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Friday, July 16, 2010
What is the secret to Christian unity? We found out that we are united through a worldwide brotherhood based on love that takes no part in the political conflicts of this world. However our unity goes beyond that for Paul mentions that through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we are even fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought. Traditional Christianity is divided up into some 38,000 different religious organizations, yet there exists today only one primitive Christian congregation with millions of members all speaking in agreement with no divisions among them. No matter where we find ourselves on earth we can go into any congregation meeting and find the same thing being taught, the same line of thought. Unity of thought can be achieved only through education. [ to be continued ... ] Thursday, July 15, 2010
Jesus' quoted statement above indicates the connection between the love that would identify true Christians and not being part of the world. What world is Jesus referring to? Christ told a politician, named Pilate, that his kingdom is no part of this world and he refused to allow others to get him involved with the politics of his day. (Read John 6:14-15 and Matthew 22:15-22.) At Matthew 26:51-52 we have Jesus' quoted statements regarding Christian involvement in warfare: “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword.” In the book Our World Through the Ages, it plainly states that primitive Christians behaved "very different from that of the Romans. . . . Since Christ had preached peace, they refused to become soldiers.” Christian love demands that we have Christ's attitude toward fellow human beings. We cannot place one race above another nor can we engage in war at the whim of whatever country in which we may have happened to have been born. Moreover we never take sides in political issues, for this would jeopardize our Christian brotherhood. Unity is a trait that only primitive Christians possess today. We are not just united in one particular country, but in all lands around the globe. Tomorrow we will discuss Christ's will regarding unity of thought among his believers.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Today's quoted statement from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is primitive Christianity in a nutshell. Jesus said: By this all will know that you are my disciples. People who are not real Christians are confused with theological issues. Do we possess and immortal soul? Is God a trinity? Although very important in the study of what first-century Christians believed, they are not what identifies us to outsiders. What distinguishes us from all other religions is the intense love we have for our own fellow believers. We can travel the world over and stay with "friends" we have never met before. In March of 1973 I traveled alone to Bolivia to help out as a "need-greater" as it was called back then. Fresh out of high school, not knowing the language, I experienced first-hand just what Jesus meant by a worldwide brotherhood where race, culture and language are never an issue among us. The Reformed Press, a weekly magazine in Switzerland, published an article on December 8, 1998, stating, “In 1995, African Rights documented the genocide in Rwanda on twelve hundred pages. It could prove participation of all Churches with the exception of ... .” The article mentions the name of only one Christian group! Rwanda is a perfect example of just how much traditional Christianity has failed to live up to Christ's command. Rwanda is a country that is the most "Christian" nation in Africa. Less than 2% are Muslim and less than a tenth of one percent of the population practice tribal religions. Roughly 60% are Catholic, 40% are Protestants and see the results that led to genocide! This same group, that did not participate in the Rwandan genocide, was persecuted during World War II, not only in Nazi Germany, but even in most of the Allied countries as well. Only one group today is known for its stance on applying Christian love as Jesus quoted statement indicates above by not participating in political affairs of the nations of which they are citizens. As regards to Christian love, traditional Christians talk the talk, but only primitive Christians are willing to walk the walk. There is a link to being no part of the world and applying Christian love. Tomorrow we will discuss that connection. Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Here we can see the Biblical use of the word of god or gods other than the Only True God, Jehovah. This is not referring to false gods. This is god through office or agency. The Hebrew word for God is ’Elo·him′ and is used in the Bible to refer not only to Jehovah himself, but also to angels, to idol gods, and to men. In Exodus 4:16 it states that Moses was to serve as God to his brother Aaron. The basic meaning behind the word "god" is "mighty one". Understanding this we can see why, in John 17:3, Jesus addresses his Father as the only true God. Let us look at an example in our modern era of how a general word can be used in a specific way. Remember Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) known as "The Greatest"? Let us suppose in his earlier boxing days he made the statement that he was the only man. Would it mean that he was the only male on earth? Of course not. Even a basic word, such as man, can be used in a positive, comparative and superlative way. Examples: He is the only man (the others are boys). He is the only man (the others are women). He is the only man (the other men have backed down). So, too, let us not allow trinitarian bias to influence our understanding of Christ's divinity. Being God's Son automatically converts him into a god. A son of a god is also a god just as a son of a man is also a man. However, recognizing Jesus as a god does not convert him into his own Father. The things that apostate Christianity teach about God
and Christ are so ridiculous that many non-believers and atheists have
ridiculed it by stating that
it is the belief in a Jewish zombie who is his own father. Actually,
that would be the definition of
traditional Christianity, not primitive Christianity. Tomorrow we
will see what makes primitive Christianity so unique. Monday, July 12, 2010
The divinity of Christ can be established through Scripture in texts such as the one for today. But does Christ divinity make him God? Trinitarians would affirm that it, in fact, does. But what is the evidence? Verse 14 of the same chapter says referring who the Word was says: The Word became flesh and resided among us. So there is no doubt here that it is in reference to the Christ and that he had a prehuman existence in heaven with his Father. However, Trinitarians take liberty in combining verses one and fourteen together and paraphrasing it as "God became flesh and resided among us." Most translations render verse one with: "The Word was God", but others translate it as follows:
Emphatic Diaglott, "In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with the God, and a god was the Word." Tomorrow we will see how the term god is used when speaking of God's servants and why these are not in the same category as false gods that cannot stand before Jehovah.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Rather than inventing a "hypostatic union" concept to explain verses that point to Jesus' divinity while others show him to be human, True Christians of the first century accepted him as the Christ, not as the God he represented. Another word for Christ can be the title given Jesus in today's text; Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith. The word "Christs" in the plural is used twice in the Scriptures (Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22) along with the plural "prophets". Read the Scriptures that use the words Christ or Messiah and we cannot substitute these with the word God, because they would sound ridiculous and contradict the meaning of the very verses we are reading. The word "Christ" (Greek Khri·stos′) means Messiah; Anointed One. Jesus is to primitive Christians our Agent in order to get to the Father. He becomes our only means to have an approved standing before God. In a spiritual sense he becomes like a lawyer who represents us before a judge. The whole message that first-century Christians preached was that the Perfecter of their faith died but had been raised up from the dead by the One who created all things, Jehovah God. However, since we are imperfect, we need him in order to approach Him to make pleads in our behalf. Primitive Christians did not put faith in a Jesus God, but in a Jesus Christ. They went through him and recognized he was the Chief Agent appointed by Jehovah God. This explains all the verses Trinitarians use to dishonestly convert Jesus into Jehovah. If we want to follow the Christ, we must reject the false doctrine of the trinity. But does not John 1:1 say that Jesus himself is God? We will discuss what it really is saying in tomorrow's text.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Opposers of Jesus accused him of making himself a god. Christ answered them with today's text quoting from the 82nd Psalm. That Psalm indicates the correct understanding of agency. His agents on earth, human judges, were gods through appointment by God. These judges (or gods) were supposed to reflect God's justice and mercy. However, they were not doing it and for that they were listed as those against whom the word of God came. Jehovah God gave authority to human judges and for this they became gods in a relative sense. What is of utmost importance for us to take note is that Jesus said yet the Scripture cannot be nullified. In effect he was telling his opposers that they needed to accept what the Bible says and to stop letting their own person religious prejudices influence their judgment. But they would not listen to him; they wanted to stone him for blasphemy. Do we nullify the Scripture by insisting on our own private interpretation? We might be doing this if we have our own favorite text that seems to say what we want to hear and then disregard other verses that go against our personal prejudices. To answer the question Trinitarians pose: Is Jesus a true God or a false god?, one simply needs to help them understand the Biblical meaning of god in context with the Scripture. However, if they are unwilling to listen to the Scriptures and want a direct answer, then it would be: There is only One True God and That one's name is not Jesus, but Jehovah. He clearly taught and believed this at John 17:3. Jesus is definitely not a false god because he is not in opposition to Jehovah as are all false gods. Christ's divinity is established by reason of his being God's Son and by appointment. Agency and the meaning of through are important words in a true Christian's vocabulary, for, without a full understanding, it is impossible to accept Jesus as the Christ. This is what Trinitarians lack; a true understanding of the Christ. We will discuss why in tomorrows text.
Friday, July 9, 2010
No matter what interpretation you give to Scripture, it must harmonize with the rest. Either Christ is God or he is not. One Bible text cannot contradict the other. In the early 1980's a young Bolivian man, who was studying to become a priest, faced a dilemma. He fully understood and accepted his church's teaching on the trinity, yet he rejected the notion that unsaved ones would be eternally tortured in a burning hell. What the Bible said about the state of the dead made complete and perfect sense. The dead are conscious of nothing at all and there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She´ol or Hell, where all of us eventually go. Then there came an aha moment when his interpretation of Christ's divinity came in conflict with what he knew to be the condition of the dead, namely temporary non-existence until Judgment Day. Today's text clearly states that Jesus was put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit. By asking him the When and How questions his aha reaction was: "Then Jesus cannot be God!" Although most people believe that Jesus' physical body was resurrected because of what they read into the Scriptures, that is not what the Bible really teaches. Instead it clearly indicates that his perfect, sinless body was given in sacrifice. Taking back that sacrificed body by resurrecting it would have annulled the ransom provision, would it not? Okay, his flesh was put to death, you may conclude, But, What about his spirit? Does the Scripture say he continued alive in the spirit? No, it does not, does it? It says Jesus was made alive in the spirit or resurrected with a new spiritual body. When? The gospels indicate it was three days after being put to death in the flesh. The Biblical facts that made the young Bolivian rethink his beliefs regarding Christ was: if Jesus was not alive, neither in the flesh nor the spirit, for three days, In what state was he before his resurrection? The answer for him was that the Christ was actually and completely dead. He did not and could not have resurrected himself. For a person to hold the conviction that God actually died is beyond reasonableness, is it not? No wonder the traditional Christian stance for its members to believe in a trinitarian god has driven millions of people to leave the church or prefer atheism rather than that kind of Christianity. Up until Jesus' resurrection, no one had ever risen from the dead to eternal life. That is why 1 Timothy 6:16 says that at that time he was the one alone having immortality. When Christ was to return then he was to resurrect his co-rulers and then they too would be clothed with immortality. That is why one title given to Jesus is “The firstborn from the dead” and this confirms that the first Christians never accepted the notion that Christ's divinity automatically converted him into God. Knowing the truth about Jesus helps us to really appreciate the message given to us at John 3:16, namely, that it was GOD that loved the world so much, that He sacrificed his own Son so that we have the hope of life without end. Do you appreciate what Christ did for you? And more important, do you appreciated the sacrifice GOD made? But Trinitarians will respond by saying that Christ's divinity makes him a god; which is correct. They will ask: Then, is Christ a true god or a false god? Either answer given would go against Christianity. How would you answer that question? Jesus himself answered it when confronted and we will consider his reply in tomorrows text.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Who were the Sopherim and why did they change Habakkuk's words about God's inability die? Sopherim were Jewish scribes and this is one of 18 changes to the original text where they altered the text because they felt it showed irreverence toward God or toward his servants. God's eternalness is so undisputed that the Jewish scribes felt that the mere statement that God cannot die showed irreverence. Of course God cannot die! However there are dozens of other text that imply the same message. Both 1 Timothy 1:17 and Revelation 15:3 says that He is the King of eternity. He has always existed and will never stop existing. On the other hand, Trinitarians affirm that God Almighty became flesh and then died. They explain it with something called the "hypostatic union". Matt Slick in his article defending God's death and resurrection states: There is no dispute over the primitive Christian teaching that Jesus was sinless and that his sacrifice was sufficient to cover our sins. However the "hypostatic union" concept that Jesus was both human and God at the same time is not only unscriptural, it also goes against God's very nature. Scripture teaches us that not only is it impossible for God to die, it is equally impossible for him to lie. (Hebrews 6:18) Why would God, in essence, fake his own death and reveal that secret only to Trinitarians? Is it a requirement that we believe God lied to us about his Son dying when it was actually He Himself who died? All the Scriptures that Matt Slick presents in his hypostatic union article can be understood correctly by acknowledging that Jesus was/is God's agent, his principal agent or representative. Also, we know that there is only One True God, however, the Bible teaches that He created other divine beings in his image. Therefore the divinity of Christ and believing he had a prehuman existence has nothing to do with he being God Almighty. Tomorrow we will discuss 1 Peter 3:18 and how this verse can bring us closer to both Jesus and his Father by rejecting trinitarian philosophies.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The illustration Jesus gave us concerning the holy spirit recorded at Luke 11:5-13 clearly shows that he taught it was something rather than someone. It is God's own active force, it is the most powerful thing in the universe! We can confirm this interpretation by cross-referencing accounts with Jesus' own words further on in this same chapter. Verse 20 reads: But if it is by means of God’s finger I expel the demons, the kingdom of God has really overtaken you. However, the parallel gospel of Matthew recorded in the 12th chapter and the 28th verse states: But if it is by means of God’s spirit that I expel the demons, the kingdom of God has really overtaken you. The holy spirit is not part of a triune god; such a notion does not originate with the Scriptures. While Jesus was on earth, God was with us through his Son. But after he died and was resurrected, he ascended to heaven. However, in the last verse of Matthew's account Jesus promised us that he would be with us till the end. If Jesus is in heaven, then he cannot literally be on earth with us, can he? No, but he remains with us through God's holy spirit. He sent that helper ten days after his ascension, as recorded for us in the book of Acts. Matthew's account concludes with the command Jesus gave to make disciples and teach them to observe all of Christ's commands, which includes making disciples. It involves finding deserving ones who will also become teachers. But these teachers must get baptized, not only in the name of Jesus and his Father, Jehovah, but also in the name of the holy spirit. Why? Fully understanding this, we can see why only primitive Christians today, who reject the trinity doctrine, are making true disciples of Christ. Additionally it seems that only primitive Christians believe that God cannot die. Really accepting that Jesus is the Christ, one cannot think that he is also God. Tomorrow we will see why.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
It was the resurrection rather than the belief in an immortal soul that first Christians put their faith. What is the difference? If we believe that we each possess an immortal soul that survives death, then, our salvation would depend on ourselves, not any provision God has provided. Salvation, in effect, is instantaneous and automatic. The only issue at stake is the qualify of afterlife. Is it suffering or bliss? However, Martha believed in the resurrection, not at the time of one's death but "on the last day", evidently referring to Jesus' teaching of the Judgment Day at John 5:28 and 29, “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.” Traditional Christianity got its immortal-soul doctrine from Greek philosophy, not from the Scriptures. Do you appreciate the Biblical teaching of the resurrection? If you do, only then can you acknowledge the miracle of what God did for Jesus; he raised him from the dead. God cannot die! And that is why Revelation 1:5 gives Jesus the honor of being the firstborn from the dead. Belief in the immortality of the soul would deny that notion, would it not? If you are a true Christian, you must reject the immortality of the soul doctrine. It is not compatible with primitive Christianity. Another notion not in agreement with what the first Christians believed is the trinity doctrine. Tomorrow we will quote Jesus' statement where the correct understanding of the Father, the Son and the holy spirit are placed in context.
Monday, July 5, 2010
What is the right way to study the Bible in order to understand it correctly? The model was set for us by Jesus who always supported his teachings with Scriptural references. His disciples followed that method, as can be seen in Philip's example above in today's quoted statement taken from the book of Acts. The right way to study the Bible is so simple that anyone, even with a basic education, can follow this system. It is based on the method used by the Christians of the first century. Acts 17:11 tells us that they carefully examined the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so. If we carefully examine the Scriptures we will cross-reference these with other texts to see if our interpretation of them is accurate. For example, most Trinitarians will insist that Jesus was saying he was God at John 10:30, when they quote him stating: "I and the Father are one." However, not only do they take the verse out of context, it would be ridiculous to give it that meaning when Christ later repeated it at John 17:22, when praying for his disciples, that they may be one just as he and his Father were one. Primitive Christians, both past and present, are noted for their unity of thought. There is only one group of primitive Christians on earth today; we are not divided. The Scriptures at 1 Corinthians 1:10 state that Christ's will for his disciples is that we be in agreement, with no divisions among us, and that we be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought. In other words it means we must be one in Christ just as he is with God. It does not mean we are Christ nor equal to him and neither does it mean that Christ is God nor equal to Him. It is oneness of thought, not oneness of substance as Trinitarians would argue. Philip started with a Scripture and explained it with many others. He made the connection and let Scriptures explain themselves. You, too, need someone to guide you in finding the Scriptures that will allow you to acquire the correct understanding of God's Word. If you have been brainwashed into believing that God is a trinity and that humans are born with an immortal soul, you will color your interpretation of Scripture with these notions and prejudice your thoughts against Christ Jesus himself and his primitive Christian congregation. How so? We will continue this thought in tomorrows text.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Jesus starts off his world-famous Sermon on the Mount with the above quoted statement. He shows us why his disciples would be truly happy; they are conscious of their spiritual need. It is a light that shines within them and Christ further instructed them to let their light shine through both their words and their deeds. In the summer of 1968 I became convinced of God's existence. Previously I believed we evolved from lower life forms and I took the Bible as a book of fairytales that only the uneducated could believe in. Then, for the first time, I truly became happy. I just had to tell others about what I had discovered. Over the past 42 years I have found that the main problem people have is that they are not conscious of their spiritual need, and when they do become conscious, they look for satisfying that need in the wrong places. If we truly love our fellow man, which is the identifying mark of true Christianity, we would want to assist others to fulfill that need by pointing them in the right direction. The right direction is only found through a systematic study of God's Word, and here is why. It is the only reliable record of God's dealings with mankind. It is the only spiritual book that makes complete and perfect sense; everything can be explained through its pages. Being conscious of our spiritual need and satisfying it through a regular study of the Bible will bring genuine happiness if we do what Jesus tells us to do. He will show us the way to the Father, his Father. He will show us the way to God, his God. He will show us the way to the Creator, his Creator. If we want to find God, we need to do it through Jesus. We live in a world that is a killer of spirituality. It wants us to consume; to overeat, overdrink and be anxious about having more. We are bombarded with commercials that brainwash us into believing that we need things we really don't and this distracts us from being conscious of our spiritual need. Our materialistic society has trained us to be good consumers. We have become so busy working, shopping and being entertained. There is certainly no time to study the Bible! Or is there? There is, if we buy out the time to do it. We must schedule time everyday to read God's Word. We would no more want to leave the house without washing our face, brushing our teeth and combing our hair, than we would not having considered a portion of the Holy Scriptures. It should be just that important to us! But what is the right way to study the Bible in order to understand it correctly? That will be our consideration for tomorrow.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Jesus concluded his discourse recorded for us in chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew's account or gospel with today's quoted statement. This gets us back to the question posed two days ago, namely, What about those who are indifferent toward a spiritual message presented to them at their doorstep? Make no mistake about it, indifference is sin. One Scripture that changed my life and the way I look at things to this day is recorded for us by Jesus' own half-brother, James, who became a disciple of his after Christ's death in 33 C.E. The fourth chapter of his letter concludes with these words: Therefore, if one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him. Our main responsibility toward God is always striving to do what we know to be right. As we increase in knowledge about God, so does our responsibility toward him. When Jesus speaks about the goats, he does not tell us anything they have done to deserve eternal annihilation, rather it is what they failed to do. They failed to minister to his brothers. They call Jesus "Lord" but that does not save them, does it? Evidently the final Judgment upon humankind will involve how we treat Christ's brothers who are still on earth at the time when he will sit down on his glorious throne. So, If a "brother" of Christ were to appear at your doorstep, How would you treat them? Religious leaders today criticize any group who would dare carry out their ministry by canvassing their territory as Jesus commanded all his followers to do. They label us as false prophets, brain-washed individuals and cult members, but, Are we? Since they are not doing the work, Are they in any moral position to judge and warn their members about our visits? Should they not be ashamed instead? What if the message being preached from house-to-house is actually from Christ's brothers? What if we allow ourselves to become indifferent toward them and their message? What if the time comes and they are persecuted as the Scriptures say they will be? What if we failed to take our stand with them? Like a muscle, we must strengthen our faith, our spirituality. Total lack of exercise could disable a person physically and insufficient amounts will shorten our lifespan. Proper diet and exercise is a must for good health. So, too, is our spiritual nutrition and application. People exercise and eat balanced meals because they realize just how important it is in maintaining good health and the same can be said about our spiritual health. The good news is that everyone everywhere can change their poor spiritual diet and exercise simply by answering their door the next time someone comes to it with "good news". It is not easy to start an exercise and nutrition program whether physical or spiritual but the important thing in either case is to make that first step. The first step in the spiritual sense will be discussed in tomorrows quoted statement from Jesus he made when giving his world-famous Sermon on the Mount. We live in a materialistic world that places so much emphasis on consumerism. It is the number one killer of our spirituality and we must be alert to its venom. Tomorrow we will consider how to safeguard ourselves from being "weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life" that choke our spirituality.
Friday, July 2, 2010
One way we can distinguish the Christianity that Jesus established from that which evolved over the centuries into the apostate version people today view as traditional religion is to consider the subject of the Judgment Day. Are there billions and billions of Judgment Days, every one them occurring as death eventually overtakes each one of us? Throughout Jesus' preaching campaign, during his three-and-a-half year ministry, he always spoke of God's Judgment as a future event that will be carried out on a global scale. "All the nations will be gathered before him" in a figurative sense. The nations are here on this earth and so are the people who inhabit them. Every one of us, remaining on this planet, will be "before him" and he, that is to say Jesus, is the only one who will determine whether we are symbolically sheep or figurative goats. Jesus told his followers at John 5:22 that God gave him the assignment to judge everyone on earth and today's text informs us when he will fulfill that mission. Today there are no figurative sheep nor goats; that is a decision Jesus will make in the future when he sits down "on his glorious throne". Once he makes that determination, it will be impossible to switch sides. Today, however, we can. Goats can become sheep and visa versa, because our attitudes can change. It is all about attitude. We make that determination, it is not God nor is it his Judge-Designate Jesus Christ. They can help us, though, if we voluntarily submit to their authority. The assignment for tomorrow's text is to read the entire account through to the end of the chapter so as to put everything into prospective. Think about why Jesus labeled certain people as sheep and why all the others were called goats. What is the reward given to the sheep for what they did and how does it compare to the sentencing of the goats for what they failed to do? How does our attitude toward Jesus' brothers determine our future prospects of everlasting life?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Yesterday's text focused on attitudes people in general have toward home visits made by those who wish to share a spiritual thought with their neighbor. As Jesus continues giving counsel to his followers, he ends his discourse with today's quoted statement. Jesus states that his followers are the ones he sends forth. He also refers to them as prophets, righteous men and women, and as his disciples. They are not just believers, they are the ones that go out and do the work he told them to do. This is where Jesus' attitude toward us comes into play. Apparently not only his followers would receive everlasting life. People who treat them kindly will eventually receive the same reward. This is in harmony with other statements he made (Read Matthew 25:34-40; Mark 9:38-42; Luke 10:16; John 12:44-50; 13:20). You may think that because you kindly receive your pastor, priest, clergyman or whatever you may call your religious leaders, you are in for a "reward". But this is really not the case. Are you not the one going to him? When is the last time he came to you, to your home and offered you a free home Bible study? Does he not want you to go to his church building? And when you do, Does he not ask you for money? This reminds me of an experience I had in the mid-1980's while working at Richard's Medical Company (now Smith & Nephew, Inc.) in Memphis, Tennessee. At the lunch cafeteria I noticed a young man reading his Bible and struck up a conversation with him. He informed me that he was a Christian minister and I casually confirmed that I was also one. He then told me something that surprised me:
When I told him I was an unpaid minister who went door to door, without saying a word he lifted up his tray and moved to another table. Oh, if only church-going people realized where the money they contribute goes! In the context of his discourse recorded for us in the tenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus' instructions were clear: "As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’ [...] You received free, give free." This means that a Christian minister is not allowed to charge for their services. They must obtain funds from other sources (employment, inheritance, retirement, financial support from another family member, such as a husband or a parent, if that one be a minor, or any other honest outside income) so as to support themselves and their families' needs while ministering. What conclusion do we draw from this? Namely, that Christ's disciples must go unpaid from house to house in search of deserving ones. Our salvation will eventually depend on our reaction to their work. A favorable response may lead to Jesus viewing us favorably, thus leading to an eternal reward. This reward will be life without end, either in heaven or on earth. But what about those who are indifferent toward a spiritual message presented to them at their doorstep? This will be our consideration for tomorrow. In answering this question it is imperative to acknowledge that Judgment Day is yet a future event. Tomorrow we will consider the Final Judgment and how people's attitudes will play a part in whether Jesus will consider us to be his sheep who are slated for eternal life or the goats who are destined to be once-and-for-all annihilated.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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