s8nfighter

Let's just assume that the bible is the written word of God and Paul was just writting down what the Holy Spirit told him. If this proves to be true then the seeds sown are not dollars; rather they are the seeds which produce the fruits of the Spirit. I believe that the seeds of which Paul speaks of are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Among these gifts is the gift of giving. The gift of the Holy Spirit (seed) sown in faith, hope, and love produces a fruit. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits harvested from the work of our faith sown in love change the desires of the heart. God says that He made only one mistake and that mistake was mankind.. It was the desires of the heart of mankind which gave God regret. No. I believe that God's seeds are that of which I spoke. Certainly the vehicle comes in the form of a dollar sign but that dollar sign withoutlove is just a dollar sign. Darrell

Q1. (2 Corinthians 9:6) Does the Scripture teach that material blessing results from giving generously to God’s work? No. The gospel of Jesus Crhist is not a get rich scheme like some preach it. If it were so then the disciples of Christ who left good paying jobs to follow Christ would have had a better life. Andrew: Crucified. Bartholomew: Beaten then crucified. James son of Alphaeus: Stoned to death. James son of Zebedee: Beheaded. Judas: Stoned. John: Exiled. Matthew: Speared to death. Peter: Crucified upside down. Philip: Crucifed. Simon: Crucified. Thomas: Crucified. Matthias: Crucified. If there remains any doubt; here is what Paul says in Philippians 3: 17Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Why are we so careful to reinterpret this as referring mainly to spiritual blessing? Based on what Christ teaches, I believe that we need to interpret this verse just as it is. "Do not store up treasures on earth." Paul finishes his thought with the reason; "So you will abound in every good work." Resulting in a righteousness which endures forever. If you compared your own actual giving to God’s work to a tithe (10%) of your income, would it look generous? Compared to a tithe. Yes.. Compared to what some have given. No. Those who teach that if you give God will bless you back 30, 60, 100 times has done more harm to the gospel of Christ than Satan himself. I know those who have given much as a last hope and when the end of the month came and they still didn't have rent money and their stomaches we still empty they didn't blame the false preachers they blamed God.

Moses came to a jumping off point in his life, a point where he had to make a choice to stand up for the oppressed. He took a stand against the sever cruelty being done to his people, but doing so in secret shows that he was not fully committed. Moses had many privileges and was living a pretty good life. This brings to mind the answer Jesus gave the rich young ruler when he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack, he said. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. The LORD revealed to everyone what Moses had done in secret and it forced him to become fully committed. I think God likes fully committed people, don't you? Darrell

The excuses were forms of rejection. Rejection of Christ can be for many reasons. It can be because I believe that I am good enough and don't need to clean up for His invitation. It can be because I don't believe that there is no better life than the one I am enjoying right now and turn my back on eternal life. It can be because that I have examined the cost and decide that the price is too great. Or maybe it is because I have mistaken God's patience for weakness and think I can wait till the last minute and enjoy the things of the world for a bit longer. All and all it is a rejection of what He taught us in the gospels. For a long time I believed that I had to work every Sunday when there was work available and not go to church. Each year I would promise Marie that this is the year that I would no longer work seven days a week but each year led to another work filled week. Then about eight years ago I fulfilled my promise and to my surprise I finished all my work in six days. The builders I painted for began to accept that fact that I just wasn't going to work on Sundays any more and they changed their schedule a little bit. Darrell

Jesus is speaking about two different times here. The first time is now, and now is our calling to enter the Kingdom of God. Now is when Jesus set up His kingdom. Now we are to produce fruit worthy of entering the narrow gate later. Later there is a celebration for those who produce the fruit worthy to be placed on the banquet table. In Matt. 21 Jesus says this, "

Jesus is teaching that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven one must have a change of heart. One must be born again of the Spirit that brings us into fellowship with God, and with one another. The question Nicodemus had at first was concerning his belief about life after death. Jesus is teaching about the Kingdom of God here and now. To completely understand we first must realize that Jesus has not come back yet. We are one step closer to his return than at the time when Nicodemus asked his question. When Nicodemus asked his question Jesus had not yet suffered on the cross for us. I think that Nicodemus came to understand what Jesus was teaching because he stood alone at the council of the Sadducees and Pharisees in speaking out for Jesus. Darrell

The teachings of Christ are that the Kingdom of God is priceless.. The reason we value it so little is that we misunderstand our cost going into it. Let me explain it with one concept I learned early on in my walk with the Lord. Just last week I told an employee of mine, "Watch this." I pulled into a driveway of a customer's house I had painted two years prior. I knocked on the door and asked him if he had a cup of coffee. We got back in the truck after talking to the customer for ten minutes or so. I explained to Aaron that not too many painting contractors could do that. I told him that when I do a job for somebody my main concern is not in how much money I make but how well I do the job and how happy I leave the customer. This is what the Lord's word says about that, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. That particular house I discovered a bunch of siding that needed to be replaced before painting. The owners couldn't afford any extra so I replaced it at the same bid price. Sure I didn't make as much money as I wanted, but I gained a friend, a place of refuge so to speak, all because of God's word. Our testimony should not be solely in the words we speak, but also in our actions. A now friend of mine called me up asking for advice about some problems he was having. He was working with a construction company building houses, and I knew him on the job. I also knew that there were others working for that same company who went to church, so I asked him why he called me instead of one of his co-workers. He said and I quote, "It is because you act different." If we act the same as the world when we enter into His Kingdom where is the attraction, where is the difference? Darrell

This really does not have anything to do with poverty or wealth. It has everything to do with the purpose to which we serve. The poor as well as the rich can be either selfish or generous. The poor widow who gave all she had and the obviously, somewhat wealthy Samaritan merchant, who helped the injured traveler were equally unselfish. The reason Jesus asked the man to sell all he had was only to point out that you cannot serve God by simply not breaking God's laws. Along with being obedient to the law is the second commandment that Jesus gives, "love your neighbor as yourself". He says that this law is as equally as important as being obedient to all the other laws. You are right it was a great privilege Jesus offered this young man, but it is no greater than the same offer we have to follow Him today. I believe the greater question is why do so many reject (based on actions) the same offer we have? Darrell

There are a few things that these parables have in common. The obvious is the value of the kingdom the overlooked is the cost. In each case the buyer gave up all he had to enter the kingdom of God. The old life done away with the new begins... Gone is the sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. And a new life begins filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (List from Galatians 5 NIV) The next passage, Matt. 13:47, should also be considered. 47"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. If there is no change in our lives why should we expect the rewards? Here Jesus says that there is no reward if there is no change in our lifestyle. Entering the Kingdom of God is more than going to church on Sunday or Saturday in our best dress, clean on the outside, it is a complete change of the heart. Darrell

There is a misunderstanding about the Kingdom of God with a lot of people. A kingdom is a population of people with one ruler, therefore the kingdom of God is a population under the authority of God. When I became baptized I entered into this kingdom expecting all the privileges the King had to offer, I entered into it knowing there would be great responsibilities also. Those responsibilities are not only to the King but to His subjects also. His kingdom has been set up in a foreign land as it is now but when Christ returns along with judgment will come a new heaven and a new earth. We enter into this new kingdom or not. We have been given a new life in Christ and Jesus says that we have been given a responsibility also, (You are the light of the world). A song by Suzanne Prentice titled "You Can't be a Beacon" explains a little of how we are to be the light. How can you ask for truth when you do not truthful live How can you ask forgiveness when you don't forgive I don't mean to bring you down or speak to you unkind But you can't be a beacon if your light don't shine You can't be a beacon if your light don't shine You can't be a beacon if your light don't shine There's a little light in all of us by God's design And you can't be a beacon if your light don't shine How can you ask a child to be honest and true When he can only judge what's right by what he sees in you How can you offer vision yet walk around blind No you can't see a beacon if it's light don't shine You can't be a beacon if your light don't shine You can't be a beacon if your light don't shine There's a little light in all of us by God's design You can't be a beacon if your light don't shine May God's love surround you, may you find a brighter day May He grant you the peace you seek in every way God's light burns in each life, in yours and mine And you can be a beacon if you just let it shine You can be a beacon if you let it shine You can be a beacon if you let it shine There's a little light in all of us by God's design And you can be a beacon if you'll just let it shine (Suzanne Prentice) The answer to this question I have always wondered, How can Jesus find you when he comes back if your light doesn't shine? Darrell

The Kingdom of God was present in every sense in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus, the living word of God, demonstrated the full grace of God through his, actions, teachings and his death on the cross. When presented with the offer of everything the world has or to follow the word of God, Jesus said, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." When days away from his death Jesus said, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." In his teaching when he said, "Pray this way, 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." In times of a crisis, hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Hatii, 9/11, a fire that takes everything from a neighbor, or the illness of someone close, the Kingdom of God's presence is shown. But then when the crisis is over it is back to what we call normal, not so much. I remember what the Levites said in the book of Nehemiah, and it is much the same today. "But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time." Darrell