Tag Archives: Trinity

Is rebaptizing necessary

A question often posed

Is it necessary to rebaptize someone after they have learned the gospel more accurately?

It all depends on the circumstances and understanding of the person at their previous baptism.

Before baptism there must be repentance and belief (Acts 2:38; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16), so any previous “baptism” is not really baptism if it was not accompanied by any sort of belief. Thus, the baptism of babies or infant baptism is not baptism at all in a biblical sense.

In Ephesians 1:4-6 we read

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

So there is only one baptism and one faith, and the baptism must follow a belief in the one faith.

There is an interesting biblical precedent for rebaptizing someone:

Acts 19:1-5
And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

This raises the question:

were they rebaptized because John’s baptism was insufficient, or were they rebaptized because their understanding of the gospel was insufficient?

This is the only example of rebaptism in the Bible, so we are left to guess the precise reason. We do know that hundreds (possibly thousands) of Jewish people were baptised by John and later became followers of Jesus, including the apostles (see John 3:5-6,22-30). There is no record of any of them being rebaptized apart from these people in Ephesus. In any case, there was no reason to have them rebaptised because the faith of Jesus was the faith of Abraham, him believing also in Only One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, Who is One.

Later in history, there was a schism in the Christian community, with quite a few clerics giving in to Emperor Constantine, and agreeing to include multiple gods in their religion, so the Holy Trinity became a blot on the Christian faith to this day.

Those baptised under the system of or in a religious community that adhered to the Trinity, their baptism can never be regarded as a true baptism, not even as a baptism in Christ, because Christ did not worship three gods at all, but adhered to the God of Abraham, Who is an Eternal Invisible Spirit.

Even those who are but sprinkled with a bit of water should not regard their baptism as full, since Biblical baptism involves being fully immersed in water to be whitewashed.

Those who have been baptized are expected to at least adhere to the basic concepts of Biblical teaching. If one is a supporter of the Trinity and thereby commits to idolatry, one cannot possibly be regarded as a rightly baptised follower of Jesus.
The correct understanding of the essential basis points of Biblical teaching is necessary to obtain a valid baptism. People who previously did not adhere to that Biblical teaching and repented can then be baptized again if they had previously obtained an erroneous baptism, or take the step for the first time to obtain baptism according to Biblical standards.

So we suggest that the people in Ephesus were rebaptised because of their poor understanding of the gospel, rather than because of John’s baptism being insufficient.

The nub of the question is what details of the “one faith” need to be part of the understanding of the person being baptised before it can be considered a true biblical baptism. It would seem that anyone baptised without understanding that there is only One True God and that His Holy Spirit is the Power of Him we need to grow, would need to be rebaptised.

But what if their understanding the gospel was more complete than this, but still missed out some important aspects?

The Bible provides no explicit guidance on this question, and different people will come to different conclusions about what is required.

For us, the choice to proceed to baptism is only a first step in a growth process in which the baptist hopes to be further nourished by God’s Spirit and thus is willing to get more insight. One person allows that insight and Biblical knowledge to go faster and deeper than another. But as a baptised one, each individual will have to find oneself to grow further in true faith.

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A Christian interested in Islam

I’m a Christian who’s always been pretty religious and but I’ve been really interested in Islam because I have a lot of Muslim friends and I love how they follow their religion. Can somebody give me some good reasons why I could convert to Islam?

In any case, it is good to question or at least ask questions about your faith. Daily, we need to examine and weigh ourselves, our thinking and our beliefs against the data we can find in the Holy Scriptures.

To your question, some might react and ask that person with such a question or remark

Why would you exchange the truth about God for a lie?

Others might say

I can’t think of good reasons why you would want to convert to Islam but I can understand why your Muslim friends’ devotion would make you wonder.

Some Christians consider Islam a threat to their faith. In doing so, they do not ask why that faith needs to be a threat to our society.

About God, there are no lies in Islam. Like in Judaism Islam teaches about the Only One True God, Who is One and not Three, like lots of Christians think. When coming to know the God of the Bible it is understandable that you might think you come to serve that God to your best of your ability.

You should know that, in Christianity, not all Christians worship the Trinity. There are masses of Christians who worship only That One True God and keep away from any idolatry, like praying to saints or keeping pagan festivals (like Christmas and Easter).

Even when you see all the wrong doctrines your Christian denomination brought to in its faith, you should not step away from Christianity, though you could leave Christendom aside.

There are no good reasons to convert to Islam.

The fact you’re considering it, actually makes us wonder whether you actually believe in Jesus. We do know that there are many atheists, because they do not believe in God, that say that Christ did not exist; But that does not make any sense. Jesus Christ is a historical figure, like the world knowns so many historical figures about whom nobody would doubt, even when there is less material evidence of their existence than about the existence of Jeshua ben Josef, (the son of Josef) who is better known as Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

Jesus said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

It is God Himself Who provided this Nazarene man, born in Bethlehem. That Islam denies the deity of Jesus is not bad and totally justified, because Jesus is not God but the son of God. The fact that Islam denies Jesus died on the cross for your sins is another matter which is a shame. Because they do not believe Jesus really died, naturally Islam can only deny Jesus’ glorious resurrection from the dead. For Christians who believe Jesus is God, there is also a problem, because God has no birth and can not die according to the Holy Scriptures. But all Christians are convinced that Jesus died and was resurrected.

You need to think about what you’ll be rejecting if you decide to convert to Islam.

Without Jesus, where would your salvation come from? Here’s a Bible verse for you to think about:

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (ESV)

It is not bad to have friends in all sorts of faiths, but that does not give yet one reason to change faith. One can have a lot of Muslim friends and one may love how they follow their religion. They do tend to be faithful to their faith and do not disregard as many precepts as Catholics and Protestants usually do.

Why would you exchange the truth about God and HIs son for a lie?

There are no good reasons to convert to Islam.

More than once we’ve read of priests and ministers who converted to Islam because Muslims take prayer so seriously and pray so often. They forgot they too could pray more often. We are all free to pray as much as we want.

In the Netherlands they are so afraid Islam would take over their country. Do they neve ask themselves how it would come that so many of their compatriots, Calvinists, Lutherans and other Protestants and Catholics made steps to leave their congregation and to go more regularly to the mosque instead of the church. Is it not because so many Dutch, Belgian French and English people are so much dissatisfied with their Christian faith that they go looking for other solutions and come up to the Muslim faith. If these churches in our area had enough to offer to the people, they would not be running away from them.

In Belgium we also heard it more than once that people were cross with the fact that in the schools of their children or at work Muslims were demanding and getting a special room set aside for prayer. Ditd they ever asked the school or their employer for a special prayer room?
Our response would be

“great for them – why aren’t you doing the same?”

So again is it not our own fault when Islam is getting a bigger denomination than all the Christian denominations?
Why is there not something people may find appealing in Islam/Muslim practice to challenge them to grow in their own faith and faith practice as a Christian?

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Find also to read

  1. Are people allowed to have doubts
  2. How Many Persons Created the Heavens and the Earth?
  3. Christians saying Jesus is God giving food for atheists to prove there exist no God
  4. Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible
  5. Nazarene Commentary Luke 3:1, 2 – Factual Data
  6. Matthew 2:1-6 – Astrologers and Priests in a Satanic Plot
  7. The place where Jesus was brought up
  8. A rebellious movement founded on a fake?
  9. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #2
  10. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #3

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Additional reading

  1. The habitual misreading of John 1 and the ‘Word being God’ #2
  2. A Father Who begat a son

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Related

  1. The Atheist Jesus: Man, Myth, or Mix?
  2. Did Jesus Actually Exist?
  3. Did Jesus really exist
  4. Did Jesus Really Exist? – Christmas is around the corner
  5. Jesus never existed?
  6. Did Jesus Exist…
  7. Did Jesus Exist? (Part One)
  8. Evidence for Jesus – Was Jesus a Real Person?
  9. Do Scholars and Historians think Jesus never existed?
  10. Why Do Scholars Think Jesus Christ Existed Historically?
  11. Are there historical documentations of Jesus outside the Bible?
  12. What evidence should we expect about Jesus?
  13. Jesus : Myth or Reality
  14. #8: The Strongest Historical Evidences for Jesus and the Resurrection, Pt. 1
  15. Did Jesus Exist? 18 Parallels to Fictional Hero Narratives
  16. Did Jesus Just Admit He Was a Fictional Character?
  17. What about pre-Christ resurrection myths?
  18. Living a lie or Desiring God?

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Revelation 3.12

How many times does Jesus Christ (even in Heaven) have to say“My God ” to convince us that he has a God therefore he himself is not God?

Revelation 3.12

In the gospels we can find so many times that Jesus tells us he can not do anything without his God Who is greater than himself. Jesus not only prays to his God, he also cries at Him.

All those writings which make clear the relationship between Jesus and Jehovah God, seem to pass those blinded by the false doctrine of theTrinity.

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Culture War Christianity in American history

In this article, you might find our comments on our previously published articles about Culture War Christians

What Are The Culture Wars?

A History Of The Culture Wars

A Theology of Culture War Christianity

Beyond the Culture Wars


 

What are the Culture Wars?

Think of “culture” as a way of life. It is the sum total of all values, beliefs, and practices making up a communal existence. When God commissions newly formed humanity in Genesis 1 to “fill the earth and subdue it”, he sets men and women into the world with a cultural mandate. His plan was for a human society, united under his rule in the world, ruling with him over the Cosmos as his vice-regents. {What Are The Culture Wars?}

Karl Marx saw how main religion tried to lure people in the ban of the church by false doctrines. It is because the majority of people did not take the time to read the Bible that so many religious groups were able to get people following their false doctrines.

Regularly, people were so prayed for by those doctrines of those churches that they no longer faced the real thing because they preferred to float on those ideas of those churches. It had become so bad that Marx also realised that for many, religion was like an ‘opium for the people’. In lots of Christian and Islamic denominations, their church leaders managed to have their followers, following and worshipping a wrong god and not following the real Christ. since his time still not much has been changed, and there are still lots of false teachers and false prophets around. Marx was disturbed by the knowledge that he saw so many people around him falling for those false human teachings and giving their money away to those churches when there were so many people around them suffering. Marx also noted few dared to question, let alone challenge, church doctrines.

It also bothered several thinkers in the 19th century that the church made no attempt to defend the majority of their churchgoers or parishioners, and did not stand up against the exploitation of parishioners. For far too many centuries, the Roman Catholic Church itself had done everything possible to trot out money from the poorer population.

The German revolutionary, sociologist, historian, and economist, Karl Marx and his closest collaborator, the German socialist philosopher Friedrich Engels’ answer to the ills of society was according to some, just the opposite of the utopian dreamers’ answers. Mainly this, because the ideas of utopists (like Mr. Ampe) seem for many too far-fetched and unreachable. Though Marx and Engels found enough people who, like them, believed that one could change the way people lived and could come to a better world with less inequality. They, too, went for a better world.

Since World War I the world has evolved incredibly on all levels. Politically it was a time of trying out several political systems, getting more than once in a lot of problems and crises. The Western world clinched at the industrialisation and experienced mixed economies floating between all kinds of political thoughts. Even as the western world became less religious and the church got less of a grip on its citizens, the rich continued to control everything and did everything they could to maintain their power.

For

For him it is clear that Christ should be at the centre of Christianity. But he also expects something for those who call themselves Christian. He

When Jesus prayed,

“on earth as it is on heaven”

he was indicating his expectation and desire that the culture of Heaven becomes the culture of Earth by way of his Church. But does Culture War Christianity, the sort launched in the ’70s, contradict the nature of Jesus’ Kingdom?

So many people had looked forward to the 20th century, hoping that because of all the new inventions, brought forward by the Industrial Revolution, they would be able to create a world where everything would be much easier and giving them more time to relax. The century opened with great hope but also with some apprehension, for the new century marked the final approach to a new millennium. For many, humankind was entering upon an unprecedented era. The English novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian H.G. Wells’s utopian studies, the aptly titled Anticipations of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress upon Human Life and Thought (1901) and A Modern Utopia (1905), both captured and qualified this optimistic mood and gave expression to a common conviction that science and technology would transform the world in the century ahead.

Already before the seventies of the previous century there was something going wrong in the industrialised world. Even though many countries were allowed to offer independence back to their colonies, they continued to exploit people in their own countries. Even when churches wanted to present God in different ways over the years, people should know That God never changes. He will always be the same and keep to the same Plan He had already from the beginning of times.

The American pastor and current PhD candidate in Theological Ethics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Jared Stacy 
wants to call our attention to this basic theological ethic:

The work of God’s rule spreading throughout the world in individual lives and communities will never contradict who God is.

We would have loved that, but reality shows something totally different. For centuries, the main Christian churches have chosen another path than the disciples of Christ. The majority of people preferred to keep to their heathen traditions and festivals and the Catholic and several Protestant churches followed them and made Jesus Christ (the Messiah) their god. As such, we must say there is a lot of contradiction in what people say God is. For many, He is not the God of Christ, Who is the God of Israel, but is a god who is part of a three-headed godship, the Trinity.

It is not just that difference of who God is and who Christ is that has brought division in the world of believers. The diversity of religious groups has also brought both confusion and discord. Coming closer to the 21st-century tension or strife resulting from a lack of agreement came to bring even more separation between the true followers of the Nazarene Jewish masterteacher Jeshua  ben Joseph (Jesus Christ) and the name-Christians who worship Jesus as their god and do not shy away from also worshipping all kinds of people they call saints, this while the One True God desires full recognition and worship.

We have the impression that the blog writer who also writes for platforms like NPR, the BBC, Current, and For the Church, does not see (or does not know) the multiple camps in Christendom. He only mentions two of them. He writes

To speak generally, mischaracterizations come from two camps. Let’s call one group “conscientious objectors” and the other, “vocal advocates”.

Some accuse conscientious objectors to the Culture Wars of believing that Christianity should have no influence in the public square. They slander these conscientious objectors as faithless & godless, or misrepresent them as conspiratorially hypocritical, secretly harboring a progressive political agenda.

On the other end of the spectrum, some conscientious objectors accuse vocal advocates of conflating Christianity with cultural power. This often leads them to slander vocal advocates as compromising sell-outs, or mischaracterize their advocacy & well-connected influence as grounded in an inherently complicit conservative agenda. No doubt, I believe there are instances of legitimate criticisms from boths sides in Christian spaces. But polarity abounds.

For him the polarizing gap between vocal advocates and conscientious objectors reveals a vast “no man’s land” in American evangelicalism. This is why he believes his series has pastoral and personal implications for all of us.

Because either you or someone you know is wandering the no man’s land as a refugee from the Culture Wars.

Many American evangelicals are proud that they (so-called) keep to The 10 Commandments, though all of them already sin against the first commandment, not keeping to The Only One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah of hosts, the God above all gods.

David Hansen correctly says

“The majority of Americans will tell any pollster that they believe in the Ten Commandments. But only a small percentage of those people could even recite the Ten Commandment; and even a smaller percentage have any genuine interest in following them.” {The 10 Commandments in American Culture}

Lots of North Americans should seriously think about their religion and their faith. About that faith Stacy says there is a danger.

On a day of hope, we need a fresh reminder of the danger inherent in an embrace of Christian faith. {The Danger of Faith}

He points out the trap many Americans have fallen into.

It is American consumer Christianity that invites us to “make Jesus Lord of our lives”. This pitch makes Christ a commodity, leaving us—the consumer—with control. The resurrection and ascension is a coronation that happens apart from our consumer choice & control. {The Danger of Faith}

1909 painting The Worship of Mammon, the god of material wealth, by Evelyn De Morgan

The great part of the US population, as well as in other developed countries, is that believers have deviated from Biblical truth as well as become wedded to matter and thus actually honour the god Mammon. Several denominations in the United States make clever use of asking people for money all the time, pretending that they will then have a better life. It has also become so ingrained in people that one can only be successful if one has acquired a lot of money. Consequently, many do everything possible to be as rich as possible (on the material plane) while completely neglecting spiritual wealth. Many have forgotten that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

Stacy writes

It is hard to deny today that for many, the supposed downfall of America is synonymous with the collapse of Christianity. Jesus confronts this idolatry with his Kingdom. {The Danger of Faith}

Lots of Americans are even not aware of how they participate in idolatry, which they prove by continually clinging to pagan festivals such as Candlemas, Easter, Halloween and Christmas, to name only the main ones, and to cling to money and material gain.

He reigns over a Kingdom that cannot be shaken through the rising and falling empires of this world. {The Danger of Faith}

And throughout history, many kingships or kingdoms and principalities as well as republics have risen and fallen. Never before has man succeeded in creating a nation or empire in which everyone was comfortable and where justice was done to everyone. Several Christians, in imitation of Christ, have tried to make people understand how best to live in unity with fellow human beings, plants and animals.

Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (Leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial) - NARA - 542010.tif

The 1963 March on Washington participants and leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, as mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States that came to national prominence during the mid-1950s.

When we look at the German culture struggle of the 1870’s (kulturkampf) it’s clear that the American Civil Rights movement was a “Culture War” too. King’s commitment to non-violence laid a distinct Christian foundation for the Civil Rights movement. But white evangelicals of the time either distanced themselves from King, or denounced the Civil Rights movement entirely, with calls to “just preach the gospel.”  {A History Of The Culture Wars}

writes Stacy.

But not many white Americans were really willing to go to preach what was really written in the gospel. They prefer just to take some phrases out of context to repeat them so that people come to believe them.

The forty odd years from this origin point until today witnessed the end of the Cold War and an insurrection at the US Capitol. Between these bookends, Culture War Christianity made itself known & felt in American society through movements. (See, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne; Stan Gall, Borderlines: Reflections on Sex, War, and the Church; Frances Fitzgerald, The Evangelicals; Tim Gloege, Guaranteed Pure; historical treatments on these movements) {A History Of The Culture Wars}

Stacy reminds his readers:

The arguments and relationships in the antebellum South were transported via Lost Cause theology 100 years into the future, seen in white evangelical responses to the Civil Rights Movement. But these leaders could not ignore the impact of King’s kulturkampf. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

He assures his readers that

Culture War Christianity started after the Civil Rights Movement, not before. It borrows the playbook of the CRM. Ironically, it thrives on a sort of “persecuted minority” mindset, borrowed from the Civil Rights movement, but not actually indicative of the communal experience in its main constituents: white evangelicals. A minority mindset is a prominent characteristic of God’s people in the Scriptures. However, this mindset is not characteristic of evangelical experience in the United States. Race relations and evangelical’s historic participation in the moral establishment offer two historical keys that present a necessary critique of modern Culture War Christianity. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

He believes it is impossible to understand the history behind Culture War Christianity apart from race relations in the United States. So, we begin where we left off, with this statement:

The Culture Wars began when white American evangelicals took the activist playbook from the very Civil Rights leaders they opposed, to advance a moral agenda they could support.

Some were overtly political, like the Moral Majority or Christian Coalition. Others would serve the notion of family values, yet retain political influence, like Focus on the Family or Promise Keepers. Local churches and expansive media (books, radio, television) formed the local grassroots communities made these movements possible.

While this all may seem quite familiar, especially if you inhabited spaces within white American Christianity during the last 40 years, a history of the Culture Wars would be best served by going back 2 centuries to look at the phrase “Culture War” itself. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

In his blog he then goes back to the 19th century, across the Atlantic Ocean where the Germans provide us with a glimpse into a framework upstream to both the Civil Rights Movement and “Culture War Christianity” at a time when a new world order was being born. In that era, he recognises the central position of the Catholic Church, facing new threats to its grasp on power.

From the political power of the nation- state to the intellectual frameworks of liberalism and Darwinism, the winds were shifting. In response, the Church produced a flurry of theological statements and denouncements meant to stem the tide of ideas that threatened its hold on the Old World Order. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

File:Portrait pius ix.jpg

Portrait of Pope Pius IX circa 1864

The Holy See under Pope Pius IX on 8 December 1864, brought an appendix to the Quanta cura encyclical, with a syllabus where the church wanted to have the people see that it was with the times and recognised 80 of the

“principal errors of our times.”

As the errors listed had already been condemned in allocutions, encyclicals, and other apostolic letters, the Syllabus said nothing new and so could not be contested. Its importance lay in the fact that it published to the world what had previously been preached in the main only to the bishops, and that it made general what had been previously specific denunciations concerned with particular events. Perhaps the most famous article, the 80th, stigmatising as an error the view that

“the Roman Pontiff can and should reconcile himself to and agree with progress, liberalism, and modern civilisation,”

sought its authority in the pope’s refusal, in Jamdudum Cernimus, to have any dealings with the new Italian kingdom. On both scores, the Syllabus undermined the liberal Catholics’ position, for it destroyed their following among intellectuals and placed their program out of court.

The Church denounced religious liberty, the nation-state, and other consequences stemming from the “threat of liberalism.” {A History Of The Culture Wars}

For some time there had been bumbling or difficulty in having a good relationship with the Catholic Church. More thinkers also came to speak out about the huge profits the Church was making on the backs of the faithful. Increasingly, there was also the idea of going back to the basics of Christ’s teachings where simplicity was preached and people were taught how to stand up for and care for each other. In the gospel, Jesus set a good example of how not only Christians should live, but actually every human being.

In the 1870’s, the German people, specifically within the Kingdom of Prussia, found themselves in conflict with the Catholic Church over their own Reformation roots and a rapidly secularizing order. This conflict had ramifications for both the Church and the separated German states. As a result of this conflict swirling around the German peoples, individual German States united along highly Protestant lines under Otto Von Bismark of Prussia. (See, Helmut Walser Smith, editor, The Oxford Handbook of Modern German History) This period of conflict and change was given a name: Kulturkampf, or “Culture Struggle”. This German kulturkampf shows us how struggles between competing visions for human existence are sparked by complex reactions between religion, politics, and power. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

It is the clash between people of the common people, as well as philosophers and political thinkers, with the church, that caused very animated conversations in several places in the German Empire about faith, church, and the way we as human beings should choose to arrive at a better world.

After World War II several American religious groups tried to have the power over the American people. They tried to convince them that they were the sole church which preached the truth. Some even went so far to tell the people they were chosen by God and that their church is the only one that can bring them in heaven. For those churches, it is certain that one can only be accepted by God if one follows their rules. Of course, such a saying is absurd, but a large majority of Americans follow that false statement. In the life of faith, it is also certain that no particular church by Jesus was ever designated as the only one to follow.

By studying German kulturkampf, we can begin to see the American Culture War’s false claim to exclusivity and authority by claiming itself to be the sole representative and defender of orthodox Christianity. When we realize this — that American Culture War Christianity is not the single defender of the faith —  it trains us to adopt a healthy critical filter every time a Christian leader describes the “very survival of Christianity at stake” as a smoke screen for unChristian agreements with power. On the other hand, conscientious objectors to Culture War Christianity would do well to consider how “culture struggle” might be a positive expression of Christian faith. There is space to consider positive “culture struggle”. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

King’s kulturkampf was rooted in Christian principles, and sought to dismantle the injustices of racial segregation, subjugation and discrimination within America. With the upcoming of the more conservative Christians, and/or conservative evangelicals, the position between coloured people worsened again and nationalism and (far) right-wing ideas came to the forefront in the States, the same way they did in the 1930s in Europe. Thus, from Europe, we could see the very dangerous development of right-wing rule and the glorification of such despots as Donald Trump, who is a danger to the world.

What would come to define and shape Culture War Christianity in 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s in the US is not at all what King and several serious preachers had in mind. The growing conservatism by the Americans brought forward people who are against equality and who find the white man is the pure race. Even Billy Graham came to criticise segregation but also denounced the non-violent demonstrations as contributing to further violence.

Others denounced calls for desegregation entirely. Back in 1960, Bob Jones Sr. took harder lines at Christians supporting an end to segregation by referring to them as “religious infidels”. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

Several pastors of mega-churches, especially in white neighbourhoods, succeeded in shifting all the faults of the system onto the backs of the blacks and refugees who just’ came and invaded America’, without the government doing enough to stop them. One would think the religious leaders would have their moral reasoning to flow from a theological calculus, but it (for sure) did not come from Biblical teaching.

Stacy writes

Charles Ivory’s masterful Proslavery Christianity examines the white evangelical relationship with black evangelicals before the Civil War. He looks at how these interactions between white and black Christians, slave and free, actually came to shape the white evangelical theological defense of slavery. If we want to understand the Culture War Christianity of Falwell, and other white evangelicals, we need to examine their response to the Civil Rights Movement. I believe their response has its source in the theological calculus of white evangelicals in the antebellum South. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

Ivory writes it was not uncommon for white and black evangelicals to worship within the same church. Indeed, the revival of the late 18th century did not discriminate on the basis of cultural background. But the theological conflict in evangelical churches pre-Civil War centered around conversion. Namely, does Christian conversion necessitate manumission? Today, Christians would argue chattel slavery is indefensible regardless of a slave’s conversion to Christianity. Humanity is not property. However, the historical context of the time made the question of conversion and manumission the frontline theological conflict regarding chattel slavery within evangelical churches. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

In West Europe the people had gone already through that process, knowing that slavery was something one could not accept in a civilised society. On this, several speakers came to draw attention to a system to bring more equality among all people. The road to socialism and communism was thus promoted by several enthusiasts.

Culture War Christianity has long since ossified into the de facto expression of faith for many white American evangelicals.

But those white American Christians have come to love themselves more than someone else and consider themselves as the only ones worthy to govern America. They do not have an eye at all for the indigenous people, because they consider themselves as the rightful founders and owners of America.

For 200 years, white evangelicalism has been an insider. No where has the minority mindset been more pervasive in our modern conception of Culture War Christianity than rhetoric. Phrases like “drain the swamp”, “make America great again”, and “take back America for God” in evangelical politics go right next to “that’s too political” and “just preach the gospel” in evangelical churches. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

We can wonder from who those evangelicals have to take back ‘their country’! Those evangelicals seem not to have any idea what the ‘founders’ of America had in mind and why they wanted religion and government separated.

While separation of church and state was federally enshrined in the Constitution, it did not play out in those strict terms in state and local governments. This changed in the early 20th century, when the Scopes trial, New Deal politics, and internal theological warring between fundamentalists and modernists left a vacuum in American society that evangelicalism used to fill in common culture. Neo-evangelicals like Billy Graham emerged in this vacuum. But for the long of American history, Christians have not only been influential, but privileged.

How can a privileged majority come to see itself as a minority? Culture War Christianity accomplishes this in part by dressing itself in the Biblical and theological concept of a remnant. A faithful few of God’s people who remain loyal to God and his ways in a foreign, godless land. But this theological adaptation does not line up with the historical participation of white evangelicals in the moral establishment of the United States. Yet, the drums of Culture War for white American Christians implied a greater enemy beyond its borders. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

Though the big problem of those Tea Party and conservative or fundamentalist evangelicals is that they are not at all remaining “loyal to God and his ways in a foreign, godless land” they even have betrayed God and His son on several levels. They have created some three-headed god (or three-une being) and political leaders such as Trump as their gods, and consider their American flag as their religious symbol even a Christian symbol. For sure they can not belong to the faithful few of God’s people, because they do not believe in the Only One True God and because they do not act like People of God. They themselves are part of that ‘dark world’ the Bible is talking about. And now in those times that darkness and of gloominess can be seen everywhere, they also do everything to create division and spread hate, instead of spreading the love of Christ and his great message of a world full of peace. Those evangelicals with other name Christians have made it a sport to make fun of, blacken and curse true Christians. They do everything possible to get people away from those true worshippers of God. They also have some sort of paranoia and consider all people from abroad as dangerous suspects. They fear those coming from outside America would destroy their freedom.

Stacy remarks

the drums of Culture War for white American Christians implied a greater enemy beyond its borders. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

and also see what happened under the influence of certain political figures.

The Culture Wars of white American evangelicalism was not the reaction of the minority against the majority, but the majority against a imagined majority. It is hard to avoid this conclusion given overwhelming support for President Trump. {A History Of The Culture Wars}

Stacy continues writing

In the place of Jesus’ active reign today, we find American Christians given to other reigning power structures: nationalism, racism, misogyny, and bigotry. They are discipled by political—not resurrection—power. This is partly the reason why Culture War Christians took greater issue with Kaepernick’s supposed desecration of the flag than they might with his concerns over police brutality against image bearers. They operate in a power structure other than the Kingdom of Jesus. {A Theology of Culture War Christianity}

Stacys wonders

What if Culture War Christianity long ago bowed the knee to a nationalist, secular conservatism? One with its law & order politics, reticence on issues of race, and idolatry of country? {Beyond the Culture Wars}

Ans says that he has argued this in his series.

Long before white evangelicals told MLK to “just preach the gospel”, there has always been a Christianity domesticated by, and deployed in defense of, the status quo in this country. Frederick Douglass called it before any of us. And in this sort of Christianity, “make disciples” has too often been code for “make people like us” not “make us like Jesus”. {Beyond the Culture Wars}

There lies one of the biggest problems in American Christendom. The majority of Americans does not take time enough to seriously study the Scriptures. For most of them the Bible also only means the New Testament. Lots of those evangelicals also do not understand what that sacrificial offering of Jesus, letting himself be nailed at the stake, means. For them it is very difficult to grasp how a man of flesh and blood could give himself as a lamb for whitewashing the sins of many.

Some of those white evangelicals living in the United States of America are convinced they are the only ones who can  Make America Great Again and build up the most correct state. They forget how so many people before them have tried already to construct an ideal state. They should know it shall only happen under Jesus Christ that we shall be able to live in a perfect world.

Let us also not forget Niebuhr’s saying,

“any good worth doing takes more than one lifetime.”

According to Jared Stacy

This should give us pause before we entertain pragmatism to bring about change in our lifetime. It was Jesus who said,

“what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?”

This should give us pause as we count the cost of pragmatism to reveal the Kingdom of God. {Beyond the Culture Wars}

He ends his article series by saying

After all, the cross is not a symbol of cultural superiority for white America, but of surrender and sacrifice in the Kingdom of God. We must measure our motivations by the Cross, and our methods. Take it from me. A millennial. The generation who was born in and shaped by the ‘Jesus & John Wayne evangelicalism” in its prime. {Beyond the Culture Wars}

And recognises the problem

Culture War Christianity allows you to have a Christian worldview and reject the Cross.   {Beyond the Culture Wars}

By which he hopefully means: rejecting the ransom offering of that Jewish Nazarene master teacher, Jeshua ben Josef, or Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

It substitutes other, more pragmatic means to really get things done. But in the Kingdom of Jesus the only strategy available for implementing a Christian worldview is the Cross.  {Beyond the Culture Wars}

We have to do away with the false teaching in Christendom and have to go back to the Biblical teachings and keep to them, adhering to Biblical Truth and not human doctrine.

We should recognise the danger of that growing conservative evangelism.

For all it’s posturing about the morality of America, Culture War Christianity has stopped its ear to calls for ethnic & economic justice. Has tied its hands in response to sexual scandal and abuse in its ranks. Yet expresses incredulity when the world fails to take its sexual ethic seriously. Culture War Christianity can only provide more entrenchment, more combat, and more pragmatism. But crucified Christianity is growing the world over, and—as it has always done— turning the world upside down.  {Beyond the Culture Wars}

Writing from Scotland, the author of the mentioned articles, wants to suggest a simple but humble invitation to venture into the wilderness as an act of faithfulness. For him,

the wilderness meant stepping out of the American pastorate, and out of America. This was my move made in faith. An attempt to combat the rise of cynicism in my own spirit, channeling it into meaningful, faithful action.  {Beyond the Culture Wars}

From Moses, to Elijah, to Christ. Perhaps the wilderness is the place for those disenchanted and disillusioned, those disowned and disinherited from Culture War Christianity, to begin to see the Cross not as a symbol storming the US Capitol, but again as a place where our power grabs go to die. And where there is death to our ability to bring about change, God brings resurrection that changes everything.  {Beyond the Culture Wars}

The Austrian philosopher and Roman Catholic priest known for his radical polemics arguing that the benefits of many modern technologies and social arrangements were illusory and that, still further, such developments undermined humans’ self-sufficiency, freedom, and dignity, Ivan Illich illumines what it is to be in the world, but not of it — just like Jesus.

Jared Stacy offers his words as a simple reflection in the conclusion to his series:

It is astonishing what the devil says: I have all power, it has been given to me, and I am the one to hand it on — submit, and it is yours. Jesus of course does not submit…Not for a moment, however, does Jesus contradict the devil. He does not question that the devil holds all power, nor that this power has been given to him, nor that he, the devil, gives it to whom he pleases. This is a point which is easily overlooked. By his silence Jesus recognizes power that is established as “devil” and defines Himself as The Powerless. He who cannot accept this view on power cannot look at establishments through the spectacle of the Gospel. This is what clergy and churches often have difficulty doing. They are so strongly motivated by the image of church as a “helping institution” that they are constantly motivated to hold power, share in it or, at least, influence it.  {Beyond the Culture Wars}

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Please also do find to read

  1. Utopism has not ended
  2. Looking at an Utopism which has not ended
  3. My faith and hope
  4. Utopian dreams
  5. Are Christianity and Capitalism Compatible?
  6. The Upbringing of Ideas and the Extrapolation of Capitalism
  7. A famous individual by the name of Jesus of Nazareth
  8. 19th and 20th Century Shifts in bourgeoisie
  9. All that is solid still melts into air.
  10. Intellectual servility a curse of mankind
  11. The New Imperialist Structure
  12. Is Christianity a Greedy Religion?
  13. Should church members question preachers about the doctrine that is not in the Holy Bible?
  14. A History Of The Culture Wars
  15. Unhappy people in empty churches
  16. Gradual decline by American Christians
  17. Christians are increasingly mixing and matching their faith in unexpected ways
  18. Being Christian in Western Europe at the beginning of the 21st century #1
  19. The decline of religion in the US continues unabated
  20. Liberation, salvation and the Latin American voice entering the Vatican
  21. Eyes on pages and messages on social media
  22. Troubles testing your faith and giving you patience and good prospects
  23. The Most Appropriate teacher and Scoffers in our contemporary age
  24. Social media for Trumpists and changing nature of warfare
  25. Blinded crying blue murder having being made afraid by a bugaboo
  26. False teachers and false prophets still around
  27. The Field is the World #4 Many who leave the church
  28. Unhappy people in empty churches (Our World)
  29. Hardships for choosing to follow the real Christ
  30. Church indeed critical in faith development
  31. Crises of Real, Imaginary, and Symbolic Money
  32. International Proletariat
  33. The killing of capitalism
  34. The Principles of Communism – Friedrich Engels
  35. Ability
  36. Ability (part 2)
  37. Ability (part 3) Thoughts around Ability
  38. Ability (part 4) Thought about the ability to have ability
  39. Ability (part 5) Thought about the abilities to be under God’s Spirit
  40. To whom do we want to be enslaved
  41. Compromise and accomodation
  42. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
  43. Not saying Jeshua is God
  44. The 17th annual White Privilege Conference a militantly Christophobic conference held in Philadelphia
  45. Faith, storms and actions to be taken
  46. Christ’s ethical teaching
  47. Obeying God rather than man & A Time to Act
  48. Entering 2022 still Aiming for a society without exploitation or oppression
  49. News that’s fit to print
  50. Beyond the Culture Wars
  51. January 6: A Failed Apocalypse
  52. Hope For, But Not In, Evangelicalism
  53. Presbyterians and Reformed Christians, membership and active involvement is part of a congregation’s DNA
  54. The Guardian’s view on the world 1st week of June

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Economical affairs, History, Lifestyle, Political affairs, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Welfare matters, World affairs

Christians saying Jesus is God giving food for atheists to prove there exist no God

When there are so many Christians who say Jesus is God, lots of people come to see many texts in the Bible which seem to contradict that. Many who were Trinitarian Christians and came to find many such contradictions in the Scriptures and in the writings of their pastors, left their church to become an adversary of God.

The other way round there were also several atheists who tried to prove God and Jesus did not exist, but their best reasons to doubt God actually proved He exists made them to understand that God has always existed and that Jesus is His son who only came into being a few millennia ago.

In order to construct any valid argument for atheism, the atheist has to steal tools from God’s universe because no such tools exist in the world of atheism. {Frank Turek}


”Atheists must sit in God’s lap in order to try to slap Him in the face.”

Frank Turek

Most atheists also have problems with those Christians who claim that Jesus would be eternal but also would be born on the 25th of December, whilst all the events mentioned in the Bible around the birth of Jesus did not at all happen in December at the beginning of the year 0 of the Gregorian calendar.

Most Christians atheists encounter are those who prefer to believe the many fairytales from their churchleaders. Confronting them with Biblical texts which say otherwise they mostly have no answer but saying:

It is a mystery believers have to accept.

Sometimes it takes some years before a convert to Christendom or a brought up Christian person comes to understand it is better to keep to the Bible Words like they are written. Most of the name Christians continue to believe their churchleaders that they would be too dumb to understand the Bible. Many who came into a church for the first time or moved to another church after some years come to see that they traded one kind of false teacher for another.

It’s easy to think of all false teachers as being cut from the same cloth. For atheists they seem one and the same bunch. They all preach a “gospel” of personal fulfilment. Of creating or receiving our best life now. Many do not come to see how it is the gospel of us:

we are the solution to the problems the world, and it’s up to us to make this world what we want it to be.

People have to come to see that we are to communicate all that Scripture does: we are to instruct in the Biblical doctrine, to correct error and to encourage God’s people. We need to constantly be bringing people back to the truth of God’s Word, to confront man with himself, with our imperfections and sin.

When we have enough patience and keep to the Biblical text, we only can hope the questioning person his or her eyes shall open one day and shall one day come to believe the words like they are written in the Bible and not how they are professed by people who call themselves theologians and the only one who can understand and explain God’s Word.

God does not hide and does not make it so difficult to make His existence obvious.

“For from the creation of the world the invisible things of Him are clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Ro 1:20 KJ21)

Yes, people only have to open their ears and eyes to become aware of the Existence behind all the existent things.

All people are created in the image of God and as such, when people look deep in the hearts of others they may catch a glimpse of that Divine Creator. But in the Nazarene man Jeshua ben Josef, better known as Jesus Christ, people were made it much easier to see something of God, because Jesus came to declare his heavenly Father.

“Jesus said unto him, “Have I been so long a time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, ‘Show us the Father’?” (Joh 14:9 KJ21)

God made it clear who that man from Nazareth was.

“and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven, which said, “THOU ART MY BELOVED SON; IN THEE I AM WELL PLEASED.”” (Lu 3:22 KJ21)

Jesus never claimed to be God and clearly gave to know that he could not do anything without the Power of his heavenly Father.

“28  Ye have heard how I said unto you, ‘I go away and come again unto you.’ If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice because I said, ‘I go unto the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye might believe. 30 “Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.” (Joh 14:28-31 KJ21)

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (Joh 5:19 KJ21)

No man can see God and live, but many saw Jesus, who told that he is the right one to come closer to the Only One True God of Israel.

“And He said, “Thou canst not see My face, for there shall no man see Me and live.”” (Ex 33:20 KJ21)

“and I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts, but My face shall not be seen.”” (Ex 33:23 KJ21)

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” (Joh 1:18 KJ21)

“Jesus said unto him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (Joh 14:6 KJ21)

Atheist reading such verses in the Bible and hearing from Christians saying that Jesus was born and died for us, let them believe those Christians are fools to believe such stories which contradict each other. On one hand they say God is eternal and on the other hand they say Jesus or God died, which suddenly makes him not eternal. Furthermore, they say God knows everything though their god Jesus does not seem to know the thing about himself nor the things what seem to matter so much in a Christian’s life, namely the End-Times, the Last Judgement and the Kingdom of God.

For all those in doubt, we have good news! There is no such thing as the Trinity, and Jesus is the son of the Only True God Who is One (and not two or three). When you dare to read the Bible (Old and New Testament) and want to listen to the Words like they are written down in that Book of books, you shall be able to discover how to come to see and understand the existence of God. At the same time, you shall come to see how Jesus is that one promised at the beginning of the ages, and is the best person to have to become aware of God’s presence.

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Please find to read:

  1. Does He exists?
  2. Science and God’s existence
  3. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #1
  4. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #2
  5. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #3
  6. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #4
  7. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #5
  8. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #6
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  11. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #9
  12. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #10
  13. Non-religious opposing religious people
  14. Trinity matter
  15. Trinity – the Truth about God
  16. Only One God
  17. God is One

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Filed under Quotations from Holy Scriptures, Religious affairs

Religion and the essence of devotion

Necessary parts in the daily walk with God

A proud Christ-follower who believes that we are all on a journey in life writes:

Religion is the essence of devotion. Our religious activities are to be an outpouring our our absolute devotion to God. Religion and relationship are necessary parts in the daily walk with God. And in speaking of religion in this way we can get a better glimpse at Christianity in a global sense. There are many traditions throughout Christendom that seem quite strikingly different than what any one of us may be used to, but they are simply unique ways to express the relational devotion we have to God. {The R&R of Christianity}

In the previous two writings, we talked about people who have a very restricted view of what a Christian would or should be. Lots of Christians are convinced that people who do not believe the human doctrine of the Trinity may not or can not call themselves Christian. They forget that the word Christian is made up of “Christ” and the suffix” ian”, denoting a follower of Christ. Then they should come to see and know who Christ is. For non-Trinitarians Christ is the Nazarene Jewish master teacher (or rebbe) Jeshua ben Yosef, Jesus the son of Mary (Miriam) and Joseph, born in Bethlehem. The word Christian gives an indication that it is about a follower of Christ or Kristos, the anointed Messiah. Naturally, it depends on what or whom, one wants to accept as a “follower”.

Christians, Lutherans, Wesleyans, and other followers

Normally a follower is considered to be someone who believes in a particular system of ideas, or who supports a leader who teaches these ideas. In the case of Christians it are people who follow the opinions or teachings of Christ Jesus, in particular, those teachings notated in the Messianic Scriptures (or New Testament: the four gospels and writings of the apostles and the revelation of St. John).

As the world accepts a Lutheran is a follower of Luther or a ‘belonger’ or accessory and supporter of the Lutheran community or Lutheranism, around that what was started by the German theologian and religious reformer who was the catalyst of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. When we speak about a Lutheran we think of a person of or relating to the religious doctrines of Martin Luther, or relating to the Protestant denomination adhering to these doctrines. especially the doctrine of Sola fide or justification by faith alone.

According to similar usage, a Christian is a follower or someone who has a strong interest or pays close attention to Jesus Christ and is willing to follow his guidance, command, or leadership. For that guidance of Christ the person must Not follow the rules of other human beings, but can follow the trusted Word like it is notated in the Holy Scriptures.

A Lutheran should follow the writings of Luther, but when we look at the Lutheran Church we can see there are a lot of changes in that church which would not be liked by Luther (take for example the role of the women in that church today.) With Christians we see a similar gross deviation from the teachings of the teacher Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus leading his followers out of a system of oppression

It should not be forgotten that Jesus came along to lead his followers out of the ungodly Roman system. He also wanted to show to Jews and non-Jews how important it is to come back to the Divine Creator and to worship only One True God instead of the many gods of that time. Jesus was a very devout Jew, who did not worship himself (as several name Christians want us to believe). Jesus remained faithful all his life to the God of Israel, Who is a Singular Eternal Omniscient Supreme Spirit Being. No man can see God, but Jesus wanted everybody to figuratively come to see God and to accept Him as their heavenly Father.

There was not only the Roman oppressor; there were also the priests, Pharisees and Sadducees, who wanted to have power over the people. Like many theologians today, they too wanted to make Scriptures more complicated than they really are. Jesus explained the scrolls and showed how people have to live more to the spirit of the letter, than to the interpretation of those temple workers. Jesus also preached an alternative form of government, speaking of a jurisdiction outside the Roman state, based on the perfect law of freedom, outside the tyranny of men who would rule over their brothers and neighbours. He first chose Jewish people who believed in One Singular God, (the God of the Jews), the God of Abraham, Who is One and not two or three. A real Jew never would agree with the Trinity. At first, the people who joined the Jewish sect (or group) the Way, were all Jehudiem or Jews who did not betray their Jewish faith. It was only later when goyim or people from other nations, cultures and other faiths started joining the group of followers of Christ, problems raised under the Jewish community, of which many did not want non-Jews in their ranks and in their synagogues or prayer houses.

First-century Christians

The Way to God

Jesus always said people had not to thank him but God. He always said he was less than God, but that he was the way for people to come to God and the way to life, and that people should believe in him and be in union with him, like he is in union with God.

“I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (Joh 10:9 KJ21)

“But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”” (Joh 10:38 KJ21)

“Jesus said unto him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (Joh 14:6 KJ21)

“9 Jesus said unto him, “Have I been so long a time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the very works’ sake.”

“12  Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto My Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

“15  “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever” 17 even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him. But ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

“18  “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world seeth Me no more, but ye see Me. Because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.”” (Joh 14:9-21 KJ21)

“that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” (Joh 17:21 KJ21)

“by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Ro 5:2 KJ21)

“for through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Eph 2:18 KJ21)

“by a new and living Way, which He hath consecrated for us through the veil (that is to say, His flesh),” (Heb 10:20 KJ21)

Following teachings based on Jesus his teachings

In the first century of this common era, more and more people came to follow the apostles their teachings, which were based on those of their master teacher Jeshua (Jesus Christ). They all agreed with the teachings of Jesus and became unified, forming the early Christian church with a system of charity, hope and respect for the rights of each other, requiring that each person would love their neighbour as themselves in a system of mutual, not governmental support.
Those joining the movement of The Way did agree to those Jewish teachings of Jesus and his apostles. For them, it was also clear that Jesus was showing a way to untangle people from the captivity of the social contracts they had made with the state of Rome and Judea, and the tribute and obligations they had become snared by. He proclaimed to call no man “Father”, as they called their Roman benefactors, but stated that the One Who made them alive is their Father Who is in heaven. The perfect law of freedom indicated that man’s unalienable rights stemmed from God and nature, and not governments of men. This was a system of anarchy, by strict definition, without the complex system of tribute that led to the decadence and decline of society, and the corruptible force of the state to back it up.

Not believing in a different God than the Jews

The early Christian church was not persecuted for their belief in a different God or a Kingdom in Heaven, but for their opting out of the mutual taxation system and seeking to live apart from the kings and overlords, the gods many, who demanded their tribute.

Path to walk

For those early followers of Christ it was important to give worship to the same God Jesus worshipped and to leave all those other gods at the side, non touched and not glorified. For them, it was clear that all glory belonged to God. They knew they had not to bow down in front of graven images, and always had to keep their soul diligently, all the time loving Jehovah as their God of gods, and not somebody else. It was also clear they, like God’s People (the Jews), had to walk in God His ways and not following human traditions which were not according to God’s Will,  for they had to keep Jehovah God His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances. Their devotion should fully be for Jehovah God and not for any other god, be it the Caesar, Baal, Apollo, Zeus or any other.  Those who were drawn away, and came to worship other gods, and came to serve them, were turning aside from the way which Jesus and his God have commanded mankind. Though God warned already in the past that the world would turn away from God and shall have false worship. He warned that evil will befall mankind in the latter days; because they will do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger through the work of their hands.

“”Only take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but teach them to thy sons and thy sons’ sons,” (De 4:9 KJ21)

“16 in that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply; and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,” (De 30:16-17 KJ21)

“For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”” (De 31:29 KJ21)

“For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.” (Ps 96:5 KJ21)

“He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul, but he that despiseth His ways shall die.” (Pr 19:16 KJ21)

“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.” (1Co 7:19 KJ21)

A God demanding exclusive devotion

Today we see how lots of people have made or taken themselves other gods than the Only One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah. Even from those who call themselves “Christian” there are many who bow down in front to graven images or kisses books and pictures as a sign of their devotion. They should know that Jehovah God requires exclusive devotion.

“But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen whither they went.” (Eze 36:21 KJ21)

“”Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Now will I bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for My holy name” (Eze 39:25 KJ21)

“God is jealous, and the LORD avengeth; the LORD avengeth and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies.” (Na 1:2 KJ21)

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, the LORD thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me,” (Ex 20:5 KJ21)

“For thou shalt worship no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God,” (Ex 34:14 KJ21)

“For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” (De 4:24 KJ21)

“And Joshua said unto the people, “Ye cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins:” (Jos 24:19 KJ21)

“And further, my son, by these words be admonished: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness to the flesh.” (Ec 12:12 KJ21)

“For as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription: ‘To the Unknown God’. Whom therefore ye worship in ignorance, Him I declare unto you.” (Ac 17:23 KJ21)

The God greater than Jesus

Jesus not able to do anything without God

Jesus, his talmidim and the apostle Paul declared The God Who is greater than Jesus and without Him Jesus could not do anything.

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (Joh 5:19 KJ21)

“Ye have heard how I said unto you, ‘I go away and come again unto you.’ If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice because I said, ‘I go unto the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” (Joh 14:28 KJ21)

Jesus submissive to his God

Jesus his disciples also knew and wanted others to know that even their master was submissive to God and also submitted to Him whom he beheld as the only True God.

“5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in the fashion of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death—even the death of the cross.” (Php 2:5-8 KJ21)

“But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1Co 11:3 KJ21)

“And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son Himself also be subject unto Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.” (1Co 15:28 KJ21)

The churches and gods of man

But today many have several gods, like “material possession” (Mammon) or find themselves under slothful tribute to an emperor and a system that is not for their benefit. For many, their eye and worship is on material goods or on people who can gloriously show off their acquired wealth. Many covet their neighbour’s goods in a vain pursuit of “free” health care, education, welfare, unemployment benefits, social security and government protection. They have traded their inalienable God-given rights through social contracts both implied and explicit. Their churches are not ordained by God, but are corporations granted status by the state. Many want even bigger churches and want to spread hate for those churches which do not want to align with them. In many of those main churches they denounce the followers of whom they consider an anarchist, because for them Jesus is God and all who contradict that are not just contradictors but objectionable individuals. Those Trinitarians do not want to see that real followers of Christ have to be like Christ, united with Jesus and be one with him the same way as Jesus is one with God.

God in Christians

For real followers of Christ, there is the belief that God is in all of them, and that they have to attract others to come also under Christ, to become children of God.

“3 Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, so we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this: that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Ro 6:3-7 KJ21)

“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1Co 15:49 KJ21)

“But because of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who from God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption,” (1Co 1:30 KJ21)

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2Co 5:17 KJ21)

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (Ga 6:15 KJ21)

United in Christ serving the God of Christ

Those in Christ should be united and serve the same God Jesus served. They should fully be devoted to Jehovah God, having no other gods than Him. Real Christians are those willing to have only One God and to study His Word, His ordinances so that they too can do God’s Will, like Jesus did not his own will but did the Will of his heavenly Father and asked his followers also to do the Will of his heavenly Father, Jehovah God. In case Jesus is God he naturally would always have done his own will and then he was all the time misleading people and praying to himself.

Jesus not knowing many who call themself Christian

Several people, calling themselves Christian forget that at the end times, when they would be coming in front of Christ, there could be a possibility that Jesus shall say not to know them, because they did not do the Will of his Father. To call oneself Christian or to become part of the Body of Christ one has to do the Will of God and be as a brother or sister of Christ Jesus and those following him.

“But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest’s.” (Le 27:21 KJ21)

“And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven. This sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.” (Ec 1:13 KJ21)

“”Not every one that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in Heaven.” (Mt 7:21 KJ21)

“For whosoever shall do the will of My Father who is in Heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.”” (Mt 12:50 KJ21)

“And He went a little farther, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”” (Mt 26:39 KJ21)

“He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, unless I drink it, Thy will be done.”” (Mt 26:42 KJ21)

“For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother.”” (Mr 3:35 KJ21)

“And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee. Take away this cup from Me; nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.”” (Mr 14:36 KJ21)

“And that servant, who knew his lord’s will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.” (Lu 12:47 KJ21)

“saying, “Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done.”” (Lu 22:42 KJ21)

“Jesus said unto them, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” (Joh 4:34 KJ21)

“38 For I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. 39 And this is the Father’s will who hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the Last Day. 40 And this is the will of Him that sent Me: that every one who seeth the Son and believeth in Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the Last Day.”” (Joh 6:38-40 KJ21)

“but bade them farewell, saying, “I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem, but I will return again unto you, if God wills.” And he sailed from Ephesus.” (Ac 18:21 KJ21)

“Take them and purify thyself with them, and bear their charges with them, that they may shave their heads; and all may know that those things of which they have been informed concerning thee are nothing, but that thou thyself also walkest orderly and keepest the law.” (Ac 21:24 KJ21)

Picking and choosing like a kid

Lots of people who call themselves “Christian” not at all follow the teachings of Jesus and pick and choose texts from Sriptures how it soots them best.

But you don’t pay attention to that do you my little lambs? No, you pick and choose like a kid going through a candy store deciding what to spend his quarters on. You choose what fits your sick sense of morality, and then toss the rest like it never existed. The fact that you become utter hypocrites apparently doesn’t bother you. Neither does the fact that it doesn’t fit my morality. But you care just as much about my definition of morality as I do yours. The only difference between us, is I’m not forcing you to try to live by my morality. {Of Christianity and Modern Morality}

rightly remarks someone who calls himself The Bastards 2013 (Where The Bastards come to share the word!) He, like lots of atheists saw how a bunch of Evangelical pastors were laying hands on Donald Trump in the White House and how one prominent evangelical leader immediately tweeted out the image with the caption:

“President Trump is bringing God back to America.” {In God We Obfuscate}

This “Bastards 2013” also wrote:

You talk about love and tolerance and yet your actions speak of hate and seclusion. You talk about America needing to find it’s moral center and returning to respecting one another and finding joys in the diversity of America. Then you back a man who is none of those. Donald Trump is your reflecting God. He is the face of your fake bullshit religion and from this day forth you will be forever known as the frauds and charlatans you are. Your speeches about god and love will be laughed at and ignored. Your attempts to say that this is Christianity will be endlessly mocked by those of us who know better. More importantly, when your god falls, and his presidency is nothing but a pile of ashes, you will have nowhere to run. Your sins will be laid bare and the scarlet letter of hypocrisy will be forever tattoed onto your forehead. While you preach the word of a megalomaniac, he is busy mocking Puerto Ricans as they struggle to survive after back to back hurricanes. As you attempt to speak about love and kindness (which you know nothing about) your god calls black men who are peacefully protesting inequality “Sons of bitches” and “traitors.” Meanwhile he speaks in front of a group of neo nazis and homophobes and says “It’s so nice to be around friends. So many friends.” You are the lowest form of human. ISIS is evil and should be eradicated, but at least they own who they are. They make no false speeches about love and acceptance when they don’t believe in it. They don’t shake the hands of the people while silently prepping to stab them in the back. You are nothing but low level talentless snake oil salesmen. You prey upon those who have been stricken desperate by your shitty unethical policies. You sell them a cure and make them believe that you and only you can help them. Then you sit back in your six homes, watching the peasants stumble around trying to find some sort of relief. {The Reflecting God}

Traditions of man

Throughout the ages, mankind had several gods and had celebrations for them. The Roman Catholic Church willing to capture as many heathen as they could, integrated many heathen festivals in their system. Christmas and Easter are the two most important ones still celebrated by the majority of Christians.

Lots of human traditions entered the life of those who call themselves Christian, though not many of them seem to wonder if they would be all right in the Eyes of God. That way Christendom became totally different from first-century Christianity.

A Religion of a relationship

Bringing a “Thought from a Pilgrim of Truth”, , a father, husband, and a pastor writes

There is another thing that tends to happen when someone views Christianity as a relationship rather than a religion. The terms of the relationship begin to get a bit blurry. God and King, Master and Lord, get discarded for the much easier to handle Friend. When God becomes solely our friend, we lose the fear of the LORD, and our relationship with Him becomes unbiblical. Again, this is where religious devotion comes in. We are His servants, His children even. We must remember that God has been and will always be great, higher and holier than we are. {The R&R of Christianity}

Christianity should be a religion of a relationship with Jesus Christ and with Christ his God, Jehovah the God above all kings and gods, but also about the relationship with others and other things (human beings, nature – plants and animals).

Fear God

Many who have made Jesus as their god have lost the fear of God or fear for God. Our religion should be an expression of that fear for God. In the end it will be Him that preserves the faithful, and plentifully shall reward him that deals proudly with the Truth, having the courage to speak out and show the world That Only One True God, the God of the kings David, Solomon and Christ. Strangely enough Trinitarians are giving the word Christian an othe meaning than then “ian” to the “Christ” would suggest. They do not see the fundamentals connected to being a Christian, nor the need to know about the God of Christ, Who is the God of the Bible. Those Trinitarians minimalise the act of Christ and do not value Jesus his act of submission to God and his complete sacrifice for humanity. Strangely enough many who call themselves Christian but worship a three-headed god dare to say, like the pharmacy student Teni:

God wanted His people to stand out from the people around them.

The bible makes us understand that God Almighty the creator of the whole universe is the One and Only true God. That means, every other god, is actually non-existent and made up by people’s imagination and craftiness. {4 Mmisconceptions that need to be cleared about being a christian}

though they do not believe in that Only One True God.

Bringing honour to the Only Right God

Bringing honour to such false gods is at the same time dishonouring God and misusing God’s Name and God’s Title. those who call themselves Christian should witness to the goodness of God in a world that has ceased to acknowledge His existence, let alone His sovereignty over the Cosmos. It was God’s son, Jesus who gave his followers an assignment to tell those around them about the Divine Creator and His promises, the good news of the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God.

Those calling themselves Christian, should as followers of Jesus Christ, not only keep to his teachings, but follow the example of Christ, being servants of God, Jesus and others, and this even to their own peril. We should have a friendship realtionship with Christ as our brotherbut we are not to consider ourselves as equals with God, in the same way Jesus never considered himself equal with God. We owe only Jesus his God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, all of our devotion and allegiance.

 

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Preceding

Not About The Name Of The Godhead Of Jesus

Rhetoric and Biblical Truth

Confrontation by people telling lies to force others to avoid the targetted groups

Religions and Mainliners

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Additional reading

  1. People are turning their back on Christianity
  2. Blindness in the Christian world
  3. Not liking your Christians
  4. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
  5. Christian in Christendom or in Christianity
  6. Christianity is a love affair
  7. To be chained by love for another one
  8. Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
  9. Jesus and God
  10. Only one God
  11. A Father Who begat a son
  12. Jahushua, Joshua, Jeshua or Jesus an Immanuel or God with us an incarnated God or a human being?
  13. The sent one from God
  14. Knowing Jesus Rabboni
  15. Jesus son of God or God the son
  16. Jesus son of God
  17. Jesus Christ the Messiah
  18. Seeing Jesus
  19. Reasons that Jesus is Not God
  20. God son king and his subjects
  21. Not saying Jeshua is God
  22. Sayings of Jesus, what to believe and being or not of the devil
  23. Jesus begotten Son of God #19 Compromising fact
  24. On the Nature of Christ
  25. The Son can do nothing of his own accord
  26. The son of man given authority by God
  27. The Nazarene master teacher learning people how they should behave
  28. Doctrine of Christ
  29. One Mediator
  30. Commandements of Christ
  31. Statutes given unto us
  32. Relationship with God, Jesus and each other
  33. Memorizing wonderfully – Additional verses: Psalm 34 Tasting and blessing Jehovah God
  34. Extra verses to remember by the reading of Psalm 45 A Great name to Praise God
  35. Not words of any organisation should bind you, but the Word of God
  36. A learning process for each of us
  37. Paul’s warning about false stories and his call to quit touching the unclean thing
  38. Matthew 15 Calvin’s view
  39. Matthew 20 It is never too late
  40. Matthew 20 Are you willing to work for Jesus?
  41. Matthew 25 Jesus ministry drawing to its dramatic conclusion and warning to be ready
  42. A strange thing might happen when you come under Christ
  43. As brothers and sisters showing that you are followers of the real Jesus or being a Jeshuaist sharing responsibilities
  44. Demanding signs or denying yourself
  45. Attitude of a Christian
  46. As Christ’s slaves doing the Will of God in gratitude
  47. A heart full of love is a fundamental requirement
  48. Christianity without the Trinity
  49. Doubting and going astray
  50. Main churches losing population share
  51. How do trinitarians equate divine nature
  52. Europe and much-vaunted bastions of multiculturalism becoming No God Zones
  53. Thought for today November the 6th: Indifference
  54. Is it a Jewish or a Christian faith
  55. Religious imagery used by pop artists
  56. Avoiding friction and distraction in the body of Christ
  57. Today’s thought “Fools despise wisdom” (March 23)
  58. False opposite true worship which exalts the God of Israel
  59. How should we worship God? #14 True worship
  60. In a time when we must remain in our place
  61. Memorizing wonderfully 18 Proverbs – Fear of God, Wisdom and instruction
  62. Symptom of tzara’at a white spot on the flesh
  63. Today’s thought “Folly and Wickedness of Men” (January 06)
  64. Today’s thought “Sound an alarm for the day of Jehovah that comes” (November 19)

 

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Further related

  1. Pouring Into Others (comeawake.org)
  2. Being Christian
  3. Being Christian Takes Practice
  4. Being Christian On Day One
  5. What Does It Mean to be a True Christian?
  6. Being A Cultural Christian Is Not Enough
  7. The Quiet in the Land
  8. Martin Luther’s Seal
  9. ROFLMAO — what would Luther’s 95 Theses sound like in an corporate office email memo to all staff?
  10. Swedish Lutherans: Synodical and congregational minutes on baptism and membership in the 1850s
  11. A Bonhoeffer moment and a barstool conversation between Luther, Bonhoeffer and a Finnish theologian — links and quotes for future reference
  12. Lutheran Women and Their Impact on History
  13. Luther an’ Me
  14. Dear Church’: A tapestry of discipleship and a call for white folks to ‘do good white folk work’ to help dismantle racism
  15. Progressive Christianity
  16. Check Yourself, Christian
  17. Unchurched
  18. Come To Me To Have Life
  19. Sheep and Goats, Faith and Mercy
  20. Reformation 2020. The Righteousness of God at the Present Time
  21. It Matters
  22. Commitment to Christ Means Commitment to His Church (Blogs Revisited)
  23. What the Coronavirus Reveals about Protestant Piety
  24. Lutherans vs. Coronavirus
  25. Attitude is Everything
  26. Is the Trinity scriptural – or is it pagan nonsense
  27. Fully God and Fully Man
  28. December 11,2020: Finding the “O’s” in God’s message
    Satan’s Lie: You Can Become God
  29. Is Jesus God? – Adnan Rashid vs Samuel Green
  30. Proof that the disciples did not preach the trinity!
  31. How the Trinity Debate has Influenced Our Reading
  32. A Trinitarian Christian claims he can explain the trinity…guess what happens next?
  33. Mohammed Hijab vs David Wood, Tawheed vs Trinity
  34. Is Jesus God? Debate between Pastor Stanley Sjoberg and Sheikh Ahmed Deedat
  35. Trinity vs Tawheed, Adnan Rashid vs Samuel Green (Part 1)
  36. Trinity vs Tawheed – Adnan Rashid vs Samuel Green (Part 2)
  37. Of Christianity and Modern Morality
  38. 4 Mmisconceptions that need to be cleared about being a christian
  39. Matthew 20:26
  40. Heaven, work, and duty
  41. The Church – Body of Christ
  42. Funhouse God
  43. Our Heavenly Home 
  44. Listening While White: Respecting the Image of God in People of Color
  45. Deepening our Faith: 2nd Sunday of Advent 2020
  46. He is Faithful
  47. Catholicism – a False religion based on idolatry man made doctrines pagan traditions
  48. Completing the great commission
  49. Where is wisdom found?
  50. the high cost of not trusting God
  51. Above the voice of men
  52. Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
  53. Fear of God – Temor de Dios
  54. The Fear of God
  55. Fear Brings Contentment
  56. Pleasing and Not Pleasing People for the Glory of God
  57. You´ve overcome

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Lifestyle, Quotations from Holy Scriptures, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Spiritual affairs, World affairs

Not About The Name Of The Godhead Of Jesus

“ He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God,
and he shall go out thence no more:
and I will write upon him the name of my God,
and the name of the city of my God,
the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God,
and mine own new name.” (Re 3:12 ASV)

 

Since Rev 3:12 is Not About The Name Of The Godhead Of Jesus, It Must Be Referring To The Name Of The God Of Jesus. Proving Jesus Has A God.
We know it is undeniable that a Father begets his son so we see that the LORD (YHWH) is the Father who tells his son,
“you are my son, this day have I begotten you”.
Absolute proof, just be the fact this is speaking about Jesus being begotten by the LORD (YHWH), that LORD (YHWH) is the Father.
Psa 2:7
I will tell of the decree: the LORD(YHWH) said unto me: ‘Thou art My son, this day have I begotten thee.
When we know there is only one YHWH as per Zech 14:9, we know Jesus cannot be that same YHWH which is the Godhead because Jesus by himself is not the Godhead that is three persons, and must be a different YHWH than the Godhead which is three persons. When we know Jesus is not YHWH the Godhead and can’t be the same YHWH as the Godhead, that makes two who are YHWH if Jesus is also YHWH. Jesus being a different YHWH than YHWH the Godhead, this disqualifies him from being YHWH because he would be a second YHWH when scripture commands that there is only one YHWH. This then disqualifies the Godhead from being YHWH because it would then mean Jesus would also need to be YHWH to be God, as only YHWH is God. And therefore disqualifies the Godhead from being God, because the Godhead is not YHWH And only YHWH is God, proving the Godhead is not God. And because we have proven Jesus cannot be YHWH without there being two that are YHWH, thusly we prove the Godhead cannot be the one YHWH, in true belief, as that requires Jesus to be YHWH God and as already shown he cannot be YHWH God. This shows us there is not such thing as the Godhead or we would have seen that the only YHWH is the Godhead.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD (YHWH) shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD (YHWH), and his name one.
By this we know it is proven that the one YHWH is not the Godhead but the one YHWH is the Father, and since the only God is YHWH the only God is the Father.
Their claim is that the name of the Godhead is YHWH but it cannot be so. And since the YHWH turns out to be the name of the Father, and the Father is not the Godhead. We proved there is no such thing as the Godhead, and that shows us Rev 3:12 is Jesus speaking of the name of his God, which is his Father, and Jesus is not speaking of his Godhead. This then proves Jesus has a God. And that God is his Father.
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Jesus the same yesterday, today and for ever only means he had a God in heaven before he descended, as he has a God today, and will have a God for ever. He was never God and will never be God.
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Yesterday:
Joh 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”
After Ascension To This Very Day:
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

For Ever: Subject To God Who Put All Under Him. So That God Is All To All.

1Co 15:28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all.

Jesus been seen

The Glory Of Jesus, His Face, Was Seen, And the Apostles Did Not Die So Jesus Is Not God. God Himself Said
Man Cannot See My Face And Live.
We see that God says no man can see his glory and live, his glory being his face. Moses asked to see God’s glory. God replied that no man can see his face and live. He told Moses that he would block him with his hand so he did not see his face, but when his glory(face) passed by Moses, Moses could see God’s back parts.
With that face there must be a head the face is attached to, attached to shoulders underneath the head, attached to arms, attached to the hand that covers Moses, and back parts of his body, obviously with front parts to match. That is how God has a shape and body.
Exo 33:17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
Exo 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
Exo 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
Exo 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Exo 33:21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
Exo 33:22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
Exo 33:23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
And Jesus would not say to the people he was speaking, you have never seen his shape if he didn’t have a shape. Jesus was speaking to his audience. Jesus saying “YOU” have never heard his voice or seen his shape to his audience, doesn’t mean nobody had heard his voice and seen his shape. And it proves that God has a voice and shape.
Joh 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
First let us mention the apostles were not dreaming and asleep, by the time they saw his glory they had awakened, and there was no mention of a vision. But we see Jesus was seen, his face was seen when the apostles saw his glory at the configuration. His glory must be the same glory as his Father, his face. Jesus was seen, his face as well, in all his glory in the transfiguration on the mount. So when we know the apostles saw his face in all his glory, and did not die we know Jesus is not God. No man can see the glory of God, his face, and live. We can see as they looked upon him he changed to his glorified state talking to Elijah and Moses.
And just as we cannot look on the glorified state of God we could not look on the glorified state of Jesus and live if he was God.
This shows us clearly even in his glorified state Jesus is not God.
Luk 9:28 Now about eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray.
Luk 9:29 While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes turned dazzling white.
Luk 9:30 Suddenly, two men were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah.
Luk 9:31 They had a glorified appearance, and were discussing Jesus’ departure that he would shortly bring about in Jerusalem.
Luk 9:32 Now Peter and the men with him had been overcome by sleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him.

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Find also

Daring to speak in multicultural environment

To find ways of Godly understanding

Fully God Or Only A Part Of God?

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Additional reading

  1. When there is a God is it possible to relate to Him
  2. Looking for answers on the question Is there a God #1 Many gods
  3. Are you looking for answers and Are you looking for God
  4. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God
  5. 4th Question: Who or What is God
  6. The real God
  7. A 1st reply to the 4th Question Who is God 2 A Singular Supreme Spirit Being
  8. The habitual misreading of John 1 and the ‘Word being God’ #2
  9. Germanic mythological influences up to today’s Christmas celebrations
  10. A god who gave his people commandments and laws he knew they never could keep to it
  11. No man see the Almighty God and live
  12. Existence and difficult recognition of the Supreme Deity Being
  13. To come close to God we have to want to “see” Him
  14. Some one or something to fear #7 Not afraid for Gods Name
  15. God, the Father, the Sole Creator of Heaven and Earth
  16. Prayer theme for August 2019: God’s glory
  17. Today’s Thought “The whole earth is full of his glory” (May 16)
  18. Today’s thought “nonsense surrounding the many gods” (July 28)
  19. Today’s thought “On the eternity of God” (December 17)
  20. How do trinitarians equate divine nature
  21. From nothingness to a growing group of followers of Jeshua 4 Trusting the Right One
  22. Extra verses to memorize Deuteronomy 4:15-16 Watching yourselves very carefully
  23. Yeshua a man with a special personality
  24. 2 Corinthians 5:19 – God in Christ
  25. When you believe Jesus is God, do you think he died?
  26. To Glorify God and His Son
  27. To Glorify God and His Son #2 Governance and objectives of the ecclesia/charity
  28. Sayings of Jesus, what to believe and being or not of the devil

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Further literature

(not all in accordance with our thinking or according to Biblical teaching)

  1. On the net there are many who claim real followers of Christ, who take him as the “son of God”, like is written in Scriptures, and do not accept Jesus is God, would not be Christians. Also VictorsCorner is one such place where is denied Christianship to those who really follow the Words of Christ Jesus and his heavenly Father. Find more about his view:Being A Cultural Christian Is Not Enough, where is thought that only the ones who follow the human dogma of the Trinity can call themselves Christian.
  2. A lot of Christian ministers claim non-trinitarians can be no Christian, though they forget the ‘ian’ behind Christ, indicates one is a follower of Christ, which implies one must believe in Jesus Christ, and as such accepts he is born, died and was resurrected. God has no birth, can not die and was also never taken out of the dead, because God is eternal (having no death).What Does It Mean to be a True Christian?
  3. There our thousands of ways to Being Christian, but one must know if one wants to be accepted by Christ Jesus one has to keep to his teachings, the Biblical teachings and to the laws of his heavenly Father, which implies that one should only worship One God and have no graven images of that God.
  4. Those Christians that claim that Jesus must be God because it is said “he is one with the Father”. At the same time they forget that we too have to be one with Christ and one with God. In the way of thinking of Trinitarians that would make us also to be Jesus and to be God, which is naturally ridiculous. When we have to be one with Christ and One With The Father, we should be one in spirit, being on the same line of thinking and handling, being in union or unity with each other, Christ and Jehovah God.
  5. Being Christian Takes PracticeBeing Christian On Day OneMany who call themselves Christian, keep insisting that Jesus would be God, instead of accepting that Jesus is the way to God. Many who do not want to accept the words from God and Jesus as written in the Bible should seriously think about Jesus saying: Go Away, I don’t know youWhat is it Like Being You? – Br. Jim WoodrumIt’s a privilege
  6. Straight and Narrow Pain – Br. Jack Crowley
  7. Luke 9:23-25 #WordSnippet
  8. Effective Christianity
  9. Rules for Discernment – Particular vs UniversalMan should know that Jesus as an example for all mankind showed people the way to his heavenly Father, and not to himself, in the same way that he did not pray to himself, but always prayed to the Only One God, the God of Israel. Real Christians should follow Jesus his words and should follow the commandments of his heavenly Father, Jehovah God Who is One. This is the Way, Walk in It – Br. James KoesterThe good mask
  10. Why Your Church Needs a Health Check Up!
  11. Christians at all times should wonder Am I worthy of you? and at the same time should question themselves if they are really worshipping the right god, namely the Unseen Eternal All-knowing Spirit Suprime Being. Many have forgotten who is behind it all and Calling all sinners, come home
  12. >How do you define your own identity?
  13. God Knows What He Is Doing
  14. god can do anythingWho am I?<
  15. Tri-Unity
  16. Funny that people can think God as a Trinity can sound pretty weird, but it is actually one of the most beautiful pieces of theology that people refuse to accept, namely God declaring ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.’  Matthew 3:16-18 (NLT) What is the Trinity?  Lots of Christians call to listen to the voice of Jesus but do not listen to him nor his heavenly Father, though they write: Hear The Son, Believe The Father. They keep refusing to listen to God Who declared Jesus His only begotten beloved son.
  17. Is the Trinity scriptural – or is it pagan nonsense and My Confession give an idea how a person gets entangled in the false human doctrine, instead of really taking the words of the Scriptures like they are written down. So much relies on how one defines terms, and awareness of the filters used to define those terms, instead of keeping it all simple and not to build one theory on another theory of so-called theologians neglecting the Words of the Bible, which are simple to follow.
  18. Many Trinitarians bring up the unity of Christ with God but do not see how we too have to have God in us. sometimes they even say “For those who deny the presence of God in this world and who deny the work of Jesus on the cross, the Spirit is meaningless.” but they themselves do not see the wonderous act Jesus has done on that piece of wood, trusting fully his heavenly Father. It is in a way Unacceptable that they keep refusing to see the work Jesus has done for mankind.
  19. The Immaculate Conception and the Trinity
  20. What’s the Foundation Upon Which You Stand?
  21. #17 St Nicholas and Why I Accepted the Trinity
  22. Irenaeus on Theology and Christology 1
  23. Irenaeus on Theology and Christology 2
  24. Irenaeus on Theology and Christology 3
  25. Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
  26. The Creation of the New Testament, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Holy Trinity
  27. Is Jesus God? – Adnan Rashid vs Samuel Green
  28. Proof that the disciples did not preach the trinity!
  29. How the Trinity Debate has Influenced Our Reading
  30. A Trinitarian Christian claims he can explain the trinity…guess what happens next?
  31. Mohammed Hijab vs David Wood, Tawheed vs Trinity
  32. Is Jesus God? Debate between Pastor Stanley Sjoberg and Sheikh Ahmed Deedat
  33. Trinity vs Tawheed, Adnan Rashid vs Samuel Green (Part 1)
  34. Trinity vs Tawheed – Adnan Rashid vs Samuel Green (Part 2)
  35. Beloved SonComing closer to the pagan festival of Christmas lots of Christians do forget how the Old Testament Scriptures point to the promised one his coming. We can see his incredible works and see that Father God sent him. Yet we must also answer the call to come to him for the life he offers…Come To Me To Have Life

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Filed under Religious affairs, Spiritual affairs

Do you really know what you say you believe in?

In this world lots of people (not to say the majority) is caught up by human teachings. Be them atheists, christians or people to other religions, they mostly prefer to hold on human teachings and philosophies.

When they encounter people who believe the Biblical Truth, they often are so afraid of them and their teaching they want to avenge them and want to make sure others would not listen to those followers of the Bible.

Today’s Guestspeaker has tried in many articles to expose the truth behind our assumptions and belief systems that were created and pushed upon man for centuries.
He writes correctly:

“Every single one of our traditions has a beginning and most of the time those beginnings have nothing to do with the True God or his Son.”

By a lot of people who call themselves Christian we can clearly see that they do not follow the biblical Truth bu are caught up in the false human doctrines, like the one of the Trinity. We also can see that those who quote Scripture to people directly from the Bible that goes against the church theories they are considered to be a heretic even though they aren’t even using their own words.

Scripture directly from Christ own words in

John 20:17.

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

show over and over again that Christ wanted his followers to know that he had a God and in his opinion that God was the Father for him and for us all.

It is that heavenly Father of Jesus Christ Who should be our Only One True God. It are His Words which we should show to the world and spread the gospel news of the coming Kingdom of God, where Jesus as the authorised one from God shall be king and be mediator between God and man.

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Read also

  1. Human & Biblical teachings
  2. Approachers of ideas around gods, philosophers and theologians
  3. God’s forgotten Word 6 Lost Lawbook 5 Heretics
  4. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
  5. A participation in the body of ChristDo Christadelphians belong to Protestantism

Thechurch

20130312-174542.jpg

While sitting talking to a friend something came up that I knew but I didn’t know how far it reached until today. The trinity concept that really is doctrine but not explained in churches to the membership for one reason or another is even misunderstood by those that refuse it. Above is a clear outline of the trinity doctrine( this is one the oldest shields of the trinity). Now don’t freak out if you don’t recognize it as a explanation taught to you, most don’t. The reason why is because down through the years the concept of the trinity has became a source of attacks so much that even the original followers have tried to step away from it in their attempt to explain it to others so much that its become forgotten even to their own believers. Most people will tell you the example of water, ice, and steam…

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Filed under Knowledge & Wisdom, Lifestyle, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs

Need to reject an archaic, racist inspired interpretation of the Bible and animosity against other believers

In Belgium and France we see a growing hatred against lovers of the One and Only One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah. Several Jews have been attacked physically or were made afraid by all kinds of threats or intimidations. That made many of our brethren and sisters leave for Israel. In France Jehovah’s Witnesses, Bible Students and Christadelphians are prohibited to proclaim the Good News or the Gospel of the Kingdom in public, for example by speaking to people on the street or by billing leaflets. In several regions people look down at Muslims or show their hate, giving the impression that they must be all so terrible or be believers of the faith IS promotes.

The Netherlands for years already had their very conservative Calvinist groups, but the last 30 years they were joined by other radical Christians. Many of those follow the Bible literally and can’t read in between the lines nor showing understanding Hebrew thinking or Hebrew way of talk.

As a college professor, the writer of Help from Heaven looks at this world and sees how we have come to a period people want to have eye-flaps, but also finds that the present youngsters could perhaps be more interested in and learning from stories that illustrated the teachings he was bringing but also about the teaching the Holy Scriptures wants to bring to mankind.

Is it

Archaic, bygone, ancient, passe, primitive, old. {Bonkers away blog: daily-prompt: Archaic}

that makes us not fitting in this world any more, giving us the impression it is becoming less accepting, more limited of views, less free thinking, more prudent, less receptive to other opinions. We clearly feel how youngsters today look more hostile to different thinking people, otherwise believers and to those who belong to a different culture.

Also certain communities are guilty of bringing limitations to free thinking. We even do not have to go far. In our own regions we have very conservative Jews who want to have the children over protected and also want them to believe in literal Biblical interpretation, holding fast on a six day creation and as such with their thought on the same line as the growing group of Christian Creationists. You may call it a response to modern evolutionary theory, which explains the emergence and diversity of life without recourse to the doctrine of God or any other divine power. Mainstream scientists generally rejecting creationism may find several believers in God joining them too, but worse is to see how by the growing pressure of certain religious groups trying to get diversion or war between other religious groups, we can see many more people getting fed up with religion and putting it aside.

Certain people want to to overwrite history and think they can make for it a better picture that covers the archaic marks and portray a new picture. They have the impression the strokes that they shall strike this time shall be much stronger and sharper just like the person they have become in the journey of their life … {“Life is like an Old Sketch”}

The article “The Racist Bible” brings a view of the recent problems our world is facing. There is written:

We live with such an archaic interpretation of the Bible. People interpreted the Bible in different ways 100 years ago, 500 years ago, and 1500 years ago. We need to know why those interpretations came into being. Once we do, we can see how it is hurting us. Only then can we move on to a powerful Biblical interpretation, one that is vibrant and appeals to the modern non-Christian. {The Racist Bible}

In several of the Jeshuaists their articles they try to bring a view how the ancient Hebrews saw the beginning of the world and how the Adonai handled the rebellion of man. We can see how by the years ‘Church‘ made use to bend words or twist interpretations to get people under the spell or in their ban. Several religious groups love to have control over their flock and found it most appropriate to do that with fearmongering and with hard language (sometimes even going so far to use abusive language or enormity). Scaring people or trying to intimidate them has become more popular these days. We can find certain preachers (like Mr. Dave Norris) happy to present all sorts of lies about other religious groups than their own church, (for Mr Norris: the Bible Church), which must be the only one true church every one should have to become a member, because otherwise they shall have to burn in hell for ever. Strangely enough in several articles he attacks groups which say we are saved but still have to do works.  He then claims (like Mr. Cross Roman)  we do not have to do any works any more because we are saved by Christ his blood. Norris also knows about the problems of human tradition and writes

All this is ridiculous and pits Apostolic Authority against scripture. Judaism regards the Torah or the first five books of the Bible highly but not quite as high as the Talmud which is Jewish tradition. Tradition can be classified as a philosophy written by men. Whether you believe it or not the Bible was not written by men per se but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Christadelphians and Bible students also follow their own traditions which supersedes the word of God and each Congregation of those bodies believe differently as there is no uniform Doctrine. Just like in the Book of Judges when everyone did what was right in their own eyes yes. I follow the word of God and place very little impetus on tradition. {Precious Spiritual Children- 2}

He tells others lies about the Belgian Biblestudents and Christadelphians, so called claiming Jesus would return a certain day or year (what they certainly do not)  but he himself writes that the Jewish people will accept a guaranteed peace covenant secured by the countries of the now 80% Islamic Roman Empire.

Norris on return of Christ + Jews+ Islamic world + doctrine of imminence+end-time prophesies

Some preachers, because they believe the world shall come to an end, try to call others false prophets and try their believers to belief that those groups would have prophesied such dates for the end of the world, whilst those groups, like the Belgian Bible Students and the Christadelphians already have spend many articles saying that we should be careful with people claiming that Jesus would return on such or such a day, because even Jesus did not know it and we also can not know the exact day of the return of Jesus. But for sure we may be sure that the world shall not come to an end, not because the Belgian Bible students and the Christadelphians belief so , but because that is just the biblical truth and God’s promise  to our Patriarch Abraham, that we may look forward to a big state of united people under God’s King his reign her on earth and in heaven.

Lots of present teachers attacking Jews, Non-Trinitarian Christians and Muslims do have much self-esteem and though they seem to recognise it as part of the possible signs of the end-times do not see the beam in their own eyes but blame the splinters in someone else’s skin, claiming that at all dates setters fail to do is to rely on the words of the scripture which they only are able to do, them being able to see how fast Satan is working to cause chaos and evil, deceiving this world (like Mr. Norris is doing), because all others are “kindergartners” or “have no brains” (Norris his words).

The kettle blames the pot that it looks black but does not see the beam in its own eyes while it complains about the splinters in someone else’s skin. Mr. Dave Norris blaming others to tell and warn about end-times sings, but giving himself also some recognition to those signs in his series over the The End Times (namely part 4)

It might look honourable when people try to talk about that nice prospect of their Messiah coming back. But then they would have to follow the footsteps of that Nazarene master teacher Jeshua, Jesus Christ, who preached peace and not war, like they are doing. So many preachers may be happy with the contemporary technology making it very easy to bring the Word of God all over the nations. To our regret we also find lots of people finding in it a tool to spit their gal and to do everything to have their poisonous words to obscure all reality and decency.

Internet evangelism is how the nations will have an opportunity to hear and receive the Good News. No longer can one person reach only as many as he knows or comes into contact with. Today one person, right out of the comfort of his home, can reach millions of people in places he has never been and most likely, never will go. One person can invest a little time, without investing thousands of dollars in travel expenses, and can do much more, plant more seeds, and encourage more brethren than if he were to board a plane and go somewhere. {Today’s “Roman Road” – the Internet}

But at the same time we can see how one person can manage to bring all sorts of writings on the different denominations which exist in the world of religion, to break them. He even attacks the people of God and let his readers believe that we give more attention to human teachings and traditions than to the Torah.

Dave Norris of the Bible Church on Jews + Talmud + Rabbinical teaching

Mr Dave Norris of an American bible Church wanting his readers and all people in the world to believe the Jews are using the goyim as their slaves and would find raping women and killing whites ok, clearly wanting to create hatred against the Jewish people (Picture from The Shocking Jewish Talmud Revealed)

Concerning founders Mr. Norris has shown, about other denominations too, he also has a strange view, him believing it were the Hebrews who founded Judaism, though it was the Most Almighty Elohim Who has chosen us as His people and promised us by the seed of Abraham a great nation.

He also seems to forget one of the main points of a monotheist religion, which according to him our ancestors would have created. In Judaism part 101-1 he mentions the essence of a monotheist religion, namely worshipping only One True God above all gods, whilst he is a worshipper not of “One and Unique” God, but of the trinity and as such worships three gods: a God the Father, god the son and god the Holy Spirit, and by doing so should fall under the polytheists. When he considers the Hebrew religion as the mother religion of his religion, we would like to ask him why he went so far away from his mother and betrayed her?

Judaism – Jews chosen by God practising and teaching monotheism

For Mr. Norris it seems to be clear that all those who preach peace between Jews, Christians, Muslims and non believers are oxymorons.

Mr Dave Norris finds all those who want to live in peace together and accept the other religious groups “biblical oxymoron” finding they falter between two opinions following Baal considering that (according to him) God and Baal are oxymorons as is this question of the agreement the temple of God has with idols. (Though he himself belongs to a church with several idols or gods.) (picture of his article: The Coexist Movement- 2)

Like he does not seem to see the many differences between the Bible students he also does not seem to know much about the different forms of Judaism, only mentioning three.

Dave Norris limited vision on Jewish groups

Though people like him are being followed by many as if they are the gurus of truth.

Perhaps he, living in the United States, feels united with the many creationists and conservative and fundamentalist Christians. Him also for the whites, thinking Jews love to kill them, can find  confirmation in the writing of the professor who writes

In fact, it was not until Luther that people started taking the Bible more literally. The Creationist movement, though, including the world-wide flood didn’t really take root until the southerners of 1850+ started promoting it. Thus, we had a racist theology demand that their interpretation was the only one. Many were convinced to write on it, without referring to slavery. Slowly the arguments strengthened, until many who are not racist accept the arguments. This, though has saddled us with a theology that contradicts science. Now, we have to invent miracles that are not mentioned in the Bible to fit this theology. For example, a single flood doesn’t leave layers, it jumbles up everything.  {The Racist Bible}

For the professor it might be clear that certain Western Christians have perhaps taken a too restricted look at the Scriptures and perhaps in their thought that the King James Bible is the only true Bible, many Americans even thinking those Hebrews, like Abraham, Isaiah and Jesus all had English Names and as such find, it can not be that the rebbe his name is Jeshua or that God is called Jehovah.

Perhaps it is getting time that people from the West Northern hemisphere start looking at the Bible with other eyes. They also should start questioning their attitude to Jews, real Christians, Muslims, other and non-believers. If they want to win souls or if they want to convert people, loving to see them as members of their Christian faith, it will certainly come down not to follow the way of preachers like Dave Norris serves his community of the Bible Church, because I think he is at the moment getting more people away from faith and religion than getting them in his group or into becoming a Christian. The way we see many Christians act against other Christians and how there is a growing number of Christians reacting cruel against other faith groups or pushing others not to believe in the existence of dinosaurs or that the earth is flat and that NASA would be fooling us about the round earth, it is understandable why so many Christians are leaving the Christian Faith.

We need to reject the archaic, racist inspired interpretation of the Bible. We need to look at it afresh. The interpretation I suggested is not necessarily right, but is a reasonable alternative. Right now, because we are stuck with the racist inspired creationism, we are losing Christians when they go to High School and college and study science. They see how the two conflict, and are rejecting the Bible in great numbers. If we study the Bible fresh, we will see that there are literal interpretations that do not conflict with science, and we can then focus on talking about Jesus without people saying, “I don’t believe that stuff. It is just an archaic myth that science has shown to be wrong.” {The Racist Bible}

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Preceding

Confrontation by people telling lies to force others to avoid the targetted groups

The written, the spoken, and the audible a part of the soul and a blessing to humanity but also the trigger to those who love Crusades and the Inquisition

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Additional reading

  1. Dave Norris and his writings on the Belgian Bible Students
  2. Trusting present youngsters who are not necessary evil
  3. Overprotection and making youngsters drifting away
  4. The way of looking at the Scriptures and the people in this world
  5. Knife-trust in democratic sore back
  6. Pushing people in a corner danger for indoctrination and loss of democratic values

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Related

  1. The Watchtower Belgian Biblestudents
  2. Comfort Zone Gospel
  3. Jonah; Wake Up
  4. The Missing Piece to Salvation
  5. Saved From What?
  6. Selling Jesus
  7. Think About It…
  8. Entering the Trail to True Freedom
  9. Main Reason to Share the Gospel
  10. Evangelism as a lifestyle
  11. How to Overcome Fear of Sharing the Gospel – The Story of the Waldensians
  12. Forgetting that the Gospel is Good News, Romans 1:7
  13. Salty Agape
  14. Communicating the Wondrous Truth of God’s Love and Mercy
  15. Eschatology for beginners (part 1)
  16. The Return of Yeshua Ben Joseph, also known as Jesus – by New Dimension – 12-23-17
  17. Exit Strategy End Times: “Unforgiveness and the Band Aid of agreement.” “
  18. This is NOT the Time to be SILENT
  19. Eastern Lightning | The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 2)
  20. Keep Racing!
  21. How to Teach About the Second Coming
  22. Today’s “Roman Road” – the Internet
  23. The Antichrist in the Holy Place Church
  24. The Historical Lesson Historians Need to Learn
  25. Scoffers
  26. Why Is Christ’s Return Not Widely Taught?
  27. The Beginning and the Ending
  28. Seven Reasons For Six Day Creation
  29. The Creationism
  30. Elmore Fundamentalism, Part 1: Matter
  31. More on Evolution: From the Mail Room, by Fred Reed
  32. Is There Biological Evidence of Life’s Recent Creation? – Part I
  33. Scientists Identify a Key Cognitive Error that Could Explain Why People Believe in Creationism and Conspiracy Theories
  34. Why Evolution is True Review
  35. Teleogical views predict not just creationism, but conspiracy theories
  36. A Creationist Surprise
  37. Is Creationism racist?
  38. God and Science
  39. Eric Hedin, prohibited from teaching intelligent design at Ball State, retires and moves to a Christian university
  40. Claim of creationism taught in school linked to National
  41. School response on creationism, claims evolution ‘controversies’
  42. School response on creationism, claims evolution ‘controversies’ — Your NZ
  43. Origin Story: A Big History of Everything
  44. There IS Purpose!
  45. Your Mythology is not Science
  46. Where Were You Radicalized?
  47. The Ends of the World
  48. Civil Debate? Catcall? Or Creationist Ruse?
  49. Faith abates reason at Edmonton’s first Flat-Earth International Conference
  50. #1: Inexplicable Species and the Theory of Evolution
  51. Evolutionary psychology: The naturalistic and agency fallacies
  52. A creationist makes the dumbest criticism of evolution ever
  53. Noah’s ark: the most ridiculed story in the Bible
  54. Tel Aviv’s new natural history museum (built to look like Noah’s Ark) deliberately omits mentioning evolution
  55. Why Do the Fundamentalists Love Tracey Ullman Now?
  56. InfightingNon-Physical Fighting 2
  57. Sikh Radicalisation in Britain
  58. Waitress Denied Tip for ‘not loving Jesus’
  59. Christian-hating transgender VT gubernatorial candidate DUPED by satire site: ‘Some evangelists just crazy!’
  60. The Nashville Statement (A Plain Language Translation)
  61. Love and Hate

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Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Being and Feeling, Crimes & Atrocities, Headlines - News, History, Lifestyle, Religious affairs, World affairs

Confrontation by people telling lies to force others to avoid the targetted groups

Many times in our life we have to make choices and do we have to be confronted by people willing to force us to make certain choices or to go certain directions. Those who want to re-direct people often are not afraid to use very offensive or intimidating language.

On the internet we do find lots of people who do not mind their way of speech. Some are convinced that their offensive manner of speech can attract more followers (what it seems to do) and shall get people so much afraid that they would not dare to give a negative reaction or would not dare to contradict the web-owner.

Dave Norris picturing Son. H. Spirit. Father. Christadelphians. Unitarians. Created Being. Mere Force. GOD. Jehovah Witnesses.

One such person is Dave Norris who seems to find pleasure in attacking Roman Catholics, Christadelphians and also seems to have a thing (or fling) with Mormons, because all people who dare to give an other reaction than what he expect he calls Morons and Mormons. Because this (seemingly very frustrated) author bombards the net with anti-Christadelphian material and provides several Christadelphian members with hateful or inappropriate language mails, the Belgian Biblestudents, after a lot of patience, did find it time to react on the net and to provide a special website to show people the many lies such people as Mr. Norris are presenting on the net as so called proof that Christadelphians, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other non-Trinitarian Christians are following false prophets, adhering false teachings and are people sent by Satan.

Too many people do forget that this matter about Trinity or not is a very old issue that came into existence after the death of Christ and became a terrible matter long after the death of the apostles, bringing clergy agreeing to a three-headed god for political and power reasons.

The clergy also found an interesting tool to keep people in their power and to please them with offering them all heathen pleasures, being able to have graven images to pray for, to use incense and do all sorts of rites taken from the pagan people and traditions. People also found more  pleasing answers in possibilities to have an other life after this life on earth, than the teachings of the Bible could offer them. The mixture of the philosophical writings, of the Greek and Roman cultures could find a nice amalgamation with the many pagan teachings and were blended in the Roman Catholic Church its teachings.

The Belgian Christadelphian Biblestudents (not to confuse with some other Belgian Christadelphian groups) are aware that lots of people do not have enough bible knowledge and therefore they would love to give an incentive to come to read the Bible, so that it can be examined who keeps most to the teachings of the bible, the trinitarians or the non-trinitarians.

Please come to know this website which want to come to the defence of all non-Trinitarians and in the near future also wants to present the different denominations which believe in only One God Who is One and not three.

Unmasking anti Jehovah sites and people

Showing the only One True God and the Way to That God

 

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Have a look at one way of Dave Norris reacting: Reaction to Vragensteller on Christadelphian Hogwash

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Find also

  1. Anti Jehovah sites
  2. For those who do everything to stop the work of Christadelphians
  3. The Trinity matter
  4. The Trinity – the Truth
  5. Altered to fit a Trinity
  6. Trinity – behind a false doctrine
  7. Trinity – History

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Related

  1. Unitarism [745] – Please take into account that the Belgian Christadelphians have no ties with the JW and that the Belgian Christadelphian Biblestudents may have connections with and have ex-JW members in the Biblestudent movement [those who returned after they first went with the schism group of the JW which was founded by Rutherford and not by Charles Taze Russell, the student of John Thomas (the founder of the Christadelphians)] Mr.
  2. Trinity, Logic, and the Transcendence of Transcendence
  3. What Constitutes a Cult?
  4. Moongazers and Sunflowers
  5. In which I cement my place in hell via Newton
  6. 18 May: Alison Patrick of the Unitarian Church in Shrewsbury: Unitarian? What’s that?
  7. Worship
  8. Please don’t call me a Christian
  9. I am an agnostic at heart
  10. Is religious faith madness?
  11. Letter of the Day: Government must probe trial process
  12. When Windows Become Mirrors
  13. All One InTent
  14. Open Minds, Welcome Hearts
  15. The Broken Pastorate
  16. Labyrinth #17: Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Rock Tavern, NY
  17. A Rescued Life from Cult to Freedom: A Rebuttal of JW’s Beliefs
  18. Top Of The Morning: What Do You Know About Jehovah Witnesses
  19. Why Jehovah Witnesss confuse people 
  20. Jehovah’s Witnesses
  21. Denomination’s 5..Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  22. August Dickmann-executed without a trial.
  23. 10 Things You Should Know about Jehovah’s Witnesses (at that site once again we read the false statement that Charles Taze Russell would have been the first JW.)
  24. Leaked Documents Reveal Jehovah’s Witnesses A Pedophile Cult David Zublick Channel Leaked internal documents from the Jehovah’s Witnesses church reveal a cover-up of a huge pedophile ring operating within the …
  25. How Should We Act In The Face Of A False Teacher?
  26. Was Jesus the Archangel Michael?
  27. Do You Have to Believe in the Trinity to be Saved?
  28. Ep. 4 – Jehovah’s Witnesses
  29. More advice on dealing with Jehovah Witnesses
  30. Why I hate fundamentalist people so much
  31. Is the Watchtower Using (or Creating) Apocryphal Material?
  32. Enduring as a Transgender Christian
  33. OSC’s Watchtower street teach pt 1
  34. YouTube: Who’s Lying Now Stephen Lett?
  35. My Interview with Mick Pillar-A Survivor of the JW Cult
  36. Congratulations to Naomi!
  37. ‘Extremist’ Faith: Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses Report Wave Of Police Raids, Detentions
  38. Welcome! on a website to promote Unitarian Christianity as the best path to a personal relationship with God.

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Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Announcement, Being and Feeling, Crimes & Atrocities, Educational affairs, Headlines - News, Knowledge & Wisdom, Religious affairs, World affairs

What is a Christian?

Lots of people do call themselves Christian but are not really real followers of Christ (what they should be when they call themselves Christian).

Being Christian should entail that the person is a follower of the Christ (Kristos) and would follow his teachings and worship the same God as him. Though in the Christian world we do find the majority worshipping another god than the God of Christ. Christ Jesus, born by the Power of God, was brought up in a very devout family who kept to the Torah and worshipped the Only One True God, the God of Israel, Who is also the God of Abraham.

A true Christian should also keep to that Unseen God and like Jesus should obey His Wishes and Commandments. As a follower of Christ a Christian should make sure to live according the rule of the God of Christ and according the teachings of Jesus Christ. Though in many denominations we see lots of so called believers who not take notion of all those things Jesus and God require from believers in God and from lovers of God. Many keep to the false teaching of the trinity (a three-headed god) and even do not mind having graven images of those gods (a blasphemy and an abomination in the eyes of God)
Lots of those calling themselves Christian also do not share the love of Christ and often are racist and not showing their love for others. Many also do not mind taking up weapons or to show aggressiveness towards others.

A real Christian is some one who really tries to live according the teachings of God and His only begotten beloved son Jesus, and like him shows respect and love to every creation of God (plants, animals and people).

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Additional reading

  1. The Nazarene master teacher learning people how they should behave
  2. Words to push and pull
  3. Atonement And Fellowship 2/8
  4. As Christ’s slaves doing the Will of God in gratitude
  5. Not withholding the Good News
  6. Jehovah’s Witnesses Circuit Assembly and a Pillar to freedom
  7. Blogging in the world for Jesus and his Father
  8. Devotees and spotters
  9. Concerning the humans who are a warlike species
  10. ….a powerful way to put the universe on notice….
  11. Days of madness with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils
  12. Living lives in total darkness by lack of understanding the times that lie ahead
  13. An atoneless religious system or a hope giving religious system
  14. Given opportunity to accept Christ as Messiah
  15. A House for God in our 21st century
  16. Torah hanging on two commandments and focussing on a Mashiach
  17. Ambassadors for our faith in Jeshua
  18. Biblical Yeshua/ Jesus or Another European Greco- Roman Jesus ??
  19. Not being saved by faith in Christ alone
  20. Today’s thought “A breach of faith against the LORD” (March 1)
  21. Today’s thought “Being made prosperous and numerous on conditions” (May 13)
  22. Today’s thought “… with all your heart” (May 09)
  23. a Strong Family doesn’t just happen
  24. Eagerness to learn and to teach others
  25. Division, diversity, unity and connection
  26. Jewish and Gentile Disciples
  27. Jews and Christians against Messianics and Jeshuaists
  28. The attitude of Christians to Jews
  29. Working with others behind the scenes
  30. The Most Important Point to be a Jeshuaist
  31. Christadelphian opposite Christian
  32. The clean sweeper of the whole caboodle
  33. Living stones 5 Abraham’s seed and gentiles
  34. Living stones 7 The spiritual house
  35. Today’s thought “Forgive … from your heart” (January 16)
  36. Memorizing wonderfully 45 Living and bearing fruit by dying

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs

Americans their stars, pretension, God, Allah and end of times signs #1 Abrahamic religions

2016 was already a year of great dissonance, 2017 was not so much better. It did turn its back unto us, but left a big stamp on what we might expect for this year. The world looked with astonishment to the one who managed to become the 45th president of the United States of America. What most people in the West thought would not ever happen did happen. It shows how mistaken we can be.

Like their leader,who thinks he can decide which place has to be the capital of a certain country, several of the citizens of that so called ‘united’ States think they may decide which word people have to use to speak about their god or how to call God. On many internet platforms and chat-groups or Facebook Groups, those Americans want to forbid people in whose languages already thousands of years before the U.S.A. was founded, the word Allah was used to denote “God” to call the Most High Maker “Allah”. They forgetting that this title’s origin can be traced back to the earliest Semitic writings in which the word for “god” was il or el, the latter being used in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Allāh is the standard Arabic word for God and is used by Arab speaking people as well as in many other languages by Christians as well as by Muslims .

Those English speaking Americans having the pretentious to decide which word other language speaking people may use for speaking about their God. Worse is that several of those stubborn Americans do not want to see that they commit blasphemy against the Divine Creator. One can wonder if it is because of their education of lack of education that those Americans go so much against the word “Allah” they even do not come to see or understand that it is a common title for “God” in many languages and in many countries outside the United States of America and in many religious groups.

0042_20Just to few some active bloggers, we can find a person living in in Troutdale, Oregon USA, who loves cats and perhaps likes to crawl like one. Though she writes to be a lover of Christ we can not see that expressed in her writings which are a continuous attack on a group of people as well on those who dare to use “Allah” to speak about their “God”. Strange that an “average man who tries to do his best at being the kind of person the Bible tells us we are all suppose to be” likes to follow and duplicate her writings doing just the opposite the Bible tells and also bringing blasphemy to the Divine Creator.  Though both have a writing where they quote (Exodus 20:3 KJV) they both, like many other Americans love an other god, are even not afraid to draw pictures of their god and worship in front of graven images (though that is against the commandments of the Only One True God). In the cartoons they publish they also say umbilical things and want their readers to believe “Jesus is the only one god”, instead of recognising that Jesus is the son of God. Naturally the Old Poet and Kristi Ann are free to take whatever god they want, but they should not forbid others to use the title “Allah” for the Only One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah. If they do not want to see that Jesus is the way to the Only One True God, that is their problem and their right, but they should not hinder those who want to love Christ Jesus and take the God of Jesus as their “Allah“.

Though the

people make the statement that all ‘these religions’ pray to the same God, they just call Him/Her by a different name, so why can’t they all just get along? {Do All 3 Abrahamic Religions Pray To The Same God? That Answer Is Simple: No!}

In a certain way he is right because Jews, real Christians and Muslims worship the Only One True God, Whose Name is Jehovah, whilst the majority of those who call themselves Christian do not worship the same God as Jesus but have made Jesus into their god, and in fact are ‘hidden’ polytheists, having a three-headed god with different qualities as the main god.

But the Old Poet has an other view on that and see other reasons for not believing that they worship the same god. He writes

This statement would be nice, if it were true, but it isn’t at all correct. Mostly the people I have heard say this nonsense have been the Hollywood types or talking heads from the NYC area. People who make this assumption tend to be people who have no knowledge of what the different religions teach and usually have no knowledge of even the teachings of one religion. {Do All 3 Abrahamic Religions Pray To The Same God? That Answer Is Simple: No!}

The Old poet recognises that there are different divisions in the Christian communities, of which he claims that they

have no knowledge of what the different religions teach and usually have no knowledge of even the teachings of one religion. {Do All 3 Abrahamic Religions Pray To The Same God? That Answer Is Simple: No!}

Strange enough he says himself

“Yet I am not going to stone any believers in Jesus Christ whether they are Protestant or Catholic.” {Do All 3 Abrahamic Religions Pray To The Same God? That Answer Is Simple: No!}

Though he condemns all those Catholics and Protestants who use the word “Allah” and condemns all the Bibles and Christian teaching books where the writers use “Allah” when they speak about their God, be it a Trinity or a Binary or Unitarian God. Very strange it becomes, when he continues

One of the many things I have never understood in life is how groups that believe that Jesus Christ is our Saviour and King can raise their weapons against another person who believes the same thing, in the name of Religion, in the name of Christ! This confusion isn’t just among Christian Churches, let God be the Judge, we are not qualified. {Do All 3 Abrahamic Religions Pray To The Same God? That Answer Is Simple: No!}

But he himself and his favourite female writer do throw stones to all those Christians who worship Allah and have Jesus Christ as their saviour. He asks God to be the judge, but he himself judges all those people who do not speak English and use the words of their language to speak about God and not his English title he likes so much. By his writings he also condemns the books which got an imprimatur from the Roman Catholic Church and have the title of God written as “Allah”. By her writings Kristi Ann indicates than that that Roman Catholic Church is the instrument of “Satan”.

Kristi Ann further writes on her website

Only Devout Judaism and Christianity is Right {He is (Yahweh-Jehovah) God!!}

though seems to overlook that no Jew or no real Christian would ever believe in her three gods: a God the Father, god the son and a god the Holy Spirit. For real lovers of the Jewish Nazarene rabbi there is only One and the same God, The God of the Jews and Muslims, namely the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jeshua (Christ Jesus) and his disciples, the God of Israel, the El Shaddai, Jehovah Jireh.

In her article He is (Yahweh-Jehovah) God!! she brings a lot of quotes from the Holy Scriptures, which she herself does not seem to belief, because she has made herself an other god than the God of the Bible. She may do that, but then she may not throw stones to those who prefer to believe those verses which declare that there is Only One True God.

When she then also attacks those people who use their own language and not English, it becomes to much to bare or to let it circulate the internet without any reaction. It is not up to her, or any other person who calls himself or herself Christian, to dictate that the words to describe the Most High Divine Creator of all things should be their English word “God”. We and all those for which “Allah” is the word to describe the title of the Most High God should not be dictated by American nationalists and/or Neo-Nazis which title to use, or should not be dictated by them to have such or such city as their capital. They may have freedom of speech but should also have others to have the same freedom of speech and the freedom of language.

Several American Christian magazines try also to bring confusion and have those who use the word “Allah” to denounce that God or those using that title

“The key condition behind calling the Christian God Allah is that Allah must refer to the same God as the one in the Bible. However, this requirement presents “a huge problem for both Muslims and Christians….” From its very starting point Islam denies what Christianity takes as its central truth claim – the fact that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father. If Allah has no Son by definition, Allah is not the God who revealed himself in the Son. How then can the use of Allah by Christians lead to anything but confusion …and worse?” {passage from the ‘Christian Post’, U.S. (Is Calling the Christian God ‘Allah’ Wrong? – August 23, 2007)  Ustaz Azahar A Pluralist?}

That writer like many Muslims seems to forget that lots of Muslims may be confused by the son part, though they still also call Abraham their patriarch and themselves children of Abraham.

From Muslim site there is also a grudge against all those who use the word “Allah” as if they have the sole right to use that word.

“Allah” in the Bible – Two copies of the Bible in Malay (L) and the Iban dialect are seen in this picture illustration taken in Kuala Lumpur January 2, 2014. REUTERS/Samsul Said

In this country, Allah has been used to refer to God, whereas Tuhan, which the ruling party wants Catholics/Christians to use, is a generic term which is non specific, hence the refusal by the Malay/indigenous language speaking Catholics and Christians to budge. {Malaysia: Muslims confiscate Bibles, police threaten arrests if non-Muslims use word “allah”}

To the West and East it is clear the U.S.A. would not love more to have an American take-over. Their president like a little child boasts about having a bigger button than the North Koreans have, and by always shouting about having better and bigger weapons he and his Alt-Right friends and those who call themselves Christian but fight against all who have an other idea or use other words than they, are a danger for world peace.

As we can see what happened in certain Muslim countries wanting to have the sole use for the word of “god” them claiming they alone should be allowed to use “Allah” we now find the opposite by fundamentalist Christians (mainly North American U.S.A. citizens) who claim that everybody should use their word and nobody alse should use the title “god” for any other god, though they forget that the bible itself calls angels, Moses, Pharao, Baal, Apollo; Zeus, “god” (notice the small letter), even when they (according to us) are not their god Jesus , nor the Real Divine Creator God above all gods, the Host of hosts, which has in certain languages also the title “God” (with capital) or “Allah”, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, the Only One True God.

The smear of certain Christians, their strong reactions against users of the title “Allah” and their strong reactions against those who prefer the Islamic Faith, doing as if all Muslims are Islamic terrorists and haters of God, makes it that we see it coming closer to the times the Bible mentions that religion shall come up against religion.

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Preceding

Crisis man needed in this world

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Additional reading

  1. Today’s thought “Sun, moon and stars” (January 22)
  2. The language of Jesus and the title of God
  3. Government school classroom assignment on world religions in discussion and Islamophobia gone wild
  4. ISIS cannot be presenters of the real Islam
  5. Malaysia requires sole use of God’s title for Muslims
  6. The Divine name of the Creator

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Kristi Ann falsely claiming that the Quran would say “Allah” or “The God”, Whom we take to be Jehovah, is the “Best of deceivers” and Satan

The blasphemous postings: by Kristi Ann “Muslims bow and worship allah / satan Everyday!!” + “allah is NOT a god!!” and the reposting by Old Poet’s ‘Truth troubles’: allah is NOT a god!! are just one of the disturbing postings on the net we encountered the last few months.

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Related articles

  1. Kalimah Allah: The Argument of a (Very) Confused Man
  2. Ustaz Azahar A Pluralist?
  3. Islamic Authorities Seize Bibles Because Christians Use the Word ‘Allah’
  4. For Bumiputera Christians, ‘Allah’ ban akin to cultural ‘genocide’, says archbishop
  5. Malaysia: Muslims confiscate Bibles, police threaten arrests if non-Muslims use word “allah”
  6. Arabic Bibles have been falsified to please Muslim converts
  7. Imam Goes Off Script at Vatican
  8. Pope Francis: Vicar of Allah?
  9. Be good even if you don’t receive good, not because of other’s sake but because Allah loves the good doers. -Ibn al-Qayyim.
  10. 99 Names of Allah: al-Rahman
  11. Part 103: To Allah do we belong…
  12. HumanBeing Can only Dream
  13. Masha Allah! Qur’an offers a clearer understanding of Prophet Isa (Jesus).
  14. What is God?
  15. ​Christianity Vs Islam.
  16. Depression in Islam
  17. Why did Vikings have “Allah” embroidered into funeral clothes?
  18. No issue about using ‘Allah’ for God
  19. The Spheres of Heaven
  20. Eid Reflection: Allah is Beautiful and Loves Beauty (The Beautification of Man by God)
  21. Allah Made Easy #2
  22. Why do so many Muslims hate America?

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Filed under Crimes & Atrocities, Headlines - News, Knowledge & Wisdom, Lifestyle, Political affairs, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Welfare matters, World affairs

Seeds and weeds for being the greatest nation

Today the world seems to be struggling with seeds sown after a horrible experience which brought millions of people to end their life earlier than it should have been.

Nearly hundreds years ago everybody had said “never again”, but less than 30 years loomed the ghost ship already from the waves. soon the European battlefield was again full of blood and tears. this time one tiny man had shouted loud and had made many grand gestures getting the crowd to believe this time it would be different and he would made their nation, their own country, the greatest again and forever the greatest.

The Jews where blamed for all the poverty and misery in the country. They where considered also to be the murderers of Jesus Christ and if Europe was not going to be careful they would conquer Europe.

World War I era US poster by James Montgomery ...

World War I era US poster by James Montgomery Flagg, 1918, lithograph, color; 56 x 36 cm. Columbia (female allegorical personification of the United States of America) broadcasts seeds in a plowed field. Text:”Sow the Seeds of Victory! Plant and raise your own vegetables”…”Every garden a munition plant”. Urging civilians to raise their own food to free up resources for the war effort. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today there is an other Izegrim who is telling his compatriots they should be aware for a people that supposedly would have conquered Europe already and soon would be conquering the United States of America. The bully, neatly his head being covered with his blonder peruche, wants others to believe he is the clairvoyant who knows what is best for the nation and who is the only one who can make the nation great again. Lots of people have put their hope in him. Worse is that many who voted for him say they are Christians. Though clearly they show not a Christian attitude by liking the use of weapons, killing others and spreading the hate against Jews and Muslims. Those last ones seem to be the cause of all trouble today. They are consider a very dangerous breed of people, worshipping a strange and dangerous god. Those christians mostly worship a false three-headed god, though they claim to be worshipping the Only True God. And there is what the problem of today is…..

In the contemporary world the seed of the adversary of God is sown and germinating. Thought that seed starts seeing that the seed of God, the people who want to worship the Only One True God is starting to shine more. Jews, true Christians (non-trinitarian) and true Muslims are those who follow the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, the Words of Allah, the Most Almighty Elohim Hashem Jehovah. The false Muslims and false Christians see a danger or threat in those lovers of God and try to do everything to bring them in a bad light.

First there are the ones who take Jesus as their god but do not follow the teachings of peace of that master teacher. Rabbi Jeshua was always an ear and a good heart to those who where different than others or who had difficulties. He always was there to come to help them and to be there to defend them who had no voice or did not belong to the main community.

The photo depicts the Sowing the Seeds icon fr...

The photo depicts the Sowing the Seeds icon from the Greek Catholic Cathedral of Hajdúdorog, Hungary. It was painted on the end of the 18th century by unknown painter (most probably by Mihály Mankovics). The painting decorates the pulpit of the cathedral. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In our Holy Scriptures we are told that this master teacher told many parables and many of them concerned our faith and our behaviour towards people around us and towards God. We also consider him as the sent one from Allah was not going to keep his mouth shut, but would open it with illustrations so that people would be able to come to see.

“هذا كله كلم به يسوع الجموع بامثال.وبدون مثل لم يكن يكلمهم” (متى 13:34)
“All this Jesus spoke to the crowds in (sayings or stories) parables; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them,” (Matthew 13:34)

In our Holy Scriptures we are told that this sent one from the Most High Allah, the son of man, is the sower of the fine seed.

“فاجاب وقال لهم.الزارع الزرع الجيد هو ابن الانسان.” (متى 13:37)

“He answered them Hm.alazara, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,” (Matthew 13:37)

Fine seed is naturally very delicate and may (perhaps) be easily damaged. That is the problem with some seeds Jesus could sow on this earth. They might have found Jesus, though not knowing their master or sower very well, they thought they knew him enough to say that they are his. We see lots of people who say they are Christian, which should mean being a follower of Christ Jesus. But what we can see is that they have that son of man made into their god and where even not afraid to make graven images of him, though Allah is very clear that we never should make any graven image of a god nor of Him.

“لا تصنع لك تمثالا منحوتا ولا صورة ما مّما في السماء من فوق وما في الارض من تحت وما في الماء من تحت الارض.” (خروج 20:4)

“”You shall not make for yourselves a graven image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth:” (Exodus 20:4 )

The One having to be the Only One God should be Allah, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah Who is One and Who is not a man of flesh and blood but an eternal Spirit.

“اسمع يا اسرائيل.الرب الهنا رب واحد.” (تثنية 6:4)

“Hear, Asiraial (Israel): Jehovah is Allah our Lord God; Jehovah is just (the only) one:” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

“انا الرب هذا اسمي ومجدي لا اعطيه لآخر ولا تسبيحي للمنحوتات.” (اشعياء 42:8)

“”I am Magdi Jehovah, that is my name. I will not give him (the Magdi or glory) to time or to another, nor my praise Zbhristi (Haem or glorification) to sculptures or engraved images.” (Isaiah 42:8)

“لا تنطق باسم الرب الهك باطلا لان الرب لا يبرئ من نطق باسمه باطلا.” (خروج 20:7)

“Do not pronounce the name of Jehovah your Allah in vain; for Jehovah will not acquit of His name in vain (or will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain)” (Exodus 20:7)

that is what we can see what happened in this world. Many have taken the Holy Name of Allah and changed it from Jehovah into Jesus and made sculptures, paintings and several objects with drawings of him and his heavenly Father, though this is an abomination in the eyes of that Father of rabbi Jeshua, who is the only One God Spirit.

الله روح.والذين يسجدون له فبالروح والحق ينبغي ان يسجدوا.” (يوحنا 4:24)

“Allah is spirit, and you should worship Him in spirit and truth.”” (John 4:24)

Instead of worshipping Allah in truth many fake their devotion for god by worshipping not at all or having more interest in (or worship of) money and material possession. That love of possession brings also certain people to use the title of God to bring fear over man and to oppress those around them. Often they use Allah His Words in the wrong way, distorting or twisting them so that they can justify their wrong acts, like attacking other believers and non-believers, humiliating women, selling people, etc.

Brooklyn Museum - The Enemy Sowing Tares - Eli...

Brooklyn Museum – The Enemy Sowing Tares – Elihu Vedder – overall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most Christians do not worship Jehovah, the Only One True God of gods, with spirit, but prefer to keep to human dogmas and therefore many became blind for the biblical truth, like we also can see in the Ummah, where several so called believers do not come to read the Holy Scriptures any more but follow just some verses, taken out of context by their teachers, which they follow without comparing their sayings with what is written in the Scriptures. Because so many Muslims and Christians not knowing their Holy Scriptures any more they can be mislead and be driven away from the truth and worse also from God.

Perhaps both Christians and Muslims should come to read Muslim scriptures where is written

And, likewise, their belief in beings or powers that are supposed to have a share in God’s divinity makes [even] the slaying of their children seem goodly to many of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God, thus bringing them to ruin and confusing them in their faith. Yet, unless God had so willed, they would not be doing all this: stand, therefore, aloof from them and all their false imagery!(6:137)

There and then will every human being clearly apprehend what he has done in the past; and all will be brought back unto God, their true Lord Supreme, and all their false imagery will have forsaken them.(10:30)

It is they who have squandered their own selves-for [on the Day of Resurrection] all their false imagery will have forsaken them:(11:21)

Is Then, He who has every living being in His almighty care, [dealing with each] according to what it deserves -[is, then, He like anything else that exists]? And yet, they ascribe to other beings a share in God’s divinity! Say: “Give them any name [you please]: but do you [really think that you could] inform Him of anything on earth that He does not know-or [do you] but play with words?, Nay, goodly seems their false imagery to those who are bent on denying the truth, and so they are turned away from the [right] path: and he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide.(13:33)

And [this retribution will befall all evildoers because] they devise that false imagery of theirs – and all their false imagery is within God’s knowledge. [And never can the blasphemers prevail against the truth – not] even if their false imagery were so (well devised and so powerful] that mountains could be moved thereby.(14:46)

As it is, they ascribe – out of what We provide for them as sustenance – a share unto things of which they know nothing. By God, you shall most certainly be called to account for all your false imagery!(16:56)

And on that Day will they [who had thus been sinning, belatedly] proffer their surrender to God; and all their false imagery will have forsaken them.(16:87)

when he said unto his father and his people, “What are these images to which you are so intensely devoted?”(21:52)

But, then, did those [beings] whom they had chosen to worship as deities beside God, hoping that they would bring them nearer [to Him], help them [in the end]? Nay, they forsook them: for that [alleged divinity] was but an outcome of their self-delusion and all their false imagery.(46:28)

Instead of becoming liberated in Christ they have become slaves of a new religion not afraid to set them up against other religions. In this can be seen the reason why so many can not see what are real Christians or what are real Muslims. True Christians and true Muslims should be bringers of peace. Again they better look at Muslim writings which say

And when Abraham said: “O Lord, make this a city of peace, and give those of its citizens who believe in God and the Last Day fruits for food,” He answered: “To those will I also give a little who believe not, for a time, then drag them to Hell, a dreadful destination!”(2:126)

Except those who take refuge with a people allied to you, or those who, weary of fighting you or their people, come over to you. If God had so willed He would surely have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. If they keep aloof and do not fight, and offer peace, God has left you no reason to fight them.(4:90)

You will also find persons who, while wishing to live in peace with you as well as with their own people, turn to civil war the moment they are called to it. If they do not keep away from you, nor offer you peace nor restrain their hands, seize them and kill them wherever they are. We have given you a clear sanction against them.(4:91)

O believers, when you go out on a journey in the way of God, be discreet and do not say to anyone who greets you in peace: “You are not a believer.” You desire the gain of earthly life, but there are prizes in plenty with God. You were also like him (an unbeliever) in the past, but God has been gracious to you. So be careful and discreet, for God is aware of what you do.(4:94)

Their confidential counsels are seldom for the good, save of those who talk of charity or goodness or peace among men. Whosoever does so for the pleasure of God, We shall give him an ample reward.(4:114)

 

The seeds of Jesus do not have to worry. Because when they truly believe their master teacher they can be sure Allah will guide and protect them.

Through which God will lead those who follow His pleasure to the path of peace, and guide them out of darkness into light by His will, and to the path that is straight.(5:16)

But man has to give something in the place. They should believe. They should believe in God and today they also should believe in the the sent one from God, Ishi (Jeshua or Jesus Christ) and would not mix their faith with that of pagans, or taking part in to pagan feasts like Halloween, Yule, Christmas and Easter e.g. and may not deny the position of each character God placed on this earth.

They alone have peace who believe and do not intermix belief with denial, and are guided on the right path.”(6:82)

For them is an abode of peace with their Lord. He will be their defender as reward for what they did.(6:127)

“الحق الحق اقول لكم ان من يسمع كلامي ويؤمن بالذي ارسلني فله حياة ابدية ولا يأتي الى دينونة بل قد انتقل من الموت الى الحياة.” (يوحنا 5:24)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)

Lots of Christians do not believe the One Who sent Jesus and said that man standing in the river Jordan was His only begotten son.

“21  ولما اعتمد جميع الشعب اعتمد يسوع ايضا.واذ كان يصلّي انفتحت السماء 22 ونزل عليه الروح القدس بهيئة جسمية مثل حمامة وكان صوت من السماء قائلا انت ابني الحبيب بك سررت 23 ولما ابتدأ يسوع كان له نحو ثلاثين سنة وهو على ما كان يظن ابن يوسف بن هالي” (لوقا 3:21-23)

“21  Now it happened, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky opened up, 22 and the Holy Spirit in a bodily form as a dove descended on him; and a voice came out from heaven, saying

“You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”

23 Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, it was thought he being the son of Joseph, bin Hali,” (Luke 3:21-23)

Those Christians who made Jesus into their god also do not believe Allah’s Own Word, who tells mankind about the moment when it was begotten time to have that one promised in the Royal Garden to come to earth.

“ولكن لما جاء ملء الزمان ارسل الله ابنه مولودا من امرأة مولودا تحت الناموس” (غلاطية 4:4)

“But when the fulness of the time had come, Allah sent out his son, born to a woman, born under the law,” (Galatians 4:4)

He knew very well the Law and the Word of God, but the seed of the contemporary world has so much weed between it it nearly becomes suffocated in the field.

Some days after that preaching man told about the weeds, Allah once more declared who this rabbi was.

“وفيما هو يتكلم اذا سحابة نيرة ظللتهم وصوت من السحابة قائلا هذا هو ابني الحبيب الذي به سررت.له اسمعوا.” (متى 17:5)

While he was speaking, a bright cloud and voice from the cloud overshadowed them, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear him (or listen to him).” (Matthew 17: 5)

Today we have come into an age where we find again people of little faith and people of no faith and being a twisted generation, catching fear because they do not know the Word nor the people of God and how they should unite with all people of God, transferring from here to there (Matthew 17:20; 21:21; Mark 9:31; Luke 9:44).

the weed Atriplex patula

We today must be aware how the adversary is working hard to bring division between man. The adversaries of God sow seeds of weed to make sure many plants will die because the weeds not giving place for them. Please let us therefore listen to the wise words of the sent one from Allah, who explains his story about the seeds and weeds.

“37 فاجاب وقال لهم.الزارع الزرع الجيد هو ابن الانسان. 38 والحقل هو العالم.والزرع الجيد هو بنو الملكوت.والزوان هو بنو الشرير. 39 والعدو الذي زرعه هو ابليس.والحصاد هو انقضاء العالم.والحصادون هم الملائكة. 40 فكما يجمع الزوان ويحرق بالنار هكذا يكون في انقضاء هذا العالم. 41 يرسل ابن الانسان ملائكته فيجمعون من ملكوته جميع المعاثر وفاعلي الاثم. 42 ويطرحونهم في اتون النار.هناك يكون البكاء وصرير الاسنان. 43 حينئذ يضيء الابرار كالشمس في ملكوت ابيهم.من له اذنان للسمع فليسمع 44 ¶ ايضا يشبه ملكوت السموات كنزا مخفى في حقل وجده انسان فاخفاه ومن فرحه مضى وباع كل ما كان له واشترى ذلك الحقل. 45 ايضا يشبه ملكوت السموات انسانا تاجرا يطلب لآلئ حسنة. 46 فلما وجد لؤلؤة واحدة كثيرة الثمن مضى وباع كل ما كان له واشتراها. 47 ايضا يشبه ملكوت السموات شبكة مطروحة في البحر وجامعة من كل نوع. 48 فلما امتلأت اصعدوها على الشاطئ وجلسوا وجمعوا الجياد الى اوعية.واما الاردياء فطرحوها خارجا. 49 هكذا يكون في انقضاء العالم.يخرج الملائكة ويفرزون الاشرار من بين الابرار. 50 ويطرحونهم في اتون النار.هناك يكون البكاء وصرير الاسنان 51 قال لهم يسوع أفهمتم هذا كله.فقالوا نعم يا سيد. 52 فقال لهم.من اجل ذلك كل كاتب متعلم في ملكوت السموات يشبه رجلا رب بيت يخرج من كنزه جددا وعتقاء.” (متى 13:37-52 Arabic)

the weed Urtica dioica, often called common nettle, stinging nettle many of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation when contacted by humans and other animals

“37 He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 44  “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. 45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, 48 which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” 51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They answered him, “Yes, Lord.” 52 He said to them, “Therefore, every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”” (Matthew 13:37-52 WEB)

Those who really love should do their utmost best to come to know that Divine Maker of all things and should try to please Him more than to please man around them. they should be very careful for those people who promise they alone are the one who is able to make their nation great again. they should look at the fruits of such people and check if they are living themselves according to what they are preaching.

We should make ourselves stronger in the faith by regularly reading the Whole Word of God and not to take just a few verses from scripture out of context.

As lovers of God we should also show that we are really willing to be His children, living under His Fatherhood, enjoying the diversity in His family, people from different cultures with different skin-colour, different tongue, with different attitudes, ways of dressing and talking, but all united under His Holy Name.

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Preceding

Seeds to be planted soon

Seeds of promiseSeeds, weeds and kingdoms

Unbelief, faith and mustard seed

Seeds from the world creating division and separation from God

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Additional reading

  1. Belonging to or being judged by
  2. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
  3. Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism
  4. Looking for a biblically sound church
  5. Luther on Being a Theologian: Oratio, Meditatio and Tentatio
  6. Back from gone #3 Giving worries to God and believing in His promises
  7. 2014 Religion
  8. Silence, devotion, Salafists, quietists, weaponry, bombings, books, writers and terrorists
  9. Not liking your Christians
  10. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
  11. A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2
  12. Relying on the Love of God
  13. Unconditional love

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Further related articles

  1. Hitler and the Original Conspiracy Theory
  2. Know Your Enemy
  3. Nationalists’ approaches to Jews, Israel and Zionism: Complex relationships
  4. A former skinhead explains why it’s a mistake for the US to stop targeting right-wing extremists
  5. FBI Opens Hate Crime Investigation Into Dozens Of JCC Bomb Threats
  6. Netanyahu’s silence on Trump and anti-Semitism
  7. French scholar prosecuted for “incitement to racial hatred” for noting the culturally inherited anti-Semitism of French Muslims
  8. France’s Jihad against the truth | Yves Mamou
  9. Israeli Police Prepare for the Coming of the ‘Messiah’
  10. What’s Holding the Arab World Back?
  11. Use of the word Pharisee
  12. This Man
  13. A Christian’s Job Interview
  14. God Knew Me When
  15. The ungodly
  16. Is Trump the Antichrist?
  17. What is Dignity?
  18. Courage is Believing
  19. The Well-Balanced Christian
  20. Walls that Divide, Pt. 1
  21. Walls that Divide, Pt. 2
  22. Our Resolutions or God’s Promises?
  23. In the dust of the Rabbi- Day 66
  24. Mission Trips
  25. Saving Faith is Present Tense and Active – Part 5: He Who Stands Firm to the End Will Be Saved
  26. Got Weeds?
  27. Parable of the Weeds (sermon)
  28. The grass is always greener….
  29. June 21, 2016: 5th Tuesday after Pentecost

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Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Headlines - News, Knowledge & Wisdom, Lifestyle, Religious affairs, World affairs

God Loves All People

Having presented one prayer today for peace, lets look also at a that Divine Creator Who has a place in His Heart for all and wants nothing more than peace between all people.

The guestwriter forthis prayer is Mary Harwell Sayler who has placed 27 books in all genres with Christian and educational companies and over 2,000 poems, articles, devotionals, and children’s stories with traditional and online publications.

For her, in some of her texts it seems that God is the Only One, though at other places (and in the last part of this prayer) she also takes Jesus to be her god. Though looking at Deuteronomy she created the prayer saying:

Almighty God, You alone
are holy.
You are The One
to Whom all worship
and honor
and glory are due.

Nothing else can compare to You.

Nothing else can bless us like You
or love us like You
or redeem us like You
or forgive us like You can and do.

Help us to hear You. {Hear, O people of God}

but then suddenly goes into the mist of human doctrinal teaching of the Trinity. Though you would think she should know, by reading so many different Bible versions, and she herself saying

Regularly reading the Bible gives us much to say, and practice helps us to say it well, but what about credibility? With it, people pay attention.  They begin to trust our ability to handle God’s Word and their concerns rightly. They might even become more open to God’s Word and work in their lives.

She also writes

We can choose to believe The Word that God has no favorites and, therefore, asks us to love others as we love ourselves. If that’s a problem, keep in check a self-deprecating tone! According to The Word, God loves you, loves other people, and expects us to do the same. That doesn’t mean we have to like ourselves or other people all of the time, but, oh, please, please, never say we never will! {Credible words and The Word}

Let us therefore believe the Words of God, given to us in the Bible and from it come to see that Great Love He has for us, like Jesus also praying to That Most High, and we praying

Dear Lord God Almighty, thank You for Your Word to us that shows us how to live and speak and write in a manner that’s credible, kind, and pleasing to You. Let Your Word to us be our word to ourselves and to those we address in love, truth, and Jesus’ Name.

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Filed under Prayers, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs

Which is worse–works without faith, or faith without works?

Rob Heijermans, who says is a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and believes that God has spoken

— in fact, the universe itself is a product of the voice of the Lord. The phrase, “And God said…,” appears nine times in the first chapter of Genesis alone. {Is Anyone Listening?}

He also knows he has ever deceived himself and looks at James, Jesus’ younger half-brother, who knows all about self-deception.

Though the writer wrongly thinks James deceived himself for many years,

“denying that Jesus was God in the flesh.” {11 Self-Deceit 101}

Having grown up with Jesus in an Essene family he probably got to know Jesus as well as God very well. He also knew what Jesus had told others and to whom Jesus prayed, like they at their family, at home, prayed to the only One true God, the God of Israel. Jesus did not pray to himself, but to the God of Abraham, about Whom he taught people to pray to as well.

The apostle James warns us in Verse 22  of the first chapter that if we are hearers of the word–the Bible–and not doers, we deceive or ensnare ourselves.

James 1:22 EWB-CB  But become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Much too often Christians do forget Jesus’ parables and the warning of James. We may not delusively content our selves with being of the audience, but have to put what we hear in practice.

The writer of the blog UpStream writes

James says it’s like looking into the mirror on the morning of an important interview, seeing some serious bed-head, lots of stubble and a smudge of last night’s hot fudge sundae, and just walking away without taking action. {11 Self-Deceit 101}

Too many Christians make it themselves very easy, thinking because they are saved they do not have to do anything any more.

Rob Heijermans is aware that

sitting under the teaching of the Scriptures and not doing what they say is an act of self-deceit. Studying the Scriptures for ourselves, gaining an understanding of their meaning, but not obeying God’s Word, produces knowledge that makes us arrogant but yields no fruit in our lives. It is self-deceit. Even more serious is purporting to be a teacher and either teaching what is false or not doing what is true. James will deal with this more later in his letter. {11 Self-Deceit 101}

We should come to get to know what is written in the Bible and may not twist around the words of it. As such when is written “the son of God” we may not say “god the son“. We should clearly take the Words of God into account and take them serious.

In this world many have made their own gods. A lot also made Jesus in to their god, like Rob Heijermans has done. He also preaches about hell as a sort of place of eternal torture, whilst forgetting that the Divine Creator is a God of Love, who is an eternal Spirit Who can not be seen by man, but is with man, telling them no lies and saying they shall have paid for their sins with their death.

But this God of gods tells also about His sent one, the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Jesus on this earth tried to make his heavenly Father known and showed the way to the Kingdom of God. His brother knew also very well the importance of Jesus’ teaching about that Kingdom. He had to loose his brother at the wooden stake and see his mother cry, being full of grieve. But he had also come into the hope Jesus preached and wanted to share it with others, like his brother had asked it.

That preaching James had taken up is also an act we should do. It is one of the works Jesus asked his followers to do.

Twice, the writer of Hebrews mentions “dead works.” (Heb 6.1, 9.14) Now, James writes of “dead faith.” In the subsequent verses of Chapter 2, he mentions that even the demons believe in God–and tremble before Him!–so simply believing facts about God is not saving faith. James then cites two Old Testament characters whose faith was demonstrated by their works: Abraham, the Iraqi father of the Jewish nation was not content simply to tell God he was willing to sacrifice Isaac. He unsheathed his dagger and was about to plunge it into Isaac’s belly when God stopped him and provided a substitutionary ram. Rahab the whore did not stop at believing that God was conquering His enemies through the Israelites–she protected their spies, knowing the awesome power of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. {14 How to Work Your Way to Hell}

Lots of Christians have forgotten Who that God of the Israelites is and why we should take Him as our Only One True God, like Jesus also took Him as His Only One Most High Almighty God. But not only did they take the ransom offer of Jesus as the final act for them, misleading themselves that they would not have to do anything more because they are saved by the Blood of Christ.

Strangely enough the blog writer seems to know that

On some occasion, James probably heard his Brother say that God is glorified when we prove we are His disciples by producing fruit. (John 15.8) {14 How to Work Your Way to Hell}

In many parables Jesus had told how we have to get a good relationship with the heavenly Father. How He is willing to take us up as His children, but also how we can loose the entrance to the Kingdom of God. James came to understand those teachings of his brother and knew how important it was when people came into the faith how they had to change themselves and had to work on themselves continuously.

We may not assume that it are only our works that can get us some where.

the second half of James 2 demonstrates: just as it is vain to think that my works–religious duty, outward devotion, social activism, neighbourly consideration–could possibly get me to heaven, so also is it vain to suppose I am truly a child of God while my life manifests nothing of my faith. As Jesus said, a fruit tree with no fruit is cut down and burned. {14 How to Work Your Way to Hell}

When having come into the faith we have to water our own tree. (By reading and studying the Bible.) Then we do have to let the food of the earth and food of heaven feed ourselves, so that we can bear good fruits. For getting good fruits we need good pruning. We need to do a lot of work. Without the work there shall be no good fruits and when we are not willing to prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of God we shall be too late like some young girls who did not prepare themselves or thought they had enough time. Please do not postpone. Take care that you are ready for when the day comes.

When procrastinating you will be surprised when the day comes you shall have nothing done what had to be done and will miss the boat.

Some things may be hard or difficult, like changing sides, or putting away human doctrinal teachings, like the trinity a.o.. but God wants from His son an his followers truthful worshippers of God who are faithful to Him, the Adonai Jehovah, and to His commandments. When we do not follow God’s commandments it will be like ignoring God’s Wishes and not wanting a good relationship with Him. Keeping to those commandments shall demand works we shall have to do with pleasure because we do believe in Christ, the son of God, and in his heavenly Father we also want to love.

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Preceding articles:

Leading people astray!

Restitution

Comments to James remarks, about Faith and works

Luther’s misunderstanding

January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works

Our life depending on faith

Romans 4 and the Sacraments

Is Justification a process?

Justification – salvation is by grace through faith – JI Packer

Faith itself not the cause of justification – Louis Berkhof

Letter to the Romans, chapter 3

Letter to the Romans, chapter 4

Additional comments to the 3rd Letter to the Romans

Additional comments to the Letter to the Romans 4

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Please find also to read

  1. God of gods
  2. God is one
  3. Sayings around God
  4. A god who gave his people commandments and laws he knew they never could keep to it
  5. Jesus Messiah
  6. Jesus and His God
  7. the Trinity – the Truth
  8. Our relationship with God, Jesus and eachother
  9. Bearing fruit
  10. Faith Alone Does Not Save . . . No Matter How Many Times Protestants Say It Does
  11. Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness
  12. Christ’s ethical teaching
  13. Being Justified by faith
  14. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
  15. Faith and works
  16. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation
  17. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #16 Benefits of praying
  18. Observing the commandments and becoming doers of the Word
  19. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
  20. Be holy
  21. She who sows thistles will reap prickles
  22. Love for each other attracting others

 

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Further related articles

  1. Count on your desire to procrastinate
  2. Sermon Redux – Part 4 of Doing Our Best for God’s Church – “Rejoicing in the Brutal Truth” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
  3. Boast in God’s Grace for You- Joseph Prince
  4. The Parable of the Two Sons
  5. Rewarded for Doing Good?
  6. Rewarded for their Labor? (1 Corinthians 3:8)
  7. Judged for What We Have Done
  8. Rewarded for What We’ve Done?
  9. 2:24 – You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
  10. Chapter 2:23 – And he was called a friend of God.
  11. Four Panel Philosophy
  12. James 2:20-22 — Dynamic Faith
  13. Show Me Your Works

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Lifestyle, Religious affairs

Solstice, Saturnalia and Christmas-stress

Today lots of people tend to treat things such as Christmas trees and holiday gift giving as if they’ve been with us forever. While these are old traditions, they were once far more localized. In this world of media everywhere, we tend to forget that customs were once far more specific to the area. Lots of people also have lost the connection of those festivals and have transposed it to their group of people, believers or non-believers in Jesus Christ or in God.

From the Saxon days there was Yule for mid-winter and in the regions of West Europe the autumn storm brought many ideas alive to think about gods who controlled everything in nature. The days becoming darker demanded for and still demand for some more light bringing into it. In the old times to honour the gods it was custom to put all sorts of things in the trees as an offering to the gods. On December the 25th it was the day of the goddess of light. Time was taken to celebrate her.

Traditional Christmas card with holly and mistletoe. Circa 1880s

Druids, Celts, and even the Romans used evergreen branches made into wreaths in winter solstice celebrations. Because so many things lost colour and seemed to have died people looked up for those elements in nature which could be so strong that they stayed green. Pagan symbols as holly and ivy remained green and were taken as a promise of life to return in dead of winter. Holly – prized for its ability to bear fruit in winter and its healing uses – were the blessings people hoped they could have in the house and share with each other. Healing elements were very important to get through Winter.

While the Romans were holding the feast for the god Saturn — which occurred about the time of the winter solstice — they decked the outsides of their houses with holly. At the same time the Christians were quietly celebrating the birth of Christ, and to avoid detection they outwardly followed the custom of their heathen neighbours and decked their houses with holly as well. In this way holly came to be connected with Christmas customs. The plant was also regarded as a symbol of the Resurrection.

The missionaries coming in these regions quickly understood how the pagan traditions were so strong and how people would not like to give them up. This we still see today happening. As Christians should come to know more about traditions and about usages all over the world, plus having the Holy Scriptures to find what they could or could not do, we see that those who call themselves Christian still do not like to give up those pagan traditions and pagan festivals.

The Roman Catholic Church had already given in to Constantine the Great allowing the false teaching of the trinity be part of the Catholic Faith, so it was a further small step to adapt the Western Celtic and Saxon traditions to the Roman Faith. In 336 CE, during the time of this so called  first Christian Roman Emperor for the first time on December 25th “Christmas” was being celebrated.

A very early Christian tradition said that March 25th was the day when Mary was told she’d give birth to Jesus (called the Annunciation). And nine months later, of course, would be December 25th. But the Bible doesn’t mention the exact days of that annunciation, nor of the birth of Jesus, though from all the secular writings we do know when the cencus took place, when the falling star appeared and that it was in October that Mary and Joseph went to fulfil their duties. We can take it was in 4BCE on October the 17th that rabbi Jeshua from the tribe of King David was born. For those who would love to celebrate his birthday it is strange that they than not do this around the period Jesus was rally born.

An image from the necropolis under the Vatican...

An image from the necropolis under the Vatican in which Jesus = Mithras (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is true that in many cultures we can find a festival of lights, also the Jews have such a festival of lights. Germans and Scandinavians had their yule festival. Celtic legends connected the solstice with Balder, the Scandinavian sun god or Norse god of light, son of the chief god Odin and his wife Frigg, who was struck down by a mistletoe arrow from the blind god Hödur (or Höd). At the pagan festival of Saturnalia, Romans feasted and gave gifts to the poor. Drinking was closely connected with these pagan feasts.

The Babylonian sun-god and god of agriculture and flocks, Tammuz, lover of Ishtar, born on the winter solstice according to legend was also celebrated on December the 25th and by the Roman Catholic Church his symbol was taken as the symbol for Jesus (the sign of Tammuz or the cross), placing Jesus as the bringer of light and god of light.

The leaders of the instituted organisation of clergy who accepted the trinity, agreed to adopted the saturnalia day of the ‘day of birth’ or ‘day of new life’ as a remembrance day of the new life Jesus has given to all mankind. For them it was easier to get more converts by keeping the folks from indulging in the old pagan festivals as part of the pagan culture, now transformed or redressed in a Roman Catholic dressing.

Branches that had thorns became to be the thorns Christ wore on the crucifix (sign of Tammuz) and the berries were stained red by his drops of blood. From the Norse and the Druids, the Mistletoe you may find growing here everywhere and at that time was considered special because of it found growing on the sacred oaks, was featured in several old myths and held to be sacred and associated with fertility, which led to kissing boughs.

Also today at the Christmas markets we can find the gangway where there is the kissing bough custom one holds that a woman who refuses the kiss shall have bad luck, and that those who kiss underneath it shall be having a blessed and fruitful year.

Not all the following years Christmas was part of Christian life. During Cromwell’s rule, Christmas was even banned. Charles II restored the holiday in England. However, the Parliament of Scotland officially abolished the observance of Christmas in 1640, to purge the church “of all superstitious observation of days”, and it was not restored as a public holiday in Scotland until 1958.

Julbocken, by John Bauer (1912)

From the 4th to the 19th century the tradition of the Northern people their celebration for their chief god and the father of Thor, (Thunor, or Thonar), Balder, and Tiw, Woden or Wotan became more and more also liked by the people from Holland and Belgium and the man with a long white beard who rode a horse through the heavens one evening each Autumn became their Sint Niklaas (Sinterklaas) or Sint Nicholas  (saint Nicholas) and in the Anglo Saxon countries Father Christmas or Santa Claus/Sancta Claus.

1881 illustration by Thomas Nast who, along with Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, helped to create the modern image of Santa Claus

From the 20th century onward that Father Christmas started gaining more popularity and the presents became more and more the focus of the people for that season were the darkness seemed to have darkened their Christian sight. Lots of Christians enjoyed decorating the ‘Christmas tree‘ and telling their children the Saint from Spain had brought presents for all those who had behaved well the previous year. Later in the month it was the Santa who once more brought presents in the house.

History illustrates the awesome outworking of initial events from when the Divine Creator has declared

Zephaniah 1:17-18 The Scriptures 1998+  (17)  “And I shall bring distress on men, and they shall walk like blind men – because they have sinned against יהוה  {Jehovah}, and their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.”  (18)  Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of יהוה  {Jehovah}. And by the fire of His jealousy all the earth shall be consumed, for He makes a sudden end of all those who dwell in the earth.

This comes from the Christadelphian bible reading for December 15 when we started reading this short and somewhat overlooked prophecy of Zephaniah. He would have been one of the prophets Peter referred to, as we read the final chapter of his second letter of the same day-reading, he told them they should remember

2 Peter 3:2 The Scriptures 1998+  (2)  the words previously spoken by the set-apart prophets, and of the command of the Master and Saviour, spoken by your emissaries,

Today we may find lots of people who have stress about the coming days when they have to present nice meals and many presents and have to fulfil many family visits and social obligations. Their eyes are closed for the real issue in life. Not a Santa shall bring salvation and he from the North has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. When we look at the many Christmas markets we even do not see much what reminds us of the Saviour who was sent by God to this earth.

Ages ago holy prophets told about the eyes of people which would become blinded. Today we

“should remember their predictions

Folk tale depiction of Father Christmas riding...

Folk tale depiction of Father Christmas riding on a goat. Perhaps an evolved version of the Swedish Tomte. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We also should remember that they also warned for the time that scoffers were going to come and would lead people following their own sinful desires. About the promised one who was born, lived for a very short time here on earth, died, was resurrected from the dead and showed that he was not a spirit, but the one brought back alive by his heavenly Father, that master teacher is not remembered much these days and many do not think about his return or even do not believe in it.

Yes many laugh at us and say,

“Where is the promise of his coming?”

Many children have to promise their parents that they will be good next year. Then they also will get some present. But not many children learn about that man who died for our sins. Not many take time in this ‘Time of the year’ to read the Bible and to meditate on what God and his son Jesus had to say.

Today lots of people are concentrating on their self and do see all those refugees coming in our regions as a possible threat to what they can enjoy. Many are afraid they shall have to share with those poor people who travelled thousands of miles to find their luck in our Western world where money seems to flow like moulted butter.

Many people do not see what is really going on and how those set apart men of God had warned for certain situations we can see today. Also Jesus told about the signs of those days we have today. That time Jesus spoke about, may be much closer than many think. Many are blinded by the money this world is offering. Lots of people think everything can be said with presents and with the value of money. The real value for life they often do not see. Capitalism has put sand in their eyes.

The ways of godless thinking and living will be seen for all the foolishness they are; and we must never forget, there are only 2 ways: the broad way and the narrow way. Those on the narrow way are

2 Peter 3:12-15 The Scriptures 1998+  (12)  looking for and hastening the coming of the day of Elohim, through which the heavens shall be destroyed, being set on fire, and the elements melt with intense heat!  (13)  But according to His promise we wait for a renewed heavens and a renewed earth in which righteousness dwells.  (14)  So then, beloved ones, looking forward to this, do your utmost to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,  (15)  and reckon the patience of our Master as deliverance, as also our beloved brother Sha’ul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him,

“waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace” (verses 13,14).

Included in what they (we) are waiting for, is what Job perceived and that we read today. He declared,

I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (19:25-27).

He believed in resurrection!

That final comment is most thought provoking. Our hearts will be in danger of fainting within us for multiple reasons, when God “bring(s) distress” – the experience will be awesome for believers! But how imminent then will be the time when they will “see God” through seeing his Son, marvelling in anticipation of the ultimate time when

God himself will be with them as their God … for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3,4).

Let us anticipate in faith the things that “our eyes shall behold” to carry us through the coming time of “distress”.

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Additional reading

  1. Holidays, holy days and traditions
  2. Christmas customs – Are They Christian?
  3. Christmas, Saturnalia and the birth of Jesus
  4. Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia
  5. Focus on outward appearances
  6. Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
  7. Christmas in Ancient Rome (AKA Saturnalia)
  8. Christmas trees
  9. Actions to be a reflection of openness of heart
  10. With child and righteousness greater than the law
  11. Objects around the birth and death of Jesus
  12. Politics and power first priority #3 Elevation of Mary and the Holy Spirit
  13. The imaginational war against Christmas
  14. Autumn traditions for 2014 – 1: Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet
  15. Manna from Sint Nicholas
  16. Traditionalists Vow to Fight Charges of Racism in Netherlands
  17. Ignorance of Today’s Youth (and Adults)
  18. Sancta Claus is not God
  19. Brits believe Santa present at Jesus’ birth, new poll reveals
  20. Wishing lanterns and Christmas

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Further reading

  1. Winter Solstice and Yule
  2. Yule is upon us!
  3. Dickens’ Christmas Story as an Intertexteme in Leskov’s Yule Short Story
  4. Winter Solstice 2015: Shortest Day Of The Year Celebrated As Pagan Yule
  5. Commercialmas
  6. Yule 2015 #15 performing magic
  7. Yule 2015#16
  8. A radiant vision of splendour
  9. Yule prep
  10. Yule Wreath and Garland
  11. 13 Trolls
  12. War Against Christmas?
  13. Holiday King of the Hill
  14. SGC Admin: From our inbox to you from: Patti Wigington: Paganism/Wicca Expert
  15. Yule – Wicca subject of the week
  16. Happy Yule 2015
  17. How to bring some real Christmas spirits into your Yule-tide
  18. 10 Ways to Celebrate Yule
  19. Santa Claus, Krampus,The Wild Hunt and Me.
  20. Vigil
  21. Use Yule Bells For Positive Energy
  22. Irish Christmas
  23. Christmas, the Weridest Holiday of the Year; Part one
  24. Holly Tree
  25. Holly, Plant of Saturn and Mars
  26. Symbol of Yule: Holly Mistletoe and Bayberry Candles
  27. Memories of Yuletide
  28. A Little history on the holly tree
  29. Let It Be Done Unto Me
  30. Annunciation
  31. Annunciation: a reflection for Advent
  32. This Annunciation
  33. The Annunciation, according to Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich
  34. Tuesday 15th December
  35. Wednesday Writings – Annunciation
  36. Mary’s Heart
  37. Angels & Advent: In His Shadow – a sermon podcast
  38. And the virgin’s name was Mary
  39. Angels of Advent: Encountering the Annunciation
  40. Somersaults /Wednesday, December 9, 2015
  41. Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
  42. Mary and a “Yes” to God’s Request
  43. Joseph’s Pregnant Advent
  44. The Overshadowing of Mary –Pentecost
  45. Christmas
  46. Saturnalia
  47. From Sukkot to Saturnalia: The Attack on Christmas in Sixteenth-Century..
  48. Togas, Laurels, Chariots and Some Roast Lambs’ Testicles
  49. Countdown to Christmas 17: Saturnalia
  50. Saturnalia Is a Fleadh by Another Name. Just Don’t Tell Jerry Buttimer
  51. By Jove! It’s Christmas: Did the First Christian Roman Emperor Appropriate..
  52. War On Christmas Memes: Saturnalia
  53. War On Christmas Memes: The Yule Tree
  54. Christmas: it’s all about money, not messiahs.
  55. Geranium Lake Properties, Saturn and Sol
  56. Advent Calendar Day 15: Christmas: The Perfect Excuse For A Fight? by Lucy Brazier
  57. Pig Washing 1, “Christmas”
  58. Christmas is Pagan!
  59. Christmas — Who gives a rip HOW we came up with the date we use?!?
  60. Christmas is Tammuz’s Birthday?

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27 Comments

Filed under Being and Feeling, History, Lifestyle, Religious affairs, Spiritual affairs

Responses to Radical Muslims and Radical Christians

Some may think

The world is telling Christians that they must be blindly tolerant of all things or they are haters. {Churches response to Radical Muslims}

The Christians who are asking to be tolerant do not ask to be tolerant to violence. They ask do be concerned about those in need, and they ask to sincerely investigate all things and not to make conclusions too fast, putting everybody on the same line. Like after the Parisian attacks, so many people getting to shout to get all the refugees out and to stop them entering the European Union because they would be bringing Islam over our regions.

Русский: скромная одежда для muslims и non-muslims

Русский: скромная одежда для muslims и non-muslims (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most of the from violence fleeing people are not practising Muslims and they just want to be spared of any fundamentalist teaching reigning over their life. We should not straight ahead think those people would bring radical Muslim teaching to our regions. Even when lots of them may be Muslim it should not frighten us that they would convert people here. If they are able to convert people to Islam others should ask themselves

People may think they don’t have to tolerate everything that crosses their path or that we or others think they should tolerate. {Churches response to Radical Muslims} It is given to everybody in our democratic countries to utter their opinion. We always should make that clear to any body entering our regions and certainly to those who want to live in our regions. Those who come to live in our states should very well know that here there shall have to stay freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Such freedom of speech makes it also possible that there shall be people who take a stand against those teachings they consider false and against tolerances, that plague, divide and destroy the people of God.

Though what we see today is that certain Christians do think that those refugees would come in here in Europe or in other parts of the Northern hemisphere to

divide and destroy the people of God {Churches response to Radical Muslims}

But is that so?

No, it is an idea that many want to pose because they are afraid of their own identity being hurt. In case they would stand strong enough in their shoes they should not worry. Christians should even be joyful because this would give them more opportunities to preach their faith and convert others to their faith. Is it not because so many Christians do not preach any more and are themselves not active in the Witnessing process that they consider those who are preaching as a danger. As such we also find a lot of aversion and opposition against Jehovah Witnesses, Christadelphians, Mormons and other preaching believers.

Christians should know there is a Big Battle coming. They should prepare themselves and their children for it, but also should warn others around them for the dangers that shall come over our world. But they also should know that in the Holy Scriptures is written that one of the signs of the Last Days shall be that religion shall come to rise against religion. Those religious groups fighting against each other should not make us afraid but should make us even more prepared to go out in the world and to preach the Truth. In case our teachings are founded on the Truth, we should not have to worry. We also know that man can kill man but they shall not be able to take man away from God when that man is in God.

English: The Ethnic composition of Muslims in ...

The Ethnic composition of Muslims in the United States, according to the United States Department of State based on the publication of Being Muslim in America as of March 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We do know many Americans do think they are the centre of the world and that Islamic leaders saw America as the central power of Christianity. We have no idea where they got that from, but for sure it is true that radical Muslims do consider Christendom (and not Christianity) as their arch-enemy. In case they should know better Christianity than they should be more moderate and recognise that not all Christians do worship a threeheaded god. They should know that there are also many Christians who worship only the One True God, Allah, The Elohim Hashem Jehovah. If they knew their history they should be able to see why Mohammed was the right person in its time on that place, but that throughout history there have always been true worshippers of the Only One True God, the God of Abraham (Ibrahim).

Tom Harkness is right in saying

Everything about the West they view as Christian, all that we find valuable they hate; democracy, transparency, the rule of law, human rights, the separation of religion from governments are all discredited in the eyes of the jihadis (Wayne Grudem; Politics according to the bible). {Churches response to Radical Muslims}

That is today’s biggest problem, that those fundamentalist Muslims are doing exactly the same thing as the fundamentalist Christians from some centuries ago but also from those today.

Certain Christians do want to believe there are some extra-terrestrial demons hovering around, which they call devils, under the leadership of their head-devil Satan who organise a world-war against Jesus. They forget that according to the Holy Scriptures a satan is any adversary, like Peter was called a satan. so they teach people

so that you have a sound response either in your own mind or when people are attempting to discredit the truth that this is a battle between satan and the Jews and satan and Christians. {Churches response to Radical Muslims}

They are right in the fact that it is a satan who goes into battle with the world of God. The adversary of will trample hard. He knows the end shall be coming near and it is high time to go into the counter-attack. Real believers of God have to see that and should recognise the dangers of getting pulled in the trap to act also against the Will of God.

People like Imam Sheikh Muhammad Ayed,  who has told Muslims to use the migrant crisis to breed with European citizens and

‘conquer their countries’.

are the ones who put oil on the fire and spread the lies which are fed with messages from negative reacting Christians and National Socialists.

‘Throughout Europe, all the hearts are enthused with hatred toward Muslims. They wish that we were dead, but they have lost their fertility, so they look for fertility in our midst,’ {Imam tells Muslim migrants to ‘breed children’ with Europeans to ‘conquer their countries’ and vows: ‘We will trample them underfoot, Allah willing’ }

God is a God of love and order. He wants us to feel respect for all creatures, including those who do not love God. We should not kill them but should present them a life full of hope and glory. With our strength of faith we should bring them over the line, getting them to see where the true expectations of God are.

The real reason radical Islamists attack America, may be born out of a want to create an Islamic State and to destroy Jews & Christians, but it is mainly also because they consider the West interfering with their politics and hindering their cause in their own regions, which do not belong to America nor Europe.

It’s important that we understand the background. These attacks are not caused by people experiencing poverty or oppression in poor nations. This was started and is maintained by well-educated upper class, largely college-educated mostly wealthy men. (Wayne Grudem: politics according to the bible) {Churches response to Radical Muslims}

We even should come to see who are really backing ISIS and providing them with the necessary funds to get all that weapon arsenal.

English: There are apparently as many Christia...

There are apparently as many Christians as Muslims in Lebanon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please let us always remember

“There are peaceful Muslims in the world that simply want to live their lives just like you and want their children to live peaceful and successful lives. The problem is not the peaceful Muslims but the radical Muslims. There are 1.2 billion Muslims, not all are radical. The radicals are 15-25% according to all intelligence reports around the world. That leaves 75% who are relatively peaceful people.” {Churches response to Radical Muslims}

We should concentrate much more on those peaceful Muslims as well on the peaceful Christians and should react to those Muslims and Christians who want to destabilise the world by their messages of hate and intolerance.

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Preceding articles:

Paris Attack and Ranting

Problematic Or Patriotic? Two Ways To Talk About Muslims

The World Wide Refugee and Migrant Crisis and a possible solution for it

Migration not something to fear

What we don’t say about the refugee crisis?

Social media and asylum seekers

Human tragedy need to be addressed at source

Real progress leaves nobody behind

Spike In Anti-Muslim Attacks Casts Spotlight On Government Policies

Don’t be Muslim

Children of Men

Tolerance Ends When There Is No Tolerance Shown Towards Us

My two cents on the refugee crisis

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Find also to read:

  1. Meaning of life
  2. Our relationship with God, Jesus and eachother
  3. Suffering through the apparent silence of God
  4. If you have integrity
  5. Integrity of the fellowship
  6. More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
  7. Being Charlie 10
  8. 2014 Religion: with a.o. Global war against Christians
  9. Syrian but also Belgian connection to French attacks
  10. Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam key suspect Paris terrorist attacks
  11. Paris attacks darkening the world
  12. Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
  13. Massive police operation in northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis
  14. French Muslims under attack
  15. Americans wrongly informed about situation in Europe
  16. Trump brand of migrant demonization #1
  17. Trump brand of migrant demonization #2
  18. Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
  19. Daring to speak in multicultural environment
  20. Sharing a common security and a common set of values
  21. Faith related boycotts
  22. Mocking, Agitation and Religious Persecution
  23. If Europe fails on the question of refugees, then it won’t be the Europe we wished for
  24. Schengen area and Freedom for Europeans being put to the test as never before
  25. Europe’s refugees just follow the ancient routes for the peopling of Europe in the Neolithic
  26. American atheists most religiously literate Americans
  27. Is Turkey attempting to resurrect the Ottoman Empire
  28. To freeze the fighting in Aleppo
  29. Is ISIS a product of American in-action or a product of direct action
  30. Islamic State forcing the West to provide means for Kurdistan
  31. Funding of ISIS
  32. ISIL will find no safe haven
  33. Wrong choices made to get rid of Assad
  34. Cities not under fear but monuments feared
  35. Rampaging, demolishing sacred sites and cultural heritage
  36. Sharing a common security and a common set of values
  37. If you want to go far in life
  38. God let my compassionate affection be tolerant and kind

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Further related reading

  1. Syrian Tourists
  2. Syrian refugees: Nothing “Christian” about Fearing Muslims?
  3. Op-Ed: There is no “radical Islam” and there is also no “moderate Islam”
  4. The acts of war
  5. I.S.? We Haven’t Seen Anything Yet!
  6. Radical Muslims and Americans
  7. Remembering 9/11…14 Years Later: A United States President Stands Poised to Give Radical Islamists Nuclear Capability
  8. The Crusader Rifle
  9. Brits in Costa Del Sol, Costa Brava and Costa Blanca now ‘top targets for ISIS attack’
  10. ESPN Liberal Logic
  11. Muslim Takeover Of Bendigo Must be Halted
  12. Egypt by
  13. The UN Needs A Boot Up The Backside
  14. Violent extremists up to interpretation by homeland security chairman Mike McCaul
  15. “Extremists…have given Islam a bad name, but…have no connection with the religion” Really?
  16. Does Minnesota House ISIS’ “Farm Team”?
  17. ISIS or Daesh
  18. Will Bangladesh propaganda help Rohingya Muslims?
  19. The Time is Now to Stop Radical Muslims
  20. The Third Jihad
  21. Glenn Greenwald: Greatest threat to free speech comes not from terrorism, but from those claiming to fight it
  22. The argument for deluded losers
  23. Oops! Nemtsov killed by radical Muslims, not Putin fans
  24. Congress Defies Obama. Warns Iran.
  25. The Hidden Menace
  26. On Aggression
  27. Extremists and Terrorists Miss the Mark
  28. Oh Dear God: Copenhagen Shootings
  29. Still freedom of speech on Danish TV
  30. A special kind of hate
  31. A no–go zone For truth
  32. Why Would I Distrust Muslims Baroness Warsi?
  33. The RCT Talk Show
  34. to our 21 Christian Egyptians who fought for their Faith up to their last breath
  35. Are Christianity and Capitalism Compatible?
  36. Day Six: Hell House

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26 Comments

Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Crimes & Atrocities, Headlines - News, Religious affairs, World affairs

What is the truth asked also Pontius Pilate

In history there have been several moments that people wondered what really happened or what was really the truth.

Christ before Pontius Pilate, Mihály Munkácsy,...

Christ before Pontius Pilate, Mihály Munkácsy, 1881 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The coming days we also think about a man who was presented with a dilemma. The coming days we think about a man who wanted to come the world a truth for which they had to be very careful. All people had to think seriously of what they wanted to belief and to do. Today about this, nothing has changed yet. The Nazarene his message should still ring in our ears. But about this man it was also said he was or is a king (king of Israel), and that made many anxious or even annoyed, having some one standing in their way. How was the world to cope with this man who said he was the son of God and the one sent to show the world the Way to God?

At the time when this son of man lived there where none who made him to a god, but today many have made him to their god. Though this man told all around him he could not do anything without his heavenly Father Who is greater than him. He always spoke about his heavenly Father being the God of Abraham and also being his God, to Whom he prayed and to Whom we also should pray.

It was questioned by many if what this Nazarene man was telling could be true. the temple servants thought it could not be true and because of him saying he was the son of God by whom the heavenly Father worked in him they sought the more to kill him, because he not only brake the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making according to them, himself equal with God. They did not think he said he was God, but thought he considered him equal with God. Therefore Jesus reacted unto them, making it clear he never would think himself equal with or the same as God. He also wanted to assure them he could do nothing of himself. Though him mentioning that he knew that the Father loved him as Son, was not liked by them either. Worse they heard this Nazarene telling folks that he would be able to give life to whom he will.  This was much more than one step too far.

Joh 5:17-24 MKJV  But Jesus answered them, My Father works until now, and I work.  (18)  Then, because of this, the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the sabbath, but also said that God was His father, making Himself equal with God.  (19)  Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise.  (20)  For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all the things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may marvel.  (21)  For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son of Man makes alive whomever He wills.  (22)  For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son,  (23)  so that all should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  (24)  Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

Joh 14:28-31 MKJV  You have heard how I said to you, I go away and I am coming to you again. If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, I go to the Father, for My Father is greater than I.  (29)  And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens you might believe.  (30)  I shall no longer speak many things with you, for the ruler of this world comes, and he has nothing in Me.  (31)  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has given Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go away from here.

But when he was brought in front of the high priest who asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his teaching, he answered him that he had spoken openly to the world. The truth was that Jeshua (how he was really called) ever taught in synagogues, and in the temple, where the Jews always came together; and in secret spoke he nothing.  Jeshua was not afraid to say what he thought and what he found to be the truth. He also asked others always to tell the truth. Jeshua never hid something so he was surprised they asked him because he knew they knew the things which he said.  Annas sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest and they lead Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover.  Pontius Pilate wondered about the accusation brought against this man.  They answered and said unto him,

“If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee.”

Pilate asked them to judge Jeshua (Jesus) according to their law, but they escaped having blood on their hand by throwing it into his hands, saying that it is not lawful for them to put any man to death. Asking Jesus if he was the King of the Jews Jesus did not deny it but answered with a question, not making it easier for Pilate. After Pilate asked if Jesus considered Pilate a Jew and what Jesus had done, Jesus answered that his kingdom is not of this world.  Pilate asked him to be a king then, to which Jesus answered that he said that he is a king, and confirmed that he was born to his end and to this end he had come into the world, that he should bear witness unto the truth. but he also added that every one that is of the truth had to hear his voice.  Pilate asked him

What is truth?

Joh 18:33-38 MKJV  Then Pilate entered into the praetorium again and called Jesus and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews?  (34)  Jesus answered him, Do you say this thing of yourself, or did others say it to you about Me?  (35)  Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. What have you done?  (36)  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight so that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But now My kingdom is not from here.  (37)  Pilate then said to Him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered, You say it that I am a king. To this end I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.  (38)  Pilate said to Him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault in him.

Finding no crime in this Nazarene man, Pilate knew the Jews had a custom, that he should release unto them one at the passover. But not as he would have thought the people to answer, to let the man free, the crowd shouted to have the criminal be freed, the one who had robbed also some of them.

Joh 18:39-40 MKJV  But you have a custom that I should release one to you at the Passover. Then do you desire that I release to you the king of the Jews?  (40)  Then they all cried again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas! But Barabbas was a robber.

Tim Cloyd reads this as Pilate being actually genuinely confused. We also do think that Pilate has heard already many things about the man from Nazareth going through Galilee telling stories and doing wonderful things. The news must have come to his ears as well. Now, at last, he sees the man in real life and wants to know what truth really is.

Truth is not a part of the metric that he is familiar with in making leadership choices and if Jesus is a king this mode of thought makes no sense to Pilate. His leadership model is only one of self interest – expediency or of a kind of utilitarianism.

writes Cloyd and continues:

 “The greatest good for the greatest number” or the good or truth is whatever promotes his interest or cause.

Jesus is speaking truth to earthly power. It is an ethic that looks at things, actions, and choices as true or untrue, good or bad in and of themselves. It is a radical and dangerous way to regard the world in terms of earthly power and decision making.

Today lots of people run away with the truth, they just make a joke of it. Not many are really interested in telling the truth or keeping to the truth. Many also do not mind their relationships being build on dreams and lies. Many also want to use their fantasy words to lure others in their nets. People who tell the truth and point them out to the ethics to which we should keep are not liked, like Jesus was not liked for telling the truth and for showing their crooked way of thinking and misleading others. today we can find many who make it a sport of misleading others. It has become big business.

Many or most of our leaders, CEOs, and politicians are more likely than not it seems to me to be familiar with the leadership ethic of Pontius Pilate. As a leader you are likely to be confronted with demands from friends, board members, shareholders, or other constituencies that pressure you to make decisions that may be popular and wrong, but may be justified by expediency or utility. {The Leadership Ethic of Pontius Pilate – Expediency and Utility}

Think of the CEO asked to kick business back to powerful friends or bosses. Choosing not to do what is asked would be unpopular, but right. The consequences of not doing what was asked would in most cases be bad for that CEO’s career, his family, etc. The ire of scorned friends or others in power could lead to rumors or the release of damaging partial or (dis) information that could harm a CEO who made a decision not to do the wrong thing based on truth and not to agree based on expediency or utility. {The Leadership Ethic of Pontius Pilate – Expediency and Utility}

Liberal arts colleges teach students to reflect on such issues. They allow for both the assertion of truth and for the question “what is truth?” but they teach students no matter their faith tradition that there are better and worse ways to live a life. {The Leadership Ethic of Pontius Pilate – Expediency and Utility}

It is a reality of the day that we do not see many struggling with what is real or with what is the truth. It would be better if more people took Pilate in mind and got to see the problem and the ethic of Pilate, which still troubles the world today.

We also do hope more people come to hear what Tim Cloyd means just as you hear what Jesus means.

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  • “I go to prepare a place for you.” (christianity201.wordpress.com)
    Some will imagine Jesus as a Master renovator, but that is not really what is happening here. As one Bible scholar points out, Jesus “goes” and His journey begins at the cross. It is there that the preparations begin. It is there that we find, not the Master Renovator, but the Master Redeemer. There is wood and there are nails, but this project is like nothing Mike Holmes has ever tackled. This is not about Jesus making the afterlife fit for us, but about Jesus making us fit for eternal life with God. It is about Jesus dying on the cross so that we could live with God in His home.
  • Lord, Have Mercy Upon Us (atimetoshare.wordpress.com)
  • ‘Christian Blod Won’t Wash Off’: Ralph Peters Just Called Obama the Reincarnation of ‘Pontius Pilate’ (girlsjustwannahaveguns.com)
    Ralph Peters was on Fox News this morning and really made the case that Christian civilization is being wiped off the map by the Islamo-Nazis in the Middle East, saying this is indeed a holocaust and our president is doing nothing. He then called Obama a reincarnation of Pontius Pilate washing his hands, but he said this blood is not coming off:
  • Opinions Are Not Always the Truth (psalmsunday.blogspot.com)
    We should always seek the truth in any disagreement.  Sometimes that truth might lie somewhere between two disagreeing parties and successful resolution can bring them to a happy meeting point.   At other times both sides might cling tenaciously to what they see as the truth.  This is the point when the decision has to be made whether the disagreement is worth the conflict.
  • Ralph Peters: Obama is the reincarnation of Pontius Pilate but Christian blood NOT going to wash off (therightscoop.com)
    He is the reincarnation of Pontius Pilate washing his hands, but this blood is not coming off.
  • VIDEO: True Blood’s Bill Condemns Jesus in the Trailer for Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Jesus (tvguide.com)
    Killing Jesus is based on the book of the same name by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard and chronicles the life and death of Jesus Christ. Haaz Sleiman plays Jesus, Kelsey Grammer wears the crown of King Herod the Great and True Blood‘s Stephen Moyer portrays Pontius Pilate.
  • Reflective Moment ‘Precise Statement’ (mylordmyfriend.com)
    Which we build our faith on, John goes  further to make The Precise statement, to help his readers of the truth of Christ Jesus’ identity, John organizes his entire Gospel around eight miracles. Theses miracles are signs and proof and only God could perform these miracles. And only Christ Jesus the God-man, could die as the Perfect Sacrifice, for the sins of the world.
  • What Bethlehem Taught About Marketing Jesus (averageus.com)
    Jesus wouldn’t need tweaking. He would never be re-branded. He didn’t come in multiple, market-sensitive packages.

    He just came. He did His Father’s will. And He trained a few followers to tell the world about it.

  • The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ (dailybibleplan.com)
    Jesus sacrifice for us involved a lot more than just His crucifixion and death.

    In today’s key passage, Jesus tells His disciples about the future.  He speaks of the end times and about His return to glory, and tells His disciples (and us) not to be deceived by false teachers.

  • The Scripture Holds True Forever (planet.infowars.com)
    It was winter, and the Festival of the Dedication of the Temple was being celebrated in Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Porch in the Temple, when the people gathered around him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? Tell us the plain truth: are you the Messiah?”

    Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you would not believe me. The deeds I do by my Father’s authority speak on my behalf; but you will not believe, for you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me. What my Father has given me is greater[a] than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father’s care. The Father and I are one.”

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Lifestyle, Religieuze aangelegenheden, Spiritual affairs

In Defense of the truth

Like the former Christian minister, writer, musician says “You can lead a horse to water, but sometimes you just have to drown them.” (or something like that) we should remember that it is important how we want to use our mind and find or bring logic and reason to the forefront of the place where we live and in our conversations with those around us.

Facing the difficulties in life we are always surrounded with many questions and most of us are looking for what we call”the Truth“.

In that quest for Truth most people are also confronted with religions and with ministers who work for certain denominations. Their attitude, their response to the many questions, often shall take the questioning person to take his or her next steps and shall bring on an attitude for the future.

We can not deny that probably “every single pastor (and pastor’s wife), every evangelist, every church planter and self described theologian” that has come certain persons their way over the past few years may have “slithered away like a de-fanged, de-rattled snake, back into the night where they came from.” Is that not a shame?

Have those ministers or priests had to go in the darkness again because they could not explain what really happened in the garden of Eden? Was it not because they could not show the writer of this reblogged text that there is not such thing as “a child murdering, rape endorsing, slavery promoting deity”?

God is a god of love. Out of love He has given the right for the people who took adversary on Him to rule the world and to arrange the things themselves. Though now they want to blame Him because He does not play the dictator and interferes, making everything like He wants it to be.

We may not forget that it is not God who is the cause of all those diseases and disasters which hit the world. He is not ruling this world. It are the adversaries of God (Satan) who are ruling this world now.

We just have to be patient enough until the third World War and the thousand years afterwards. Only then, after Jesus his return and the fulfilment of the promise of the Great Reality of the renewed Israel and the handing over by Jesus of the Kingdom of God to God, those who had their faith in this hope of Unity and Peace and did everything to live according to the Laws of Christ and the Law of God, shall be able to enter that Kingdom of God and enjoy a world without pain and without difficulties.

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Preceding: Cancerous Black Holes

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Please do find also to read:

  1. Our way of life
  2. Pain and Suffering is inevitable but Misery is optional
  3. From pain to purpose
  4. The blessing of a broken leg
  5. Partakers of the sufferings
  6. Foreword to Suffering
  7. Suffering (Cd art)
  8. Suffering – through the apparent silence of God
  9. Suffering continues
  10. Suffering leading to joy
  11. Seems no future in suffering
  12. Learning from suffering
  13. Facing disaster fatigue
  14. The soul has no rainbow if the eyes have no tears
  15. Character is built
  16. Your struggles develop your strengths
  17. Reacting to Disasters
  18. Dying or not
  19. Frank risks taking
  20. Remember there’s a light in the next day
  21. If your difficulties are longstanding, try kneeling
  22. Even in tough times remembering the blessings
  23. Words from God about suffering
  24. Self inflicted misery #1 The root by man
  25. Self inflicted misery #2 Weakness of human race
  26. Self inflicted misery #7 Good news to our suffering
  27. Self inflicted misery #9 Subject to worldly things
  28. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #3 Right to Human dignity
  29. Science, belief, denial and visibility 2
  30. Faith and trial
  31. A Living Faith #4 Effort
  32. Fragments from the Book of Job #1: chapters 1-12
  33. Fragments from the Book of Job #2: chapters 12-20
  34. Fragments from the Book of Job #3: chapters 21-26
  35. Fragments from the Book of Job #4: chapters 27-31
  36. Fragments from the Book of Job #5: chapters 32-37
  37. Fragments from the Book of Job #6: chapters 38-42
  38. Fragments from the Book of Job #7 Epilogue
  39. Bad things no punishment from God
  40. Profitable disasters
  41. Salvation, trust and action in Jesus #1 Suffering covered by Peace Offering
  42. Miracles in our time of suffering
  43. Offer in our suffering
  44. Patient waiting (Cd art)
  45. Be like a tree planted by streams of water
  46. Suffering produces perseverance
  47. Moving mountains
  48. Rejoice even though bound to grieve
  49. Suffering redemptive because Jesus redeemed us from sin
  50. Surprised by joy
  51. Surprised by time in joys & sufferings
  52. Destination of the earth
  53. Expiatory sacrifice
  54. Crucifixion for suffering
  55. From pain to purpose
  56. Old age
  57. Temptation and its conquest
  58. Pain and Suffering is inevitable but Misery is optional
  59. Light within
  60. To be chained by love for another one
  61. When the wind blows hard on a tree
  62. Your struggles develop your strengths
  63. The inspiring divine spark
  64. Disappointed with God
  65. Not sure there exist a God
  66. Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God
  67. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #15 Exposition before the Creator
  68. God’s Comfort
  69. Only one God
  70. Some one or something to fear #6 Faith in the Most High
  71. Commit your self to the trustworthy creator
  72. Getting out of the dark corners of this world
  73. God should be your hope
  74. Our relationship with God, Jesus and eachother
  75. Nuturing a close relationship with God
  76. Give your worries to God
  77. Let us recognise how great God is
  78. God is the strength of my heart
  79. God Helper and Deliverer
  80. God is positive
  81. God’s design in the creation of the world
  82. God’s instruction about joy and suffering
  83. God’s promises
  84. God His measure not our measure
  85. God’s non answer
  86. God’s promises to us in our suffering
  87. Gods hope and our hope
  88. God’s salvation (Cd art)
  89. You God hold the future
  90. Hope (Cd art)
  91. Hope for the future
  92. Importuning for suffering hearts
  93. Incomplete without the mind of God
  94. Is God hiding His face when He is seemingly silent
  95. Jehovah my strenght
  96. Kingdom of God what will it be like
  97. God His reward
  98. Chrystalised harmonious thinking
  99. Epitome of the one faith
  100. Life with God
  101. Meaning of life
  102. Some important differences
  103. True hope
  104. Working of the hope (Cd art)
  105. A love not exempting us from trials
  106. Songs in the night Worship God only
  107. Gospel = Good tidings, good news, a good message
  108. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us
  109. Preaching to an unbelieving world
  110. To Live Gratitude
  111. For those who make other choices
  112. A concrete picture of what is to come in the future
  113. Greatest single cause of atheism
  114. Change

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  • Labor Pains of Human Life (prayersofmysoul.wordpress.com)
    Nothing can permanently interfere with God’s plans and purposes. The delay in putting an end to our grief is not proof that destructive forces are conquering God. Nor is it due to an uncaring attitude of God. He uses it all – the good and the bad, the angels and the demons, the easy-going days and the hard times – to bring salvation to untold numbers of people.
  • *The purpose of our lives of faith* (correctunderstandingofshinchonji.wordpress.com)
    The world is full of religious scholars, but what do they study? Supposedly, they are studying the true will of God and the true meaning of the Bible. Which of them, then, knows the true will of God? The truth is that none of them know it. They study the Bible because they do not know. Only God knows his true will, and God does not reveal this mystery until the time he has appointed arrives (Eccl 3:1; Dn 12:8-9; Jn 16:25).
  • On Hope (storiedwithgrace.com)
    how we can’t hope in ourselves or in anything in this world, only in Jesus, His Word, His Kingdom Everlasting. The pastor said if I hope in “having it all together” here on earth—a life of total freedom, without trouble or persecution or any harm, then I’m hoping in the wrong thing. That hope is not possible, for as the pastor pointed out, as a Christian, I am bound to suffer, in some measure as Christ suffered.
    +
    What is the proper attitude to have, then, in whatever caliber of suffering I endure? It’s to be totally optimistic. Totally hopeful. Always thinking good thoughts. Maintaining ultimate self-control. Embracing the ones who hurt you. Enjoying the experience. Being patient when there is no way out, when you are truly doomed. Believing in the unseen, no matter how impossible. Having faith that you’ll breathe again, even when blood is clotting in your lungs. Loving. Simply loving. Jesus revealed all of these traits while suffering on the cross. He did so at so great a cost. He wagered Himself, and all His character, for His enemies, who had none. It is sobering to consider my Savior’s attitude when He held His arms out for me as I butchered Him.
  • Reflecting on Suffering (barefootpreachr.org)
    Did you hear the story of the little boy that wanted to share in Christ’s suffering? One Sunday he heard the preacher talking about Jesus’ walk to Golgotha. And he heard how Jesus’ walked the streets of stone. And he heard about the man who helped Jesus. Then the little boy went home and began to think. The next morning he picked up a small pebble (he WAS a small boy) and he put it in his shoe so that he too could walk with Jesus. Well, that story ends something like this: “And little Johnny walked for miles that day with that pebble in his shoe and he did it for God.”
  • “Sanctify them in Truth” (disciplesforlife.wordpress.com)
    Christians are to be in the world (vs. 18) yet not of the world (vs. 16). In this way our mission is like Christ’s (vs. 18) who was sent into the world by the Father.
  • 400 people in a plane – how many will enter the Kingdom of Heaven? (allanblog.me)
    I wondered, how many of these people would actually be interested in knowing how someone can get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Especially if I told them the truth. You know, the price they need to pay. Dying to themselves, and allowing Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Master of their lives. No longer doing what they want to do, but what He wants to do in them and through them.
    +
    400 people on the plane. How will I go about trying to get them to listen, to what most people would say is, ridiculous, fanatical, asking too much?
  • Religulous Freaks (venitism.blogspot.com)
    Every week, Ulster Christians flock from across the province to the 3,000-seater auditorium, there to hear Pastor James McConnell preach his Christian message. Not the Christian message of the BBC’s Thought For The Day, however; you may hear Beatitudes at Whitewell, but it’s not a place for platitudes. This is the real deal, fire and brimstone; damnation and salvation. If you’re not going to Whitewell, you’re going to Hell.
    +
    In an interview with the BBC’s Stephen Nolan, McConnell refused to back down, claiming that all Muslims had a duty to impose Sharia law on the world, and suggesting they were all merely waiting for a signal to go to Holy War. A subtle examination of modern Islamist and jihadist politics this was not.
  • Towards a Safer and a More Secure World (politicsfromthemiddle.com)
    The truth is that not all problems in the world can be solved. A requirement for peace is to have at least two willing parties who are willing to talk when a conflict is pending or when two parties are in active combat.
  • The Beginning of Truth…. Chandler’s Story (branditrent3.wordpress.com)
    There have been times that we felt like we could not get up and go on. And, yes. I have been rescued. In fact, I am rescued every, single day. I have had to learn to rely on God. I have had to set my hope in Him. And, you have played a significant role in this for us. Your prayers. They have protected us. The prayers have led us to put our trust in God and His ways. Not our own.
  • Twelve Leadership Lessons from a Hike with a Fellow Leader (Part IV) (hikerdude.wordpress.com)
    As Pastor Todd and I talked while we walked along the trail, he shared some of the things that had greeted him at the threshold of his 50th birthday: the sickness and death of his father, his mother’s brain cancer and recent death, and diagnosis of his executive pastor with stage 4 lung cancer. And just a few years earlier he had lost much of his retirement savings during the “economic downturn,” even though he had invested heavily in bank stocks, which had been thought to be one of the safest, most secure investments. Then, both is daughters had gotten married within six months of each other (joyous, yet stressful events). All of this was going on as he was leading one of the largest churches in West Georgia. It would have made him want to pull his hair out, if he had any left to do so.
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Center For Reason

I like to argue. Anyone who knows me at all knows that I will debate anyone but what I really enjoy is a good argument where I don’t have to be polite or patient and I especially enjoy arguing with pious self righteous bigots who have made a career of selling heaven for profit like monopoly real estate.

So I woke up this morning like usual around 5 am. And like usual I reached for my phone to check my Facebook and Twitter accounts for comments.

I saw a couple of posts from friends a few conversations were going on about science and reason but today there were no heated arguments or comments from professional fucktardery profiteers offering prayers for my soul or proposing to change my mind about evolution or show me the error of my apostate heart and being me back to the feet of jesus at the…

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Health affairs, Knowledge & Wisdom, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Spiritual affairs

Getting out of the dark corners of this world

Because of certain unpleasant things that happened to individuals who belonged by their family tradition to a church, they left that church as soon as they left the parents house.

After some experiences they tried to keep quiet for years the last few years their wounds were opened again. Perhaps matters can gain momentum. The development presented by the pontiff of the Catholic Church  may ease some pain many had to endure for many years.

 

Gods Own County

Gods Own County (Photo credit: tricky (rick harrison))

The events which sometimes took them by surprise, and for some became a chain for many years,brought them in the darkness. But not always bad experiences had to bring people in the dark corners of this world. Many experiences in our childhood or in our adulthood may have disappointed us and given a bad picture of the world we are living in.

 

Maybe some of the readers coming along here are facing some darkness in their life or are currently going through a desert period with God. The might feeling abandoned by people but worse, by the One Who they thought would resolve all their problems, or the One which they heard talking about from early childhood onwards.

We shall not be saying that you can not have happiness without That One Who has been spoken off in your childhood or about Whom you heard so many talking. To those who believe in god or gods we shall also not say they shall have only happiness and shall have no pain. Be sure, also a believer in God shall have his or her share of unhappiness, fear, frustration and pain. It is not because you would believe in the God of gods that you shall have no suffering.

Some (or perhaps many)  may feel abandoned by “Him”. Even His most beloved only begotten son cried at one moment

“Father why have you abandoned me?”.

Nonetheless, this son of Him had all the time been faithful to his Father and had only done His Will. So why and how could this man of 33 been calling on his Dad when he was put on a wooden stake, to find his death?

Did this son think his Father had broken His promises to him and to His people? When you look at the history of that Nazarene man you might find that he could do many unbelievable things, just because his Father was with him. the son also recognised that and told others he could do nothing without that Father in heaven who was much mightier than he.

Joh 14:27-31 NHEBYSE  Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  (28)  You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.  (29)  Now I have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you may believe.  (30)  I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.  (31)  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

Giotto's depiction of Jesus before Caiaphas in...

Giotto’s depiction of Jesus before Caiaphas in the morning based on Luke 22 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lots of Christians as soon as they started to be pointed out what was written in their Scriptures came to see how much their church institution had ‘lied’ to them or told them many things which they could not find in the Book of books. They became so disillusioned by their church and its teaching they left it, without wondering if there were no alternatives. Many laughed at that man who had to be at the same time God, but hearing them say things that contradicted their own saying.  The idea of God in human form made Daniel 7:9–13 crucially important. In this famous vision scene, the Ancient of Days (God) sees “a human one” (“son of man”) coming to him with the clouds. It is to this figure that God may give everlasting dominion, but that does not mean that God gives Himself into the being of that man. Worldly fathers also can try to do everything they can to give to their son. Many shall even hope that their son will become like them. But they all know that their son shall never become the same person as they are. Though many in Christendom would like to believe that. They want to see that the unity between father and son means that father and son become one and the same person. They misunderstood the oneness like Caiaphas hears the passage Jesus quotes from Daniel, when the high priest demands to know who he is. Many claim Caiaphas’ reaction tells us immediately that he knew Jesus was claiming to be the God of Israel in human form — the second power. But that is not the case. It is not because many people may accuse somebody to be saying that he is god, like Pharaoh, or even Moses or some angels, that he or they are really the God of gods. That Caiaphas tears his clothes and charges Jesus with blasphemy also does not proof that Jesus is The God (Matthew 26:63–68).

God can not die, but from historical writings and also from the Bible itself we do know that Jesus died. The Nazarene Jew found an end to his life at the age of 33. Christians are even remembering his death these coming days. Did many forgot the words of this man saying it was not him doing those miracles? Jesus answered them that it was not him but his Father Who worked until now. And it was that calling onto the heavenly Father that people got bothered and angry. That calling onto the Elohim was it that made the Jews their blood boil. Therefore they sought the more to kill this troublesome Jewish rabbi, who got more followers than they. People got glued to his lips and that the Pharisees did not like. Because Jeshua (Jesus Christ) not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, they thought he was making himself equal with God. In the Bible it does not say that he was God, but that the people were weary with him claiming equality. Jesus answered very clearly he was not doing the things out of himself. He told them that he was just a son of God and that he as son could do nothing by himself, but what he saw the Father doing. For whatever things The Father does, these also does the son likewise.  Clearly all the time Jesus speaks about two different persons. First there is the Father Who loves the Son. Several people could hear that Father saying that from heaven, when they were standing at the River Jordan, by the baptism of Jeshua.

Mat 3:16-17 RHB (1.5)  And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up immediately out of the water: and lo, the Heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him:  (17)  And lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I AM well pleased.

The few years Jesus walked from one place to the other preaching the Good News of the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God, he made the name of his Father known and asked people not to praise him but his Father, the Only True God, Whose holy Name should be known by the whole world as Jehovah.

Jesus let the people also know that what he did was nothing compared with what his Father did. In the past the People of God had already seen incredible things and had felt how the Hand of the Maker of the universe guided them away from slavery, through the dessert, giving them daily manna? But the wonders would not end because Jehovah, the Only One God was going to do greater works than these Jesus could do, so that all people may marvel. Jesus knew he was going to die. He was prepared to give his body for the sins of many. But he believed also that he could trust his Father,like many other prophets had trusted Him. For as the Father raises the dead, and vivifies them; even so the son vivifies whom he will, could he add and create hope for all those who would come to believe in what and whom he, Jeshua rally was. We should come to understanding that Jeshua was that long awaited Messiah. He is the Christ.  The son honoured his Father in heaven, who had sent him. He taught others to come to his heavenly Father and to come into the footsteps of the send one. Many did not want to hear his words, and later many twisted his words. He always spoke about the love we should get for others, because all were created in the image of his Father, Who should also be our heavenly Father, and to Whom we also should pray “Our Father“. Instead of sitting in the dark corners and not believing that there can be hope for everybody, we would do better to listen to that Nazarene man his words. Not only because he himself told us that those who would hear his words, and would believe on Him that sent him, would have everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but has passed from death to life.

When we look at what is happening in the world we should see signs of which the send one from God, Jesus Christ, the Messiah has spoken. We then should see that the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Even when we had a bad life, we can look up at the son who on 14 Nisan remembered how his Father brought His people out of slavery. He there in the upper-room also installed the New Covenant as sign of a restored relationship of God with his son Jeshua (Jesus Christ) and with us, as children of God. Many took offence in the time Jesus was living that he said that for as the Father has life in Himself that he himself also had received the power from God to have life in himself;  and that God would have given him authority to execute judgement also, because he is the “Son of Man“.  These coming days we shall remember what that “son of Adam“, “son of Abraham” and “son of God” has done and why he can take in the place of the first Adam, to become the second Adam.

Joh 5:17-26 NHEBYSE  But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.”  (18)  For this cause therefore the Jewish leaders sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.  (19)  Jesus therefore answered them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.  (20)  For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  (21)  For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.  (22)  For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,  (23)  that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.  (24)  “Truly, truly, I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.  (25)  Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live.  (26)  For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.

English: Bytča (Nagybiccse) - mosaic in the ca...

Bytča (Nagybiccse) – mosaic in the catholic church Slovenčina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Those who do not belief in a God are also blessed by the Grace of God. They also are allowed to live here on this earth. All people, but first of all those who believe in God, should respect all others who live on this world. In respect for the Creator His creation, they should respect everything what God allows to be in the universe. But those who are in the dark corners we should show the light which can come over them. Because God has taken care that light can come over all those who want. All who want to hear and believe can be partakers of the blessings, which came onto this earth by that son of God. He made an end to death and therefore we should not fear any more for the death. It shall not be able to do much, and we know that all shall have to die one day, so we better make the best of our life, as long as we live, because from Scriptures we know we can not take anything into our death and shall be nothing with the treasures gathered in this life.

It is Now we have to make it. It is Now we have to create a nice place to live. It is Now that we have to work for Peace.

For those who feel left alone or left in a dark corner, please come with us and join us on the road to better pastures. Do you think God left you, come to see otherwise. Do you think the god of your previous life is not a good one, try to find the Right God, and let us help you to find Him. Is He refusing to talk to you?  Do you get depressed every time you read the Bible?  Are other Christians getting on your nerves?  Are you burned out by church?   Use this and some of our other sites to come to see it is not so. You might even come to see that why cussing Him out and hating Him doesn’t mean you’re a spiritual failure.  Learn how you can tell that He absolutely will not leave you here forever.

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Additional reading:

  1. Darkness, light, burning fire, Truth and people in it
  2. Accommodation of the Void
  3. Blackness, nothingness, something, void
  4. Wondering
  5. Heroes and saints
  6. Two states of existence before God
  7. When we love we do not need laws
  8. Let us move on
  9. Disappointed expectations
  10. Thirst for happiness and meaning
  11. Happiness an inner state
  12. Happiness is like manna
  13. Wishing to do the will of God
  14. God’s promises
  15. God’s promises to us in suffering
  16. Only one God
  17. God of gods
  18. Attributes to God
  19. Challenging claim 1 Whose word
  20. Creator and Blogger God 8 A Blog of a Book 2 Holy One making Scriptures Holy
  21. Creator and Blogger God 9 A Blog of a Book 3 Blog about Prophecy
  22. God the son
  23. Jesus was not God, Reasons that
  24. The trinity – the truth
  25. Is God comprised of three persons, or is He just one person?
  26. How did the Trinity Doctrine Develop
  27. History of the acceptance of a three-in-one God
  28. The History of the Development of the Trinity Doctrine
  29. Trinity in the Bible
  30. Altered to fit a Trinity
  31. The Trinity: paganism or Christianity?
  32. Trinity And Pagan Influence
  33. Questions for those who believe in the Trinity
  34. How do trinitarians equate divine nature
  35. The Word being a quality or aspect of God Himself
  36. The Great Trinity debate
  37. Newton not believing in the Holy Trinity
  38. Trinitarian philosophy
  39. About a man who changed history of humankind
  40. For the Will of Him who is greater than Jesus
  41. Word – John 1:1
  42. The Word being a quality or aspect of God Himself
  43. Servant of his Father
  44. One mediator
  45. The true vine
  46. On the Nature of Christ
  47. Jesus Christ being dispatched as the Figurehead of a Religion
  48. The Christ, the anointed of God
  49. Jesus begotten Son of God #4 Promised Prophet and Saviour
  50. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
  51. Jesus begotten Son of God #8 Found Divinely Created not Incarnated: The Anointed begotten Son of God
  52. Jesus begotten Son of God #10 Coming down spirit or flesh seed of Eve
  53. Jesus begotten Son of God #14 Beloved Preminent Son and Mediator originating in Mary
  54. Jesus begotten Son of God #15 Son of God Originating in Mary
  55. Jesus begotten Son of God #16 Prophet to be heard
  56. Jesus begotten Son of God #18 Believing in inhuman or human person
  57. Rabboni, Knowing —
  58. Being Religious and Spiritual 7 Transcendence to become one
  59. Being one in Jesus, Jesus in us and God in Jesus
  60. If the Father is the “only true God” (John 17:3) , does that mean that Jesus is a false god?
  61. Self inflicted misery #5 A prophet without a hedge around him
  62. Our relationship with God, Jesus and each other
  63. He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
  64. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
  65. In the death of Christ, the son of God, is glorification
  66. Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
  67. Blinkered minds
  68. Old language to confirm the promises
  69. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #4 Words in Scripture
  70. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #5 To meditate and Transform
  71. Prophets making excuses
  72. Written to recognise the Promised One
  73. No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation

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  • Who is Forsaken? (stlukeumc.wordpress.com)
    World War II was one of the most destructive times in all of human history, in terms of both human lives and property. And many historians believe that one of the most destructive battles of that terrible war was the battle for Stalingrad, between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which took place between July 17, 1942 and February 2, 1943.
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    the fourth word that Jesus spoke from the Cross. The word is: Forsaken. And I believe it is the hardest word of all.
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    No, my father, there is no God, for if there is, where in the world is he? And may I be so bold as to say that there are times in life when each one of us finds ourselves, if only for a moment, at that place in life. That place of aloneness and isolation. That place of hopelessness. That place where we are totally cut off from everything we have known and there is seemingly no way out.   When we wonder why we have been abandoned by God and everyone else?
  • Burnt (shughar.wordpress.com)
    I fear that I will perish in this, my lost pride

    I’m filled with hate for myself

    If this is fate, I curse mine

    If this is love, then I’m confused

    I’m nothing more than a broken vessel

    One that can never be patched

    Like spilled water that can never be gathered

  • The One Who Would Die, that Others Will Live (justifiedandsinner.com)
    When during our time of confession and absolution earlier, I mentioned that God daily and richly forgives our sins and grants us new life, those are not just mere words.  They are what we believe, what we count upon each day.

    But we realize as well, and take great joy in the knowledge that this has been God’s plan from the beginning, that Jesus, the one, would die that all the children of God would never fear the power of sin, that is, that death would somehow be the end.

  • Jesus, A Forever Friend! (carolynpriesterjones.org)
    It does seem that running in the same circles draws us together.  As we share the same experiences or know the same people, it seems easier to view the world together.  But once the events, times and places change, some friendships seem to fall away.
  • Love Wins, Week 5: Rocks (revjillhoward.wordpress.com)
    How and when have you encountered God in your life?  Or are you not sure if you have at all?  Anne Lamott, in her book, Traveling Mercies, shares her story of how she came to faith through a series of intense life experiences.  After years of dependency on drugs and alcohol to escape the difficulties of life, she found herself in the depths of her own hell, drunk, on drugs, and alone on one particular night.  Shaky, scared, sick, and finally sobering up, she crawled into bed and after a while, felt a presence in the room with her, hunkered down in the corner.  She explains that the feeling was so real that she actually turned on a light for a moment to make sure that no one was there.  But after awhile, in the dark again, she knew beyond a doubt that the presence was Jesus.  And she was appalled.  Why?  Because she couldn’t imagine what her friends would think if she became a Christian, or how she would handle it herself based on the Christians that she knew.  She simply could not allow for that to happen.  She screamed out in the darkness to the wall, “I would rather die!”  But yet she felt Jesus there on his haunches in the corner, watching with patience and love.
  • Maybe Tonight (The Pedophile) by Nicole Eva Fraser (secondwindpub.wordpress.com)
    In daylight my room was a haven. Safe behind the closed door, I could read, write letters to my pen pals, and commune with the tall lilac bush just outside the second-floor window by my bed. But in the dark of night, my room was a chamber of panic.

    It is no exaggeration that in all my conscious memories of childhood, I never fell asleep without terror. I knew I wasn’t safe from people in my family or from the evil presence lurking in our house that would one night snuff me out. I would lie in bed, my mind and body throbbing with spiraling panic, seemingly for hours—then the next thing I knew, I’d be opening my eyes to another morning.
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    I didn’t expect comfort from my mother, and she didn’t provide any, nor did she mention the incident that night or the next day. I figured she had forgotten about it. And I told no one else what had happened to me; it was too terrifying, and somehow my fault, and I was afraid my friends wouldn’t want to be my friends if they knew.
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    I felt like the world was going dark, like I was going to vomit, like I was sinking into the darkness and never coming back. “No,” I said, “I don’t want to,” but I didn’t cry because I knew that wouldn’t change her mind.

  • The Fire Changes EVERYTHING! [Part one] (nnyphishnet.net)
    It really was ‘one of those days’ that left me feeling stunned, numb, burned beyond recognition, invisible, and abandoned.  Like a building had collapsed on me, and there I was- seemingly left for dead [at least somebody was] or just left to go it alone…
  • Before the Council – April 6, 2014 – Matthew 26: 47 – 58 (prissiesissie.wordpress.com)
    Since Caiaphas didn’t have enough testimony for a conviction, he turned to Jesus looking for a confession, but Jesus was silent. Jesus had done nothing wrong. He had nothing to confess and the Sanhedrin couldn’t find enough witnesses to claim He had. They couldn’t even find enough false witnesses to agree on what He had done.

    Jesus could have defended Himself and His ministry, but He chose to remain silent. He had resigned Himself to their plot. He knew His death was inevitable and He could say nothing to dissuade them from their plans. He simply refused to participate in the drama. The Sanhedrin were relying on “plots and schemes and false accusations” but Jesus had placed His trust in God. He would have the courage to be endure the plan that was unfolding.

  • Easter without Hindsight Wk2: The High Priest Caiaphas’ worst fears….? (bloodofinnocents.wordpress.com)
    Caiaphas’ probably felt his worst fears were confirmed when Jeshua arrived in Jerusalem on Sunday, the first working day of the week that Passover started. Hebrew tradition said that messiah would arrive in Jerusalem through the Golden Gate riding on a donkey. As Jeshua did precisely that, thousands of Passover pilgrims, camped on hillsides around the city, flocked around him. Cheering him on they covered the road to the gate with cloaks and palm branches. Jeshua knew exactly how the Hebrews would interpret his arrival.
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    Jeshua was not particularly attacking the traders. The modern church often interpret these verses as an attack on commerce but that isn’t Jeshua’s point. Monopoly suppliers protected by an institution often line their pockets unfairly but that was a minor issue. Jeshua’s real target was the institution itself.
  • Palm Sunday 2014 , April 13, 2014 in the World (liveloveandpray.wordpress.com)
    My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Indeed, many dogs surround me,
    a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
    They have pierced my hands and my feet;
    I can count all my bones.
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    The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus
    feared greatly when they saw the earthquake
    and all that was happening, and they said,
    “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
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