jaunita

Pray I offend no one by posting this--its longer than our normal replies. I did a small study on the word and meaning of koinōnia a few years ago after becoming an administrator on a Christian fellowship board. Anyway, in my studying came across this wonderfil illustration of koinōnia--reading it gave me a deeper understanding not only of the word, but of Jesus praying that we 'be one, as He and the Father are one...' Participating together 'as one' in the Lords Supper is actually 'practicing koinōnia' Cups : An Illustration Of Koinonia - Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr. As believers in Yeshua (Jesus' Hebrew name), we are the body of Messiah. As such, we are divinely connected to each other. We are in Kingdom of God relationship with each other. We may not always feel that way; it may not always look that way; but as far as the Kingdom is concerned, it is that way. And so, we are in fellowship with each other. The word fellowship is so cheaply used these days, as are many other important words in the Bible, that it has lost the power of its meaning. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. Koinonia has also been translated sharing, partaker, participation, partnership, communication, and communion. Each of these terms more deeply explains the other. Koinonia involves far more than getting together for a "covered dish dinner." Think of it this way. Think of the spiritual relationships we have with each other as cups that are setting around on the table of the Lord. The Lord has graciously poured some wine into each of us as cups. The wine represents the blood of his life that He poured out for us. As members of His body, we are supposed to pour out of our cups into one another's cups. The more we pour and receive from each other's cups, the fuller our cups become. It's the principle of the loaves and fish. The more they were divided and shared, the more they multiplied. The life of His blood comes to us by His Holy Spirit through revelation, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and spiritual experiences, and these things change our lives. I once envisioned a table full of cups. These cups represented people in the body of Messiah. Many of them thought their cups were full of His wine. They did not think others had anything new to pour into their cups. They would gladly pour out of their own cups of what they thought they knew, but would not receive from others. As far as they could tell, the wine in all the other cups looked the same, and they surmised that no one had anything to give that they did not already have. If by chance someone's wine seemed different, they weren't about to mix it in with theirs. They failed to see that the blood of the Lamb, as with the bread of His body, is measured out in various kinds of gifts and ministries for us to share, and in the sharing of the parts, we might partake of the whole. As a result, the cup became scattered about. Though they were still on the Lord's table, very much loved by Him, they had no true, deep, abiding, life-changing fellowship as a people knitted and fitly joined together. Then, a strange thing happened. As I looked more closely, I saw that the cups were not filled with wine as they thought. The wine was mixed with pride. The more they separated themselves from touching each other spiritually, the more that pride filled the cups. Remember the scripture says that "pride puffs up?" Then it adds, "If any man thinks that he knows any thing, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." 1 Cor. 8:1-8. As time went by, however, they began to recognize their lack, their neediness, their emptiness, and their loneliness. They humbled themselves and began to reach out to each other, permitting their need for Yeshua in each other to be known. Little by little, they began to pour the wine of Yeshua's life into each other's cups that they might receive more of Him through each other as the body. A little getting together here. A little getting together there. A few failed attempts, but gradually more and more life was shared. Cups weren't just clanging against each other, hoping that some wine-life might splash over. Real pouring-out and receiving began to take place. When I looked again, that strange thing had reversed itself. Those cups were being filled again with the wine of His life, flushing out the pride. That's koinonia!

As was already pointed out by previous posters, Idolatry was being practiced. In holding on to their idols and participating in the Lords Supper they were in fact trying to combine evil with the holiness of God--an 'unholy mixture'. Its what the old timers called 'fence sitting'...one foot in and one foot out.

Only mundane if we begin to forget the real meaning behind it.... I had to laugh at todays question because it brought to mind just how forgetful we humans can be.; Heck, I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night. Jesus knew we needed to be reminded--and reminded often of the great sacrifice which bought and paid for our eternal life....He doesn't want us to ever take it for granted. If we need a good example of how easy it is to forget, or begin to take God's grace/mercy/love for granted, all we have to do is 'flip' back to the book of Exodus. Its filled with God's personal interventions and provisions..and also full of the murmurings and 'forgetfulness' of the children of Israel. We're no different today.

Though I cannot explain it, mercy is what I see within the sacrifice of our Lord's body and blood. I needed it; and He willingly gave it--at a cost I cannot yet perceive in its totality on this side of Heaven.

Though the bread and the wine are symbolic, I believe they are so much more--if not why were these warnings issued concerning them? 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 1Cor.11 These warnings tell me that to partake 'lightly' or only symbolically would be a grave mistake. The balance, in my opinion, is in the phrase; "... not discerning the Lord's body" To discern is to "know"--to have an understanding of both the body and blood of Christ through His sacrifice. Though I don't believe there is an actual transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood in taking the Lords supper, I do believe in a spiritual sense, we are to see them this way as we partake.

For me personally it is a reminder. One important act I can participate in which helps to bring back to rememberance the great sacrifice which was paid by the 'one' who loves me and has given me eternal life. There is a reason Jesus is quoted by Paul as saying, "....do this in remembrance of me" in 1Cor.11... for its very easy as we travel on our Pilgrims high-way, to forget the great price and debt we owe to the spilling of His blood and the breaking of His body that day on mount Calvary; We can become so busy 'being believers' and all which that entails, that we need to be taken back to the Cross---participating in the Lords Supper, does this for me. I will add though its wonderful to do so with a group of believers, some of the deepest experiences we can have during a Communion can be alone with God. These times do not have to be regulated to only those times of Communion with a group.

Too many people believe living a life for Christ, is one of ease, lack of pain and sorrow. We that live this life, wonderful that it is, know better. We experience the same hurts, pains and sorrows that others do....we've just got the One with us that makes it all bearable. "Great Sea-men are made in rough waters"...our struggles and problems may many times be the door by which we are able to sympathize and witness to [and with] anothers pain. Like in the saying; 'Been there, done that'..you can't understand lose if you've never lost anyone or anything. You can never weep along side another and offer comfort, if you've never wept yourself. People watch us...those of us that are followers of Christ. They watch how we react in these times of struggle, pain and stress. We are never a better witness of the grace, love, and power of our Lord, than when we are struggling with the same issues the world struggles with...and do it with peace, by the grace of God. As for Paul...he lost 'all' to gain all. I can honestly say, I have not always suffered in 'peace'...nor have I suffered lose, without doubt creeping in. But I would pray as I've matured in Christ, it is becoming easier to understand the principles behind our sufferings. That it is all for the glory of God, and that 'all things' really do work for the good, for those who love Christ and are called according to His purpose.

This is one of my favorite scriptures/promises; "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begn a goodwork in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" We are changed day by day, into the likeness of Christ Jesus, as long as we abide in Him; During those 'seasons' when I feel that I will always continue to stumble over sin....always 'fail', I can know with a certainty that God will finish the work he started in me 25 years ago. Up until I take my last breath, or until the second the Lord Jesus returns, [whichever comes first] God will still be 'working' to complete this 'good work' in me...in us! Changing us, most times unseen to the natural eye, into the likeness of his beloved Son. Remembering this helps a lot during days/seasons of apparent failure, doesn't it? God said it...we can bet our 'lives'...our eternal lives on it! PRAISE THE LORD!

Hi all, good to be back! I see here in the word slave, one being an indentured servant; If you look up the word 'indentured' it actually means one under contract, bound to another for service. I like that. For that is what we, as followers of Christ are. The word 'saint'...which by the way, can and is misused in many cases today, includes all believers that have been made righteous and Holy through the blood of the Lamb; Jesus. Both words point out our utter dependence on Jesus...as the one we are inslaved [through love and sacrifice, on His part ] to; And our inability to attain 'sainthood' or 'right-standing, by any other means except by being washed in the blood. Our own righteousness being as filthy rags. We owe Him all, so we offer Him all.

I have come to find out, I, by myself, am not capable of true love, right behavior, forgiveness and patience..etc. So I depend on Jesus, to do these things in..and through me. When faced with situations and people that seem to get the 'old flesh' riled up, I stop and ask Jesus to let me see the situation or person, through His eyes...He always does. Jesus says to us, 'Suffer these things, for awhile' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "As I dipped my piece of torn bread in the cup of dark purple juice and placed it in my mouth. I tasted the ripeness of the fruit and savored the texture of the bread. "I will remember, Lord." I spoke the words in my head, silently thanking Jesus for the sacrifice He made for me on the cross. Within a minute, the aftertaste of the juice distracted my communion meditation. It was more bitter than usual and I thought about taking a sip of something else to remove the flavor from my mouth. Should I grab a mint, or some water? Immediately, the Lord spoke to my heart: "Suffer with Me awhile." Tears filled my heart as I realized how quickly I wanted to remove the unpleasant taste . how fast my thoughts drifted from the suffering of Christ to my own comfort. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus asked Peter, James and John to watch and wait for Him while He prayed. During the time when our Lord was "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," His closest friends couldn't keep awake. Three times Jesus returned to find them sleeping. Then He said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Matthew 26:38 For those three disciples, it was sleep that drew them from Christ's request to keep watch with Him. What is for me? What keeps me from obeying Jesus' requests? Oh, the easy ones I have no problem with. It's the ones that infringe on my comfort that I wrestle with the most. Someday, we'll get to enjoy heaven and all its perfection. But for now, the work God's calls us to do here on earth is often uncomfortable, physically tiring and emotionally draining. On some days, obedience to the call of God means downright dirty and difficult work. While my flesh would prefer a cushy assignment, I don't want to shake the nail- scarred hands of Jesus, the hands that touched lepers, the hands that stroked the head of a broken sinful woman, with hands that have never gotten dirty from life. Moving from service in comfort to sacrifice builds spiritual character and maturity. But more than that, our hearts unite with Christ as a suffering servant" amen.. !

In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious? ___________________________________________________________ Firstly, we are to live submissive, obedient lives to Christ. We are also told to obey those who have rule over us..Parents, Teachers, and as adults Goverment officials....in other words, obey the laws of the land. We are to live as 'peaceful' a life, as possible, for this brings Glory to our Father; Striving to get along..NOT fit in. We are reflections of Jesus, while here on this earth.... Ambassadors of Christ. I'll step out on a limb here, and say the day may come, when we will be forced to decide....Do we obey the laws of the land, or God..?! I'm not jumping on a soapbox..but the US as well as the world is at ' internal civil war'..anarchy is breathing down the neck of all. When that day comes..I'll chose God and the Word... Just my humble opinion folks

How can the good deeds we commit by living openly as Christians increase God's praise. How does our "blending in" detract from God's praise? ____________________________________________________________ As Helen pointed out, we may be the only Bible some may ever read.... Our lives and the 'living' examples, are our greatest testimony to a dying world. How does our blending in detract...? As the old stand-up comic said, 'Don't get me started' It goes back to the dreaded word..'compromise' For what reason would anyone see the merit in living for God, or praising Him, if they see no change in you or your life? This is what 'blending' in does. Others who don't know our Lord, are watching, even if we're not aware of it...and they want to see a change! It gives them hope for themselves. Why aren't our Churches Powerhouses for God anymore? Its because they decided to become 'seeker friendly' ...'blend in with the world'....Ever been around someone for awhile, on the job, out in your neighborhood etc. and they tell you, after a 'good long time' has passed (maybe months) they are a Christian? You think 'what?" I woulda never knew, if they hadn't have told me... This should not be! Our very lives, daily, should reflect our Lord, who abides within us... someone should not have to guess or wonder. How can God receive Praise for a compromised life? He can't.

If your praise is primarily for God's benefit, not your own, how should you be offering praise? ____________________________________________________________ I guess my answer is simple....How do, or should I offer Praise..? With clean hands and a pure heart; And from an unselfish attitude. To me, this is 'Pure Praise'

(2.5) Christians often look at their relation to God as consumers, delighting in what God does for them. What is the mindset of a priest towards God? What actions does this mindset inspire in you? ____________________________________________________________ We as Priests of the Most High God, are to (out of a willing, loving heart) offer up Praise and Worship, to our Lord and Master, and ultimately our lives. We are to be 'Ministers unto the Lord'...,and in doing so be servants not only to Him, but to others. We must be willing to empty out ourselves of all our own earthly desires, and have them replaced with those of our Father's. "No two objects can occupy the same space" amen? So to have more of Christ and His life within us, MORE of 'us', has to go! Praise the Lord, for the opportunity to serve Him..and those of the family of God! "What actions does this mindset inspire in you?" Being a willing servant..always ready and willing to obey my King.

'Have you ever felt you were of no worth or of no value? What does 1 Peter 1:18-19 say about your worth? What does it say about God's love for you? What does it indicate about the long-term value of your balance sheet and financial assets? What are your true long-term investments? Why?' Have I ever felt of no value..I would have to say yes; Before coming to the Lord almost 24 yrs ago, I can honestly say I don't feel I had much value.. But Praise be to God, I do now! I am worth more than silver or gold, to my Father in Heaven; God loved me so much, he allowed me to go my own wicked way for 32 years; Until I realized how much I wanted and needed Him. He opened my eyes, to the wonders of His Son Jesus...just in time. He did not use tradition of man, to do this, nor the law...but showed unto me, His grace and mercy. Anything and everything, 'stored up' on this earth is worthless, and will be useless in Gods Kingdom...my soon to be home. Only those treasures stored up by me in Heaven, will matter then. All else will have passed away. Gold and silver can be corrupted..but not the precious Blood of my Saviour; It is life giving, life sustaining, and forever.

Living and looking for the 'Blessed Hope' requires single-mindedness; Only by staying prepared and 'looking' will we be ready on that day. Gail, brought out a very good point concerning the parable of the 10 virgins; When you read this parable, you are struck by the fact that "All 10" were virgins, but only 5 made it in to the Marriage with the Bridegroom, and then the door was shut. The other 5 became lazy in watching and waiting....this shows us it is possible to be called to be a part of the Bride, and still lose out. When we cease watching and looking for our Lord, either by getting caught up in the things of this world, or laziness/apathy, our oil will run out. This is why soberness and self control are essential. The coming of our Lord should inspire hope and joy unspeakable in us, as believers! To know, our 'work is over'...that our time to 'cross over Jordan' and enter into our rest has come! Glory to God! To finally see our Lord, face to face...to be united with those that have gone before us! What Joy! There is a very 'ugly and dangerous' doctrine spreading today...one that stresses that we shouldn't be looking for the coming of our Lord...but to concern ourselves with 'Kingdom building' now..its rooted in deception! Our enemy will do anything, to take our eyes away, from the soon coming of Jesus. Even if it means to get us busy with 'religious' works.

Our Joy is in knowing our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life; True Joy in the Lord, is something deep within, that cannot be touched by outward circumstances... For who or what, can seperate us from God..nothing! Happiness in this world depends on 'having and doing', Joy in Christ is found in "Being!" We know we possess this genuine Joy, when in the face of trials and troubles, we are not moved in our faith in God, and His promises, which are all, Yes, and Amen..through Christ Jesus. Worldly happiness is fleeting...Joy in Christ is everlasting

We are forgiven and cleansed by the Blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God, Christ Jesus. As we learned here during our study on the Lamb of God, we are not under the law anymore, but under Grace. We are saved by faith, yes, but to continue to walk in His Grace we must be willing to obey His commands..To love the Lord God, with all our heart, mind etc. and to love our neighbor as ourseves. On this is the law based. How can we say we are forgiven, and not desire to obey the "Forgiver?" Salvation is a free gift...we don't earn it by good works; If we were able to 'earn' our salvation, we would be placing ourselves back under the law...which no man could keep. The law requires works....Grace requires a Saviour

"(1:1) How would you describe the behavior of a Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly one? Have you ever caught yourself doing this? What has to happen to get our spiritual priorities straight?" ____________________________________________________________ As many of you, I've heard the phrase "He's so heavenly minded, that he's no earthly good" ...in fact I use to believe it, but not anymore. The word says to 'walk in the spirit, so as to not, fullfull the lusts of the flesh... So saying all that, I would say that one that identifies more with the world, which is only temporary, is one walking after the flesh....and where your thoughts, ideas, time spent, money, etc. are, then that is where your heart is. In my humble opinion, one that is more interested in the 'here and now' is most likely living a compromised life in Christ. They will have little, if any vision of eternity, of winning the lost, building the Kingdom, fellowshiping with other believers, etc. I said the above, 'in my humble opinion..' because I've been there. Perhaps it is getting older in yrs. (I'm 56) or just growing in maturity in the Lord, but I find myself thinking more on the heavenly and less on this world everyday. The Lord impressed upon my spirit, while in prayer, "Hold on to the things of this world loosely" I took this as a warning...one that says to me that anything and everything, of this world, can be here today and gone tomorrow. Only Jesus and our promise of eternity with Him, can be counted on to be "ever-lasting" By the way, I'm happy to be back at Joyfulheart! Its nice to see 'old friends' and new 'faces!"

[One interpretation has been to be hermits, ascetics, to distance ourselves from the political process, and to adopt stringent dress and behavior codes] HAHAHAHA!!! Sorry but I had to laugh! "hermits?" yes, that would be great! but it ain't happening. I have to admit, there are times I wish I could find a nice comfortabe cave, set up house and stay there, until the Lords return..esp. in the world as it is today. (don't tell me no one else taking this study, has never felt the same...remember, all liars.....!) If the only reason we got saved was to go to heaven, God 'woulda' struck us dead, when we got up from the alter. We are told to occupy until He comes. We are in this world, in the sense of occupying it, but we definitly are not a part of it! I have found the world and its system, a mystery to me anymore; I don't understand 'it'..and it sure doesn't understand me, as a Christian. Salt and Light...yes I see in the Word, we are to be just that; But again, I don't believe the Word means we are to 'take-over' by conquering the world..this sounds too much like 'dominion teaching' which I don't adhere to. We're not going to 'cleanse' anything...only the blood of the Lamb, can cleanse anyone. We are, as it says in Mark, to 'preach the Gospel, (good news), lay hands on the sick, cast out devils, etc. ["Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins...."? When?] We are called out of the world at the time of our receiving salvation; But just as the children of Israel, were taken out of Egypt, it took God 40 yrs. to take Egypt out of them. I believe today though, we have no '40 yrs.'...God is calling all believers to leave the world, and its ways behind...for the time of His great appearing is almost upon us. Praise God! love you all..jaunita

[Why is everlasting punishment so difficult for us Christians to accept? In what ways might eternal punishment be considered just punishment? ] We as Christians, 'see' Jesus and the Father, many times only in the context of the Loving, Forgiving Saviour and Father..which they are; Forgetting that they hate sin.. Our Father God, is a Rightous Holy God; That has offered, through His Son, a way of escape..He has shown us the way, to avoid everlasting punishment..Many believe they may go their own way, doing as they will, and believe God will 'wink' at this on the day of judgment...sorry to say, many will not make it in, because of this way of thinking. Because we have been warned, any and all punishments handed out, will be just. My own opinion on this, is that those that ARE punished, will have an 'over-whelming' sense, at the time, that what punishment handed out, is rightly deserved. love Jaunita

[in what ways do the 144,000 provide an ideal for all Christians to emulate? ] We may look at their example, in being over-comers...holding on to gain the promise's for all that 'stand until the end' Just as God had the remnent in Israel, that never bowed their knees to Baal, so will He have those at the end, that held on, and refused to compromise with this world. love you all...jaunita

We are over-comers; Over-coming this world, sin and our enemy satan, all through and by, the Blood of the Lamb. (selah!) 'And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not' [Gal.6:9] The Glories of Heaven awaits all those that 'weary not'...that over-come, until the end. This is our blessed hope. Jesus, at Calvary and on that long ago morning, when He arose from out of the grave, over-came death..so as we are in Him, we are over-comers of death as well; so whether we go by way of the grave, or are caught up with Him in the air, death has no hold on us...Praise God! What a promise!!!!

The vision of the woman and the dragon are heavily symbolic, but comprehensible when you take care to understand. In your own words, what does this vision tell us about the cosmic battle in Jesus' day and in our own? What comfort should we disciples draw from this passage? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The battle is on-going, and will continue to be so, until our Lord's return; Satan IS a defeated foe, but he will continue to war against God, and the people of God, until the very end...his pride keeps him from accepting the fact that the war, for all intents and purposes ended on Calvary. God, through His Spirit, will always take care of His own...if we continue to abide in Him; Our strength, in time of battle, is always in Jesus, the Cross, and the Blood' Its only when we attempt to fight against our enemy in our own 'flesh' can we be over-come and defeated. God has a place, prepared for us in times of battle, it is called the "secret place".... "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the almighty............." "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall NOT come nigh thee" Selah! {after thought> I don't believe the 'third' that were cast down with satan are demons, but were the angels that rebeled with satan} just my opinion. love you all....

[interpreters disagree upon the identity of the Two Witnesses, but they are certainly strong and brave. What positive characteristics do you see in their actions that we should emulate in our day? What is their reward?] ____________________________________________________________ One of their most out-standing qualities of character, is the fact that they stand in the 'face' of the enemies of God, fearlessly speaking through prophecy, the heart of God. (Praise the Lord!) I read an interesting article today; one that stated that we here in the USA, are in the middle of a war....a 'civil war' in fact. This author brought out in this article, how we are being called to 'chose' sides in this war, sides that will determine the out-come not only of this nation, but of the free-world; I agree; but I see it as more...a 'spiritual war in fact. God is preparing a people, that will stand for truth, the truth of the Word of God; Like these two witnesses, we also are called to 'stand in the face of our enemies' and proclaim Gods Word; and like them, having the assurance that God is with us.... Our reward, like theirs, is eternal life....'for those that endure unto the end, shall be saved'. Love you all.....jaunita