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Gary Patton

Reinterpreting the Great Commission - 0 views

  • Missional Discipleship: Reinterpreting the Great Commission
    • Gary Patton
       
      Jonathan Dodson adds exciting new dimensions to the standard interpretations of Jesus' "Great Commission" in the article. It is the first of two parts. gfp (2012-03-03)
  • In evangelical subculture the ubiquity of the Great Commission is matched by the poverty of its interpretation.
    • Gary Patton
       
      The only greater "poverty" is its lack of application in their lives by so-called Christians. In North America, a too-common and oft-heard phrase exchanged between so-called Christians is: "I'd din't know you were a Christian!" "Lord, please forgive us although we know what we're doing! gfp"
  • The OT commission, frequently referred to as the creation or cultural mandate, was issued by God before the Fall of humanity, emphasizing creative activity with the following verbs: be fruitful, multiply, rule, and subdue (Gen 1.27-28).2 By producing more creators who rule and subdue the elements of the earth,
  • ...30 more annotations...
  • A surface reading of these Old and New Testament texts places them at odds with one another.
  • These impoverished readings call for reinterpretation, one that that allows both Genesis and the Gospels to speak.
  • we will be challenged to understand and embrace discipleship as more that "spiritual disciplines" or an evangelistic program.
  • following after Jesus that requires redemptive engagement not just with souls but with creation and culture.
  • the command is to make disciples of all nations not from all nations.
  • The Great Commission is not about soul-extraction, to remove the disciple from his culture,
    • Gary Patton
       
      To often in the past ...and still..., so-called Christian Missionaries who "went" and "go" into other cultures try to shape their disciples in the image of the Missionary's culture, i.e. they "clothed the naked", literally, instead of providing what's need in the moment by the individuals they encounter which is what Jesus meant. 
  • the many-splendored new humanity of Christ.
  • Where Matthew emphasizes the action of making distinctive disciples, Mark stresses the importance of preaching to all creation.
  • When Jesus used the word "preach" he did not mean converse. The Greek word for preach always carries a sense of urgency and gravity, as though what is to be proclaimed is of great importance
    • Gary Patton
       
      A better translation of the Greek, that captures it's sense and is not intentionally designed by the translator to reinforce "Sunday morning church activity", is "herald"! 
  • Paul perceives himself as an announcer of a worldly Christ-centered gospel,
  • While this worldly gospel saves, it also condemns.
  • For some it brings life; for others it brings death, but all are to be given the opportunity to be written into the story of God's redemption of all creation.
    • Gary Patton
       
      This is not a particularly "Calvinistic statement, i.e., those saved are pre-ordained (Romans 8:28) but probably accurate because we'll never know 'till we get to heaven whether Holy Spirit used us to touch the "right" people and bring them "one step closer to Jesus". 
  • Humanity was charged with the task of caring for the earth and creating culture, making the uninhabitable habitable.
  • Jesus preached a worldly gospel, a restorative message that put the creation project back on track. His glorified, resurrection body is clearly proof of the new creation to come.
  • Jesus told those who believe that they will be given power to heal the sick, restore the demon-possessed, and to speak new languages (Mk. 16:17-18). This worldly gospel is for the redemption and renewal of the earth, the body, the heart, the mind, and the cultures of the world. It is a saving message that rescues people from their unbelief, not their world,
  • we are called to preach "repentance and forgiveness of sins." A social gospel will not suffice.
    • Gary Patton
       
      And a "social gospel" approach is also not excluded.
  • What does it mean to be "witnesses of all these things"? Well, at the very least it means sharing Jesus' self-sacrificing offer of forgiveness,
    • Gary Patton
       
      And witnessing includes, I suggest, the practical and explanatory sharing of the blessings that have enriched the life of the witnesser as a result of their forgiveness and Jesus coming to live His life out through them by sharing what Christians call "their testimony". 
  • The problem with many of our stories is that they contain all spirit and very little flesh.
  • People want to touch redemption, which means they need to see resurrection power in our personal struggles.
  • The stories we tell should boast of Jesus' death and resurrection, of his forgiveness of sin and of his restoration of sinners — reconciled families and marriages, restored and housed homeless, renewed life among AIDS orphans, and so on.
    • Gary Patton
       
      And make sure these resurrection-power stories, if not about yourself, are about other you KNOW personally ...otherwise they can be considered so much fluff!
  • Whereas the previous gospel writers emphasized Jesus' command to make distinctive disciples, preach a worldly gospel, and witness a fleshly Jesus, John stresses Jesus sending his disciples.
  • According to John Piper, we are either goers, senders, or disobedient, but according to Jesus we are all the sent.
    • Gary Patton
       
      And I agree with Jesus. It's clear notwithstanding Mr. Piper's opinion, that Jesus clearly tells all his followers that we are to "go along", i.e., herald Jesus where He plants us". It's not wrong to help a Brother or Sister "go" somewhere else but Jesus never said or giving money to a so-called missionary could replace His Followers heralding Him where they are in the moment".
  • All followers of Jesus are called to live as missionaries in their culture
  • Our paradigm for living a sent life, a missionary life, is the sending of the Son by the Father.
  • So, within reason we should take on the trappings of our culture in order to contextually relate the gospel.
    • Gary Patton
       
      And for this reason, it's not wrong to accompany your work colleagues after work for a "drink" at a local strip club ...just don't oggle the strippers or get drunk! We can only earn their trust so they'll "as the reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15-17) when we're not the typical judgemental Christian or pushy Televangelist-type they have been warned to avoid by those judged by those folks.
  • It leads us to immerse ourselves into the humanity of our neighborhoods and cities in order relate the gospel to people and their needs.
    • Gary Patton
       
      And this doesn't mean that we're more spiritual if we leave our middle-class lifestyle and neighbourhood and move into an inner-city slum or evangelize street people on weekends unless Holy Spirit makes clear that role is His will for you at that point in your life!
  • The power of missional living does not spring from cultural savvy or social sensitivity; it requires the otherworldly, utterly personal power of the Holy Spirit. Only the Spirit of God can make men new.
    • Gary Patton
       
      Amen to that!! A Lone Ranger Christian carries a notch-less gun in his "heralding holster". 
  • The "good news" of Genesis 1-2 is that God created all things to be enjoyed, managed, cultivated, and recreated by humanity.
    • Gary Patton
       
      And applying 1 Corinthians 6:12 is the wise person's context for ALL her/his behaviour... not just the limited ones involving "food" and "sex" mentioned by Paul in the immediately surrounding verses of this passage.
  • This fruitful multiplication continues both physically and spiritually through the reproducing ministry of missional disciples, who increase in number and good works (Acts 6:7; Col. 1:6, 10). These good works include ruling and subduing creation through the careful, creative arrangement of the elements of the earth into art, technology, infrastructure etc. for the flourishing of humanity.
  • Retaining the cultural impulse of Genesis, the Gospels call us to a missional discipleship that entails creation care, cultural engagement, social action, and gospel proclamation. Missional disciples will not content themselves by preaching a culturally irrelevant, creation indifferent, resurrection neglecting message.
Gary Patton

What to Take to Work With You! - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  • Colossians 3:23-24
  • work at it with all your heart
  • you will receive an inheritance
  •  
    Something cool to take to work each day besides your lunch bag ...a Christ-like attitude!  gfp (2012-03-03
Gary Patton

The Gospel "Presented" Outside of its Gospel Presenting Context. | Pathways International - 0 views

  • Can the Gospel Message be reduced to a set of sentences?
    • Gary Patton
       
      The so-called "Sinner's Prayer" is about as ubiquitous in North America as the so-called Lord's Prayer. It is alleged to have been invented only in the mid-18th Century by Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899), also known as D.L. Moody, an American evangelist and publisher . Prior to the "Sinner's Prayer", the Body of Christ survived for about 1800 years without it's inherent danger of promoting cheap grace. gfp
  • we should be ready in season and out to preach
    • Gary Patton
       
      I disagree because it's more often christian 'preachiness' that turns unBelivers off our Lord than anything else. In addition, the Greek word translated 'preach' in the Bible is better rendered 'herald' or "share the "good news"! gfp
  • force a “decision,” and get them to say a quick prayer
    • Gary Patton
       
      The so-called "Sinner's Prayer" is about as ubiquitous in North America as the so-called Lord's Prayer. It is alleged to have been invented only in the mid-18th Century by Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899), also known as D.L. Moody, an American evangelist and publisher . Prior to the "Sinner's Prayer", the Body of Christ survived for about 1800 years without it's inherent danger of promoting cheap grace. gfp
  •  
    Blog post by Miguel Labrador, a church planter in Ecuador, at "Disciple Making" on which I commented. gfp (2011-11-12)
Gary Patton

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

  • 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
       
      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
       
      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
  •  
    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

Always be Ready with An Answer - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  • 1 Peter 3:13-18
  • Who is [a]there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
  • And do not fear their [c]intimidation, and do not be troubled
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • sanctify (E)Christ as Lord in your hearts
  • always being ready (F)to make a [e]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the (G)hope that is in you, yet (H)with gentleness and [f](I)reverence
  • For (L)it is better, (M)if [h]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
  • Christ also died for sins (O)once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might (P)bring us to God, having been put to death (Q)in the flesh, but made alive (R)in the [i]spirit;
  •  
    1 Peter 3:13-18 commands that we must be ready to be able to respond when someone questions what we believe. gfp (2012-03-08)
Gary Patton

What is Anabaptism? - 0 views

  •  
    "Anabaptists were not surprised by persecution. They knew they would be seen as revolutionaries, despite their commitment to non-violence; as heretics, despite their commitment to the Bible; and as disturbers of the status quo. They regarded suffering for obedience to Christ as unavoidable and biblical: suffering was a mark of the true church, as Jesus had taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Their very persecution of Anabaptists showed that the reformers themselves were not building a biblical church."
squirt9228

Best content in Following Jesus Better | Diigo - Groups - 2 views

  •  
    Every Christian's goal is to follow Jesus on a daily basis. This is important because each person needs to live like Christ. C.S. Lewis said that Christians need to forgive the inexcusable in others because Christ forgave the inexcusable in us. This is important to remember because Jesus lived a flawless life. Although no one is perfect, striving to do the right thing should be our goal.
Gary Patton

NASB - For I delivered to you as of first - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  • For (A)I delivered to you [a]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died (B)for our sins (C)according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was (D)raised on the third day (E)according to the Scriptures, 5 and that (F)He appeared to (G)Cephas, then (H)to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some (I)have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to [b](J)James, then to (K)all the apostles;
  • ---Amuzgo de Guerrero (AMU)--- Amuzgo de Guerrero   ---العربية (AR)--- Arabic Bible: Easy-to-Read Version Arabic Life Application Bible   ---Awadhi (AWA)--- Awadhi Bible: Easy-to-Read Version   ---Български (BG)--- 1940 Bulgarian Bible Bulgarian Bible Bulgarian New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version Bulgarian Protestant Bible   ---Chinanteco de Comaltepec (CCO)--- Chinanteco de Comaltepec   ---ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍ (CHR)--- Cherokee New Testament   ---Cakchiquel Occidental (CKW)--- Cakchiquel Occidental   ---Čeština (CS)--- Bible 21 Slovo na cestu   ---Dansk (DA)--- Bibelen på hverdagsdansk Dette er Biblen på dansk   ---Deutsch (DE)--- Hoffnung für Alle Luther Bibel 1545 Neue Genfer Übersetzung Schlachter 1951 Schlachter 2000   ---English (EN)--- 21st Century King James Version American Standard Version Amplified Bible Common English Bible Complete Jewish Bible Contemporary English Version Darby Translation Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition Easy-to-Read Version English Standard Version English Standard Version Anglicised GOD’S WORD Translation Good News Translation Holman Christian Standard Bible J.B. Phillips New Testament King James Version Knox Bible Lexham English Bible The Message Mounce Reverse-Interlinear New Testament New American Standard Bible New Century Version New International Reader's Version New International Version New International Version 1984 New International Version - UK New King James Version New Life Version New Living Translation Orthodox Jewish Bible Today's New International Version Worldwide English (New Testament) Wycliffe Bible Young's Literal Translation   ---Español (ES)--- La Biblia de las Américas Dios Habla Hoy Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy Nueva Traducción Viviente Nueva Versión Internacional Nueva Versión Internacional (Castilian) Palabra de Dios para Todos La Palabra (España) La Palabra (Hispanoamérica) Reina Valera Contemporánea Reina-Valera 1960 Reina-Valera 1995 Reina-Valera Antigua Traducción en lenguaje actual   ---Français (FR)--- La Bible du Semeur Louis Segond Nouvelle Edition de Genève – NEG1979 Segond 21   ---Κοινη (GRC)--- 1550 Stephanus New Testament 1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament 1894 Scrivener New Testament SBL Greek New Testament   ---עיברית (HE)--- Habrit Hakhadasha/Haderekh The Westminster Leningrad Codex   ---हिन्दी (HI)--- Hindi Bible: Easy-to-Read Version   ---Hrvatski (HR)--- Croatian Bible   ---Kreyòl ayisyen (HT)--- Haitian Creole Version   ---Magyar (HU)--- Hungarian Károli Hungarian Bible: Easy-to-Read Version Hungarian New Translation   ---Hawai‘i Pidgin (HWC)--- Hawai‘i Pidgin   ---Íslenska (IS)--- Icelandic Bible   ---Italiano (IT)--- Conferenza Episcopale Italiana La Nuova Diodati La Parola è Vita Nuova Riveduta 1994 Nuova Riveduta 2006   ---Jacalteco, Oriental (JAC)--- Jacalteco, Oriental   ---Kekchi (KEK)--- Kekchi   ---Latina (LA)--- Biblia Sacra Vulgata   ---Māori (MI)--- Maori Bible   ---Македонски (MK)--- Macedonian New Testament   ---मराठी (MR)--- Marathi Bible: Easy-to-Read Version   ---Mam, Central (MVC)--- Mam, Central   ---Mam, Todos Santos (MVJ)--- Mam de Todos Santos Chuchumatán   ---Plautdietsch (NDS)--- Reimer 2001   ---नेपाली (NE)--- Nepali Bible: Easy-to-Read Version   ---Náhuatl de Guerrero (NGU)--- Náhuatl de Guerrero   ---Nederlands (NL)--- Het Boek   ---Norsk (NO)--- Det Norsk Bibelselska
  • 1 Corinthians 15:3-7
Gary Patton

1 Corinthians 5:10-15 VOICE - "Who Says Christians Aren't Supposed To Judge?" - 0 views

  • 12 Why would I ever attempt to judge those outside the church? Aren’t we called to judge those within the church?
    • Gary Patton
       
      That most Christians believe that we are NOT supposed to judge, under any circumstances, is obviously contrary to what Paul, one of Jesus' Ambassadors, writes here. You'll not that Paul's question here is obviously rhetorical! The demonic myth, of Christian non-judgmentalism I believe, is Satan's attempt to short-circuit mutual accountability within the Body of Christ. Satan's myth also negates tough love which is just as crucial a part of Jesus' "Platinum Rule" ( http://diigo.com/0l8po ) as any other dimension of Body-commanded love. OK, you say, how do I relate Verse 12 here to Jesus' command in Matthew 7:1-6 ( https://diigo.com/0z6a1 ) where he says: "Judge not...!"? Good question! I believe our King's command in the prior Scripture does not conflict with what He inspired in Verse 12 here. Matthew 7:1-6 is meant to have us judge our Fellow Believers, NOT non-Followers, ONLY as led by His Spirit and VERY carefully. And to their face ...not slanderously behind their backs as He commands in Matthew 18:15-17! Because of this, I suggest that Christians forgo the use of the words 'judge', 'confront', and related, seemingly-harsh words, Please substitute the word 'carefront'. Carefront was coined by David Augsburger in his book: "Caring Enough To Confront". You can discover more about his book and read my review of it at http://goo.gl/oal37 . We cannot really love others in the Body without appropriately confronting them as we're led and commanded as noted above, plus further, in Luke 12:57 where our Master says: "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?" Again, in John 7:24 Jesus also says "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly." "Love and truth are "The Commanded Conjoined Twins" for Jesus Followers (https://diigo.com/0z69f); they must never be separated if we wish to obey Jesus' "Platinum Rule (http://diigo.com/0l8po)!" ~ gfp '42™ You can read more about this crucial subject in my S-M-A-R-T Briefing™ at http://goo.
  • 1 Corinthians 5:10-13
    • Gary Patton
       
      These few verses clearly make a lie of the myth of the Christian, so-called "Doctrine of Non-Judgementalism" that so-many believe. Be blessed by my comments, please, and add your own in an e-Sticky Note window below any of my comments, pro or con. In The King, GaryFPatton
  •  
    These few verses clearly make a lie the myth of Christian so-called "Doctrine of Non-Judgementalism" that so-many believe. Enjoy my comments, please, and add your own in an e-Sticky Note window below any of my comments. In The King, GaryFPatton
Gary Patton

Satan Wins When We Don't Forgive Local & International Enemies - 0 views

  • Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
    • Gary Patton
       
      Satan Wins, when we hate or hold grudges against local or international enemies or those whom have hurt us and don't forgive them.
Gary Patton

"Reincarnation is a Lie & Judgement Follows Death" - Hebrews 9:26-28 NIV - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  •  Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many;
  • Hebrews 9:26-28
    • Gary Patton
       
      "Reincarnation is a Lie & Judgement Follows Death"
  •  
    Judgement follows death ...NOT reincarnation... for all wo(men)! GaryFPatton (2013-06-16)
Gary Patton

"Jesus Followers Are Commanded to Be Rescuers" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  • Proverbs 24:11-12
  •  
    Proverbs 24:11-12 contains a scary warning for Jesus Followers who behave with political correctness or reticence for any reason about sharing the Gospel with those led to them, praying for the persecuted in the worldwide Body of Christ and re the Right-to-Life issue in all it's forms. GaryFPatton (gfp '42™ 2012-10-03)
Gary Patton

"Everyone Sins & It's Deadly" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  •  
    "Everyone Sins & It's Deadly" Every person has and will continue to regularly violate the laws of God (sin) in various ways because we are born with a sinful nature the Christian Bible says. The consequences God implemented starting with that of or first parents, Adam and Eve, was twofold: * loss of the ability to live forever as he had intended, and * separation from relationship with Him ...forever!
Gary Patton

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

    • Gary Patton
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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

Does God Get What God Wants? - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  • God our Savior, 4 (B)who desires all men to be (C)saved
  • 1 Timothy 2:3-4
  •  
    1 Timothy 2:3-4 confirms God's heart for those not in personal relationship with him because they don't know Jesus personally. gfp (2012-05-05)
Gary Patton

"How to Have Consummate Peace" - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  • Philippians 4:4-9
    • Gary Patton
       
      "How to Have Consummate Peace" http://diigo.com/0nkx5 If you want to always sleep sweetly, live your life moment-to-moment as Holy Spirit commands through the Apostle Paul, a sent-out one, in the Christian New Covenant (Testament) Verses below. And after 25 years of taking my worries, fears and F-E-A-Rs (False-Evidence-Appearing-Real) to God, I can guarantee that His way works ...every time! GaryFPatton (gfp '42™ 2012-07-24)
  • whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things
    • Gary Patton
       
      Before you speak or even reflect: T - is it TRUE? H - is it HELPFUL? I - is it INSPIRING? N - is it NECESSARY? K - is it KIND?
  • Rejoice in the Lord always
    • Gary Patton
       
      "Dour Christians", i.e., those who are "relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance", need to take this admonition to heart!
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
    • Gary Patton
       
      Do this and you WILL succeed ...and without fretting!
  •  Do not be anxious about anything,(C) but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
    • Gary Patton
       
      Now, hows that for a simple, easy-to work formula, eh? And the secret to how and why this works you can find outlined in Philiippians 4:11-13 at http://diigo.com/0s0n6 , just a few verses later.
  • And the peace of God,(E) which transcends all understanding,(F) will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
    • Gary Patton
       
      This is what I call: "God's Perpetual Promise of Peace" In late 1998, Karen, my wife, and I were dealing with life-threatening cancer in her colon. At the same time, I was totally disabled having been totally unable to work for the prior 3 1/2 years. I had serious Chronic Fatigue and Immune Deficiency Syndrome. We'd had no income coming in for over three years. This Verse describes perfectly what occurred in Karen's and my lives when we took our absolute terror about our diseases and what might happen to us in the future to our Heavenly Father! You can read more about our experience at or Website "Are You Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired" at http://is.gd/5Mzhms .
  •  
    If you want to always sleep sweetly, live your life moment-to-moment as Holy Spirit commands through the Apostle Paul, a sent-out one, in Phillipians 4:4-9.
Gary Patton

Why Evangelism Can Be a Long-term Prospect - Bible Gateway - 0 views

  • 1 Corinthians 2:12-16
    • Gary Patton
       
      1 Corinthians 2:14, in context below, explains why some unbelievers remain in denial about the truth about Jesus and resist the Gospel. Some BibleGateway Resources listed below, except for Matthew Henry, don't even mention the evangelistic application of this passage, i.e., Asbury Commentary. Might this be because "the natural/carnal man" is considered by many scholars, unBiblically I believe, to be a two-natured Christian? This is not what Bill Gillham believes the Bible says as he shares in his powerful article on this issue ( http://diigo.com/0j8w4 ). gfp (2012-02-19)
  • But [b]a (D)natural man (E)does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (F)foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually [c]appraised.
    • Gary Patton
       
      The Scripture that buids on this concept, which is NOT mentioned in the helpful cross-references below is 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Between them, this verse and that powerfully reinforce the truth of John 15:5 ( http://diigo.com/0jv2h ).
  • we have the mind of Christ
    • Gary Patton
       
      We have Messiah's mind provided we ask for wisdom and, then, listen. (James 1:5-8) Holy Spirit will tell us when and how to best approach another with the Gospel. As Matthew Henry shares about verse 13 above: "The Spirit of God knows much better how to speak of the things of God than the best critics, orators, or philosophers."
  •  
    1 Corinthians 2:14 in context below explains why some see unbelievers remain in considerable denial about the truth about Jesus and resist the Gospel.
Gary Patton

The Art of Not Being Offended | Beyond Evangelical | The Blog of Frank Viola - 0 views

  • Christians are the most easily offended people in the world. We should be the least.
  • everything that comes into our lives, whether good or evil, has first passed through the hands of a sovereign, loving God before it got to us. And He uses it all for our good.
  • Christians will hurt your feelings. Because of the Fall, this will happen (James 3:2).
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • what you do at that moment and afterwards is going to reveal the reality of your relationship to Jesus Christ
  • God intends to use mistreatments for our good.
  • The Forgotten Beatitude
    • Gary Patton
       
      The Art of Not Being Offended The word "offend" in the New Testament means to trip, stumble, or fall away. Frank Viola, a Christian author and teacher uses the word here with a specific connotation. Being offended is to get so upset with someone that you hold a grudge against them or retaliate actively or passively. Hurt feelings aren't the same as being offended. Mr. Viola says: "Too often, Christians choose to be offended when their feelings get hurt. Christians are the most easily offended people in the world. We should be the least." gfp (2012-03-13)
  • in the eyes of the wise and discerning believer, any statement that has a defamatory tone is discredited out of the gate.
Gary Patton

On Certainty | Frank Viola - 0 views

  • Certainty? I’m a Christian: thus I’m absolutely “certain” of that which it is impossible to be “certain.” (2 Timothy 1:12)
    • Gary Patton
       
      I'm not sure this paraphrase is what Paul was telling us!
  • I believe in the kind of certainty in a Resurrected Christ that led Paul of Tarsus to untold suffering, imprisonments, and even death.
  • Empiricism is overrated. It’s profoundly limited in the kind of knowledge it can provide.
    • Gary Patton
       
      em·pir·i·cism/emˈpirəˌsizəm/ Noun: The theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience. Practice based on experiment and observation. (Google) However: "Revelation" from Holy Spirit always trumps "empiricism"! ~ gfp '42™ But, liberal, Christian writers who are deconstrucionists usually discount the miraculous and the supernatural.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • On Certainty
    • Gary Patton
       
      "Certainty? I'm a Christian: thus I'm absolutely "certain" of that which it is impossible to be "certain." (2 Timothy 1:12)"
  • Peter, James, John, and Paul did not create wars or persecutions or bloodshed by their certainty in a Resurrected Jesus. No, they were rather the victims of such.
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