Author: Charles Crosby

In this article I will cover Paul and his salutations to the churches and the true meaning of Deuteronomy 6:4

OK let’s get straight to it, starting with that well known Holy Scripture from Deuteronomy:

Deut 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.

Now as I dissect this verse and break it down word by word we must remember, as I stated in part one, that the Godhead never changes nor have they ever changed. They are the same today, just as they were when Moses wrote down the first five books of Holy Scripture.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

So if They (the Godhead) have never changed, why did blasphemous tares attempt to change Them, for I tell you straight folks, there ain’t no way you can prove the trinity from the Old Testament. You might foolishly want to try and prove monotheism i.e. that God is one, from the Old Testament, but even that stupid idea would fall flat on its face, for the Godhead ain’t one, just as they ain’t three!! The monotheism nonsense is an article subject for another day.

OK, so let’s start with this well known verse and note this before I start; this short verse is describing the Godhead in Their entirety, and there is not one mention of the Holy Spirit anywhere in this verse.

“Hear, O Israel”; better translated “Hear you Israel” or “Listen up you Israelites”, for I, your Lord, have something important to tell you.

“The Lord our God”; properly translated from the Hebrew; The Eternal or The Self-Existing our Elohim (plural); the Godhead that has always self-existed and is a plural Godhead. Straight away in this short phrase of Holy Scripture we are told by the use of this word Elohim (the plural of Eloha) that we are dealing with more than one God. Look folks, there is no getting away from this, and we need to get it through our heads that the Hebrew word Eloha (singular) would have been in use here not Elohim, if God was one. OK, so we have ascertained that The Godhead is more than one, and yet it says:

“Is One Lord”; so what’s going on here and what does this mean? The Hebrew word here for ‘one’ is Echad which means ‘united’ or ‘in unity’ in one sense, and ‘number one’ the prime number in the other sense. This, in turn, means they are not one being, for being united is always an arrangement whereby a number of beings are at one with each other or unanimous in their thoughts, aims and ideals, as in a football team. Newcastle United is a team of individuals united in one aim – to win, but they are not one being, they are eleven beings. This is how it is with the Godhead; they are two beings, united as one in thought, mind and deed – totally likeminded.

This, too, is why The Lord, through Paul, exhorts the Church to be like the Godhead in their relationship one with another:

Romans 15:5-6 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Phil 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Furthermore, this is why THEY said:

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Notice, God did not say: “let me make man in my image”.

So there we have it; the Duality Godhead revealed in all their glory, who later became known in the New Testament as The Father and The Son – Two Beings in the beginning, Two Beings in the first century with The Lord as a flesh being, and Two Beings today with The Son at The Father’s right hand in heaven – The Godhead has never changed and they have always been two.

Moving on I will now deal with Paul’s salutations to the Churches which, like Deut 6:4, do not include any mention of the Holy Spirit whatsoever. Why do you think that is? Was Paul a blasphemer, even a blasphemer of the worst kind by ignoring the Holy Spirit or blaspheming against the Holy Sprit in his greetings to the Churches? We need to think long and hard about these issues, for they are not trivial side issues and thereby easy to read over, ignore and/or sweep under the carpet, for to do so without diligent consideration we are or will be heading for destruction (Spiritual ruin). So without further ado, here is an example or two of how Paul greeted the Churches in their different locations:

Romans 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we don’t have to be rocket scientists in order to easily deduce what’s missing here, do we, and yet there will be many who will, amazingly, consider this unimportant!!?? I will, therefore, show you just how important it is by asking a series of relevant questions and, by raising what I consider to be some important elements:

1) Paul as an Apostle was an ambassador for Christ and when ambassadors greet people on behalf of their monarch or president there is always a set protocol or diplomatic etiquette laid down that has to be followed by the ambassador. We therefore have to accurately assume that Paul knew exactly who he was representing and speaking on behalf of when he greeted the Churches.

2) If the Holy Spirit was a third being of the Godhead, why does Paul not include ‘him’ in his greetings and salutations to the Churches?

3) Was Paul just forgetful in omitting the Holy Spirit or was he sloppy and/or lazy?

4) Even worse, did Paul snub the Holy Spirit, because we need to understand that if the Holy Spirit is a being within a triune Godhead then these repeated omissions by Paul can only be construed a snub.

5) Finally, we must conclude that if the Holy Spirit is a being of a triune Godhead then Paul, without any shadow of a doubt, would have included ‘him’ in his greetings, but he doesn’t – why!!??

Easy, because the Holy Spirit is not a being of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is not a ‘he’, it’s an ‘it’ – The Power of God. Paul, as with all the Apostles, knew that the Godhead did not include a third being and they knew that the Godhead was a Duality.

The question that now remains is this: Do you still believe in the blasphemous papist Tertullian/Jerome trinity? If so, why?

In my next article I will reveal who The Comforter really is.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/exposing-the-trinity-lie-part-2-1696293.html

About the Author:

Charles Crosby

Please visit my web page: http://yes2truth.com.istemp.com/index.html

Please e-mail me if you wish to learn more: yes2graceatgooglemail.com please add ‘@’ in place of ‘at’ Thank you.

“In A Time of Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act” – George Orwell

Author: Pastor Tammy Mitchell

What are your expectations for 2010? 

Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

Many people at the beginning of a New Year like to make New Year’s resolutions.  I must admit that I was one of those people a while back.  Somehow, I just could not seem to stick to those resolutions.  I had expectations but I really did not know if my expectations would actually be fulfilled.  This is not so with God.  

How limited we often are in our asking, thinking that God will not do some particular thing for us. The apostle Paul encourages us to pray and to trust God for the answer.  God not only is able to do what we have asked but he is able to do exceeding; to surpass to go beyond any request to overcome and do anything.  He is able to do abundantly; to overflow and to do more than enough.  He is able to go above: to go over and beyond, surpassing any need, in all that we ask, or can even think.  Imagine for a moment an answer from God that goes beyond what we can ask or think! 

What are your expectations for 2010? That just when you think things are starting to look up the rug gets snatched from underneath you? Do you feel that nothing good is going to happen for you because it never does?  Do you feel that this year will be worse than last year?  Do you feel that you will never find someone to love you with no strings attached?  Maybe you have a health concern and don’t feel that you can be healed or get any better because it’s something that has run in the family? 

God stands ready to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think.  That’s only part one.  Part two says according to the power that worketh in us.  What power?  That is, the strength of his Spirit.  The power that still worketh for the saints is according to that power that hath produced in them. Wherever God gives of his fullness he gives to experience his power. This power can be seen in the life of a believer who has been transformed from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.  When we come to ask for grace from God, we ought to give glory to God. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus.  The purpose of God answering prayer and in doing all this for us: that He might be glorified in the church through Jesus Christ. 

All God’s gifts come from his to us through the hand of Christ; and all our praises pass from us to him through the same hand. And God should and will be praised throughout all ages, world without end; for he will ever have a church to praise him, and he will ever have his tribute of praise from his church. Amen. So be it; and so it will certainly be. 

Place your expectations into the Master’s hand.  God can take a little and turn it into a lot… God Loves You and so do I…

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/beyond-my-expectations-1696755.html

About the Author:

Pastor, Mentor, Spiritual Counselor, Conference Speaker and Bible Teacher. Founder of New Destiny Global Ministry and Sister to Sister Global Ministry. Our top priority is to help individuals establish and develop a personal relationship with Christ. It is our desire to connect with brothers and sisters in every city, state, and the nations. It is a privilege to connect with you, through prayer, worship and in sharing the awesome Word of God. We are here to encourage, inspire and challenge you to become all that God has destined for your life. This is a praying ministry. We have a heart of compassion for people from all walks of life and especially for those who are hurting. Our purpose is to maintain the same values as that of OUR FATHER, and be a living example of his love and grace to all mankind. We are not into religion, but we do believe in relationships. It’s not about us but it’s about Jesus.

Author: Ed Bagley

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

It is altogether fitting that my first original writing of the new year should be a prayer to Jesus Christ, my Savior and promise keeper.

I am a converted Roman Catholic, and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, is both my Savior and redeemer. I am a Christian. You may be a follower of Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism or Confucianism among others. It does not matter to me.

I am just happy that you recognize a power greater than yourself. Whatever your choice of religious belief, become a better member of your faith.

Despite the current problems of the Roman Catholic faith—in particular its egregious, unconscionable handling of those relatively few pedophile priests who have abandoned Christ’s teachings—the life and message of Jesus Christ remains unchanged, and His church on Earth endures after more than 2,000 years.

The Catholic religion, like all religions, has had its good and bad keepers of the faith. There have been popes who have been no better than common criminals, and other popes who have been great examples of keepers of the faith, including Pope John XXIII (Angelo Roncalli), and Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla), two of the most popular popes in the history of the papacy.

Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), the current reigning Pope, is the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

I wrote the following prayer in honor of Jesus Christ, and wish to share it with you at this time.

Prayer of Gratitude to Jesus Christ, My Savior and Promise Keeper

All praise and glory to you, Heavenly Father, and to your son Jesus, the living Son of you, my Father in Heaven, a living God who sees all, hears all and knows all.

Thank you, Father, for sending Jesus to me so I might see Him and learn His loving ways. I understand that my faith does not literally require me to see Jesus in the flesh to receive and benefit from His message of unconditional love, understanding, acceptance and redemption. Only you, Father God, would have the patience to send your Son among us when faith would have sufficed. Let those who have not seen yet believe share in your promise of redemption.

I thank you Father for reaching out to me with your words of compassion and comfort. Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to your message of service to others. Let not my heart be troubled by the cares of the world, so that I can be of service to you with no misgivings.

Guide me and direct me in all that I do and say so that your glory may be manifest in my service to others. Help me to appreciate that my life has little purpose without service to others, and grant to me an understanding heart and wise judgment so that I can better recognize those who are troubled and in need.

Let kindness and genuine concern be my greeting to all of your children. Let a gentle smile be my first words spoken. Without you Lord I am but an empty vessel waiting to be filled. With you, let me bring living water to those thirsty for your Word. Speak through me Lord so that your message remains clear, concise, and convincing.

Let my life be one of gratitude for the opportunity to serve with a willing and cheerful heart. I understand that while service to others will enrich my life, it is only through your grace that I will be saved, and be with you in Heaven.

I ask all of this, Father God, in the name of your son Jesus, my Savior and promise keeper.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/prayer-of-gratitude-to-jesus-christ-my-savior-and-promise-keeper-1697090.html

About the Author:

Did you know that there are 23 critical elements on your web site that could be killing your business now? You can identify these elements with a 50-page, detailed audit of your Internet Marketing business by leading SEO experts. Act now because this audit, which costs $197, is free on my web site for a limited time.
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Author: Bill Naugle

The Lost World does not want to believe in hell, only the sky, because it gives them a kind of comfort, so you can live in your evil sins and evil deeds. They believe that God is loving God and would never send anyone to hell. They are mistaking big time in the conception of God. God does not send people to hell because they deny the provision in which a lot of them could have in giving His only Son to die on the cross save mankind. Lost people insult God by saying that the death of Christ on the cross is irrelevant to the eternal life.

The nature of God, is one of love and anger. He is the only God, and sin will be paid. The biggest sin that a person may have is to deny that the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Hell is the true place, and nothing can change that. The Bible describes hell as a place of great suffering fire burns your soul, without constantly enjoying your soul in the flames. This is forever! Turn and believe the good news that Christ died for your sins and be saved from hell torments.

Some people say that I do not believe in hell and that is enough for them. They think that if they do not believe that there is hell, it will go away. God created Hell for the devil and his angels, and for all who reject Christ will be joined Satan in the burning flames. If you say that you do not believe in hell and that it is non-existent and then show me your strength and faith. You can start with a simple demonstration. Go to exclude large buildings downtown and just believe that there isn’t one and it will all disappeared shortly before her eyes. Hell is a very large place, almost as large as Earth, so if you can make buildings disappear before all seen then there could be a possibility that it could disappear. NOT!

Be realistic God created you and everything in the universe, including hell and nobody can go against God. Do you think that you are more powerful then God? Some say that they will take their chances. God is absolute in his thinking and actions and no one will go to heaven unless they receive Christ as their Savior from hell. Why does the world want to live with happiness, rather than the absolute truth about what God says in the Bible?

Wake up and realize what happiness really is about. There are two sides of chance, with chance and luck. You can not have happiness without also unhappy. All who are lucky have experienced bad luck. God does not work that way. He functions at the level of absolutely will happen. If you know God, He will give you a guarantee of eternal life in heaven. Everyone reaps what they sow. The Bible says that you’ll find your final destination. God has made way for eternal life, and all anyone needs to do is to accept God’s way of salvation.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/the-bible-teaches-that-hell-is-real-1701495.html

About the Author:

Bill Naugle Th. M. has a Master degree in theology and Instructor of the Bible. Information Technology Certifications. Microsoft (MCDST) and CIW Server Administrator. Bible Salvation Guide
Bible Truth Study Guide
Bible Salvation Truth Guide

Author: Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil

The Foreigner woman in Bible versus Quran (8)

 

This is the eighth article of the series:

“The Foreigner woman in Bible versus Quran”

In the previous articles of this series, we have seen that Language-wise, the “foreign” woman is the alien or the exotic or the outsider woman.  However, the Bible has another opinion.  As confirmed by the Bible, the “foreign” woman is the non-Israelite woman or the non-Jewish woman.

As a result, any non-Israelite or any non-Jewish woman is a “foreign” women.

This indicates that the women in the Bible are but one of two categories; they are either Legitimate (genuine) or Foreign (strange).

 

According to the inspired word of God, the Chapter of Numbers 31 talks about God’s Vengeance on Midian and how to deal with the foreign Midianites’ Women in the war.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. And Moses sent them to the war, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. They warred against Midian, as the Lord God commanded Moses, and killed every male. They killed the five kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, with the sword. And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods; they burned with fire all their cities and all their encampments, and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses.  However, Moses was angry with the officers and the commanders of the army, who had come from service in the war. Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live?

Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for you.

N.B. every woman who has slept with a man had been killed; it seems likely that many thousands of foreign Midianites women were killed.

The Lord said to Moses, “Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation,

And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.

But who are the Midianites?

The Midianites are the sons of Abraham and Moses relatives

The Midianites are derived from Midian who is the son of Abraham. Also, Jethro, the priest of Midian was Moses’ father in law. However, Moses killed all the Midianites’ women who have slept with a man.

Again, it may be fruitful to remind the smart reader that the sword is mentioned more than 400 times in the Bible; and the sword is never ever mentioned in the entire Quran.

 

In the entire Quran, the term “foreign woman” is not mentioned therein; all women are equal in respect to their rights and responsibilities regardless of race, color, location etc.

To avoid repetition, the interested reader can read the previous seven articles of this series: “The Foreigner woman in Bible versus Quran 1-7″.

 

The Midianites in the Quran:

On the other hand, this Biblical story of the war between the Israelites and the Midianites is not mentioned therein in the Quran.  However, Midian is mentioned nine times in the Quran, in the verses 7:85, 9:70, 11:84, 20:40, 22:44, 28:22, 28:45 and 29:36.  All of these nine verses talk about the arguments between the Midianites’ unbelievers and their Arabic Prophet Shu’aib who kept advising them not to worship but Allah, the Almighty Creator.  The Arabic Prophet Shu’aib is not mentioned therein in the entire Bible!

==================================

 

The Bible (King James Version)

 

Numbers 31 

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

3And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.

4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.

5So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

7And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

8And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

9And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

10And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.

11And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.

12And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.

13And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.

14And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.

15And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

25And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

26Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:

31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,

33And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,

34And threescore and one thousand asses,

35And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.

 

Genesis 25:1-2

1Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

2And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

 

Exodus 3:1

1Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

==================================

 

The Quran

 

Verse 7:85 (Qarib Translation):

 

And to Midian, (Allah sent) their brother Shu’aib. He said: ‘worship Allah, my nation, for you have no god except him. A clear sign has come to you from your lord. Give just weight, and full measure; and do not diminish the goods of people. Do not corrupt the land after it has been set right, that is best for you, if you are believers.

 

==================================

 

Back to my question to the smart and interested reader:

Are the Scholars honest when they claim that the Quran is quoted from the Bible?

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/the-foreigner-woman-in-bible-versus-quran-8-1701694.html

About the Author:

Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil,
Prof. of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Head (ex-) of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Unit, Ain-Shams University. Cairo, Egypt
President of the Egyptian Society of Inventors, Honorary President of SPIC-Egypt (The Society of Practitioners of Infection Control – Egypt), Co-Chief Editor of the Egyptian Journal of Lab. Medicine
Member of the Egyptian union of Writers, Published 5 Books and some 60 Medical Articles, Supervisors for 79 PhD theses and111 Master Degree theses.

Author: Marc J. Garzillo

        The name Israel is taken from the Bible and to understand it’s meaning, the Bible would be the authority to get our information on the nation. The first place where the name Israel is mentioned is in the book of Genesis. Gen. 32:24,  And Jacob was left alone; And he said to him, ” What is thy name”? And he said “Jacob”. Verse 28, And he said, ” thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel, for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed”. 

       The name Jacob means heel catcher and pertains to the physical seed because he succeeded over his brother Esau and his father in law Laban. The name Israel means ” he will rule as God” and represents spiritual seed as a contender with God. Scripture gives us the formula for this in Isaiah 43:1, ” but now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob and He that formed thee, O Israel.

       To follow Jacob’s and sometimes Israel’s life journey, we read in Gen.29 and 30 that Jacob had two wives and the two wives had two concubines and all together they  bore him 12 sons and one daughter. The sons would eventually become known as the 12 tribes of Israel.  Each tribe named after each of his sons and each tribe grew into a multitude of people, thus becoming when joined together, “the twelve tribes of Israel”. The nation would enjoy peace and prosperity as long as they kept God’s law.

       The nation was united under King David and his son Solomon but the generations that would follow would have it’s problems because of straying away from God’s law’s. Eventually the nation would split in two and become the House of Judah and the House of Israel. The  fourth son named Judah born to Jacob years earlily would carry the name ” House of Judah”. This house of Judah was sometimes called by the name Jew. The larger tribes in number would be known as the “House of Israel”. Both houses, because of disobedience to God’s law were scattered and taken captive by their enemies. The House of Israel comprising of ten tribes then become known as the ” Lost House of Israel”. The ten tribes would be identified by the name Ephraim who was the second son of Joseph born in Egypt and would have the promise of the birthright. What became of these people can be found in history. The other house, ” House of Judah” was made up of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin and had the promise of the Scepter. Both houses were seperated at this time. The first time when the nickname Jew was used was in 2nd Kings 16:6, when King Resin was allied with King Pekah of Israel, and drove the Jews from Elath.

       In the year 1948, the United Nations and by divine providence allowed the  scattered people of the ” House of Judah” to return to the Middle East and adopted the name Israel. Today, most people don’t realize that they are not complete as an entire nation, certainly not as in the day’s of King David. The people occupying the Middle East today are the desendents of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and any others that might have mingled with them.

       Some say that Abraham was a Jew but he was not. He was a grandfather to Judah. And like Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the house of Judah and the house of Israel were given the promise of posterity and blessings if they would have God as their King.

 

 

 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/the-nation-of-israel-1701946.html

About the Author:

We produce Gospel music and have the honor of being in Marquis 24th edition of ” Who’s Who in The East”. We have spread biblical understanding through the use of sermonetts as well as other articles. We are members of ASCAP and BMI music associations and have web sites located at Mggmusic.com, Ambassador music services.biz and Marcello Records.com.

Author: Aaron Taylor

Sleep, oh sleep, where art thou? My wife and I’s first child, Christian David Taylor, was born last week on Tuesday January 5th. I’ve been told by the sum total of everyone I’ve ever met that having children is going to drastically change my life. To demonstrate the truthfulness of that statement, I’d like to tell you about the day my wife and I were released from the hospital and had to drive the three- hour drive from Albuquerque to Farmington.

First stop: Walgreens. Because my wife had a C-section, she needed to continue her pain medication…or else. Unfortunately, when the hospital called in the prescription they didn’t tell them that we were coming right away. They also got the prescription wrong, so I ended up having to wait an hour, and still had to go to another Walgreens to complete the order. None of this would have been so bad had we not been so sleep deprived and had we been released from the hospital earlier. But by this time we’re pushing late afternoon and we still had to go to my brother in law’s house to load up the car (No, I didn’t make my wife help me load the car. I’m not that clueless!)

Next stop: My brother in law’s house. Neither my brother in law nor his wife were home. It had been hours since little Christian was fed, so my wife asked me to go inside and put their three dogs outside so that she could come in and breastfeed. As soon as I opened the patio door to release the dogs, the alarm goes off! Since I didn’t know the code, I frantically tried, unsuccessfully, to contact my brother-in- law’s cell phone. I stood outside for about five minutes with zero options on the table. Just as I was imagining the cops coming to take me away in handcuffs, my brother in law arrives. Close call!

After loading up the car we set off for Farmington. Thankfully, the journey was pretty uneventful, except for the three dust storms that we drove through. We arrived home at about 10:15 p.m. I struggled, and struggled, and struggled to get the car seat off the base…as my wife stood in the door crying. I’ve been told that there’s a learning curve to parenting. I’m glad my curve has never been measured geometrically. That would be embarrassing. In case you’re wondering, we got the car seat figured out now.

I’ve been wondering how many moments of spiritual enlightenment I’ll have now that I’m officially a parent. Will I understand the Father heart of God better? Will I learn the value of patience and selflessness? Will the Bible come alive to me now that I can relate to all of the fathers in the stories? Right now I’m too tired to think of anything profound. Suffice it to say that after the sleepless nights, the poopy diapers, the pee in the face and–list your parental frustration here–I can honestly say that Christian David Taylor is worth every moment of it. I think that’s how our Heavenly Father thinks about His children too.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/adventures-in-parenting-the-day-i-brought-my-newborn-home-1707113.html

About the Author:

Aaron D. Taylor is the author of “Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War.” To learn more about Aaron and his ministry, go to http://www.aarondtaylor.com

Author: Phillip Ross

The chain of command is: God, Christ, husband, wife. But we must understand that authority is not the same as status, and furthermore that Christian authority is not the same as worldly authority. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave” (Matthew 20-25-28). Christian authority — headship — is, then, service and responsibility, not domineering power.

God is the head of Christ, who is the head of every man. And the husband is the head of his wife. Christian headship is, then, a biblical family office to which men are called and elected by God (and voted into office by the wife who votes yes to his proposal of marriage). In addition the office of headship provides a double bind. Husbands are under Christ and in service to their wives. Husbands are bound by the authority of Christ and by loving service to their wives, who by virtue of their marriage concur with God’s calling and election of their husbands. Husbands are responsible to Jesus Christ for themselves, for their wives and for their children. Wives are responsible to their husbands for themselves and for their children. And children are in the process of learning Christian service and responsibility. That’s the model.

Paul then began a discussion about the tradition of Christian worship, as he understood it. Differentiating between husbands and wives, Paul said that “Every man who prays or prophesies” (1 Corinthians 11:4) does one thing, or does it one way, “but every wife who prays or prophesies” (1 Corinthians 11:5) does it another way. Before we get into the different ways that husbands and wives attend to their various responsibilities in worship, notice that both husbands and wives are described as praying and prophesying. This has nothing to do with worship leadership, but everything to do with worship participation. Paul was not discussing worship leadership responsibilities, but family or common responsibilities in worship. From the earliest times Christians prayed and sang together. That’s what Paul is talking about.

To see the ordinary way that this played out requires us to understand what Paul meant by “prophesies.” The Greek word can mean to foretell events and to divine, as in using divine powers to know things not knowable through the ordinary senses. Of course, Christians know God through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit through regeneration. And though Jesus spoke things that are difficult to understand, He did not teach mystical prognostication as was practiced in pagan religions. Though there are mysterious things about Christianity, Christianity is not a mystery religion. Rather, in the context that Paul uses this word, it is better understood to mean “speaking under inspiration.” Again, we are not talking about some magical or mysterious thing, though the process remains mysterious because we don’t know how it happens, other than attributing it to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

I want to suggest that Paul was talking about the ordinary things of worship — praying, singing, reading scripture, etc. All of these things occur under the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and both men and women do them. Both men and women are to live and worship under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and both will at times speak under the influence of the Holy Spirit in prayer and song.

At the same time, we must not limit our understanding of worship to mean an hour on Sunday mornings. True Christian worship is a way of living in thankfulness and faithfulness to God in all things — all things, not some things, all the time, not just some of the time. Thus, worship must be at the very center and heart of everything that we do. Worship effects the way we live our lives, not just what we do on Sunday mornings, though it has a particular focus on Sunday mornings.

All that having been said, it seems most likely that Paul was discussing some of the cultural norms — Christian cultural norms — of worship participation, which effect Sunday mornings and often spill over into our everyday living. Paul called attention to the social norm that men who participated in Sunday morning worship with their heads covered dishonored their head — Christ. And the opposite was true for women. Paul’s comments testify that such a norm was in existence at that time. That may seem odd at this point in history. But the traditional practice up until the 1960s was for men to take their hats off when they came into church, and for women to wear hats to church — and not just in America, but universally, virtually everywhere there was Christian worship.

What has happened since the 1960s is interesting. Women today seldom, if ever, wear hats to church, regardless of the denomination. Things have changed for women in response to the Women’s Rights Movement. Nonetheless, men still remove their hats in church, if they wear them to church.

I doubt that God ultimately cares whether or not people wear hats. That is not the issue. Rather, the issue is honoring the principle of headship, and doing so in various cultural ways as a testimony to the wider society. Paul simply cited a particular cultural practice of the day that was in use to symbolize the idea of honoring authority. And that cultural practice continued from the First Century to the Twentieth. Styles of hats (head coverings) changed with national and historical trends, but the basic rules of hat wearing in church did not change for twenty centuries, until Women’s Liberation became popular.

I had jury duty a couple of weeks ago, and before the judge (a woman) came into the room the bailiff instructed all who were present to remove their hats. Something of this biblical cultural practice regarding hats and authority still survives. There is real power in cultural norms.

Paul’s point was that it was important to honor authority, and that because men and women had different kinds of authority they showed that honor in different ways. Men, husbands, who were in direct authority to Christ came to church “hat in hand” so to speak, in visible submission to Christ. And women, who were in authority to Christ through the authority of their husbands, kept their heads covered in honor of the authority of Christ through Christ’s representatives — their husbands. Head coverings symbolized authority and power, service and responsibility. There is some good symbolism in all of this, and I think that Paul’s point was to honor God through various cultural practices or norms.

The issue is not women’s rights or male domination, both of which are manifestations of pride and self-concern, and are — or should be — foreign to Christianity. This misunderstanding is not new. The issue is God’s honor and authority. The disciples themselves had misunderstood Jesus’ authority, and asked to “sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory” (Mark 10:37). The story continues:

Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able” (Mark 10:38-45). They actually thought they were, but He knew they were not.

The disciples misunderstood what Jesus was doing! They thought that He was conferring status and they wanted to be at the head of the line. But Jesus was not conferring status, at least not as they understood it. He was conferring obligation and responsibility — servanthood. They had been interested in getting the honor and status of association with Jesus Christ. But Christ was interested in serving the Lord Himself and enlisting others to serve the Lord in His stead. They wanted to get, He wanted them to give. It is a classic problem in the life of the church. People come to Christ and to His church with the wrong hopes and dreams. People have it arsy varsy. They want what is best for themselves. Christ wants what is best for God.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/speaking-of-hhhats-in-wwworship-1708006.html

About the Author:

Author of many Christian books, Phillip A. Ross founded http://www.Pilgrim-Platform.org in 1998, which documents the church’s fall from historic Christianity. Demonstrating the Apostle Paul’s opposition to worldly Christianity, he published an exposition First Corinthians in 2008. Ross’s book, Arsy Varsy — Reclaiming the Gospel in First Corinthians, shows how Paul turned the world upside down.

Author: Ernie Fitzpatrick

We obviously have moved deeply into the digital age. Who doesn’t use a computer these days? Who’s without a cell phone (we ditched our land line phone years ago) that can actually ACT as a phone but is used more often for email, internet access, photos, daily planner, and text messaging. Remember when the phone was for calling people? 

Thus you should be able to relate to what I’m about to write.

God is the HARDWARE, the only one; however, the software program abound. The Bible, Koran, Torah, Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, and other such sacred books are the SOFTWARE! I happen to come from a part of the planet where the software of choice was the Bible. And more specifically, the King James Version which was my default program.

Thus “de-faults” I had grew! 

Software (computer) is a general term primarily used for digitally stored data such as computer programs and other kinds of information read and written by computers. Today, this includes data that has not traditionally been associated with just computers. I lived life and saw it through the digitally stored KJV data. Too often I kept getting an “error” reading and had to reboot. 

Russell Targ writes, “The formal doctrine taught by each religion can be viewed, without disrespect, as a kind of sacramental software. The original intent of each religion was to offer us a sacrament or ritual to allow us to experience and talk with God.” How wild is that? Religion was meant to CONNECT us to God! And all along I thought it was to perfect us in doctrine and dogma so we could FORCE it on others!

NOT!

But, that’s what goes on too often. Convert or go to hell is the mantra too often employed by people of all religions. The history of the Crusades, Inquisitions, and other atrocities unfortunately leave us no place to deny such. May we use whatever software takes us into the PRESENCE of the ONE God, and as Ken Wilber has said, “Spiritual paths are not beliefs, not ideas, not ideologies, and not doctrines. Rather they are vehicles; they are experiential practices, they are experiments to perform.”

Too often performance meant converting others to what we believed and not to serving them in love regardless of what software they were using.

Know what I mean? 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/religious-software-1709294.html

About the Author:

As a spiritual-futurist, I have a BA degree majoring in history. One cannot know the future without knowing the past which holds clues to what is on the horizon. The world is in such a rapid expansion of knowledge that we are close to entering a tipping point that will forever change earth as we know it.

Author: Stephen Stillman

One of the greatest detriments to Church strength and growth is apostasy, falling away from the Truth.  One of the signs that apostasy is affecting the Christian Church is the bickering and disunity among Christians. One of the basic Truths that is violated when there is bickering in the Church comes from the words of Jesus when he said, “By this shall all men (the world) know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”.

Every wise leader strives to achieve and keep unity because he knows unity is essential for success. This is especially true in Church leadership. Whether the leader is a pastor and leader of a congregation, or a denominational leader trying to keep many congregations healthy, these leaders realize success will never be reached without unity.

I have served many years in Church leadership positions and have seen Churches suffer to the point of dividing and dying because church members cannot get along.  Unfortunately it is not just members that cause the problems but leaders as well. My last leadership position was serving as a denominational leader and most of my time was spent dealing with church problems.  All the problems were the result of fighting and quarreling.  The inability to get along was not just among the church members, but also initiated by pastors toward members.  I have heard pastors say some very harsh and hurtful things to church members, words that drove the people away. Pastors sometimes lose sight that they are the Shepherds of the flock and it is a great loss to drive any sheep away from the fold.   At no time during these confrontations could the pastor honestly say, “I love this person”.  Some of the quarrels that either split the church or caused the pastor to leave were extremely petty with so signs of Christian love.  As leader of the denomination I used the theme, “Loving God and Loving Each Other” and consistently reminded the leadership that if only we lived that theme everything would work for the glory of God. The fighting and opposition between the members of the denomination’s administrative council, which originated from jealousy and pride that replaced the love of God in their hearts,  was eventually turned toward me and my family which made me realize I could no longer be effective leading the denomination. I was the second leader in this particular denomination that felt the need to leave because of false statements and opposition. For many months after resigning from this position I truly felt like the Christian soldier who had been wounded and left in the battlefield to die.  I know the same denomination  still suffers from conflicts, and also suffers financially because  the opposition has caused some pastors to encourage their churches to withhold support to the denomination. This is not just opposition but “determined” opposition.  It is all due to lack of love and unity!

The apostle Paul also recognized the value of unity. From his own sufferings in Philippi he knew the infant Church faced determined opposition. Paul warned his friends of opponents, suffering, and conflict soon to come. Paul’s central concern to the Church at Corinth was also a concern of division. Paul expressed his concern with these words, “I appeal to you brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought”.  The Corinthians had formed cliques based upon the supposed superiority of various Christian leaders. These divisions had shattered the unity of the local congregation and created dissension.  Paul’s focus here is that the division in the Corinthian Church was wrong.  Paul’s goal in his writing is found in the first sentence where Paul urges them to resolve their differences and restore unity in their Church fellowship.

It is alright to have differences of opinion on the non-essential matters such as styles of worship, times of worship, etc for these do not affect salvation. Yet far too many Christians use these non-essential differences as justification for division or to even insight anger. When this occurs, the love of God in our hearts is sacrificed to our pride. When pride fills our heart we lose the humility that is needed to bring unity. It is Satan that wants us to fall into the self abuse of division and bickering.

The Apostle Paul in writing to the Philippians made a threefold appeal to unity. This appeal is a valid appeal to the Church today.

United in Purpose:  Groups succeed when the members agree on their purpose and work together to achieve it. Even an average team can win a major game if the players work together. Paul challenged the Philippians to unite in their purpose.  He first called on them to be worthy of the gospel. He exhorted them to behave in such a way that credit came to the gospel instead of discredit. Paul secondly encouraged them to uphold the gospel. Upholding the gospel should unite any congregation.

United in Attitude:  Paul called on the Philippians to unite in “spirit”. This does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but rather to their attitude. Paul wanted them to be like the early believers in Jerusalem who “were of one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). This reflects not only unity of purpose, but also unity of heart. Unfortunately, churches often fail to achieve this unity. Charles Swindoll tells the story of two declining congregations in a small town that had been struggling for several years. The two churches voted to merge in order to form one stronger congregation. The result was that the people were too petty to accomplish this purpose. They could not agree on how to recite the Lord’s Prayer. One group wanted “forgive us our trespasses”, while the other wanted “forgive us our debts”.  The local newspaper reported that one church went back to it’s trespasses, while the other returned to it’s debts. Sadly, many congregations are like these two. The people may agree on the Church’s purpose, but they cannot agree on how to accomplish it.

United in Action:  Paul challenged the Philippians to strive “side by side”. This phrase comes from the Greek athletic arena. In team sports the members of the team have to help each other or they are sure to lose. Paul longed to see the Church members working side-by-side to present the gospel to their city. A missionary told of a village in Africa where a little child wandered away from home as was lost in the tall grass. The villagers searched all day without finding the child. The next morning they formed a line, joined hands, and walked through the tall grass side-by-side. They soon found the child, but the child was dead. In her grief the mother cried, “if we had only held hands longer”.

Like the believers at Phlippi, Christians today must join hands and hearts to uphold the gospel. When they share a common purpose, display a common attitude, and act in unison, the gospel will be upheld, people will be saved, and God will be glorified.

This is a strong statement to make, but when an individual, a congregation, or a denomination denies clear Scripture regarding unity and love for God and love for each other, and remains unrepentant after being admonished, then it is time to break fellowship with that group.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/the-need-for-church-unity-1710139.html

About the Author:

Stephen Stillman, owner of www.amazingchristianproducts.com a website that offers great Christian articles and a variety of religious products.