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The Main Point Of Discussion, Hebrews 8

The discussion being what we should know about Christ as the High Priest

Hebrews 8:1
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest,
who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

Christ:the High Priest of Promise

:6
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator
of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

That is to rightly discern flesh from Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:16
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.
Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know Him thus no longer.

To serve as a merciful and faithful High Priest

Hebrews 2:17
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren,
that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God,
to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

To Be Faithful To All In God's House


Numbers 12:
5
Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door
of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward.
6
Then He said, Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.
7 Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My house.
8 I speak with him face to face,

Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?

Hebrews 3:
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also in all His house.
3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses,
inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.
4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant,
for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,
6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast
the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

The Eye Of Your Understanding

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding,
that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.
This is the true God and eternal life.

To be given “an understanding”; Greek dianoia: “a way to understand” means that The Logos,
the Son of God is the lens through which we view life and rightly comprehend His Father's intent.
He has “given us insight”, a clear heart vision to reflect our minds upon and know

“the true God and eternal life”. To have inspired comprehension. (This is the Day-star.)

Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of Your words gives light, giving understanding to the simple.

Paul prayed that:

Ephesians 1:18
The eye of our understanding being enlightened to know the hope of His Calling,
and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to “open our understanding”.

Luke 24:32
Did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with us along the way,
and while He opened to us the scriptures?


Those who reject the Spirit of the Lord have their understanding “darkened”.

Ephesians 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God
because of the ignorance in them due to the blindness of their heart.

Romans 1:21 Their thinking became futile, and their senseless hearts were made dark.

Obeying The Heavenly Vision

Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

God’s purpose is not established by man’s will, but the question “will you serve Him?”
must be answered by choosing to be obedient, as Paul testified to King Agrippa:

Acts 26:19
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.”

What then is accomplished by this divine purpose Paul describes?

Romans 9:11
For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls.


How then are we to apply this knowledge to our lives?

2 Peter 1:
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 Savior Jesus Christ.

Our “entrance” into the eternal Kingdom of heaven

is the place we receive the “heavenly vision”.

Hold Fast Therefore Your Confession of Faith, and Find His Purpose For Your Life


Hebrews 10:
19
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and having a High Priest over the house of God,
22 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.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
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Part Dog Myself

I love dogs so much. That is why I limit myself to only two of the. They live in the house and we treat them like family.
My neighbors break my heart when they leave there dog neglected outside. He cries and whimpers a lot.
Yes, he gets food and water but I am not sure about the vet. He is limping today.

I know I can't expect everyone to treat their dogs the way we treat ours. But it seems there can be a fine subjective line between just keeping a dog in the backyard and abuse/neglect.

Thoughts?

I always treat my owner with respect. The only thing i scold them for is going to the toilet in the house!!!! That really annoys me!
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Proverbs 3:5-7 - Trust in the LORD With All Thine Heart...


"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."

- Proverbs 3:5-7

When it says "In all thine ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths" - all thine ways means your thoughts, your attitudes, your actions and behaviours, as well as your words. All means all: it encompasses the whole being, body, soul and spirit.
Don't say you love Jesus with all your heart, then deny Him by cursing, and dirty talk, and wicked behaviour, because you're a liar, according to the Bible.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments," Jesus said in John 14:15. "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love." (John 15:10)
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. : (1 John 3:24)
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29)
"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Colossians 3:8-10)

All this flows naturally into the next verse in Proverbs, "Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the LORD, and depart from evil."
Don't rely on your own wisdom because the wisdom of man is foolishness with God! (See 1 Corinthians 1:18-30)

Fear the LORD: be afraid to displease Him, dread being disobedient, fear His wrath, and reverence His holiness in awe and wonder, and holy terror. Don't let anyone tell you that the fear of the LORD just means reverence, because they probably don't know the Hebrew and the Greek, which can mean reverence, but often means both, and sometimes means to be afraid, dread terror, or even terrified of something; in this case, God.

Depart from evil. That means shun it, and don't have anything to do with it. Take Job 1:1 as an example: "that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." Some people might tell you no one's perfect, or you can't be perfect. Well, Jesus said "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Paul wrote, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

It wouldn't be written if it couldn't be done! Stop letting people spiritualize everything, or denying that we can do things the Bible commands us to do! 1 Corinthians 6:18 says "flee fornication" That means do not sleep with a woman you're not married to, period. That also means don't look at lewd pictures or videos. 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:" "Porneia" is fornication, same word porn-o-graphy comes from.

Repent then, because way too many professing Christians bear little or no fruit of holiness, and the Scripture is clear: "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:" (1 Peter 1:15-17)
And "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 4:12)

All manner of conversation means all your behaviours, not just talk. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Spirit, soul, and body means again, all, or the whole man, not just the spiritual part.
Meditate upon these things, and let them be a part of you, and let the Word saturate your entire being, for this is the true will of God.
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Kremlin-backed media company co-opts far-right politicians in several European countries with cash

A Kremlin-backed media outlet — the Prague-based Voice of Europe — funneled hundreds of thousands of euros to far-right politicians, officials say.

PRAGUE — When an associate of one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies launched a pro-Kremlin media outlet here in May 2023, Czech counterintelligence officers began keeping careful watch.

For nearly a year, European intelligence officials said, the Czech authorities secretly recorded hours of meetings between several far-right politicians from across Europe and the associate, Artem Marchevsky, who was running the propaganda website, Voice of Europe, including at its offices on a quiet side street in the center of Prague. E.U. and Czech authorities, which have shut down the site, have labeled Voice of Europe a Russian propaganda operation.

Internal Kremlin documents obtained by one of the European intelligence services and reviewed by The Post show for the first time that Voice of Europe was part of an influence campaign established by the Kremlin in close coordination with Viktor Medvedchuk, the Putin ally who until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led a pro-Moscow opposition party in Kyiv.

The Czech probe rapidly expanded into Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and France, European security and intelligence officials said, as investigators concluded that Voice of Europe represented far more than its official veneer as a pro-Russian website interviewing favored European politicians about ending aid to Ukraine.

After the expulsion from Europe of dozens of Russian intelligence officers following the invasion of Ukraine, fronts such as the Voice of Europe became instruments for the Kremlin to regain lost ground, one of the senior European intelligence officials said.

The Czech investigation has led to raids on the home and offices of an aide to a far-right Dutch member of the European Parliament and of Petr Bystron, a leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and the party’s No. 2 candidate for the European Parliament.

German authorities said in May they have placed Bystron under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering as part of the probe, and police raided his office in the German parliament as well as properties in Germany and Spain. In one recording, three of the senior European intelligence officials told The Post, Bystron can be heard complaining to a Voice of Europe official about the difficulty of transporting tens of thousands in cash to his vacation home in Mallorca.

Don't Be Like Esau

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (Hebrews 12:14-17 ESV)

I like it here that this combines “peace with everyone” with “for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” So this “peace with everyone” will never involve compromise of truth, righteousness, holiness, integrity, honesty, moral purity and faithfulness to God and to his Word in order to “make peace” with anyone, even with others who profess faith in Jesus Christ. We are never to bend on truth or back down on moral convictions in order that others will like us and/or so that we will be “at peace” with them.

But we are not to be at war with other people. We are not to be those who pick fights with other people, and who are mean, hateful, and nasty toward others. Now, this does not mean that we back down on contending for the truth of the gospel just so other people don’t think we are being contentious and hateful, but that we don’t deliberately try to stir up anger in other people just so we can quarrel with them. We should be those who speak the truth, though, but we are to speak it in love, with the love of God.

Now, with regard to us striving for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord, this word “holy” means to be different, unlike the world, because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. So we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed of God in heart and mind away from sinful practices to now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands in holy living. Therefore, sin must no longer be our practice, but we should obey God.

For, if we claim to be in fellowship with God while we still walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin, wickedness), we are liars. And if we say that we know God, but while we do not walk in obedience to his commands, we are liars. For it is not enough to just give lip service to the Lord, but we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow the Lord in obedience if we want salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; cf. Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-21]

And going right along with what was just spoken, we are to see that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. And what is God’s grace to us? His grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14; cf. Ephesians 2:8-10).

His grace to us, as well, is God’s gift of salvation and eternal life with God which we must receive by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord Jesus. But this faith is not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, and so it will align with God’s will and purpose for our lives. And biblical faith = obedience and submission to God and surrender of our wills to the will of God and the forsaking of (dying to) sin and walking in holiness and in righteousness in living lives pleasing to God (Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 4:17-24).

And we are to guard our hearts and minds against a “root of bitterness” which may spring up in our hearts if we choose to not forgive others of their sins against us, or if we are bitter against others for their walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, and for their desire to follow the Lord in obedience to his ways, if we know that is not where we are, and if we know that we are not living for the Lord, but we are still trapped in sin. So this is kind of like how Cain felt about his brother Abel, and so he murdered him.

And those who are bitter of heart and mind and spirit are more likely to remain in their sins, for at the root of all bitterness is anger at God. It is not accepting God’s sovereignty over our lives, but it is anger at God when life doesn’t go the way we had hoped that it would. For the Scriptures teach that it is out of the heart that come good or evil. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. These are what defile a person (Luke 6:45; Matthew 15:17-20).

So, if someone is sexually immoral, in practice, it is because of what is stored up in his heart that he has not let go of. And this includes a root of bitterness, hatred, jealousy, rivalry, pride, resentment, unforgiveness, and the like. He truly hates God and he hates those he sins against which is why he is able to sin against God and against other people deliberately and habitually without conscience and without remorse. For it is all about him and what he wants, and it is without regard for God and other humans.

And this is being compared to Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. And when he desired to inherit the blessing, he did not receive it, even though he sought it with tears, for he never repented of his sins. And that is the same for all of us if we choose to remain in our sins and to not listen to the Lord and to not follow him in obedience. For it means we have sold out the inheritance that could have been ours if we had just surrendered our lives to the Lord and died to our sins and now followed him in obedience.

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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battle stations

我也為英語和漢語語境的交流禱告。願主保守這兩種全世界最大的語言,能夠更清楚和正規地解釋聖經的語意。
I also pray for communication in English and Chinese contexts. May the Lord preserve these two largest languages in the world, in order to interpret the meaning of the Bible more clearly and formally.
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The Logic (only) of The Transfiguration.

Peace to all,

The Logic of the Transfiguration of the Body of God is through Sanctifying Grace.

To me, Sanctifying Grace to the spirit in the soul of the being becomes to the Body as immortal and incorruptible at Baptism and then reconfirmed regenerated and transfigured becoming glorified and Transfigured in The Christ, the Eternal Body of God.

Grace: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for the regeneration or sanctification. A virtue coming from God.

From the eternal mortal life of Adam becomes the mortal and corrupt flesh and spirits in the souls of Adam and Eve, from the rib of Adam. Adam was parted or divided into Two Persons. And through choice, Adam and Eve’s internal temptation and death of the flesh becomes from their selection of spirit and life over the authority of God. And from the Baptism of the Christ that is preached by St John the Baptist, comes the Living Waters of Baptism to the spirits and souls in the flesh of the New Eve. We as brothers and sisters in the Christ, the Body of God become generated by the spirit as immortal and incorruptible. And through the Grace of God we than become re sanctified and the spirit in the souls of the beings is regenerated by the Holy Spirit will of God as glorified and transfigured into the image of The Father. Transfiguration is in the sanctified regeneration of the Holy Spirit Person in the being to manifest unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the difference of the Natures being in no way removed because of the Union, but rather the properties of each Nature being preserved, and (both) concurring into One Person and One Hypostasis; not as though He was parted or divided into Two Persons, but One and the Self-same Son and Only-begotten God, Word, Lord, Jesus Christ; even as from the beginning the prophets have taught concerning Him, and as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself hath taught us, and as the Symbol of the Fathers hath handed down to us.

Adam was divided into two persons.
Christ is divided and now in union into two persons in the souls of all mankind. The Holy Spirit is the person in the soul of the being in the Body of God.

To me the logic of The Transfiguration is in the fulfillment in and the Divinity of the Body, the eternal Love of God.

Peace always,

Stephen
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the word "Christian" as an adjective in other languages

Some more examples:

German nouns: Katholik, Protestant, Anglikaner, Kopte, Christ
German adjectives: katholisch, protestantisch, anglikanisch, koptisch, christlich
Indeed, all nouns start with a capital (upper case) letter in German, not just proper nouns (like names of people, countries, towns, etc.)

To add to the various languages that have been mentioned so far in this thread, "Christian" as an adjective is "kristana" in Esperanto.
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For Our Nation

War, politics, lies, betrayal, the murdering of innocents, our young men and women in uniform dying on a battlefield via men of power; takeovers of nations, riots and lawlessness, sin abounding, the church asleep or complacent for the most part; the gospel diluted, and do we even notice?

Through all that is going on in this world of ours, Jesus is gently calling us to Himself to make him Lord (master) of our lives. The good news is that God is in absolute control over all things, and he will work it all out for our good, for us who love and obey him. And we need to pray much for our nation.

“Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods” (Psalms 40:4).
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
“You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:17-24).

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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The Discipline of The Lord

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“’My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.’
“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
“Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:3-13 ESV)

What are some ways in which the Lord disciplines those of us who are his by genuine faith in him? He allows us to go through trials and tribulations to test our faith so that we can see whether or not our faith is genuine. And he allows us to be mistreated by other people, to be abandoned, sinned against, betrayed, lied about, rejected, and cast aside as worthless. And people will treat us this way because we don’t conform to the standards of the world and because we live holy lives, pleasing to God, and we serve him.

But we are not to grow weary and fainthearted when disciplined by the Lord, no matter what forms of discipline we must endure for the sake of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord. For God is treating us as his children. And discipline, though painful, is necessary in our lives to keep us on the right path and so that we do not stray and get off the path that the Lord has us on, which is the way of righteousness and holiness and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For discipline strengthens us in our faith.

For the discipline of the Lord is for our good, even though it doesn’t feel good when we are having to endure it. But this is so that we may share in God’s holiness, becoming like him in thought and deed and character, by the grace of God, and in His power. And the discipline of the Lord is painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. But if you are not having to endure the disciplines of the Lord, then perhaps you are not his legitimate children by genuine faith in him.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. For he also said that not everyone who professes him as Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven.

[Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; cf. Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14]

Therefore, we are to lift our drooping hands and strengthen our weak knees. And hands are usually symbolic of our deeds (works), and knees are generally symbolic of our submission to God and our prayer lives. So if our deeds are drooping, they are sinking. They are not going in the direction of holiness and righteousness, but they are going in the ways of the flesh and of sinful practices. And if our knees are weak that means that our submission to the Lord is failing and so are our prayer lives.

And the only way that we can strengthen these drooping hands and weak knees is through submission to Christ as Lord and through surrender of our lives and our wills to the will of God for our lives. And this involves dying daily to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power. And this engages us daily disciplining our own lives and us renouncing (saying “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and us living self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return.

For we must now make straight paths for our feet, and straight paths are the ways of God which are righteous, holy, disciplined, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to the Lord and to his commands. This is the way in which we are to walk if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine faith. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, and not dying daily to sin, then regardless of what we profess with our lips, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
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The Catholic Church used to teach There is no salvation outside of it.. not being taught by the Vatican today

The word "priest" is derived from "presbyter" spoken of in the Bible, and "bishop" from the word "episkopos" in the Bible. Jesus fulfilled what came before. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah--He was not a Levite. Catholic priests are of the "order of Melchizedek." Recall Melchizedek was both the king of Salem and a priest. Eventually Salem became known as Jerusalem. Jesus acted as a priest during the Last Supper, when he commanded the Apostles to "Do this." Instead of offering mere bread and wine as Melchizedek did, Jesus offers His Body and Blood under the appearance of bread and wine. This is what Catholic priests do, they follow Christ's commandment at the Last supper each time they say mass. Much of the mass, by the way, is described in Revelation.
The English word "priest" is indeed derived from the Greek "presbyteros". But that Greek word was not used in the bible for "priest" but meant "elder". Where in the bible is there the slightest indication that Roman Catholic priests are of the order of Melchizedek"?
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The greatest catch phrase of 2016

...needs a new origin story.

Apparently Trump never said that Hillary Clinton should be blocked up.

We all remember it. It's pretty clear he said it...and said it many many times.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...HcAZl0EbDu1brbfN5Is-hvM&utm_source=reddit.com

So...anyone have any suggestions for new origin stories? Trump isn't a liar in the face of recorded evidence to the contrary so whatever you see is just stuff your eyes are lying to you about.


I'm going to say that Trump was actually talking about Sia because he was soooo displeased with her This Is Acting album release.
“The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”
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Dutch woman, 29, granted euthanasia approval on grounds of mental suffering

The self, the fetish of modernity, is a social construct and is shaped by the Noble Lie that individuals can exist and flourish apart from such a thing as a society.

It's not my job to do your homework for you. My words are very simple and plain.
I do not find myself convinced it is worth the effort. Good day to you. :)
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Is the Catholic Church the Harlot of Babylon?

The harlot was Jerusalem. The beast was pagan Rome. The man of sin/antichrist was Caesar Nero, 666.

Revelation 17:5 On her (harlot Jerusalem's) forehead was written a mysterious name: “Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of every abomination on the earth.”

Revelation 17:16 The ten horns that you saw and the beast (Rome) will hate the harlot (Jerusalem). They will render her desolate and naked; after they devour her flesh, they will burn her up with fire.


The burning of Jerusalem in 70 AD:

Revelation 19:2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her harlotry. And he has paid her back for the blood of his servants.1 Thessalonians 2:14-16

The book of Revelation was written for Jesus' generation of followers so that they could be prepared for the tribulation that they would be subjected to by the Jews and the Romans.
Thank you
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True and False Democracy in the Catholic Church

COMMENTARY: We are all sinners in need of grace and we are all looking to the horizon for Our Lord’s return.

One of the assumptions that seems to animate so many of the conversations surrounding a more synodal Church is that a more “democratized” Catholic Church is by definition a better Church. To that end, we saw in last year’s Synod on Synodality that there was a lot of chatter about a Church that listens to “the people of God.” And those two concepts — a democratized Church and the Church as the people of God — were often conflated to mean almost the same thing.

I think that this conflation is incorrect and that the “people of God” metaphor, used in Lumen Gentium, when properly understood not only does not endorse a more democratic Church but actually implies the opposite.


Whenever I saw the “people of God” metaphor referenced in the lead-up to the first part of the Synod on Synodality, I was reminded of the words of the character Indigo Montoya in the movie The Princess Bride: “You keep on using that word. I do not think it means what you think it does.” Indeed, the synodal leaders resurrected a long-dead interpretation of the people of God metaphor, popular among liberal theologians in the ’70s, to denote the laity as opposed to the hierarchy, with that mistake compounded by a related one, where a distinction was made between “the institutional Church” (a tiresome and oppressive oligarchy of old celibate men) and “the Church of the people” (a liberating wonderland of “real people”).

Therefore, it was concluded back then, and apparently today again, that the Church is in desperate need of democratization and this is to be achieved by empowering the “people of God” in a vague egalitarianism of magically renewed structures.


By contrast, in Chapter 2 of Lumen Gentium (the Second Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution on the Church) the “people of God” motif was not used to distinguish between the laity and the hierarchy, but rather to unite them under a single, overarching theological concept (9-17). The conciliar usage of the metaphor, though novel in modern Catholicism, harkened back to the Church fathers who wanted to emphasize that all Christians — laity, religious and hierarchy together — were all “pilgrims” and “sojourners” in this world. We are all sinners in need of grace and we are all looking to the horizon for Our Lord’s return. We are all the people of God and it is not at all synonymous with “the laity.”

Continued below.
I pray that Pope Francis will receive his own Saul to Paul encounter with our Lord Jesus! Our bishops need this as well. It is said that "the floor of hell is paved with the skulls of evil, unrepentant bishops and priests."

Lord, please grant us many, many holy bishops, priests, and religious, and maintain them in holiness.
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Leviticus 26:3-27:34 "Obedience or Disobedience = Blessings or curses

Parasha: B'Chukotai (In my statutes, ordinances) Leviticus 26:3-27:34


This is the last study in the Book of Leviticus. So, Let's take a look at what it is about.

Basically, Adonai is giving conditions as to blessings or, curses. Any time scripture starts with "If.....then...etc" it is conditional.
Blessings if you adhere to my commandments and ordinances, or curses if you abandon my commandments and ordinances. It is that simple.

"Commandments" come from the word "Mitzvah" and from the verb "Tzvah" (to command) or to act on a command.
"Ordinances or statutes" come from the word "Chok" a condition, a requirement, or a limit.

Adonai is telling us to "Walk in my statutes, guard my commandments, and put them into practice. We could say that the statutes and ordinances are the fine details of the commandments. When we say "Shema" (listen) it means "listen and obey."

We can see the Torah as a "Fence" The fence has a "limit" beyond the fence we should not go. So, as long as we stay within those limits imposed by God through His commandments, we are good. Yet going beyond the fence, and ignoring HIS warnings, what else can we expect but retribution?

The rabbis in "Pirke Avot" (Ethics of the Fathers) say: Study to learn, and we learn to do. Also, "Study is not only to acquire knowledge but to gain understanding and wisdom to put what has been learned into action.

We see in these final chapters that Israel is being promised material blessings connected to the land and wellbeing in response to obeying God's commandments and ordinances, yet curses and punishment for turning their back on God's commandments and ordinances—both material/physical and emotional curses.

It is said that when Israel received the Torah, a sword came down with the Torah as well. Israel saw and heard the Torah, but didn't see the sword. The Torah symbolizes "God as a friend" (Elohim HaChaver) and the sword as "God as a foe" (Elohim HaCherev) Using only the consonants, "Chaver and Cherev" have the same letters, yet two consonants are reversed. (the "v" and the "r")

God will be with us and will bless us IF we obey His teachings and commandments, yet will be Against us IF we disobey and walk in rebellion.
This is very easy to understand since God acts like a Father who disciplines his children when they act contrary to his commandments.

We are HIS children, and we are part of HIS family through faith in Yeshua/Jesus as our LORD and Savior. That is a fact, yet there are consequences when we act contrary to his WORD. Wayward saints often suffer a lot until they return to the sheepfold.

They abandon the Good Shepherd, yet the Good Shepherd always waits for their return. Yeshua said; "If you love me, obey my commandments" I believe that our parents expected nothing less from us when we were living under their roof. We can see a good example of blessings or curses in our everyday life walk. IF...you stop at the red light, you are blessed and you will not get into an accident or get a ticket. IF..you do NOT stop at the red light, THEN..you might get a ticket or worse, get into an accident.

The last part of chapter 26 talks about Israel being cast out of the land and scattered amongst the nations, yet Adoani will NEVER reject His people, even being in other lands. We see Y'Hudim in all parts of the world, especially in East Europe, in the Americas, North, Central, and South America. Even though we are away from the Promised Land, we are still part of HIS people.

We see in the Book of Acts, in chapter 2 when the theme is Shavuot/Pentecost, there were Y'hudim from many different areas of the nearby world, but they were all there to celebrate Shavuot (this year, June 12th and 13th).

Chapter 27 is about "vows" and the cost connected to vows. A vow is a serious matter in the eyes of God, especially if we mention HIS Holy name. A vow is a promise to do something. The money (in silver shekels) is like "Ernest Money" which is paid when a person is serious about buying some property. If the person changes his or her mind, the money is lost.

However, Yeshua tells us to let our YES be YES, and NO be NO. Instead of "vowing" just say "If the LORD permits..." Since the LORD is Master of our time on earth and only HE knows if we will be alive to fulfill a said promise or desire to do something.


HAZAK, HAZAK, V'NIT CHAZEK (be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened)

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