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GALATIANS 6
Galatians 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Galatians 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Galatians 6 Videos- https://youtu.be/sBr1XDStkOo https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/1-31-17-galatians-6-conc.zip https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg2TDrX9DmEHrpUM8 https://www.dropbox.com/s/8p7q3cc47gtv6gb/1-31-17%20Galatians%206%20%5BConc.%5D.mp4?dl=0 ON VIDEO- .Abe from North Bergen .Paul says ‘good bye’ .Steve Miller band .Stevie Nicks [landslide] .Legal and experiential justification .Grace is not a license to sin .Holocaust .Not an anti-Jewish letter .We are ALL one in Christ .It’s an inclusive message .Some North Bergen stories .Comments on media .Malachi Martin .St. Augustine .Pelagius .The Catholic Church does not teach salvation by the law .Have grace with one another TEACHING- [past posts- verses below] During this study I have been adding an old commentary I wrote years ago- the videos are new. I’ll just add a note here at the end. This letter is a ‘theological’ one- meaning- the purpose is to show how God- in Christ- has fulfilled the law. And we become justified- not by the law- but by faith in Christ. Pretty simple. When Paul speaks ‘harsh’ about the ‘circumcision’- meaning his Jewish brothers who were trying to institute circumcision as a rite for the gentile believers- He is not in any way making anti-Semitic statements- or ‘bad’ statements against any ethnic/religious group. He is fighting for the gospel of grace. Over the history of the church- some Christians did indeed espouse anti- Jewish beliefs- based on these portions of scripture. Yes- Paul was hard on the ‘circumcision’- the Jews under the law- but it had nothing to do with ethnicity. It was theological- In this last chapter he even says to restore those who are wrong- in the spirit [attitude] of meekness. In the world we live in today- it’s important for Christians- in my mind- to stand for the truth- but to do it in a way that does not demean other people. Whether that be Jewish- Muslim- or any other group. Yes- as Christians we fight against false doctrine- and at times- these are tough fights. Thus the strong language we see at times in the New Testament. But even Paul himself spoke about God reconciling all people- whether they be Jew- gentile- male- female- in Christ. He fought hard against the Judiazers- because in reality they were indeed preaching an ‘exclusive’ message. Saying the only ones who God accepts- are those who get circumcised- and join ‘their group’. But the message of grace leaves the door open for all who believe. Jew- non Jew- male- female- all are accepted equally thru the message of the Cross. So I just wanted to end this brief study with this point. Yes- read these bible books for yourselves. Go thru the bible- the Letters I have been covering. Whatever background you come from- it makes no difference. You are here now- reading this stuff- or maybe watching some of the videos. The purpose is for you yourself to engage in the grand debate- that has been going on for 2 thousand years now [since the time of Christ that is]. Yes- the debate about life itself- what’s man’s purpose in it? What does the bible actually teach about all these subjects? The bible was written for the common man to read- and understand. I’ll admit there is some stuff that is hard to understand at times. But when you engage in the text- read the background of the times- see what the teachers over the years have said as well- In the end- the main message of grace is clear- it is easy to understand. The free gift of God by grace is for all of us. And remember- it is a gift for all. PAST LINKS [ Teaching I did before that relates to today’s post- ‘Galatians 6’- Verses below] Galatians 1 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-1-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1-16/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wcbfkhc6p1fkpxazlw_bng https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-1-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-16046790 https://wt.social/post/jfi5ub25360665537221 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-1-xykvowj https://parler.com/post/dd518eb61bfa4e53ae8c476b3c8619dd https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105394968263653884 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-1-2299c227a9ce https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-1-ce5f29d3-263a-4a1c-86e7-018097bbd8ce https://www.plurk.com/p/o50uxw https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-1-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2361079/galatians-1 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-1.html Galatians 2 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-2-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2-18/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/pizaavvbhnsul6mwpsi8ua https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-2-5 https://wt.social/post/1b6ucyi5362123616094 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-2-xomlxkn https://parler.com/post/5dd947d6ea2c4feb8c9e74ef858d95a9 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105423634678296448 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-2-fcdbc3788d45 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-2-11613556-63d6-4d0b-baae-2fb0659457c0 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5adzh http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2387211/galatians-2 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-2.html Galatians 3 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-3-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/24/galatians-3-text-2/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/o2nb8lfuxxplcj2mq6ywxg https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-3-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-36880587 https://wt.social/post/3ungwki53626817192 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-3-xryyokk https://parler.com/post/67feb31532aa4184b175284b2e713af3 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105434608063686819 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-3-bc88f8c94a96 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-3-95abab60-5e86-4a5c-a509-b420a853d416 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5ea9r https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-3-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2401391/galatians-3 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/24/galatians-3/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-3.html Galatians 4 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-4-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/27/galatians-4-text-2/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/ce4bhrppzfc-pseeeuifww https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-4-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-43231449 https://wt.social/post/zv873ep5363565440295 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-4-xerrvqj https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105451977257475153 https://parler.com/post/b0cf6cea1ea9464eac8de84f91465ca5 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-4-c28bfdf12fe4 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-4-8940d7ce-918d-44d4-92a6-829f1100195c https://www.plurk.com/p/o5ju8y https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-4-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2419041/galatians-4 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/27/galatians-4/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-4.html Galatians 5 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-5-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/29/galatians-5-text-2/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/21lzyfe1swiai-nxmiqkow https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-5-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-58642488 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105463070505631140 https://parler.com/post/4b84f8e5d8b74474afc40e8d755bd63a https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-5-e45b01bc5f80 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-5-e37d4b21-7471-406d-86ff-e4ac26d1e598 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5nk88 https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-5-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2428861/galatians-5 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/29/galatians-5/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-5.html https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/justification-by-faith/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ https://ccoutreach87.com/judges-ruth-video-links-included/ https://ccoutreach87.com/ephesians-highlights/ GALATIANS [Links] https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/26/galatians-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/30/2nd-samuel-3-homeless-friends/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/02/galatians-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/10/galatians-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/12/the-seed/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/16/galatians-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/24/galatians-5/ (1338) GALATIANS 6- Paul closes this short theological treatise with some practical stuff; help each other out with their burdens, if you see a brother struggling, restore him in the spirit of meekness. Those who are teaching you Gods word, ‘communicate’ to them in all good things [share with them financially and materially]. Good advice that Paul gives to all of the churches he writes to. As we close our study of this letter, I want to emphasize that the majority of what Paul is teaching [over 90%] is great theological truth, it would be silly for preachers/teachers to grasp hold of any single verse and to exalt that above the main body of truths that we have discussed. It isn’t hard for any preacher/teacher to go thru this letter on a few Sundays and teach the main truths of the letter. We desperately need to get back to doing it this way in many Pentecostal/Protestant/Evangelical churches- and yes, the ‘organic church’ guys too! We all have a tendency to pick out pet doctrines out of the New Testament and then to make the side issues the main thing. I think the main thing [justification by faith, the blessing of Abraham in context, etc.] is good enough without us having to try and find some type of ‘Rhema word’ that is not the main word of God. Recently a good man died, Oral Roberts. A few weeks have passed and I think it is okay to mention a few things. The media reported how many preachers showed up to the funeral in Cadillac’s and expensive cars, there have been various articles written about the legacy he will leave behind. Some wrongly said he was the father of the ‘Word of Faith/prosperity movement’ [E.W. Kenyon was the real father, and Kenneth Hagin and others lay claim to the title]. The point I want to make is Brother Roberts was a good man who did good things, but his way of doing doctrine is not my cup of tea. He was famous for popularizing the ‘seed-faith’ teaching. It comes from Paul’s letters when he does tell believers that if they give in faith God will bless them, true enough. But when we read the New Testament there are many warnings against greed and materialism, and when we take a simple practical truth from Paul, even though it’s true, and when this truth becomes our main message, then we err. In this last chapter of Galatians Paul gives practical advice about giving financially to those who are teaching you, good. But this is one verse in a letter filled with other main teachings, the important stuff if you will. For believers in our day to have built ministries/churches and to have as the foundation of these ministries the few practical side verses, is wrong. We need to focus on the main thing, and keep the main thing the main thing! [Redemption thru Christ’s Blood, eternal life to those who believe, etc.] I don’t want to speak bad about brother Roberts, he was a good man who went home to be with the Lord, it’s just the discussion that has happened after his passing shows us how easy it is for good men to get sidetracked with a verse or 2 and then to exalt it out of context. As I conclude this brief study on Galatians, I think I will go back over a few main verses in the next week or so and give you some ‘practical’ things that I have gleaned these last few weeks. In a sense I will show you how God can speak to us in a personal way thru these letters, yet at the same time not losing the original meaning of the letters. One of the distinctions of the early church fathers was this Christ centered approach to the scripture, they looked for Jesus on every page. I’ll end with an example form Saint Augustine; he shared a thought on the story of Jesus walking on the water to the land, and that the disciples needed a wooden boat to ‘cross over’ he then applied the wood of the boat to the wood of the Cross and said how the Cross allows us to cross over to God, just like the boat let them cross over to the land. Now this is a simple example of applying scripture in a sort of symbolic way that is not in context, but nevertheless it’s okay to do. So I will do a few things like this in the next few posts. But while doing this, we want to not forget the main meaning of the letter, a good ‘side example’ should never negate the main body of truth. (1340) GALATIANS AFTER-THOUGHTS: As I said the other day I will try and go back over a few verses and share a few more things on Galatians. One of the things I wanted to mention was the fact that I purposefully chose to teach the letter in the classic Protestant way [mostly] I avoided getting into the ‘New Perspective’ ideas on Paul and ‘what he really meant’. So let’s talk a little on it; as of the date of this writing there is a theological debate going on [mostly in the ivory towers, but seeping somewhat into mainstream thought] that re-looks at Paul and what the context of his day was. For instance when the Reformers of the 16th century spoke about being Justified by Faith and not by works, many of them were speaking about the works of tradition and the things they felt were wrong in the Catholic faith. Were they wrong in applying Paul this way? No. In context was Paul talking about the works of ‘Catholic tradition’ when saying men are not justified by works? No. So it’s good to point stuff like this out. The problem I see with some of the New Perspective theologians is they can explain stuff and when you’re done listening [reading] it’s possible to miss the heart of the New Testament doctrine on Justification by faith, we don’t want to lose people in the weeds when trying to peel the layers of the onion. So I purposefully chose to teach this letter in the plain way that most Protestants would understand it, but I do think that N.T. Wright [Bishop of Durham, Church of England] has good things to add to the debate [as well as John Piper- the Reformed Baptist preacher who has taken the New Perspective group and rebuked them]. It’s good and profitable to engage in these types of theological discussions, but we need to once again ‘keep the main thing the main thing’. I also avoided getting into the debate on exactly what ‘works of the law’ meant. Some think Paul was only referring to the rite of circumcision. In some verses [both here and in Romans] this is true. But some [N.T. Wright] apply this in a way that says the act itself was simply an ‘identifying badge’ that brought you into the community of God, while this is true, they get a little off track by not fully seeing that in Paul’s writings these things go hand in hand. Paul mixes in the ‘work of circumcision’ with the idea of keeping the moral law/10 commandments. When saying ‘we are not under the law’ Paul includes all of it, not just the ceremonial law. How do we know this? Because whenever Paul makes this argument he always adds ‘does this mean we go out and sin’? And his answer is always no, but instead of saying ‘no, don’t sin because we are still constrained by the 10 commandments’ he says ‘no, how can we who died to sin still live in it’. To be frank about it, many of the Reformed guys have problems with this as well, they teach a kind of theology that says the N.T. believer is under the law, I disagree. So as you can see this debate can go on for a while, that’s why I chose to avoid it in this study. I want all of our readers to be grounded in the basic truths of the letter before launching into a deeper level. Okay enough for now, tune in the next week or so and I’ll try and do some practical stuff from Galatians. (1342) WHEN THE SEED SHOULD COME TO WHOM THE PROMISE WAS MADE- As I was teaching thru Galatians this verse ‘spoke to me’ in a personal way [will explain it in a second]. I felt like the Lord was saying that there are long term promises/destinies that he has planted within us, both as individuals and communities, and that often times he is waiting for the ‘seed to come to whom the promise was made’. In the parables of Jesus the seed speaks of a few things. Most of us are familiar with ‘the seed as the word’ imagery- ‘the sower sows the word’. But Jesus also speaks of ‘the seed’ as the children of the kingdom that his father has planted in the world. And of course in Galatians Paul is specifically referring to the singular seed, who is Christ. Every few years I go thru our radio messages and will adjust the programs I air. I often find that the messages that I marked as ‘o.k.’ are not o.k. anymore, it’s not that they are bad, it’s just I notice a tone/level of ‘seed’ [spoken word] that is not mature enough, it seems like as the years roll by the later messages just sound better. God has all of us in a maturing process; things that we thought were ‘deep revelation’ at one time, now sound quite silly. As I was marking off the programs that sounded too immature, I felt like the Lord was saying ‘the seed has come to whom the promise was made’ sort of like the lord was saying ‘son, I was waiting for your level of maturity to catch up to the promise’. Also in Romans it says ‘the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now’ I also felt like the Lord was saying the seed, as it pertains to all the people groups we relate to, were also in a ‘birthing process’ that too had to mature to a point where the promises could be inherited- ‘when the fullness of times was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law’ [Galatians] God has ‘fullness seasons’ times [Kairos] when he says ‘okay, the promises I made to you at the beginning of the journey are now ready to be experienced’ in essence the seed has come to whom the promise was made. Now, this sort of spiritual/symbolic way of hearing God, is it a good way to develop doctrine? No! Never, ever! Pope Benedict critiqued the ‘historical, critical’ method of liberal theology in his book ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ the method developed out of the liberal universities in Germany in the 19th- 20th centuries. Men like Rudolph Bultman would popularize it. It was a way of reading scripture thru an historical/archeological lens. Some of the ideas are good and profitable, but some are not. Many would reject the supernatural aspects of scripture and come to deny the resurrection. Not good. The Pope also warned against this way of ‘dissecting’ Jesus and Christianity to a point where you really don’t see the true Jesus anymore. The real Jesus of Christianity and history, the Jesus that we all have a relationship with by faith. The point being we want to go to scripture with an open heart and expectancy to ‘hear God’. While doing this, we also want to recognize that the scripture had the SAME MEANING to the first century church as to us today, the meaning never changes, the applications do. That’s the main point I want to make, so today the Lord might be speaking to you about certain ‘seeds’ coming to maturity in your own life, things that you have been waiting for and maybe the lord was saying he needed a maturing process to take place, both in you and the people you relate to. The ‘whole creation’ if you will. [parts] 1782- PROTESTANT REFORMATION CONCLUSION Today let’s finish up the study on the Protestant Reformation. We left off on Luther disputing with the church over the doctrine of how a person becomes just in the sight of God- is it by works or faith? Now- to the surprise of many Protestants [and Catholics!] both sides agreed that a person cannot be justified by works. Yes- the Catholic Church rejected what was known as Pelagianism. In the early centuries of the church there was a Catholic priest- named Pelagius- who taught that people had the ability within themselves to obey Gods law and become saved that way. He rejected the doctrine of original sin and another famous bishop- Saint Augustine- would refute Pelagius and teach salvation comes by the Grace of God. The official Catholic position was to reject Pelagius and accept Augustine. Okay- then where’s the difference? The church council that spells it out is the Council of Trent [named after the Italian city where the council took place in the 1500’s- Trento]. This council is often referred to as the Counter Reformation. The church rejected the Protestant line- but also acknowledged the need for reform and made some changes. This is the council where the church rejects Pelagianism- and also says the position of Luther [Justification by Faith ALONE] was flawed. The church appealed to the New Testament letter of Saint James- where James uses an example from the life of Abraham [found in Genesis 22] where Abraham obeys God and is willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar. Of course this never happens- God was simply testing Abraham- but James says this act of obedience justified him in Gods sight. James says ‘see how a man is justified by works- and not by faith ALONE’. The argument from Rome was Faith played THE major role in justification- but was not sufficient by itself- there had to be righteous works eventually associated with it in order for God to say ‘you are just’ [saved]. Luther disagreed and said God justified Abraham before he had good works- we find this in Genesis 15. God says to Abraham ‘look- count all the stars- so shall your offspring be’ and Walla- the bible also says Abraham was justified in God’s eyes the moment he believed the promise. Who’s right? Actually they both are. I have taught this a few times over the years- and it would take too much time to re-do right now. But I believe James and Paul [the 2 who debate this in the bible] are simply looking at different aspects of salvation/justification. Paul emphasized faith- and James showed us how true faith always has works with it. When you read the statements that came out from the council of Trent- some of them do seem to indicate that both sides might have been talking past each other at some points. In the heat of the day they were too quick to condemn the other side- without really trying hard to achieve unity [like politics!]. The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight]. Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies. Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace. This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin. Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal. This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up. Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins. Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin. I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place. The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine. The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints. But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this. Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin. But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often. Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject. Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one]. Why is it important that we study this? In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides. It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’. The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion. And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on]. So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people. The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church. He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids. I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus. Amen. [parts] . ROMANS 8-10 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/2-24-15-romans-8-10.zip VIDEO- [I cover stuff on the videos that are not in the post- here are a few] .Council of Trent- what did the Church say? .Do we get the final say- at the Judgment? .What are the Catholic virtues- did Paul teach them? .Augustine, Calvin, Whitfield and Wesley. .Infusion or Imputation? How bout both! At the bottom I added some quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic church- to show that the official teaching of the church DOES NOT TEACH SALVATION BY THE LAW- BUT BY CHRIST. . REMINDER- This is a commentary I wrote years ago- the videos are new. .CHAPTER 8- FEW POINTS; 1- Did God choose us to believe- or did we choose him? 2- When Paul says ‘he makes our bodies alive’ is he only speaking about resurrection? 3- Does God use difficulty- or is it to be rebuked? 4- Was Paul a ‘hyper- Calvinist’? (839)ROMAN 8:1-4 ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [sinful nature] but after the Spirit [new nature]’. Now, having proved the reality of sin and guilt [chapter 7] Paul teaches that those who ‘are in Christ’ are free from condemnation. Why? Because they ‘walk according to the Spirit’ the ‘righteousness of the law is being fulfilled in them’. Having no condemnation isn’t simply a ‘legal function’ of declared righteousness, and Paul didn’t teach it that way! Paul is saying ‘all those who have believed in Jesus and have been legally justified [earlier arguments in chapters 3-4] are now walking [actually acting out] this new nature. Therefore [because you no longer walk according to the flesh] there is no condemnation’! This argument helps bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant theology, part of the reason for the ongoing schism is over this understanding. After the Reformation the Catholic Church had a Counter Reformation council, the council of Trent. They dealt with a lot of the abuses of the Catholic Church, things that many Catholic leaders were complaining about before the Reformation. They did deal with some issues and reformed somewhat. To the dismay of the more ‘reform minded’ Catholics [with Protestant leanings] they still came down strong on most pre reform doctrines. This made it next to impossible for the schism to be healed. But one area of disagreement was over ‘legal’ versus ‘actual/experiential’ justification. The Catholic position was ‘God can’t declare/say a person is justified until they actually are’ [experientially]. The Protestant side [Luther] said ‘God does justify [legal declaration] a person by faith alone’. Like I taught before, both of these are true. The Catholic view of ‘justification’ is looking ahead towards a future reality [The same way James speaks of justification in a future sense- He uses the example from Genesis 22, when Abraham does a righteous act] while the Protestant view is focusing on the initial legal act of justification [Genesis 15]. Here Paul agrees with both views, he says ‘those who walk after the Spirit [actually living the changed life] have no condemnation’. [parts] (835)ROMANS 7:1-4 Paul uses the analogy of a married woman ‘don’t you know that the law has dominion over a person as long as he is alive’? If a married woman leaves her husband and marries another man she is guilty of breaking the law of adultery. Now, if her husband dies, she is free to marry another man. The act that freed her from sin and guilt was death! Every thing else in the scenario stayed the same. She still married another, she still consummated the new marriage. But because her first husband died, she has no guilt. I always loved this analogy. For years I wondered why these themes in scripture are for the most part not ‘imbedded’ in the collective psyche of the people of God. We have spent so much time ‘proof texting’ the verses on success and wealth, that we have overlooked the really good stuff! Now Paul teaches that we have been made free from the law by the ‘death of our husband’ [Jesus] so we can ‘re-marry’. Who do we marry? Christ! He has not only died to free us from the law, he also rose from the dead to become our ‘husband’ [we are called the bride of Christ]. Paul connects the death and resurrection of Jesus in this analogy. Both are needed for the true gospel to be preached [1st Corinthians 15]. Notice how in this passage Paul emphasizes ‘the death of Christ’s body’. The New Testament doesn’t always make this distinction, but here it does. In the early centuries of Christianity you had various debates over the nature and ‘substance’ of God and Christ. The church hammered out various decrees and creeds that would become the Orthodoxy of the day. Many of these are what you would call the ‘Ecumenical councils’. These are the early councils [many centuries!] that both the eastern [Orthodox church] and western [Catholic] churches would all accept. Some feel that the early church fathers and Latin theologians [Tertullian, Augustine and others] had too much prior influence from philosophy and the ‘forensic’ thinking of their time. They had a tendency to describe things in highly technical ways. Ways that were prominent in the legal and philosophical thinking of the West. Some of the eastern thinkers [Origen] had more of a Greek ‘flavor’ to their theologizing [Alexandria, named after Alexander the great, was a city of philosophy many years prior to Christ. This city was at one time the center of thinking in the East. That’s why Paul would face the thinkers at Athens, they had a history in the east of Greek philosophy]. Well any way the result was highly technical debates over the nature of God and Christ. The historic church would finally decree that Christ had 2 natures, Human and Divine. And that at the Cross the ‘humanity of Jesus’ died, but his ‘Deity’ did not. I think Paul agreed by saying ‘we are free from the law by the death of Christ’s Body’ here Paul distinguishes between the physical death of Jesus and his Deity. Note- actually, Augustine would be in the same school as Origen. Alexandrian. [parts] Past comments on Oral Tradition- something I mentioned on today’s post- Gal. 6 The Iliad and Odyssey [Homer] I want to cover some of the classics of Western Literature- when I do the philosophy and science stuff- the purpose is to show how God- and ‘religion’ are an inescapable thread that we see all thru out history- and in fact- the rise of what we call ‘intellectualism’ did indeed come from the Judaic/Christian tradition [for instance- the modern day university system did come from the Church]. Ok- lets start with what most believe to be the greatest work from antiquity- outside of the bible. These are 2 poems by Homer- the Iliad and Odyssey. These poems were written in the 8th century BCE- and cover the Trojan war- which most believe was a real war- that took place in the 12th-13th century BCE. In Homers works we read about this epic battle. The war starts with- once again- a ‘woman’ issue. Prince Paris of Troy steals Helen of Greece- from her husband King Menelaus [king of Sparta]. The Greeks- led by Achilles- lay siege to Troy. In Homers telling of the event- the Greeks are actually defending the honor of marriage- and are carrying out a just retribution against an unjust act. Sort of the same themes we read in scripture- when the sons of Jacob defended the honor of their sister Dinah- when she was treated unjustly by the pagan nation that took her- forcefully- to be the wife of a kings son. The brothers meted out justice- by tricking these pagans to get circumcised- then- while recovering ‘from surgery’- the sons went in and wiped out the city- to their fathers dismay! In the story- Achilles is a warrior- who displays extreme violence- and also the human traits of a man who acts out of selfish motives. At one point in the war- he removes himself from battle- because he feels his honor was betrayed. The only thing that brings him back is the killing of his close friend Patroclus- by Hector. Achilles leads the Greeks to victory- and reflects the struggle between living a long life- or dying young- yet dying for a just cause. One of the more famous quotes form Homer’s Poems- attributed to Achilles- is ‘I carry 2 sorts of destiny to the day of my death. Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of the Trojans, my return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting; but if I return home to the beloved land of my fathers, the excellence of my glory is gone, but there will be a long life- left for me, and my end in death will not come to me quickly.’ There has been some debate over the historicity of the war itself. Some scholars believe it was Myth [I’ll get to this in a moment]. That is- they believe the war itself was not true- but a sort of Oral Tradition- that encompasses the reality of the human condition- and that Homers Poems are simply mythological ways to reveal the true condition of man. Yet- much like the debate that took place in the 19th century German universities- over the ‘Myth’ of the bible- later on- the rise of what we now call Archaeology [because of the Industrial revolution- a new field arose- men started digging up the ground- for the primary purpose of extracting materials from the earth- and at this time we also discovered ‘lost worlds’- that is we could actually trace cities and lands that were once deemed fake]. So- as with Homers Troy- and bible lands- these archaeologists did indeed find Cities that matched the stories. In 1870 the German Archaeologist Schliemann discovered remains that seemed to find the city of Troy- the area is known today as modern day Turkey. This same thing happened with the bible- we did indeed find historical evidence that seemed to back up the historicity of the stories we find in the bible. As a matter of fact- a famous doubter of the bible embarked on a search- to prove the bible was ‘myth’ yet- after researching carefully the historical names and places we read about in the book of Acts- he came to believe that the book of Acts- written by both an historian and doctor [Luke] was the most historically accurate writing that came from the first century [Acts has lots of names of political figures- court proceedings- stuff like that- and when doing research like this- it is quite easy to debunk the historical reality of a fake work- but- when these names and places were researched- from actual historical records dating back to the first century- it was amazing how the pieces fit]. The Trojan War is found in many works of Greek literature- and art. But the most comprehensive account comes from Homer’s 2 poems. Now- in Homer’s poems there are obvious references to Mythology- Goddesses- Golden apples- the Greek gods intervening in the affairs of men. So yeah- we see that there are obvious mythological aspects to the work. Yet- the ancient Geeks did indeed believe the war itself was a real war that took place at around the 12th century BCE. Some believe that Homer never actually wrote the poems- but that he told the stories- like Oral Tradition- and they were later written down by others. Sort of like the classic- Paradise Lost- by John Milton. Milton was blind- and told the story to his daughters [oral tradition] and the actual work was penned by those who heard it. Jesus himself used this method- he never wrote a book- or letter in the New Testament- yet the gospels were compiled by his men after his death. We read about this when Luke [who I mentioned above] gives the reason for his documenting stuff in the book of Acts [read Acts chapter one]. Luke also wrote his gospel a few years after the death and resurrection of Christ. So- some believe the same thing happened with Homer- those who heard him tell the story multiple times- simply put it together later on. Most scholars believe that Homer did indeed write the poems- and that the famous Trojan War was a real historical event. Last year- when in North Bergen- my atheist friend Daniel said he watched a PBS show- and he said ‘even a priest said the bible was Myth’. I explained to Daniel that when the more liberal scholars use this term [like in the writings of Bultman] that they do not mean ‘fake’- like Greek Mythology. But they mean that some of the stories in the gospels might be a compilation of the many Oral teachings of Jesus- and they were put together as one story [some think the Sermon on the Mount was actually multiple teachings Jesus did- and they were compiled into one event]. Now- when I explained this to Daniel- he said ‘see- even you believe it was Myth’. I told Daniel that no- I do not hold to this theory [not 100%] but that I was simply telling him that even those who use the term Myth- when talking about Theology- they do not mean Myth- as in fake. So- I find it interesting that both the New testament- and Homers poems- got the same scrutiny. In these poems we do indeed see the condition of man- which Homer depicts as one of constant war- not peace. The letter of James in the New Testament says- James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Homers poems are considered by some to be the beginning of the great works of Western literature- of which there are many. The great writer C.S. Lewis- who rejected Christianity for many years- later became a believer. He attributed his conversion to the fact that he could not escape the reality of the Church- or Christian themes- found in all the fields of study. Whether it was the classics- or history- philosophy. He said every were he read- studied- he could not escape this scarlet thread that ran thru out all the fields of knowledge. Yeah- in the end- his thirst for knowledge- his intellectual search- led him to the Cross. Jesus- in a way- was a 1st century Achilles- he battled the forces of darkness- for the honor of a woman- the Bride- the church. He- Like Achilles- chose a just death- for a just cause. There’s a prophecy in the Old Testament- it speaks of Christ ‘the zeal of thine house has eaten me up’. Jesus was a righteous warrior- a prophet, priest and king- and he had a zeal for the church- that far exceeded anything we find in Homers poems. VERSES- [These are the verses I talked about on the video- Galatians 6- Links to all my sites below] Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Galatians 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Galatians 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden. Galatians 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. Galatians 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. Galatians 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Galatians 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Galatians 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. ________________________________________ Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound withthem; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. 13 Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? 14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. 15 But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. 16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. 18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. Isaiah 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 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GALATIANS 5
Galatians 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ I invite you to join me on my latest sites- Thanks. Connect on WT social https://wt.social/u/john-chiarello Sharfly https://sharfly.com/Ccoutreach87 Telegram https://t.me/ccoutreach87 Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/JohnChiarello/conversations Thinkspot https://www.thinkspot.com/discourse/2008/forum/ccoutreach87/a-href-https-ccoutreach87/101953 Vero https://vero.co/ccoutreach87 WhatsApp https://wa.link/gwuicp WhatsApp Group https://chat.whatsapp.com/G6K5dWjUK5vEiXuZ3B3IqX Galatians 5 videos- https://www.dropbox.com/s/43vihaof8iq287c/1-17-17%20Galatians%205.mp4?dl=0 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg08R75QPEHmGLZxm https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg08R75QPEHmGLZxm https://youtu.be/u3Sne2TFlmw https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/1-17-17-galatians-5.zip ON VIDEO .Not under law .Walk in the Spirit .Law fulfilled by love .Against such there is no law .Fruit of the Spirit .We wait for the hope of righteousness .Calvinism- Arminianism .We are all in process .Self-control is a fruit .To be effective in the kingdom you need discipline .Protestant Reformation- Trent responds .Legal fiction? .Backsliding? .Evangelical reductionism .You are all 1 in Christ .MLK Jr. PAST POSTS [Past teaching I did that relates to today’s video- Galatians 5- verses below] (1335) GALATIANS 5- Paul’s main theme is if we possess the Spirit as believers [being indwelt by God’s Spirit] then let us also walk in/by the Spirit, as opposed to trying to please God by the law and being circumcised. Paul will use the somewhat controversial term ‘ye are fallen from grace’ which simply means that these Gentile believers started by faith and went back to the old Jewish system, much like the themes in the book of Hebrews. Paul says when you go back to the law you have left grace. Christ has ‘become of no effect to you, you who are justified by the law’. This is a good example of how words and certain phrases can develop over the centuries of church history and develop a different meaning over time. In essence the bible does teach that a person can ‘fall from grace’ but this does not describe what the modern reader might think. The first church father who attempted to formulate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity was a man named Tertullian, he lived in the second century and was what theologians refer to as one of the Latin fathers [as opposed to the Greek ones- Origen, etc.] Tertullian was famous for the sayings ‘what does Jerusalem have to do with Athens’ and ‘I believe because it is absurd’ he was resisting the influence of Greek philosophy on the church, he felt that Greek wisdom was influencing the church too much. He was trained in law before becoming a theologian [like Luther and Calvin of 16th century Reformation fame] and he used the words ‘God is one substance/essence and also three persons’ later church councils would agree with this language. But the word ‘person’ at Tertullian’s time was the Latin word ‘personi’ which was taken from the theater and meant a person/actor who would put on different masks during the play; the word had a little different meaning then what we think of today as ‘person’. Later centuries would come to condemn certain Christian groups who seem to have formulated language on the Trinity that expresses the same thing as what the original developer of the doctrine meant to say, but because words and their meanings change over time we get ourselves into disputes that might be getting us off track. Paul also tells the Galatians that if they become circumcised that they are obligating themselves to keep all the law. Of course the medical procedure that many have done in our day is not what he is speaking about, but in Paul’s day getting circumcised was the religious rite that placed you into the religion of Judaism, and this is what Paul is refuting among the Galatians, he tells them not to go down that road. This chapter has lots of good ‘memory verses’, the famous lists of the works of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit are found here, and it seems pretty clear to me that Paul identified circumcision with the moral law of the 10 commandments, that is he saw being circumcised as an act that obligated you to ‘keep all the law’ some theologians are discussing whether or not Paul meant the law of Moses when speaking about going ‘back under the law’ some think Paul was speaking only of the ceremonial law and the system of animal sacrifices when he was telling the gentiles that they should not go under the law, I believe if you read Paul in context both in this letter and the book of Romans, that he is speaking of the moral law too, not just the ceremonial law. All in all Paul exhorts these believers to fight for their right to be free from the past restraints of religion and bondage, he tells them to not desire to go back under a system of bondage, that Christ has made us free from that legalistic way of life and he has liberated us by giving us the Holy Spirit- if we ‘walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, for the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these two are contrary one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would’ amen to that. [parts] Galatians 1 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-1-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1-16/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wcbfkhc6p1fkpxazlw_bng https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-1-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-16046790 https://wt.social/post/jfi5ub25360665537221 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-1-xykvowj https://parler.com/post/dd518eb61bfa4e53ae8c476b3c8619dd https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105394968263653884 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-1-2299c227a9ce https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-1-ce5f29d3-263a-4a1c-86e7-018097bbd8ce https://www.plurk.com/p/o50uxw https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-1-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2361079/galatians-1 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-1.html Galatians 2 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-2-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2-18/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/pizaavvbhnsul6mwpsi8ua https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-2-5 https://wt.social/post/1b6ucyi5362123616094 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-2-xomlxkn https://parler.com/post/5dd947d6ea2c4feb8c9e74ef858d95a9 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105423634678296448 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-2-fcdbc3788d45 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-2-11613556-63d6-4d0b-baae-2fb0659457c0 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5adzh http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2387211/galatians-2 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-2.html Galatians 3 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-3-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/24/galatians-3-text-2/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/o2nb8lfuxxplcj2mq6ywxg https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-3-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-36880587 https://wt.social/post/3ungwki53626817192 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-3-xryyokk https://parler.com/post/67feb31532aa4184b175284b2e713af3 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105434608063686819 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-3-bc88f8c94a96 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-3-95abab60-5e86-4a5c-a509-b420a853d416 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5ea9r https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-3-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2401391/galatians-3 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/24/galatians-3/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-3.html Galatians 4 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-4-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/27/galatians-4-text-2/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/ce4bhrppzfc-pseeeuifww https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-4-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-43231449 https://wt.social/post/zv873ep5363565440295 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-4-xerrvqj https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105451977257475153 https://parler.com/post/b0cf6cea1ea9464eac8de84f91465ca5 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-4-c28bfdf12fe4 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-4-8940d7ce-918d-44d4-92a6-829f1100195c https://www.plurk.com/p/o5ju8y https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-4-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2419041/galatians-4 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/27/galatians-4/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-4.html GALATIANS [Links] https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/26/galatians-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/30/2nd-samuel-3-homeless-friends/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/02/galatians-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/10/galatians-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/12/the-seed/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/16/galatians-4/ I quote from these bible books on today’s video [Gal. 5]- below are my complete studies- https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ GALATIANS 3 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1 https://youtu.be/hhA-O_mb3Y8 Galatians 3 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/1-3-17-galatians-3.zip ON VIDEO .Abrahamic covenant .Fulfilled thru Christ .Law [covenant] came later .1st promise stands .Law revealed sin .Faith in Christ justifies .Began in Spirit [faith] don’t go back to law [works] .Christ took the curse of the law on the Cross [tree] .Law was tutor- to bring us to truth .Jesus is the Truth .No more need for the tutor .Father of many nations .Legal and actual justification .Luther- Trent [16th century] .Legal fiction? .Mercy seat [parts] (820) ROMANS 2:1-13 ‘Therefore thou art inexcusable, o man, whosoever thou art that judgest’. Now, this chapter will run with the theme ‘who do you think you are to judge, you do the things that you say are wrong’. Yikes, this type of preaching convicts us all. But we need to understand that Paul is saying a little more [well, a lot more!] than this. Here’s where we need to do some history. This letter is addressed to believers in Rome, those ‘called to be saints’. Paul is also giving one of his strongest defenses of his theology, he realizes that a large Jewish population are also at Rome [Acts 28]. By the time of this letter the lines are being drawn between ‘Paul’s gospel’ [the true gospel] and the ‘Jewish law gospel’ coming from the Judaizers out of Jerusalem. The main fight is over whether or not Gentile believers need to be circumcised and come under the law in order to ‘be saved’ [Acts 15]. Now the mentality of the Jewish mind was ‘we have been given Gods precepts [true] and because we are the inheritors of the law and moral standards of God, this puts us in a better class than the Gentiles’ [false]. In essence the law was supposed to reveal mans sin to himself, it was to show us our need for a Savior. But in the legalistic mind it created enmity between Jew and Gentile. This is what it means when Paul writes the Ephesian letter and says ‘the middle wall of partition has been removed in Christ’ this ‘middle wall’ is referring to the law and how it divided Jew and Gentile. So here Paul is saying ‘you Jews who are trusting in the fact that you were the recipients of the law, who use the law as a measuring rod to justify yourselves. This measuring rod was actually given to show you your sin. Did it never occur to you that the very fact that the ‘rod’ says “don’t commit adultery, don’t steal” that these things are actually sins that you yourselves do [the legalistic Jews]. And yet the very rule [law] of God that you are using to justify yourselves, this law you actually break!’ Now you are beginning to see the context. And not only were they breaking the law, but at the same time they were saying to Paul’s Gentile churches ‘unless you get circumcised, you are not accepted with God’. The Gentile believers were actually born of God and stopped doing the things that the law commanded them not to do. They were ‘fulfilling the law by nature’. So Paul is really rebuking this hypocritical mindset that said to the Gentile believers that they weren’t saved. And at the same time the ‘judgers of the law’ were actually breaking the law, while the Gentle converts were keeping it by nature! In this context verse one means a lot. Now to an important verse ‘for not the hearers of the law are just before God, BUT THE DOERS OF THE LAW SHALL BE JUSTIFIED’. Just the fact that this statement is made by Paul in this letter is amazing. Paul will spend lots of time in this letter saying ‘those who try and become justified by keeping the law are missing it’. He will go over and over again stating that trying to become righteous by works and law keeping are futile. Yet here he says ‘the doers of the law SHALL BE JUSTIFIED, not the hearers’. Keep in context what I just showed in the beginning of the chapter. The New Testament has a theme that I have hit on before [read the Hebrews 11 commentary on this site]. The theme is ‘men are justified’ [declared legally righteous] by faith. This faith also ‘sanctifies’ [which can also be called ‘justified’ a sort of progressive justification. James uses this in his letter. Paul says in Galatians ‘having begun in the Spirit [legal justification] are you now made perfect by the flesh’ [law keeping]. Now the New Testament teaches that God wants people to actually ‘be righteous’. Johns 1st epistle uses this as the marker of whether or not you are a child of God ‘by this we know… those that do what is righteous are born of God, those that do evil are not’. In Jesus judgment scenarios ‘those that have DONE good are raised to life, those that have done evil to damnation’. So Paul in essence is saying ‘God ‘justifies’ [using the term in a ongoing- futuristic sense] the righteous, not the ones who only hear the law [the Jewish legalists] but those who by nature do it’ [Paul’s gentile converts]. Got it? This distinction is very important. One of the historic reasons why the Protestant and Catholic churches are divided is over this issue. The Catholic Pope [Leo] who initially condemned Luther did so on grounds like this. The Pope who succeeded Leo re-read all of Luther’s documents, in an honest effort to bridge the schism, and came to the same conclusion. Now I like Luther and side with him more so than the Pope, but one of the problems was some of Luther’s writings seemed to say ‘Justification is solely by faith [true] therefore sin hardily’ [false]. Now Luther didn’t intend to come off this way, but that’s the way it sounded. So the Catholic doctrine fell more on the side of ‘Gods grace makes you righteous, God cant declare people actually righteous until they actually are righteous’ this is called the ‘Legal fiction’ argument. They said Luther’s idea was a ‘legal fiction’. In essence some of what the Catholic scholars were saying was correct. Now God does declare us righteous at the moment of belief, before we actually ‘become totally righteous in practice’. But the error of the Catholic argument saying ‘God cant declare you righteous until you are’ was missing the point. When God says ‘you are righteous’ then you are! God doesn’t lie. But I understand the Catholic point. I think Paul understood it too. In this chapter Paul says ‘not the hearers of the law, but the doers shall be justified’. [parts] . ROMANS 8-10 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/2-24-15-romans-8-10.zip VIDEO- [I cover stuff on the videos that are not in the post- here are a few] .Council of Trent- what did the Church say? .Do we get the final say- at the Judgment? .What are the Catholic virtues- did Paul teach them? .Augustine, Calvin, Whitfield and Wesley. .Infusion or Imputation? How bout both! At the bottom I added some quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic church- to show that the official teaching of the church DOES NOT TEACH SALVATION BY THE LAW- BUT BY CHRIST. . REMINDER- This is a commentary I wrote years ago- the videos are new. .CHAPTER 8- FEW POINTS; 1- Did God choose us to believe- or did we choose him? 2- When Paul says ‘he makes our bodies alive’ is he only speaking about resurrection? 3- Does God use difficulty- or is it to be rebuked? 4- Was Paul a ‘hyper- Calvinist’? (839)ROMAN 8:1-4 ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [sinful nature] but after the Spirit [new nature]’. Now, having proved the reality of sin and guilt [chapter 7] Paul teaches that those who ‘are in Christ’ are free from condemnation. Why? Because they ‘walk according to the Spirit’ the ‘righteousness of the law is being fulfilled in them’. Having no condemnation isn’t simply a ‘legal function’ of declared righteousness, and Paul didn’t teach it that way! Paul is saying ‘all those who have believed in Jesus and have been legally justified [earlier arguments in chapters 3-4] are now walking [actually acting out] this new nature. Therefore [because you no longer walk according to the flesh] there is no condemnation’! This argument helps bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant theology, part of the reason for the ongoing schism is over this understanding. After the Reformation the Catholic Church had a Counter Reformation council, the council of Trent. They dealt with a lot of the abuses of the Catholic Church, things that many Catholic leaders were complaining about before the Reformation. They did deal with some issues and reformed somewhat. To the dismay of the more ‘reform minded’ Catholics [with Protestant leanings] they still came down strong on most pre reform doctrines. This made it next to impossible for the schism to be healed. But one area of disagreement was over ‘legal’ versus ‘actual/experiential’ justification. The Catholic position was ‘God can’t declare/say a person is justified until they actually are’ [experientially]. The Protestant side [Luther] said ‘God does justify [legal declaration] a person by faith alone’. Like I taught before, both of these are true. The Catholic view of ‘justification’ is looking ahead towards a future reality [The same way James speaks of justification in a future sense- He uses the example from Genesis 22, when Abraham does a righteous act] while the Protestant view is focusing on the initial legal act of justification [Genesis 15]. Here Paul agrees with both views, he says ‘those who walk after the Spirit [actually living the changed life] have no condemnation’. [parts] NOTE- Erasmus disagreed with Luther on the doctrine of Predestination- which I covered in the last video. Luther was for it- Erasmus was what we would call ‘Free Will’. In his writings- which were very influential- he wrote in Greek and Latin- the language of the elites. He did this on purpose- for his target was the influential leaders of the Church. He rejected offers of money- because he did not want to align himself with any particular movement- so he could be an independent writer with no strings attached. He had many criticisms of the Catholic Church- and was very influential for the later reforms- those we see at the Council of Trent [Though the church criticized him- they said he ‘Laid the egg that hatched the Reformation’]. He taught that the church/priests/popes should be the servants of the people- He rejected the idea that the Priests/leaders made up the ‘whole of the church’- but he believed all believers made up the true church. Erasmus was a firebrand in his own way- rejecting the language that Luther and some of the reformers used [they were vulgar at times]- Luther respected the works of Erasmus- he thanked Erasmus for debating with him on the nature of Justification by Faith- He disagreed in the end- but said this debate was at the heart of the gospel- and was glad that Erasmus was willing to engage. RENAISSANCE ARTISTS- The famous renaissance artists- DaVinci- Michelangelo- Raphael- used their artwork as a form of knowledge- the images taught things- they were not just paintings. DaVinci’s most famous work was his painting on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel in the Vatican. It took him 4 years to complete. The renaissance period- from about the 13/14th century to the 17th- [though there was a sort of Renaissance that took place- yes- in the Islamic world before the European Renaissance] was marked by what we term Humanism. Today we associate this term with ‘secular Humanism’ which often has a bad connotation- especially among Christians. But it meant something different back then. It was a new focus on breaking the limits off of man- and for man to excel in knowledge and skill- and to see man as having value. There was somewhat of a break away from the church in a sense- in that the church and its teachings were not the only source of wisdom for man. But- Jesus himself taught that ‘the Sabbath was made for man- not man for the Sabbath’- so- the Humanist spirit- elevating the value of man- does have a Christian basis in my view. Leonardo daVinci [15/16th century] was what we refer to as a true Renaissance man- meaning his knowledge was in many fields- not just art. He actually considered himself a sculptor first- then an artist- though he is most famous for his Fresco mentioned above. 1989 The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, effecting justification in accordance with Jesus’ proclamation at the beginning of the Gospel: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”38 Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high. “Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of [parts] Basically the media have been turning up the heat on why Perry and all the other stoops [that would be Christians] are denying science. I have written- and posted lots about this in the past. Most people are not aware of the overwhelming amount of science that challenges the most common ideas about evolution. I’ll just hit on one- Abio Genesis. This is the belief that life can spontaneously generate from dead matter. This view is false- scientifically false. It is also commonly held with the false view of the spontaneous generation of all things. Many media folk hold to a belief that the Big Bang theory shows us that all things have come from no-thing. Actually- this is a scientific impossibility. This idea- creation ‘Ex Nihilo’- is false. Einstein’s theory did show us that matter had a beginning point- called the Point of Singularity- yet today we have absolutely no scientific proof that all things came from nothing- yet most media folk do indeed believe this. So this topic really is one where the media have created their villain [the back water Christians] and their hero [the false idea that science has proved all types of stuff- that is has not!]. Yet they hope that if they run with the narrative long enough- then hopefully they will never be found out- you know- opening that car door and seeing their man- the man they assured the whole world was gone- yet he lives to see another day. [note- those of you who are interested in more on Evolution- on my Blog if you go to the February posts of each year- I have studies on Evolution and one on Genesis- you might find them helpful in the coming debate]. [parts] SIMONY AND CHEAP TRICK- ON VIDEO- .A.P. article review .Simony .Peter/Simon- showdown PAST POSTS- Simony (pron. [ˈsaɪ.mə.ni] or [ˈsɪ.mə.ni]) is the act of selling church offices and roles. The practice is named after Simon Magus,[1] who is described in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9–24 as having offered two disciples of Jesus, Peter and John, payment in exchange for their empowering him to impart the power of the Holy Spirit to anyone on whom he would place his hands. The term also extends to other forms of trafficking for money in “spiritual things”.[2][3] Simony was also one of the important issues during the Investiture Controversy. Wikipedia . [1770] TREASURY OF MERIT Let’s pick up where we left off 2 posts back. We were talking about Martin Luther and the events that led up to the Protestant Reformation. In order to understand the key act that caused the protest- we will have to teach some Catholic history/doctrine. In the 16th century Pope Julius began the effort to build St. Peters basilica in Rome. He got as far as laying the foundation and died. Pope Leo the 10th would pick up after him. The church needed to raise money for the project- and the German prince- Albert- would play a major role. It should be noted that both Catholic and Protestant scholars agree that the Popes of the day were pretty corrupt. They came from what we call the Medici line of Popes. If you remember last month I wrote a post on the Renaissance- I talked about the Medici family and how they played a major role in supporting the Renaissance that took place in the 13th century in Florence Italy that would spread to the region. Well this very influential family also played a big role in who would get top positions in the church. At the time of Luther and prince Albert- if you had the right connections and the money- you could literally buy a position in the church. Albert already held 2 Bishop seats- and there was an opening for an Archbishops seat in Mainz [Germany] and he wanted that one too. It should be noted that official Canon law [church law] said you could only hold one seat at a time- Albert was bidding on his 3rd one! And he was too young for all of them. So even the Pope and the officials held little respect for what the church actually taught at the time. So Albert opens up negotiations with Leo- and the bidding starts AT 12,000 Duckets [money] Albert counters with 7,000- and they agree on 10,000. How did they justify the numbers? 12- The number of Apostles. 7- The 7 deadly sins. 10- The 10 commandments. Yes- the church was pretty corrupt at the time. So Albert works out a plan with Leo- he will borrow the money from the German banks- and pay the banks off by the Pope giving Albert the right to sell Indulgences. What’s an Indulgence? Okay- this is where it gets tricky. The ancient church taught a system called The Treasury of Merit. This was a sort of spiritual bank account that ‘stored up’ the good deeds of others over the years. You had the good deeds of Jesus at the top- but you also had Mary and Joseph- the 12 Apostles- and other various saints thru out time. The way the ‘bank’ worked was you could tap into the account by getting a Papal indulgence- a sort of I.O.U. that had the Popes guarantee that it would get so much time out of Purgatory for a loved one. The actual sacrament that accesses the account is called Penance [confession]. When a penitent does penance- he confesses his sin to the priest- and he is absolved by the authority of the church that the priest has. The priest usually tells the person ‘say so many Hail Mary’s- Our Father’s’ and that’s a form of penance. One of the other things the church practiced was called Alms Deeds. This term is found in the bible and it means giving your money to the poor- it is a noble act that Jesus himself taught. In theory- part of the sacrament of penance was tied into Alms Deeds- you can access the account thru the practice of giving to the poor- which also meant giving to the church that helps the poor- and in the hands of the Medici line of Popes- meant outright giving money to the Pope. So now you see how the abuse worked its way into the pockets of the faithful. Albert now had the permission from Leo to sell these indulgences in Germany- and he would pick a certain corrupt priest to sell them in a place called Saxony- the region where Luther operated out of. It should be noted that the Catholic Church never taught the crass act of ‘buying your way out of Purgatory’. The practice of including giving money as a part of the sacrament of penance was tied into the biblical principle of giving to the poor- a good thing. But Tetzel and others abused the official meaning of the indulgence- and did make it sound like you could by your way out of Purgatory [in theory- a loved one might be in Purgatory for so many years- and through the indulgence you are actually getting time off for them- because the good deeds of others are now applied to the account]. The money Albert would raise- half would go to Rome for the building of St. peters- and half would go to pay off the banks in Germany- it was a sad system- and a sad time for the church as a whole. It would be wrong to judge the entire church at the time as being corrupt- you did have many sincere Priests and Catholic men and women who saw the abuses and did not take part in them. But there was corruption at the top- and this would eventually lead to the breakup of the church- and the launching of what we now call the Protestant Movement. As a side note- it should be said that many Catholics and Protestants are not aware of the whole treasury of merit system- and the church never officially changed her position on the doctrine. There were 3 Church councils since the time [Trent- 1500’s, Vatican 1- 1800’s and Vatican 2- 1962-65]. The Treasury of Merit never came up for change. Obviously Protestants don’t believe in Purgatory- and it’s not my purpose in these posts to change Catholics into Protestants or vice versa- but to give all sides a clear view of the issues that divided us- and to try and be honest- and respectful during the process. Does the bible teach anything like a Treasury of Merit? Well actually it does. The bible teaches that the righteousness of Christ is the treasury that people can access- by faith- and become righteous in the sight if God. The idea- applied to Christ- is good. But in the hands of the Medici Popes- and the ambitious prince of Germany- it would lead to disaster. [parts] The writings of Aristotle would be discovered again during the time of Thomas Aquinas [13th century Catholic genius/scholar] and this would lead to Scholasticism [a peculiar school of thought developed/revived under Aquinas] and give rise to the Renaissance. Okay- before the birth of Christ- the Jewish people resisted the imposing of Greek culture upon them- you had the very famous resistance under the Jewish Maccabean revolt- where the Jews rose up and fought the wicked ruler Antiochus Epiphanies- and till this day the Jewish people celebrate this victory at Hanukah. Eventually Rome would conquer the Greek kingdom and the Jewish people were allowed to keep their culture and temple- yet they were still a people oppressed. Hassidism [getting back to the beginning] developed during this attempt to not lose their Jewish roots- the Pharisees of Jesus day came from this movement. Alexander was pretty successful in his attempt to unify language- even though the bible [New Testament] was written by Jewish writers- living under Roman rule- yet the original bible is written in the Greek language. Bible scholars till this day study the Greek language to find the truest meaning of the actual words in the bible [I have a Greek Lexicon sitting right in front of me]. It would take a few centuries before a Latin version appeared on the scene [the great church father- Jerome- would produce the Latin Vulgate]. Yet it would be the re- discovery and learning of the Greek texts [under men like Erasmus- and the Protestant Reformers] that would lead to the Reformation [16th century] and other movements in church history. [parts] The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight]. Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies. Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace. This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin. Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal. This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up. Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins. Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin. I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place. The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine. The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints. But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this. Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin. But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often. Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject. Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one]. Why is it important that we study this? In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides. It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’. The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion. And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on]. So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people. The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church. He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids. I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus. Amen. [parts] VERSES- [These are the verses I talked about on the video- Galatians 5- Links to all my sites below] Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Galatians 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. Galatians 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Galatians 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? Galatians 5:8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Galatians 5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. Galatians 5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. Galatians 5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Galatians 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Galatians 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Matthew 22:36-40King James Version (KJV) 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations James 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus- Phil. 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John GALATIANS 4
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Gal. 4:26 Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Galatians 4 videos- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HyckXRkq0I&t=28s https://www.dropbox.com/s/mg7o8084eja3f6n/1-10-17%20Galatians%204.mp4?dl=0 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg0WKeVvxnpZsToSd https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/1-10-17-galatians-4.zip ON VIDEO- .Huey and the shrimp .The set time has come .Probation over .Sons- not servants .Abba- Father .Abraham’s 2 sons .Cast out the bond woman .This is an allegory .Is Paul talking about the ceremonial law only? .He says ‘Sinai’- where the law was given .Children of the promise .It’s not about Jew versus Muslim .It’s about law versus grace .Who is ‘our mother’ ? .We are community .A product of intimacy between a bridegroom and his bride [Christ and the church- the ‘mother of us all’- see?] TEACHING- [Past posts below] I just want to hit on a new theme Paul introduces in this chapter. He uses the story of Abraham’s 2 sons- from 2 women- and says ‘this is an allegory’- Galatians 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman Galatians 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: Of what? Paul sees the message of grace versus law- contained in the 2 kids- and their mothers. As I have been teaching in this series- God promised a son to Abraham- and over time Abraham and Sarah agreed that he would have a child with the ‘slave’ woman- Hagar. Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. Genesis 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. Sarah and Abraham were getting old- the promise seemed to be taking too much time- so- Abraham had Ishmael with Hagar. Genesis 16:15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. But- about 12 years later- God told Abraham that Sarah would have a son- the promised one- Genesis 17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. Genesis 17:16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? She indeed gets pregnant- and has Isaac. Ok- in Genesis 21 we read how Ishmael made fun of Isaac- and Isaac’s mom told Abraham to ‘cast out the bondwoman and her child’- Genesis 21:8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. Genesis 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Genesis 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. So Abraham sends Ishmael away with his mother Hagar. Now Paul says this is a symbol of the sons born after the promise- Spirit- And the sons who are ‘sons of the law’. Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. Galatians 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Those under the law- the circumcision- they will always persecute the sons of the promise- Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. Galatians 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. That was what was indeed happening with the Galatians- The Judiazers [those who kept the circumcision] – and ‘tried’ to keep the law- they were persecuting the Gentile believers- who were born of God. Justified by faith. And they were like Ishmael was- mocking the simple message of grace. Paul says these 2 sons- and their moms- represent the 2 covenants- one from Sinai [law] and the covenant of grace- the ‘New Jerusalem’. The community of God [the church]. I always found this example interesting- because Paul sees so much in this simple story. Yet- these were things God showed him. Paul urges the Galatians to separate from the influence of the Judiazers- He says we are ‘sons of the free woman’ and they are children of the ‘bondwoman’- Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. If they go back under the law- That will indeed lead to bondage- and we are not children of the ‘bondwoman’ but of ‘the free’- Galatians 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. PAST POSTS [Past teaching I did that relates to today’s video ‘Gal. 4’- Verses below] GALATIANS [Links] Galatians 1 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-1-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1-16/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wcbfkhc6p1fkpxazlw_bng https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-1-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-16046790 https://wt.social/post/jfi5ub25360665537221 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-1-xykvowj https://parler.com/post/dd518eb61bfa4e53ae8c476b3c8619dd https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105394968263653884 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-1-2299c227a9ce https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-1-ce5f29d3-263a-4a1c-86e7-018097bbd8ce https://www.plurk.com/p/o50uxw https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-1-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2361079/galatians-1 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-1.html Galatians 2 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-2-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2-18/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/pizaavvbhnsul6mwpsi8ua https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-2-5 https://wt.social/post/1b6ucyi5362123616094 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-2-xomlxkn https://parler.com/post/5dd947d6ea2c4feb8c9e74ef858d95a9 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105423634678296448 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-2-fcdbc3788d45 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-2-11613556-63d6-4d0b-baae-2fb0659457c0 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5adzh http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2387211/galatians-2 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-2.html Galatians 3 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-3-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/24/galatians-3-text-2/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/o2nb8lfuxxplcj2mq6ywxg https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-3-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-36880587 https://wt.social/post/3ungwki53626817192 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-3-xryyokk https://parler.com/post/67feb31532aa4184b175284b2e713af3 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105434608063686819 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-3-bc88f8c94a96 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-3-95abab60-5e86-4a5c-a509-b420a853d416 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5ea9r https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-3-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2401391/galatians-3 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/24/galatians-3/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-3.html https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/26/galatians-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/30/2nd-samuel-3-homeless-friends/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/02/galatians-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/10/galatians-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/12/the-seed/ I quoted from these bible books on the video- here are my complete studies- https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ %5BQuoted from chapter 10] https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/ %5BQuoted from 1st Cor. 5] (1331) GALATIANS 4- Paul says there was a time period before the promise would be fulfilled thru Christ; that time has come to an end [the law] and we are now in ‘the fullness of times’. When we were under the law we were no different than servants, but now in grace we are mature sons, people able to inherit the promise. Paul says why do you desire to go back under the ‘restraint’ phase, the time of discipline and legalism, we are now in a fullness stage thru the New Covenant and we don’t need the old mentality anymore. Once again Paul really ‘spiritualizes’ the Old Testament in his teaching, he says that the law [Old Testament] taught this difference between law and grace. He uses the story of Abraham having 2 sons [Ishmael, Isaac] and he says ‘cant you hear what the law is saying’? One son was born by promise [Isaac] the other thru the works of the flesh [law]. And just like it was back then, the one born after the flesh persecuted the one born after the Spirit, so today [1st century] those after the flesh/law are persecuting those born after the Spirit. It’s important to see that Paul DOES NOT use this analogy to describe Jewish/Muslim [Arab] relations; he actually refers to natural Israel as ‘Ishmael’! He says the Judaisers [Jews zealous of the law] were fulfilling the type/symbol by persecuting Gentile believers. We need to keep these distinctions in our minds, because when we don’t rightfully discern the truth we do damage to the non ethnic testimony of the gospel. Paul says the law relates to natural Israel/Jerusalem who is under bondage with her children, but the ‘New Jerusalem’ which is above is the mother of us all, and this Jerusalem relates to the church. The New Jerusalem is not referring to a physical city that will ‘hover over the earth during the millennium rule’ [EEK!] But it refers to the new community people of God, the church. I have written on this before and these references in the New Testament [Revelation, Hebrews- us being the new Zion, etc.] are speaking of the church, the people of God. Paul once again speaks of ‘natural Jerusalem’ in a negative light, in the sense that he teaches those who are under the law are not walking in the fullness of the promises of God as come in the Messiah. The New Testament spends no time engaging in the glorying of any ethnic group [whether it be Israel, Gentile, etc.] It’s not that the apostles were being anti Semitic, it’s just the emphasis is on the new kingdom of God and the new people of God [the church made up of both Jew and Gentile]. Its striking to compare the writings of the first Jewish believers to the current trends amongst many evangelical preachers, the two don’t mesh well. VERSES [These are the verses I quoted or taught on the video- Links to all my sites below] Galatians 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; Galatians 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Galatians 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, Galatians 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Galatians 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. Galatians 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Galatians 4:12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. Galatians 4:13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. Galatians 4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Galatians 4:15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. Galatians 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Galatians 4:17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. Galatians 4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, Galatians 4:20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. Galatians 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? Galatians 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. Galatians 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. Galatians 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Galatians 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. Galatians 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. Galatians 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. ________________________________________ 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Genesis 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. Genesis 21:2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. Genesis 21:3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. Genesis 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. Genesis 21:5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. Genesis 21:6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. Genesis 21:7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. Genesis 21:8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. Genesis 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Genesis 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: Eph. 2 Isaiah 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 [Full Chapter] Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Matthew 4:19 [Full Chapter] And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John GALATIANS 3
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1 Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Galatians 3 videos- https://www.dropbox.com/s/evk7t0ex9oc3rpw/1-3-17%20Galatians%203.mp4?dl=0 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg2IJprKceVayQpmQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhA-O_mb3Y8&t=20s https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/1-3-17-galatians-3.zip ON VIDEO .Abrahamic covenant .Fulfilled thru Christ .Law [covenant] came later .1st promise stands .Law revealed sin .Faith in Christ justifies .Began in Spirit [faith] don’t go back to law [works] .Christ took the curse of the law on the Cross [tree] .Law was tutor- to bring us to truth .Jesus is the Truth .No more need for the tutor .Father of many nations .Legal and actual justification .Luther- Trent [16th century] .Legal fiction? .Mercy seat TEACHING [Past posts below] Paul makes the argument that God promised Abraham that he would bless [save- justify] the whole world thru one of his sons. Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Ultimately that Son was Jesus- who came down the line- from the offspring of Abraham- Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Then Paul says – The law [10 commandments and entire Old Covenant system] came 430 years after God gave Abraham this promise- Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. Paul says ‘the scripture foresaw that God would justify the heathen thru faith- preaching the gospel beforehand’- Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Meaning- if the Galatians were going to revert to the law [get circumcised and put themselves under the Old Covenant] thinking that would make them pleasing to God. Then the first promise [to Abraham] wasn’t true- Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. It’s a simple argument- saying God already promised that he would save the world someday- thru Jesus. And if the law- which was given later- could also justify man- then basically God would have lied. God is not a man that he should lie- Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Then the question is ‘why did God then give the law’? Good question- and I taught it when we covered the book of Romans- and in this chapter Paul teaches it again. The law was given till the seed [Son] would come to whom the promise was made- Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. But after that Son [seed] has come- there is no longer any need for the law [covenant- which includes circumcision]- Paul teaches that the law was our tutor- to bring us to the time of Christ- but after the true teacher has come- there is no more need for a tutor- Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The law simply revealed to man his sin until the time of Christ- Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. The law is holy- just and good- But men are sinful. Therefore the law could never justify us. Its purpose has been fulfilled- to reveal to man that he is a sinner- unable to keep it- Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Then- when this purpose is fulfilled- we see the need for Christ- and the true purpose of the law is now accomplished- Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Simple. The law cannot save us- was never intended to save us- Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. And now that Jesus has come- The only one who ever fulfilled all the law- Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He himself saves us because he took all the transgressions that were held against man- and nailed them to his Cross- Jesus took away the ‘handwriting of ordinances’ that was against us- and nailed them to his Cross- Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; Paul concludes that we are justified by faith- that Jesus ‘hung on a tree’ [the Cross] and became a curse for us- Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: He quotes Habakkuk showing that the just shall live by faith- Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not faith- but the ‘man that does them- lives under them’- Galatians 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. The quotes Paul uses in this chapter are from Deuteronomy- the ‘law’ and they show us the gospel itself- Deuteronomy 21:22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: Deuteronomy 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen. He warns the gentile believers- if you go back to that system- you are ‘falling from grace’- Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. We are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ- Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Amen. PAST TEACHING I DID THAT RELATES [Verses below] GALATIANS [Links] Galatians 1 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-1-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1-16/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wcbfkhc6p1fkpxazlw_bng https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-1-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-16046790 https://wt.social/post/jfi5ub25360665537221 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-1-xykvowj https://parler.com/post/dd518eb61bfa4e53ae8c476b3c8619dd https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105394968263653884 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-1-2299c227a9ce https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-1-ce5f29d3-263a-4a1c-86e7-018097bbd8ce https://www.plurk.com/p/o50uxw https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-1-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2361079/galatians-1 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-1.html Galatians 2 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-2-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2-18/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/pizaavvbhnsul6mwpsi8ua https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-2-5 https://wt.social/post/1b6ucyi5362123616094 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-2-xomlxkn https://parler.com/post/5dd947d6ea2c4feb8c9e74ef858d95a9 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105423634678296448 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-2-fcdbc3788d45 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-2-11613556-63d6-4d0b-baae-2fb0659457c0 https://www.plurk.com/p/o5adzh http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2387211/galatians-2 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/22/galatians-2/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-2.html https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/26/galatians-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/30/2nd-samuel-3-homeless-friends/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/02/galatians-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/justification-by-faith/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ VERSES [These are the verses I quoted or taught on the video- Galatians 3- Links to all my sites below] Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. Galatians 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Galatians 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. Galatians 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. Galatians 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Galatians 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. ________________________________________ Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1 Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John GALATIANS 2
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Galatians 2 videos- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld07s54F3M4&t=1s https://www.dropbox.com/s/51oq3yxf26meyi3/12-27-16%20Galatians%202.mp4?dl=0 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhGBeGlLV_fJjxjdV https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/12-27-16-galatians-2.zip ON VIDEO- .What Jerusalem visit was it? .Did Peter quote Paul in Acts 15? .Hearing and believing justifies .Paul rebukes Peter .God chose us .The faith itself is a gift .Justin Martyr .Legalism .Law versus grace .God rested the 7th day .The ‘Way’ .Catholics and Protestants .Great Schism- 1054 ad .Reformation- 16th century .We all have ‘traditions’ TEACHING [Past posts below] As Paul makes the argument that ‘his gospel’ is the true message of grace- He recounts a story about Peter. One time Peter visited the gentile Christians of Antioch [the region] and when Peter was with them he ate and fellowshipped with them- Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. Galatians 2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. Galatians 2:13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. Then Paul says when some from ‘James’ came down- he separated himself from the gentiles- and started going back to the old ways of the law [The Jews saw the gentiles as unclean]. Paul says he withstood Peter- to his face- and said this- Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Ok- it looks like Peter learned a lesson this day. The same lesson God himself showed him in Acts chapter 10- Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: Acts 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Now- we read about a visit Paul made to Jerusalem- ’14 years’ after the encounter he mentioned in chapter 1 [of Galatians]- Galatians 2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. I don’t want to get too much into the weeds here- but bible scholars have different views on the visit to Jerusalem mentioned in this chapter. Some think this is talking about a visit we read about in Acts 11- others think he is speaking about the acts 15 council. On the video I talk about the different reasons why this is so- but it really makes no difference- The main point Paul is making is the fact that the leadership of the Jerusalem church knew he was preaching grace to the gentiles- and they were ok with that. He spends a lot of time in chapters 1 and 2 defending himself- and talking about his interaction with the leaders of the church at Jerusalem. The reason he is doing this is because the Judiazers [the believing Pharisees out of Jerusalem] were going around behind Paul’s back and telling his converts that Paul was teaching in rebellion of the ‘main church’ at Jerusalem. Acts 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. He in fact was not. At the end of the chapter we have another clear argument for why people are indeed justified by faith in Jesus- and not by the works of the law. Galatians 2:16 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. Galatians 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. Galatians 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Galatians 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I mention- quote a lot on today’s video [Galatians 2]- I’ll try and add some of my past teaching on the key chapters [Acts 10- etc.] Because they fit In with the whole story of what’s going on- The New Testament is to be read in context. When we read thru the whole bible- it helps us see the bigger picture. One note on why I think it might be possible that the visit talked about in this chapter might not be the Acts 15 council- When Paul recounts his rebuke to Peter – these are the same words Peter uses when defending Paul at the Jerusalem council- Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. Acts 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Sort of like Peter remembered the earlier rebuke by Paul- and it stuck with him. Another reason it might be the earlier meeting- is Paul says the only ordinance James gave them- was to remember the poor- Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Galatians 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. Yet- in the famous Acts 15 meeting- there were actually 4 things James and the leaders told them- and in the Acts 15 meeting- it leaves out the part about taking care of the poor- Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; Acts 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Either way- the main message is the same. That the gentile believers did not have to get circumcised and come under the law in order to be saved- In the words of Paul himself- this would make the death of Christ ‘vain’- Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. PAST TEACHING I DID THAT RELATES [Verse below] Galatians 1 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/galatians-1-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1-16/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wcbfkhc6p1fkpxazlw_bng https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/galatians-1-4 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/galatians-16046790 https://wt.social/post/jfi5ub25360665537221 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/galatians-1-xykvowj https://parler.com/post/dd518eb61bfa4e53ae8c476b3c8619dd https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105394968263653884 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/galatians-1-2299c227a9ce https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/galatians-1-ce5f29d3-263a-4a1c-86e7-018097bbd8ce https://www.plurk.com/p/o50uxw https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/galatians-1-3 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2361079/galatians-1 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/17/galatians-1/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/galatians-1.html https://ccoutreach87.com/acts/ %5Bsee chapters- 10- 11- 15- I talk about them on today’s video- Galatians 2. GALATIANS [Links] https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/26/galatians-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/30/2nd-samuel-3-homeless-friends/ I also mention- quote from these books- here are my past commentaries on them- https://ccoutreach87.com/ephesians-highlights/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ I mention Justin Martyr on today’s video- I taught about him in previous posts- here’s one- HERACLITUS- Ok- lets pick up on my philosophy stuff. Heraclitus lived in the 6th/5th century BC. – He was from Ephesus and his key thought was Ever Present Change. That is he saw everything as being in a state of continual flux- one of his famous sayings was ‘No man ever steps into the same river twice’. He is called the Weeping Philosopher- sort of like the prophet Jeremiah in the bible- also called the Weeping Prophet. Heraclitus is known for his concept of the Logos- the Word- or thought/reason. Now- this aspect of his thought plays a role in the development of the Christian understanding of Christ himself- in our New Testaments [written in Greek] Jesus is indeed referred to as the Logos- or Word of God. The Greek philosophers understanding of the Logos was not the same as the Christian view- mainly expressed thru the writings of John [The gospel- the 3 epistles- and Revelation]. But- some see the Greek view as a precursor to Christ. In the work of one of the early church fathers- Hippolytus ‘The Refutation of all Heresies’ he attacks Heraclitus view of the Logos as an early form of heresy. The apologist Justin Martyr is more gracious- he [Like Ulrich Zwingli- the great Swiss reformer of the 16th century] viewed the early Geek thinkers as ‘pre- Christian’ or ‘Christians before Christ’. Though many reject this view- yet there is some scripture to back it up. The apostle Paul said in his letter to the Romans that if the Gentiles [non-Jews] do by nature the things contained in the law- then they are justified in God’s sight. Of course these things are debatable- but I add this to show you that some great Christian thinkers did indeed view the early Greek thinkers- who did live by a moral code- as being right in God’s eyes. And the bible does teach a theme that we will be judged according to the amount of light [understanding] that we had at the time. I should note that Plato [one of the 3 titans that arose after Heraclitus- from the city/state of Athens] disagreed with Heraclitus on all things being in a state of constant change. When [if?] we get to Socrates- Plato and Aristotle- I’ll try and cover the ways they advanced- built upon- the thought of the pre Socratic thinkers. As a side note- the most famous student of Aristotle- who was the most famous student of Plato- who was the most famous student of Socrates- was Alexander the Great. This goes to show you how great an influence Greek philosophy had on the ancient world. A few nuggets from Heraclitus- ‘all things come to pass in accordance with this Logos’ ‘follow the common’ ‘not having their own judgment’. Recently I covered Acts chapter 2- and we see some of these ideas in the early Christian movement. The first Christians did ‘follow the common’ they sold their goods- and had ‘all things common’ [communal lifestyle]. The apostle Paul teaches the early church to all ‘speak the same thing- that there be no divisions among you’. And the New Testament also says the scripture should not be given to Private Interpretation- meaning- ‘not having your own personal judgment’. All in all- we do indeed see a sort of pre Christian thought in the pre Socratic thinkers- they did indeed speak of the Divine- God- though there understanding of him was not the same as the Christian church. In a sense- Heraclitus idea that in life- the only ‘constant’ is the fact that there is no constant- that life itself is made up of an ongoing journey- we live day by day- not ever knowing what ‘the next day will bring forth’- Jesus. Yeah- the man had some good points- the later Stoics would consider Heraclitus as the father of their movement. And in the study of Philosophy- the Stoics- who had a good run from a few years before the Common Era- were overtaken in the 4th century [as the main influential philosophy of the time] by some new and lasting philosophy- started by a man named Jesus Christ- who his followers claimed rose from the dead. Yeah- this New Way was called Christianity- and this philosophy has endured now for over 2 thousand years. ________________________________________ 1895- BUYER BEWARE! We bought the Rocu thing the other day. That’s the device that lets you watch movies on line. You get a lot of real good stuff- I was surprised. I was also surprised to see all the documentaries about religion and Christianity. The ones from Netflix looked interesting- so I watched a couple. Yikes!! All of the ones I saw were done from a skeptic’s point of view. Now- as someone who writes on apologetics [the defense of the faith] I am familiar with these arguments against the faith. But- if you are not familiar- these doc’s will shake your faith- for sure. Why? They are done from the perspective that Christianity basically copied the Greek myths of God and religion- they focus on the ‘similarities’ between Christianity and Greek [and other cultures] religions. Okay- what was wrong- or deceptive? First- this entire school of thought was popularized in the 19th century- from the Christian universities in Germany. Yes- some good men- well meaning men [others not so good! Freud- etc] believed that in order for the faith to survive in this ‘brave new world’ [modernity- and the whole humanistic advance of man since the enlightenment]. That they had to re-fashion the faith and sort of bring it up to date with the times. Men like Rudolph Bultman introduced the idea of ‘de mythologizing’ the bible. So- these guys rejected all the supernatural elements of the bible- no more miracles- angels- demons- or resurrection! Many people embraced this ‘new’ bold approach to the faith- and basically became theological liberals. One of the reasons some of these men went down this road were covered in the above documentaries. Okay- as I watched a couple of them- they had similar themes- and were also wrong in the same way. They compared about 25 other religious myths- from other cultures- and they said these other religious myths all had a savior- a son of god- who had 12 disciples. They said this Lamb of God died- was buried- and on the 3rd day rose again. They said he did miracles- was born of a virgin- was called Lord and savior. And they made it sound like this ‘story’- in complete form- was repeated many times before the Christians ‘picked it up’. Wow- double wow. Why are these documentaries dangerous? First- I actually have read/studied in this field. The similarities that they described in the doc’s were way overdone- they simply are not true. That’s the first problem. But- they did mix in some truth- with the false stuff. Both of the documentaries I saw [it seems like there is one person- producer- behind the 2 I saw] did give an actual quote from a 2nd century Christian leader- Justin Martyr. The quote is indeed real- Justin is known as one of the first Apologists of the church. He defended the faith during a time when many enemies of the faith slandered the religion. In one defense [out of many] he said that those who reject Christianity because we believe that a Divine son rose from the dead- that others also held the same type of belief in the pagan world. He was referring to the god Jupiter and the stories that surround those who believed in him. You also do find this same type of thing in the myth of Hercules. Okay- so the skeptic was right then? No. In the documentary- the skeptic actually gives the quote from Justin- and Justin says that just because these similarities did exist in other religions- before Christ- that this in no way means the Christian faith is false. How so? Justin said it was possible for satan to have ‘imitated’ what was really going to happen. The skeptic mocked this argument from Justin- and went on to challenge the faith. A few things. First- it is possible that Justin was right. 2nd. This whole line of attack is not new [unless you never heard of it before- which is why I’m kinda surprised that Netflix has them in their lineup]. It goes all the way back to the writings of Gilgamesh. These are writings that also have similarities to the things we find in the bible- yet they are not coming from the Christian perspective. They contain a story about a flood [like the one in Genesis]. So- over time- skeptics have said ‘see- the bible must have copied these flood stories- because we find them in other cultures’. I actually covered this before. Let me give you the short version. We- as Christians- do indeed believe the story of Noah [the flood]. Some debate whether it was a global event or local- I don’t want to get into that now. But- if there was a huge event- say like a 911 plane attack on the world trade center. Would you not expect to find that event- recorded in more than one culture? Of course you would. So the fact that other cultures have a flood event recorded too- this does not mean the Christians plagiarized the flood- no- it would be evidence that the flood really did happen. See? Now- the similarities between a divine son who rose from the dead. First- there ARE NOT 25 or so stories like this- with 12 disciples- raised on the 3rd day- and so on. The producer of the doc was simply mislead- or outright lying. 2nd. We must remember that anything we find in Greek culture- which predated Christian ‘culture’ was also predated by Jewish culture. That is to say that the story of Judaism comes before the Greek philosophers. Are there any themes in the Jewish religion that speak about a Messiah who would come- die- and be the Messiah of all mankind? Yes! So- you could argue that any similarities between Greek myth- and Christianity- are actually ‘copies’ taken from the Old Testament story. That is- God himself gave us clues about the story of redemption- and these clues might have very well ‘seeped’ into the Greek culture- before Christ- and that’s why you might find similarities between the 2. See? Okay- I could go on- but I think I made the point. I was not mad that these documentaries were on net flix. But I saw the danger in presenting one side like this- without giving the other view [which I just gave]. All in all- the Christian faith has more historical backing [like the many thousands of bible manuscripts that survived the early days] than any other religion or writings of any kind. The documentaries made a couple of good points- things that were indeed true- but they had way too much mis information in them to be playing on such a huge venue. Buyer [or watcher] beware! http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] – I have posted lots. Let’s talk a little about Apologetics/Theology. Apologetics is the field where Christians Defend the Faith. In our day- it is common for believers to be ‘left in the dust’ when they bang up against an atheistic scientist [they not all are!] or someone versed in Philosophy [Sartre or Camus- atheist thinkers- or Hitchen’s and Dawkins]. Many times these various fields of study are too much for the average believer to feel like he can engage in- in an intelligent way- and ‘win’ the argument for the Christian view. But church history has a long- and very successful- track record doing this very thing. A few weeks back I did about 5 posts or so on Philosophy- a field I like to study. But if you do too many of those posts at one time- then it can get a little heavy [and boring!] So I try to break it up by only doing so many at a time. The same goes for Theology- Church History- etc. But over time- if we become well versed in these various fields- it will help us defend the Christian view- in an intelligent way- without being mean about it [I try!] But sometimes you will offend people- even if you try to be nice- because you’re engaging in a conversation that says ‘yes- as Christians we believe in ultimate truth- and that truth is in the person of Jesus Christ’ yes- that will offend some. My approach to these types of debates is I’m what you would call Ecumenical- I believe that Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox- and all the other ‘churches’ that profess Christ- I believe they are all Christian. Now you might say ‘well John- doesn’t everybody?’ Actually no- many of the most knowledgeable Apologists do indeed go after the other groups. Quite often you will have a strong protestant defender [usually from the Reformed faith] that will really hit the Catholic church- in my view- too hard. While it is true that historically Catholics and Protestants have differences- I have often found that Many ‘average’ Catholics/Protestants are not really aware of the real differences- they often have very limited perspectives about the ‘other side’ and these limited ideas [often wrong] seem to stay with the people- for most of their lives. One example- the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception- what is it? The teaching became Official- only in the last 2 centuries of the Catholic church- though it was held by many- it finally became official in the last 2 hundred years [ 1854 for the Immaculate Conception- 1950 for the Assumption of Mary doctrine]. The doctrine teaches that the Virgin Mary- Jesus Mom- was born ‘without the taint of original sin’. Now- what does that mean? Some Protestants think the Catholics teach that Mary was ‘sinless’ in the same way Christ was sinless. Actually- that’s not the official doctrine [see- it’s important to know the official teaching when we engage like this]. The actual teaching- that has the churches Imprimatur on it- is that Mary WAS A SINNER- just like the rest of us- but in order for Jesus to have been born from a pure vessel- that the actual work of the Cross- Redemption- it was applied to Mary ‘ahead of time’. Yes- the official teaching is that Mary ‘was saved’ from her sin- just like the rest of us- thru the Cross. The difference is the forgiveness that came to Mary- came to her before she was born- yes- the teaching does teach that Mary was born ‘without sin’ but not like Jesus was without sin- but she was ‘without sin’ because her salvation was applied ahead of time- way ahead of time- before she was born. Okay- do Protestants believe in this teaching? No. But is it ‘so way out of line’ to the point where we should view our Catholic brothers and sisters as ‘non Christian’ because of it? No- not in my view. Plus- many Catholics don’t even realize that this is what the doctrine teaches- many think it is talking about the birth of Jesus- being born without sin- by the act of the Holy Spirit descending upon the Virgin Mary and Mary conceiving. No- this is what we call ‘The Virgin birth- conceived by the Holy Ghost’. Jesus being born from a virgin with no earthly father. This is not the Immaculate Conception. So right here alone [trust me- there are many more examples that I could give] Both Catholics and Protestants usually get the doctrine wrong- yet they remain divided their whole lives- over something that they are not even right about. So I have found this type of stuff to be a problem while striving for Christian unity- and many Christians prefer to see the ‘other side’ in a negative light- and will continue to view them that way- till they die. I always feel bad when I lose a friend from the site- sometimes you can’t help it [other times it is my fault!] but sometimes it’s because we have views about things- strongly held views- and when others hold to a different view- well we try and avoid them. One day I received a Friends Request- to my surprise- it was from a young Catholic priest- I did not know him but he must have read a few posts of mine and liked them. He often gave me Thumbs Up comments on the posts- and at times would tell me he loved the posts. Most were my Theology/Church history posts. Often times Catholics and Protestants can agree and enjoy these types of studies. I love studying and teaching on the Church Fathers and early Christian history- and these sources all have a very strong Catholic flavor to them- so I see my fellow Catholics as being a part of a long tradition of Christian history. Many famous converts to the Catholic Church [Bishop John Newman- converted from the Anglican Church] convert because they read the Church Fathers- and when you read them- it’s obvious to see the catholic nature of the early church in these men’s writings. So anyway I was very happy to have a Catholic priest as one of my ‘on line students’ [and honored]. But one day- during one of my studies [covering one subject for a month or so] to my surprise I saw he was gone [yes- the dreaded block]. I thought- geez- wonder why? I realized it was right in the middle of a study I did on Islam- and while I was doing the posts- I was also going thru a study on Islam- by the same guy who teaches it to the U.S. govt. – yes- it was a prof. [I think named Espinoza?] who teaches Islam to our govt. employees [sort of like a tolerance type thing]. Though the teacher was Catholic- yet he was VERY much pro Islam- I mean to the point where I had to reject some of the stuff he was saying- and finish the study from my own education on Islam. At one point- he taught that the spread of Islam thru out the world had a wonderful- liberating effect on all the women in the lands where Islam spread. I mean it was so obvious that the man had no idea what he was talking about [in this area] that I realized he was not a good source [this happens every so often]. And it was more troubling that this was the guy Obama picked to teach Islam to our govt. employees [don’t get me wrong here- he teaches our govt. workers- not to convert them- but more of an informative type thing- just like you would teach any other course about sexual harassment- or whatever]. Anyway- in one of my posts while teaching on my site- I did refer to Mohamed as ‘the prophet’- now- I don’t receive Mohamed that way myself- but because I was teaching some Muslims who did recently join the site- well I used the title in this way. I think that might have been the ‘last straw’ for my student/priest- he ‘went on Pilgrimage’ right after that post. Okay- today’s point is we all should try our best to be ‘tolerant’ that is- we should give people as much grace/mercy as possible- but at the same time we also need to be honest about the Christian faith. Yes- as Christians we believe salvation comes thru Christ- he was not just ‘one religious leader among many’ no- we believe he is the Way- the Truth- the Life/light- no man comes to the Father- but by him. Sometimes we do our best not to offend- we might even go out of our way to receive people- other religions and systems that are not Christian- that’s okay- I have Muslim and Jewish and all types of friends- I’m glad they are my friends! But we also have to be honest about our beliefs- and every now and then that might- just might- earn you a BLOCK. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com (594) . Let me cover some church history. I have had someone argue with me about the history of Islam. Not a Muslim, but a Christian who was saying ‘why do you say Islam started in the 7th century, it started around the 11th’. My answer was ‘Muhammad lived in the 7th century’. Not to hard to see this. So I thought I should cover some history. During the time of the rise of Islam, the Christian church was already dividing from east and west. After Constantine [4th century Roman emperor] consolidated the Roman Empire in the 4th century he set up the capital city of the eastern empire, Constantinople [named after him]. As time progressed the western church would take on the form of Roman Catholicism, the eastern [Constantinople area. Modern day Turkey-Istanbul] would be known as ‘Orthodox’. Though the official split of eastern and western [Catholic-Rome!] churches occurred in 1054 AD, yet the division started years before. The official split is called ‘the great schism’ of the 11th century; it would not be until 500 years later that the church would have her ‘reformation’. The official reason for this split was over a rather silly thing. For centuries the Catholic church had an expression that said ‘the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father’ than they included ‘he proceeds from the father and the Son’. Well the eastern brothers didn’t like Rome telling them what to believe and used this as the official reason to ‘have the schism’. To be honest the divisions were coming for years. After the Roman Empire consolidated under Constantine, he tried to strengthen the eastern territories of his empire and for centuries you had the struggle for which region would be the most influential. At first you had 5 major areas that were divided under 5 main Bishops. As time went on the argument would be ‘which bishop has the most say so’ and it was really a power struggle. Finally Rome said ‘the bishop of Rome is the FIRST AMONG EQUALS [a term that many in the Protestant strain of the discipling movement would later embrace] he holds Peters seat’ and this is really where the divisions started. Eventually Muhammad would rise and Islam would take control of the eastern capital. This later became the reason for the crusades. The Catholic church wanted to regain the territories that she lost in the east. The eastern churches are very much Catholic in many ways. They also hold to a view of Christianity that sees man being ‘joined’ with God and becoming pleasing to God thru Christ’s grace uniting with us and making us like him. A perfectly scriptural view, but a different emphasis from the strong intellectual power that you read about from the western fathers of the church. The Catholic church is noted for her social action in ways that the eastern church is not. So both of these communions have good things to bring to the table. The Orthodox [eastern] churches would not be affected by the major social and political upheavals that took place in the west. The Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment had major impacts on western Christianity, while not affecting the eastern church in the same way. During the 13th- 15th centuries you would have ‘pre reformers’ rise up in the western church. John Wycliffe, the great Catholic Priest who was at the center of learning in France would become known for his translating the scriptures into the common language. Then you have John Huss and John Knox [3 Johns, scripture says 3 fold cords are not easily broken!] who would have their own influence in western Christianity. At this time you had whole movements of believers who would be seen as neither ‘western or eastern’ but restorationist [the restoring of the early practices and beliefs of the church] Peter Waldo would be the Father of the Waldensians and in the 12th century you would have the Albigenses in the south of France. These groups would be looked upon as ‘cults’ [though the term was not used yet] by the traditional church. So you can see how the church has been growing and reforming ever since the first century. Even though we see many divisions that exist till this day, there are strides being made for unity. The eastern and western church are very close to‘re uniting’ once again. While I do not personally hold to the doctrine of the Pope being the occupier of Peter’s seat, I also see him as a Christian man who is striving for unity in Christ’s church. Some believe the whole attempt for outward unity is futile. The more ardent Protestants see it as ‘the one world church of the anti christ’ I reject that language out of hand. Well I hope you got something out of this short overview of world history [real short!]. [parts] Part of the achievements of Constantine was his development of the eastern half of the Roman empire- whose capitol was named after him- Constantinople. Over a period of years the early Roman church fought over whose bishop would have more influence- the bishop of Rome [Pope] or the bishop in the east. Many bishops in the Catholic Church have disagreed over the influence of one bishop being greater than the others [the idea that all the bishops should have an equal voice at the church councils is called Collegiality]. This has caused splits within the Catholic Church thru the centuries [the last big one in the 19th century]. Eventually the early church split- and the Eastern Church separated from Rome. The eastern empire [called Byzantium- the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church] officially split in the year 1054. Now- in church history we call this the Great Schism- even though the Protestant split which took place in the 16th century was greater in effect. Okay- the Protestant reformers split over various issues- I have an entire study on the blog about this. But the main issue became what we call justification by faith. Over the centuries many good men- and average church goers- lost the main message of the New Testament- which was a message of being saved by the grace of God. Many well meaning Christians were struggling to do penance in a way that sort of earned them their salvation thru works. [parts] ELI’S BOOK https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/11-24-15-elis-book.zip ON VIDEO- .Why did Paul work to support himself and others? .Did I relapse? .Will you pray for me? .Baptist- Catholic- Orthodox .House church? .Should we tithe? .Law or Christ? .Bishops .Church history .Russia goes Orthodox .Moscow the new Rome? .The Papacy .John of Damascus .Icons [parts] The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight]. Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies. Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace. This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin. Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal. This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up. Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins. Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin. I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place. The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine. The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints. But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this. Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin. But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often. Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject. Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one]. Why is it important that we study this? In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides. It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’. The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion. And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on]. So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people. The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church. He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids. I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus. Amen. [parts] 1782- PROTESTANT REFORMATION CONCLUSION Today let’s finish up the study on the Protestant Reformation. We left off on Luther disputing with the church over the doctrine of how a person becomes just in the sight of God- is it by works or faith? Now- to the surprise of many Protestants [and Catholics!] both sides agreed that a person cannot be justified by works. Yes- the Catholic Church rejected what was known as Pelagianism. In the early centuries of the church there was a Catholic priest- named Pelagius- who taught that people had the ability within themselves to obey Gods law and become saved that way. He rejected the doctrine of original sin and another famous bishop- Saint Augustine- would refute Pelagius and teach salvation comes by the Grace of God. The official Catholic position was to reject Pelagius and accept Augustine. Okay- then where’s the difference? The church council that spells it out is the Council of Trent [named after the Italian city where the council took place in the 1500’s- Trento]. This council is often referred to as the Counter Reformation. The church rejected the Protestant line- but also acknowledged the need for reform and made some changes. This is the council where the church rejects Pelagianism- and also says the position of Luther [Justification by Faith ALONE] was flawed. The church appealed to the New Testament letter of Saint James- where James uses an example from the life of Abraham [found in Genesis 22] where Abraham obeys God and is willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar. Of course this never happens- God was simply testing Abraham- but James says this act of obedience justified him in Gods sight. James says ‘see how a man is justified by works- and not by faith ALONE’. The argument from Rome was Faith played THE major role in justification- but was not sufficient by itself- there had to be righteous works eventually associated with it in order for God to say ‘you are just’ [saved]. Luther disagreed and said God justified Abraham before he had good works- we find this in Genesis 15. God says to Abraham ‘look- count all the stars- so shall your offspring be’ and Walla- the bible also says Abraham was justified in God’s eyes the moment he believed the promise. Who’s right? Actually they both are. I have taught this a few times over the years- and it would take too much time to re-do right now. But I believe James and Paul [the 2 who debate this in the bible] are simply looking at different aspects of salvation/justification. Paul emphasized faith- and James showed us how true faith always has works with it. When you read the statements that came out from the council of Trent- some of them do seem to indicate that both sides might have been talking past each other at some points. In the heat of the day they were too quick to condemn the other side- without really trying hard to achieve unity [like politics!]. The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight]. Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies. Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace. This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin. Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal. This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up. Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins. Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin. I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place. The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine. The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints. But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this. Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin. But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often. Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject. Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one]. Why is it important that we study this? In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides. It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’. The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion. And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on]. So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people. The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church. He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids. I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus. Amen. [parts] NOTE 3- Augustine. I personally am a fan of Saint Augustine. He is one of the famous church fathers of the early centuries. In my view he holds a distinct place- he is admired by both staunch Protestants [Reformed Theologians]- and Catholics. Why? The original Protestant Reformation of the 16th century had 3 key figures. Martin Luther [Germany]- Ulrich Zwingli [Swiss] and John Calvin [studied for the priesthood in Paris- later took a key role in Geneva Switzerland]. One of the key beliefs- of at least 2 of these 3- was the doctrine mentioned above- Predestination. It is a common mistake in our day to see historical documentaries [I have seen some] that refer to Calvin as someone who believed in Predestination [true] and that Luther disagreed with him. That’s wrong [but you have to study theology to find this out- a brief reading of church history does not show you this- that’s why some of the well meaning documentaries you might see on the History channel get this wrong]. Okay- Martin Luther was a Catholic Monk- under an order called the Augustinian order- named after St. Augustine. See? Even though he would break away from the church- and the Lutheran church would form- yet he held to the original belief that the founder/namesake of his order taught. Now- you do indeed find many verses in the bible that speak about God choosing us- and not us ‘choosing him’. Or chapters [Romans 9] that say Gods choice of us has nothing to do with our own goodness- but he chose us because he loved us. So- this teaching does indeed have scriptural backing. But- you also have scripture to back up the opposing view- which is referred to as Arminianism. Named after another church leader- Jacob Arminius. He held to the Calvinist view at first- but as he began studying- to defend this view- he came to the belief that this view [at least among its more radical adherents] was wrong. These 2 groups- Calvinists- Armenians- became enemies as the Protestant Reformation grew. The followers of men like John Wesley [founder of the Methodist church] disagreed strongly with those who held to the Calvinist view. In our day- you still have adherents of both views- seeing the ‘other side’ as non Christian. It’s sad- but this is just one- of thousands of teachings- that have had this effect. The Catholic leaders warned of this at the time of the breakaway- which took place in the 16th century. They feared that once you made a clean break from the historic church- that the ‘breaking’ would never stop. As you look at the scene over the past 500 years- it’s hard to say they were wrong. One last note- many modern Protestants do not hold Augustine- or any of the men mentioned above- in high regard at all. Some hold to a belief [another popular one in groups that are Restorationist- as opposed to Reformist] that all of the early Christian expressions got off course [apostatized] and that the only ‘true’ church- just happens to be the group they are in. Once again- this type of belief simply increases the division in the church- in my view. Many reject men like Augustine- because of his influence by the Greek philosophers- they charge that some of the early church leaders were too much into philosophy. For instance- one of the first Christian schools ever founded was in Alexandria- Egypt. In the 2nd/3rd century Origen- an early church father- would take over the school and teach Christian theology. But- the school was basically a school that first taught Greek philosophy. Origen is respected by many [like me] but officially the church does not recognize him as a legitimate Church farther. Why? Because he did indeed hold to some views that were not Christian based- like the pre- existence of the soul. This belief comes straight from Greek philosophy- not Christianity. He also believed in what we refer to as Universalism- that at the end- everyone gets saved- even the Devil! So- this debate has gone on for centuries- the debate over how ‘Platonic’ so and so is- or did men like Thomas Aquinas [ 13th century- another favorite of mine] simply mix Aristotelian thought [Aristotle] in with Christian teaching- and thus water down the true faith. This is also the reason many [most] Protestants do not teach Philosophy- as a basic plank- in their seminaries. I think this is a big mistake. Philosophy- as a field- deals with the basic issues of life. Why are we hear- what’s the purpose of mans existence- etc. For the Protestant church to have basically abandoned this field- this left the secular world to shape it as they wish. But- the Catholic Church has indeed engaged in this field- and in my view- has presented a better world view- than the secular philosophers. Okay- now this post is becoming an entire study! That’s it for now- I have lots of posts like this on the blog- if you want- just look them up there. [The above comes from my study on the Protestant Reformation- here’s the complete study- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ ] [parts] GW BRIDGE- https://youtu.be/70CVdZxFIMg GW bridge ON VIDEO- .Foundation stones .Why Bishops? .Gnostics and Docetism .Dads boat .GOV Christie and hot dogs .Restore the paths .Isaiah and John .Memories of a kid- train tunnel .Robert Moses to blame? .Mayor LaGuardia .The argument for Rome .Church fathers .Mystics .Suicide signs .Apostolic succession .What church is the ‘true church’? .Most amazing intellectual discourse ever? Only if you don’t hear [have to watch to get it- sorry] .Bedrock .I am homeless- can you spare a 5? VERSES [These are the verses I taught on the video- Galatians 2- Links to all my sites below] Galatians 2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. Galatians 2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: Galatians 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: Galatians 2:5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. Galatians 2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; Galatians 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Galatians 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. Galatians 2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. Galatians 2:13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Galatians 2:15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Galatians 2:16 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. Galatians 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. Galatians 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Galatians 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Sonof God: and they that hear shall live. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 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My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam. I post 8 videos a night to many of my sites, and text posts 3 times a week. I realize that is a lot for some sites, yet this is the system I felt the Lord led me into. I NEVER take money- or ask for money- ever. Everything is free- to some sites this makes a difference- so I wanted to say that here. Thank You- John. 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John Sunday sermon
Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Sunday sermon video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjJRRUsa09w&t=8s https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10205714658543929/ https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMi0oTQlcxLhm8L-Wc ON VIDEO .The longer reading .Luke/Acts .Who wrote the most chapters in the New Testament? .Who wrote the largest part of the New Testament? – Good Question [Word for word- Luke. Most letters- Paul] .The promise of the Spirit .The importance of the ascension .The Kingdom question in Acts 1? .The unfolding of the plan/mystery of God .The present ministry of Jesus .Continual intercession .He showed himself alive- after his passion .How about us? .Passover- Pentecost .Jesus and his church are the fulfillment of these great feasts .The good argument Justin Martyr made .Tabula Rasa .The 2nd coming of Christ Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: TEACHING [Past posts below] Today I have no plan on making a video- so this will be it until Monday night. I just finished a study for the weekly text posts- and I’ll start a new one Tuesday, God willing. I want to wish all of you a great Lord’s day- hopefully most will attend a church service in the city you live in. I realize some are not able to attend for various reasons- but would encourage you to fellowship with other believers- even if it’s in a home setting- it’s important for believers to meet together- it builds each other up when we do this. Ok, that’s it for this brief note- God bless all John James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. [These verses thru out the post are some I quoted on the video- all the verses I quoted or taught from are at the bottom of this post] PAST POSTS [These are links and parts of my past teachings that relate in some way to today’s post- Verses below] https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/ephesians-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-links-updated-10-2018/ https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/corinthians-links-4-2019/ Acts 1 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ JANUARY 18, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT ACTS 1 Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. https://youtu.be/7UqPubfdyTM Acts 1 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/1-12-17-acts-1.zip ON VIDEO- .The Jesus movement .Is it just a ‘story’? .Act’s proven to be historically accurate .How? .Industrial revolution leads to field of archeology .We found stuff .field of documentary evidence arose- .That proved it too .Sir Ramsey changed his mind .Church in world history .Descartes- Copernicus- etc. .Acts- .Jesus ascends .Wait for the promise of the Father .Judas replaced .Power is on the way .History- .early 20th century- Spirit comes to Azusa .Then at Duquesne University .Catholics get it too .Charismatic movement PAST TEACHING [below are my past links/teaching I did that relate to today’s video- ACTS 1] https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ https://ccoutreach87.com/overview-of-philosophy/ %5BMentioned Aristotle and Plato on today’s video- Here’s my past teaching on them] https://ccoutreach87.com/acts/ https://ccoutreach87.com/atheism-apologetics-links-added/ ACTS study Introduction; Yesterday I took my kids to the mall after church, I usually get lost in the book store. Even though I bought an entire shelf of books a few months back, I still can’t help from buying more books! So I picked up a few more and found a comfortable bench and started reading the History of Christianity. At the house I am almost thru with another ‘history of Christianity’ that covers the story of the church from Pentecost to the present day. I own a few complete volumes and have checked out many from the libraries over the years. I read from both the Protestant and Catholic [Orthodox] perspectives. I also read from the ‘out of the institutional church’ perspective. These are the histories of various groups of believers who never became Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant. I consider all these groups Christian and appreciate the tremendous wealth of knowledge that these communities provide. Now, as we go thru Acts, I want to stay as close as possible to both the doctrine and practices of the early church as seen in scripture. We are not the first [or last!] study that has attempted to do this. That is attempted to ‘get back to the original design’ as much as possible. Historically you have whole categories of believers who fit into this mindset. They are referred to as ‘Restorationist’ as opposed to Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox. The Church of Christ, The Disciples of Christ, the Anabaptists and others fall into this class. I believe you find true believers in all of these groups. As you read the history of Christianity as told by the other perspectives, you will find it interesting as to the way the institutional church describes these ‘out of church’ groups. Some are called heretics [Waldensians] others are simply seen as fringe groups. The strong institutional church has branded those who would reject her authority as schismatics and heretics on the grounds of their refusal to submit to the hierarchy of the institutional church. As we go thru Acts, I want us to read carefully and see the story as told by Luke. We will not find ‘another more true group’ in the sense that I want to start some new denomination. I also don’t want to simply find proof texts to justify doctrine. Many well meaning believers can find the verses they like the most and use them to combat the other points of view. We will see verses emphasizing the importance of water baptism, or various truths on the outworkings of the Spirit. We will see prophets functioning and read texts that clearly teach Gods sovereignty [as many as were ordained unto eternal life believed]. Instead of getting lost on these side trails, I want us to read with an open mind and allow our beliefs to be shaped by ‘the story’. I will spend time defending my own view of Local church. Not because I believe ‘my view’ is the only thing worth arguing about, but because I believe we see the intent of God for his people to be a living community of believers in this book. Right off the bat we will see giving taught in a radical way. The early church at Jerusalem will ‘continue in the Apostles doctrine and breaking of bread and prayers’. They then sell their goods and distribute to all who had need. Where in the world did they get this idea from? The Apostles doctrine obviously taught the plain teachings from Jesus on sharing what you have with others. So instead of seeing an early tithe concept, you see an early ‘give to those in need idea’ straight from the teachings of Jesus. We will see this early Jerusalem group meet daily, as opposed to seeing ‘Sunday worship’ as some sort of New Testament Sabbath. Of course this group will meet at the Temple [actually an out door courtyard called Solomon’s Porch] and from ‘house to house’. But the simple realty of Christ’s Spirit being poured out on them as a community of people will be the basic understanding of what ‘church’ is. You will find citizens of many surrounding areas going back to the their home towns after Pentecost. These believers shared the gospel with those in their regions and this is how the early church would spread. Some commentaries will show you how when Paul will eventually show up in Rome there already was an established church there. They obviously heard the gospel from these early Roman Jews who were at Jerusalem during Pentecost. So we will see ‘church planting’ from the paradigm of simple believers going to areas with the message of Christ. Those who would believe in these locations would be described as ‘the church at Corinth’ or ‘the church at Ephesus’ and so on. So we see ‘local church’ as communities of believers living in different localities. We will see the development of leadership along the lines of ‘appoint elders in every city’. Not a top heavy idea of ‘Bishop’ in the later sense of Catholic belief, but a simple ordaining [recognizing!] of those in the various cities who were stable enough in the basic truths of the gospel, that in Paul’s absence these elders were to be trusted as spiritual guides. Now, many of our brothers can trace the historic office of Bishop as a fairly early development in church history. Polycarp and others were considered direct disciples of the Apostles who would be seen as Bishops and even write of the importance of Bishops for the church ‘Where there is no Bishop there is no church’. This will cause many well meaning believers to eventually become Catholic/Orthodox as they read the church fathers and see the very early development of Catholic Christianity. In many of the church fathers writings you will also see an early belief in the Eucharist as being the actual Body and Blood of Jesus. To the consternation of many Protestants you even find Luther condemning fellow Protestants for not taking literally the words of Jesus ‘this IS my Body’. Now, I will not defend transubstantiation, but try to follow the trend lines in Acts as to the lack of this doctrine being a part of the early church. We will find Paul’s letter to the Corinthians addressing the Lords Supper, but for the most part we do not see a strong belief in the transmitting of divine grace to the soul thru the eating of Christ’s literal Body and Blood as they ‘broke bread’. We do see the sharing of the common meal and the ‘Eucharist’ as one meal called the ‘love feast’. Only later on in church history is there a division made between the full fellowship meal and the Eucharist. So to be frank about it, I will challenge both our Catholic and Orthodox brothers on some very fundamental beliefs. Well I hope this brief introduction sets the proper tone for the rest of this study, God bless you guys and I hope you get something out of it. John. (738) ACTS 1- Luke, the writer of this book, feels the need to document the ongoing work of Jesus and his revolution. He already wrote a gospel and believes this to be the beginning of the story. In essence, the reality of Jesus and his resurrection are just the start, we have much more to do and become on this journey. Most writers jump to chapter 2. We have churches and music groups called ‘Acts chapter 2’. Why does Luke seem to wait till chapter 2 before getting to ‘the good stuff’? Chapter one records the 40 days of Jesus showing himself alive after his death. Luke feels this singular truth to be important enough to simply stand alone [I do realize the early letters did not have chapter and verse divisions like today]. The real physical fact of Jesus bodily resurrection is without a doubt the foundational truth of the gospel. The outpouring of the Spirit and the whole future of the church depends on the reality of the resurrected Christ. Paul will write the Corinthians and tell them if the resurrection were not true then they are the most miserable of all people. Luke tells us Jesus gave instructions for the Apostles to wait at Jerusalem for the Spirit. They will be witnesses of him to all the surrounding nations after the Spirit empowers them. We also see Peter emerge as the key spokesman for the group. He quotes freely from the Psalms and reads their own history into the book. He sees the prophetic verse from David on ‘let another take his office’ as referring to Judas betrayal and death. They cast lots and choose Matthias as the one to replace Judas. Peter shows the importance of Judas replacement to come from one that was with them thru out the earthly time of Jesus. Someone who saw and witnessed Jesus after the resurrection. Scholars have confused this with the ‘ascension gift Apostles’. Some scholars have taken the truth of the early Apostles having the criteria of being actual witnesses of Jesus, and have said ‘therefore, you have no Apostles today’. Paul will teach in Ephesians that after Jesus ascension on high he gave gifts unto men ‘some Apostles, others Prophets, etc.’ The New Testament clearly speaks of Apostles as an ongoing gift in the church. Barnabas will later be called an Apostles [Acts 14:14] as well as many other references in the original Greek using the same Greek word for Apostle. But here we find Peter seeing the need to replace Judas. Other scholars think Peter might have jumped the gun. They see Paul’s apostleship as the possible person the Lord picked out as the replacement. You do find Paul referring time and again to his Apostolic authority as one ‘born out of due time’ who saw Jesus on the Damascus road. If Paul was simply an ascension gift Apostle, why would he refer time and again to his authority based on being a witness who also saw Jesus? It’s possible that Paul was in this group of ‘Apostles of the Lamb’ who had extra authority based upon their testimony of being eyewitnesses. So in chapter one we see that Jesus appeared for 40 days giving instructions to the early leadership and told them to wait at Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We see the incarnational purpose of God, Jesus was and continues to be the express image of God to man. He was not some ‘phantom’ like the Docetists will claim, but a very real physical resurrected Lord. Luke begins the early history of the church with this reality being important enough to stand on its own. [parts] (1357) I WILL UNCOVER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HIDDEN SINCE THE WORLDS FIRST DAY- [Jesus]. Yesterday I read an article in the paper that talked about an amazing dinosaur find in China; they found around 15 thousand fossils in a cave area. The amazing thing was the fact that so many dinosaurs would have been in one place right when they died. I immediately saw this as proof that would back up the creationist cataclysmic view of a worldwide flood destroying all life on the planet. As I read thru the article they explained how much of ‘fossil science’ has been done thru finds in the U.S., but over the last few years China [and the eastern world in general] have undergone their own industrial revolution and this has led to the unearthing of new ground for the purpose of construction and these new projects are unearthing these fossils. Much like what took place in the 19th century when many archaeologists were discovering ‘hidden things’ that seemed to be buried ‘since the foundation of the world’. In the 19th century it was popular for the intellectuals in theology to embrace the ‘historical/critical’ method of bible learning. Many began to reject the early dating of the New Testament [early- a.d. 50-70] and began accepting a theory that said much of the New Testament was written in the 2nd century. These ideas were promoted by men like Rudolph Bultman and were made popular at the German university which he taught at [in Marburg]. So it became ‘intellectually fashionable’ to accept this new way of critiquing scripture. One problem- as the industrial revolution took off in the west archeology rose as a new science and we now had the ability to historically search for clues. A famous historian by the name of Sir Ramsey went on this exhibition to see whether or not the bible was accurate when it spoke about ‘so called’ first century things. Our bibles do have lots of names of political characters and certain historical events that can be measured for accuracy. Ramsey found to his dismay that all the evidence leaned towards the ‘less enlightened’ view of an early dating of the New Testament. This was a tough pill to swallow by the intellectuals who had already formed their opinions on the subject, but in due time most trustworthy scholars would come to accept [for the most part] the earlier dating. So now back to the dinosaurs, as the article went on they admitted that it’s possible that a Tsunami might have caused the dinosaurs to gather in one place before their deaths- A FLOOD! It’s funny because some in the modern scientific community have argued, very convincingly, that the Geologic table and the extinction of the dinosaurs can be attributed to a world wide flood. Others have vehemently opposed this idea [most evolutionists]. And now the new evidence seems to be backing up a flood theory, they simply don’t want to admit it. Like the intellectuals of Sir Ramsey’s day, the smart thing to do is to go where the evidence leads. The facts don’t lie; these are ‘facts’ that are being now uncovered, things hidden ‘since the world’s first day’. [parts] HISTORY OF EVERYTHING- IN 1 HOUR And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. … 2nd Thes. 2:10-13 https://youtu.be/uwDi82SICXo History of everything in 1 hour [part 1] https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/6-16-16-history-of-everything.zip ON VIDEO- .Did my ‘prophecy’ come true? Watch and see .They said a rocket hit the plane .What did Patience say? .Update on detention center .Bishop Mulvey .I was right about Devon Anderson- planned parenthood- the judge said she broke the law .Where did the animals come from? .Is the story true? Mesopotamia .Palestine .Aristotle .They were looking for the ‘LOGOS’ .Ptolemy .Copernicus .Cosmology .Scientific/Industrial revolution .Sir Ramsey and documentary evidence .Luke/Acts as historical evidence .Phenomenological language .Aquinas- Anselm and Augustine .Richard Dawkins alien creator .Einstein and the big bang .C.S. Lewis .Everything is proof of God MY LINKS- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/overview-of-philosophy/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/qm/ [parts] (766) Let me interrupt our Judges study a little. Right now [2008] there is another renewal/revival movement taking place in Florida [Lakeland]. The brother who was used as the ‘fire starter’ is Todd Bentley. I have tried to catch the services on T.V. and appreciate the presence of the Lord. Of course you can go on line and read terrible stuff about the revival. Once again some are 100 % against it, others are a little too exaggerated in their language in defense of it. What I mean is it’s easy to see a move of God and believe ‘this is the final move that will out do all other moves in the history of the church’ the ‘latter glory’ if you will. Let’s do a little history on moves of God. The present Pentecostal movement started at the beginning of the last century [for the most part]. You had a brother by the name of Charles Parham in Topeka, Kansas who had this little bible school. One day they experienced an unusual event. Gods Spirit fell on the students and they all ‘began to speak in other languages’. Now, to those who reject the modern gift of tongues as ‘gibberish’, I want you to see something. The ‘tongues’ [languages] of this experience were actually real foreign languages that the speakers never learned. They were very much like the ‘tongues’ at Pentecost! Parham took this as a modern day Pentecost and began sending these students to foreign countries, believing that they would be able to evangelize the world without having to teach the students/missionaries the foreign language of their field. Well this experiment flopped! Even the accurate Pentecostal historians will tell you this. But we are still left with the supernatural account of the kids having spoken in languages that they never learned. Parham was a strange type of fellow. He believed in the ‘seed of the serpent’ doctrine and a few other weird things. He was also very racist! He allowed a black student by the name of William Seymour to sit out in the hall and hear his teaching. He could not ‘intermingle’ with the white students in class. Seymour was a humble uneducated man who had a heart for God. Seymour would eventually find his ‘harvest field’ in Los Angeles. He began preaching at different churches and would experience strange manifestations equal to the things that Parham experienced. The churches did not appreciate this unlearned, one eyed black preacher introducing these strange ‘manifestations’ into their congregations and eventually Seymour rented a building on Azusa street. In 1906 this Azusa street mission would become ground zero for the outpouring of the modern day Pentecostal movement. Seymour was a very humble man by all accounts. He was known for sticking his head inside a box on the pulpit so the people wouldn’t see him instead of the Lord. The L.A. papers would run front page stories on ‘the strange tongues of Babel’ and stuff like that. Though Seymour was young and inexperienced at ‘running a revival’ he tried to the best of his ability to follow the Lord. He would contact Parham and ask him to come and check out the move. Parham came and totally denounced the wild meetings as spiritists run amok! Even though Parham had himself experienced the gift of tongues at his bible school, he saw the unrestrained nature of Azusa and condemned it. Seymour would never invite him back. The little mission building at Azusa would become the place of pilgrimage for 20th century Pentecostalism. Some were adamantly opposed to the outpouring, others 100 % supporters. After 100 years of seeing what the outcome would be, the historical significance is hard to refute. Some still see the worldwide spread of Pentecostalism as error. Others see it as a fulfillment of the scriptures that in the last days God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. I see Pentecostals as part of the Body of Christ and in no way reject them as heretics. This doesn’t mean I agree with them in every doctrine! [As you can see when you read this site]. I feel we need to keep things in perspective when we feel God is moving in a new way. Is it possible that ‘this move’[any move that you happen to be in at the time] will have worldwide historic results? Sure. But because the Body of Christ is so wide and diverse in our day, it is harder for a single move to have the same type of impact as the original Pentecost. Should we judge the initial outpouring at Parham’s school as demonic? I don’t think so. The fact that they mistakenly took the gift as being missionary in nature does not disqualify the gift. In Act’s chapter 2 the gift of being able to speak in a language never learned did allow the immediate hearers to hear the gospel in their distinct languages. But the actual ‘missionaries’ [the hearers who went back to their towns] spread the message in their own known language. So in all types of moves you can find real fault, as well as real truth [most of the time]. We as the people of God should ‘test the spirits, because every spirit is not of God’ [1st John] while at the same time keeping an open mind like the head leader of religion in the book of Act’s, Gamaliel. He said ‘let’s leave the disciples alone for now, if this work is of God you will not be able to stop it. If it’s not of God it will fall by itself’. I personally believe in most of the renewal and revival movements of our day. I try not to get over excited by some of the language that tends to see these moves as ‘the last and greatest move of all time’. But I also avoid the constant attacks by the apologists who seem to never find a move they can agree with. [see entry # 844] [parts] The Iliad and Odyssey [Homer] I want to cover some of the classics of Western Literature- when I do the philosophy and science stuff- the purpose is to show how God- and ‘religion’ are an inescapable thread that we see all thru out history- and in fact- the rise of what we call ‘intellectualism’ did indeed come from the Judaic/Christian tradition [for instance- the modern day university system did come from the Church]. Ok- lets start with what most believe to be the greatest work from antiquity- outside of the bible. These are 2 poems by Homer- the Iliad and Odyssey. These poems were written in the 8th century BCE- and cover the Trojan war- which most believe was a real war- that took place in the 12th-13th century BCE. In Homers works we read about this epic battle. The war starts with- once again- a ‘woman’ issue. Prince Paris of Troy steals Helen of Greece- from her husband King Menelaus [king of Sparta]. The Greeks- led by Achilles- lay siege to Troy. In Homers telling of the event- the Greeks are actually defending the honor of marriage- and are carrying out a just retribution against an unjust act. Sort of the same themes we read in scripture- when the sons of Jacob defended the honor of their sister Dinah- when she was treated unjustly by the pagan nation that took her- forcefully- to be the wife of a kings son. The brothers meted out justice- by tricking these pagans to get circumcised- then- while recovering ‘from surgery’- the sons went in and wiped out the city- to their fathers dismay! In the story- Achilles is a warrior- who displays extreme violence- and also the human traits of a man who acts out of selfish motives. At one point in the war- he removes himself from battle- because he feels his honor was betrayed. The only thing that brings him back is the killing of his close friend Patroclus- by Hector. Achilles leads the Greeks to victory- and reflects the struggle between living a long life- or dying young- yet dying for a just cause. One of the more famous quotes form Homer’s Poems- attributed to Achilles- is ‘I carry 2 sorts of destiny to the day of my death. Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of the Trojans, my return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting; but if I return home to the beloved land of my fathers, the excellence of my glory is gone, but there will be a long life- left for me, and my end in death will not come to me quickly.’ There has been some debate over the historicity of the war itself. Some scholars believe it was Myth [I’ll get to this in a moment]. That is- they believe the war itself was not true- but a sort of Oral Tradition- that encompasses the reality of the human condition- and that Homers Poems are simply mythological ways to reveal the true condition of man. Yet- much like the debate that took place in the 19th century German universities- over the ‘Myth’ of the bible- later on- the rise of what we now call Archaeology [because of the Industrial revolution- a new field arose- men started digging up the ground- for the primary purpose of extracting materials from the earth- and at this time we also discovered ‘lost worlds’- that is we could actually trace cities and lands that were once deemed fake]. So- as with Homers Troy- and bible lands- these archaeologists did indeed find Cities that matched the stories. In 1870 the German Archaeologist Schliemann discovered remains that seemed to find the city of Troy- the area is known today as modern day Turkey. This same thing happened with the bible- we did indeed find historical evidence that seemed to back up the historicity of the stories we find in the bible. As a matter of fact- a famous doubter of the bible embarked on a search- to prove the bible was ‘myth’ yet- after researching carefully the historical names and places we read about in the book of Acts- he came to believe that the book of Acts- written by both an historian and doctor [Luke] was the most historically accurate writing that came from the first century [Acts has lots of names of political figures- court proceedings- stuff like that- and when doing research like this- it is quite easy to debunk the historical reality of a fake work- but- when these names and places were researched- from actual historical records dating back to the first century- it was amazing how the pieces fit]. The Trojan War is found in many works of Greek literature- and art. But the most comprehensive account comes from Homer’s 2 poems. Now- in Homer’s poems there are obvious references to Mythology- Goddesses- Golden apples- the Greek gods intervening in the affairs of men. So yeah- we see that there are obvious mythological aspects to the work. Yet- the ancient Geeks did indeed believe the war itself was a real war that took place at around the 12th century BCE. Some believe that Homer never actually wrote the poems- but that he told the stories- like Oral Tradition- and they were later written down by others. Sort of like the classic- Paradise Lost- by John Milton. Milton was blind- and told the story to his daughters [oral tradition] and the actual work was penned by those who heard it. Jesus himself used this method- he never wrote a book- or letter in the New Testament- yet the gospels were compiled by his men after his death. We read about this when Luke [who I mentioned above] gives the reason for his documenting stuff in the book of Acts [read Acts chapter one]. Luke also wrote his gospel a few years after the death and resurrection of Christ. So- some believe the same thing happened with Homer- those who heard him tell the story multiple times- simply put it together later on. Most scholars believe that Homer did indeed write the poems- and that the famous Trojan War was a real historical event. Last year- when in North Bergen- my atheist friend Daniel said he watched a PBS show- and he said ‘even a priest said the bible was Myth’. I explained to Daniel that when the more liberal scholars use this term [like in the writings of Bultman] that they do not mean ‘fake’- like Greek Mythology. But they mean that some of the stories in the gospels might be a compilation of the many Oral teachings of Jesus- and they were put together as one story [some think the Sermon on the Mount was actually multiple teachings Jesus did- and they were compiled into one event]. Now- when I explained this to Daniel- he said ‘see- even you believe it was Myth’. I told Daniel that no- I do not hold to this theory [not 100%] but that I was simply telling him that even those who use the term Myth- when talking about Theology- they do not mean Myth- as in fake. So- I find it interesting that both the New testament- and Homers poems- got the same scrutiny. In these poems we do indeed see the condition of man- which Homer depicts as one of constant war- not peace. The letter of James in the New Testament says- James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it [parts] MY VIDEOS https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/10-18-15-nietzsches-twilight-of-the-idols.zip https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/10-28-15-jean-paul-sartre.zip On today’s video- I attempted the impossible- to tell the story of ‘everything’ in 1 hour. Ok I bit off more than I could chew. It took 2 hours [the next video ‘history of the world- part 2’ will finish it]. But- to sum up today’s video. Is the biblical account of creation accurate? We read that God made everything- by speaking. Is this even possible- or some silly fable? Over the history of time we read the story of the Jewish people- their trials and failures. That’s the majority of the history of the Old Testament. They believed the story in Genesis- while others questioned whether or not all things actually had a beginning point. In time- we see the rise of the Greek philosophers- during what we call the intertestamental period [the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew]. These thinkers were looking for the answer to these questions- and the Greek word they used to describe this answer- was LOGOS- which is the Geek word- for WORD. Then we had the appearing of Christ in the 1st century- and the apostle John calls him the LOGOS. Hmm? That’s the same word that the Greeks were looking for- John says ‘we have found him’. Remember- this is Jesus Christ- the living Word. Ok- over time we had the great movements of history- the Renaissance- the Reformation- the Enlightenment- the scientific revolution- the industrial revolution. Most scientists believed that all creation was eternal- so- for them- the answer to ‘everything’ was- it was always there. In the 20th century we had the great breakthroughs of Einstein- and we call one of them the Big Bang theory- meaning- all things did not always exist. They had a beginning point- which we call the point of singularity. Ahh- now we are back to ‘where did it all come from- if at the start- there was nothing’. Yes- ‘In the beginning God spoke’. So- at the end of the story- of everything- we find the answer at the beginning. In the beginning God spoke-Yes- the early followers of Jesus called him by this name- THE WORD. And science and logic show us that all events need a cause [even the ‘event’ of creation]. So- this history of the world- recorded in the scripture- was true all along! Surprised? [parts] (1332) Been doing some reading on church history/philosophy, it’s interesting to see the role that theology/Christianity played in the universities. Theology is referred to as ‘the queen of the sciences’ and philosophy was her ‘handmaid’. They saw the root of all learning as originating with the study ‘of God’. Many modern universities have dropped the term ‘theology’ and call it ‘the study of religion’. The study of religion is really the study of how man relates to God, his view of God; this would fit under anthropology/sociology, not under theology. Modern learning has lost the importance of the study of God and the role it plays in all the other sciences. The classic work of Homer [8th century BC] called the Iliad, has Achilles debating whether or not he should ‘stay and [parts] WHAT’S REAL? And HOLY SAVIOR https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/12-18-20-whats-real.zip https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/12-20-15-holy-savior.zip https://youtu.be/1xlAC-2CHPw What’s real? https://youtu.be/7RQ85MGE-8I Holy Savior I made these videos in Texas. Then didn’t have time to write the usual teaching. So I stuck them together and did the best I could. ON VIDEO’S- note- I mentioned on the video the philosopher who ‘doubted everything’. I wasn’t sure if I got it right. I said ‘maybe Blaise Pascal’- but it was Renee Descartes. .Kill Muslims? .Bruce Jenner- 2nd thoughts? .Little people .He eats with sinners .Philosophy/Physics .Arianism .Islam and Christianity .Abrahams kids .Ishmael too! God and Allah .Chaz Bono .End times war? .In defense of cops .Hung jury .Columbus- Aztecs- Conquistadores PAST POSTS [verses below] . REMINDER- This is a commentary I wrote years ago- the videos are new. .CHAPTER 8- FEW POINTS; 1- Did God choose us to believe- or did we choose him? 2- When Paul says ‘he makes our bodies alive’ is he only speaking about resurrection? 3- Does God use difficulty- or is it to be rebuked? 4- Was Paul a ‘hyper- Calvinist’? (839)ROMAN 8:1-4 ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [sinful nature] but after the Spirit [new nature]’. Now, having proved the reality of sin and guilt [chapter 7] Paul teaches that those who ‘are in Christ’ are free from condemnation. Why? Because they ‘walk according to the Spirit’ the ‘righteousness of the law is being fulfilled in them’. Having no condemnation isn’t simply a ‘legal function’ of declared righteousness, and Paul didn’t teach it that way! Paul is saying ‘all those who have believed in Jesus and have been legally justified [earlier arguments in chapters 3-4] are now walking [actually acting out] this new nature. Therefore [because you no longer walk according to the flesh] there is no condemnation’! This argument helps bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant theology, part of the reason for the ongoing schism is over this understanding. After the Reformation the Catholic Church had a Counter Reformation council, the council of Trent. They dealt with a lot of the abuses of the Catholic Church, things that many Catholic leaders were complaining about before the Reformation. They did deal with some issues and reformed somewhat. To the dismay of the more ‘reform minded’ Catholics [with Protestant leanings] they still came down strong on most pre reform doctrines. This made it next to impossible for the schism to be healed. But one area of disagreement was over ‘legal’ versus ‘actual/experiential’ justification. The Catholic position was ‘God can’t declare/say a person is justified until they actually are’ [experientially]. The Protestant side [Luther] said ‘God does justify [legal declaration] a person by faith alone’. Like I taught before, both of these are true. The Catholic view of ‘justification’ is looking ahead towards a future reality [The same way James speaks of justification in a future sense- He uses the example from Genesis 22, when Abraham does a righteous act] while the Protestant view is focusing on the initial legal act of justification [Genesis 15]. Here Paul agrees with both views, he says ‘those who walk after the Spirit [actually living the changed life] have no condemnation’. [parts] [parts] (1242) Read a few chapters from Brian McLaren’s ‘everything must change’ thought I’d comment. I like Brian’s writing style, I agree with him on believers needing to be challenged to see things differently, but I disagree on some of his ‘everything’s’. He challenges the idea of objective thinking as defined as foundationalism. He explains well the questioning of modern intellectuals after the world wars and Holocaust of the 20th century. He shows how certain thinkers began looking for answers to the problem of society’s failure as seen in these events. He also shows how some blamed the events on ‘foundationalism’ which is a way of ‘seeing things’ [epistemology] as defined by Rene Descartes. These thinkers diagnosed the problem as society’s acceptance of absolutes, they felt that this led to an ‘overconfidence’ in right and wrong and this in turn allowed for these atrocities to happen. Many modern thinkers would disagree with this conclusion. I find it interesting that Brian makes some statements about Evolution that seem to say he accepts the theory, but yet he fails to see the role that Social Darwinism played as a precursor to the Holocaust. You could make the opposite argument that it was the rejection of absolutes, and the rise of liberal theology from the universities in Germany that led to these events. Many scholars began questioning Gods truth and laid a foundation that said ‘we really can’t trust Gods truth’ [or even know it]. To be honest these debates are a little philosophical and I didn’t think Brian would go down this road, but he does so I will deal with it. Many ‘post moderns’ believe that one of the things that must change is the ‘old’ [what is termed modern] way of thinking. These new thinkers assert that truth itself, as an absolute thing that people can know for sure, is out of mans reach. They question the modern way of thinking that teaches there are certain absolutes [preconceived ways of thinking that everyone accepts]. These new thinkers say this ‘foundationalism’ is the problem. Did the enlightenment invent this mode of objectivism? No. Thinkers from Aristotle to Aquinas to Descartes all approached thinking this way. It was defined more clearly during the enlightenment period. But this is a philosophical debate that goes on in these various camps. You have had very smart people disagree on these things. The great theologian Karl Barth would say you are not truly educated until you can ‘affirm both sides of an argument, accept contradictory definitions of the same thing’ many believe this would lead to lunacy! The two greatest theoretical physicists of the last century also disagreed on this. Neils Bohr would say that you can have two contradictory truths about a subject, and they could both be true, Einstein disagreed. So these things have been around for a while, many of the eastern religions teach the same [Zen]. So I would disagree with Brian on this, but do agree with him on the need for believers to expand their concerns from simple ‘going to heaven when I die’ concerns, to social justice concerns in the nations. He does give some good examples along these lines. [parts] In the last Philosophy post I hit on the 10th-14th century development of modern thought- today I want to jump into the 16th-18th centuries. Like I said in a previous post- after the Renaissance and the Reformation and the great scientific revolution- you had the world in somewhat of a tailspin. What I mean is for hundreds of years people trusted in the old institutions [like the Catholic Church] to tell them what was true or false- then with the development of all these modern movements people began questioning stuff. Was it good to question things? Sure. But some challenged the very foundations of thought and knowing [called Epistemology] and went a bit too far. Some thinkers went back to the thought of Plato [400 years BC] and said that the mind is the main source of all knowledge- these were the 17th century Rationalists. Rationalism- as a philosophy- was an outgrowth of all the great strides that man was making in all these other areas of life. The Scientific Revolution totally challenged the age old beliefs of many in the church. Math became a sort of new ‘god’. How so? As science invented the Microscope and Telescope- man was able for the first time to peer deeply into the heavens- and to see deeply into the microscopic world. As the great minds [Copernicus] showed us that the Universe was different than what we thought [Heliocentric versus Geocentric] man was able to do mathematical calculations and to say that a specific planet or star [or Comet] would show up at an exact date- or spot- and Walla- it would happen [you could look thru the Telescope and sure enough the math was right- the object that was calculated to be there- was.] These calculations were mathematical formulas- so math began to be seen as the new religion in many ways. There are even some thinkers in the modern day that still say the only ‘real truth’ that exists is mathematical formulas. Yeah- one guy wrote an entire book on the subject- the problem? Well- his book was not written in math- but words. Yes- even the extreme deniers of Objective truth do make mistakes. Now- what’s wrong with rationalism? Of course being rational is okay- but the philosophy itself denied real Objective truth. Truth that corresponds to some other ‘outside’ reality. This form of thinking [rejecting outside reality] is called Relativism/Subjectivism. While there is some truth to all the various fields of thought- yet extreme Relativism denies ‘reality’ as most of us understand the term. There was a strong resistance to the 17th century rationalists- we call this Philosophy Empiricism. The main thinker in this field was John Locke. Locke lived most of his life in the 17th century- but his thought laid the foundation for the 18th century Empiricist. This philosophy says that the mind does indeed play a major role in the knowledge of things- but this knowledge does not originate in the mind [Plato] but in the ‘thing’ itself [Aristotle- remember when we covered these men? Plato was an idealist- Ideas were more real than matter. Aristotle was a Realist- closer to the thought of Locke]. Locke developed a theory called the Correspondence theory- that truth that the Mind discovers corresponds to real things that actually exist apart from the mind. Locke was a practicing doctor- and most of the other thinkers of the day had room to speculate about reality in a way that Locke could not. He lived in a real world with real patients who had real symptoms- in a nutshell Locke had to diagnose his patients based on his findings- he could not deny that there was a real problem- he had to have his ‘feet on the ground’ [based in reality] while engaging with his head up high. Okay- I think we’ll end with this. Maybe you can go back and read some of my previous posts on this subject- just to become a little more familiar with it. As Christians- we are not ‘required’ to know Philosophy- or current events- or science- but it helps us engage the culture when we do educate ourselves in these areas. Go slow in learning [not too slow!] and try and see how the Christian Worldview agrees with- or rejects certain aspects of these different felids of thought. Most Christians would reject Rationalism as a Philosophy- because it denies real objective truth- it says truth is relative- whatever the mind can conceive- or think- can be defined as truth [Unicorns?] Biblical truth is based on real historic events- 1st Corinthians chapter 15 says that if we deny the physical resurrection of Christ- a real event- then our faith is in vain. Christians base their faith on a real historic event- not simply on a belief system. [parts] VERSES- Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Acts 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. Acts 1:13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Acts 1:16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. Acts 1:17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Acts 1:18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Acts 1:19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. Acts 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Acts 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. Acts 1:23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. Acts 1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take hisoffice. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 13:18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg https://twitter.com/ccoutreach87 https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts https://vimeo.com/user37400385 john chiarelloFollow On https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_logo http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/ http://johnchiarello.thoughts.com/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/ Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on- Thanks- John.# Advertisements Occasionally, some of your visitors may see an advertisement here, as well as a Privacy & Cookies banner at the bottom of the page. You can hide ads completely by upgrading to one of our paid plans. UPGRADE NOW DISMISS MESSAGE Share this: ·Press This ·Pinterest1 ·Tumblr · Related Sunday sermon Sunday sermon 4-21-19 The Seed [Galatians] EPHESIANS- INTRO- CHAPTER 1 Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: Ephesians 1- Intro. https://ccoutreach87.com/11-21-17-ephesians-intro-chapter-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/11-21-17-ephesians-intro-chapter-1-2/ ON VIDEO- .Butterfly .Background on the city of Ephesus .Sovereignty .Paul’s prayer .Plymouth Rock .Mayflower .Jamestown .Puritans .Reformation .Church of England .Some history of the Puritans and their rejection of the Church of England [Anglican] keeping some of the High Church practices of the Catholic Church NEW- [Notes- corrections? Below] Intro- Ephesus was the capitol city of the Roman province of Asia- it was one of the top cities of the day [Like Rome- Corinth- Alexandria- etc]. It was a major commercial center because of a port to the Aegean sea- [Now silted up] And if you remember my Acts study- the famous temple of Diana was located there- which was considered to be one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/ Paul spent more than 2 years there and he probably penned this letter while sitting in jail at Rome [House arrest] I actually just covered the history of this in my study on the book of Acts- so I thought it fitting to now start a new study on the letter the apostle wrote to this Christian community. Chapter 1- Paul begins the letter acknowledging God’s sovereignty in his own calling- Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: His own conversion was an example of God’s choice- God converted Paul that day on the Damascus road- when Paul was on the way to persecute Christians- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ So his own experience is seeing God picking him- not based on his [Paul’s] own choice- And Paul reminds the believers that is the same choice of God that picked them as well- Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, The doctrine of predestination is clearly taught in this passage- It has been a hotly debated doctrine thru out the history of the church- But it is simply stated in the above passage- God chose us to become his children- before the world was made. Yet- the purpose of God is greater than us- people in time- who have believed- God’s greater purpose is reconciling all creation to himself thru Christ- who was/is the eternal Logos who himself made all things- Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one ALL THINGS in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: Paul also speaks of this redemption of creation in his letter to the Romans- https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ [see chapter 8] The scope of what God has done in Christ is difficult to grasp at the start- and the apostle prays that their spiritual eyes might be able to see the bigger picture- Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, The raising of Jesus from the dead and his ascension to the right hand of the throne of God shows us that ultimate rule and authority are now exercised in the kingdom of God- A kingdom that is above all others- Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: This authority given to Jesus Christ has also been delegated to us- the body of Christ- We are the community of people where the Spirit of God resides- Jesus being the head of the church- we being the Body- and all things having been put under his feet- speaks of all authorities being subjected to the Body as well- who we are- Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. All of these great mysteries have come to pass- because these things are planned by the counsel of God himself- Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: The power given to the church is an enormous responsibility- the gift of the wisdom of God to enter into these realities also comes with a balance- a discretion- Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; All of these things were made possible only thru the obedient act of the Son who went to the Cross to redeem us- 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: Phil 2- Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; The death of Christ for the sins of man positions those who believe to stand blameless before the throne- Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: As we walk before him in love- seeing the grace and peace that has come to us as a free gift- we then can become change agents in the world- A world that is destined to be redeemed as well- a creation that looks forward to the final day of the redemption of all things- 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. NOTES [corrections?]- On this video I talked ‘off the cuff’ about the Puritans- the Mayflower- etc. Then a day or so later I watched a history special on PBS- Sure enough- I figured I better make a few corrections- They said the date for the Mayflower was 1630- but I just checked- I was right- I said the date was 1620- here’s a link http://www.history.com/topics/mayflower The PBS documentary also seemed to say William Bradford was not the governor of Plymouth colony [actually- they did not mention Bradford at all- but spoke of the whole story of the founding of Plymouth colony]- So- I thought I was wrong on Bradford too- because I mentioned him as one of the original founders- and the governor- But as I just checked- I got that right too- http://www.history.com/topics/william-bradford I have written on Plymouth rock in the past- and will try and find those notes and add them below. I don’t mean to say ‘see- I was right’ – I actually was upset when I watched the PBS show- because I thought I was wrong on a lot of stuff- and that’s why I started ‘correcting’ the post right now. Then found the above links. It simply shows us to fact check stuff- use more than one source. It is also frustrating because when I added one of the above links- I had to delete it and add it again- and it deleted all the notes I just wrote! And you are now re-reading the 2nd version. So yes- doing this takes time- takes checking- and sometimes it’s nice to see you did get it right- the first time around. To be fair- PBS is usually a reliable source- and I didn’t watch the whole documentary- I fell asleep while watching it- thinking ‘Geez- I will have to correct my post’- We live in a day where we talk about ‘fake news’ we see bias in all the media- whether they mean to do it or not. On the video I talked about the Puritans to show how their faith in God was THEE determining factor to sail the Mayflower and come to the new world. It’s also possible that some documentaries want to down play the whole aspect of God and the founding of the country. William Bradford was brought up in a Puritan home- his faith was the key reason he- and the others- sailed to America. If you read the founding documents [Mayflower Compact and others] you clearly see this- https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact But the whole debate about the so called ‘separation of Church and state’- the establishment clause- comes into question when you see the actual writings of the founding fathers. And these might be reasons that good news outlets shy away from certain facts- Not that they are ‘wrong’ on their coverage [though they are at times] but that they might simply overlook the importance that certain people played in the actual stories of history. PAST POSTS- Did a quick search of my past posts- here are a few where Plymouth Rock showed up in the text- https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/04/27/stuff-2016/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/05/17/gideon/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/06/26/history-of-everything-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/28/samuel-revelation-kingdoms/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/18/kings-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/22/acts-28/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/ https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/23/wednesday-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ You might find some past teaching on the Puritans in these- I obviously do not re- read my past posts- I just try and copy the ones I think are relevant to each teaching post- [past stuff I taught] I mentioned our Revolutionary war- below are my past teachings that relate- I have taught in the past how some of our Founding Fathers were influenced- heavily- by Enlightenment thinking. Thomas Jefferson is the best example. Why is this important? On my previous post [Plymouth Rock] I tried to show the role that religion played in the founding of our country. Yet- at the time of the Continental congress [The first meeting was in 1774- the 2nd was in 75. The Declaration was approved in 1776] some of our founding fathers were leaning towards Deism [Ben Franklin- etc.] and the wording of the Declaration of Independence [below] was written more along the lines of Enlightenment thinking [also strong influence from the writing of John Locke]. The phrase ‘we hold these truths to be SELF EVIDENT’ was indeed a contrast from the traditional view of the church. Believers do indeed believe in ‘self-evident’ truths [Romans1-2] but in context- this term challenged the historic thinkers of the church. I add this to simply show that Thomas Jefferson [who wrote the Declaration- at the young age of 33] added language that was in a sense- a ‘compromise’. John Adams- Jefferson’s colleague in the congress- would later be challenged in a presidential run by Jefferson. The accusations flew- and Adams supporters said the beliefs of Jefferson would be the downfall of Christianity in America! Why did they make this accusation? Because the Enlightenment thinkers were indeed challenging some of the core beliefs of Christianity in the 18th century. Jefferson spent 5 years in France- right at the time of French Revolution [remember the post I did recently on it?]. The French Revolution was indeed a ‘revolution’ against the church in a way. Many Americans in the colonies were shocked by the bloodshed of the French Revolution. Yet Jefferson sided with it- and even wrote in support of some American merchants who were rebelling against paying their debts here in America. This outraged John Adams. Eventually Jefferson would serve on the cabinet under President Washington- and he would conflict with Alexander Hamilton over the direction of our New Republic. Jefferson felt that Hamilton wanted to give too much power to the Federal govt. [Federalism] Eventually Adams and Jefferson would be on opposing sides- of just about everything! Adams was a good friend of Jefferson during the continental congress in Philadelphia. Jefferson was the representative from Virginia- he was not an eloquent speaker- but he gained the respect of the other representatives. He was seen to be a hard worker- When the drafting of the Declaration came up- Benjamin Franklin turned down the job- and it was given to Adams and Jefferson. Jefferson wanted Adams to do it- yet Adams [Jefferson’s senior] recognized the great skills of his younger colleague- And Jefferson went to work. Yet their friendship was strained over the years- and at the end of their lives they became friends again. Jefferson would become the 3rd president of the U.S. And his legacy remains with us today. It has been said that our country is founded upon a Creed- We- as Americans- give our assent to a creed. And that creed- was penned By Thomas Jefferson. A preacher stopped at a tavern [Inn] In Virginia for the night. The story goes that he spoke with a stranger while there- they talked about mechanics- and the minister thought the man was an engineer. They then spoke on various subjects- and the preacher saw the stranger was knowledgeable in many fields. They finally spoke about religion- and the minister thought ‘he must be a preacher too’. The next day he asked who the man was- it was Thomas Jefferson. How did Jefferson gain all this knowledge? At the age of 6- he was reading the books from his father’s library. He learned Latin and Greek- on his own. His dad died when Jefferson was 14. He eventually went to the college of William and Mary- and became a dedicated student. It was said that 15 hours out of every 24- he was reading/studying. Jefferson kept this up throughout his life. He had a large library at Monticello- his home on a mountain in Virginia. One of his slaves [yes- slaves] said whenever someone had some question- Jefferson was well able to answer the question- and refer to one of his many books. Jefferson was the 2nd largest slave holder in his county- owning more than 200 hundred slaves at one time. Yet- he tried to enact legislation to outlaw slavery. He even added some language at the continental congress about it. The other representatives from the 13 colonies rejected it. He also tried to pass laws in Virginia against slavery. Yet he himself had them- how could this be? It even violated his own words in the Declaration ‘All men are created equal’. Many historians differ on why/how this could be. In the end- Jefferson was like all of us- he was able to articulate noble ideas- yet he himself struggled to fully live up to them. 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, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson- Declaration of Independence. [PARTS] PLYMOUTH ROCK https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/1-9-16-plymouth-rock.zip https://youtu.be/DyDv5n6U-3o Plymouth Rock ON VIDEO- .God’s choice .Mayflower .John Robinson .Scrooby believers .William Bradford .Objections .All creation waits .John Locke .King James [bible] .Puritans .Geneva bible 1st .Virginia colony- 1607 .Plymouth- 1620 .Cape Cod [Past posts- verses below] NEW STUFF- As I cover some history from the 16th/17th centuries- a significant event came from the religious controversy over the Puritans [separatists] disagreement with the Church of England. After the death of queen Elizabeth of England- she had no direct heir to the throne- and the son of Mary- queen of Scots- became the new king of England. James the 1st took the crown- and the Puritans had hoped that he would compromise with them. They disagreed with the role of Bishops in the church and other ‘Catholic’ beliefs. Though England broke from Rome- it was mainly in the area of the papacy- they were in reality a ‘Catholic’ church- with no pope [or the King of England replaced the Pope]. So- the Puritans wanted more reform- sort of like what was taking place in Germany under Martin Luther. But James rejected the appeals of the Puritans- and gave them only one request- a new English version of the bible. The King James Version [1611] became the favorite bible for Protestants for many years [even till this day]. Yet- it was actually not the ‘original’ Protestant bible. The first one was the Geneva bible- put together by the reformers. So- some of the Puritans who had already started their own churches [one in Scrooby England] fled England- and went to Holland. The pastor of the Scrooby church- John Robinson- stayed in the Netherlands for a few years, but then decided to go back to England. In 1620- they agreed to leave England once again- and sail to the ‘new world’. The English already established a colony in Virginia in 1607- and their goal was to arrive in Virginia and hopefully have the freedom to worship God according to their conscience. They left on the Mayflower- with some other merchants and adventurers. It was a daring journey to say the least. And instead of landing in Virginia- because of bad weather- they hit Cape Cod instead. Before coming ashore- they made a ‘deal’- called the Mayflower Compact. It was a sort of Democratic agreement that would govern the new colony. The new colony was founded in what is now called Plymouth Massachusetts. William Bradford became the governor of the new colony- and was only a teen when he first left England with the Scrooby believers. The area in England where they left from- was called Plymouth [Devon- North England]. So the new colony was named Plymouth. PAST POSTS- . JOHN LOCKE- Locke taught that each man has individual rights- and he empowers government- an elected designated body- to have rule- [parts] AN UNJUST LAW https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/4-20-16-an-unjust-law-is-no-law-at-all.zip https://youtu.be/oQMmaWERTYk An unjust law is no law at all ON VIDEO- .MLK .Kennedy .Andrew Snowden .USSR .Saudi Arabia .911 hijackers- who were they? .Release the 28 pages .Dow 18,000- sell! [remember- the video was made last week] .Iran- Yemen- Libya- Ukraine- Russia .How did we bail out the banks again? .NATO .Cuban Missile crisis .Did Russia have the right to fly over our ship in Baltic Sea? .War Games .Water Gate- Nixon POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ NOVEMBER 22, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT ACTS 28- [Conclusion of the Act’s study] Isaiah 25:7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Acts 28- https://youtu.be/JNtaYP1cqEs https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl/ https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl-2/ ON VIDEO- .Stranded on the island .Melita [Malta] founded by the Phoenicians around 1000 BC .Paul gets bitten by a snake .The ‘natives’ think he is being judged .Then when he doesn’t fall down sick and die- .They think he is a ‘god’ [Fickle] .Where did these ‘natives’ get the concept of justice? [natural law theory is true] .Paul functions in the gift of healing .The ship he takes to Rome has the names ‘Castor and Pollux’- who were they? .The mythical sons of Zeus .Paul at Rome .He makes his case to the Jews .Some believe- some don’t Note- when we study church history we realize there was already a church [believers] at Rome before Paul got there .So we often teach that Paul was not responsible for the church at Rome .Yet here we see he did introduce some Roman Jews to Jesus- so he certainly played a role .Paul quotes from Isaiah 6- which in a way sums up the last half of the book of Acts [see my teaching below] .Nero After thoughts- .Would you go to hell to save the world? .A talk I had with a homeless friend .Do we live with a self preservation mentality? .Are our churches centered around this mentality? .Your purpose is to fulfil the mission- even if it does not ‘save’ you [The Cross] .A polarized nation- our times .Yet- their is a redeemer- Jesus God’s own Son NEW- As we end the Acts study- I’ll add my past teaching below- and just mention a few things. The last few chapters was the lead up to the climax- Paul was going to Rome to appeal his case to Nero- His accusers have been on his trail the whole time- And as he arrives in Rome- he calls together the Jews to present his case first to them. He figured they heard all the rumors about him- and wanted to make a defense. As it turned out- they were not aware of all the stuff he was going thru. So he presents the gospel to them- some believe- others do not- Then he quotes one passage out of Isaiah 6- Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. It’s interesting- because the whole chapter of Isaiah 6 [posted below in the verses section] sort of sums up Paul’s whole experience in the last half of the book of Acts. He has been going from city to city- desperately trying to persuade his fellow Jews that Jesus is indeed the Christ- the anointed one- the promise that they have been waiting for. And in this excitement of the reality that they were living in the time when the promise made to their father’s thru the prophets- has now been fulfilled- Yet- he is dumbfounded that his fellow Jewish brothers refuse to believe it! And that sums up the chapter of Isaiah 6- God called the prophet to go and preach to his fellow Jews- Yet it was thru this preaching of Isaiah that their hearts would be hardened- and they would not believe- Isaiah even asks God how long will this go on- God says until he makes a full end. Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, Yet- there is still the promise of the remnant- which Paul himself speaks about in his letter to the Romans- Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Paul even quotes out of Isaiah again- Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations And God also speaks about the remnant to Isaiah- Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. Meaning there would be a period of time in the history of God’s dealings with the Jewish people- and during this period of time- there will always be a small group of Jews who believe. And in the fullness of time- they will embrace Jesus as their messiah as a whole nation of people. There are many verses on this- but that is indeed what the bible teaches. So the process- in the frustration of a Paul- or Isaiah- or any one carrying the message to people who initially do not receive it- Is the promise that there are indeed some who are listening- some who are seeing what’s going on- and this remnant will have an impact on others as well. The preaching of the gospel- the setting forth of the message of Christ- in the day we live in- it’s not always embraced at the start. Sure- some have turned the message into a self help type thing- others have focused the message on material gain- https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ These messages do gain a following- because they appeal to the base nature of man- But the message of the Gospel- and the teachings of Jesus- are not about popularity- The message of the Cross is about sacrificing the temporary things of this life- to fulfill a greater purpose in God. Paul will go on to preach the gospel- the chapter [Acts 28] ends with Paul still waiting to appear before Nero. Yet later on in the letters of Paul we see that he more than likely was released from jail- and possibly even made it all the way to Spain [There is a tradition that says this- from the writings of Clement] Paul sat in Rome from ad 60 to 62- Then was released- did some more missionary work- then probably rearrested and executed around ad 67. Nero set fire to Rome in ad 64- he blamed it on the Christians- and a great persecution of the saints took place. Paul finished his mission- he preached the gospel of Jesus and went thru much difficulty in his life- We continue to study his letters today- and the message he spoke- and wrote about- is still going strong. Yes- I guess you could say the small remnant has now become a multitude of people- too many to number- Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; Revelation 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. PAST POSTS- [Verses below] ACTS- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/15/tuesday-5/ %5BI made this post the same day of the Acts 28 video] https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/19/sunday-sermon-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/23/acts-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/31/acts-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/06/acts-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/acts-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/07/acts-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/16/acts-11/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/22/acts-12/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/01/acts-13/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/14/acts-14/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/03/acts-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/07/acts-16/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/27/acts-17/ http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2017/08/acts-18-acts-1828-for-he-mightily.html https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/20/acts-20/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/04/acts-21/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/20/acts-22-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/04/redo-acts-23-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/08/acts-24-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/14/acts-25-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/29/acts-26-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/06/acts-27/ (766)ACTS 28- After the shipwreck they wind up on an island called Melita. Paul meets the barbarous people and they welcome him. During a bon fire type thing, Paul is collecting wood and a poisonous snake bites him. The people think ‘surely this man is a murderer and ‘vengeance’ got him!’ Notice the fact that moral/natural law was imbedded in the consciences of these savage like people. Where in the world did they come up with such an idea of right and wrong and justice? The atheists say ‘well, all people simply come up with some type of code to live by. This is really not proof for moral law’. The Christian answers ‘so how come you never find some isolated tribe who rewards murder and punishes goodness’! Now, I realize there are distant tribes who practice violent stuff. The point is in all of these societies, there is a basic right and wrong that is honored. If the tribe is violent, they still don’t reward the cowardly killing of one of their own kids! These savages had the built in conscience of moral law that Paul teaches in Romans. Now after Paul doesn’t get sick or die from the bite, they ‘change their minds’ and say he is a god! People are fickle. Paul heals the father of the chief of the island, a small healing revival breaks out. Paul demonstrates the power of the gospel in word and deed. Even today, in many 3rd world countries you see healings and miraculous signs along with the preaching of the gospel. They launch off and land in a few more spots and finally make it to Rome! Paul calls the Jewish leaders and makes his familiar defense. He lists the accusations against him and defends himself. He thought the whole Jewish world knew about the gossip! The leaders tell him ‘we haven’t heard any stuff about you, but tell us more about this sect’. Leaders, don’t make the mistake of defending yourself over personal stuff from the pulpit! Often time’s people don’t know what you are talking about. Paul does set up a day and teaches the Jews in Rome from morning till evening showing them all the scriptures that testify of Jesus in the Law of Moses and the prophets. He ‘testified of the Kingdom of God and Christ’ [they go hand in hand!] Some Jews believe, others don’t. Paul then quotes the most quoted verse from the Old Testament in the New Testament ‘Isaiah was right about you! Having eyes you can’t see, ears you can’t hear…’ Luke ends the chapter [and book] with Paul living 2 years in a rented room and preaching the kingdom of God to all who will listen. Paul finished his days infecting the capitol city of the empire with the gospel! Church history tells us that Paul [and Peter] were martyred under Nero’s persecution. John [the apostle] writes about the beast making war against the saints and killing them. No wonder why the early church called Nero ‘the beast’. Paul writes one of his best letters to the Roman saints and the church will forever have an ‘eternal witness’ in the city of Rome. Paul got his wish. (767)ACTS CONCLUSION- As we finish our study in Acts, I want to review a few things. The ‘church’ [ecclesia] as seen in Acts are without a doubt ‘organic’ this term describes the community of people in the various locations who believed the message of the Messiah. These people were not establishing ‘church meetings at the church on Sunday’ to compete with the Jewish meetings at the synagogues on Saturday. The transition from the old law into the new covenant was not only one of a change in message [law versus grace] but also a transition from shadows to reality. All the ways of worship and ‘liturgical’ form were part of the old law. The temple and priest and altar were important types and symbols of what was to come. But in the New Testament communities these ideas of physical worship changed. The actual praise of Gods people and doing good deeds will become the sacrifices that God is well pleased with [New Testament]. The Lords meal was actually a meal! The gathering on the first day of the week became a good tradition in memory of Christ’s resurrection. But as time went on many well meaning believers would return to the symbols and incorporate them into their worship. The church would be seen as the ‘church house’ the altar would be seen as a real place upon which the ‘bloodless sacrifice’ [Eucharist] would be re offered again for the sins of the world. The priest would be seen as having special powers given to him by Jesus, that during the mass the host becomes Jesus flesh and blood and as the people ‘eat’ him they are partaking, literally, of Jesus flesh and blood. Now, are all these believers wrong? Should we see the development of sacramental theology as pagan? I personally don’t think so. I prefer to view the changes that took place in the church as part of a process of Gods people grappling with doctrines and beliefs while at the same time struggling to maintain unity as the centuries progressed [I am not making excuses for wrong doctrine, I think well meaning church fathers grasped wrong ideas out of a fear of loosing their identity. The idea of a strong magesterium [teaching authority] gave room for wrong doctrines to become firmly entrenched in the collective mind of the early church]. For the first 1000 years of Christianity the people of God were primarily seen as Catholic. In 1054 the official split between eastern and western Christianity will take place. Another 500 years until the Catholic Church split again [1517]. The host of churches that came out of the Protestant Reformation are too innumerable to mention. Should we view all of these groups as deceived religionists? Of course not. Do we find a pattern in Acts that would allow us to trace ‘the true group’ and lay claim to being the most authentic? I don’t believe so. But as all the people of God strive for the unity that we actually posses in Christ, we have the great resource of the church fathers, the wisdom and insights of the reformers. The heritage of the outgrowth of the restorationist movements. The excitement of the Puritans as they launched out to found a new world free from religious persecution. If it weren’t for the strong institutional church we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have even had a Luther [Wittenberg] Calvin [first Paris then Geneva] or Zwingli [Zurich]! Or the ‘pre reformers’ Wycliffe, Huss and Knox. These men were products of Catholic higher learning! It was the reality of Catholic institutional Christianity that allowed for these men to be trumpets of truth in their day! The university cities that they taught in as Catholic priests allowed for their influence to spread far and wide. In each generation of believers you have had Gods people progress so far and leave us with great treasures that were intended to be passed on to future generations If we severe ourselves from historic Christianity, then we lose the great gains that have been made in the centuries gone by! The book of Acts shows us the freedom of the people of God. ‘Where 2 or more are together in my name, I am in the midst’ isn’t some description of ‘local church’. As in if we copy the formulas of what happened in Acts [break bread, prayer, etc.] then you ‘have a church’. Jesus promise to be with us when we are together is the act of brotherhood. Surely we saw Jesus going along with the people of God all thru out Acts. The Spirit of God that indwelt them in chapter 2 was the promise that he would be with them. He legitimized them! Not some institution [‘local church’] that they were to start! So today all the people of God are striving to find a closer identity with each other as fellow believers in the Lord. I believe the book of Acts gives us a beautiful picture of the church in her infancy stage. I also believe the growth seen as we read Paul’s letters to these churches indicates the heart of God for his people to remain in grace. Paul warns the churches to not fall into the legalism of observing days and regulations and legalistic requirements. He wants them to live simply, free from sin and to be the people of God in society. Some branches of Christianity took hold of the strong ‘we are pilgrims’ view [which is true to a degree] and would separate from society. Not realizing we are pilgrims and strangers to the worlds system, but our Father is God of heaven and earth! We are here to impact this planet! So let’s run with the exciting message and revolutionary mindset that the early church possessed. They weren’t in this thing for what they could get out of it, they were really laying their lives down for the gospel. They were sharing their stuff with each other. They were loving God and their fellow man in ways that were uncommon for their time. It wasn’t only what they said that allowed them to ‘turn their world upside down’ it was who they were, the People of God. VERSES- Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Acts 28:1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. Acts 28:2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. Acts 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. Acts 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Acts 28:6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. Acts 28:7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. Acts 28:8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. Acts 28:9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed: Acts 28:10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary. Acts 28:11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. Acts 28:12 And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. Acts 28:13 And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: Acts 28:14 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. Acts 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. Acts 28:16 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. Acts 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Acts 28:18 Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. Acts 28:19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. Acts 28:20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. Acts 28:21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. Acts 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against. Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. Acts 28:24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Acts 28:29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. Acts 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: Isaiah 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, Isaiah 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. MY SITES http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com %5BMain site%5D https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg Acts 9 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ APRIL 18, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT ACTS 9 [Zechariah 1] https://youtu.be/VBw6tOxifc4 Acts 9 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/4-13-17-acts-9-zech-1.zip https://ccoutreach87.com/4-13-17-acts-9-zech-1/ 4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. 6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts. Zech. 8 ON VIDEO- .Carnival .Paul’s conversion .Prophecy .Spirit of poverty? .Where do the gifts function? .And why? .Let’s kill Paul now! .Solomon’s porch .Peter heals .And raises the dead .Tabitha .Resurrection .Kingsville Record . ‘Child says he saw the Lord’ NEW- Today I spoke on Acts 9- and at the end Zechariah chapter 1. I’ll just copy my commentary on Acts 9 below and make a few brief notes on Zechariah. I was reading about the 4 horns Zechariah saw in a vision- and he also saw 4 carpenters- Zechariah 1:18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. Zechariah 1:20 And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. The 4 horns- not horns you blow- but animal horns- represent kingdoms- earthly dominions that oppress the people of God. The 4 carpenters were ‘builders’ of the kingdom- sent from God. In the vision- these carpenters terrify the horns- Zechariah 1:21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray [Terrify] them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. In the letter to the Ephesians we read about the ‘5-fold’ ministry- Ephesians 4:11 [Full Chapter] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; Some see a 4-fold ministry- connecting the Pastor/Teacher as one office. In short- the ministers of the Lord- they not only build up the people of God- Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; But they also have a prophetic aspect- that speaks truth to power. In the Acts study- we actually see this play out. If you go back and watch/read the posts on Act’s- you will see how the Apostles and believers were not only preaching Jesus- but they were telling those who crucified him ‘you are guilty of his murder’! It seems strange for us in this day to see why they were doing this. But the unjust death of Christ- thru the manipulation of the ‘horn’ of Rome by the Jews- was indeed an oppression carried out thru corrupt government. And the early apostles were playing their ‘carpenter’ role as part of the 4- fold ministry. I also noticed a dynamic I ‘accidentally’ spoke about a few weeks ago [Permanent Record post- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/26/i-did-this-one-for-your-benefit/ ] I said there will be a day when we are dead- meaning both the messenger- and the one he is sent to give the message to- We will all be dead someday- yet the words themselves will go on forever. Sure enough that’s what God told the prophet- Zechariah 1:5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? Zechariah 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. The Word of the Lord endures forever. We still have the words of Peter- and Paul- and all the others who spoke the word of the Lord- who spoke truth to power. Yet-Peter and Paul are not on the earth anymore- nor are the corrupt ‘horns’ they spoke to. But the Words remain. Yeah- just like Zechariah was told. PAST POSTS [verses below] https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/moabdominions/ https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/ ACTS LINKS- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/23/acts-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/31/acts-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/06/acts-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/acts-8/ VERSES- 1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I am not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Gal. 1 Acts 14:14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, Zechariah 1:2 The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Zechariah 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 1:4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. Zechariah 1:5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? Zechariah 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. Zechariah 1:7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, Zechariah 1:8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. Zechariah 1:9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. Zechariah 1:10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. Zechariah 1:11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? Zechariah 1:13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. Zechariah 1:14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. Zechariah 1:15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Zechariah 1:16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. Zechariah 1:19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:20 And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. Zechariah 1:21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg ·1ST, 2ND CORINTHIANS ·1ST- 2ND SAMUEL ·1ST- 2ND SAMUEL [LINKS- UPDATED 3-17] ·1ST-2ND KINGS ·ABOUT ·ACTS ·ATHEISM- APOLOGETICS [LINKS ADDED] ·CHRISTIAN RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION [LONG VERSION] ·CLASSICS OF WESTERN LITERATURE ·DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA ·EPHESIANS [HIGHLIGHTS] ·FURTHER TALKS ON CHURCH AND MINISTRY ·GALATIANS [LINKS] ·GALATIANS- JOHN’S GOSPEL ·GENESIS ·HAGGAI ·HEBREWS- UPDATED 2015 ·HISTORICAL FIGURES FROM CHURCH HISTORY ·HOUSE OF PRAYER OR DEN OF THIEVES ·HURRICANE HARVEY ·INSIGHTS FROM A REVOLUTION ·ISLAM ·JAMES- 2015 ·JOHN [COMPLETE- LINKS ADDED] ·JONAH [LINKS] ·JUDGES- RUTH [VIDEO LINKS INCLUDED] ·JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ·MARK [LINKS] ·MY BIBLE COMMENTARIES [OTHER LINKS] ·MY OTHER SITES ·N.J./NYC- 2017 ·NEHEMIAH, ISAIAH ·NYC-NEW JERSEY TRIP- 2015 ·OVERVIEW OF PHILOSOPHY ·OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE ·PROTESTANT REFORMATION- LUTHER ·QM ·RADIO CATALOG ·RAPTURE- 2ND COMING- 2 EVENTS? ·ROMANS-UPDATED 2015 ·RUSSIA- U.S.- WORLD EVENTS ·THE GREAT BUILDING OF GOD ·WESTERN INTELLECTUAL TRADITION // romans-updated 2015 ROMANS- 2015- VIDEO LINKS INCLUDED ROMANS 1-3 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/2-3-15-romans-1-3.zip .CHAPTER 8- FEW POINTS; ·Did God choose us to believe- or did we choose him? ·When Paul says ‘he makes our bodies alive’ is he only speaking about resurrection? ·Does God use difficulty- or is it to be rebuked? ·Was Paul a ‘hyper- Calvinist’? (839)ROMAN 8:1-4 ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [sinful nature] but after the Spirit [new nature]’. Now, having proved the reality of sin and guilt [chapter 7] Paul teaches that those who ‘are in Christ’ are free from condemnation. Why? Because they ‘walk according to the Spirit’ the ‘righteousness of the law is being fulfilled in them’. Having no condemnation isn’t simply a ‘legal function’ of declared righteousness, and Paul didn’t teach it that way! Paul is saying ‘all those who have believed in Jesus and have been legally justified [earlier arguments in chapters 3-4] are now walking [actually acting out] this new nature. Therefore [because you no longer walk according to the flesh] there is no condemnation’! This argument helps bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant theology, part of the reason for the ongoing schism is over this understanding. After the Reformation the Catholic Church had a Counter Reformation council, the council of Trent. They dealt with a lot of the abuses of the Catholic Church, things that many Catholic leaders were complaining about before the Reformation. They did deal with some issues and reformed somewhat. To the dismay of the more ‘reform minded’ Catholics [with Protestant leanings] they still came down strong on most pre reform doctrines. This made it next to impossible for the schism to be healed. But one area of disagreement was over ‘legal’ versus ‘actual/experiential’ justification. The Catholic position was ‘God can’t declare/say a person is justified until they actually are’ [experientially]. The Protestant side [Luther] said ‘God does justify [legal declaration] a person by faith alone’. Like I taught before, both of these are true. The Catholic view of ‘justification’ is looking ahead towards a future reality [The same way James speaks of justification in a future sense- He uses the example from Genesis 22, when Abraham does a righteous act] while the Protestant view is focusing on the initial legal act of justification [Genesis 15]. Here Paul agrees with both views, he says ‘those who walk after the Spirit [actually living the changed life] have no condemnation’. (840)ROMANS 8:5-13 Paul will teach the impossibility of the ‘carnal minds’ ability to submit to Gods law. Those who are ‘in the flesh’ [the unregenerate nature- not simply ‘in the body’. We will get into these distinctions in a minute] can’t submit to God. Society spends so much time and effort trying to get the ‘lost man’ to do what’s right. The prohibition movement [outlawing liquor], the increase in the severity of punishment for crimes dealing with drugs. Making the child kidnappers crime punishable by death. While all these laws are necessary and good [though some debate the wisdom of the kidnapper one, they think the kidnapper might just go ahead and kill the victim if the same punishment applies to both crimes] they have little effect on getting ‘the carnal man to submit’. Paul also says ‘if the Spirit of him who raised up Christ from the dead dwells in you, then he that raised up Christ from the dead shall quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you’. Let’s do a little teaching here. Most commentators see this as speaking of the promise of the resurrection ‘your mortal bodies’. I see this more in line with the context of chapter 7. The discussion of ‘mortal bodies’ [your actual body, the flesh- which is different than ‘the fleshly nature’ which refers to the sinful nature] speaks of your actual life now ‘let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies’. Also in verse 13 of this chapter the same theme is seen ‘if ye thru the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live’. I believe Paul is primarily saying ‘if you are in the Spirit [born of God] the Spirit of life will make alive your physical life in such a way that you will glorify God in your body and spirit, which are Gods’ [Corinthians]. Chapter 12 says your bodies are living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. Now later on in this chapter [8] we do see the resurrection, which is called ‘the redemption of the body’ [verse 23] so these two concepts work together. The fact that the believer is ‘training his mortal body’ for God [thru obedience] is sort of a precursor to the resurrection! Now, some believers confuse the resurrection of the body and the work of regeneration in ‘making you alive’ [Ephesians 2]. The work of regeneration brings your dead spirit back to life [born again] when you believe [which is a Divine imputation of faith at the moment of conversion, a sovereign act]. This ‘coming alive’ is purely spiritual. This qualifies you for the future physical resurrection of the body [Ephesians calls this the ‘down payment’, the ‘earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession’. The word ‘earnest’ here is used in the same way as ‘earnest money’ in a real estate transaction. The fact that we have been ‘sealed’ with the Holy Spirit is our ‘guarantee of future bodily resurrection’]. Bishop N.T. Wright, the bishop of Durham [the church of England- Durham is the 3rd most influential post in the Church of England. Canterbury is at the top] has recently written on the truths of the resurrection of the body. He is an excellent scholar, way way above my league. He has been instrumental in ‘re introducing’ the reality of Christ’s resurrection as well as our future resurrection as a very real Christian belief [and historic truth as well]. I have read some of Wrights stuff and am a little surprised at some of the ideas on ‘soul sleep’ and the immortality of the soul. Bishop Wright seems to side with some of the ideas that certain restorationist groups [7th day Adventists] espouse, that the Catholic Church kind of corrupted the ideas of heaven and the soul by being overly influenced by Greek thought. While it is possible for Bishop Wright to have come to his understanding entirely thru scripture and history, yet I felt it a little strange to see him make these arguments. For the most part I like brother Wright and totally agree with his stance on the future ‘new heavens and new earth’ as the final place of rest [as opposed to dying and going to heaven now, which is a temporary place] but there is the biblical reality of a present ‘heaven’ and this doesn’t only come from Greek thought. I have often used the Christian doctrine of the new heavens and new earth while speaking with the Jehovah’s witnesses, I always agree on the reality of a future kingdom on earth. I simply steer the conversation back to ‘who qualifies for it’ and get straight to the gospel. Well anyway we have a promise of a future resurrection, and also a ‘quickening of the body now’ [God actually using our physical life to glorify him]. These are both great truths! (841)ROMANS 8: 14-18 ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God’. Many of us are familiar with this verse [I hope!]. We often see it as saying ‘Gods direction in our lives is proof that we are Christians’ true enough. But in context ‘being led by Gods Spirit’ means living the new life thru Christ. The putting to death of the old man and being ‘made alive’ thru Christ is what this is saying. Paul agrees with John [1st John] ‘those that do what is right [led by the Spirit] are of God’. Paul says ‘we have received the Spirit and a natural result of this is crying “Abba, Father”. I don’t want to do too much here, but Paul sees the ‘confession’ and heart cry of the believer as proof, a result of being ‘a habitation of the Spirit’. A sign, if you will, of being born of God is confessing/ praying to the Father. Paul quoted David in chapter 4 ‘for this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found’ [Psalms 32- actually Paul quotes a different section from the Psalm, but this theme is consistent with Paul’s view]. Paul knew the reality of ‘the godly calling upon God’ they have an inner cry of ‘Abba, father’. ‘We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ’. For many years this has been a popular verse among many believers, often times it is used to say ‘God owns the cattle on a thousand hills’ [which he does] therefore if we are heirs ‘give me some cattle’! [stuff]. Here Paul uses this term in speaking of our identification with Christ’s sufferings. ‘If we suffer with him, we too shall share [joint heir!] in his glory’ [future glorification at the resurrection- we shall see him and be changed in a moment, at the twinkling of an eye. This mortal shall put on immortality]. It’s a symptom of modern American Christianity to view all these scriptures thru a materialistic lens, Paul held to the promise of a future reward [at the resurrection] that enabled him to go thru great difficulty and suffering in this present life. He counted the suffering as a privilege that he shared with Christ. (843)ROMANS 8: 19-25 ‘the sufferings of this present time [are you ‘presently’ suffering?] are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us’. Paul compares the difficulty to the reward. The reward here is the future resurrection. Paul did not see suffering as ‘from the devil’ or the reward as something material [monetary stuff! The resurrection body will be ‘material’ – real]. Paul teaches that the whole creation is waiting for this day. Not only will we get a ‘makeover’ but there will be a new heaven and a new earth! The creation itself longs for this [almost as much as Al Gore!] This resurrection is called ‘the redemption of our body’. The next verse says ‘we are saved by hope’. John also says [1st John] that the future reality of the resurrection ‘causes us to be pure in this life’ [every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure]. Why? Because we know God has a purpose for our bodies as well as our spirits! The ‘getting saved by hope’ simply means the future hope of the resurrection ‘encourages’ us to live clean now. Once again ‘saved’ is a neutral term. In can apply to all sorts of things. I always found it funny how when you read certain commentaries, that you see the difficulty Christians have when coming across these types of verses. There’s a verse that says ‘the woman will be saved thru childbearing’ geez, you wouldn’t believe the difficulty some writers have when they come across this stuff. Some teach ‘she will be ‘saved’ thru the birth of a child [Jesus]’ and all sorts of stuff. I think if we simply changed the word ‘saved’ for ‘delivered’ [which are basically the same thing] that maybe this would help. But thank God that we have a future resurrection to look forward to, let this truth ‘deliver’ you from the temptation to think ‘what’s all this suffering worth, why even go thru it?’ Because we have a great promise at the other end! (845)ROMANS 8:26-28 ‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities’ why does Paul say ‘likewise’? He is saying ‘not only does the future hope of the resurrection sustain us, but also Gods Spirit helps us’! He knows how to make intercession for us in ways that we cannot. I just finished an hour prayer time, not an ‘official’ intercession time [which I do a few times a week now]. But an ‘unofficial’ time where I try and hear what the Spirit is speaking. When you are ‘praying in the Spirit’ [which can include the charismatic expression of tongues] you are depending upon the Spirit to transcend your limited ability to articulate what needs to be said. ‘All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are ‘the called’ according to his purpose’. A very famous verse indeed. What does it mean? It means what it says! Over the years I have heard so many excuses for trying to get around difficult things. Why do the righteous suffer? Some taught it was because of their ignorance of scripture. Why did the things that happened to Job happen? Some said it was because he ‘feared’ that the things would happen [this group seems to miss the whole underlying reason for the book. Job’s friends are continually looking for a reason thru out the book. The point is, sometimes there is no reasonable explanation. I realize you can pick apart certain statements from Job and come up with ‘reasons’, but the meaning of the book is God is sovereign and we shouldn’t always think we can figure him out or ‘work the system’]. Here Paul says ‘whatever is happening to you right now [even very bad stuff!] will eventually work out for you benefit’. What about Hitler? Did he love God? I don’t believe so. This scripture says ‘to them that love God’. Your only responsibility thru the difficulty is to ‘love God’. (846)ROMANS 8:29-30 ‘for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed into the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: whom he justified, them he also glorified’. Let’s talk a little. When I first became a Christian I began a lifelong study of scripture, where I continually read a certain amount of scripture every day for many years. Over the years I have varied on how fast I should read [that is how many chapters per day and so forth]. But during the early stages I always took these verses to teach predestination in the classical sense. Simply put, that God ‘pre chose’ me [and all whom come to him] before we ‘chose him’. The Fundamental Baptist church I began to attend [a great church with great people!] taught that ‘classic Calvinism’ [predestination] was false doctrine, and they labeled it ‘Hyper Calvinism’. I simply accepted this as fact. But I never forgot the early understanding that I first gleaned thru my own study. I also was very limited in my other readings outside of the scripture. I did study the Great awakenings and Charles Finney. I read some biographies on John Wesley and other great men of God. These men were not Calvinistic in their doctrine [which is fine], as a matter of fact Wesley would eventually disassociate from George Whitefield over this issue. Whitefield was a staunch Calvinist! Over time I came to believe the doctrine again, simply as I focused on the scriptures that teach it. Eventually I picked up some books on church history and realized that Calvinism was [and is] a mainstream belief among many great believers. I personally believe that most of the great theologians in history have accepted this doctrine. Now, for those who reject it, they honestly struggle with these portions of scripture. Just like there are portions of scripture that Calvinists struggle with. To deny this is to be less than honest. The Arminians [Those who deny classic predestination- the term comes from Jacob Arminias, a Calvinist who was writing and studying on the ‘errors’ of ‘arminianism’ and came to embrace the doctrine of free will/choice] usually approach the verses that say ‘he predestined us’ by teaching that Gods predestination speaks only of his foreknowledge of those who would choose him. This is an honest effort to come to terms with the doctrine. To be ‘more honest’ I think this doesn’t adequately deal with the issue. In the above text, as well as many other places in scripture, the idea of ‘Gods foreknowledge and pre choosing’ speak specifically about Gods choice to save us, as opposed to him simply knowing that we would ‘choose right’. The texts that teach predestination teach it in this context. Now the passage above does say ‘those whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed into the image of Christ’ here this passage actually does say ‘God predestinated us to be like his Son’. If you left the ‘foreknowledge’ part out, you could read this passage in an Arminian way. But we do have the ‘foreknowledge’ part. So I believe Paul is saying ‘God chose us before we were born, he ‘knew’ ahead of time that he would bring us into his Kingdom. Those whom he foreknew he also predestinated to become like his Son.’ Why? So his Son would be the firstborn among many. God wanted a whole new race of ‘children of God’. Those he predestinated he ‘called’. He drew them to himself. Jesus said ‘all that the Father give to me will come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no way cast out’. Those who ‘come’ are justified, those who are justified are [present tense] glorified. Gods design and sovereignty speak of it as a ‘finished task’ like it already happened. God lives outside of the dimension of time. I believe in the doctrine of predestination. Many others do as well. You don’t have to believe it if you don’t want to, but I believe scripture teaches it. (847)ROMANS 8: 31-39 ‘What shall we say then to these things? [what things? The fact that God predestined us and has guaranteed completion of the purpose he has designed us for!] If God be for us, who can be against us?’ Paul teaches that Christ is the only one with the ‘right’ or authority to pass judgment. If the only person in existence who can ‘officially’ condemn and pass legal judgment has actually died for us for the purpose of ‘freeing us from a state of condemnation’, then who ‘gives a rip’ about others opinions and views of us? Most of us struggle with how others view us. Paul did teach that Elders should have good character and a fine reputation in the community. But there is another type of ‘persona’ that preachers can fall into. A sort of ‘concern’ about what the critics are saying. In this context Paul says ‘If the opinion of the only person in existence whose opinion really matters, is one of “I accept you unconditionally, I declare you free from what others think, you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Ever since I have known you, you have been pleasing in my sight” [all true scriptures by the way] Then who cares what others think! Paul also teaches that nothing can separate us from Christ’s love ‘not tribulation or distress or famine or persecution’ IN all these things we are more than conquerors thru him who loved us. Most times we view this passage from a ‘Calvinistic’ lens. I want you to see the impact of this statement thru a different lens. In the American church we have taught people ‘would a good father not pay the bills of his kids? Would a good father allow his kids to suffer? If you were really partaking of the New Covenant you would have it made’. While I do realize that many well meaning ministers have taught these viewpoints with honest and sincere hearts, I also have seen how this mindset accuses the saints. It basically tells the struggling believer ‘what kind of father do you have? If he really loved you would you be going thru these things’? In essence we are saying ‘tribulation and distress and persecution’ are all signs that ‘you have been separated from Gods love’! Paul blows this false [materialistic] mindset out of the water. He says it is thru these things that we are more than conquerors. It is the ability to look into the face of Pontius Pilate and say ‘you have no power over me, my father has permitted these things to take place. I am here to lay my life down for his glory’. Paul said all these things we are suffering are opportunities to glorify our father. To look into the face of society and say ‘nay, we are more than conqueror’s thru him that loved us’. The early church set the world on fire when they were laying their lives down for the cause, refusing to deny their Lord even at the point of death. They were ‘more than conquerors’. ROMANS 9- .PAUL- SPURGEON- AND DAVE HUNT- DID THEY BELIEVE IN PREDESTINATION? .HOW DOES PAUL DEFEND AGAINST THE SEEMING ‘UNFAIRNESS’ OF IT? .WHAT DID THAT RUSSIAN ATHIEST SAY? ACTS 5 Acts 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: Acts 5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. https://youtu.be/e3_HgRrIVis Acts 5 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/3-16-17-acts-5.zip ON VIDEO- .Mark Scott . Carolyn Vaughn .Sandusky- Innocent? .Church as community .Some sold all .Solomon’s porch .Why Deacons? .Why lie? .CNN special- on Jesus- yeah- ‘fake news’ .Gift of miracles break forth- again .Stop preaching Jesus! .No way! .Angels on assignment .2nd Mile? [I think] .Trump tweet .Nixon- Watergate .Media .4ht estate . ‘Judges can do no wrong’! .Really? .They once ruled Black people are ‘less than’ White people NEW [past links- verses below. I also added a note at the end of the entire post- about Trump] Just a few notes- I’ll add my commentary on this chapter below. By this time in the early Christian movement- we have seen how Peter and the apostles have already been warned not to preach anymore in the name of Jesus. And Peter continues to practice ‘civil disobedience’ and obeys God- rather than men. The council throws Peter into jail- and the angel of the Lord sets him free- Acts 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, Acts 5:18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. Acts 5:19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, He is told to go ‘preach the words of this life’. Acts 5:20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And sure enough- Peter goes back to the temple and preaches Christ- Acts 5:25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. When the religious leaders get word- they go and bring Peter- gently- before their court- Acts 5:26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. Peter once again preaches strongly ‘Jesus has been ordained of God- he is the Messiah- and you killed him’- Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Yes- Peter’s pattern is rough. But in previous experiences- the people ask ‘what shall we do’? This time they want to kill him- Acts 5:33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. Why the difference now? They also say ‘are you trying to hold us accountable for this man’s Blood’- Acts 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. The Sadducees were the ruling sect at this time- the high priest was a Sadducee- Acts 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, Despite the miracles and wonders still being done in the name of Jesus- they are now worried about the actual injustice itself- done in the criminal proceeding- that executed Christ. We must remember that from the simple standpoint of the law- there was corruption and criminality in the execution of Christ on the Cross. We read in the gospels how they had false witnesses- and even Pilate himself said Jesus was an innocent man- 59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, Matt. 26 Now- imagine the pressure on those who were a part of this. The Sadducees are actually worried about this preacher- this simple fisherman- going around in the power of the Spirt- healing the sick- raising the dead [later on in Acts] and then telling everyone ‘you killed an innocent man’. Yes- we as believers understand why this happened- he died for us. But from the religious leaders standpoint- they are thinking ‘yeah- we killed an innocent man- unjustly- and we hoped it would fade from the scene- but if Peter keeps bringing it up- we too might be held accountable’. I think that might be why these ‘hearers’ wanted to kill Peter. As the chapter closes- Gamaliel- a respected teacher of the law- and having a famous student under him by the name of Saul- stands up and saves the lives of Peter and his men. The Pharisees did believe in the supernatural elements of God. The Sadducees did not. And in the midst of this whole debate- they are not too willing to side with the Sadducees- in the attack against this new sect- Especially being this ‘new sect’ seems to be operating in all of these supernatural gifts- which the Pharisees themselves believe in. So yes- just like in our day- there are bias’s involved. So Gamaliel tells the council ‘wait- before we do something to these men that we might later regret- remember- there have been other movements- and followers of those men. Yet- they came to nothing in the end’- Acts 5:34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; Acts 5:35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. Acts 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. Acts 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. ‘Therefore- if we simply leave this new movement alone- if it’s not of God- it too will fail. But if it is of God- well we don’t want to find ourselves fighting against God- do we’? Acts 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: Acts 5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. Wise advice indeed. At the end of the chapter- they beat them- and let them go- Acts 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And the apostles praise God that they were found ‘worthy to suffer shame for his name’- Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Ok- Those are some of the high points I hit on in today’s video. My old commentary on this chapter will cover the rest [Below] I encourage you to read thru the book of Acts- as well as the other studies I’m currently doing. And mediate on the Word of God. Try and enter into the context of the time- see how there were real dynamics going on- things that people today also deal with. There were many things at play- that caused people to not want to admit that Jesus was alive- and his disciples were going around proving it by the miraculous signs that were being done. Do we too have ulterior motives for why we- in our day- also look for reasons to deny the message of Christ? Are all atheists sincere in their unbelief? Or are there other reasons why the deniers of Jesus- actually deny him? Is it because they also do want to give an account for their actions? [sins] Yes- for the Sadducees- if this Jesus was really alive- then indeed- Peter was ‘bringing upon them the Blood of this innocent man’- In more ways than one. PAST LINKS [verses below] Here are my past teachings that relate to today’s video ‘Acts 5’. https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/14/mark-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/acts/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ News link [stuff I mentioned about local politics] http://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2017/02/28/council-votes-disqualify-scott-mayoral-candidate/98479374/ (739) ACTS 5 – As the word spreads rapidly, all the surrounding towns bring the sick and vexed to lie in the streets. Even the possibility of Peters shadow passing over them for healing is hoped for. Notice the charismatic reality of this early church. I do realize the many reasoning’s that intelligent people use to explain the miracles as limited to the Apostolic period, but for the most part we see a supernatural church in Acts as well as thru out the epistles and well into the first few centuries of Christianity. The 20th century story of Pentecostalism and the awakenings just prior, seem to show the reality of a supernatural church existing alongside a theological one! There is much proof to the orthodoxy and giftings of the church all thru out scripture and church history. Peters shadow healed people, how can we explain this away? [p.s. Phillip, who is not an Apostle, will also perform miracles. Just thru this in for those who teach the Apostles were the only miracle workers!] Now, the immediate response of the high priest and religious leaders was ‘if we don’t do something about this, their movement will gain momentum’. They imprison Peter and the Apostles. An angel appears and frees them and tells them ‘go back to the temple and speak the words of this life’. When the authorities realize what has happened they once again warn them about using Jesus name in their ministry. They even say ‘do you intend to bring this mans blood upon us’. Basically Peter says ‘yes’. Peter has been ‘putting it in their face’ ever since Pentecost. He has blamed BOTH the nation of Israel and her leadership for the death of Christ. He does not worry about offending them! During this time some priests become believers. The majority of them do not. Why? What has happened is common among movements. When an initial movement starts up, there is always the question of ‘is it from God or not’? A few years back the church went thru a renewal movement. Some referred to it as ‘the Toronto blessing’ ‘the laughing revival’ and other names. You had those who were 100 % against it and those 100 % for it. Who was right? Well, to a degree both of them! The point is there were some things that were needing rebuke, but to throw it all out was wrong. The defenders appealed to Jonathan Edwards’s writings and how during the first great awakening he experienced many of the same manifestations as the Toronto movement. Edwards left quite a bit of room for God being present in the religious emotions of the people. The critics were offended that the revival guys were appealing to Edwards and they would appeal to other stuff Edwards wrote in concern over the religious affections. You also had the same manifestations a century later under the second great awakening. The revivals in Kentucky had laughter and ‘strange barking’ and other weird stuff. The point is you always have a response to a religious movement. Once the battle lines are drawn, it is very hard to switch sides. In this chapter we see Gamaliel, a very respected Pharisee, stand up for the Apostles and say ‘lets give them some room, others before them rose up and gained a following, they all passed on. If this work is of God you can’t stop it, if it’s of men it will fail’. There was some breaking thru to the religious mind that was taking place in the elite religious thinkers of the day. After all, Peter has been quoting Psalms and Joel in ways that were confounding the religious thinkers. Don’t forget, Peter is an uneducated fisherman. Jesus deposited some stuff in his men that was way beyond the basic understanding of the day. Some ‘thinkers’ and intellectuals were humble enough to listen, most were not! [parts] SUNDAY- 2-19-17 Fatima [2nd mile] https://youtu.be/YcfnxpqOOo4 Fatima %5B2nd mile] https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/2-19-17-fatima-2nd-mile.zip NOTE- I’m not sure if I will keep doing a daily journal type post. As of today I hit most of the spots I wanted to catch on video. I hope to do at least one more post walking over the G.W. bridge. But I did journal every day for one week- and I’ll see how it goes from here. ON VIDEO- .Herodians .2nd mile .Sin unto death I went to the Mass at Our Lady of Fatima- The church I went to as a kid. Turned the camera on right at the end- then walked down Kennedy Blvd. – a walk I did many times as a kid. I talked about some of the verses that the Priest shared- and elaborated a bit on ‘the 2nd mile’. I always liked that scripture- and compared it to the law versus grace. I also mentioned the passage from Corinthians about the body being the temple of the Holy Spirit. All stuff I taught before- but felt it was good to mention them again [past teaching- verses below] PAST TEACHING [Stuff I taught before that relates- verses below] https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/ . The Jews had various responses to the empires that ruled over them during various times. Alexander the Great instituted Hellenization- a sort of cultural compromise over the people he conquered. They could keep their religious/cultural roots- but would be subservient to Alexander and Greek rule. Some Jewish people rejected any compromise- we call them the Essenes- they moved out of town- so to speak, and lived in what we refer to as the Qumran community. This was a few centuries before the time of Christ- and this was where the Dead Seas Scrolls were found in the 20th century. A Bedouin boy was looking for his goats- threw a rock in a cave right off the Dead Sea- and that’s how we found the scrolls. The scrolls might have been hidden there by the Essenes- Now- when my friends asked me about them- I told them that it’s been a while since I read up on any of this- but to the best of my memory the thing that made them significant was the fact that they were very old manuscripts- from the bible- and they backed up what we had had all along. I did read up this week- and basically had it right. The earliest Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament we had previously dated back to around 900- 1000 A.D. These manuscripts went back about 1000 years earlier- and they contained portions from almost every book of the Old testament- and some complete books. The only book missing was Esther. So- this was indeed a very significant find for scholars. But the Scrolls also contain some of the writings from the Essenes themselves- things we never had before- so this too was significant. There were Jews at the time of the first century who tried to ‘get along’ with Rome- and with the person in charge of their region [one of the sons of Herod the Great at the time of Christ]. These are referred to as Herodian’s in the bible. Some wanted a revolution to rid Rome from Jerusalem- these were the Zealots [one of Jesus disciples was in this group]. Some thought if they returned to a legalistic obeisance of the law- that this would bring in a deliverer- like the stories we read about in the Old testament- these were the Pharisees. And some took more of a political compromise- these were the Sadducees. Eventually a war with Rome would be fought [By the way- Josephus- the famous 1st century historian- fought on the side of the Jews in the war- and after Jerusalem was sacked in A.D. 70- he went to Rome and wrote his great works- thinking he would make a case for the Jewish people with the Romans. This is why we have his works today- which are very valuable to scholars]. NOTE- In time I’ll try and cover how we ‘got our bibles’ [called the Canon- meaning Rule/ Measurement]. Frankly- there is a lot of confusion in the general public about conspiracies [like the Catholic Church had some type of plot to keep certain books out]. Or stories about how the Church taught Mary Magdalene was a prostitute so they could discredit her. Actually- we read in the gospels that Jesus cast out ‘spirits’ from a woman who was probably living this type of life- And Jesus had a ministry to the down and out- it is indeed possible that Mary was one of these women- And if true- it would not demean her in any way- That’s how this tradition more than likely developed- But- we don’t know for sure. So a few years back the Church officially said ‘we don’t know’. Ok- Plot? [parts] VERSES- Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, Acts 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Acts 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. Acts 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. Acts 5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. Acts 5:8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Acts 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Acts 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. Acts 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. Acts 5:12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. Acts 5:13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. Acts 5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Acts 5:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. Acts 5:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. Acts 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, Acts 5:18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. Acts 5:19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Acts 5:20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. Acts 5:21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. Acts 5:22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, Acts 5:23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. Acts 5:24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Acts 5:25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Acts 5:26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. Acts 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Acts 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Acts 5:33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. Acts 5:34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; Acts 5:35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. Acts 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. Acts 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. Acts 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: Acts 5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. Acts 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Acts 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations LATE NOTE- I made the video- post- the other day. As I type this- the news broke that there were indeed trump associates [campaign folk] who were ‘tapped’. Now- to some this is a surprise- even in the media [though they are now saying ‘But Obama did not do it’!]. Why should it no be a surprise? Because the media already ‘leaked’ this fact. How? The reason General Flynn stepped down- was because the media reported on an actual fact- that he had contact with the Russians- and they knew this because our intelligence agencies leaked the fact that they had actual surveillance on it. Which is simply the fact they did it- at least with Flynn. It’s also possible that they actually ‘surveilled’ Trump. Ok- if this is true [which today some reports in the media say it is] then Trump was partiality right. I only get into this issue to simply show how we are manipulated. For instance- if the congressional committee now has actual evidence that Trump- an/or- his team were ‘surveilled’ then that’s the opposite of what the media has been reporting. When director Comey [FBI] says ‘I have not seen any evidence’ that’s actually political speak- meaning- it might be there- but I personally have not ‘seen it’. Now- I actually do not care about it- but this is a classic example of media manipulation. Months ago- the media told us themselves- that Trump associates were picked up thru surveillance [Flynn]. Probably thru FISA warrants on Russians. But the head of the committee looking at it [Nunes] said today that some of what he has now seen seems to show that some of the surveillance had nothing to do with Russia- and it ‘puzzles’ him. Why should it ‘puzzle’ anyone to think that intelligence people [CIA- FBI] could ‘do wrong’? Why should it puzzle anyone that judges could do ‘wrong things’? Why should anyone that reads/watches the news be surprised that Trump associates were possibly ‘wire tapped’? Because the media themselves broke the story- when they reported the leaks from the intelligence agencies months ago- that told us this. The New York Times ran an article a few weeks ago that said people who work for the intelligence agencies gathered- and purposefully leaked information about this. Yes- the New York Times reported this. The main story is this- if in fact former intelligence people both gathered- and leaked information on American citizens- info they obtained- even if it was ‘incidental’- that is a crime. There are now questions about ‘incidental’- meaning- did people basically target Trump and his campaign – because they had the power to do so? It’s possible that they did. Do our intelligence people ever lie about this? Yes- James Clapper lied to congress- in public about NSA data collection. Yes- he lied- to congress- under oath. How do we know this? Because he later admitted it. Part of ‘intelligence’ involves the collecting of data- secretly. And part of those who collect it- lie. Because that’s part of so called ‘intelligence’ [I’m referring to our agencies]. We find corruption in all humans- whether they be presidents- media- Republicans- Democrats- it’s in ‘their nature’. I see the ‘spin’- I just heard Susan Rice say ‘to my knowledge no ORDERS were ever given to do this’ [ break the law]. Of course- no ORDERS are ever given [officially]. In the end- there probably were indeed former ‘Obama’ people- working for the agencies- that did wrong- illegal stuff. That’s what trump said at the start. Politics is brutal- and to think that intelligence officials would never lie about it- Well just ask James Clapper- he was the ‘head’- and he lied- to congress. As I watch the evening news [3-22-17] The ‘new spin’ is ‘How dare the chairman [Nunes] reveal this to Trump’- Huh? Yes- the story is not ‘wow- we found out that Trump- and his people were surveilled’. No- the story is ‘Trump is in collusion with the republican chairman of the committee- yes- because the chairman told Trump about the surveillance that was collected on him- incidentally’. The spin never stops. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/22/trump-team-communications-captured-by-intelligence-community-surveillance-nunes-says.html http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/devin-nunes-trump-communications/ http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/devin-nunes-donald-trump-surveillance-obama-236366 http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts https://vimeo.com/user37400385 john chiarelloFollow On https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_logo http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/ http://johnchiarello.thoughts.com/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/ Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on- Thanks- John.# Share this: ·Press This ·LinkedIn1 ·Tumblr ·Facebook1 · Related Acts 28 Acts 26 Redo- Acts 23 Edit About ccoutreach87 my sites- http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com- ccoutreach87.wordpress.com- facebook.com/john.chiarello.5 View all posts by ccoutreach87 » « Some friends ·Romans 5:1-9 ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ’. There are certain benefits ‘results’ of being ‘made righteous by faith’, peace being one of them. Paul goes on and says we glory in hope and also trials, because we realize that thru the difficulties we gain experience and patience. Things that are needed for the journey, we can’t substitute talent and motivation and ‘success principles’ for them. We need maturity and God produces it this way. Those who teach otherwise have a ‘self inflicted wound’ their teachings are very immature! That is there was a ‘strain’ of teaching in the church that said ‘we don’t learn thru difficulty and suffering, we learn only thru Gods word!’ [that is reading it]. Those who grasped onto this false idea have produced some of the most unbalanced teaching in the church, stuff that even the younger generation is saying ‘what in the heck are these guys preaching’? If you by pass the difficult road, you will be shallow. Now Paul says ‘God commended his love toward us, that when we were sinners Christ died for us’ ‘being now justified by his death, we shall be saved thru his life’ [saved from wrath thru him]. Once again this theme pops up; ‘since we are justified, made righteous by believing with the heart, we shall be saved [continual, future deliverance] from wrath thru him’. I don’t know if you ever realized what a major theme this is in Romans? The ongoing, future ‘being saved’ is a result of ‘being made righteous’. Later on in chapter 10, when we read that the righteous call for salvation, we need to understand this context. Remember, when the two are linked together in the same verse, it is not saying ‘saved’ in the sense of some sinner’s prayer. It is speaking of the ongoing, promised deliverance [from many things, not just wrath!] to the ‘justified caller’. We have access ‘by faith into this grace wherein we stand’. Wow! That’s some good stuff, Jesus ever lives so that those who come to him are ‘being saved’ to the uttermost. This grace we are in is available to us all of the time, are we availing ourselves of it? ·ROMANS 5:10-21 ‘For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son… much more we shall be saved by his life’. Now, some have ‘divided’ the role of Jesus death and resurrection in salvation. I heard a radio preacher teach that all the people who think they are ‘saved’ because Jesus died for them were deceived. He used this verse to say they need to believe in his ‘life’ [resurrection] to ‘be saved by his life’. Well I get the point, but he was missing the meaning of the verse. Why? Because once again we see ‘saved’ as initially ‘getting saved’ while here it is in a continual sense. Paul is saying ‘if God reconciled us [justification] while we were deadly enemies, how much more shall the actual ministry and life of Jesus at Gods right hand do for us!’ The New Testament teachers that we have actually entered into an eternal covenant with God thru his Son. Jesus ‘ever lives’ to make intercession for us [Hebrews]. Therefore he is able to ‘save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him’. The bible teaches an ongoing ‘saving’ relationship that believers have with the Messiah. This ‘relationship’ would not be possible if he were dead. Now we ‘joy in God thru Jesus Christ from whom we have received the atonement’ good stuff! Isaiah says God will meet with those who ‘rejoice and do what is right’. We have both of these ‘abilities’ because of the atonement. The rest of the chapter teaches the Pauline doctrine of original sin. That because Adam sinned, death and sin passed to all men. So likewise the ‘righteousness’ of one man [Jesus- the last Adam] has passed upon all men [those who receive of the abundance of grace and the gift of life]. This is an interesting angle that Paul uses to teach redemption. He shows the reality that there are only 2 ‘federal heads’ of mankind. You are either in the first or last Adam. The ‘righteous act’ is speaking of the Cross [Philippians says Jesus was ‘obedient unto death’. The singular act of obedience that allows this righteousness to pass to all who believe is the Cross. Some have misunderstood this chapter to teach that the obedient life of Christ, his sinless life, saves us. I feel this is a wrong reading of the chapter. The sinless life of Jesus, pre Cross, made him the true candidate to be the substitute for man. He was able to die in our place [obedience unto death] because he was the sinless Son of God. We are now ‘saved by his life’ because he ever lives to make intercession for us]. All who believe in Jesus can now trace their lineage to the ‘last Adam’ [Jesus] and be free from ‘original sin’. ·ROMANS 6- Lets talk about baptism. To start off I believe that the baptism spoken about in this chapter is primarily referring to ‘the baptism of the Spirit’, that is the work of the Holy Spirit placing a believer in the Body of Christ. The Catholic and Orthodox [and Reformed!] brothers believe that Paul is speaking about water baptism. The MAJORITY VIEW of Christians today believe this chapter is referring to water baptism. Why? First, the text itself does not indicate either way. You could take this baptism and see it either way! You are not a heretic if you believe in it referring to Spirit or water. You are not a heretic if you believe in Paedo baptism [infant baptism]. ‘What are you saying? Now you lost me.’ Infant baptism developed as a Christian rite over the course of church history. The church struggled with how to ‘dedicate’ new babies to Christ. Though the scriptures give no examples of infant baptism, some felt that the reason was because the scriptures primarily show us the conversion of the first century believers. There really aren’t a whole lot of stories of ‘generations’ of believers passing on the faith to other generations. So some felt that the idea of dedicating babies to the Lord through infant baptism was all right. The examples they used were the circumcision of babies in the Old Testament. Infants were circumcised [a rite that placed you under the terms of the Old Covenant] though they weren’t old enough to really understand what they were doing! This example was carried over into the Christian church and applied to infant baptism. Now, I do not believe in infant baptism. But I can certainly understand this line of reasoning. As Christian theology developed thru the early centuries, particularly thru the patristic period, you had very intellectual scholars grapple with many different themes and ideas. Some that we just studied in chapter 5. Some theologians came to see infant baptism as dealing with original sin. They applied the concept of infant baptism as a rite that washes away original sin. The church did not teach that this meant you did not have to later believe and follow Christ. They simply developed a way of seeing baptism as ‘sanctifying’ the new members of Christian households. This basic belief made it all the way to the Reformation. The Reformers themselves still practiced infant baptism. It was the Anabaptists [re-baptizers] who saw the truth of adult baptism and suffered for it, at the hands of the reformers! Ulrich Zwingli, the Swiss reformer, would have them drowned for their belief. Some Protestants stuck with the infant rite, while others [the Restorationists] would reject it. Today most Evangelicals do not practice infant baptism, the majority of Christians world wide do. Now, the reason I did a little history is because Evangelicals [of which I am one] have a tendency to simply look at other believers who practice this rite as ‘deceived’. Many are unaware of the history I just showed you. The reasons the historic church developed this doctrine are not heretical! They used scripture and tradition to pass it down to future generations. I do not believe or practice infant baptism, many good believers do. ·ROMANS 6: 1-11 ‘shall we continue to sin, so grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?’ Now begins the ‘actual part’ the result, if you will, of being ‘made righteous by faith’. One of the main accusations against Paul, by the Jewish believers, was that he taught ‘sin a lot, because you are no longer under the law’. Paul spends time defending himself against this accusation thru out the New Testament. Here Paul teaches that the believer has been joined unto Christ [baptized, immersed into him] and this ‘joining’ identifies him with Christ’s death. So how can ‘we, who are dead to sin, live any longer in sin’? Paul’s argument for righteous living comes from the fact that we have died with Christ unto sin. ‘We have died with him, and we have also been raised with him to new life’. In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul says we who were dead in sins have been made alive in Christ. Now, we live a new life, free from sin [practically speaking- not absolute sinless-ness!] because we are identified with Jesus in his new life, we are ‘alive with and in him’. ‘Since we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection’! Jesus died once, and now he lives forever unto God ‘likewise count yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God thru Jesus Christ our Lord’. Paul’s basis for the transformed life is Grace and being ‘in him’. Paul does not appeal to the law to try and effect holiness in the believer, he appeals to Christ ‘in him you have died to legalistic practices, trying to earn salvation and acceptance; and now because of this new position [placement] you too have died to the old man [lifestyle] and are alive unto God’. Paul obviously did not teach ‘sin hardily’ to the contrary he taught ‘live unto God’. (834)Romans 6:12-23 ‘Let not sin therefore rule in your mortal body’ if we have died with Jesus, we are ‘dead with him to sin’. If we are risen with Jesus ‘we are alive unto God thru him’ for this reason don’t sin! Paul makes sure his readers understand him, he in no way was teaching a sinful gospel. He encourages the believers to renew their minds to this truth. ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace’ Paul clearly saw the dangers of legalism [living under strict ‘do this, don’t do this’ guidelines] he saw that the law actually quickens the fleshly nature and brings to the surface mans sin. Now, because we are under grace, does this mean we get to keep on sinning? ‘God forbid!’ Paul launches into the explanation of sin and bondage. Remember, sin was in the world before the law. Men were dying ever since Adam sinned. So for Paul, this means even though we are not under the restraints of law, yet the reality of sin, bondage and punishment still exist. Paul says ‘if you yield to sin and allow it to rule you, you will become its slave’. There will be a penalty and price to pay ‘the wages of sin is death’. But because you are identified with Jesus ‘sin shall not have dominion over you… you have been made free from sin’. Paul teaches the victorious Christian life. He does not deny the struggle [next chapter!] but he shows the reality of redemption. He obviously never taught the concept of ‘sin more, so grace can abound’. He understood the dangers of preaching ‘we are not under the law’ but he also understood the reality of ‘being under grace’ he figured it was worth the risk of being misunderstood if he could truly imbed the gospel into the believing community. Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Romans 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. Romans 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. Romans 6:20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. Romans 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [1768] LUTHER- THE TOWER EXPERIENCE Let’s start with some church history. In the last post I covered the early years of Martin Luther- probably the most significant figure of the Protestant Reformation. Luther studied for the priesthood in Erfurt, Germany. He would eventually wind up in Wittenberg- one of the major university cities of the Reformation. Wittenberg was actually a small insignificant town- but the political leader over the region- Frederick the Wise- sought to put it on the map. He wanted to turn Wittenberg into a German ‘Rome’. He wanted it to become a major Pilgrimage city where Christians would see Wittenberg as a destination- just like they saw Rome. So Frederick embarked on this plan and he searched thru all the Catholic learning centers of the time and finally recruited 3 top scholars to teach out of the university at Wittenberg- Luther was one of the 3. Just as a side note- Frederick would succeed at making Wittenberg a major catholic center. He would eventually obtain over 19,000 Relics for the Cathedral church there [Relics were used in the ancient system of buying indulgences and making special pilgrimage trips to important Churches. If the church/city that your making the Pilgrimage to has a lot of Relics- bones or other famous material objects from church history- then the value of the Pilgrimage was high. In theory Frederick collected so many that if you added up all the ‘time off’ from Purgatory- you would get 1 million, 900 thousand years off! Some of the famous relics at Wittenberg were a hair from the beard of Jesus- straw from the manger Jesus was born in- and even a branch from the famous burning bush of Moses! As you can see- there was a lot of commercializing going on- even back then]. When Luther arrived in Wittenberg- he made a name for himself as a top scholar. Many protestants- who revere Luther- usually are not aware that he was a master Linguist [sort of like Rick Perry!] Yes Luther mastered language- and he showed it in his teaching on the book of Psalms. In 1515 he began his famous study on the book of Romans and as he went thru the very first chapter- something shook him. He came across the passage that says the Just shall live by faith. This verse first appears in the O.T. book of Habakkuk- and is quoted 3 more times in the N.T. Luther was very aware of the concept of the righteousness of God- he struggled for many years trying to reconcile his own sinful nature with Gods holiness- but he never really ‘saw’ the biblical concept of righteousness as a free gift that God ‘imputes’ to the sinner. Yes- for the 1st time in Luther’s life- after his years training for the priesthood- the pilgrimage he made to Rome- the thousands of hours he spent confessing his sins while a monk in Erfurt- he never really understood that the righteousness of God was a free gift given to those who have faith. It was a giant weight lifted from his shoulders- Luther did not need to try any more to live up to the standards of God- in a way that would earn for him forgiveness- but he would simply believe- and the righteousness of God would be counted to him as a gift. Luther would go on to call this an Alien Righteousness- that is it is not found within the person who tries to do all the church works he can- or buying all the indulgences- or any other of the many religious actions he was practicing- but this free gift of being right with God- it came to those who had faith- the Just shall live by Faith- this was indeed good news for the scholar. As time went on- Germany would get embroiled in the political machinations of the day- Luther’s top political cover was Frederick the Wise- hardly a Protestant Reformer! He spent lots of time trying to make Wittenberg the major Catholic center in Germany. But at the time there was a political fight raging between Rome and some of the other nation/states. There was a figure head office called the Holy Roman Emperor. This office was really in name only- but it rose up during the first Millennium of Christian history and sought to replace the influence that Rome was losing. So you had France, Spain and England all vying for the title. Eventually it would go to King Charles of Spain- but the Pope- who played a major role in nominating the person- he did not want any of these top 3 to get the position. Henry the Eighth was the king of England at the time- and these ‘3 kings’ were sort of in competition with Rome- so the Pope tried to get Fredrick the Wise to throw his hat into the ring. Frederick just happened to be one of the Electors of this position. His actual title was The Elector of Saxony. So Fredrick had lots of influence- and as Rome would eventually but heads with the stubborn bull of Wittenberg [Luther] Frederick would become the major protector of Luther. Okay- I think we’ll stop here for today. The experience that Luther had- the enlightenment that came to him while teaching the book of Romans- this is often called The Tower experience of Luther- it took place in the year 1515. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John VERSES- Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Proverbs 3:21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Jeremiah 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Hebrews 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations MY SITES http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com %5BMain site] https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts https://vimeo.com/user37400385 john chiarelloFollow On https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_logo http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/ View at Medium.com http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/ https://www.reddit.com/user/ccoutreach87 https://ccoutreach.yolasite.com/ https://ccoutreach87.jimdo.com/ https://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/jchiarello http://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/__blog.html?r=20171009095200 Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on- Copy text- download video links [Wordpress- Vimeo] make complete copies of my books/studies and posts- everything is copyrighted by me- I give permission for all to copy and share as much as you like- I just ask that nothing be sold. We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Thanks- John. Advertisements Occasionally, some of your visitors may see an advertisement here, as well as a Privacy & Cookies banner at the bottom of the page. You can hide ads completely by upgrading to one of our paid plans. UPGRADE NOW DISMISS MESSAGE Share this: ·Press This ·Tumblr · Related Ephesians 1 Ephesians 5 Ephesians 6 CHAPTER 9: END NOTES [chapter 9] 2 ROOMS. THE BRANCH THAT BUDDED. WHEN DOES A WILL HAVE POWER? ‘Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary’ Let me stop here and cover some stuff. Some ‘old time’ churches [high church model] feel the future of the church is ‘liturgical’. One of my favorite Catholic theologians is Scott Hahn. He believes and teaches that God’s purpose for all these Old Testament symbols was for the purpose of MORE SYMBOLS! A lot of these brothers mean well, but I take Paul’s position. Here Paul states that the first covenant [notice, he calls the Old Law the ‘FIRST’ covenant, and the New covenant the second [or last]. This refutes dispensational theology which sees the law as the 2nd or 3rd covenant after Abraham and Noah. Paul and Jesus refer to only 2 main covenants. The Old and New] had a ‘worldly sanctuary’ but the second one doesn’t! The second covenant has Jesus in heaven at the real sanctuary in Gods presence. So you see right away Paul showing that all the earthly ‘liturgical symbols’ played a role in Gods purpose, but they were simply pointing to a future reality [Christ] that would be the fulfillment of the shadows. So the future of the church is not ‘liturgical’ in as much as it is ‘reality’. We are living under an open heaven right now. Jesus is really at Gods right hand advocating for us! ‘For there was a tabernacle made, the first [first room]wherein was candlestick, the table and the shewbread..after the second veil the holiest of all…now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle [room]..but into the second room the high priest went alone once every year, with blood, which he offered for himself and the sins of the people: the Holy Ghost signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not made manifest while the first tabernacle was yet standing’ There is a lot here. Some commentaries confuse the ‘2 tabernacles’ as 2 different structures. What it is speaking about is one structure, with 2 different rooms. Now the fact that the ‘first room’ had daily access by the priest, but the 2nd room had annual access only by the high priest once a year was in itself a symbol of grace in Paul’s mind. Paul says ‘the fact that the first room [first covenant] stood in the way of the second room [a type of the 2nd covenant] was a picture of the 2 covenants. And the first one ‘blocked’ free entrance into the second one, so likewise today [1st century] the first room [old covenant] is standing in the way of the second room [new covenant]’. Wow! Paul really did do a lot of ‘reading into’ scripture. Hey, I like this stuff! ‘Which was a figure FOR THE TIME THEN PRESENT, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience; which stood only in meats and drinks, and DIVERS WASHINGS [remember what we said in chapter 6? ‘baptisms’ can be translated ‘washings’] and carnal ordinances [liturgy!] imposed on them UNTIL THE TIME OF REFORMATION [the 1st century coming of Messiah]’ All the symbols were only given for a time. God always intended for there to be a day when his people would leave the symbols behind and move into the reality. This is not to say that Christians have no reminders or ‘ordinances/sacraments’ in the sense that Jesus told us to ‘do this in remembrance of me’ at the last supper. So God does have ways for us to remember the work of the Cross, but the overall ‘carnal ordinances’ of the law were only for a temporary period of time, when that which is perfect has come [Jesus] then that which is in part passes away! ‘But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands… neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place [heaven in this context] having obtained eternal redemption for us…how much more shall the blood of Christ, who thru the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works [law, remember chapter 6 verse 1?] to serve the living God?’ Paul includes all 3 aspects of the Trinity here. Paul is telling the most fundamental reality of the New Covenant. We are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb! To the Jew who was inundated with legalistic sacrifices his whole life, for him to be told that Gods own Son offered up himself once and for all for all the sins of man, was an unbelievable freedom. Its like if you were brought up in a legalistic church [there are many of them!] and were taught from a young boy that you had to pray for 3 hours a day, read 25 chapters of scripture, wear long pants and suits all day [even in summer!] and you lived under this bondage of a never ending strain to please God. Then one day God reveals to you that you don’t have to do any of it anymore, Jesus did it all! You would be relieved, you would still pray and read scripture, but not out of a sense of obligation, but more from a sense of thanksgiving [you would probably also burn all those suits as a sign of no more sacrifices!] So to the Jewish readers of this letter, it is absolutely too good to be true to be told NO MORE SACRIFICES just rest in grace! ‘And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of transgressions under the FIRST [not 3rd!] testament… for a testament is of force after men are dead’ Paul teaches that the death of Christ was for the purpose of redeeming those who had ‘built up’ a record of sin and transgression under the first testament. He shows that the law and its sacrifices were a temporary fix that simply looked forward to Christ. In Peter’s epistle you also see the idea that those who were under the law were in a waiting stage[in death] until the time of true redemption in Christ. These ideas were crucial for the 1st century Jew to understand that God allowed them to continue for many years under the Old Covenant, but it was for the future purpose of Christ. Many times in theological discussions you will find believers saying ‘we have believed and done things a certain way for so long, how can you now come along and shake up the apple cart’? The point is God often allows his people to function in limited paradigms until the time of reformation and change. The fact that he allowed you to continue for a long time in a limited understanding, does not justify never moving on into maturity! Paul is telling Israel ‘God allowed you to build up a ‘record’ [deposit] of past sin and transgression, and he knew all along that a day was coming when Christ would ransom all those who were in this limited system’. ‘Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood…saying this is the blood of the testament…he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the vessels of ministry…it was necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us’ Paul says that just like the blood of the Old Covenant cleansed both the tabernacle and the vessels, so Jesus blood cleansed ‘heaven’ as well as ‘all the vessels of ministry’[us!] This speaks of themes found in Romans where scripture speaks of all creation yearning for redemption. There is a sense where the curse has affected all creation, therefore the benefits of redemption will affect it as well. In these verses we are taught that the blood of Christ has already had a redemptive effect on ‘the heavens’. ‘Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year…but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation’. Here we see the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice. Once and for all! While the Old Testament made temporary provision for mans sin, Jesus, as the mediator of a new and better covenant, makes complete redemption and atonement for mans sin. The proof of this is the fact that Jesus sacrifice only happened once in history, therefore God must have accepted it as sufficient for all time! END NOTES [chapter 9] 2 ROOMS. THE BRANCH THAT BUDDED. WHEN DOES A WILL HAVE POWER? The writer compares the earthly tabernacle- with the heavenly one [not meaning an actual tabernacle- like the earthly one- but heaven itself]. Under the law- the priests went daily into the first room [the tabernacle had 2 rooms- separated by a veil]. The high priest went into the back room [called the holy of holies] once a year. In this room the ark of the covenant rest- the ark was the ‘box’ that held the 10 commandments. It also had Manna- and the branch of Arron the priest- that budded [this was a sign when God chose which tribe would be for priests- they took a branch from each tribe- and the one that supernaturally budded- would be the tribe. This was a sign/symbol of Christ- who was a ‘root out of a dry ground’- also called ‘the man whose name is the branch’]- These prophecies speak about Christ rising from the dead- and also being born from the Virgin Mary. The writer says that these Old Testament signs showed us that ‘perfection’ did not come from the law. Because those priests had to keep doing those things- year after year. And if their service was really effective- it would have come to an end- because once the offering was made- then that would put an end to the guilt of the people. Jesus offered himself once- showing that his sacrifice for the sins of men was the final one. The King James version says that the sacrifice of Christ frees the people from DEAD WORKS. Some translations simply say works of sin- which can be true. But I think- in this case- ‘dead works’ is better- because it can actually be speaking of the works of the law- meaning the sacrifice of Christ has freed us [them- 1st century Jew] from these DEAD WORKS of the law- and they can now move on in the Cross of Christ. We also see that Jesus sealed this New Testament in his Blood- because it is only after the death of a person that the will has power. So Jesus died for our sins- thus giving power to the covenant. Hebrews 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. Hebrews 9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. Hebrews 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Hebrews 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; Hebrews 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Hebrews 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. Hebrews 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: Hebrews 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Hebrews 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Hebrews 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Hebrews 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. Hebrews 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Hebrews 9:18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. Hebrews 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Hebrews 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Hebrews 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Hebrews 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Exodus 24:6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Exodus 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. END NOTES OF POST- WHAT ARE THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS? OCTAVIAN- A GOD? CICERO- MARK ANTONY [or Anthony if you like]. WHO WERE THE ESSENES? DID THE CHURCH ENGAGE IN A GRAND CONSPIRACY? END NOTES [I posted the video for this portion a few days ago- it goes along with Hebrews 7-9 video/post] The past few weeks I had a few friends ask me about the Dead Sea Scrolls- and a few other questions about the ‘lost books of the bible’ and some other common- and mistaken ideas [like the original sin being Eve had sex with the serpent]. So- I figured I would cover a little Jewish history- which would help in this study of Hebrews- And also hit on a few of these subjects. As we read Hebrews- it helps to also understand some of the history that we don’t have in our bibles [though the Catholic bibles do have some of it in the Apocrypha]. Ok- the ruling empire at the time of Christ was Rome- just prior to the appearance of Jesus- the Roman Emperor- Caesar Augustus- consolidated the Roman Empire under his rule- Rome was ruled by a senate- some famous names from history were in it- Cicero being one. Caesar Augustus was the nephew of Julius Caesar- his real name was Octavian [Octavius]. After the death of Julius Caesar- there were some power struggles that took place- between some other famous people. Marc Antony being one of them [Cleopatra too- he was in love with the girl for sure]. Now- we read about Augustus in the New Testament- and we read in the book of Revelation about the Mark of the Beast- and that those who don’t worship- give homage to the Beast- they will be killed. So- Many Christians would be killed because they would refuse to give homage to Caesar Augustus [meaning son of the Divine]. ‘Wow- how did he get a name like that’ [there was more than one Caesar by the way- as well as more than one Herod- who did play a part in these power struggles- it can get confusing- even to me]. When Octavian defeated Marc Antony at Actium [32 BC]. Herod [The Great] had a problem- he had previously sided with Antony and found himself on the losing side. Yet he was smart- did some ‘brown nosing’ as we say-and patched things up. Herod had 3 sons- who would eventually take positions of authority in the Roman government at the time of Christ. Herod Antipas was over the region that we read about in the New Testament where Jesus did most of his ministry- Galilee. Ok- Octavian claimed deity because of a heavenly sign associated with his rise to power- and this is how he became called ‘Caesar Augustus’. He sort of saw himself as a ‘re-incarnate’- of his great uncle Julius Caesar. ‘John- what in the heck does this have to do with the Dead Sea Scrolls’. Ok- good question. The Jews had various responses to the empires that ruled over them during various times. Alexander the Great instituted Hellenization- a sort of cultural compromise over the people he conquered. They could keep their religious/cultural roots- but would be subservient to Alexander and Greek rule. Some Jewish people rejected any compromise- we call them the Essenes- they moved out of town- so to speak, and lived in what we refer to as the Qumran community. This was a few centuries before the time of Christ- and this was where the Dead Seas Scrolls were found in the 20th century. A Bedouin boy was looking for his goats- threw a rock in a cave right off the Dead Sea- and that’s how we found the scrolls. The scrolls might have been hidden there by the Essenes- Now- when my friends asked me about them- I told them that it’s been a while since I read up on any of this- but to the best of my memory the thing that made them significant was the fact that they were very old manuscripts- from the bible- and they backed up what we had had all along. I did read up this week- and basically had it right. The earliest Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament we had previously dated back to around 900- 1000 A.D. These manuscripts went back about 1000 years earlier- and they contained portions from almost every book of the Old testament- and some complete books. The only book missing was Esther. So- this was indeed a very significant find for scholars. But the Scrolls also contain some of the writings from the Essenes themselves- things we never had before- so this too was significant. There were Jews at the time of the first century who tried to ‘get along’ with Rome- and with the person in charge of their region [one of the sons of Herod the Great at the time of Christ]. These are referred to as Herodian’s in the bible. Some wanted a revolution to rid Rome from Jerusalem- these were the Zealots [one of Jesus disciples was in this group]. Some thought if they returned to a legalistic obeisance of the law- that this would bring in a deliverer- like the stories we read about in the Old testament- these were the Pharisees. And some took more of a political compromise- these were the Sadducees. Eventually a war with Rome would be fought [By the way- Josephus- the famous 1st century historian- fought on the side of the Jews in the war- and after Jerusalem was sacked in A.D. 70- he went to Rome and wrote his great works- thinking he would make a case for the Jewish people with the Romans. This is why we have his works today- which are very valuable to scholars]. NOTE- In time I’ll try and cover how we ‘got our bibles’ [called the Canon- meaning Rule/ Measurement]. Frankly- there is a lot of confusion in the general public about conspiracies [like the Catholic Church had some type of plot to keep certain books out]. Or stories about how the Church taught Mary Magdalene was a prostitute so they could discredit her. Actually- we read in the gospels that Jesus cast out ‘spirits’ from a woman who was probably living this type of life- And Jesus had a ministry to the down and out- it is indeed possible that Mary was one of these women- And if true- it would not demean her in any way- That’s how this tradition more than likely developed- But- we don’t know for sure. So a few years back the Church officially said ‘we don’t know’. Ok- Plot? No- just being careful. So there are other misguided beliefs like this- that sincere people have- and over time I hope to get to them. I’ll do one more in keeping with this post. I mentioned above that Caesar Augustus did indeed take the title of ‘son of God’. And some critics of the Church say ‘see- there were all types of religions that had Sons of God’. I watched one show a few years back- and it stated that these religions had ’12 disciples- a leader named Lord and Savior- and he healed and claimed to be God’s Son- and rose from the dead’. Ok- that show was ‘fibbing’ to put it lightly- they went too far [historically speaking] in trying to diminish the Christians claim of Christ by doing this. Now- is there some truth to this at all? Yes- like I just mentioned above- Octavian did indeed claim deity- a ‘son of god’. So- how do we explain this? In the book of Galatians the bible says ‘in the FULLNESS of times God sent forth his Son’. Jesus came at a set time in history- in fulfilment of the Jewish Prophets- to be who he was- and to do what he did. Now- this is not special pleading here- but I find it a masterpiece that God’s Son came at a time when the Roman Empire had one sitting on the throne- who too claimed deity. Yet Jesus was in a region of the lower class- his men were not highly educated- and his followers were people under oppression. Augustus lived in the wealthy and influential capital of ‘the world’- he had all you could ever ask for- he was worshiped as a god. Yet in 3 short centuries- one of the heirs of the empire- Constantine- would have an experience – not with a former Caesar- but with a vison of a Cross- He would convert to Christianity- and declare Christianity to be the religion of the realm. He would then ‘convert’ the pagan temples- into churches for these followers of Christ. So I don’t see the fact that Augustus claimed to be a son of god right before Christ- as some type of discredit to the claims of Christ. No- I see it as God’s way of pulling the rug out from the oppressor- see? [Oh- by the way- only one of them rose from the dead- can you guess?] Psalm 109:1 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; Psalm 109:2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. Psalm 109:3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. Psalm 109:4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. Psalm 109:5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Psalm 109:6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. Psalm 109:7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Psalm 109:9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Psalm 109:10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. Psalm 109:11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour. Psalm 109:12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Psalm 109:13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Psalm 109:14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Psalm 109:15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. Psalm 109:16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. Psalm 109:17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. Psalm 109:18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. Psalm 109:19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. Psalm 109:20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul. Psalm 109:21 But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. Psalm 109:22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. Psalm 109:23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. Psalm 109:24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness. Psalm 109:25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads. Psalm 109:26 Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy: Psalm 109:27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it. Psalm 109:28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice. Psalm 109:29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. Psalm 109:30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude. Psalm 109:31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul. Psalm 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Psalm 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Psalm 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. Psalm 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110:5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. Psalm 110:6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. Psalm 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head. Psalm 111:1 Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. Psalm 111:2 The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. Psalm 111:3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Psalm 111:4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. Psalm 111:5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. Psalm 111:6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. Psalm 111:7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. Psalm 111:8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. Psalm 111:9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. HEBREWS 10-13 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/5-17-15-aristotle-and-the-city-of-god-real-windy.zip END NOTES OF POST- Masada. Hadrian. Judaism in transition. Did they ‘move on’ ? Who was Elazar ben Yair? End notes of chapter- IS THERE MEANING TO THE ACTUAL ORDER OF BIBLE VERSES? HOW DID THE SPIRIT ‘TESTIFY’ TO THE FINAL SACRIFICE? WHY DOES THE WRITER CONTINUE TO SAY THE NEW COVENANT IS HARSHER? CHAPTER 10: ‘For the law having a SHADOW of good things to come, AND NOT the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshipers once purged should have no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year’. Paul shows how the simple fact of ongoing sacrifices in and of itself testifies of the insufficiency of the law. The on going sacrifices were a reminder that the peoples sins were still there. If the sacrifices really worked, then why do it over and over again every year? He will contrast this with the singular sacrifice of Christ. The fact that Jesus did it once shows the superiority of his sacrifice over the law. ‘Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. THEN SAID HE, lo, I come to do thy will O God. ABOVE WHEN HE SAID sacrifice and offering…THEN HE SAID, lo, I come to do thy will O God. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second’ Here Paul uses the actual order of the verses in Psalms to prove that the Old law will pass away and a New covenant will replace it. The fact that David [Psalms] says ‘sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me’ in this order shows that God always planned on taking away the sacrificial system and replacing it with Christ [or fulfilling it!] So even in the simple prophetic order of these statements Paul sees the Old law passing away and a new one being instituted. Wow again! ‘By the which will we are sanctified thru the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every high priest STANDETH daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, SAT DOWN on the right hand of God’ The comparison here is that the priests under the law stood, showing their sacrifices were never sufficient, they could never say ‘it is finished’. The fact that they stood while offering sacrifices showed the incompleteness of the system. Jesus sat down. This showed that his sacrifice was once and for all. Now, no where does scripture teach this concept between ‘sitting and standing’. Where does Paul get this stuff from? From ‘revelation’, that is God is supernaturally showing this stuff to Paul as he writes. This is the prophetic element of scripture. While we don’t ‘write scripture’ any more today, there are still lots of hidden meanings that we don’t fully see yet. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to ‘bring to our remembrance all the things that Jesus taught us’ [also all the things about Jesus!] So when you read the Old Testament, look for Jesus! He is there in more ways than you realize. ‘For by ONE offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us [of what? Of the singularity of Christ’s offering. The fact that the Holy Spirit thru Jeremiah prophesied that God would never remember our sins any more speaks to the truth of the one offering of Christ, we will read ‘if there is no more remembrance, then there is no more sacrifice’] this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin’. Do you see the point Paul is making? It is common for preachers and Christians to read these letters and to simply glean practical truths from them. That’s OK. But like I said in the introduction, when you see these things in context, then you can still make practical application, plus you are seeing the relevance behind the teaching. The practical part of this is ‘wow, God will not bring my sins back up into remembrance before his face!’ Now that’s practical! ‘Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest [true holy place, that is Gods presence in the throne room] by the BLOOD OF JESUS, by a new and living way[ the early Christians were at times called ‘the way’] which he hath consecrated for us, thru the veil, that is to say his flesh’ We now have total access to the Father thru the Son. This is the ONLY WAY man can have this access! It is common today to teach a type of pluralism that says ‘all religions will eventually lead us to God’ some will lead straight to hell! Sorry. The only way to the Father is thru the Son. God ordained it to be so. Don’t fight over it, God says ‘come freely’ those who don’t come, they will never GET THERE! Jesus flesh is called the ‘veil’. During the crucifixion the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. Most believers know the significance of this. I would submit to you that when the scripture says ‘the veil was ripped’ that it was not only speaking of the actual veil that was in the temple on that day, but it was also prophetically speaking of the true veil, Jesus Body, that was being torn apart on the Cross. The veil of the temple not only restricted access for man coming to God, but it also separated God from the true community of people. The tearing of the veil [Jesus body] not only allowed man to have access to Gods presence in heaven, but it also opened the door for the Spirit of God to tabernacle with men on the day of Pentecost. After the tearing of Jesus flesh [which Jesus is also called the door] it is like a door opened, both letting man into the presence of God, as well as ‘letting’ God tabernacle with men [note- Jesus ‘Emmanuel’ was ‘God with us’ so in a sense God was already tabernacling among men thru Christ, but at Pentecost God ‘spread’ this ‘tabernacling’ to a community with worldwide potential, as Christians would increase thru out the ages, so would Gods presence increase as he dwells in men. Thus the Kingdom starts small, like a little leaven, and before you know it the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord. It culminates at the second coming of Christ]. ‘And having an high priest over the house of God [remember, even though in Hebrews Paul speaks of heaven itself as the tabernacle, yet he also told the Jews ‘who’s house are we, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end’] let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water [baptism]. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering [for he is faithful that promised] and let us provoke one another to love and good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another…’ A few things here. First, Paul is exhorting them to ‘get washed in pure water’ [baptism]. Remember, some of the recipients of this letter were believing in the message as Paul preached it as he traveled thru their cities, others were still on the edge. In this chapter it seems as if he is saying ‘some of you who have heard and seen all of these things, it’s time to make the decision to go all the way. Others have made a good profession, you too need to stick with the message’. Now, to those who would ‘revert’ back to the law, after they ‘received’ the truth, Paul says there is only judgment down the road. Even though they heard and the message reached them. Even though Paul presents the gospel in a way that says ‘you are all sanctified’ yet there was always the danger of apostasy. Those who believe you can lose your salvation [Arminians] take these verses and say ‘see, those who were once sanctified, if they sin, they face judgment’. I have actually viewed this chapter in different ways in the past. I never saw it as the Arminians, but I have debated over whether or not Paul was saying ‘now that you are believers, don’t think you can get away with sin, remember there is only one sacrifice, if you keep sinning God will judge you’ [not hell, but chastening]. But I have come to view it more along the lines of ‘those of you who are still in transition, you have made a good profession, Jesus blood has sanctified everyone [in a sense] so if you continue to sin [go back to the old system that taught that continual sin was part of the plan. Remember, the law made provision for continual sinning. This worldview of sin and judgment was unique to the Jewish community of the day. It really should have been easier to convert Israel, they already had a ‘Jewish’ world view. But one of the dangers of this world view was they had provision for ongoing sin. The idea of ‘continuing to sin’ was engrained in their culture. Paul is warning them that in Christ the fact that there is only one sacrifice means you cant still live with the worldview of ‘I will continue to sin’] In essence Paul seems to be saying ‘if you continue to sin, and think that the Cross is like the old system, then you are fooling yourselves. The fact that the Cross happened only once means that it is sufficient to truly cleanse you once and for all from your sin’ to those who wanted to keep sinning, because it was fun, Paul says ‘watch out, judgment awaits’. So in keeping with what I showed you in chapter 6, I see this chapter continuing to appeal to Jews, some who have even made an initial profession, but he still had to warn them about going back to their old way of continuing to sin. Remember, there were many who were preaching that the law was still necessary for salvation, Paul is telling them it isn’t. ‘For if we sin willfully [something that was expected under the law, that’s why they had all the sacrifices!] after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses law died without mercy under 2 or 3 witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?’ Once again Paul contrasts the severity of the law to the New Covenant. Remember how earlier Paul showed that those who ‘neglect so great a salvation’ have more to worry about than those who rejected ‘the word of angels’ [law] Here Paul again says ‘Those who disrespected the old system died without mercy, how much worse shall it be for those who disrespect the blood of the everlasting covenant’ I see this being directed at those who never fully convert to Christ. While Gods discipline is also harsh on believers who continue to live in rebellion [Corinthians] this language is never used of believers. So Paul is saying ‘beware, if you decide to walk away from all that has been presented to you, you will bear a much harsher punishment than those who sinned under the law’. What was the punishment of those who sinned under law? They died. What is the punishment of those who reject so great salvation? Eternal judgment. Let me add a note about ‘not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together’. It is common to use this verse to defend ‘Sunday church’ a lot of times it is used in this way to fight against the house church movement. What is the context here? The Jews already met together regularly before they believed in Christ. They had both temple and synagogue. Paul is simply saying ‘after you convert, keep getting together’ this is not a verse for defending Sunday church! [It is OK to go to church on Sunday]. ‘For we know him that hath said, vengeance belongeth unto me…the Lord shall judge his people’ In context, remember how I already showed you that ‘his people’ and ‘holy brethren’ and other terms like this in Hebrews can be speaking of 1st century Israel in transition? They were still considered ‘his people’ at the time the gospel was presented to them. Ultimately when they rejected Christ they would lose that designation, but many of the terms in this letter speak to Israel this way. So ‘his people’ can most definitely describe believers. But in context in this letter it more than likely is saying ‘don’t forget Israel, God does judge his people. So don’t think that your natural heritage of ‘being his people’ will get you out of the crunch this time!’ The Jews were always appealing to their privileged position with God ‘we have Abraham as our father’ they would always appeal to their ‘pure’ orthodox heritage, here Paul says ‘God will judge all of us based on what we do with his Son, even ‘his people’! ‘For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods’ many of the Jews who were embracing Paul’s message did suffer persecution. Historically we know many of them were plundered. They lost their goods! It’s funny, Paul doesn’t say ‘get back what the enemy stole from you’ [though you can!] but he says ‘don’t worry about the loss of your wealth and stuff, you have a better inheritance of eternal things in heaven’. Most modern preaching doesn’t even think about this. We are so consumed with preaching a gospel that says ‘come to Jesus and you will be rich’ that we never even give a second thought to these verses. We will read in the next chapter how Moses ‘forsook the pleasures of Egypt so he could bear reproach with Gods people’. Now I know that when they fled God gave ‘the treasures back’ but the point was Moses went thru a period of leaving all of it behind for a higher calling. Don’t always tell people [to you preachers!] that the wealth of the world is waiting at your doorstep if you receive Christ. They might be on the verge of ‘getting their goods spoiled’ for a season knowing that in heaven they have a better and enduring substance. ‘NOW THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him’. In the original bible you didn’t have chapter divisions. Sometimes the divisions interfere with the meaning of the text. It is important to see that right before Hebrews 11, Paul makes this famous statement on justification by faith! He will go into chapter 11 with this theme in mind. We often read chapter 11 as believers and see the great stories in it of the heroes of the faith, but this is not the primary reason for the chapter. The main reason is for Paul to make the case of law versus grace. He has just spent 10 chapters explaining the superiority of grace over law. Now he will show Israel that all of the great heroes of the faith PLEASED GOD BY FAITH! He will be laying out a grand overview of the great Old Testament figures and be saying THEY ALL RECEIVED A GOOD REPORT [JUSTIFIED] BY FAITH. It is real important for you to see this as we head into the chapter. When you read it with this in mind, then you begin to focus in on the statements of faith in a different way. While chapter 11 will give all believers a great boost in faith, the primary reason behind it is to say to Israel ‘look, all of our great forefathers [and fore mothers!] pleased God by faith, not the works of the law. Some of them were even law breakers! [Rahab, Samson] yet they were JUSTIFED [pleased God] by faith!’ Well, lets get into the chapter before I preach the whole thing right here. END NOTES- IS THERE MEANING TO THE ACTUAL ORDER OF BIBLE VERSES? HOW DID THE SPIRIT ‘TESTIFY’ TO THE FINAL SACRIFICE? WHY DOES THE WRITER CONTINUE TO SAY THE NEW COVENANT IS HARSHER? If the sacrifices under the law were sufficient- then why did the priests keep offering them? The writer says that’s proof they ‘didn’t really work’. But Jesus offered himself once- for all- and that shows us that his death was the final one. He quotes Psalms 40- and once again- like we saw earlier- he sees the actual order of the verses in this Psalm as having meaning. ‘Sacrifice and offering you do not want’ first ‘But a body you have prepared for me’ second. He then says ‘see- God took away the first’ [meaning the Old Law covenant is ending] ‘Then- he established the 2nd’ [meaning the Body of Christ being offered]. He then says ‘the Holy Spirit also testifies to this” How? He quotes Jeremiah 31- ‘I will make a new deal with the people- not like the old one- in this deal [covenant] I will not REMEMBER their sins any more’- See? If God had some new covenant- in which HE would not remember the sins of the people- that shows that in the new deal- there would be no more sacrifices. Now- he exhorts the reader ‘let us have faith- draw near to God with a clear conscience- having our bodies WASHED WITH PURE WATER’. Huh? See- this is an exhortation to COME INTO this covenant- he’s saying ‘believe- and be baptized’. This letter is not speaking to ALREADY BAPTIZED PERSONS. We also see- once again- the writer saying that this New Covenant is MUCH HARSHER than the Old. ‘If those under the law disobeyed- and died under 2 or 3 witnesses- how much worse will it be for those who have the light [thru their Old Law- Christ was indeed in there- thru types and images] and reject it.’ ‘for if we/you continue to sin- after having these truths revealed- there is no more sacrifice left- but a fearful waiting for judgment’. In time I’ll develop this more- but in the New Testament letters- written to the Gentile churches- you don’t read stuff like this. You do see God judging his people [in those letters- meaning Christians]. But you don’t see the New Covenant compared to the Old Covenant in this way- saying ‘it’s much harsher than the old’. But- to those outside of the covenant- to the ‘unbaptized- unbeliever’ then yes- this warning holds true. The theme thru out Hebrews is ‘if the first century Jew does not BELIEVE in Christ as the Messiah- then he in effect does disgrace to the Blood of Jesus’- He will not find repentance any more [under the old system]- And he will face a stricter punishment then those who rebelled under the law- [They died physically- but in this new covenant- if you reject Christ- you suffer spiritual death- and the ultimate judgment of God]. One last note- as we study the letters of the New Testament down the road- we see a theme- yes- about how we should view earthly riches/wealth. Here we read ‘you suffered the loss of your earthly goods- knowing that in heaven you have a more enduring substance’. The theme is never ‘claim your covenant rights to wealth’. But ‘the things in this life- material wealth- are nothing to be compared to the spiritual riches we have in Christ’. And yes- this is true. Psalm 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Psalm 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, Psalm 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Jeremiah 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. CHAPTER 11: [see commentary on Acts 21] END NOTES- JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. TORTURED- BY FAITH? REJECTED MONEY- BY FAITH? THEY ALL WAITED FOR THE CITY- THE CHURCH. [Below are simply some of my past teachings where the name Justin Martyr popped up- whenever I mention a subject or person on the teaching video- I try and add any of my past teachings where I mentioned him] The Greek philosophers understanding of the Logos was not the same as the Christian view- mainly expressed thru the writings of John [The gospel- the 3 epistles- and Revelation]. But- some see the Greek view as a precursor to Christ. In the work of one of the early church fathers- Hippolytus ‘The Refutation of all Heresies’ he attacks Heraclitus view of the Logos as an early form of heresy. The apologist Justin Martyr is more gracious- he [Like Ulrich Zwingli- the great Swiss reformer of the 16th century] viewed the early Geek thinkers as ‘pre- Christian’ or ‘Christians before Christ’. Though many reject this view- yet there is some scripture to back it up. The apostle Paul said in his letter to the Romans that if the Gentiles [non-Jews] do by nature the things contained in the law- then they are justified in God’s sight. Of course these things are debatable- but I add this to show you that some great Christian thinkers did indeed view the early Greek thinkers- who did live by a moral code- as being right in God’s eyes. And the bible does teach a theme that we will be judged according to the amount of light [understanding] that we had at the time. I should note that Plato [one of the 3 titans that arose after Heraclitus- from the city/state of Athens] disagreed with Heraclitus on all things being in a state of constant change. When [if?] we get to Socrates- Plato and Aristotle- I’ll try and cover the ways they advanced- built upon- the thought of the pre Socratic thinkers. As a side note- the most famous student of Aristotle- who was the most famous student of Plato- who was the most famous student of Socrates- was Alexander the Great. This goes to show you how great an influence Greek philosophy had on the ancient world. A few nuggets from Heraclitus- ‘all things come to pass in accordance with this Logos’ ‘follow the common’ ‘not having their own judgment’. Recently I covered Acts chapter 2- and we see some of these ideas in the early Christian movement. The first Christians did ‘follow the common’ they sold their goods- and had ‘all things common’ [communal lifestyle]. The apostle Paul teaches the early church to all ‘speak the same thing- that there be no divisions among you’. And the New Testament also says the scripture should not be given to Private Interpretation- meaning- ‘not having your own personal judgment’. All in all- we do indeed see a sort of pre Christian thought in the pre Socratic thinkers- they did indeed speak of the Divine- God- though there understanding of him was not the same as the Christian church. In a sense- Heraclitus idea that in life- the only ‘constant’ is the fact that there is no constant- that life itself is made up of an ongoing journey- we live day by day- not ever knowing what ‘the next day will bring forth’- Jesus. Yeah- the man had some good points- the later Stoics would consider Heraclitus as the father of their movement. And in the study of Philosophy- the Stoics- who had a good run from a few years before the Common Era- were overtaken in the 4th century [as the main influential philosophy of the time] by some new and lasting philosophy- started by a man named Jesus Christ- who his followers claimed rose from the dead. Yeah- this New Way was called Christianity- and this philosophy has endured now for over 2 thousand years. Both of the documentaries I saw [it seems like there is one person- producer- behind the 2 I saw] did give an actual quote from a 2nd century Christian leader- Justin Martyr. The quote is indeed real- Justin is known as one of the first Apologists of the church. He defended the faith during a time when many enemies of the faith slandered the religion. In one defense [out of many] he said that those who reject Christianity because we believe that a Divine son rose from the dead- that others also held the same type of belief in the pagan world. He was referring to the god Jupiter and the stories that surround those who believed in him. You also do find this same type of thing in the myth of Hercules. Okay- so the skeptic was right then? No. In the documentary- the skeptic actually gives the quote from Justin- and Justin says that just because these similarities did exist in other religions- before Christ- that this in no way means the Christian faith is false. How so? Justin said it was possible for satan to have ‘imitated’ what was really going to happen. The skeptic mocked this argument from Justin- and went on to challenge the faith. A few things. First- it is possible that Justin was right. 2nd. This whole line of attack is not new [unless you never heard of it before- which is why I’m kinda surprised that Netflix has them in their lineup]. It goes all the way back to the writings of Gilgamesh. These are writings that also have similarities to the things we find in the bible- yet they are not coming from the Christian perspective. They contain a story about a flood [like the one in Genesis]. So- over time- skeptics have said ‘see- the bible must have copied these flood stories- because we find them in other cultures’. I actually covered this before. Let me give you the short version. We- as Christians- do indeed believe the story of Noah [the flood]. Some debate whether it was a global event or local- I don’t want to get into that now. But- if there was a huge event- say like a 911 plane attack on the world trade center. Would you not expect to find that event- recorded in more than one culture? Of course you would. So the fact that other cultures have a flood event recorded too- this does not mean the Christians plagiarized the flood- no- it would be evidence that the flood really did happen. See? Now- the similarities between a divine son who rose from the dead. First- there ARE NOT 25 or so stories like this- with 12 disciples- raised on the 3rd day- and so on. The producer of the doc was simply mislead- or outright lying. 2nd. We must remember that anything we find in Greek culture- which predated Christian ‘culture’ was also predated by Jewish culture. That is to say that the story of Judaism comes before the Greek philosophers. Are there any themes in the Jewish religion that speak about a Messiah who would come- die- and be the Messiah of all mankind? Yes! So- you could argue that any similarities between Greek myth- and Christianity- are actually ‘copies’ taken from the Old Testament story. That is- God himself gave us clues about the story of redemption- and these clues might have very well ‘seeped’ into the Greek culture- before Christ- and that’s why you might find similarities between the 2. See? Okay- I could go on- but I think I made the point. I was not mad that these documentaries were on net flix. But I saw the danger in presenting one side like this- without giving the other view [which I just gave]. All in all- the Christian faith has more historical backing [like the many thousands of bible manuscripts that survived the early days] than any other religion or writings of any kind. The documentaries made a couple of good points- things that were indeed true- but they had way too much mis information in them to be playing on such a huge venue. Buyer [or watcher] beware! JOHN LOCKE- Locke taught that each man has individual rights- and he empowers government- an elected designated body- to have rule- Yet- that government exists solely for the benefit of the people- and when/if that government ‘forgets’ this- the people have a right/duty to revolt. Locke’s ideas were formed at a time when his own government experienced a sort of revolution [1600’s- England]. The people revolted against monarchy- and replaced it with a sort of Democratic Parliament- Referred to as the bloodless revolution or the glorious revolution. The king [or today- queen] would still play a role- like a figurehead- but the power was in the people- willingly given over to a Parliament. The political ideas of Locke influenced our founding fathers- and our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are in parts almost word for word taken from the writings of Locke. Locke believed in natural law- that morality was indeed a universal reality [some scholars/thinkers will say that Locke does not fully embrace the Christian concept of natural/moral law]. He taught that knowledge comes from man’s experience- the things he interacts with thru the 5 senses. That man is not born with innate ideas [like the early Greek thinkers said] but his mind is a Tabula Rasa- or blank slate at birth. This is an Empirical understanding of knowledge. Locke also believed in the concept of the separation of church and state- this idea was not unique to our founding fathers- no- they got it right out of the writings of Locke [his parents were Puritans- and they obviously influenced their son]. Locke’s political views were- Individualistic- Egalitarian- Contractual [social compact]- These ideas differed from the early Greek thinkers [especially Aristotle] who held to a naturalistic view- meaning that nature itself ‘intended’ for certain individuals to have rule over others [the smarter should have rule over the ‘less smart’- and of course Aristotle saw himself in the more nobler crowd!] Locke also believed in religious toleration- a view held by most in the Western world today. He saw the Right to private property- as a natural right. He believed that denial of the existence of God would lead to anarchy in the long run. He believed that the cosmological argument for the existence of God was valid [called teleology]. DIOGENES- I think I mentioned him on today’s video [I am writing this before I review the video and add the bullet points]. In the study of philosophy- he is not known for deep thought- or new ideas. He lived in the 5th century B.C. – died in the 4th in the biblical city of Corinth. Diogenes believed in ‘living with less’- he was known to have slept in a ceramic pot- he lived and ate on the streets- and was basically like many of my homeless friends. Yet- he felt in doing this he was a sort of ‘prophetic’ sign to the world around him. He is believed to be the first to refer to himself as a ‘cosmopolitan’- meaning a man of the world- and not identifying with any one city. He was born at Sinope- [Modern day Turkey] traveled to Athens- the main center of wisdom/philosophy. Attended the lectures of Plato- and interrupted them He disputed Plato’s interpretation of his teacher- Socrates. And had a memorable encounter with Alexander the Great. The story goes [there are a few versions of it- maybe more along the line of myth] that Alexander wanted to meet with Diogenes- and he heard he was in town [Corinth] so Alexander went to meet him. Upon arriving at the spot- he greeted Alexander and told him he would fulfill any request that the Cynic asked. Diogenes replied ‘Move over- you’re standing in my sun light’. It is said that as Alexander left- and made the statement ‘If I were not Alexander- I would be Diogenes’. How true- well we will never know for sure. He did live at a time- and in a place- where the famous philosophers would come from. He believed rejecting wealth- and the comforts of life- were a statement against the society of his day. He purposefully challenged the ‘normal’ way of life- by being different- and at times- vulgar. It is said that he carried a cup- for drinking. And he saw a young boy one day- drinking from the brook with his hands. He then threw away the cup- realizing that ‘the god’s’ had given to men the basic things to survive- and he really did not need all the material things of life. Like I said at the top – he is not known for his great thinking ability- but he was respected by the stoics- VERSES [These are the verses I either quoted or taught from on today’s post- Other videos below] The Ascension of the Lord Lectionary: 58 Reading 1ACTS 1:1-11 In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Responsorial Psalm PS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 R.(6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. Reading 2EPH 1:17-23 Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might: which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. OrHEB 9:24-28; 10:19-23 Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf. Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice. Just as it is appointed that men and women die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. AlleluiaMT 28:19A, 20B R. Alleluia, alleluia. Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world. R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLK 24:46-53 Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God. Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb. 4 OTHER VIDEOS [These are the videos post nightly to my various sites- Links to all my sites below] Fatima https://youtu.be/M24ZIioBtW8 4-15-18 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgg6OxgnO7mfO4KZ7 Twilight of the idols The flood https://d.tube/v/ccoutreach/r855jser Don’t bother me https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhU-0YvdrZeSiWr1S Central Park https://www.bitchute.com/video/7jmznPLF9TVe/ 6-6-19 Reddit Hacker caught- news update https://youtu.be/ZbgR0KKbNfY https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10205730847908653/ 2nd Samuel 3 https://youtu.be/SUdkwD2Tx-A Friends https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiQ7pZ1Z4zAcHJtHW Friends n teaching https://www.dropbox.com/s/8pyx1qow0o67uic/10-17-18%20Friends%20n%20Teaching-%20Crow%20n%20Furman.mp4?dl=0 Real time teaching https://dai.ly/x71k2wo Friends n Fire https://flic.kr/p/2g3vdZj 4-7-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiwyzkliIosHtfHws Friends n teaching https://youtu.be/Yo2pBtk3bNU 6-17-18 Sunday sermon https://d.tube/v/ccoutreach/6ufv51so Baby goats https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiQqvSMytLeZPTnsU GW bridge- NYC https://youtu.be/70CVdZxFIMg Acts 9 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMggy_7kgfAhfJNo3Q Samuel 22 https://www.dropbox.com/s/r1s4vudsa35clhf/10-17-16%20Samuel%2022%20%5BAllen%20n%20Crow%5D.mp4?dl=0 Off the cuff teaching https://dai.ly/x71t9zf Hebrews 1-3 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhUn1c3rDrTYhqJS8 11-4-18 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/1fesn8zmu3nly9k/11-4-18%20sunday%20sermon.mp4?dl=0 The door of heaven https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhUzeQUxAw7Y3mwVu Kings 20 https://www.bitchute.com/video/HI8N546IzI76/ 12-2-18 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x71k2wq https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10205722178011911/ 12-24-17 Sunday sermon https://youtu.be/L0nDDREYzJk Christmas morning https://youtu.be/5EaQPvs1D1U Easter https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMggEC8RjgZsM_Q0FK 1st John https://www.dropbox.com/s/ftpsf0x1efya2s9/10-16-16%20cccf-%201st%20Jn..mp4?dl=0 Talking church https://flic.kr/p/2g2jA4g Central Park- NYC https://www.instagram.com/tv/BwHYirlF3Qy/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet Story of scripture https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgXDzn9vfJKeRkMxM Colossians 4 https://www.dropbox.com/s/u3urlhqn0uohehn/4-26-18%20Colossians%204.mp4?dl=0 Mark 7 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMggqhnxRBbBBHO8Om 10-15-17 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/waqoz1i3z5octsw/10-15-%2017%20Sunday%20Sermon.mp4?dl=0 Alone with God https://d.tube/v/ccoutreach/00u6yzde Friends n song https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiQlfo0o4HsVeuybg Colossians 3 https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5uniom6iw4j1tm/4-12-18%20Colossians%203.mp4?dl=0 Mary’s prayer https://www.bitchute.com/video/MFzv5KUkXRYD/ 2nd Samuel 1-2 https://youtu.be/rODWjOdfrRc The morning star https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhUduFwiigMPb8cwD 10-14-18 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/zielzlbhk92e7pt/10-14-18%20Sunday%20sermon.mp4?dl=0 Outer court https://dai.ly/x75zie2 9-3-17 Sunday sermon https://flic.kr/p/2g1TsW7 Friends- Teaching https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMilUUYoJceY6Yjz-7 Colossians 2 https://www.dropbox.com/s/0pd5q1g903rsdtw/3-29-18%20Colossians%202.mp4?dl=0 Apologetics https://youtu.be/tMCfKC1Pe9A 11-24-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMjFRR9F1ncTZrDe7- 4-8-18 Sunday sermon https://flic.kr/p/2kdj48W Acts 1 https://dai.ly/x6chcuo Acts 8 https://www.dropbox.com/s/xy9494l994yhdiu/4-6-17%20Acts%208.mp4?dl=0 Homeless friends https://youtu.be/i4fyvjvI1y4 Recovery https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiDnVmd4NMXozhxyx Prayer https://youtu.be/Ygw8S1ndLYE Easter https://www.dropbox.com/s/23jmppnibwfyozt/4-1-18%20Easter.mp4?dl=0 Pops https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFjehqwFIX0/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet Homeless friends https://ok.ru/video/1682607770167 The mother of us all https://www.dropbox.com/s/fz0ba08o0monv0v/4-6-16%20The%20Mother%20of%20us%20all.mp4?dl=0 New Jersey friends https://youtu.be/VfYEQj4Gibc Grace https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhEc-ZZGhyOdePecT Carpe Diem https://youtu.be/F6G6FnoF0UA 11-17-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMjFOer4IMdGhn-zxc Homeless friends https://flic.kr/p/27jbRKr Homeless friends https://youtu.be/-NmAm67q4BU Ephesians 1 https://dai.ly/x7qhlli Kings 3 https://www.dropbox.com/s/57mr64k2d77ug0r/4-4-17%20Kings%203%20%5BWisdom%5D.mp4?dl=0 Dallas https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg1ZOTaQug8m3KSTA Potters house https://youtu.be/gjGLHBZNtoc 1-15-17 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/kejm8vhbd92vx74/1-15-17%20Christian-%20Muslim%20dialogue.mp4?dl=0 Teaching https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFeVNzzl7jy/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet Nightingale https://ok.ru/video/1694104422967 The scepter of the kingdom https://www.dropbox.com/s/1yrmjm2xan72yvh/4-3-16%20The%20sceptre%20of%20the%20kingdom.mp4?dl=0 Homeless friends https://youtu.be/00VtI2rPO44 On whom the tower fell https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhEHkW3guD2U74BTe Unicorn Horns https://youtu.be/Ow4walfSLlY 11-3-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMjE2X0-DUqPwM4brX Teaching https://flic.kr/p/JYHokK Lexington https://dai.ly/x7qhllj Message from God https://www.dropbox.com/s/k7te9sz35355b6x/4-29-16%20I%20have%20a%20message%20from%20God%20unto%20thee.mp4?dl=0 Apologetics https://youtu.be/u4Q3SWZpm1o Homeless friends https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiEKzySTLDa6QY1pR Teaching https://youtu.be/BKrobv8pVTg 12-30-18 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMikDBK_ojwYY4GOqs City of Refuge https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiDMQyMkjosIhHd2g Pops https://youtu.be/c9cnx2CBZnw https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-links-12-2020 12-10-17 Sunday sermon https://ok.ru/video/1698923678263 1 day at a time https://www.dropbox.com/s/x7ca577v77cl2g2/4-28-16%201%20day%20at%20a%20time.mp4?dl=0 Amos https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFZNRQuFlGv/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet MY SITES- Blog- [Post nightly] 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My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam. I post 8 videos a night to many of my sites, and text posts 3 times a week. I realize that is a lot for some sites, yet this is the system I felt the Lord led me into. I NEVER take money- or ask for money- ever. Everything is free- to some sites this makes a difference- so I wanted to say that here. Thank You- John. 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John EPHESIANS 6
Ephesians 6:23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Ephesians 6 videos- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M43BeMlJ2uI&t=3s https://www.dropbox.com/s/xecoai78k9ljdbx/2-15-18%20Ephesians%206.mp4?dl=0 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgSBcVgotin-An03X ON VIDEO .The commandment with promise .Thoughts from a child .Overview of Ephesians .The sovereignty of God .Slavery .Abolitionists .Spiritual armor- warfare .Reductionism- Soteriology https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soteriology .What are those lights in the sky over Texas and New Jersey? .The Reformation and church history .Did Jesus teach the doctrine of justification by faith? .Yes .Balanced spiritual warfare .How do we love Jesus? .I spoke on Melanchthon- Cardinal Cajetan and Eck- and the debates Luther had during the Reformation- I added my past teachings on them below Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations TEACHING [Past posts- Verses below] As we end the Ephesians study- Paul gives more practical instruction- some of it will become controversial some 1800 years after he penned it- Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Ephesians 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; Ephesians 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. There it is- from the bible itself- instruction for slaves to obey their masters. Why is this in the New Testament? There are other bible passages- both in the Old and New Testaments, that speak about slavery- rules given to how it should be applied- And teaching that says slaves should obey their masters. In the 19th century- both in Britain and the states you had an uprising- primarily from White Christian men- against the institution of slavery- we call these men the abolitionists. In the United States- you had a debate- and then a war- over the issue [as well as states rights]- There were good sincere men- Christian men- and yes- some Black men- who simply saw these verses as the bible teaching us that slavery is permitted- and as Christians- you should not seek to rebel against it. Now- I do not agree with their position- but an honest reading of this passage can lead dedicated bible students to take it this way. Overall- God’s will for man was to free him for bondage- all types. And it’s possible that the apostle Paul simply did not want the New Christian movement to be associated with the zealot mindset- People who advocated a violent rising up against their oppressors. So- he- by the anointing of God- wrote what was intended for God’s people to hear. Today there is still application to these verses- employers and employees- yet at the time- it was speaking about slavery. There’s much more to teach on the subject- how the enslaving of Africans by the West was not the same type of slavery spoken about in the bible- But for us today- with a clear conscience we can reject all forms of it- no matter where we find it. Now- the famous armor of God passage- Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Just a few points- the only offensive piece of armor is the word of God. Jesus wielded it in his Temptation in the wilderness- Matthew 4 King James Version (KJV) 4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. He quoted scripture 3 times- and dispatched the adversary for a season. Paul also talks about the shield of faith quenching [putting out] the flaming arrows of the enemy. In the first century the Roman shields were covered with leather and dipped in water prior to the battle. If a flaming arrow struck one of the shields- the shield would be able to extinguish it. So our faith can also stop the flaming arrows of the enemy- when he shoots accusations against the children of God. On the video I mentioned these last few verses- which are often not seen as part of the spiritual armor- Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, Ephesians 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Yet Paul asked the church to pray for him- that he would be bold in speaking the truth- that he would not step back from the task at hand. I applied this [on the video] to the life of the reformer Martin Luther- and spoke about his own battles while standing firm for truth. Paul the apostle was making known the mysteries of the gospel in the first century- and at the time- the message was radical and revolutionary. Now- it was the unfolding of the mysteries of God which had been hidden for ages- But he was a revolutionary in the proclamation of it. And there were times where he stood alone- where others questioned his motives- and where other believers disagreed with him strongly [the Judaizers]. 2Timothy 4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 2Timothy 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. Yet he realized to truly fulfil the mission- he needed to be bold in the proclamation of the truth. Today we are able to read his letters- which are indeed received as the Canon- we regularly teach them in our church meetings- We make copies of them and send them out to the world- Yes- we are beneficiaries of the apostle’s early ministry work. And as we saw his story this last year as I covered the book of Acts- as we went thru some of his other letters these past few years- We are grateful that Paul remained faithful to the task at hand- he had the boldness of a true apostle. And for that- we are truly grateful- 1I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 2nd Timothy 4 PAST POSTS- [Past teaching that relates to this post- Verses below] Ephesians 1 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/11/ephesians-1-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/11/26/ephesians-1-19/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/qz9i_imwzxr_4mxuew5zlg https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-1-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-11493512 https://wt.social/post/rc53k6u5354625913904 https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=232128 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-1-xqoglgx https://parler.com/post/aa5bd46a3753491e99710c2cd1a8bb2b https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105276224624976104 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-1-27d0fcaa8880 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-1-b2a5eb65-04ed-4790-a971-39a6d85e3716 https://www.plurk.com/p/o3wyd2 https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-1-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2329463/ephesians-1 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/11/26/ephesians-1-text/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/11/ephesians-1.html Ephesians 2 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/ephesians-2-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/01/ephesians-2-17/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wvybuiudggev3_vm_qhqvg https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-2-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-25590001 https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=232685 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-2-xrylnny https://parler.com/post/748c476fba604de689619565135844cc https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105304783616871659 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-2-280a4c058487 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-2-2b3690b5-ac98-4e27-b042-8dedf5417278 https://www.plurk.com/p/o46bsx https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-2-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2334441/ephesians-2 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/01/ephesians-2/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/ephesians-2.html Ephesians 3 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/ephesians-3-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/03/ephesians-3-text-2/ https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-3-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-35804971 https://wt.social/post/xb2alpy535664270347 https://sharfly.com/Ccoutreach87 https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/48qngfcomtgxg84zjc80mg https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-3-xomgkqv https://parler.com/post/14ec497878d44193916500bfdd9f6bf1 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105315874573098603 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-3-cac32f21bbed https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-3-a3f56ff4-dde7-4212-acba-cced7c613fc8 https://www.plurk.com/p/o4ab2l https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-3-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2336606/ephesians-3 http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/ephesians-3.html Ephesians 4 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/ephesians-4-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/08/ephesians-4-19/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/1dbdwae4qon9ykeutxvkag https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-4-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-46736325 https://wt.social/post/qsr5b6m5358090410537 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-4-xvweolq https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105344333614644517 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-4-7709862ae153 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-4-d17bbe53-668a-43ed-9511-6d8ecd38aa72 https://www.plurk.com/p/o4jjjc https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-4-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2341420/ephesians-4 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/08/ephesians-4/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/ephesians-4.html Ephesians 5 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/ephesians-5-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/10/ephesians-5-text-2/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/7sfhtu9d4j9srt_qtgugva https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-5-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-54604702 https://wt.social/post/u1qvl935358653607620 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-5-xnqevgk https://parler.com/post/fd3dc1e883a34966899a9de9903c37fa https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105355410848479534 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-5-ce1eef187fef https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-5-44ea5ced-0d91-4488-95af-d4ccc8197932 https://www.plurk.com/p/o4ncmu http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2343775/ephesians-5 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/10/ephesians-5/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/ephesians-5.html Other teachings I did that relate- https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/justification-by-faith/ https://ccoutreach87.com/acts/ NIGHTINGALE https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/1-19-16-nightingale.zip https://youtu.be/zvNQT1R2p8A Nightingale ON VIDEO- Wilberforce Gas can New trial? Clapham community Britannia NPR news? Jan. 2016- worst 1st 2 weeks for DOW- ever Iran Evangelical movement Slave trade Industrial revolution Emancipation act Cross eyed ‘friend’ NEW STUFF [Past posts- verses below] William Wilberforce [1759-1883] was part of the Clapham community in the late 1700’s- early 1800’s. These were a group of socially minded Christians [Evangelicals] who had influence in the British Parliament. Wilberforce was the most influential of the group- and was called the Nightingale of the House of Commons because he gave passionate speeches on the behalf of social justice Issues. The believers at Clapham [a village about 3 miles outside of London] started Bibles societies- worked for the reform of the prisons in Britain- the ‘betterment of the poor’- And their greatest cause was the outlawing of the slave trade in Britannia. In the 1500’s the British began capturing Blacks in Africa and selling them in the West Indies. The practice grew and at around 1770- there were estimated to have been 100,000 Blacks a year captured and transported by ship. Britain was responsible for about half of the total number of blacks captured and sold. Wilberforce fought to stop the trade- he called it his ‘Holy enterprise’’. Yet- there was much resistance to banning the practice-because it was indeed a profitable venture. In 1807 he finally pushed thru a law that stopped the shipping of the Blacks- and in 1883- the parliament banned slavery altogether under the leadership of Thomas Buxton- an associate of Wilberforce. 4 days before the death of Wilberforce. The Christians at Clapham were called by God- not to abandon their role in government- but to remain in the parliament [there were about 5 in parliament- others were wealthy and had positions of influence- yet they used their voice for social change]. https://youtu.be/lgvUTtj9Bg0 No Nukes? https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/1-12-16-no-nukes.zip ON VIDEO- .North Korea .MLK .Open bed .Civil rights .Abolitionists .Alexander the Great .Proxy wars .Saudi Arabia .Iran .Only time nukes targeted civilians- who? (1360) Lets do a little Catholic/Protestant stuff. First, those of you who have read this site for any period of time know that as a Protestant I am ‘pro Catholic’ that is I read and study Catholic scholars, believe in the ECT statement [Evangelicals and Catholics together] and for the most part am pro Catholic in that sense. I have offended more Protestants because of this stance than Catholics. But sometimes I need to state the differences and be honest about them, true ecumenical unity should never be achieved on the altar of doctrine, we should not sacrifice sincerely held beliefs while seeking unity for Christ’s church. Last night I caught the journey home show with Marcus Grodi as well as Catholic scholar Scott Hahn [EWTN- the Catholic network]. Scott was doing a teaching on the sacraments of the church and shared a common belief in the ‘incarnational’ aspect of matter. Some theologians believe [both Catholic and Protestant] that since God became man in Jesus, that this united/sanctified matter in a way that never occurred before. They will carry this thought into sacramental theology and teach a kind of ‘connection’ with God thru material things; both Baptism and the Eucharist would be major examples. I believe the historic church was well intended when they developed this idea, they were combating the popular Greek/Gnostic belief that matter is inherently evil, not a biblical doctrine. As Scott Hahn made the argument I simply felt that he gave too much weight to the idea that because of the incarnation [God becoming man] that now there is a special ‘sanctity’ to material things when connected with the sacraments. Does the bible teach that there are actual physical things in this world that carry out the truth of the incarnation in a material way? Actually it does, the bible teaches that the bodies of believers have this special aspect because Gods Spirit lives in us. In essence the idea of ‘special matter’ that is often taught by well meaning scholars can be applied to the physical church in the earth, all who believe. I do not totally dismiss sacramental theology, many Protestants who dismiss it out of hand are not aware of the strong beliefs that the reformers held too in these areas. Luther is often misunderstood when it comes to his disagreement with Calvin, many teach and think that he split with Calvin over the doctrine of Predestination, he did not- Luther’s written views on the doctrine were just as strong [if not stronger] on the subject. Calvin never wrote a book dedicated solely to the doctrine, Luther did [bondage of the will]. But they did split on the sacrament of the Eucharist, Luther’s view [consubstantiation] was much closer to the Catholic view than Calvin, and Zwingli [the Swiss reformer] was further away than both Calvin and Luther. Lutheranism would eventually be developed by a protégé of Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and the Lutheran church would bear the image of Melanchthon more than Luther. The point being many good men have held to very strong views on these matters. I believe the biblical doctrine leans more heavily on the ‘material body’ of the believer as being the major material change since the incarnation, I do not hold to the idea that ‘God becoming man’ fundamentally changed the nature of matter when dealing with the sacraments. Matter is not [nor ever was] intrinsically evil, Greek dualism got it wrong from the start- we do not need a strong sacramental theology to refute this, scripture itself will do. . He had a few theological battles in his day. With Pelagianism and Donatism- these were early Christian movements that broke away from the standard teaching of the church- they derive their names form the Bishops/priests who espoused these ideas. Pelagius denied the doctrine of original sin- and he taught that men were indeed capable of obeying Gods law- out of their own moral integrity- and thus ‘save themselves’. Augustine rejected this view and taught that men were saved only by the grace of God- that men were indeed sinful and corrupt- and if left to their own designs would end up in hell. There were various adherents to Pelagius’ view- and his ideas have carried down thru the centuries to varying degrees- sometimes you will hear [read] the term ‘Semi- Pelagian’ this refers to those who have various ideas about man’s ability to save himself through good works. Some in the Reformed church [the original Protestant belief system that came out from the 16th century Reformation] accuse the Catholic Church of this very thing- yet the Catholic Church has made it clear that they do reject Pelagianism- and they agree with Augustine on the matter. The Donatists taught that the Sacraments were dependent upon the ‘holiness’ of the Priest who ministers them. That if you were in a Parish where the priests were bad- lived in sin- rejected a holy life- then if you were Baptized by these men- that the Baptism didn’t ‘stick’. The Donatists formed there own break away church in the 3rd century- and a few very influential men would join the group. A well respected early church father- Tertullian- eventually joined their ranks. Augustine argued against the Donatists teaching- and taught that Gods grace- and the grace given to believers thru the sacraments were not derived from the holiness of any priest or preacher- but if a believer in good conscience received the sacraments- that that’s what really counted. Saint Augustine is one of the titans of church history- he is loved by Protestants and Catholics alike. He is famous for his belief in the doctrine of Predestination [that those who are saved were chosen by God before they were born] and for this reason he is loved by the original protestant theologians [Luther, Calvin, etc.] He also taught a very ‘Catholic’ form of Ecclesiology [church govt.] and is well loved by many Catholics as well. The Catholic Church refers to him as the Doctor of Grace- later on in the 13th century we will meet Saint Thomas Aquinas- who the church refers to as the Angelic Doctor. Both of these men played a major role in the development of western thought and Augustine made an effort to distinguish true Christian thought from the philosophy of Neo Platonism which was very strong in his day. When reading Augustine [he wrote a lot] you need to be careful to distinguish some of his earlier writings from his later ones. Early on you still see forms of Platonic thought in Augustine- but as the years rolled by his thinking [parts] Now- Luther responds to the abuse by writing the famous 95 thesis. This is the act that is often associated with the launching of the Reformation- the act that got the ball rolling. The 95 thesis were simply 95 questions challenging the whole practice of the sale of indulgences- there was no mention of the doctrine of Justification by Faith- which will become the trumpet sound that springs out of the Protestant Reformation. Luther takes these questions- written in Latin- and nails them to the university church door at Wittenberg. Sometimes while reading church history this ‘nailing to the door’ is seen as a sort of vandalism – you know- ‘he nailed them to the door!’ In actuality Luther was simply using the system of the day that one scholar would use in order to bring up an official point of contention with the church- Luther wrote the Thesis in Latin- which was the scholars language- not the language of the common man. But Luther’s students quickly translated the Thesis into the vernacular [German] and it was said that in 2 weeks the paper made it into every village of Germany. The challenge was a spark in the lives of many Christians who also believed the church was off track and that someone needed to rebuke her- and they picked Luther as the man for the job. Now- the Catholic church wanted Luther to go to Rome and discuss the situation there- Luther’s friends warned him not to go- so they agreed to meet- a few times- in Germany. The first meeting was in 1518 at Heidelberg- Luther actually gave a great defense of his argument and convinced some other top Catholic scholars that he was right [as a side note- the church had already scheduled this meeting because of a controversy that rose up between the Augustinian order of monks and the Dominicans. They were debating over which philosophy was more consistent with church teaching- Nominalism or Realism- for those of you who have read the posts this past year- I taught this when doing our posts on philosophy]. One man- Martin Bucer- wrote a stirring account of Luther- Bucer would later influence another young Swiss priest with Reformation teachings- his name is John Calvin. As a side not Calvin will become one of the 3 big heavy hitters of the 16th century Reformation [Ulrich Zwingli is the 3rd]. Luther will meet again in Augsburg- and debate the leading Catholic scholar of the day- Cardinal Cajetan. Then he goes to the city of Leipzig- and debates the leading German scholar- Johann Eck. And his last meeting with the church will be at the famous Diet of Worms [pronounced- Vurmtz] and it will be here that Luther makes his last stand and officially will break with the church and launch the Protestant Reformation. It should be noted that Luther held what we call a High Church position for most of this time- he still saw the church at Rome- and the Pope- as a legitimate expression of true Christianity- his beef was what he saw as an abuse of the system- by the priest Tetzel. As time progressed- the other beliefs of Luther- founded upon the bible- did come into contention with Rome. The main disagreement eventually became the teaching in the bible called Justification by faith. I have written a study on the topic on the blog- I have also written a bible study on the book of Romans and Galatians. For those of you who can- try and read Romans chapters 2-4 and Galatians 2-3- these are the key chapters that cover the teaching. Down the road I will cover the official teaching of both the Protestants and the Catholics on the doctrine of justification- the Catholic Council of Trent- referred to as the Counter Reformation- spells out the official teaching of Rome- and there are a few papers put out by the Reformers that explain their belief. Since the 16th century Reformation there have been efforts made by Protestants and Catholics to bridge the gap as much as possible- to try to come to some common language since the historic split. I like some of the efforts that have been made- and recently both groups put out a statement that jointly said we all believe that we are saved by Gods grace thru Christ- that’s good. But as we get into some of the actual discussion- you will see the points at which the 2 sides disagreed- and the main one was on the act- the actual thing that happens- when a person is declared just- the Reformers said it takes place when a person has faith- believes- the Catholic church said it takes place at baptism- water baptism. This- as well as a few other things- will be a defining distinction between the 2. [parts] Acts 15 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ JULY 3, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT ACTS 15- Amos 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:Amos 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. https://youtu.be/rteq0keHKsQ Acts 15 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/6-22-17-acts-15.zip https://ccoutreach87.com/6-22-17-acts-15/ ON VIDEO- .Key chapter .The argument .The agreement .Tabernacle of David .Free in grace- but not a license to sin .Written and oral tradition .Paul and Barnabus have a falling out .1st church council .visions played a role in setting doctrine [Peter and thee sheet vision recounted] .Yet we test the spirits- they are not all of God PAST POSTS [verses below] https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/protestant-reformation-luther-1766-lil_25.html My daughters non profit- https://www.facebook.com/jimwellscountypetsalive/ ACTS- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/23/acts-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/31/acts-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/06/acts-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/acts-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/07/acts-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/16/acts-11/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/22/acts-12/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/01/acts-13/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/14/acts-14/ (739)ACTS 15- Some brothers from Judea came down to Antioch and taught the believers that they had to be circumcised and keep the law in order to be saved. These are the Pharisees out of Jerusalem who became believers. They tried to put the gentile believers under the yoke of the law. Paul and Barnabas disagree strongly with this teaching. They decide to bring the question before the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem. This is the first ‘church council’ in history. The ‘Jerusalem council’. At the meeting the dispute arises. Peter speaks up and recounts his experience at Cornelius house. How God showed Peter that he would justify people by faith, without having to become converts to Judaism. James chimes in and quotes a famous verse [famous now!] from the prophet Amos ‘in those days I will rebuild David’s tabernacle and all the gentiles upon whom my name is called will see me’. I want to stop here for a minute. On this blog I wrote a chapter on David’s tabernacle. It is in the booklet ‘The great building of God’ you might want to read it if you are not familiar with David’s tabernacle. I want to note that scholars disagree on what James means here. Some see ‘David’s tabernacle’ as the house or dynasty of David. Like Paul saying ‘house of God’ when speaking of ‘the family of God’. Others say this verse teaches the rebuilding of the Temple. The main reason James is quoting this verse is really not for the ‘rebuilding of David’s tabernacle’ section. It is for ‘all the gentiles who call upon my name’ part! James is agreeing with Peter and taking the side of grace when he says ‘look, even Amos said gentiles would call on Gods name’. Paul does this in Romans, he quotes the Old Testament prophets in context of the gentiles being accepted. So I wanted to just put some context to why James is bringing up this verse. But I also give credence to seeing ‘David’s tabernacle’ as speaking of the New Testament house of God [the Body of Christ] and Gods intent to ‘tabernacle in his people’. Acts does teach that Jesus has ascended and is seated on a throne that includes Israel as well as the whole universe! So in this context Christ can be seen as ‘building the tabernacle of David’ [spiritual temple of believers] that includes all ethnic groups. Yes, gentiles too can call upon his name! The Apostles and Elders and brothers all reach agreement and write a short letter and send Judas and Silas along with Paul’s group back to Antioch to read the final decree. They told the gentile believers they were not under the law and did not have to convert to Judaism to be saved. They did give four simple restrictions. Don’t eat meat with the blood in it, don’t eat food offered to idols or strangled animals. Don’t commit fornication. Basic requirements that later on will lose their emphasis as the church grows in grace [accept for fornication! God does require believers to walk in holiness]. Now this chapter is vital for every believer. The 16th century reformation restored the truth of people being saved freely by grace. Many Christians were lost in the legalistic requirements of religion. Many believers thought they could buy their way out of purgatory with money! Others thought they would be saved by keeping church law. This early church council gave freedom to the church in seeing herself accepted by grace. The church grew in her understanding of Gods grace. As God’s revelation of himself progressed thru out the early church, they saw him as being ‘inclusive’ not exclusive! The more they learned about God, the more they understood him justifying people freely. It is easy to lose the reality of God justifying man freely thru grace. No excuses for living in sin, but true acceptance and forgiveness because of Christ. This is truly the heart of the gospel. The first church council laid the foundation of Gods free grace. The gentiles at Antioch and the other towns were ecstatic over this decision. Truly the gentile churches are experiencing more freedom than the church at Jerusalem, after all they had the ‘Pharisees who believed’ at Jerusalem, and they weren’t willing to give up on their belief of the importance of the law and circumcision. They will haunt Paul thru out his life. After the letter is read, Paul and Barnabas continue to teach at Antioch and the 2 brothers who were out of Jerusalem are free to leave. Judas goes back, but Silas likes the freedom at Antioch and decides to stay. Paul says ‘lets go visit all the brothers in the cities where we preached’ Barnabas says ‘great, lets take John Mark!’ Paul doesn’t want him because he abandoned them on an earlier missionary journey. Paul takes Silas and John goes with Barnabas. The ‘visiting of all the brothers’ is also described as ‘visiting the churches’. Once again, the brothers [and sisters] in the cites are defined as ‘the churches’. They were called out groups of believers who were recognized not because they ‘attended church on Sunday’ but because they were followers of ‘the way’. VERSES- 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spiritswhether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Acts 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. Acts 15:3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. Acts 15:4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. Acts 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Acts 15:6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. Acts 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Acts 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Acts 15:12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. Acts 15:13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Acts 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. Acts 15:15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, Acts 15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: Acts 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Acts 15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Acts 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren: Acts 15:23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Acts 15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: Acts 15:25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, align=top> Acts 15:26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 15:27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; Acts 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Acts 15:30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: Acts 15:31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. Acts 15:32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. Acts 15:33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. Acts 15:34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still. Acts 15:35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Acts 15:36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the LORD, and see how they do. Acts 15:37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. Acts 15:38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. Acts 15:39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; Acts 15:40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. Acts 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg VERSES [The verses I quoted or taught on the video- Ephesians 6- Links to all my sites below] Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Ephesians 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; Ephesians 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Ephesians 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; Ephesians 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, Ephesians 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Ephesians 6:22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. Ephesians 6:23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 15If ye love me, keep my commandments. 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. 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My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam. I post 8 videos a night to many of my sites, and text posts 3 times a week. I realize that is a lot for some sites, yet this is the system I felt the Lord led me into. I NEVER take money- or ask for money- ever. Everything is free- to some sites this makes a difference- so I wanted to say that here. Thank You- John. 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John SUNDAY SERMON
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Sunday sermon videos- https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhChLHpH_ZmQ8BHPQ https://www.dropbox.com/s/9rhyxvx273wy9ww/11-19-17%20Sunday%20sermon.mp4?dl=0 https://youtu.be/6GGDsv8Ecl4 https://ccoutreach87.com/11-19-17-sunday-sermon/ https://ccoutreach87.com/11-19-17-sunday-sermon-2/ ON VIDEO- .Bobby Johnson and the healing story .Who was that lady? [midwife- I got the kids wrong] .Thief in the night- 2nd Coming of Jesus .The church as a garden .The True Vine- Jesus .Parable of the talents .We will be judged on what we did as believers- how faithful we were with the gifts given to us .Virtuous woman as the church .Widows mite .They put bibles on their heads! .Rogers dream [what about all these dogs?] .The secret room [Many mansions] .God confirms his word .Angels are messengers Teaching- This Sunday I taught on the verses from the Mass and a few notes from Church Unlimited. I have actually taught these passages recently- and will simply try and post them below. I did talk about a few experiences that some of my friends have told me the past few weeks- and tried to connect some dots- But the theme was being prepared for the coming of the Lord- to live our lives as Christians in a state of readiness. Taking the gifts [talents] God has given us and using them in this life- we are the garden of God and we are here to bring forth fruit unto him. As the bride of Christ- we honor our bridegroom when we live our lives in the light- Walking in the light of his word and his will for us. In the parable of the talents they were all given certain gifts- and when the Lord returns- he will judge us based on what we have done with the gifts. We are a family- we are a garden- we are the bride of Christ himself- And when we abide in him- when the branches abide in the vine- they bring forth much fruit. But the fruit comes as we remain connected to the vine [root]. I also talk about an interesting dream a friend of mine had while sitting in the county jail- and how he was released early the next day. While we don’t believe/accept every dream or vision a person has- yet to me it was significant. I explain why on the video. Ok- that’s a brief review of the video- below are the past teachings I did that should cover the rest- John PAST POSTS- [Past teaching I did that relates to today’s post- Sunday sermon- Verses below] https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/31/teaching-friends-2/ %5BThis is the post I mentioned on today’s video- Sunday Sermon] https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ https://ccoutreach87.com/mark-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/22/9-15-17-church-in-proverbs-31/ https://ccoutreach87.com/588-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/ MARK 12 Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. https://youtu.be/VJBAPuroAUY Mark 12 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/7-6-17-mark-12.zip https://ccoutreach87.com/7-6-17-mark-12/ ON VIDEO- .Sandia .Storehouse wisdom .Kingdom to the gentiles [church] .Vineyard- wisdom- tower .Song of the vineyard .Apostles .Leadership .7 dead brothers .Married in heaven? .We are the bride- he is the groom .Burning bush- I AM .Great commandment .Beware of the religious leaders .Jesus has a question too .The common people liked it NEW- Jesus teaches the parable of the vineyard [or tenants]- it comes from the song of Isaiah chapter 5. The parable speaks about the Jewish people- and their rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah. A landowner plants a vineyard- puts a hedge around it- places a wine-press in it- and sets up a tower. He then leases it out to tenants. The Lord of the vineyard leaves- and over time he sends his men back to collect the fruit. The people who have leased the land refuse to give the fruit. They beat and stone those who are sent. And finally the landowner sends his son- and they kill him. The meaning is clear- God sent his prophets to speak to his people [Israel] they rejected them over time- and finally kill the Son. Remember- Jesus is teaching this- before he is crucified. He predicts his own death in the parable. Yet- at the end- he quotes Psalm 118- Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: Mark 12:11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? He predicts his Resurrection as well. The Son who was rejected and killed- becomes the head of the corner. In this chapter Jesus will also quote Psalm 110- Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Psalm 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. He questions the religious leaders- He asks them Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? Yes- Jesus did indeed come from the line of David- but as the eternal logos- he was before David- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The chapter ends with 2 stories- about widows. It’s important that we see them both. Jesus rebukes the religious teachers for taking advantage of widows- for financial gain Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places, Mark 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, Then he commends the poor widow for giving into the offering- Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Over the years there have been many examples of religious leaders taking advantage of the poor- many have enriched themselves by abusing their office as teachers of the bible. Jesus strongly condemns those who do this. Yet- he commends the poor widow for giving to God. The rich were giving out of an abundance- it seems as if they actually learned the principle of abundance in their giving to God. Yet- he sees the woman giving out of her poverty- understand- she is still poor at the time she is commended. Yet the others were rich- and giving. Many in today’s church would look at the rich- who had an abundance- and say they prospered because they were giving- and had a lot. And some would condemn the poor widow- because she obviously must be doing something wrong- because she gives- and is yet poor. But Jesus did not see it that way. The woman gave sacrificially because of her love for God. The rich gave- yet they did it out of their wealth. Jesus honors the poor widow- not because she learned some secret of giving to get a harvest- because she had no harvest. But she loved God- she gave for the work of God- as she understood it. Her giving was not based on the return she would get- because as of now- she has not received a return [poor widow]. Yet in the eyes of Jesus- she indeed gave more. There are a few other things in this chapter that I taught on the video. The challenge of the Sadducees- who do not believe in the resurrection. And Jesus rebuke- Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? I have taught this before- and will try and find those past posts and add them below. Jesus also gives us the great commandment in this chapter- Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. When the common people saw Jesus put the religious leaders to silence- the bible says they loved it- Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. The downtrodden of society were rejected by the religious leaders of the day. Their outward religion caused them to neglect true justice- true love of fellow man. The same things that the song of Isaiah- which Jesus used in the parable- were being rebuked for- Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. The fruit the land owner wanted- was not simply religious works- It was what the other man in this chapter saw- Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. The animal sacrifices and outward religion were the things that Jesus rebuked them for. Those who seemed to use religion in order to have an abundant wealthy life- were not seen in a good light by Jesus. The tenants wanted an inheritance and their lust for the wealth of the vineyard [financial harvest] caused them to reject the actual Son of God himself- Mark 12:6 Having yet therefore one son, his well beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s. Yes- many in the modern church have tried to seize on some material inheritance and given out of an abundance and implemented many of the principles of the bible in order to prosper. But in doing this- they have had to reject many of the plain things Jesus taught- New International Version “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matt. 6:24 Yes- in a way- they have killed the Son- and seized the wealth. But Jesus saw the widow- the poor widow- the woman who seemed to have never gotten a hold of the wealth building principles of those who gave out of their abundance. Yes Jesus saw her- And in the wisdom of God- She gave more than all the others combined- And thus the chapter ends. PAST POSTS- http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/john-complete-links-added.html http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/romans-2015-video-links-included-romans.html http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/2015-video-linksincluded-hebrews-1-3.html https://ccoutreach87.com/further-talks-on-church-and-ministry/ https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ MARK- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/28/jersey-city-ride-mark-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/02/mark-2-north-bergen/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/04/mark-3-isaiah-61/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/14/mark-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/27/mark-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/05/mark-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/16/mark-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/30/mark-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/14/mark-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/07/mark-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/22/mark-11/ I mentioned Bultmann and the Herodians on today’s video- below are some past teachings I did on them- During the time of Jesus you had a divided people. In 1st century Palestine the Jewish people split into 4 basic sects. 2 of them are pretty well known- the Pharisees and Sadducees- they are mentioned often in scripture. The other 2 are less well known- the Zealots and the Essenes. The Zealots are named in the bible- but only in passing. We have no references to the Essenes. The Pharisees were sticklers for the Torah [Jewish bible] and the Sadducees centered their life around the Temple- they were more of a political/religious type group. They stuck to the Torah alone. That is they only received the actual first 5 books of the Old Testament- which is the Torah [also the term is used to speak of the entire Old Testament] and that’s why the Sadducees rejected miracles and angels and stuff. Most of those stories are found in the other O.T. books. The Zealots were a group of people who hated compromise- they were actually a 1st century ‘terrorist’ group- who carried out assassinations. Not on Rome- but on their own people! The zealots hated those who compromised with Rome- and if they felt a leader was too chummy- they killed him. The Essenes were a separatist group who lived in ‘the hills’ [Qumran community] they simply gave up completely on any political solutions for the day- and went and lived in the hills. These are the ones responsible for hiding the Dead Sea scrolls [old bible books found in the last century] in a cave. It’s interesting to note that Jesus had both a Zealot on his team [Simon- not Peter who also went by that name] and Matthew- a Tax collector. Tax collectors were considered the biggest sell outs of all- they actually worked for Rome and scammed their own people- it must have been hard for Jesus to lead this group [the 12 disciples] who came from such opposite ends of the political spectrum. Yet Jesus did lead them- he was even offered earthly rule a few times [once from satan- and once from the people who heard him] he rejected it both times. His kingdom was not ‘of this world’. In the New Testament book of Philippians- the bible says that though Jesus was in the form of God [deity] yet he became a man and humbled himself to the death of the Cross- a shameful way to die. We have one letter written in the N.T. by a ‘family’ member of Jesus- that’s the epistle of James. Protestants believe that Mary had other kids after Jesus was born- our Catholic friends teach that she remained a Virgin her whole life. My purpose right now is not to get into that. James was considered the ‘half brother’ of Jesus [Mary was the mom of both boys- Joseph was the dad of James- Jesus’ father was God]. Okay- James was slow to believe in his brother- but over time as Jesus was declaring himself to be the Messiah- I’m sure James had to wonder- you know- think back ‘gee- come to think of it- I can’t’ remember a time where my brother got in trouble’. Wait- now I remember- yeah- that time when Jesus was 12- we all went to Jerusalem for the big feast- and Jesus stayed behind while we started the trip home. Yeah- we went 3 days before we realized he was gone. Boy was mom mad that day. So we went all the way back to get him- and when we found him- he was sitting in the temple- asking these questions- I mean questions that only theologians knew- Jesus was still a kid. Mom said to him ‘son- why did you stay behind- we were worried’! Yeah- she was mad- if there was ever a time my brother came close to getting in trouble- this was it. But Jesus said ‘why were you worried- didn’t you know I would be doing my Fathers business’ yeah- he sure seemed different- but the Messiah- come on. So as the ministry years of Jesus role by- there are all these reports of miracles and healings- blind people seeing- dead people coming back from the grave. Yeah- James has got to be wondering now- but no- he could not accept that his own brother was the promised Son of God- no- too much. Then the day came- that terrible day where mom had to watch Jesus die on that rugged Cross- on Golgotha- man the hill looked like a skull. Yeah- it was a strange site- I mean the sky got dark- an earthquake shook the place- and even the Roman soldier who witnessed my brother die said ‘surely this was the son of God’. Wow- too much- my bother has carried this thing too far- even in his death he won’t let this obsession go. Then James hears some disturbing reports- his friends are saying that Jesus has come back- that he pulled it off- the greatest miracle ever- the one Houdini himself couldn’t do. But are the reports true? I mean if anyone could tell if this guy walking around is really Jesus- James would know. We don’t read of the account- but all we know is James became a believer- a believer that his brother was indeed the Messiah- the Son of God. I guess it went something like this- Jesus sitting there with his men- James shows up and sees his brother- the perfect one- not a spot on his record. Maybe Jesus looked up- maybe he said ‘brother- do you now see’ and yeah- he saw. James would go on to be one of the leaders/Pastors of the church at Jerusalem- we read about him in Acts chapter 15. Most scholars believe this was the same James who penned the short letter we find in the N.T. that bears his name. One thing James hits on a lot in his letter- is he defends the poor- the downtrodden- and he rips into the rich- the elite of the day. He warns us not to be biased- not to use ‘uneven scales’ when dealing with people. James hit on social justice issues- he picked them up from his brother. We need to be concerned about the world- if a raped woman is forced to marry her rapist- then we ought not say ‘she was pardoned’. When we critique one person for past failures- then we must do that to all. But at the end of the day- Jesus never took the earthly crown- he did not see the solution to be a political one- he brought Simon and Matthew together on the same team- and he showed them what it means to lay your life down for others- to live without the praise of men- the earthly standard of success- he chose another way- and he left that path for us. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com [1622] ARE THE JAPANESE DISPROVING FREUD? One of the narratives coming from the Japan disaster is the response of the Japanese people. In contrast to our Katrina tragedy the Japanese are very self reliant. Jack Cafferty [CNN] read an email from some elderly lady who contrasted the 2 responses. She called the Louisiana residents who looted, killed, complained and wined- she said ‘those scumbags’ [ouch!] What are we seeing in the Japanese people? The media are referring to them as Stoic’s- the philosophy [ancient Greek- one of only 2 philosophies mentioned by name in the bible- Acts chapter 17 mentions the Stoic’s and Epicureanism] that said the secret to life is living on an even plane. Don’t get too ‘up’ or too down- just ride the wave of life as moderately as you can. The other side of the coin is Hedonism- the philosophy of men like Freud- who taught that the problem with man is that he is taught to restrain himself [by religion] and that this restraint is itself a product of neurosis. Freud was a strange fellow, the father of modern Psychoanalysis; his ideas were actually quite weird. As a Jew [non practicing] he embraced the higher criticism of his day [a way of interpreting the bible as not being actually true- just good stories] and he sought to come up with an explanation for mans religious bent. So he came up with the idea of the Oedipal Complex- a strange view of man that said the real problems of man are they have this view of love and hate for the father figure- and the ‘real’ story of Moses and the children of Israel was the Jews killed Moses in the wilderness [hatred for the father figure] they then felt guilty about it- and out of this guilt they would eventually develop a ‘religion of the Son’ [Christianity] and Walla- that’s the real story. You would be surprised how many people hear silly stuff like this in life [or college!] and they never give it a second thought. Like Pope Benedict says in ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ [1st book of a trilogy on the life of Christ] he mentions the theories of the critics [men like Bultmann] and he then responds ‘and how do you know this’? Bultmann [one of the famous liberal theologians of the day] would come up with ideas like this- and he would just espouse them. The funny thing about these critics was they were trying to challenge the historical accuracy of the bible- are the gospels true- stuff like that. And in their challenge they would ‘make up’ their own stuff [Oedipal complex] and simply expect everyone to believe it. So Freud taught that we need to free man from this neurosis of religion- this thing in society that says ‘restrain yourself’ and if we teach man to do and be all that he feels like doing- then we will have healed him of this destructive religious belief that developed out of a secret love/hate relationship of father. Wow. I can think of no greater philosophy to not live your life by than that. How did the Freudian experiment turn out? It was/is a disaster- I’m not just saying this as a Christian who rejects Freud’s atheism- but many of his ideas have also been roundly rejected by the psychologists of the modern day. Freud actually taught that when you counsel a person [yes- he was the originator of the idea of the patient lying on the couch while the counselor listens] that the patient is ‘transmitting’ psychic energy from himself to the doctor- and that’s what makes him better. Freud wrote Moses and Monotheism [his fictional account of the origins of Judaism/Christianity] Totem and Taboo- the fictional idea of the primitive religion of man- and Civilization and it’s Discontents, his explanation of the conflict between mans psychic life and the demands of society. The basic view of Freud [Hedonism] is a failed system that does not work in the real world. To live your life based on the philosophy of ‘if it feels good- do it’ does not work in any area of life- for the long term. In food, shopping, family life, marriage, sexual expression- the basic principle of self restraint and discipline [the Japanese response] is in great contrast to the ‘unrestrained’ view of life [as seen in some of the Katrina response- many of the looters and rioters were raised with a welfare mentality- they were dependant on the state/govt. to do things for them. When things went bad- they blamed the govt. for it]. In the end of the day- the society that practices self discipline- that teaches their children to be self reliant- those are the ones who have the most successful lives. Those who practice Hedonism blame stuff on everyone else. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com VERSES- New International Version As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. John 8:40 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Heb. 13 KJ21 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel” (which being interpreted is, “God with us”). Matt. 1:23 Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. Heb. 6 Mark 12:1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. Mark 12:2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. Mark 12:3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. Mark 12:4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. Mark 12:5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Mark 12:6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s. Mark 12:8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. Mark 12:9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: Mark 12:11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Mark 12:12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. Mark 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. Mark 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Mark 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. Mark 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him. Mark 12:18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Mark 12:19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Mark 12:20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. Mark 12:21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. Mark 12:22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. Mark 12:23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, Mark 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. Mark 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Isaiah 5:1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: Isaiah 5:2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. Isaiah 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. Isaiah 5:4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? Isaiah 5:5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: Isaiah 5:6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg John 15 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT JOHN 15 John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. https://youtu.be/fYld3Wm4elE John 15 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/8-30-16-john-15.zip ON VIDEO- You tube songs below- https://youtu.be/vBecM3CQVD8 I mention this song on the video https://youtu.be/H3By4DZyTNM I like this one too [sound of silence] .Longest last supper discourse .True Vine .Branches cut- pruned .Sympathy for the devil? .Cards in a deck .Most high .Suicides in the bible .King Ranch .What is a valuable legacy? NEW- [links- verses below] Jesus teaches us that he is the TRUE VINE- God is the gardener- and we are the branches. Warning- Branches that do not bear fruit get cut off. The ones that produce fruit get pruned. Ok- in the history of the church- some Christians believe that ‘believers’ can get cut off [lose their salvation]. Others don’t. My purpose in covering this chapter is to show you that good Christians do disagree on this- and they are all Christians. Now- what does it mean? I’ll give you my view. Remember- John’s gospel is unique in many ways. One way is he gives us the longest discourse of Jesus which seems to have taken place at the last Supper. We read about the meal in chapter 13- and if you read the beginning of chapter 18- it seems as if all this instruction was in the upper room. Even the great prayer of Jesus recorded in Chapter 17. So- here’s context. Judas was no longer at the table- he went out already. As far as we know- the only disciple that knew Judas was getting ‘cut off’ was John. But they all knew that one OF THEM was going to betray Jesus. This was tough stuff. Jesus might have been giving them some ‘reasons’ for this. Meaning ‘ok- Judas was part of the group [branch] and some tough stuff is still to come- remember- those who do not produce fruit [as Judas] will get cut off’. ‘What about us Jesus- the good guys’? Ok- you guys get pruned- because that’s the process. See? Now- this obviously extends to all of us- Jesus was teaching the church- but maybe this will help us see a little better. We have a peculiar insight from John’s gospel- because out of the other 3 gospel writers- only John wrote 3 teaching epistles [1-2-3 John]. Peter wrote 2 letters [1-2 Peter]. But he didn’t write a gospel [there is a gnostic one- but most say it was a fake]. So- John talks about abiding in Christ in his letters- and also about sins that lead to death 16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 1st Jn. He says we should not pray for those who ‘sin unto death’. Sounds harsh- but remember- John was at the table that day. And Jesus taught his men that this betrayal was meant to be. Peter also tells us there were some who were false preachers- yet- when they fall away- It would have been better for them not to have known the way of truth- then after knowing it [like Judas] to then fall away. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 2nd Peter Both Peter and John seem to say that these were never really true believers They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 1st Jn. 2:19 And Judas did have a special place- yet we know he was not sincere from the start. John also teaches us much about abiding [resting] in Christ- and warns us that if we don’t learn how to abide- then we will face shame. The overall theme in the New Testament is there are indeed judgments for those who turn away. Some might die psychically 1Corinthians 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 1Corinthians 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 1Corinthians 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 1Corinthians 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Others might face a harsher sentence. The reality of apostasy is indeed in the bible- And whatever side you fall on [Arminian -From the preacher Jacob Arminius – Calvinist- Comes from John Calvin’s name] that warning remains clear. Hold fast to the doctrine of Christ- walk in the Spirit- do not justify a sinful life. And in the end- all will go well. PAST LINKS- [verses below] JOHNS GOSPEL LINKS- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/amos-5/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/15/jesus-christ/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/father-abraham/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/the-flood/ John 3 https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/the-well-john-4/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/john-5/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/john-6/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/john-7/ https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/8-10-15-john-14.zip https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/16/john-8/ https://youtu.be/f8VpxlYM_kU John 8- ‘who the Son sets free’ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/john-9/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/john-10/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/john-11-the-8th-sign/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/i-found-a-verse/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/john-12/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/samuel-john-hebrews-review/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/john-13/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/john-14/ I mention Corinthians on today’s video- here’s my study- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/ The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight]. Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies. Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace. This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin. Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal. This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up. Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins. Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin. I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place. The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine. The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints. But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this. Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin. But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often. Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject. Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one]. Why is it important that we study this? In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides. It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’. The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion. And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on]. So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people. The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church. He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids. I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus. Amen. [parts] 1782- PROTESTANT REFORMATION CONCLUSION Today let’s finish up the study on the Protestant Reformation. We left off on Luther disputing with the church over the doctrine of how a person becomes just in the sight of God- is it by works or faith? Now- to the surprise of many Protestants [and Catholics!] both sides agreed that a person cannot be justified by works. Yes- the Catholic Church rejected what was known as Pelagianism. In the early centuries of the church there was a Catholic priest- named Pelagius- who taught that people had the ability within themselves to obey Gods law and become saved that way. He rejected the doctrine of original sin and another famous bishop- Saint Augustine- would refute Pelagius and teach salvation comes by the Grace of God. The official Catholic position was to reject Pelagius and accept Augustine. Okay- then where’s the difference? The church council that spells it out is the Council of Trent [named after the Italian city where the council took place in the 1500’s- Trento]. This council is often referred to as the Counter Reformation. The church rejected the Protestant line- but also acknowledged the need for reform and made some changes. This is the council where the church rejects Pelagianism- and also says the position of Luther [Justification by Faith ALONE] was flawed. The church appealed to the New Testament letter of Saint James- where James uses an example from the life of Abraham [found in Genesis 22] where Abraham obeys God and is willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar. Of course this never happens- God was simply testing Abraham- but James says this act of obedience justified him in Gods sight. James says ‘see how a man is justified by works- and not by faith ALONE’. The argument from Rome was Faith played THE major role in justification- but was not sufficient by itself- there had to be righteous works eventually associated with it in order for God to say ‘you are just’ [saved]. Luther disagreed and said God justified Abraham before he had good works- we find this in Genesis 15. God says to Abraham ‘look- count all the stars- so shall your offspring be’ and Walla- the bible also says Abraham was justified in God’s eyes the moment he believed the promise. Who’s right? Actually they both are. I have taught this a few times over the years- and it would take too much time to re-do right now. But I believe James and Paul [the 2 who debate this in the bible] are simply looking at different aspects of salvation/justification. Paul emphasized faith- and James showed us how true faith always has works with it. When you read the statements that came out from the council of Trent- some of them do seem to indicate that both sides might have been talking past each other at some points. In the heat of the day they were too quick to condemn the other side- without really trying hard to achieve unity [like politics!]. The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight]. Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies. Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace. This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin. Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal. This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up. Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins. Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin. I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place. The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine. The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints. But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this. Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin. But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often. Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject. Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one]. Why is it important that we study this? In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides. It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’. The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion. And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on]. So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people. The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church. He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids. I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus. Amen. [parts] NOTE 3- Augustine. I personally am a fan of Saint Augustine. He is one of the famous church fathers of the early centuries. In my view he holds a distinct place- he is admired by both staunch Protestants [Reformed Theologians]- and Catholics. Why? The original Protestant Reformation of the 16th century had 3 key figures. Martin Luther [Germany]- Ulrich Zwingli [Swiss] and John Calvin [studied for the priesthood in Paris- later took a key role in Geneva Switzerland]. One of the key beliefs- of at least 2 of these 3- was the doctrine mentioned above- Predestination. It is a common mistake in our day to see historical documentaries [I have seen some] that refer to Calvin as someone who believed in Predestination [true] and that Luther disagreed with him. That’s wrong [but you have to study theology to find this out- a brief reading of church history does not show you this- that’s why some of the well meaning documentaries you might see on the History channel get this wrong]. Okay- Martin Luther was a Catholic Monk- under an order called the Augustinian order- named after St. Augustine. See? Even though he would break away from the church- and the Lutheran church would form- yet he held to the original belief that the founder/namesake of his order taught. Now- you do indeed find many verses in the bible that speak about God choosing us- and not us ‘choosing him’. Or chapters [Romans 9] that say Gods choice of us has nothing to do with our own goodness- but he chose us because he loved us. So- this teaching does indeed have scriptural backing. But- you also have scripture to back up the opposing view- which is referred to as Arminianism. Named after another church leader- Jacob Arminius. He held to the Calvinist view at first- but as he began studying- to defend this view- he came to the belief that this view [at least among its more radical adherents] was wrong. These 2 groups- Calvinists- Armenians- became enemies as the Protestant Reformation grew. The followers of men like John Wesley [founder of the Methodist church] disagreed strongly with those who held to the Calvinist view. In our day- you still have adherents of both views- seeing the ‘other side’ as non Christian. It’s sad- but this is just one- of thousands of teachings- that have had this effect. The Catholic leaders warned of this at the time of the breakaway- which took place in the 16th century. They feared that once you made a clean break from the historic church- that the ‘breaking’ would never stop. As you look at the scene over the past 500 years- it’s hard to say they were wrong. One last note- many modern Protestants do not hold Augustine- or any of the men mentioned above- in high regard at all. Some hold to a belief [another popular one in groups that are Restorationist- as opposed to Reformist] that all of the early Christian expressions got off course [apostatized] and that the only ‘true’ church- just happens to be the group they are in. Once again- this type of belief simply increases the division in the church- in my view. Many reject men like Augustine- because of his influence by the Greek philosophers- they charge that some of the early church leaders were too much into philosophy. For instance- one of the first Christian schools ever founded was in Alexandria- Egypt. In the 2nd/3rd century Origen- an early church father- would take over the school and teach Christian theology. But- the school was basically a school that first taught Greek philosophy. Origen is respected by many [like me] but officially the church does not recognize him as a legitimate Church farther. Why? Because he did indeed hold to some views that were not Christian based- like the pre- existence of the soul. This belief comes straight from Greek philosophy- not Christianity. He also believed in what we refer to as Universalism- that at the end- everyone gets saved- even the Devil! So- this debate has gone on for centuries- the debate over how ‘Platonic’ so and so is- or did men like Thomas Aquinas [ 13th century- another favorite of mine] simply mix Aristotelian thought [Aristotle] in with Christian teaching- and thus water down the true faith. This is also the reason many [most] Protestants do not teach Philosophy- as a basic plank- in their seminaries. I think this is a big mistake. Philosophy- as a field- deals with the basic issues of life. Why are we hear- what’s the purpose of mans existence- etc. For the Protestant church to have basically abandoned this field- this left the secular world to shape it as they wish. But- the Catholic Church has indeed engaged in this field- and in my view- has presented a better world view- than the secular philosophers. Okay- now this post is becoming an entire study! That’s it for now- I have lots of posts like this on the blog- if you want- just look them up there. [The above comes from my study on the Protestant Reformation- here’s the complete study- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ ] [parts] GW BRIDGE- https://youtu.be/70CVdZxFIMg GW bridge ON VIDEO- .Foundation stones .Why Bishops? .Gnostics and Docetism .Dads boat .GOV Christie and hot dogs .Restore the paths .Isaiah and John .Memories of a kid- train tunnel .Robert Moses to blame? .Mayor LaGuardia .The argument for Rome .Church fathers .Mystics .Suicide signs .Apostolic succession .What church is the ‘true church’? .Most amazing intellectual discourse ever? Only if you don’t hear [have to watch to get it- sorry] .Bedrock .I am homeless- can you spare a 5? NOTE- I made the video- and typed the notes sitting in my car at Hudson County Park [in the rain] Ill upload tomorrow at Dunkin Donuts [or somewhere else]. What big financial budget was needed for this? None. One of the things I want my minister friends to see- is it’s not about money. Sure- it would be easier to be at my home office- or even a home. But you don’t need it- you can use the things that you have. This has been one of my ‘pet peeves’ for many years. I want you to see how simple all of this is- the friends you see [both in Texas and here] are just friends I made along the way. The kingdom is about relationships- and sharing with one another- even Marie quoted Jesus- and as far as I know she’s not a Christian. So- maybe this whole unplanned experience was God’s will. To be honest- I never know- at least at the start. Be spontaneous- I left Texas on Sunday- because I heard the song ‘Head East’ [or group?] So yes- we all have limited time on the planet. Don’t live ‘too safe’ or you won’t live- at all. FRIDAY NIGHT- PARKING LOT- https://youtu.be/UYOvIw6jhiI Friday night- parking lot Just finished the GW bridge walk a few hours ago- and being it might be the last night sleeping in the car, I figured I’d do a video for a few minutes. This will probably be the last time you’ll be able to see- real time- me living in the car like this. But- like they say ‘you never know’. [parts] VERSES- 13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Acts 19 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 2nd Peter 2 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Lk:11 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Rev. 14:15 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Ps.103:20 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 1st Jn. 2:22 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1st Jn. 4:3 30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. Jn. 20 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. Lk. 4:23 http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com facebook.com/john.chiarello.5 https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. I deal with issues at times that it would be beneficial for some of you to download and save the file from the Word Press link. This creates a permanent record. The on-line videos are only good if sites are not hacked- which has happened in the past. Thanks- John.# THE SCEPTER OF THE KINGDOM- https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/4-3-16-the-sceptre-of-the-kingdom.zip https://youtu.be/9mWfbwDW-F4 The Scepter of the kingdom ON VIDEO- .Austin .Reeds n Rods .Mystery fan? .The dream .Carnival .G.I. Joe .Morning Glory .See me throw the rod VERSES- Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Ps. 45:6 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. [parts] VERSES- John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. John 15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. John 15:23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. John 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: Notice all the ‘abide’ verses in John’s letter- He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 1st Jn They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 1stJn 20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 2nd Peter Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Jude. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com facebook.com/john.chiarello.5 https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts https://vimeo.com/user37400385 Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. I deal with issues at times that it would be beneficial for some of you to download and save the file from the Word Press link. This creates a permanent record. The on-line videos are only good if sites are not hacked- which has happened in the past. Thanks- John.# Share this: · Press This · Tumblr · I talked about the thief in the night theme- here’s a past teaching I did from one of the gospels that might relate- · 1ST, 2ND CORINTHIANS · 1ST- 2ND SAMUEL · 1ST- 2ND SAMUEL [LINKS- UPDATED 3-17] · 1ST-2ND KINGS · ABOUT · ACTS · ATHEISM- APOLOGETICS [LINKS ADDED] · CHRISTIAN RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION [LONG VERSION] · CLASSICS OF WESTERN LITERATURE · DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA · EPHESIANS [HIGHLIGHTS] · FURTHER TALKS ON CHURCH AND MINISTRY · GALATIANS [LINKS] · GALATIANS- JOHN’S GOSPEL · GENESIS · HAGGAI · HEBREWS- UPDATED 2015 · HISTORICAL FIGURES FROM CHURCH HISTORY · HOUSE OF PRAYER OR DEN OF THIEVES · HURRICANE HARVEY · INSIGHTS FROM A REVOLUTION · ISLAM · JAMES- 2015 · JOHN [COMPLETE- LINKS ADDED] · JONAH [LINKS] · JUDGES- RUTH [VIDEO LINKS INCLUDED] · JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH · MARK [LINKS] · MY BIBLE COMMENTARIES [OTHER LINKS] · MY OTHER SITES · N.J./NYC- 2017 · NEHEMIAH, ISAIAH · NYC-NEW JERSEY TRIP- 2015 · OVERVIEW OF PHILOSOPHY · OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE · PROTESTANT REFORMATION- LUTHER · QM · RADIO CATALOG · RAPTURE- 2ND COMING- 2 EVENTS? · ROMANS-UPDATED 2015 · RUSSIA- U.S.- WORLD EVENTS · THE GREAT BUILDING OF GOD · WESTERN INTELLECTUAL TRADITION // you’re reading… UNCATEGORIZED Mark 3- Isaiah 61 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ MARCH 4, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT FRIDAY- SATURDAY 3-3, 3-4 2017 Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. FRIDAY- 3-3-17 [all teaching links- verses at end of post] On the first video I did some teaching. Then ran into a few friends- and was grateful I was able to spend some time with the guys. I did some short videos- but hopefully you get to see a little more of how the homeless deal with things in this area. And sure enough I ran into my old friend Nick as I was walking out of burger king. MARK 3 https://youtu.be/eA0wzuH8kO4 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/3-3-17-mark-3.zip GLENN https://youtu.be/93W1oxlmSHM – finally got Glenn to talk a bit on video- as you can see- I’m not the best video ‘taker’- but you see him on the next one as well. DINO https://youtu.be/nhkr0m9cL-E – I met Dino today- have seen him a few times- but today I finally spoke with him. Actually I bought a meal for Glenn. He told me thanks- but didn’t need one [he eats croissants that he brings with him]. But I realize the manager doesn’t ‘appreciate’ the homeless guys sitting at Burger King for hours on end. It’s much like some of the guys I have met over the years. They are on the streets and they use the bathroom and charge their phones and stuff at stores- restaurants- etc.- So I bought the meal just to ‘pay the tab’ if you will. It sat in front of Glenn for an hour- he thanked me- but didn’t eat. So I asked Dino if he wanted it [he was actually sleeping at the table] and he said sure. As we talked- we realized we were both born in the same town- Hoboken. I talked with him some more after I turned off the video. NICK https://youtu.be/aha-5QTHWtE as I walked out of Burger King- I ran into Nick. He’s one of the first friends I met when I started coming back 5 years ago. I took a walk down Bergenline Avenue and was grateful I ran into him. Nick really is a talented musician- on some of the first videos I ever made Nick plays the guitar and sings. Ok- that’s it for today- maybe I’ll do a little more on Saturday- before I fly out of Newark on Sunday morning. ON VIDEO [Mark 3] .Healing the hand .Ordaining the 12 .Sons of Thunder .Unpardonable sin .Beelzebub .Gospel of the kingdom .Who said it again? .Lincoln or Jesus? .Fake news? .Media bias .Our President’S [notes below] SATURDAY 3-4-17 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke- ISAIAH 61 https://youtu.be/cwI088OD9MU https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/3-4-17-isaiah-61.zip RICK https://youtu.be/K2GIiKEDyag Rick https://vimeo.com/206740432 [As I reviewed the video I realized it picked up the radio playing in Burger King- Youtube usually mutes those- so I made a Vimeo one just in case] I taught some on the first video- and ran into Rick after. I’ll add the notes and verses for the teaching video [Isaiah 61] at the end of this post. ON VIDEO- .Dreams .Rooms .The set time .Why didn’t Jesus quote the entire verse? .The scroll .It’s more than you think PAST POSTS [ For the Mark 3 video- verses below] I quoted- talked about these on the teaching video- Mark 3- Here are my past teachings- https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/ VERSES- Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Mark 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. Mark 3:2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. Mark 3:3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. Mark 3:4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. Mark 3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. Mark 3:6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. Mark 3:7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, Mark 3:8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. Mark 3:9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. Mark 3:10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. Mark 3:11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. Mark 3:12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. Mark 3:13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. Mark 3:14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, Mark 3:15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: Mark 3:16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; Mark 3:17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: Mark 3:18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, Mark 3:19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house. Mark 3:20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. Mark 3:21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. Mark 3:22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. Mark 3:23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? Mark 3:24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3:26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. Mark 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: Mark 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. Mark 3:30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. Mark 3:31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. Mark 3:32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. Mark 3:33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? Mark 3:34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Matt. 16 Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. Matt. 8 Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations PAST POSTS [For Isaiah 61 teaching- verses below] I quoted from these bible books on the video [Isaiah 61]- here are my past teachings on those books- https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/nehemiah-isaiah/ https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ VERSES- 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. Isaiah 61:5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. Isaiah 61:6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. Isaiah 61:7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. Isaiah 61:8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Isaiah 61:9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. 2 Corinthians 5:18 [Full Chapter] And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Gal. 4 1 John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations That’s it for this New Jersey trip- see you when I get back to Texas- God bless all of you. John http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts https://vimeo.com/user37400385 john chiarelloFollow On https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_logo http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/ http://johnchiarello.thoughts.com/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/ Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on- Thanks- John.# Share this: · Press This · LinkedIn1 · Tumblr · Facebook1 · VERSES- [These are the verses I taught or quoted on today’s video- Sunday sermon- Other videos below] 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. Mk. 3 Psalm 79:11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations November 19, 2017 « November 18 | November 20 » Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 157 Reading 1PRV 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and works with loving hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates. Responsorial PsalmPS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 R. (cf. 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; Your children like olive plants around your table. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Reading 21 THES 5:1-6 Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, “Peace and security, ” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober. AlleluiaJN 15:4A, 5B R. Alleluia, alleluia. Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord. Whoever remains in me bears much fruit. R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMT 25:14-30 Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'” OrMT 25:14-15, 19-21 Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability. Then he went away. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.'” Other videos [These are the videos I post every night- Links to all my sites below] 5-29-19 Update https://youtu.be/aSQRDv2UMuU Work of art https://youtu.be/5jwMW85eUl8 Samuel https://www.dropbox.com/s/idi04t0q0wow6tv/10-14-17%20Taught%20Samuel%20with%20street%20friends.mp4?dl=0 San Antonio https://dai.ly/x75vany Hebrews 12 https://flic.kr/p/2eAwg4v History of everything [2] https://d.tube/v/ccoutreach/dgi1pt0y 3-17-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMinODulbcBCKdgnsJ Danny- North Bergen https://youtu.be/Jr__T9QHwtI Kings 21 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgWvbgKh0hf3a1jv5 Henry https://www.dropbox.com/s/kjk1ul23ol0btg9/10-14-17%20Henry.mp4?dl=0 9-2-18 Sunday sermon https://flic.kr/p/25n2C9T Real time teaching https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMilfMujgeURML0FCj Colossians 1 https://www.dropbox.com/s/lx4vvkmsayx1qwt/3-15-18%20Colossians%201.mp4?dl=0 Bringing in the sheaves https://www.bitchute.com/video/HYPd0ZfOD2ny/ 5-27-19 Friends- Teaching- rev. 1 https://youtu.be/TDXWPKv2L10 The Capstone https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhULAstfRLiZQKtpc Andy n Craig https://www.dropbox.com/s/vfn1mqmw0pw941g/10-14-15%20Andy%20n%20Craig%20Martin.mp4?dl=0 Hebrews 4-6 https://dai.ly/x75rqqw More friends https://flic.kr/p/2eyTyM6 3-3-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMimBBoveua1D24H4j 11-25-18 Sunday sermon https://drive.google.com/file/d/1niZvVUxkI9-QzsDz15615lMBVBK1nFEr/view?usp=sharing Acts 1 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GMuV1gdD27Uz4fZm1IDQA5gfVdnXG36C/view?usp=sharing Kings 16 https://youtu.be/sPH-fvrad94 Incarnation https://youtu.be/kzCmgKqJ_Q4 New wine https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhT6A–jSr0M-lIDz Revelation 11 https://flic.kr/p/2ewZ5tx 4-8-18 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMggj9Da-udJOpofi4 Apologetics https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J6VdWrV1IKxtsS-HCJzz_VIxujUPte_c/view?usp=sharing The seed https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iLcMV_qs-pzi6vjXwMTyF7O_FbDywRn-/view?usp=sharing 11-18-18 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/8cifz1ugv8aldzn/Sunday%20sermon%2011-18-18.mp4?dl=0 I have just solved the homeless problem https://dai.ly/x75rqqx 3-4-18 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMh3Uz8BorraZOy6uu Galatians 3 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OXQnnofPTh6J0eKWpPwdofnqpmi1d320/view?usp=sharing Kings 13 https://www.dropbox.com/s/6tkv7ignlj7vazv/10-13-17%20Kings%2013.mp4?dl=0 Revelation 11 https://flic.kr/p/2ewZ5tx Unicorn horns https://d.tube/v/ccoutreach/41je9q1v Homeless friend https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMilil1EbtI_1RxX4X 1-14-18 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vztrkq0tjzsyz4/1-14-18%20Sunday%20sermon.mp4?dl=0 Hebrews 7-9 https://youtu.be/Yg8mxHCRb2g 1-8-17 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/97ze9tfz65brah3/1-8-17%20Apologetics-%20Philosophy-%20Prophets.mp4?dl=0 5-27-18 Sunday sermon- 1 https://flic.kr/p/28AnuNg 1 Lord- 1 Baptism https://dai.ly/x7qci7h Acts 10 https://www.dropbox.com/s/xq7c2g0d8ezz2oj/4-27-17%20Acts%2010.mp4?dl=0 Pirate Scotty https://youtu.be/4We8Jlp8S0A Candle stick https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhEPoiEXdalj9Qv_P James 2 https://youtu.be/e0lok59u2CE 10-20-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMjEtV3idhCmH2DS7C 6-10-18 Sunday sermon https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFRdxCeFMc2/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet Homeless friends https://ok.ru/video/1698924137015 Colossians 4 https://www.dropbox.com/s/u3urlhqn0uohehn/4-26-18%20Colossians%204.mp4?dl=0 Homeless friends https://youtu.be/f9fKQrdfyCE 12-10-17 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhEbbdz0lyi5LyGZY James 1 https://youtu.be/ph4F8jNG-rk 9-4-16 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/0s917ziir37jz6u/9-4-16%20Talking%20Church%20%5BReal%20Life%20outline%5D.mp4?dl=0 Eyes like fire https://flic.kr/p/2kcFxD3 11-19-17 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x7qci7j Kings 5 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ezkuxy0ey2ukjxa/4-26-17%20Kings%205%20%5BZech%205-6%5D.mp4?dl=0 Friends https://youtu.be/aN79mBdEy2o Acts 2 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMe74Uzp8M7zlLwek Does God exist? https://youtu.be/WyOmSg1WWX0 10-5-19 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMjElNfB6A3ly1GW_g 5-17-17 Sunday sermon https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFMhH6IlX6p/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet Acts 2 https://ok.ru/video/1694104685111 San Antonio https://www.dropbox.com/s/metp1u0zbv56gf0/4-25-17%20San%20Antonio%20%5BReview-%20Kings%205%2C%20Zech%205-6%5D.mp4?dl=0 Homeless friends https://youtu.be/8KbhKQNxuGI Nightingale https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg1RfJZV3JKGmLI_5 Church history https://youtu.be/McY5-hmkc1Q 2nd Samuel 6-7 https://www.dropbox.com/s/akkowwr43zfeig3/1-1-17%202nd%20Samuel%206-7%20%5BC.U.%5D.mp4?dl=0 Teaching https://flic.kr/p/JUCD7n Samuel 26 https://dai.ly/x7q8k2p Hebrews 4-6 https://www.dropbox.com/s/vz3vwnm4locclzv/4-25-15%20Hebrews%204-6%20%5Bcarnival%20too%21%5D.mp4?dl=0 Homeless friends https://youtu.be/aFdUjNju_Ak Apologetics https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg1ObK8H06DHWRJMp Locke https://youtu.be/_orf2WpE0mI Local Church 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My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam. I post 8 videos a night to many of my sites, and text posts 3 times a week. I realize that is a lot for some sites, yet this is the system I felt the Lord led me into. I NEVER take money- or ask for money- ever. Everything is free- to some sites this makes a difference- so I wanted to say that here. Thank You- John. 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John EPHESIANS 5
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Ephesians 5 videos- https://youtu.be/R9hmfExkpwU https://www.dropbox.com/s/1zau14j5ba1728k/2-1-18%20Ephesians%205.mp4?dl=0 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQ5JYk6RK_I5RvkH ON VIDEO- .The glove test .Partake of the table too- like David .A type of the priest from Judah- the Lord of the Sabbath .Walk in love .1 Spirit in a corporate community .The same Spirit of Christ 1 Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. .Not just a symbol .Gnostic/Docetist heresy refuted http://www.dictionary.com/browse/docetism .We are vitally connected to him .What is the great mystery? .The Body of Christ Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations TEACHING- [Past posts below] The apostle now gives practical living truth- As believers- we do not walk after the flesh- we are instead to be filled with the Spirit- and walk as new creatures in Christ- Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. Ephesians 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Ephesians 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Ephesians 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Once again- a theme I have hit on the past 2 weeks- we see the death of Christ for us as an example of the love of God- Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. Then Paul talks about the marriage union- the same instructions he gave in his other letters- Ephesians 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Ephesians 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Most of us are familiar with it- Husbands love your wives- wives- submit- not in a negative way- but as examples of Christ and the church. The church is lead by Christ- the head- so the family unit- when functioning properly- is lead by the husband- if he is loving his wife properly. Now- the verse I wanted to emphasize the most- Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. When I read it the other day- it seemed to ‘say more’ than what we usually ‘see’. The church as the Body of Christ is an ‘image’ that most of us are familiar with. But here it seems to go further. The apostle says we are bone of his bone- flesh of his flesh- and he says this is a great mystery- Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. We as humans were made alive when God gave us life- spirit- identity- Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit Human beings live- because we have spirits- souls- life given to us as a gift from the creator. This is not a symbol- this is reality. Now- when we as believers are born again- our spirits come back to life- we were dead in sin- and have now been made alive again. We also have the Holy Spirit indwelling us- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 [Full Chapter] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. This is not simply a symbol- but a reality. Jesus actually rose- physically from the dead- and ascended bodily into heaven- 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. He lives today in a resurrected body- and is seated in a position of authority [right hand of God] So he too- physically has the Spirit of God in him. We- as people still on the earth- have that same Spirit residing in us- Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. God has done a new thing in the redemption of man- God has created a community of people- in whom the same Spirit- One Spirit- now actually resides in all of us. When I saw it this way- I didn’t take the verse as being only a symbol- but a reality. Yes- we do retain our individuality as believers- we still have our own regenerated spirits in us- But we also have intimacy with the resurrected Christ- and one another- because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is now living in us too. See? Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations NOTE- I also shared from these 2 portions of scripture on the video- Ecclesiastes 6:1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: Ecclesiastes 6:2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. Luke 6:3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; Luke 6:4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? Luke 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. I read them the other night- and felt they had a special meaning for those in ministry- as well as all of us- I’ll try and add my past teaching below on Luke 6- this portion is actually a great truth about Jesus and the New Covenant- I taught it on the video [Ephesians 5] PAST POSTS- [My past teachings that relate in some way to this post- Ephesians 5- verses below] EPHESIANS- LINKS Ephesians 1 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/11/ephesians-1-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/11/26/ephesians-1-19/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/qz9i_imwzxr_4mxuew5zlg https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-1-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-11493512 https://wt.social/post/rc53k6u5354625913904 https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=232128 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-1-xqoglgx https://parler.com/post/aa5bd46a3753491e99710c2cd1a8bb2b https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105276224624976104 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-1-27d0fcaa8880 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-1-b2a5eb65-04ed-4790-a971-39a6d85e3716 https://www.plurk.com/p/o3wyd2 https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-1-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2329463/ephesians-1 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/11/26/ephesians-1-text/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/11/ephesians-1.html Ephesians 2 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/ephesians-2-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/01/ephesians-2-17/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wvybuiudggev3_vm_qhqvg https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-2-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-25590001 https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=232685 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-2-xrylnny https://parler.com/post/748c476fba604de689619565135844cc https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105304783616871659 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-2-280a4c058487 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-2-2b3690b5-ac98-4e27-b042-8dedf5417278 https://www.plurk.com/p/o46bsx https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-2-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2334441/ephesians-2 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/01/ephesians-2/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/ephesians-2.html Ephesians 3 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/ephesians-3-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/03/ephesians-3-text-2/ https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-3-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-35804971 https://wt.social/post/xb2alpy535664270347 https://sharfly.com/Ccoutreach87 https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/48qngfcomtgxg84zjc80mg https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-3-xomgkqv https://parler.com/post/14ec497878d44193916500bfdd9f6bf1 https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105315874573098603 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-3-cac32f21bbed https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-3-a3f56ff4-dde7-4212-acba-cced7c613fc8 https://www.plurk.com/p/o4ab2l https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-3-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2336606/ephesians-3 http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/ephesians-3.html Ephesians 4 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/12/ephesians-4-text.html?m=0 https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/12/08/ephesians-4-19/ https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/1dbdwae4qon9ykeutxvkag https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/ephesians-4-5 https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/ephesians-46736325 https://wt.social/post/qsr5b6m5358090410537 https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/ephesians-4-xvweolq https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/105344333614644517 https://johnchiarello.medium.com/ephesians-4-7709862ae153 https://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/ephesians-4-d17bbe53-668a-43ed-9511-6d8ecd38aa72 https://www.plurk.com/p/o4jjjc https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/ephesians-4-4 http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2341420/ephesians-4 https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/12/08/ephesians-4/ http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/12/ephesians-4.html Other links- https://ccoutreach87.com/2018/02/04/sunday-sermon-it-is-finished/ https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/ https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ %5BI mentioned chapters 1 and 3 on today’s post- Eph. 5] https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ %5BSee chapter 12] https://ccoutreach87.com/christian-recovery-from-addiction-long-version/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/ Samuel 21 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ OCTOBER 9, 2016 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT SAMUEL 21- As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/10-6-16-samuel-21.zip ON VIDEO- [Yes- I ‘Backslid’. I promised no more political stuff- but for the first 20 minutes of the video- I get into it. The last 10 minutes I do teach- and have some new notes below on that. I made this video a few days ago- before the latest ‘controversies’- the Hillary WikiLeaks and the Trump video. It really makes no difference- I’m simply dealing with media bias. Trying to show how the media decides what to focus on. Yet- the real important issues of our time are put on the back burner- and we do politics like a sport]. .Debates .Media bias .Clinton Foundation .Why no taxes? .Clintons health is a real issue .Why is she off the trail? .How did the Clintons get rich? .What about the server? .Why did CNN fire the doctor? .Google even manipulated the search results .Russia .Abortion .The sword came back NEW- David is on the run from King Saul. He shows up at the house of God and asks the priest for food. The priest is nervous- David is alone [not a full military back up] and something just doesn’t seem right. David assures the priest ‘look- I’m on a special mission for the king- it’s so secret I left quickly- didn’t even have time to take food or weapons’. Wow- this must be some mission? How about some lie. Yes- David is good at lots of stuff- and he lied great here. So- the priest gives David and his few men the Holy bread- which is only for the priests. Now- David is not from the priestly tribe- Levi- but from Judah. Ok- David takes the food and asks ‘do you have any weapons’? The priest says ‘only the sword- I mean it’s wrapped up in the back- we treat the thing like it’s holy’. Yes- the sword David used to cut the giants head off. I think David must have felt a little remorse here. The whole nation had that sword as a memento of David’s great victory over Goliath. He used the sword only one time- the day he cut the giants head off. After all- it was the giant’s sword. Now- he’s on the run from Saul- already made up some great lies- and the priest gives him the weapon he used in the past. When he trusted in the living God- against all odds- and was a righteous warrior. David takes the sword- goes to the Philistines- Huh? Yes- he flees to the enemy camp- and the king of Gath says ‘why did you bring this guy to me- isn’t he David the great warrior who killed us in the past’. Now- David seems to have been trying to get a job- you know- as a mercenary. He couldn’t fight for Saul-and that’s his greatest paying skill. But when the philistines recognize him- Well- what do you think David did? Maybe yelled out ‘yes- I’m the one who took the giants head off- and I still come to you in the name of the living God- and…’ Yeah- did he do that John? Well actually not. Instead- he started drooling at the mouth- and scribbling on the doors- you know- like he was nuts. ‘John- you shouldn’t joke about stuff like that’. I’m not! Go read it [below]. Yes- the great man after ‘God’s own heart’ was so afraid- he pretended he was nuts- and yes- the scheme worked- The king says ‘this guy’s not David- that great man of honor- he’s a nut’! Ahh- we see what fear can do to a man- even a great man. Yes- David is in a tough spot- His own king- Saul- is out to get him. His only option was to go work for the enemy- At least that’s what he thought. And then he not only acted like a nut- He lied to the priest too. He ate the bread that Jesus himself said was only for the priests 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? Jesus. And he schemed his way into a corner. Does anything good come out of this at all? Yes- Jesus used this story- when defending himself and his disciples when they were accused of violating the law. 23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. And Jesus- who too was from the tribe of Judah- Superseded the Old Covenant law- He never broke it- but he ushered in a better covenant. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Hebrews So David- on his bad day- actually glorified Jesus on his good day. And even in his failure- gave Jesus one of the greatest stories he could use to show his superiority over the Levitical priests. Yes- that Jesus and his men- just like David and his- did indeed have the right to do what they did. Because they were from a better tribe- The one that our Lord ‘sprang from’. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. Heb. 7:14 Amen. PAST POSTS [verses below] https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/the-mexican-judge-and-benghazi/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/russia-u-s-world-events/ 1st- 2nd Samuel- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/1st-2nd-samuel/ %5BOld commentary I wrote years ago] VIDEO/POST LINKS- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/every-cop-a-criminal/ %5B1-2 Samuel%5D https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/28/when-the-saints-go-marching-in-sam-3-john-2-4/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/just-a-box-samuel-4/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/03/would-you-be-isis/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/07/samuel-5-6/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/samuel-7-8/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/samuel-9/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/23/samuel-10/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/the-chapel/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/samuel-11-kings-n-priests/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/samuel-12-13/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/samuel-14/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/john-12/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/samuel-15/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/samuel-john-hebrews-review/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/24/samuel-16/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/samuel-17/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/07/samuel-18/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/samuel-19/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/24/john-17/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/samuel-20/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/28/james-then-it-rained/ SAMUEL REVIEW I’ve been commenting on the book of Samuel- brief overview. Samuel is born at a time in Israel’s history where ‘the word of the Lord was rare- no open vision’. God had stopped communicating to his people- because they were lukewarm- not serious about God. God was looking for at least one passionate person- to cry out to him with all their heart. He found that person in Hannah. She was barren- could not get pregnant- and one day her desperate plea came to God. ‘Give me a child- and I’ll dedicate him to you’. This might have ‘surprised’ God [I know- not really] because that type of desperation was missing from his people. So- she has a son- Samuel- and she drops him off at the church one day [the tabernacle] and leaves him for good. He’s raised under the leadership of Eli- and his 2 sons- who were priests. These sons were using ‘their religion’ for personal benefit- they were wicked and sleeping around- and Eli knew this was going on- and didn’t stop it. Yet- Eli has this woman [Hannah] who left her son- so he could ‘live for God’. I’m sure Eli must have felt guilty ‘geez- this lady is living in the past- when people really did sell out to God’ And his own boys- were using religion as a scam. One day [Samuel chapter 3] the young boy hears someone calling him. Samuel gets up and thinks it’s Eli- he goes to Eli ‘what do you want- I heard you call my name’. Eli has no idea what Samuel is saying- and tells him to go to bed. It happens 2 more times- and Eli realizes ‘Maybe God is calling the boy’. He gives Samuel instructions to go lay down- and when he hears the voice again- to say ‘Speak God- I’m hear’. Sure enough it does happen again- and God gives Samuel a message. He tells Eli what God said- and the news was not good. God will judge the wicked priests- Eli’s 2 sons- and God will clean house. Ok- that’s it in brief. I mention on the video how God revealed himself to Samuel thru his voice- and I have been teaching about the Logos recently. God’s word comes first- then the ‘flesh’ the actual outworking of what he wants to do- Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Samuel is an important figure in the nation at this time- because he will be the one to anoint the first 2 kings that Israel has- Saul and David. God was willing to start speaking to his people again- but there would be a cleansing first. The prophet Amos said ‘woe to you who ae looking for God’s day- asking ‘why is God not speaking anymore’. Because there’s usually a reason his communication is cut off from his people- and that’s because his people are not hearing [hearing in the bible is not simply ‘hearing’ but it means you obey what is said] him anymore. Yet- if we want to hear his prophets again- see his miracles- then that entails repentance on our part. For many years Eli’s wicked sons were ‘doing ministry’ and the things they were getting away with seemed a common practice. All the people knew it was wrong- they despised ‘the church’ because bad stuff was going on. Yet- that’s just the way things were. But then God had a vessel for his voice- a prophet- dedicated by a passionate mother- who kept her vow. Much like the Virgin Mary- when the angel appeared to her- she said ‘so be it’. God needs willing people- then he too will speak again. Yes- we too can hear his voice- and the word of the Lord won’t be ‘scarce’. VERSES- 1Samuel 21:1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? 1Samuel 21:2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. 1Samuel 21:3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. 1Samuel 21:4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 1Samuel 21:5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. 1Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. 1Samuel 21:7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. 1Samuel 21:8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste. 1Samuel 21:9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. 1Samuel 21:10 And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 1Samuel 21:11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 1Samuel 21:12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 1Samuel 21:13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 1Samuel 21:14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? 1Samuel 21:15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house? I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, Is. 62:6 http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg I talked about the Gnostics/Docetists on today’s post- Ephesians 5- here are my past teachings on it- (739)ACTS 20- Paul travels with some brothers on the journey. This mode of visiting different regions and bringing brothers with him is exciting! They are truly seeing the Kingdom of God becoming established in the earth. Scripture says ‘they broke bread on the first day of the week’ we read later in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that when they met on the ‘first day of the week’ he asked them to take up a collection before he arrived [so he could take the money and meet the needs of the poor saints at Jerusalem]. Do we see here some type of Sunday Sabbath, that is the ‘church day to pay tithes’ so you don’t get cursed? Of course not. You are seeing the simple practical outworking of a people who are becoming the people of God. It’s fine to meet on a Sunday and to ‘break bread’. Hey, the group needs to know when to meet for the meal! But don’t develop liturgical/sacramental ideas out of this. You say ‘hooray for John [me], he is really giving it to those Catholics’ well, don’t say hooray yet. Now he calls for the Elders at Ephesus to come to Miletus so he can give them some instructions and a farewell. This address from Paul is one of the best in the New Testament. He covers the basics for leadership and church growth. Now, he tells them ‘all the time I was with you guys I was upright. I taught you publicly and from house to house. I showed you repentance toward God and faith towards Jesus Christ. I worked and did not covet your money. I did this to prove I was not there to gain financially from you. To give you an example as Elders yourselves, so you would not see the responsibility of oversight thru a covetous mindset. Beware! After I leave you there will be an attempt by the enemy to undo the work of the Cross. Some men, even from your own group will rise up and speak twisted doctrines. They will try to become preeminent in the group, drawing away disciples after themselves. Don’t become sidetracked and become followers of men! Guard the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Feed them Gods good word’. Paul lays down strong guidelines here. He actually teaches the elders that he worked when he was among them to leave this example of leaders not seeing ministry as a means to get gain. In one of his future letters [Timothy or Thessalonians?] he actually says this ‘working’ that he did was a tradition for them to keep. He said this in context of those who refused to work. Very strong indeed. Peter also will teach the Elders to take oversight of Gods flock ‘not for money, but out of a pure motive’. In the wars that rage over ‘simple church’ versus the modern 501c3 model, both sides have shot at each other wrongfully at times. There are very intelligent brothers who will take this chapter and teach that the modern Pastor has fallen into the trap of ‘making disciples after themselves’. They see the development of the role of Pastor as becoming the fulfillment of this. Now, I do see some merit to this, but I see most pastors [all the ones I know and have known personally over the years] as Elders who are striving to help Gods People. I see a real need for all leadership to see that ministry is not a fulltime clergy type office that has developed over the centuries! Paul is simply addressing the Elders [more mature ones- in the gospel, not necessarily old!] and showing them that their purpose is to help the people of God grow in grace and make it to a place of self sufficiency in Christ. Paul is pretty much laying down the gauntlet that leadership is not some ticket of ‘now that I am in ministry, my income comes from the God ordained tithe’. This is never taught as a means of support for New testament ministers. These ideas have developed out of the Old Testament idea of the tithe supporting the Levitical Priests. In the New Covenant all are Priests and we don’t practice this type of thing. But Paul does teach that it’s good to support materially [financially] those who are feeding you spiritual food. He does teach ‘don’t muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn’ [he called us ox’s!] seriously, he lays down the biblical guideline of supporting those who minister the word. But it is important to see he was not establishing some type of clergy system, the fact that he was working while with these Ephesians and actually used this as an example for OTHER ELDERS as well as the believers shows you this. All in all the main point Paul is getting across is he wants the basic truth of the gospel to prevail and he does not want top heavy leadership to come in and draw away disciples after them. That is for strong gifted leaders to become the main focus of these Ephesian believers. So this chapter is important because we see Paul address these elders that he has been ‘ordaining’ in the churches [groups of believers]. We see the basic character and function of these men. We see the warning that cults will arise. In Paul’s day groups did come forth from the basic Christian communities [Gnostics and Docetists] that had a basic understanding of certain Christian things, but would deny the reality of Jesus. Paul bids them Farwell as they all embrace on the shoreline. The Elders were heartbroken over Paul’s words that he will probably see them no more. He wanted to keep the upcoming feast at Jerusalem and eventually preach at Rome. He was on this obsession to carry this gospel to the seat of the empire, even if it means his life. Here’s a link- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/20/acts-20/ https://ccoutreach87.com/mark-links/ Here’s my past teaching from Mark 12 that relates to the Matt. 23 reading- https://youtu.be/7dfLhO2HBf8 anti- Christ [2nd, 3rd John] https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/10-23-16-anti-christ-2nd-3rd-jn.zip ON VIDEO [past posts below] .See my Hillary drawing [sorry] .Who is anti-christ? .Some thought Hitler .Apostles relate to the bride .Soteriology .Was John a theological liberal? Mosul .Iraq- Libya .ISIS .Sunni- Shia division .Execution- or human shields- or just murder? .Abortion .Docetism refuted [parts] OBADIAH- Obadiah 1:7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; that they eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him. ON VIDEO- .Peace treaty? .Leaked emails .How to skew the polls .Do I like to lynch Black people? .The 1 dollar cheese story .Homeless stuff .Iran- Yemen- Libya- Syria .The shores of Tripoli .ISIS .Turkey .Britannia ruled the seas- and lost [overblog- see here- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/15/tuesday-5/ ] .Mosul GW BRIDGE- https://youtu.be/70CVdZxFIMg GW bridge ON VIDEO- .Foundation stones .Why Bishops? .Gnostics and Docetism .Dads boat .GOV Christie and hot dogs .Restore the paths .Isaiah and John .Memories of a kid- train tunnel .Robert Moses to blame? .Mayor LaGuardia .The argument for Rome .Church fathers .Mystics .Suicide signs .Apostolic succession .What church is the ‘true church’? .Most amazing intellectual discourse ever? Only if you don’t hear [have to watch to get it- sorry] .Bedrock .I am homeless- can you spare a 5? NOTE- I made the video- and typed the notes sitting in my car at Hudson County Park [in the rain] Ill upload tomorrow at Dunkin Donuts [or somewhere else]. What big financial budget was needed for this? None. One of the things I want my minister friends to see- is it’s not about money. Sure- it would be easier to be at my home office- or even a home. But you don’t need it- you can use the things that you have. This has been one of my ‘pet peeves’ for many years. I want you to see how simple all of this is- the friends you see [both in Texas and here] are just friends I made along the way. The kingdom is about relationships- and sharing with one another- even Marie quoted Jesus- and as far as I know she’s not a Christian. So- maybe this whole unplanned experience was God’s will. To be honest- I never know- at least at the start. Be spontaneous- I left Texas on Sunday- because I heard the song ‘Head East’ [or group?] So yes- we all have limited time on the planet. Don’t live ‘too safe’ or you won’t live- at all. FRIDAY NIGHT- PARKING LOT- https://youtu.be/UYOvIw6jhiI Friday night- parking lot Just finished the GW bridge walk a few hours ago- and being it might be the last night sleeping in the car, I figured I’d do a video for a few minutes. This will probably be the last time you’ll be able to see- real time- me living in the car like this. But- like they say ‘you never know’. [parts] In both the gospel and his 3 little letters [1st, 2nd and 3rd John] he uses this term to describe Jesus. ‘In the beginning was THE WORD and the word was with God…’ That’s the Greek word- Logos. It should be noted that the early Greek philosophers had a concept much like this. All the way back to the time of Plato- Socrates and Aristotle [around 500 years before Christ] the Greeks were speaking about a universal principle- some type of ‘unifying theory’ that would be the basis of all knowledge. They spoke about this principle as THE LOGOS. So- some of the critics of Christianity did use this as a criticism of the church- they say ‘see- the disciples were just making stuff up- borrowing themes that were already there’. Do they have a point? A point- maybe- but that’s all. In the letters of John we also read him refuting a cult of the day- called Gnosticism [Gnosis is the Greek word for knowledge. They believed that they had secret knowledge that the others did not have. A modern twist on this is sometimes referred to as Revelation Knowledge- it’s a form of this ‘special knowledge’ idea that existed in the early days of the church.] An off shoot of this group were called the Docetists. These guys were pseudo Christians- they held to some form of Christian belief- but denied the true faith of the church. They taught that Jesus was ‘a phantom spirit’ that is- they denied what we refer to as the incarnation. That God became man in the person of Christ. John was one of the youngest disciples- and he also outlived the others. His writings are probably the oldest in the N.T. [Revelation] So- he was around long enough to refute the growing philosophical challenges to the church. So- putting all this together- when John said Jesus was the Divine Logos- he was not ‘stealing’ that idea from the earlier Greek philosophers who were indeed looking for a Logos principle. No- he was saying ‘look- we- the followers of Christ- have found the thing you were looking for all the time- he is the Wisdom- the Logos of God’. See? Okay- I haven’t read John in a long time- nor have I ever studied Greek. But- I do have a Greek lexicon [a book that gives you the Greek word before it was translated into English]. And back ‘in the day’ when we were young believers- seeking to learn the faith- these were the basic tools of the trade. But today- well- the tools are motivation- success stuff. Learning how to invest- make a buck [or 2] – how to ‘create your world’. Yeah- we really don’t have time for all that silly stuff like the Logos. After all- it’s all Greek to me. Yeah- I know. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] – I have posted lots. Mark 2 [North Bergen] POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ MARCH 2, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT WEDNESDAY 3-1-17 Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/3-1-17-mark-2-north-bergen.zip https://youtu.be/4S5YHb2hea8 BURGER KING [Glenn] https://youtu.be/mij6WkuCllE MONKEY WITH 3 TAILS [Rick] ON VIDEO [Mark 2]- .91st. st. to park [Fairview- North Bergen] .Who can forgive sins but God? .Man healed .Why was Jesus with sinners? .Culture shock .New Wine [and skins] .Don’t pick the corn .Don’t you remember what David did? .The Sabbath was made for man- not the other way around .David and his men a type of Jesus and his men NEW- I taught on the first video [Mark 2] and spent a few hours with some of my friends. Glenn is homeless- and we have had some good talks. I share a little of his story on the short videos. On the teaching video I’ll try and add my past teaching on this chapter. I haven’t done a commentary on Mark’s gospel- and when I get back to Texas I might pick up on where I left off and make a complete study out of it. When I left the guys I thought of possibly doing a NYC video at midnight type of a thing- I’ve done those before- and you can see how the streets are always crowded in the ‘city that never sleeps’. But I’ll put that off for now. On today’s post/video I walked past the spot where I made some of my first teaching videos- in 2014- below are those videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwvNQlFyuY %5BNorth Bergen- 2014] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SxYy2p1OX4 %5BNorth Bergen- 2014] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4VF0gOYw_k %5BNorth Bergen- 2015] PAST TEACHING- [verses below] Jesus talks about the story of king David found in Samuel- I taught that chapter before- 1st Samuel 21- here’s the link to my study [below I’ll paste the text to my commentary on the chapter] https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-samuel/ I mentioned these bible books on today’s video [Mark 2]- here are my studies on them- https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/ https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ (905)SAMUEL 21- David is fleeing from Saul and he goes to the priest at Nob. The priest wonders what’s up. David tells him he is on a special assignment from the king and he and his men need food. The priest tells him the only food available is the consecrated bread that is only for God and the priesthood. David convinces the priest to let them eat and David asks ‘do you have any weapons here’. The priest says ‘I have the sword you used to kill the giant’ David says ‘great, that will work just fine’. Jesus used this story to describe himself and the disciples [Mark 2]. One day Jesus and the disciples were going thru the grain fields and the disciples picked the grain and ate it on the Sabbath. The Pharisees said ‘your disciples are breaking Gods law by picking it on the Sabbath’. Now, to be honest they were breaking the over extended ideas that the religious Pharisees came up with thru their legalism. But Jesus still used this example as a defense. He says ‘have you not read what David and his men did? They ate the ceremonial showbread that was not lawful, only the priests could eat it’. David and his men are a symbol of Jesus and his men. While it is true that the bread was only lawful for the priests, David is a king/priest who gets away with doing ‘priestly things’ because of his picture of Christ. Scripture says he put on an ephod [priestly garment] which only priests could do. David functioned before the open Ark in Jerusalem. He did things that other kings were punished for [Saul, Uzziah]. Jesus in essence was saying to the Pharisees ‘I am the new priest/king from which all future law and worship will be measured by. Me and my followers are not under the law, the law serves us’! In Christ we are free from the guilt of the law, we live above legalism and follow the master. David and his men were acting like priests and kings contrary to the economy of their day. David was a type of Jesus whose future priestly ministry would ‘out trump’ the law. [parts] https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/10-6-16-samuel-21.zip ON VIDEO- [Yes- I ‘Backslid’. I promised no more political stuff- but for the first 20 minutes of the video- I get into it. The last 10 minutes I do teach- and have some new notes below on that. I made this video a few days ago- before the latest ‘controversies’- the Hillary WikiLeaks and the Trump video. It really makes no difference- I’m simply dealing with media bias. Trying to show how the media decides what to focus on. Yet- the real important issues of our time are put on the back burner- and we do politics like a sport]. .Debates .Media bias .Clinton Foundation .Why no taxes? .Clintons health is a real issue .Why is she off the trail? .How did the Clintons get rich? .What about the server? .Why did CNN fire the doctor? .Google even manipulated the search results .Russia .Abortion .The sword came back NEW- David is on the run from King Saul. He shows up at the house of God and asks the priest for food. The priest is nervous- David is alone [not a full military back up] and something just doesn’t seem right. David assures the priest ‘look- I’m on a special mission for the king- it’s so secret I left quickly- didn’t even have time to take food or weapons’. Wow- this must be some mission? How about some lie. Yes- David is good at lots of stuff- and he lied great here. So- the priest gives David and his few men the Holy bread- which is only for the priests. Now- David is not from the priestly tribe- Levi- but from Judah. Ok- David takes the food and asks ‘do you have any weapons’? The priest says ‘only the sword- I mean it’s wrapped up in the back- we treat the thing like it’s holy’. Yes- the sword David used to cut the giants head off. I think David must have felt a little remorse here. The whole nation had that sword as a memento of David’s great victory over Goliath. He used the sword only one time- the day he cut the giants head off. After all- it was the giant’s sword. Now- he’s on the run from Saul- already made up some great lies- and the priest gives him the weapon he used in the past. When he trusted in the living God- against all odds- and was a righteous warrior. David takes the sword- goes to the Philistines- Huh? Yes- he flees to the enemy camp- and the king of Gath says ‘why did you bring this guy to me- isn’t he David the great warrior who killed us in the past’. Now- David seems to have been trying to get a job- you know- as a mercenary. He couldn’t fight for Saul-and that’s his greatest paying skill. But when the philistines recognize him- Well- what do you think David did? Maybe yelled out ‘yes- I’m the one who took the giants head off- and I still come to you in the name of the living God- and…’ Yeah- did he do that John? Well actually not. Instead- he started drooling at the mouth- and scribbling on the doors- you know- like he was nuts. ‘John- you shouldn’t joke about stuff like that’. I’m not! Go read it [below]. Yes- the great man after ‘God’s own heart’ was so afraid- he pretended he was nuts- and yes- the scheme worked- The king says ‘this guy’s not David- that great man of honor- he’s a nut’! Ahh- we see what fear can do to a man- even a great man. Yes- David is in a tough spot- His own king- Saul- is out to get him. His only option was to go work for the enemy- At least that’s what he thought. And then he not only acted like a nut- He lied to the priest too. He ate the bread that Jesus himself said was only for the priests 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? Jesus. And he schemed his way into a corner. Does anything good come out of this at all? Yes- Jesus used this story- when defending himself and his disciples when they were accused of violating the law. 23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. And Jesus- who too was from the tribe of Judah- Superseded the Old Covenant law- He never broke it- but he ushered in a better covenant. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Hebrews So David- on his bad day- actually glorified Jesus on his good day. And even in his failure- gave Jesus one of the greatest stories he could use to show his superiority over the Levitical priests. Yes- that Jesus and his men- just like David and his- did indeed have the right to do what they did. Because they were from a better tribe- The one that our Lord ‘sprang from’. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. Heb. 7:14 Amen. [this is a chapter from one of my little books- talked about wineskins] CHAPTER 8 ARE CHURCH BUILDINGS EVIL? [OR THE GUY WHO WANTED TO CAST DEMONS OUT OF ME!] Many years ago before I really understood the truths of ecclesia and the communal aspect of the church, I was introduced to the belief that the ‘church building’ itself was wrong. I don’t personally adhere to this belief, but let me share the story. While ministering as a new believer in Christ and learning ‘the ropes’ of ministry, I remember driving past a brother who was a street minister from Mexico. It was unusual in the way he was conducting his street meetings. He would get permission to use an empty lot and then set up actual church pews in the lot without walls or any type of cover over it [even if it rained!]. Well one day on my daily rounds of visiting people and witnessing for Jesus [because this is what ministers are supposed to do, right?] I stopped by this brother’s lot and figured I would bless him with some lunch and listen to him preach [I felt sorry for the brother because no one else was attending his meetings]. After he spoke I had a chance to fellowship with him. After hearing his thoughts I realized it was on purpose for him to have no walls or cover over the pews [these were actual church pews that were out there in the open!]. He shared with me the verse in Hebrews [13:10] where it says that those who worship at the sanctuary have no right to partake of the altar of Christ [the cross]. He saw this as meaning that all Christians who meet in buildings [the sanctuary] were lost! Well, even as a young believer in the lord I was smart enough to know that this verse had nothing to do with ‘church buildings’. I showed the brother that in context the verse simply meant that those Jews [remember who the book of Hebrews was written to] who were not willing to leave the old covenant system [the sanctuary] could not move on with the new covenant truth of Christ and his cross. The sanctuary represented the whole concept of law and Judaism. This verse had nothing to do about the inherent nature of church buildings! Buildings themselves are neutral ground; it’s the style of one person functioning [the pastor] at the expense of the rest of the body that I see as less than ideal. Well after seeing the obvious error of the way this brother was reading this verse, I began to ‘expound unto him the way of God more perfectly’. When he finally understood what I was saying [you could tell by the look in his eyes that he saw the truth] instead of repenting of his distorted view, he became irate and began to cast demons out of me [hey, I didn’t think there were any in me!]. The reason I share this example is because there are those in the house church movement, while not as extreme, seem to view the church building itself as an evil thing. My personal view is the church building can become a hindrance when we view it as part of a system that makes up ‘church’. We seem to see the whole concept of the church building and the pastor as the weekly speaker and all the other things associated around this structure [like tithing to the storehouse] as ‘the system’ that God instituted to carry out his work in the earth. Remember Gods inherent authority resides in no human system or mode of religious worship. His authority resides in the church, the actual people of God in any given community on earth. So if there are believers carrying out Gods purpose, whether they have the whole system that we deem ‘local church’ or not, is irrelevant. Remember what we said about Jesus and the 1st century religious mind? They were finding fault with Jesus and his disciples because they were not following the religious protocol of the day. When we embrace certain mindsets that see ‘local church’ as the limited system of Sunday worship and all the other usual things associated with it, what we’re unconsciously doing is vesting authority in a style, or form of religious worship while by-passing the true legitimacy of Gods people. Its not to say that Gods people who function in the whole system of Sunday church are illegitimate [that would be making the same mistake as the brother who wanted to cast the demons out of me!] but this shows us how we unconsciously make the same mistake as the 1st century Pharisee by seeing as illegitimate those who don’t follow certain protocols. It was a common thing during the 90’s to speak about the ‘changing of the wineskin’ in order to receive the new wine [the new move of God]. Many of theses thoughts were helpful in causing us to re-think the way we ‘do’ church. I also remember a common theme being ‘God wants to pour out his Spirit, but the wineskins are not ready’ in some of these examples the ministers actually meant that we don’t have big enough buildings to put all these new converts so God is ‘withholding the new wine until the new buildings go up’. At this point you should begin seeing how once again this is confusing the reality of Christian community with ‘the church building’. I find it interesting that the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost was not delayed because of the lack of facilities to put all the new converts in. Also the great missionary journeys of Paul were not delayed ‘until the new wineskins were in place’. This shows us how we’ve come to view the people of God as being dependent on the present system. Could it be that God withholds His Spirit because the ‘new wineskin’ could refer more to believers seeing themselves as the actual church that God wants to fill? If we are not rightly discerning Christ’s community as a self-sustaining society of people then the church really isn’t able to contain the new wine. If we are so limited in our thinking to view the new wineskin as larger facilities, as opposed to a rethinking of what it means to truly be Christ’s body, then maybe the holdup has more to do with a change in the way we view ‘church’ then it has to do with bigger church buildings! CHAPTER 9 WHAT IN THE WORLD IS ‘THE LOCAL CHURCH’? Growing up as a catholic boy [though not a good one] I remember when I came to know the lord I started reading through the bible and found how the bible contradicted many of the religious beliefs I held to as a boy [this is not to say Catholics are not Christian]. Later while attending a good Baptist church I naively believed that good Baptists must have it right because they do read the bible![parts] Here’s the whole book- https://ccoutreach87.com/further-talks-on-church-and-ministry/ [parts] There were Jews at the time of the first century who tried to ‘get along’ with Rome- and with the person in charge of their region [one of the sons of Herod the Great at the time of Christ]. These are referred to as Herodian’s in the bible. Some wanted a revolution to rid Rome from Jerusalem- these were the Zealots [one of Jesus disciples was in this group]. Some thought if they returned to a legalistic obeisance of the law- that this would bring in a deliverer- like the stories we read about in the Old testament- these were the Pharisees. And some took more of a political compromise- these were the Sadducees. Eventually a war with Rome would be fought [By the way- Josephus- the famous 1st century historian- fought on the side of the Jews in the war- and after Jerusalem was sacked in A.D. 70- he went to Rome and wrote his great works- thinking he would make a case for the Jewish people with the Romans. This is why we have his works today- which are very valuable to scholars]. NOTE- In time I’ll try and cover how we ‘got our bibles’ [called the Canon- meaning Rule/ Measurement]. Frankly- there is a lot of confusion in the general public about conspiracies [like the Catholic Church had some type of plot to keep certain books out]. Or stories about how the Church taught Mary Magdalene was a prostitute so they could discredit her. Actually- we read in the gospels that Jesus cast out ‘spirits’ from a woman who was probably living this type of life- And Jesus had a ministry to the down and out- it is indeed possible that Mary was one of these women- And if true- it would not demean her in any way- That’s how this tradition more than likely developed- But- we don’t know for sure. So a few years back the Church officially said ‘we don’t know’. Ok- Plot? [parts] Ok- the ruling empire at the time of Christ was Rome- just prior to the appearance of Jesus- the Roman Emperor- Caesar Augustus- consolidated the Roman Empire under his rule- Rome was ruled by a senate- some famous names from history were in it- Cicero being one. Caesar Augustus was the nephew of Julius Caesar- his real name was Octavian [Octavius]. After the death of Julius Caesar- there were some power struggles that took place- between some other famous people. Marc Antony being one of them [Cleopatra too- he was in love with the girl for sure]. Now- we read about Augustus in the New Testament- and we read in the book of Revelation about the Mark of the Beast- and that those who don’t worship- give homage to the Beast- they will be killed. So- Many Christians would be killed because they would refuse to give homage to Caesar Augustus [meaning son of the Divine]. ‘Wow- how did he get a name like that’ [there was more than one Caesar by the way- as well as more than one Herod- who did play a part in these power struggles- it can get confusing- even to me]. When Octavian defeated Marc Antony at Actium [32 BC]. Herod [The Great] had a problem- he had previously sided with Antony and found himself on the losing side. Yet he was smart- did some ‘brown nosing’ as we say-and patched things up. Herod had 3 sons- who would eventually take positions of authority in the Roman government at the time of Christ. Herod Antipas was over the region that we read about in the New Testament where Jesus did most of his ministry- Galilee. Ok- Octavian claimed deity because of a heavenly sign associated with his rise to power- and this is how he became called ‘Caesar Augustus’. He sort of saw himself as a ‘re-incarnate’- of his great uncle Julius Caesar. ‘John- what in the heck does this have to do with the Dead Sea Scrolls’. Ok- good question. The Jews had various responses to the empires that ruled over them during various times. Alexander the Great instituted Hellenization- a sort of cultural compromise over the people he conquered. They could keep their religious/cultural roots- but would be subservient to Alexander and Greek rule. Some Jewish people rejected any compromise- we call them the Essenes- they moved out of town- so to speak, and lived in what we refer to as the Qumran community. This was a few centuries before the time of Christ- and this was where the Dead Seas Scrolls were found in the 20th century. A Bedouin boy was looking for his goats- threw a rock in a cave right off the Dead Sea- and that’s how we found the scrolls. The scrolls might have been hidden there by the Essenes- Now- when my friends asked me about them- I told them that it’s been a while since I read up on any of this- but to the best of my memory the thing that made them significant was the fact that they were very old manuscripts- from the bible- and they backed up what we had had all along. I did read up this week- and basically had it right. The earliest Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament we had previously dated back to around 900- 1000 A.D. These manuscripts went back about 1000 years earlier- and they contained portions from almost every book of the Old testament- and some complete books. The only book missing was Esther. So- this was indeed a very significant find for scholars. But the Scrolls also contain some of the writings from the Essenes themselves- things we never had before- so this too was significant. There were Jews at the time of the first century who tried to ‘get along’ with Rome- and with the person in charge of their region [one of the sons of Herod the Great at the time of Christ]. These are referred to as Herodian’s in the bible. Some wanted a revolution to rid Rome from Jerusalem- these were the Zealots [one of Jesus disciples was in this group]. Some thought if they returned to a legalistic obeisance of the law- that this would bring in a deliverer- like the stories we read about in the Old testament- these were the Pharisees. And some took more of a political compromise- these were the Sadducees. Eventually a war with Rome would be fought [By the way- Josephus- the famous 1st century historian- fought on the side of the Jews in the war- and after Jerusalem was sacked in A.D. 70- he went to Rome and wrote his great works- thinking he would make a case for the Jewish people with the Romans. This is why we have his works today- which are very valuable to scholars]. NOTE- In time I’ll try and cover how we ‘got our bibles’ [called the Canon- meaning Rule/ Measurement]. Frankly- there is a lot of confusion in the general public about conspiracies [like the Catholic Church had some type of plot to keep certain books out]. Or stories about how the Church taught Mary Magdalene was a prostitute so they could discredit her. Actually- we read in the gospels that Jesus cast out ‘spirits’ from a woman who was probably living this type of life- And Jesus had a ministry to the down and out- it is indeed possible that Mary was one of these women- And if true- it would not demean her in any way- That’s how this tradition more than likely developed- But- we don’t know for sure. So a few years back the Church officially said ‘we don’t know’. Ok- Plot? No- just being careful. So there are other misguided beliefs like this- that sincere people have- and over time I hope to get to them. I’ll do one more in keeping with this post. I mentioned above that Caesar Augustus did indeed take the title of ‘son of God’. And some critics of the Church say ‘see- there were all types of religions that had Sons of God’. I watched one show a few years back- and it stated that these religions had ’12 disciples- a leader named Lord and Savior- and he healed and claimed to be God’s Son- and rose from the dead’. Ok- that show was ‘fibbing’ to put it lightly- they went too far [historically speaking] in trying to diminish the Christians claim of Christ by doing this. Now- is there some truth to this at all? Yes- like I just mentioned above- Octavian did indeed claim deity- a ‘son of god’. So- how do we explain this? In the book of Galatians the bible says ‘in the FULLNESS of times God sent forth his Son’. Jesus came at a set time in history- in fulfilment of the Jewish Prophets- to be who he was- and to do what he did. Now- this is not special pleading here- but I find it a masterpiece that God’s Son came at a time when the Roman Empire had one sitting on the throne- who too claimed deity. Yet Jesus was in a region of the lower class- his men were not highly educated- and his followers were people under oppression. Augustus lived in the wealthy and influential capital of ‘the world’- he had all you could ever ask for- he was worshiped as a god. Yet in 3 short centuries- one of the heirs of the empire- Constantine- would have an experience – not with a former Caesar- but with a vison of a Cross- He would convert to Christianity- and declare Christianity to be the religion of the realm. VERSES- Mark 2:1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. Mark 2:2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. Mark 2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. Mark 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Mark 2:6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Mark 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? Mark 2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Mark 2:9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? Mark 2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) Mark 2:11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. Mark 2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. Mark 2:13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. Mark 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. Mark 2:15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. Mark 2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Mark 2:18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? Mark 2:19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. Mark 2:20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. Mark 2:21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. Mark 2:22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. Mark 2:23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. Mark 2:24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? Mark 2:25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? Mark 2:26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. NOTE- Why all these ‘past posts’? On today’s post- Ephesians 5- I quoted a verse from this bible chapter [Hebrews 4] so I added my past teaching on this whole chapter- that’s why you see these sections on the posts- I also add the verses at the bottom of the entire post- the ones I either quoted or taught on the videos for each post. To some- this might be too much for one post- that’s why I add the recent teaching in the NEW section at the top- HEBREWS 4-6 [Just made the video- so today you get ‘real time’- P.S.- to my kids- the carnival looks good- maybe we will go today? Text me- dad.] CHAPTER 4: NEW NOTES BELOW- .SABBATH REST ‘Let us therefore fear [Jews in the first century, not Christians in the 21st century! At least in this context] lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest [now defined as the New Covenant rest. Paul is telling Israel God has left you a promise of rest in Messiah, where you will cease from your own works [law], beware Israel, our forefathers missed out on the promise because of unbelief, don’t do the same!] any of you should come short of it, for unto us was the gospel preached [1st century Israel] as well as unto them [Israel at the edge of entering the promised land had the gospel [good news] preached to them by Joshua and Caleb, they gave the ‘good report’ that the land was great and it was there for the taking, of course they didn’t believe and therefore couldn’t take it] but the word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For WE WHICH HAVE BELEIVED [the remnant of Jews who were believing in the first century were entering into the rest of the New Covenant of grace, they left off trying to be made righteous by the law, they ceased from their own works] do enter into rest…for he spake in a certain place of the 7th day on this wise, and God did rest the 7th day from all his works, and again, if they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it still remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: again he limits a certain day in David [Psalms] today if you will HEAR HIS VOICE [as opposed to the voice of the law/Moses] harden not your hearts. For if Joshua [my king James says ‘Jesus’ this is because the translation is the same] had given them rest then he would not have spoken of another day, there remaineth therefore a rest TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD! [Jewish people ‘of God’ not gentile converts!]. Well, we covered a lot here. Paul takes the creation account, the verses that will later speak of a future rest for Gods people, and then a verse from Psalms where David prophesies that there still remains a future rest. He puts them all together to show Israel that God has ordained a future ‘7th day’ for his people to enter into. He uses the 7th day as a symbol of Gods ‘day of Grace and rest’. He then shows Israel that it really wasn’t speaking of the rest of the Promised Land after all, because eventually Israel did inherit it, but yet David still spoke of it in the future tense. So Paul concludes that the future rest of the 7th day that ‘Gods people’ [Jews] still must enter is the offer of grace to the 1st century Jew. Wow! This is why some theologians feel Paul was a little too loose with the scriptures. I think this stuff is great! Paul basically was using all of his understanding as a first century theologian [Pharisee] and was absolutely proving Christ to Israel in a way that none of the other Apostles could do. He was the only Pharisee out of all the Apostles, one born out of due time. This is obviously why Jesus chose him. It is so important to see the connections that Paul is making here. If Israel were following the timeline that Paul is giving, they will see that their own Old Testament scriptures testify that there was a future ‘place of rest’ that would be offered to them as a nation. And Paul also shows that in history, Israel had a pattern of not entering into ‘this rest’ because of unbelief. And then he says ‘but the rest that Joshua finally did give them [the promised land] wasn’t really the true rest after all, because David still spoke of it in a future tense’ then he says ‘see, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God’. Seeing this in context clears up many wrong interpretations of these passages. You can still read Hebrews as a Christian and get wonderful principles, but you must see it in context to truly understand what its saying. ‘For he that hath entered into rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his’ amazing, Paul says just like God ceased from creative activity on the ‘7th day’ so likewise when we enter into the covenant of grace, we too will cease from the works of the law. This is so significant to the Jewish community whom Paul is addressing. He is showing them, in their language [Old Testament] the same things he writes to the gentiles in Galatians and Romans. He is using the story of Genesis to show the truth of grace. Out of all the Apostles, Paul is unique in his ability to see Jesus in all of these Old Testament stories. No one could have made a better apologetic for the Christian faith than Paul. ‘Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall into the same example of unbelief’ Now, I have heard it taught that this is telling Christians to ‘work for your rest’. This would be a complete contradiction to this entire letter. But if you see this in context, that the recipients of this letter are 1st century Jews who are already under the bondage of the law, then you read this as ‘those of you Jews who are always working to try and make yourselves righteous, you need to stop working for this, but instead let all your labors and struggles end up at the Cross’ in essence ‘labor [struggle] to see these things I am showing you, and if you do you will find rest’ in the New Covenant of grace! ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ This of course applies to all of us. Paul and other New Testament writers saw redemption in a way that naturally included everybody. It was only those who rejected it thru unbelief that were missing out. This is why you will see statements made like ‘Jesus is the savior of all men, specially of those that believe’ there was a real sense in the early church that Jesus really redeemed everybody. They were not preaching universal salvation in the sense that everybody will be saved. But the gospel was presented in a way that simply included everybody. So here Paul says ‘we have a high priest’ he is including Israel in the ‘we’. I also like to apply these verses to all of us. How many times do we feel intimidated to come before Gods throne? We feel unworthy and God seems unapproachable. Sort of like Saint John of the Cross who experienced the ‘dark night of the soul’ as well as Mother Theresa. There are times where believers feel separated from God’s real presence. It is during these times when God says ‘come boldly, I too have experienced weakness and separation thru the incarnation. I know what it is like. Come to me, I can see what you feel like, I can feel your feelings of weakness and inadequacy, come to me for help my child’. In the next chapter we will read this in depth. Jesus and all the high priests of the law were able to identify with man because they were at one time in mans shoes. This is one of the great realities of the incarnation. NEW NOTES- .SABBATH REST Remember context- in this chapter the writer is appealing to his Jewish brothers. And he reminds them of their own history- he says ‘just like our forefathers died in the wilderness- because they did not BELIEVE’- So beware- if you now reject this new offer of REST- it will be because of UNBELIEF. The writer is making an argument for Justification by Faith here. He spiritualizes the promise of the Promised Land- and the story of Creation and Sabbath Day. He says ‘ok- God RESTED himself on the 7th Day of Creation’. This REST [a type of rest found in Christ and the New Covenant- based on Faith/Grace- NOT WORKS -The law]. Was not the Rest promised to Israel when they entered the Promised Land. Why? Because King David says many years later- in Psalms 95- that a Rest is still in the future. What Rest? The 1st century offer of Grace- thru Faith- not works. See how important context is? So- when he says ‘there still remains a REST TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD’- He is not talking to Christians- as this verse is often seen. No- in the letter of Hebrews- the People of God are the Jewish nation- who now must ‘labor- work- strive’ to believe the Promise of Messiah- and enter into rest. These verses only make sense in this context. Preachers often teach the verse ‘strive to enter into rest- people of God’. And apply that to Christians- who are already ‘in rest’. No- that’s the wrong setting for these verses. But- to the 1st century Jew- under the law- then it makes sense. They were at a transition stage- they were still under the law [works] and they had to beware- because this present promise of grace- just like the Old Testament Promise of entering into the Promised Land- is based on faith. So- when the writer says ‘if you strive- and hear this Gospel of Grace- you can enter into the Sabbath Day Rest’ [a symbol of the covenant of Grace]. And have Rest. See? NOTE- It’s not an ‘accident’ that the writer quotes from Psalms 95- written by Kind David. Jesus is identified as ‘The Son of David’ so it’s thru the Davidic line that the promise of Rest would ultimately be fulfilled. In a sense the writer is saying ‘The Joshua that lead our Fathers into the Promised Land was not the Real One- but the Joshua of the New Testament [Jesus and Joshua are the same word in the Hebrew/Greek English translation] has now come thru the Line of David- and he will lead us into the True Rest- if you Believe’ Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. Psalm 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Psalm 95:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Psalm 95:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Psalm 95:10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Psalm 95:11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. Hebrews 4:5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Hebrews 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Hebrews 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Hebrews 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. Hebrews 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Hebrews 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Hebrews 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. . VERSES- [These are the verses I talked about on the video for this post- Links to all my sites below] Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Ephesians 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Ephesians 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Ephesians 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Ephesians 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Ephesians 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Ephesians 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Ephesians 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Ephesians 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. Ephesians 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. New International Version The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” Matt. 11:19 Luke 7:36-49 Contemporary English Version (CEV) Simon the Pharisee 36 A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and got ready to eat.[a] 37 When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. 38 Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them. 39 The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied. 41 Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn’t have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn’t have to pay it back.” “You are right,” Jesus said. 44 He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn’t give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t even pour olive oil on my head,[b] but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. 47 So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?” Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 1Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 1Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 1Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 1Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations MY SITES- Blog- [Post nightly] https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/ Site- [Post nightly] https://ccoutreach87.com/ Site- http://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/__blog.html?r=20171009095200 Site- https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/ Site- http://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite Site- https://www.minds.com/ccoutreach87 Site- https://ello.co/ccoutreach87 [Please Like, Share, Connect, Follow and Subscribe to the sites below- as well as all my sites linked at the bottom of each post-Thanks] Follow us on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks Page- https://www.facebook.com/ccoutreach1 Subscribe to our Youtube channel- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg?view_as=subscriber Youtube note- http://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/youtube-problems Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/john.chiarello/channel/ Friend us on VK [Russia- Our largest group outside the U.S.] https://vk.com/id533663718 Friend us on OK [Ukraine- Our 2nd largest in Europe] https://ok.ru/profile/589985645111 Follow us on Tumblr http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ccoutreach87 Connect on Linkedin [Our largest group] https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-chiarello-b27340ab/ Follow us on Medium https://medium.com/@johnchiarello Friend us on Plurk [Japan] https://www.plurk.com/ccoutreach87/public Plurk update- I will remove this link [Below] after they restore my site [Link removed] Contact/Friend us on MeWe https://mewe.com/i/johnchiarello Follow us on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/ccoutreach87/ Follow us on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/user/ccoutreach Follow us on Mix https://mix.com/jchiarello Follow us on Flipboard https://flipboard.com/@johnchiarel4hvs/ccoutreach87-q213nqldy Follow us on Steemit https://steemit.com/@ccoutreach Follow us on https://mastodon.social/@ccoutreach87 View on Trello https://trello.com/b/swhF9Vr8/ccoutreach87com View on Voat https://voat.co/u/ccoutreach87/submissions Connect on Minds https://www.minds.com/ccoutreach87 Connect on Gab https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87 View on Ello https://ello.co/ccoutreach87 Connect on Parler https://parler.com/profile/Ccoutreach87 Connect on Snac [Korea] https://snacpia.com/link/profile/51155 Connect on Publish-ox https://www.publish0x.com/@ccoutreach87 Connect on WT social https://wt.social/u/john-chiarello Sharfly https://sharfly.com/Ccoutreach87 Telegram https://t.me/ccoutreach87 SkyRock https://ccoutreach87.skyrock.com/ Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/JohnChiarello/conversations Thinkspot https://www.thinkspot.com/discourse/2008/forum/ccoutreach87/a-href-https-ccoutreach87/101953 Vero https://vero.co/ccoutreach87 Watch our videos here- [Most viewed] https://www.flickr.com/photos/ccoutreach87/ [Most viewed] https://www.bitchute.com/channel/jsS961GkXUSn/ https://www.dailymotion.com/ccoutreach87/videos https://vk.com/videos533663718 [Russia] https://www.instagram.com/john.chiarello/channel/ [Most viewed- OK] https://ok.ru/video/c2081847?st.cmd=video&st.m=ALBUM&st.aid=c2081847&st.ft=album [Ukraine] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg?view_as=subscriber Youtube note- http://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/youtube-problems My Facebook videos- Profile videos- https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos?lst=1779330793%3A1779330793%3A1546906912 Page videos- https://www.facebook.com/ccoutreach1/videos/?view_public_for=288613861341347 https://bittube.video/accounts/ccoutreach87 https://open.tube/video-channels/corpus_outreach/videos Note- https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/bit-open-tube-review-8-2020 Cloud links- https://ccoutreach87.com/cloud-links-12-2018/ Archive- Text posts only- https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/archiv.html Some of my studies- https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/reformation_12.html https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/overview-ofphilosophy-thales-andthe-pre.html https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/romans-links-1-2019.html https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/colossians-links-2019.html https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/corinthians-links-4-2019.html https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/ephesians-links.html https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/acts-links.html https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/galatians-links.html NOTE- Every so often some of my sites think I am Spam- or a Bot- I am not. My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam. I post 8 videos a night to many of my sites, and text posts 3 times a week. I realize that is a lot for some sites, yet this is the system I felt the Lord led me into. I NEVER take money- or ask for money- ever. Everything is free- to some sites this makes a difference- so I wanted to say that here. Thank You- John. 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We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free- Note- I have many web sites- at times some question whether I’m a ‘bot’ because I do post a lot. I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is [email protected] - contact me first- thank you- John |
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