From Thanksgiving, we enter the month when we will gather with the family several times to socialise
but also to reflect on the past year and give thanks to God.
Suffering has a way of heaving you beyond the shallows of life where your faith feels ankle-deep. It casts you out into the fathomless depths of God, a place where Jesus is the only One who can touch bottom.
Some times I think I’ll drown in the waves of pain that crash over me. But God is always my rescuer. He is my anchor, and I cling tighter to Him now than ever before. It’s because I need Him more.
But pain has also melded my heart with my Saviour’s. I find comfort in the Man of Sorrows who is acquainted with grief (see Isaiah 53:3). He is a better relief and rest than any pain medication.
And it is my pain that has forced a slower pace. I now see more in God’s Word. I see him in small and great pleasures. I feel His delight in everything from sun-dappled shadows on a lawn to those breathtaking moments when a wayward soul awakens to gospel truth. Somehow, pain—and perhaps aging—has helped me appreciate life more.
The first Thanksgiving my husband and I were married, I thought it would be a good idea to host our families for dinner. I didn’t know how to cook a turkey. We didn’t have a dishwasher. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment that wasn’t exactly built for big holiday meals. But I was determined to make it work. So on a crisp Thursday in November, we crammed 21 people into our tiny apartment.
People sat on the floor, on the couch, and at our two-person IKEA table, their plates heaped high with turkey and gravy and stuffing. And while I remember the joy, laughter, and excitement of having our home filled with family and friends, I didn’t understand the significance of that feast. Sure, I wanted others to feel welcomed and to spend intentional time reflecting on all we had to be thankful for. But underneath all of that, I wanted to prove I could pull this dinner off. Looking back, I realize that meal––as special as it was––was about me.
Over a decade later, I still fall into the temptation to make my hosting center on me. I crave approval and recognition. But God has been teaching me what it means to practice biblical feasting. What does it look like to eat and drink and host a meal in a way that glorifies God and serves others? How can we feast in a way that honors God and shows true hospitality? Here are four key truths to remember as we feast this season.
1. Biblical feasting points to God, not ourselves.
At the heart of right feasting, we remember our God. Consider the feasts throughout Scripture. For example, in Exodus 12–13, God commands the Israelites to observe Passover as a way to remember what the Lord did for them in Egypt. In Esther 9, the Feast of Purim is instituted as a day to recall when sorrow turned to gladness, mourning into a holiday (Ex. 9:22).
Rather than entertaining as a way to perform in front of others, our meals can point to the goodness of God.
For the self-critical among us (like me), we tend to make our feasting about us by disparaging our efforts. We set the platter of turkey down and apologize that it’s dried out. We confess the meal doesn’t look as perfect as we envisioned or say sorry a hundred times when dinner takes longer than planned. There may be a place for apology and explanation. But are we doing it for the good of those at our table or as a way to control what others think of us?
Before we speak, let’s consider if the apology is for the good of our neighbor and honors God (if so, then go forth and apologize) or to manage our image and protect our pride. Often, our words would be better used to focus the conversation on God’s provision, rather than on our preparation.
2. Biblical feasting generously invites others in.
Jesus ate and drank with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 5:30). He welcomed the “wrong” crowd, even allowing prostitutes to approach him at the table (Luke 7:36–50). Jesus was more concerned about welcoming others into the kingdom of God than impressing those around him.
What would our tables look like if we practiced this radical hospitality? Maybe we would step out of the comfort of our homes and spend time in “unacceptable” places, like a friend of mine who started a ministry building friendships with women at a strip club. Maybe we would welcome the neighbor who isn’t the easiest to get along with or the family member no one wants to be around.
“welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
What does that look like at your table and in your community this year? In the wake of a global pandemic, answering this question may require us to think creatively. All around us, people crave connection and welcome. Christians should be the first to welcome others, because we have experienced the welcome of Christ.
3. Biblical feasting practices delight, not gluttony or drunkenness.
At creation, God didn’t make a garden with only the nutritional essentials. He gave us an abundance to consume, setting Adam and Eve in Eden, a name meaning “pleasure or delight.” He gave trees that were “pleasant to the sight and good for food” (Gen. 2:9). God generously designed a world made for human flourishing, not just subsistence. And it was good.
But we twist the gift of food through gluttony and drunkenness. Eating and drinking in excess go against the very purpose of our feasting. What we eat and drink can become idols. And when we create idols, we’ve lost sight of who God is and missed the enjoyment of his good gifts.
“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
There’s not a formula for knowing when we’ve crossed that line from delight to gluttony. But we must practice discernment in how we eat. Are we eating and drinking as if we’re enemies of Christ, or his followers? When we feast, is our belly our god, or do we honor the true God by rightly delighting in what he’s given?
When we feast, is our belly our god, or do we honor the true God by rightly delighting in what he’s given?
4. Biblical feasting looks forward to the eternal feast.
Feasts are not only a delightful way to celebrate the holidays, but also an opportunity to anticipate the better feast to come. Tim Chester encourages us in A Meal with Jesus:
The Christian community is the beginning and sign of God’s coming world––and no more so than when we eat together. Our meals are a foretaste of the future messianic banquet. Our meals reveal the identity of Jesus. Our meals are a proclamation and demonstration of God’s good news. (61)
Our feasting now looks forward to the day when we will savor the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Revelation 19, the apostle John envisions a vast multitude, crying out in praise,
And those who are invited to join that celebration feast are blessed (v. 9).
As believers, the church, the bride of Christ, we will one day gather together to savor that marriage supper. We will join in the celebration and be part of that worshiping multitude. Until then, we feast here and now, holding fast to the promise of what’s to come. As we point to God, welcome others in, delight in God’s gifts, and taste the eternal feast, we declare our hope for that glorious day when we will dine, fully restored, with God himself.
After Halloween, we have now arrived at Thanksgiving, the first of a series of holidays where we get together with the family to socialise.
Now that autumn is here, we can enjoy the splendour of nature’s colours outside.
Breathtaking forest panoramas and spectacular displays of colours abound on woodland and forest paths across our countryside. Experience golden oak forests, dazzling blue lakes and, if you’re lucky, some wildlife during your next autumn walk. according to some
For more than two years, our world is facing a period of distress, where many of us are also challenged by difficulties to do our work and to have contact with others.
Several church groups probably will have the same questions as we receive and have to give reasons for their members to continue in the faith. In many church communities, these days are normally of good cheer, lovely family time and time to thank God.
Several people now wonder if they can rejoice in God no matter their circumstances. For many, it is clear that they are not enjoying a glorious or nice time. Some have lost their job and income, and once more they are facing a new lockdown.
We may not forget it was not always a delightful time for people of God. Can you imagine it must have been when they were used as slaves in Egypt and on top of that they had to cope with several plagues. They, too, lived in a time when not so many wanted to worship the One True God.
Ramses II, like all the pharaohs, claimed to be divine. Because he did not want to let Israel go, Jehovah set the stage for a long struggle between this distrustful ruler with an outsize ego and a prophet with a new understanding of Jehovah and His Power.
The flow of the White Nile is fairly even throughout the year because of consistent equatorial rains. The Blue Nile, on the other hand, originating in the headwaters of the Ethiopian highlands at the time Moses was bargaining with Ramses, got very high and wild by excessively heavy summer rains in Ethiopia. That flow washed powdery, carmine-red soil from the slopes of the hills. Around the Lake Tana region the blood-red torrent picked up bright red algae (known as flagellates) and their bacteria. Since there were no dams at that time, the Nile flowed blood-red all the way to the Mediterranean. It probably reached the delta region in August. Thus, this rare natural event, it is held, set in motion a series of conditions that continued until the following March. Nature seemed to have lost its course, and people got bullied by plagues of the frogs, gnats and mosquitoes.
Further, there were times men of God, like Moses, David, Elijah, and Isaiah had no easy time. With ups and downs in their life, they tried to keep their faith and trusted God, praying to Him for His Help and comfort. Some, like David felt miserable at a certain time, but knew it was better to fall in the hands of God than in the hands of those who think they own the world.
“David said to Gad,
“I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”” (1Ch 21:13 NIV)
Yes it is even known that we as human beings can come in a time of inevitable distress.
“Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7 NIV)
“”Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1 NIV)
We should know that our life will not always as easy as we would love it to be. Even those who seem to be so strong shall have to face moments of weakness and of difficulties.
“All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.” (Ec 2:23 NIV)
“If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!” (Pr 24:10 NIV)
“You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.” (Ps 60:3 NIV)
“The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.” (Ps 116:3 NIV)
Today there are lots of people who came to blame God for what is happening to this world today. Job saw likewise but refused to blame God.
“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” (Job 1:22 NIV)
When looking at our present situations, we should think of all those people who are living under the open air, in hot but also very cold conditions, not having enough food, having babies crying of hunger and pain. How many in our world of plentiful think of those in the poor countries and of those who have to live in places where wars are already such a long time part of their life.
When they would think more about them, they would see how blessed they really are. What if we would consider this Corona plague as once again testing from God?
“2 “If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! 3 It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been impetuous.” (Job 6:2-3 NIV)
“For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” (Ps 66:10 NIV)
“All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.” (Ps 73:14 NIV)
An 18th-century Russian icon of the prophet Habakkuk, member of the tribe of Levi, (Iconostasis of Transfiguration Church, Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia)
Those men of God complained also at certain moments, but they also found time to thank God for all the good He also had done for them. In ancient times, the professional prophet of the Temple from the 7th century bce (probably between 605–597 bce) Habakkuk at a time when there did not come the necessary blossoms on the trees, no fruit on the vines and the produce of the olive failed, he and the people were in distress because the fields yielded no food.
“17 Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, (Hab 3:17 NIV)
Even when the flock was cut off from the fold, and there was no herd in the stalls, he knew from Who all the good things came forward. Overlooking what was going on, he recognised it all was not so bad as to what others had to endure. Therefore, he was willing to rejoice in the Most High and was willing to exult in the God of his salvation.
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. (Hab 3:18 NIV)
Also in this period of a pandemia we should look up to the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, the Most Powerful God, Who is our strength and can make our feet light and swift like the feet of a deer, so that we can tread upon the heights.
Habakuk sang and played cheerful music to the leader with stringed instruments.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.” (Hab 3:19 NIV)
Habakkuk had wrestled with his God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, and struggled with the realisation that this Unique and Only One God was going to use the godless Chaldeans to judge his people Judah for their rebellion. Habakkuk’s struggle was ultimately one of wrestling with God.
Today some people also have that feeling, but they should know it has no use to battle with God. One is better to battle with the world, and go in against all that keep claiming one has not to be vaccinated or one has not to protect oneself against the Coronavirus.
What we need more than anything in life today is renewed vision of God and to see things from God’s eye’s point of view. We should accept that He has given man the possibilities to battle this virus, so we should trust those scientists and be thankful that they can be instruments in the hands of God. Likewise, we should be thankful that all the medic staff can be an instrument in the hands of God. Out of respect to them and to the Divine Creator, we should protect ourselves and others, avoiding getting infected.
In the past, more than one man, prophet, king or judge, appointed by God trembled. More than once, those men of God knew for Whom to look and Whom to trust. Even when it took longer than they had hoped, they were willing to wait and to be patient. They found the power to wait on the Highest.
The prophet Isaiah knew what God had already done for His people and what He was still going to do. He also did not have it always easy, but he relied on God.
This Thanksgiving Day let us pray to our God and express our thankfulness for being with us in these difficult times.
“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall” (Isa 25:4 NIV)
‘…with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’
Philippians 4:6-7
Dear God, I direct my eyes on You and trust You with all my heart.
I wouldn’t be without You.
Without your help I would not have moved much further in this wicked world.
Let me help You to make Yourself known to others
and let me enjoy Your benefits and share them with others in all simplicity.
Next Sunday is a double celebration. The Jewish people begin the Festival of Lights — Hanukkah, the Dedication of the Temple, and many Christians will light the first Advent candle in preparation for Christmas.
The Winter-season started to give signs it is on its way. We did not get the Autumn storms, but temperatures went already under zero. We also got already very gruesome days were we did not see much of the sun. and when we got some flashes of sun-rays in the afternoon it became already dark around 5pm.
As we enter the last couple of months remaining in 2018, our thoughts turn to giving thanks for everything the year has brought.
Sometimes, many forget how lucky we are to live in a wealthy country where there is no war and where there are not so many real problems. After Thanksgiving lots of people went mad and invaded shops like they had been without food and goods for months. Their greed brought them even to fight with each other to be first and about getting certain goods. We could see many video’s of people shrieking, being grabbed, poked, whistled at, yelled at and stuff fought over.
In many American families Thursday turkey was on the dish and in other countries on Sunday nice food could fill the stomachs after prayers were said. Though looking around and at social media more eyes where fixed on Black Friday and Cyber-Monday trying to get some stuff cheaper. Already a few days before Black Friday through Cyber Monday our inbox was flooded with discount announcements even from Christian organisations. They did not seem to dare to go against that American consumerism that got infecting West Europe as well.
A few years ago Thanksgiving was a day of free and meditation time and when it was on a Tuesday or Thursday a bridge was made giving the employees some extra free time to celebrate with the family. Today capitalism and consumerism lets employers to call their employees to work for Black Friday. It is as there may not be a moment of silence and meditation considering what blessings we do have, living in our industrialised world.
The world wants also to give a picture and the feeling that man can not have enough and that those who are happy with not much are fools. Those who don’t feel the need to constantly be buying the latest and greatest stuff seem to become an exception. Those who spend more time being careful about what they purchase and those who prefer to save their money for fewer things that they can enjoy much more, seem to become “strange birds”.
Society is pressing to consume and the majority of people are loving others to see that they can be better off without god and limited ways of living. They do forget that perhaps that minimalist way of life can be a much better and a much happier life. The moral of today seems to have gone far away form from real ethical moral ways and for sur far away form the Law of God.
Coming to the close of the year 2018 at out Christadelphian ecclesia site we present an overview of some important matters.
The coming days let us also look at the many religions and their festivals. Look at their power and authority. Nothing of God does tell we may not enjoy life. Nothing of God does tell us that we may not come together with family to enjoy the blessings we can find around us. The only thing God requires from us is that we abstain from the heathen rites and feasts and live according to His Will.
The darker and colder days may have us looking for more warmth. You may do that. Do so with pleasure and with gratitude for what you receive from God.
Let the coming festivals of light bring light and warmth to your soul which you shall want to share with others.
Let us this coming Sunday dedicate ourselves to God, like Jesus did in ancient times. When you eat potato latkes on Sunday remember that such a holiday treat traditionally fried in oil is to remind the person who eats them of the miracle that God performed with the oil and the dedication of the Temple. Let us these coming days think of the black period in Jesus his life. Let us see how he had also his weak moments, asking his heavenly Father for help, even at one time asking why God would have abandoned him. We in our weakness are materialistic, spoiled,and often forget what a wonderful Gift God has given us . It is that only begotten son of God which is the most precious gift we ever could get. And for that we should be most thankful.
Today in several countries believers have a special honouring day for God, being thankful for everything He did and still does.
In the United States of America it is a national holiday at which they think of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans, gathering with the family and friends over a meal.
We should think about the spiritual and physical bread God provides for mankind. He gave them manna and still provides that we have plenty of food from the fields and fruit-trees. Today we make time to thank God for all that we can find on our plate.
This day is the opposite of tomorrow, when in the materialist countries it shall be “Black Friday”, showing how greedy our society has become and how more interest there is in this world for things we can see and hold in our hands. The Unseen shall not find a place in many hearts which love more the money and material goods.
In Jesus’ day, people were thankful without all of the extra baggage we’ve attached to the idea of being thankful. Their idea of gratitude derived from an appreciation of being alive. We find it hard to appreciate being alive without first confronting the emotional depths of a cat meme or having a relative with a serious illness. Jesus’ followers were able to find gratitude for their daily bread despite their brother having leprosy or their sister’s calling to be a prostitute by the local well. Gratitude isn’t something picked up from comparing yourself to the misery of others; it is our response to God’s presence in the universe. {You Are Probably Doing Thanksgiving All Wrong}
Lots of people have forgotten why and for what they have to be grateful for. Believers should tell them why today we remind ourself of our blessings. For lots of people it is only this “One day a year we officially give thanks as a nation”. {You Are Probably Doing Thanksgiving All Wrong} In their country they have a holiday with puritanical religious overtones where no one goes to church. In other countries it shall be this coming Sunday that many, like us, shall take time to remember all the blessings coming over us thanks to the Most High.
In most parts of the commercial world it’s a secular (holi)day where societal convention dictates to overeat, watch football, and nap, people doing Thanksgiving once a year because the calendar says so.
In short, it’s a moral and ethical mess of our own design.
The reason Thanksgiving feels forced, blasé, and awkward is that it is forced, commercialized, manufactured, and has nothing to do with real honest to God gratitude or thankfulness. {You Are Probably Doing Thanksgiving All Wrong}
Happy thanksgiving In 1621, long before the birth of the United States of America, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a bountiful harvest feast.
Happy Thanksgiving!! Pumpkin pie, turkey, stuffing, the stuff your mother makes but you don’t know what it is!! Today is the day to feast like you never have and enjoy time with family and friends.
One of the remembrance days about gifts and giving is Thanksgiving which, in the United States, is always celebrated as a national holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. In many countries all over the world in several churches the believers in God look at the Summer and what it brought to them. They want to remember all the good things the earth gave them and want to give thanks for the bountiful blessings they received from God in the past season and previous years.
Having the days shortening we can not ignore the darkness around us. We not only have the sun which goes under earlier, but are also confronted with the darkness of this world, people having gone far away from their Divine Creator and having lost the sense to love each other. We do know that in the end more darkness shall come over the world, lots of people setting each other up against each other. But we do know that we must strengthen each other as brethren and sisters, giving each other hope for a better world to come.
These darker days of the year we want to show others that there is some great person to look for who is the way to God and the way to freedom and peace. People may feel the black matter coming closer to them seeing turbulent global events begin to make their mark on Jews and their allies around the world and seeing how certain so called religious group wants to press others into their beliefs and/or want to govern the world.
Several people became frightened by the things which happened that just did not make sense.
Overnight, our cherished institutions, our icons, have collapsed. We don’t understand it. People blame this one and that one. It’s not just in the United States, it’s all over the world, and we have so many natural disasters, and so much illness. What is happening?” {Esther Jungreis – Messiah Coming}
Rabbi Rebbetzin Jungreis says God is bringing the world closer to redemption in a process called “chevlei Mashiach” – the labour pains of the arrival of the Messiah.
From the Scriptures we know that there shall come a time of Great Trouble. We also know that when such time shall come, when religion shall fight against other religions, and when we shall have more natural disasters, the time shall be ready for the Messiah to come to bring order in all things and opening or closing the doors of the Kingdom for the people who have to come in front of his seat.
Based on the writings of ancient Jewish sages, Jungreis concludes that this generation is replete with the signs that are prophesied to hail the coming of the Messiah, including endemic impudence, follower-ship, idol worship, disasters, and war.
It’s going to be a generation that will abound in chutzpah
“All our [sages] agree…they do not want to be present for the chevlei Mashiach, the birth pangs, because the birth pangs are going to be very painful… It’s going to be a generation that will abound in chutzpah [audacity]. Chutzpah will be colossal. Families will be fragmented. Children will turn against parents, parents against children. The elderly will not be respected. Youth will be worshipped.
“… The generation will be like the generation of the dog. What does that mean? The dog runs ahead but always looks back to see if the master is behind him. Similarly, people don’t have their own opinions today. What is the media saying? The media is controlling the world…” {Esther Jungreis – Messiah Coming}
Lots of people are glued to the screen of their smartphone and may have a lot of virtual friends or Facebook or other social media friends but not so many real friends. Most of all the majority of people around us do love the material goods of this world. According to Rebbetzin Jungreis, the greatest avodah zarah or idol worship of this generation is money, an obsession which causes the Western world to ignore the lurking danger posed by Islamist terror against Israel and the United States.
“We have been very blessed, perhaps there was never in history such a wealthy Jewish generation as ours was. But there was no Hakaras HaTov, no credit to Hashem. “My strength did all this”. We became arrogant, we became chutzpahdik, we forgot Hashem… Imach shemam [their names be obliterated], the sons of Ishmael, every minute it’s “Allah”. The sons of Esav, “the Lord,” every minute. Their leadership is always speaking the name of G-d. Am Yisrael … they heard the word of Hashem panim el panim, face to face – has forgotten its G-d.” {Esther Jungreis – Messiah Coming}
We not only find a very low spiritual state of the Jewish People that has caused God to hide His face from them. By Christians we also find a majority clinging onto human doctrines and worshipping several gods and saints. Lots of them even do not know the Name of the Most High God or are against people who use God’s set-apart or Holy Name. Many even go over to celebrate a so called “birth of God” (though God never was born nor shall he ever die, but they talk about the birth of God His only begotten son), on the festival of the goddess of light (December 25) instead of celebrating Jeshua’s birth on his real date of birth.
The majority of mankind choose to reject God and will not honour His majesty and shall not respect His rule over the earth. But real lovers of God take these darker days to praise Him and to be thankful that He is our light in the darkness.
The two holiday-weekends to remember the death (November 1 and 11) brought the darker side of life in the picture, remembering that it was 100 years ago that there really did not yet come an end to useless killing. We may cling to life despite the painful burden of dark memories. That is the message we should carry. It should also be days that we where thankful for those who survived and/or made it possible that others could come to live in peace for some time.
Many forget also to think about the smaller matters, like having a good night rest, waking up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping, being able to walk or drive along beautiful sites, feeling the sun caressing the skin and the wind pushing us forwards.
These coming weeks we shall have some time to think about our attitude to all those small things which make our life more beautiful. We are going to face days that we can sit in a nice warm living room, whilst many others shall stay out in the cold with not much food and not many clothes. For lovers of God it should be a time to think about all those matters and to be thankful for what we can enjoy and have around us. It is also a time we can find more time to read the Bible. It is a way of gratitude for the things we get, that we can make a home for the Elohim His Word in our hearts.
For those who shall be free on Thanksgiving day and shall come together to have a nice meal, do not forget what is behind the idea of the holiday. thank God for all the things you may have and for the blessings which may come over your family.
Let the day after Thanksgiving day not be a mad Black Friday where shopping is the greatest priority. Be not taken by the greed of this world, but stay sensible about what you really need.
More Americans seem to travel between the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday than at any other time of year. AAA estimates nearly 51 million Americans travelled 50 miles or more from home for the holiday in 2017. When going places remember how it is possible you can travel to all such places and do not forget to see around you how the nature is a witness of its Designer.
When looking at the coming festive days let us always be careful not to be carried away by heathen activities or pagan rites. Let us always be careful when we want some more lights in the house, not to bring in heathen elements.
Take all those moments of togetherness as a time to share the love of God and to show your thankfulness to Him and to those around you.
Autumn brings us many beautiful colours in nature. The world seems to bring us golden leaves. Getting colder and getting more wind and rain we like to spend more time in a warm living room. Getting darker we look for literal cosy lights and spiritual light.
We come closer to a time of year that people everywhere in the Western World, get very excited about giving. It is often said that part of the fun is in the giving, in watching the expression on the face of a loved one as they open the present, or in the delight of a child as they play with a new toy.
The Bible agrees that giving is an important part of our human existence. It is within the capacity of all of us to make someone else happy by giving – either a present, or a hug, or even some time and attention. There are plenty of Bible stories that talk about being generous and selfless in the way that we give. Think of the widow woman, for example, who gave her two mites into the temple treasury, which was all she had to live on (see Mark 12v41-44). This example to us means even more when we think that she was not necessarily an old widow; she could have had children to support. And yet the giving was the important thing, not the amount, and not what she got in return, just the giving itself.
Too often we focus on the value of material things, and what we accumulate in our houses. The focus is on the object, not on the action. Jesus Christ lived his whole life as a gift to others – constantly serving, providing, healing and comforting – as well as pointing out the way to please God was to do likewise. Ultimately this is the way the Gospel of John describes his final act of self-sacrifice: as a gift not from Jesus, but from God.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3v16)
Should we be giving more this year than presents and cards? What could we do with our time, our love, and our thoughts and prayers?
Do we value those as much as the goods we purchase in shopping centres? And how do you value the ultimate gift that is offered to you?
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” (Romans 6v23)
I often did not have it easy in my life. Certain choices also made it that I got myself in more trouble than if I would have followed the mainstream.
Career Opportunities (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
First there was the choice of my profession. Having being brought up in the Old Roman Catholic church, having been an acolyte, wanting to be working for God, becoming a priest was a first option, but then I was not allowed to marry, and I loved to much women. I also loved very much musicals and wanted to be an artist, able to sing and dance. when I asked to study that I got a slap in my face and was told I could better become a garbage man than an artist. In secret I started lessons and worked in my spare time to pay for the study. It was a good thing about that time time Europe had to build itself up again and had to find its way to restore from the horror of wars and the political systems which brought Europe unto the swamp.
Being so much interested in God, having had to learn the Catechism, comparing to what was written in the Scriptures I soon found out that the Catholic Faith (be it the Roman, Charismatic or Orthodox) was not according to Biblical teachings. This made it again difficult for my parents and me, creating a conflict on theological matters now. After some church shopping, having looked at different protestantdenominations, I chose for a non-trinitarian church (the Baptist Church at that time and when the Baptists moved more to Trinitarianism I, like thousands of my brethren and sisters chose for an other non-trinitarian group: the Christadelphians)
Concerned about the world I also stood on the barricades in 1968, hoping for a better world. Becoming a dancer I also more than once had to face the difficulties of my body which also more than once was pushed in the corner by accidents or by my autoimmune illness. Continually I had to prove myself and found that I had to restart my life again. Later the children sometimes asked “Why did you do not that?” or asked “Why did you not get that role?” or “Why did he got that position instead of you?”. It looked strange for them that I made certain ethical choices and did not want to do certain things to get a certain position. At the end of the trail, now being retired I do not have to shame myself for everything I did. And looking back on my career I must confess that I have really being blessed, being able my whole life to do what I loved to do and having been able to refuse several jobs because I did not like them or did not find them appropriate for a Christian to do (or did not want to do what they hoped for, for giving me that role or position).
In the end I can see how I was blessed and how there was an Incredible Strong Hand that pushed me in certain directions or got me up again when I was in the trenches. I was very lucky to have done fantastic work and having worked with fantastic people, international stars as well as with incredible people who, like me would only be known by their stage name or be forgotten soon.
Under this (official civil name) name I am writing I often was bullied because I did not hesitate to say my opinion or to speak about my faith which was not according to the main Christian majority. Once more I felt the Strong Hand of God, Who guided me and gave me further insight.
We may encounter lots of moments of darkness in our life, but by the sun-rays which brake the darkness we should come to see the better end of it. I had some horrible experiences in my life, which I would not wish any body would have such ones. But they helped me to help others and they also helped me to become strengthened or to know I was on the right way to show others how they have to behave or not have to behave. (For one incident: Though I never know what happened to a gang of seven that once attacked me with a knife in Chiswick Park, I do know I came out alive of it by keeping calm and trusting God.)
Over the years I also came to see how God uses the different elements/groups or denominations in Christendom to bring people from those different parts of the Body of Christ together in unity with Christ. Though for some it might take many years. But God is patient and we as Christians should also be patient with those we want to bring to Christ, getting them to believe that Jesus is the Way to God and not God himself.
In the meantime God is also helping others of different faith to build up a life, so that they too shall come to see how God helps them in their life.
Today I also want to bring an other case than myself to attention.
it’s from a person who is been working with for almost all of her tenure in the financial industry. She writes
Surprisingly, we lost the bid! Another bigger company took over the account, leaving our company with a devastating, disappointing news. {Surpises: Bad news turned to Good!}
She confidently, was not affected by the bad news and is convinced that
God has gone ahead of this scene, He knew it would come. And He knew, that I would be the very first one to feel fearful among all my colleagues. Why? I have all the reasons why, I am not as competitive as they are – being in the sales industry, my achievements were not at par as what my colleagues had produced. I would be in the bottom list, definitely! {Surpises: Bad news turned to Good!}
Like I had certain feelings in my life the author of that blog also has the feeling God assured me of the things that may come to pass. She writes
Last year, the Lord has been very busy preparing me and my husband with so many things, including the planning and executions.
We have gone to the most “thriftiest” way we can save money, He gave us a house , He brought the desire of going back home, instead. He gave a new sustainable job for my husband, He increased our commission in ways that we can finish all our goals for 2016. And finally we come up to an answer, that hey, I will finish my job this March 2017. {Surpises: Bad news turned to Good!}
Please do read more about her experiences and her telling about their family’s life circumstances
We all had a fair share of life circumstances. 2014, we lost our dad due to cancer, my husband lost his lolo due to old age, we had 2 series of unemployments and some financial problems. 2015, it’s like the continuation of 2014, consoling our mom during our mourning season, separation and long-distance childcare, 1 unemployment and financial struggle. 2016, was a good year, God restored all that we wanted to pursue, those that we missed, savings goals, dreams, home acquisition, clearer goals and more. 2017, is still uncertain, we have expectations and even before we embark to this year, God already had confirmations of what to expect and we are excited with that.
Through it all, there is one important thing that God wants us to inhabit in our hearts, it is about “gratefulness”. {New Perspective: Gratefulness and Thankfulness}
And find that
we would learn how to cultivate a life of gratefulness and thankfulness. Learning to appreaciate every season in our lives, that we will not give up on ourselves because God never did, and even if there are some struggles and life- circumstances – God is always there so inclined and willing to help and guide us.
In all things, give God praise, not only for the gifts that He gives, but because we understand that He is the source of all things. Our giver and our Father. Learn to be grateful even in the little, so when the big one comes, we will be more grateful. 🙂
Be thankful, always! {New Perspective: Gratefulness and Thankfulness}
The wisdom teacher of Ecclesiastes says, there is a time for all things under the sun, no to agree with the excess man loves so much, but as a warning how to behave and how and to what to focus.
For those who want to celebrate Christmas for whatever reason they want to give, Christians should remember that it is originally a pagan festival and should better abstain from it. But we do agree in Wintertime it is ideal to socialise at the dark hours and it may be lovely to exchange presents around the turn of the year.
When we provide presents for others they should be given with joy and when it brings such a stress like we hear many tell on television, than there is certainly something wrong.
In so called Christian countries, we also see lots of Christmas markets, but at those ‘great events’ there is not much to see about what they call would be the “reason of the season”. At most Christmas markets there are not many stall about the nativity of the NazareneJew nor about that man’s ransom offering. Jesus Christ his birth they often call the reason for the season, but we can not see him much in that season or in people’s homes. Also the attitude of those people gathering at those markets does not speak of such an attitude that master teacher asked from his followers. Most people strolling around at those markets are more concerned about the food and drink opportunities and in buying (ridiculous) gadgets and not to expensive presents.
So many feel obliged just to find an other gadget or an other extra surprise and do hope they themselves also will receive many presents.
In this society where excess has become a way of life, for many it might well be also a way of understanding the world, a way of being and interacting in the world, but for sure many chapters in the bible warn for such an attitude and ask us to focus on the more important immaterial things.
Those who call themselves Christian should wonder where they fall in the consumer trap of the capitalistsociety and why they do not keep to the festivals ordained by the Most High? the festival for the goddess of light and a celebration for a Santa Claus for sure are no part of those.
*
To remember
Thanksgiving here + gone > too much to eat + drink = Excess = regular part of natural order
Excess > consequences = plays important role in survival process
ancestral winter seasons > forebears rejoiced in gathered harvest, savored freshly slaughtered meat, + delighted in new beer + wine.
Northern Hemisphere ancestors celebrated = winter solstice = December 21 = marking the rebirth of the sun = traditionally been associated with feasts + festivals replete with excesses => secular Christmastime holiday = direct descendant of these revelries.
Roman Saturnalia + misrule, centered on feasting + gift-giving > societal role reversals where servants + peasants became lords + ladies for a day or short season => usually steady tables of fortune turned for a moment
misrule (common in European societies and colonial America) individuals of low socioeconomic status demanded wealthier neighbors + patrons treat them – the servants + peons of society – as if they were the wealthy + deserving
Puritans of Massachusetts infamously outlawing Christmas in late 1600s =/= legendary anniversary of the Savior’s birth > simultaneous misrule celebrations that exalted excesses, some acceptable + others decidedly distasteful.
1800s, misrule evolved > new type of social inversion > persisted to our own day => Christmas made for children
children = miniature adults = occupied bottom rung of social hierarchy along with peasants + servants
Modern secular Christmas – family celebration – created at this time with children becoming focus of charity + goodwill
starting with Black Friday Eve (used to be called Thanksgiving) + continuing through New Year’s Day celebrations = unmatched devotion to consumerism, materialism, consumption, waste, and over-indulgence.
Thanksgiving, once again, is here and gone. I know I had too much to eat and drink. How about you?
Excess is a regular part of the natural order. Our bodies turn excess calories into fat cells – technically, stored energy for later use. Most excess weight, however, is simply lugged around serving unwittingly as a contributing factor to health problems. Alcohol, on the other hand, is eliminated by the body. But a morning-after dehydration headache, caused by excessive drinking, lets you know you overdid it. Long-term excessive drinking, of course, will kill you.
Excess has its consequences.
Excess, nevertheless, plays an important role in the survival process. You and I are here thanks to an excessive amount of spermatozoa, from which emerged one little victor to join forces with an ovum. Survival of the fittest and the fertilized! And not only that, some of the plants which provide food, oxygen, and beauty upon the earth produce seeds for their own reproduction numbering in excess of hundreds…
Lifestyle and Readers Digest Magazine founded by Marcus Ampe on the 26th of March 2014
Translate – Vertaal – Traduction
Welcome
New to this site. You may like to read this first
If this is your first time you visit us, you might like to know about our aims and intentions.
This site does not want to be a specific religious site, though now and then religious articles may be presented. The main interest on this site is about worldly matters, social affairs and the behaviour of human beings in this universe.
Our aim is to bring first articles about our responsibility in the progress of human relations and peace involvement.
Please find to read about our aims and aspirations:
Messengers of Peace and Positivism – Boodschappers van Vrede en Positivisme
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Club members their own blog-writings – Clubleden hun eigen persoonlijke blogs
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Most club members "From guestwriters" do not have their own blog, but shall write under their own name as "Guestspeaker" on the Lifestyle magazine Stepping Toes.
Those who do have their own website can be looked at underneath:
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Van de schrijvers die een eigen blog hebben kan u op hun site als laatste artikels vinden:
Thoughts by and a Look at the world by Marcus Ampe on: Marcus Ampe's Space
Over the past two weeks I have been trying to get some order again in my office and under a fierce tidying session have thrown all unnecessary papers out the door. This morning, as I sat at the breakfast table and watched the paper collection drive by, I suddenly remembered that I had put all […]
In de afgelopen 2 weken en heb ik geprobeerd weer orde in mijn bureau te krijgen en heb onder een hevige opruimingssessie alle onnodige papieren de deur uitgegooid. Deze ochtend toen ik aan de ontbijttafel zat en de papier ophaling voorbij zag rijden, dacht ik er plotseling aan dat ik al mijn diplomas en certicifaten […]
Britain is a rampantly competitive society. The story goes that Great Britain has evolved from an aristocratic dystopia built on slavery to a civilised democracy with a welfare state. Britain might be more accurately described as a proletarian nation overseen by a cosmopolitan elite. The Big Island is not the only one just looking at […]
JetPack raises a question where I am now putting down something that would belong in a private diary. But I have never maintained a diary. Now, at a more mature age, perhaps we get homesick for certain times or memories come to cloud the mind again.So here is a writing that could have been plucked […]
How has technology changed your job? Modern technology For sure, without modern technology, I would not be here already for a long time. For years I would have been under the sole, having become dust in the earth. After two near deaths, and three heart attacks, I have now once more the opportunity to revalidate […]
Men zou me best kunnen plaatsen onder de overgevoelige types. Al van kleins af was ik erg gevoelig en trok me veel te veel dingen aan. Zelfs als ik een film bekijk kunnen tranen over mijn wangen rollen. Heel wat zaken waar ik geen vat kan op hebben, raken me toch zodanig, dat ik er […]
One could best place me among the hypersensitive types. Since childhood, I was very sensitive and attracted far too many things. Even when I watch a film, tears can roll down my cheeks. A lot of things I can’t control nevertheless affect me to the extent that I sometimes get frustrated. On the other hand, […]
An other look at the world by Marcus Ampe on: Some View on the World
For months now, we have seen the rise of far-right thinking in several countries in Europe. Several politicians are also trying to make people believe that Europe is a bad thing for their countries. The future of the EU is being jeopardised by people stirring up social tensions for short-term political gain, Spain’s environment minister […]
The past 12 months have been extremely dangerous for journalists, from those on the ground in Gaza and Ukraine to others risking everything to share stories of environmental destruction. Last week the Guardian has been marking World Press Freedom Day with a series of reports about journalists working in the face of immense danger. They […]
In de vroegere Sovietgebieden roert het nu en dan redelijk verontrustend. In bepaalde landen, zoals in Georgië wil de regering er op toe zien dat er geen buitenlandse inmenging kan plaats vinden. Men zou kunnen zeggen dat zulks een goede wet is, maar het kan ook bepaalde beperkingen inhouden die de bevolking niet ten goede […]
Shortages and funding cuts are causing a “full-blown crisis” in special needs education for children and young people in England, according to school leaders who say they are struggling to give pupils the support they require. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union the NAHT, accused the government of treating schools as […]
Recent Posts on the other Lifestyle Magazine: Stepping Toes
The Israeli military has established a new mountaineer unit tasked with carrying out operations across the country’s hostile borders with Lebanon and Syria amid worsening tensions over the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. “We are in a multi-front war—Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza, and also farther away,” IDF Chief of the General […]
The Times, January 24, 2024 Event Two cargo ships sailing close to the Gulf of Aden came under attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday night, the White House said — forcing the US navy to intervene as the Iran-backed militia intensified its maritime assault on commercial shipping. Houthi forces fired three anti-ship ballistic […]
The Independent, January 19, 2024 Event It is hard to escape the impression of a theatre of military conflict that is inexorably growing – to the east and the south, if not yet to the north and the west. And if you look backwards, rather than forwards, the Hamas massacres of Israelis on 7 October, and Israel’s all-out […]
VOA, January 12, 2024 Event Thursday’s retaliatory attacks by U.S. and British forces on Iranian-backed Houthis inside Yemen have prompted support and condemnation from the international community. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani “strongly slammed the military strikes by the U.S. and Britain,” in a statement, calling it “an arbitrary move” that “clearly breached Yemen’s […]
The Times, January 12, 2024 Event Explosions were heard across Yemen late on Thursday night as British and US forces launched strikes on Houthi targets, after the Iranian-backed group ignored warnings to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea. Rishi Sunak, who had authorised the military action hours earlier and briefed ministers in an emergency […]
Event Guardian, October 20, 2023 Joe Biden has drawn a direct, provocative link between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’s attack on Israel as he urged Americans not to walk away from their role as “a beacon to the world”. In only the second Oval Office address of his presidency, Biden said he would ask […]
Hamas launched a surprise attack Saturday morning unprecedented in its scope and deadly impact. The phrase “It’s chaos” was heard repeatedly, from newsreaders, from families and occasionally from people caught in the raids, whispering desperately into their phones. Event The Times of Israel, October 7, 2023 Hezbollah praises the massive Hamas operation against Israel, and […]
One can never reach true self-knowledge without having come to a knowledge of the world. We cannot come to a knowledge of the world without self-knowledge. Neither can we attain self-knowledge without a knowledge of the world. It is like the beating of a pendulum which must swing back and forth. […]
* “Praying together:Two peoples, one land,Three faiths, one root,One earth, one mother,One sky, one beginning, one future, one destiny,One broken heart,One God.We pray to You:Grant us a vision of unity.May we see the many in the one and the one in the many.May you, Life of All the Worlds,Source of All Amazing DifferencesHelp us to […]
Last Sunday we were happy to meet three new brethren who got walking with us on the water laid in front of us. They with us can sing “Teach my your way”. In Newbury, they saw a sort of likeness between brother Marcus and Elija and were pleased to have new brethren and sisters join […]
So that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts; in love being rendered firm, and the foundation laid, (Eph 3:17) Paul restates the prayer’s central appeal, identifying the presence of Christ with the empowerment of the Spirit (Eph 3:16). Just as the Church is becoming a holy temple for God (2:21–22), so the individual […]
Whaw! What a nice swimming pool! Not for swimming, though, but for the first baptisms in the very young ecclesia in Anderlecht. Before the start of the ceremony, overlooking the program. We were delighted to find those who started to train with members of the Brussels-Leuven ecclesia to become the first members of the recently […]
Na het proper maken van het huis, het programmablad voor morgen klaar te maken, en boodschappen doen, zit ik nu in mijn luie zetel. Ik dacht er nog aan een herinnering te sturen, dat we morgen allen de dienst bijwonen in Anderlecht, in plaats van in Leuven en Mons. Iedereen is uitgenodigd op de doop […]
Each year during May the Mental Health Foundation promotes Mental Health Awareness Week. In the Corona period and after Covid-19 many of us were blessed to have received kindness from others, on countless occasions and in countless ways, and we would all acknowledge the benefits it brings. Beyond the benefits of receiving kindness, research has […]
Recent Posts by the Brethren in Christ: Broeders in Christus
Reuters, April 4, 2024 Event Russia and NATO are now in “direct confrontation”, the Kremlin said as the U.S.-led alliance marked its 75th anniversary on Thursday. NATO‘s successive waves of eastern enlargement are a fixation of President Vladimir Putin, who went to war in Ukraine two years ago with the stated aim of preventing the […]
The Times, February 23 , 2024 Event Israel wants operational freedom throughout Gaza “without a time limit” as part of its postwar plan for the territory, Binyamin Netanyahu has told his war cabinet. In his long-awaited “day after” plan outlining Israel’s post-war intentions for Gaza, the Israeli prime minister also called for a “demilitarised, deradicalised” […]
Jerusalem Post, February 19, 2024 Event Russia has invited Palestinian groups to Moscow, which could bring together Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and other terrorist groups*. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said over the weekend that Russia invited Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow at some point in late February, the latest Russian move to […]
Arab News, February 15, 2024 Event Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has spilled over into neighboring countries and sent shockwaves across the wider region, transforming Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen into battlefields in an escalating proxy war between the US and Iran. This mounting instability has wrought havoc on the economies of the […]
Washington Post, January 27, 2024 Event The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to do more to prevent the killing of civilians in Gaza but did not call for a cease-fire, disappointing Palestinians who had hoped the court would endorse their pleas for immediate relief from the violence. At a closely watched hearing […]
Gemeenschappen hebben ruimtes nodig om te vertoeven. Als men gezinsleden heeft gaan die uitbreiden en zijn meerdere huizen nodig. Ook voor geloofsgemeenschappen is het zo dat die best uitbreiden en aldus nieuwe plekken vormen om samen te komen. In 2023 werden er enkele mensen in de ecclesia Brussel-Leuven voorbereid om ook tot onze gemeenschap toe […]
Het getuigenis van de apostelen De geschriften van het Nieuwe Testament laten geen ruimte voor het geloof dat niet God maar Christus de Schepper was. De apostel Johannes beschrijft in het boek Openbaring een hoogst symbolisch gezicht dat hij op het eiland Patmos had gezien. “Er stond een troon in de hemel en iemand was […]
Het geloof van de eerste gemeente Het is heilzaam deze ontwikkeling in de gemeenten in de heidenwereld te beschouwen vanuit het gezichtspunt van de eerste volgelingen van Christus in de eerste dagen van zijn gemeente in Israël. Zo filosofisch gezind als de Grieken waren ze helemaal niet. Zij waren gewoon van kindsbeen af zich toe […]
In de Griekse stad Athene, waar de altaren van een menigte góden te be zichtigen waren en een kakofonie van filosofen te beluisteren was, klonk Paulus’ verkondiging van de levende God als een heldere klaroenstoot. “God, die de wereld gemaakt heeft en al wat daarin is, die een Heer is van hemel en aarde… daar […]
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world? Looking at the world, being sad, noticing that so many people are misled by big institutions that claim to be the only right church, whilst they do not follow at all the Bible teachings, nor Christ his teachings and do […]
Bible prophecies do not deal only with the ancient past. They also accurately foretell events that are taking place in our day. But at the moment we focus at numerous prophecies preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures (commonly called the Old Testament) which long before the man was born told about events which would happen in his time and around him, his betrayal, humiliation, torture, execution, death, and burial. From those writings of the Old and New Testament nobody should have doubts who that man is who is called Immanuel, the son of man and Messiah, born out of the root of Jess in the tribe of king David.
In Scripture, all things are directed towards a man who was a servant of servants, in whom people should come to have faith. First we saw the connection with Eve and her seed, and in this article you may see the connection with Abraham.
Already in the Old Testament we find the focus on a son of man who is called the son of God, who shall be the most pure set apart (holy) servant of God who was been told about in the Garden of Eden, to be the one bruised.
Many Old Testament writers wrote about the prophet to come, about whom is spoke in the book of Moses and who shall be the special “Seed of a woman” given by God and who will bruise Satan’s head whilst his heel would be bruised with nails on the wooden stake.
Recent Posts: Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten
Review Questions on Chapter Five Who became “fishers of men”? What accusation did the Jews bring against Jesus? How was Levi called and what happened? What illustrations does Jesus use? + Preceding Luke 5 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 5:1-11 – Fishermen Follow Jesus Luke 5 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 5:12-16 – Healing a […]
Luke 5:33-39 – The Old and the New || Matthew 9:15, 16;[1] Mark 2:19;[2] John 3:29[3] LK5:33 Now these said to Jesus: “The disciples of John fast often with prayers just as the Pharisees, but your disciples [only] eat and drink.” LK5:34 Jesus asked them: “Can you force the friends of the bridegroom to fast […]
Luke 5:27-32 – Tax-man Levi Called || Matthew 9:9-12;[1] Mark 2:13-17[2] LK5:27 Now later Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office. Jesus said to him: “Follow me.” LK5:28 So Levi rose, and leaving everything behind,[3] he followed Jesus. LK5:29 Then Levi arranged a great banquet for Jesus […]
Luke 5:17-26 – Who Can Forgive Sins? || Matthew 9:1-8;[1] Mark 2:1-12[2] LK5:17 Now it occurred during those days when Jesus was teaching some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting around – for they had arrived from every village in Galilee and Judea, including Jerusalem – and YHWH’s power was with him to […]
Luke 5:12-16 – Healing a Leper and Then Privacy || Matthew 8:1-4;[1] Mark 1:40-45[2] LK5:12 Now it happened while Jesus was visiting one of the villages, look, there was a man full of leprosy.[3] When he saw Jesus he fell on his face before him and begged: “Master, if you are willing and able cleanse […]
Recent Posts by bible Scholars: Bijbelvorser = Bible Researcher
Beth Snider on the Odd News Show writes about a mysterious large green stone discovered at the Temple complex in Hattusa, the capital of the ancient Hittite Empire, standing on a raised platform and measures 215 by 140 feet (65 by 42 metres). The Hattusa Green Stone is a roughly cubic block of nephrite standing […]
Did Lamech kill Cain? What happened to Cain in the Bible? In the Book of Genesis, we are told about Cain’s birth, his violent act of fratricide and his subsequent exile. We learn that he married and had descendants, but the Bible is strangely mute about his death. How did Cain die? If he did […]
Read Elie Wiesel’s essay on Cain and Abel in the Bible as it originally appeared in Bible Review, February 1998. First republished in BHD June 1, 2015. Cain and Abel: The first two brothers of the first family in history. The only brothers in the world. The saddest, the most tragic. Why do they hold […]
Op maandag 22 april zal onze broeder, Marcus Ampe ter operatie in het ziekenhuis Gasthuisberg te Leuven verblijven. Hierdoor zal hij in de ecclesiae van Brussel-Leuven, Anderlecht, Mons-Lille de avonddienst voor 14 Nisan niet kunnen voorgaan. Wij hopen dat onze leden in hun kleine kringen het vergaderen niet zullen nalaten en Jezus laatste avondmaal in […]
“In vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.” (Matthew 15:9) SPECIALS SPECIALS SPECIALS SPECIALS Every 10 You Order You Will Get 5 Extra Free Copies. Greetings Supporters, If you are not aware of the existence of this book, it would do you service, to all those who sense something not […]
First of all to come to a good relationship with some one, one has to talk with that person and has to listen to what that person has to tell. God talks to the people by the way of His Word, presented to mankind by the many Bible translations, so that most people can read […]
The One Who created everything and Who gave His Word, did all He did with a purpose and out of love. The Bible teaches us that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Everything God does is motivated by love. Out of love created man in His image also with the intention to have a good relationship […]
In the previous writings we saw that the Divine Creator gave His Word to the world so that people could come to know Him. The Bible is a gift from God. It gives us information that we can’t find anywhere else. For example, it tells us that God created the heavens, the earth, and the […]
Over the last six months, the Israeli war against Hamas has escalated significantly. In May 2021, violence erupted between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in East Jerusalem, leading to a series of rocket attacks from Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip. This led to an 11-day conflict in which Israel launched a series […]
Israel News, February 29, 2024 Event The Iranian regime has given Hezbollah the go-ahead to launch a large-scale attack against Israel within certain parameters, fearing that Israel plans to attack Lebanon in the near future, the Arabic Post reported on Wednesday. The Lebanese terror militia and Israel have traded blows since Hezbollah began its daily attacks against […]
Reuters, February 18, 2024 Event Israel on Sunday formalised its opposition to what it called the “unilateral recognition” of Palestinian statehood, and said any such agreement must be reached through direct negotiations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought the “declaratory decision” to a vote in cabinet, which unanimously approved the measure, according to a statement. Netanyahu […]
The Telegraph, February 14, 2024 Event Israeli fighter jets launched the deepest airstrikes yet on Lebanon, reigniting fears of regional war. The series of deadly strikes, amid months of cross-border violence, came after rockets from Hezbollah killed a woman in a town in northern Israel not previously affected by daily border clashes. One woman was killed and eight […]
The Times, March 21, 2024 Event Binyamin Netanyahu has told senior US Republicans that Israel “won’t stop” its planned Rafah offensive, even if it lacks American support. The Israeli prime minister spoke to senators at a lunch in Washington via videolink, after earlier admitting “disagreements” with President Biden over the potential military operation in the […]
Daily Telegraph, February 23, 2024 Event A Hezbollah “military compound” in Lebanon has been hit by an Israeli strike amid ongoing cross-border fire as tensions intensify in the Middle East. Hezbollah claimed that two paramedics affiliated with the group and one of their fighters were killed in a “direct” attack on a civil defence centre […]
From older news, which should not have been missed: The Telegraph, January 29, 2024 Event Are we on the brink of a third world war? In the age of “peak apocalypse”, it is easy to laugh off such a question. After all, we already find ourselves on permanent pandemic-watch, are besieged daily by predictions of ecological […]
Israel World News, January 21, 2024 Event Israel is giving Hezbollah ten more days to move away from its border and then its military will significantly escalate its reactions to the terrorists’ rain of rockets on northern Israel, The Washington Post reported Friday. Although the end-of-January deadline isn’t absolute, according to officials cited by the paper, the Israelis […]
Israel News, January 16, 2024 Event In an ominous sign of an expanding regional war, Jordan has been seen moving its army closer to the border with Israel. Israeli towns along the Jordanian border have reported gunfire towards their communities from the Jordanian soldiers. With the Hamas war raging and the potential for Israel’s North becoming […]
Dit jaar zijn er nog 2 sjabbatot tot Soekot en is er voor elke sjabbat een parasja en de sjabbat voorafgaande aan Rosj Hasjana lezen wij nu de de parasja Nitsawiem.
Verwonderlijk kreeg ik vandaag het bericht van WordPress dat ik tegen een jubileum mag aankijken. Gefeliciteerd met je jubileum bij WordPress.com! Je hebt je 5 jaar geleden geregistreerd op WordPress.com.Bedankt voor het gebruiken van onze service! Ga zo door met bloggen. Wat zijn die vijf jaren voorbij gevlogen. Voordat mijn pen al mijn gedachten kon […]
Met Rosj Hasjana denken wij aan de wondere scheppingsdaad van de Allerhoogste. Spijtig genoeg moeten wij toegeven dat de mensheid van die schepping een janboel heeft gemaakt.
Recent Posts: Unmasking anti Jehovah sites and people
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world? In Christendom there are lots of denominations but oh such a few, keep really to the biblical teachings. A lot of churches claim they are the only right church. In case they would follow all the teachings of Christ Jesus, […]
The apostle Paul wrote about the dispersion, the dispersed House of Israel. They had been “without covenant“, but Paul was sent out to recover them. So they were “grafted in again“ (Romans 11/23). Or, Grafted back in“. If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been […]
Rob Mac wonders when the door to door will return? He wrote this a while back, and went sharing it again. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses hate the door to door ministry, although they won’t readily admit it. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses have developed ‘creative’ ways of counting their time doing this work, and many strategies for avoiding actually […]
Constantine wanted unity in his realm, and his call in 325 C.E. for a council of his bishops at Nicaea, located in the Eastern, Greek-speaking domain of his empire, across the Bosporus from the new city of Constantinople was in a certain way his goal to achieve some agreement by which many could live. Constantine […]
Superstition, misunderstanding and hatred caused the Christians trouble for many generations, and governmental repression they had to suffer occasionally, as a result of popular disturbances. No systematic effort was made by the imperial authorities to put an end to the movement until the reign of the Roman emperor (249–251) who fought the Gothic invasion of […]
When having many questions an interesting blog to look at: their old and more recent Posts: Questiontime - Vragenuurtje
Babies don’t come with instructions. It’s a learn-as-you go game. Trial and error along the way. Babies don’t come with instructions. Childhood scars and sweet memories Layered with guilt, regret and love. Babies don’t come with instructions. It’s a learn-as-you go game. Instruction Manual
God heeft de wereld van Zijn woord en Zijn profeten voorzien, maar niet altijd wensten de mensen van die leiders of profeten weten, waardoor er verscheidene groeperingen ontstonden die elk dachten of denken de juiste aanbiddingswijze te hebben.
Does one need proof to come to a certain belief? We can look at the signs in nature and find out what happened to certain people in the past, such as Noah and Paul. With the Book of Books, Allah has provided the world with His Interpretative Word.
Heeft men bewijzen nodig om tot een bepaald geloof te komen? Wij kunnen naar de tekenen in de natuur kijken en nagaan wat er in het verleden met bepaalde mensen, zoals Noach en Paulus is gebeurd. Met het Boek der boeken heeft Allah de wereld van Zijn Alzeggend Woord voorzien.
When we speak about “Faith” (iman) we look at acceptance of the Belief in the existence and oneness of God (Allah).and the existence of the Book of books of which God is the author, existing of five main parts, the Torah (revealed to Moses),,the Psalms (revealed to David).and the Writings of Kings and prophets as well as the Gospel (revealed to Jesus) with the writings of his apostles,
Vergeet niet dat u bij elk van bovenstaande blogs u als volger kan registreren.
Remember that at each of the above blogs, you can register as a follower.
When you have a Facebook account, you may also connect to following Facebook Pages ("Like" them), to get updates of newly published articles.
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Wanneer u een Facebook Account hebt kan u de volgende Pagina's ook "Leuk" vinden en aangeven dat u berichtgevingen wenst te ontvangen zodat u steeds op de hoogte wordt gehouden van nieuwe publicaties.
Biblestudents – Bijbelstudenten
A Google Site presenting the Biblestudents with articles in English and Dutch – Voorstelling van de Bijbelstudenten met artikelen in het Nederlands en Engels
Christen Focus
Vanuit de Bijbelonderzoekers oogpunt kijkend waarop de mens hoorrt te focussen
Getuigen voor Christus
Tegenover de Getuigen van Jehovah zijn er ook de Getuigen voor Christus die Getuigenis afleggen voor Christus en zijn God Jehovah.
Relating to God wordPress Blog
Proving there is Only One True God which should be honoured and followed and how we can come in a better relationship with Him by following His only begotten son Jesus Christ as the Way to God.
Unmasking anti-Jehovah people
Debunking all the false sayings of those who fight against non-trinitarian groups and people
Blogroll
Hoop tot leven
Platform van Marcus Ampe voor hulpverlening en hoop geving
Christadelphian
Belgian Christadelphians
Google site with articles in English from the Belgian Brothers in Christ or Christadelphians
C4All
Christ For All – Presenting ways to find Christ in your life
C4U – Christ for you & Christadelphians for you
Site of Brothers and Sisters in Christ, who love the Creator and His creations and want people to show who is the way to Him and to His Kingdom where there shall be peace for ever.
Our World
News and thoughts about what is happening in the world, brought by the Free Christian Marcus Ampe. – Een kijk op het wereldgebeuren vanuit het standpunt van de Vrije Christen Marcus Ampe
Relating to God wordPress Blog
Proving there is Only One True God which should be honoured and followed and how we can come in a better relationship with Him by following His only begotten son Jesus Christ as the Way to God.
Immanuel Verbondskind
A site where issues of Judaism, Christianity, Islamism, their search for continued authenticity and relevance for today are discussed and looked at the position of the Jeshuaist community wrestling with the non- or anti-religious world
Jeshuaisme
Het Jeshuaisme brengt volgers van de Nazareense rebbe Jeshua (door velen beter gekend als Jezus Christus) te samen en verenigd Jehudiem (Jehoediem) of Joden zowel als goyim of niet-Joden en doet een oproep naar alle soort gelovigen en niet-gelovigen om Je
Jeshuaist
Personal pages of a Flemish Jeshua-ist – Persoonlijke paginas van een Vlaamse Jeshuaist
Jeshuaist communities
A community of real followers of Christ, assembling for sharing the Good News of the works of the Moshiach Jeshua and his heavenly Father the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.
Jeshuaist Focus
Uiteenzetting hoe eenieder tot het Volk kan behoren dat het Koninkrijk van god zal mogen binnentreden
Jeshuaisten – Jeshuaists
Een plaats van en voor liefhebbers van de Joodse Nazarener rabbi Jeshua om het bijbelkennis te versterken. – A site of and for lovers of the Nazarene Jewish rabbi Jeshua to strengthen their knowledge of the Scriptures.
Jeshuaists (or Yeshuaists)
Jeshuaists (or Yeshuaists) are followers of the Nazarene rebbe Jeshua who presented himself as a sent one from the Adonai Most High Elohim, Hashem Jehovah.
Jeshuaists for Jehovah
Followers of the Nazarene rebbe Jeshua witnessing for him and his God, the Only True God of Isrrael, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.
Our World
News and thoughts about what is happening in the world, brought by the Free Christian Marcus Ampe. – Een kijk op het wereldgebeuren vanuit het standpunt van de Vrije Christen Marcus Ampe
Some View on the world
Marcus Ampe presenting general and religious newsitems. – Wereldse en religieuze nieuwsfeiten bekeken onder de loep van Marcus Ampe.
Stepping Toes
A Lifestyle magazine which can be for some a provocative site created by Marcus Ampe
After Halloween, we have now arrived at Thanksgiving, the first of a series of holidays where we get together with the family to socialise.
For those who shall be free on Thanksgiving day and shall come together to have a nice meal, do not forget what is behind the idea of the holiday. thank God for all the things you may have and for the blessings which may come over your family.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-858461910-5bd1ebf346e0fb00266fe022.jpg)
BlogMas
alsowritten
Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten
belgischebroedersinchristus
Bijbelvorsers
Christadelphians
Guestspeaker
Immanuel Verbondskind
jeshuaist
Vragensteller - Inquirer
lizaborstlap
Marcus Ampe
Success Inspirers' World
obligingworldviewer
Fan of Pequeña Sudamérica
Relating to God
From guestwriters 