Tag Archives: Bringing Good News

by Guestspeaker | 2023/11/25 · 7:05 pm

Necessity to be cheerful to help yourself and others

Around Thanksgiving Day, in addition to showing gratitude,
it is not bad to take a moment to focus on the need to be cheerful and positive thinking.

At our other website which you also might not forget to visit now and then, we started also looking back at 2023.
Each time, we will highlight some highlights or happenings, or bring up a few things that may have escaped your notice and had not yet been mentioned on that site.

Being cheerful on the outside can help you – and others – feel it on the inside

Our chief preacher, Marcus Ampe, (during the course of this year, before his heart attack) emphasised how we need to ensure that we strengthen ourselves spiritually to keep us healthy and to energetically stimulate others as well.

He stressed that the inner man, the wellbeing of our soul, is the most important thing to help us and others move forward in life.
In these times of a shortage of real conversations, as everything is done fleetingly through social media, our society, according to him, lacks self-confidence and a healthy state of mind.

“The surest sign of wisdom is a constant cheerfulness,”

wrote the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne in the 16th century.

According to Mr Ampe, in the long run, we should ignore people who influence us badly and focus more on positive impulses we can get in life.

He also said there is no point if we are too preoccupied with the things that go wrong in our lives. We need to learn to worry less about all the things we see going wrong around us.

“Be cheerful,”

commands the fictional character and the protagonist (Prospero) of William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest – arguably the wisest of all of Shakepeare’s characters – in The Tempest. Yet the impact of cheerfulness – and the power it gives us to get through difficult moments in our lives – is hard to define and easy to disregard or dismiss, even as we strive to be happy.

Someone who is cheerful is happy and shows this in his behaviour and makes that person have or express a buoyant or self-confident air. With good humour we should try to spread God’s Word which is a message of joy and gladness, bringing the Good News of better times to come.

The ITMA cast at rehearsal during a visit to the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, January 1944

Marcus Ampe also warns us, that we need to prepare spiritually for much more difficult times ahead. To get through those terrible times, we must have a sound mind that will not let itself be dragged into the depths by what is happening around us. He reminded us of the BBC’s wartime radio comedy It’s That Man Again – or ITMA – that kept British peckers up during the blitz. It was a morale-boosting cavalcade of wacky characters, cheeky catchphrases and proto-Goon sound effects, in which the recurrent character depressed charlady Mona Lott, played by Joan Harben, in the 1929–1949 BBC Radio series would drone the latest awful thing that had happened to her and then hit you with the devastatingly deadpan punchline:

“It’s being so cheerful that keeps me going.”

Let us not forget

“Saint Paul had pointed to cheerfulness as the mediating affect that defines our relationship to the mystical body of Christ in the community of the new church”.

It is a learned discipline, to be taken perfectly seriously as something that promotes social cohesiveness and personal humility. He finds Friedrich Nietzsche to be a key figure in the history of modern cheerfulness. While not obviously Mr Cheerful, the philosopher was someone who rejected the idea of it as mere placid wellbeing.

Marcus Ampe is totally aware that it is not, or will not always be easy, to be ‘cheerful’ or to be friendly and receptive to everyone. It is something we shall have to learn and work on.

We should also remember that our face speaks volumes and no false facade should appear on it. As followers of Christ, we should always be honest and our faith in the future should radiate through our attitude. Even though we may be handicapped or in great pain, we should make the best of ourselves and always remain open to the pains and complaints of others, whom we should then relieve and give hope.

Cheers is also about a community spirit, or a kind of moral hospitality, a rejection of self-indulgence and a prioritising of the general mood.

“Cheerfulness is a psychological and emotional resource, a way of approaching actions and situations,”

says Timothy Hampton, a professor in the department of comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley.

“I can say hello to you – but I can also say hello to you cheerfully. It’s not part of the saying ‘hello’, it’s some kind of colouring of what I am saying.”

And what we are saying and what we are doing as Christians is very important. We should be an example to others. An example of good spirit. According to Hampton, for whom getting through the day was very difficult is cheerfulness a resource

– you can make it, manage it and put it into action.
And that seemed to me to be a really precious and interesting thing that we don’t think about as much as we should.”

he says.

> Read more about it:

Being cheerful on the outside can help you – and others – feel it on the inside

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There are more unchurched people and more non-believing people in our world than ever before.

There are more unchurched people in our world than ever before.
There are also more non-believing people in our world than ever before.

Dear God
Give us enough opportunities and power
to go out in this world
to preach the Good News of your coming Kingdom

In October-November People often too busy with death and the dead

At the end of October, begin November around cemeteries we can find lots of people on the streets and flower sellers who try to sell their chrysanthemums. Lots of people have their thoughts in this Autumn period by those who are not walking any more on this earth.

From Laura Cyrena‘s blogpost Graveyard Walk

You may not misunderstand us. We feel empathy, and we do understand their feelings, their point of view, their situation. We also know that each of us more than once shall be confronted with death in their life. Birth and death are two main factors in each being his or her life. Once born, nobody can escape death. It is part of life.

All of us shall have to walk a different path and shall have to find ways to make the best out of our own life. We also should know that we too may have an influence in the life of others. Each of us has to walk many miles to reach our goal. We shall have to crawl, walk, climb mountains and cycle many kilometres. Going from one place to another, growing up, we also shall meet a lot of people and become confronted with a lot of circumstances.

We often compare our life to that of others. We have a lot of expectations and sometimes by looking at others do not mind having some jealousy coming up in our minds, wanting things others have.

We put conditions on what we want … we reject things that doesn’t fit our expectations … we get distracted doing other things. {Are You Ready to Receive?}

The world offers us a lot of attractions and often we become blinded by its luring pictures. Most of the time we desire a lot from others and would like to receive even more from the one we call our god. When not receiving enough from one god many make themselves an other or even more gods. All over the world we find lots of people ‘taking care’ of many gods, whilst they forget that there exist A Singular Supernatural Spirit Being Who does not have to be cared for, because nothing can be given to Him what does not belong to Him. He is the Establisher and Master of life. He gives us all the possibilities to walk here on this planet.

When we realize all we have is from Him, when we realize we can’t do it own our on, then He will lift us up. James 4.10 {Are You Ready to Receive?}

Coming to realize Who That God is, does not seem to be so easy for mankind. Lots of people have difficulties to come to recognize that invisible God as the Most High Elohim and God of gods above any other god and above any being. Not many want to see or even look for Him, but that is what He hopes people would do, go looking for Him who is the Only One True God.

Seek Him. He delights when we look for Him and look for what ways He desires for us. We are to look for where He is already at work, and God will bless. Hebrews 11.6 {Are You Ready to Receive?}

Walking on this earth may not always so easy. Often we got a lot of mud on our shoes and clothes, getting wet and tired.

… we should realize that in our journey in life, our shoes get muddied. Life gets messy. Not only our life, but the life of others too. The mud gives insight to what we have gone through and where we have traveled. {Why the name, “Muddy Shoes”?}

Many people on their walk of life love to cling close to each other, and just hang out in one place. A lot of them are just happy where they are and what they do, as long as they do not have to bother about others. Many do not think about the task Jesus has given to his followers, to go out in the world and to tell the peoples about the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God. Many forget that they are to be going into the world, sharing the love, the hope, the grace of the Gospel.

Every year we see a lot of people who think of their beloved who are gone. But at that time when the days shorten they prefer to hold on to fantasies as people becoming stars in heaven, or going to have 77 virgins in heaven. Several parents let their children look to stars to find the proof of death, making their heads

forever fastened gazing up, while final breaths of skyward worlds eclipse with life our fleshly tomb and and fragile pulse. {To stars}

Others have even placed some ashes from the deceased in a teddy bear of their children.Some love to go on the eveningwalks many organizations provide around Halloween.

To have just a taste of the life they once had. Blood in their veins. Breath in their mouth. Tears in their eyes. {Waiting For The Dead On Halloween}

they

are told they might have the stench of the grave upon them. We are told their skin might slough off on our own. {Waiting For The Dead On Halloween}

Lots of people look forward to the Halloween marches and fires, giving them a kick and fanciful ideas they being stronger than those who died. Some of them might think the rotted clothes of the dead might fall from their bones, and they hope to see things to make them scream and at the same time frightening the ghosts as well. It is said by many

On Samhain many lay in wait for the dead.

We are told the fresh decay of our parents and uncles and aunts and grand folk will be the worse. They have had their year in the ground and are beyond any excuse to linger. They are the most reluctant. They have the clearest memories of what it is like to live. They, more than all the others, want it back. They might wish, if they can, to suck life right out of us and feel warm once again.

It is best we disguise ourselves from them.

It is best if we hide our faces with masks and wear clothes not our own. {Waiting For The Dead On Halloween}

Lots of people consider it more important to honour the dead, because they are afraid they otherwise would do things to them, instead of honouring God Who according to many does not exist. Instead of thinking what really happens to somebody who dies or people having to face the end of their life, and after that life is finished, they not able to take anything into their grave to use it later. For them, as for animals and plants, there shall be just decay, they becoming dust.

All their life they may have thought they had lots of enemies. Now those enemies can not do anything to them. For those who depart us in death there shall be no tears any more. Whilst the living shall shed perhaps a lot of tears.

²⁶The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26 BRG)

⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4 BRG)

⁵For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. (Ecclesiastes 9:5 BRG)

²⁹All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. (Psalm 22:29 BRG)

¹⁹For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

²⁰All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 BRG)

¹⁰Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 BRG)

⁴His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. (Psalm 146:4 BRG)

¹⁸For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Isaiah 38:18 BRG)

Instead of spending so much time going to clean stones in a graveyard talking at another place than home, to those who died, should we not better use several moments of the year to remember those people, and perhaps even talk to them, though with the knowledge they can not hear us and cannot do something for us. But above there is SomeOne Who can hear and see us. Would we not better talk to Him?

Instead of having friendship with the world, should we not seek for friendship with Him? Instead of being from the world we better would be from God, with the knowledge that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) We should not love the world and what it has to offer with all its gadgets and other attractive things, it being ready as a spider waiting for its prey to sting it to death. We should know that for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh or physical gratification, and the lust of the eyes or greed, and the pride of life and extravagant lifestyles, are not of the Father, but are of the world. (1 John 2:15-16)

Bad choices, poor planning, and simply not paying attention. … we wing it, we keep,doing the same thing (thus getting the same outcome and wonder why), we don’t pay attention to what our people are going through and ignore the signs. {52 Hiker Mistakes by Backpacker … and by Worship Leaders}

Preceding

Measure of loneliness whilst time drags

Facing daily events and exclaiming “Good grief!”

Family happiness and little things we do

The belief of one going to heaven

What traditions/rituals/routines do you have for welcoming Autumn?

Pagan Holidays

Halloween is Satanist Christmas

Find also to read

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Where the Tye River meets the James. Unique in its right angle intersection as opposed to a Y-type of most merges. But something happened. It now lays horizontal on the floor of the forest. Photo from Killing a Legacy.

Glenwood Cemetery on Central Avenue Pike in Powell, a very old cemetery located next to a somewhat newer church. – Photo from Life in Every Limb article by Leslie Sholly {Glenwood Cemetery: A Post for All Souls Day}

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Knowledge & Wisdom, Lifestyle, Reflection Texts, Religious affairs, Spiritual affairs, World affairs

Tagged as 1 Corinthians 15:26, 1 John 2:15-16, After death, Afterlife, Attractions, Autumn, Birth, Bringing Good News, Cemetery (cemeteries), Christ's given task, Daily life, Dead, Death, Ecclesiastes 3:19-20, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Ecclesiastes 9:5, Empathy, Enemies, Enemy, Establisher God, Friendship of the world, gods, Halloween, Isaiah 38:18, Jealousy, Life, Master God, Mud, November, October, Only True God, Preaching the Gospel, Psalm 146:4, Psalm 22:29, Remembering the deceased, Revelation 21:4, Samhain, Seeking God, Singular God, Spreading Good News, Star(s) in heaven, Taking distance from the world, the Way to life, to Disintegrate; to Decay, to Love the world, to Remember, to Seek God, to share Good News, Walk, Walk of life

by Immanuel Verbondskind | 2019/07/18 · 8:07 am

Time to sit still or to pass on

The first week of the Summer holiday is already nearly gone. It goes so fast, perhaps before we know the three weeks shall be over and the roads in Flanders shall again pile up with pepole going to do their daily business, their worldly duties.

You would think they could have now some more time to take rest but also to spend more time reading in the Set Apart Scriptures.
These weeks people love it to find their work-life coming to a stand still. I wonder if they would remember how perhaps a whole world was like coming to a complete silent standstill. In the words of the Midrash about the Matan Torah:

When God revealed Torah at Mount Sinai, no bird sang, no cow mooed, no bad of grass rustled in the wind. (Shemot Rabbah29:9)

God giving the Torah on Mount Sinai

What God had to say was so important everything was like coming to a standstill. (Figuratively.)

There at Mount Sinai the Torah was given to the Am kadosh God’s People. though in fact it was not only for the Hebrews, but to all the nations of the world that God provided His Word. All should have to come to hear His Voice. God’s People should know the importance of it for them but also for the others around them. Though for those who call themselves People of God it can be a Hard Word.

God lifts Mount Sinai and holds it over the heads of the assembled Children of Israel. Then God says,

either you accept and pledge to observe my Torah or I shall drop the mountain on top of you. (B. Shabbat 88A and B. Avodah Zarah 2B)

Would we like the world falling on our head? Are we getting God’s messages He gives throughout the many ages? Not many do!
It is all about bringing the Message of God further into the world. We may not forget the purpose of our people, to be teachers and examples of the ideals of Torah to the world. Indeed by adherence to these ideals we become in the words of the Prophet Isaiah;

“A light to the nations’ (Isaiah 49:6)

a worthy example for all. If we are not willing to accept the responsibility of adhering to the Torah’s ideals, there is no good reason for us to continue to exist.

Israel’s willingness to accept Torah was so important to God that the Almighty threatened to break the promise made after the flood never to destroy the world again unless Israel agrees to embrace the Torah and its ideals (B. Shabbat 88A).

So we should not fear to find the world coming to an end that way, but we may not forget that the Elohim warned us also for a terrible war going to come. Our eyes should be directed to those incredible difficult times, when there would be more natural disasters, children getting cross with their parents, people having no respect any more for each other nor keeping to ethic values, religion fighting against religion, nations against nations. It all shall end by a disastrous World War.

But before that time shall be so near that it would be to late to warn others, the people of God should spread the Good News and warn people to be ready.

We should show others how we as People of God want to be an example and demonstrate to God that we are worthy to receive His Torah.

When God asks us to offer guarantors of our worthiness, we offer the deeds of our patriarchs and our prophets but God finds neither of these acceptable. Only when we pledge the loyalty of our children to God’s teachings does God reveal the Torah to our people. (Shir Ha ShirimRabbah, Chapter 1, Section 4, Midrash 1)

When we are free from daily work, having our Summer-holiday we should take time to tell others about that Word of God which might bring light and life for so many. Living in the hope (tikvah) that one day more people shall come to see and understand the Voice of God and be willing to go with us to the corners of the world.

“Thus says ADONAI-Tzva’ot, “In those days it will come to pass that ten men from every language of the nations will grasp the corner of the garment of a Jew saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ””
(Zechariah 8:23 TLV)

Preceding articles

An uncovering book to explore

2016 Summer holiday

Holiday time reading time

Allow yourself a chill-out day

Shabbat Mevarchim opening to the Summer-holiday period

Summer holiday time to knock and ask, and time to share

Christians remaining hidden not sharing the gospel

Witnesses of Christ and of his gospel

Additional articles to read

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Further related

17 Comments

Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Being and Feeling, Lifestyle, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Welfare matters

Tagged as Armageddon, B. Avodah Zarah 2, B. Shabbat 88, Battle of Armageddon, Being a teacher, Being an example, Bringing Good News, Giving of the Torah, God's light, God's People, Good news, Light, Light to the nations, Living in hope, Man's purpose, Matan Torah (Giving of Torah), Message of God, Midrash, Midrash 1, Mount Sinai, People of God, Proclaiming Good News, Purpose of man, Sharing Good News, Shemot Rabbah 29:9, Shir Ha ShirimRabbah, Spreading Good News, Standstill, Summer holiday, Summertime, to share Good News, to Warn others, Torah, Voice of God, Word of God, World War III

by Guestspeaker | 2018/07/06 · 8:49 pm

A vital question for believers

At Selah Ministries they ask

Do you believe in God, or do you believe God? {A vital question for believers}

And that is a question we should seriously take at heart. The same as atheists believe in many things we find people who say they believe in a god or believe in the God. When you question those who say they ‘believe in god’ or ‘believe in God’, we can hear many concepts or ideas about that god/God and find that several of those people believe in different gods than the others.

Lis from Selah Ministries which says it

is about bringing folks closer to God through His word and through experience, and recognising the works of satan in these days. {A vital question for believers}

brings up as next question

Do you believe what He put down in writing and preserved for two thousand years so that we could walk rightly with Him? Walking in obedience requires us to not just believe that God is real, but to believe what He says! {A vital question for believers}

When looking at Christendom, we see the great difference with those from Christianity. The majority who calls themselves Christian really do not follow Christ and even have not the God of Christ, but made Christ Jesus into their god.

Coming closer to the end-times, all people should come to know that it is getting high time that people should start thinking seriously about what they do want to follow, human doctrines or Biblical doctrines.

Perhaps it’s time to walk away from church doctrine, and to get into the word of God? He preserved His word for you so that you could know how He wants you to live. {A vital question for believers}

Many in this world are been deceived. Lots of people are caught up in the human doctrines and tangles of their church. In the Book of books, the Bible or Holy Scriptures, already in the first book (Genesis) it is explained why things are today like they are. In many of the following books is given direction why and how we may have hope for the future and for better things. In that compilation of books (hence: Library or bibliotheca = Bible) mankind is able to see how it is necessary that the Most High God shall come to be known all over the earth. Lots of people do not see how important it is for them to fear the right person and to spend more time and attention to Some One Who can not be seen but Who is a serious reality of the universe. It is Some Supreme Being Who shall be willing to draw close to you when you are willing to come to close to Him. That Most High Supreme Being has given His Word, but not many people are really interested in reading it. Though they would better do that so that they may come to see the truth and unmask all those who are against that Biblical Truth, but also react strongly against those who proclaim that Biblical Truth. It is even told in the Bible, God’s infallible Word that close to the end-times more people would react against those lovers of God and against those who spread the Gospel.
For that reason recently there has been created a new website, to show how those adversaries of God sent all sorts of false sayings or untruths in the world. At that new website, Unmasking the anti-Jehovah people, a first series has been started to show how the Bible has all the truth in it and how we as human beings best should read those ancient books, which form perhaps the most interesting and most important Bestseller of all times. The first articles are already published, and we would kindly advice you to have a look at them ( A Book to trust #1 Background book for debate and A Book to trust #2 Book of Truth) and to follow up the coming chapters.

There are people who say

Faith can not come by hearing

and partly they are right but also partly wrong. Hearing is an important factor to come to the truth. Without willingness to hear and to see one can not come to the truth. Hearing is an essential part in the formation of faith. Without hearing the Word of God or without hearing preachers to confess how people can be saved, and without coming in contact with people who proclaim the Kingdom of God, telling the Good News and presenting the Gospel to man, it is much more difficult to come to know the Bible and to come to know the Most High God.

Preceding

Consider your own journey in life

May we have doubts

Hatred and hostility against God

Arguments about believe and About Christianity versus Atheism

On the Edge of Believing

Fear in your own heart or outside of it

When believing in God’s existence and His son, possessing a divine legislation

Mishmash of a legal code but importance of mitzvah or commandments

Additional reading

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Farewell to Those Days of Wrestling With Fate
There is a God
A Two-Word Sermon: But God!H-o-l-y-b-i-b-l-e
Review of Faith in God: Interpreting the True Meaning of Faith in God | Eastern Lightning
Embarking on the Path of Belief in God (Part 2)
Facts and Revelation Made Me Seek; God’s Word Made Me Fall Before Him
Establishing a Proper Relationship With God | As a Christian, Regularly Attending Gatherings Cannot Be Neglected!
The “Rural” Mom Meets the “Urban” Daughter-in-Law
How to Keep Faith in God When Mother Got Terminal Lung Cancer
Finding the Salvation of the Last Days on Facebook (Ⅱ)
Competing in This Way, I Benefit Tremendously! (Audio Article)
I acknowledge the words expressed by Almighty God as the truth, but my family have been confused by rumors disseminated by the CCP and by pastors, and they do all they can to obstruct me getting in touch with Christians from the Church of Almighty God. I don’t dare to investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days, but neither do I want to lose the chance to be raptured and saved by God. How should I solve this problem?
Word of GOD: Wisdom
Truth and Righteousness versus Lies and Wickedness.
Rejecting and Reinterpreting
Doctrine of Christ or AntiChrist?
Clear doctrine strengthens the church
Spiritual War: Truth versus Lies. Life versus Death.
A world of Foolishness (1 Corinthians 3:19)
A Lamp for my Feet and a Light on my Path
Limited Atonement and the Divine Command to Believe Falsehood
Lucifer’s Desideration: God of gods (5)
Jehovah’s Witness Myopic View Of Jesus (I)
Bible Contradictory: Light of Truth is Within
Behaving as a Christian is an Act of Worship
Walking In Obedience
Series: Saying Yes to God!
Faith Cannot Come by Hearing
Is Jesus Christ an Imposter?
Truth or Lie Pick One
What Are The Father And The Son’s Name?
Is The Law Done Away With?
On going to church (or not), church, connecting to God, and prayer

35 Comments

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Tagged as Adversaries of God, Belief in God, Believe in God, Bestseller, Biblical doctrines, Book of books, Bringing Good News, Christendom, Christian, Christianity, Church doctrine, Coming to know God, End-times, False sayings or untruths, Formation of faith, God’s Word, gods, Hearing, Human doctrines, Lovers of God, Most High, Most Trustworthy Supreme Being, Name Christians, Proclaiming Good News, Reading the Bible, Selah Ministries, Sharing Good News, Spreading Good News, Supreme Being, the Unseen, to be Deceived, to Come to the truth, to Obtain the truth, to share Good News, Unmasking anti Jehovah people (website), Walking in obedience, Willingness to hear, Word of God

by Christadelphians | 2018/02/03 · 2:16 pm

Preach

Too many people who call themselves Christian do forget who Jesus really was and which tasks he had given to his followers. Today true Christians still should follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and should proclaim the hopeful message of the coming Kingdom.

Real Christians should be heralds of the Gospel, eager to tell the people about the Good News, of salvation and about the hope for mankind given by the Grace of God.

As forerunner or herald Christians should be portent or indicators of something important or calamitous about to occur, perhaps an omen in the eyes of many, but for others an insurmountable event to look forward even when it might bring lots of suffering and an incredible violence. therefore we should warn the people of that last and third world war which is insuperable.

By sharing the agape love and bringing more people to see that Jesus is the way to God and the way to life, the Christian herald shall be able to make many stronger and secured against the coming disaster. Out of love for others we should tell others about the love of God, about what Jesus has done, but also about the return of Jesus and what to expect of that time of his return.

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To remember

Greek word most often translated as ‘preach’ is κηρύσσω – kérussó (Strong’s 2784) = Koine = ‘to be or act like a herald’ or ‘to proclaim’.

role of a herald or Old French heraut from Frankish via herewald, literally ‘war-ruler’, > martial or commander > 3 distinct contemporary meanings:

A messenger

A harbinger

A steward (of heraldry -a rank/position at the College of Arms)

‘preacher’ of the Gospel, = entrusted (stewardship) with a message of coming of the Kingdom of God.

‘to herald’ = ‘sing the praises of’

idea that a Christian should ‘preach the Gospel’= frowned upon. > conjures images of street corner evangelists ranting at passing ‘sinners’

Christian organisations involved in social action ministry > running night shelters, to discourage volunteers from speaking about Jesus – some even require a signed commitment to not proactively mention the Gospel.

What has gone wrong? To paraphrase Peter (Acts 5:3), how has Satan so filled the hearts of Christians? How is it that Christians feel confident enough to defy God and disobey the Great Commission?

Go into all the world and proclaim (kérussó) the gospel to the whole creation. (Mark 16:15)

‘preach’ is not:

convicting people of their sin and telling them they are bound for hell

talking down to people from a position of self-righteousness

a slick presentation, a hectoring declamation or a well-honed argument.

Preaching = heralding = speaking joyfully of Jesus, singing his praises; telling people of how people are transformed in Christ, and how they can be also, through faith.

best witnesses to Christ = demonstrate love + speak of its origin, which is Jesus; perhaps the Great Commission was given as command because Jesus knew that it would be challenging.

If witness speaks from love about hope + declares that Jesus = source of hope => herald will have done his work faithfully.

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Additional reading

Two new encyclopaedic articles

Breathing to teach

“I Die Daily”

To create a great journey

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Related

What is meant by awareness, or witnessing?

Witnessing the Destruction of Nature around the Planet.

Man I sure wish I would’ve had one of my witnessing cards just now to send with a man.

A witnessing prayer

Witnessing the Secret Creator

” Witnessing “

As the clock strikes 12…

Hope is an anchor

Reject And Correct Christian propaganda

Families embrace their community for the gospel

Bold to Witness

Being a One Talent Church

Come and see…

Hold Up The Light

Are You An Ambassador For Christ?

Are You Ready for the Harvest?

First Things First

Talking About Jesus

You Are Ready To Go – By Laurence Torr

Christianity’s Most Essential Verse

God Breathed Words

raffaello-sanzio-da-urbino-st-paul-preaching-at-athens-cartoon-for-the-sistine-chapel.jpg Raphael’s depiction of Paul preaching in Athens

Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. (1 Thessalonians 2:9)

The Greek word that is most often translated as ‘preach’ is κηρύσσω – kérussó (Strong’s 2784). The word in the Koine

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by Guestspeaker | 2017/08/04 · 12:42 pm

Preaching as Public Speaking

Jesus has given his followers the task to go out into the word to preach the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God.

2020 years after the master teacher his birth the Church has gone fare away from his teachings. In many church-groups or denominations we can find that human doctrines have won and that the people in the congregation or church community prefer to keep to human tradition instead of holding to the biblical teachings and Godly holy days.

“I want to preach a sermon. . .” – NARA – 514567 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Disappointed by the many contradicting teachings, ideas and having seen so many pastors, ministers and priests not living according to the Law of God and the law of human decency, lots of people got enough of the hypocrisy of those churches. Today we can only see (nearly) empty churches all over West Europe.

For sure the Body of Christ needs some fresh blood and some good ‘Punch’. Anno 2017 it looks like the church is gone ‘pubering’ again and in need of some acné products, trying to get rid of the puperal pimples or the sickness of the capitalist world where man has increased his position to godly status, so many thinking they are god themselves and play for god.

This world need preachers or speakers who are not afraid to give those immature consumers a tick on their bum. some even can use some figurative slap in the face to wake them up.

Most important to come over as some one sincere and credible is that the one who wants to speak for God he or she, himself or herself beliefs in the Most High and in His only begotten son. In the preacher has to burn the light of faith before he can go to others for trying to convince them to see that light in the darkness.
First there has to be conviction and persuasion in the preacher’s heart, glowing very strongly, to have the fire in the eyes, with such a kind and sweet heart that people would become eager to taste that sweetness and listen to what that person has to tell.

With the hate and vile language we can find lots of Christians spreading today on the internet and in common speech on the streets, they shall not be able to attract others to love them or to love what they tell.

Today we also find lots of Christians who preach there has a war started by the Muslims against the Christians. They forget that lots of Christians are setting themselves against the Islam. They do not see they have fallen in the trap of the false Muslims who not only have done a lot of damage to Islam but also want to destabilise the whole world.

It is up to the preachers who call themselves Christian to show the love of Christ and to share that agape love with all people around them, atheists, other believers (be them Muslims or from an other faith).

Without the love of Christ and without the burning fire of faith in the own heart, the preacher his gained ‘technique’ shall be quickly uncovered by the truth, so let him first get to the core of the Bible and teach that biblical Truth instead of human doctrines, and let he or she be unbiased, open to all people and not to just a few of a certain race or group.

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To remember

preaching = divine task + form of public speaking

preaching involves spiritual dynamics + oratory skills = technical aspect of preaching < form of public speaking => skills revolving around use + proper utilization + creative use of voice, eye contact, facial expressions, gestures + movements.

no methodology holy

Only written words of God in Bible are holy

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Preceding articles

Several Christians fail to recognise the Chosen ones of God and are not taking on a Christian attitude

To proclaim the day of vengeance

What makes you following Christ and Facebook Groups

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Additional reading

The business of this life

The task given to us to love each other

Parish, local church community – Parochie, plaatselijke kerkgemeenschap

People who know how to pray to move God to take hold of our affairs in a mighty way

Pulpit reserved for the pastor

Notification and news feed for Facebook users

Bring praise to the Creator

The essence of church

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Further reading

Why are Christians so nosey about other peoples affairs

What, we agree? Compatible issues in a disagreeable world

Is a Religious War in Europe Imminent?

Bias, and Disagreeing with Something

Can we not be civil and simply disagree?

“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”

Are you ready for this?

You Summon and Send Us, three prayers based on Matthew 10

Bearing Witness

On the Power of Hospitality…

“When I Could Stand it No Longer….”

Being A Witness for Christ

Proclaim

Politics and Preaching

Good enough for ministry?

What builds the Church?

Back to Baby Steps

Book Blurb: Biblical Preaching

3 Steps to Make the Message Stick

5 Lessons from the Mission Field

Owen on Preaching, Sinclair on Children and Christ

Speech

Finding My Voice

The Foolishness of Preaching

Jonah — Belief Contradicted by Behavior! (Part 3)

Calvin: Ministers Ought Not to Steal

J.C. Ryle on “Jelly-Fish” Sermons

Unfurling the Word

Let’s keep our message offensive

Let’s keep our message offensive, part two

Preaching to the Late Modern Mind: Five Cultural Narratives to Know

Preparing to Preach

Preaching and Faithfulness

The Courage to Preach

Pastoral Theology

Reflections

Care for Others

Faithful Congregations Share the Good News

Charles Spurgeon on Spiritual Gleaning

The Dispensation of Grace

Stirring the Pot with Grace…

Psalm 64:9 Pondering God’s Work

How to Have a Successful Ministry

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You may not understand His plans, but the results will prove that His way is right

Worship and the Christian Life

True, preaching is a divine task, yet basically it is also a form of public speaking. A true preacher will eventually realise that as much as preaching involves spiritual dynamics, it also certainly includes oratory skills. These oratory skills constitute the technical aspect of preaching.

Before I tell about this technical aspect of preaching, or the oratory skills, which make us realise that preaching is a form of public speaking, let me tell first some important points to consider.

The first point is that though the technical side of preaching is important, still the spiritual side is more important. Preaching is firstly divine, then secondly it is public speaking. Preaching achieves eternal spiritual fruits, something that ordinary public speaking can never produce.

The second point to consider is that no methodology is holy, no matter how helpful it is in preaching. The techniques of delivering a sermon are never holy…

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by Christadelphians | 2017/07/05 · 1:41 pm

To proclaim the day of vengeance

The Christadelphians do follow a Bible reading plan called The Bible Companion. Their first reading for today July the 5th is 1 Samuel 17 where is seen “the day of vengeance” of Israel upon the Philistines due to the wonderful faith of a youthful David.

David had his three eldest brothers watching him. Throughout the stories of the Bible we are given example after example of how we should not fear even the strongest of men if we fear the Most High God.We are also given examples of people of God who think they can do nothing. Lots of people may think like the ones in our first reading

17:33: ³³And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

and of Numbers 13:31 saying

‘We be not able to go up against this people’.

we come to see that Saul had fallen into the trap of the nation of Israel when they were at the border of the land for the first time.Also in our world today many have fallen in the trap of the adversary of God (the satan) and do believe they can not do anything against those who do not believe in God

We do live in a world where ‘goliath of godlessness’ is filling the earth and defying and destroying human thinking, as is evidenced in nearly all human talking, attitudes and activities. Just switch the television on and you can see how the world has gone far away from the godly way of living.

Our soul may rejoice in our Adonai for He has clothed us in salvation, but what may we do with that salvation if we do not show it to others? We have the the covering for our sin – that which allows us to stand before God’s throne and be classed as righteous by His grace. This covering is our salvation. It is good that we are reminded of it in so many places. But we should know that we also should remind others of it.

In the second reading of today we hear Isaiah telling the world

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

²To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Also Jesus comes to read that passage in the synagogue, which we can read in Luke 4:18,19.

¹⁸The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

But Jesus only read as far as

“… to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”.

He stopped and did not read the words that followed – but he is returning soon

“to proclaim … the day of vengeance of our God” (verse 2).

We are not talking here about the six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics the “Day of Vengeance” – #1, (June 2005), cover art by Walt Simonson.

This was not the purpose of his first coming! But will be the purpose, to begin with, of his second coming! And we know how much our world deserves this “day of vengeance”!

Jehovah God has put His Spirit in the master teacher Jeshua (Jesus Christ) because Jehovah appointed the Nazarene to tell [proclaim; preach] the Good News [Gospel] to the poor. [^Lanointed; ^Cat Jesus’ baptism he was anointed by the Spirit as the Messiah, meaning the Anointed One] He has sent us to ·tell the captives they are free [proclaim liberty/release for the captives/prisoners]

God asked Jesus also not to forget to tell the blind that they can see again [Is. 61:1] and not to overlook the deaf, letting them become aware of the message which has to reach all people all over the world.

The Nazarene master teacher tells the people around him that it is Jehovah God Who has sent him to free those who have been treated unfairly [the oppressed; Is. 58:6] and to announce [proclaim] the time [year] when the Most High Elohim will show His kindness [favour; Is. 61:2; ^Can allusion to the release of slaves during the Jubilee year; Lev. 25].

Isaiah 61:6 King James Version (KJV)⁶But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

When you are calling yourself a Christian, are you really a follower of Christ Jesus and willing to follow up the tasks he has given his disciples?

Are you willing to be called “the Lord’s priests”? We when calling ourself Christian should be worthy followers of Jesus Christ, adhering the same God as Jesus worshipped (his heavenly Father, the God of Israel) and should present or offer ourselves as

“slaves or ministers of our God”.

We should put on that the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that we and those around us might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3)

Oak at Schönderling

In Flanders we can see the strong oaks in our woods. They are masters of stories, telling a long history. We should be like them “Trees of Justice”, not allowing ourselves to be carried away by worldly temptation and favouritism. As those oaks are mostly not standing on their own in solitude, we too should make sure that we have many brethren and sisters around us proclaiming the Good News, so that those called and taught by us might be called terebinths of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that He may be glorified.

Everyday we should work at it to have “trees” planted to show Jehovah His greatness [glory; ^Cmanifest presence]. Like we use the vegetable juices and oils of several trees in our surroundings for our healing, we too should bring people around us

“the oil of gladness … the garment of praise … that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified” (verse 3).

so that they may be healed from the wounds of the ungodly actions.

When Jesus first stood up to address his Jewish brothers he introduced himself with the reading of Isaiah, giving an indication that he was a sent one from God coming with His authorisation to tell the people he came to proclaim

“the day of vengeance of our God”.

In stopping where he did, he brought the audience onto his side. The record says that they “marvelled” at the things he said, and the way he said them. Yet Jesus had an ace up his sleeve. Suddenly, when the audience was at it’s most appreciative, marvelling at the way he opened up Isaiah’s prophecies to them, he deliberately turned on them, pressing what he knew to be a sore spot: even the gentiles are more worthy of the Messiah than you are!

Why did he do this? Well, the answer as always is in the prophecy he was quoting. Verses 1-2 speak of the year of Jubilee. We know this because of the reference to a specific year where liberty would be proclaimed. In quoting this passage Jesus changed one of the words:

“to set at liberty those who are oppressed”.

This is because he was specifically referring to the year of Jubilee and what it was designed to liberate. Have a look in Leviticus 25.

“You shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land” (v10). “You shall not oppress one another” (v14)

and again in v17

“you shall not oppress one another”.

We should not be afraid to go kindly to others and to tell them in a friendly way what we might expect and how we can avoid troubles in our life today and how we may prepare ourselves for a better life. Never need we to put pressure on others. We can tell them what the Word of God says; They may believe it, take it or ignore it. When they do not want to hear it we should allow it to be so, and let them be with their own thoughts. Perhaps by giving them (lots of) time they may be gained by the Word of God and in the end may come to see the Truth. We should show patience all the time.

The Jubilee was designed by God to be a year where all the land and property of a man was returned to him. Thus, if you bought a man’s field, you were in effect only renting it from him for the remainder of the current 50 year cycle. This ensured that the inheritance of the poorest people still remained with them, and that the rich didn’t oppress the poor in taking away all their livelihood.

“The day of vengeance” will be turned into victory for those who truly serve their lord today – until he come. Let us help each other in doing this, having laid up for ourselves “treasures in heaven” (as we read today in Matthew 6:19-21) which Jesus will bring with him (Revelation 22:12) – learning the lesson every day that

“where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.

Preceding articles

Justification – salvation is by grace through faith – JI Packer

Is being a humanitarian enough to convey the full love of Christ?

High time to go out telling the world about Jesus

7 Ways To Become A Better Christian

What Should I Preach ?

Daring to speak in multicultural environment

Crisis man needed in this world

Witnessing because we love

Refusing to Be Silent

Go Ye!

Additional reading

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When will it stop

Liberty, Equality and Fraternity three core values of the democratic country France where remembered on the Day of the Bastille, the 14th of July, the national holiday of France.

Though the French values of liberty, equality and fraternity may be swiftly being trumped by a larger emphasis on laïcité, or the separation of church and state. In the last decade, the government has passed laws banning religious symbols — namely the hijab — in public schools and buildings and as such got some members of the Muslim community against them. It also got France looking at a series of riots in 2005 in the suburbs of Paris where many youngsters of North African origin feel disadvantaged and discriminated. The measure of the government giving in to the employers, making done with lots of received rights for work arrangements, created lots of protests which at times became very violently. Unemployment coupled with growing religious tensions across the country is an ideal seed-bed for anti government actions but also for trying to rib the nation apart and bring fear over it by a growing religious tension in the country.

The South of France has cities, like Marseille, which have different cultures. This can be well seen in Marseille which is more defined by the cultures of its Arab and Italian immigrants than by its French nationality. In the streets of Marseille, you’ll hear French, Arabic and Italian. In many of the city’s most popular restaurants, you’ll find Italian and Arab dishes rather than the French classics like escargot and frog’s legs. In Nice or Niçard Occitan you may the Niçois speaking Occitan or Niçard like the Nizzardo or Italian inhabitants of Nice and those who do are bilingual in French. Nicknamed Nice la Belle (Nissa La Bella in Niçard), which means Nice the Beautiful, in the town you may also find people from North African origin and several Muslims.

French, Belgians, English and lots of people from other countries where having leisure time enjoying the day of work or on holiday. On the morning of 14 July 2016 the French President François Hollande reaffirmed that the state of emergency put in place after the November 2015 Paris attacks would end after the Tour de France finishes on 26 July 2016. he could be pleased nothing had happened at the target European football championship. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, this year strong measurements of security were taken in France as well as in Belgium, this with the knowledge the ISIS Jihadists were aiming this event as an easy target. This year France was beaten by 1–0 at the final in Saint-Denis after extra time. The French got a blow by this, but were already hurt much harder by several terrorist acts the last few months. Several communities had their share of it, but the coastal reasort of posh and glamour with Cannes and Nice, the capital of the Alpes Maritimes département, as attractive poles were blessed with sunshine and good news. Soon the Jazz music would sound in the third busiest airport in France, bringing occasional extra swing.

The driver reportedly zig-zagged his way through the crowds along the promenade Credit: matrixpictures.co.uk

To watch the Bastille Day fireworks large crowds of people had gathered along the foreshore of Nice.
At approximately 22:40 local time (20:40 UTC), a Renault Midlum 19 ton cargo truck was driven at at high speed along the famed Promenade des Anglais towards the crowd of people, who had been watching a Bastille Day firework display; the truck travelled at least 100 m (330 ft) before it hit the crowd and then continued to drive two kilometres (1.25 miles) into the crowd. After being stopped by armed police, who fired bullets into the lorry’s windscreen, the so far unnamed man exchanged fire with officers using a 7.65 pistol, before being shot dead.

Though it was a French-Tunisian criminal well known to the police for armed attacks this man seemed not to be followed up and nobody of the intelligence force was able to foresee he could be doing this horrid killing.

Once again France was hit this year by a “cowardly and barbaric” atrocity making victims along the streets where people would think they could walk freely and peacefully. 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel on his track of evil killed at least 10 children and got 50 children treated in hospital with sever wounds, among the 84 or 86 dead and several fighting between life and death, in the Riviera city. Officials fear the death toll will rise.

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As hundreds remained in hospital – including 18 fighting for their lives in intensive care – anti-terrorist judges opened an investigation into “mass murder” and investigators searched the home of the driver in the Abattoirs area of Nice.

The killer his identity card was found in the truck. He had French and Tunisian nationality. The fact that the killer was known to the authorities will be of grave concern to those trying to prevent terrorist attacks in France.

A recent Paris parliamentary investigation into last year’s attacks identified multiple failings by France’s intelligence agencies.

French President Francois Hollande said in an address to the nation in the early hours of Friday.

“France as a whole is under the threat of Islamist terrorism, and so under these circumstances we have to demonstrate absolute vigilance and show determination that is unfailing.”

“There’s no denying the terrorist nature of this attack of yet again the most extreme form of violence.”

For many heads of state it is clear Europe shall not bow down to those acts of terror, contrary all those attack will ad more oil on the fir and give them reason to continue their attacks on Syria and Iraq.

“Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria. We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil,”

Francois Hollande said, in reference to France’s involvement in a coalition of nations carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

It seems clear that the driver wanted to mow down the maximum number of people. Nice Matin journalist Damien Allemand said

“I saw bodies flying like bowling pins along its route. Heard noises, cries that I will never forget.”

Photo Gaillard/Reuters

At the extra news screening last night, at 23.45 h, we already coverage of witness, declaring how they fled from the ‘unknown’ and how the crowd got in panic. Many bodies, blood and body parts could be seen all along the road. After ramming into the crowd with his lorry, the driver started shooting and created what looked like a battlefield. Several messages on social media by people present at the scene, described a sense of helplessness faced with the carnage.

Al Jazeera reporter David Coady was also at the scene.

“I was enjoying the Bastille Day fireworks just like thousands of other people at the promenade in Nice,” he said.

“I was just walking back after the fireworks had finished. I looked towards the truck and I thought it was a bit odd, because the roads were shut down and there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people walking along. But then, from the direction of the truck, I started hearing screaming and then people started running. And so I joined all those people in running away from there.”

European Council President Donald Tusk said it was a “tragic paradox” that the victims of the attack in Nice were celebrating “liberty, equality and fraternity” – France’s motto – on the country’s national day.

Last night very soon French people offered a place to stay for those who could not return to their apartment or hotel, and a hashtag soon went viral. Leaders around the world responded to the attack, and Twitter users were using the hashtag #PrayForNice. President Barack Obama, standing in solidarity and partnership with France, also issued a statement offering

“any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice.”

He also said

“On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.”

Tusk tweeted a photograph of himself and other European and Asian leaders standing in tribute to the Nice victims at an Asia-Europe summit in Mongolia.

France has had its share last year with the January 2015 attack on the Paris offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo, linked to al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch, and the multiple attacks in the same city in November claimed by ISIS. People wonder when it is going to stop.

We are afraid we can not offer good news on that part. Followers of the Creator Redeemer God have received His Words of warning where we are told of what is going to happen after the Great War. Most people then thought it would not ever happen again, but only a few years later a second World War brought sorrow over the whole world. Today we can see many things happening which are foretold in the Holy Scriptures. As Brothers in Christ we are not surprised what happened after the start of the war between Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran. The internal conflict (1978–92) between anticommunist Muslim guerrillas and the Afghan communist government (aided in 1979–89 by Soviet troops) was a start for many battles between Muslim extremists and different states. The September 11 attacks triggered a harsher reaction from Western countries, bringing it into a international conflict in Afghanistan. In 2001 that war got in a first phase toppling the Taliban (the ultraconservative political and religious faction that ruled Afghanistan and provided sanctuary for al-Qaeda, perpetrators of the September 11 attacks). [The joint U.S. and British invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001 was preceded by over two decades of war in Afghanistan.]

From then onwards it only seemed to escalate and certain groups America first helped and provided with ammunition, turned their back on to them and the West. More and more nations got involved and religious groups started getting creating amok between different groups. Religion stood up against religion like it is foretold in the Bible. Many many signs foretold in the Holy Scriptures have become a reality.

So, for those who ask

“When would it end?”

We can only say that it all shall come to an end when World War III shall come to an end. No matter what people may try to keep or to bring peace we shall have to go to face a terrible war, which shall be even greater or more horrible than the previous two world wars. We do not want to be doom preachers, but lets face it, of all the prophesies in the Bible there are only a few which did not come true. all other prophesies, even told more than 2500 years before have come into being. They happened and the world continued like it was foretold.

Much too often people do forget that the ancient writers provided the world with the torch of civilization and liberty, a guide for life, for the believers but also for non-believers. All sorts of people can make use of the wise words which are provided in the 66 books which make up the Bible. Throughout the ages it influenced people for good. In society it has been recognized by the greatest statesmen to be a book of books that made a big change in their life and often helped them to come to decisions. We also do have to admit that certain holy scriptures have been looked at it through the various glasses of conflicting creeds and sometimes might unintentionally but woefully be misrepresented. Though now we have come in a time where intentionally people want to give false interpretation as the core of their business. different groups made it a sport to falsely interpret the Bible and the Quran. Today we have certain groups which claim to fight for the cause of justice and to bring a war in the name of Allah/God. Others cannot put them on their place, because they themselves also do not know the true content of those holy books. they too live by many long-revered misconceptions of the truth of those books, received through the traditions of their fathers. Instead of putting the enemies to confusion by disarming them of their weapons, both groups become more agitated and call to the battle.

Man may look at himself and see or speak about an evil world. H should know that this “present evil world” in which man is permitted to try governing himself soon shall come to an end.

After a Jewish Age, or the period following the death of Jacob, during which all of his posterity were treated by God as his special charge — “his people” we can see that often that chosen people forgot Who was with them and Who had liberated them. For centuries the Most High Maker showed special favours, and declared,

“You only have I known (recognized with favour) of all the families of the earth.” (Amos 3:2)

But the stubborn people had to come to see that God was willing to provide an opening for those who are willing to come to Him. Also goyim or non-Jews found a way to God by the send one from God, the Messiah rabbi Jeshua (Jesus Christ). The promises made to the original People of God were typical of the “better promises” made to us. Having come in the Gospel Age, those who believe in God should know that they have the “better sacrifices,” which do make atonement for the sins of the whole world. They know that the promised one shall return and not only take up his role or seat in the “royal priesthood,” composed of all those who offer themselves to God “living sacrifices,” holy and acceptable, through Jesus Christ, but to be the King of the coming Kingdom here on earth.

But before it comes so far that Jesus shall become the Chief or “High Priest of our profession.” (Hebrews 3:1) this world shall have to withstand the terrible times which were prophesied long before. Too all who are willing to take Jesus as their master is demanded to go out in the world and to warn it. Not only should they notify the peoples of what shall be coming, so that they can prepared themselves for those horrible times, they should look for the signs God has given mankind, to be alert and prepared. In that time of people warning and bringing Good News of the coming Kingdom, therefore called the Gospel age, we find the realities of which the Jewish age and its services and ordinances were shadows. (Hebrews 10:1)

The Gospel age, is the period during which the body of Christ is called out of the world, and shown by faith the crown of life, and the exceeding great and precious promises whereby (by obedience to the call and its requirements) they may become partakers of the divine nature. (Pet. 1:4) Evil is still permitted to reign over or rule the world, in order that by contact with it these may be tried to see whether they are willing to give up the human nature with its privileges and blessings, a living sacrifice, being made conformable to Jesus’ death, that they may be accounted worthy to be in his likeness in the resurrection. (Psalms 17:15)

Coming closer to the times of more disasters Jews, Christians, Muslims, other believers and non-believers shall have to think how they want to cope with the turbulence and shall have to find solutions to live themselves in a more protected environment. Their choices may not always bring the hoped for reactions, because those against God (the adversary or satan) are going to play more for devil.

Before Christ, with royal title and power, will be present as Jehovah’s representative, taking charge of all the affairs during this day of trouble, taking up his seat in the city of Jerusalem, many shall fight to get the power in Jerusalem and to be able to conquer the people all over the world. This battle for the power has already started. All those terrorist acts are not as such a matter of bringing people to Allah/God but to show the power of which everybody should be afraid and has to submit to.

The world shall have to endure that strive for power of false people. Meantime, as false and imperfect views and systems fall, the standard of the new King will rise, and eventually he shall be recognized and owned by all as King of kings. Thus it is presented by the prophets as Jehovah’s work to set up Christ’s dominion:

“I will give thee the Gentiles for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” (Psalms 2:8)

“In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom.” (Daniel 2:44)

The present evil times shall frighten us, but when we do not mind to take up the bible and use it as our indispensable guide we may have the hope in getting stronger, though more than once we shall also have to suffer and be taken by sorrow. But by looking at these times we can see that the “Ancient of days” shall come to sit on his throne. We can look at the bad things which are past, we may see lots of things happening around us and in front of us. All that may have en influence on our life is simply there for preparing us all for that grand family reunion hosted by “our Father,” the “Father of all” (Ephesians 4:6), “of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:15).

Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV)
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

In the mean time we do have to build up patience, and should try to bring others also to see what time we are heading to and get them to unite under Christ.

The Divine Maker of all things is giving the world time. He requests from man that they come to see what man made of this world and how He is a better “Gardener” for this world. Having received all this time from God we should come to realise that mankind is incapable of solving the world’s problems. This permission of evil has the very purpose of educating and preparing mankind for the promised times of restitution. At that time, they will begin to seek for God’s righteous kingdom under the rule of the great Messiah, who shall come at God’s time. They will be blessed with a full knowledge of God and a full opportunity for attaining everlasting life through their redeemer — the great restorer and life-giver.

Every sincere student of the Bible can see what is coming and should warn others.

In these times when honest-hearted people are losing faith in humanity, and humanity is losing faith in God, faithful lovers of God should reach out their hand to the community.

> Please do find to read: Honest-hearted people are losing faith in humanity and humanity losing faith in God

References

Families of Paris attacks hit out at government as intelligence

What We Know About the Attack in Nice

19 tonne lorry had zigzagged through crowds massing on the Promenade des Anglais on Thursday night, killing anyone he could

Nice terror attack: Lorry driver who killed 84 including 10 children during Bastille Day rampage was criminal well known to police

“Truck Attack in Nice, France: What We Know, and What We Don’t”.

“At least 74 killed as truck plows into crowd in Nice, France, on Bastille Day”. Jerusalem Post.

Chrisafis, Angelique; Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (15 July 2016). “Truck rams Bastille Day crowd in Nice killing at least 80”. The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2016.

Nice attack: At least 84 dead as lorry rams into crowd

Nice lorry attack: Scenes of carnage in French city

Photos: Bastille Day Terrorist Attack in Nice, France

Preceding articles

Of old and new ideas to sustain power and to feel good by loving to be connected and worship something

Freedom and amendments, firearms and abortions

Before you blame All Muslims for the terrorist attack in Paris

The Meaning of Paris

From Guestwriters 2015 in review

A Secular Mindset

For those Christians who say they are the Victim

Tears for Belgium

A darker and stranger place

Il terrorismo è l’urlo di un bambino al buio

Remain lovingly = No path for softies

You Matter

Commemorating the escape from slavery

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

Additional reading

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Further of interest

24 Comments

Filed under Crimes & Atrocities, Headlines - News, Pictures of the World, Religious affairs, Video, World affairs

Tagged as #prayfor, #PrayForNice, 9/11 = 2001 September 11, Al Qaeda, Almighty God, Ancient of days, Barack Obama, Bastille Day, Bastille Day attack, Body of Christ, Bringing Good News, David Coady, Donald Tusk, End of Days, End-times, Equality, François Hollande, France, Fraternity, God's promises, Gospel age, Holy Scriptures, Iran, Iraq, Islamic Terrorism, King of kings, Liberty, Nice Attack, Paris attacks, Rabbi Jeshua, Riots, Taliban militants, Terrorist acts, Time, Times of restitution, UEFA European Championship, World War III, World's problems

by Guestspeaker | 2016/06/10 · 2:35 pm

3 Ways to Make the Church More Effective

Ryan Duncan

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. – Matthew 5:15

To be a Christian means to stand in witness for Christ. All of us, no matter our background, are called to share the Good News with the people of our world (Mark 16:15). It’s a huge responsibility, a great honor, and a noble calling. Unfortunately, Christians aren’t always skillful when it comes to sharing the gospel. With all the changes taking place in modern society, many believers are questioning the Church’s effectiveness in leading others to Christ.

Ed Stetzer is one such Christian. In a recent column for Christianity Today, Stetzer proposed that churches needed to change their methods if they wanted to continue reaching communities. As an example, he pointed to the use of pathways,

Consider How to Use Pathways

Pathways transitions people away from apathy into groups where they’ll provoke one another to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). We need to help people live as agents of God’s mission. Sometimes you have to stop doing good things to do the best things. That’s always a hard call, especially for churches. Churches that refuse to budge on inerrancy of Scripture should be commended. Churches that confuse inerrancy with methodology should be corrected.

That tendency can be applied to aspects of ministry that have outlived their usefulness. We need clearer systems and processes that lead people from passivity to activity in involvement in the mission of God and serving one another.

Whitney Hopler, another voice on Christian transformation, takes a more introspective approach. She advises Christians to change their attitude on worship, which she believes has grown stale over the years. She writes,

Receive the Gift of Worship Gratefully

“Since it’s only through God’s love and power that you and the others in your church can offer yourselves as living sacrifices to God through worship and experience the profound blessings of encountering God through worship, be thankful. Keep in mind that gratitude is the foundation of worship as a church community.”

Finally, Nick Hall, the founder of PULSE and author of Reset, believes we all need to be more like Jesus. Too often the gospel becomes entangled in politics, social issues, or personal egos. Jesus, on the other hand, was concerned about people, and that meant stepping into life’s messes. In a section of Reset he states,

Put Others above Yourself

“If we spend time with Jesus, then we will naturally be driven to do the things that Jesus did. In other words, if you tell me you’re hanging out with Jesus every day and yet there is no desire in your life to share your faith, or love those he gave his life for, then we should probably dig a little deeper to find out what version of Jesus we are talking about.”

The gospel message will never change, but as Ed Stetzer suggested earlier, perhaps its methods should. We live in a culture which views the Church with increasing fear and suspicion, and the old systems of ministry are no longer working. If we continue to hold on to bad strategies, the strength of evangelism will only weaken. Now is the time to let our lights shine, so let us renew our efforts to share the Good News with all people.

What about you? Do you believe the Church needs to change its methods? Be sure to leave a comment in the space below.

*Published 6/7/16

**Ryan Duncan is the Editor of Crosswalk.com

6 Comments

Filed under Religious affairs

Tagged as Being Christian, Bringing Good News, Church making, Ed Stetzer, Gospel-message, Pathways, Ryan Duncan, Systems of ministry, to share Good News, Whitney Hopler, Witness for Christ

by Christadelphians | 2015/09/03 · 5:08 pm

Helping each other with prayer to start the new academic year

It is a tragedy, as we will read tomorrow, that

“the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel …” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

We have no other choice than to live in this world where so many are blinded. We also do have to do with the many pains we may have to endure. Though we should know many pains and discomforts could be helped to be lessened or being softened by others.
Each of us is here in this world to help the other. Though not many are interested in doing that.

2014 – 2015 school year opening ceremony at Hanoi – Amsterdam High School

Once again a new academic year has started and we are off again on the roads, having the children back to school, having the parents back to work after their Summer holiday.

How many of them can see which wondrous blessings we have that

“God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’,

has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ? (verse 6).

2 Corinthians 4:5-10 UKJV (5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. (6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Our world was created out of the void when there was only darkness, but God called for light. That ‘light’ shone physically as creation began so long ago, but the wondrous fact for us is, as we will read in chapter 5,

“if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (verse 17).

The apostle Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians makes so many points which also requires our attention in this 21st century. He shows the interaction of events and the great value of prayers in all the difficulties they and he are experiencing.

All the kids who went back, or for the first time to a ‘new’ school’ shall have to learn to face different situations which are not always pleasant. Even for those who became a Christian there is no escape, they too shall have to share abundantly in Christ’s suffering. But we can give our kids some hope because we also do know that through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too.

2 Corinthians 1:2-5 UKJV (2) Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (4) Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (5) For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ.

It is, writes Paul,

“the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction …” (verses 3,4).

This is a comfort we have a responsibility to pass on to others.

This passing on to others is too much and too often forgotten. Many do want to have the blessings, but do not want to do anything in return. They want the grace but do not ask them to tell others about it.

To find people who are willing to preach is very difficult. To find people who are willing to share their knowledge about certain things of this world, like geography, history, ways of constructing a house, or how to keep a healthy family seems to be very difficult. For some time we have been looking for some extra writers on this website, though nobody seems to be interested to join us and to share his or her knowledge for free.

Let us meditate and reflect on the interaction of events we have personally experienced. It seems when we start talking about God and about his son and show others our love for them, we seem to get a negative response and to be kept aside. Suddenly co-operation or interest seems to stop at all sides.
The more we have been active in the service of Christ, the more clearly we will perceive this.

In Paul, the Corinthians saw the most outstanding example of service.

“The afflictions we experienced”,

writes Paul, was such that they were so utterly burdened beyond their strength that they despaired of life itself. We in our regions do not have to be worried so much about that, but several people in several countries, like Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and many African countries are facing prosecution. We may not be unaware of the affliction many experienced in Asia and Africa.

2 Corinthians 1:6-8 UKJV (6) And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. (7) And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as all of you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall all of you be also of the consolation. (8) For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

We, in our safer regions also have to undergo problems, shunning and are not always facing a nice life. But we have set our hope that Jesus will return and that he and his God, Who is also our God (the God of Abraham), will deliver us again. Though we have to remember that like at the time of the apostles, they had to be helped by prayer, so that many will give thanks on their behalf for the blessing granted them through the prayers of many, we too need such help.

2 Corinthians 1:9-10 UKJV (9) But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead: (10) Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

We cannot just rely on people. We like Paul have to realize that we must rely not on ourselves but on God (verse 9).

2 Corinthians 1:9-11 UKJV (9) But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead: (10) Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; (11) All of you also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

Having set our hope that he will deliver us again, (verse 10), does not mean that we do not need each other, and that we should not help each other. We still have to be loving for each other and helping each other.

Paul makes an appeal that we should specially take notice of. He tells the Corinthians,

2 Corinthians 1:11-12 UKJV (11) All of you also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. (12) For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly toward you.

Other apostles came with similar requests to their flock.

Romans 15:30-32 UKJV Now I plead to you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love (o. agape) of the Spirit, (o. pneuma) that all of you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; (31) That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; (32) That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

As in the early centuries of this common era there was a need of preaching, the apostles going around in the region to tell the Good News, we too today need some people full of hope who are willing to go into the ‘fields’ and to let others know about that Good News. We do want to tell others the Gospel of the Good News, but we too need help from others. We can use some backing.
Not only could we use some additional authors willing to share writings with people from all over the world. We, like the apostles need also your help with prayer.

As the apostles asked for help we also dare to say like the apostle Paul did:

“You also must help us by prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us by the prayers of many” (verse 11).

Many are aware today through the almost instant communication the internet provides of the desperate situations some Iranian believers have experienced. There are also Pakistani believers who are experiencing persecution, and a few truth seekers who have felt it wise to return to Afghanistan. Let us help them by prayer.

Also, may we, as Paul writes in chapter 2, spread

“the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved …” (verses 14,15).

We may be unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish, but should we also not show that we are willing to step in the footsteps of that masterful rabbi?

As of God, in the sight of God we should not hesitate to speak in Christ and to show others the Way to God.

It is not because we can see so much tragedy, having so many people living in a way God would turn His eyes away, that we can not live according to His ordinances and want to show others there is a different way than the way this world has chosen.

On this platform we do want to show others this different way. To do it just on our own is not so easy. We could do with some extra hands.

Everybody has some field in which he or she is good. So everybody should be able to find something to write about which could be enlightening and educating for the others.

Having a new academic year, would this not be a good start to provide your input?

From your professionalism is there nothing you can contribute to our community and to bring some more knowledge to others, believers and non-believers in God?

Is the time not ripe to take up the pen and to join those who believe we should share more with others? It is out of love that we should share more with others. And believe it, there is lots to share about, and it has not all to do with religion.

In case you are not good at writing, you too can help, by praying for us and by letting others know our site. Promotion is always something that can help as well and motivate to continue our work. (Be sure it does not harm to motivate others now and a while.)

We do hope we can go into a fruitful new academic year in which we shall find some interested souls to join us and to share with us the love for this globe where we may reside in peace.

Please do pray for all those in need and also pray for our work, that we also may reach people in need and help them.

You may find about prayer:

Praying and thinking positively

Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything

God, my father, my closest friend

Laboring in the Vineyard or Sitting on the Hillside with Jonah?

What moves mountains?

Trust!

Additional readings:

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Beautiful feet of those who announce the good news

Rom 10:13-15 MKJV For everyone, “whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (14) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching? (15) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!”

For they who do not believe should come to hear and should receive an opportunity to get to know the grace given to all people. People can only call on the Name of God when they do believe. Only then when we call onto God’s Name, Jehovah, shall we be saved. This is a condition to become saved which too many do forget. Also they who do not believe the Gospel as the record which God has given of his Son are missing a lot, and those who do believe are responsible for that, when they do not make the effort of preaching. But those who go out into the world to tell the Good News are recognised as people doing beautiful work, because how can others hear without preaching? Naturally there can only be preached rightly by those who believe and by those who are sent, showing others their faith and gladly willing to share the Good News they themselves heard and got convinced of.

The apostle turns from the responsibility of the seeker after salvation to emphasize the role that believers are intended to have in God’s plan for preaching the gospel. Calling on the Lord is meaningless apart from some assurance that He is worthy of confidence and trust, that He has something to offer that guilty sinners need. Calling on Him and trust in Him are two sides of the same coin. The verse suggests that calling on the Lord continues to be a mark of the believer, not simply the first step in the direction of establishing relationship to him.

1Co 1:2 MKJV to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called out with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.

One must hear the gospel before a person can be expected either to receive it or reject it. Without people preaching there can be no hearing. Without witnessing there can be no thought or consideration about what could be true or not, or people would not get to know. Certain King James Versions have “without a preacher” – which may be misleading, in that it implies (or it may be inferred there-from) that there is a special office of preacher. This is of course not the case at all: all God’s children are (or should be) preachers!

People do need to hear about Jesus, the son of God. They should come to know what that Nazarene man has done and who his heavenly Father is and for what that eternal Spirit is so important for mankind. Those who do believe should know the importance of their knowledge and out of love for the others they should want others to know that truth as well. When a person believes unto righteousness with the heart he shall be glad to be able to confess with with the mouth unto salvation not being put to shame knowing that when he calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Saint Peter preaching the Gospel in the Catacombs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The apostle Paul rightly observes that it all goes back to the preaching of the gospel, and preachers, those who profess the Word of God, must be sent – both by God and the Christian community at large. It does not have to be special university people, but men and women willing to share the Gospel in Jesus’ name. God’s “normal” way of bringing people to Jesus Christ is through the preaching of the gospel, which has to happen through faithful people who follow the example of Christ Jesus and do what he had demanded his disciples.

God’s cursing or blessing is upon us, also according to our faithfulness in preaching the Word. God has committed unto us, in our ministry, the word of His reconciliation.

2Co 5:17-21 KJV Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When we choose to become baptised in the name of Jesus we wanted to become in Messiah reborn, becoming a new creation. From then onwards our shyness in the world should be gone having the old things having passed away. Shyness refers to passivity, emotional arousal, and excessive self-focus in the presence of other people ( Jones, Cheek, and Briggs 1986). It also frequently involves negative self-evaluations, social avoidance, and withdrawal. (International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family, 2003). Being reborn we have received a new soul (being) not focusing as such on the self, but on the totality of union in Christ. Arousal and heightened self-consciousness in response to social threat can be put aside when one is confirmed about the truth and its value. The experiences of shyness are often sufficiently unpleasant to lead to withdrawal from or avoidance of many social situations, but they also compound the distress of shyness by distracting from skilled and self-confident social interactions. When a person his faith sits deep in him it will give him enough assurance to conquer that shyness to witness for Christ Jesus and for his heavenly Father, the only One God.

Facing all those new things which are from God we want to share with others that in Jesus Christ the Messiah Jehovah God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them; and He has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us. We are by the baptism in spirit taken away from the doubt and fear from man and therefore should want to be ambassadors for Messiah, as though God were making His appeal through us.

The apostles and members of the first communities begged the community members on behalf of Messiah, to be reconciled to God and to share the Good News with others. Though it was not easy, because many had seen what had happened to Christ Jesus, and knew that there were fierce opponents of the teachings of this master teacher. It was the Most High Almighty Elohim Who made the Sent One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. By his offering we are bought and are now facing freedom, if we want. It is not by deeds of righteousness which we had done ourselves, but because of God His mercy. It is by the blessing of Jesus his offering that we can become saved through the mikveh of rebirth and renewing of the Ruach ha-Kodesh, whom Jehovah abundantly poured out on us through Messiah Jeshua our Saviour, so that being set right by his grace, we might become heirs with the confident hope of eternal life!

Tit 3:5-7 MKJV not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (6) whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) that being justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The Messiah or Christ was a man who did not want to do his own will but preferred to do only the will of his heavenly Father. He love God’s ecclesia and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. (Ephesians 5:25-26). Like Jesus took care that the dirt of the earth was washed away by the Word of God we also should where we come try to wash away the dirt of this contemporary world.

At baptism the believer becomes a part of Christ’s new “creation” (Ephesians 2:10; 4:23-24; Collosians 3:10). That new creation is so incredible and presents such a magic future we do not want to keep it for ourselves alone. Real believers in Christ do want to become like Christ sharers of the Good News. Being washed… sanctified, we are prepared to do the work for God. It is the will to get to know the Word of God better which should bring us to read it more and to share it with others. It is not be going to a special college reading lots of human writings and philosophies that we shall get more knowledge to bring people to God. God has given everything we need in His Word. All is there in that Book of books, the Bible, God His infallible Word which says all.

Without the faith in Jesus we shall not be able to succeed. We need to have faith in Jesus so that we can call on Jesus. And we need to call on Jesus because calling on Jesus, searching for Jesus, crying out for Jesus is what brings us salvation. Through calling on Jesus, we are saved.
So why do we preach?
So that we may be saved.

We need to be saved from our own captivity. We all need to be set free from something that may keep us away from our loving heavenly Father, the Divine Creator.

The world has to know what God provided. they should come to know that there is a possibility of real peace. But they also should get to know that it will be God Who rules.

Isa 52:7-10 MKJV How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, making peace heard; who brings good news, making salvation heard; who says to Zion, Your God reigns! (8) The voice of Your watchmen shall lift up! They lift up the voice together; they sing aloud. For they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah shall bring again Zion. (9) Break out, sing together, waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem. (10) Jehovah has bared His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

As in the time before Christ Jesus it was nice to see the messengers of God bringing good tidings. Now it is our time to bring such good tidings. We have hear them and we should be convinced of the importance of them.

English: 4 days of Evangelism Training in Sout...

4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone” Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Good Tidings publishes peace and brings confirmation about the sent one from God, who is the Messiah and fulfilled his duties here on earth. God reigns and has given Jeshua the authority to prepare His Kingdom and to reign on earth. We are looking for that Kingdom of God and belief that it is a reality which can be there for much more people than it is at the moment. Therefore we should be willing to show the way to Jerusalem, the physical but even more the spiritual Jerusalem. More and more we can see how the Plan of God gets shape and how we come closer to the execution of that Plan.

The freedom that awaits us has to be spoken off. But first we need to liberate us from our own weaknesses, bad things we are burdened with. We must see that we can make ourselves free from the bad things of this world first. There may be things which are holding us captive. There may be many things holding onto us.

Andy Burns, who believes the goal of life is to get so close to that light that we are breathing in the light and exhaling it out into the world, writes:

Maybe you’re dealing with a very real kind of captivity like addiction. Maybe you have an addiction to a physical substance-alcohol, drugs, those kinds of things-or maybe you’re addicted to something more abstract-your work, money, maybe you’re addicted to other people’s approval of you. And this addiction controls when you wake up, when you go to sleep, when you eat, where you work, where you go after work, how hard you work. You’re not free.

Or maybe you deal with an intensely personal problem like low self-esteem or self-doubt or depression. And maybe this controls you in ways that surprise you-you want a certain job but you don’t believe you can do it. You want to speak up but you don’t believe in yourself in enough to find the words. You want to get to know someone, but you don’t believe they could ever like you. You’re not free.

Or maybe you deal with some pain in your past. Maybe you’ve been seriously hurt-either physically or emotionally by their words or both. Maybe it was a parent, a friend, a spouse, a child. And maybe this old would is holding you captive, keeping you from enjoying life, making you avoid certain situations and people. You’re not free.

See, I think all need to be freed from something. We all need freedom and transformation in our lives. And according to Paul in our passage, this is the message that preachers are entrusted with. This is the reason we preach here. Preachers preach so that people can hear about Jesus. People need to hear about Jesus so that we may have faith in Jesus. People need to have faith in Jesus so that they can call on Jesus. And people need to call on Jesus so that we may be set free by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the message that we proclaim every week. This is what we all need to hear and what we all need to be reminded of, week in and week out. You can be free in Jesus Christ. {Stuff My Church Does I: Preaching}

People do have to hear about Jesus and each believer in Christ should take care of that. We do have to go out into the world and tell about the marvellous gift we received. We do have to invite others to share with us the grace which has been given to us.

What would it look like if we invited others here to hear the freedom of God proclaimed in the Word of God? What would it look like if we all brought this Word out into our community and saw it as our job to proclaim this freedom that everyone needs to those around us? Just think of the transformation that would happen. I think it would look pretty amazing. {Stuff My Church Does I: Preaching}

Let us all joining and be workers for the Lord, going into all the world and preaching the Gospel to everyone. (Mark 16:15 )

Preceding articles:

A Christian has to have eyes and ears and a tongue to use in good ways

Your position about materialistic desires having conquered the world

Looking for a shepherd for the sheep and goats

It takes years to learn

Believe today and now!

When believing in God’s existence and His son, possessing a divine legislation

What’s inside matters..

Not making yourselves abominable

Where are the female writers

Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach

Daring to speak in multicultural environment

Preaching by example

How To Get Started In Sharing Your Faith As a Christian

What Should I Preach ?

Additional reading:

+++

Also of interest

I said “I do,” and received the gift of His Holy Spirit. We drank from the cup of the covenant, and then He gave me His name – (de9k2.wordpress.com)
True Believers Are Completely Associated With Christ (birdchirp.wordpress.com)
Listen: The Hopeful Christian in Hopeless Times (Pilgrim’s Progress According to the Bible #47 with Daniel Whyte III) (blackchristiannews.com)
Scripture Verse Of The Week ‘Galatians 3 Verse 26″ (mylordmyfriend.com)
A Christian Defined (butchdean.wordpress.com)
The Truth And Nothing But The Truth… (thetruelight2014.wordpress.com)
Mechanisms of the Spirit (brokenbelievers.com)
” The Fire Of The Word “ (stateofglobe.com)
Your Word for This Day: “Glory Revealed” (thotam.com)
Word of the Week: Romans 1 (NLT) (faithtemplechurch.wordpress.com)

51 Comments

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by Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten | 2015/08/17 · 4:48 pm

Preaching by example

Too many Christians do forget that they are commanded to

“make disciples of people of all the nations.”

How they have to do that is never explicitly said. We should realize that there are different ways to make disciples or to bring people to come to know God.

For sure a bad way to get converts is to use pressure or force. Jesus’ commission was to

“tell good news to the meek ones,”

“bind up the brokenhearted,”

“comfort all the mourning ones.” (Matthew 28:19; Isaiah 61:1, 2; Luke 4:18, 19)

We may not forget the task Jesus has given his disciples

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations,+ baptizing them+ in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.+ And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”*+ (Matthew 28:19 -20)

Real Christians should have their heart, their ears and eyes open for Jehovah’s Word and be willing to share that Word with as many people as possible. They should go looking for different ways to declare the good news from the Bible. We all should be obeying Christ by going out into the world and letting others know about the Divine Creator and His wonderworks.

Like the prophet Ezekiel of old, today real students of the Bible and followers of Christ should try to find those who

“are sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done.”—Ezekiel 9:4.

We should make a positive effort to reach the public, just as Jesus did when

“he went journeying from city to city and from village to village, preaching and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God.”

His early disciples did likewise. (Luke 8:1; 9:1-6; 10:1-9)

As such we can go out on the streets, going from one place to an other, telling those we pass, about the good news which had reached us. We can share that what made us so happy and full of hope and are sure of will be bringing blessings also to them as it does to us.

We can invite people to come to our meetings and there we can share our faith with many.

23 Let us hold firmly the public declaration of our hope without wavering,+ for the one who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider* one another so as to incite* to love and fine works,+ 25 not forsaking our meeting together,+ as some have the custom, but encouraging one another,+ and all the more so as you see the day drawing near.+ (Hebrews 10:23-24-25)

Jesus giving the Farewell discourse to his eleven remaining disciples, from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308-1311. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yes as lovers of Christ we should also consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. The the assembling or gathering is one way of showing to the outside world our unity or our family as members of the Body of Christ. There, at the meeting places, we should exhort and encourage or stimulate one another.

Sincerity, fullness of faith, the sprinkling and washing that come from repentance and baptism give the conscience freedom of access.

‘Let us approach . . . let us hold fast . . . let us consider each other ‘

are the three exhortatives which urge the practice of the three divine virtues. Hope particularly is founded on the fidelity of God to his promises, and charity must be social. Our faith is not something which has to stay in our own closed closet.

Today too much we see people who are afraid to show their faith to others. Discouragement has made them avoid community at the very time they needed it most. Forsaking fellowship is a sure way to give place to discouragement. This discouragement festers where God’s people are not exhorting one another.

We may have the gathering together of the redeemed of the Lord at the day of judgement, but it is now we have to take care that as many can be saved. Our love should be full of the love of Christ who gave his life for all mankind. We do not have to give our life, but much of our life should be concerned about the others, those who not have found Christ.

We should make an effort to bring more people to Christ Jesus. It is up to us to let him be known by much more people.

Our life should be for Christ and like Christ being an example for others. When we tell others about our faith they should see it that we live according that faith.

A Christian’s being an example of right living says more than hours of sermonizing. This was pointed out to Christian wives who had unbelieving husbands:

“They may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives, because of having been eyewitnesses of your chaste conduct.” (1 Peter 3:1, 2.)

Therefore, let us try to recommend the good news to others in this way also:

by being exemplary in the Christian conduct that they recommend to others.

Let us remember that we should try to do unto others as we would have others do unto us.

12 “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must do to them.+ This, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.+ (Matthew 7:12)

We do know we can not know everything, nor can we be perfect. Being imperfect, we do not always succeed 100 percent. But it is the desire of our hearts to do good unto all people not only in telling them the good news of the Kingdom but also in extending a helping hand whenever possible.

14 Of what benefit is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he does not have works?+ That faith cannot save him, can it?+ 15 If a brother or a sister is lacking clothing* and enough food for the day, 16 yet one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but you do not give them what they need for their body, of what benefit is it?+ 17 So, too, faith by itself, without works, is dead.+ (James 2:14-17.)

Preceding articles:

A Christian has to have eyes and ears and a tongue to use in good ways

Daring to speak in multicultural environment

How To Get Started In Sharing Your Faith As a Christian

Your position about materialistic desires having conquered the world

Looking for a shepherd for the sheep and goats

It takes years to learn

Believe today and now!

When believing in God’s existence and His son, possessing a divine legislation

What’s inside matters..

Not making yourselves abominable

Where are the female writers

Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach

What Should I Preach ?

Additional reading:

+++

Mentor Members of God’s Kingdom (bpardekooper.wordpress.com)
Happy FEET (activeinspiration.wordpress.com)
Sermon Verses Motivational Talk (garyware.me)
Hypocritical Evangelists (slideshare.net)
Spiritual Growth #3 (fromthepreacherspc.org)
True Believers Are Completely Associated With Christ (birdchirp.wordpress.com)
The Gospel Truth (4110fearnot.wordpress.com)
Coasting Christianity? (sharingloveandtruth.org)
About my Father’s Business…Giving Back to the Community (lattereign7.com)
How Can We Have Assurance That We Are Saved? (blackchristiannews.com)

20 Comments

Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Lifestyle, Religious affairs

Tagged as Baptising people, Being Christian, Blessings, Bringing Good News, Followers of Christ, Jesus’ commission, Journeying, Making disciples, Obeying Christ, Preaching, Proclaiming Good News, Prophet Ezekiel, to Reach the public, to Share

by Christadelphians | 2015/08/17 · 2:36 pm

A Christian has to have eyes and ears and a tongue to use in good ways

When looking at the world which drifts further away form the knowledge of God, it becomes very important that those who do believe in the Most High Divine Creator let others know the Master Mind behind everything.

Living in this evolving materialistic world we also should bring the more spiritual important matters forward and present them to those around us. We should not be afraid to talk about the higher values and our great hopes.
Even when we may have the impression that all others want to stay blind and deaf, we should try to open their eyes and ears.

Jesus said,

“Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? …Do you not yet understand?” (Mark 8:18,21).

Are we, who call ourselves Christian, really wanting to be true followers of Christ? Are we ourselves willing to have our ears and eyes open for the master teacher’s teaching? Let us apply our God-given intellect ever more diligently to what we read and then make sure we meditate upon it. A true blessing for us – every day – only by this means will we be

“wholly true to the Lord”.

And when true to the Lord we want to share the Good News and show our love for the Lord and His Precious Gift. Our thankfulness should be seen by our works. Our title of being Christian should mean we are following the teachings of Christ and are following up the tasks given by him to his disciples.

With the preaching work of Christ Jesus in our mind we also should not be afraid to go out into the world and preaching that Good News of the saviour.

Thought for August 13

“… wholly true to the LORD”

Solomon and the Plan for the Temple, as in 1 Kings 6, illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the end there can be no half measures in truly believing, and, as a result, having a daily relationship with our Saviour. The completion of this relationship leads us to more and more fully sense the wonder of the Creator of all things – and the unlimited nature of those “all things”.

In First Kings today we read one of the longest chapters in the Bible: it describes the awesome glory of the Temple in which just about everything was overlaid with gold. Solomon had just completed it and we read his words of benediction. First he offers an emotional prayer to God,

“that all the peoples of the earth may know your name” (8:43).

When he finishes his prayer

“he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, ‘Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel …’” (verse 56)

and we ponder how even greater, far greater, must be the blessing and the joy, and the greater “rest” when, as we will read soon, Jesus the greatest king of all opens

“the house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17).

Solomon brings his benediction to a climax with a petition to the Lord

“that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other”

and then utters the even more significant words,

“Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day” (verse 61).

Human nature is such that the challenge to be “wholly true to the LORD” is only accomplished when we have a real living relationship with Him and his Son, and how thought provoking is our chapter in Mark in showing us how the disciples failed to be fully committed, despite constantly witnessing remarkable miracles and hearing his teaching.

Jesus said to them,

“Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? …Do you not yet understand?” (8:18,21).

And for ourselves, having eyes, do we not read, and having brains, do we not yet understand? Let us apply our God-given intellect ever more diligently to what we read and then make sure we meditate upon it. A true blessing for us – every day – only by this means will we be

“wholly true to the Lord”.

– the Christadelphian

+++

Heaven is Home (news.sosevents.org)
Direct experience and relationship (friendjnana.wordpress.com)
LISTEN: The Law and the Christian Life, Part 3 (Onward Christian Soldiers #93 with Daniel Whyte III) (blackchristiannews.com)
Thought #30 (On Religion) (ttaioabwknoa.wordpress.com)
From eternity to eternity (timchester.wordpress.com)
Happy FEET (activeinspiration.wordpress.com)
2 Chronicles 6 (asorensen.wordpress.com)
Excitement From ‘1 Chronicles’ (mylordmyfriend.com)
The Bible Believers Guide To Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth (nowtheendbegins.com)
Heart Attack (activeinspiration.wordpress.com)

21 Comments

Filed under Being and Feeling, Lifestyle, Religious affairs

Tagged as Blessing, Bringing Good News, Followers of Christ, Holy Temple, Jesus Christ, Preaching, Proclaiming Good News, Relationship with God, Relationship with Jesus Christ, Solomon, Walking in God's statutes

by Guestspeaker | 2015/08/13 · 6:04 pm

Preaching Christ Is Not Enough

Too often Christian preachers do forget that they also have to reach those who have no faith at all. So many preachers fail to appeal to the secular mind. So much so that most secular people write off the church because they think the Bible is an ancient relic that “speaks” only to the unenlightened or easily manipulated.

In the church-world we also do find lots of doom-preachers who frighten people so much they do not bother any more. Instead of showing the people the love of God and the love of Christ Jesus the saviour.

Also too many are seeing preaching as a one way one-directional, verbal proclamation of their words how they look at it all, instead of putting God’s Word in the forefront and focussing much more on the good things, instead of pointing out all the time to the bad things.

Too many do not see that the intent behind ‘preach the word’ be fulfilled in other ways than one person talking at other people for an extended time. To preach we not only have to think about a person standing there at the pulpit, everybody listening nicely or doing as if they are listening and following.

The preaching Jesus spoke about is the going out into the world without shame or fear and telling to others in a nice way about the works of the Most High Supreme Being. Showing others why it is important to follow Christ and to come to his heavenly Father as children of God.

The world may be still against those who love God. Nothing much is changed yet. The world belongs to the adversary of God (Satan). We do have the choice to belong to those who are against God or we can try to bring them over to God and to see why it is best to accept God as their Divine Supreme High Being.

The the prophetic voices may perhaps be stilled, but the endtimes nearing the work of the master teacher shall continue and progress, having more and more people bringing the Good News. They also live by that hope that when the time comes nearer all over the world shall be witnessed in the Name of the One True God, Jehovah.

It are not just 144 000 but millions or trillions who shall go out daring to speak and tell others their love for Christ Jesus and his heavenly Father, the only One God.

Merely preaching salvation by Christ is not enough: we must vigorously contend for the original faith; the faith of God’s people, Israel, who did worship the God of Abraham and not a three-headed god. There is really no other option, all should come to know there is only One Way and One God.

+

Preceding articles:

Your position about materialistic desires having conquered the world

Looking for a shepherd for the sheep and goats

It takes years to learn

Believe today and now!

What’s inside matters..

Not making yourselves abominable

When believing in God’s existence and His son, possessing a divine legislation

Where are the female writers

Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach

Daring to speak in multicultural environment

How To Get Started In Sharing Your Faith As a Christian

What Should I Preach ?

++

Additional reading:

Pulpit reserved for the pastor

Determined To Stick With Truth

Necessity of a revelation of creation 9 Searching the Scriptures

Necessity of a revelation of creation 14 Searching the scriptures

How to Choose a Bible for Preaching

Bringing good News in the world

+++

Further reading:

The Gospel

Bible in the first place #3/3

Being A Christian

Last days’ walk with Jesus: walking and thinking

Live that they might see

To the Praise of God’s Glory, we are Predestined to His Purpose – Ephesians 1:11-12

Evangelism: Jesus’ Only Conference 2015

Where is God’s Vineyard Today?

When the preacher goes off tangent by making racist comments

Let’s not be heathens again – Odd Walking Thoughts

Pulpit, Podium, Music Stand or Bistro Table

Pulpit

Pulpit Authority

Padding the pulpit

Mizbe’ah ~ A place of sacrifice

A Preacher’s Commitments Part 1: Starting New

Woman in the Pulpit: Blogging the book

Seven Plus Habits of Highly Irritating Preachers

These Are A Few of Our Ministry Things

How Does A Pastor Need Prayer?

Political Correctness in the Pulpit

When Pulpits Preach – Guest Post by Paul Records

Dallas Pastors Swap Pulpits To Talk Progress & Race Relations

The Polls on The Pulpits

Same Old Sermon

+++

Related articles

BLESSED are the people & Nation, who’s GOD is CHRIST JESUS SON of the living GOD who GOD raised from (messagepresident.com)

Sermon Verses Motivational Talk (garyware.me)

Faith In Action ‘Christ Living In Us’ (mylordmyfriend.com)

Romans 8:38 (church4u2.wordpress.com)

True Believers Are Completely Associated With Christ (birdchirp.wordpress.com)

Direct experience and relationship (friendjnana.wordpress.com)

Scripture of the Day, 7/31 (sowegalive.com)

Always Remember… (thetruelight2014.wordpress.com)

Scripture Verse Of The Week ‘Galatians 3 Verse 26″ (mylordmyfriend.com)

Be Ready! (witnessrunner.wordpress.com)

onechristblog

The book of Revelation speaks of a time when preaching Christ will not suffice. Early in its pages it sees the possibility of the total change in esteem true believers would hold towards church groups (with which they may have been previously associated) that doggedly persist in a different path from the original Way (Acts 9:2). We can detect this thought on a closer reading of Revelation 2:4,5, which says to the Ephesian church or congregation, ‘Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy [lampstand] out of its place, except thou repent.’

In the same vein, Revelation 9 suggests that men and their counterfeit contrivances would seek to hold true believers firmly within their ranks (like in a bottomless…

View original post 898 more words

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Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs

Tagged as 144 000, Adversary of God, Bringing Good News, Christian preachers, Church-world, Doom-preachers, End of Days, End-times, Fear, Focus, Focussing, Focussing on the good things, Following Jesus Christ, God’s Word, Israel, Israel Gods people, Love of Christ, Love of God, Non-believers, Only True God, Preachers, Preaching, Preaching of Jesus, Preaching salvation, Proclaiming Good News, Pulpit, Secular mind, Secular people, to Appeal, to Preach, Witnessing

by Bijbelvorsers | 2015/08/11 · 6:04 pm

When believing in God’s existence and His son, possessing a divine legislation

When you believe today and now it is one step in the right direction. Once you have the right faith that can move mountains, you also need to act according to that faith.

The Numbering of the Israelites, as in Numbers 1, engraving by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux (1815–1884) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It means you are convinced that there is an Existent complete in all the senses of the word ‘existence.’ It means you do not doubt any more that He is the cause of all existence. You not only know that in Him all else subsists and from Him derives everything, but you want to share this knowledge with others. It is like when you are in love, you feel bright and full of fire with butterflies in the stomach. You do not want to be quiet about it any more. You want to tell everybody.

The existing Supreme Being making you to exist makes you longing for Him and out of thankfulness for your being you want to share your life with other creations of this Most High. You know

“for should He not exist the existence of all else would he extinguished, and nothing could persist.”

Like the Israelites possess a divine legislation — laws, commandments, ordinances, rules of life, instruction in the Will of God as to how they should conduct themselves in order to attain temporal and eternal felicity, we as Christians also are willing to accept those ordinances of the Most High Divine Creator as the only just solution for mankind. therefore we do know it is necessary that more people get to know those rules and regulations.

Foster Bible Pictures 0067-1 Moses Is Holding Up His Rod (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Moses revealed to the Israelites propositions and prescriptions of this kind in a miraculous and supernatural manner, but no doctrinal opinions, no saving truths, no universal propositions of reason. Moses wrote everything down so that next generations could also get to know what to do and how to arrange their life.

We have to come to see that we are obliged to believe in God and to follow His Given Word by which his only begotten son came to declare his heavenly Father and to make it clear what we have to do. This Nazarene Jew asked his disciples to go out in the world and to preach the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God. In case we call ourselves Christian we should be followers of Christ. As followers of this son of God we should listen to his words and accept what he says. We should follow his teachings and follow up the tasks he has given his disciples.

Belief in God does not require us to comprehend the incomprehensible. It is impossible to know everything or to understand everything. But we should help each other. We should help each person around us to come to see more clear and to receive more wisdom in the works of God. The only way to do is when we are willing to share our knowledge and to accept more knowledge from others. Together we should exchange ideas.

From Guestwriters is one of those places where more than one writer, more than one believer can share his or her thoughts with others and give others the opportunity to think about certain matters.

When we truly believe in God and in His only begotten son to be the Messiah, it requires that we have a faithful life, living and behaving by our best understanding of God and the laws He has given us. It requires that we act honourably, with love and justice, with due respect for God’s creation, with humility before the Divine mysteries we cannot understand, and with loyalty to the God’s People, the Jewish people and to those who have chosen to follow Christ, the cornerstone of the new generation children of God.

Jeshua, Jesus Christ, opened the gates to the Kingdom of God for the gentiles, the non-Jews who are willing to come close to God and to accept Him as their Most High Supreme Master of everything.

Together we all should come united, embarking on a pathway away from the societal and cultural forces that lead us to such vile behaviour. For far too long American Jews and Israeli Jews have been wittingly and unwittingly nurturing the forces that encourage extremism and fanaticism to flourish and wreak havoc. As well as in the Jewish culture as in the Christian culture we have seen the right wing groups or very conservative groups bringing more fundamentalist groups in the foreground and protecting. Though those fundamentalists, Jews and Christians do much more damage to the Jewish religion and Christian religion, than good.

We have to show the world that Israel, God’s Chosen people shall have to get its nation, but this in respect to other people living in the surroundings of the future capital of the Kingdom of God (Jerusalem). We do have to let others come to understand that it are not the religious and the faithful to God who are misusing the Word of God to get their own agenda of having more power.

We must be glad that we see changes in Israel itself. The marching and speaking out against the terror of “price tagging” and religious fanaticism in Israel is a good thing we should applaud. We should also let others know this. As lovers of God we also have to show the world that Israel is God’s nation and that we all should work to it that we can come to a peaceful region where the lovers of God shall be able to live in unity. That unity is important. It is a matter of spirit and openness to the differences between each believer. Often it is misunderstood that we all should think and act exactly the same or should all follow exactly the same and only one worldly organisation. But we should follow a heavenly organisation, the one of God. For us Christians Jeshua (Jesus Christ) is that cornerstone of that ‘Church‘. He is the one we should follow.

With our different opinions we should not be afraid to let those different opinions exist one next to the other. We also should know there are lots of things we do not yet understand, so we may have different ideas about it. But when we trust God we shall come to see that in the end He will give guidance and insight and everything shall become clear. We only now, need patience, and that we should bring up, in the love for each other.

When we are prepared to share our knowledge and bring forth some interesting ideas, others can become stimulated and also get inspired. We should give one light to the other so that every next one can start a chain of lights which shall become brighter in the darkness of this world.

Therefore do not hesitate to become a preacher in the name of Christ. Let your voice be heard. Share your thought with us and others.

You too can become a co-author on this platform. You too can become a voice bringing support for the faith in Christ and in God. You too can show others ways of life. You too can open others their eyes so that it would be easier for them to make choices. Only when we understand what is going around us, we shall be able to place ourselves in the whole picture and be able to make the right choices.

We should help each other to see better and to go together on the path prepared by the Messiah, the sent one from God.

Lets unite and put the hands together, helping each other to move forward.

Preceding:

God’s wisdom for the believer brings peace

Background reading:

+++

Further related articles:

+++

Off the Hook? (wsforchrist.com)
What Must We Believe? (the-1000-year-view.com)
Shooting Your Arrow By Faith (10kreasons.wordpress.com)
“Where are you?” N:o 18 Faith is an ability to see the truth of God (docgreenlife.com)
‘I’m Insecure’ (jamaica-gleaner.com)
Parshat Va’etchanan: The oneness of Israel and God’s love (blogs.timesofisrael.com)
Only one person who has the power to cast the deciding vote that will kill your dream (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
Psst! Spread The Good Word! (fromguestwriters.wordpress.com)
Engagement in an actual two-way conversation with your deities (fromguestwriters.wordpress.com)
God, Justice, and Genocide (godsbreath.net)

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Tagged as American Jews, Being united, Belief in God, Believe in God, Bringing Good News, Christian culture, Christian religion, Christians, Church, Church's cornerstone, Differences, Differences between people, Different opinions, Divine legislation, Divine mysteries, Doctrinal opinions, Existence, Extremism, Faithful life, Fanaticism, Followers of Christ, Fundamentalists, Gentiles, God Existence, God's Church, God's guidance, God's Kingdom, God's nation, God's ordinances, God's People, God's regulations, God's rules, Helping others, Humility, Israel, Israeli Jews, Israelites, Jerusalem, Jeshua, Jewish culture, Jewish people, Jewish religion, Jews, Kingdom of God, Listen to Christ, Lovers of God, Loyalty to the God's People, Moses, Most High, Non-Jews, Openness, Orthodox Judaism, Preacher, Preaching, Proclaiming, Right direction, Solution for mankind, Supreme Being, to Inspire others, to Make choices, to Preach, to Share, to Stimulate others, Trust God, Unity, Unity of the faith, Unity of the knowledge of God's Son, Words of Christ Jesus

by Marcus Ampe | 2014/04/21 · 4:40 pm

Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter

End of Winter, new beginning

When Winter let us see its last breath 1st Nisan brings a New Year.
At the appearance of the first “new moon” of Spring, that is, when the waxing crescent of the moon is first sighted we come to celebrate the Biblical New Years Day.

After the dark months we look forward to a time of more light. We are also confronted with what happened many thousand years ago. There was an event in history which was going to influence the coarse of history up to today. In Egypt a people felt restricted and threatened by how they where treated. Nisan brings the start of their big journey. It is the start of the month of the Exodus from Egypt and the beginning of Jewish national history. It is also the first month used for counting the festivals (mo’edim) of the Hebrew Calendar and for reckoning the years of reign of the Kings of Israel.

Head of the months

Israel’s Escape from Egypt, illustration from a Bible card published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rosh Chodashim (ראשׁ חֳדָשִׁים), “the head of the months,” and its observance is considered the very first commandment given to Israel before the great Exodus from Egypt took place. For the world now got days they should remember for ever.

“This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Exodus 12:2 ASV)

“3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Jehovah brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. 4 This day ye go forth in the month Abib.” (Exodus 13:3-4 ASV)

“The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it thou camest out from Egypt); and none shall appear before me empty:” (Exodus 23:15 ASV)

“The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.” (Exodus 34:18 ASV)

“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Jehovah thy God; for in the month of Abib Jehovah thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.” (Deuteronomy 16:1 ASV)

Commemorating miracles the Creator performed

Creation in itself is already something special about many people may have many theories. Still people are not sure how everything came into existence. They still continue to have many debates about how the world came into existence. By wondering and concentrating on the theories of man they do not see the first miracle nor the other miracles G od did in this universe which still hides a lot for our small eyes.

The Ramban (Nachmanides) wrote:

“By counting every month from Nisan, we constantly commemorate the miracle that God performed when He took us out of slavery.”

Month for the Redeemed

Since the redemption from Egypt took place during the month of Nisan you also could call it

“the month of the redemption.” [Chodesh HaGeulah (חדֶשׁ הַגְּאֻלָּה)]

The Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Rosh Hashanah 11a) states:

“In Nisan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nisan we will be redeemed.”

Not only for Jews it is an important month; Also for Christians it should be the most important month of the year. It should be a period where we remember how the Divine Creator has chosen Him a people, Israel, the Jews. But also because it is the month of the New Creation. The God of gods not only in that month took care that His own people got liberated from the slavery in Egypt. Many years later God also took care that all people got liberated from a bigger and worse slavery, namely the slavery of sin. Therefore not only for the Jews, also for Christians and Muslims, but also for those who do not (yet) believe in the True God, Nisan is also Chodesh ha-Yeshuah (חדֶשׁ הַיְשׁוּעָה), the “month of the salvation,” both in terms of the physical deliverance from Egypt, but more profoundly in terms of the spiritual salvation given at Zion/Moriah through the Messiah. The Month of Jeshua has brought a change for the whole world, Jews and gentiles or to believers and non-believers or non-religious.

When you take Nisan to come from nissim (נִסִּים, “miracles”) or from the word nitzan (נִצָּן, “bud”) we got presented the greatest miracles in humankind.

Coming into new life

When the flowers are come on the earth; the time of cutting the vines is come, and the voice of the dove is sounding in our land, when the fruit-trees put out their green fruit and the vines with their young fruit give a good smell, we should get up and go into the world bringing the Good News of Salvation. (Song of Solomon 2:12-13) We should be thankful that the Creator not only redeemed His own people but also gave a solution for the sin of us all.

The 1st of Nisan is counted as the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings of Israel (in Exodus 12:2, the word lakhem (לָכֶם), “to you,” can be rearranged to form the word melekh (מֶלֶךְ), “a king.”). For instance, if a king ascended the throne just a week before the new moon of Nisan, that week would be reckoned as a year in the chronicles of Israel’s kings.

Last king and High-priest assigned to the throne

On the 14th of Nisan, about 1985 years ago a new and the last king for God was put next to the throne of God. A Jewish man from the lineage of king David was chosen to become the major High Priest in the Temple of God and to be the mediator between God and man, sitting at the right hand of God.

“55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56 ASV)

Jesus from Nazareth was the man God called “his only begotten beloved son“. He was the chosen one, the one God had already spoken of in the Garden of Eden. As such God His Word, His promise made in the Garden of Eden, had become flesh in 4BCE. When this son of man who was also called son of David and son of God, became 12 years of age he went already in the temple to talk about his heavenly Father. When he was thirty he got baptised by John the Baptist, after which God declared in front of many at the river Jordan, that the man standing there in the water was ‘his beloved son“.

“16 And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; 17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17 ASV)

For those who would have doubted God repeated His saying:

“33 And it came to pass, as they were parting from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah: not knowing what he said. 34 And while he said these things, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my Son, my chosen: hear ye him. 36 And when the voice came, Jesus was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in those days any of the things which they had seen.” (Luke 9:33-36 ASV)

After the man had died God provided a Comforter, Who gave Jesus his disciples the courage to go out in the world and to tell about the miracles that man had done and of what importance that man was and did works in the name of his Father, the Holy Righteous One God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.

Day of breaking the bread

Bread to be broken as a symbol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the 14th of Nisan they had seen that man taking bread and wine, presenting them as if it was his own body, saying it was given to them and the world for their sins, and the action of that coming together and “Breaking of the Bread” they had to repeat until he would come back.

According to Jewish tradition the month of Nisan is also assigned to the royal tribe of Judah (יְהוּדָה), in whose merit both the Holy Temple was built and from whom the Messiah Jeshua (Jesus Christ) would descend. When we look at the name Judah (יְהוּדָה) we can see that it includes the Name YHVH or YHWH (יהוה) {Jehovha} with the insertion of the letter Dalet (ד), suggesting that Judah would be the “door” or “gate” into the presence of God. This Only One God had kept His promise made in the Garden of Eden. His Word had become flesh. (John 1:1) The man of flesh, blood and bones had only done the Will of his Father (and not his own will) and was killed for it and for being an nuisance for the leaders at that time. They could not bear it that this man dared to say he was doing all this miracles in the name of his heavenly Father. If he would told the people he was doing it himself they would perhaps not have bothered so much, but now he called to God for what he did. That was considered blasphemy and therefore he had to be killed.

A preparation for salvation by the full ransom

After Jesus had let his disciples prepare for 15 Nisan, the Passover he on the 14th of Nisan enjoyed his last supper on the 14th of Nisan and asked his disciples to remember that day. All followers of Christ therefore should remember that special day when Jesus installed the New Covenant. The same day he was taken prisoner and impaled to find his death. He was put in a grave and according to the Holy Scriptures was three day under the dead, being in sheol or gehenna (the hell) or what we commonly call the grave. {Those who call the hell a place of torture should wonder why Jesus had to be in it for three days.}

The Door to find and to open

Jeshua or Jesus Christ was from the tribe of Judah and had spoken many times of his Father and about his role in this world-system. He also knew we all have to live in this world, but warned us not to be of this world and to look at him to get to know his Father and to see the light leading up to the gate of the Kingdom of God. Many times Jesus described himself as ha-sha’ar (הַשַּׁעַר) “the gate”(John 10:9). The arrangement of the tribes placed Judah directly in front of the door into the Mishkan (Numery 2:3).

Celebrations and the Day after

English: "Christ risen from His tomb"...

“Christ risen from His tomb”, fresco ; cathedral of Spoleto, Italy; (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These days when so many have celebrations being it for Passover or being it called Easter, they should see the first New Year which marks the month of the redemption of the Jewish people see the redemption Jeshua brought when he was sacrificed upon the wooden stake at Moriah to redeem us from our sins. The second marks the month of Israels’ corporate salvation that will be fulfilled in the End of Days. Oddly enough for most Christians, “New Years Day” should be really celebrated in the spring, certainly not in “January.

After three days in the grave, something incredible happened. It goes beyond any human conception. Though we should grasp a clear understanding of the event. Because of the Passover celebration the loved ones of Christ had no time to properly prepare the body for burial with spices and ointments according to Jewish customs. No work could be done on the Holy Sabbath of Sabbaths, so that task had to wait until the day after.

When in the morning, Mary Magdalene and several other women went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared and arrived at the sealed tomb, guarded by Roman soldiers, so that nobody could do something with the body of that rebel Jesus, they found the tomb had been opened and nobody around the tomb. When they went in, they did not find Jesus’ body, and they wondered what had happened.

Suddenly, two angels in dazzling white clothes were there. The women were terrified, but the angels said to them,

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you that He would be turned over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise again on the third day!”

The women ran back to tell Jesus’ apostles what they had seen. Peter and one other apostle went to the tomb to see for themselves. They looked in and saw the linen cloths that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in but nothing else. Then they went home, amazed and confused.

Not stolen, not mislaid

The Risen Christ, the one who showed his wounds to proof he was not a ghost or spirit (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You can imagine how terrified they must have been. Who had stolen the body of their most beloved rabbi (master teacher)?

When Peter and the other apostle went home, Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb crying. Suddenly she saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize him at first. Jesus said to her:

“Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

Mary thought He must be the gardener and said:

“Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where, and I will take him!”

Can you imagine what would have gone through this lady when Jesus said, “Mary!” and she then recognized him and exclaimed, “Master!”?

All the disciples like Mary Magdalene knew Jesus was the son of God, who had done everything for his Father and who had spoken of the possibility of people going to the reign of his Father, him being there. But Jesus affirmed her that he was not yet by his Father in heaven. It is not by dying that something would go up into heaven or hell. Like every human being, plant or animal, Jesus died and we will die. Normally once death, all thinking and handling will be finished. We shall not be able to do anything any more. Mary Magdalene was aware of the dead not being able to do anything, but now she got to see Jesus. Also others, later, got to see Jesus. To them he also proofed he was not a ghost or a spirit, like his Father is a Spirit. He was a man of flesh and blood who showed his wounds to proof that it was him they were seeing know, after he had died. Incomprehensible!

Not yet in heaven, Still to ascend

Jesus said:

“Don’t hold on to me, because I have not yet returned to the Father. But go to my disciples and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

Then Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples

“I have seen the lord!”

and she told them everything that had happened.

Many could not believe what had happened. Several got to see Christ Jesus, and saw that he was really risen. They could see and believe.
We can not see that Jesus is rise. For us it is more difficult to believe, because there are no witnesses alive any more. We have to go on the books, the stories told. Most of all we have to go on our faith were we believe what has been told in the Old Books of the Old Testament, where the promises of God are told to all who want to know. In those books are also the signs given to recognise the promised Messiah. Putting everything together, we should have no doubt who the Messiah is and what God has done with him and for us.

Tool to get out of the slavery of sin and its curse, the death

Having the month where God helped His chosen people to get out of slavery by man, we also have the month where God gave mankind a tool to get out of the slavery of sin and its curse, the death. As such this is the Month of Hope and the Month of Salvation.

Instead of being wondering which presents or gifts we should buy for Easter, we should use Easter time to remember the Exodus form Egypt , the Last Supper, Jesus installing the New Covenant, Jesus being impaled for the sins of the world, and Jesus taken out of the dead by his heavenly Father. A resurrection bringing us hope, because in it, we can see what shall be able to happen to us in the future, after Jesus has returned.

All more the reason to look out for the return of Christ and to put our hopes in that man who was the beloved son of God. We should trust in him and his Father and follow his teachings, being thankful for the restored relationship between God and man.

Dominion of sin and Death has been conquered

In Christ Jesus, Jeshua, death has been conquered. He paid the ransom by giving his body to his Father. If Jesus is God, because God can not die and is an eternal Spirit. Than Jesus could not be taken out of the dead and his body raised to be the body showing wounds. Without dying there could be no he resurrection. And if there is no resurrection, then we have no hope.

Christ Resurrected (Photo credit: Waiting For The Word)

If Jesus wasn’t raised, if the tomb was not empty or when Jesus his body would have been stolen out of the grave, than there would be nothing to hold on to accept Jesus was risen. Several people saw Jesus after he had died. They were convinced they had really seen him. Many were willing to die for what had happened, because they were convinced “death now could be reversed”. Now they could believe sin shall not have dominion over them nor us who believe, because from that day onwards we have come under grace. (Romans 6:14)
In case Jesus’ death didn’t pay our penalty for sin, then we “are still in our sins.” And when Jesus was not taken out of death by his Father, meaning that there did not took place a resurrection, then all those who have died before us … no matter what they did …shall have had nothing in their hope.

Isaiah promised that the dead would live (Isaiah 26:19) and Job knew that there would come a moment that he should not hide any more in Sheol. Abraham Isaac and Jesus believed in a God of the dead but also in the God of the living.

“31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not [the God] of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31-32 ASV)

The one man who did all the time the will of his Father told the people about the hope they could have when he would be gone. If he would not be taken out of the dead, what reason would there be to believe what he said?

“39 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:39-40 ASV)

“22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23 ASV)

We should know that a great quality is been given to the life of man that cannot be matched by any other soul.

“And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ASV)

“3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures; 5 and that he appeared to Cephas; then to the twelve; 6 then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep; 7 then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to the [child] untimely born, he appeared to me also.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ASV)

“20 But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-21 ASV)

By Jesus Christ assurance given

Through Jesus Christ we now have the assurance that we may fall asleep (die), but there shall come a moment, after he returned, that we shall be taken out of the graves and shall come to see what it means to receive the gift of God which is eternal life.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 ASV)

“It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” (Hebrews 9:23 ASV)

“And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.” (Hebrews 11:6 ASV)

In the resurrection of Christ Jesus our faith in him is of incredible value. Let us therefore recognise who that man was and is and follow his teachings and worship his Father, the Only One True God, Who gives life.

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Tag Archives: Bringing Good News

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End of Winter, new beginning

Head of the months

Commemorating miracles the Creator performed

Month for the Redeemed

Coming into new life

Last king and High-priest assigned to the throne

Day of breaking the bread

A preparation for salvation by the full ransom

Celebrations and the Day after

Not stolen, not mislaid

Not yet in heaven, Still to ascend

Tool to get out of the slavery of sin and its curse, the death

Dominion of sin and Death has been conquered

By Jesus Christ assurance given

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Other interesting articles:

Related articles

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