January 21, 2007
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So many thoughts, so little time!
2Ch 15:1-15
The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, (2) and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. (3) For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, (4) but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. (5) In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. (6) They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. (7) But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” (8) As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD. (9) And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. (10) They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. (11) They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. (12) And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, (13) but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. (14) They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. (15) And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.Isa 26:8
In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.
Comments (41)
“…for they shall cry unto Jehovah
because of oppressors,
and he will send them a saviour,
and a defender, and he will deliver them.”
(Isaiah 19:20)(ASV)-BibleGateway
“…At the time that God
has already decided,
he will send Jesus Christ
back again.”
(1Timothy 6:15)(CEV)-BibleGateway
JESUS DECLARED :
“I have come in My Father’s name
and with His power…”
(John 5:43)(AMP)-BibleGateway
“I will come with the mighty acts
of the Lord Jehovah…”
(Psalm 71:16)(ASV)-BibleGateway
“““`
Powerful. I don’t ever remember reading that before…..
RIDE ON DUDE!!!
wow that was ummmmm… weird!…
wise words…
That’s amazing. . .
heated discussions about computers? It was more about the worship leaders we have to work with when we run the computers. It was quite amusing.
The last 3 comments you’ve given me have been very negative. What’s up with that?
I just like the parts with Wrath. Old Testament god sure got himself in a hissy fit on occasion.
parts of the chronicles i enjoyed reading and some were hard to get through…that passage must have been one hard to get through…probably one to talk the loudest if i ingest it!!!!
hows the bible study going?
“ignorant teenage girls” drive me absolutely bonkers. Nothing bothers me more than when you have to decorate your writing with “tildes” and hearts, TyPe LiKe ThIs, and spell things wrong (such as “boii”, “kool”, and “lyke”).
Really, I think that’s the only thing that bothers me as much as people not using blinkers.
I want to know if you googled the windex and tilde thing.
And, the tall lady COULD sing- they passed her anyways. There’s no need to get attention in other ways if you can sing.
And what about the bird in the dryer?
I asked a friend about the dryer, and he actually said almost the exact same thing. Hummingbird included. Not in so much detail, though.
please tell me you’ve never microwaved a bird. please.
“Take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” Those verses are very inspiring to me!
You should mix things up. Who is the true Israel of God?
Haha, yes, I guess it could be coined “schizophrenia”. :}
I am taking a class soon that will be teaching the Bible as a piece of literature, and not as a piece of religious text. I’m curious as to what you think about this practice.
Thanks for your comment.
“Christ didn’t teach all the doctrines you teach, so how can you say that He instated your church? Christ instated a church, yes; but it wasn’t the Catholic church. It was the community of all whose faith was in Christ for salvation.”
Could you please give me scriptural evidence for this?
My answer for this is that I love and I trust my Church, because I have come to the conclusion that it is the Church Jesus Christ established; by its doctrine, its peace and love it offers to me because it is the bride of Christ, and also, now that I think on it, the miracles that have been performed.
By the way, I do read my Bible each day, but thanks for the challenge anyway.
“Why do Catholics believe that their Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ? Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to believe that Christ’s true Church is a spiritual union of all Christian denominations?
Catholics believe that theirs is the one true Church of Jesus Christ, firstly, because theirs is the only Christian Church that goes back in history to the time of Christ; secondly, because theirs is the only Christian Church which possesses the invincible unity, the intrinsic holiness, the continual universality and the indisputable apostolicity which Christ said would distinguish His true Church; and thirdly, because the Apostles and primitive Church Fathers, who certainly were members of Christ’s true Church, all professed membership in this same Catholic Church (See Apostles’ Creed and the Primitive Christian letters). Wrote Ignatius of Antioch, illustrious Church Father of the first century: “Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be; even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church.” Our Lord said: “There shall be one fold and one shepherd, yet it is well known that the various Christian denominations cannot agree on what Christ actually taught. Since Christ roundly condemned interdenominationalism (“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:25), Catholics cannot believe that He would ever sanction it in His Church.”
-from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/faq-cc.html#q4
I agree with you. What particular bent do you take when it comes to interpreting eschatology?
I figured you would agree with me for some reason I think that you are into reformed theology, but I don’t know why I think that.
Dispensationalism get really confusing. Especially when you get into the Left Behind series (which by the way I have read 10 out of the 11 books) I also used to read a lot of Thomas Ice’s work on the subject. I like the Amillennialism stand point but I also understand and like some of the partial preterist interpretation. I want to read Hannegraph’s book on the subject when it comes out because I like the way he interprets the bible.
Thanks for your comment and prayers.
It was just frustrating that none of my ususal resources did not work in releasing me. The humor helps.
Here Caleb, maybe these will help you out in your search for all of us being the members of one body (one church). If you follow the implications of Talon5′s comment out to it’s logical conclusion with what the scripture says about the body of Christ then we are not saved. Because the Bible clearly states that we where sealed with the Holy Spirit upon conversion and this Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance (Eph 1:13,14). By the baptism of the Spirit he have been brought into the body of Christ which is the church (see scripture reference below). So either we are in the body (church) or we are not. If not, then we are not saved.
Romans 12:4-5
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Ephesians 1:22-23
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 4:3-6
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called– 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Also a major argument for the Catholics is that their are so many divisions in the Christian faith. I understand that we have not divided over the essentials and are all submitted to one head of the church (that is Christ Jesus). For some reason they don’t get this. It is not a fair argument though, please read this response which I posted to Living Embers.
If we want to compare apples to apples and be fair one can derive the same conclusion about Catholicism. I will quickly name 16 different divisions of the Catholic Church: Latin-rite local, Latin-rite catholic, Latin/Eastern-rite local, Latin/Eastern-rite catholic, Syro-Malabarese, Ukrainian, Romanian, Maronite, Melkite, Chaldean, Ruthenian, Hungarian, plural Oriental rites, Syro-Malankarese, Slovak, and Coptic. This list does not include the various divisions of monks and nuns, if your argument holds true to Protestantism then it must also hold true to Catholicism or it is a biased argument.
Hey Caleb, thanks for your comment!
“I’m just not a member of the church that so arrogantly calls itself Catholic. The original catholic church merely meant all churches united under the banner of Christ.”
Are you saying that you don’t agree with all the doctrines the Catholic Church teaches? If so, how do you call yourself Catholic? And the second part – I don’t understand…What does this mean, then?: “Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said…’Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me so that they may be one, just as we are…I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (John 17:1,11, 20-22) If the doctrines between the catholic church and protestant churches differ, how can they be one?
“As for praying to anyone but God, I point out that Christ is our intercessor before the Father — not Mary, and not Augustine.” I agree. Go http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/faq-cc.html#q15 to see what I mean.
“I don’t have time at the moment to find a concise passage of Scripture to demonstrate that the catholic church is all those who have faith in Christ, not all those who are joined to the Body through human institutions.”
I understand; but if you ever come across it, please tell me.
“The church is not divided against itself so long as one part of the Body does not condemn another part for their beliefs.”
I don’t quite agree. If the beliefs are different, are the beliefs not being condemned?
“Would you reject me as a brother in Christ simply because I think the Presbyterians are more right than the Catholics?”
No! But I would doubt that you are Catholic, like you say you are.
“We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are united in Him, regardless of what we believe about transubstantiation and infant baptism.”
Yes, we are all brothers and sisters. But I have to say that Catholics live in the complete truth, while Protestants only live in part of it. And about transubstantiation, what did Jesus mean when “Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:53-54 (NIV)
What does the Catholic Church do? It makes its members holy – allowing them to accept God’s grace through the sacraments – through the power of the Holy Spirit. Anyway, I don’t want to argue about this, because it is not humans who change hearts, but God. It would be nice to hear your thoughts, though! ^_^
In the peace and love of Christ =),
Natalie
I understand that we have not divided over the essentials and are all submitted to one head of the church (that is Christ Jesus). For some reason they don’t get this.
Posted 1/25/2007 5:15 PM by Alethos
What exactly are the essentials?
Catholicism/Christianity is not a religion.
RYC: It is a way of life to eternal life, and it encompasses all truth.
*shrug* Maybe other people call it that, but I don’t.
Talon5, I usually wouldn’t post to much information at once because I do not want to skip a step in the conversation but I did want to respond to your question about what exactly the essentials are. Please read the comment above because I do have a very important question for you that correlates to the subject of essentials.
An essential is any from of doctrine that is essential to believe in order to be a Christian. In the case that we are talking about it is essential that a person be apart of the Church in order to be a Christian. From the scriptures that I have highlighted for you we can deduce that a person must receive the Holy Spirit in order to be apart of the Church (1Cor12:12). If a person does not receive the Holy Spirit then it is impossible for that person to be saved since we see in scripture that the Holy Spirit is the deposit which guarantees our inheritance (Eph 1:13,14)(many more scripture references can be posted if you need them). So we can conclude that it is essential for a person to be apart of the Church (body of Christ) in order to be saved.
A side not to this topic a person also must be bearing fruit in order to maintain a part in the body otherwise the Bible says that they will be removed. A constant state of rebellion is bad fruit and is not a characteristic of a Christian. Please read the John chapter 15 in which Christ refers to Himself as the vine which parallels beautifully with to 1Cor12 when talking about the body of Christ. Also refer to Matt 25:14-30 a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.
In the Christian faith we adhere to the essentials of the Bible being the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. The triune nature of God. Sin has separated us from God. Jesus (fully God and fully man)came to save us from sin. Born of a virgin, died for our sin’s, physically rose from the dead, and will one day return to judge the world. Faith in Christ is the only way to come to salvation.
I hope that this answers your question.
Talon5, the comments above are on your site. Sorry for the confusion.
What translation is that? It sounds a little archaic for the NIV, but maybe I’m wrong. New King James?
jeez what would you think about if there was no such thing as god.
<3 k8
RYC: We do teach a lot of nonfiction in public schools. We wouldn’t be debating the Bible’s validity–just analyzing it for literary devices. Still, the concept makes me a little uncomfortable.
And my brother’s a pretty bony boy.
ah, yes.
I WISH mine were older siblings; I really dislike being the oldest.
I think you should update.
God’s so amazing<3
I think God put all the experiences I went through in my life so that I learned from them.. and i have a really sheltered family life..i honestly do..i got so good at lying to my family though and going behind their back and it hurts to know i ever did something like that..but it taught me more than school or books ever could..God is amazing very amazing
You’re a genuine person.
There aren’t many people that really apperciate God and his love and let his love warm them.
Most are too ashamed.
and It hurts to know that humans can be so selfish
Love,
Alexis<3
I guess that I have a problem, so many churches so many religions. I’m the true religion, no wait I’m the true religion. Jesus wasn’t about religion, or churches; He was about the soul and the heart. Most of the religions started 100 or 200 hundred years after the death of Christ, so we only have hear say evidence. Jesus never wrote a book (I wish that he had) but the book was written by devine insperations So who can say who is really right? Am I condemed because I don’t belong to your church? If you are Catholic, does that mean that I am excommunicated? Who but Christ has the power to do that? the pope? if so then he puts himself in the place of God. My father was a Catholic, and because he married a non catholic he was excommunicated from the church, he was allowed to go to church, but never partake in the service or sacrements. He died at 96 thinking that he was going to hell because a man said so. so did he? What is church it is just a gathering place were like people want to be, just as a tavern is a meeting place for like people if I go to your church does that make me saved? or on the other hand if I walk into a tavern does that make me a drunk, If you believe in Jesus you believe in the father and the father is the one that judges the soul, not the church or the father (priest) in the church. I believe in the teaching of Jesus Christ and my heart felt attitude of wanting to be the best that I can be, to follow the commandments the best that I can be to my fellow man is what jesus asks of us. He doesn’t grade us on the curve, but by the cross.
Thank you, human friend!! =)
Happy February to you too!
Larry loves you very much!
I find Song of Solomon a bit of an anomaly when it comes to scripture. I agree that it can be used as an allegory of God’s love, but I do not believe it was written for that purpose. Personally, I believe that verse to indicate focusing on Jesus, loving Him, not going out and searching for someone to love. God will reveal the right guy, at the right time, and the feelings will just come.
Hey I saw some comments of yours from the otherday and I used them in one of my posts. I was wondering if you wanted me to put up a link to your site as well.
I don’t usually do links with out permission that’s why I don’t have one right now.
No…although, it turns out, that one of the lawyers knows my mother.
It’s pretty sad, but I’m doing the opposite of you. For various reasons I probably won’t be going to church tomorrow, but I will be watching the Superbowl. But if it makes you feel better, I only watch football games which the Colts are in and ones that are close to the Superbowl.
Yeah, whenever I’m in a sporty mood I like to play tag football.
of course I’m right. I’m always right.
Are you a football fan? Did you watch the Super Bowl? I was thrilled with it. . .