All Activity

I’ve never seen a miracle. For those who say that miracles are common occurrences, that God’s working in the earth in present time is a miracle in itself, I’d agree, but this doesn’t rise to the level of a miracle. A miracle must be something that is inexplicable BUT GOD. It’s not God maintaining the universe on a constant basis, for example. We toss around the word miracle too flippantly. All of God’s works on earth are not miracles. My faith is not contingent on miracles, obviously, as I’ve never seen one. But I can imagine how someone who saw a genuine miracle or, better yet, experienced a miracle himself, would be brought to faith through that miracle. Miracles cannot be explained. I think that’s what makes them miracles. They can be described, but not explained. This is like God Himself. We can describe God, but we cannot explain Him. This may be why people who have experienced real miracles cling to them in their hearts as they, alone, know what happened but only in subjective terms. Often, I feel like a loser Christian. Every step forward is painful and accompanied by doubt. I have seen no miracles. Nor had any. I have not seen God at work in my life in such a concrete and directive way. When I pray for guidance, to do His will and move along His path, I receive no miraculous answers, no voice from a bush. I just get nudges which I often wonder are my own conscience, mind or emotions. This is one reason why miracles could be important – they confirm, to people like me, that God really is active in the lives of every Christian, and that His seeming silence or very quiet voice is, well, okay. I don’t know why the Lord doesn’t give me a dream or vision or miracle or tremendous insight or whatever. Others seem to get these sorts of confirmations of faith all the time. I’m trodding on without them. I think of miracles as happening in solitude more than in concert such as in a church-like setting, but this may be very wrong. The ability to bring non-believers to initial faith may require public miracles … spectacles, so to speak. If this purpose of miracles is considered, then a congregation must be open toward the possibility of real miracles happening in their church. I would think that a church that experienced miracles once would be open to them happening again. The story of miracles, then, is being passed down, which the stories in the Bible do as well. People rarely stay in one church. They move around. Their stories of miracles move with them. This spreads openness to miracles. -- i've noticed people talking about "progressive" miracles lately, not in a political sense, but the idea is that miracles are like regular healing that happens slowly and miraculously. I have to admit that this seems like an alibi. If it is a miracle, than God entered into human time, zapped us with His power, and changed our circumstances. This is not progressive. It's not slow. Healing itself may be miraculous for both believers and unbelievers in the sense that it happens at all, but God's miracles have to have that instantaneous character to be true ... or so it seems.

The characteristics necessary for maintaining unity with other Christians are humility, gentleness, longsuffering or patience, forbearance, and love. I think the most important is love because love actually encompasses all the rest. The 1 Corinthians 13 passage defining love pretty much touches on every one of those first five characteristics in some way or form. I think loving people who have hurt us or rejected our attempts to love them is hard. Out of the other characteristics though, I think, for me, humility is the hardest. When I am offended, my pride rises up much too easily, making it hard to love someone who rejects me for any reason. I have to then remember Jesus, our Lord, who was rejected by everyone and demeaned and spat upon. Yet He forgave everyone and instead submitted not only to the rejection but also to being cruelly tortured and crucified because He loves us.

Aging has a few upsides and one of them begins with middle age, at least it did for me -- I felt boundaries, a hard ceiling at what I wanted to do. Sometime in my 40s I started to feel very mortal, limited and often stupid. Now, more than a decade later, I am convinced that my brain will only get me part of the way to the truth. Thus, I constantly ask for wisdom and sometimes actually get it, though not often! When I think and write, words evade me and when they do, I know my thinking is at fault. Words emerge from thought. after all. So my need for wisdom is very deep ... deep in the innermost parts of my mind and heart. Several times daily, I ask the Lord, to cleanse my mind of lousy, errant, untrue, half-true and sinful thoughts. This is done often as my mind is often jumbled. "Clarity, Lord." I know the rules of society and culture well, but don't care about them anymore. Another benefit of aging is the ability to separate from these sorts of concerns. I say this hesitantly because I know many, perhaps the majority of people -- the overwhelming majority (?) -- who seem to care more about the values and opinions of others as time passes. Not less. Faith has given me this critical distance. Caring more about pleasing God, and less about the opinions of others, inadvertently set me free. The trick is to be free from the opinions of others while still loving them. My goal is to be in His cloud of wisdom all the time, to hover there. Right now, I tend to pray when I'm stuck or confused. I should be praying more often ... silently, under my breath, a living. prayer.

Life with Christ in the presence of the lord.

Living a life worthy of our calling, which is to follow Jesus Christ, is to live in unity with all others who are a part of the body of Christ. Because we are so different, this means putting others ahead of our own selves, even before our opinions, however strong they may feel to us. We are to love each other so that "our way" or "being right" never comes ahead of unity within the body. Unity is worthy because it is the body united that is the temple of God and where His Spirit dwells. God's house is not a house divided. And a divided house or temple does not reflect the love of God. Jesus died to gather His church as one with Him as our head. If we remain divided, we are trampling upon what He did for us to bring us into His family. So being separate from Christians is not at all a part of our calling. We are each meant to be individual parts of the whole - serving each other with humility, and as a vital part of the church, spreading the gospel of Jesus - and we cannot function or serve in the way we were created to be without being part of that whole - His church.

Job believes that he will see Gor after death while early Jews believed that they would go to a dark lifeless place after death. Progressive revelation is when God slowly teaches us more about our future as we grow in him.

Because Abraham believed and put his trust in God he was justified righteous by God. This justification by faith was passed through Abraham to future generations, covering all nations. It’s mind blowing to realize how much Abraham changed the world. God truly is great!

The Apostle Paul with all his credentials said "Have no confidence in the flesh" and so rejected any reliance on human efforts, achievements, or heritage not just for his salvation but in all that he did. Self-sufficiency, ego, self-confidence and pride in essence, is a hard thing to lay aside. It's like a relentless beast that has to be caged and brought into submission day by day. I can only imagine the pressures and constant scrutiny that Moses had to endure while leading the Israelites. It is not a job I would have wanted, that's for sure. It is clear that he was a humble man to trust God to lead them not in his own strength. We see the dangers of what happened when he did. The great thing is that we can read not just about Moses but Jacob, Gideon and others and learn from their example in avoiding certain pitfalls. We see how easily it can be to be lured away by our need to be recognized or to impress people or in attributing the glory of God to ourselves. It's never without consequences, and ultimately leads to emptiness because we were ultimately, the main aim of man is to give God glory and so anything else, is simply a perversion of our purpose. No doubt, we learn also from Jesus who is the perfect example of humility, descending to the lowly estate of putting on flesh and dying on the cross and that we too, must die as well our fleshy natures by coming to Christ each day.

Eternal life begins now, or at the moment of assent. Jesus grants this life as the Son of the Father. At that moment, we switch from death to eternal life. I do not know how Jesus judges the people who never hear, who can’t hear or who existed before the message. I find it troubling that we are judged by Jesus on the quality of our earthly works. I suppose this has to do with the commandments, first, and more pointed, subjective or individualized points of obedience in life, second. It's almost as if there are two judgments: the first has to do with our eternal status, which Christ's death has covered for believers, and the second has to do with how we lived our lives. Is it not odd that these huge transformations occur without our understanding? I grew up in a secular home and had no idea what I was doing when I accepted Christ. And yet, I am saved. For years I didn't understand -- and in many ways, I'll never understand -- what had happened. How much understanding is necessary to be saved, then? How much different was I in my understanding than people who had never heard? I also find the attitude of the Pharisees both upsetting and predictable. They were confronted with a shabby man telling them that He was the Son of God. They didn't believe it. THey thought he was just another charlatan (It seems there were many such prophetic sorts and outright demon-possessed miracle workers at that time,) To them, Jesus appeared to be a man. Not the Son of God. And, in a way, He was. They didn't see any difference between Him and other men. I guess that bothers me. It would seem that if you were talking to the Son of God, you'd sense or intuit in your heart that this man was unusual ... at a minimum. But the pharisees didn't sense this. Increasingly, I think the Spirit calls us to salvation. Why some and not others is a question I will never have an answer to. I've learned to let it rest. I do not believe, as some have told me recently, that the people I pray for such as family members will necessarily be saved. They have to make that decision somehow. But again, when I was saved, I had no idea I was making that decision. I floated ... carried along as if on a large ocean swell. I was moving toward Christ without knowing it. It's truly miraculous that a thorough-going secularist can be saved without changing the mindset first. But, well, it happened. Why me? I'm grateful, but stunned. I was plucked out of a crowd. Undeserving. I feel such pity and heartbreak for those left behind, others like me who are educated out of faith or have grown up with a deep mockery of all that Christ represents. I was no different than them and really do not understand how God can judge me affirmatively and them with eternal death. And that's what it is. The salvation moment that I did not even grasp was a switch from eternal life to eternal death. A punctiliar, momentary change of which I became only slowly aware had happened. Yes, I will and do witness to others but as I witness I feel I don't grasp what has happened, and what I want to happen in their lives. I feel utterly inadequate. Increasingly so. The momentousness of the moment ... how can I find the words to describe this to others? They mock and chide, tell me I'm irrational and weak ... it's all so predictable. And, of course, it's the spirit who pulls a person toward Christ. What is my role then? To confirm what the Spirit has done? To bumble around trying to explain it as i'm doing here? If the Spirit pulls us toward Christ, if we cannot be saved without the Spirit's prompting, then what exactly is our role in bringing people to Christ?

Hello, I’m Inez from Toronto, Canada. I am excited to be a part of this forum. Looking forward to this study on Philippians.

My church should be a dwelling place for God's Spirit by being in His Word and allowing ourselves to be led by His Spirit to minister His love and care to one another but also to reach out and be Jesus to a confused and broken world. In order for this to come about we must seek His will through His Word and prayer and allow ourselves to be built up individually and together to become more like Jesus, unified in Him, and then used by Him to lead others to Him and to His love for every person. His love is developed in us when we gather with others and serve others. That's the only way His love can be manifest in us. God created us for relationship with us, to love us, and we have been created and born again in Jesus Christ for the same purpose: to love God and to love others by showing God's love. It's certainly not easy, but it also wasn't easy for Jesus to love those who rejected and abandoned Him, yet He still did/does. We have the amazing power of His love in us through His Spirit. I mean, think about that. We might not feel it, but it is true. The love of Jesus is in us. But we can't love others if we're avoiding them. But we must also make sure that we are growing closer to the Lord Jesus day by day for He is who our love for others is rooted in. We become more like Him by spending time in His Presence and in His Word.

The Galatians were given the Holy Spirit because they believed. It wasn’t anything they did to earn it. Paul calls them foolish for then allowing the influence of others to make them think they had to finish what the spirit started by keeping the law perfectly. Impossible! Law keeping in an effort to earn something demotes God and elevates us by our own efforts. Christ did it all and if we seek him in our lives and churches today the Spirit will lead us in joyful service.

Q5. (Isaiah 26:19) Does this passage actually teach a bodily resurrection? I rather see the prophet defining the task for the prayer warriors to bring about the resurrection. Those dead to the gospel to come alive in Christ by accepting his gift of mercy and grace in their salvation. What does it teach us about resurrection? If we do not interceed for the lost we are the watchmen that fail to warn. Their blood is upon us. When will this resurrection take place, according to the New Testament? The unsaved shall never be resurected. It is high time the body of Christ get off the couch and start plowing the field and planting seed to get Christ's harvest. He says the fields are white. Are we brining that forth?

Let me answer this, in part, with an anecdote. Long ago, when studying hermeneutics (in a different context) I was given a drawing in which there was a line with five hashmarks on it. Each hashmark had a label. The third (the one in the middle) was labelled "text". To the left of the text was the word "author" and to the far left were german words that roughly translated meant the culture or situation of the author. To the right of the text was written "reader" and to the far right were the same german words, though applying to the reader. The idea was that a text, in this case the bible, was entrapped in some sort of hermeneutical circle. As the reader, we're close to the text but we read according to how we think which is, in turn, impacted/influenced by our families, education, work, social background, etc. We don't come to the text raw and undeveloped. We come as people with needs, thoughts and biases. Similarly, the writer of the text has his needs and biases yet is trying to write to a particular audience. He's not throwing words into the ether. He's writing for a reader he does not know. When we read the Bible, we are standing to the right of the bible, hermeneutically speaking. The authors of the bible stand to it's left. Between us is the text. But when we read the bible, we're not trying to understand John as an author, but God speaking through John. We're trying to reach behind John ... not to the culture and situation in which John was situated, but to the God who spoke through John. Thus, we have to use the bible, -- mere words on paper -- to push through to it's author who in this case was John, and then further push to God whose voice somehow resonates through John. That's rather circuitous. All the problems are solved, however, by appealing to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, being eternal and ever-present, connects God to the reader. John has the Spirit and the reader has the Spirit. Without the Spirit, apprehending God who stands behind John, who in turn is the author behind the text of the bible, would be impossible. It would make no sense. Or, more accurately, it's meaning would be no more significant than the texts of other great books such as Shakespeare. Of course, God could just speak to us directly, cutting out the text and shortening the path to Himself. He could speak, I believe, through the agency of the Spirit. This is how it was done in the Old Testament exclusively. When God needed to speak to someone, He did. Most of the time, however, people engaged in ritual. In the New Testament, God also directly communicated with believers, though through the agency of the Spirit. The NT wasn't written until long after Jesus' death. In the interim, God used the Spirit to speak to believers. It strikes me that the Bible is to be a guide as to the content of God's speech, but not a source of His speech in itself. In other words, God has to talk to us beyond the scripture not just in addition to the scripture, but in a stand-alone revelatory manner. So, why don't we hear His voice more often and more loudly? That question troubles me. I learn about the sorts of things He has said to others in the scripture as well as about His character and purposes, but that's not the same as God directly communicating with me. It's instructive to know how God worked in the past, but I want to know what He wants from me right now! I think this is what Pastor Ralph is getting at in his questions where he refers to "dynamically" hearing God. This is what I want. I want to hear his audible voice. I want to feel his presence strongly. I'm tired, frankly, of the nudges which are ambiguous and could be self-generated. I don't want to know only about God, but to have God speak directly to me about Himself. I don't want the mediation of scripture ( all the time ) ... I want scriptural guidance, of course, and the knowledge and boundaries it sets on thinking, but more than anything I want a direct appropriation of God. I want His voice. Now. Always. I cannot obey a command I do not hear. -- Sometimes God leads through circumstances. I'm to the point where I think this is his primary way of leading me. Options are eliminated by Him. Things happen that require me to change. To make Himself more clear, He eliminates everything except the one thing He wants me to do. I think this is why we are not to worry about finances or other superficial things. We're to strip our lives down to the bone so we can hear, or be led by circumstance, what He wants us to do ... or think. Corrective thinking. I also think He leads from one thing to the next, but only one. We're to do one thing at a time, not scatter ourselves over a dozen projects or thought-changes. At every moment, there's one thing I'm to do. In the next moment, that may change, but for right now, in this moment, I need to know what am I to do/think??? God must answer this. I do not believe, either, that God has no answer to momentary living, that most of life is value-neutral (in the sense of being not sinful) or optional. I can choose the red shirt or the blue ... I can take this road or that one. These value-neutral choices do not involve sin. BUT, I no longer believe that these choices should be mine to make. Increasingly I think God has a voice for every wee moment, for every wee motion, and every wee thought. The Christian life, then, is one of submission. It's digging down and then tossing out the layers of desire and will until we reach that voice, His momentary will. No decisions we make, even unconsciously, are neutral to His will. -- One more thing. IN the context of these verses of John, it is impossible to do the will of the Father, Jesus said (in so many words) without being one with the Father. The words Jesus says were God's words. The actions He did were God's. But we are not Christ. We are to be LIKE Christ but cannot do what His will all the time. We cannot be constantly one with the Father because of sin, forgiven or not. We cannot glide through life without a struggle to hear His voice. The more the father lives in us, the more we will know what He wants and our ability to do "Great THings" will be increased, though never to the level of Christ Himself. -- Sorry. Very wordy today.

The apostles and prophets contribute to my life today because the teachings in the Bible were communicated through them, so they laid the foundation of my Christian faith. Likewise, their teachings are the foundation of the church as a whole and provide the path to unity in our faith in Jesus Christ. The prophets point us to Jesus and the heavenly Jerusalem. The apostles witnessed the life, death, and return of Jesus after His resurrection. Jesus is the cornerstone for my congregation because He is who our faith is built upon. Our faith in Him provides the solidity and strength to keep us following Him and unified in Him, in His love. He alone is the gateway to saIvation, eternal life, and victory over sin. We should be focused on no other. Any other focus will bring division. I like the idea of constructed joints carved into each piece to perfectly fit into one another. That is what we are, made perfectly to fit into each other to become one building. If we seek to obey God's Word and follow Christ and His example, becoming more like Him and seeking to love one another, we will fit together more and more as the body of Christ, God's temple set apart for Him that He created all of us to be - together as one, not separately. This is a "structure" we are growing into, becoming.

The normal state of humanity is to be blessed in the superficial – and sometimes in more meaningful ways – yet lost inwardly without awareness. Everyone I know and love is in this state, to be honest. Because they are blessed or feel they are fortunate (comparatively) they feel no need for God. It is very difficult to witness to a person whose bank account is full, is loved by his/her spouse, has bright and fun kids, is healthy and good looking (after being touched up with plastic surgery) etc., etc., because they feel so FULL. For them, life really is good. They don’t feel empty. I wish they did, but most of the time, they feel no emptiness whatsoever. The fact that they’re so busy in life precludes thinking deeply. Though now and then I meet a fellow “ponderer” with whom I can converse, this is rare. Jesus’ confrontation mystifies me. We all sin, so something else must have been going on. I think Jesus knew he had a treacherous heart. This guy is a Judas-like figure. Regarding Judas, Jesus was well aware of his upcoming deception and treachery, so it makes sense that he also saw what was on this man’s heart. The man had a weak character. He vegetated by the pool for decades without coming up with a plan for his own healing. Some people let life happen to them rather than direct their own lives. This man seemed like one of this sort. Self-pitying. Furthermore, he eagerly submitted to the powerful of his community even though he had just been healed! Imagine being such a patsy that you would undercut the man (Jesus) who had released him from lounging by the pool in a crippled state. This plays well into Jesus’ original question: “Do you want to be healed?” It seems that this man had a comfortable though unfortunate life, which he didn’t want to change. The status quo … his place in society, was too ensconced in his psyche. He wasn’t able to imagine freedom. He was too weak in character as well as body to pick up his bed and walk away. I have no idea where he was in terms of his faith. The gospel is for the weak as well as the strong. His weakness may have masked his faith … who knows.

Q6. (Isaiah 66:22-24). Why do you think eternal punishment is mentioned at the end of such a glorious prophecy as Isaiah? Why is the enduring, eternal kingdom mentioned? Who will be included in this kingdom? Who will be excluded from it? It is necessary to see the "end"for both choices, those choosing LIFE and those who don't. Just maybe if both pictures are seen, some will turn and trust and believe God. It is also encouragement for those going through hardships and struggles in this life, to see the much better life we are promised and can look forward to. Those who repent and follow God in faith will have that eternal life. Those who choose not to follow or believe God, there is eternal punishment awaiting them.

Q5. (Isaiah 66:1-4) If God prescribed temple worship in the Pentateuch, why does He seem to prohibit it in 66:3? What is missing from their worship? Have you ever had this element missing from your worship? What kind of heart is God looking for (66:2)? God is not wanting hypocritical worship, but something that is genuine. It must not just be a ritual. Going through the motions and the heart is not in it. God is looking for a humble heart, a teachable spirit. A broken or wounded spirit (not proud and haughty). One who trembles at His Word, who reveres God. Someone genuine. One who recognizes his need.

Q4. (Isaiah 65:17-25) Why do you think the final state is referred to as the new heavens and the new earth? What is new about them? Rebellion and strife will be no more. Not only will the actions and attitudes of the people be different, but a new universe will come to be. The old, having been judged by fire, will be no more. All things will be new. The new will be the home of righteousness. There will be joy. Weeping and crying will be no more. Which verse talks about the end of pain and sorrow? v 19 Which verse mentions instant communication? v 24 Which verse illustrates the peace of this Kingdom? v25

Q3. (Isaiah 63:7-64:12) What is the basis of Israel's expectation of salvation according to this prophecy? What does 64:5-7 teach us about the quality of our righteousness? How are we to see our relationship to God according to 63:16 and 64:8-9? What does this passage teach about grace? Israel based their expectation of salvation on the fact that they were God's Chosen People. In the past He had repeatedly stood up for them and had come to their rescue, again and again. He had brought them out of slavery from Egypt. He had led them through the Red Sea, having parted it, so they could walk through. He had led them through the desert and brought them into the Promised Land. Now it was as though they were forgotten. (Had they rebelled one too many times) Our righteousness counts as nothing, in fact it is as filthy rags. God is our Father, our Redeemer. He is the Potter and we are the clay in His Hands. We are His people, we belong to Him. Salvation comes by GRACE and by grace alone. Nothing that we do or nothing that we are helps towards our salvation. We can come just as we are - helpless and filthy. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.

The church is a family as we are all a part of the same household. We are brothers and sisters. I think of my brothers. We are all so different, and in the past didn't always get along or see eye to eye. We still don't, but we love each other and accept those differences. The relationship that binds us doesn't go away. It can't even if we try to ignore it. The church is full of brothers and sisters who don't agree on many things. It is full of different people, racially, politically, socially, with very different personalities and priorities in life, but we are of one family because we have all accepted Jesus as our Savior and as our brother, and God as our Father. God said that they shall know us by our love for one another. What greater, more genuine love can there be but among people so different, who in the eyes of the world, shouldn't love each other, but because of God's love in us, we do. Those who don't gather with the congregation are still part of the family, but have separated themselves from the family and refused to have relationship with them. We need family, and we need those in God's family even more.

Q4. (Isaiah 26:3-4) According to this verse, what is the key to perfect peace? Trust in the Lord. What happens when we get distracted from trusting in the Lord? There are troubles and no peace. Why is the Lord called the “Rock eternal”? He is the forever foundation block. The word is the abundance of God's heart. The ultimate foundation for ever. It is I Am that I AM's word on it.

Q3. (Isaiah 25:7) 1.;Why does the promise that “he will swallow up death forever” provide such comfort to us when we grieve the death of loved ones? I am 14,043 days since dead in an ICU bed three times out of 7 code blue's in one day. I personally can state Christ has the power over death. I am still here. 2. When we contemplate our own death? Been there. Do not go into the after without Christ. 3. What will we experience instead of death when Christ comes? If you have Christ as your savior you will have life in him. But you will see the reality of Jude 6 on your way to the gate to hell If you do not. They (Jude 6) are really there in chains as you pass them by. Pray the gate to hell is locked closed for you and you are drawn back to life for another chance to get it right.

Q2. (Isaiah 25:6-8) Obviously this “feast of rich food for all peoples” is a symbol of something more than just good food. What does this theme represent in Isaiah and the New Testament? The word of God is our food and water in the spirit. The food for our soul. What does it promise about the Last Days? We will be part of Bim. Have a place in his purpose for mankind (those who are obedient to his purpose and calling).

Q1. (Isaiah 24) What is the reason that Yahweh will devastate the earth (24:5-6)? The disobedience and covenant breaking by mankind. The proper elation of the earths systems requir walking the righteous pathway. Why do we feel so threatened by this kind of prophecy? Failure to trust ( have true faith) in God as perfect Father and the master who designed the working of all we see. Why is this kind of prophecy important to forming faithful disciples who “fear the Lord”? God's truth is directly coupled with success. And that is God having His desires attained in the harvesting of souls from the path of death to eternal life. In what way does the glitter and glory of man (1 John 2:15-17) contradict this kind of prophecy? Temporarily, but scripture tells we take nothing either us and others will spend what we have gathered once we are departed.