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A Blog on Biblical thoughts |
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Biblical Thoughts and questions from reading God's word. |
| Ephesians 6:11-13 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Christians are primarily concerned about representing Christ in the world and this is most clear cut in the ministry, though even here great wisdom is needed when interacting with varying cultures and people. The more prevalent questions of living out faith in our Lord Jesus Christ occur in the world for everyone from politicians to farmers. We fight in the case of immorality by fleeing it and weare also told to resist the devil, but what does this mean? Our lives must be of deliberate choices. Choices running the gambit of putting our kids in a school system steeped in evil philosophy to questions of government and holiday celebration. If rich would I invest in such companies as Disney in order to maybe influence its core or would I stay away from such as a corrupted entity? Would I vote for the lesser of two evils or would I only vote for the individuals I knew were on my side. Other questions for the more oppressed include do they rebel, realizing that authority comes from God and has no right when it itself is mired in rebellion or do we submit realizing all authorities even the most corrupt are only there because God has allowed it? Not fighting as the world fights does not mean Christians do not always bear arms nor does it mean they always do. What fighting as a Christian truly means is to crucify our flesh daily and follow him. Surely whatever we seek to do a large part of our lives must be spent on our knees. In this we realize like ancient Israel that the battle belongs to the Lord. |
| Luke 9:61-62 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” There are many such verses as the one above we are also plainly warned that you can't love the world and God and in the Old Testament the most famous example is Lot's wife turning to salt, Yet what is looking back while King Saul fell from the position of authority because he looked to man he could not be said to look back, Samson though constantly unfaithful was not accused of looking back. In the New Testament, in Acts 8, Simon the Sorcrer wanted the power of God for selfish gain but this appears to bot be looking back. With many sins great and small looking back seems especially egregious Like a married individual wanting a former lover. |
This week I read that someone said Israel could not stand alone against the world. This is ironic because With God this is exactly what will happen in the end of days. Israel was always smaller and surrounded by powers and yet they survived and when they truly sought God they thrived. Biblically speaking there is no question that Judea and Samarie like Gaza should be under the control of the children of the promise. It is because of this promise and their unique relationship with God that groups such as the terrorist Hamas will always hate this nation. However, except for when God allows it is also why their attacks will all ultimately fail. just like God is purifying the Church and bringing it back to act so he is also bringing the people of promise back to their place symbolized by the rebuilding of the temple. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. It was also interesting that the king of England was going to have a prayer with the head of an apostate church. This is important because England is one of the primary nations God used to bring about the birth of awakening and the birth of America as a light upon a hill in the world. First the group called the Catholic church was filled with corruption from its practices in confession and teaching of good works to its veneration of men and outright paganism. Now England continues the World's march towards the embracing of such religion and debasement. |
| This week Israel made peace with the terrorist Hamas and it reminded me of another time Israel made peace with an ancient enemy. It is true the group itself may not rise again but the agreement has not secured peace from those who hate that people.Then again while I have great respect for both the Prime minister and the US president scripture makes it clear true peace will not return until Christ puts down the Dragon and his Antichrist. 1 Kings 20:35-43 35 By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused. 36 So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him. 37 The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him and wounded him. 38 Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent[b] of silver.’ 40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” “That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.” 41 Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’” 43 Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria. |
| Jesus said in John 14:6 that he is the way the truth and the life. Is it any wonder men who deny God love death. This leads to the question of what death is and why is it popular. Death is separation both from our bodies and if we do not know the Lord from Him. Finally, how does the love of death manifest itself in the lives of fallen man? Death the result of sin is manifest in the corruption of our world. We see it in the basic nature of fallen man and of animals or even the plants of this planet. we see this separation it in unfaithfulness, in divorce, in baby murder and assisted suicide. We see the power of death in war, in weather and in our own selfish lost selves. Death or separation reveals itself in the mind causing men to embrace a madness accepting the unnatural as ordinary thus separating reality from created order. This is also true in the mind of those who hate Israel and are constantly calling her an occupier in her own land. Finally, this mental denial is found in those deconstructed who denie the faith not because of any real new evidence but because of circumstances in their own lives. This manifestation reveals itself in our lack of punishment for the unethical and lawbreakers. We are all in need of great mercy but to coddle and reward criminal's kike illegals or the Hammas flotilla, whose members, in a sane world, should have spent a good amount of time in prison, are worshipping death. In the end man defying God's rule loves death. He loves it because he thinks separation will bring him autonomous freedom. However, we were made to worship and fleeing from God only brings slavery. This powerful spirit of death is the last enemy defeated by Christ as scripture says 1 Cor 15:26, though of course it was defeated at the cross. We are no longer separated from God when under the blood of Christ. |
| Several news articles of late caught my eye from todays the death of another fairly well-known evangelical preacher to a story earlier this week asking what Israel would do without US friendship, God Forbid. The US is used by God, but Israel will not only survive but thrive because God has put it where it is. As for the death of another Christian icon the influence of Christe's Church is waning in the world not because of lack of power but because Christ has allowed it and in the end all nations hate true believers. We also had the ridiculous claim that Christ was coming this Jewish feast- while there is some biblical backing for Christ to come at such a time such predictions are wrong unless absolute revelation because they bring discredit in the worlds eyes, but scripture does say men in the last days will say where is the promised coming which has been foretold. |
| There are obviously men who are first to spread the gospel to unreached groups. and based on one of Websters definition of apostle they fit the criteria, however biblically the question of modern apostleship and its authority is far trickier. Apostles of scripture as noted in the gifts of the Spirit are defined as more than missionaries. Nevertheless, even Paul acknowledges that the mark of his apostleship was those he was called to reach (1 Cor 9:2). Many point to the 11 and how they replaced steven, which I believe by the way was not God’s will as Paul was later an apostle and by this grafting as it were the twelve would have been complete. If apostle is defined by one of the twelve or one who was with Jesus during his earthly ministry, then apostles can’t exist today. Paul also battled false teachers and apostles as found in 2 Corinthians 11. Likewise, whatever the answer we battle false claims of authority today from the inherited power of Rome, which is shown to be false by the unbiblical teachings various officeholders have espoused, to smaller heresies Whether true modern apostles exist or not there are certainly counterfeits and this gives one cause to consider. There are certainly places in scripture which could be used for the support or denial of such of more apostles. One such place of indirect support is found in Romans 1 Where Paul referred to a "we " which refers to more than one apostle to the gentiles, unless of course this is a miss translation. It is noteworthy that if an apostle is a special office of someone specifically designated by Christ himself then though rare why would some not exist today. This is supported by the question, why are 12 Thrones for the direct apostles of Jesus as found in Matthew 19:28. In the end this question like all biblical questions comes down to the nature and acts of God which are important so that we give him and those he appoints to various offices due respect while rejecting and spurning and who would seek to falsely appropriate God’s glory. |
| There are similarities and differences between talents and spiritual gifts. Both come from God and grow in effectiveness with use but are not the same. Spiritual gifts are given to believers at or after salvation as seen in Ronas 12:6 and 1 Cor 12:1-11. While these gifs given for the good of the body of Christ. We are given talents or other advantages at birth which come from genetics and environment. This is why I always laugh when churches give out tests like personality tests to find peoples spiritual gifts because while these tests are great at discovering personality and bent but they are irrelevant when diagnosing true gifts. Some gifts such as Teaching might be confused with the talent of teaching even these two are different though complimentary things. The talent of teaching is honed and based on facts and personality while the gift enables individuals with or without training to connect and convey learning beyond their natural abilities and this is with the more so called lesser giftings or callings. If one is truly gifted prophetically, for instance I know of no test that can determine this! |
| I saw a story today that Senator Tim Kaine thought rights coming from God rather than government was equivalent to Theocratic Iranian thinking. This commonsense acknowledgement of course is the total opposite. If our rights come from the Creator of life, then government has no business taking these away. Just as we are told in scripture to uphold government should not infringe on what has been given to the people. It was nice to see some politicians still are educated in this nations birth as Senator Ted Cruz who cited the Declaration of Independence which read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. |
| Salvation or the trusting in Christ and believing he rose from the dead is simple; being a Christian not so much. Today there is a great confusion about what it means to be a Christian or one who has a personal relationship with Christ as both his Lord and Savior. Hence though less on the forefront there is an uncertainty about what is salvation. Satan has done a masterful job of high jacking this name. Some think the title Christian is synonymous with being religious and others think they can be Christian without being religious. Both positions are untenable. Being a Christian or “little Christ” is also often confused with the religion of philanthropy or one of social gospel. Satan loves this twist because the gospel is stripped of its uniqueness and robbed of its power. To bear the title Christian is a great honor and we should oppose those most fiercely who take it unjustly. We seek to rescue others from the fire while pursuing God’s continual purging of our own impurity. Scripture makes it clear that Our works can't and will not save us as s it is by grace from first to last. In all afflictions and good times, we remember that no matter the burden of the responsibility the cost of rebellion is much greater than any current price. You can be a member of any denomination or cult and not be bought with the blood, but you can't remain a Christian and stay a part of many groups. Ultimately the World hates Christians because they testify as Jesus did that much of what it does is wrong. Nobody likes their pet beliefs or practices to be called evil or perverse. The prayer of every Christian should be that the Spirit of God is on them is such a way that their life is a testimony and hated or loved people know without being told that man or woman is a child of God; they are Christian. |
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