Flash Event

"O that with yonder sacred throng we at His feet may fall! We'll join the everlasting song,and crown Him Lord of all" (John Ferguson)!


His Kingdom comes even now...
"Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalm 46.10).

Grace Unspeakable---

Surely, the bravest among us are those rare souls who dare to seek truth among lies which have hurt them.


"There IS hope in desperation; There IS victory in defeat; At the cross of restoration, where joy and sorrow meet."

Truth is everything...

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A point I'm pondering--

"I remember the days of old; I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands" (Psalm 143.5).

"Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else" (De 4.39).

Mending Wall

Mending Wall

Robert Frost (1874–1963).  North of Boston.  1915.

SOMETHING there is that doesn’t love a wall,     

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,       

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;     

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. 

The work of hunters is another thing:        

I have come after them and made repair           

Where they have left not one stone on a stone,   

But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,         

To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,           

No one has seen them made or heard them made,         

But at spring mending-time we find them there.       

I let my neighbour know beyond the hill;        

And on a day we meet to walk the line  

And set the wall between us once again.       

We keep the wall between us as we go.                   

To each the boulders that have fallen to each.   

And some are loaves and some so nearly balls      

We have to use a spell to make them balance:        

“Stay where you are until our backs are turned!”           

We wear our fingers rough with handling them.           

Oh, just another kind of out-door game,       

One on a side. It comes to little more: 

There where it is we do not need the wall:   

He is all pine and I am apple orchard.   

My apple trees will never get across          

And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.           

He only says, “Good fences make good neighbors.”      

Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder       

If I could put a notion in his head:          

“Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it                   

Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.     

Before I built a wall I’d ask to know     

What I was walling in or walling out,  

And to whom I was like to give offense.          

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,                  

That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,    

But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather       

He said it for himself. I see him there    

Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top   

In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.                

He moves in darkness as it seems to me,          

Not of woods only and the shade of trees. 

He will not go behind his father’s saying,      

And he likes having thought of it so well     

He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

"I will be exalted among the heathen" (Psalm 46.10b).

“¶ Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; ‘Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: For he [is] the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion [shall be even] unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.’
¶ So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Daniel 6.25-28).

"Wilderness"

"Wilderness"
By:  Ron DiCianni

Spiritual Warfare by Ron DiCianni | Christian Art - Christian Framed Prints | Tapestry Productions

Spiritual Warfare by Ron DiCianni | Christian Art - Christian Framed Prints | Tapestry Productions

"Jesus Christ's Limited Atonement"

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Timothy 2.15).

Doctrine matters--

Remembrance

      “But the other, answering, rebuked him saying, ‘Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.’ And he said unto Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.’ And Jesus said unto him, ‘Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.’
      "¶ And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst” (Luke 23.40-45).

"Not all people who sound religious are really godly."

"Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as `Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, `Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, `I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized'" (Matthew 7.21-23).

"Nearer, Still Nearer"

"He hath made everything beautiful in his time..."

"To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.


"What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every [thing] beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end" (Ecclesiastes 3.1-11).

The Divine Utterance--

“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask [help] of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, And said, O LORD God of our fathers, [art] not thou God in heaven? and rulest [not] thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand [is there not] power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? [Art] not thou our God, [who] didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, If, [when] evil cometh upon us, [as] the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name [is] in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Behold, [I say, how] they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes [are] upon thee. And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle [is] not yours, but God's. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not [need] to fight in this [battle]: set yourselves, stand ye [still], and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD [will be] with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with [his] face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high” (II Chronicles 20.3-19).

A Point to Ponder

“Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force [is] not right.

For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery [ways] in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, [even] the year of their visitation, saith the LORD. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard [it]? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

[Am] I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall [this] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, [they are] prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What [is] the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. [Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?

Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What [is] the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD. And [as for] the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house. Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken? And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God. Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD; Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, [and cast you] out of my presence: And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten” (Jeremiah 23.9-32).

"God Will Make a Way"

"Power" is ever only truly found within the love of God--

"This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118.24).

Collaborative Exegesis of Ephesians 1.6

July 27, 2010
Exegesis of Ephesians 1.6

To “eis” – unto
Praise “epainos” – praise
glory “doxa” – splendour
His “autos” – trinity
grace “charis” – loving kindness
where “hos” - who
in “en” - with
made “charitoo” - bestowment of grace
us “hemas” - us
accepted “charitoo” - to honour with blessings
in “en” - in
beloved “agapao” - those who are dearly loved

Ephesians 1.5

"He appointed us before hand to be adopted to his children through the Son of God, Messiah, according to His satisfaction of what God wishes to be done by us" (Ephesians 1.5).

Ephesians 1.5

"Having appointed us beforehand to be adopted as children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His desire" (Ephesians 1.5).

"My Song in the Night" --Luther College Collegiate Chorale

Ephesians 1.5

"Through the gate of Messiah, Jehovah's Salvation, we have been appointed beforehand into public acceptance as sons.  For down from the self-same Trinity, there is a delightfully pleasing future in doing what He wishes to be done" (Ephesians 1.5).

Collaborative Exegesis of Ephesians 1.5

Ephesians 1:5

Having predestinated (prooizo) – appoint beforehand
Us (hemas) – us
Unto (eis) – into
The adoption of children (Huiothesia) – children
By (dia)– through
Jesus (Iesous) – the Son of God
Christ (Christos)– Messiah
To (eis) – for
Himself (Autos) – himself
According (Kata) – according to
To the good pleasure (eudokia) – delight, satisfaction
Of His (autos)– himself
Will (thelema) – of what God wishes to be done by us

"More Like Falling In Love" --Jason Gray

Click Here for the Video Link

What Makes a Cultic Movement or Organization?

Of Judaism, Paul noted “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he [who was] of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman [was] by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, [thou] barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, even so [it is] now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free” (Galatians 4.21-31).


Paul noted “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this [is] the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only [this]; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac; (For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” (Romans 9.6-13).

While the Koine Greek language of this passage speaks to Israel (The Princes of God) in the future tense, it can not be historically, grammatically, or literally known to concisely address either the future of then-living Hebrews who had rejected Christ Jesus, Messiah; nor, can it be known to concisely address the future of collective Israel at the Millennial reign of Christ Jesus, Messiah. Clearly, dispensational schools of thought rely upon the very allegorical interpretation and application that covenantal schools of thought are regularly criticized for. Of these passages, Augustine concurs with what has become a nearly universal consensus “...the elder people, the Jews, shall serve the younger people, the Christians” (Augustine, Homily on Romans [PG 60.547-596]). Therefore, the term “Replacement Theology” has come to assume that Christianity has replaced Judaism within the economy of God and the redemptive history of His people.

The assumption that the Hebrew people's group was only a type for the “...Israel of God;” or that and that their very temporal existence is only to serve as a lasting witness to the defeat of those who reject Christ, undermines the Sovereignty of God, the Supremacy of Christ, and the Providential Comfort of the Holy Ghost. “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench [it], because of the evil of your doings” (Jeremiah 4.1-4). 


Truly, the Most High Uncreated One actively abides through temporal and Divine Truth. He abides through the justice of right living. He reigns through righteousness. He commands that we make our uncultivated fields shine. He enjoins that we not impregnate the ground among thorn-bushes. Thorn-bushes take many forms. Some temporal grounds are unfit for Divine seed. “...But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [vail] is done away in Christ” (II Corinthians 3.14). The object of this sentence may contain Divine truths which may be applied to more than one audience. Some Christians abide behind the vail of dogmatic singularity of application. Might is be possible that an organizational assertion of its own exclusively correct singularity of allegorical application is related to cultic tendency (as measured by religiocentric constructs)?

In the wider Christian community, debates over the merits and failings of literal, historical, and allegorical interpretation are riddled with ignorance. An allegory is but a typical “part-of-speech” within the Standard English-language. Not unlike the length of a lady's skirt, one's personal preference in music, or the style of a man's haircut—an allegory is amoral in nature. It is only moral or immoral in its use.

For those who enjoy the benefit of the Holy Ghost's indwelling, there can be no doubt that the Scriptural record speaks for itself. Its singular and literal English-language meaning can be readily known. Through contextual analysis, the text speaks literally, historically, and grammatically for itself. Being that the Scriptural text was not written directly to any presently-living human being, any application of the Biblical text is ALWAYS allegorical. Through the literary device of extended metaphor, the act of living human beings applying rightly-literal Scriptural understandings to their own lives, constitutes literal allegorical application.

Allegorical interpretation, on the other hand, presumes that the Contextual meaning is somehow an expression of extended metaphor. Is it possible that those who advocate allegorical interpretation are simply intending to apply allegorically and failing to delineate the embedded original literal intent first? Might the semantical understandings of an individual shade the heuristic filters through which he extrapolates meaning? Much research within the field of cognitive learning theory assuredly demonstrates such as fact.


“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2.9-16). To imply that Allegorical application is the same thing as Allegorical interpretation is to defame the very nature of God.  A cultic organization is an organization that actively asserts the exclusively correct nature of its particular allegorical application of a literally or allegorically interpreted Sacred text.

Cultic movements have been defined as those “movements” that present with marked levels of: Divisiveness; Separation from society-at-large; Doctrinal aberration; Isolationism from other religious groups within the same Faith; Overt indoctrination; An overemphasis on allegiance; and, the practice of shunning.¹ Where future research is concerned, it may be useful to operationally define cultic organizations as those organizations that maintain orthodox doctrinal positions and add unorthodox or aberrant doctrinal positions to them. Within statistical analysis, aberrancy may be controlled-for while examining the correlational affect of exclusivity of textual application.
__________________________

1Caner, Ergun. “Cultic Churches” (Class lecture, Sects of North America, THEO678, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Liberty University, May 20, 2010).

JJ Heller--"Your Hands"

Exegesis of Ephesians 1:4

July 11, 2010
Ephesians 1:4

According as – Seeing that
chosen – To pick out
us – us
in – in
Him – Him
before – before
foundation – founding
world – planet earth
we – we
be – are
holy – most holy thing
and – also
blame – faultless
before - before the presence of
Him – the same (God, the Trinity)
in – within
love – selfless love

Study Update--

Hi All,

Please be sure to look at Keenan's post again (dated 7-6-2010). If you get the chance, rewrite it yourself in sentence form and bring it with you tomorrow night. Verses one and two are delineated in the originals as their own paragraph. Verses three and following are the beginning of the second paragraph.

Come as you are and bring a Bible and laptop or I-pad if you have one. If your first-language is Spanish, Russian, Korean or Japanese, a copy of the Scriptures in your first-language would be exceedingly useful.

Dinner is at six and we hope to begin worship by seven.

"Peace be unto you."

Allan

"Lord, Have Mercy (Kyrie)"

Psalm 123

“Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants [look] unto the hand of their masters, [and] as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes [wait] upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, [and] with the contempt of the proud” (Psalm 123).

Daniel 3.16-18

¶ "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3.16-18).

What is Religion?

Classically speaking, The term Religion has been etymologically defined by Augustine and Lactantius as re (Latin: again) + legare (Latin: connect).¹² Synergestically, these may be construed as reconnection. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11.1). In this usage, “Faith (Koine Greek: pistis [πίστις]) may be literally construed as trust that can not be disproved.³  Further, it connotes an objective internal state of belief and disbelief, with conviction being asserted on the part of belief. Accurately understood, then, Faith is an internal individual state of convicted belief and religion is an external collective expression of individual internal states.

Being that the literal meaning of the word “religion” is drawn from a sociological context, when studying sects and cults it may be useful to consider the meaning of the term “religion” within this context. As such, much empirically sound research within the field of sociology has thoroughly asserted that the measurement of religious exercise is best suited to correlational measures being undertaken with “ideal types” serving as a baseline.⁴ It has been further asserted that Attributional measures would more accurately identify an organization or individual defined as religious.⁵ the construct of religion may be best understood as “super-empirical” evidentiary metacognition.⁶ As such, it may be methodologically most expedient to evaluate Faith trough measures of behaviorally dichotomous religious expression and Pearson “R” correlation coefficients of attitudinal surveys of internal states.

___________________________

1Allen, Thomas. The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light. Toronto: Thomas Allen, 2004.

2Moyers, Bill, ed. Betty Sue Flowers. The Power of Myth. New York: Anchor Books, 1991.

3Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for pistis (Strong's 4102)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 20 Jun 2010. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
strongs=G4102 >.

4Weber, Max. The Methodology of the Social Sciences. Glencoe: The Free Press. 1949.

5Stark, Rodney, and William Sims Bainbridge. "Of Churches, Sects, and Cults: Preliminary Concepts for a Theory of Religious Movements." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 18, no. 2 (June 1979): 117-131. SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed June 20, 2010).

6Ibidem.

"Love is Not a Fight"

7/6/10 Breaking down Ephesians, word by word

July 6, 2010

Ephesians 1

Eph. 2-1 (verse 2 comes before verse 1) May grace and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

1:3

• Blessed; In a state of blessedness (holiness)
• God – means Trinity
• In Deed
• Father Generator
• Our
• Owner; Lord – one who owns us…one who is owned (we are His slaves)
• Jesus
• Christ – Anointed, literally means Messiah
• Who- This Jesus
• Blessed - To praise, to set apart
• Us – Our
• With – in, by or with
• All – collectively, everyone
• Spiritual – (Numatikos -breath, air) pertaining to the Spirit, (Spirit dwells with us, Soul –eternal identity) from the Holy Spirit, not of man
• Blessings – to laude (praise) “applaud”; a blessing from our faithfulness to God, a praise from God to you, He is captivating us
• In – by
• Heavenly- literally means heaven
• Places-
• In- by
• Christ- Anointed, Messiah

"...This is my Story..."

While I dearly love music in all its shades and textures it occurs to me that this 39 year old man is decidedly "old school" where the song of Faith is concerned. Surely, music is amoral. Of itself, it is neither good nor bad. Rather, its value lies in an end of goodness--or not. Because of the universal human tendency toward degeneration, beauty and nobility are often lacking within the human experience. Music is no exception to this generalization.

In this life, there are rare times when the beauty of music has the power to lift us out of the doldrums and to point our faces heavenward. A few weeks ago, it was my great joy to sing in church for the first time in quite some time. With great skill on the piano, drums, and bass, a jazz trio accompanied me as I chose to sing of an "...Assurance" that is altogether "Blessed...."

Mrs. Equilla Carter, of Joliet Illinois, once recited an oft' repeated cliche to me. "Rev....," she said, "...into every life some rain has got to fall." How right she was! How true her words are! In every life, pain, doubt, fear, confusion, loneliness, and despair riddle this present reality. The thoughtful may ask, “Of what may we be assured?"

Today, from 11 AM to 8.30 PM I studied faithfully with a friend. On my return, the house was empty. As I stepped through the door, wooden floors and vaulted ceilings resounded with my entrance. I placed this constraining cell-phone in its charger. I took-off my watch and shoes. I booted-up the computer and headed for the kitchen.

Loving the reverberation, I thoughtlessly began to sing. My song rang through the rafters.

"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love" (Fanny Crosby).

My "Blessed Assurance" is found only in the fact that I am the "Purchase" of God. I can do nothing to merit redemption. I can do nothing to lose redemption. "Mercy" is the "Blessed" state of justice being withheld. I am indeed "...lost in His love." Of what may we be assured? We may be assured that Jesus is ours when we are "heir(s) of Salvation." This is a thought that lifts me from the doldrums and turns my face heavenward. It is my prayer that it does likewise for you.

"Peace be unto you."

Allan

Psalm One

"Oh, the joys of those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with scoffers.
2
But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants;
day and night they think about his law.
3
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season without fail.
Their leaves never wither,
and in all they do, they prosper.

4
But this is not true of the wicked.
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5
They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.

6
For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction" (Psalm 1).

Phil Wickham-- "Safe in His Arms"

Britt Nicole-- "The Lost Get Found"

Natalie Grant-- "In Better Hands"

The Gordons--"All My Tears"

Morning~

Morning Everyone! Awesome thoughts last night! Thanks for sharing what He showed you! For those of you driving to DC and Virginia Beach, be safe. "The angel of the Lord encampeth 'round about them that fear Him."

P.S. Don't forget--Hawaiian Teriyaki at six next week. Did I hear Keenan say that he was fixing sushi too?

In these passages, who are the "Righteous?" What is "Faith?"

"You bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a
shield." (Psalm 5.12)

"Take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the
flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6.16).

Allan looks forward to visiting with his Tennessee cousins from both sides of the family.

Just left church in Idyllwild--Blessed visits and simple lunch with a friend.

Spiritual Warfare Study

Our co-ed home-based Bible study on Spiritual Warfare will begin this TU evening and will run from 7-8.30 in Evington. We will weekly undertake study, worship, and intercessory prayer. Bring nothing but yourselves and a Bible. Everyone is welcome but space is limited--so, please be sure to let one of us know that you're coming.

In preparation, please read the six short chapters of Ephesians. Fast on Monday and give special attention to Ephesians 6.10-18. Also, please join our blog. Discussion Groups will occur during the week in preparation for the following week's meeting. Any Google or Twitter account will work for posting. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4.8).

In life and Light,

Allan

"Believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see." The deceiver is a liar and you shouldn't be listening to him anyway-

Isaiah 31.1-3

"Destruction is certain for those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against those who are wicked, and he will crush their allies, too. For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord clenches his fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those they are trying to help. They will all fall down and die together" (Isaiah 31.1-3).

"Fight Another Day"

"For Those Who Wait"

”Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’? Have you not known? Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40.27-31).

Allan

Allan Bailey

Allan Bailey

Allan Bailey

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways" (Romans 11.33)!

Suffering

"Still"

I Have A Maker

What is a cult?

Although the word "cult" is universally pejorative, it does not have a fluid and or relative definition.  Sociologically speaking, a "cult" is comprised of any group of people who ascribe to new interpretations of a Sacred text that are contrary to historically understood interpretations.  Further, cults religiocentrically proscribe the only "acceptable" application for a Sacred text.

Doctrinal aberration exists on a continuum which ranges from Orthodox (latin; correct teachings) to Occult (latin; clandestine teachings).  Religiocentric fundamentalism is the the socio-psychological pathology that measures a group member's belief that their sect's acceped application of a Sacred text is exclusively correct.  The word "cult" is often inaccurately used.

From a Christocentric western theological perspective, there exists a continuum of doctrinal aberration with eight degrees of degeneration.  The essential values of Christianity may be qualitiatively understood by our answers to the following six questions.

• Who is God?
• What is the Bible?
• Who is Jesus?
• Who is the Holy Spirit?
• What is Salvation?
• Who is the Church?

Although human opinions may reflect gradients of human truth, absolute Truth is existentially transcendent and may be known. In this regard, Divine Truth is the culmination of human truth.  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14.6).