King James Bible
King James Version (KJV)
All Discussion PAGE 812
Viewing page: 812 of 6006
< Previous Discussion Page Next Discussion Page >
802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821
Do you have a Bible comment or question?
Posting comments is currently unavailable due to high demand on the server.
Please check back in an hour or more. Thank you for your patience!
(I myself have wronged people before by saying hateful or just rude things or rudely interrupting them. We are all sinners. But at the same time Love thy neighbor as yourself. God is Love and Jesus giving his self for us and a Mother's Love are the best demonstrations of Love.
A Church seeking a pastor should examine each pastor candidate according to the qualifications that God has put in those 2 passages.
So unless the Law contradicts the Bible we must follow it or its sin to disobey it.
A bit late but I just got some time to reply to your post to me last week..
Yes those words of Jesus were directed to apostles.
Paul writes to Timothy. 2 Timothy 2:1-2 "... And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." So apostles taught others ... and sometime later on all those things were written in what we call the New Testament. In Corinthians and Ephesians Paul writes about the gifts and ministries God appointed to His church to serve the believers. So there is an order and an hierarchy in God's church. It is not a vague thing where everybody acts the way they like and think it is proper.
What I wanted to point out in my posts is that it is wrong for christians to stay out of any congregation. One can not grow spiritually that way. They need to integrate themselves in a congregation where they will be taught the proper teachings by people who God selected and annointed (or we hope so) to do that work. As I read in posts some people believe that they can stay alone and figure out the right teachings by reading themselves, by taking part in sites like this one etc believing that the Spirit of God will lead them to the whole truth. I wanted to point out that this is a wrong attitude, it is not how God planned it to work. God's plan is (if practically possible) to be a (an active) part of the church. And when I say church I don't mean the vaguely figured universal church, but a specific congregation of which they should be a part. To offer their work to fellow christians and receive work by them in a post where God places them. To be a part of the Body of Christ in that specific congregation.
In my church we often use the following example:
Acts 2:42 "And they (the believers) continued stedfastly in the (1)apostles' doctrine and (2)fellowship, and in (3)breaking of bread, and in (4)prayers". These four things are essential for our spiritual growth.
GBU
Dear Heavenly Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus, we come before You and ask that You will bless David and Kristie in their marriage, in their family life, in their work life, in their relationships with their friends. Help them to exemplify Jesus in all they say and do. Make them pure of heart so that their motives will align with yours. Keep them well and in Your sure keeping each day. Guide them in their everyday tasks and interactions so that they will make the best of every opportunity to love and serve others and share the Gospel message of Jesus often. We thank you that David asks for prayers often. It reminds us to continue to lift one another up in prayer and of our dependency upon You for all good things. Amen.
I will pray for you today.
Dear Heavenly Father, as always, in the name of Jesus we come to You. We ask that You will guide Frank in these decisions that he is facing now. Give him wisdom and fortitude to choose what is good and right according to Your will. We ask that Frank will indeed choose the right path for himself in these choices before him. Amen.
Thank you for this good explanation.
I, too, do not read of a pre-tribulation rapture in the Scripture, nor mention of an "age of grace" as being separate from God's grace being bestowed even from the beginning with Adam and Eve after they sinned. Otherwise, how would have Enoch and Elijah ever been translated, as they were sinners, too.
You probably don't need these admonitions. That is a hard saying; how God is impartial. He will bless those who bless Him; and curse those who curse Him. It seems you have a great desire for the Word; and having a husband in the faith; hopefully you are growing as well in the role God has given you in this life. It is the fact that those who are hundredfold that have the greatest rewards is simply God's character being reflected; as well as gaining more "interest" as it were because of heavenly rewards. He who sows in tears will reap in joy. ( Psalm 126:5-6). It goes against the flesh to invest time and energy and finances in ministry for the Lord but we are told that we MUST believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him ( Heb. 11:6). These crowns of course extend to those who patiently hope and wait for His coming; those in leadership over the church (held to a higher standard); a special one for martyrs; and several other designations. We may cast our crowns at His feet but as adopted children we have eternal promises and positions. It is hard to say in eternity as compared to the Millennium the differences in rulership; etc. Obviously it is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to be lost and cast out.
It is not taught today how some will make it through the Bema suffering loss getting in as through the fire ( 1 Cor. 3:15). Revelation 3:11 is not taught much either. One of my frequent comments on that is that if I fail I'd better be honored to see someone else exalted due to my lack of service. God will use anyone as a method of spreading salt and light; some sowing others reaping the benefits.
Sad truth today is that there are few who can discern those who are shining as the stars among the masses of confessing Christians ( Daniel 12:3 associated with leading many to righteousness).
Agape; Rich P
Dear Heavenly Father, we ask You in the name of Your Son, Jesus, to help Miya in this situation. Give her wisdom and strength to follow what You will for her and her family. Give her a heart that will listen to You, a mind that will think clearly and reasonably though so troubled, a soul that will remain hopeful in You and Your ways. We ask that You will bring repentance and guidance to her husband. If he is not the best person for Miya to remain with, please have him part from this situation respectfully and responsibly. If he is the one You wish to stay with Miya, then repair this relationship in love and trust. Protect these children during this painful time. Help both Miya and her husband be careful what they say to one another and especially what they say around these children. Lord, Miya is heartbroken. She is feeling such a sense of loss and betrayal, as You know better than anyone. I ask that You comfort and cover her during this time. Help her to always have a right perspective and attitude during this trying time. Keep her from temptations to hurt this man back for what he has done, from harsh words, from spitefulness, from depressing thoughts, from hostility, and from being easily swayed into agreements that may not be best for her or the family. We ask these things of You, Father because this situation is so much bigger than Miya is able to cope with. Only You can do miraculous things and can bring about a good resolve to this relationship. We ask that Miya find her sufficiency in You, O Lord. Amen.
Please consider reflecting on Psalms 23, Psalms 5, 1 Peter 5, and Philippians 4.
So glad to have you here with us. be blessed today, in Jesus' name.
This is a good question to ponder. It is similar to asking questions like: Why does God love us? Why does God hate sin? Why does God desire to be worshipped? The Scriptures tell us that God's thoughts are higher than ours and His was are far above ours to fully understand.
I think of reasons why God is He is a jealous God along these lines:
God knows that He alone is God and there are no other gods, even if anyone chooses to worship one other than Himself. Therefore all worship of idols is false because the god worshipped is just a vaporous idea with no substance, no power, no divinity, nothing to offer the worshipper.
God knows that worshipping Him is the best for all He has created. He knows that only He can satisfy all of what His creatures and wants to do this for those who worship Him alone.
God knows that idolatry can never bear good fruit. Its fruit is always rotten and, even more so, poisonous, always destructive to the worshipper.
God knows that what He has in store for all those who believe in Him and worship Him only is far more than what anyone can ever have in this life., that is eternal life of knowing Him and His Son, Jesus.
God knows that idolatry leads to more and more sin, which He hates, and it deadens us to Him even more.
God has compassion for those he has created and so does not want His creatures to suffer needlessly due to idolatry.
God desires for all to be saved through faith in Him alone. Anyone who worships idols cannot have this salvation He desires for them to receive.
God's ultimate purposes in creation, redemption, and eternal life are not realized by idolaters. These people do not receive the gifts He has laid up for those who worship only Him.
I hope these ideas help you to understand why God does not want us to turn from Him to any idols or to choose to worship Him and idols at the same time. This is what He is jealous about. This jealousy is for our good, not because He is selfish or conceited.
a. If I understand well you believe in a rapture in the midst of those last 7 years or sometime before the 2nd coming of Jesus on earth?
b. The Revelation is not written in chronological order. God's wrath will not occur only at the end but also during those 7 years. Rev 15:7 "And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven ANGELS seven golden vials FULL OF THE WRATH OF GOD who liveth for ever and ever." It is God's punishment of the sinful world. This is what causes the great tribulation. They are not due to physical causes. If the great tribulation is not due to God's punishment, what is it then? Which are causes of that tribulation and which events are a result of that tribulation? What do you actually mean with great tribulation?
c. The tribulations in one's life that Paul talks about are persecutions due their faith and for their spiritual training. They are a completely different thing from that great tribulation.
d. Lets read carefully the discussion Abraham had with the Lord just before the distruction of Sodom and Gommorah, it shows how God thinks and how God acts in similar cases.
Genesis 18:23-33
"And Abraham drew near, and said, WILT THOU DESTROY THE RIGHTEOUS WITH THE WICKED?
Peradventure there be FIFTY righteous within the city: WILT THOU DESTROY AND NOT SPARE THE PLACE FOR THE FIFTY RIGHTEOUS THAT ARE THEREIN?
THAT BE FAR FROM THEE TO DO AFTER THIS MANNER, TO SLAY THE RIGHTEOUS WITH THE WICKED: AND THAT THE RIGHTEOUS SHOULB BE AS THE WICKED, THAT BE FAR FROM THEE: SHALL NOT THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH DO RIGHT?
And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I WILL SPARE ALL THE PLACE FOR THEIR SAKES.
---
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure TEN shall be found there. And he said, I WILL NOT DESTROY IT FOR TEN'S SAKE."
So there is no way God orders His angels to destroy, that is to "kill" His children together with the wicked world. Noway at all. My opinion.
Heavenly Father, Gracious Lord, we come today in Jesus' name asking You to restore to Frederick, myself, my sons, and other's loved by believers all that has been stolen, devoured, or destroyed by the evil one. We know that you can make all things new, bring back from the dead that which is destroyed, recover what is lost, replace blessing for what is meant to harm us, repair all that is broken, uplift all who are downtrodden, redeem all who are astray, and work all things for good for those who love You. So, knowing these things are true, we ask that You indeed hear our prayers and take back from the enemy all that he has done to us and undo all the harm he has brought upon us. We are so thankful for your loving care and faithfulness, LORD GOD. Amen.
Thanks for the good words on our heavenly reward.
I was just thinking yesterday about this as my husband and I were driving on such a sunny fall day. Considering the beauty of the natural environment, I thought that since God created such beauty and enjoyment on this earth in this life, how much greater will be the beauty and enjoyment of our heavenly life! I don't think we will ever grow tired or bored of what we will possess in our heavenly life. Just the eternal infinite perfection of God in all of His ways will be captivating to us for all eternity.
I love what John the Baptist said of Jesus, "He must increase and I must decrease." ( John 3:30). Our sanctification will bring this same attitude in us. Although God can never increase in any aspect of His Being, but our view and esteem for him will increasing grow in glory and our esteem for ourselves will lessen as we understand more fully how God deserves all the honor, glory, and praise, not us. It helps us understand why in John's vision in Revelation that the angels and elders would fall before the throne of God crying "Holy, Holy, Holy" continually. We will have that same esteem for Him. All to Jesus, holding nothing back for ourselves, knowing we have everything in Him anyway and will never lack for any good thing. How wonderful that will be.
Very good exposition here. Thanks. In this life, we are, like Jesus, a little lower than the angels. But because we are in Christ and He conquered death, sin, the devil, and hell in his sacrificial death and resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father (which signifies dominion and authority over all things) we will reign with Him because we are in Him. We will in the next life be higher than the angels because of our position in Jesus. We will be like Jesus as a ruler, serving others. As you say, we will not be puffed up or full of ourselves concerning this ruling assignment. No, we will be humble, loving, and full of the Spirit.
When I think of angels (good and bad) I know that they are far above me and other humans in power and authority and many other abilities. We are not able to contend with evil angels in our own might or our own authority. We always must come to defend ourselves and stand against them in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. These demonic angels will not listen or heed us unless we fight them in Christ Jesus. He is the our captain, our commander, our fortress, and deliverer. We must let Him take the forefront of every battle and when we come to stand against these evil angels, we are to do so as Michael is said to do, saying "The Lord rebuke you."
I love the Scripture that reminds us to not think too highly of ourselves than we ought to, but to think of ourselves soberly. ( Romans 12:3) I think this may be implying that we are to avoid being "drunk" on "pseudo-power trips". Humility is something that the devil and evil angels do not possess. They are filled with pride and arrogance and have deceived themselves into thinking that they have more power and authority that they really do have in relation to God. We ought not be like them in having a false sense of power and authority over them. Being humble is being Christ-like. Knowing that we do not deserve any honor is being realistic about ourselves before God
Ruling over angels.
We are told that we will rule over angels in scripture. ( Heb. 2:5-9). There are other passages in Hebrews that discuss how Christ was brought a little lower than the angels; however for His earthly ministry; and how they seek to learn the mysteries of God and salvation. It would be wise to examine the admonitions of Jude 1:9 however. In this present day we cannot even have the wrong attitude contending with the devil when God has allowed his authority for His purposes in this age. We indeed will rule and reign with Him; but clearly we won't have some puffed up superiority with angels assigned under us. These same angels now are "ministering spirits" ( Heb. 1:14) who are incognito only appearing when needed for a specific purpose without any additional fanfare. There are other verses on us judging angels; which I don't care to speculate on in this forum due to space constraints.
It was suggested in today's sermon that angels may be able to fill in what was going on that we couldn't see; or answer questions about how certain choices changed the course of events; etc. Surely we will learn more about specific ministries there; as well as between the differing ranks (Cherubim; and or beasts surrounding the throne; Archangels and others). Again; the angels that remained faithful were always drawing attention to God's glory and not themselves. Surely; that is how we will rule with Christ when He reigns in perfect righteousness; and settles disputes among nations ( Isaiah 2:4). There will be cities for us to rule over ( Luke 19:17) which someone could interpret as a figurative allegory but I see no reason why.
God has given His angels great power; such as the one assigned to kill 185,000 in a day ( 2 Kings 19:35). Since they are not puffed up over having that type of authority; we also will not be when because of adoption as sons we are exalted since Christ died for men and not angels.
Today's sermon discussed aspects such as the verse saying that there is no more marriage in heaven. ( Mark 12:25). That seems cut and dry but everything else seemed to drift too much into what we enjoy here on earth (such as recreation; endless delicious meals etc.) My earlier comments reflected on service in heaven; which most believers in Christ should acknowledge (unlike those who don't look into the scriptures and think we are all floating on clouds someplace).
My issue is not that we won't have those pleasures in heaven; but again reflects what I said earlier that all the focus is on serving Him and rejoicing in Him. Christ surely has anticipated sitting down and drinking the "fruit of the vine" which He will do no more until He is in heaven with us ( Mark 14:25). That would presumably be at the Great supper of the Lamb but certainly could occur at other times as well. That surely does indicate that there will be fellowship among saints and Christ as well as with each other. There are also such things as unique names given to us that no one else knows but God and that person ( Rev. 2:17); and Revelation 19:10 also states the same for Christ Himself.
While it isn't necessarily wrong to reflect on what enjoyment of heaven will be like in our new Resurrection bodies; we shouldn't be so enamored with it that we drift away from rejoicing in the harvest; as well as the attributes of God. We also will be ruling and reigning on the earth; but won't be overtaken by all the unprecedented riches that the kings of the earth bring as tribute to the Lord. Heaven; of course will be ON earth (in terms of the heavenly city itself; that is). For God to restore His creation that surely also will be a thing to behold. Again; without salvation men's minds still won't be able to dissuaded from eventual rebellion despite 1000 years of material blessings on earth; since sin will still be present until the new earth.
If we wish to separate those "would be" believers who desire to go to heaven but have no compulsion to serve God from those who already are His bondservants and just would be continuing what they started to practice here on earth we can evaluate their love for God and obedience to obey His commandments ( John 14:15). There are many shallow; foolhardy and at times downright blasphemous concepts of "love" today which permeate much of Christendom; particularly in the "music industry". The concept of obedience because of love seems a foreign concept today; especially in our nation. How many social issues could be deflected if that were the case of more children in their family upbringing for their parents today? Surely; there is more to His love than us being bondservants; as He calls us "friends." ( John 15:15 in the very next verse!) To serve to the length of our own hurt is surely seen in Christ's ministry; not the least of which of course was the crucifixion and all the sufferings beforehand. We often neglect the extent of the rest of His public ministry; where He wasn't even able to mourn the death of John the Baptist; despite making a deliberate attempt at retreat to be alone in a desert place with His chosen few. ( Matthew 14:13). While the Son of Man came to serve and not be served ( Mark 10:45) while on earth; He is certainly worthy to serve and exalt for all eternity for what He did for us. For Him to lift Himself up is not sinful like with the rest of His Creation.
True; there are "pleasures for evermore at His right hand" ( Psalm 16:11). This has to be balanced with the rest of our reverent service toward Him. The shallow; sentimental emotional "love" is at best a tepid version of the Spirit; at worst just a hyped up emotional mindset which is of the world; or comes from occult persuasion. Our emotions; mind; and soul must be incorporated into worship of God ( Mark 12:30).
Today our church had the last of a series of messages about heaven and eternity. There were sufficient scriptural passages referred to make the basic point of the visual splendors of the great city; as well as all the ways we will find fulfillment there.
With reflection; however it would seem to me that we must be careful not to focus on the creation above the Creator. Lucifer; after all was a large part of the music worship and was clothed in splendor (see Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28). He would have seen all the ornate opulance of heaven itself along with the heavenly city in whatever state it was in prior to the time He had completed mansions for His people. Whether it existed for all eternity itself or was created at the dawn of time; we need to look at the Triune God Himself as being unique in character as well as superior to His created beings. Even the Word of God has patterns and inherent life in it's words which are suitable to cut to the marrow of soul and spirit ( Heb. 4:12).
We need to stop to reflect on the true nature of heavenly treasure; it is first and foremost meant to honor God; as well as being a place for His saints to dwell in; where there is nothing unclean entering into it and it is perfectly Holy. ( Rev. 21:27). It should be seen in the dirt villages and the prisons where humble servants who are saints of the Most High are serving the Lord by proclaiming the Good News. There; we can look into the eyes of believers and see Christ who through obedient service are gaining eternal blessings in treasures that cannot fade away ( Luke 12:33-34). Here; we see people who are sold out to Christ and have no desire to grasp onto things of this world. It is a process for some of us; but we must all produce good fruit and overcome the temptations of this life and ensnarement of the love of money; which only can occur when sealed with the Holy Spirit and living out what lives in our hearts. ( Eph. 1:13-14; Phil 2:12-13).
I'm so sorry for both you and your friend . I hope that she is able to forgive you but even if she does you must give her some time and space and she may never be able to feel the same way about you again . Indeed she may not be able to forgive you and may not want to be friends with you ever again . Either way you have to accept her wishes . Be assured that God knows your heart and is very willing to forgive the soul that is genuinely sorry . This situation is a big learning experience for you , never forget what God has taught you through this situation . Onwards and upwards , you must put your mistakes behind you , move forward in your relationship with God and learn from your mistakes . We all make them , thanks to God for His unwavering mercies towards us .