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NASB - Woe to those who call evil good, and - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture Isaiah World death dead religion salvation
shared by Gary Patton on 19 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Woe to those who
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 19 Apr 12
       
      A Jesus Follower's escape from God's wrath and death is because we are "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) when we enter the next life plus, being also in Christ in this one, we confess our sin moment-to-moment (1 John 1:9).
  • Isaiah 5:20-21
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 19 Apr 12
       
      Isaiah 5:20-21 outlines the behaviour of those in what the Bible calls "the world", i.e., every human being (Romans 3:23-26 & 6:23). The Bible makes clear this group includes even Followers of Jesus because sometimes we live out of our flesh by not "walking in the spirit". (Galatians 5:16-19 & 25) God punishes all who disobey His laws because His character of "justice" demands consequences be extracted ...even given His character of grace. Jesus Followers, who truly "fear God" (Proverbs 1:7 & 2:1-7) have an escape from the clear wrath of God and eternal separation from His presence. The guaranteed wrath of God is indicated by His use of the strong Hebrew word translated as "woe". gfp (20120-4-19)
  • And clever in their own sight
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 19 Apr 12
       
      But those in the world have exactly what He charges we must not do withot consequences. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We also have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbour's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honoured values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. (Note 1) And Isaiah 5:20-21 makes clear at that the above is the behaviour of those in what the Bible calls "the world", i.e., every human being (Romans 3:23-26 & 6:23). The Bible makes clear this group includes even Followers of Jesus because sometimes we live out of our flesh by not "walking in the spirit". (Galatians 5:16-19 & 25) God punishes all who disobey His laws because His character of "justice" demands consequences be extracted ...even given His character of grace. Jesus Followers, who truly "fear God" (Proverbs 1:7 & 2:1-7) have an escape from the clear wrath of God and eternal separation from His presence. The guaranteed wrath of God is indicated by His use of the strong Hebrew word translated as "woe". A Jesus Follower's escape from God's wrath and death is because we are "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) when we enter the next life plus, being also in Christ in this one, we confess our sin moment-to-moment (1 John 1:9). If you are not in a close, personal relationship with Yeshua (Jesus), I beg you for your eternity's sake plus to ensure your ability to live an abundant life now, to ask Jesus to save you. Call out to the Son of God from your heart of hearts, acknowledge that is truly Who He is and ask him to forgive all your
  • Gary Patton on 19 Apr 12
     
    Isaiah 5:20-21 outlines the behaviour of those in what the Bible calls "the world", i.e., every human being (Romans 3:23-26 & 6:23). The Bible makes clear this group includes even Followers of Jesus because sometimes we live out of our flesh by not "walking in the spirit". (Galatians 5:16-19 & 25) God punishes all who disobey His laws because His character of "justice" demands consequences be extracted ...even given His character of grace. Jesus Followers, who truly "fear God" (Proverbs 1:7 & 2:1-7) have an escape from the clear wrath of God and eternal separation from His presence. The guaranteed wrath of God is indicated by His use of the strong Hebrew word translated as "woe". gfp (20120-4-19)
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John 14:1-6; 22-27 NASB - Jesus Comforts His Followers - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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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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On Certainty | Frank Viola - 0 views

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shared by Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • 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
      Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12
       
      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
      Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12
       
      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
      Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12
       
      "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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Humility, I Don't Know: Thoughts on | Frank Viola - 0 views

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shared by Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • There’s an idea that somehow got into the evangelical Christian mind. That idea is that if you teach the Scriptures, you are obligated to have a conviction on every issue that the Bible addresses, let alone mentions. I don’t know who invented this idea, but it’s just plain wrong. And it leads to all sorts of problems.
  • I Don’t Know
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12
       
      There's an idea that somehow got into the evangelical Christian mind. That idea is that if you teach the Scriptures, you are obligated to have a conviction on every issue that the Bible addresses, let alone mentions. This idea is unBiblical and just plain wrong. Plus, it leads to all sorts of problems.
  • Paul said “we know in part” (certainty cannot be attained in everything).
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • he didn’t say “we know nothing” (certainty can be attained for some things)
  • you don’t have to know the answer to every question brought to you. In fact, I’d be scared if you did.
  • Taking a position and pontificating on it when you’ve not done the necessary home work to come to a thoughtful conclusion, or before you’ve received insight from the Holy Spirit on a matter, is just plain reckless.
  • So don’t buy into the lie.
  • “We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us,
  • In short, stay within your calling. Keep within the ministry that God has given you, and don’t extend beyond it.
  • And nevah evah be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12
       
      Alernatively, try: "I haven't studied that and don't have time right now to do so for you." Then, suggest a place where your questioner might find the answer to the issue which they asked about?
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Can my enemy's enemy be my friend? :: Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi - 0 views

www.aymennjawad.org/...israel-friend-enemy Islam Islamists israel israeli-arab middle east
shared by Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Conventional wisdom has generally said that Israel can attain regional support by way of an alliance or coalition of minorities
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 02 Apr 12
       
      Interestingly, "conventional wisdom" when Israel was ruled by Kings thousands of years ago, said the same in lieu of trusting in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Every time they did, the leaders got into trouble and were over-rn by a foreign nation ...except by God's grace.
  • Can my enemy's enemy be my friend?
  • The concept of an alliance among regional minorities sounds like an attractive proposition. But is it realistic?
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • The evidence appears to suggest otherwise.
  • the Alawites, who have under the Assad dynasty dominated the upper ranks of that country's security forces and government, could try to salvage some form of self-rule in the form of a mini-state in the northwest of Syria, should the regime lose control over Damascus.
  • However, the reasoning for courting the Alawites can only be described as bordering on the realm of fantasy
  • When many Israelis think of a loyal minority ally, the country's Druze often come to mind.
  • Another group touted as potential allies of Israel in the region are the Christians.
  • Minority alliances per se shouldn't be shunned, but Israel should pursue regional alliances based more on realism than on the perception of shared oppression, with its need to create a united and mutually beneficial minority front against an almost monolithic Arab-Islamic foe ‏(essentially a utopian dream‏).
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What Neuroscience Tells Us about Lenten Disciplines | Christianity Today | A Magazine o... - 0 views

www.christianitytoday.com/...science-lent-fasting.html
shared by Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Fasting and other spiritual disciplines train these processes, shape them, and thereby shape us into spiritual people.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      How "worksy" is this statement? I thought it was Holy Spirit Who "shapes us into spirital people" using his lovingly slow process of sanctification ... not our disciplined, hard work by depriving ourselves to train our subconscious... as it says in Romans 8:29-30 at http://diigo.com/0lc07 .
  • Fasting schools our subconscious. We exert our will over the cravings of our body so that we have a mental process in place that is strong enough to overrule other temptations we face. We slowly become people who are less driven by temporary cravings, whether for food or sex or personal fulfillment. While spiritual disciplines shape who we will be, they also reveal who we are.
  • But there is tremendous value in self-denial for its own sake.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      But, in my humble opinion, Mr. Moll hasn't proven this concluding statement nor his thesis which isn't even a scientific theory because it can neither be replicated nor tested.
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What Neuroscience Tells Us about Spritual Disciplines | Christianity Today - 0 views

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shared by Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Neuroscience sheds light on how fasting and other spiritual disciplines work by training our subconscious mental processes.
  • our conscious self is far less in control over who you are and what you do than you realize.  "We are not the ones driving the boat of our behavior," says neuroscientist David Eagleman.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      I wonder, assuming this is true, might what psycology calls our subconscious be the residence of Christian flesh. However, I believe the existence of a 'subconscious' is, like 'evolution', a thesis that is usually stated as a fact and truth but no one can prove. Neither is a scientific theory and are certainly not proven theorems because they are not replicable through experimentation.
  • Jesus expected that dietary restriction would be a part of our spiritual practice. "When you fast," he said, not if.
    • 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 regularly. Likewise, because Holy Spirit "drove" Jesus into the wilderness without food or water for 40 days for reasons unique to Jesus' ministry, why is it often taught that we must imitate that one time happening, as far as we know, in our Masters life? Undoubtedly, fasting can be healthy for some when properly practised. It may also have positive spiritual implications when done for reasons God leads the faster about. But, much of the super-spiritual things taught about fasting for spiritual reasons do not seem to have any real Biblical support. It is Holy Spirit Who "shapes us into spiritual people" using his lovingly slow process of sanctification ...as it says in Romans 8:29-30 at http://diigo.com/0lc07 ... not our disciplined, hard work by depriving ourselves to train our subconscious as Rob Mol says in this article. Undoubtedly, fasting can be healthy for some when properly practised. It may also have positive spiritual implications when done for reasons God leads the faster about. But, much of the super-spiritual things taught about fasting for spiritual reasons do not seem to ha
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • Don't fast for a cause, but to shape your soul.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 07 Apr 12
       
      Mr. Moll explains in this article the light that neuroscience, he says, sheds on how fasting and other so-called, "spiritual disciplines" work. He says our socalled "Christian disciplines" train our subconscious mental processes. I wonder if what he says makes sense because his opinions are based solely on a number of unproveable theories which he shares like they were facts without any qualification. I've added below some e-Sticky Notes about what I think. How do you feel about what I have written? gfp (2012-03-30)
  • by making the Lenten discipline of fasting about a cause, we are caving in to our cultural distaste for self-denial.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      Amen!
  • But more importantly, spiritual disciplines shape us in deep ways. Because our brains—at the very least—mediate, process, and experience our spiritual lives, the disciplines can train us to become more attuned to God himself.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      This is a statement with significant spiritual implications for which Mr. Mol offers absolutely no scientfic proof or Bisbilical support. Therefore, I suggest the statement is potentially dangerous because it promotes our works rather than "rest" in God as the Bible clearly does command in Hebrews 4.
  • when our blood sugar runs low, chemical signals from the blood stream reach the brain, which sends out signals to eat.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      This process and that described below are hard-wired into our DNA by God to protect us ...not the result of our pratcising disciples!
  • The subconscious brain is at work, guiding our actions and our behavior
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 30 Mar 12
       
      As a charismatic Follower of Jess, I would suggest that the results Mr. Moll is describing here can be just as acceptably ascribed to God working in His Followers' spirit because He lives in us ...rather than to some unprovable thesis stated like fact about a 'subconscious' developed by worldly psychology. The subconscious is not science because the concept is not replicable nor is it provable. Jesus Followers, on the other hand however, know that they know that they know that God leads them. We do because of the always beneficial result when we do what Holy Spirit leads.
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Crucifixion - The Physical Suffering of Jesus - Till He Comes - 0 views

www.tillhecomes.org/ixion-physical-suffering-jesus bible scripture scripture interpretation suffering jesus religion christians
shared by Gary Patton on 28 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 28 Mar 12
     
    "We all know Jesus was crucified. But few of us realize how painful and gruesome crucifixion was. Two thousand years of separation has sanitized it. Better understanding what Jesus actuaally endured during his last 12 hours on earth as God incarnate can help us better appreciate how much he loves us. gfp (2012-03-28)
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The Watchman in Modern Times - Bible Gateway - 0 views

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shared by Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • For thus the Lord says to me,    “Go, station the lookout, let him (B)report what he sees.
  • Let him pay close attention, very close attention.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12
       
      In this context, I feel inspired to rage against the beleifs and actions of Muslim Islamists and their crypto-encourager Imams because they murder ordinary people with intention based only on the rantings of a hateful, medieval megalomaniac.
  • Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12
     
    In Isaiah 21:5-7, the Hebrew Prophet Isaiah speaks of the role of the "watchman on the walls" of communities for all time. gfp (2012-03-09)
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Liberal Christian Scholarship ...Redaction Criticism, and Islam (Part 1) - 0 views

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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.
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Sin Management: Bad Idea! | Viral Jesus - 0 views

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shared by Gary Patton on 19 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Sin Management: Bad Idea!
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 19 Mar 12
       
      When we substitute our strength for Holy Spirit's by trying to manage our fleshly sin, watch out! The demons have got you! gfp (2012-03-19)
  • the point of Christianity is about being good.
  • It isn’t. That’s a byproduct; an important byproduct but a byproduct nonetheless.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • When we start thinking in terms of behaving correctly we are, in essence, trying to live the Christian life in our own ability.
  • By “taking control” of our sin life, we push the Holy Spirit (and His power) out of the way and start trying to be good in the weakness of our own human flesh.
  • This, in turn, just drives the Spirit farther from us because we have lost contact with our own reality, let alone His. What I’m describing here is hypocrisy. Ask yourself, how did Jesus feel about religious hypocrites?
  • We also have a community were rules (and keeping them) are more important than true spirituality,
  • Because the assumption is that keeping rules will keep us holy. When, in fact, trying to gain God’s approval through rule keeping drives His Spirit away.
  • If you have a bunch of people acting like this (a spiritual community/church) what do we end up with? We end up with fear;
  • The end result is a community of judgment because phonies would rather try to control other’s sins than deal with themselves.
  • Most people who experience it only stay (if they can really stand it) because they know nothing else or they assume that that is the only place they can find Jesus.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 20 Mar 12
       
      WOW!
  • Jesus’ Spirit may not be there in any great measure in the first place. He is replaced with talk about Jesus. It’s not the same thing.
  • the only way to combat sin is to be controlled by the Spirit of God. We can’t do it ourselves no matter how hard we try. Have you ever honestly, truly been in a community like that?
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 23 Mar 12
       
      Both contenders in Galatians 5:19 are heavy-weights, so we're wise to ensure we do a 5:25!
  • Have you ever wondered how the first generation of Christians was so powerful without yet having the written New Testament? Does asking such a radical question mean I don’t think the Scriptures are important?
  • Gary Patton on 19 Mar 12
     
    When we substitute our strength for Holy Spirit's by trying to manage our sin, watch out! gfp(2012-03-19)
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Egyptian Presidential Candidate: 'I am the Mahdi' - Jihad Watch - 0 views

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shared by Gary Patton on 13 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Gary Patton on 13 Mar 12
     
    A candidate for the Egyptian Presdiency says he's "al-Mahdi", "The Twelfth Imam ..."the rightly-guided one". Al-Mahdi according Shi'ia & Sununi theology is the Muslim 'messiah". He will return at the end of days to usher in world chaos necessary to free Muslims from captivity by Infidels and cover the earth with Islam. gfp (2012-03-13)
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The Art of Not Being Offended | Beyond Evangelical | The Blog of Frank Viola - 0 views

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shared by Gary Patton on 13 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • 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
      Gary Patton on 13 Mar 12
       
      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.
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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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Ayaan Hirsi Ali:The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World - The Daily Beast - 0 views

www.thedailybeast.com/...tians-in-the-muslim-world.html Islam Islamists islamization religion christianity persecution
shared by Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali:The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World
  • Gary Patton on 09 Mar 12
     
    From the mouth and pen of an internationally know author and prior Muslim comes an appeal to the world to stop Muslim murder of Christians. Ms. Ali is naturally not well-liked in Muslim circles because she turned her back on the faith of her ancestors because of it's bigotry and hatred of non-Muslims which is rooted in the Qur'an and Shariah Law along with it's misogyny. gfp (2012-03-09)
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Psalm 23 KJV - The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture psalms salvation
shared by Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Psalm 23
  • I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever
  • Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12
     
    The King James translation of the Christian Bible was the one my Mom used most of her life. This passage was read at her funeral by my Friend, Adele van Caulart. It was one of Ina Donelda Patton's favoutites. My Mom also was called Donnie by my Dad and members of our extended family, as she had been as a child by her 8 siblings. Mom's Friends and catering business colleagues usually called her Donna.
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Temporal and Eternal Homes - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture corinthians
shared by Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • For the love of Christ (U)controls us, having concluded this, that (V)one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer (W)live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12
       
      When we believe this, 1 jojn 5: 11-13 says we are guaranteed to spend eternity with God because of what Yeshua/Jesus did for us. He paid the full penalty for our sin nature and sins when He by His choice and willingly gave up His life on a cross (torture instrument) for those who believe in His gift and "Good news" of salvation through Him with His and our heavenly Father.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:1-15
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12
       
      Reverend Brian Bell, in 2004, opened his "Meditation" at my Mom's funeral with 2 Corinthians 5:1-15. He was the then Lead Pastor of "The Meeting House Yorkdale", in North York of The Greater Toronto Area. My Mom's, Ina Donelda Patton's (aka Donna and Donnie) funeral was held on January 22, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at the Simple Alternative Chapel in that city. gfp (2012-04-04)
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2 Corinthians 5:1-15 NIV - Awaiting the New Body - For we know - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture corinthians life
shared by Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • 2 Corinthians 5:1-15
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12
       
      Reverend Brian Bell, in 2004, opened his "Meditation" at my Mom's funeral with 2 Corinthians 5:1-15. He was the then Lead Pastor of "The Meeting House Yorkdale", in North York of The Greater Toronto Area. My Mom's, Ina Donelda Patton's (aka Donna and Donnie) funeral was held on January 22, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at the Simple Alternative Chapel in that city. gfp (2012-04-04)
  • For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
  • For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
  • Gary Patton on 04 Apr 12
     
    Reverend Brian Bell, in 2004, opened his "Meditation" at my Mom's funeral with 2 Corinthians 5:1-15. He was the then Lead Pastor of "The Meeting House Yorkdale", in North York of The Greater Toronto Area. My Mom's, Ina Donelda Patton's (aka Donna and Donnie) funeral was held on January 22, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at the Simple Alternative Chapel in that city. gfp (2012-04-04)
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Decoding The Mystery Of Near-Death Experiences : NPR - 0 views

www.npr.org/...story.php family coaching tips health wellness
shared by Gary Patton on 18 Apr 12 - Cached
  • "There are various explanations," Woerlee says. "One: that the earphones or plugs were not that tightly fitting. Two: It could have been that it was due to sound transmission through the operating table itself." So Reynolds could have heard conversations. As for seeing the Midas Rex bone saw, he says, she recognized a sound from her childhood.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 18 Apr 12
       
      Whether one believes in after death experience or not, its these so-called expalnations that are riduculous and preposterous, in my opinion!
  • That doesn't convince cardiologist Sabom or neurosurgeon Spetzler. They believe the combination of anesthesia and the sluggish brain activity caused by hypothermia meant that Reynolds could not form or retain memories for a significant part of the operation. At the very least, Sabom says, Reynolds' story raises the possibility that consciousness can function even when the brain is offline.
  • In the end, Reynolds' story is just an anecdote. And in fact, that's the problem with all the studies of near-death experiences.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 18 Apr 12
       
      Jesus Followers, however, can listen to what the person reports re their so-called after-death experience and evaluate it against what the Bible tells us.
  • ...20 more annotations...
  • it seems that these people have a different sort of brain," Beauregard says in his soft French accent. "It's like there's a shift in their brain, and this shift will allow these people to stay in touch with the spiritual world more easily, on a daily basis."
  • "It's like the near-death experience triggered something at a neural level in the brain," he said. "And perhaps this change, in terms of brain activity, is sort of permanent."
  • Their brains in the spiritual state look a lot like those of Catholic nuns and Buddhist monks who have spent tens of thousands of hours in prayer and meditation. Both groups showed extremely slow brain wave activity
  • The researchers also saw significant changes in brain regions associated with positive emotions, attention and personal boundaries, as subjects who had had near-death experiences lost their sense of their physical bodies and merged with God or the "light."
  • Skeptic Woerlee says there's nothing remarkable — and certainly nothing spiritual — about these findings.
  • It's brain chemistry, he says, not a trip to heaven.
  • n other words, Woerlee a
  • nd Beauregard looked at the same images and came to opposite conclusions.
  • It was about that time that Reynolds believes she noticed a tunnel and bright light.
  • "She is as deeply comatose as you can be and still be alive,"
  • She says she found herself looking down at the operating table.
  • During her near-death experience, she says she chatted with her dead grandmother and uncle, who escorted her back to the operating room.
  • My uncle pushed me," she says, laughing.
  • "From a scientific perspective," he says, "I have absolutely no explanation about how it could have happened."
  • Spetzler did not check out all the details, but Michael Sabom did. Sabom is a cardiologist in Atlanta who was researching near-death experiences.
  • what she said happened to her is actually what Spetzler did with her out in Arizona
  • How, Sabom wonders, could she know these things?
  • "She could not have heard [it], because of what they did to her ears," he says. "In addition, both of her eyes were taped shut, so she couldn't open her eyes and see what was going on. So her physical sensory perception was off the table."
  • That's preposterous, says anesthesiologist Gerald Woerlee. "This report provides absolutely no evidence for survival of any sort of consciousness outside the body during near-death experiences or any other such experiences," he says.
  • Woerlee, an Australian researcher and near-death experience debunker who has investigated Reynolds' case, says what happened to her is easy to explain.
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To Risk Perishing or Not To Risk? - Bible Gateway - 0 views

www.biblegateway.com/passage bible scripture Esther theology risk_reward courage
shared by Gary Patton on 17 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • And if I perish, I perish.
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 17 Apr 12
       
      Placed in it's context of a mysogynist, male-dominated culture and society, I feel this is a wonderful example of God-given grace and a way out as promised to His people in 1 Corointhians 10:13.
  • Esther 4:15-16
    • Gary Patton
      Gary Patton on 17 Apr 12
       
      Esther 4:15-16 poses an interesting question to us in our day: "From where did Esther get her courage to risk death? And equally important are we guaranteed the same result when we risk for Jesus' Kingdom? gfp (2012-04-17)
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