All Discussion PAGE 381

Bro. Dan. As I stated, "but if we don't (attain sinlessness) in our lifetime, then we not only never had Christ abiding in us...simply because we have committed even that one sin"; & you wrote, "It is not just about "one sin". It's about a lifetime of continual sin"; I was given to understand that 1 John 3:6,9 showed that abiding in Christ meant that NO sin would be committed, not "a lifetime of continual sin".

Whereas I referred to the Greek & Giannis also gave his take on it, refuting the belief that if we are truly His then no sin would be found in us (for that is what the Scripture states, "doth NOT commit sin". i.e. an impossibility to sin since Christ is in us & we in Him). Not "a habitual repeating of sin" here, for no sincere true believer would ever find delight in such a state, but committing just ONE sin - this is what we're dealing with here as pertaining to the Scriptures.

Then you referred to 1 John 1:9, which is a verse I fully accept because we still sin, yet finding forgiveness, with a determination to put that sin(s) aside. But that verse applies to those overtaken by a sin - it wouldn't apply to any who have no sin, as 1 John 3:6,9 apparently implies. Therefore, I think that your quote, "It is not just about "one sin" - It's about a lifetime of continual sin", may be what's causing us confusion. Are you thinking of someone speaking lies, committing adultery, etc. continuously without repentance or restraint? Or, are you including those three examples I shared when the Spirit alerts one that sin is committed when an isolated persistent thought or feeling arises, yet with no evidence of an outward expression or tantrum? I deal with sin as it surfaces but I won't live in a false spiritual bubble trying to believe that I will never fall into some sin & that sinless perfection is a present experience. Yes, we must strive to deal with sin & be holy but to believe that sin will never rear its ugly head, is beyond the whole biblical message. Blessings.

Amen Free.

I love you too brother.

God bless and Good night.

Amen Chris.

I see it as you do concerning the indwelling of the spirit upon the people of Israel. It was different than the way he indwells the Church.

In the Old Testament God often spoke in types, allegorically and similitudes. They also didn't have spiritual understanding of the new covenant ministry and the Church.

We see this evident when the Lord was talking to Nicodemus and also the Samaritan woman at the Well.

They had no idea what being born from above meant or what worshiping in truth and in spirit meant.

They didn't have the Holyspirit IN them as you see mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26-27

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, AND "CAUSE" YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND YE SHALL KEEP MY JUDGMENTS, AND DO THEM.

(He will cause them to walk in his statutes,) "That hadn't taken place yet "

The death burial and resurrection hasn't taken place yet, Therefore the baptism of the Holyspirit that quickens the believer wasn't a part of their ministry and wasn't meant to be. If it had been part of their ministry righteousness would have come by the law.

We would be under the Leviticus priesthood and Christ wouldn't be our High Priest.

The spirit would come upon them to minister but It seems there was a certain season for certain things he would reveal to them.

Also God spoke to them by prophets he would anoint, today he speaks to us by his Spirit that teaches us the things of Christ as mentioned in John 14:26. (Church things!) "Something that wasn't revealed to them at that time".

Without the Holyspirit they would not have had an blood tipped ear to receive them. John 16:12-14.

Note;

I'm not digging into eschatology but focusing on Israel and their sacrifices and the law, what God required of them and what thet put their trust in.

I'm fully in agreement with you.

God bless you.

God bless.

Romans 3:23

1 John 1:8

Romans 3:10

The Bible makes it clear that all sin and it says those who claim they don't sin are lying. I think this gets confused with God wiping away and "not remembering" sin if (and only if) we're a genuine Christ follower.

Some believe that a force from God forces you to be sinless as a Christian and that you can just kick back and backslide because you're basically on spiritual autopilot. I believe the Bible debunks this. Even Paul, who was probably the best evangelist for Christianity in world history, admitted that he deeply struggled with sin and said he naturally doesn't want to do what is good, he's in a spiritual war with himself and his own flesh. This means that even for him there wasn't this autopilot force making him be sinless, he worked at it very, very hard, and he struggled and had enormous trials and obstacles and persecution. Some assume God is a genie in a bottle existing to serve and make you comfortable, but its closer to the opposite. God bless.

Giannis,

You have explained well. Whereas we as believers did learn from and early age the commands of God that we were expected to follow because He saved us and we love Him, so we teach our own children from a young age to obey God also. This is good parenting and what we certainly should do. As we grow in grace and knowledge of God through the taking in of His Word, the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification changes us to become more and more Christ-like, (who obeyed ALL of the commands of the law and the will of His Father. We are to imitate Him in our godly conduct because doing so glorifies Him, witnesses of Him to others, and creates in us godly character so that we can love Him with all our being and to love others by avoiding to do harm to them in any way. We train our minds and hearts to think on the things Philippians 4 tells us to occupy our minds with which will crowd out the thoughts and inclinations that come from our sinful nature. We take every thought captive to the word of God, which is a command given us by God through Paul.

Pt 2

But this as I said is not an automatic process. One has to want to follow God's Law and strive in prayers, and not only in prayers, but in reading the Word of God, in having communion with other believers, attending a congregation where the ministries given by God work, in other words by having a decent christian life. Also by avoiding doing sins, what we feed ourselves that we will become. Is one feeds himself say with sinful movies which include violence then they can't expext that they grow in love and peace and sanctification, can they? This is a very brief summary. Where I want to come to is that the Spirit of God cleans us as much as we allow Him to clean us. He doesn't force us, He doesn't overcome our freedom and will and choises. He goes as far as we allow Him to go. That is why in the parable of the Seed one field produces 30, the other 60 and the other 100. So it is not an auto pilot that one puts in his car and then the thing goes on its own. So first one has to read the Bible and see what God expects from them and then try to make that a reality in their life using God's grace which will produce a fruit in their life. And this is not done overnight, it takes a whole lifetime to succeed, to any degree one succeeds it.

Well brother I hope I haven't confused you, I am not that fluent in English and I strive to express my thoughts and often the result is not that successful. If I misunderstood your post, then sorry about that.

GBU

Pt 1

Hello Chris.

Firstly sorry about my late response.

Generally speaking I do agree with what you have written, with most of it. It is true that in the N.T. the moral law of God is not limited in those 10 (9) commandments, there is more, and I don't think that any of those 9 is not valid any more. Actually in the O.T. there were more than the Decalogue, those were a summary or the main ones or some commandements that were representative of that moral law.

Now, nowadays. If we limit our knowledge to what the Spirit of God produces in us then we could say that we have no need to read the Bible or that apostle Paul was wrong to write instructions to churches including suggestions about what to do and what to avoid. Yes, one could say that most of them is common sense, even unbelievers could have thought of them. But it is also true that the Word of God works as food, milk in the beggining, meat later on. So we need it to grow spiritually.

How does the Spirit works in us? The Spirit produces its fruit which is love, joy, peace... But is this an automatic process? The way I understand it: I have to look to what God expects from me firstly. How is that done? It is done by reading His Word which includes His moral law which represents His righteouness. Then when I have that knowledge I strive to do that in my life. How is that done? At first I do what I am able to do. Secondly, where I saw that my limits are beyond what God expects from me (who can say that love their enemy?) then I asked God's grace which means that I srtive in prayers by getting filled with God's Spirit. To be clear I give an example. When I see that I get upset and angry easily and although I strive to overcome my anger still I am not able to do it, then I go to prayer and I say to God, "Dear Lord this is my limit, my ceiling, can't get higher than that, please help me", and I stay in prayer getting filled with God's Spirit which gradually produces a fruit inside me, and that fruit grows and grows...

Does God lie ? Genesis chapter 8 verse 21 . No , God does not ever lie , that's a human thing .

So , if any human is capable of living a sinless life , what do we need Christ for ? What did he accomplish ? If there is any sinless person , could they have offered themselves as a sacrifice that would have done the same thing that Christ's sacrifice did ? Doesn't believing that any human can live a sinless life , diminish massively that which Christ accomplished ? As everything that passes through our hearts and minds , is as obvious and clear to God , as everything that we say and do is as obvious and clear to everyone around us , do we really believe that any human can lead a sinless life ? We are all totally open books to God , do any of us really believe that we always have pure hearts and minds ? I believe I can live sinless for about.....five seconds maybe . Do we all agree on what sin is ? Maybe we all have different ideas about what sin is . Numbers chapter 15 verse 22-31,Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 9 .

Hello Bro Dan.

If the belief that a beleiver does not commit sin any longer after they have been born again and saved, then how do you explain:

1. Matthew 12:43-45, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."

2. How do you explain the parable of the prodigal son.

3. How do you explain the 5 unwise virgins that were left out of the marriage.

In your answer you said that 1 John 1:8-9 is for unbelievers. But in 1 John 2:1 it says, "MY LITTLE CHILDREN, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin (because this will be eventually done sometime), we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"

In verses 8-9 it says, "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him." Pay attention that HIS BROTHER, then it says that i he hates him then he stays in darkness. That means that it is possible to hate his brother, hence doing a sin. And that is for a believer.

GBU

Hi Frankie,

Thanks for your input, on this topic: Are We Addicted to Sin.

I sincerely appreciate your presentation of pertinent scripture regarding sin and our ongoing obedience to God, and your well reasoned logic directed at some of issues required of us to work toward achieving a sin free life in God at some point. I will admit, it is hard, but not impossible! Matt 17:20 It is hard in the sense that in order to do so - we can't continue to live in our current worldly lifestyle, and we can't continue to to tell ourselves and others Satan's lie: that we can't stop sinning. If we are to pick up our Cross and follow Christ it will certainly require worldly lifestyle changes, and a positive change in our thinking, and total acceptance of the scriptures like 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 3:9, so we can't just remain in denial and just dismiss these scriptures!

Also, thanks for sharing your personal testimony and life experience's leading you to ministry school, and your ongoing and continuing struggle for the truth, as it applies to God, Faith and sin. I believe you also understand our need to be obedient first, and I believe we can agree "it requires our total obedience to know God and the Holy Spirit" and in so doing, we learn to obey His words, please Him and really know Him. Rom 12:2 Philippians 2:12-16

Thanks for the book reference, No Cross-No Crown. I will certainly look forward to reviewing it.

GBU

The Faith of Abraham and Sarah resulted in a Child called Isaac.....Which was a Child of Promise....Their Faith was a type of a pregnancy....Abraham wd be the Father of a multitude.....Sarah was too old to have Children.....But she got pregnant b/c of their faith which answers to the 1st Promise that Abraham wd be multiplied as the sands of the seas.....But God didn't Sware by himself in the 1st Promise.....Of the multiplication of Abraham's seed......God only swore by himself in the 2 nd Promise...That Christ wd be mutiplied as the stars of Heaven which was a New Covenant Gen.22 :17.....When Jesus died at Calvary....when a seed dies it multiplies...So Faith under this New covenant has a greater Promise.....Thus the Child of Promise under the new covenant is the H.G....The Child of Promise By Faith.....Real Faith under this N.C. is a spiritual pregnancy......Its Christ that is gona be multiplied as the stars of heaven..... Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.....When a woman is pregnant she has the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.....She brought forth a manchild....Which is the Child of PROMISE....Remember that 2 nd Promise when God swore by himself......Thats y Jesus is saying to whom the word came it made them Gods.....b/c i have spoken these words ( his seeds ) Sorrows have filled your hearts a spiritual pregnancy.....As Faith comes by hearing his word which are his seeds.....Everything under this N.C. is heavenly in the spiritual realm.....As we have borne the image of the earthy we must also bear the image of the heavenly.....Now its the H.G. that is the Child of Promise....Our new Heart and new Spirit.....Thats y Jesus is saying that which is born of the spirit is spirit...Which is that Child of Promise the H.G.....Thats y he always refers to himself as the Son of man.....Mankind is gonna have a baby Christ.....But there was no such seed under the O.T...H.G.IS GONA BE BORN IN US.

Since I have some time to spare; and this probably won't be a high response posting; I'll make a few observations.

Noah was 600; and one could argue it is a typology of the 6000 years of the earth's existence before the Tribulation; followed by the 1000 years of the Millennium by 2 Peter 3:8.

In the time before the flood known as "Antidiluvian"; clearly men lived longer than afterwards. Thus; Adam and many of his progeny lived for 900 plus years; interestingly no one made it quite to 1000; which may be reserved to those who survive in the Millennium due to long life spans once again at that time with a paradise type of earth; albeit still with fallen men (see Isaiah 65:20). There was therefore the likelihood that many were only 2 or 3 generations from Adam by the time the flood came along; so that secondhand accounts of God's story of creation would leave wicked men without excuse. Enoch lived interestingly enough 365 years then was taken; perhaps somehow indicating a day symbolizing a year (although the old calendar was 360 days old); God also told Noah that He would only contend with men 120 years in Genesis 6:3 which could indicate their future lifespan limit; or the time left before the flood from that point.

In any case; God is longsuffering not wishing anyone to perish. ( 2 PEter 3:9). It is interesting that this verse is right after the one above that I quoted; and certainly explains why He waited so long to judge. Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" ( 2 Peter 2:5) but the narrative shows that only 8 were saved in the boat; and they were his immediate family. Sodom's destruction also followed a similar vein; in that case only Lot; his 2 daughters and wife came out of the city; and his wife turned back and was destroyed. In the flood; Nephilim would have contaminated man's bloodline as I see it from Genesis 6:9 that explains why no one else COULD be saved. His patience is seen with Sodom as well ( Gen. 18:32).

Chris,

Thanks for further explanation.

I agree that there is much unsaid about the OT saints, and so we look to the NT to know how one is saved, whether Jew or Gentile.

And also Chris,

When you say "'Faith' is what saves (i.e. necessary for justification) for both Jew & Gentile - the deeds of the Law having no part in it" what is the "faith" you are referring to? Is this Chris's Faith or Our Faith? This is not a distinction without a difference; it is the very essence of Salvation itself. And where we come down on this question determines the gospel we are trusting and proclaiming.

Galatians 4:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the "FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST", even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the "FAITH OF CHRIST", and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

What God is teaching here is that the faith that "saves" is Christ's Faith, His faithfulness in paying the full penalty for the sins of those He saves; not Our faith. And Our faith IN Christ and our justification is the RESULT of Christ's Faith. It is NOT THE RESULT of our faith. Our faith in Christ is a GIFT from God and is part and parcel of the Salvation and Justification that we receive because Christ has saved us.

Hi Chris,

You state: Maybe "we can get to a state of sinlessness" as you say,

It is not as I say, it is Jesus in Matt 17:20 and John in 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 3:9 and ultimately God, as the bible and all scripture if of God.

I'm accepting what God is telling us in these verses. These verses are tough Love, aren't meant to keep the sinful status quo, they are meant to wake us up! God does not want us to live the rest of our lives in sin.

You state: but if we don't in our lifetime, then we not only never had Christ abiding in us, but we actually belong to the devil, simply because we have committed even that one sin,

It is not just about "one sin". It's about a lifetime of continual sin. You must see this; if we continue to tell each other and believe we can never stop sinning, we will in fact lead a lifetime in sin.

If we commit one sin or multiple sins - at the time we commit that sin - we are not abiding in God. Anytime we are sinning we are Not abiding in God - we are abiding in Satan. If we repent and ask for forgiveness God will forgive us. But we must be sincere and stop the habitual repeating of sin.

You state: never finding freedom from it or any other sin. That would be an awful state to live in, if those verses are read & interpreted as given

Yes, I agree with you, that it is an awful state to live in sin, and these verses interpreted as given by God: are exactly meant to make us feel awful, hopefully to motivate us to really make changes, and work with Him and His Holy Spirit to rid ourselves of all sin. Is it better that we feel awful here on earth, if it promotes us to make the changes to accommodate Gods commands and receive His blessings ultimately winning the prize, and receiving eternal life in His Kingdom. Matt 18:22 Mark 9:43

In summary: God tells us not to sin - throughout the bible. I do not see one place - that God tells us sin is acceptable to Him. If you do, please present the scripture.

GBU

You

Good morning Chris.

Once again, I must strenuously disagree with the quote that you referenced on page 2 of your comment to Gigi.

I would encourage you to go back and read the book of Jonah. Read it very carefully and pay particular attention to, first the message of Jonah, and secondly, the response to that message of the Ninevites. And we know for a certainty that 120,000 Ninevites were saved.

The Ninevites were not Jews. They new virtually nothing of the God of the Bible. But they recognize Jonas' message, not as the word of Jonah, but as the word of God Himself. And we know from the rest of the Bible, that this was not because the Ninevites were somehow wiser or more worthy than anyone else that becomes saved. They were in fact, an exceptionally wicked people. They were sinners just like everyone that God saves.

So what happened here? God had worked in their hearts to save them. And he caused them to respond as they did. Just as God has worked in the heart of every True Believer throughout history. Not because it was a certain time in history, or because they were a certain people in history; but because they were sinners in desperate need of a savior, and God in His Mercy had chosen to save them before the foundation of the world. And this is exactly the same Salvation that God worked in the hearts of Abel and Noah and Abraham and David, and every true believer that God has saved throughout time.

When I look at the sum total of your comments, I feel that you are proclaiming a different salvation plan for different peoples based upon their time in history and their knowledge of the Bible.

And I believe when we fragment the Scriptures and begin to proclaim a different gospel for different times in history and for different peoples of the world, we are walking on very dangerous ground.

Good morning,

How are you doing? I am asking for prayer. I want to be delivered and set free.

The law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Christ Jesus..... John 1:17

......The law and the Prophets were until John since that time the Kingdom of God is preached and all men press into it Luke 16:16

There was no baptism of the H.G. till Christ came....Thus no new birth till Christ came.....No new Creature till Christ came....The H.G. was not given till Christ was glorified.....Thus no kingdom or real Salvation from Sin....till the woman births the manchild...... Rev. 12:10....Simply b/c the book of life was sealed with 7 seals.....Jesus wrote this book of life with his own blood at Calvary.....The O.T. answers to the 1st wine the law.....But the N.T. answers to the 2 nd wine which was the best wine.....The gift of the H.G. the Kingdom that is gonna rule all nations .....The wedding was not till the 3 rd Day which is the last day when Jesus turned the water into wine....

.......The Kingdom of God is not in meat or drink but in Joy and Peace in the H.G. Romans 14:17.....The REAL H.G. is the Kingdom of God.

.......But the O.T. was a shadow of things to come.....Just as Abraham Isaac and Jacob were multiplied as the sands of the seas so the heavenly Godhead will be multiplied as the stars of heaven.....Thus there will be an Israel of God as the stars of heaven....The seed of Christ will produce a heavenly ppl that are gona be born in us.....Which answers to our new hearts and new spirits.....The H.G. The Children of Promise.....Flesh and blood are not the real Children of God ....Its only the Children of Promise that are counted for the good seed Roman 9:8 kjv.....Which are Spirits the H.G. Plural...I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh....Thus the sower and his seed, his words as my words are SPIRIT and Life.....The field is the world...But this New Covenant is gonna make us Gods.....To whom the word came ( the living word) it made them Gods and the scriptures.....Thats y the Prophets were saying what manner of love has the father bestowed on us.

Hi Spencer

Amen!

to your questions;

1.Can you generate this height of Love on your own? No, the exhortation that Jesus gives us in these Scriptures creates a desire within us to please Him, which is a breaking up of the fallow ground of our hearts Hosea, 10:12 to the planting of this Seed, & as we are not a forgettful hearer of the word, but an exerciser of it, the Seed grows as God gives the increase according to our integrity & sincerity of heart towards Him. Hebrews 4:12,13

2.Is it not a fruit of the Spirit given once one IS saved? No, it to is an exercising of these virtues in the same manner describe above, Philippains 1:11, being filled 2 Cor 9:10 increasing; denoting a work in process, as we remain faithful, steadfast & true in His great work of regeneration within us.

in love & truth

Hello Alan Gbu....Lemme give ya my take on the parable of the Sower and his seed in Matthew 13.....My take is the wheat is a Baby Christ simply b/c the Sower of the good seed is Christ the bridegroom.....Thats y he has to know us in order the sow his good seed in our hearts.....Jesus said b/c i have spoken these Words ( his seed ) sorrows has filled your hearts.... a spiritual pregnancy.....But after the Child is born her sorrows are turned into Joy.... John 16:21....But the Child is spirit as he says that which is born of the spirit is spirit.....Thats the H.G. that Child of Promise....That New Creature that has to be born in us via his good seed.....Resulting in our new hearts and new Spirits....A new innerman that has to be born in us.....1 st the Child is born in us....Being bornagain of an incorruptible seed even by the words of God that liveth and abideth forever.....then the son, then the fullnest of the Kingdom of God in the Son the H.G. 3 measures....Untill we come into the full statue of the son of God.....Unless you receive the Kingdom of God as a lil Child ( our new birth ) you will in no wise enter there in.....Whosoever receiveth one such Child in my name receiveth me....That was the great Promise.....I will multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven....Thus the sower and his precious seed has to be sown in our hearts......Thats y he has to KNOW us.....And this knowledge is gonna cover this whole earth as the waters cover the seas..... Isaiah 11:9.....ok lemme go.....Hope this can be of some help to ya.....Gbu.....When Isaiah saw the Kingdom coming he said unto us a Child is born, unto us a son is given. Isaiah 9 :6.....I love it

Hi Chris

Your honesty & plainness of speech is admirable, & your struggles touch my heart, we all experience these working within our conscience. & to James 4:7, To all that would desire freedom from sin, God does His great work of redemption in these everyday ordinary experiences in life to cleanse us from all sin, Seek to understand the Cross & it will separate you from this sinful carnal nature.

No Cross No Crown, William Penn Chapter 1-8

In love & truth

Rev 22:17

in love & truth

Ty dear S Spencer, i need that this morning.

Love u in Christ, be safe and strong in Him.

Act 1

Christ's daily ministry: Prophecy

Prophecy was inextricably woven throughout all phases of Jesus' ministry. The Parables had hidden truths on His return; the fate of the Apostles and the future end time events were emphasized in Matthew 24; and His role of God in the flesh was brought to the attention of the Pharisees as well as to those who would worship Him recognizing His Divinity. In this regard; of course hell was discussed more than heaven including the real account of Lazarus and the rich (unnamed) man in hell.

It is truly remarkable to see how the miraculous signs and wonders were unable to wake anyone up to the truth who God didn't elect. Such is the case with the Parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Such is the case in Luke 16:31. In fact; when we consider the Crucifixion and Resurrection even clear evidences weren't enough to convince the Roman officials and those in power. This is abundantly clear from Matthew 28:13 where the soldiers were actually paid for "sleeping on the job" when such an offence by law would be a death penalty certainty. Men will go out of their way to lie; just as we saw with Lazarus being raised by Christ they saught to kill him and Christ because of their insane jealousy of His authority ( John 12:9-11).

In all of this we shouldn't avoid seeing the big picture. Christ in all of His ministry only did the Father's will ( John 8:28; 38; John 12:49). His exaltation; therefore and claims to Diviity were never self serving; but whowed God's plan. Somehow Christ would condescend to being a man; and have a life of sorrow and suffering ( Isaiah 53); then He would take on the sins of all His elect and be our atonement; dying on the cross and rising victorious. EXERCISING His authority would be after God grants it to Him ( John 28:18). He voluntarily emptied Himself of this authority so God could renew it (Phillipians 2:5-8).

Christ knew all men's hearts. We can say that all things were done in the Spirit by Him.

A day in the life of Christ: Ministering to individuals

Luke 17:17 shows how one man out of ten came back to worship God after being healed by Christ. If we read the text carefully; Jesus did instruct them to go to the priests (verse 14) after the healing. No doubt He knew their hearts as to those who would follow protocol and those who would recognize God at work and take time to appreciate that fact. To be technical unlike some other references at this stage it is unclear if this man knew He was the Messiah as it doesn't state that He worshipped Christ just gave Him thanks.

As we can see in this situation; Jesus would look for individuals when it came to healing; seeking those who had genuine faith. It is uncertain how many who He touched actually came to saving faith; and likely there were even less when it came to the crowds being fed. John 6:26 makes it clear that the signs weren't even something that moved them to consider the importance of these feeding sessions; at least with healings that couldn't be denied. Whether they had some sort of other reason for the miraculous provisions is unclear; or if they only cared about free food. Not finding any verses where God was praised for such an event makes us wonder.

Ministry to the Disciples

Some individuals; no doubt were incorporated into new disciples along with the 12 Apostles. The parables; however were given complete explanation by Christ to the 12; sadly often bringing upbraiding for their lack of faith and understanding. So; in a sense Christ had His favorites (the 12) and even a select few such as the 3 who went up in the Transfiguration; and John was apparently most beloved. In the preceding posting; we see how Peter was often severly rebuked; and in the one case Satan who was influencing his thoughts was exposed. Infighting as to who was the greatest certainly wasn't going to make Christ's day any easier and sadly they still were doing this the last week of His life.

Days in the life of Christ: Crowd control

It is clear from Mark 8 and numerous other passages that Christ had crowds following Him everywhere. This; no doubt was a large part of the reason He couldn't rest His head any place.

24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

Mistry to the crowds: Healings; feedings and Parables

What is noteworthy in Christ's ministry is His technique of aligning men's thoughts to the proper focus; that being Christ's purpose. The Parables acted as teaching of who Christ was; in a manner that would only reveal it to those who God draws to Him. Mark 8:30 is one example of Christ admonishing Peter on that subject. In God's Providence; when the truth WAS revealed it would either be to those who God drew; OR it would be given to those who clearly were rejecting Him (Pharisees); which would only elicit hatred and attempted assassinations (which would no doubt fit into His destiny of being captured; rejected and crucified). This is a very sobering thought to ponder; namely that information about who Christ is is never sufficient for conversion without God drawing a man. Jesus escaped man's attempts to kill Him until the proper hour; but also He didn't want to be worshipped as King of the Jews to be a conquering hero because His own people couldn't see the suffering servant prophecy that needed to be fulfilled first. We see how this worked when the crowds shouted "Hosanna" the beginning of His last week on earth; then before it was over were shouting "crucify Him." ( John 19:6). Also as we see a few verses later ( Mark 8:33) Satan was working in Peter to try to stop Him from going to the cross. The cross is an offense to man; and we should look at it's beauty and horror in one picture of this event as it pertains to our atonement and justification by crushing God's son ( Isaiah 53:10).

A day in the life of Christ ( Mark 6-8 example)

Before discussion on the giftings in the Spirit which Christ would utilize; I thought the general content of the messages would be pertinent to the subject at hand. Healing was something in the miraculous that Christ seemed to be unrestrained in procuring throughout His traveling ministry; with the exception being the Pharisees and those in His own hometown.

Mark 6

4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

The above example may be a classic case of "not seeing the forest through the trees." Those who knew Him best really knew Him the least. Seeing who He is; of course only comes through Divine guidance. Mark 7:29 shows the example further explained in Matthew 16:17 where it says that only the Father reveals this kind of information. In any case; Christ would go out of His way even to a Syrophoenician woman; to perform a healing ( Mark 7:26).

So; let us briefly review Jesus' ministry to others as we earlier examined His personal prayer life.

Ministry to the Pharisees and those of His hometown. Unbelief was; to say the least a fundamental principle in ministry to his local contacts and the Pharisees. It was; you may say a "necessary evil" as the Pharisees were entrusted to the law (which they added many further ordinances to put men in bondage). There was still a procedure whose framework Jesus expected people to follow; but not their hypocritical actions ( Matthew 23:3). So until Jesus was crucified and Resurrected He needed to deal with them; largely so that the rest of the Jewish believers could be able to worship in the soon to be abrogated Old Covenant ways.

Ministry to the crowds.

Ministry to individuals.

Ministry to the Disciples

More to come.

please remember me and my family today

Hello Katy. If you're looking for those exact words, then you can type them individually, as 'murmur, complain' in the Search the Bible box at the top left of the main pages. All the references to those words in the KJV (Old & New Testaments) will show up.