Faith

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer #8 Condition

Posted on September 30, 2013. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Ecclesia, Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh, Jesus Christ Jeshua the Messiah Jahushua | Tags: Affliction, Agony, Amen, Answer from God, Being in Christ, Believe, Believer, Cleanliness, Clothe, Convert, David, Desires, Despair, Desperation, Disciple, Distress, Dress, Exaltation, Expression, Faith in God, Fear God, Flanders, Freedom, God the Father, Goodness of God, Honouring God, Hope, Israelites, Live with God, Lord's Prayer, Love for God, Meditation, Men of God, Most High, Most Holy, Name of God, Needs, Non-Believer, Offering, Our Father, Please God, Pleasure of God, Praise, Praise God, Prayer, Praying, Pride, Proselyte, Psalm 22, Recanting, Relationship with God, Repetition, Rescue from God, Righteous, Ritualism, Salvation, Solution, Son of God, Strenght, Submission, Submission before God, Thanksgiving, Trials, Trinity, Trouble, Trusting Faith, Trusting God, Unanswered Prayer, Vain repetitions, Verbiage, Verbosity, Weakness |

Condition

In the history of humankind there have been also men of God who did not get answers from God like they wanted.

Even though David had called out to God day and night, God had not answered all the prayers of King David.

King David singing the Psalms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“(1) My Ěl, My Ěl, why have You forsaken Me – Far from saving Me, far from the words of My groaning? (2) O My Elohim, I call by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I find no rest. (3) Yet You are set-apart, Enthroned on the praises of Yisra’ĕl. (4) Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. (5) They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. (6) But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. (7) All those who see Me mock Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, (8) “He trusted in יהוה {Jehovah}, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, seeing He has delighted in Him!” (9) For You are the One who took Me out of the womb; Causing Me to trust while on My mother’s breasts. (10) I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s belly You have been My Ěl. (11) Do not be far from Me, For distress is near; For there is none to help. (12) Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong ones of Bashan have encircled Me. (13) They have opened their mouths against Me, As a raging and roaring lion.” (Psalm 22:1-13 The Scriptures 1998+)

Set to “The Doe of the Morning.” this psalm by David brings the well know cry Jesus also uttered some hours before he was going to die: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Was God really far away from David or Christ Jesus? In case Jesus was God he would not have to fear because God cannot die. But being a man of flesh and blood Jesus faced the reality of going to die in agony. Both gave the expression of their thought that it looked like God far from helping them. From their words of their groaning we can hear that even such a loved one as King David, from whom Christ Jesus would come onto this world, cried in the daytime, but did not get an answer, although David was not silent at night either.

Neither David nor Jesus ever doubted that God was the Most High. Both knew they could do nothing without God. Both also let others know that they should get to know and respect the Most Holy. They also showed us, like we can find in the Scriptures that their ancestors, the Israelites trusted in the Only One Creator Divine God. They trusted, and Jehovah God delivered them. God His people more than once cried to Him, and was delivered.

As written in one of the previous chapters the men of God knew they needed prayers to express their needs and desires. Prayer that is without any desire you could call a mockery to God. Even a prayer with thanksgiving is giving expression of a desire, namely willing to give thanks to the Most High and having the desire to please Him.

Here we also can find one of the major conditions for their prayers. We should try to please God, honouring and trusting Him. The men of God trusted in the God of Abraham and not as such in human beings. We also get to know that their Trust in God did not fail. They were not disappointed.

We can be sure that the one who believes and trust in God, although that man may be but a worm and despised by the people, being mocked and insulted, his trusts in YHWH, Jehovah, the One and Only One God, Creator of heaven and earth, shall be delivered by Him. Rescue will come from Him, since God delights in him.

When trouble is near and there is none to help and we are very, our strength ‘dried up like a potsherd’ it may look like God has abounded us, but He always looks at us. While our tongue may stick to the roof of our mouth, we being tested nearly to the end of what we can bear, it may seem that God has brought us into the dust of death. But God does not leave His beloved ones in the desert nor in agony. When the time is ripe He shall be there to help all those who love God.

Prayers may for some look as a sign of our weakness but there is nothing wrong with willing to show that we are frail, and feeble. We sometimes need trials to put us on our right place and to show us that we are weak and frail and that we desperately need a higher Being than ordinary humans.

Coming to the Father, telling him about our weakness and our needs He can supply us with whatever He sees to be needful for us. As such it is not bad as we want to be truly strong, not to refuse to be at the same time weak and telling that we are weak in ourselves and hoping to become strong in Christ.

Unable to ease the physical agony of the flogged back, unable to relieve the pain of the grinding spikes and the chafing of the rough timbers… how Jesus his extraordinary mind would battle the flesh’s weakness to concentrate on this precious fragment of Scripture. Like him we too should have our minds into the Holy Scriptures and contemplate.

This transcendent mind of Christ should also be in us as we follow his meditations and, like him, fix our affections on the hope set before us.

David and Jesus feared God more than anybody or anything else. They also told others that they too should fear YHWH, Jehovah being the Most High God of the universe and the only one to be praised! Like the descendants of Jacob, glorified Jehovah we also should stand in awe of Him! For Jesus, even when it pleased Jehovah to bruise him, causing Jeshua (Jesus) to suffer, the man from Nazareth made his soul an offering for sin, he also has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither has he hidden his face from Him; but when he cried to Him, Jehovah heard. Jesus cried to the Father, and even when his voice was silent in death, his words still echoed in heaven, and the Father heard. Thus was brought to birth the new, or spiritual, creation. By doing so God also could see his offspring and prolonged his days, and the pleasure of YHWH, Jehovah prospered in his hand. (Psalm 22:24; Isaiah 53:10-12)

King David, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Those things which “please” God are those things which fulfil His purpose. He has no “pleasure” in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:32); but, marvellously, He finds “pleasure” in the death of a perfectly righteous son, because that death brings salvation to others, like us!

There are believers and non-believers which all have to live on this earth under the same conditions. After the first sin God has given the right to all humans to make the world like they want to make it. Those who prefer to do that without God, Jehovah allows them to do so. But those who prefer to live with God should know they are all part of that world where man wants to be in charge. Nobody can escape the stings of this world. Also persons who have walked with God for a while have experienced seasons of despair and seasons of exaltation. Sometimes these seasons overlap, even in a single prayer. In agony, people cry out for God’s help. Then they remember His goodness. Then their desperation returns as they wonder why God seems so distant. Then they expect straight an answer that brings the solution.
Many when that solution is not what they expected lose faith in God and are carried away by their unbelief and by the different opinions of those who hate God. There we can find another condition for getting the right answers and seeing our wishes or hope fulfilled. In case we cannot stay by God, how can we expect God will stay with us? He is not a Tiran who keeps us in the chains. He lets us free where to go, where we want. In case we want to walk without Him, we our free. But in case we do not want Him to be with us, we cannot expect from Him that He Will jump at once to us when we call onto Him without real faith in Him.

We are encouraged by the promise of His presence. And so it goes when we live in the tension of faithful prayer. God wants us to bring our true self before Him, without feeling as if we have to clean ourselves up to impress Him. We do not need to make up ourselves or dress us differently to pray in front of Him. God knows our heart and the condition of the heart is the most important thing in our relationship with God. Our Faith should be in Him and in His son Jesus Christ. Like Jesus trusted his Father totally, we also should give our full trust in the Most High, so that He also can give us confidence to live a genuine relationship with Him.

Jesus also tells us how not to pray. A few decennia ago it still was the custom in Flanders to have a preserved seat, some with the names of the believer, so that those believers always could take their seat, but also could be seen by the community. From the parables of the Master Teacher we got to know that we should not pray to be seen by others, nor should we pray as though our words themselves have something to do with the effectiveness of our prayers. Both of these negatives have to do with having a prideful heart. Prayer is first and foremost an act of humble submission before a holy God, thus we pray not to receive the accolades of men, but to commune with our heavenly Father.

Praying is not about reading from a prayer book or always praying the same words the same way. Recanting or repeating several words over and over again or repeating certain prayers every time we pray is also something we do not need to do. Verbiage or verbosity is to devotion as chaff to the wheat. Lots of words or repetitions will not make our prayer life be complete. The strength of prayer is more important than the length of prayer. Prayers should not be half-hearted or lukewarm, nor general or aimless, but prayers that are particular, specific, definite, measurable and detailed, intense, urgent, earnest, and burning in burden.

The prayers may not become ritualistic like in some congregations where many end a prayer with the words “amen” but giving the feeling that it was not the whole congregation taking part in the prayer, but just saying that closing word because it’s in the program. That is ritualistic, inorganic prayer and God is not inorganic or static.

Personal words which come straight from the heart, said in our own privacy, belong to the proper type of prayer. Prayer happens in our human spirit, where God dwells (John 4:24) But also the prayers said together in the ecclesia, where all of us acknowledge God as our Father in heaven and where harmony or oneness in prayer forms a good asset in our lives.

We should acknowledge the position of God and should praise His Name. Today too many people do forget the importance of This Holy Name of the Adonai, the redeemer of old, Elohim God of Israel, forever and ever the Potter (1 Chronicles 29:10;Isaiah 63:16). We should acknowledge we are all the work of His hands. (Isaiah 64:8; Malachi 2:10) We all should ask that His name of the One in the highest heaven, be kept holy. (Matthew 6:9; Mark 11:10)

Jesus has given us an example with the “Lord’s Prayer” “Our Father” which we may use, but we also can use our own humble words which come straight from our own heart.

Preceding articles:

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #1 Listening Sovereign Maker

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #2 Witnessing

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #3 Callers upon God

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #6 Prayer #4 Attitude

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #7 Prayer #5 Listening Ear

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #9 Prayer #7 Reason to pray

Next article: Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #11 Prayer #9 Making the Name Holy

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #10 Gebed #8 Voorwaarde

Please do find to read:

Also of interest:

Making prayer powerful (The christadelphians.org)
We live in an affluent age, when in the abundance of things possessed, many overlook their need of the Lord God and take for granted the material blessings of life. Thus Worship tends to become cold and distant; and Prayer a mere, mechanical repetition of words without power, instead of the fervent outpouring of the heart unto God.
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All study and no prayer can fill us up; all prayer and no study can puff us up; but continual study blended with prayer will build us up.
The Power of the Word, blended with the Power of Prayer, can transform our preaching, our worship, ourselves.
The Aim of Communal Prayer (The christadelphians.org)
A most important function of divine service is that of communal prayer. In Ecclesial meetings, the presiding brother has the onerous duty of leading the congregation to the Father in prayer. He can do so in such a manner as to move the worshippers by the words uttered, or he can leave them cold and untouched by the exercise.
The Posture and Time for Prayer – theChristadelphians.org Home …
How should we set about praying? Should we stand, kneel, sit, recline, or prostrate ourselves upon the ground? There are examples in Scripture of all these …
Prayer is an Act of Communion
Prayer is an act of communion. Through it we discourse with God. He speaks to us when we study His word; we speak to Him when we respond in prayer.
Draw Close to God in Prayer (What Does the Bible Really Teach?; JW.ORG)
Addresses the questions: To whom should we pray? Must we assume a special position or posture when praying? What may we pray for? How long should our prayers be? How often should we pray? Why should we say “Amen” at the end of a prayer?
Would God listen to the prayer of someone else on a person’s behalf more, or would it be the same as if the person prayed for themselves? (Search For Bible Truths)
What could make a person’s prayers unacceptable to God? (Search For Bible Truths)
What could make a person’s prayers unacceptable to God? (Jehovah’s Witnesses Questions and Answers)

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The Lie That Made God Nameless (illustrationstoencourage.wordpress.com)
Jehovah wants us to use his name. “Call upon his name,” states the Bible. “Make known among the peoples his dealings. Make mention that his name is put on high.”—Isaiah 12:4.

Jesus used God’s name. In prayer, Jesus told Jehovah: “I have made your name known to them [Jesus’ disciples] and will make it known.” Why did Jesus make the divine name known to his disciples? He continued: “In order that the love with which you [God] loved me may be in them and I in union with them.”—John 17:26.
Give God Thanks for the Blood of Jesus! (crosbyp12003.wordpress.com)
The Psalm(91) says: (my version) that even when evil is all around he will cover us with his wings. I don’t need just healthcare, Medicare, police , firemen we need to trust in the Army of the Hosts whose name is God-he is Jehovah Nissi.
Little Book, Big Prayers: Mental & Physical Wholeness (christinebrooksmartin.wordpress.com)
Each of us have daily needs. God has already instructed us to ask and believe to receive. Your faith in Him and His scriptures moves God. He wants to meet your needs but you must learn and know how to trust Him.

Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 6 so far )

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #9 Prayer #7 Reason to pray

Posted on August 30, 2013. Filed under: Faith, Manners and Association | Tags: Comfort, Conversation with God, Dependence upon God, God’s Purpose, Hannah, Higher Being, Higher Power, Prayer, Praying, Relationship with God, Transformation, Trust God, Willingness |

Reason to pray

Praying is coming into conversation and showing a willingness for having a relation where you want to talk, and would love to have somebody who answers.

Prayer like any conversation can give us the feeling of connection with the other person; in this instance our heavenly Father. By having the means of a conversation will also have a means of a personal connection with God. This private connection will give a greater sense of God’s purpose in all things but especially in our life. And we can trust His perfect wisdom as we pour our fears and needs before the feet of our God in heaven. As John Piper has said,

“Prayer for God’s help is one way that God preserves and manifests the dependence of his people on his grace and power. The necessity of prayer is a constant reminder and display of our dependence on God for everything, so that he gets the glory when we get the help.”

Prayer has the power to transform. It can take the pressures of the day and turn them into stepping stones of greater trust in the Lord.

Hannah prayed and she was transformed. The scripture says:

“(17) And Ěli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl give you your petition which you have asked of Him.” (18) And she said, “Let your female servant find favour in your eyes.” And the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no more sad. (19) And they rose up early in the morning and worshipped before יהוה {Jehovah}, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elqanah knew Ḥannah his wife, and יהוה {Jehovah} remembered her.” (1 Samuel 1:17-19 The Scriptures 1998+)

The prophet Hannah in the temple, Samuel’s prayer testing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hannah as a woman of a sorrowful spirit had poured out her soul before Jehovah speaking out of the abundance of her complaint and grief. Her prayer made her change. Her tears were turned over to the Adonai through prayer. God comforted her and lifted the heaviness of her soul. Her face was transformed through prayer. The change in Hannah’s countenance showed that she received the promise with faith. This faith was expressed through prayer to the Almighty God. Prayer transformed her, enabling her to leave differently than when she came to the God of Abraham in prayer. Hannah experienced the transforming power of prayer.

Also we, today, can experience always that changing strength of the speech with the Higher Being. The conversation with the Higher Power may create in us what we allow it to happen. If we are prepared to let us be changed by this speech this also will happen.

Preceding articles:

Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #1 Listening Sovereign Maker

Next: Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer #8 Condition

Dutch version /Nederlandse versie: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #9 Gebed #7 Reden voor gebed

Find additional reading:

Readings from other denominations:

Morning Prayer 8/27/13 (ebonyteague.wordpress.com)
We give you honor just because of who you are, you are God alone and there is none like you. You are the God of all creation, you created the heavens, the earth and everything within. You are alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. You are our God and there is nobody like you…none, no where.
Prayer for July 31st (hopeforthebrokenhearted.wordpress.com)
We know that grief can numb us…it can be hard to feel anything including your presence, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t there. Help us to know in times of grief, pain and heartache, that faith is more than a feeling…feelings come and go, but you don’t. Your presence…your Holy Spirit, is with us whether we can feel it or not. You promise to never leave our side and you are working for our good, in the depths of sorrow and the deepest valleys of adversity.
Thursday, August 1 (illustrationstoencourage.wordpress.com)
In ancient Israel, the incense that was regularly offered on Jehovah’s altar had to be carefully and precisely prepared. It was acceptable to Jehovah only if offered according to the guidelines that he had established. (Ex. 30:34-37; Lev. 10:1, 2) If our heartfelt prayers are similarly formulated, then we can be sure that they are acceptable to Jehovah.
Language of Prayer (pebblesandblessings.wordpress.com)
Some might say prayer is a closet of solitude where they meet the Lord silently and solemnly appealing for assistance in time of trouble and need ~ others might say it is a beautiful garden where they commune with their Savior, expressing their love and thanks for His Mercy and Grace. Some might say, prayer is a continual conversation they have with their closest friend the Lord.
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Prayer is a language of your Christian walk. God does not need an interpreter for ones prayer. God knows your heart and will draw near unto you, as you draw near unto him.
The Power of Prayer (saltlightandwitnesses.com)
If we do not pray, we cut off the source to our power. Prayer is something that can be done out loud or silently. Prayer can be done while in conversation with others. There is power in prayer. Prayer not only changes things, but it changes people and situations as well.
Thousands Gather for Biblical Prayer at Tabernacle Site (israelnationalnews.com)
Three thousand women and girls made the journey Wednesday to the town of Shilo, in Samaria (Shomron) for a special group prayer recalling the biblical prayer of Hannah.
The 08/28/13 Joy Jar (drwilda.com)
Here are some quotes from others who have found the power of the Lord’s Prayer in their lives.
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The Lord’s Prayer includes everything you need to ask when you talk to God. It is a model prayer that teaches us how to pray.
The Lie That Made God Nameless (illustrationstoencourage.wordpress.com)
Jesus used God’s name. In prayer, Jesus told Jehovah: “I have made your name known to them [Jesus’ disciples] and will make it known.” Why did Jesus make the divine name known to his disciples? He continued: “In order that the love with which you [God] loved me may be in them and I in union with them.”—John 17:26.

Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation

Posted on August 15, 2013. Filed under: Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh | Tags: Attitude, Biblical events, Call upon Jehovah, Calling unto God, Communication, Communication with God, Condition of the heart, Confession, Creator, Deliverance, Dependence upon God, Desire, Distress, Ear of God, Expression, Fear, God working in us, God's Actions, God's Intervention, God's Power, God's Provision, Hand of God, Helplessness, Holy Scriptures, Holy Spirit, Honouring God, Hope, John Calvin, John Wesley, Listening, Needing God, Needs, Offering, People of God, Petition, Prayer, Prayer life, Protecting God, Provision, Rescue from God, Sanctifying God's Name, Seeking God, Serving God, Thanksgiving, Trusting God, Voice of men, Willingness, Worldly life |

Prayer

Communication and manifestation

John Calvin (Jehan Cauvin / Jean Calvin ) the influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation summarized prayer as when “we call upon Him to manifest Himself to us in all His perfections.”

Jean Calvin at fifty-three years old (http://www.unige.ch/theologie/cite/calvin/CalvinPortraits.html) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We may find different aspects of prayer.

Prayer is mentioning the calling upon someone. It is the coming in contact with someone. In this case it should be the Most High God, Jehovah the Elohim. As such we can be the creatures communicating with our Creator. As we call upon him it might be for our benefit.
Prayer is to help us through.
Prayer is the way to express our fears, our hopes, and our desires, but also giving voice to our dreams, our grief, and our confessions.
It is an expression of our willingness to move toward where we want to go.
Prayer is an expression of our desire before God.
It is a petition and a plea for God to reveal Himself to us.
Prayer is our way to describe the God to whom we pray. Describing God in terms of His virtues, His attributes, and His actions.
Prayer is the giving notice of willingness to render the Most High God acceptable service.
It is offering yourself willingly unto Jehovah.
The prayer is a thanksgiving for the assurance we have received that the accomplishment of the great purpose of our life is virtually secured.
Prayer recognizes God’s perfections.
It is an honouring of Jehovah and sanctifying of His Name.
Prayer is also the expression of trust in God that He will provide.
It is a means to an end but not the end itself.

Because God has already everything and everything belongs to Him there is nothing we can give to God what does not already belongs to God. Therefore our praying can never be in the benefit of God.

Mary Magdalene, in a dramatic 19th-century popular image of penitence painted by Ary Scheffer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Calling upon our Creator, we can enter into intimate communion with Him, recognizing our utter dependence upon His provision. When we communicate to and listen to our heavenly Father, we grow in his grace and in his knowledge, becoming more sensitive to and more aware of his constant presence and protection in our lives.

Prayer should be the means by which we call upon our Creator to rule over our lives. We should put ourselves at the side and bring God in pool position. In our prayers we should show understanding that everything comes from God and belongs to God. We, by praying to God, recognize that we do need Him and that we realize that He is powerful and able to change things. But by opening our thoughts onto Him we allow Him to enter into our circumstances, and by His sovereign power to work all things together for our good, as we love Him and as we trust Him.

When we pray we are acknowledging God’s rule over our lives, His ability to work in our lives, and His goodness in the midst of any circumstances He allows to enter into our lives. Prayer is then a demonstration of absolute trust and dependence on our Father’s perfect provision.

The Holy Scriptures records that many people had their prayers answered. We can see that biblical events where God intervened sometimes came to existence because people dared to ask God for a favour or for help. The people who got their prayers answered where those who prayed with a desire. Without a desire, there is also no need for prayer. If what we pray for truly comes from the bottom of our heart, surely the answers to our prayers will not stay out. But those biblical figures knew that they could not do without God and where fully aware of the need of prayers.

Praying together before Jehovah God

Writer Phillips Brooks penned these words:

“If man is man and God is God, to live without prayer is not merely an awful thing; it is an infinitely foolish thing.”

John Wesley was convinced that the prayers of God’s people rather than his preaching accounted for the thousands who came to Christ through his ministry.

It is the Wonder of God, the Almighty Being, which creates and destroys. Without the Almighty Power of the Eternal Spirit things would stay chaotic and humans would mix everything, making it impossible to work out for everyone. But by the Hand of God there shall come a time when everything shall work for the good and the whole world shall be restored.
In the meantime we do have to live in this ‘worldly life’ and count on the powerful God.

If God were not good, working all things together for the good of his people, why should we pray?
If God were not everywhere present, able to attend to the needs of all of his children all at once, then why should we pray?
If man can bring for everything a good solution, then why can we trust not men?

Our prayers acknowledge our finite helplessness, and God’s infinite wisdom and provision.

The Ear of God hears, and with Him ear and heart go together, and the hand does not long linger.

“(9) יהוה {Jehovah} has heard my pleading; יהוה {Jehovah} receives my prayer.” (Psalm 6:9 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(7) “When my life fainted within me, I remembered יהוה {Jehovah}. And my prayer went up to You, into Your set-apart Hĕḵal.” (Jonah 2:7 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(1) And Yonah prayed to יהוה {Jehovah} his Elohim from the stomach of the fish. (2) And he said, “I called to יהוה {Jehovah} because of my distress, and He answered me. From the stomach of the grave I cried, and You heard my voice.” (Jonah 2:1-2 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(15) “And call upon Me in the day of distress – Let Me rescue you, and you esteem Me.”” (Psalm 50:15 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(28) Then they cry out to יהוה {Jehovah} in their distress, And He brings them out of their troubles.” (Psalm 107:28 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(14) And they cried out to יהוה {Jehovah} and said, “We pray, O יהוה {Jehovah}, please, let us not perish for this man’s life, and do not lay on us innocent blood. For You, O יהוה {Jehovah}, have done as it pleased You.”” (Jonah 1:14 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(9) “And I shall bring the third into fire, and refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My Name ^{1}, and I shall answer them. I shall say, ‘This is My people,’ while they say, ‘יהוה {Jehovah} is my Elohim.’ ” {Footnote: ¹Zeph. 3:9.}” (Zechariah 13:9 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(18) יהוה {Jehovah} is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. (19) He does the desire of those who fear Him; And He hears their cry and saves them. (20) יהוה {Jehovah} preserves all those loving Him, But all the wrong ones He destroys.” (Psalm 145:18-20 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(24) “And it shall be that before they call, I answer. And while they are still speaking, I hear.” (Isaiah 65:24 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(12) And he said to me, “Do not fear, Dani’ĕl, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your Elohim, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words.” (Daniel 10:12 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(32) “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Name of יהוה {Jehovah} shall be delivered ^{1}. For on Mount Tsiyon and in Yerushalayim there shall be an escape ^{2} as יהוה {Jehovah} has said, and among the survivors whom יהוה {Jehovah} calls. {Footnotes: ¹Acts 2:21, Rom. 10:13. ²Isa. 4:2-3, Obad. v. 17, Rev. 14:1.}” (Joel 2:32 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(2) “Thus said יהוה {Jehovah} who made it, יהוה {Jehovah} who formed it to establish it, יהוה {Jehovah} is His Name, (3) ‘Call unto Me, and I shall answer you, and show you great and inaccessible matters, which you have not known.’” (Jeremiah 33:2-3 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(11) ‘For I know the plans I am planning for you,’ declares יהוה {Jehovah}, ‘plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and an expectancy. (12) ‘Then you shall call on Me, and shall come and pray to Me, and I shall listen to you. (13) ‘And you shall seek Me, and shall find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart ^{1}. {Footnote: ¹Dt. 4:29, Joel 2:12.} (14) ‘And I shall be found by you,’ declares יהוה {Jehovah}, ‘and I shall turn back your captivity, and shall gather you from all the gentiles and from all the places where I have driven you, declares יהוה {Jehovah}. And I shall bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-14 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(29) “But from there you shall seek יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, and shall find, when you search for Him with all your heart ^{1} and with all your being. {Footnote: ¹Jer. 29:13.} (30) “In your distress, when all these words shall come upon you in the latter days, then you shall return to יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim and shall obey His voice. (31) “For יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim is a compassionate Ěl, He does not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. (32) “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that Elohim created man on the earth, and ask from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens, whether there has been a Word as great as this, or has been heard like it.” (Deuteronomy 4:29-32 The Scriptures 1998+)

“(9) “And I say to you: ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. (10) “For everyone asking receives, and he who is seeking finds, and to him who is knocking it shall be opened. (11) “And what father among you whose son asks for bread shall give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish shall give him a snake instead of a fish, (12) or if he asks for an egg shall give him a scorpion? (13) “If you then, being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father from heaven give the Set-apart Spirit to those asking Him!”” (Luke 11:9-13 The Scriptures 1998+)

“He who fails to pray does not cheat God. He cheats himself.” (George Failing)

Statue de Jean Calvin par Maurice Raymond (1862-1910), musée international de la Réforme, Genève (Suisse) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Preceding articles:

Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith

Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God

Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #3 A voice to be taken Seriously

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #1 Prosperity

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #2 Purity

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #3 Callers upon God

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #7 Prayer #5 Listening Ear

To be continued: Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #9 Prayer #7 Reason to pray

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #8 Gebed #6 Communicatie en manifestatie

Please do find additional reading:

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Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #7 Prayer #5 Listening Ear

Posted on July 26, 2013. Filed under: Bible Study and Bible Reading, Faith, Holy Scriptures, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh | Tags: Answer from God, Apostle Paul, Bible, Book of Books, Calling unto God, Daniel, David, Eliah, Following God, Giving to God, Guidance, Hand of God, Hearing God, Jeshua, Job, Listening God, Love for God, Moses, People of God, Places of worship, Prayer, psalm 34, Psalm 6, Psalms, Silas or Saint Silvanus, Silence of God, Speaking to God, Supplication, Trusting God, Voice of God, Word of God, Worship |

Prayer

Listening Ear

God has given us His Word. In it we can find guidance and examples of communications with the Most High. In it we can see how God is willing to be with those who are willing to follow Him. God showed us the way how we can master ourselves but also how we can come up to Him in times when we are not able to do it on our own. God Himself took care that we have at our disposal one of the most powerful tools. God is willing to give us His Ears and allows us to have access and talk to Him who spoke into existence the heavens and the earth.

Jehovah God His eyes are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry (Psalm 34:15). But our ears should also be open to the Words of God and be willing to listen to His instructions.

Saint Silas or Saint Silvanus , leading member of the Early Christian community

The Scriptures teach us that God wants us to bring our requests to Him, and we can be confident that He cares and will answer our prayer according to His good purpose and will. In the book of books we can find already very soon in the existence of men that they began to call upon the name of the Creator, whom they considered as their Only One God. In the history of God’s people we find a wrestling Jacob, a Daniel with many questions, who prayed three times a day, and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountains we can find Moses, Elias (Eliahu or Elijah), Jeshua; in the dungeon Paul and Silas or Saint Silvanus. We find many examples of people who had multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises.

Though we do agree there are also plenty of stories in the Bible of God being silent.
Job experienced His silence. So did Abraham as he planned to sacrifice Isaac. The Bible doesn’t record God talking to Joseph, eleventh son of Jacob, in prison, nor John the Baptist before his beheading. There are more examples of God’s silence than we may be comfortable exploring.
To say that God did not hear them nor did want to answer them would be not doing justice to what happened. The idea that God is not hearing us when we talk to him can be very unsettling. And if we are not careful, we will allow the wrong ideas (evil) to begin to put false thoughts in our minds regarding God’s love for us, God’s ability to answer our prayers, or even God’s existence.

We are told about sacrifices and activities in the temple. We even find that God gave instructions for the places of worship. This teaches us the sacred importance and necessity of prayer. God has made prayer and worship prominent in his Word; therefore we may be sure that it should also play an important role in our life for God.

Job calling upon God, the Most High creator of heaven and earth.

Those characters described in the Bible thought it important to speak to their Greatest Master. They had the desire to be in contact with the Creator of all things and were trusting that He was going to answer them.

We don’t know when the answer will come and He is never obligated to answer our prayer in the way we want it answered. It happened in history that men of God also became anxious. David for example wanted to hear from God straight away. He wanted to hear God’s voice speaking in the midst of his anxiety. He wanted God to reach down and deliver him from his distress there and then. Though when you follow what happened and look how God has everything in control, we can see that David like so many others did not wanted to hear other things than what he had in his head. He was not hearing what he wanted to hear, and he pleaded, “O Lord, how long?”

“My soul is also sore vexed, but Thou, O LORD, how long?” (Psalms 6:3 KJ21)

In verse 8 of the same 6th Psalm, while David is in the midst of his prayer to God, he declares,

“Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.”

David considers his situation as though it is already resolved. In faith, he commands his enemies to leave him because God has heard his prayer. He does not have an answer from God yet, he does not know how God will deliver him yet, but he begins to operate as though he is already delivered. As Albert Barnes writes in his commentary,

“Already David sees his enemies scattered, and his own cause triumphant; and in this exulting feeling he addresses his foes, and commands them to leave him.”

There we can see David had taken the right attitude for prayer and for believe in God. In verse 9 David gives notice that Jehovah has heard his supplication and was confident that God was going to receive his prayer. There we see, having the right attitude in prayer, David is no longer pleading and wondering if God is hearing his prayers. He is affirming that God has heard his prayers. Charles Spurgeon wrote in his Treasury of David,

The Penance of David, Psalm 51 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“This Psalm is readily divided into two parts. First, there is the Psalmist‘s plea in his great distress, reaching from the first to the end of the seventh verse. Then you have, from the eighth to the end, quite a different theme. The Psalmist has changed his note. He leaves the minor key, and betakes himself to sublimer strains. He tunes his note to the high key of confidence, and declares that God hath heard his prayer, and hath delivered him out of all his troubles.”

David the son of Jesse, the man after God’s own heart, had come ‘with his heart and soul’ to God and as a man of prayer had found faith in it. The prayer had awakened him and come to trust in his beloved God, like we also should give ourselves to God, trying to capture His attention, but allowing everything in His Hands.

Preceding article: Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #6 Prayer #4 Attitude

To be continued with: Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #7 Gebed #5 Luisterend Oor

Additional literature:

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #2 Witnessing

Posted on May 22, 2013. Filed under: Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh, Preaching, Witnessing | Tags: Almighty, Fear God, Glory of God, Gods, Heart, Idol, Language, Man speaking, Name of God, Nationality, Praise God, Pray, Prayer, Praying, Proclaim, Singing, Singing to God, Speaking to God, Voice of God |

Witness and Praise for the Name

Every day we should remember our Creator. We also should try to hear His Voice, which He shall let His people hear. Because He is willing to hear we should be willing to speak. We can talk to Him with simple words, spoken or we can even sing to Him. We can speak quietly or loud to Him. We may shout in praise of Jehovah His Name.

Tetragrammaton (Latin version of divine name, see Jehovah) at the 5th Chapel of the Palace of Versailles, France. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Bible we can find many places where is given the advice to let the Name of God be known all over the world and to proclaim the good news every day… the news of how He brings salvation. To all the nations we should tell of His glory, and speak of His wonders to the peoples. Jehovah is great and worthy of praise; He’s more to be feared than all other gods. For, the gods of the nations are all fake ones, made up gods by people or just transitory idols. But it’s Jehovah who created the heavens and who is everlasting. Before Him are beauty and praises; holy and majestic is His Sacred Place.

1 Sing to יהוה {Jehovah} a new song, Sing to יהוה {Jehovah}, all the earth! 2 Sing to יהוה {Jehovah}, bless His Name, Proclaim His deliverance from day to day. 3 Declare His esteem among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. 4 For great is יהוה {Jehovah} and greatly to be praised, He is to be feared above all mighty ones. 5 For all the mighty ones of the peoples are matters of naught, But יהוה {Jehovah} made the heavens. (Psalms 96:1-5 The Scriptures 1998+)

No language barrier

No matter of which nation we are or which language we speak, we can talk to God in our own words in our own language. For Him there are no language barriers. He understands not only the words of the people He even knows the heart of them, and nothing can be hidden for Him.

But יהוה {Jehovah} said to Shemu’ĕl, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him, for not as man sees, for man looks at the eyes, but יהוה {Jehovah} looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 The Scriptures 1998+)

“I, יהוה {Jehovah}, search the heart, I try the kidneys, and give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. (Jeremiah 17:10 The Scriptures 1998+)

“He reveals deep and secret matters. He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. (Daniel 2:22 The Scriptures 1998+)

“For whatever is hidden shall be revealed, and whatever is secret shall be known and come to light. (Luke 8:17 The Scriptures 1998+)

In our own tongue, in our own way of speaking can we speak to the Most High Elohim and carry gifts to Jehovah; bringing Him both glory and honour, for the sake of His Name.

We should bow low before Jehovah and tell all the nations that He Jehovah is our Mightiest King of kings! It is He who established man’s home, so it will never be shaken. For, He will judge the peoples in justice!

At the presence of יהוה {Jehovah}. For He shall come, For He shall come to judge the earth. He judges the world in righteousness ^{1}, And the peoples with His truth. {Footnote: 1See also 98:9, Acts 17:31, Rev. 19:11.} (Psalms 96:13 The Scriptures 1998+)

9 Bow yourselves to יהוה {Jehovah}, In the splendour of set-apartness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. 10 Say among nations, “יהוה {Jehovah} shall reign. The world also is established, immovable. He judges the peoples in straightness.” 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Let all the trees of the forest then shout for joy, 13 At the presence of יהוה {Jehovah}. For He shall come, For He shall come to judge the earth. He judges the world in righteousness ^{1}, And the peoples with His truth. {Footnote: 1See also 98:9, Acts 17:31, Rev. 19:11.} (Psalms 96:9-13 The Scriptures 1998+)

Make vows to יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, and pay them. Let all who are around Him bring presents To the One to be feared. (Psalms 76:11 The Scriptures 1998+)

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah. (Psalms 67:4 The Scriptures 1998+)

9 They do no evil nor destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of יהוה {Jehovah} as the waters cover the sea ^{1}. {Footnote: ¹Hab. 2:14.} 10 And in that day there shall be a Root of Yishai, standing as a banner to the people. Unto Him the gentiles ^{1} shall seek, and His rest shall be esteem. {Footnote: ¹Or nations.} 11 And it shall be in that day that יהוה {Jehovah} sets His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam and from Shinʽar, from Ḥamath and from the islands of the sea. 12 And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’ĕl, and assemble the dispersed of Yehuḏah from the four corners of the earth. 13 And the envy of Ephrayim shall turn aside, and the adversaries of Yehuḏah be cut off. Ephrayim shall not envy Yehuḏah, and Yehuḏah not trouble Ephrayim.
14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they plunder the people of the east, their hand stretching forth on Eḏom and Mo’aḇ, and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them. 15 And יהוה {Jehovah} shall put under the ban the tongue of the Sea of Mitsrayim, and He shall wave His hand over the River with the might of His Spirit, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and shall cause men to tread it in sandals. 16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, those left from Ashshur, as it was for Yisra’ĕl in the day when he came up from the land of Mitsrayim. (Isaiah 11:9-16 The Scriptures 1998+)

Say among nations, “יהוה {Jehovah} shall reign. The world also is established, immovable. He judges the peoples in straightness.” (Psalms 96:10 The Scriptures 1998+)

6 The heavens shall declare His righteousness, And all the peoples shall see His esteem. 7 All are put to shame who serve carved images, Those boasting of matters of naught. Bow yourselves to Him, all you mighty ones. 8 Tsiyon shall hear and be glad, And the daughters of Yehuḏah rejoice Because of Your right-rulings, O יהוה {Jehovah} 9 For You, {Jehovah} יהוה, are the Most High over all the earth, You shall be greatly exalted, over all mighty ones. 10 You who love יהוה {Jehovah} , hate evil! He guards the lives of His kind ones, He delivers them out of the hand of the wrong. 11 Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in יהוה {Jehovah} , you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His Set-apartness. (Psalms 97:6-12 The Scriptures 1998+)

5 Sing to יהוה {Jehovah} with the lyre, With the lyre and the voice of a song, 6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Raise a shout before יהוה {Jehovah}, the Sovereign. 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, The world and those who dwell in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy before יהוה {Jehovah}, 9 For He shall come to judge the earth. He judges the world in righteousness, And the people in straightness. (Psalms 98:5-9 The Scriptures 1998+)

Singing Christadelphians

Preceding: Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #1 Listening Sovereign Maker

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #3 Rejoicing in the insistence

Continues

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #5 Gebed #2 Getuigen zonder taalbarrieres

Read also:

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Jehovah-Compound Names of God (reflectgrace.wordpress.com)
YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH:“LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4;Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it fromAdonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is first given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3).
Has anyone else noticed the profound disrespect (thevoiceofmary.wordpress.com)
Has anyone else noticed the profound disrespect given to our creator and his great name? When we deliberately misuse God’s name Jehovah, then we treat Jehovah with such disdain. When we attribute shameful motives to God, then dishonor is heaped upon our heavenly Father. When we deny him, by our failure to use his glorious name Jehovah, then we display a flagrant disregard for the sovereignty of Jehovah. When we speak and act in a derogatory manner, then we dishonor our holy God and his holy name.
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When Jesus was on the earth, he made his Father’s name manifest to his disciples. (John 17:6, 26) These disciples came to know Jehovah in an intimate personal way. They became his friend. Jesus taught us all what we should pray for, in order of importance. He impressed upon us the most important thing we should pray for is the sanctification of God’s name.
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Disgrace is the fact that God’s name is missing from most Bible translations. God’s name does appear in its abbreviated form at Revelation 19:1, 3-6, in the expression “Alleluia” or “Hallelujah.” (KJ, DY, JB, AS, RS) It was argued long ago that the inspired writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures made their quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures on the basis of the Septuagint.
God’s Light Shines on Us (thechristiangazette.wordpress.com)
There’s No God Like Jehovah!!! (godssceneryandpromises.wordpress.com)
There’s No God Like Jehovah!!
The Many Names of God- Part 2: Jehovah this, Jehovah that… (toddgharris.wordpress.com)Throughout the Bible there are many instances where the name of God is used in combination with another word to give it a new meaning that tells us something about God’s character or his relationship with us. This post will have a list of many of these combination names, their meaning, and a key verse that they appear in.
Jehovah Jirah (asatisfiedspirit.com)
Another layer of Jehovah Jirah is that He is showing us. He is revealing to us what He wants us to know as we seek His purpose for our lives. He supplies everything that that we need for every part of our lives. Paul tells us, “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory…” (Philippians 4:19)
Creator and Blogger God 4 Expounding voice (bijbelvorser.wordpress.com)
Lots of people do want to follow “the popular course.” In the history of time we have seen many people who preferred to follow their own thoughts and their own stubborn will.

Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 12 so far )

Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #3 A voice to be taken Seriously

Posted on February 7, 2013. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh | Tags: Blessing, Call, Call upon Jehovah, Commandments of God, David, Elohim, Faith, Fear God, Following God, God, Instructions, Jehovah, Law of God, Listen to God, Obey God, Observe God's Commandments, Offering, People of God, Remember, Serve God, Torah, Voice of God, Walk, Walk after God, Word of God, Worship |

Trust, Faith and Prayer

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 voice of God

A voice to be taken serious

David remembered how the Almighty God had spoken His words to all with a great voice and how those Words were written down to be remembered and taken at heart.

The Voice of the Creator coming out of the Darkness, Creating from the void.
- Darkness Over Eden with overshooting domes of thunderstorms in the background
Photo taken by Kabir Bakie in Eden Park Cincinnati Ohio May 2004

22 “These Words יהוה {Jehovah} spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a loud voice, and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 “And it came to be, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders, 24 and said, ‘See, יהוה {Jehovah} our Elohim has shown us His esteem and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. Today we have seen that Elohim speaks with man – and he lives! 25 ‘And now why should we die? For this great fire is consuming us. If we hear the voice of יהוה {Jehovah} our Elohim any more, then we shall die. 26 ‘For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and does live? 27 ‘You go near and hear all that יהוה {Jehovah} our Elohim says, and speak to us all that יהוה {Jehovah} our Elohim says to you, and we shall hear and do it.’ 28 “And יהוה {Jehovah} heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and יהוה {Jehovah} said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. 29 ‘Oh, that they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and to guard all My commands always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever! (Deuteronomy 5:22-29 The Scriptures 1998+)

Jehovah is a living God who speaks and hears and is willing to be with those who are willing to listen to His Voice. But He wants that we walk after Jehovah our God, fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and that we shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

“Walk after יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim and fear Him, and guard His commands and obey His voice, and serve Him and cling to Him. (Deuteronomy 13:4 The Scriptures 1998+)

“After Jehovah YOUR God YOU should walk, and him YOU should fear, and his commandments YOU should keep, and to his voice YOU should listen, and him YOU should serve, and to him YOU should cling.” (Deuteronomy 13:4 NWT)

And when we cry to Jehovah, the God of our fathers, like in previous times, Jehovah will hear our voice and look on our afflictions and our labour and our oppression, and we also should set out blessings before Jehovah our God, and worship before Jehovah our God, and we shall rejoice in all the good which Jehovah our god has given to us, and to our family. (Deuteronomy 26:7, 10-11) That we may listen to the voice of Jehovah our God, and do according to all that He has commanded us. (Deuteronomy 26:14)

16 “Today יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim is commanding you to do these laws and right-rulings. And you shall guard and do them with all your heart and with all your being. 17 “You have today caused יהוה {Jehovah} to proclaim to be your Elohim, and to walk in His ways and guard His laws, and His commands, and His right-rulings, and to obey His voice. 18 “And יהוה {Jehovah} has caused you to proclaim today to be His people, a treasured possession, as He has spoken to you, and to guard all His commands, 19 so as to set you high above all nations which He has made, for a praise, and for a name, and for esteem, and for you to be a set-apart people to יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, as He has spoken.” (Deuteronomy 26:16-19 The Scriptures 1998+)

A Blessing Voice

“1 “And it shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands which I command you today, that יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim shall set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim:
3 “Blessed are you in the city, and blessed are you in the field. 4 “Blessed is the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your livestock – the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 “Blessed is your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 “Blessed are you when you come in, and blessed are you when you go out. 7 “יהוה {Jehovah} causes your enemies who rise against you to be smitten before your face – they come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 “יהוה {Jehovah} commands the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and shall bless you in the land which יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim is giving you. 9 “יהוה {Jehovah} does establish you as a set-apart people to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you guard the commands of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim and walk in His ways. 10 “And all peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of יהוה {Jehovah} is called upon you, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 “And יהוה {Jehovah} shall make you to have plenty of what is good, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land of which יהוה {Jehovah} swore to your fathers to give you. 12 “יהוה {Jehovah} opens to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. And you shall lend to many nations, but you do not borrow. 13 “And יהוה {Jehovah} shall make you the head and not the tail. And you shall be only on top, and not be beneath, if you obey the commands of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, which I command you today, to guard and do. 14 “And do not turn aside from any of the Words which I am commanding you today, right or left, to go after other mighty ones to serve them. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14 The Scriptures 1998+)

Torah inside of the former Glockengasse Synagogue in Cologne (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

8 “And you shall turn back and obey the voice of יהוה {Jehovah} and do all His commands which I command you today. 9 “And יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim shall make you have excess in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground for good. For יהוה {Jehovah} turns back to rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10 if you obey the voice of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, to guard His commands and His laws which are written in this Book of the Torah, if you turn back to יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being. 11 “For this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far off. (Deuteronomy 30:8-11 The Scriptures 1998+)

19 “I have called the heavens and the earth as witnesses today against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore you shall choose life, so that you live, both you and your seed, 20 to love יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him – for He is your life and the length of your days – to dwell in the land which יהוה {Jehovah} swore to your fathers, to Ab’raham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya’aqob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 The Scriptures 1998+)

14 “If you fear יהוה {Jehovah}, and shall serve Him and obey His voice, and not rebel against the command of יהוה {Jehovah}, then both you and the sovereign who reigns over you shall follow יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim. 15 “But if you do not obey the voice of יהוה {Jehovah}, and shall rebel against the command of יהוה {Jehovah}, then the hand of יהוה {Jehovah} shall be against you, as it was against your fathers. (1 Samuel 12:14-15 The Scriptures 1998+)

We should know by now that Jehovah does not so much need offerings and sacrifices but prefers that the people obey His Voice. To listen is better than the fat of rams or any offering. (1 Samuel 15:22; 1 Kings 20:36; 2 Kings 18:12)

As David cried to Jehovah with his voice, and He heard him out of His holy hill (Psalms 3:4), so shall Jehovah hear us when we direct our prayer to the Most High and Only One God.

In my distress I called upon יהוה {Jehovah}, And to my Elohim I cried; He heard my voice from His Hĕk’al {Temple}, And my cry went before Him, into His ears. (Psalms 18:6 The Scriptures 1998+)

And יהוה {Jehovah} repays me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands before His eyes. (Psalms 18:24 The Scriptures 1998+)

יהוה {Jehovah} is The Ěl – His way is perfect and His Word is tried, tested by many, He shields all who take refuge in Him.

27 For You save the afflicted people, But bring down those whose eyes are haughty. 28 For You Yourself light my lamp; יהוה {Jehovah} my Elohim makes my darkness light. 29 For with You I run against a band, And with my Elohim I leap over a wall. 30 The Ěl – His way is perfect; The Word of יהוה {Jehovah} is proven ^{1}; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. {Footnote: ¹Ps. 12:6, Ps. 119:140, Prov. 30:5.} 31 For who is Eloah, besides יהוה {Jehovah}? And who is a rock, except our Elohim? 32 It is Ěl who girds me with strength, And makes my way perfect, (Psalms 18:27-32 The Scriptures 1998+)

Preceding: Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #2 Instructions and Laws

Continues: Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #4 Words in Scripture

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #3 Stem van God #3 Ernstig te nemen zegenende stem

Please do find also of interest:

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raise the God with His Name

The Secrets Of Psalm 91 (dianasymons.com)
Psalm 91 is an extraordinary psalm. It is the promise that God will protect you from sickness and danger, no matter how many people standing right next to you fall. It is the promise that He will answer when you call. It is the promise of long life and salvation.
A Prophet Who Saved A Great City (lacykitkat.wordpress.com)
Has any of the gods of the nations ever saved his land from the power of the king of Assyria? Have the gods of the land of Samaria saved Samaria from my power? Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have saved their country from my power, that Jehovah should save Jerusalem from my power?
What’s in a name? (quest4light.net)
In the Jewish (and some Christian) mystical schools of thought a person is thought to be a vessel. Each with the ability to receive as much or as little of the Divine Presence as they are willing to accept. This is the “breath of life” that was breathed into us from the very beginning.
Count-your-Daily-Blessing – Day Four (lostemerald.wordpress.com)
Friendship is so worthy especially when you are alone and find someone to talk to for many hours.
The Ten Strokes Of Elohim – A Closer Look At The Plagues Upon Egypt. Part 1 (rootedinmessiah.wordpress.com)
Yochanan warns us so that we do not be deceived as chawah was and to not let the enemy work his deceit through our senses (taste, touch, see, hear, feel).
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YHWH has provided a way for man to be restored, redeemed back to Him and it is by the shed Blood of the Messiah. Father is always just and righteous but at the same time merciful and gracious.
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Father knows how to turn that which the enemy intended for our ruin into good and that it becomes a vessel for Father to use in His Plan.
Why did God organize the Israelites? (peaceandbeauty.wordpress.com)
God organized descendants of the patriarch Abraham into a nation and gave them a body of laws. He called the nation Israel and made it the custodian of true worship and of his Word, the Holy Scriptures.
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By studying the history of the Israelites, we can get to know more about the true God.
The Prophet Of Fire (lacykitkat.wordpress.com)
you call on your god and I will call on Jehovah
A Soldier Who Spared His Enemy (lacykitkat.wordpress.com)
When David again inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah answered him
Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith (christadelphians.wordpress.com)
The apostle Peter may have had doubts in what his master Jesus asked him.

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Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #2 Instructions and Laws

Posted on February 5, 2013. Filed under: Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh | Tags: Commandments of God, David, Decree, Elohim, Faith, God, House for God, House of Israel, I Am that I Am, Instructions, Israel, Jehovah, Law, Law of God, Leader, Listener God, Materialism, Moses, Name of God, Spiritual, Torah, Torot, Trusting Faith, Voice of God, Word of God, Worship |

Trust, Faith and Prayer

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 voice of God

Instructions and Laws brought by the Voice

7 And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, when I dwell in the midst of the children of Yisra’ĕl forever, and the house of Yisra’ĕl shall no longer defile My set-apart Name, they nor their sovereigns, by their whoring and by the corpses of their sovereigns on their high places. 8 “When they placed their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My set-apart Name by the abominations which they have done. So I consumed them in My displeasure. 9 “Now let them put their whoring and the corpses of their sovereigns far away from Me, and I shall dwell in their midst forever.
10 “Son of man, explain the House to the house of Yisra’ĕl, and when they are ashamed of their crookednesses, they shall measure the measurements. 11 “And since they shall be ashamed of all that they did, make known to them the design of the House and its structure, and its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its laws, and all its forms and all its Torot. And write it down before their eyes, so that they observe its entire design and all its laws, and shall do them. 12 “This is the Torah of the House: Upon the mountaintop, all the boundary of it, all around, is most set-apart. See, this is the Torah of the House. (Ezekiel 43:7-12 The Scriptures 1998+)

Moses with the tablets of the Ten Commandments, painting by Rembrandt (1659) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And He said to me, “Son of man, thus said the Master יהוה {Jehovah}, ‘These are the laws for the altar on the day when it is made, for offering burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it. (Ezekiel 43:18 The Scriptures 1998+)

The instructions which the Voice of God gave were followed up by Abraham and his people. It came from the air of from the bushes (Exodus 6:4) and made itself know as the voice of the One who is, was and ever shall be, the “I am”, the “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,” “I am that which I am” (I am/will be what I am/will be) God of Moses his father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Jehovah, whose Name is forever, from generation to generation, surely saw the affliction of His people which He heard crying and for He knew their sorrows. (Exodus 3:6-7, 14-16) More than once Jehovah replied to those crying people that he was surely be with them. He also sent signs to them so that they could know that He, the Elohim was with them. But He also asked them to come up to Jehovah and worship Him as their Only One God. (Exodus 3:12; 24:1) He made a decree and a law for them and when people would listen to the Mighty Voice they would be healed and safeguarded. (Exodus 15:25) And Moses came and told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments. “And all the people answered with one voice and said, all the words which Jehovah has said, we will do.” And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and built an altar for God (Exodus 24:3-4). It was unto Moses that God gave the Commandments we should keep. In those early times God spoke all these words, saying that He is Jehovah our God, who has brought His people out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. We shall have no other gods before Him and we should not make to ourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (Exodus 20:1-5)[1]

1 And Elohim spoke all these Words, saying, 2 “I am יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You have no other mighty ones against My face.
4 “You do not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth, 5 you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.
7 “You do not bring^{1} the Name of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim to naught, for יהוה {Jehovah} does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught. {Footnote: ¹Or lift up, or take.} (Exodus 20:1-4 The Scriptures 1998+)

A leading and caring Voice to be heard

God’s voice led people through deserts, waters and mountains, in easy, but more often in difficult times. It was like He carried them, as a man carries his son. But often people did not believe the Voice of God and made Him angry, because they did not trust Him, the Adonai, who gave His Word. (Deuteronomy 1:34-37) Though they should know when we will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His laws, God would be with them that listen to His voice and help them, because all the words which Jehovah has said, He we will do, as Jehovah our God is, in all our calling on him. (Exodus 24:3; Deuteronomy 4:7)

When David‘s life was endangered at the rebellion of Absalom, and when the Kingdom of Israel was under great strain, David remembered his ancestors and who guided them. He wanted to build a House for God and did love it already before it was build. He sought to dwell in the house of God. When he was in trouble he also repented for what he done wrong and remembered all the good things God had done for him. He also as others returned to Jehovah his and our God and was obedient to His voice. (Psalms 27:4-7; Deuteronomy 4:30)

David like some other biblical writers dared to speak to the One who’s Voice they heard. They were also convinced that the One whom they heard speaking to them was also listening to them. David also believed that God would conceal him in his shelter on the day of evil and that the Listener God would place him on a high rock. David wanted to sacrifice in his tent with shouts of joy; singing and making melodies to the Most High Elohim. He called upon God and asked him to hear his voice. His mind recalled the voice of God who said several times to His people to seek His face. When David asked God to show His face, he was convinced that God had been his help. When he asked God not to abandon or forsake him, he was convinced that the God of his salvation would gather him up, teach him the way of God and lead him on a level path. He believed that he would see goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living.

4 One matter I asked of יהוה {Jehovah} – this I seek: To dwell in the House of יהוה {Jehovah} All the days of my life, To see the pleasantness of יהוה {Jehovah}, And to inquire in His Hĕk’al. 5 For in the day of evil He hides me in His booth; In the covering of His Tent He hides me; On a rock He raises me up. 6 And now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me; And I offer in His Tent with shouts of joy; I sing, yea, I sing praises to יהוה {Jehovah}. 7 Hear, O יהוה {Jehovah}, when I cry with my voice! And show me favour, and answer me. 8 To my heart You have said, “Seek My face.” Your face, יהוה {Jehovah}, I seek. 9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in displeasure; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O Elohim of my deliverance. 10 When my father and my mother have forsaken me, Then יהוה {Jehovah}does take me in. 11 Teach me Your way, O יהוה {Jehovah}, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. 12 Do not give me over To the desire of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And they breathe out cruelty to me. 13 What if I had not believed To see the goodness of יהוה {Jehovah} In the land of the living! 14 Wait on יהוה {Jehovah}, be strong, And let Him strengthen your heart! Wait, I say, on יהוה {Jehovah}! (Psalms 27:4-14 The Scriptures 1998+)

In 1 Chronicles 17:1-8 we have the request of David that he might build God a house. The reply of God was “haven’t I always been with you anyway?” The comment on this in Acts 7:46-49 is “the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands”.

44 “The Tent of Witness was with our fathers in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Mosheh to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Yehoshua { Joshua} into the land possessed by the gentiles, whom Elohim drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of Dawiḏ, 46 who found favour before Elohim and asked to find a dwelling for the Elohim of Ya’aqoḇ, 47 but Shelomoh built Him a house. 48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in dwellings made with hands,^{1} as the prophet says: {Footnote: ¹See 17:24}. 49 ‘The heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house shall you build for Me? says יהוה {Jehovah}, or what is the place of My rest? {(Isaiah 66:1)} 50 ‘Has My hand not made all these?’ (Acts 7:44-50 The Scriptures 1998+)

We, like David, can forget that God’s concern is not with material things, but with spiritual. God’s dwelling place is in heavenly places, and not in earthly. So how had David dwelt with God? Every time David was in trouble, he put his trust in God. His faith and hope was in God. David’s salvation was in God, and none other. His trust was in heavenly things and not earthly. David lived in faith. He lived in faith in God.

[1] So you can wonder why those who take Jesus to be God, go against this command and do make images of Jesus and pray before portraits depicting Jesus and saints and worship crosses and other statues.

Preceding: Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #1 Creator and His Prophets

Continues: Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #3 A voice to be taken Seriously

Dutch version: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #3 Stem van God #2 Instructies en Wetten

Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God

Posted on January 21, 2013. Filed under: Endtimes, Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh, Life and Death, Naam van God | Tags: Adonai, Call upon Jehovah, Commandments of God, Creator, Creator deity, David, Day of Judgement, El Shaddai, Elohim, Endtimes, Fear God, Glory of God, Glory to God, God, Gods, Help, Holiness, Holy, Honour God, I Am that I Am, Jehovah, Jehovah-Jireh, King Jehovah of hosts, Mount Zion, Name of God, Names of God, Old Testament, One God, Pray, Prayer, Proclaim, Provider, Refuge, Repose, Sovereign of all, Strength, Tetragrammaton, Trust God, Voice of God, Will of God, Witness, Worship |

Trust, Faith and Prayer

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God

Soon in the time of the created universe people got to understand they had to call upon God. Men began to call upon the name of the Most High Elohim יהוה Jehovah. More than once things went wrong and more than once men opposed to their Creator, but every time He was willing to come to them and to help them. At the early times they knew the importance of calling the Creator God by His Name, who was Holy.

“And to Shĕth, to him also a son was born. And he called his name Enosh. Then it was begun to call on the Name of יהוה {Jehovah}{1}. {Footnote: 1The first record of “calling on the Name of יהוה {Jehovah}” (Genesis 4:26 The Scriptures 1998+)

English: The Geneva Bible (1560): God’s name Iehouah (in older Latin transcription form), that is Jehovah. Greek/Ελληνικά: Η μεταγραφή Ιεχουά (Ιεχωβά) στο εδάφιο Ψαλμός 83:18, από την Βίβλο της Γενεύης (Geneva Bible) του 1560. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“So Aḇram left, as יהוה had commanded him, and Lot went with him. And Aḇram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Ḥaran.” (Genesis 12:4 The Scriptures 1998+)

“ 7 And יהוה {Jehovah} appeared to Aḇram and said, “To your seed I give this land.” And he built there an altar to יהוה{Jehovah}, who had appeared to him. 8 And from there he moved to the mountain east of Bĕyth Ěl, and he pitched his tent, with Bĕyth Ěl on the west and Ai on the east. And he built there an altar to יהוה{Jehovah}, and called on the Name of יהוה{Jehovah}.” (Genesis 12: 7-8: The Scriptures 1998+)

Many times people were wrestling with many problems, often caused by themselves because they did not keep to the Commandments of God or did not listen to His Voice. Multitudes of commands and myriads of promises were given to God His people. Many blessings came over them, but oh so often they forgot quickly what He had done for them.

But every time God was there again to come close to them and several times God appeared to His chosen people to tell them what to do and to tell them about future happenings.

“23 And from there he went up to Be’ĕrsheḇa. 24 And יהוה {Jehovah}appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the Elohim of your father Aḇraham. Do not fear, for I am with you, and shall bless you and increase your seed for My servant Aḇraham’s sake.”
25 And he built an altar there, and called on the Name of יהוה {Jehovah}, and he pitched his tent there, and the servants of Yitsḥaq dug a well there. “ (Genesis 26: 23-25: The Scriptures 1998+)

The Creator told His chosen people how He was to be called and that His Name should be known all over the world.

And He said, “I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Ya’aqoḇ.” And Mosheh hid his face, for he was afraid to look at Elohim” (Exodus 3:6 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And now, see, the cry of the children of Yisra’ĕl has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Mitsrites oppress them.” (Exodus 3:9 The Scriptures 1998+)

“14 And Elohim said to Mosheh, “I am that which I am.”{1 } And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” {Footnote: 1The Heḇrew text reads: ’eyeh ’asher ’eyeh, the word ’eyeh being derived from hayah which means to be, to exist, but the Aramaic text here in v. 14 reads: ayah ashar ayah. This is not His Name, but it is an explanation that leads up to the revelation of His Name in v. 15, namely: יהוה (Jehovah). } 15 And Elohim said further to Mosheh, “Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘יהוה {Jehovah } Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Ya’aqoḇ, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.’ ” (Exodus 3:14-15 The Scriptures 1998+)

“Jehovah” at Exodus 6:3 (1611 King James Version) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“2 And Elohim spoke to Mosheh and said to him, “I am יהוה {Jehovah}.” 3 “And I appeared to Aḇraham {Abraham}, to Yitsḥaq {Isaac}, and to Ya’aqoḇ {Jakob}, as Ěl Shaddai {The One Most High; The Almighty}. And by My Name, יהוה {Jehovah }, was I not known to them? 4 “And I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Kena’an, the land of their sojournings, in which they have sojourned. 5 “And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Yisra’ĕl whom the Mitsrites are enslaving, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 “Say, therefore, to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I am יהוה {Jehovah}, and I shall bring you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrites, and shall deliver you from their enslaving, and shall redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments, 7 and shall take you as My people, and I shall be your Elohim. And you shall know that I am יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim who is bringing you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrites. 8 ‘And I shall bring you into the land which I swore to give to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya’aqoḇ {Jakob}, to give it to you as an inheritance. I am יהוה {Jehovah}.’ ” (Exodus 6:2-8 The Scriptures 1998+) (Exodus 6:2-7 The Scriptures 1998+)

“Go, and you shall gather the elders of Yisra’ĕl together, and say to them, ‘יהוה {Jehovah} Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, of Yitsḥaq, and of Ya’aqoḇ, appeared to me, saying, “I have indeed visited you and seen what is done to you in Mitsrayim; (Exodus 3:16 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And in that day you shall say, “Praise יהוה {Jehovah}, call upon His Name; make known His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His Name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12:4 The Scriptures 1998+)

“13 For “everyone who calls on the Name of יהוה {Jehovah} shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without one proclaiming? 15 And how shall they proclaim if they are not sent? As it has been written, “How pleasant are the feet of those who bring the Good News of peace, who bring the Good News of the good!” 16 However, not all obeyed the Good News. For Yeshayahu {Isaiah} says, {Jehovah } “יהוה, who has believed our report?” 17 So then belief comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Elohim.” (Romans 10:13-17 The Scriptures 1998+)

Whatever God has made prominent in his Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. He wanted us to get to know Him properly and to choose out of our own free will, to go for Him and to call upon His Name.

God insisted that people followed His Words and that they would call upon Him and not on other gods. More than ones He showed others how useless it was to call upon the gods of the earth. In the many stories of the Old Testament we can see how even great people, being ‘gods’ in their time did not manage to compete against the God of gods in heaven.

““And you shall call on the name of your mighty one, and I, I call on the Name of יהוה {Jehovah}. And the Elohim who answers by fire, He is Elohim.” So all the people answered and said, “The word is good.” (1 Kings 18:24 The Scriptures 1998+)

Moabite Stone or Mesha Stele: YHWH, the god of Israelites as mentioned in the Moabite inscription in line 18 (context: and I took from there t[he ves]sels (or [altar he]arths) of YHWH and I dragged them before the face of Kemosh). Transliteration (modern Hebrew characters): יהוה

Ordinary people but also higher placed people, priest s and kings had to remember Jehovah, who is great and terrible, (Nehemiah 4:14). The great King David knew that Jehovah God was the El Shaddai, Almighty One God to whom he always was ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of the Adonai Elohim Jehovah. And for those who called on His Name, God was willing to pour out His Spirit. The ones who loved Him dear He promised that their young men will see visions and that He even will pour out His Spirit on the servants, men and women both. He’ll set wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below. Before the Judgement Day of God, the Day tremendous and awesome. Whoever calls, ‘Help, Jehovah!’ gets help. On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a great rescue — just as the Elohim God said.

“16 O יהוה {Jehovha}, I am truly Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant; You have loosed my bonds. 17 I bring You a slaughtering of thanksgiving, And call upon the Name of יהוה {Jehovah}. 18 I pay my vows to יהוה {Jehovha} In the presence of all His people, 19 In the courts of the House of יהוה {Jehovah}, In your midst, O Yerushalayim. Praise Yah! “(Psalms 116:16-19 The Scriptures 1998+).

Excerpt of the book of Exodus from the The Great Bible (entitled The Byble in Englyshe), publ. 1540. The English form Iehovah (Jehovah as the “J” stands for both I and the later J) is used for the Tetragrammaton at Exodus 6:3. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus also learned the people around him to pray to his Father and to tell that His Name is Holy and should be honoured as the Holy Name.

““This, then, is the way you should pray: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, let Your Name be set-apart,” (Matthew 6:9 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in the heavens, let Your Name be set-apart, let Your reign come, let Your desire be done on earth as it is in heaven..” (Luke 11:2 The Scriptures 1998+)

“Then Mosheh said to Aharon, “This is what יהוה {Jehovah} spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me let Me be set-apart! And before all the people let Me be esteemed!’ ” And Aharon was silent.” (Leviticus 10:3 The Scriptures 1998+)

“26 “And let Your Name be made great forever, saying, ‘יהוה {Jehovah} of hosts is the Elohim over Yisra’ĕl.’ And let the house of Your servant Dawid be established before You. 27 “For You, O יהוה {Jehovah} of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has taken heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 “And now, O Master {Jehovah} יהוה, You are Elohim, and Your words are true, and You have spoken this goodness to Your servant. ” (2 Samuel 7:26 The Scriptures 1998+)

“24 So let it stand fast, and Your Name be great forever, saying, ‘יהוה {Jehovah} of hosts, Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, is Elohim to Yisra’ĕl. And let the house of Your servant Dawid be established before You.’ 25 “For You, O my Elohim, have revealed to Your servant to build a house for him. Therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. 26 “And now, {Jehovah} יהוה, You are Elohim, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27 “And now, You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant to be before You forever. For You have blessed it, O יהוה {Jehovah}, and it is blessed forever.”.” (1 Chronicles 17:24-27 The Scriptures 1998+)

“4 Then Yĕshua and Bani, Qadmi’ĕl, Shebanyah, Bunni, Shĕrĕbyah, Bani, Kenani stood on the stairs of the Lĕwites and cried out with a loud voice to יהוה their Elohim. 5 Then the Lĕwites, Yĕshua and Qadmi’ĕl, Bani, Ḥashabneyah, Shĕrĕbyah, Hodiyah, Shebanyah, Pethaḥyah, said, “Rise, bless יהוה {Jehovah}, your Elohim forever and ever! And let them bless Your esteemed Name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! 6 “You are יהוה {Jehovah}, You alone. You have made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that are on it, the seas and all that are in them, and You give life to them all. And the host of the heavens are bowing themselves to You.
7 “You are יהוה {Jehovah}, the Elohim who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham, 8 and found his heart trustworthy before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Kena’anites, the Ḥittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Yebusites, and the Girgashites – to give it to his seed. And You have established Your words, for You are righteous,” (Nehemiah 9:4-8 The Scriptures 1998+)

“17 Let His Name be forever, His Name continue before the sun; And let them bless themselves in Him; Let all nations call Him blessed. 18 Blessed be יהוה {Jehovah} Elohim, Elohim {The Most High} of Yisra’ĕl, He alone is doing wonders! 19 And blessed be His esteemed Name forever! And let all the earth Be filled with His esteem. Amĕn and Amĕn. .” (Psalms 72:18 The Scriptures 1998+)

God provided His only son so that a ransom could be paid for His people, so that none of His children would perish. There is no greater sacrifice than giving up your only son for the sake of our salvation. That is truly the greatest provision that our Heavenly Father has given us. He ordered His Covenant kept forever. He’s so personal and holy, that we too should call upon Him and call back and forth one to the other, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Most High God, Jehovah-of-the-Angel-Armies. His bright glory fills the whole earth.

“9 He sent redemption to His people, He has commanded His covenant forever. Set-apart and awesome is His Name. 10 The fear of יהוה {Jehovah} is the beginning of wisdom, All those doing them have a good understanding. His praise is standing forever. ” (Psalms 111:9-10 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And one cried to another and said, “Set-apart, set-apart, set-apart is יהוה {Jehovah} of hosts; all the earth is filled with His esteem!”” (Isaiah 6:3 The Scriptures 1998+)

We also should put His great and holy Name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that so many blackened wherever they went, on display. Today it is more than high time that the nations will realize who the God of gods is. The whole world should get to know the Only One Almighty God. Who He really is, that He, Jehovah is God. When He shall show His holiness through us, we shall be pleased that they can see it with their own eyes.
Perhaps it will not take long any more that God will show the world how great He is, how holy He is, because He, the Adonai will make Himself known all over the world. Then they’ll realize that He is GOD. Jehovah God will be king over all the earth, one GOD and only one. What a Day that will be! He shall be honoured all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship Him all over the world, who honour Him by bringing their best to Him. They’re saying it everywhere: “God is greater, this GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies.” “Jehovah His Name shall be The One, Great under all nations”.

“And I shall set apart My great Name, which has been profaned among the gentiles, which you have profaned in their midst. And the gentiles shall know that I am יהוה {Jehovah},” declares the Master יהוה {Jehovah}, “when I am set-apart in you before their eyes. (Ezekiel 36:23 The Scriptures 1998+)

“for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the esteem of יהוה {Jehovah}, as the waters cover the sea {^1}! {Footnote: ¹Isa. 11:9.}” (Habakkuk 2:14 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And יהוה {Jehovah} shall be Sovereign over all the earth {^1}. In that day there shall be one יהוה {Jehovah}, and His Name one. {Footnote: ¹Isa. 24:23, Dan. 2:44, Rev. 11:15.} .” (Zechariah 14:9 The Scriptures 1998+)

“For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My Name is great among nations. And in every place incense is presented to My Name, and a clean offering. For My Name is great among nations,” said יהוה {Jehovah} of hosts..” (Malachi 1:11 The Scriptures 1998+)

“28 “And after this it shall be that I pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men dream dreams, your young men see visions. 29 “And also on the male servants and on the female servants I shall pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 “And I shall give signs in the heavens and upon the earth: blood and fire and columns of smoke, 31 the sun is turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of יהוה.
32 “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Name of יהוה shall be delivered {^1}. For on Mount Tsiyon and in Yerushalayim there shall be an escape {^2} as יהוה has said, and among the survivors whom יהוה {Jehovah} calls. {Footnotes: ¹Acts 2:21, Rom. 10:13. ²Isa. 4:2-3, Obad. v. 17, Rev. 14:1.} ” (Joel 2:28-32 The Scriptures 1998+)

Coming closer to those End-times it is begetting more important that people call upon Jehovah. For the Time is near. But you don’t have to be unprepared for the tests and trials when they come.

In these times we have to look forward to the Jehovah Jireh, God the provider, the One who provides in all things pertaining to life, the Rock which we stand upon. But we do have to show to Him that we are willing to stand on Him. If we are prepared to give ourselves to Him He is willing to accept our being with all its faults and deficiencies. So, we do better ask God and trust that He, as a loving Father, will listen to us. In prayer we can build up our life and prepare ourselves for times coming. By prayer we are preparing our heart and our mind for the battle ahead. Let us rest ourselves upon Him. He is our refuge, let us hide in Him; He is our strength, let us array ourselves with Him; He is our help, let us lean upon Him; He is our very present help, let us repose in Him now.

en: The Holy Bible in Modern Greek by Neofitos Vamvas. At Exodus 6:3 the divine name of God, the sacred Tetragrammaton, is rendered “Ιεχωβά” (Ieová/Jehovah). La Cle publications, 1979. el: Το όνομα Ιεοβά (Ιεχωβά) στην Παλαιά Διαθήκη. Νεοελληνική Μετάφραση (Βάμβα), έκδοση La Cle, 1979. Απόσπασμα από το βιβλίο της Εξόδου. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We must give to God the necessary appropriate glory which He deserves and is worthy off. We must follow His wishes. Under those wishes it has been confessed to make God His name be known. Concerning His Name God wishes that His name be known all over the earth. We can work for it and must help with that. We do have to love Gods name and give it all honour. We should consecrate His name above all names, declaring it to be holy, set apart, sanctified. Above all names we must esteem This One highly. This totally different god than the many gods worshipped at the moment, all over the earth, is the Elohim, Most High over all, the אהיה אשר אהיה “I AM WHO I AM” the very Source of life and of all good that is made up in this world.

We should want to give God this glory, in our speech and foremost in our prayer, especially because this stipulates the tone for the rest of our prayer. It requires of us to shrink back in apprehension for the omnipotent God. It does make us tremble our for this big and most important God, who we all have to give honour and to whom we are conversing with by His grace. He is the only person to whom we should pray and must take our refuge. He is the One to whom we can confide everything and commit everything to His charge. If we know His value and Greatness and Power and realise what He has already done and still can do for us, we will not doubt make work of it to address Him regularly in love. We then will not recoil with Him to step in conversation. Also we will not recoil to converse by His grace. To him we all must bring praise for no other reason then that He exists in independence and holiness, contains Power and Love, which we cannot quite comprehend. It is not that we must pray from apprehension, fearing God, but of respect and with faith that He wants to be as the most perfect Father, who is prepared to listen to His children and to give them what they need.

“And I say to you: ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. (Luke 11:9 The Scriptures 1998+)

Preceding: Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith

Next: Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God

Find more on the Name of the Most High God:

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What’s in a name? (quest4light.net)
Names Of God (mychristiancoffeeshop.wordpress.com)
A Few Names of Jesus (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)
Song of Praise for the Elohim Set-Apart (christadelphians.wordpress.com)
True Peacemakers of Elohim (daileytalks.wordpress.com)

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Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith

Posted on January 14, 2013. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh, Jesus Christ Jeshua the Messiah Jahushua | Tags: apostle peter, Christ, David, Desire, Faith, Healing, Help, Helper, Jesus, Listen to God, Name of God, Peter, Prayer, Praying, Psalms, Torah, Trust God, Will of God, Word of God, Worship |

Trust, Faith and Prayer

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith

The apostle Peter may have had doubts in what his master Jesus asked him. At the time when the district ruler Herod heard the reports of Jesus and had arrested John the Baptist, Peter was perhaps not yet sure about the intimate relation Jesus had with his Father, the Most High God.

In the storm, Christ was there, on the lake, with his hands stretched out to catch Peter who had not enough faith in the words of his master that he could walk on the water.

A plate engraved for the Macklin Bible after a specially-commissioned painting by Philippe Jacques De Loutherbourg. Photographed from the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England. Bowyer Bible 29.3710. Christ Walking on the Sea. Matthew 14:30. A stormy night with Peter at left walking towards Christ standing on water at right, a boat behind at right. 1795.

“28 and Peter answered him and said, LORD, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water. 29 and he said, come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 but seeing that the wind was strong, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, lord, save me! 31 and immediately Jesus stretched out [his] hand and caught him; and said to him, little-faith! Why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:28-31 MKJV)

In contrast, a simple woman had more faith in Jesus, though she was not so much with him and had probably not seen so many miracles yet and not heard so many teachings from him.

“20 and behold, a woman, who had a flow of blood for twelve years, came up behind [him] and touched the hem of his garment. 21 for she said within herself, if only I shall touch his robe, I will be whole. 22 but turning and seeing her, Jesus said, daughter, be comforted; your faith has saved you. And the woman was saved from that hour.” (Matthew 9:20-22 MKJV)

Touching the hem of Christ’s garment was sufficient for healing. Here we have an incident that showed the wonder of God’s power and Jesus’ ability to wield it. In the many New Testament stories we can see how God was with Jesus. From the accounts given in those scriptures we should not only have the comfort of knowing that our master is always there to assist us when we ask, but also that we can see the responsibility we all have to help our Brethren and Sisters when they cry out for help. Jesus more often did pray for others than for himself. His thoughts where more concerning the benefit of others, than about his own prosperity. Only when it became too frightening for him (Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46), he called onto his Father, but did not ask that his will was to be done, but that the Will of his Father would be done.

“38 then he said to them, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Wait here and watch with me. 39 and he went a little further and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you [will].” (Matthew 26:38-39 MKJV)

“He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, my father, if this cup may not pass away from me unless I drink it, your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42 MKJV)

God was totally in Jesus his heart and we see that when God’s Word had entered David and Jesus their life, that divine Word became also part of their very being and giving them the desire to know what God really wanted from them. Jesus was fully aware that it was his Father who taught him how to live to please God, because Jehovah was his and David‘s God, who led him by His blessed Spirit into cleared and level pastureland. Jesus knew he could not do a solitary thing on his own. We ourselves think that we ourselves can manage and that we can do so many things on our own, without the help of anybody else. Most people would never consider needing God for what they want to do and would not listen to the Creator of heaven and earth. Jesus thought it important first to listen to God and only after that to make decisions himself. He was not out to get his own way but only to carry out orders he was willing to receive from his Father above.

“I can do nothing of my own self. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of [the] father who has sent me.” (John 5:30 MK

“I delight to do your will, O my god; and your law [is] within my heart.” (Psalms 40:8 MKJV)

“Teach me to do your will; for you [are] my god; your spirit [is] good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” (Psalms 143:10 MKJV)

King David having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now.

“For after he had served [his] own generation by the will of god, David fell asleep and was added to his fathers and saw corruption.” (Acts 13:36 MKJV)

The moment Jesus was put into the grave is also a long time ago. For both of them doing the will of God, has been their joy. God’s Torah was in their inmost being. They were never ashamed to pray to their God to ask that He would teach them to do His will, because Jehovah was their God. We also should pray and direct our words to the Most High in heaven, letting His good Spirit guide us. The words Jesus gave the people to say to his Father we may use, as well as many other words. In our prayers we may ask that God’s Kingdom may come soon, but the main thing is that we should also express to God that it is important for us that His will be done on earth as in heaven.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as [it is] in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 MKJV)

King David wrote many psalms in which he cried to God and showed his devotion to the Creator of all things. Jesus from Nazareth became the King of kings, but he was humble enough to pray to his Father many times, asking Him for things and thanking Him for many things.

When Jesus could not do a thing on his own, how would we? Are we willing to be as close as he was to his Father? Are we wanting to seek our own desires or are we prepared to look for doing the desire of the one who sent Jesus? Are we willing to learn from the lessons and the persons who did indeed serve God’s purposes in their own generation?

Faith really make a difference in getting prayers answered. It is a first step into the communication with the right person who shall be able to give the right answers.

Next: Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #1 Konings Geloof

Please do find to read:

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According to Your Faith Let it Be Done to You (smritidisaac.wordpress.com)
what is striking is the strong faith of each of these who believed in the power of Jesus to heal them. They did not approach Jesus wondering if this might be yet another thing to try; they came with a ferocious faith that caused them believe that they would be healed.
Jehovah Jireh (cindylivingstoneministries.wordpress.com)
Jehovah Jireh means the Lord is Our Provider. He provides in all things pertaining to life.
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In the New Testament we see Jesus call upon the Lord to show how trusting in Him will bring provision for your needs. We see Jesus feeding the multitudes with only seven loaves of bread and a few fish.
Prayers (dailymannablog.wordpress.com)
Peter neglected prayer at starting upon his venturous journey, but when he began to sink his danger made him a suppliant, and his cry though late was not too late. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves.
Jesus Walking On The Water (stephaniejmcgowanwrites.com)
It is Matthew’s gospel which adds Peter to the story, and illustrates the apostle’s attempt to walk towards Jesus on the stormy sea.
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Terror and uncertainty allows him to lose control of the situation. Peter believes he can walk on the water, but for him it suddenly becomes an impossibility.
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Like Simon Peter there are times when we lose our courage after taking the first step, but we should continue to have courage. We are afraid of drowning, because our Christianity is not of this world, but we are in the world, and we have to cope with difficulties.
I live by faith in the Son of God. Epiphany 1 Sermon 2013. (deprofundisclamaviadtedomine.wordpress.com)
Paul pleads with the Romans to offer their bodies to God as sacrifices. Not that they should kill themselves. But they—and we—should be just like a lamb burning on the altar. It was dead to its own will. It would never have willingly lain down on the fire. But it was dead, so it had no choice.
Identifying myself with my High Priest Jesus Christ. (lovepeaceandjoy4all.wordpress.com)
So I ask God to help me identify with my High Priest Jesus Christ. So the question is not whether or not if I’m accepted before God, but is my High Priest Jesus Christ is accepted.
Speaking the Word Part 2 (kittypalmer.wordpress.com)
I can use my mind to get information about healing and health but only the Holy Spirit can quicken and make it work my life.
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Any failure is on my part, never my God who cannot fail
Lord, You Know the Hopes of the Helpless (smritidisaac.wordpress.com)
The strangest of things happen, and the reasons are sometimes never clear.
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it is not our wealth that God is in need of.
In All Your Ways Submit to Him, and He Will Make Your Paths Straight (smritidisaac.wordpress.com)
The reading in Matthew continues with the accounts of Jesus healing the people of their illnesses and infirmities. The story of the centurion is a most fascinating one. Even Jesus is taken by the faith that this man shows when he approaches Jesus to ask for help. Would that we might have a fraction of the faith that this man had! He didn’t wish for Jesus to come in person to heal his servant; he simply asks that Jesus speak the word– and believes that it will be done!
Praise Him! (tannngl.wordpress.com)
we have the assurance of God’s Spirit in our very souls.
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God’s promise is that he won’t let us go, that he loves us and will be with us til the end!

Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 15 so far )

Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality

Posted on November 26, 2012. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Faith, Manners and Association, Meditation, Religion | Tags: 1960 s, Abstinence, Alvin Plantinga, Analytic philosophy, Apologetics, Approach, Atheism, Awareness, Behaviour, Biblical guidance, Biblical Teaching, Buddhism, Chanting, Character formation, Christian character, Christians, Christmas, Conduct, Creativity, Deity, Existence, Explanation, Faith, Focus, Freedom, Fruits of the Spirit, Fulfilment, God, God's character, Holiday, Human Character, Human spirit, Image of God, Inner path, j p moreland, Lifestyle, Materialist naturalism, Meditation, Mind, Moral Values, Naturalists, Peter Van Inwagen, Philip Sheldrake, Philosophy, Pilgrimage, Practice, Prayer, Quentin Smith, Religion and Spirituality, Rest, Santiago de Compostela, Sceptics, Secularization, Self-development, Soul, Spiritual, Spiritual Life, Spirituality, T'ai-chi, Thanksgiving, Theism, Theist, Theology, Theravadan vipassana, Thinking process, Thought, Virtue, Virtues, Vision, William Alston, William Lane Craig, Yoga, Zen |

Do you have a concept of an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a you to discover the essence of your being? Are you looking into yourself to find the deepest values and meanings by which you or other people live? Do you want to get in touch with your spiritual side through private meditation, quiet reflection, prayer, yoga, repetitive movements, t’ai-chi, sitting quiet on a bench or a mountain, or even long walks?

Origin and coming into being

When we look at the world we can wonder how it all came into existence, believe either in a Big Bang, Darwin Theory, other evolution theories, many ideas of many people having brought forth many religions. We all want to explain things or require an explanation for everything? But the world is so complex and our brain so limited that hunman beings can not explain everything. They are not able to find an answer for everything. They may be smart but they are all limited.

Perhaps because we do know our limitation and that of others we are happy to agree with purpose-based explanations for natural states of affairs. We also sometimes like to link such purpose-based explanations to thinking that someone (e.g., a god) accounts for the purpose. Even young children have the intuition that purpose is best accounted for by someone willing that purpose to be. So, perhaps it is a part of human nature to accept purpose-based explanations which also supports belief in a God or gods. As such people made up gods and created many religionswhich are not just a quirky interest of a few, it’s basic human nature.

English: Brain in a vat. Famous thought experi...

Brain in a vat. Famous thought experiment in analytic philosophy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Looking for answers in science

From the 1960s onwards more people started wondering and doubting all the behaviours around God and gods and tried to find more answers in science. There has been a desecularization in academic philosophy departments since the 1960′s, according to naturalist (that is, atheist) philosopher Quentin Smith. By the middle of the 20th century, atheism was the dominant view of mainstream analytic philosophy. By the second half of the twentieth century, universities and colleges had been become in the main secularized. The standard (if not exceptionless) position in each field, from physics to psychology, assumed or involved arguments for a naturalist world-view; departments of theology or religion aimed to understand the meaning and origins of religious writings, not to develop arguments against naturalism. Analytic philosophers (in the mainstream of analytic philosophy) treated theism as an antirealist or non-cognitivist world-view, requiring the reality, not of a deity, but merely of emotive expressions or certain “forms of life” (of course there were a few exceptions, e.g., Ewing, Ross, Hartshorne, etc.).

Naturalists

But realist theists were not outmatched by naturalists in terms of the most valued standards of analytic philosophy: conceptual precision, rigor of argumentation, technical erudition, and an in-depth defense of an original world-view. Naturalists passively watched as realist versions of theism, most influenced by Plantinga’s writings (God and Other Minds, in 1967 a.o.), began to sweep through the philosophical community, until today perhaps one-quarter or one-third of philosophy professors are theists, with most being orthodox Christians.

Several naturalist philosophers reacted by publicly ignoring the increasing desecularizing of philosophy (while privately disparaging theism, without really knowing anything about contemporary analytic philosophy of religion) and proceeded to work in their own area of specialization as if theism, the view of approximately one-quarter or one-third of their field, did not exist. Quickly, naturalists found themselves a mere bare majority, with many of the leading thinkers in the various disciplines of philosophy, ranging from philosophy of science (e.g., Van Fraassen) to epistemology (e.g., Moser), being theists. The predicament of naturalist philosophers is not just due to the influx of talented theists, but is due to the lack of counter-activity of naturalist philosophers themselves. A large number of publications advancing theism have come onto the scene by such philosophers as William Alston, Robert and Marilyn Adams, Peter Van Inwagen, Eleonore Stump, Nicholas Wolsterstorff, and Linda Zagzebski. Arguing for theism is no longer “an academically unrespectable scholarly pursuit.

Quentin Smith points out that in the past decade one catalogue of Oxford University Press, which is arguably the top publisher of contemporary philosophy, included 96 books on the philosophy of religion. 94 of these argued for theism, while the remaining 2 discussed both sides of the issue. I would add that since this time, with the advent of the new atheists, the publication numbers may not be as one-sided. Still, this is a radical shift that would have been unthinkable 60 years ago.

J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig say that philosophy aids Christians in the tasks of apologetics, polemics and systematic theology. It reflects our having been made in the image of God, helps us to extend biblical teaching into areas not expressly addressed in Scripture, facilitates the spiritual discipline of study, enhances the boldness and self-image of the Christian community, and is requisite to the essential task of integrating faith and learning.

Oppression by religion

Sceptics have been around all the time. Fundamentalist we can find everywhere. Strange consequences may also be found. When religion is put onto people there is going on something wrong. For example when in Kentucky, a homeland security law requires the state’s citizens to acknowledge the security provided by the Almighty God this is imposing something on a whole community which is a matter of personal belief. The law and its sponsor, state representative Tom Riner, have been the subject of controversy since the law first surfaced in 2006, yet the Kentucky state Supreme Court has refused to review its constitutionality, despite clearly violating the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.

The law states, “The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God as set forth in the public speeches and proclamations of American Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln’s historic March 30, 1863, presidential proclamation urging Americans to pray and fast during one of the most dangerous hours in American history, and the text of President John F. Kennedy‘s November 22, 1963, national security speech which concluded: “For as was written long ago: ‘Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.’”

The law requires that plaques celebrating the power of the Almighty God be installed outside the state Homeland Security building–and carries a criminal penalty of up to 12 months in jail if one fails to comply. The plaque’s inscription begins with the assertion, “The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.”

Tom Riner, a Baptist minister and the long-time Democratic state representative, sponsored the law. He forgets that God does not want to be imposed on others. Condemning people because they do not believe in God, nor forcing people to accept that there is a God shall bring those people closer to God. To constrain a faith onto people does not get people to adhere that faith.

“The church-state divide is not a line I see,” Riner told The New York Times shortly after the law was first challenged in court. “What I do see is an attempt to separate America from its history of perceiving itself as a nation under God.”

In this instance clearly God and His Law are mis-used to limit people in their freedom of choice. God commits nobody to His Laws or to any faith. He does not compel people to undertake to do co-operate.

Dependence on God may be essential to come to the best form of living. In the end we shall get the best ‘political’ or ‘theocratic’ constitution or condition with the Kingdom of God. But as long as Jesus does not return we shall have to do it with human constitutions. In the Law of God, God demands people to make the choice and He does not force them. Though there are many people who want to force their ideas of Christianity, what to believe, what to chose and how to behave on others. It are them who do not allow freedom of mind, though they often call onto the constitution to say that provides for Freedom.

Saudi atheist “Jabir,” talking to Your Middle East:

Isn’t it a basic right for humans to believe or not believe freely! I know this is only a dream in Saudi, but it doesn’t change the fact that people will have different views and believes [sic], whether society will allow it or not.

Thanksgiving and Christmas

On Thursday in America they had Thanksgiving which nearly every year means it’s time for the ‘Religious Right’ to start carping about the so-called “war on Christmas.” The American Family Association (AFA) has released its annual “Naughty Or Nice” list of retailers. Traditionally, release of this list, which the AFA published on November 15, marks the beginning of the annual Religious Right whine-fest about the war on Christmas.

In Santa Monica, California, a large display depicting the nativity of Jesus had been erected for several years. Last year, an atheist group requested the right to use the space too, so city officials decided to hold a lottery. Atheist groups won most of the spaces in 2011, and there was some discontent over this – mainly, intolerant residents trashed the atheist displays. This year, the city has decided to shut down the forum rather than host any displays.

Lots of Christians do not recognise all the heathen elements in this so called Christian high-feast. Many even think it is an essential part of their faith and they can not come into a spiritual right state without celebrating Christmas.

Others do find that thankfulness is one of the distinguishing traits of the human spirit and therefore Thanksgiving should be the most important Christian holiday.

They may be right to point to the necessity to say thanks, and we realize we ought to be more grateful than we are. We furthermore perceive that we are indebted to (and accountable to) a higher power than ourselves — the God who made us. According to Scripture, everyone has this knowledge, including those who refuse to honour God or thank Him.

Indebted in a human being

Because Scripture tells us that the Creator of heaven and earth has given every part of creation something of Him and the knowledge of the Supreme being, we should not worry about forcing the knowledge of God onto others.

We are conscious that ingratitude is dishonourable by anyone’s reckoning. In case people willfully are ungrateful toward the Creator we do have to accept their choice to deny an essential aspect of our own humanity. The shame of such ingratitude is inscribed on the human conscience, and even the most dogmatic atheists are not immune from the knowledge that they ought to give thanks to God. Try as they might to suppress or deny the impulse, “what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them,” according to Romans 1:19.

Every person born gets from the moment he or she can think a confrontation with everything what is around its person. He or she gets confronted with many ideas and questions about the ‘whys’ and ‘whats’. Each person while growing up shall come to think about existence. More than once in a person’s life the man or woman in question shall think about the reasons why he or she exist and what he or she comes to do or has to do on this earth. A question about beliefs and religion shall also arise.

In many people’s conception if you really can’t be religious, at least you should try to be spiritual. If you are not, then you must be a damned selfish materialist according to them. If taking the word ‘Spriutality’ literally as if you are spiritual you believe in spirits (not of the alcohol-laden type), to be averse to the idea that matter and energy are all there is to the universe. This would not translate into someone being a better, more moral and hence more contactable person.

Indicating someone who devotes part of her time and energy to cultivate her “spirit,” as opposed to just being concerned with “material” things is the better part of the spirituality. It is where we try to get into our life an extra sense. Naturally we are not born with the materialistic mind. We have it in our selves to think about more important matters than just the material ones. It is our wealth which brings our head on the roller-skates. We do not originally think of our life as a dichotomous enterprise in the course of which we have to provide material/energy food for our stomach to process, as well as an entirely different kind of nourishment for our “spirit.” Our mind, whatever the detailed explanation of how it works, is a product of our brain, and the two simply can’t be disconnected, upon penalty of the first one simply ceasing to exist.

The soul of a person is his being, his breath, his thinking. It is not an other sort of spirit being accommodated in a physical body. Without breath we can not survive. Without thinking we shall also not be able to survive, because the brain lets us take care of the thoughts to preserve our body (it is our soul). From the start of the existence we had to get to know it was important to breath, to eat and to drink. We learned we had to provide for nutrition. Nourishment , we learned did not exist only as a power supply, we learned bad food or malnutrition would bring us in problems. Strangely enough many people did not get to see that malnutrition on the psychical part also would bring a person in in-balance and in problems.

From the beginning it was also indebted that we should take care of cultivating and reflecting on our ethics, our way of behavement, certainly because we are not on our own in this world, so we should take care of the others around us. when born soon we learn to react to our environment. The people around our cot let us make certain reactions. We learn from them and we continue to learn from reactions others make in our life. We do have to learn behaving justly and compassionately toward our fellow human beings, and of nurturing our aesthetic sense through arts and letters. This learning process is so different by all that it makes some people more reflective than others, some more compassionate, some more inclined to read literature and go to art museums or concerts (the latter activities also of course greatly depending on one’s means and education, not just our natural propensities).

Odysseus in Dante’s Inferno says: “Fatti non foste per viver come bruti, ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza” (We were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge). No matter if a person is religious or not, it is part of our nature that we have our brains to let us think about matters. Every person has the basic notion about compassion and ethics. We all have a feeling about manners and how to behave to get on in our society. For this reason some think an interesting human being doesn’t need to be either religious or spiritual. He just needs to be human. But this being human, according to us, just demands using the brains to think about everything to get the own soul in unison with the rest of the world. Spirituality is the way to get in line with the surroundings. Religion may help to get oneself sorted out and to have moral qualms.

Question of spirituality

Traditionally, many religions have regarded spirituality as an integral aspect of religious experience. Among other factors, declining membership of organized religions and the growth of secularism in the western world have given rise to a broader view of spirituality. {Michael Hogan (2010). The Culture of Our Thinking in Relation to Spirituality. Nova Science Publishers: New York.} The term “spiritual” is now frequently used in contexts in which the term “religious” was formerly employed; compare James‘ 1902 lectures on the “Varieties of Religious Experience”. {James, W. (1985). The varieties of religious experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1902) + Gorsuch, R.L., & Miller, W. R. (1999). Assessing spirituality. In W. R. Miller (Ed), Integrating spirituality into treatment (pp. 47-64). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.}

Many people do come to an evaluation of a particular individual’s durable moral qualities. Virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits are questioned. Thought and excellences of character are being questioned.

The Bible defines character as any behaviour or activity that reflects the character of God. The Book of Genesis says that God created man in his own image. (Genesis 1:27) Though we are created to act in accordance to the will of our creator, we are given the freedom to expand, to rule the earth and to use our brains in the manner we would like to use it. But humans should know that Christian character can only be “Fruits of the Spirit” . (Galatians 5:22-23)

Looking for ‘luck’ people have wondered who or what was behind the creation and if they did need to come to a spiritual form to form themselves and to create happiness around and for them. Many people hoped to find peace for their mind in spiritual practices such as mindfulness and meditation. Nearly everybody looks for human fulfilment without any supernatural interpretation or explanation. Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words and actions that are in harmony with a belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent; this stance has much in common with some versions of Buddhist spirituality. Sometimes it looks like every human being wants to go into an individual battle with himself and with the ‘existence‘. It seems we want to go into a struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. This is true when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation. We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is “spiritual” when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life. {Fuller, Robert C. Spiritual, But Not Religious. }

In broad terms “spirituality” stands for lifestyles and practices that embody a vision of how the human spirit can achieve its full potential. In other words, spirituality embraces an aspirational approach to the meaning and conduct of life – we are driven by goals beyond purely material success or physical satisfaction.

Spirituality is connected and particularly shaped to any individual. it can not be imposed by others onto some one else. The human mind wondering and putting ideas in a certain order, trying to coop with behavement according those thoughts, is individually-tailored, democratic and eclectic, and offers an alternative source of inner-directed, personal authority in response to a decline of trust in conventional social or religious leaderships.

Quest for the sacred

“Spirituality involves a search for “meaning” – the purpose of life. It also concerns what is “holistic” – that is, an integrating factor, “life seen as a whole”. ” writes Philip Sheldrake in “Is spirituality a passing trend?”. He continues: ” Spirituality is also understood to be engaged with a quest for “the sacred” – whether God, the numinous, the boundless mysteries of the universe or our own human depths. The word is also regularly linked to “thriving” – what it means to thrive and how we are enabled to thrive. Contemporary approaches also relate spirituality to a self-reflective existence in place of an unexamined life.”

The great wisdom traditions suggest the adoption of certain spiritual practices and it is this aspect of spirituality that attracts many contemporary people. Forms of meditation, retreat, physical posture or movement such as yoga, chanting or prayers, disciplines of frugality and abstinence (for example from alcohol or meat) or visits to sacred sites and pilgrimage (for example the popular practice of walking the “camino” to Santiago de Compostela) are among the most common. The point is that spiritual practices are not merely productive in a narrow sense but are disciplined and creative. A commitment to the regularity of a spiritual discipline like meditation gives shape to what may otherwise be a fragmented life. Many people also experience their creative activities in art, music, writing and so on as spiritual practices. {Is spirituality a passing trend? Philip Sheldrake}

Spirituality integral part of life

Spirituality is actually concerned with cultivating a “spiritual life” rather than simply with undertaking practices isolated from commitment. It offers a “value-added” factor to personal and professional lives.

Spirituality also expands ethical behaviour by moving it beyond right or wrong actions to a question of identity. Senior Research Fellow in the Cambridge Theological Federation (Westcott House) Professor Philip Sheldrake says “We are to be ethical people rather than simply to “do” ethical things. Character formation and the cultivation of virtue then become central concerns.”

The world moves on and many forms of meditation and ways to come to spirituality have been created. Many forms of meditation, physical posture or movement such as many forms of yoga, disciplines of frugality and abstinence (for example from alcohol or meat) or visits to sacred sites and pilgrimage (for example the popular practice of walking the “camino” to Santiago de Compostela) are among the most common. People try to get their mind to settle inward beyond thought, to experience the source of thought or come to pure awareness. They do hope that they shall be able to come into a state of restful alertness, where their brain shall be able to function with significantly greater coherence so that their body can gain deep rest. The main concern for many is to experience higher states of consciousness at this critical time for humanity.

Every year people seem to come out with a new form of ‘coming to the own self”. The cocooning spirit wants to find a growing diversity of new forms of spirituality as well as creative reinventions of the great traditions.

Sheldrake says: “The language of spirituality continues to expand into ever more professional and social worlds – for example urban planning and architecture, the corporate world, sport and law. Most strikingly there are recent signs of its emergence in two contexts that have been especially open to public criticism – commerce and politics. Equally, the Internet is increasingly used to expand access to spiritual wisdom. So, on current evidence, spirituality appears to be less of a fad than an instinctive desire to find a deeper level of values to live by. As such, it seems likely not only to survive but to develop further into many new forms.”

Careful with spiritualist forms

As Christians, followers of Christ Jesus, we should look to the Master Teacher Jesus, how he meditated and found a way to honour his Father.

太極拳 / 太极拳 Taijiquan or T’ai chi ch’uan in Lanzhou

We should be very careful how we want of if we want to incorporate meditation forms or prayer practices from one faith tradition into another. The last few years we see that for many this seems so natural to them. Many people have a fear of other religions and a nervousness about incorporating any elements drawn from other faith traditions into their own religious practice. And they have good reason. But we must also see that certain forms can be un-connected from the religions where it is associated with. To our mind you may be doing yoga or t’ai-chi without being a Buddhist or without committing yourself to Buddhism or integrating Buddhism in your Christian Faith. The only problem is that we notice certain people doing that.

It is not because many Christians in many parts of the world have long looked to Buddhism and other Eastern religions for spiritual nourishment, that this would be acceptable in the eyes of God. Such a going away from the Biblical guidance has shown that many also abandoned their Christianity altogether. In several regions we can see more pagan rites are taken in to the worshipping and many other have already incorporated Zen meditation or Theravadan vipassana meditation into their Christian prayer.

Many find it hard to focus their mind, but God has also provided ways for them to come at ease. In His Word He provided enough information to come at peace with the own self. It also gives advice to come at peace with other people around you.

St. Francis de Sales, French saint and Bishop of Geneva, said: “If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently…And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back, though it went away every time you bought it back, your hour would be very well employed.”

Each of us can take a moment in the day to just take time for him or her self. Taking a few minutes just to put all the happenings of the day in the collection box of our mind and to analyse everything what happened that day.

When it is difficult to get a moment of rest, wonder what is of hindrance. If you cannot silence your mind, take the opportunity to become aware of what your mind is going on about. Self-awareness is an important skill! Every bit of effort you put into meditation and mastering your mind is time well-spent, even though the process may sometimes seem slow. Meditation, taking time to think or to let your spirit wonder over thoughts, and prayer are very closely related in that they are periods of intense focus, however meditation can be a purely secular practice of relaxation, mind control, and self-mastery. Meditation techniques may differ from one culture to another. Often different meditation techniques are suited to different personality types. Some techniques are expansive and allow for the free flow of thoughts and their observation whereas some types are concentrative that involve bringing focus into one’s thoughts.

A liberating spirituality

Take the Bible in your hand and open it wherever it falls open and start reading there. See if you can find guidance in those text which came in front of your eyes. Next, try to take every day a moment to continue reading the Bible according a plan, for example each day one chapter of a Bible Book.

The Spirituality God has to offer in His Word brings ‘insight’ and shall after some time give you the ability to see things as they really are, attained through a process of self-observation. It means identifying one’s own nature, recognizing the bad elements and consciously eliminating them from the system. When you shall continue to read the Holy Scriptures you shall find that those Words shall be able to transform you. When you are willing to put aside all previously learned doctrines you shall see that the Word of God can set you free of rites and shall help to develop wisdom. The great surplus the Words from the Bible shall give is that it will change your thoughts from being negative to positive. Focusing more on within our self, letting the Word of Goddoing its work we shall becoming free of negativity, transforming yourself, your thoughts, and recognizing the negative thoughts, and changing them into positive and peaceful thoughts.

The Bible compass for life

The Bible shall set your mind free and give a spiritual feeling which brings you further on the road of self-development.

No one can control eradicate adversity in life but you can master the way you respond in regards to your thinking processes. Giving yourself in the hands of the Most High Supreme, shall offer you an open gate to a spiritual world where you shall be able to encounter many more souls with the same free mind. Those people having found the liberating power of the son of God, are prepared to come together too spirituality as Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Please do read:

Of interest:

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New Books in Theology, Philosophy, & Apologetics – November 2012 (greatcloud.wordpress.com)
Philosophy, archaeology and science are hot topics in Christian circles, perplexing many believers about how these issues relate to faith.
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Do people hold to a particular religion just because of an accident of geography? Is believing in Jesus as arbitrary as believing in Zeus? Why would God order the slaughter of infants or send people to hell? How do you know you’re really real, and not just a character in someone’s book?
William Lane Craig lectures against naturalism at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland (winteryknight.wordpress.com)
Dr. Craig was in Scotland to lecture at a physics conference, but a local church organized this public lecture at the University of St. Andrews.
“Indeed, it is theism, not naturalism, that deserves to be called ‘the scientific worldview.’” (insightscoop.typepad.com)
For too long, Mr. Plantinga contends in a new book, theists have been on the defensive, merely rebutting the charge that their beliefs are irrational. It’s time for believers in the old-fashioned creator God of the Bible to go on the offensive, he argues, and he has some sports metaphors at the ready.
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Theism, with its vision of an orderly universe superintended by a God who created rational-minded creatures in his own image, “is vastly more hospitable to science than naturalism,” with its random process of natural selection, he writes. “Indeed, it is theism, not naturalism, that deserves to be called ‘the scientific worldview.’ ”
Naturalism and science are incompatible (openparachute.wordpress.com)
Well, that’s what the Christian apologist philosopher Alvin Plantinga claims. And he has written a book to “prove” it - Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism. Apparently its required reading for students of theology and the philosophy of religion. Probably because he declares there is a “deep concord between science and theistic belief, . . . . and deep conflict between science and naturalism.”
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all philosophies or ideologies are incompatible with science in the sense that science does not, and should not, a priori, include any of these ideological/philosophical presumptions.
An Imperfect God (opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com)
You often hear philosophers describe “theism” as the belief in a perfect being — a being whose attributes are said to include being all-powerful, all-knowing, immutable, perfectly good, perfectly simple, and necessarily existent (among others). And today, something like this view is common among lay people as well.
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Philosophers have spent many centuries trying to get God’s supposed perfections to fit together in a coherent conception, and then trying to get that to fit with the Bible. By now it’s reasonably clear that this can’t be done. In fact, part of the reason God-bashers like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris are so influential (apart from the fact they write so well) is their insistence that the doctrine of God’s perfections makes no sense, and that the idealized “being” it tells us about doesn’t resemble the biblical God at all.
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As Donald Harman Akenson writes, the God of Hebrew Scripture is meant to be an “embodiment of what is, of reality” as we experience it. God’s abrupt shifts from action to seeming indifference and back, his changing demands from the human beings standing before him, his at-times devastating responses to mankind’s deeds and misdeeds — all these reflect the hardship so often present in the lives of most human beings.
Theism, Naturalism, and Morality (psychologytoday.com)
philosopher J.P. Moreland argues that there are several aspects of reality which naturalism is unable to account for, while theism can: consciousness, free will, rationality, morality, value, and a substantial human soul.
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The sense of guilt one feels for falling short of the moral law is best explained if a good God is the source or ultimate exemplification of that law. As Moreland puts it, “One cannot sense shame and guilt towards a Platonic form” (p. 147).
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Evolutionary explanations fall short because of what is selected for in evolutionary processes on naturalistic versions of evolutionary theory.
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the theist can offer a variety of reasons to adopt the moral point of view–the moral law is true; it is an expression of the non-arbitrary character of a good, loving, wise, and just God; and we were designed to function properly when living a moral life.
Believe It or Not (dedicatedtothegame.com)
Dr. Kim wants to know if the relationship in question is describable and thus knowable to us as we know other things. He frames his question in terms of a “pairing problem” to lay out how we think of causation. We must somehow be able to “locate” or identify events and objects in relationship to each other to establish a cause and effect relationship between them. He concludes that our understanding of causation requires some shared context. Space-time provides such a relational context for physical objects, but what of the immaterial, wholly separate divine substance?
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The knowledge of a separate substance could only be a direct knowledge. It must be a thing out of context, unextended. . Anything we can know about it is thus available only through “revelation”, “faith”, “intuition” – whatever you want to call pure, non-contingent experience, if such a thing exists, and so, as Kant says, our awareness of the other stuff’s existence must be the full extent of what we know about it.
Plantinga Reviews Nagel (maverickphilosopher.typepad.com)
What excites the theists’ approbation, of course, are not Nagel’s positive panpsychist and natural-teleological suggestions, which remain within the ambit of naturalism, but his assault on materialist naturalism.
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Materialist naturalism cannot explain belief, cognition, and reason.
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As for natural teleology: does it really make sense to suppose that the world in itself, without the presence of God, should be doing something we could sensibly call “aiming at” some states of affairs rather than others—that it has as a goal the actuality of some states of affairs as opposed to others?
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What is Reason? How Did it Arise? Nagel and Non-Intentional Teleology + Nagel’s Reason for Rejecting Theism

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Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian

Posted on October 24, 2012. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Bible Study and Bible Reading, Christendom and Christianity, Faith, History, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh, Jesus Christ Jeshua the Messiah Jahushua | Tags: Barack Obama, Billy Graham, Calvinists, Catholic Church, Charismatic Catholics, Christian, Christian Faith, Christian Truth, Confession, Cult, Denomination, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Disciple, Doctrine, Example, Followers of Christ, Following Christ, Franklin Graham, God Son, God the Father, God the Son, Good News, Heathen, Heretic, Holy Spirit, Jehovah Witnesses, Jesus, Jews, Judeo-Christian values, Justification by Works, Karl Barth, Kingdom of God, Lord of lords, Love for God, Lutherans, Marcel Lefebvre, Mitt Romney, Mormons, Nazi Regime, New Age, Non-Trinitarians, Opus Dei, Paul Tillich, Pray, Prayer, Proclaim, Proclaiming, Rabbi, Salvation, Son of God, Talmidim, Tea Party, Teacher, Teaching, The Way, Theologian, To be Saved, Tradition, Trinity, Truth, United States |

Often you hear people calling non-trinitarians heathen and heretics, members of a cult.

Becoming a member or Getting in and out

Normally you would consider a group as being a cult when it is easy to get in but very difficult to get out. Most of the non-trinitarian groups are not so easy to become a member of because they require full notice of their teachings, the Biblical teachings and a life which is acceptable in the eyes of Jesus and most important acceptable for God. Once allowed to become a member and to be baptised, with some, after a questionnaire to cheque if you fulfil the requirements, the person has to live a Christian life according to the ordinances of the Holy Scriptures. As soon as the person does something against the Law of God he or she is mostly requested to leave the association. No foul play or being unfaithful to a partner are accepted so slutty actions are penalised by being put out of the congregation. Fornication is a good reason not to be allowed in the group any more.
Therefore groups like the Jehovah Witnesses are very easy to get out. Even if you have done no whorehopping but tell them so, you may leave for ever. (By matter of speech.) As you can see not really according to the real definition of a cult.

In case you consider every minority group a cult, then yes you can see in the whole history that many groups which started small, like the followers of Jesus where called a cult (The Way), but as soon as they got more money and political power they became integrated in the normal system and where even taken as the normal standard. As such history has seen growing the Lutherans, Calvinists or recently the Mormons.

The Most profitable considered to be the Main

In the United States once again it is proven that people prefer to choose the groups which they think could bring most profit. The Tea Party which has its mouth full of Judeo-Christian Values would never want to go in the sea with Obama, but do not see the danger into giving hands to Mitt Romney. In earlier days they shouted that Mormons where of the devil and today they call everybody to go and vote for Mitt Romney so that he can save America. Once considered a cult to avoid and never to work with is now the hope of American evangelists and conservative Christians.

In the past we have seen when push came to shove (or prison, or death) also most Protestants supported like the Roman Catholic Church, the Nazi regime regardless of where they fell on the theological spectrum. And prominent liberal theologians like Paul Tillich were just as hostile to the Third Reich as were prominent conservative theologians and pastors like Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And the tragic thing is that while Catholic Church and the Confessing Church rigorously opposed Nazi claims to totalitarian power over their churches and other church-related organizations, neither said much at all in the way of denouncing Nazi policy towards Jews, Jehovah Witnesses, or to the mentally-handicapped.

Lefebvrists SSPX Priest and altar server of the guild of St. Stephen.

When a group Catholics did not want to agree with the teachings of Pope John Giovanni XXIII and preferred to keep to the Latin rite they where considered heretics and the world was confronted with different Catholic Cults like the Lefebvrists or Marcel Lefebvre his Society of St. Pius X. Pope Benedict XVI had declared that, for doctrinal rather than disciplinary reasons, the SSPX had no canonical status in the Catholic Church and, because of that lack of canonical status, the ministries exercised by its ministers were not legitimate in the Catholic Church. Tensions between the society and the Holy See reached their height in 1988, when Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops against the orders of Pope John Paul II, resulting in a declaration of excommunication against the bishops who consecrated or were consecrated, an excommunication remitted for those still alive in January 2009 with a hope expressed that all members of the society would quickly return to full communion.
At the end of last century and beginning this century when everything was turned back to previous days they were taken up again in the Roman Catholic Church and are today not seen as a cult any more.

Some years ago people spoke about Catholic institutional cults like the Charismatic Catholics, Opus Dei, a.o.

Several people also used to speak out boldly against the Church of Rome and considered it from the devil or to be the Babylon of which the Bible spoke. Though it no longer seems to be in vogue to speak of the pope as “the antichrist” (Although the following people unhesitatingly did: Martin Luther, John Bunyan, John Huss, John Wycliffe, John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Knox, Thomas Bacon, John Wesley, Samuel Cooper, John Cotton, and Jonathan Edwards.) or the Catholic Church as the “whore of Babylon”. Now many Protestants unwittingly believe that “our differences are not so great”.

Alliances

Franklin Graham told the Indianapolis Star (6/3/99) that his father’s longstanding ecumenical alliance with the Catholic Church and all other denominations, “was one of the smartest things his father ever did.” The charismatic Charisma magazine in 10/95 contained a 7-page article on Franklin Graham. They quoted him as saying, “I thank God for the warmth I see within many of the charismatic churches — their love for the Lord and love for the scriptures. …” He also said, “Probably (Samaritan’s Purse) largest base of support comes from the charismatic community.” He has referred to “Mother” Teresa as an “example of the woman God uses” (4/1/99, Calvary Contender). {Billy Graham General Teachings/Activities}

New Age movements also at one time were considered cults but after a few years many protestants found solace in such groups. Norman Vincent Peale advocated New Age and/or occult teachings as visualization, pantheism, human potential, positive confession, positive thinking, etc. Once on the Phil Donahue Show, Peale, a 33rd degree Mason, said, “It’s not necessary to be born again. You have your way to God, I have mine. I found eternal peace in a Shinto shrine.” (Shintoism is an ancient Oriental religion that fuses ancestor worship with mysticism.) He also denied the necessity of believing in the virgin birth.

Trinity to follow or not

Others would say those who are not following the trinitarian teachings can not call themselves Christian and can not be any different than belonging to a cult.

They forget that being a Christian should mean that one is a follower of Christ. In such respect that person calling himself should be following the Master Teacher Jesus Christ (hence the name Christian).

In case people consider a cult any group which teaches doctrines or beliefs that deviate from the biblical message of the Christian faith, they should first confine that Christian Faith. In Christendom we see lots of denominations and in each denomination people shall be able to find many more opinions and deviations from their main confession. Some say that “cults often teach some Christian truth mixed with error, which may be difficult to detect.” But they do not give a proper definition of that Christian Truth, which would be, according to the words of the many denominations being something very different from one to the other denomination, so that every denomination could be categorised as a cult.

Features

According the fundamentalism’s leading spokesman evangelist Billy Graham there are some features common to most cults:

• “They do not adhere solely to the sixty-six books of the Bible as the inspired Word of God. They add their “special revelations” to the Bible and view them as equally authoritative.”
As such all the believers who accept the apocryphal books as worthy spiritual food, would be considered a cult. This also means the Roman Catholic Church is for those Americans a cult. Especially the Roman Catholics should then also be seen as a cult, because they also have several revelations by the saints they take for granted and of inspirational value. But in several protestant denominations we also do find groups which like to use several theological and devotional books by human writers which they consider to be inspired by God. According to Billy Graham they should also come under the denominator of being a cult.

English: The icon was painted by artist Nicholas Morosoff in 1935 at the request of Bishop Wedgwood for the St Francis Church in Tekels Park, Camberley, and hangs above its main altar. Courtesy Liberal Catholic Church of St Francis of Assisi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• “They do not accept that our relationship to Jesus Christ is a reality “by grace through faith” alone, but promote instead a salvation by works.”
By saying this they do not understand what those Christians get from the Bible, the infallible Word of God. For those, like Christadelphians, who agree that Christians should live up to their faith it is clear that it is not enough to be baptised to be saved, because faith without works is death. Strangely the others forget that they also dismember people from their congregation because they have done something which they consider to be bad. But that is in contradiction with what they say, because when that person would be saved for ever than he also should be accepted as Christian for ever. It is not right to think any murderer or wrongdoer shall go to heaven because there is the reality of Christ dying for all sinners. If they do not repent they shall not enter the small gate of the Kingdom of God (which also shall be on earth).

• For lots of Christians non-trinitarians “do not give Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, full recognition as the second Person of the Trinity, composed of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.”
Yes they do not recognise him as a part of some trio. They recognise him in his full potential. They do not see a God who came onto the earth to fake his death. Jesus really died, while God, as a spirit, can not die and has ever been and shall have no end. Jesus had a beginning (being born) and an end (died at the stake).
Fully recognising the offer Jesus brought, makes his action much more important than trinitarians want to see Jesus. His humility and his preparedness to give his life for people he did not kno, has more value than a God who could straight ahead, in heaven when the first sin was committed, take action and bring everything to an end. In such instance not so many people had to suffer so much. This would make God also to a very cruel person. But God is a God of love, who wanted to give men a change to prove that they could rule the world better than Him. (Part of the question in the garden of Eden).
We had to wait such a long time because it was only with Jesus, that God did find it time to bring a solution with giving a God send man, who could be tempted (remember God can not be tempted) but did not let himself go. Jesus kept straight in line with God’s teachings. Jesus choose to follow his father and to keep totally to His commandments. He is the only one man who could prove to be able to follow God, out of love for God and not wanting anything in return for it. As such, though at first lower than the angels, Jehovah God gave him a higher position and made him unto a mediator between God and men. The ones who consider, like it is written in the Holy Scriptures that Jesus is the son of God and not god the son or God Son, give Jesus full honour for all the work he has done.

Listening and reacting to Scriptures

When Scripture is life-changing, as God’s Word is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) people who get to know the Bible to be infallible should under its inspiration come to insight and how more they come to get to know they should adjust their thinking and their way of living.

When we hear God’s Word, whether at a meeting, church service or in private reading, we should “devour” God’s words to us and allow them to become the joy and happiness of our heart (Jeremiah. 15:16).

After the Torah we got Prophesies and Writings to gut us under way to the Gospels to be able to recognise the God send man Jesus Christ of Nazareth (Jeshua) who was son of men and as son of God brought salvation unto many. His disciples and followers coming out of all sorts of layers of the population where preachers brought the Word of God and the Word of Christ “were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles” (Acts of the apostles 2:42; cf. 2 Timothy 1:14) long before the New Testament was written–and centuries before the New Testament canon was settled. Those who call themselves Christians should carefully to the life and beliefs of those first followers of Christ.

Doing the same

In case you want to call yourself Christian you should do the same as the first Christians who also believed that Jesus never took himself to be God himself or to be equal with Him.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15 NIV)

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21 NIV)

“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6 NIV)

“5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature {Or in the form of} God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,” (Philippians 2:5-6 NIV)

They believed in Jesus, to be the long awaited saviour who as son of men and son of God brought God to us all to be our Father as well.

“I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” {Daniel 7:13} with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.” (Revelation 14:14 NIV)

“When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:23 NIV)

“And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”” (Matthew 3:17 NIV)

“”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, {Or his only begotten Son} that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)

For us it should be as for them that Jesus shall have to be the Master Teacher and the example for us to come to God and a better life. He, Jesus, should be our main teacher and not theologians or scholars who say they speak in the name of God. Christians should take Jesus as their Rabbi.

“”You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am.” (John 13:13 NIV)

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)

“”But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.” (Matthew 23:8 NIV)

“Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Colossians 4:1 NIV)

Christians do believe salvation belongs to God and is in Christ who came into existence only a few centuries ago, after 42 generations, when he was born (begotten) in a special way.

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ {Or Messiah. “The Christ” (Greek) and “the Messiah” (Hebrew) both mean “the Anointed One”; also in verse 26.} the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 NIV)

“But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.” (1 Corinthians 15:38 NIV)

“17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. {Or Messiah. “The Christ” (Greek) and “the Messiah” (Hebrew) both mean “the Anointed One”.} 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:17-18 NIV)

“26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called {Or So the child to be born will be called holy,} the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:26-38 NIV)

“Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”” (Matthew 14:33 NIV)

“I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”” (John 1:34 NIV)

“But these are written that you may {Some manuscripts may continue to} believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31 NIV)

“and who through the Spirit {Or who as to his spirit} of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, {Or was appointed to be the Son of God with power} by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:4 NIV)

“(and for this we labour and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10 NIV)

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.” (1 John 4:14 NIV)

“And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”” (Revelation 7:10 NIV)

“30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” (Acts 5:30-31 NIV)

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9 NIV)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in {Or through} Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NIV)

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, left his followers as a Church in case they listen to him Jesus, with divine authority to teach in his name.

“13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, {Or Messiah; also in verse 20} the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, {Peter means rock.} and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades {Or hell} will not overcome it. {Or not prove stronger than it} 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be {Or have been} bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be {Or have been} loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.” (Matthew 16:13-20 NIV)

“”I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be {Or have been} bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be {Or have been} loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18 NIV)

“”He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”” (Luke 10:16 NIV)

“And I tell you that you are Peter, {Peter means rock.} and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades {Or hell} will not overcome it. {Or not prove stronger than it}” (Matthew 16:18 NIV)

“19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in {Or into; see Acts 8:16; 19:5; Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:13; 10:2 and Gal. 3:27.} the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever—” (John 14:16 NIV)

Following Jesus his teachings

Christians are those who follow Jesus teachings and are also prepared to do what he asked them to do, to go out in the world and to let the name of God, to whom belongs all authority, be known all over the world.

“”I have revealed you {Greek your name; also in verse 26} to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.” (John 17:6 NIV)

“5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6 NIV)

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1 NIV)

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3 NIV)

“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.” (Ephesians 4:17 NIV)

“19 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. 20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 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; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:19-24 NIV)

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIV)

“”You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.” (Isaiah 43:10 NIV)

“I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD {Jehovah}, “that I am God.” (Isaiah 43:12 NIV)

“1 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. … 4 Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” {Deut. 31:6} 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” {Psalm 118:#6,7} 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. 9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. … 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. … 20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ….” (Hebrews 13:1-25 NIV)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” (Acts 1:8 NIV)

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. {Or Messiah}” (Acts 5:42 NIV)

“I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:21 NIV)

“When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. {Or Messiah; also in verse 28}” (Acts 18:5 NIV)

“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17 NIV)

Praying Christian

Over the times people could get to read the Word of God. They could learn about Adam, Eve, Abraham, Isaac, David, Christ and God. The apostles could seen and we testified that the Father has sent His son, so did not come down Himself as deliverer of the world, but send a man who could feel how every other human being could feel. He really suffered and died in the hope that many would understand his words and come to the Father to whom he often prayed and learned everybody to pray. As Jesus kept his Father, Elohim Hashem Jehovah holy, he also wanted us to keep his Fathers Name holy and to make it be known all over the world until His Kingdom comes. In our prayers we can make our requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving because it is God who chooses us and has commissioned us to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever we ask from the Father in Jesus his name God may give us. It shall be in the name of Jesus {Jeshua} that Jehovah God shall give his followers, trusting only His one mediator between Him and humanity, Jeshua the Messiah, himself human.

“”This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” (Matthew 6:9 NIV)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16 NIV)

“In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 16:23 NIV)

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5 NIV)

Preaching under Christ for God

The apostles knew that Jesus as son of men was very well aware how limited he was and how limited we are. Jesus left his disciples but promised to come back. If we love Jesus, we should be glad that he has gone to the Father; because the Father is greater than Jesus, who now sits at His right hand.

Jesus wanted us to understand that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of the Messiah is God. All Christians should accept that. But yes we do see that the majority does not and want to place Jesus as head of everything. It is true that for the moment the world is still in the hands of evil and that there will come a time that everything shall be subjected to the son. But then comes a time that Jesus himself will subject himself to the only One God, who subjected everything to him; so that God may be everything in everyone.

Recognising the humility of Christ, who who served, those who call themselves Christian should also let the greater among us become like the younger, and one who rules like one who serves. Whoever among us wants to be a leader must become servant of the others, and whoever wants to be first must be slave! For the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve – and to give his life as a ransom for many. As he also served his Father in heaven, he demanded us to help him and not for a single day, either in the temple court, synagogue, church, public square or in private homes, should followers of Jesus stop teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jeshua is the Messiah. Declaring with utmost seriousness the same message to Jews and other people from all nations. Telling everywhere to: “turn from sin to God; and put your trust in our lord, Jeshua the Messiah.” Making even more people into talmidim, or pupils and disciples, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the son and the Ruach haKodesh or the Power of the Most High His Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us.

All that call themselves Christian should acknowledge publicly with their mouth that Jeshua is lord, but God the Most High Lord of the lord of lords. Telling everybody that this Almighty God raised Jesus from the dead, so that we will be delivered.

For with the heart one goes on trusting and thus continues toward righteousness, while with the mouth one keeps on making public acknowledgement and thus continues toward deliverance. The one following Christ should not be afraid of the world and go into it proclaiming the Good News of the return of Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God. Like the apostle Paul every Christian should not boast merely because he proclaims the Good News — this they should all do from inner compulsion. Woe is them if they do not proclaim the Good News!

“”You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28 NIV)

“Now I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3 NIV)

“When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28 NIV)

“26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:26-27 NIV)

“26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (Matthew 20:26-28 NIV)

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. {Or Messiah}” (Acts 5:42 NIV)

“I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:21 NIV)

“19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in {Or into; see Acts 8:16; 19:5; Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:13; 10:2 and Gal. 3:27.} the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)

“9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 NIV)

“Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’” (Luke 10:9 NIV)

“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16 NIV)

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV)

Willing to follow

Are you willing to follow Jesus, the son of God? Are you prepared to step out of the world and let all traditions for whatever they may be?

Are you willing to follow the example apostles of Jesus and dare trying to imitate them, even as Paul himself tried to imitate the Messiah? Do you want to become like Christ and become a Brother in Christ, sharing with others in the world the Good News and boasting about the works Christ has done for us all?

Do you think that those who really follow up the task Jesus has given his pupils would be a cult?

The Bible affirms that he Word of Adonai lasts forever and that this Word is the Good News which has been proclaimed to many. The things we have heard from Jesus and his disciples, which were supported by many witnesses, these things commit to faithful people, such as will be competent to teach others also. We should make use of it, to give us the spirit to get others to know God and his son Jesus Christ.

Therefore, brothers, stand firm; though some may consider us a cult we should not like them keep to the traditions of the world, but hold to the traditions we were taught by the men who God had chosen, the Prophets, Jesus and his disciples.

Christians should be those who keep to the Word of God, like Jesus did, and who remembered everything Jesus and his followers told and observe the traditions just the way the apostles passed them on to us.

“but the word of the Lord stands for ever.” {Isaiah 40:6-8} And this is the word that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:25 NIV)

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2 NIV)

“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings {Or traditions} we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15 NIV)

“I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, {Or traditions} just as I passed them on to you.” (1 Corinthians 11:2 NIV)

Do you want to be a as “Follower of Jesus, part of a cult, or a Christian”?

Be a follower of the real Jesus of Nazareth who was known as the son of men and the son of God.

Christadelphians or Brothers in Christ, do follow Jesus and accept him for what he did and still does for us, as mediator between God and men.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Volger van Jezus lid van een secte of een Christen

Please do read also:

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Cult or True Religion (wordsonsergebenhayon.wordpress.com)
“…if you believe in it, it is a religion or perhaps ‘the’ religion; and if you do not care one way or another about it, it is a sect; but if you fear and hate it, it is a cult.” Leo Pfeffer.
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The Roman Catholic Church for example has been around ever since Constantine. He was a Roman emperor who used Christianity, which was a small cult at the time, as a means to impose his belief systems on the bishops; so he promulgated the council of Nicaea and thereby gained control of the populus. Now, over 1500 years later, people in Catholic churches today still recite the creed set down by Constantine.

Many people question the Catholic Church and other religions, seeing them as some of the biggest cults in the World today: they are viewed by many as man-made constructs which have the potential to lead millions of people astray. Religion in its current form has become divisive due to it’s many man-made and dualistic doctrines which continue to divide, separate and cause wars.
Billy Graham’s group removes Mormon cult reference from website after Romney meeting (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
Shortly after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney enjoyed cookies and soft drinks with the Rev. Billy Graham and his son Franklin Graham on Thursday at the elder Graham’s mountaintop retreat, a reference to Mormonism as a cult was scrubbed from the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Billy Graham site removes Mormon ‘cult’ reference after Romney meeting

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The removal of the post from the Graham group’s website was first noted by the New Civil Rights Movement website and then later by the Asheville Citizen-Times, which reported that the information on cults was accessed as recently as Thursday afternoon.
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When asked about Graham’s beliefs about Mormonism, Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross said in a statement that “Through an inclusive evangelistic ministry spanning more than 60 years, Mr. Graham was called to preach the transformative message of the Gospel to the whole world, regardless of one’s religious background, affiliation or none. As such, he never proselytized, targeted or labeled specific people, groups, faiths or denominations.
Defining Christianity (reneland.wordpress.com)
Simply put a Christian is someone who believes in Jesus Christ.
The Whore of Babylon? (inpursuitofhappiness.wordpress.com)
Baal-vs-The “Catholic” God
Catholic Church Abuse Inquiry – Police Expose The Christian Child Abuse – Boy Scouts (truelogic.wordpress.com)
Even Mitt Romney’s Mormon cult religion has a history of molesting children. Wow, seems these holy books teach evil over moral behavior. Good thing we have several non-believers in this world or we wouldn’t have morals.
Billy Graham’s Truce with Mormonism; Scrubs Cult Reference (crooksandliars.com)
The Christian right has cried uncle and issued a truce on Mormons to try and help elect Mitt Romney.
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During the Values Voter Summit in October, sponsored in part by the influential Family Research Council and the American Family Association, it caused quite a stir when Pastor Robert Jeffress, after introducing Rick Perry as a genuine Christian, called Mormonism a cult.
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Christian political operatives are willing to throw away any trace of their contempt for Mormonism during the election cycle. This shows how much hatred they have for the left. They’d rather help elect a ‘cultist’ to the highest office in the land rather than stick to their alleged principles. Typically sickening.
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To distinguish between a cult and a religion is to distinguish between influence and impotence. Both are, in fact, spawns of a smarmy fakery.
Why converting Muslims is taboo in the Catholic Church (catholicherald.co.uk)
What are they talking about at the Synod for Evangelisation? This article by Sandro Magister tells us that the Bishops have broached the taboo subject of conversions from Islam to Christianity. It makes interesting reading, despite the rather ponderous translation, (read the original here ) and I was particularly struck by this section of it, which I beg readers to consider carefully:

“The Muslims do not see the difference between Christians and Westerners, because they do not distinguish, themselves, between what is religious and what is political and social. What precedes the Westerners is perceived by the Muslims as preceding the Christians. Now, Western behaviour, especially on the cultural and political level and in a general way, harms the religious and national sensitivity of the Muslims, their values, their ethics and their culture. Consequentially, this forms an obstacle to their openness to Christianity and to their possible evangelisation.”
Billy Graham: Mormonism No Cult (orthodoxyandheterodoxy.org)
Sociologists of religion use cult to refer to a religious group that does not regard itself as exclusively true yet has negative relations with the surrounding society. Those two factors—exclusivity and societal relations—form the basis for sociological definition of religions into four kinds of groups: church (exclusive with good relations), denomination (inclusive with good relations), sect (exclusive with bad relations) and cult (inclusive with bad relations). Yet almost no one uses these terms in the way sociologists of religion use them.
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I think what is really meant by cult in most modern Evangelical parlance is “bad/weird religious group.” And of course perhaps such a definition is right in its own way.
Grahams tighten Romney ties (newsobserver.com)
The election-year embrace of Mitt Romney by some evangelical Christians now borders on a bear hug, given a series of moves by Billy Graham and his family that appear to say it’s OK to vote for a Mormon.
Billy Graham website admits scrubbing ‘Mormons’ from ‘cult’ list after endorsing Romney (rawstory.com)
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association confirmed on Tuesday that it had removed all references to Mormonism as a “cult” from its website after their founder announced his support of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

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Breathing to teach

Posted on October 22, 2012. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Bible Study and Bible Reading, Churchplanning, Faith, Holy Scriptures, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh, Jesus Christ Jeshua the Messiah Jahushua, Manners and Association, Meeting, Preaching, Witnessing | Tags: Baptism, Bible, Bible Reading, Bible Study, Bible translation, Blog, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Call, Christ's Teaching, Christian, Community, Congregation, Devotion, Elohim, Excuse, Facebook, Faith, God, Good News, Gospe, Heralding, Interact, Jehovah Witnesses, Jesus, Justification by Works, Kingdom Hall, Kingdom of God, Lamb of God, Learning, Listening, Love for Word of God, Love of Christ, Message, Messiah, ministry school, New Testament, Parish, Pioneer Service, Praise of Jehovah, preaching, Righteous, Share, Studying, Teach, The Way, Torah, Truth, Voice of God, Watchtower, Word of Christ, Workshop, Writing |

Jesus has given us life-breath. He had only a little three years to go around in the area where he could come, around his habitat. Distances in his time took many hours to travel. Today we can be somewhere far away in a couple of minutes or just a few hours. What took days for the apostles to go somewhere, takes only a few hours today. but today we do hear more excuses than in Jesus time about having no time to teach others about the Kingdom of God or to have others to learn the Bible.

Travelling Master

To get others to know the Bible we do not have to go far. We even can do it from our home, today. We have marvellous tools which brings us very easily much further than the doorstep. Jehovah Witnesses for a long time took it for granted it was the best way to reach people by bothering them at any moment of the day, ringing the bell and talking to them at the doorstep. But it seems that they today, also have found the modern means of the computer and internet. On the internet they now seem to have opened up and present more literature to the general public. Which is nice, because they also have very good literature, which can bring many more people to God.

Kingdomhall in Essen

But, we should not let them do all the work, and let them get people in their Kingdom hall, while we have other thoughts of which we are sure they are also valuable for the people and leaving them more free. We should get others to know that there are other places of worship where honest God loving people can come together as a congregation.They may offer over there Theocratic Ministry School with a common global curriculum and nest to the weekly services with Watchtower-study they also may offer Pioneer Service School for full-time preachers, and the Kingdom Ministry School for elders and ministerial servants. The Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah Witnesses should be known as the only sort of kingdom hall the world offers good Bible teaching and worship to the One and Only God.

We should be more conscious that we also have a lot to offer to the unbelievers and those looking for the Truth. We Can offer the Truth, but than we may not stay in our little cocoon of our armchair at home. We should get off our ass and do something.

It is more than high time that more people would come out of their house and take up the task Jesus has given them.

Worldly and spiritual works

Jesus, in his three years of preaching, has spend a lot of breath, getting people to see the importance of getting to know his Father, Jehovah God. He also spend a lot of words on getting others to know the Gospel of the Good News, of the coming Kingdom of God. In his time he could find many people interested in him and gasping at his wonders, which he did in the name of his Father.

Interior of a Kingdom hall of Jehovah Witnesses, which could be identical as one of the meeting rooms of Christadelphians

All-right, it is true that our worldly works on their own shall not bring us far and it is not only by the works of the law that we shall be sanctified. Grace has come over us by the offer Jesus brought, but we should remember that without works our faith serves to nothing, because without works the faith is dead. We need the faith to be able to survive, and to be counted righteous we shall have to prove that we are worthy of the grace God has given to all.
Even if we would be Jewish by birth, not sinners from other ethnic backgrounds, we would know that people are not declared to be righteous by obeying sectarian law , but by faith in Jeshua Messiah. All those who call themselves Christians should not only believed in Jeshua, whom they mostly call Jesus Christ. They should know that in order to be declared righteous by faith in the Messiah, and not by sectarian law they also should live accordingly to the Will and Law of God. Jesus has spoken about that many times and has given many parables of what could happen if we do not confirm to the Laws of God. Though no human being will be declared righteous by obeying sectarian law, if we, while trying to be declared righteous by the Messiah, have also been found to be sinners ourselves, it does not mean that Jeshua Messiah is a of sin.

Words and Jesus living in us

Every Christian should take care to die to the Torah, so that he can live for YHVH/JHWH the Elohim Jehovah God. Sin in us should be crucified with the Messiah. From now on it is no longer us who live, but the Messiah who lives in us, and the mortal life we have lived before we became Christians may still be a live that can come onto an end in this world, but it should be a life full of hope by faith in God’s Son who loved us and gave himself for us. We do not disregard the compassion of Jehovah. Because if righteousness is attainable through sectarian law, then the Messiah died for nothing.

For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the book of the Torah, to do them.” And that no one is declared right by Torah before Elohim is clear, for “The righteous shall live by belief.” And the Torah is not of belief, but “The man who does them shall live by them.” Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.”1 – Footnote: 1Dt. 21:23. in order that the blessing of Abmight come upon the nations in Messiah יהושע {Jeshua}, to receive the promise of the Spirit through belief. (Galatians 3:10-14 The Scriptures 1998+)

And we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those who are in the Torah, so that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world come under judgment before Elohim. Therefore by works of Torah no flesh shall be declared right before Him, for by the Torah is the knowledge of sin.1 Footnote: 1Ex. 20:20, Rom. 4:15, Rom. 7:7. But now, apart from the Torah, a righteousness of Elohim has been revealed, being witnessed by the Torah and the Prophets, and the righteousness of Elohim is through belief in יהושע {Jeshua} Messiah to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the esteem of Elohim, being declared right, without paying, by His favour through the redemption which is in Messiah יהושע {Jeshua}, whom Elohim set forth as an atonement, through belief in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His tolerance Elohim had passed over the sins that had taken place before, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He is righteous and declares righteous the one who has belief in יהושע {Jeshua}. (Romans 3:19-26 The Scriptures 1998+)

“We, Yehudby nature, and not of the gentiles, sinners, knowing that a man is not declared right by works of Torah, but through belief in יהושע {Jeshua} Messiah, even we have believed in Messiah יהושע {Jeshua}, in order to be declared right by belief in Messiah and not by works of Torah, because by works of Torah no flesh shall be declared right. “And if, while seeking to be declared right by Messiah, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Messiah then a servant of sin? Let it not be! “For if I rebuild what I once overthrew, I establish myself a transgressor. “For through Torah I died to Torah,1 in order to live to Elohim. Footnote: 1See Rom. 7. “I have been impaled with Messiah, and I no longer live, but Messiah lives in me.1 And that which I now live in the flesh I live by belief in the Son of Elohim, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Footnote: 1Rom. 8:10, 2 Cor. 6:16, 2 Cor. 13:5, Eph. 3:17, Col. 1:27, 1 John 4:4. “I do not set aside the favour of Elohim, for if righteousness is through Torah, then Messiah died for naught.”
(Galatians 2:15-21 The Scriptures 1998+)

Honouring the Names

We may not blaspheme the honourable name that we bear and that we can only do when we fulfil the Torah of Jehovah, the God Most High. And to help us God has given His Word in the Holy Scriptures, for generations to bear and hear. Lots of Christians do seem to forget that it is written in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible which we consider the inspired and infallible Word of God, that whoever obeys the whole Torah, yet fails in one point is guilty of violating the whole Torah! Yes it sounds hard, and it is reality.

But it is also for that reason that Jesus has given his body and blood as an Offer-lamb to his Father, so that we may be purified by his blood. But his death at the stake does not give us the permission to live like we would like and to go on living a frivolous and sinful live. Having been baptised we are cleansed and received a new start. But we should live up to it. From our transformation and baptism onwards we should speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the Torah of liberty.

Faith and works

Faith Without Works is Dead.
What is the use, Friends, if a man says, “I have faith”, but he doesn’t have any works? Can his faith resurrect him to Life?

If you truly accomplish the sovereign law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you do well, but if you show partiality, you commit sin, being found guilty by the Torah as transgressors. For whoever shall guard all the Torah, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of Torah. So speak and so do as those who are to be judged by a Torah of freedom.1 Footnote: 1See 1:25, and John 8:32-36. For the judgment is without compassion to the one who has shown no compassion. And compassion boasts over judgment. My brothers, what use is it for anyone to say he has belief but does not have works? This belief is unable to save him. (James 2:8-14 The Scriptures 1998+)

Many people when they saw Jesus recognized him and his apostles. So the people hurried there by land from all the surrounding cities, arriving ahead of them to be sure to have a place where they could be close to him and hear all what he had to tell. Wherever Jesus came he began to teach the people around him many things. He taught them many things by analogies.

And He began to teach again by the sea, and a large crowd was gathered to Him, so that He entered into a boat, to sit in the sea. And all the crowd was on the land facing the sea. And He taught them much in parables, … (Mark 4:1-2 The Scriptures 1998+)

And He went away from there and came to His own country, and His taught ones followed Him. And Sabbath having come, He began to teach in the congregation. And many who heard Him were astonished, saying, “Where did He get all this? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such miracles are done through His hands? (Mark 6:1-2 The Scriptures 1998+)

And having gone out, יהושע {Jeshua} saw a large crowd and was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. And He began to teach them many matters. (Mark 6:34 The Scriptures 1998+)

Jesus had learned everything from his Father. We also can learn a lot from this Father, because as Jesus read the Torah and knew it very well, we can read the Torah and further Holy Scriptures, study them, and try to understand them. Listening carefully to all the words in the Holy Scripture we shall be able to hear the Voice of God. The Bible writers worked for the Highest Author, the Elohim Hashem, whose name is Jehovah, the God of gods. Jesus is his son and showed us the way to follow. We also should try to hear everything what Jesus has to tell us. Christ his words are written down in the New Testament. that Bible Book is available in many languages, so we should not have any excuse that it would be in a language we could not try to understand.

Listening and opening up the mind

If we are willing to listen to Christ and God’s Words, we shall feel their breath over our lives. We shall feel that they want to be with us and if we are willing to open up our minds to what the Word of God is saying we shall hear more clearly what those words really meant in their time and what they mean in our time.

Hearing the call of Jesus to go out to preach so that the Word of God shall be know all over the world, we should be aware of this important task and take steps to do this, and not leaving it alone to the Jehovah Witnesses.
As they show the world their love for the Word of God, all Christians should do that. In the love of Christ they will continue to grow with precise knowledge and spiritual insight, but they shall have to react according the knowledge they receive. By studying regularly the Word of God the Bible reader shall be able to recognize what is genuine, and be pure and blameless in the Day of the Messiah, being filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jeshua Messiah, to the splendor and praise of Jehovah.

Grace was said before the barbeque was served at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

Heralding

Reading the Bible the reader should feel God’s Breath and be fulfilled by the Holy Spirit to become driven by the Good News and willing to share it by as many people as possible. Friends in the service of our Master should have courage to go out and to speak God’s Message fearlessly and bolder than ever.

Some actually herald out of envy and rivalry, but others do it out of good will and in the love of the Messiah, knowing that Jesus and his apostles have been appointed to defend the Good News. But those who herald the Messiah from motives of rivalry and selfish ambition are attempting to cause distress. But either way, whether by false or true motives, the Messiah is heralded and that is what Christians should bear on their heart.

We who would like to be honest Christians and go through life as Brothers and sisters in Christ, should love the work for the Lord and expect that no brother or sister will ever have anything to be ashamed of, but with resolute boldness will continue, now as always, to exalt the Messiah in our body, either by my our or by our death. Because for us, living should be for the Messiah, and if we die, we still ‘win’.

“Go back to your house, and relate what Elohim has done for you.” And he went away proclaiming through all the city what יהושע {Jeshua } did for him. (Luke 8:39 The Scriptures 1998+)
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Master until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26 The Scriptures 1998+)
And this I pray, that your love might extend more and more in knowledge and all discernment, for you to examine the matters that differ, in order to be sincere, and not stumbling, until the day of Messiah, being filled with the fruit of righteousness,1 through יהושע {Jeshua } Messiah, to the esteem and praise of Elohim. Footnote: 1Mt. 3:8-10, Rom. 6:22, Rom. 14:17, 2 Cor. 9:10, Eph. 5:9, Gal. 5:22, Col. 1:10, Heb. 12:11, Jam. 3:18. And I wish you to know, brothers, that what has befallen me has turned out for the advancement of the Good News, so that it has become known to all the palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Messiah; and most of the brothers, trusting in the Master because of my chains, are much more bold to fearlessly speak the word. Some indeed proclaim Messiah even from envy and strife, but some also out of pleasure – the former announce Messiah from selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking to add distress to my chains, but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defence of the Good News. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Messiah is announced. And in this I rejoice, in fact, I shall rejoice. For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of יהושע {Jeshua } Messiah, according to my intense longing and anticipation that I shall not be ashamed at all, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Messiah shall be made great in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Messiah, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:9-21 The Scriptures 1998+)

No Postponing

Please do not wait until tomorrow. Do not postpone.

You can form a study group so that you are not alone and can develop long lasting Christian friendships. You can host Biblestudies on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. It is also not bad to write devotions on a blog, for another blog, or even write a ebook containing a collection of devotions. If you do not know where to place them or do not want to start your own blog, try sharing them on blogs from others so that the blog can become a bigger platform, where like minded people can meet and others can find more information and more impressions about the Word of God.

There are also various ways online to host a class or workshop. For those who do work in the community already, it is only a small effort to share the preparation work with others on the net. But you also may consider of conducting a class to teach lessons just like Sunday School on the net. You can invite people to your virtual classroom and allow them to interact, give handouts, and even record your lesson.

Preaching all over the world

All those who call themselves Christian should try to do what Jesus did. They should try to get the message across through scriptures, testimonies, prayers, songs, video’s and so on.

Growing up in the love of Christ, you should feel his breath in and aspiring you. With growing years of Bible study knowledge you should be getting to know enough to be able to share, even if it was a minimum of knowledge. Those who have a gift of writing and/or teaching should use those gifts to enlighten and encourage others, around them, in their community, parish, village, town, at work on their blog or webpages.

So, do not hesitate and use your breath to proclaim Christ Jesus and show the world how it can become more peaceful, and how people who love God can find a better life in the future.

Christ and the Good News of the Gospel should be preached all over the world and then the end can come. We all should be witnesses unto Jesus, like the apostles had to be both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

“But you shall receive power when the Set-apart Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Yerushalayim, and in all Yehudand Shomeron, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 The Scriptures 1998+)

“You know what word came to be throughout all Yehuḏah, beginning from Galil after the immersion which Yoḥanan proclaimed: how Elohim did anoint יהושע {Jeshua } of Natsareth with the Set-apart Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for Elohim was with Him. “And we are witnesses of all He did, both in the country of the Yehudand in Yerushalayim, whom they even killed by hanging on a timber. “Elohim raised up this One on the third day, and let Him be seen, not to all the people, but to witnesses, those having been chosen before by Elohim – to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. “And He commanded us to proclaim to the people, and to witness that it is He who was appointed by Elohim to be Judge of the living and the dead. {1 Footnote: 1 See 17:31, John 5:29, Ps. 96:13, Ps. 98:9, Rev. 19:11. }“To this One all the prophets bear witness, that through His Name, everyone believing in Him does receive forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:37-43 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And he said, ‘The Elohim of our fathers has appointed you to know His desire, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear the voice from His mouth. ‘Because you shall be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. ‘And now, why do you delay? Rise up, be immersed, and wash away your sins, calling on the Name of יהוה.’ (Acts 22:14-16 The Scriptures 1998+)

“But he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved.1 Footnote:1See 10:22. “And this Good News of the reign shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come. (Matthew 24:13-14 The Scriptures 1998+)

Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church

Posted on September 3, 2012. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Christendom en Christenheid, Faith, Family, Life and Death, Manners and Association, Religion | Tags: Baptism, Belgium, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Choice, Christian, Confidence, Flanders, Interfaithmarriage, Kirchensteuer, Love, Making choices, Pope, Relativism, Roman Catholics, Security |

In Flanders many Roman Catholics did not feel good with the happenings in their Catholic church and asked to be written out of the community. though there is something strange with the ciphers the Church and the state are giving, which are not in accordance with certain organisations who also send request to the church to have the christening of them made unfinished.

In 2011, 1.827 Flemish requested to put a line to their registration.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Clearly they are not feeling happy. But do they have an idea what they really would like to have concerning their faith and concerning influences on their way of living?

Many people look for meaning in their lives and struggle to find it, whereas religion offers an answer to the purpose of life and a hope that things will get better. But the last few years in Belgium many people became very disappointed with their faith and with the church to which they belonged, mostly because they were baptised in it. As a so called Catholic country it was common use to have the children baptised at birth. Not many Flemish people are interested in God and the baptism is often just a formality, making part of the tradition, having the feasts marriage, baptism, first communion, second communion and confirmation.

In 2010, there where still 60% of the newborns in Belgium baptized. This number was 40 years ago still above 90%. The rate is strongly dependent on the region in which one lives. The baptism figure is significantly lower in central cities (41.8%) and significantly higher in rural municipalities or urbanized rural municipalities (81.6%). In central cities this figure is also influenced by the relatively high birth rate of the non-indigenous population. But in 2010, only 7% of the Belgian population still went to Mass every week, even though there are figures that speak of only 3%.

Not many go to church and and not many to feel affection for the Pope, which normally as Catholics they should follow. The problem often is that many do not see the difference between Christians and Catholics and between The Church, a church and a church community. To be a Christian is to “consider the others, show respect for other beliefs, religions, etc., to help people in need, …” Catholicism is often equal to violate certain religious rules (which nobody really succeeds).

Though not many follow that so-called infallible Pope, they still remain Catholic and think there is still very little for to make their Catholic infant baptism undone. Many are also afraid that they would loud chances to be happy when they brake with tradition or by not keeping to those known ‘safety bringers’ as a cross on the wall, a Christoffle in the car, etc.

While it is important to focus on the “good” in our lives, they have ideas of the goodness they can receive from burning candles or doing pilgrimage. Family, relationships, career, sexuality and spiritual psychology are matters where they are afraid of to bring something in out of tradition, because it could become deregulated by it.

Often the people are not so interested in the faith and do think it does not matter. But when there is an interfaith marriage often problems do arise because a lot of things where not thought off before. They are not sensitive to and considerate of their spouse’s feelings and belief. Because they are unable to accommodate to differences between themselves, the marriage will suffer. And this certainly includes differences in religious or spiritual beliefs.

Of course, how critical these differences will be depends upon the religious conviction each of the spouses holds. If the major decisions you make in your marriage have little to do with your religious beliefs, than your marriage won’t be very much affected.

If one or both of them has strong beliefs, however, than these beliefs play a large role in the decisions the couple and their family make in their life, in their values and practices, and how they live their life. Often they did not seriously looked into the matter how they made to live their life befor, their values, their morals.

More than once they are both “lukewarm” in their religious practices, but once married and children coming on the way they become under pressure of the family, to adjust to certain practices of tradition. In such case it could bring a solution if one of them want to consider converting to the religion of the other. Discussing it logically, rationally, and see if one of the two can convince the other of the benefits of conversion, could bring a solution. If this option makes sense, than the child-rearing concern is taken care of.

If both are attached to their particular faiths, they will need to negotiate. Beginning with an attitude of openness, acceptance and love is than very important. Talking and making no swift decisions are important than. Each of them should take turns making suggestions on how they would like to raise their children, how they would like to expose them to their respective religions. But both also consider to check their own religion and to make a balance of their faith-life. It could be interesting considering to note a turning-point in life where both choose to take another route. Both finding a new religion which should be closer to the beliefs and practices of both.

At such a point in your life it is important to look at you faith. Consider how you were introduced to your religion by your family. Was it effective? Did you embrace the choice or was it forced upon you? Did you rebel? How did you eventually decide upon your own spiritual beliefs and how strongly did you integrate them into your life?

Sometimes we need to understand what isn’t working, so that we might transcend it and move forward in our lives. We should try to put the previous traditions aside and search for what we really want and search for what is really important, either to follow people, traditions and organisations, or better to follow God, the creator of heaven and earth.

Remember, despite what you want for your children, they will eventually need to make their own choices in the world, and find their own path. This is especially true about the role of religion and spirituality in their lives. Determine ahead of time how you would like your children to be exposed to your respective religions (or even other religions as well). Eventually, they will choose what path is best for them. Give them that space!

As parents, we can point our children in the direction we would like them to go, we can expose them to many different options. Ultimately, it is how we live our lives, how we treat our family members, our friends, strangers, and ourselves, which will guide our children!Our lives are their models, not our words.

We should learn to “make things happen” and to make choice which can alternate our lives. Knowing how important it is to look at the world and the things which happen and to transpose them to our life. Never stopping questioning. Being interested and curious about yourself and about others. Don’t assume that’s “just the way it is”. Look for the choices behind your results. And to be able to find luck, you have to be able to relativate and to be interested and curious about yourself and about others. Don’t assume that’s “just the way it is”. Look for the choices behind your results. Never stopping to learn. The brain is a muscle just like any other, and it will stagnate if you let it. Make it your rule to learn something new every day. Then use what you learn to make your life better. Nurture what you want to grow. Many many people are (figuratively) wondering where the roses are in their life, yet they spend all their time planting and nourishing weeds. You reap what you sow. That’s just the way it is. there we do have to make the choice which shall bring us more goodness in life.

Very important is not to lie to yourself. Telling lies to yourself is the most harmful form of disrespect. Write out ways in which you are untruthful to yourself, and how to correct it. Never give up on life. Be interested and curious about yourself and about others. Don’t assume that’s “just the way it is”. Look for the choices behind your results.

Don’t waste your time complaining about what you can’t control (weather, other people, economy). Concentrate on what you can control, like who you hug, what you read, how much you laugh, where you go, what you do, what you think about.

And to be able to be in control you have to start with controlling yourself, and knowing which way you want to go, what you want to believe and where you want to go for.

Do you want to live your life just for the now and then are do you want to live your life because you are expecting a reward?

We think you are on the wrong track if your goal is only recognition and a reward at the end of the track.

You only live once, and it is now you have to make it. But you should be aware there could be more. There is an important promise of which you should take account and which could change your life and your future.

It is something which can enable you to “Stand like a Rock” and be sure of your life.

Instead of thinking what other people think start getting to know that it is more important to think what the Creator would think.

A feel-good factor isn’t enough for the long haul through life. You better go and look into yourself and look for the relation you want to have with everything around you and with the maker of that all.

It is first in this world we do have to find the beauty, the love and the genuine kindness. It is here that we do have to work relations. and to make our relationships work we first of all do have to build up the right relationship with the most important person in the universe. And that is the Maker of that universe Himself, who we have to get to know and to love. Without proper love to Him it shall not be so easy to have the proper love to others.

Recognising that Someone is in control is a great help to being content with your situation, whatever it is.

Many people look for meaning in their lives and struggle to find it, whereas religion offers an answer to the purpose of life and a hope that things will get better. Do not wait until tomorrow. Tackle it today. From now on make work of making choice and taking the right decisions.

This is the Burton Christadelphians new logo for their website, specially designed to show the importance we attach to reading the Bible for ourselves, individually and collectively.

Dare to question your ‘current faith’, the denomination to which you belong. Look at your church and compare it with what they do and teach with the Book they are so called following. Have a look at the doctrines at the bottom of this page of the Burton Christadelphians. There you shall the words on which Christ himself based his beliefs and of what he himself told others to belief. You should question what you want to follow if you want to be called a Christian.

On the mentioned page you shall be able to find Bible quotes. Do not just take them for guaranteed, but dare to look them up in your Bible and compare the printed words with the concordance of your Bible. As our our aim is to follow as closely as possible the teaching and example of Jesus, as recorded in the Bible, we do listen to these words written down in the Book of Books, the Bible. Can you see the importance of having Scripture to back up our beliefs?

Please do read more about it:

also of interest to read:

available until December 2012 on our Multiply sites (and afterwards to look for on our WordPress sites:

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The Struggle With Religion (ptl2010.com)
There is a struggle with religion in today’s church, although this struggle has been going on ever since there have been different denominations in the church. What exactly is religion anyway? What would you say religion means?
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There are many religions out there that claim the label “Christianity”, but are not true to the definition of that label. Some don’t even understand the basic premise of true Christianity, namely the death and resurrection of Christ and that this one act purchased our freedom and eternal life.
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Following Christ means exactly that, follow Christ…not a man. If my Pastor leaves, I am not going with him because Jesus is right where I am already. Follow Christ, not a denomination. We all have a preference in a church and their particular style of worship and so on, and that is fine. However, are you worshiping Jesus or are you worshiping or following the denomination’s particular way of worship and or ceremony?
Suffer the little children to come unto me (guardian.co.uk)
When might it be in the best interests of a Jewish 10-year-old to be baptised as a Christian? That was the question Judge Platt had to decide at Romford county court in Essex earlier this year. His judgment, released for publication at the end of last week, makes fascinating reading.It involves a couple who were divorced in 2010 after 14 years of marriage. They had two children: a girl who is now nearly 11 and a boy who is nearly six. Both parents are Jewish, as are all four grandparents.
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What made things more complicated was that the father had decided to become a Christian. After the marriage had come to an end but while the couple were still living under the same roof, the father experienced what he described as a meeting with God. “He started attending church each Sunday which naturally excited the interest of his children,” the judge said. “They asked if they could come with him and, with the agreement of the mother, they have been attending church regularly ever since.”
+But what was the judge to do now? By law, his “paramount consideration” must be the “child’s welfare”. The court has no power to order the girl to baptised. What the judge had to do was to decide whether he should stop the father from taking steps leading towards the child’s baptism, as the mother had asked.

In the end, the judge was satisfied that the child’s “welfare interests are best served by allowing her to be enrolled in a baptism class and to present herself for baptism into the Christian church as soon as she is ready”. However, the judge ruled that her confirmation into the church should not take place before she is 16, unless the mother agrees.
200 Years Behind the Times (from the BBC website) (sandystrachan.wordpress.com)
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini has described the Roman Catholic Church as being “200 years behind” the times.
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Catholics lacked confidence in the Church, he said in the interview. “Our culture has grown old, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our religious rites and the vestments we wear are pompous.”Unless the Church adopted a more generous attitude towards divorced persons, it will lose the allegiance of future generations, the cardinal added. The question, he said, is not whether divorced couples can receive holy communion, but how the Church can help complex family situations.And the advice he leaves behind to conquer the tiredness of the Church was a “radical transformation, beginning with the Pope and his bishops”.

“The child sex scandals oblige us to undertake a journey of transformation,” Cardinal Martini says, referring to the child sex abuse that has rocked the Catholic Church in the past few years.

He was not afraid, our correspondent adds, to speak his mind on matters that the Vatican sometimes considered taboo, including the use of condoms to fight Aids and the role of women in the Church.
How Protestantism Lost Its Mind (theamericanconservative.com)
The Todd Akin flap, in which the suburban St. Louis congressman revealed a less than adequate grasp of human reproduction, could hardly have been timed better to dramatize the implications an Aug. 7 referendum giving Missouri schoolchildren the right to opt out of science classes on religious grounds. Parents should be free to keep their children out of the public school system entirely, but an a la carte approach to classwork entirely defeats the point of general education.
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Teaching is an exercise of what the Romans, and the Roman Catholic Church, have called magisterium, a kind of authority. It always carries moral overtones, and it’s an explicitly hierarchical concept. Why the more extreme Protestant instinctively rebels against this sort of authority should be obvious enough. And when, as in the case of science education, reflexive anti-clericalism combines with doctrinal objections, the reaction is powerful.
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Protestantism is a matter of degrees, however: between an infallible papacy and the self-ordained soapbox preacher there are many levels. But the intermediary layers that once counteracted America’s more radically Protestant tendencies have lately collapsed. Episcopalians and other old-line, more traditionally “authoritarian” churches no longer provide a common culture for the country. What has changed is not just a question of numbers but also of status. Liturgical Christians once wielded prestige out of proportion to their percentage of the population, even when that percentage was much greater. Protestant radicalization is not only a consequence of evangelicalism’s postwar growth but also an effect of cultural leveling and rebellion against privilege (at least, old sorts of class privilege) throughout the 20th century. A mass-market commercial mentality and left-wing concerns for equality have undercut the status of the old Protestant elites from a secular direction, leaving the purer Protestantism with a greater sense of self-confidence.
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What’s more, the distinction between popular politics and the religious congregation breaks down under the influence of radical Protestantism.
Is spirituality the antithesis of religion? (joelmlay.com)
It is not uncommon – actually it is fashionable these days – to hear people express anti-religion sentiment, saying, “I am spiritual but not religious”, especially when talking to strangers or new acquaintances. (There are some good examples in Match.com). The impetus is the desire to distance oneself from formalities.
Why Can’t This Atheist Accept Her Husband’s Loss of Faith? (patheos.com)
He had “been a Christian” because his family was, too, but when he actually thought about it, he realized it was all just ridiculous.
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Then there’s the birth of their son and the inevitable question of whether they should take him to church (correct answer: No) just so he has a “spiritual base,” even though both parents reject it.
Switzerland: Kirchensteuer Probably Deadly Wounded. (mundabor.wordpress.com)
It is a mystery to me how a person might think he is not a Catholic anymore because he refuses to pay a mafia-like monetary contribution (truly redolent of the Sicilian pizzo) to the local Church. Still, I do not come from the German-speaking world, where people tend, erm, to be a bit more rigid.Now a Swiss citizen (a true Catholic, but fed up with the local mafia) decided to stop paying the Kirchensteuer and – obviously - remain a Catholic. Unsurprisingly, the local hierarchy was not persuaded baptism and orthodoxy are enough: if you don’t pay the pizzo to us, they said to her, you aren’t Catholic anymore. Kapiert?
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the membership to the Catholic Church is now formally separated from the support to the administrative apparatus through the Kirchensteuer. Therefore, every Swiss Catholic can refuse to pay the pizzo (the same way you and I don’t pay it) in the full knowledge of remaining as much a member of the Church as you and I are.
Christian/Catholic Priests Are The Victim Of Those They Molest (truelogic.wordpress.com)
The Catholic Church, unbelievably, continues to receive money from ~~dumb sheep~~ Christian followers. These followers apparently think that when they stand before their God on judgement day that he will not ask them; “Why did you continue to support an establishment that had done such great harm to my children?” Giving money to the Catholic Church is to support child molesters/pedophiles by assisting in the payment of their salary, assisting in defending the priest through money paid to lawyers, money to move these guilty priest from church to church to avoid punishment, paying off victims and others to avoid justice.
When Other Christians Become Catholic (doohan.id.au)
Each year, many adults who have never been baptized become Catholic. In the United States, these adults are outnumbered by baptized Christians of other denominations who seek to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church. In the minds of many Catholics – indeed, in many parish preparation programs – there is little difference between the two groups. Baptized and catechized Christians are often placed in programs with those who have not been baptized.
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The appropriate rite is that of Reception of Baptised Catholics into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church and not the more commonly utilised Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Although the former might be considered a ‘sub-rite’ of the latter, if only because they are found in the same ritual book, the two rites refer to two distinctive pastoral situations. The confusion of the two, and thus the use of the RCIA for those baptised Christians who are seeking to become Catholic, creates a confusion about their proper status, and thus a confusion within the person seeking to become Catholic. The other contributing factor is a belief that the same preparation process – of weekly meetings, and other activities – can cover the different ‘categories’ of those who are seeking to become Catholic.
Living ‘in the middle’, in between and keeping the peace. (1catholicsalmon.com)
England is a secular country, boasting secular values and ways of life. Living here has brought Faith issues to the fore and continues to do so on a daily basis. Because of this I ‘ve had to make a conscious decision about how I am to live as a Catholic Christian. There’s no room to manoeuvre half-heartedly through the secular mazes I’m confronted with from day-to-day. I’ve had to make my position as a Christian quite clear, and for me there’s no going back on this. It’s too important.

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Continuing Paul’s Prayer Requests

Posted on August 16, 2012. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Faith, Religion | Tags: God the Father, Grace, Hope, jesus disciples, meeting, Perseverance, Pray, Prayer, Rejoice, Suffering, Supplication, Thank God, Thanksgiving, Tribulation, Vanity |

Christ did not teach the apostles to give up to pray. Jesus disciples also assured their followers that they had to go to continue to speak to God . They could not give up to call on Him.

Jesus taught them in a parable that they always ought to pray and that they should not have to falter in doing so. There is παντοτε ‘pantote, which means that they really need to pray. We have every reason to approach God, thanking Him and questioning.

We should always pray, not lose heart and not get weary(Luke 18:1)

Thanks to Christ each of us can go directly to God the father.

Through him we have been brought by faith into this grace wherein we stand,and received the possibility to have direct access to Jesus his Father, to speak with Him as our heavenly Father.

By Jesus may we also boast in our hope of the glory of God. Moreover, we can be even proud of our trials, knowing that tribulation leads to perseverance and are proud in the hope of the glory of God.
And not only so, but we also glory in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation perfects patience in us; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. In prayer we can give expression of our hope and of our thankfulness.

Our prayers should be an act of the virtue of religion, the lifting up of mind and heart to God to adore, praise, thank Him, and ask Him for aid, an implied exercise of faith, hope, and, at least, initial love.

The Angelus (1857-1859) by Jean-François Millet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Vocal prayer is the simple talking, the speaking with God out loud; mental prayer is interior. Prayer is necessary , for salvation, the victory over temptation, the practise of virtue, the perseverance in grace. It is the ever possible and ready means of grace prescribed by God as the acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, and man’s utter dependence on Him.

Prayer which man makes for himself will certainly be heard, if the proper things are asked, and the prayer is made with attention (excluding wilful distractions), sincerity, humility, confidence, perseverance.

But we can also pray for others. As such the prayer of faith shall be able to heal the sick.

We can confess our faults one to another, and pray one for another, that we may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man is powerful.

We can have private prayer that is made in one’s own name and public prayer made in the name of the community.

The spirit of prayer consists in the appreciation of the excellence, the conviction of necessity, and confidence in the power of prayer. We should never become discouraged to pray.

Maybe we do not know clearly how, where and when to pray. God has understanding for our ignorance. He has an eye for our faults and is willing to accept some rapprochement coming straight from the heart as honest.

Luke and Paul are convinced that man ought to pray, and they were convinced that God would listen to our prayers.
Prayer is a privilege given to us that we are to fulfil to the best of our ability as much as possible. In the acts of the apostles we can see that the followers of Christ also loved to repeat activities like to meet and pray at regular times. They also were convinced they did not give up because they had the hope that at a certain time, when God found it would be the right time, they were going to get the right answer to their prayers.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us: for if we beseech Him to hear us concerning the things that we ask of Him, we are assured that we have already received from Him those things that we desire.

“I say to you, if he does not get up and give to him because he is his friend, he shall get up and give him as many as he needs because of his persistence. ” (Luke 11:8 The Scriptures 1998+)

God is not an unjust judge or a dispassionate father. Jehovah is a God of love. As a father to his children he will definitely want to listen. He also shall want to come nearer to His children and help them where He can. Provided He knows our hearts, He will see whether it is a sincere approach and whether our desires are founded. We must realize where we stand and should continue to get ready for the Kingdom of God. Never may we have to give up the courage to continue to work at our selves and to prepare our entrance to the Kingdom.

When we do suffer at the moment, we should remember we are not the only ones who suffer. We also should consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of all mankind waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.

For man was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who gave him free will in the hope he would choose rightly. Because man himself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labours in pain to this day. And not only they, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our bodies.

In Jesus we not only find our master but also our way to live in hope.

Jehovah God, the Creator of all things searches the hearts and knows what is going on in our heads. We should know that no matter what happens in our life, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. So we should not have to worry.

As brothers and sisters in Christ we should feel united and come regularly together in prayer with one accord, with the women, like the apostles did with Jesus and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

When meeting we should pray, but also on our own we always have to pray, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and in that prayer be should be watchful at all times, praying constantly and supplicating for all the saints. Not worrying over things; but always by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

English: Sperindio Cagnola, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist kneeling and praying to God the Father (detail of the Last Judgement), 1514 -24, Paruzzaro, San Marcello Church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus has given us an example of a perfect prayer: the ”the Lord’s prayer” “Our Father.”

“Therefore, having been declared right by belief, we have peace with Elohim through our Master יהושע {Jeshua} Messiah, through whom also we have access by belief into this favour in which we stand, and we exult in the expectation of the esteem of Elohim. And not only this, but we also exult in pressures, knowing that pressure works endurance; and endurance, approvedness; and approvedness, expectation. ” (Romans 5:1-4 The Scriptures 1998+)

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the esteem that is to be revealed in us. For the intense longing1 of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. Footnote: 1Lit. anxiously looking with outstretched head. For the creation was subjected to futility, not from choice, but because of Him who subjected it, in anticipation, that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage to corruption into the esteemed freedom of the children of Elohim. For we know that all the creation groans together, and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only so, but even we ourselves who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we ourselves also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For in this expectation we were saved, but expectation that is seen is not expectation, for when anyone sees, does he expect it? And if we expect what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance. And in the same way the Spirit does help in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray, but the Spirit Himself pleads our case for us with groanings unutterable. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the set-apart ones according to Elohim. And we know that all matters work together for good to those who love Elohim, to those who are called according to His purpose. ” (Romans 8:18-28 The Scriptures 1998+)

“All these were continuing with one mind in prayer and supplication, with the women and Miryam the mother of יהושע {Jeshua}, and with His brothers. ” (Acts 1:14 The Scriptures 1998+)
“And they were continuing steadfastly in the teaching of the emissaries, and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers. ” (Acts 2:42 The Scriptures 1998+)
“but we shall give ourselves continually to prayer and to serving the Word.” (Acts 6:4 The Scriptures 1998+)
“So Kwas indeed kept in prison, but prayer was earnestly made to Elohim on his behalf by the assembly. ” (Acts 12:5 The Scriptures 1998+)
“Concerning this I pleaded with the Master three times to take it away from me. ” (2 Corinthians 12:8 The Scriptures 1998+)
“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Messiah, greets you, always wrestling for you in prayers, so that you stand perfect{1} and complete in all the desire of Elohim. {Footnote: 1Mt. 5:48}. ” (Colossians 4:12 The Scriptures 1998+)
“praying at all times, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the set-apart ones; also for me, that a word might be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to be bold in making known the secret of the Good News, ” (Ephesians 6:18-19 The Scriptures 1998+)
“Do not worry at all, but in every matter, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Elohim. And the peace of Elohim, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Messiah יהושע {Jeshua}. ” (Philippians 4:6-7 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And the prayer of the belief shall save the sick, and the Master shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he shall be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, so that you are healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous one accomplishes much. was a man with feelings like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the land brought forth its fruit. ” (James 5:15-18 The Scriptures 1998+)

“And this is the boldness that we have in Him, that if we ask whatever according to His desire, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. ” (1 John 5:14-15 The Scriptures 1998+)

“But the end of all has drawn near. Therefore be sober-minded, and be attentive in the prayers. ” (1 Peter 4:7 The Scriptures 1998+)
“Continue in prayer, watching therein, with thanksgiving, ” (Colossians 4:2 The Scriptures 1998+)
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in all circumstances give thanks, for this is the desire of Elohim in Messiah éäåùò for you. Do not quench the Spirit. ” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 The Scriptures 1998+)
“rejoicing in the expectancy, enduring under pressure, continuing steadfastly in prayer; ” (Romans 12:12 The Scriptures 1998+)
“And let endurance have a perfect work, so that you be perfect and complete, lacking in naught” (James 1:4 The Scriptures 1998+)

Dutch version: Paul’s Gebedsverzoeken Doorzetten

Worship Or Playing Church? (womendivas4god.wordpress.com)
Many seem to have the wrong concept of worship. After pondering on Worship, worship is not in the music of particular, it does not matter how old, new, fast or slow it is. God has open my heart and understanding that Christian music is a label we give in flesh. If someone was to play music without any words would you be able to tell if it is Christian music? No. God created music and He loves music. He gives each person their gift be it Rock, contemporary, or R&B.

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Your prayers worked. Are you sure? (wonderingpreacher.wordpress.com)
Do prayers “work”? And when there is no answer (or not the one we were hoping for), do we say, “Your prayers didn’t work”?
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More than anything else prayer is about relationship. What does it mean when we pray fervently for a friend’s healing? First of all, we are acknowledging our relation-ship with God, and we are approaching him as Father.
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When we pray for healing and wholeness, for reconciliation, for peace, we are praying for those things that God himself wants for his creation. And we can pray deeply, and fervently, and often, because as we pray we are drawing closer to our Father. As we draw closer, we develop a greater understanding of what God wants to do, and (be warned) what he wants us to do.
Intercessory Prayer (II) (frted.wordpress.com)
Realistically we know that we are not protected from all sorrows, we cannot avoid all grief, even through prayer and fasting. People while they were engaged in prayer, in churches, have been attacked and martyred. So our prayers also must ask for the strength to endure suffering.
Jesus’ Prayer for Us (dailybibleplan.com)
In the seventeenth chapter of John, Jesus prays an extended prayer for all of His disciples. He prays not only for the disciples who were listening to Him at the time, He also prays for all of us who are following Him today. In His prayer, He asks God for many things on our behalf.
Keep Praying And Never Give Up! (dmariepowell.wordpress.com)
Have you ever consistently prayed about something over, and over, and over again? Have you ever wondered if this was acceptable unto God? Perhaps you repeated your prayer request, because you thought you weren’t getting through. Well, I have news for You! God is very pleased when we Push (pray until something happens).

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Listening and Praying to the Father

Posted on August 13, 2012. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Faith, Jehovah יהוה YHWH JHVH God Elohim Yahweh Jahweh, Naam van God | Tags: Abba, Being of the World, Denomination, Devil, Divine Name, Divine Service, Evil, Father, God the Father, Jehovah, Lord, Lord's Prayer, Name of God, Our Father, Out of the World, Prayer, Satan, Serve, Son, Temptation, Temptation of Christ, Worship, YHWH |

In Matthew 21:28-32 we are told about a father who had two children. Approaching the first, he said, ‘Child, go work today in the vineyard.’ Now, this child responded, ‘I will, Sir’, but did not leave for the vineyard. The father approached the second child and requested the same, who said, ‘I will not!’ but later felt regret and went into the vineyard. Now, which of the two did the will of their father?” The priests and elders answered, “The last one.” Then Jesus said to them: “I tell you this truth: Tax-collectors and the sexually immoral are going ahead of you into the Realm of The God. John came to you in righteousness way and you did not believe him. But the tax-collectors and sexually immoral believed him. Not you–though seeing you did not feel regret later and so believe in John.” (Matthew 21:28-32 MHM)

Which one of the two children do we want to be? Do you recognise the one who says yes but does not act, or do we want to be the one who at first says not going to do it, but changes his mind? Do we want to hear the voice of the Almighty one? Do we even listen to the voice of the Lord Jesus, who asks us to do the will of the Father?

Do we are selves take our own steps and go the way Jesus directs us?

There is only one person to whom we have to give the full authority and to whom we have to give our ear and heart fully.

Jesus, been tempted could resist and said to the Devil (the adversary), “Be on your way, Satan, for it has been written, ‘You shall worship YHWH/Jehovah your God and to Him only shall you render divine service.’”" (Matthew 4:10)

Your God:
By this Jesus infers that YAHWEH or Jehovah is his God otherwise the quote makes no sense as a response to Satan. Over two dozen times the Scriptures use phrases indicating the Nazarene worships his own God. “The God of our Lord.” (#Ephesians 1:3, 17)

The Temptation of Christ, 1854 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is only to Jehovah that we have to render divine service (The Greek is LATREUSEIS. Or, KJV: serve; RHM: divine service)

We have to fear the LORD of Lords, our God, and serve him, (De 6:13) and should listen to His wishes and His commandments.

By serving God, Jesus obtained all the earthly authority which the devil offered him, and heavenly authority in addition thereto (#Mt 28:18). So much better are the rewards of God than Satan’s.

The words “him alone thou shalt serve” need be recalled today. Jesus warned men against trying to serve God and mammon (#Mt 6:24). Jehovah had previously also brought His penalties over those who did not want to listen.
Jehovah gave indications that it was time to act. Also several prophets and Christian writers warned people. “Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people answered him not a word.” “(1Ki 18:21 HNV)

Evil or the devil, as the lord of the evil world, constantly tries to win men to the service of the world and God. This is his chief camouflage for destroying a preacher’s power for God. (The word in (#Mt 4:10) for serve is latreuseiv from latriv a hired servant, one who works for hire, then render worship.

Lots of people are in a position they feel secure because they take no parts. They are sometimes member of a denomination, though they have a lot of things they do not keep up to the rules of that denomination. (Compare in the Roman Catholic Church where the Pope has given a lot of rules, but which the majority neglect) A lot of the actions and feasts they hold are pagan and contrary to the Biblical teaching.

We do have to ask the question “How long shall we halt between two opinions?” If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. (1Kings 18:21 JB2000)

We have to come out of the world the Earthly Matters, the World of Babylon the Great. We should not be partakers of her sins. (Revelation 18:4)

We should not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Let our seed be sown in good soil, so that we really can hear the right message and understand the Words of God, given to us by the Holy Scriptures. By choosing a denomination who keeps closer to the truth then others, we ourselves can protect ourselves more. By choosing the right religion we can become blessed and become productive. (Matthew 13:23)

Keep watch on yourselves, or your hearts will become dulled by carousing, drunkenness and the worries of everyday living, and that Day will be sprung upon you suddenly like a trap! For it will close in on everyone, no matter where they live, throughout the whole world. Stay alert, always praying that you will have the strength to escape all the things that will happen and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34-36)

When we want to follow Jesus, we do have to listen to his words. He also learned his followers to pray to his , their and our Father, with the words “ Our Heavenly Father (Pater Noster), Let your Name be sanctified.”

Clearly Jesus does not demand to pray to him but to his Father.

Prayer invited
God has clearly indicated that His people should call upon Him in prayer. [1 Kgs. 3:5; 2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 50:15; Jer. 33:3.]
Prayer encouraged
The Bible encourages us to pray. [1 Chron. 16:11; Ps. 32:6; Prov. 2:3; Joel 2:32; Mt. 7:7; Lk. 21:36; Jas. 1:5; 1 Jno. 3:22 .]
Response promised
As an encouragement to active prayer God has promised to respond. [Ex. 22:27; Ps. 34:17; Isa. 30:19; Jer. 29:12; Mt. 6:6; 21:22; Jno. 9:31 ; 1 Jno. 5:15 .]
Prayer answered
To emphasise that His promises do not fail, God has put on record evidence of His answer to prayer. [1 Kgs. 3:9,28 ; Ps. 34:4 ; Jas. 5:17 ; Dan. 9:20-23 ; Lk. 22:42 ,43 ; 2 Cor. 12:8,9]

We do have Christ as mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5) who showed us the way to go directly to his and our Father. Already before Christ, from earliest times, there was such a two way communication by prayer, which we still can keep to practice our devotion to the Most High. (Genesis 1:28 ; 3:9)

Today we still can use the given model prayer “Our Father”.

Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Volume 1, page 615: “In the oldest version of this prayer, the invocation reads pater, (dear) Father, and indicates abba as the Aramaic original. This means that when Jesus gave his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, he gave them authority to follow him in addressing God as abba and so gave them a share in his status as Son.”

Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Volume 1, page 617: “The description of God as Father never refers to any other individual or to mankind in general. To be a child of God is not a natural state or quality. … In Palestinian Judaism of the pre-Christian period the description of God as Father is rare. The Qumran texts provide but a single example. … We have yet to find an example of an individual addressing God as ‘my Father.’ … Jesus did not teach the idea that God is the Father of all men. … It must have been nothing short of outrageous that Jesus should make use of the completely unceremonious Aramaic word abba.”

Let your Name be sanctified; Faithful Christians should honour the Name of the Most high.
Jesus does not use the opportunity to incorporate the noma sagrada or Divine Name (YHWH = Jehovah; # Exodus 3:15) in his model prayer. Jesus uses the words “your name” with reference to the Father rarely in the Synoptic Gospels. In John the Nazarene uses the expression at John 12:28; John 17:6, 26. However, he never uses or pronounces YHWH in these contexts. Why? In Jesus’ day the Jews refrained from uttering the name YHWH and substituted Elohim (God) or Adonay (Lord). The Jews never removed YHWH from its nearly 7,000 occurrences in the Old Testament.

About the year 1,000 CE Jewish copyists began to incorporate vowel points in YHWH to warn to say God or Lord in its place.
Does the Nazarene ever use YHWH? The Gospel evidence would indicate this could only be when he is quoting the Hebrew Bible. It is now thought that the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, known as The Septuagint (LXX), had YHWH untransliterated in the Greek text. There is a good reason for this. The Greek language cannot convert the Hebrew letters for YHWH. Modern Greek dictionaries use dzehoba or Iekhoba for “Jehovah” but original Greek did not have an “h” as it were, other than a breath sound. Modern Greek attempts to capture the sound of the English pronunciation of the name.

Given the attitude of the Jews what would have happened if Jesus used YHWH in quotes or normal speech? Certainly equal to that misguided accusation that he violated the Sabbath! Yet the Gospels are silent on this. What about private meetings with his disciples when the use of YHWH could not cause a public stir? Compare the lengthy closing words in John 13$ to 17. Not once does Jesus use YHWH even though he alludes to the “name” four times.
Given the facts that the Jews do not attack him for violating their understanding of one of the Ten Commandments and the absence of his use in private speeches and prayers, it would seem he respected the Jewish tradition of the time.
This does not minimize the importance of the “Name” as Jesus’ words in his prayer shows. The idea of this sanctification occurs scores of times in the Hebrew Bible. Compare Exodus 3:14, 15, 6:3.

Various renderings are: TCNT: May thy name be held holy; MOF: thy name be revered; PHI: may your name be honored.

Honouring the name of the Creator of all things is one way of bringing veneration to the Most High. Saying the words Jesus learnt us to speak, we can worship God with the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father” and asking “Let your Kingdom come. Let your Will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. “

“9 After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”
(Matthew 6:9-13 KJBPNV)
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Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God (christadelphians.wordpress.com)
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Worship and worshipping (christadelphians.wordpress.com)
The worshipping or act of bringing worship can be done in different forms, which shall be spoken of in different articles. It can be done in the house by a private person or member of the community or in a special built or purpose-built place of worship, like a church or meeting room, or in a public place or in the open. In the Christadelphian community we mostly call the Meeting Hall “Ecclesia House”, “Ecclesia building” or simply “Ecclesia”.

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Worship and worshipping

Posted on August 11, 2012. Filed under: Breaking of the Bread, Ecclesia, Faith, Housechurch, Religion | Tags: 14 Nisan, Adoration, Adoration of the lamb, Breaking of the Bread, Christian worship, Church, Devotion, Devotional Song, Eucharist, Eucharistic Celebration, Gloria Patri, Holy Mass, Idolatry, Liturgy, Lord's Prayer, Mass (liturgy), Meditation, meeting, Meeting Hall, Offering, Orthodox Judaism, Piety, Praise, Prayer, Protestantism, Psalm, Reverence, Sacrament, Sacrifice, Salve Regina, Sunni Islam, Tag, The Lord’s Supper, Veneration, Worship, Worshipping |

Under the Tags “Worship” and “Worshipping” you shall be able to find articles concerning adoration paid to a person a god or God as well as about the religious service of a person or community of persons.

The worship can be a profound admiration and affection, an act of revering or adoring, to glorify, a dignity,reputation, high standing.

The word “Worship” is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship

Paying high honours to some one or something, but also the act of performing acts of adoration or bringing honour, offerings and prayers to something or some one.

But in particular we shall talk here about the adoration to the Only One God and the religious service we can bring to Him to show our love, affection and adoration.

Each individual can give expression of his adoration or veneration for some one or something. He can react on his feeling and express himself accordingly on his own (solo) or in group. Often when the act of worship is not performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader, there is taken some order to do it or some people taking charge of the ‘service’.

A modern Western worship team leading a contemporary worship session. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many religious traditions place an emphasis upon regular worship at frequent intervals, often daily or weekly. Expressions of worship vary but typically include one or more of the following:

Prayer, meditation, ritual, scripture, sacraments, sacrifice, sermons, chanting, music or devotional song, dance, religious holidays, festivals, pilgrimage, dining, fasting, temples or shrines, idols, or simply private individual acts of devotion.

The worshipping or act of bringing worship can be done in different forms, which shall be spoken of in different articles. It can be done in the house by a private person or member of the community or in a special built or purpose-built place of worship, like a church or meeting room, or in a public place or in the open. In the Christadelphian community we mostly call the Meeting Hall “Ecclesia House”, “Ecclesia building” or simply “Ecclesia”.

Under Worship we can find:

worship or keep service in honour
the veneration of a saint or higher rank: venerate, adore, veneration, adoration
the esteem and love: adore
Worship / adore a god or God

perpetual adoration
to kneel in adoration: Kneel in worship
Adoration of the Lamb
respectful admiration: worship, reverence

Veneration

Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy distinguish between adoration or latria (Latin adoratio, Greek latreia, [λατρεια]), which is due to God alone, and veneration or dulia (Latin veneratio, Greek douleia [δουλεια]), which may be lawfully offered to the saints. The external acts of veneration resemble those of worship, but differ in their object and intent. Protestant Christians question whether such a distinction is always maintained in actual devotional practice, especially at the level of folk religion.

Orthodox Judaism and orthodox Sunni Islam hold that for all practical purposes veneration should be considered the same as prayer; Orthodox Judaism (arguably with the exception of some Chasidic practices), orthodox Sunni Islam, and most kinds of Protestantism forbid veneration of saints or angels, classifying these actions as akin to idolatry.

Worship manifestation of Godliness

So under this “Tag” or the “label” of “Adoration” and “Worship” we will mainly focus on piety, and the exercise of that piety. It will mainly deal with the devout and pious by which a religious attitude is assumed to be faithfulness and submitting to God, Godloving, exalting, glorifying, idolizing and to extol a superior being.

It will essentially to be about God having in mind, to be submissive and to put Him high, treasuring Him, to serve God, awards, praise and bless.
These words will be eligible:

piety, “piety, fervor, unction, devotion, piety, religion, faith, god, community, communion, grace position, probation, resignation, resignation, quietism, spirituality, mysticism, mysticism, apologetics, religious fervor, zeal, though, zealotism, congregation, bigotry , bigotry, tartufferie.

godly, pious, iconoduul, holy, work saint, mystic, zealot, laborer, congreganist, faith hero, hero, church patron, zealot, zelator, zelatrice, church pillar, a saint, bigot.

Prayer

Under the tag “Prayer” we shall look at different form of words said to bring the adoration to something or some one. It is one part of the worship to bring devotion and which can be done in different ways.

Under the “Prayer” tag you may encounter:

prayer, church attendance, prostration, knee prayer, actus fidei, vocal prayer, meditation, consideration, praise, adoration, thanksgiving, intercession, invocation, lost prayer, routine prayer, morning prayer, evening prayer, night prayer, home exercise, table blessing , table prayer, church attendance, prayer cross, pilgrimage, shrine shipping, closing prayer, Triduum, novena, retreats, prayer series, answer to prayer, penance, prayer choir, psalmody.

prayer time, prayer meeting, prayer church time, matins time, praying, prayer place of worship, prayer house, retreat house, oratorio, pilgrimage, pilgrimage, grace place, place of grace, church, ecclesia

Under this tag we could discuss:

form prayer, prayer, cross, prayer, intercession, prayer for, exchange prayer, litany, deed, morning prayer, morning prayer, evening prayer, table prayer, grace, gratias, sigh, short prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer, the rosary, the Hail Mary, the Ave, the Rosary, prayer beads, the psaltery Mary, the Angelus, the Salve Regina, the Regina Caeli, the Stabat Mater, Magnificat, Te Deum, Tantum ergo, the Itinerarium, year prayer.
liturgical prayer, church prayer, H. Mass.

A picture of a Lutheran pastor elevating the Eucharistic Host. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Breviary prayer, tides, matins, nocturne, lesson, the Laudes, Daily times, the hours, horce, prime, tertiary, sixths, ninths, Vespers, Compline, completorium, psalm, Vesper psalm, thank Psalm, penitential psalm, plaintive psalm, weeping psalm, the Miserere, De Profundis, the 15 Trap Psalms, hymns, church hymns, Cantica, invitatorium , antiphoon, responsorium, doxology, Gloria Patri, final chapter, the Hosanna, Alleluia, the great Hallelujah, Amen, the Libera.

It can be possible we shall look at:

prayer book, prayer book, Bible, church, communion book, communion plate, Hours, choir book, matins book, Breviary, prayer book, hymn book, psalter, psaltery, diurnal, anti phone book, antiphonarium, kyriale.

sacramentals, scapular, rosary, Beier, rosary bead, rosary cross, holy water, holy bread, Hubert bread, napkin, virtue rose, golden rose, palm, relic, shrine, pledge, gift, sacrifice image , votivefstone/tabel/gift.

Worship

For the term “Worship” we will look at carrying out the devotion and subservience to the exercise of prayer and work towards a superior, with particularity to God.

The worship or service to keep the worship of a god or Supreme Being in the Divine. It is the practice of religion.

That worship can exert a religious service or a keeping or holding church.

service provision, church keep reading church keep ministering, practice, or honour

Encloses a liturgical worship ritual.

liturgical, ritual.

And one can have:
worship, religion, cult, Mary Service, Mary worship, honouring saints, dulia, liturgy, ritual, rite, section, liturgic, ritualism, ritual, cart table, cart table list, church language.

religious practice, practice, service, church, ceremony, religious ceremony, church ceremony, religious use, church use, form of religion, church, Sunday worship service, Sabbath service, early service, matins, morning church. Morning, morning church, mette, morning service, lunch service, lunch church – afternoon service, evening service, Mass

evening worship, evening church, praise, foot washing, routine religion, psalm singing, sacrament hymns, Christmas songs, Easter songs, passover worship, passover sacrifice, last supper celebration, memorial celebration, remembrance meal, remembrance celebration

Protestant / Catholic worship, children’s church, reading church, covenant meal, dinner (s) celebration, dinner, supper celebration, night time, adoption service, supper bowl, supper wine supper table, linked table, communion bread, supper bread, communion wine, night-time singing, night song, breaking of bread, taking the symbols, remembrance meal, memorial, memorial worship

worshiper, dinner-goer, night time goer, minister atonement, sacrificial servant, mass celebrator, Eucharist keeper, memory keeper, Mass-goer, churchgoer

In worship we will proceed to the saying of prayers and spiritual texts usually recited or chanted. Many communities bring in their worship different variations and music and hold offerings in different ways.

A typical altar in a Latin Rite Catholic church — High altar of the Kapucijnenkerk; Ostend, Belgium.

For the Holy Mass or commonly called the Mass the Roman Catholics do have an Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites or in more up todate modern liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, in Western Rite Orthodox Churches, in Lutheran churches, and in a small number of High Church Methodist parishes.
For the celebration of the Eucharist in Eastern Churches, including those in full communion with the Holy See, other terms such as the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Qurbana and the Badarak are normally used.
Most Western denominations not in full communion with the Catholic Church also usually prefer terms other than Mass.

For information on the theology of the Eucharist and on the Eucharistic liturgy of other Christian denominations, see “Eucharist” and “Eucharistic theology“.

For information on history see Eucharist and Origin of the Eucharist, and with specific regard to the Roman Rite Mass, Pre-Tridentine Mass and Tridentine Mass.

The term “Mass” is derived from the Late Latin word missa (dismissal), a word used in the concluding formula of Mass in Latin: “Ite, missa est” (“Go; it is the dismissal”). “In antiquity, missa simply meant ‘dismissal’. In Christian usage, however, it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word ‘dismissal’ has come to imply a ‘mission’. These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis, 51)

Sacrifice or Offering

In the worship or service the offer is to present an act of devotion, homage, charity, etc. to express willingness, to hold out for acceptance or rejection.

To lay before one, to present to the mind.

To give, to pay, to perform.

The offering is the act of making an offer. That which is offered.

In the worship or sacrifice among the faith communities of the various religions can be found:

altar ministry, altar service, love food, agape, sacrifice, sacrifice, altar, church sacrifice, temple sacrifice, altar secret, oblation, atonement, reconciliation, sin offering, guilt offering, peace offering, victorious sacrifice, libation, sacrifice of praise, supplication sacrifice, blood sacrifice , bloodplenging, victim, hecatomb, meat sacrifice, animal sacrifice, bull offering, unbloody sacrifice, oblation, smoke sacrifice, incense, commemorative sacrifice, money sacrifice, libation feast, drink offering, prayer, sacrifice time, dinner, remembrance celebration, remembrance celebration, evening meal, remembrance meal, breaking of the bread.

To gather

To do the worship several religious groups do come together at a certain place. Worshipping should show your faith but also your connection: your connection with your god and with your fellow believers.

In several Christian communities we notice the members coming together.

regularly. The community coming together is part of the succession of

Jesus reminder to regularly get together and meet. The Christadelphians also do come together, either in private homes like the first Christians in what some today call a house-church. These meetings happen in the community of believers or at someone’s home

or in a custom or a public building that can serve as a ‘community

church’ or ‘Ecclesia’. The union of believers who would like to serve God is called

“the ecclesia” and the worship is simply called the “service” or when the

Supper is commemorated “the Lord’s Supper” or “Breaking of the Bread.”

That service can be simple or gloriously with songs. Yearly at the 14th Nisan or Pascha there is a special Memorial Meeting to remember the day Jesus had his last evening meal with his disciples and some close friends to commemorate the pass-over. At that remembrance day Jesus installed the New Covenant, before he was going to die for our sins.

The Religious part of the “Meeting” or coming together to honour and to praise God, and to build each other up more spiritual by the perusal of the Holy Scripture and by discussing the Scriptures, where in the service a lecture is given, a prepared text or ‘admonition’ or ‘reading’ for the instruction of the faith community is called “exhortation” .

In Christian communities there are also feasts of charity or agape meals. In worship sometimes bloodless sacrifices or animal sacrifices are offered.

Further under the tag “Worship” and related tags you shall be able to find articles on:

sacrifice, atoning sacrifice, sacrifices, smoking sacrifice, wine shed, burn incense, frankincense, (gum)thus, thurification, Celebrating holy mass (do, read, sing, celebrate), officers, combine and assist, consecrate, serve Mass, go to Mass, hear Mass.

altar ministry, altar service, love food, sacrifice, altar, sacrifice, temple sacrifice, altar secret, oblation, atonement, reconciliation, sacrifice, sin offering, guilt offering, peace offering, victorious sacrifice, libation, sacrifice of praise, supplication sacrifice, blood sacrifice , bloodplenging, victim, hecatomb, meat sacrifice, animal sacrifice, bull offering, unbloody sacrifice, oblation, smoke sacrifice, incense, commemorative sacrifice, libation, money, sacrifice, libatie, plengfeest, sacrifice, prayer, sacrifice time, dinner, remembrance celebration, remembrance celebration, fraternal meeting.

Note: in the Dutch articles you shall be able to find much more different words, which do have in certain instances also small or bigger differences, but have no equivalent word in English, or are not able to be found in translation dictionaries. Often also many words are very typical for certain Christian denominations, and are not used by the other denominations and often not know by the other denominations. They are part of the typical church language, which is quite common in Holland and Belgium.

Dutch readers please do find:

Aanbidden, Aanbidding, Eredienst en Gebed

In the Categories: Breken van het Brood, Dienst, Ecclesia, Religie, Vergaderen | Tags: Aanbidden, Aanbidder, Aanbidding, Aanroeping, Adoration of the lamb, Afgoderij, Afsmeken, Agape Maaltijd, Alleluia, Avondmaal, Avondmaalsviering, Avondmaalviering, Beelden Verering, Bidden, Cultus Dulia, Cultus Latria, Devotie, Eredienst, Exhortatie, gebed, Gloria Patri, Godsdienstbeoefening, Islam, Judïsme, Kruisbeeld, Laatste Avondmaalviering, Liturgie, loven, Magnificat, Mediteren, Offer, Offerdienst, Offeren, Perpetual Adoration, Prijzen, Salve Regina, Smeekbede, Stabat Mater, Tag, Vereren, Verering, Vergaderen, Vroomheid, Worship

Please do find also:

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True Worship by Mark D. Roberts (trinityspeaks.wordpress.com)
If I were to ask you to envision Christian worship, I expect you would imagine your church gathered for Sunday services, or something like that. Indeed, when God’s people assemble to offer praise and thanks to God, this is an essential element of true worship. But it’s just the beginning!
Have We Excluded Something Important From Worship? (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
Old Testament worship involved all five senses.
Christian Idol Worshippers (rosemichels.wordpress.com)
The very people who cling so tightly to their God-given commandments are often the very ones to break the first one. “Thou shalt have no other gods before thee.” Exodus 20:3 KJV
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What may make the situation of ‘following’ even more dangerous in our Christian walk is what we’re doing to those very Christian people we follow. As their popularity grows exponentially, so does their difficulty in dealing with something thrust upon them in what, oftentimes, seems to happen overnight. Just like us ‘regular’ people, they’re to maintain the balance of being in the world but not of the world.
Mystery Worship Eleven: A Missed Opportunity (barefootpreachr.org)
Traditional church bulletins are littered with headings like “prelude, doxology, Gloria Patri, benediction.” We toss around buzz words such as Sacrament, liturgy, soteriology, ecclesiology, sanctification, salvation, atonement, justification, pre-lapsarianism
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While worship must not be about our own comfort, it also takes place within a community. Often, but not always, powerful worship takes place as part of a connection of people who know each other, care for each other, push one another to greater godliness, and actively work together to serve the world
Enthusiastic Worship for All! (pastorjonev.typepad.com)
One Sunday morning, at roughly 10:12 am, during the middle of the second song, a person on the worship team began to sing and “move” with more enthusiasm than usual. This caused quite a commotion amongst the little girls in the front row. But I’m pretty sure that the outward commotion amongst the little girls was probably multiplied amongst the adults, only they kept it on the inside. This is what happens in a church where little enthusiasm is shown during corporate praise and worship.
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Worship is commanded. So is the physical, emotional act of worship.
God is entitled to our praises but Worship is always for our own sake (olungaotieno.wordpress.com)
Praise and worship is probably the most important aspect of the Christian walk. It is through praise and worship that we as Christians draw near to God. Psalm 100:4 says that we enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Psalms 22 says he that He inhabits the praises of His people.
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Worship is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop a God-like and Christ-like character. We become likened to those we admire and worship. When we worship God we tend to value what God values and gradually take on the characteristics and qualities of God, but never to His level.
Worship Him (achristianmeditation.wordpress.com)
We pray. We read the scriptures. We try to live for Christ. We serve in various ministries. These are all ways of expressing our level of commitment and love for God. But what God desires more than anything is our worship.
The Multi-Cultural History of Prayer Beads (foragingsquirrel.com)
Over two-thirds of the world’s population employ prayer beads as part of their religious practices. Prayer beads have a variety of forms and meanings, but the basic purpose is the same: to assist the worshiper in reciting and counting specific prayers or incantations. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are the major religions that use prayer beads in important ritualistic roles.Beads have long been linked with the act of prayer.
Questions About Prayer (graceindallas.wordpress.com)
Prayer is an interesting thing. As Christians, we say we believe that the Creator of the universe invites us to talk to Him at anytime and in any place. Yet we rarely take time to accept this invitation. There could be numerous reasons why we don’t pray.
5 Things People Want Their Worship Leaders to Know: Week 2 (aaronwilliamsblog.com)
”What would you like to say to worship leaders?” Week one had some insightful and funny answers. Week two is equally intriguing with more great insight and some outright honesty.
Worship Or Playing Church?Many seem to have the wrong concept of worship. After pondering on Worship, worship is not in the music of particular, it does not matter how old, new, fast or slow it is. God has open my heart and understanding that Christian music is a label we give in flesh. If someone was to play music without any words would you be able to tell if it is Christian music? No. God created music and He loves music. He gives each person their gift be it Rock, contemporary, or R&B.
We are to choose the words that are pleasing to God. He test us to see what we will do with our gifts. Will they be used for good or bad? Is it used to please God, or flesh?

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Childish or reasonable ways

Posted on July 20, 2012. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Faith, Holy Scriptures, Paganism, Religion | Tags: Atheist, Bible, Bible Reading, Clergy, Clergy Project, Clergy Women, Daniel Dennett, God, Guilt, Jerry DeWitt, John Compere, Linda LaScola, Michael Aus, Pastor, Richard Dawkins, Spirituality, Stephen Uhl, Sunday School, Tradition |

Several people think of believers as “naive” and “childish”. In the group of believers you have the ordinary folks and the clergymen and clergy women. They form a particular group with persons who seem either far away from the world, being put on a pedestal or being part of the world, having problems like anybody else and understanding how the world turns.

Christian Denomination Logos (Photo credit: scottlenger)

You have the believers who where so much interested in the spiritual that they wanted to make their profession out of it. Those who followed theology at university learned a lot about how people thought God and His Creation would or should be. They did not much learn from the bible, but concentrated on a lot of worldly writings by the so called saints. They formed their ideas on the dogma’s and doctrine‘s brought in by humans and were not interested to take more contact with other believers or unbelievers, save for the few they met in their “fishing expeditions” at the grocery store or during “seeker services.” Thus, all to often, when they have questions about faith or about the Supreme being they do not find other places to go to than their own bunch of people of the same denomination. But there are many who by doing their demanding job and by doing Bible reading for the preparation of their preaches, get in confrontation with the Holy Scriptures and what they have learned. Instead of daring to take the Word of God as the real Word of God, they doubt those Scriptures and want to prefer to hold fast on their doctrines. Much too often this brings them in a severe conflict. Like ordinary people trying to keep on traditions they also want to keep to those traditions, but learn from the Bible how wrong that can be. Everything they have been thought seems to come in the zone of doubtful literature. But when they start questioning those teachings it starts nagging and they do come in conflict with their surroundings. Being interested in the spiritual they first go look with other similar denominations and go to look for other spiritual religions and find much pleasure in Buddhism. Instead of wanting to believe what is written in the Bible, that once we die we are death and cannot think or do anything, they love the idea of the immortal soul they had learned in their teachings. At first they become attracted by the incarnation, but when they go deeper into the teachings of such groups who believe that they do not feel at ease either. As such, they fall outside of the fence of Christian fellowship, there seems to be a complete lack of support. This can be a very depressing place, and it is only exacerbated by the belief that there is nobody else out there who could possibly understand the rather unique situation of being an unbelieving member of the Clergy.

You can ask: “What happens when a clergy person — a minister, a priest, a rabbi, an imam — realizes he doesn’t believe in God? And what happens when he says it out loud? What happens when they find each other; when they support each other in coping with their crises, when they help each other with resources and job counseling and other practical assistance? What happens when they encourage each other to come out? Could this affect more than just these clergy people and their followers? Could it change how society as a whole thinks and feels about religion?”

On March 21st, 2011 in the United States of America the Clergy Project was launched and the question “How can the US motto be “In God We Trust” when so many Americans are Out of the Closet atheists?” came to the forefront. Former Roman Catholic priest Dr. Stephen Uhl wrote the book “Out of God’s Closet” and got as motto: “Atheists work to make this life heavenly.”

The feeling of many with doubts is one of “Once you’re enrolled in the system, there is a strong incentive not to criticise or rebel: we’re all in this boat together – don’t rock it.”

Tufts University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Philosopher, cognitive scientist and aprofessor at Tufts University, American Daniel Dennett says: ” teenagers glowing with enthusiasm decide to devote their lives to a career of helping others and, looking around in their rather sheltered communities, they see no better, purer option than going into the clergy. When they get to seminary they find themselves being taught things that nobody told them in Sunday school. The more they learn of theology and the history of the composition of the Bible, the less believable they find their creed. Eventually they cease to believe altogether. But, alas, they have already made a substantial commitment in social capital – telling their families and communities about their goals – so the pressure is strong to find an accommodation, or at least to imagine that if they hang in there they will find one. Only a lucky few find either the energy or the right moment to break free. Those who don’t break free then learn the tricks of the trade, the difference between what you can say from the pulpit and what you can say in the sanctum of the seminary, or in your heart. Some, of course, are unfazed by this.” (Read more: http://www.readperiodicals.com/201112/2540123101.html)

English: Daniel Dennett at the 17. Göttinger Literaturherbst, October 19th, 2008, in Göttingen, Germany. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Linda LaScola, a clinical social worker, qualitative researcher and psychotherapist, and him have been investigating the curious, sad phenomenon of closeted non-believing clergy – wellmeaning, hard-working pastors who find they do not believe the creed of their denomination, but also find that they cannot just blow the whistle and abandon the pulpit. They knew that many churchgoers have lost whatever faith they had but continue their membership for social and psychological reasons, and surmised that there might be clergy who were similarly attached to their church. What is it like to be a non-believing pastor? We found some examples who were willing to tell us, and are now completing a second survey of volunteers.

They wanted to know, ultimately, how this happens, and how common it is. It is apparently not rare – nobody knows what percentage of clergy fall into this category, not surprisingly. Their first study reported on five pastors in different Protestant denominations, who were interviewed in depth and in strict confidence by LaScola. Because it was published electronically (on the website On Faith) and under the headline “Preachers who are not believers” (Evolutionary Psychology, volume eight, issue one), this first pilot study has received considerable attention and brought them a host of new volunteers for their ongoing research.

There are many paths into this predicament, they find, but a common thread runs through most of them: a certain sort of innocence and a powerful desire, not for social prestige or riches, but rather the desire to lead a good life, to help other people as much as possible. The tragic trap is baited with goodness itself. (Read more: http://www.readperiodicals.com/201112/2540123101.html#ixzz219XQR8AC)

” Like reluctant debutantes or privately suspicious Ponzi victims , they button their lip for an abundance of good reasons. (Redundancy is always a good trick; it allows a collection of individually porous defences to overlap into anearly impregnable shield.) Historically, pastors have had slender economic resources, and if they live in a parsonage they build up no equity in real estate. Hanging on until the kids are out of college and one can collect one’s meagre pension is an option that can look better than making an honest dash for the door. But a tentative finding of our study so far is that the economic incentive to hang on is sometimes of less importance than the social and psychological factors. As one of our pastors says, “I’m thinking if I leave the church – first of all, what’s that going to do to my family? And I don’t know. Secondly is, I have zero friends outside the church. I’m kind of a loner.” And what about telling his wife? “It’s going to turn her life upside down.”"

So pastors tend to stay put and search for ways of protecting their conscience from the pangs of hypocrisy. Redoubling one’s efforts to take good care of one’s flock is probably a frequent effect, and hence it could be one of the side benefits of this system, a bonus that could almost pay for itself by turning its shepherds into goodness slaves. Guilt is a potent enzyme in many social arrangements, and has been especially promoted in religions.

Your God Is Here (Photo credit: sutton_steven)

Religions changed more in the past century than they changed in the previous two millennia, and probably will change more in the next decade or two than in the past century. The main environmental change, as many have suggested, is the sudden increase in informational transparency. Religions were beautifully designed over millennia to work in circumstances in which the people within them could be assumed to be largely ignorant of much that was outside the membrane.

“Now that mobile phones and the internet have altered the epistemic selective landscape in a revolutionary way, every religious organisation must scramble to evolve defences or become extinct. Much has been made of the growing attention to religion in the world, and this has often been interpreted as a revival, an era of expanding religiosity, but all the evidence points away from that interpretation. The fastestgrowing religious category worldwide is no religion at all, and the increasing noise we hear is apparently due to the heightened expenditure of energy by all the threatened varieties in their desperate attempts to fend off extinction.” (Read more: http://www.readperiodicals.com/201112/2540123101.html#ixzz219YCt2Wl)

After the publication of “Towards the Light: A fifth generation minister’s journey from religion to nonbelief.” by John Compere more clergy dared to speak out. When Reverend Michael Aus came out as a non-believer on national television on March 25th 2012 a ball got rolling by his moral support to the Clergy Project. The word got round the world and begin 2012 at the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia, Dan Dennett spoke about The Clergy Project during his ‘How To Tell You’re An Atheist’ talk.

Richard Dawkins giving a lecture based on his book, The God Delusion, in Reykjavik

The respectecd Catholic pastor Jerry DeWitt, who lives in Southern Louisiana, went public last October when he posted a picture of himself with the prominent and polarizing atheist Richard Dawkins, snapped at a meeting of atheists and other “freethinkers” in Houston.

Speaking in March before a cheering crowd of several hundred unbelievers at the American Atheists conference here, he described posting the picture as “committing identity suicide.”

The response was swift. His congregation put him out, friends cut him off and some family members will not speak to him, he said.

“It is not just finances and it is not just career,” he said in the fire-and-brimstone cadences of his Pentecostal background. “It is everything that you hold dear.”

DeWitt’s transition from true believer to total skeptic took 25 years. It began, he said, with the idea of hell. How could it be, as he had been taught and preached, that a loving God would damn most people to eternal fire? “This thing called hell, it began to rock my world,” he said.

Instead of daring to find solace by the non-trinitan Biblestudents, who do not believe in hell as a plac of torture, because it is not according to the Holy Scriptures, he did not dare, like the other clergy men are afraid, to go to such a group of believers where he fought against for so many years. and that is the proble we see by so many clergy men. Once they go and read more in the Holy Scriptures they find other ‘Truths’ than they have learned. They hear the same things as the Jehovah Witnesses, Abrahamic Church or Christadelphians are saying. And this confronts them with theological teaching and boundaries to their institutions.

DeWitt found that there were more people wrestling with the same issues he was.

In The Clergy Project he could find as so many others, a confidential online community for active and former clergy who do not hold supernatural beliefs.

Currently, the community’s 300 plus members use it to network and discuss what it’s like being an unbelieving leader in a religious community. The Clergy Project’s goal is to support members as they move beyond faith. Members freely discuss issues related to their transition from believer to unbeliever including:

Wrestling with intellectual, ethical, philosophical and theological issues
Coping with cognitive dissonance
Addressing feelings of being stuck and fearing the future
Looking for new careers
Telling their families
Sharing useful resources
Living as a nonbeliever with religious spouses and family
Using humor to soften the pain
Finding a way out of the ministry
Adjusting to life after the ministry

Richard Dawkins says: “If a farmer tires of the outdoor life and wants to become an accountant or a teacher or a shopkeeper, he faces difficulties, to be sure. He must learn new skills, raise money, move to another area perhaps. But he doesn’t risk losing all his friends, being cast out by his family, being ostracized by his whole community. Clergy who lose their faith suffer double jeopardy. It’s as though they lose their job and their marriage and their children on the same day. It is an aspect of the vicious intolerance of religion that a mere change of mind can redound so cruelly on those honest enough to acknowledge it.”

“The Clergy Project exists to provide a safe haven, a forum where clergy who have lost their faith can meet each other, exchange views, swap problems, counsel each other – for, whatever they may have lost, clergy know how to counsel and comfort. Here you will find confidentiality, sympathy, and a friendly place where you can take your time before deciding how to extricate yourself and when you will feel yourself ready to stand up and face the cool, refreshing wind of truth.”

It is a pity so many keep in the handcuffs of the trinitarian ideologist who damn the non-trinitarians, so that they do not dare to tackle the idea of those bible students who tke the Word of God for what it says, and not for what people in history have made the so called Bible saying.

We can only hope and pray,that one day their eyes may go open again and they shall find the peace again in the Bible, which can reveal everything, when people are willing to open their heart and mind to it.

Dutch article: Project voor afvallige kerkleiders

Find:

The Clergy Project

“Preachers Who Are Not Believers” (PDF)

Read:

Pastor’s loss of faith started with loss of hell

Biggest Threat to Religion? Clergy People Coming Out as Atheists

Moody Bible Radio Discovers ‘The Clergy Project’ – interview with Teresa MacBain

+++

Biggest Threat to Religion? Clergy People Coming Out as Atheists (alternet.org)
A burst of media attention has been focused on atheists of an unexpected stripe — clergy members. Could non-believing clergy change how we see religion?
+
The project was inspired by the 2010 pilot study by Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola, “Preachers Who Are Not Believers” (PDF), which exposed and explored the surprisingly common phenomenon of non-believing clergy. The need to give these people support — and if possible, an exit strategy — was immediately recognized in the atheist community, and starter funding for the Clergy Project was quickly provided by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
6 Benefits of a Clergy Sabbatical Leave Program (smartchurchmanagement.com)
It is common for churches to offer sabbaticals for clergy to provide a time for refreshing, recharging and continuing education. Church leaders have great responsibilities and the many challenges that come with working in the ministry can take its toll on clergy. Many churches have discovered that providing a time to retreat from the day-to-day responsibilities can provide a benefit for both the employee as well as the church. When pastors are allowed to take an extended break from ministry they can refocus and recharge their passion and call to lead the congregation.
Administration and Spirituality: A False Dichotomy (barefootpreachr.org)
How can being a good and effective administrator be de-coupled from the type of mature Christian leadership needed as an effective Episcopal servant of the church?
+
to go back to Richard Hearn’s comment about losing the clergy: It was my sense and my experience that clergy morale sank to a deep low under Bishop Bledsoe’s leadership. Bishop Bledsoe acknowledged that fact himself in a video put out a couple of weeks before the North Texas Annual Conference. He invited clergy to respond. I don’t know how many did, but I heard (and I could be wrong) that it was somewhere around forty.
+
It involves speaking our own difficult truths, seeking to help one another move to perfection in love, moving to deep repentance when sin is exposed, and offering the fullness of forgiveness to one another.
Rev. Frederick Schmidt Has No Idea Why Clergy Members Leave the Faith… but He’s Going to Write An Article About It, Anyway (patheos.com)
Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. cannot believe there’s so much press about the Clergy Project.First, he blows off the numbers like they’re no big deal
+
Check out his grossly misguided reasons for why clergy members leave the faith
+
There are probably a lot of reasons for the media’s interest in the subject: Even with a global economic crisis, a few wars, and a presidential election, there are always a few slow news days. “The Clergy Project” probably has a fabulous PR department, supported as it is by The Richard Dawkins Foundation, Freedom from Religion Foundation, American Atheists, the American Humanist Association, The Appignani Foundation, The Center for Inquiry, The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, and Recovering from Religion.org. And beyond garden variety religious fervor, there is no religious fervor like that of a former believer. So, it’s the kind of story that always draws a crowd.There are probably a lot of reasons for the media’s interest in the subject: Even with a global economic crisis, a few wars, and a presidential election, there are always a few slow news days. “The Clergy Project” probably has a fabulous PR department, supported as it is by The Richard Dawkins Foundation, Freedom from Religion Foundation, American Atheists, the American Humanist Association, The Appignani Foundation, The Center for Inquiry, The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, and Recovering from Religion.org. And beyond garden variety religious fervor, there is no religious fervor like that of a former believer. So, it’s the kind of story that always draws a crowd.
+
It is one thing to study theology, church history, and Scripture. It is another thing to integrate that learning with our faith journeys. Not all seminary programs (and very few churches) make the effort to help students with that process. But in some ways it is both more demanding and critical to the well being of clergy than is the acquisition of knowledge about the subject.
REAL NEWS June 17, 2012 (danimartextras.wordpress.com)
“Things such as theodicy [the problem of suffering and evil], the question of hell, God’s omnipotence yet lack of intervention in heinous events, the historicity of Jesus… all these bubbled to the surface and demanded to be answered,” she said. “My work to answer these questions began with the thought that as I discovered the truth, it would create a stronger faith and give me comforting answers to those in my church who were dealing with the same issues. Instead, the truth I found led me away from faith.”This experience is common among members of the Clergy Project.
The Necessity for Daily Practice…?!? (aediculaantinoi.wordpress.com)
Something that I see an increasing number of pagans and polytheists attempting, and struggling with, is daily practice. I’ve talked on previous occasions on “not being afraid to get bored” and so forth with daily practices. However, I’m also asking another question at present: is daily practice really a necessity for many people? And, I’ve come to a conclusion on the matter: no.In reconstructionist religions, one of the great advantages that has emerged over more general forms of paganism is that there are a variety of possible roles: not everyone is “clergy” or “a priest,” necessarily, in a recon context.
+
The notion in many sorts of paganism that everyone is “their own clergy” and thus has clergy status, and therefore must in a variety of ways perform as if they are clergy, is rather erroneous in my view. As much as certain teachers and practitioners would suggest all of the modern pagan/polytheist population have some sort of daily practice (which usually looks like “daily meditation” in most forms I’ve seen it), I can’t really support that necessity from a general viewpoint, either as a reconstructionist or as a general spiritual practitioner who has many strong deity devotions, including Antinous.
Major Threat to Religion? Clergy People Coming Out as Atheists (alternet.org)
Unlike many believers, they actually read the Bible, or Torah, or Koran, or whatever the sacred text of their religion is. They think hard about questions that more casual believers are willing to let slide. After all — that’s their job.
The New Atheism: Its Virtues and its Vices (areycorneja.wordpress.com)
What follows is the text of the 2010 Aquinas Lecture delivered at the church of St Vincent Ferrer, New York. The lecture indicates what makes the so-called new atheism new. It then offers some defense and critique of three authors: Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens. The chief criticism leveled against them is that their dismissal of theism is based on an ignorance of classical theistic thinking and the mistaken impression that ‘theism’ and ‘creationism’ are equivalent.
+
the new ones tend to lay stress on science as positively disproving what theists believe.
+New Atheism seems to have a political dimension lacking in the writings of old atheists. The old atheists were all basically what we might think of as ‘armchair philosophers’. They tended to be happy to argue that there is no God and to leave matters at that. By contrast, new atheists appear to have a strong political agenda.
+
They often talk about something called ‘religion’ and (especially in the case of Dawkins and Hitchens), they focus on what they call ‘belief in God’. But, we might ask, ‘Which religion?’ and ‘Whose God?’ My impression is that the fathers of New Atheism have not much studied the fathers of Old Atheism or the fathers of theism in its classical Christian form. New atheists (Dawkins and Hitchens anyway) seem to identify belief in God with what is commonly called ‘creationism’.
+
In short, much of the ridicule poured on belief in God by the new atheists is one that can be taken on board by someone who believes in God. Unaware of it though they seem to be, in some of their critiques of belief in God (or on forms that this has taken), the new atheists can actually claim support from some serious theologians (Aquinas being a notable example).
Facebook, Biblically Speaking (modtheology.wordpress.com)
Millennials (18-29 year olds) are becoming unaffiliated with their faith* as shown in this article by Robert P Jones on the Huffington Post Blog. What his post made me think of is: does faith truly need to have an affiliation? I think yes. But the reason that kids are leaving their parents church is because a new idea of church is being created. They are communicating their faith and beliefs in different ways. Our classical notion of ‘Church’ is in a state of transformation. Church denomination are shrinking because denominations don’t appeal to the rapid evolution of human morality. Let’s face it, churches are becoming spiritually stale.

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Salvation, trust and action in Jesus #2 What you must do

Posted on August 5, 2011. Filed under: Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Faith, Jesus Christ Jeshua the Messiah Jahushua | Tags: Beatitudes, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Yahshua |

Salvation, trust and action in Jesus

2. Trust Jesus Christ today! Here’s what you must do:

Admit you are a sinner.
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:10 KJBPNV)
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23 KJBPNV)
“Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12 KJBPNV)
“I acknowledged my sin unto you, and my iniquity have I not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Yahweh; and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” (Psalms 32:5 KJBPNV)
Be willing to turn from sin (repent).
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent:” (Acts 17:30 KJBPNV)
“But showed first to them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.” (Acts 26:20 KJBPNV)
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:8-10 KJBPNV)
“I tell you, No: but, unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5 KJBPNV)
Hunger and thirst after righteousness.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6 KJBPNV)
Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. - Image via Wikipedia

“But those things, which God before had shown by the mouth of all his prophets, that the Messiah should suffer, he has so fulfilled.” (Acts 3:18 KJBPNV)
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in the Messiah Yahshua: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 KJBPNV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJBPNV)
“But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, the Messiah died for us.” (Romans 5:8 KJBPNV)
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as the Messiah was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4 KJBPNV)
“Knowing that the Messiah being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over him.” (Romans 6:9 KJBPNV)
“That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Yahshua, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9 KJBPNV)
“How God anointed Yahshua of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 KJBPNV)
“Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; Not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.” (Acts 10:40-41 KJBPNV)
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that the Messiah died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve: After that, he was seen by above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain to this present, but some have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6 KJBPNV)
“For the Messiah also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (1 Peter 3:18 KJBPNV)
Through prayer to the Only One God, invite Jesus into your life to become your personal Saviour.
“For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10 KJBPNV)
“The God of our fathers raised up Yahshua, whom you slew and hanged on a tree. Him has God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:30-31 KJBPNV)
Confess.
“for with the heart one goes on trusting and thus continues toward righteousness, while with the mouth one keeps on making public acknowledgement and thus continues toward deliverance.” (Romans 10:10 CJB)
Build up a good relationship with God, Jesus and the other peoplearound you.

Continues: Salvation, trust and action in Jesus #3 as a Christian

***

Dutch version: Vertrouwen in Jezus

Previous Dutch article: Lijden bedekt door Zoenoffer

Following Dutch article: Actie bij aanvaarding van Redder Jezus

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Belgian Christadelphians shall open their first Bible study classes in Leuven

Posted on May 23, 2006. Filed under: Announcement, Bible Study and Bible Reading, Breaking of the Bread, Christadelphian, Faith | Tags: Belgium, Bible, Bible Basics, Carl Jung, Children of God, Christadelphian, doubt, Fanaticism, God, Leuven, Relationship with God, Study Bible |

Next season the Belgian Christadelphians shall open their first public Bible study classes in Leuven.

We are convinced that God’s larger desire is to invite people, all people, into the wideness of his mercy. It’s God’s kindness that leads to repentance. God the Father has given His son and is prepared to welcome all off His children. All creation is from God and belongs to God. He is a God of Love and has always be willing to give to His people and has had always a heart for His creation. His kindness needs to be visible in the church and is something we want to share with all those who are interested to get to know more about God, His Promises, His Son Christ and about the salvation and the Future for us all. The consummation of the church’s missionary role will be that day when ten people from every tribe and tongue—Nineveh included—take hold of the hem of the robe of one believer and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zecheria 8:23). Our aim is to find or make more followers of Christ and we sincerely hope that God shall be with us and shall bless our gatherings.

Until now we could feel the love of God who was with us at our Breaking of the Bread services at the AC Motel in Leuven and at the Marriot Hotel in Brussels. From September onwards we do hope we shall be able to meet new people and will find interested lovers of God to share with us the same faith.

”Fanaticism,” Carl Jung said, “is overcompensation for doubt.” We can trace this theological trajectory in the Pharisees. They disapproved of whatever they did not initiate. But Jesus identified their problem as a broken relationship with God. They overcompensated for doubt. Let us go forward and avoid the booby traps. We want to show to others we are not a fanatic church but concerned Bible readers who find it important to hold to the Will of God and are willing to help each other to grow in the faith. Because that is one of the responsibilities we do have, helping the other grow in the knowledge of God our Creator, the Almighty.

We do not want to reduce the lag time between the latest trends and their blessings thereof. We do not have the need to be cool or modern or in. We just want to be children of God with each their own freeholder qualities. Perhaps this makes every ecclesia so different, but it is also this which would not give any body an excuse not being able to find somebody to belong to or not to find a group where to feel at home.

While at our Memorial Services we also follow the Bible reading scheme, we shall cover specific subjects at the Bible studies and shall offer a Bible Basics course.

We do hope visitors shall be able to feel at home with us and are inviting you to come along.

Are you coming too?

Meeting Place 30cc

Romaanse Poort

Lokaal A.1.6

Brusselse Straat

Leuven

Tuesdays: September:19; October 03, 17, November 07, 14, 21, December 12.

From 20.00 hours tot 22.00 h (8 to 10 pm).

Christadelphians België
Broeders en Zusters in Christus
Foksweg 14, B.3061 Leefdaal, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium, EU

christadelphians_be(at)hotmail.be

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Christadelphians today

Posted on July 7, 2005. Filed under: Christadelphian, Faith | Tags: Bible, Christadelphian, Christendom and Christianity, Doctrine, Followers of Christ, God, John Thomas, New Testament |

John Thomas

Christadelphianism takes its stand on the Bible. It maintains that the Bible can be proved to be divine, and that it is the only source of divine ideas at present in the earth on the subject of religion; and that all systems and doctrines are to be discarded that conflict with what is to be found in the Bible, however ancient or popularly supported such systems or doctrines may be.

Today the Christadelphian community –”Brothers in Christ” — is the inheritor of a noble tradition, by which elements of the Truth were from century to century hammered out on the anvil of controversy, affliction and even anguish.

Christadelphians are not, as one famous encyclopaedia has it, followers of one John Thomas, but followers of Christ, even as he and others were. But as, sadly perhaps for a dwindling majority, a widening distance of time separates this new generation from Christadelphian “pioneers”, so appreciation of the furnace through which this faith was refined grows less.

God does not establish truth by the counting of heads, but by the trying of hearts.

Christadelphians are making in this modern age a serious endeavour to uphold the New Testament form of Christianity

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