Matthew {15:10} And he called the multitude, and said unto them,
Hear, and understand: {15:11} Not that which goeth into
the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the
mouth, this defileth a man. {15:12} Then came his
disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the
Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
{15:13} But he answered and said, Every plant, which my
heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
{15:14} Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.
And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
{15:15} Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare
unto us this parable. {15:16} And Jesus said, Are ye also
yet without understanding? {15:17} Do not ye yet
understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth
into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? {15:18} But
those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth
from the heart; and they defile the man. {15:19} For out of
the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: {15:20}
These are [the things] which defile a man: but to eat with
unwashen hands defileth not a man.
We are a superficial people, living in a superficial existence where entertainers earning millions and millions of dollars while people starve and lack medical attention, and some don't even have a roof over their heads and yet- someone with a pretty smile and a pretty face will live in luxury beyond our imaginations. How can they do it? It's easy for us to say and yet we too live in our own superficial existence caught up in our semi-mediocre lives where we say we barely get by and yet we have entertainment at our fingertips every day. A walk to the pantry or the fridge will yield us something to put in our bellies even if it isn't always exactly what we want at the moment. We lay our heads down on a pillow at night and our tired bodies in beds that might not be the most comfortable and yet we have access to something softer than hard ground, or concrete. We can reach over and pull covers over our chilled bodies at night. We can walk to the thermostat of our home and turn it up or down so that we live within our comfort zone and yet we call this life less that good. We get into a car that might not always run right, whose a/c doesn't work, whose radiator loves to over heat a few time a year and we complain because it's not a luxurious car. We use our outdated software, hardware and press on keys that are worn from use- wishing for something more up to date, while so many haven't even access to a computer at all, at least not in their own homes. We have so much and those of us who have so little won't even be reading this. We have so much and yet it rarely is ever enough. What does all this have to do with that passage from Matthew above? Well, it's what that comes out of a man's mouth that defiles him. What comes out are evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies... the things that come from our mouths originate in our hearts. Our hearts hold our desires. Our desires are they for superficial things? Things people will gladly pat us on the back and say it's natural to want. It's normal to want comfort and that is true, no one likes a hard painful existence. So many people worry about the superficial things while completely overlooking the wrongness filling the heart and spilling out into our lives. I see someone and look upon their appearance and judge them instantly even in some small way - we process the information we see had it tells us whether or not the person we are viewing is acceptable- are they better than us in appearance or are they lower than us in appearance, or perhaps they're equal. We make these determinations automatically and based upon the determinations our actions are controlled. Those determinations can be altered once a person begins to talk and the nicest appearing person could be the most vulgar, while the least desirable in appearance could be the sweetest person. We are a superficial people living superficial lives while the blind have an advantage we can't imagine and don't really want. Is there hope for us superficial people? The hope is found in Jesus and His example to us. He treated the richest the same as the poorest and the most undesireable the same as the most desirable. People to Him were all the same- all children of the Father, wayward and lost needing guidance.
While that which comes out of our mouths- revealing who we are - is the truth of the heart, if we only look to that which goes inside us the things we do and not the things we speak- we aren't looking at the heart.
The Pharisees were offended by this saying of Jesus. They were offended because they cherished their outward actions, their rituals, their *good* behavior while not caring at all about the vileness that came from their hearts. As long as they held fast to their rituals they were all set, they were Godly men and no one was going to tell them otherwise. They didn't need anyone telling them all their actions meant nothing, that the actions of others who defiled themselves meant nothing. How dare anyone say such things.
Jesus dared because Jesus knew that the lowliest of the low whose heart was pure was better than the High Priest of the Pharisees.
The heart matters and what comes from our hearts matters. When all the superficial things of our lives are ripped aay, it's what is left that matters most. Are we found in the love of Jesus? Are we true children of the Father? Our hearts will tell.
May the Holy Spirit take the evil from my heart, from your heart, and fill us with the love of Jesus Christ so that what comes from our mouths is from the heart, from the Lord and not from the evils that will fill it up if it's not filled with Jesus.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, by His forgiveness, by His love now and forever.
Amen.
7/31/10
Have you ever set up a fresh water aquarium? I've set up a few over the years and recently I was blessed with a large aquarium so I could get my 3 large fish out of a smaller tank and into a bigger one. The process isn't a difficult, but one thing which occurs when setting up the tanks is the crystal clear water grows cloudy, very cloudy as the tank is transitioning, getting it's balance of good bacteria to grow. I'm not going to go into details of the whys and wherefores about it all but I'll tell you one thing-- I dislike the cloudy water immensely when it's going through that transitioning. The murky water is ugly making the entire tank look unsightly, not to mention how obscure the fish inside the tank become. Not only is it difficult for me to see the fish, the fish themselves aren't seeing all that well either. My three fish are very shy fish but when the water is murky they appear more outgoing, the reason being they can't see us so clearly- just like we can't see them easily. This new tank transitioning took about a month and a half this last time and I kept hoping it'd be quicker. Daily walking by the tank which is centrally located in the house and very hard to miss, just made me cringe. I wanted to hurry the process, I wanted that water clear! My beautiful fish tank was an eyesore and driving me crazy. The fish store has a lot of products out there to help you with cloudy water as well as numerous test kits to test your water to get it just right for the fish, however using them won't make that transition any easier and some say they even make it take longer for it to happen.
What's the point my relating all this to you? Well, we are all in a state of transitioning. We live in a filthy, cloudy, ugly world and it's only through Christ that we'll make the full transition to clarity and come out of this dark world we are born into. All around us are endless reminders of the decay in our world, contrary to that we also get endless reminders of the beauty that is in store for us in the perfect world. Just like a newly set up tank and it's crystal clear water, the beauty of the tank is seen but it's only temporary and the tank begins its transition. The hope of the beauty's return is there, the knowledge that it will be beautiful again exists, but for a period of time the tank seems hopeless, just one big mess. This world is a big mess but there is hope for the beauty of a new world one day. As long as we hold fast to our Lord and Savior no matter how murky life's waters get around us, no matter how much the ugliness tries obscure any and all beauty, we will prevail in Him.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Our only hope is in Christ, there is no hope in us, no salvation in us, no righteousness in us, and people who try to get you to focus on yourself rather than pointing you to the only source of our righteousness are only hindering you. We have to rely on Christ so fully, so completely that we are living our lives continuously connected to our source of life. We can't just grab God on the go and get a God fix when needed. We are in constant need of God, an unending need. We can't live in Christ if we set Him aside until our night time devotion, or our morning prayer. No, I'm not saying night time devotions and morning prayers are wrong, no, no, no. What I'm saying is this… our night time devotions shouldn't be like a reunion with one we've not seen all day but rather a special cuddling time with one you've worked side-by-side with all day long. Living in this murky sin-filled world we need Christ by us always in all we do if we're to get through our transition period, going from a sin-filled world to our eventual sin-less world. Unlike my fish tank when there was nothing I could do but wait as the natural process unfolded, we have Christ to cling to and He's seen through all the murky waters to the crystal clear water. We have to hold fast, trusting in Him as the answer to all of life's murkiness.
Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
By the grace and mercy of our loving Savior, in Him ALWAYS!
Amen.
7/31/11
Dan 11:29 At the time appointed he shall return,
and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
Remember how that
Little Horn came up *diverse* from the others? It was a different sort of kingdom
wasn't it? A religious/political power, not solely a political power. Now here
we have the King of the North coming towards the King of the South- but it
wasn't going to be as it had been before, and not just as it was the last time.
So we have to ask ourselves why wasn't it as it was before? History reveals that
IF that appointed time spoken of is the *Dan. 11:24 '...even for a time.' * then
the momentous events occurring in 330AD were what? We took a quick glance at
them yesterday.
• May 11 –
Emperor Constantine the Great dedicates Constantinople, or Nova Roma (modern
Istanbul), and moves the capital of the Roman Empire there from Rome. He has
spent 4 years building the city on the site of ancient Byzantium; having chosen
the site for its strategic location (a seaport with easy access to Anatolia and
the Danube).
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/330>
Constantine the
Great. Constantine was the
emperor who did what? He was...
'Well known for
being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great>
Again, RELIGION!
A religious power is coming into play, not strictly political!
This religious
power combined with politics was divided-
N/W verses S/E .
The First Council
of Nicea was convened by Constantine I upon the recommendations of a synod led
by Hosius of Córdoba in the Eastertide of 325. This synod had been charged with
investigation of the trouble brought about by the Arian controversy in the
Greek-speaking east.[10] To most bishops, the teachings of Arius were heretical
and dangerous to the salvation of souls. In the summer of 325, the bishops of
all provinces were summoned to Nicea (now known as Iznik, in modern-day Turkey),
a place easily accessible to the majority of delegates, particularly those of
Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Thrace.
This was the
first general council in the history of the Church since the Apostolic Council
of Jerusalem, the Apostolic council having established the conditions upon which
Gentiles could join the Church.[11] In the Council of Nicea, "the Church had
taken her first great step to define doctrine more precisely in response to a
challenge from a heretical theology."[12]
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea>
Christians
holding different beliefs.
'Athanasius of
Alexandria [b. ca. (296-298) – d. 2 May 373] - He was the 20th bishop of Alexandria.[1]
His long episcopate lasted 45 years (c. 8 June 328 - 2 May 373), of which over
17 years were spent in five exiles ordered by four different Roman emperors. He
is considered to be a renowned Christian theologian, a Church Father, the chief
defender of Orthodoxyagainst
Arianism, and a noted Egyptian leader of the fourth century.
He is remembered
for his role in the conflict with Arius and Arianism. In 325, at the age of 27,
Athanasius had a leading role against the Arians in the First Council of
Nicaea. At the time, he was a deacon and personal secretary of the 19th Bishop
of Alexandria, Alexander. Nicaea was convoked by the Emperor Constantine in
May–August 325 to address the Arian heresy that Christ is of a distinct
substance from the Father.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_of_Alexandria>
*
'Arianism is the
theological teaching attributed to Arius (ca. AD 250–336), a Christian
presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities
of the Trinity ('God the Father', 'God the Son' and 'God the Holy Spirit') and
the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the
Father.
Deemed
a heretic by the First Council of Nicaea of 325, Arius was later exonerated in
335 at the First Synod of Tyre,[1] and then, after his death, pronounced a
heretic again at the First Council of Constantinople of 381.[2]
The Roman
Emperors Constantius II (337–361) and Valens (364–378) were Arians or
Semi-Arians. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always
exist, but was created by—and is therefore distinct from and inferior to—God the
Father. This belief is grounded in the Gospel of John passage “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." (verse
14:28)[3]
Arianism is
defined as those teachings attributed to Arius which are in opposition to
mainstream Trinitarian Christological doctrine, as determined by the first two
Ecumenical Councils and currently maintained by the Roman Catholic Church, the
Eastern Orthodox Churches and most Reformation Protestant Churches. "Arianism"
is also often used to refer to other nontrinitarian theological systems of the
4th century, which regarded Jesus Christ—the Son of God, the Logos—as either a
created being (as in Arianism proper and Anomoeanism), or as neither uncreated
nor created in the sense other beings are created (as in Semi-Arianism).'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism
We need to
remember how the first church was viewed-
seriously, let's take a look at things. How did Jesus intend His church
to be?
There would be
elders-
Act 11:29 Then the disciples, every man according
to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judaea:
Act 11:30 Which also they did, and sent it to the
elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Act 14:20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round
about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with
Barnabas to Derbe.
Act 14:21 And when they had preached the gospel
to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to
Iconium, and Antioch,
Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples,
and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Act 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders
in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord,
on whom they believed.
Act 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no
small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and
Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles
and elders about this question.
What is an
elder--
pres-boo'-ter-os
Comparative
of πρέσβυς presbus (elderly); older; as noun, a senior;
specifically an Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively, member of the
celestial council) or Christian “presbyter”: - elder (-est), old.
G4245
πρεσβύτερος
presbuteros
Thayer
Definition:
1) elder, of
age
1a) the elder of
two people
1b) advanced in
life, an elder, a senior
1b1)
forefathers
2) a term of rank
or office
2a) among the
Jews
2a1) members of
the great council or Sanhedrin (because in early times the rulers of the people,
judges, etc., were selected from elderly men)
2a2) of those who
in separate cities managed public affairs and administered justice
2b) among the
Christians, those who presided over the assemblies (or churches) The NT uses
the term bishop, elders, and presbyters interchangeably
2c) the twenty
four members of the heavenly Sanhedrin or court seated on thrones around the
throne of God
'Among
Christians- those who preside
over the assemblies-churches.
Also- the term elder means the same as the word bishop.'
Were these men-
these elders/bishops- put in charge over the people of God expecting to be
worshipped themselves? NO! NEVER!
Jesus was their
EXAMPLE! Jesus did NOT want
people to ever worship other people, not ever. God was to be first always!
Guidance was the most He wanted for people. The elders would guide the younger
members- and this is in their new life as Christians. A fifty year old man newly
born to Christ could be served well by a thirty year old man who has been a
Christian for several years. Age does not lay claim to
knowledge in all things by any means.
Today we live in
a world that has many leaders, and in our churches there are men who are leaders
and those leaders more often than not believe they are above all others. Jesus
taught the disciples this--
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but
whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you,
let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
To minister, to
give our lives, to be a servant and NOT just ceremonially, but in reality! Never were people to take honor for
themselves, never were people to put themselves above others.
Mat 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees
sit in Moses' seat:
Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you
observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say,
and do not.
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and
grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will
not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:5 But all their works they do for to be
seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of
their garments,
Mat 23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts,
and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Mat 23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be
called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is
your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the
earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Mat 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one
is your Master, even Christ.
Mat 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall
be your servant.
This is what our
SAVIOR wanted for us, for HIS church, HIS people!
This however is NOT how things evolved for the mainstream churches not at
all. The mainstream churches not long after our Savior died began taking steps
away from Christ not towards Him!
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is
it in the world.
As politics and
religion began to mingle so thoroughly men of God wanted to become men with
great power, men with great influence.
This is NOT how God wanted it to be, not in the least!
These political
wars being influenced so greatly by religious matters was NOT what God desired
for His people, and yet those who believed they were greatest with God were in
fact in league with the devil, knowingly or unknowingly.
More on this
tomorrow by the grace of God! We
need so much to understand all this, and we can by His love.
In Him!!!
Amen.
Hear, and understand: {15:11} Not that which goeth into
the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the
mouth, this defileth a man. {15:12} Then came his
disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the
Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
{15:13} But he answered and said, Every plant, which my
heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
{15:14} Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.
And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
{15:15} Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare
unto us this parable. {15:16} And Jesus said, Are ye also
yet without understanding? {15:17} Do not ye yet
understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth
into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? {15:18} But
those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth
from the heart; and they defile the man. {15:19} For out of
the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: {15:20}
These are [the things] which defile a man: but to eat with
unwashen hands defileth not a man.
We are a superficial people, living in a superficial existence where entertainers earning millions and millions of dollars while people starve and lack medical attention, and some don't even have a roof over their heads and yet- someone with a pretty smile and a pretty face will live in luxury beyond our imaginations. How can they do it? It's easy for us to say and yet we too live in our own superficial existence caught up in our semi-mediocre lives where we say we barely get by and yet we have entertainment at our fingertips every day. A walk to the pantry or the fridge will yield us something to put in our bellies even if it isn't always exactly what we want at the moment. We lay our heads down on a pillow at night and our tired bodies in beds that might not be the most comfortable and yet we have access to something softer than hard ground, or concrete. We can reach over and pull covers over our chilled bodies at night. We can walk to the thermostat of our home and turn it up or down so that we live within our comfort zone and yet we call this life less that good. We get into a car that might not always run right, whose a/c doesn't work, whose radiator loves to over heat a few time a year and we complain because it's not a luxurious car. We use our outdated software, hardware and press on keys that are worn from use- wishing for something more up to date, while so many haven't even access to a computer at all, at least not in their own homes. We have so much and those of us who have so little won't even be reading this. We have so much and yet it rarely is ever enough. What does all this have to do with that passage from Matthew above? Well, it's what that comes out of a man's mouth that defiles him. What comes out are evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies... the things that come from our mouths originate in our hearts. Our hearts hold our desires. Our desires are they for superficial things? Things people will gladly pat us on the back and say it's natural to want. It's normal to want comfort and that is true, no one likes a hard painful existence. So many people worry about the superficial things while completely overlooking the wrongness filling the heart and spilling out into our lives. I see someone and look upon their appearance and judge them instantly even in some small way - we process the information we see had it tells us whether or not the person we are viewing is acceptable- are they better than us in appearance or are they lower than us in appearance, or perhaps they're equal. We make these determinations automatically and based upon the determinations our actions are controlled. Those determinations can be altered once a person begins to talk and the nicest appearing person could be the most vulgar, while the least desirable in appearance could be the sweetest person. We are a superficial people living superficial lives while the blind have an advantage we can't imagine and don't really want. Is there hope for us superficial people? The hope is found in Jesus and His example to us. He treated the richest the same as the poorest and the most undesireable the same as the most desirable. People to Him were all the same- all children of the Father, wayward and lost needing guidance.
While that which comes out of our mouths- revealing who we are - is the truth of the heart, if we only look to that which goes inside us the things we do and not the things we speak- we aren't looking at the heart.
The Pharisees were offended by this saying of Jesus. They were offended because they cherished their outward actions, their rituals, their *good* behavior while not caring at all about the vileness that came from their hearts. As long as they held fast to their rituals they were all set, they were Godly men and no one was going to tell them otherwise. They didn't need anyone telling them all their actions meant nothing, that the actions of others who defiled themselves meant nothing. How dare anyone say such things.
Jesus dared because Jesus knew that the lowliest of the low whose heart was pure was better than the High Priest of the Pharisees.
The heart matters and what comes from our hearts matters. When all the superficial things of our lives are ripped aay, it's what is left that matters most. Are we found in the love of Jesus? Are we true children of the Father? Our hearts will tell.
May the Holy Spirit take the evil from my heart, from your heart, and fill us with the love of Jesus Christ so that what comes from our mouths is from the heart, from the Lord and not from the evils that will fill it up if it's not filled with Jesus.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, by His forgiveness, by His love now and forever.
Amen.
7/31/10
Have you ever set up a fresh water aquarium? I've set up a few over the years and recently I was blessed with a large aquarium so I could get my 3 large fish out of a smaller tank and into a bigger one. The process isn't a difficult, but one thing which occurs when setting up the tanks is the crystal clear water grows cloudy, very cloudy as the tank is transitioning, getting it's balance of good bacteria to grow. I'm not going to go into details of the whys and wherefores about it all but I'll tell you one thing-- I dislike the cloudy water immensely when it's going through that transitioning. The murky water is ugly making the entire tank look unsightly, not to mention how obscure the fish inside the tank become. Not only is it difficult for me to see the fish, the fish themselves aren't seeing all that well either. My three fish are very shy fish but when the water is murky they appear more outgoing, the reason being they can't see us so clearly- just like we can't see them easily. This new tank transitioning took about a month and a half this last time and I kept hoping it'd be quicker. Daily walking by the tank which is centrally located in the house and very hard to miss, just made me cringe. I wanted to hurry the process, I wanted that water clear! My beautiful fish tank was an eyesore and driving me crazy. The fish store has a lot of products out there to help you with cloudy water as well as numerous test kits to test your water to get it just right for the fish, however using them won't make that transition any easier and some say they even make it take longer for it to happen.
What's the point my relating all this to you? Well, we are all in a state of transitioning. We live in a filthy, cloudy, ugly world and it's only through Christ that we'll make the full transition to clarity and come out of this dark world we are born into. All around us are endless reminders of the decay in our world, contrary to that we also get endless reminders of the beauty that is in store for us in the perfect world. Just like a newly set up tank and it's crystal clear water, the beauty of the tank is seen but it's only temporary and the tank begins its transition. The hope of the beauty's return is there, the knowledge that it will be beautiful again exists, but for a period of time the tank seems hopeless, just one big mess. This world is a big mess but there is hope for the beauty of a new world one day. As long as we hold fast to our Lord and Savior no matter how murky life's waters get around us, no matter how much the ugliness tries obscure any and all beauty, we will prevail in Him.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Our only hope is in Christ, there is no hope in us, no salvation in us, no righteousness in us, and people who try to get you to focus on yourself rather than pointing you to the only source of our righteousness are only hindering you. We have to rely on Christ so fully, so completely that we are living our lives continuously connected to our source of life. We can't just grab God on the go and get a God fix when needed. We are in constant need of God, an unending need. We can't live in Christ if we set Him aside until our night time devotion, or our morning prayer. No, I'm not saying night time devotions and morning prayers are wrong, no, no, no. What I'm saying is this… our night time devotions shouldn't be like a reunion with one we've not seen all day but rather a special cuddling time with one you've worked side-by-side with all day long. Living in this murky sin-filled world we need Christ by us always in all we do if we're to get through our transition period, going from a sin-filled world to our eventual sin-less world. Unlike my fish tank when there was nothing I could do but wait as the natural process unfolded, we have Christ to cling to and He's seen through all the murky waters to the crystal clear water. We have to hold fast, trusting in Him as the answer to all of life's murkiness.
Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
By the grace and mercy of our loving Savior, in Him ALWAYS!
Amen.
7/31/11
Dan 11:29 At the time appointed he shall return,
and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
Remember how that
Little Horn came up *diverse* from the others? It was a different sort of kingdom
wasn't it? A religious/political power, not solely a political power. Now here
we have the King of the North coming towards the King of the South- but it
wasn't going to be as it had been before, and not just as it was the last time.
So we have to ask ourselves why wasn't it as it was before? History reveals that
IF that appointed time spoken of is the *Dan. 11:24 '...even for a time.' * then
the momentous events occurring in 330AD were what? We took a quick glance at
them yesterday.
• May 11 –
Emperor Constantine the Great dedicates Constantinople, or Nova Roma (modern
Istanbul), and moves the capital of the Roman Empire there from Rome. He has
spent 4 years building the city on the site of ancient Byzantium; having chosen
the site for its strategic location (a seaport with easy access to Anatolia and
the Danube).
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from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/330>
Constantine the
Great. Constantine was the
emperor who did what? He was...
'Well known for
being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity'
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from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great>
Again, RELIGION!
A religious power is coming into play, not strictly political!
This religious
power combined with politics was divided-
N/W verses S/E .
The First Council
of Nicea was convened by Constantine I upon the recommendations of a synod led
by Hosius of Córdoba in the Eastertide of 325. This synod had been charged with
investigation of the trouble brought about by the Arian controversy in the
Greek-speaking east.[10] To most bishops, the teachings of Arius were heretical
and dangerous to the salvation of souls. In the summer of 325, the bishops of
all provinces were summoned to Nicea (now known as Iznik, in modern-day Turkey),
a place easily accessible to the majority of delegates, particularly those of
Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Thrace.
This was the
first general council in the history of the Church since the Apostolic Council
of Jerusalem, the Apostolic council having established the conditions upon which
Gentiles could join the Church.[11] In the Council of Nicea, "the Church had
taken her first great step to define doctrine more precisely in response to a
challenge from a heretical theology."[12]
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from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea>
Christians
holding different beliefs.
'Athanasius of
Alexandria [b. ca. (296-298) – d. 2 May 373] - He was the 20th bishop of Alexandria.[1]
His long episcopate lasted 45 years (c. 8 June 328 - 2 May 373), of which over
17 years were spent in five exiles ordered by four different Roman emperors. He
is considered to be a renowned Christian theologian, a Church Father, the chief
defender of Orthodoxyagainst
Arianism, and a noted Egyptian leader of the fourth century.
He is remembered
for his role in the conflict with Arius and Arianism. In 325, at the age of 27,
Athanasius had a leading role against the Arians in the First Council of
Nicaea. At the time, he was a deacon and personal secretary of the 19th Bishop
of Alexandria, Alexander. Nicaea was convoked by the Emperor Constantine in
May–August 325 to address the Arian heresy that Christ is of a distinct
substance from the Father.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_of_Alexandria>
*
'Arianism is the
theological teaching attributed to Arius (ca. AD 250–336), a Christian
presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities
of the Trinity ('God the Father', 'God the Son' and 'God the Holy Spirit') and
the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the
Father.
Deemed
a heretic by the First Council of Nicaea of 325, Arius was later exonerated in
335 at the First Synod of Tyre,[1] and then, after his death, pronounced a
heretic again at the First Council of Constantinople of 381.[2]
The Roman
Emperors Constantius II (337–361) and Valens (364–378) were Arians or
Semi-Arians. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always
exist, but was created by—and is therefore distinct from and inferior to—God the
Father. This belief is grounded in the Gospel of John passage “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." (verse
14:28)[3]
Arianism is
defined as those teachings attributed to Arius which are in opposition to
mainstream Trinitarian Christological doctrine, as determined by the first two
Ecumenical Councils and currently maintained by the Roman Catholic Church, the
Eastern Orthodox Churches and most Reformation Protestant Churches. "Arianism"
is also often used to refer to other nontrinitarian theological systems of the
4th century, which regarded Jesus Christ—the Son of God, the Logos—as either a
created being (as in Arianism proper and Anomoeanism), or as neither uncreated
nor created in the sense other beings are created (as in Semi-Arianism).'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism
We need to
remember how the first church was viewed-
seriously, let's take a look at things. How did Jesus intend His church
to be?
There would be
elders-
Act 11:29 Then the disciples, every man according
to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judaea:
Act 11:30 Which also they did, and sent it to the
elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Act 14:20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round
about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with
Barnabas to Derbe.
Act 14:21 And when they had preached the gospel
to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to
Iconium, and Antioch,
Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples,
and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Act 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders
in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord,
on whom they believed.
Act 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no
small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and
Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles
and elders about this question.
What is an
elder--
pres-boo'-ter-os
Comparative
of πρέσβυς presbus (elderly); older; as noun, a senior;
specifically an Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively, member of the
celestial council) or Christian “presbyter”: - elder (-est), old.
G4245
πρεσβύτερος
presbuteros
Thayer
Definition:
1) elder, of
age
1a) the elder of
two people
1b) advanced in
life, an elder, a senior
1b1)
forefathers
2) a term of rank
or office
2a) among the
Jews
2a1) members of
the great council or Sanhedrin (because in early times the rulers of the people,
judges, etc., were selected from elderly men)
2a2) of those who
in separate cities managed public affairs and administered justice
2b) among the
Christians, those who presided over the assemblies (or churches) The NT uses
the term bishop, elders, and presbyters interchangeably
2c) the twenty
four members of the heavenly Sanhedrin or court seated on thrones around the
throne of God
'Among
Christians- those who preside
over the assemblies-churches.
Also- the term elder means the same as the word bishop.'
Were these men-
these elders/bishops- put in charge over the people of God expecting to be
worshipped themselves? NO! NEVER!
Jesus was their
EXAMPLE! Jesus did NOT want
people to ever worship other people, not ever. God was to be first always!
Guidance was the most He wanted for people. The elders would guide the younger
members- and this is in their new life as Christians. A fifty year old man newly
born to Christ could be served well by a thirty year old man who has been a
Christian for several years. Age does not lay claim to
knowledge in all things by any means.
Today we live in
a world that has many leaders, and in our churches there are men who are leaders
and those leaders more often than not believe they are above all others. Jesus
taught the disciples this--
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but
whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you,
let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
To minister, to
give our lives, to be a servant and NOT just ceremonially, but in reality! Never were people to take honor for
themselves, never were people to put themselves above others.
Mat 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees
sit in Moses' seat:
Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you
observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say,
and do not.
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and
grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will
not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:5 But all their works they do for to be
seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of
their garments,
Mat 23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts,
and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Mat 23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be
called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is
your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the
earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Mat 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one
is your Master, even Christ.
Mat 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall
be your servant.
This is what our
SAVIOR wanted for us, for HIS church, HIS people!
This however is NOT how things evolved for the mainstream churches not at
all. The mainstream churches not long after our Savior died began taking steps
away from Christ not towards Him!
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is
it in the world.
As politics and
religion began to mingle so thoroughly men of God wanted to become men with
great power, men with great influence.
This is NOT how God wanted it to be, not in the least!
These political
wars being influenced so greatly by religious matters was NOT what God desired
for His people, and yet those who believed they were greatest with God were in
fact in league with the devil, knowingly or unknowingly.
tomorrow by the grace of God! We
need so much to understand all this, and we can by His love.
In Him!!!
Amen.