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I think the point of the parable between the mustard seed and the leaven shows what a little bit of faith can grow to become. I think that this would be encouraging to His disciples because it inspires them to look at the overall big picture when Jesus Kingdom is in place. It should be encouraging to people who are experiencing smallness or poverty because in the end Jesus will provide and this is just a temporary state that we find ourselves in.

I do not believe that praying the Lord's Prayer can become a curse on someone because it is intended to bring Life to people. It is a guide as Jesus said, on how to pray to the Father, how to address Him and what we should ask for. It teaches us to seek forgiveness from the Father, to forgive others and to seek His deliverance from evil. Is forgiving to be forgiven a kind of righteousness? I think it is because Jesus tells us that we must forgive to be forgiven. And keep in mind that God knows our true heart our true thoughts so we cannot scheme our way through. We must "truly" forgive someone to be forgiven.

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The purpose of contrasting the huge debt with the small debt paints the picture of an unmerciful person. This servant was given mercy for a large debt that he owed but he in turn refused to show mercy for a little debt that was owed him. If we put ourselves in the parable, we would owe the large debt because a debt is a debt no matter what the size, it is owed. The Kind was insulted because this same servant had begged him for mercy and the King had gone so far as to cancel his debt. Therefore, it was insulting to the King because the servant would not show mercy for his fellow servant and went so far as to have him thrown in jail. It showed what a selfish person the servant was.

These numbers, 77 and 490 are figuratively speaking. It represents unending forgiveness. No matter how many times someone ask for forgiveness, you should forgive. It teaches us that God loves us and is patient and merciful towards us, wanting us all to enter into His Kingdom of Heaven.

I think that this verse is so famous because it starts out letting us know that God so loved the world (God loved us and all His creations soooooooo very much) that He gave His only Son to save it. We just have to believe it for our salvation and our destiny will be with the Lord or our soul will perish

Water represents cleansing, getting rid of the old, dirty things and the Spirit represents our Spiritual Father God.

Jesus tells us that one cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again of water and the Spirit. So in order to enter the Kingdom you must be "born anew" or "born again". I prefer the translation "born again" because; when we enter into this world the "first" time we have no control or say-so. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we choose our second birth and we are "born again" Christians.

Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom of God is spiritual and one cannot enter into it unless they have been born of water and the Spirit and drawn by God. I believe that Nicodemus understood because he believed that Jesus was sent from God which is evident in his salutation and also why he went seeking personal one on one time with Jesus.

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It is essential because it shows that we have faith in Christ, that He will answer our prayers and that we believe in the coming of His Kingdom. I think that we give up so easily because we lack faith and patience-w want it now! We gain boldness and persistence in prayer by continuing to pray and being faithful.

I believe verse 33

I don't think that God means you cannot be wealthy or seek wealth. I believe that if you think of money as fulfilling all your needs as far as having everything you need or want, I think that money has become your god, your savior and in this sense you are serving money. Working in various professions will establish certain financial brackets some of which automatically leads to wealth. I am not speaking of unsavory professions but legitimate professions that can put you in the Beverly Hills type homes or the Bentleys cars etc. I do not believe you are serving money, you just have a job that pays enough to afford you the opportunity to live that way. I do believe that the wealthy can serve God if God is their God. On the same token, I do not believe only the poor can serve God. I love God and I am not poor nor am I wealthy. I have worked on a government job for the last thirty years. My only question is why couldn't I afford the Beverly Hills type house or the Bentley? And that ain't no sin to want the better things in life!

Jesus intended for us to be disciples of his word. To be steadfast in His teachings and to teach His word. Jesus wants us to be examples as Christians and to promote Christianity to non believers. Be strong, and rooted in the Word.

The factors that make a disciple especially good soil for the growth of the word or message of the Kingdom is the man who hears and understand the Word. In turn he produces fruit by witnessing and sharing the word and bringing some to Christ.

Out of the thorns that Jesus mentions, I think that "pleasures" are the most dangerous because it is all about YOU!

I think according to Jesus teaching that people fall away so quickly because they become interested and excited about hearing the word and following Jesus. However, their focal point is divided among the worldly things which soon overpower them and they lose focus on the Word and therefore fall short. The problem is they are attempting to serve two gods which is impossible! For there is only one True God worthy.

Repentance is central to the Kingdom of God because it declares that you have chosen to give up your ungodly ways and follow the righteous path of Jesus Christ. And the only way you can do this is to admit to your wrong doing and ask for forgiveness. Baptism is important because it is symbolic for the removal, purification and renewal of the new man. Christ cannot reign in an unrepentant heart only satan can.[/color]

The point of comparison is the act of immersing or overwhelming. John's baptism was to immerse in water. It was a

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First of all I do not believe that one can sincerely adopt the Christian faith without repenting. Adopting Christianity means giving up the worldly things we use to do against God and becoming a follower of Christ Jesus. Giving up something means refraining from it and refraining is the same as repenting. That is not to say we will no longer sin but we no longer practice sinning. I feel that people avoid repentance because they do not want to give up their

Paul was standing up for Onesimus who had gained his confidence in the name of Jesus. It may not be wise in all cases; all is too broad to speculate, but certainly in cases where you are lead by the Lord. Christ vouched for us when He died on the cross. We should vouch for our Christian brothers and sisters when we are lead by Christ to do so.

Paul doesn't command Philemon to respond in his favor because he wants him to respond as a Chistian would. And yes, I do think that it is out of respect for his personhood as well as to build moral chracter in him.

Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon because he is following the rules of Christian living "Slaves obey your earthly masters". So therefore, he is sending Onesimus back to make amends. It is necessary for Onesimus to comply to show his obedience to the Word.

I think that Archippus was singled out because he was showing signs of being sidetracked. I think that Archippus was probably one of the chosen leaders of the church, probably holding an office and procrastinating as whether to remain devoted to the Word or the ways of the world. I think that he was singled out to give him encouragement to continue his work for the Lord.