All Discussion PAGE 727

Hello Bplumley. We read about this in 1 Corinthians 9:24,25: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

As you've read the chapter, the Apostle Paul wrote about how specific his ministry was to both Jew & Gentile - that he was doing everything possible to evangelize them & win them to Christ (v22: "...that I might by all means save some).

Then he encourages the Corinthian believers to also do likewise: 'to run the race (the race of living the Life of Christ in them & in service to Him), so that they might win the prize.' Here, Paul alludes to the Corinthian/Isthmian games which his readers would have been familiar with. The athletes had only one thing on their minds: to gain the coveted prize (the crown of special leaves placed on the head or neck, garlanding the winner). But how long did the wreath last for? In a few days, the leaves dried & withered, and in a few months or years, the winner's name might also be forgotten. This Paul called the 'corruptible crown'. Even though the athletes maintained a heavy regimen of training throughout the year in preparation, they did it all for a momentary period of glory & recognition.

For Paul though, and for the believer, our crown (the incorruptible crown), is that which is given by the Lord Himself to His children who have struggled & won the battle against the onslaughts of our enemy, Satan. Paul said "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection...", which means that he exercised great discipline in his Christian walk & singular focus on his calling to evangelize. This he willingly did, knowing that his reward lay with Jesus, a crown incorruptible, and not like what man might gain on Earth.

For the crowns (or, recognition) mentioned, see: 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4; James 1:12.

Bplumley,

We as believers receive an incorruptible crown. It says in 1 Corinthians 9:25 "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."



So, every man that strives for the mastery, (or discipline), is temperate (disciplined and controlled) in all things.



I'm not sure if you've ever been in sports, but if you have, you know that unless you have a natural ability, you have to be disciplined in what you eat, how much sleep you get, and how much you exercise.



Now they do it, (and he's talking about the colosseum games), they do it to obtain a corruptible crown;



They get this little wreath that weaves around your head and dies out in a couple of days. That's a corruptible crown. They go through all of that just for that?



But we, (believers) an incorruptible crown. This is eternity with Christ and the crown He has to give. He gives us an incorruptible crown. He gives us eternal life.

Thanks brother for that useful short Greek lesson. When you wrote "Ancient greek - Dee-oh-treh-feh(long)s", it seems that what Strong's has shown is very similar - so maybe this ancient Greek is what's being used.

And then you mentioned, "Modern greek - Thee-oh-treh-fee(short)s, stressed in the last syllable." This was interesting, because in Hindi/Urdu, we have the 'heavy D' (the tongue dropping from the roof of the mouth) and the 'soft D' (tongue between the teeth). And then we get the 'aspirated D' (heavy D with air expelled). So I can appreciate that in Greek also, there are similar variations to alphabetical sounds.

As for German, I did a year's study while at school. Was able to read it fairly well, but got only a little further than, 'ich bin, du bist, er ist, etc. etc.' Languages are wonderful - wish I had the gift to acquire them more easily & fully. Thanks again for taking the time to help us appreciate your wonderful language, that of the NT.

Anything that doesn't have eternal value is corrupted. Anything that has been touched by sin has been corrupted. All mankind can achieve a crown as a reward of his doings but with no eternal value. Corruption carries a death sentence with a rot that will corrupt what it comes in contact with. Just as in Adam all have sinned and have been corrupted through the deceit of self-righteousness (pride) as their crown of glory. Only "in Christ" is incorruption found and honored as pleasing as voice by God himself ( Matthew 3:17). Christ alone is God's only means of righteous standing before Him as Holy and acceptable, therefore without the "crown" of Christ righteousness you have no righteousness of your own to be in the presence of the only Holy Righteous God. You must understand simple terminology laid out in the KJV bible which many times is lost or left out in other versions such as "in", "of". Example: we are saved and live by faith "in" Christ, but we are to walk by the faith "of" Christ (Rom.3:22, Gal.2:16, Phil.3:9). Remember small words can carry a lot of meaning. Rightly dividing the Word of Truth must be an essential in understanding (2Tim.2:15 and this verse you find changed in other versions) the Bible. In short, the crown is your reward of life, and all will receive a crown; the unrighteous (in Adam as the lost) to everlasting destruction (resulting in hell and separation from God b/c of rejecting Christ for salvation) and the righteous (as the saved and sanctified in Christ) unto Eternal life (with God).

Inami,

I encourage you to begin reading the Bible starting with the book of Romans, then the gospel of John.

Dear Anonymous,

The truth is that all people know that they are sinners, even if they are very scientific minded. Science studies natural phenomena. But sin is a spiritual matter, and all of us have a soul that knows we have done wrong to others. This does not mean that they actually know God in the Christian sense, but everyone is made aware of God's existence in some way. Read Romans chapter 1. God sees to it that everyone is made aware. But many will refuse to submit to God and forsake their ways, so they try to find ways to convince themselves that God does not exist. But deep down they know He does, they just don't want him to exist because then they must face His knowledge of and conviction of their own sin.

Dear Robert, Thank you for standing in the gap decisively last month. I will pray for you.

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus and ask that You bring a swift answer to the intercession made by

Robert and others. We ask that You rescue so many people from their "traffickers" and bust apart the network that allows such abuse to happen, especially in Alaska. We ask that you resolve all matters for Robert concerning his college work so that he can earn his Master's degree as planned. We ask that You stand in the gap for Robert against all those who have stood against him in his intercessory work and outspokenness. Deliver him from their snares, corrupt ways, and interference in his business. Lord, we believe that You are the Victorius One. So, we entrust Robert and all that his life entails into Your loving and able hands. Amen.

Yes, that is a beautiful song. It is a "fighting" song, because our praise is our weapon to resist the enemy so he flees.

I pray that whatever is pushing against you is run off by the Holy Spirit in you as you praise and worship our great Lord and Saviour. He fights for us. He is for us. He is stronger that any enemy. He always wins!

Jennifer, I do hope you have had a good day. I pray that your strength remains so you can go to the store and any other tasks you must do after work today. Amen.

Dear Van, I will pray for your recovery tonight.

Dear Lord, Jesus. Please help Van in this time of illness. Take away the infecting agent that is giving these symptoms. Cause his body to fight against it with the wonderful immune system you created in us. Hallelujah! Improve his health right away and reduce these symptoms as he moves ahead into the healing You are bringing him. Amen.

Anonymous,

Doo not give heed to what your friends say. They know nothing about what God can do in a person. In Jesus, you are made a new creation. The old person died with Jesus on the cross and when you believed in Him, He gave you new life in Him. In His life there is not bisexuallity or homosexuality. His will is only for believers to be heterosexual as we are designed to be by Him. So, since He has made you a new creation in Him and You now have His life operating in you, you indeed can live the rest of your life as a straight person. But even more than that, because of His grace, you now have the power to live a holy (set apart for God) and godly (doing what Jesus would do) life.

Just for thought, I'd like to mention how confusing and crazy the teen years can be, as you know in the present. But being determined to live by faith in Jesus and trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide you and protect your life in Christ, you can move forward towards adulthood stronger and with more wisdom than ever before. Stay the course of faith, Anonymous. God will see you through. Your friends do not define who you are, Jesus does. And their approval or disapproval is insignificant when you consider that you are "approved of God in Christ", His precious child who loves you more that your friends ever could (by leaps and bounds) and He treasures you. So, remember, your approval and worth are drawn from God. He smiles on you, delights in you, and sings over you. ( Zephaniah 3:14-17, especially verse 17).

Dear Angela, I will pray for you and your family today. I just want to give a little encouragement to you today. The blood shed by Jesus has already cleansed you of all of these things. They are out of you. The Holy Spirit lives within you and He does not share your soul with evil beings. So be assured that God has already delivered you from all these things you mentioned here. If you are participating in any activities you mentioned, then repentance and turning away is needed. But if not, then know that Jesus is Your protection, shield, and hedge around you. He will repel all of these things that others may be wishing upon You. He is stronger than all the conjuring any human can do and any evil being that is summoned to interfere with your life. On the cross, Jesus despoiled Satan and all his powers. Amen!

Dear Heavenly Father, we bring before You today Angela and her family in the mighty name of Jesus the Conqueror. Surround Angela and her family with the Your power and strength today so that Angela and her family will not have need to be afraid of what others wish to do to her or what has occurred in the past. You are LORD God of today. Yesterday is gone and taken care of by Your Son, Jesus. Hallelujah! Bring a deep sense of peace and serenity into Angela and her family members. Fill their home with joy and laughter, loving interactions, but most of all with thoughts and talk of You, prayers, reading and sharing Your Word. especially out loud. Father, answer all of Angela's petitions here today and bring her assurance that You have answered all of them, because it is Your will for none of these things to prevail in her life and in her family. Amen.

Every person , including Christians , has sinful thoughts . None of us are exempt from sinful thoughts . It's very important to recognise this , you are not different from others , our sinful thoughts maybe different kind to yours but we all have them . It's also important that you continue to try very hard not to give into these thoughts . So far , you have been successful , thanks to God for that . Are you perhaps in the company of other ladies who practice lesbianism ? If so you must remove yourself from their company , totally . You say you have never had an adult relationship , this is something that a lot of people would be very proud of . There is no need to feel that you are missing out on anything , take your time . If men ask you out on dates and you don't like them then you can say "no" . One day , if it is God's will , the right man for you will come along . What a lovely day that will be for you and for him . Be patient . Sexual and romantic desires are normal and natural . If you don't already go to church then go , try a few out . Read your Bible and talk to God in prayer about your desires and struggles . I said it once but I say again , be patient . Wait for the right one , the one that God has set aside for you , as He has set you aside for the right man . There is no need to feel ashamed of natural desires . You just need to wait for the right man for you and you can give each other love and affection and friendship in Christ . May God keep you strong in your discipline and may He send you your soulmate soon. Wait for him .

Dear Brent, I am so sorry for your painful situation. I will pray for you today.

Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today in the name of Jesus and ask that you bring comfort to Brent in this time of being broken-hearted. We ask that your grace and mercy will flow into his situation and bring a positive and godly outcome for Brent and all involved. Please uplift Brent to see Your glory amidst his tears and above this storm. Cradle him in Your love and bring healing to his heart and soul today and every day until this situation is behind him. Do not let the judgement of others stand and bring repentance to the betrayer. As Brent goes through this deep valley, LORD God, give him your word and guidance as to how he is to continue forward into a better place and better understanding and better relationships. Amen.

What do you have to say about Ch. 22 verse 19 of revelations about being removed from the lamb's book of life to explain this verse

Thank you, Donna. I hope that Daniel is doing well today. I pray for him, too. How good it is that these have us to pray for them!

Having marked us for election, we pray that, these sons and Jeff also are marked for election, too.

Thank you Free for such a lovely and faith-filled prayer.

Hi Spencer.

The grk word "hupostasis" or as it is in modern grk "hypostasis" (similarly to "hypothesis" instead of "hupothesis") means nature, existence and similar things. Now if with the word "substance" (grk "ousia") is meant what that nature consists of, the matter, well one could probably consider it like this. But the most common meaning is nature or existence.

I have looked it up in numerous grk Bibles, none of them interpretes it like that, most of them say existence, reality or something similar. I have looked it up in many Eng. versions and the interpretations I found out are substance, confidence, assurance, reality,...and for "evidence" assurance, conviction, sign, proof, evidence...so it seems there are various interpretations that actually lead to the same conclusion although different between them.

Pron. in mod. grk. Hee-poh-stah-sees, and in anc. grk Hoo-poh-sta-seh(long)s.

I do not want to make any comment about Strong's dictionary or any work from people who have studied those things extensively. I am not a scholar and my job is not to check other people's works especially those of scientists, I am not the proper person for that. What I say is what I know and what I have read.

KJB is a very good translation. It is written in Old English so sometimes English readers need clarifications, as I read in posts. Even in cases that the actual translation is not that accurate, the actual meaning is not altered. Sometimes it is very difficult to find respective words in Eng. There are grk words that have not got a completely respective in Eng. I don't think it is possible to translate from any language to any other other language perfectly, there will be always mismatches but the most important thing is not to alter the initial meaning, and I think KJB has done well in that. Besides it is considered one of the best Engl. translations wordwide, so who am I to speak about it.

Also nowadays one can look words up on the net, a lot of information there.

GBU

Thank you, Giannis, this is helpful.

But then again, even if I get the vowel sounds correct, knowing which syllable to stress is another matter. But at least I can get a closer pronunciation with your good information.

Well done Sir !

The Bible never mentions what day to start or stop, it just says for 6 days, you shall labor, and on the 7th day, I rest. So, if I am a nurse and my work day starts on Wednesday, and I work 6 days, my 6th day would actually be Monday, so couldn't I have my sabbath on Tuesday, since it does not specify a day of the week in remembrance of God the Father? Would I not still be honoring God if I labor for 6 days and rest on the 7th?

Please Lord guide Christina with the words and tone to talk with mother over this matter. Please Holy Spirit enrich Christina with Your Spiritual gifts of peace, patience, and temperament I ask in Jesus Christ name.

Please reflect on Matthew 6:33, and Psalm 73.

Hello Richmond,

It begins by saying, "And he gave some."

You see, he's still talking about giving. He didn't give people to become apostles, He gave the apostles. He gave the prophets. He gave some evangelists; and fourthly, some pastors and teachers;

That last one is all one person, pastors and teachers.

A pastor must be a teacher. A teacher doesn't always have to be a pastor, but if you're going to be a pastor, you better be able to teach, or they'll "put you out to pasture!"

So the apostles, those are those originals who saw Christ. They walked with Christ and were commissioned with the gospel.

Some prophets, who travelled and preached the word. Some evangelists, who are centered on preaching the gospel to the lost.

And of course the pastors and teachers, they are the ones to feed the flock of God.

So we have these categories. We have a distribution of grace. We have categories of ministers that are given to the body of Christ as gifts. And it's for the edification of the saints.

I have a problem at home that I need to talk to my Mom about. I am scared to talk to her. She has cancer and does not need to be more stressed out. When I've tried to talk to her about problems before, she gets very mad and we end up fighting. It makes me very anxious.

Excellent comment .

Dear Lord,

I pray that you bless me to be fruitful and multiple. I ask you help me get pregnant and bless us with child.

Amen

Hello. I am requesting prayers for passing my real estate class tomorrow 10/17. It's very stressful and I really want to accomplish this so that I may sit for the exam afterwards. Please pray for my success on passing the test, the exam and then becoming an agent/realtor. Thank you.

Hi.

Amen and You're welcome

Stay in the word of God and pray always. I know it's hard to do but surround yourself with people like yourself. Hungry for the word of God.

Feel free to ask further questions.

May the Lord bless you on your journey.

Hi Chris.

Sory for my delayed reply but I was not able to respond so far.

Firstly you don't have to pronounce those names like greeks do, I am sure the English way is enough.

But just for the sake of the conversation. Well some tips tips about greek pronunciation, we are going to need them.

Vowels: "a" is pronounced as "ah", "i" as "ee"(short), "o" as "oh" , "e", this letter is used in Engl. to represant two different grk. letters 1. a letter called "epsilon" which is pronounced as "eh" and 2. a letter called "eta" which is pronounced as a long "eh" (ancient grk) or as "ee"(modern grk), "u" as "oo"(anc grk) or "ee"(mod. grk), "ou" as "oh-oo"(anc. grk) or "oo" (mod.grk).

Syllables: Syllabes in greek are of the form consonant(or double/triple cons.)-vowel, a single vowel, very few times as cons-vowel-cons(usually at the end of the word) and rarely vowel-cons.(most often at the end).

Consonants. With the letter "d" the grk letter "Delta" is represented. Delta is pron. as "d"(anc.grk) or "th"(mod. grk) like in the word "the"

So lets try it: (I am writting the vowels as pronounced).

Ancient greek- Dee-oh-treh-feh(long)s

Modern greek- Thee-oh-treh-fee(short)s, stressed in the last syllable.

Lets try another one"

"Pantokrator Theos", greek for ""Almighty God"

Tip: the combinaion "nt" is pronounced as "d" in mod. grk.

So, it is "Pah-doh-krah-tohr Theh-ohs", stressed the first in "krah" and the second in "ohs", also the "r" is always pronounced at the end.

Some more: Europe in ancient greek is "Eh-oo-roh-peh(long), stressed in "roh". Australia is "Ah-oo-strah-lee-a"

Headache? Well, not surprised at all. The phonetics are so different. The same happened to me when I tried to learn German a few years ago, I was spraining my tongue all the time so I gave up at the end.

GBU

Ouestion. Please explain the corruptible crown or is it called the incorruptible?