Patricia A. Conti

God loves each and everyone of His children. He keeps watch over them and calls each one by name to Himself. If only all will answer His call and follow. To the Pharises, tax collectors, the poor, the sick, the disabled...are considered sinners and are unclean. The unclean may not enter the house of God (the temple). If you associate with these people, you are considered unclean and you must go wash before you may associate with anyone else. To them, how could Jesus be a person of God and still associate with these sinners. Share your faith with others in your community. Live your faith so others will see and want to know about your faith. Invite your neighbors to fellowship with you. Be a light and walk by faith.

He describes God's Word as bearing fruit and growing. In our world here. I know God says love the person, hate the sin.e in the states, sometimes the Word seems to go be the wayside with the amorality of our country. God's Word seems to stagnate or fall be the wayside while the people turn toward the lull of the world - sex, materialism, me world, etc... What happens in some churches is that they try to adapt, They stretch the Gospel to include ideas that were never part of the Word. Example, several different churches have changed their standards to allow gay and lesbian marriage and activity. I know that God say love the person but hate the sin. Nowhere does that translate to hate the sin but allow it to grow in the church. Abortion is an issue that pertains to God's creative mystery and not a woman's right to choose. Those poor and homeless around us are still our brothers and sisters and we still must take care of them. I believe these churches are trying to make their own church grow by adapting to the changes in this world. I personally believe that as Christians in our Christ-centered churches, we need to stand strong in those beliefs handed down to us through our christian heritage beginning with Jesus and handed down through the apostles as they strove to keep Jesus alive in our church and our persons. I belive that a strong christian front (living as christians in our world and all that implies) eventually will be what brings the world back to its knees and the spreasing or bearing of this fruit, brought about by our christian faith and love in action, will cause growth in the church.

Jacob promises to tithe one tenth of al that God gives him. Tithing is an indication of authority over and submission to. Up til this time, Jacob has seen God as his famil's tradition. Now however, Jacob accepts God as his own One True God and trusts Him for all his needs and Submits to god's kingship over him.

Jacob set up the stone as an altar to God. Jacob promises God that her will be his God and his God alone. Jacob annoints this stone for the lane is con secrated to God for God is in that land. Jacob promises his devotion to God. God has become the One God that Jacob will follow.

In seeing the angels ascend and descend the stairway to heaven gave Jacob a glimpse of God's majest. God gives Jacob the blessing he has he has given to Abraham and Isaac. Jacob realizes that God is keeping the promises of old and He is using Jacob to further the fulfillment of those promises. Before this, God was the God of his father, Isaac and of Abraham, not necessaril him. After this experience, God becomes His God, the One he will follow. He now has a personal attachment to God and his spiritual side begins to grow.

Isaac came to believe that God's blessings would be fulfilled through Jacob. Isaac gives Jacob the same blessing God gave Abraham. The blessings are to have bumerouse descendents, take hold of the land in which he will live, and that his seed would become a nation.

Jacob's. I believe that God has control over life and the blessings bestowed. However, I am surprised at times how God goes about it. I have my own ideas in how to deal with certain things in life. Sometimes things go so far away from what I belive should be happening and there is no way things can turn out right. However, patience and an "attempt" at belief show that God had a better was. My was is definitely not God's ways. Although they may sometime agree, I must struggle at times believing that God's was will bring things to fruition in is own time.

First off, let me apologize for referring all through this tho Rachel and not Rebekkah. There is a difference in how you love your children. That is not the same as how much you love your children. I have several children. I love them all with my life. However, they are different and have different needs. I love my children, each one, in according to what they need. My children have accused me of loving one child more than the others - but the name of that child (or really who that child is) is not consisten throughout. Each child has been accused of being loved more than the rest at one time or another. How a person percieves a situation is not necessarily what the situation is.

The blessing was really a blessing from God and if it is a blessing from God, no one can change it. A blessing from God is a promise of fulfillment and it can not be undone. Isaac was deceived and, although he realizes that later, he cannot undo what God has done. He does however have a blessing for Esau which, it seems, is also from God. In this blessing, he provides for Esau to escape the domination of Jacob.

God told Rachel that Jacob would rule over Esau however, God would not set Rachel on a deceptive road to have this done. God would bring it about in his own time. Rachel did not have the right ton interfere in this plan, even if she deluded herself into believing that this had to be done to fulfill God's prophesy. If she were truly spiritual, she would have belived that God would bring this to happen. She was overcome with desire for this for her son Jacob and spent her time talking him into deceiving his father to bring the prophesy to fruition. She was deceptive and her dception seemed to take over any spiritual that she had had. Jacob was wrong in foloowing his mother's lead, so he has some responsibility in this deception. However, I believe his mother had more of the blame for she was leading him in this direction all of his life.

Rachel could be seen as a spiritual person in the sense that she believed what God had said to her about the twins. However, I believe her desire for Jacon to fulfill what God had said took over her life and she began to scheme with Jacob on how to get Esau's birthright away from him. In that respect, I believe that her spiritual part got taken over b y the decptive aims for Jacobs future. Isaac was a spiritual man, always striving to follow God's will. He honored his responsibility and would not turn the birthright back over to Esau, who was his favorite and most like him, because he made a vow and a vow cannot be broken. Esau did not seem to care for things of a spiritual nature. He was more of a person who lived for the hunt. He loved his father and didn't show much of a spiritual side. Jacob seems to have two distinct sides. He wants to follow God and what is right, but he wants to be in charge and have the blessings which go with it. He is definitely conflicted. However, I still see his mother as part of the problem for his overwhelming desire for the birthright that reightfully belongs to Esau.

Thr birthright is a vsluable and spiritual gift and responsobility. Life is designed in a certain fashion to continue the family in a prescribed fashion. It is set down through the priniciples that God set forth for us. It also honors the family and shows value for God and the family. Esau turns his back on allo that is deemed sacred and good for the "instant gratification" of bread and soup. He shows no care for future family ties, nor for what is right and just in the family tradition. Jacop knows the value of the birthright and desires to have it above all else. He is a bit deceptive on how he brings it about, His mother has encouraged him in this deception. Would he have gone this route had it not been for his mother's prodding and harping on it is a question. But, regardless, he tricked his brother into giving over his birthright and all that this means. He is willing to wait for this blessing. He definitely has the better part of this deal.

When a christian continually acts in ways that he/she knowsis sinful, then they arelying to themselves and to God and are a bad witness to others, If this behavior continues, then one would have to believe that this person does not understand what a christian should be. They are not living a christian life. If this person were to turn away from this behavior and turn to God in repentance, he/she would again be in the light and and God would again be walking with them and they would walk with God. No matter how far away we stray, or how dark our world becomes, if we truly repent and call out to God, He will be there to welcome us back into the light and into commnunion with Him.

So many times, we come together ln worship. We celebrate with each other at church. At the end of the service we go our separate ways, not to see or share with each other until the following. We do what we bekieve is required of us and no more. We need to share our faith on a daily basis Find a group that wants to share their walk in faith. A group that can challenge each other and hold each other responsible. We need to dive into Scripture and saeek to understand its' relevance for my life and my walk. We need tp steer away from the immorality of th world we live in and live the life that jesus calls us to.

The Jews believe that Sheol is a place where everyone goes at death. God is not present there. Job speaks about seeing God again after his death but Job will once again be in the flesh. This hints to the beginnings of understanding the resurrection of dead. Progressive revelation is revealing something gradually and not all at one time. The person (or people) must have time to grow into the truth.

The resurrection of the righteous will be rewarded with everlasting life with God in Heaven.

Jesus' death and resurrection freed all people from the chains of death by atoning for all our sin. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we will rise on the last day. Jesus, Himself, will be there to call each one of us home.

Jesus' enemeies believed His followers would come and steal Him and then claim He rose from the dead. They wanted extra security around His tomb until after the three days were up. They believed that if it happened that His followers were able to steal Him away and claim He rose, Jesus' folowers would grow in number and strength and be more of a threat to the Roman government. His enemies did not believe He would rise from the dead. His followers did not understand Him when He told them He would rise so they did not believe either.

God gives us spiritual gifts through His Holy Spirit. Natural ability (or talent) is also a gift from God. Spiritual gifts are meant to build up the church and one another. Natural abilities can aid us in using our spiritual gifts. I have natural music ability. I can sing and play many instruments well. I believe the Lord has filled me with the gift of joy. When I sing and praise God I am especially joyful. As you can see, my music ability enables me to share the gift of joy with all those at church when I sing. It is contagious, because if I sing with the real joy that I feel, others become joyful too.

Christian unity must be our goal. We have all been given different gifts. Putting our gifts together gives us unity or completeness. In the same respect, different denominations focus on different aspects of our faith. Each denomination has been blessed with different gifts, perhaps greater truth in some aspects. When all denominations join together with one common faith (our salvation history, the gift of Jesus who died for us on the cross in order to have our sins forgiven so we may enjoy everlasting hbappiness in Heaven, then we are at one, unified, complete. No more should any denomination claim that - we are the one- for it is only one piece of God's church. All of us together brings about unity in God's Church - we complete one another.

We must be patient with others and accept them where they are. God will bring about any changes needed in them (and in us). We are to be gentle with people, not judging or arrogant. At the same time, we must live our faith so others can see in us lives of peace and joy so they will have a desire to know Jesus too.