Contentment With Power - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture philippians peace lifestyle Jesus' promise
shared by Gary Patton on 25 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 25 Feb 12
     
    Philippians 4: 11-13 makes clear that a Jesus Follower can "put up with" anything ...because of the power-source that lives within us. Please note that Paul confirms that he was "content with" not "content in" his circumstances. A Jesus Follower should never be "under the circumstances" in Christ! A great companion for this passage is Holy Spirit's similar promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 where the Greek also means "trial" as well as "temptation". gfp(2012-02-25) Striving to better oneself is NOT unBiblical and is encourages in many places provided we do it in Christ (John 15:5).
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The History & Modern Manifestation of Christian Zionism - Red Letter Christians - 0 views

www.redletterchristians.org/christian-zionism history christian zionism islamism bible bibliolatry theology
shared by Gary Patton on 20 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • they will eventually push the Palestinian humanity to a point where non-violent resistance will no longer be pursued. 
  • a State that has displaced and oppressed millions of innocent people. 
  • the God of the Bible as was revealed in Jesus does not make justice through injustice, nor does he make peace through violence. Dr. Salim Munayer, professor at Bethlehem Bible College, once said, “Any theology that promotes the oppression of neighbor or enemy isn’t Biblical.”
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The History & Modern Manifestation of Christian Zionism
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Jesus Public Ministry And Gospel - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage scripture bible luke Jesus yeshua Isa gospel
shared by Gary Patton on 22 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • “(G)THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 (H)TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 22 Dec 11
       
      The Gospel of Yeshua/Jesus is "Good News". But, it's not a book or a passage of Scripture. It's the person of God incarnate Himself! And salvation is a trusting relationship in & with Him by simply believing in Yeshua's payment on His cross of the full penalty God demands for our sin & sins and, then, deferring to Yeshua's lordship of every aspect of our lives by living in the power of His resurrection!" ~ gfp The word 'gospel' means 'good news' and Yeshua/Jesus, the Messiah, is the personification of "good news". Simply put, He is the gospel! For anyone who hears them, Yeshua/Jesus and His words are heart-piercing as you can discover in His 'Beatitudes' at . They are totally convicting because they demonstrate every hearers' total inability to behave as He commands. And, Jesus doesn't leave us hanging! Right now, He's making available to you His power. It's freely available to every man, woman and child ...despite what they may have done. He gives anyone who asks for it a "new life". Plus, He also gives us the power to live it, using His strength, when we believe His 'Gospel' ("Good News"/'Injeel'). This glorious News is that Yeshua/Jesus died to pay the full penalty that God's holiness and justice requires because of both our "sin nature" and our many 'sins'. As Deity incarnate, Yeshua/Jesus died so that His human creation could be forgiven by God and be reconciled to His heavenly Father and have peace with Him through Yeshua/Jesus's sacrifice and His subsequent resurrection from the grave. Yeshua/Jesus's death and resurrection guarantee real, eternal salvation instead by working for ones own salvation by trying to obey the law. Folks, Jesus is alive! He's living right now and praying for you at the right hand of our heavenly Father. When you respond to his pleading, He'll send his Holy Spirit to live inside you as a new, born-again Believer. "The Gospel" is the power in Jesus' words! "Stop trying ...and start tr
  • Gary Patton on 22 Dec 11
     
    Yeshua/Jesus clarified His Gospel first to the Jews and, then later, to all non-Jews through the ones who that became His Followers. He first did so using words of The Jewish Prophet, Isaiah, that Yeshua quoted from the Old Covenant (Muslim: Taurat) in this passage: 18 "(G)THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 (H)TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
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