The writer of James is introduced to us in Verse 1. The Greek word for James is the Hebrew name for Jacob. There are four prominent people in the New Testament by the name of James. The first one is James, who with his brother John, are known as the sons of Zebedee. They are presented to us in Mark 1:19.
This James was put to death by Herod Agrippa as recorded in Acts 12:2. So he is not the writer of this letter. Secondly, there is James the son of Alphaeus. He is presented to us in Mark 3:18 as one of the disciples. We don't have any more information about James the son of Alphaeus.
The third one is presented to us in Luke 6:16 where we are told about Judas the son of James. This Judas in not Judas Iscariot. Since this James is the father of one of the disciples mentioned in Luke 6:16, he would have been too old or even dead by the time James was written therefore he cannot be the author.
Fourthly, James that is given to us in the New Testament and by tradition as well as scripture itself, it is presented to us as the writer of this letter. The tradition from Jerome, Augustine, and other writers says James the writer of the Letter of James is the half-brother of Jesus.
In Mathew 13:55, it tells us that Mary and Joseph, after the birth of Jesus Christ, gave birth to other children. There are four brothers mentioned along with sisters. James is listed first so he must have been the oldest.
John 7:5 tells us that during Jesus' earthly ministry, His earthly brothers were taunting Him and did not believe in Him.
I Corinthians 15:5 tells us that after Jesus died and rose from the dead, He appeared to James His brother, as well as the other disciples and His family, and they became believers in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Messiah.
The prayer before picking out the Disciples who would be Apostles (the first four who were likely His first followers as quoted in Matthew 4:18-22) was going to concern the known traitor; Judas Iscariot. Psalm 41:9 being Holy Scripture was in His mind; no doubt along with other prophecies such as Zechariah 13:7 undoubtably Christ prayed ahead of time; knowing what He would have to deal with in the last days of His life. To have a known traitor there stealing money and who would lead to all the agony to come as well as dismay among Peter and all others who would run away in Gethsemene; would be something He would have to live with for the next 3 1/2 years.
As shown in the previous analysis of these verses; Jesus faced His Disciples during the Beatitudes. It is certain that He wanted them to understand from the get go the persecution they were facing; as well as demonstrating to the crowds that they would be the ones to eventually overcome; ruling and reigning with Christ ( Rev. 4:10-11 and other passages). They would also be given responsibility to continue the Great Commission even after He left this earth. Later there would be individual discipling and discussions with several Apostles who would be the prime focus of these efforts.
Philippians 2:2-11 goes through a detailed synopsis of how Christ; a member of the infinite Godhead came to earth and humbled himself to live as a man and to die on a cross. We often focus on how Christ's intimacy with the Father was affected; with the peak of course being at the crucifixion ( Matt. 27:46). The reverse; no doubt would have been excruciating for God the Father as well. For Christ to die for His enemies is beyond our comprehension; but for the Father in His eternal plans to plan on crushing the Son ( Isaiah 53:10) is also beyond our understanding. Yet God was "pleased" to do this!
The victory was complete; when He said "it is finished" and gave up his spirit at death. ( John 19:30). Death could not overtake Him ( Acts 2:24-32).
Looking at the entire earthly existence of Christ we see how profoundly He humbled Himself as a servant. One who created the heavens and the earth chose to live with total abandon to the cause; He had no place to rest His head ( Matt. 8:20). No doubt there were transient lodgings as recorded in scripture; the only place where it mentioned Him sleeping was on the boat ( Mark 4:38). Often He was up before dawn praying; and before He chose the 12 Disciples He was up all night ( Luke 6:12). Being the Son of God of course He knew all things; but nonetheless prayer was a key factor indicating communion with God. In the case of Peter Jesus prayed against the Devil's schemes ( Luke 22:32); in that case He knew about Peter's eventual restoration and strengthening of His brothers before the denial at Christ's trial took place. Doubtless He also prayed similar ways for the others; and clearly in these passages He knew all would betray Him as the prophecies indicate ( Matt. 26:31 from prophecy in Zech. 13:7). He also demonstrated the ultimate care for His mother ( John 19:25-29); but always put God above men's desires ( Matt. 12:46-50).
Hebrews 4:15 allows Him to intercede ( Heb. 7:25).
Hi Frankie J. Getting to the fundamentals here: you quoted Luke 6:40 (the Greek is 'karkatizo', meaning 'made complete, prepared'). The context is not about being pure or perfectly free from sin "as his master", but the 'one who is fully trained or fully prepared for the work, can be the master/teacher'.
1 John 4:17: "Herein is our love made perfect" (Gk: teleioo = to be made complete); i.e. 'he who dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him' (v16): true love is made complete when we are truly abiding in God.
Romans 12:1: "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God". (Gk: hagios (holy): set apart for God, sacred). That is how we come before God presenting ourselves: holy by position - holy by purification. The apostle's earnest plea is that we come with clean hands & pure hearts. Sinless? Can never be - our sin nature is still with us, but we can come with all sin confessed & clear pure consciences.
To the rest of your comment with supporting Scriptures, it appears again that you equate the new life in Christ as being freed from sin. It is true that we have been cleansed & our spirits have been made new & in that sense absolutely perfect. But we still live in bodies of flesh, sin & corruption. If the new birth dealt with that matter of perfecting our bodies (the flesh), I would fully agree with you, but the Bible never teaches that & experience always shows that the spiritual battle over sin can never end but rages every moment of the day, some succumb to it, others find victory. But in the end, confession & correction restores fellowship & cleansing of the heart & conscience - it never makes one sinless. If you find disagreement here, then maybe you can outline what you consider as sin - for this point may well be where our misunderstanding lies. GBU.
I would agree with all except, for the last sentence, beginning with "Absolute Purity". Luke 6:40; 1John 4:17; Rom 12:1; the plain write of the words used denotes we're still living in this world.
Hypocrites; I don't believe you intentionally imply this, yet the results of your statement implying this. They did not speak of the new birth, but from the new birth, 2Cor 5:17; Ezekiel 36:25,26,27; heart of flesh; denotes our life now in the flesh. Eph 4:24; you put Him on, here; Col 3:10; The apostles lived, enjoy & possessed what they preached; Philippians 3:15,16; Again, what God required of us is to live according to the measure of the Truth that He has revealed, the apostles received Acts 1:8' Eph 1:19; Eph 3:20; Col 1:29; to do so.
You stated "has sin left them or ever leave them: Never, but they can have victory over sin; this is an oxymoron. Being born again of His Spirit alias; Matt 3:11-12; the threshing floor of the heart is thoroughly purge of the chaff. (sin nature), the spiritual old man of sin, the Adamic nature that animates the flesh. He's deny, mortify & final crucify, he's dead & self is seen no more. All by the Grace appearance within our hearts.
Friend,,,,your covering yourself, but not with the Spirit of the Lord, but with; Gen 3:7;
Your the understanding is veiled, for only the spirit of darkness would plead for sin to remain within one, after all that God has wrought & revealed to us through His Son. For he (Satan) knows that despite one's profession, though maybe ever so high or lofty, & profess with elegant words, it what one does that defines him, Rom 6:16; John 8:34; Rom 2:6;
Hebrews 9:11,12,13,14,15; do you hear what the Spirit is saying here? The flesh purified, OT, now in NT even our conscience cleanse, the heart. Eternal inheritance Roman 8:17; 2 Pet 1:4; John 17:21-23;
the life of youth is energetic, lively & spirited, there's much hope & aspirations towards one's future. Its appears you have much going for you. I have notices from observation of others & my own experience that wisdom was much lacking in youth vigor.
I would ask you to consider these words, bring them to your mentors to receive a godly counsel Proverbs 11:14
The definition of a Christian in its simplist & purest form is to be Christ-like, He's John 14:6; ask yourselve is this becoming a Navy Seal something Jesus would do? Believes follow Christ in the regeneration & are change empowering them to Luke 6:27-31;
When the disciples want to call down thunder from heaven to destroy lives; Jesus replied Luke 9:55,56; denoting it the influence of spirit of darkness to kill & destroy lives. James 4:1,2,3,4; escape the corruption that is in this world through lust & 2Cor 6:17;
I would encourage you to lay down your weapons Isa 2:4 & become a soldier of the Cross. 2Cor 10:14; Marry your sweet heart & live 2Cor 5:15;
The great work of regeneration & renewing, picking up the Cross, the Power of God unto salvation, the dying daily, Gal 2:20; Paul knew John 8:32;. You quoted Philippians 3:12 read further :15 the word for mature is also translated "perfect" in the NKJV. (& by the way, I DON'T advocate anyone to the studying of the letter by natural arts of Hebrew/Greek etc; the different language begin at Babel, meaning confusion, & that's just what has happen, there' over 45,000 different sect's of Christianity worldwide, each proclaiming "here is Christ," When Christianity was first birth & brought forth by His Spirit, Act 4:32; Ephesians 4:5; is that the case today? Its more like Judges 21:25; God's words are Spirit & is only understood & possess by the Spirit which gave them forth. 2Cor 2:11,12; Gal 3:2 the Spirit is received by faith, which comes by hearing the Word of God in our heart, not the letter, for the letter kills, the Spirit alone gives us the very life of God, to be manifested in our mortal bodies, to the destroying ALL, ALL, ALL the works of the devil & conform us to Christ, Rom 8:39; Luke 6:40; The letter cannot do this, Scripture plainly points & instructs us in this, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say.) Sanctification "making holy" is on this side of the grave, the work of Titus 2:11,12 & its includes the whole man, spirit, soul & body. Titus 2:14 cleansing us from ALL iniquity, that we may Col 1:22. The faith y'all are promoting is 2 Timothy 3:5; Gal 5:8,9
The angel proclaimed Matt 1:21; His Name declares His works "He shall saved them from their sins, not in their sins"
There's much more that could be brought forth here; Rom 6 -8
The Spirit prayer in Ephesians 1:17-21 "not only in this world, but that which is to come" Thy Kingdom come, here on earth as it is in heaven.
hope all will seriously consider & weigh these words. 2 Cor 3:5,6
..... Eph 6:12; 2 Cor 10:3,4,5; Matt 15:18; Matt 12:34 both seeds or kingdoms are within.
Paul gives us an insight of his growth in grace in 1Cor 9:27; he considers himself capable to falling, he kept his body under, then in Rom 8:35-39; he had reach a level of the stature an fullness of Christ that nothing could separate Him from the love of Christ Jesus his Lord. Sin separates, as Eden experience tell us & our own experiences bares witness to us.
Chris; you've accurately describe in your own experience His Grace/Light spiritual appearance within your heart, following Him in this manner will Titus 2: 14; Eze 36:25; the washing of the water of the Word; the incorruptible Seed; becoming holy, blameless unreproachable in His sight, that we may experience 2 Cor 6:16; Gal 2:20; Luke 6:40; Jn 17: 21-24
The veil of the flesh is taken away by Christ, that the intimacy, oneness with Him in Spirit may be known & felt in our hearts here on earth.
There's 2 states that we may attain in this life, 1st, is to be brought back to the innocents of Eden before the fall, where we're yet capable of falling, if were not steadfastly abiding in Him. Jn 15:5; 1Jn 3:6; the fruit mention here is that of His Spirit, the Divine Nature, & good works naturally follows.
2nd state is to be brought into the state in Christ, who never fell, though He was tempted, being tempted is not a sin. This life is explained in Rom 6:2-8; Eph 2:6; Jn 17:21-24; Luke 6:40; the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, to be experience here & now.
Paul in Gal 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2 was speaking from the Presence of God, He was phyically on earth, but His consciousness was in His Presence, Eph 6:20
This is impossibility as long as we remain sinners.
As one reads God's words; 1Jn 3:3-5, 9,10; Col 1:22; Holy Spirit creates a desire, an expectation to actually experience what the writers of the Scriptures possessed & lived. This standard of perfection/holiness that Jesus commands in Matt 5:48; is declared as the same of the Father. He as a loving Father has provided the Way & the Means to attain it & that through His Son, His Spirit of Grace / Light
At my present measure, I'm in the 1st state; What God requires of us all is to walk according to the Truth that we know, & as we abide in Him through the 1 Pet 1:7-9; we grow in Grace & more Light is given unto us; Pro 4:18 & this perfection can be added too 2 Cor 4:6,7; Salvation is not instant, Heb 5:9; 9:28; Rom 10:10; the words "unto salvation"; denotes a progressive work of sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, & there's a mighty work of the Spirit to be wrought in cleansing out the temple of all the foul guest that has inhabit us in the times of our alienation....
Ephesians 6:12-19. Dear God the Father in heaven, You who have created everything. You who have said You Are, and are always with us, in the kingdom of the Holy Ghost. We exalt You Jesus who made this possible for us to be close to You. We pray in Your holy name for our brother Jeff. May You master see him and we say in Your name to the powers and authorities that it is Jesus who is master of everything and see Luke 6:5. Nothing can destroy us, we will always be Yours. No matter what happens. We belong to You. Nothing can harm us forever! All destructive spirits must now give way to Your holy name Jesus. We cast the sick obscene spirit into the deepest darkness. Come never back. In Jesus holy name, we forbid you and harass Jeff anymore. Jesus did all the work on Golgata, in His holy blood we are solved Romans 2 chapter, Amen.
All day long in all kind of sufferings we need to proclaime Gods Word. Never give up hope and He will be with u always. Love u in Christ Jeff Dinowitz and if we dont meet in this life, we meet in whats comming.
Taking on a responsibility such as witnessing means that we are tested with patience; no doubt. I have found it equally helpful for fellowship among believers as some are more gifted for teaching scriptures; others with a word of encouragement; others in prayer. Conversations among the brethren sometimes are deliberately planned to elicit a response. I prefer just discussing the Lord and whatever comes up; although one has to focus on the task at hand.
Prayer for one another under those circumstances is certainly helpful as some are cursed out or mistreated and certainly can use that support.
Of course love and that of Agape for the Lord should be evident in our attitudes as well as the messages which is the first of many fruits mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. Joy is something that I tend to be lacking in expression myself; and that is the second attribute mentioned. We rejoice in seeing the Lord's work done; even if we have a day like Noah when no one repents.
It is declaring His Kingdom and bringing honor and glory to the Lord which should be what is foremost on our mind. Then; if there is backlash and persecution we are steadfast in focusing on Him; much like Stephen in the Book of Acts.
Luke 6:30 indicates giving to those who ask and the next verse indicates to do as you would have others do to you. We wouldn't give an alcoholic money for drinking in good concience and it isn't going to help a swindler to give money all the time.
We won't always know immediately about such individuals but some make it pretty clear. Wisdom has to be used and there is some difference in opinion as to how much we give; but a willingness to give must be part of witnessing when we are able; unless the Lord has made it clear otherwise.
The community from the few who are actively witnessing encourages fervent prayer; and consistency will bear fruit ( Isaiah 55:11). May we seek to join such laborers in the harvest.
This is my understanding of the re-birth experience - when the Holy Spirit comes in to reside, the life must change completely & irrevocably - if that doesn't happen (& the person will know it, if truthful), then that re-birth claim is spurious, thus giving way to many deceived but 'religious' persons in the Church.
Acts 19:1-7. I've understood those disciples to be ones of Jesus, not John (sorry if I misled you in this). We know that Jesus had many disciples, not just the twelve ( Luke 6:13; Luke 10:1), so these twelve in Ephesus may well be counted amongst those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah & attended to Him whenever they could. The disciples that Paul met were only baptized by John (not in his name but by him, hence called John's baptism). They never heard of the Holy Spirit, because under John's baptism, that wasn't necessary - they received his baptism pointing towards repentance & the Savior. And why should they be baptized first & then receive the Holy Spirit? In this formation of the Church, we do read of the Holy Spirit being given after the laying on of hands (here in Acts 19:6; Acts 8:13-17), so evidently, water baptism can precede reception of the Holy Spirit in those days. So, at that time, they seemed to be separate events, but today the Holy Spirit is received by true repentance & faith in Christ ( Romans 10:9,10). As Paul stated, salvation comes by confession & believing - and in my understanding, salvation can only happen by the Work of the Holy Spirit within the person. Onto Page 3.
The laws regarding tzedakah, Giving, are God's secret, reinforcing all the other scriptures regarding The Laws of Giving. Luke 6:38 reaffirms.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
This principle is primarily used in context for tithes, but it is much larger, as Luke, Jesus, Job & multiplicities of scriptures affirm, reaffirm, repetitiously, as to make the point on wooden heads.
Job outlines tzedakah more in this one chapter than any other in the Bible. Justice and righteousness are inseparable. The Hebrew root tzedak. Can't have one without the other. The heart reveals where we are at in our relationship with God. It is a blessing to give. We'll not be taking anything material with us to the other side.
The poor widow gave ALL she had. That is so powerful. Juxtapose the priests' tithe, mint, an invasive weed. As a tzedakah gardener, I have to laugh at the priests' tithe, lol. One could do two individual, whole sermons, one on the widow, another on the priests' gift, lol. Funny, yet no so funny.
It is a travesty of justice and righteousness that some Christian theologians hides this abundance from the masses, effectively stealing our birthright to G-d's abundance.
The Laws of Giving are the same as all of G-d's universal laws, set into motion at the Creation. The more one gives away, think not strictly in terms of $$-there are multiplicities of facets of Giving, the more one's cup is shaken, then pressed down, then overflowing. God's blessings cannot be constrained! It's a dynamic of His Laws regarding the Laws of Giving.
Caution: give with a pure heart however, seeking only to bless another, without accolades, acknowledgement, preferably anonymously, if possible. This keeps ego in check.
Are you hungry ?Are you thirsty? I hope so , I'm starving and never feel full ! I always want more ! Throughout the old testament we are told that God will provide us with food and drink , is that really physical food and drink or is it a promise of...the Bible itself ? I'm not great at tying things together so I hope these verses are ok , they say what I want to much better than I ever could , Matthew 4:4 , Matthew 5:6 and also 15-26 , Luke 6:21-25 , John 6:35 , Isaiah 9:13-20 also 29:7-24 , all of Ch 32 , 49:5-10 , 65:11-25 , all of Ch 66. Psalm 106:15 , also 107:1-15+31-37 and all of 146 . The Bible is the LIVING WORD , it is what sustains us , feeds us and waters us as we wander in this wilderness towards our promised destination .
The basic situation in this world is that man is under the bondage of the law ( Romans 3:19-20; also see Galatians). Therefore; the universal application of the old covenant of works essentially is expected for all who wish to come to the one true faith. Christ; of course has allowed us to be "grafted in" to the promises of Israel. We see this in the second half of Romans 13.
We have been called and chosen to be God's children. Nonetheless; we are just as required to follow the stipulations of Christ; namely loving God and obeying His commandments. ( John 14:21). Our love; of course only comes from the Lord; as any who love the law of God ( Psalm 119). The flesh abhors the law as it cannot obey it.
The church therefore; once again doesn't sign any paperwork with God but is held accountable to God's terms for calling themselves a believer. Greater punishment for those who have knowledge of the law is seen in Matthew 11:21 and the following verses. This is why churches that want signed agreements as to membership requirements aren't a failsafe method. God isn't fooled by those who say "Lord, Lord" but don't do what He says. ( Luke 6:46). God knows man's heart and that is what He gets to the bottom of in terms of man's attitudes and actions which is the focus of the New Testament and new covenant as the Lord Himself explained and of course is further discussed in the Epistles. We should be careful not to call ourselves Christians if we are not; it is better not to know the truth than to follow Christ in this way ( 2 Peter 2:21). We see the two classes of people who are either unbelievers or reprobate in many scriptures. More on that later.
Luke 6:30 is part of a section ( Luke 6:27-38) that deals with the conduct of life, our attitude toward other people. There are 13 things that are mentioned in this section and Verse 30 is one of those things.
Here is what I see in Verse 30:
It says give to everyone that asks you, everyone! And of him that takes away thy goods do not ask them back again.
Now wait a minute! If you take my things, where does that leave me? I mean that makes me a little angry. Well, if they take away my things, what have I lost? My things!
It's interesting how the Lord helps us work things out when we accumulate too much of the world, and He allows the world to take it away through the various means. Please don't ask for it back. Don't fight for it. It was taken away for a reason!
Matthew 6, Luke 4:40, Matthew 12:15, Luke 6:19, Psalms 139, Psalms 107:20, Matthew 15:30, Luke 9:11, Matthew 4:24, Matthew 14:14, Mark 6:13, Acts 5:6, Acts 14:9, Matthew 10:8, Mark 16:17,18, John 16:23, Luke 11:9-11, context Luke 11:2-13, James 5:13-20,
Hopefully these are helpful & encouraging & healing to you, that you likewise will help others Matthew 10:8,
I brought up previously about an answered prayer for a brother finding a wife. There could be times when someone is asking for something and considering plans that you can clearly see is NOT God's will; or feel led to pray the opposite. This probably wouldn't go so well if you spell it out under those circumstances. Certain imprecatory prayers as David had aren't necessarily wrong; but obviously it should be kept under wraps. I would also say that prayer in the closet could involve those in the underground church where a small group keeps in private as well. The example of Jesus praying for Peter when He knew that Satan was about to mess with him also was case specific and not shared until the appropriate time. I am sure He knew this all along; so that this prayer could have been made for a while or any number of times. There are no other prayers listed discussed with the Apostles; but Christ spent an entire night in prayer before He chose them ( Luke 6:12). This was revealed to Luke; we don't know who else (not sure about other Gospel writers). His prayer also along with fasting was private before casting the dumb spirit out of the boy ( Matt. 17:21). So there is much to be learned in the Gospels about "proactive prayer" and preparation before ministering. This is effective before and after evangelism as well; from the experiences I have had and others.
We certainly don't need to be praying in front of everyone for more money. I have seen evidences of that providence by missionaries who recieved funds within a day; for instance for a new building; and the Lord has been faithful in my life as well.
It isn't wrong of course even to accept someone's help after a request is made; but don't expect my contributions to any preachers that say they will die or something if we don't send them money like a certain famous now deceased preacher whose name I will leave to the imagination.
Here we are a New Year is here so before its to late ask Jesus into your Heart & do it from a heavenly standard not from a worldly way if you understand where im coming from you have to be completely tired of trying to do it on your own tell Jesus Christ that you are sorry and that you would like to be his complete vessle and REPENT out of the fact that you have hurt our father in heaven dont be sorry to your parents,kids,wife,boss,dogg etc none of that matters be sorry unto our LORD IN HEAVEN FATHER,SON,& THE HOLY SPIRIT if you do this and mean it with your complete heart GOD WILL SHOW YOU THINGS THAT YOU CANT EVEN FATHOM GOD BLESS THE WORLD LOVE JESUS
Hello Peggy. You could look up the following Scriptures on Jesus Christ's Deity (i.e. God's fullness found in Jesus ( Colossians 2:9) & in His Holy Spirit). Jesus' Deity is proved by:
a. His Names: Hebrews 1:8, John 20:28 (God); Matthew 16:16, Matthew 26:61-65 (the Son of God); Matthew 22:41-46 (Lord); Revelation 19:13 (Word of God); Revelation 19:16 (King of kings and Lord of lords).
b. His Characteristics: Matthew 28:18 (Omnipotence: all powerful); Luke 6:8, John 2:24,25, John 13:11 (Omniscience: all knowing); Matthew 18:20 (Omnipresence: present in any place); John 1:4 (Life); John 14:6 (Truth); Hebrews 13:8 (Immutability: unchanging); 1 Timothy 3:16, John 1:1-14 (God manifest in the flesh in Jesus).
c. His Works: John 1:3, Colossians 1:16 (creates); Colossians 1:17 (sustains); Luke 7:48,49 (forgives sin); John 11:41-44 (raises the dead); John 5:27 (judges); John 15:26 (sends the Holy Spirit).
d. His receiving Worship: Hebrews 1:6 (from angels); Revelation 5:11-13 (from other heavenly beings); Matthew 14:33 (from men); Philippians 2:10 (from all).
e. His equality within the Triune God: John 14:23, John 10:30-33 (with the Father); Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14 (with the Father and the Spirit).
I hope you can see from these few Scriptures that Jesus was not just a special Man or Prophet sent by God, but truly was "God manifested in the flesh". No other man before Jesus' coming, during, or after His leaving this Earth, could ever fully reflect God's Glory, Wisdom & Power. Only God could - and He did this by sending us His Word, made Him a Man, so that He could give His Life as full payment for our sins - but only to those who believe this & place their trust in Him. To some, the 'Trinity' teaching is abominable. But man's salvation depends on the Divine Person of the Lord Jesus Christ - that God could accept no other Sacrifice to redeem & secure people to Himself - only by giving fully of Himself, which is true love for all.
Maybe you have been thinking about a brighter future in this life . Maybe you need to look to the next life and not so much this one . You must see that this world is full of people and people are sinners . Most of the people with power in this world are not Christians . They are interested in the pleasures of this life . We have to be different to them and set our hearts on the next life , when we will be with our Saviour . That's better than anything this life can offer . Christians have lots to look forward to but this life isn't where we shall find peace and happiness . If we were of this world then this world would love us , did this world love Jesus ? No it did not . We must be dead to this world and alive in Christ . This world is nothing to us and we are nothing to it and that's exactly how it should be .
The world hated Jesus first. I'm really concerned about the world currently, because people are exchanging truth for lies as the shinier more appealing object of their affection. Truth seems unpopular in current times- this is hard to see unfold as I used to have hope for a brighter future.
Hi James. You may care to do a search for "The Hatred of the World by Tim Beerman". He gives an extensive outline with many Scriptures that may assist you in your prayerful consideration of this subject.
VI. THE AUTHOR:
The writer of James is introduced to us in Verse 1. The Greek word for James is the Hebrew name for Jacob. There are four prominent people in the New Testament by the name of James. The first one is James, who with his brother John, are known as the sons of Zebedee. They are presented to us in Mark 1:19.
This James was put to death by Herod Agrippa as recorded in Acts 12:2. So he is not the writer of this letter. Secondly, there is James the son of Alphaeus. He is presented to us in Mark 3:18 as one of the disciples. We don't have any more information about James the son of Alphaeus.
The third one is presented to us in Luke 6:16 where we are told about Judas the son of James. This Judas in not Judas Iscariot. Since this James is the father of one of the disciples mentioned in Luke 6:16, he would have been too old or even dead by the time James was written therefore he cannot be the author.
Fourthly, James that is given to us in the New Testament and by tradition as well as scripture itself, it is presented to us as the writer of this letter. The tradition from Jerome, Augustine, and other writers says James the writer of the Letter of James is the half-brother of Jesus.
In Mathew 13:55, it tells us that Mary and Joseph, after the birth of Jesus Christ, gave birth to other children. There are four brothers mentioned along with sisters. James is listed first so he must have been the oldest.
John 7:5 tells us that during Jesus' earthly ministry, His earthly brothers were taunting Him and did not believe in Him.
I Corinthians 15:5 tells us that after Jesus died and rose from the dead, He appeared to James His brother, as well as the other disciples and His family, and they became believers in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Messiah.
Well said, and I'm in total agreement with your explanation here on how we evolve to become more Christlike!
Whenever I think about why, and how, we should be following Jesus this verse becomes so meaningful to me.
Luke 6:46
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
GBU
The prayer before picking out the Disciples who would be Apostles (the first four who were likely His first followers as quoted in Matthew 4:18-22) was going to concern the known traitor; Judas Iscariot. Psalm 41:9 being Holy Scripture was in His mind; no doubt along with other prophecies such as Zechariah 13:7 undoubtably Christ prayed ahead of time; knowing what He would have to deal with in the last days of His life. To have a known traitor there stealing money and who would lead to all the agony to come as well as dismay among Peter and all others who would run away in Gethsemene; would be something He would have to live with for the next 3 1/2 years.
As shown in the previous analysis of these verses; Jesus faced His Disciples during the Beatitudes. It is certain that He wanted them to understand from the get go the persecution they were facing; as well as demonstrating to the crowds that they would be the ones to eventually overcome; ruling and reigning with Christ ( Rev. 4:10-11 and other passages). They would also be given responsibility to continue the Great Commission even after He left this earth. Later there would be individual discipling and discussions with several Apostles who would be the prime focus of these efforts.
Philippians 2:2-11 goes through a detailed synopsis of how Christ; a member of the infinite Godhead came to earth and humbled himself to live as a man and to die on a cross. We often focus on how Christ's intimacy with the Father was affected; with the peak of course being at the crucifixion ( Matt. 27:46). The reverse; no doubt would have been excruciating for God the Father as well. For Christ to die for His enemies is beyond our comprehension; but for the Father in His eternal plans to plan on crushing the Son ( Isaiah 53:10) is also beyond our understanding. Yet God was "pleased" to do this!
The victory was complete; when He said "it is finished" and gave up his spirit at death. ( John 19:30). Death could not overtake Him ( Acts 2:24-32).
Looking at the entire earthly existence of Christ we see how profoundly He humbled Himself as a servant. One who created the heavens and the earth chose to live with total abandon to the cause; He had no place to rest His head ( Matt. 8:20). No doubt there were transient lodgings as recorded in scripture; the only place where it mentioned Him sleeping was on the boat ( Mark 4:38). Often He was up before dawn praying; and before He chose the 12 Disciples He was up all night ( Luke 6:12). Being the Son of God of course He knew all things; but nonetheless prayer was a key factor indicating communion with God. In the case of Peter Jesus prayed against the Devil's schemes ( Luke 22:32); in that case He knew about Peter's eventual restoration and strengthening of His brothers before the denial at Christ's trial took place. Doubtless He also prayed similar ways for the others; and clearly in these passages He knew all would betray Him as the prophecies indicate ( Matt. 26:31 from prophecy in Zech. 13:7). He also demonstrated the ultimate care for His mother ( John 19:25-29); but always put God above men's desires ( Matt. 12:46-50).
Hebrews 4:15 allows Him to intercede ( Heb. 7:25).
1 John 4:17: "Herein is our love made perfect" (Gk: teleioo = to be made complete); i.e. 'he who dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him' (v16): true love is made complete when we are truly abiding in God.
Romans 12:1: "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God". (Gk: hagios (holy): set apart for God, sacred). That is how we come before God presenting ourselves: holy by position - holy by purification. The apostle's earnest plea is that we come with clean hands & pure hearts. Sinless? Can never be - our sin nature is still with us, but we can come with all sin confessed & clear pure consciences.
To the rest of your comment with supporting Scriptures, it appears again that you equate the new life in Christ as being freed from sin. It is true that we have been cleansed & our spirits have been made new & in that sense absolutely perfect. But we still live in bodies of flesh, sin & corruption. If the new birth dealt with that matter of perfecting our bodies (the flesh), I would fully agree with you, but the Bible never teaches that & experience always shows that the spiritual battle over sin can never end but rages every moment of the day, some succumb to it, others find victory. But in the end, confession & correction restores fellowship & cleansing of the heart & conscience - it never makes one sinless. If you find disagreement here, then maybe you can outline what you consider as sin - for this point may well be where our misunderstanding lies. GBU.
Rom 5:12-14
I would agree with all except, for the last sentence, beginning with "Absolute Purity". Luke 6:40; 1John 4:17; Rom 12:1; the plain write of the words used denotes we're still living in this world.
Hypocrites; I don't believe you intentionally imply this, yet the results of your statement implying this. They did not speak of the new birth, but from the new birth, 2Cor 5:17; Ezekiel 36:25,26,27; heart of flesh; denotes our life now in the flesh. Eph 4:24; you put Him on, here; Col 3:10; The apostles lived, enjoy & possessed what they preached; Philippians 3:15,16; Again, what God required of us is to live according to the measure of the Truth that He has revealed, the apostles received Acts 1:8' Eph 1:19; Eph 3:20; Col 1:29; to do so.
You stated "has sin left them or ever leave them: Never, but they can have victory over sin; this is an oxymoron. Being born again of His Spirit alias; Matt 3:11-12; the threshing floor of the heart is thoroughly purge of the chaff. (sin nature), the spiritual old man of sin, the Adamic nature that animates the flesh. He's deny, mortify & final crucify, he's dead & self is seen no more. All by the Grace appearance within our hearts.
Friend,,,,your covering yourself, but not with the Spirit of the Lord, but with; Gen 3:7;
Your the understanding is veiled, for only the spirit of darkness would plead for sin to remain within one, after all that God has wrought & revealed to us through His Son. For he (Satan) knows that despite one's profession, though maybe ever so high or lofty, & profess with elegant words, it what one does that defines him, Rom 6:16; John 8:34; Rom 2:6;
Hebrews 9:11,12,13,14,15; do you hear what the Spirit is saying here? The flesh purified, OT, now in NT even our conscience cleanse, the heart. Eternal inheritance Roman 8:17; 2 Pet 1:4; John 17:21-23;
Therefore, 2Cor 7:1;
In Love & Truth
Frankie J
the life of youth is energetic, lively & spirited, there's much hope & aspirations towards one's future. Its appears you have much going for you. I have notices from observation of others & my own experience that wisdom was much lacking in youth vigor.
I would ask you to consider these words, bring them to your mentors to receive a godly counsel Proverbs 11:14
The definition of a Christian in its simplist & purest form is to be Christ-like, He's John 14:6; ask yourselve is this becoming a Navy Seal something Jesus would do? Believes follow Christ in the regeneration & are change empowering them to Luke 6:27-31;
When the disciples want to call down thunder from heaven to destroy lives; Jesus replied Luke 9:55,56; denoting it the influence of spirit of darkness to kill & destroy lives. James 4:1,2,3,4; escape the corruption that is in this world through lust & 2Cor 6:17;
I would encourage you to lay down your weapons Isa 2:4 & become a soldier of the Cross. 2Cor 10:14; Marry your sweet heart & live 2Cor 5:15;
May His Light shine upon you, Blessing
In Love & Truth
Frankie J
The great work of regeneration & renewing, picking up the Cross, the Power of God unto salvation, the dying daily, Gal 2:20; Paul knew John 8:32;. You quoted Philippians 3:12 read further :15 the word for mature is also translated "perfect" in the NKJV. (& by the way, I DON'T advocate anyone to the studying of the letter by natural arts of Hebrew/Greek etc; the different language begin at Babel, meaning confusion, & that's just what has happen, there' over 45,000 different sect's of Christianity worldwide, each proclaiming "here is Christ," When Christianity was first birth & brought forth by His Spirit, Act 4:32; Ephesians 4:5; is that the case today? Its more like Judges 21:25; God's words are Spirit & is only understood & possess by the Spirit which gave them forth. 2Cor 2:11,12; Gal 3:2 the Spirit is received by faith, which comes by hearing the Word of God in our heart, not the letter, for the letter kills, the Spirit alone gives us the very life of God, to be manifested in our mortal bodies, to the destroying ALL, ALL, ALL the works of the devil & conform us to Christ, Rom 8:39; Luke 6:40; The letter cannot do this, Scripture plainly points & instructs us in this, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say.) Sanctification "making holy" is on this side of the grave, the work of Titus 2:11,12 & its includes the whole man, spirit, soul & body. Titus 2:14 cleansing us from ALL iniquity, that we may Col 1:22. The faith y'all are promoting is 2 Timothy 3:5; Gal 5:8,9
The angel proclaimed Matt 1:21; His Name declares His works "He shall saved them from their sins, not in their sins"
There's much more that could be brought forth here; Rom 6 -8
The Spirit prayer in Ephesians 1:17-21 "not only in this world, but that which is to come" Thy Kingdom come, here on earth as it is in heaven.
hope all will seriously consider & weigh these words. 2 Cor 3:5,6
In Love & Truth
Frankie J
..... Eph 6:12; 2 Cor 10:3,4,5; Matt 15:18; Matt 12:34 both seeds or kingdoms are within.
Paul gives us an insight of his growth in grace in 1Cor 9:27; he considers himself capable to falling, he kept his body under, then in Rom 8:35-39; he had reach a level of the stature an fullness of Christ that nothing could separate Him from the love of Christ Jesus his Lord. Sin separates, as Eden experience tell us & our own experiences bares witness to us.
Chris; you've accurately describe in your own experience His Grace/Light spiritual appearance within your heart, following Him in this manner will Titus 2: 14; Eze 36:25; the washing of the water of the Word; the incorruptible Seed; becoming holy, blameless unreproachable in His sight, that we may experience 2 Cor 6:16; Gal 2:20; Luke 6:40; Jn 17: 21-24
The veil of the flesh is taken away by Christ, that the intimacy, oneness with Him in Spirit may be known & felt in our hearts here on earth.
Hope this stimulates your query;
in love & truth
Franke J
Hi Chris
I welcome your interest in my question;
There's 2 states that we may attain in this life, 1st, is to be brought back to the innocents of Eden before the fall, where we're yet capable of falling, if were not steadfastly abiding in Him. Jn 15:5; 1Jn 3:6; the fruit mention here is that of His Spirit, the Divine Nature, & good works naturally follows.
2nd state is to be brought into the state in Christ, who never fell, though He was tempted, being tempted is not a sin. This life is explained in Rom 6:2-8; Eph 2:6; Jn 17:21-24; Luke 6:40; the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, to be experience here & now.
Paul in Gal 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2 was speaking from the Presence of God, He was phyically on earth, but His consciousness was in His Presence, Eph 6:20
This is impossibility as long as we remain sinners.
As one reads God's words; 1Jn 3:3-5, 9,10; Col 1:22; Holy Spirit creates a desire, an expectation to actually experience what the writers of the Scriptures possessed & lived. This standard of perfection/holiness that Jesus commands in Matt 5:48; is declared as the same of the Father. He as a loving Father has provided the Way & the Means to attain it & that through His Son, His Spirit of Grace / Light
At my present measure, I'm in the 1st state; What God requires of us all is to walk according to the Truth that we know, & as we abide in Him through the 1 Pet 1:7-9; we grow in Grace & more Light is given unto us; Pro 4:18 & this perfection can be added too 2 Cor 4:6,7; Salvation is not instant, Heb 5:9; 9:28; Rom 10:10; the words "unto salvation"; denotes a progressive work of sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, & there's a mighty work of the Spirit to be wrought in cleansing out the temple of all the foul guest that has inhabit us in the times of our alienation....
All day long in all kind of sufferings we need to proclaime Gods Word. Never give up hope and He will be with u always. Love u in Christ Jeff Dinowitz and if we dont meet in this life, we meet in whats comming.
Taking on a responsibility such as witnessing means that we are tested with patience; no doubt. I have found it equally helpful for fellowship among believers as some are more gifted for teaching scriptures; others with a word of encouragement; others in prayer. Conversations among the brethren sometimes are deliberately planned to elicit a response. I prefer just discussing the Lord and whatever comes up; although one has to focus on the task at hand.
Prayer for one another under those circumstances is certainly helpful as some are cursed out or mistreated and certainly can use that support.
Of course love and that of Agape for the Lord should be evident in our attitudes as well as the messages which is the first of many fruits mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. Joy is something that I tend to be lacking in expression myself; and that is the second attribute mentioned. We rejoice in seeing the Lord's work done; even if we have a day like Noah when no one repents.
It is declaring His Kingdom and bringing honor and glory to the Lord which should be what is foremost on our mind. Then; if there is backlash and persecution we are steadfast in focusing on Him; much like Stephen in the Book of Acts.
Luke 6:30 indicates giving to those who ask and the next verse indicates to do as you would have others do to you. We wouldn't give an alcoholic money for drinking in good concience and it isn't going to help a swindler to give money all the time.
We won't always know immediately about such individuals but some make it pretty clear. Wisdom has to be used and there is some difference in opinion as to how much we give; but a willingness to give must be part of witnessing when we are able; unless the Lord has made it clear otherwise.
The community from the few who are actively witnessing encourages fervent prayer; and consistency will bear fruit ( Isaiah 55:11). May we seek to join such laborers in the harvest.
This is my understanding of the re-birth experience - when the Holy Spirit comes in to reside, the life must change completely & irrevocably - if that doesn't happen (& the person will know it, if truthful), then that re-birth claim is spurious, thus giving way to many deceived but 'religious' persons in the Church.
Acts 19:1-7. I've understood those disciples to be ones of Jesus, not John (sorry if I misled you in this). We know that Jesus had many disciples, not just the twelve ( Luke 6:13; Luke 10:1), so these twelve in Ephesus may well be counted amongst those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah & attended to Him whenever they could. The disciples that Paul met were only baptized by John (not in his name but by him, hence called John's baptism). They never heard of the Holy Spirit, because under John's baptism, that wasn't necessary - they received his baptism pointing towards repentance & the Savior. And why should they be baptized first & then receive the Holy Spirit? In this formation of the Church, we do read of the Holy Spirit being given after the laying on of hands (here in Acts 19:6; Acts 8:13-17), so evidently, water baptism can precede reception of the Holy Spirit in those days. So, at that time, they seemed to be separate events, but today the Holy Spirit is received by true repentance & faith in Christ ( Romans 10:9,10). As Paul stated, salvation comes by confession & believing - and in my understanding, salvation can only happen by the Work of the Holy Spirit within the person. Onto Page 3.
The laws regarding tzedakah, Giving, are God's secret, reinforcing all the other scriptures regarding The Laws of Giving. Luke 6:38 reaffirms.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
This principle is primarily used in context for tithes, but it is much larger, as Luke, Jesus, Job & multiplicities of scriptures affirm, reaffirm, repetitiously, as to make the point on wooden heads.
Job outlines tzedakah more in this one chapter than any other in the Bible. Justice and righteousness are inseparable. The Hebrew root tzedak. Can't have one without the other. The heart reveals where we are at in our relationship with God. It is a blessing to give. We'll not be taking anything material with us to the other side.
The poor widow gave ALL she had. That is so powerful. Juxtapose the priests' tithe, mint, an invasive weed. As a tzedakah gardener, I have to laugh at the priests' tithe, lol. One could do two individual, whole sermons, one on the widow, another on the priests' gift, lol. Funny, yet no so funny.
It is a travesty of justice and righteousness that some Christian theologians hides this abundance from the masses, effectively stealing our birthright to G-d's abundance.
The Laws of Giving are the same as all of G-d's universal laws, set into motion at the Creation. The more one gives away, think not strictly in terms of $$-there are multiplicities of facets of Giving, the more one's cup is shaken, then pressed down, then overflowing. God's blessings cannot be constrained! It's a dynamic of His Laws regarding the Laws of Giving.
Caution: give with a pure heart however, seeking only to bless another, without accolades, acknowledgement, preferably anonymously, if possible. This keeps ego in check.
Pray for their salvation. And forgiveness, that God would take their hate for us and soften it, leaving love in its place.
That God would give us an opportunity to show kindness to them in the physical and/or spiritual realm.
I'd like to ask that we all forgive someone today. The one who has hurt us the very most. Even if they have never asked for forgiveness.
In Jesus name
Matthew 6:14-15
Luke 6:27-36
Matthew 5:43-44
The basic situation in this world is that man is under the bondage of the law ( Romans 3:19-20; also see Galatians). Therefore; the universal application of the old covenant of works essentially is expected for all who wish to come to the one true faith. Christ; of course has allowed us to be "grafted in" to the promises of Israel. We see this in the second half of Romans 13.
We have been called and chosen to be God's children. Nonetheless; we are just as required to follow the stipulations of Christ; namely loving God and obeying His commandments. ( John 14:21). Our love; of course only comes from the Lord; as any who love the law of God ( Psalm 119). The flesh abhors the law as it cannot obey it.
The church therefore; once again doesn't sign any paperwork with God but is held accountable to God's terms for calling themselves a believer. Greater punishment for those who have knowledge of the law is seen in Matthew 11:21 and the following verses. This is why churches that want signed agreements as to membership requirements aren't a failsafe method. God isn't fooled by those who say "Lord, Lord" but don't do what He says. ( Luke 6:46). God knows man's heart and that is what He gets to the bottom of in terms of man's attitudes and actions which is the focus of the New Testament and new covenant as the Lord Himself explained and of course is further discussed in the Epistles. We should be careful not to call ourselves Christians if we are not; it is better not to know the truth than to follow Christ in this way ( 2 Peter 2:21). We see the two classes of people who are either unbelievers or reprobate in many scriptures. More on that later.
Luke 6:30 is part of a section ( Luke 6:27-38) that deals with the conduct of life, our attitude toward other people. There are 13 things that are mentioned in this section and Verse 30 is one of those things.
Here is what I see in Verse 30:
It says give to everyone that asks you, everyone! And of him that takes away thy goods do not ask them back again.
Now wait a minute! If you take my things, where does that leave me? I mean that makes me a little angry. Well, if they take away my things, what have I lost? My things!
It's interesting how the Lord helps us work things out when we accumulate too much of the world, and He allows the world to take it away through the various means. Please don't ask for it back. Don't fight for it. It was taken away for a reason!
Hopefully these are helpful & encouraging & healing to you, that you likewise will help others Matthew 10:8,
I brought up previously about an answered prayer for a brother finding a wife. There could be times when someone is asking for something and considering plans that you can clearly see is NOT God's will; or feel led to pray the opposite. This probably wouldn't go so well if you spell it out under those circumstances. Certain imprecatory prayers as David had aren't necessarily wrong; but obviously it should be kept under wraps. I would also say that prayer in the closet could involve those in the underground church where a small group keeps in private as well. The example of Jesus praying for Peter when He knew that Satan was about to mess with him also was case specific and not shared until the appropriate time. I am sure He knew this all along; so that this prayer could have been made for a while or any number of times. There are no other prayers listed discussed with the Apostles; but Christ spent an entire night in prayer before He chose them ( Luke 6:12). This was revealed to Luke; we don't know who else (not sure about other Gospel writers). His prayer also along with fasting was private before casting the dumb spirit out of the boy ( Matt. 17:21). So there is much to be learned in the Gospels about "proactive prayer" and preparation before ministering. This is effective before and after evangelism as well; from the experiences I have had and others.
We certainly don't need to be praying in front of everyone for more money. I have seen evidences of that providence by missionaries who recieved funds within a day; for instance for a new building; and the Lord has been faithful in my life as well.
It isn't wrong of course even to accept someone's help after a request is made; but don't expect my contributions to any preachers that say they will die or something if we don't send them money like a certain famous now deceased preacher whose name I will leave to the imagination.
Let us be wise.
a. His Names: Hebrews 1:8, John 20:28 (God); Matthew 16:16, Matthew 26:61-65 (the Son of God); Matthew 22:41-46 (Lord); Revelation 19:13 (Word of God); Revelation 19:16 (King of kings and Lord of lords).
b. His Characteristics: Matthew 28:18 (Omnipotence: all powerful); Luke 6:8, John 2:24,25, John 13:11 (Omniscience: all knowing); Matthew 18:20 (Omnipresence: present in any place); John 1:4 (Life); John 14:6 (Truth); Hebrews 13:8 (Immutability: unchanging); 1 Timothy 3:16, John 1:1-14 (God manifest in the flesh in Jesus).
c. His Works: John 1:3, Colossians 1:16 (creates); Colossians 1:17 (sustains); Luke 7:48,49 (forgives sin); John 11:41-44 (raises the dead); John 5:27 (judges); John 15:26 (sends the Holy Spirit).
d. His receiving Worship: Hebrews 1:6 (from angels); Revelation 5:11-13 (from other heavenly beings); Matthew 14:33 (from men); Philippians 2:10 (from all).
e. His equality within the Triune God: John 14:23, John 10:30-33 (with the Father); Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14 (with the Father and the Spirit).
I hope you can see from these few Scriptures that Jesus was not just a special Man or Prophet sent by God, but truly was "God manifested in the flesh". No other man before Jesus' coming, during, or after His leaving this Earth, could ever fully reflect God's Glory, Wisdom & Power. Only God could - and He did this by sending us His Word, made Him a Man, so that He could give His Life as full payment for our sins - but only to those who believe this & place their trust in Him. To some, the 'Trinity' teaching is abominable. But man's salvation depends on the Divine Person of the Lord Jesus Christ - that God could accept no other Sacrifice to redeem & secure people to Himself - only by giving fully of Himself, which is true love for all.
Matthew 10:22
The world hated Jesus first. I'm really concerned about the world currently, because people are exchanging truth for lies as the shinier more appealing object of their affection. Truth seems unpopular in current times- this is hard to see unfold as I used to have hope for a brighter future.
1John 3, whole chapter, , John 15:12-26, Luke 6:22, 1Peter 4, John 16:1-16,
Examples of Christ to follow = John 16:32-33, John 3:17, Luke 23:23,33,34
James 4:1-4,