Cross Words

¿Que se desata o se ata en Mat 16 y 18?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Pregunta:

Qué quiso decir Jesucristo a sus apóstoles de atar y desatar en el pasaje de mateo 16:19 y 18:18

Respuesta Bíblica:

Creo que este poder de atar y desatar que se le dio a Pedro y a los apóstoles se refiere al mensaje del Evangelio que Peter "desatado" a los judíos en el día de Pentecostés (Hechos 2). Jesús hizo la declaración de atar y desatar cuando le dio las llaves del Reino a Pedro. Las llaves pueden abrir (desatar) o cerrar (atar). Quien acepe lo que estas llaves desatan (el mensaje del Evangelio) se le desatara el cielo y las bendiciones de Dios y quien no acepte este mensaje se le cerrara las promesas de Dios y quedaran atados a sus pecados.

¿Qué te parece?

Quien haya aceptado y continúe en este mensaje seguirá desatando las bendiciones de Dios para las almas aquí en la tierra que acepten este mensaje de perdón, pero los que no aceptan quedaran atados a su pecado y el perdón estará fuera de su alcance.

En cuanto a Mateo 18, cualquier acción que la iglesia tome en cuanto al perdón de pecados Dios lo acepta. La disciplina que le corresponde dar a la iglesia es una representación de lo que Dios ya ha hecho en los cielos; de la misma forma que el matrimonio es una representación física de la relación entre Jesús y la iglesia.

What is the Value and Benefit of Homeschooling to Our Family and Society?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Question:

I've know some church members are thrilled with home schooling and I've read some information online and I've got to say, I don't get it. It's wonderful to spend time with your children and teach them directly but when I way the pro's and con's, I just don't see how home schooling is a better option.

Public school has some issues, not least of all cost. If money were no object, I would prefer to send my children to a Christian based private school. Class instruction allows for a thorough curriculum by people who know what they're teaching and know how to teach. There are certain tracks for advanced students and other track for students who need extra help. Parents can definitely teach children at the lower levels but when it comes to the middle school and high school levels no one can know everything, which is why they have specialized teachers. Someone told me they downloaded lessons but then we're talking about book knowledge only. There's no Q&A because you may not know physics and I may not know 18th century history. So from the academic aspect home school kids can be advanced in some ways but not fully well rounded.

Second is the social aspects. They don't have the chance to be on their own, learn from other children and also deal with social stress and problems. What happens when they get out into the real world or go to college? They're not going to know how to handle themselves.

The spiritual aspect is another big issue. Christians are absolutely terrified of their children learning about evolution. My only fear is teaching the children about homosexuality too soon but evolution? No, I do not fear my children learning about evolution. I want them to learn about it. Evolution must be exposed for it's truth's and it's falsities. As we discussed evolution has some scientific basis but when it can't explain everything and has a lot of shortfalls.

I think the problem with public schools really has to do with parents who rely on public schools to teach everything. Public schools will NEVER teach about God, they will not teach morality and they will sometimes not really challenge our children which is a father and mother's job.

Answer:

Thanks for writing. Homeschool is definitely very controversial. I had all those questions you posited in this text and many more. Like you I was doubtful of what homeschooling could accomplish. I taught high school bio, physics, chem, and marine bio for 7 years in the private and public sector. I know what happens in school and I know the culture and the environment. Knowing these things and knowing little to nothing about homeschool I often casted dispersions on the idea. I definitely stood for what the public/private education sector sponsored.

Now that I have been homeschooling for 5 years I can clearly see and understand more and more what homeschooling is about. It is about so much more than that the scope of our public education. Since it is so much more than that, you can't compare both equally. It is like comparing apples and oranges. You can only compare schools and homeschooling at the education/academic level. I won't even compare them socially speaking because you and I know that there is no good social learning going on at any school. Putting a bunch of kids together does not accomplish any beneficial social engineering whatsoever. It’s like that psychology experiment where they left a bunch of kids to rule over themselves and they actually simulated and recreated everything that’s wrong with our society! Even the best private school on LI, Friends Academy, exhibited the same social challenges. The social atmosphere at a school is not a real world experience. This is why bullying and other offenses have been a challenge to control.

There cannot be any type of social engineering that is successful in a school by virtue of what a school is. Social engineering belongs to the parents. This is God's command. Homeschooling is more about social and spiritual engineering than anything else and this is why you cannot even compare it to schooling. Academically, homeschool will win out every time when parents know what to do. But since the social and spiritual engineering trump academics as well, even parents who may not be competent academically will produce homeschooled children that are a cut above all the rest in our society. Many universities recognize that and have been friendly towards homeschooled children knowing the value they give to their student population. Who is better prepared to deal with the social and personal challenges we all face? A person who is well prepared academically but lacks competent skills socially and emotionally? Many psychiatrists and psychologists are reassessing their approach to this dilemma and are valuing social and emotional quotients (EQ) more than intelligence quotients (IQ). As a matter of fact, academic preparation in tandem with poor or misguided social and emotional education prevents real intelligence: wisdom. However, in a mature and focused spiritual environment, where the social and moral engineering takes place in spiritually led house, academics succeed. Why? Proper motivation and goals are set and can be met since academics can only be successful when the individual is motivated to be academic. We know rote learning doesn’t amount to much. You can’t stuff academics in a person’s head. Did you learn anything when you had to cram for a test? No. You learned when you were properly motivated.

I am seeing this principle at work in my home. My children will have no limit to what they can accomplish academically. It is a seed I plant in them and they will pursue the fruits by owning that goal. If they depend on me or on a school/organization they will be limited by that entity. In them, it will be limitless, as far as they are willing to go. This is the goal of homeschooling – teaching them to be disciples in everything, but above all, disciples of Jesus. Nothing else rally matters. I am preparing them not just for this life, but for the next one which is the permanent one. An MIT graduate without social or emotional intelligence is poorly prepared for this life; and if he doesn’t know Jesus he certain won’t be prepared for the next. An “average” homeschooler, properly equipped socially and spiritually will accomplish far more for himself and society and will be completely ready for the eternal life.

1 Timothy 4:8 NIV For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

I include academics in the physical training. Physical training is about this world only. But spiritual training (godliness), which also trains you socially, morally and emotionally (something schools won’t ever be able to do because it belongs to the parent) holds promise for both this life and the one to come. That’s a promise from God!

Well, if you have any specific questions about homeschooling let’s talk. The scope of the benefits will take books to express. It is an experience you should welcome and let transform you. I believe it is the will of God. The scope of education in the public and private sector is completely misguided because our society in general serves evil. It teaches concepts that are worldly and cannot teach godliness. Just for that alone I cannot see any real benefit anymore.

Does this mean parents who send their kids to school are doing the wrong thing? Certainly not! Many who so desire to homeschool may not be able for several reasons not limited to health. We sent our oldest son to school for a year. During that year we continued to homeschool, particularly supplementing the elements the school cannot, like godly training (which includes spiritual, moral and emotional training). There are many effective ways of doing this. This will promote every advantage that homeschooled kids have. I believe both schooled and homeschooled kids can be on the same level playing field if the parents don’t delegate the moral, spiritual and emotional training to the public/private schools.

Parents who wholly depend on the schools for accomplishing spiritual tasks are definitely deficient in their parenting and morally and spiritually irresponsible.

This is all I will say for now for I have much to grow and mature concerning parenthood. Hope this helps!

What Will Happen When I Die?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Question: when and how will i die?...............i am self-religious and a God fearing man.Thanks

Bible Answer:

Well, I don’t know the when or the how, only God knows that, but I can tell you the what from the Bible.

We can know what will happen when we die. Just take a look at this link which will explain everything the Bible teaches about life after death:

http://www.licoc.org/Gospel/StateOfTheMan.htm

How is the Holy Spirit In Us Affected by Our Sin?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:15:00 +0000

QUESTION: In our bible class, a brother mentioned that whenever we sin, the Holy Spirit is removed from us because God cannot be in the presence of sin and when we repent then we can be forgiven and receive grace. I am a little perplexed about the Holy Spirit removal part as I am trying to grasp the full meaning of Isaiah 59:2. I've always thought that once we put on Christ in baptism and receive The Spirit that we couldn't lose it unless we stop feeding the Spirit and fall away. Would you mind giving me your feedback?

ANSWER:

Well, there are a few scriptures that come to mind concerning your question:

Ephesians 4:29-31 NIV Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

This passage mentions several sins which grieve the spirit "in us". Many do not believe God has truly given us the Spirit to live in us, but a quick reading of these verses proves otherwise: 1 Co 1:22; 2 Tim 1:14; James 4:5; 1 John 3:24; 4:13 and others.

So the Spirit is grieved in us when we sin (we are not perfect or without sin, otherwise we would be liars, as we will see in the next verse) but God doesn't take him away since we are “in” Christ, i.e., dead to the world and living for Jesus:

1 John 1:7-10 NIV But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

As long as we walk in the light we are covered in the blood of Jesus so any sin is immediately removed as long as we are transparent about it and penitent, meaning we are not using grace as a license to sin.

Hebrews 10:26-27 NIV If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

When sin is deliberate - meaning you have no intention of wanting to draw nearer to God, then you are placing yourself in that dangerous place where God indeed will remove His spirit from you, as He threatened to do with the churches in Revelation if they did not repent:

Revelation 2:5 NIV Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

That lampstand in this verse refers to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, also mentioned by Paul in Ephesians 4:30.

Prior to being baptized (immersed in water) we are in sin, so God’s Spirit cannot dwell in us until we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. That’s why Jesus’ sacrifice had to happen before the Spirit was poured out in Acts 2. We who have obeyed the Gospel (been baptized in water – Romans 6:3-4) are in Christ and His blood covers us until Jesus comes to take us home. The Spirit does not leave us unless we leave Him.

Do you want to know if you have received God’s Spirit? There’s only one way to receive Him and that is God’s way. Make sure you have obeyed the one and only Gospel message!

Check it out: http://www.licoc.org/Gospel/Gospel.htm

Could the Rich Man Have Avoided Punishment?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Your question: In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. My question is, if the rich man had taken care of Lazarus and fed and clothed him in this life, would he have still opened his eyes in Hades?

Bible Answer:

Whether or not we suffer punishment in Hades (abode of departed spirits, or the place where the dead go) depends on the grace of God and our response to that grace by our faith. We all will face judgment (Heb 9:27), some will be welcomed to eternal life and some to eternal death (separation from God)(Mat 25:46). Both the rich man and Lazarus were in Hades. This is the place (or state) where the dead go. Please consult this graphic to better understand: http://www.licoc.org/Gospel/StateOfTheMan.htm

Paradise is in Hades and so is Tartarus, or the place of torment.

Abraham’s judgment of the rich man had to do more with his attitude than his deeds. If the rich man had the right attitude and worshipped God then he would have automatically taken care of Lazarus and anyone else. But the rich man was selfish and denied God, which resulted in his behavior towards Lazarus and probably others.

Because we all are guilty of sin, we all stand condemned (Rom 6:23). We all will end up in the same place the rich man is (he is still there). If it were not for the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus and the salvation He provides we would suffer punishment forever. This is why it is so important to take advantage of the fact that you are alive now and become a disciple (student and follower) of Jesus (John 8:31-32). Please read this article I wrote to know how to be saved and be born again in Jesus: http://www.licoc.org/Gospel/Gospel.htm

Where did Adam and Eve’s kid’s kids come from?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:14:00 +0000

Lets read this passage in the Bible:

Genesis 5:3-11 NIV When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

Altogether here we see God gave Adam and Eve many sons and daughters. With no other people living on earth their purpose was to be fruitful and multiply. We can therefore assume that that Adam and Eve’s children married between themselves to produce more children.

Was this incest a sin back then? We can say it was not since God had not given Adam and Eve or their children the Commandments. That came much later during the time of Moses. It is within the commandments that God specifies incest as sinful and punishable even by death. For more reading on this see this article:

http://crosswordspage.blogspot.com/2008/04/is-it-ok-for-second-cousins-to-date.html

Can you force your way into God’s Kingdom?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Luke 16:16 NIV "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Question:

Would you help me? What does the Lord mean when He says "everyone is forcing his way into it"? [Another version says "everyone who enters does so with violence"]

Answer:

Here Jesus mentions how people are trying to force their way into God's Kingdom - can people really do that? Think about it...

The Kingdom is entered by new birth (John 3:3-5). We must be born again which implies we need to die, be buried and be raised again in Jesus - the Gospel is the doorway (Romans 6:3-4). How do people force themselves into it? This ties into John 10:1 where Jesus mentions how thieves and robbers try to get into the sheep pen (God's Kingdom) by other means. Jesus says the only way in is through the door - Himself! Only by dying, being buried and being raised with Jesus through immersion in water can we get into the kingdom - be born again!

Any other such way people may try to get it, or force themselves in will be seen as robbers and thieves - false teachers and antichrists. These are the people who pervert the Gospel and teach different ways of salvation (getting into the kingdom) than the simple Gospel way of Jesus - believe and be baptized and you will be saved (Mark 16:16).

The kingdom cannot be entered by force or by any other way other than through Jesus!

I hope this helps clarify the meaning.

What are the five cups of the Passover?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Bible Answer: The account of the Passover is described largely in Exodus 12:1-28. Five cups are never mentioned here or in the New Testament references.

The Jewish tradition (not in the Bible) references four cups, not five. The following article relates the Jewish tradition and biblical references:

The Feast of Passover (Exodus 12:1-28)

The Passover meal was (and still is) held as an annual event in each Jewish household. The meal commemorates the deliverance and Exodus of the children of Israel from the dominion of Pharaoh as slaves in Egypt, around 1450 BC.

The First Passover
The first Passover is described in Exodus chapter 12: one lamb was slain for every household and the blood painted onto the lintels and doorposts. This was done in order that the angel of Death would not slay the first-born son of the Jewish households, but only those of Pharaoh's people, whom God had warned He would judge. "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" the Lord told the children of Israel (Exodus 12:13). They were to eat the lamb, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, in haste prior to their departure from Egypt. The eating of unleavened bread was to continue for seven days, as their sustenance to exit Egypt and escape Pharaoh's slavery. God ordained that the children of Israel would commemorate the Passover every year to remember their deliverance, almost 3,450 years ago.

Early Commemorations of The Passover
Commemoration of the Feast of Passover was the first major event after the Tabernacle was first built. The building was finished on schedule, two weeks prior to the first anniversary of the Exodus. The Tabernacle was consecrated and anointed with oil (Exodus 40:9, a definite foreshadow of the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ). Aaron and his sons (the Levites) were also consecrated and anointed to serve in the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:13).

During the first four decades of the Tabernacle, all of the children of Israel were together in one place in the wilderness to commemorate the Passover. Once they had entered into the good land of Canaan, Jerusalem eventually became the focus of worship, at the time of King David, around 1000 BC. From then onwards, the Feast of Passover was to be held every year in Jerusalem, in accordance with God's word to Moses in Deuteronomy 16:1-8.

The ordinances of the Passover, specified in Exodus chapter 12, state that the lamb was to be examined for four days, to ensure it was without blemish. Then at evening (Jewish days begin at sunset) the lamb was to be slain, its blood applied to the lintels and doorposts and then roasted for sustenance for the Exodus journey.

How is the Passover commemorated today?
Today, the Passover (Seder) meal follows a fairly standard pattern in every Jewish household. There is a 'Haggadah' (which means 'telling', 'portraying', see Galatians 3:1) to guide the proceedings, which is based on four 'Cups'.

At the start, candles are lit and a prayer is offered to bless the First Cup of wine: "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, the Creator who brings forth the vine from the earth with its fruit" (Genesis 1:11). This First Cup is called the Cup of Sanctification, signifying "I the Lord will bring you out from under the yoke of slavery" (Exodus 6:6); this was God setting the children of Israel apart for Himself.

Next all the participants wash their hands: "Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart" (Psalm 24:3-4). This was probably the point where Jesus washed His disciples' feet (John 13:4-12).

Then each person takes some herbs (usually Parsley) and dips them in salt water and eats them (Matthew 26:23; also, it was probably at this point that Jesus gave the sop to Judas, John 13:26). The salt water and herbs remind all present that the Passover was originally eaten with 'bitter herbs' (Exodus 12:8). The herbs are dipped in salt water to remember the tears as "the Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help went up to God" (Exodus 2:23). In connection with the herbs, the Lord is remembered and blessed as the Creator of the fruits of the earth.

Next, the head of the family takes the middle one of the three flat cakes of unleavened Matzah bread; he breaks it and puts one half aside, wrapped in a white linen cloth. The hidden bread is called the 'Afikomen' (meaning dessert). There are three pieces of bread to remember that the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is One who keeps His covenant; He it is that delivered the children of Israel from bondage (Exodus 6:2-9). But why is it the middle piece that is broken? This is because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is an indication of the tri-unity of God. Just as Abraham was willing to offer up His "only son" (Genesis 22:2,12), so God the Father willingly offered up His Son, Jesus (John 3:16). Jesus was broken on the cross for our redemption (I Corinthians 11:24) and wrapped in linen for burial (Luke 23:53).

Part of God's purpose in requiring the children of Israel to remember the Passover was to inspire questions from future young generations, for their instruction (Exodus 12:26-27). Children customarily have to ask four questions:

Why tonight?

A night to remember (Exodus 12:42)

Why bitter herbs?

To remember the anguish of slavery (Exodus 2:23)

Why dip the bitter herbs in the salt water twice?

It was really bad in slavery, but our HOPE was in God (Psalm 42:5)

Why do we eat reclining?

Because now we are free to come to God (Exodus 3:18-20; Galatians 5:1; Matthew 11:28)

The history of the first Passover is read aloud from Exodus chapter 12 and Psalms 113 and 114.

The second cup, the Cup of Plagues is filled and passed round. The ten plagues on Pharaoh's Egypt are verbally recounted (Exodus 7:14-12:36):

Blood!

Frogs!

Lice!

Flies!

Cattle Disease!

Boils!

Hailstones!

Locusts!

Darkness!

Death of the Firstborn!

This Cup of Plagues is the last cup before the Passover Lamb is considered (see Luke 22:17).

The climax of the Seder meal should be the festive meal of roast lamb. However, since the Temple no longer stands in Jerusalem (where the Passover lamb was sacrificed), a shankbone is presented as a reminder of the Passover Lamb.

It was after this point that Jesus instituted 'the Lord's Supper'. He took the Afikomen bread (laid aside earlier) and gave thanks (Matthew 26:26): "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, the Creator Who brings forth bread from the earth", according to the Jewish Haggadah. Then He broke the Afikomen bread and passed round the third cup of wine, called the Cup of Blessing or the Cup of Redemption. Jesus said "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20).

(Incidentally, Jesus' words "this is ..." (Matthew 26:26,28) must mean 'this represents...' since He was Himself there, giving the disciples the bread and wine.)

The final cup of wine, the Cup of Praise, is drunk as the Seder meal concludes with the singing of the remaining 'Halel' (or Hallelujah) Psalms (115-118) and the 'Great Halel', Psalm 136 "God's love endures forever". These psalms are probably the 'hymn' mentioned in Matthew 26:30. Psalm 116 is particularly pertinent to the Lord's prayer in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39,42).

The final sentence expresses the hope of how next year's Passover will be remembered:

"Next year in Jerusalem!"

The setting of the Lord's Supper at the heart of the Passover meal explains its meaning. Jesus Christ is Himself the Passover lamb, offered up for the redemption and deliverance of His people (I Corinthians 5:7), the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The bread and wine speak of His death, and of the new covenant it ratifies, reconciling God and man. Jesus says "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:24-25), telling His disciples that the Passover is fulfilled in Him. Until He comes again (Luke 22:18; I Corinthians 11:26), we are to remember the significance of what He has done for us.

Authored by Martyn Barrow.

How is paying tribute different from paying tithe?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Your Question:

How is paying tribute different from paying tithe? Why didn’t Jesus feel it right to pay tribute? Are churches not asking for people to pay tribute and masking it as tithes? After paying your tithe is it right for the church to pass the plate for other projects or should they not be using the tithes that they already have and maintaining that budget? I sometimes feel trapped when a singer that I don’t particularly like sings for the church and then passes the plate, you feel like you have to give because they already sung for you. What do you think about that?

Bible Answer:

Well, Jo-Ann, I don’t know if you are speaking of a Bible passage per se, but tribute, tithing and the collection the saints made in the New Testament are three different things. They are not related to each other at all.

As for the tithe, I’ve written on that subject before. That was something the Jews did in keeping with the Mosaic Law. You can read more about it here:

http://crosswordspage.blogspot.com/search/label/tithing%2Foffering%2Fcontribution

In particular http://crosswordspage.blogspot.com/2008/03/is-10-of-my-income-what-i-should-be.html which talks about the difference between contributing and tithing.

Our contribution to churches is largely governed by the principle of giving with joy in your heart and not under compulsion, as explained in the previous link.

Tributes are like taxes. We only pay those to the government or other entities. It seems to me your church is selling services it doesn’t belong selling. Singing for money is something done in a stadium for entertainment purposes, not in the assembly of the saints. We do not see such practice in the New Testament.

I would like for you to examine the teachings of your church and make sure they are in keeping with the Spirit of God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 that the Father seeks worshippers who worship Him in spirit and in truth. You need to be willing to be a student of the word to be sought by the Father and learn to please Him.

Dangers of the "Safe" Church

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:26:00 +0000

Sharing the Good News of Jesus I often come across people who tell me they are not interested in hearing the message of the cross. When I asked them if they go to church or are a part of a fellowship, they respond they've tried and it did nothing for them.

Maybe they visited a “safe” church.

In a safe church:

The message makes you feel better.
You’re never confronted about your sin.
No one rocks the boat.
You don’t have to change.
You never encounter the Holy Spirit of God that gives life to the dead.

When I read about the church in the New Testament, a church like us, I read it was full of people with dangerous faith. While we certainly should make our environment welcoming our message should remain as dangerous to the flesh and the worldly attitudes and as challenging to the soul as the message of the cross.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

The power to free us from the danger of our pride and reliance on self lies in the unadulterated, unrated, non-PC and graphic message of the Gospel:

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

We’re called to leave everything to follow Christ.
We’re invited to believe God for the impossible.
We’re told to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
We’re told that to find our life we have to lose it first.

The effectiveness of the Gospel is void by political correctness, "soft" love, (which is no love at all) and fear of acceptance. All these are fatal flaws that we may allow to creep into the fellowship if we are persuaded by the world and our heart instead of by the love of Christ that compels us (2 Co 5:14). We need to allow the Spirit to break us free from these sleepy excuses and call everyone higher to Christ!

There is nothing safe to the flesh about the message of the Gospel. May our church become a safe place to encounter that dangerous message.

What are some of the ways you offer a welcoming environment while presenting a dangerous message?

Si Dios permitió mi matrimonio, ¿por qué fallo?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:51:00 +0000

Recibi esta pregunta:

…mi esposa y yo nos separamos y no sabe cuanto me ha dolido eso. me deprimo much y ultimamente he fijado mi mirada en Dios como nunca, siempre pense que si Dios permitio que ella y yo nos casaramos, tambien pense que era para toda la vida. bueno ahora tengo un niño y de verdad no sabe cuanto me duele. ella es testigo de jehova y lo radical que ellos son, que en estos momentos ella no me dirije la palabra y me da mas dolor a mi corazon... usted cree que si fue la voluntad de Dios, el tambien permitio que ella se fuera?

Mi breve respuesta:

Gracias por escribir y buscar la verdad y el consejo del Señor. Hermano, permítame decirle que usted cometió un error. Si yo le hubieses aconsejado antes de casarse le hubiera dicho que estaba cometiendo un error casándose con alguien que no conoce de Dios. Dios permitió que usted tomara esa decisión. Usted la tomo y ahora vive con la consecuencia. Suena algo duro pero es la verdad. La biblia nos dice:

2 Corintios 6:14-17 NVI No formen yunta con los incrédulos. ¿Qué tienen en común la justicia y la maldad? ¿O qué comunión puede tener la luz con la oscuridad? 15 ¿Qué armonía tiene Cristo con el diablo? ¿Qué tiene en común un creyente con un incrédulo? 16 ¿En qué concuerdan el templo de Dios y los ídolos? Porque nosotros somos templo del Dios viviente. Como él ha dicho: "Viviré con ellos y andaré entre ellos; yo seré su Dios, y ellos serán mi pueblo."* Por tanto, el Señor añade: 17 "Salgan de en medio de ellos y apártense. No toquen nada impuro, y yo los recibiré."

Claro que se siente deprimido. Has formado una yunta con alguien que en realidad nunca estuvo cerca de su corazón. No niego que forjaron lazos emocionales pero por eso Dios no advierte que no formemos yuntas con personas que no están conectadas a él ya que es más probable que nos partan el corazón y nos distraigan de la labor en el reino de Dios.

A través de este dolor que sientes lo mejor que puedes hacer por ti es usar ese dolor para conectarte más a Jesús. El sabe tu dolor y sabe lo que es ser traicionado por personas que dicen que le aman. Puedes profundizarte más en el amor de Dios usando ese dolor como David lo hizo y nos muestra en los Salmos. No desperdicies el dolor en la depresión o en tratando de buscar culpa. Estas cosas pasan y lo mejor que puedes hacer es usar la experiencia para conectarte más a nuestro Señor.

Mateo 11:28-30 NVI "Vengan a mí todos ustedes que están cansados y agobiados, y yo les daré descanso. 29 "Carguen con mi yugo y aprendan de mí, pues yo soy apacible y humilde de corazón, y encontrarán descanso para su alma. 30 "" Porque mi yugo es suave y mi carga es liviana."

Deja que el Señor te eleve de tu depresión ya que en el siempre hay esperanza.

God on the Economy

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:56:00 +0000

by Stephen Kovaka, CPA | Financial Sense University (www.financialsense.com)

Everywhere we turn we are confronted with news stories, articles, videos and TV programs presenting the economic opinions of various bankers, politicians, investors, celebrities and gurus. In spite of this outpouring of dubious wisdom, the depression gathers momentum like an avalanche. World leaders addicted to debt have yet to come clean and admit the causes of this disaster, if they even understand them. Until they do, there is little chance of them doing anything constructive about it. All their attempts to fight fire with large volumes of gasoline are a futile waste of time and resources.

As in “God on Money”, I propose here to consult one Person who really did “see it coming”, diagnosed the problem, and long ago prescribed how to not only cure the disease, but prevent its reoccurrence. His principles are simple and easily understood. They are valid today. But as usual, man thinks he knows better.

Click –> Link for full article

Is there a right way to be baptized?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:22:00 +0000

At the end of Acts 18 and the beginning of Acts 19, we have a very interesting account of salvation. The account is one in which those who were candidates of salvation submitted to two different baptisms, the baptism of John, and then, the baptism of Jesus. This account is an interesting one, because it teaches us some things about baptism that are not found anywhere else in the Bible. Let's study this passage together and see if we can learn some things from God's word.

Well spend some time in Acts 18 and 19. In Acts 18:24 we find Apollos:

Acts 18:24-26 ESV Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

1. A Jew.

2. Born at Alexandria.

3. An eloquent man.

4. Competent in the scriptures.

5. Came to Ephesus.

6. Instructed in the way of the Lord.

7. Fervent in spirit.

8. Spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus.

9. Knew only the baptism of John

Apollos was both instructed in the way of the Lord, and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, yet, he did not know the Lord's baptism? How can this be? Evidently, Apollos had been around Jerusalem sometime during the earthly ministry of both John the baptizer and Jesus, but Apollos had missed the Lord's critical teaching about baptism during the period of the Great Commission. Therefore, he did not know that baptism was now being administered in the name of Jesus, namely, by the authority of Jesus.

This is significant since only an immersion in water by the authority of Jesus (in the name of Jesus) sanctions (permits) a death in Jesus for the purpose of being claimed (redeemed) by Jesus blood and raised with Jesus in newness of life as Paul explains in Romans 6:3-4.

Those who submitted to the baptism that Apollos knew were not submitting to the authority of the Lord. Did Apollos teach that Jesus was the Lord? Yes. Did he teach others to believe in the Lord Jesus? Yes. It should be obvious that just because one believes in Jesus doesn't mean that one's baptism is sanctioned by God.

I come across this all the time in my Bible studies with people online and offline. They have been taught Jesus is Lord, they have accepted Jesus as Lord and declared saved through a prayer or some other type of incantation, later on to be baptized, as an afterthought (even sometimes in the name of the Lord) but clearly not for the purpose the Lord expresses clearly in the scriptures. If they were saved without being baptized that would mean their sins were washed away and forgiven. But we know that being baptized is how we receive forgiveness (Acts 2:38) so how can anyone presume to be declared saved without being baptized, and that by the authority of Jesus?

In the case of these Ephesians we see the Lord gave them an opportunity to get their baptism right. After all, if you really love the Lord and have a desire to be united to him you will want to submit to His lordship. That is what Jesus’ warning was all about in Matthew 7. People were calling Him “Lord, Lord”, and yet were not obeying Him. This is the scenario we see today in many churches that have hijacked the opportunity of salvation from earnest people. So, if your baptism isn't right, you've got to get it right! Paul came after Apollos to the same city, Ephesus, and inquired about the baptism of these disciples. We read about this in Acts 19:1-3:

Acts 19:1-5 ESV And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Paul used a process of discovery to determine if their baptism was valid or not. He first asked if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed. (Again, notice the text says they had believed. They believed that Jesus was the Christ, but their baptism was not by Jesus’ authority.)

Their response was that they had not heard of the Holy Spirit. This response was indicative of their baptism, because Paul then asked, "Into what then were you baptized?" They should have heard of the Holy Spirit at their baptism because receiving the Spirit of God had been prophesied since the time of Joel. When Peter preached the first Gospel message he declared that those who would be baptized would receive the promised Holy Spirit! The receiving of the Holy Spirit of God is central to the work Jesus did on the cross! Receiving His Spirit is the goal Jesus worked toward – it is the goal of His sacrifice of atonement! The fact that they did not hear about the Holy Spirit indicated to Paul that they were not baptized into Jesus, hence his question: “into what then were you baptized?” Their baptism wasn't right and they had to get it right!

This points out that a person needs to be aware of certain things, needs to have learned of certain things to be able to partake in a baptism authorized by Jesus. “The Holy Spirit indwelling” was a test Paul utilized to determine if baptism was in the name of Jesus. Apparently knowledge of the Spirit’ coming to work in you is something you need to want and accept since you would be dying to self in Jesus to receive this precious gift from God. The doctrine and work of the Spirit is central to a baptism authorized by Jesus. This is why baptism cannot be given in someone else’s name or taken in someone’s name. People who are unconscious, dead or unaware cannot receive a baptism in the name of Jesus anymore than they could receive matrimony. Many have been baptized as babies or even children. Not even the state would accept a contract with them, how much more are they able to receive this baptism?

Paul explained what John’s baptism was about: a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." The phrase “in the name of the Lord Jesus” means by the Lord’s authority.

John's baptism was not based upon the authority of the Lord Jesus. Was it based upon the belief that the Messiah was coming? Yes it was (Luke 2:4). Was it based upon repentance unto forgiveness of sins? Yes it was (Luke 3:3). Was it water baptism? Yes it was (Luke 3:16). Was it immersion? Yes it was (John 3:23). What was different about the baptism of John from the baptism of Jesus? The baptism of Jesus was based upon the authority of Jesus as given in the Great Commission. Jesus said, “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” This meant that after this time, John’s baptism had no more authority. If our baptism is not based upon the authority of Christ, then all we did was get wet like these men at Ephesus. What then is the right baptism – based upon the authority of Christ?

It is baptism for salvation (Mark 16:16); it is baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38); it is a baptism unto discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20); it is baptism for washing away sins (Acts 22:16); it is the point at which we believe God forgives us of sins (Colossians 2:11- 13); it is baptism that saves (1 Peter 3:21); it is where we died with Jesus and are joined to Him to be raised to live a new life (Romans 6:3-4)! It has the power to destroy the body of sin and set you free in Jesus by His power and authority (Romans 6:6-8)! It gets you ready to receive the Holy Spirit of God that His mighty work may be done in you, preparing you for His return (Titus 3:4-7)! John’s baptism did not have THIS kind of authority! No other baptism for any other reason can be done truly in the name of Jesus!

Let us always respect the authority of Christ in baptism and understand that one may teach that Jesus is Lord, yet teach baptism wrong. Let us understand that if your baptism is not right, you’ve got to get it right! And let us understand that correct baptism only comes as authorized by Jesus today and that His authority has placed baptism and salvation together (Mark 16:16). “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned” Mark 16:15, 16.

Ricci Gambino

Pedro Gelabert

Es la fe una emoción o un entendimiento?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Recibi esta pregunta:

…Llevaba muchos anos si visitar la iglesia y no queria volver a la catolica, pues la encontraba muy aburrida y demasiado tradicional, me hablaron de esta (bautista) y a la verdad que me gusta mucho. Tienen buena musica y las predicaciones son modernas, adaptadas a nuestros tiempos y muy interesantes. No te puedo decir que estoy totalmente entregado por que todavia me falta mucho, todavia no me siento como muchas personas que conozco que sienten algo que todavia yo no siento. Solo se que me siento muy bien cuando voy al servicio, y que hay algo que me dice que necesito estar alli. Quisiera sentir eso que me falta, por que se que es lo que necesito en mi vida, para hacerla mejor y arreglar cosas que tengo que arreglar, pero sinceramente no se como llegar alli, espero algun dia llegar.

Mi breve respuesta:

Pues amigo, hablemos de eso. La religión a mí nunca me intereso. Vine a conocer a Dios porque sé que El me llamo y me lo comprobó usando la razón y lógica limitada a mi entendimiento. No la emoción. La verdadera religión viene por convicción, no por sentimiento. La fe no es una emoción sino un razonar que te lleva a una conclusión.

Hebreos 11:1 NVI Ahora bien, la fe es la garantía de lo que se espera, la certeza de lo que no se ve.

1 Pedro 3:15-16 NVI Más bien, honren en su corazón a Cristo como Señor. Estén siempre preparados para responder a todo el que les pida razón de la esperanza que hay en ustedes. 16 Pero háganlo con gentileza y respeto, manteniendo la conciencia limpia, para que los que hablan mal de la buena conducta de ustedes en Cristo, se avergüencen de sus calumnias.

Como ves en el texto biblico la fe que salva es una fe cierta, no a tientas. Esta fe conoce la garantia de la esperanza porque busca la razon de su existencia en la palabra de Dios y no en presunciones humanas.

Por años yo no sentía nada “espiritual” por lo cual ninguna religión o iglesia me estuvo atractiva. Sabía que había algo más allá de mi, que existía el bien y el mal y que yo quería ser parte del bien. Pero muchos religiosos que “sentían” cosas me parecía bastante superficial y la verbosidad de muchas iglesias me parecía hipócrita. Es más, ¡descarte todo eso como el opio de las masas!

Mas bien, cuando decidí investigar por mi cuenta a Jesús, (gracias a un amigo en la universidad) de acuerdo a la historia, de acuerdo a lo que hay en la Biblia (después de comprobar que si puedo confiar en lo que dice el texto bíblico), por primera vez aprendí de Él y mi entendimiento no dependió mas de otros si no de mi. Dios me hablo a mí. Me guio con palabras que entendía. Dios utilizo Su palabra para sembrar una semilla que he estado alimentando ya por 22 años.

La mayoría de lo que ves en el mundo religioso es superficial e hipócrita. Tú lo sabes. Pero hay un remanente del cual se habla en la Biblia que conoce de Dios y conoce a Dios tanto como Dios nos conoce a nosotros. Este fiel remanente, que se decide regir por las palabras de Dios y no por opiniones ni filosofías ni presunciones humanas es la iglesia por cual Cristo murió y son los que esperan su retorno con deseo y esperanza. Este remanente sabe lo que es al amor, la esperanza y la paz y perseveran en estas cosas. No son perfectos pero son amados en Cristo y dan evidencia de ese amor en todo lo que dicen y hacen. Conocen la verdad porque la practican.

Te pregunto, ¿deseas ser parte de este remanente?

Recibir el bautismo ahora o luego, ¿cual es la diferencia?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Recibi esta pregunta:

Cuando yo recibi al Señor en mi corazón, hace 21 años, se hizo el llamado como lo hacen en otras iglesias y yo me confese pecador arrepintiéndome de mis pecados y confesándole como mi Señor y Salvador (Romanos 10:9-11), después de esto fui bautizada en agua por inmersión por lo tanto creo por Fe, que tengo la salvación y perdón de mis pecados. Pregunto, de que otra forma podría ser? La palabra dice que el que creyere y fuera bautizado será salvo. Por nuestra naturaleza humana seguimos siendo pecadores, pero se que El es fiel y justo para perdonarnos.

Respondo:

Gracias por su pregunta. Usualmente lo que pasa en la tradición pentecostal y evangélica (tradiciones que yo no apoyo por falta de apoyo bíblico) es que las personas que buscan ser salvas pasan al frente durante el llamamiento para “recibir a Cristo”. Usualmente repiten una oración o confiesan a Jesús como su Señor y son declarados salvos de sus pecados en ese instante, sin haber muerto con Cristo y resucitado a través del bautismo como lo dice la Biblia. El peligro de esta enseñanza falsa es que presume la salvación de individuos sin haber participado del bautismo.

Hasta cuando estas mismas tradiciones le dan el bautismo a los que han “recibido a Cristo”, es un bautismo de falsa pretensión, ya que no es para el perdón de pecados, sino para otra cosa, por ejemplo, para “seguir los pasos de Jesús” o “declararse miembros oficiales de la iglesia”, o varias otras razones sin apoyo bíblico.

La biblia es clara y como usted vio en el estudio y vera en otros estudio siguientes los ejemplos de personas recibiendo salvación siempre incluyen el bautismo. Nunca es el bautismo por añadidura sino parte del proceso de recibir a Cristo, el perdón de los pecados y por consecuencia la salvación. Por eso es que el arrepentimiento es un requisito, ya que la persona que viene a Cristo debe de tener una mente y actitud de penitencia, lista para cambiar todo y morir a sí mismo para seguir a Cristo. Solo con el poder del Espíritu Santo, recibido en el bautismo se puede lograr tal cambio y perseverar en el.

No presumo que su experiencia fue falsa, pero proveo estos detalles y explicación para que usted este segura y no haya perseverado en vano. El mismo Apóstol Pablo verifico su caminar en Cristo con los otro apóstoles en Jerusalén y el nos urge a examinarnos:

2 Corintios 13:5 NVI Examínense para ver si están en la fe; pruébense a sí mismos. ¿No se dan cuenta de que Cristo Jesús está en ustedes? ¡A menos que fracasen en la prueba!

Jesús no puede ser Señor y Salvador de nadie hasta que uno haya creído, este arrepentido y se haya bautizado; así aceptando humildemente la palabra de Dios que se ha sembrado, a menos que lo que haya sido sembrado fue una tradición humana. Si alguien la declaro salva antes de haberse bautizado entonces usted siguió una tradición humana y no el evangelio de Cristo. Por eso Santiago advirtió:

Santiago 1:21-22 NVI Por esto, despójense de toda inmundicia y de la maldad que tanto abunda, para que puedan recibir con humildad la palabra sembrada en ustedes, la cual tiene poder para salvarles la vida. 22 No se contenten sólo con escuchar la palabra, pues así se engañan ustedes mismos. Llévenla a la práctica.

Espero que estas palabras la ayuden a examinar su situación. Dios la ama y quiere que su salvación sea segura en El, en Su palabra, en la palabra de Jesús – no en su entendimiento, emoción, iglesia, pastor, personas u otras filosofías.

Proverbios 3:5-8 NVI Confía en el Señor de todo corazón, y no en tu propia inteligencia. 6 Reconócelo en todos tus caminos, y él allanará tus sendas. 7 No seas sabio en tu propia opinión; más bien, teme al Señor y huye del mal. 8 Esto infundirá salud a tu cuerpo y fortalecerá tu ser.

Creo que esta oportunidad le ha llegado mediante el poder del Espíritu Santo para su bienestar y esperanza en Cristo. Estoy orando que tome la decisión correcta basada en su confianza en Jesús y Su palabra.

Dios la bendiga!

¿Por qué se Circuncidaban en el Octavo Día?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:08:00 +0000

Dios dijo a Abraham en Génesis 17:12 que en el octavo día los hebreos recién nacidos varones debían ser circuncidados. ¿Por qué el octavo día? En 1935 el catedrático H. Dam propuso el nombre “Vitamina K” para el factor en los alimentos que ayudaba a prevenir las hemorragias en los bebés. Ahora nosotros sabemos que la Vitamina K es responsable de la producción de protrombina por el hígado. Si la Vitamina K no está en niveles adecuados, habrá deficiencia de protrombina y puede ocurrir hemorragia. Sin embargo, es solamente en el quinto al séptimo día de la vida del recién nacido varón que la Vitamina K comienza a ser producida (por varias bacterias en el tracto intestinal). Y, es solamente en el octavo día que el porcentaje de protrombina realmente asciende a más del 100% de lo normal. El único día en toda la vida del varón en que el elemento coagulante de la protrombina está por encima del 100% es el octavo día. Por tanto, el mejor día para la circuncisión es el octavo día. Pero ¿cómo supieron Moisés y Abraham eso en sus días de conocimiento científico limitado? Obviamente, estos hombres fueron guiados e inspirados por el Creador de los cielos y la tierra.

Depending on God’s Sufficiency in Homeschooling

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:48:00 +0000

I got this comment in my email today…

I'm thinking of the scripture that says that God's strength is sufficient and the other one that tells that Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light. When I'm commiserating about how hard homeschooling/life is, I think of that verse and wonder if I'm trying to do too much instead of "enough" and letting God fill in the rest. I also have a hard time with the balance of what is enough and what is good enough. I'm afraid I fall into the "good enough" area too much. "Enough" would require an added effort on my part to accomplish but God promises it won't be too hard. Anyway...just wondered what everyone else thought of this…

Great discussion!

In the recent past, when we started homeschooling, or better yet when we started having kids, thoughts of sufficiency plagued us. Were we good enough parents? Did we love the kids enough?

I think I am comparing myself too much with the rest of the world, or better yet, with the standards of our own culture when I have those thoughts. Who dictates what is good enough education? Who says it is enough for a child to learn this or that? I often think about the job my parents did and it is becoming clearer and clearer that I am providing way more in the areas that matter for my children than my parents did for me. They did what they thought best but they didn’t know the Lord so they provided what they thought was enough according to their own standard derived from their culture and generation. I think they did an awesome job and I thank God for their love and support throughout the years even until today.

My kids show incredible potential. Sometimes I forget their age and demand more. I have to then remember what I knew and how my parents dealt with me at that age. I am reminded that I don’t need to be in a hurry to get anywhere. I already am where God wants me to be – in His kingdom! He is providing for me everything I need as I provide my kids what they need: love, support, transparency and dependency on God. This is why we chose a very simple curriculum for our kids. One that we can supplement when we think it is appropriate and one that we know we can master and understand thoroughly. One that is not a burden on us for then it will be a burden on our kids.

When I looked at other curriculums I was a bit intimidated by the amount of work and truthfully, I couldn’t wrap my head around some of them. I immediately dismissed those and opted for a scripture-centered, Jesus-centered one, where Bible was the most important, and all the rest kind of went after that.

I know that for me, learning how to read at an early age and developing a love for reading made a huge difference between me and my friends throughout the years. It prepared me for the person I am today and what I can do in God's kingdom. Clary and I thought this was the most important thing to develop in our kids. A love for reading – starting with the Good Book!

All else – information – can be easily accessed whenever you want. Basic skills, like reading and writing and math – that’s important to teach. History, government and stuff you can easily access by reading or looking it up, I don’t bother with that too much. Those things we read about and that’s that. I don’t even test them for those things. What’s the point? You can look it up. Life is an open book test isn’t it – open Bible test!

Einstein never bothered to memorize what he could look up. Instead, commit to mind and heart the things that can influence you towards the Lord.

We have opted to not even grade our children. They either did something right, or need to be corrected so that it can be right. That’s it. No A, B C D. That’s not how life works.

The fruit that I see so far in our 6 year old satisfies me. Although he was born deaf and with a cochlear implant is considered hard of hearing, he knows three languages, two as well as any other 7 or 8 year old. Loves to read, at a 10 year old level, and loves the Bible. That’s it! Anything else over that is too much for a 6 year old! Yes, we are studying the states and math and all that, oh , I forgot, he does 2^nd grade math quite well.

Our 4 year old is reading, but definitely not at the level our 6 year old was reading when he was 4. Are we concerned? No! Not too many 4 year olds read at all! Besides, each child is a universe of beauty waiting to be discovered and trained in the way they should go…

In the future, I am preparing my child to learn at his pace. That is the responsibility God has given me:

Pro 22:6 ESV Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Train up… is the Hebrew chanak, meaning “to narrow”; figuratively to initiate or discipline: - dedicate, train up.

…in the way he should go… - not the way he would go or the way you would want him to go. It’s not about giving him a career of your choice or of their choice, but giving him the skills and the discipline he will need to find (discover) his own way; suitable to his character, talents and capabilities – the way God has set for him. It is up to the parent, having the most experience, to be able to instruct (train up, initiate) his child in this way.

Transliterated: “Initiate the child at the opening (the mouth) of his path.” When he comes to the opening of the way of life, being able to walk alone, and to choose; stop at this entrance, and begin a series of instructions, how he is to conduct himself in every step he takes.

Curriculums are too narrow, honestly, for this job. They are a good guide, but even the state of New York cannot provide a defined curriculum for K-8. Look it up on the web and see if you define it! Government is certainly not responsible for training our kids. That’s why we take ownership of our children’s education as well as their health. It doesn’t matter if you send your kids to school or homeschool them – you, the parent, are responsible for showing them their way!

So, I think we should concentrate on showing them, teaching them the how to, the basic skills they will need so they can find the path and we can encourage them in it. Don’t waste your precious and valuable time in trying to get them to do something that is pointless or unneeded or that they can read in a book or look up later on in life when they might need it. Not everyone is cut out for academics, I know that. Not everyone is cut out for university. Some of our kids will do one thing and others another. Just train them in that way – a good, honest, God glorifying way where they will meet souls and teach them the truth about Jesus.

My 2 ¢

¿Qué significa seguir a Jesús?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:03:00 +0000

Respuesta: Seguir a Jesús significa haber muerto con El al ser sepultado en agua mediante el bautismo, así sepultando el viejo hombre, y naciendo de nueva a nueva vida tal y como Jesús resucitó de entre los muertos.

Romanos 6:3-4 NVI ¿Acaso no saben ustedes que todos los que fuimos bautizados para unirnos con Cristo Jesús, en realidad fuimos bautizados para participar en su muerte? 4 Por tanto, mediante el bautismo fuimos sepultados con él en su muerte, a fin de que, así como Cristo resucitó por el poder del Padre, también nosotros llevemos una vida nueva.

Este bautismo es como nacemos de nuevo y es el primer paso a seguir a Jesús, efectivamente haciéndote Su discípulo.

Después de haberte bautizado debes seguir caminando en la luz como dice Juan.

1 Juan 1:7-9 NVI Pero si vivimos en la luz, así como él está en la luz, tenemos comunión unos con otros, y la sangre de su Hijo Jesucristo nos limpia de todo pecado. 8 Si afirmamos que no tenemos pecado, nos engañamos a nosotros mismos y no tenemos la verdad. 9 Si confesamos nuestros pecados, Dios, que es fiel y justo, nos los perdonará y nos limpiará de toda maldad.

Caminar en la luz significa dar muerte a tu viejo hombre a diario, cargando tu cruz como lo hizo Jesús.

Lucas 9:23-24 NVI Dirigiéndose a todos, declaró: --Si alguien quiere ser mi discípulo, que se niegue a sí mismo, lleve su cruz cada día y me siga. 24 Porque el que quiera salvar su vida, la perderá; pero el que pierda su vida por mi causa, la salvará.

Al caminar en la luz la sangre de Jesús continua su poder efectivo, limpiando todo pecado. El que camina en la luz vive una vida penitente, confesando sus pecados y negándose a sí mismo para así cumplir con la voluntad de Dios en su vida.

El que sigue a Cristo conocerá la verdad y es liberado del pecado. Últimamente el que de veras sigue a Cristo vive con gozo esperando Su retorno al final de la edad.

Juan 8:31-32 NVI Jesús se dirigió entonces a los judíos que habían creído en él, y les dijo: --Si se mantienen fieles a mis enseñanzas, serán realmente mis discípulos; 32 y conocerán la verdad, y la verdad los hará libres.

Is Jesus God?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Will the real God please stand up? There are all kinds of places you can start. I’m going to start with Jesus because he makes some exclusive claims that no one else makes. If his claims are true, then it simplifies my search. If not, then I still have a long way to go.

John 14:6 – “I am the way to God.”

John 5:18 – “Making himself equal to God.”

John 10:33 – “You claim to be God.”

John 20:28 – “My Lord and my God.”

John 8:23,24 – “If you don’t believe, you are lost.”

Acts 4:12 – “No other one can save you” This decision is the most important decision in your life.

True or False? Jesus and his followers claim he is God. This is either true or false.

If false then Jesus either knew it was or he didn’t. If he knew it was false then he was a liar. If he didn’t then he was a lunatic. Either way – not a good teacher. If he was telling the truth, then he’s Lord (God).

Some people believe he was just a good moral teacher but when you examine his claims then you see that he never leaves this option open. Either he is God or he is not. If he is not then you must choose whether you believe he was a deliberate liar or merely a lunatic. If, however, he was telling the truth and he is Lord, then you must decide if you follow him.

Why do I believe Jesus is God?

Miracles: John 20:30-31
Prophecies fulfilled (to name but a few)
1. Born of a virgin (Is. 7:14 ~ Matt. 1:18-25)
2. House of David (Jer. 23:5 ~ Lu. 3:23, 31)
3. Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 ~ Mat. 2:1)
4. Ministry to begin in Galilee (Is. 9:1 ~ Mat. 4:12-17)
5. Betrayed by a friend (Ps. 41:9 ~ Mat. 10:4; 26:49-50)
6. Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12 ~ Mat. 26:15)
7. Wounded and bruised ( Is. 53:5 ~ Mat. 27:26)
8. Bones not broken ( Ps. 34:20 ~ John 19:32,33)
9. Crucified with thieves ( Is. 53:12 ~ Mat. 27:38)
10. Resurrection (Ps. 16:10 ~ Acts 2:31)
11. There are more than 400 Messianic prophecies.

Jesus’ life and teachings (John 7:17) Read a Gospel. See what you think.
The Resurrection – this is the most convincing for me. It is a pass or fail test – 1 Cor. 15:12-19
1. The prediction – Matt. 27:62-66
2. The fulfillment – Matt. 28:11-15
3. The witnesses – 1 Cor. 15:1-6

i. Notice there are over 500 eyewitnesses! Most of the eyewitnesses were still around for “cross”-examination. How many witnesses would it take to convince a jury? How many would it take to convince you?

The empty tomb – never disputed. Even the enemies of Christianity never disputed the FACT of the empty tomb. How did it get empty? What happened to the body of Jesus?

i. Fainted? Some say he didn’t die at all – he just fainted on the cross and then revived in the tomb. Problem: After being beaten and flogged to within an inch of his life, nailed to a cross and a spear stuck in his side – after being wrapped in 75 lbs. of spices and grace clothes and after going three days without any medical attention or food or water – he gets better? That takes almost as much faith as believing in his resurrection! Not only does get better, but he unwraps himself and removes the huge stone single-handedly and then fights his way through elite Roman guards. Again, this stretches credulity as much as the resurrection. It does not provide a viable alternative explanation.
ii. Stolen? Some say that his body was stolen. By whom? Not the Jews – they would have just produced it when claims of resurrection were being made. The most likely suspects would have been the apostles. Problem: How did they get past the Roman guards? Also, when they and their families were threatened with torture and execution if they continued to claim they were witnesses of the resurrection, what motive would they have at that point to continue to lie? They had nothing to gain and everything to lose.
iii. Wrong tomb? Some people believe that everyone got it wrong and couldn’t find the right tomb where he was laid. Problem: Too many witnesses. Too much at stake for both sides.
iv. Resurrection? Problem: Hard to believe because it goes against the laws of nature. But . . . it was predicted that the tomb would be empty after 3 days and it was. There were over 500 eyewitnesses of the resurrected Jesus. If Jesus is God then he could transcend the laws of nature and, in fact, many examples of miracles are given in the Gospels.

What do you think about Jesus? Was he a liar? Was he a lunatic? Who do you say Jesus is? What’s the evidence to support your belief?

- Steve Curtis

Does God Exist?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:36:00 +0000

You Are Here

Like the map says, “You are here.” Question is – how did you get here? Where did you come from? Well, obviously, you came from your momma and she came from her momma and, if we go back far enough, somewhere back there was the very first momma! But then, where did she come from?!

Only Two Choices

Basically, everything boils down to two options: 1) we got here by accident or 2) we got here by purpose. (Would you agree that these are really our only two choices?). Is there any way to know which one is true? It depends on what you mean by “know.” You see, whatever you believe about the origin of life and intelligence, it will ultimately come down to faith. “But wait,” you say, “what about science – doesn’t science provide some answers?” Yes and no. Science can give us some clues based on what we can observe in the present but science cannot “prove” anything about the origin of the universe.

Faith vs. Faith

The scientific method involves such things as forming a hypothesis about something, then testing it, observing it and drawing conclusions from the observations. The origin of the world has never been tested, repeated or observed. There were no eyewitnesses (unless you take God’s account as an eyewitness account!). Since it cannot be observed or repeated, whatever you believe about the beginning of all things ultimately comes down to faith – whether you believe it was by accident or by purpose. Does that make sense? So it is certainly not a matter of science vs. faith. It is a matter of one faith vs. a different faith. As I said earlier, however, science does provide some valuable clues – as does history, archaeology, psychology, linguistics and other fields of study and research.

Evolution

If we believe in the accident model of origins, then the most popular doctrine representing that belief is what we usually refer to as “evolution.” There are many different denominations of evolutionary thought but they all seem to have some basic points in common. The evolution model basically starts with matter having always existed – it didn’t come from anywhere – it just is. Somehow, we don’t know by what means really, this matter exploded and formed the planets – including earth. The non-living matter on earth somehow, we don’t know by what means really, spontaneously generated life. Life sprang into existence from non-life. The early chaos of earth began to self-direct itself into more organized and complex organisms. Natural selection took place and the most fit organisms survived and somehow changed into different species - we don’t really know by what means.

Simple Model of Evolution

We are here by accident – a random assortment of atoms and chemicals.

Matter is eternal
Life comes from non-life
Things naturally move from simple to complex/from chaotic to organized
Species change into different species

Some possible conclusions of the view might include:

Life has no ultimate meaning or purpose
Right and wrong don’t really exist
No hope for anything after death

Creation

The other option, that we are here by purpose, implies that we are created by some intelligence/life – a very powerful intelligence and life at that. There are many different denominations of thought about the creator but since we have to start somewhere, let’s start with the biblical account of creation since it is a prominent view.

Creationists believe that life and intelligence have always existed. It didn’t come from anywhere – it just is. This intelligent life, let’s call it “God,” created the universe with design, organization and purpose. On earth (at least) God created life according to its kinds – in other words, one species did not transform into different species. The basic kinds of life existed from the beginning (they have, however, experienced variations within their kind – we don’t all look alike – but cats have always had kittens, they have never had ducklings, and humans have always given birth to humans).

Things have gone from a state of perfection and have deteriorated over time. Things tend to go from complex to simple, from ordered to less-ordered. Natural selection has caused the extinction of many organisms but did not cause one species to change into a different species.

Simple Model of Creation

We are here by design and our lives have purpose and meaning.

Life/intelligence is eternal
Life comes from life
Things tend to move from complex to simple/from organized to less organized
Species reproduce after their own kind

Some conclusions:

Life has ultimate meaning and purpose
Right and wrong exist
There is hope beyond death

Clues from Science

Earlier we said that science can provide us with some valuable clues to the question of origins. Let’s compare the two models with actual empirical observation and see what we find.

Evolution

Life comes from non-life
Chaos to order
Species change into different species

Creation

Life comes from life
Order to chaos
Variation within species only

Empirical Observation

Life comes from life
Order to chaos
Variation within species only

Now, admittedly, those are very basic comparisons but even at this basic level it is not difficult to see which model seems to fit with actual scientific “laws” and processes. Which one fits better? Which one actually takes more faith to believe?

Conclusion

Obviously, we are just scratching the surface with this little introduction but, hopefully, it illustrates that creation shouldn’t be dismissed so quickly and that evolution actually has some significant obstacles. We could also talk about evidence from other fields of study and even that sense of moral law implanted in each of us. There is a list of recommended resources for delving deeper at the end of this article.

One Final Thought

One final thought – if I were to tell you that this wrist watch of mine is unique in all the world because it actually made itself through a combination of raw materials that just exploded for no known reason or cause – would you believe me? If I told you everything organized itself into this mechanism and it even spontaneously formed its own life source (battery) and even had the right date and time on it – would you think that possible or likely? Why not? It’s too complex? Too intricate and complicated? I would agree. But which is more complex – my watch or a human brain (or even a single cell organism for that matter!)?

If it doesn’t make sense that something as complex as my watch could happen by accident without purpose or design, then how much sense does it make that something infinitely more complex like life and the universe could happen by accident without purpose or design?

- Steve Curtis

Does Acts 20:7 say that the Lord's Supper should be taken every week?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:16:00 +0000

If Jesus wanted us to take it every week wouldn't He have stated it when He told the apostles to "do this in remembrance of me"?

That’s a great question. Actually, Jesus doesn’t say “when” to take it, just why we should take it:

Luke 22:19 NIV And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

This is the same thing more or less he says in all the Gospel accounts, except in John, where only the conversation He has with His disciples during the meal is recorded in 4 chapters, John 13-17.

Paul says:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Paul’s last line shows he interpreted this (through the Spirit) by meaning that we should take it often: whenever you eat this, meaning they did it often. How often?

Acts 2:42 NIV They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

This gives us a clue as to the how often part: being that fellowship refers to the agape, or love feasts, it is then understood that breaking of bread refers to the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the only celebration or holiday the Christian has by example of Jesus.

This passage:

Acts 20:7 NIV On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

… only says they did this on the first day of the week. It doesn’t really establish that they did it weekly, but one can infer if they did it often, as the passage in Acts 2:42 says, they were dedicated, meaning it was done regularly, perhaps we can tie up these passages and say that they regularly did it on the first day of the week.

Early church history corroborates that tradition more than anything.

I believe a disciple will be dedicated to celebrating this supper regularly since he would do it to commemorate the sacrifice and life Jesus has given for us. Doing it monthly or yearly or irregularly is definitely not in keeping with the idea of these passages. Doing it every week definitely is.

¿Qué son los muertos en Cristo?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Hemos hecho un website especial donde puede aprender la respuesta a esta pregunta:

http://www.licoc.org/Gospel/estado_de_hombreIndex.htm

Pornografia y homosexualidad; ¿pecados?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:19:00 +0000

¿Por qué la pornografía de vez en cuando es pecado? La homosexualidad; por qué sentimos atracción al mismo sexo? ¿Serán salvos los homosexuales?

Respuesta Bíblica:

La bíblica es muy clara en esto. El hecho de que sientas algo en tu corazón no significa que está bien. Si usted desea matar a alguien, ¿lo justifica su sentimiento? De la misma forma, el sentir deseo sexual por personas del mismo género no justifica cometer ese pecado. Ese deseo es tan inmoral como el deseo de querer tener relaciones sexuales ilegitimas con alguien del sexo opuesto. Son estos sentimientos del corazón lo que nos contamina como dice Jesús aquí:

Mateo 15:18-20 NVI Pero lo que sale de la boca viene del corazón y contamina a la persona. 19 Porque del corazón salen los malos pensamientos, los homicidios, los adulterios, la inmoralidad sexual, los robos, los falsos testimonios y las calumnias. 20 Éstas son las cosas que contaminan a la persona, y no el comer sin lavarse las manos.

Nota que Jesús hace referencia a la inmoralidad sexual como un sentimiento que contamina. El homosexualismo es un resultado de la inmoralidad sexual, como ves en este otro pasaje bíblico:

1 Corintios 6:9-10 NVI ¿No saben que los malvados no heredarán el reino de Dios? ¡No se dejen engañar! Ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los sodomitas, ni los pervertidos sexuales, 10 ni los ladrones, ni los avaros, ni los borrachos, ni los calumniadores, ni los estafadores heredarán el reino de Dios.

Los homosexuales, o los que se dan a ese sentimiento de perversión sexual con personas del mismo género, son los sodomitas. Es más, Dios castigo la ciudad de Sodoma por esa misma razón.

Hoy en día, por no hacerle caso a Dios no escuchar las palabras de la Biblia, muchos se han dejado llevar por sus sentimientos y han dejado que su corazón los guie en vez de ser guiados por su razonamiento y fe en la palabra de Dios. Viven en la perversión sexual sin paz y sin poder triunfar sobre los demás sentimientos pervertidos. Viven ignorantes del castigo que les llegara por seguir los sentimientos vanos del corazón y vivir como animales en vez de seres humanos.

Acuérdese que la homosexualidad es un pecado como cualquier otro. Si nos entregamos a cualquier pecado no heredaremos el reino de Dios. Es simple. Lo cree o no lo cree? Cree a Jesús o cree sus sentimientos? Dios nos ha dado formas sanas y llenas de gozo para saciar esos sentimientos sexuales a través del matrimonio. El sabe cómo ayudarnos en eso. Si tratamos de hacerlo de otra forma nos resultara en daño físico, sicológico y espiritual.

Los homosexuales tanto como los ladrones necesitan arrepentirse de entregarse a esos sentimientos contaminadores y vivir vidas sanas, razonables y obedientes a la palabra de Dios. Tenga por seguro que no hay paz ni tranquilidad ni gozo para los que viven en perversión.

What is the significance of the number 153 mentioned in John 21?

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Q. What is the significance of the 153 fish mentioned in John 21:11? Why is the exact number given? Is there a significance in the number 153?

What does the Bible teach about the significance of numbers?

John 21:3-14

3* Simon Peter *said to them, "I am going fishing." They *said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. 4* But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5* So Jesus *said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." 6* And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7* Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. 9* So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. 10* Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12* Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord. 13* Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 14* This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

I believe numbers sometimes have symbolic meanings, not only in Revelation, but throughout scripture as well. For example: In Matt. 18:22, Jesus tells Peter to forgive someone 70 times 7 times. We know this does not mean that we are to keep count and quit forgiving at 490 times. It means we are to keep on forgiving no matter how many times it may take. In olden times numbers were used symbolically. We still do this some today. For instance the number 13 immediately brings to mind things of superstition or bad luck. To those people the number 7 symbolically represented divine or spiritual completeness. The number 10 represented human completeness. If someone has all their fingers and toes intact, they are complete. In the OT there were 10 plagues. Those were literal, physical plagues sent against Egypt. In Revelation there are 7 last plagues. Those are spiritual plagues, or plagues that affect the spiritual life of man. With that in mind the numbers 70 times 7 uses the 7 for spiritual completeness and 10 for human completeness to show that we are to practice complete forgiveness. We should never cease to forgive. Ok, now to the number 153. Believe it or not, this has to do with the symbolic use of the number 3 in scripture. Three is the number which is used to represent things which are "spiritual" in nature. That is in contrast to the number 4 which represents things which are "physical" in nature. For example there are 4 directions on this earth.

We speak of the 4 corners of the earth even though it is round. The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness 40 years. 4 = physical and 10 = complete. 4x10 = 40 It was a complete physical trial for those people. The same with Jesus as he fasted 40 days. It was a complete physical trial for Him. He was then tempted 3 times to see if he would succumb "spiritually" to the temptations of the Devil. (I hope some of this is making sense.) So, the number 3 has to do with the spiritual nature of Jesus. Think of all the events in the life of Christ which took place in series of 3's or dealt with the number 3 in some way. Here are just a few to illustrate. I'm sure you know them even better than me, but I might include a couple you just hadn't thought about in this manner:

Godhead composed of 3 beings
Jesus rose from the grave the 3rd day
Prayed 3 times in the garden
Crucified the 3rd hour of the day
3 hours of darkness - from the 6th hour of the day to the 9th hour On the cross 6 hours... 2x3 died about the ninth hour of the day.... 3x3
3 were crucified
Jesus' lived about 33 years .... some say 331/3 His ministry was approximately 3 years in length
And many more....... you fill in the rest

This should be enough to illustrate that many things in the life of Jesus took place in series of 3's or dealt some way with the number 3.

Now the number 153 is an interesting number in several ways.... some of which deal with the number 3. Now remember in all of this that the number 3 is closely associate with the life of Christ and represent things of a spiritual nature. I don't want you to think I figured all this out about the number 153, but when I was doing my research on numbers in Revelation I ran across some very interesting facts about the number 153. Now, mathematicians are interested in numbers and not scripture. I was interested in Scripture and how the mathematics fit in, so I put 2 and 2 together and hopefully came out with 4. :) ... or something like that.

We'll begin with some of the simple things and work up to the more difficult.

Add the digits of 153: 1+5+3= 9 which is 3x3 or 3 sets of 3

Again, in olden times people dealt with numbers somewhat differently than we do today. 153 is what was called a "triangular" number. They formed shapes or patterns by arranging dots to represent the number. To be a triangular number, the pattern of dots would form a triangle with the same number of dots on each side of the triangle. The number 3 would be the first triangular number... 2 dots below 1 dot. Add another row of 3 dots below the 2 dots and you have the next triangular number .. 6. The number 153 is the sixteenth triangular number. It would have 17 dots on each side of the triangle. When you have about 3 hours of spare time, try drawing that and making it look good. :) So, the number 153 can be expressed as a triangle which, obviously, has 3 sides and is therefore closely associated with the number 3.

Next: If you sum the cube of the digits in 153, you always get 153. That is the only number in the entire numbering system which will do that... and it is done by cubing the digits, which is once again the use of the number three... multiplying the digit by itself three times. I can't make superscripts in this program so I'll just represent the cube of a digit in this manner..... (1x1x1). Ok, we take the sum of the cube of the digits of 153 ... (1x1x1) + (5x5x5) + (3x3x3) = 153 or 1 + 125 + 27 = 153. Again the number 153 has extraordinary properties dealing with the number 3.

Now for the big finale:

The number 153 can be found in any "third" number in the entire numbering system. all right here is how this works... pay close attention. :) (by the way, I am a retired school teacher) Take any 3rd. number... 3,6,9,12,15,18....etc. (you get the idea) or any number divisible by 3, and do the same thing as we did above.... find the sum of the cube of the digits. You will have to repeat the calculation several times, but the final answer to these calculations will always be 153. I'll do a simple one and you can get pencil, paper, and calculator out and try as many as you want... or you can trust me that the answer will always be 153.

Lets take the number 27:

(2x2x2) + (7x7x7) = 8 + 343 = 351 (now take that answer (351) and do the calculation again) 351 (3x3x3) + (5x5x5) + (1x1x1) = 27 + 125 + 1 = 153 (The final answer will always be 153)

Obviously, for some numbers this calculation might have to be repeated many, many times, but the final answer will always be 153.

Now lets put all of this together. The number 3 is symbolic of spiritual things. Many of the events in the life of Christ took place in series of 3's. So, when Jesus went fishing, he caught the number of fish (153) which can be found in any third number in the entire numbering system.

What an appropriate number of fish to catch. Was this an accident? I seriously doubt it. Am I sure this is why he caught 153 fish? No. But, the number was recorded for some reason and this explanation follows precisely what we know about scripture and use of numbers. I'll let you decide what you think.

Mike Scott, ss.com

Is it a sin to play the lottery? My friend is a covenant Christian and believes lottery tickets are okay to play because it's government

noreply@blogger.com (kingdomsaint) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:36:00 +0000

Last year I just gave this sermon to a brand new church in Costa Rica.

On a previous trip, I noted a Large Catholic church in the town where Mary was supposed to have sat on a rock in the basement.

Outside town's women were allowed to sell lottery tickets on the front steps to make people rich.

Directly across the street, were homes of poverty stricken and poor families who were struggling to simply put bread on the table for their children.

Is Gambling an innocent pass time of fun, or a lifetime of suffering?

In doing some research for this lesson on "Gambling", I could not find the word "gambling" listed in the Bible. I have half a dozen versions but none of them listed the word.

So I had to look for the effects and devastation of gambling. Of course for many people learning in hindsight is often too late to help them out of their dilemma. But perhaps someone might benefit from this report.

I found 2 interesting verses which might tend to confuse the Bible student in search of some wisdom on this subject.

The KJV lists 2 verses which almost seem to approve of gambling, or at least to seek after what is not our own. And after all, that's what gambling is all about, to try and lighten someone's purse of their savings.

Listen to these verses and if you have the KJV, make a note:

Phil 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

1 Cor 10:24 "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth."

Of course if you had read the NAS or the NIV versions you will find some entirely different meanings:

Phil 2:4 NAS "do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

1 Cor 10:24 NIV "Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."

It is verses like these which make me all the more determined to persuade everyone I meet to use a newer version of God's Word.

Now let's ask this question?

Q - Where did the first gambling take place?

A - In the Garden of Eden.

Satan simply raised the odds of the curiosity of Eve and dangled a bigger pot of wealth --- which was ???? (knowledge). But make no mistake, faithless rewards, regardless of what they look like or sound like, are always tailored to tempt the unsuspecting into a trap of sin.

1. Several years ago, a TV program entitled "Investigative Reports" gave a chilling report on gambling in the US. The report said that gambling, especially the lotteries, has gotten so big that 37 of our 50 states have now legalize it. That figure is now probably closer to all states.

2. Indian reservations in nearly every state now have casinos with open gambling such as poker, roulette, dice and slot machines.

3. But the big gambling menace is Lotto and Power Ball. Anyone 18 and older can buy a ticket twice or more a week in the hope of winning from 1 to 300 million dollars.

4. How can something so wrong yesterday --- become so right today?

Overnight our population has become hooked on this innocent looking form of gambling. For a dollar, one can win millions; and this sickness is at fever pitch. People are hooked on dreams fantasized by Satan and organized crime.

5. Most citizens who saw gambling as a sin just 15 years ago, now see it as a divine revelation for new revenue.

6. Our government actually promotes this "quick cash" scheme as a ploy for voters to pay less taxes.

Now that would be good if the rich were gambling. But the rich are not gambling --- that's how they got to be rich to begin with.

7. What is happening is that the biggest spenders for Lotto are found in the lowest income districts where there is an average of 40 outlets per district to buy Lotto tickets ---- while only 5 Lotto outlets are found in wealthy districts.

8. If gambling is a tax replacement, it is tax which the poor are least able to pay. And yet 10 poor people play Lotto to every 1 wealthy person.

Instead of buying food and shoes, the poor are buying cigarettes, alcohol and Lottery tickets.

9. A big argument by gamblers is "gambling is a voluntary matter". "All anyone has to do is not buy the tickets." But, is that really true?

10. Studies have shown that for the poor, it is an escape from their situations in life. So to them it has become mandatory.

11. It is true that poor people are no more forced to buy lottery tickets than an alcoholic is forced to drink. As with the heavy drinkers, it may be a sort of sickness --- as it is with other addictions like drugs and stealing. Now that does not make it an excuse. But it does give us some understanding of its relationship to these other sins.

11. Promoters spend $500US million each year in advertising. They conduct monthly lectureships for workers to sell their programs to their states, to the Indian Nations and to the gullible public.

Tickets are often printed to coincide with national holidays like Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter and Columbus Day.

* On the TV they compete with car sales, potato chips, candy and vacation commercials.

* Lotteries are always advertised to show the winners who are deliriously jumping up and down and yelling "we are having fun". They do not show the despair it causes families without a roof over their head.

Multimillion dollar winners change each week giving the appearance that many people win; when in truth, the odds are estimated to be 14 million to one that a single person can win --- but then each person thinks, "well it's only a dollar, I spend more than that on pop corn at a movie each week". The problem is that we don't replace our pop corn or our movie with lottery tickets, we simply compound them on top of one another. Others say "it just might happen to me".

* Promoters tell us, all we have to do is fill in 6 numbers or scratch off a block and we will $25K or $100K or $300M. The fact is if we filled out 14 million cards to guarantee winning, it would take us 20 years to fill out those 14 Million cards for that one week.

There can be no joking that gambling is a serious addiction to our thinking that "If I can just win, my problems will disappear". The fact is the problems do not disappear. They compound.

* 20% of all players spend from $15 to $500 a day, repeat, a day. Some borrow and steal to feed their habit. Some sell drugs to buy tickets to win and buy more drugs.

* More than 5% of the U.S. population has a serious problem with gambling. And worse, teenagers are now hooked on gambling. Make no mistake, problem gamblers cost the government millions of dollars annually.

So who winds up paying for that major problem? You do, if you pay taxes.

Or if you have your property stolen.

* Think about this. 70% of all lottery money comes from 20% of the population, and those from mostly the poor who can least afford it.

* In our nation, Indian casinos are growing in direct proportion with Lotteries. Casinos add free alcohol and Bingo jackpots every 5 minutes,

24 hours a day.

* Video Lotto now speeds things up. Taking a dollar every 15 seconds from senior citizens. On a single day during the holidays, one casino advertised it takes in $7.5M in order to show how much it pays out. Mostly from senior citizens.

One day I was traveling to the church building to do some work.

I saw man broken down in his car so I stopped to see if I could help.

He ran out of gas with his mothers car. He had just spent all night gambling in the Indian casino near our home. He lost all his money and couldn't buy gas.

He told me that the casino was literally raping the senior citizens of their money who come to play. I knew people in that town who thought nothing about loosing $300 a day ---- having fun.

15. The legal age to buy a lottery ticket is 18, but even kids under that age are playing. And now Toy Stores sell packaged poker chips and cards to teach children to duplicate the sport of "Poker Tournaments" on TV.

16. Young people see gambling as being all right. They hear adults say no on drugs, no on alcohol, and no on guns, but then they see their own parents say "yes" on Lotto.

17. How can such an addition take hold so fast?

18. Tickets are sold for very good causes. They are called the 3 E's.

Education, the Elderly, and the Environment. In these connections, the government which supports lotto's for taxes is saying the "end justifies the means".

19. But does it help education?

* Studies show school buildings are falling apart.

* More than 40 students per class room

* Illiteracy rates are rising so fast, average tests of students in Europe are resulting in 4 times higher scores than for U.S. students.

One U.S. grandmother pulled her 4th grade grandchild from school to "home teach" because the child could not add 2 numbers from 1 to 5 together correctly.

* Lottery money does not add money to school budgets, it simply replaces the money allocated or appropriated for schools through bonds into different channels, like highly paid leaders, administration and sports.

20. As a result of the voters thinking that lottery money is helping schools, when a new school bond comes up for election, it is getting solidly defeated on the ballots. Tax increases are a dirty word.

21. A recent survey shows that states who have lotteries spend less than states who do not have them and have to rely on taxes.

22. All tax dollars go for public use.

23. Lottery revenues are spread out. As a result, people have to spend 5 times as much on a lottery in order to have education funds equal to states who do not have gambling and who use tax money strictly for schools. Lottery revenues are distributed this way:

* 1/3 are for states revenues

* 1/3 goes to prizes.

* 1/3 to a private company who sponsors the lottery gets the rest. (in one year, G-Tech earned 700 Million promoting lotteries.)

24. Do lotteries change our lives for good?

* Some states use mystics or fortune tellers to pick numbers which they claim are repeats and are most likely to win. They then sell books and tracts for a dollar or so for gamblers to use to better their odds to win. The fact remains, the odds of any combination of six numbers is 14 million to one. They are the same for same 6 numbers repeating next week. Think about that. That means that 13,999,999 people lose each time the game is played. That represents almost 10 times the entire population of some third world Republics who lose a dollar each, several times a week.

Let's look at 3 of these winners the promoters are always saying are having a great time winning. These are real people.

* Curtis Sharp, the first black man in the US won 5 million dollars.

* He said everyone was his friend

* But according to his wife, the money put such heavy strains on their marriage that she contemplated divorce.

* She said Curtis' whole personality changed for the worse.

* She said, in the end, she lost her best friend, her husband.

They don't have any of their money left and are still married, but she lost her best friend.

* Another lady won 6 million

* The first year, she said her life was a "living hell"

* Her close family changed into a school of vultures and leaches

* In the end, she wind up giving away most of her money to relatives.

* She almost had to file for bankruptcy and listen to this, "they were angry when the money ran out".

* Tim Payne won 31 million

* He bought a mansion, 9 or 10 favorite cars, had an indoor swimming pool, and indoor paddle ball court, and a security system to protect it all.

* Tim is not married and has no children

* Now he says "he's bored".

* He was a cross country truck driver, meeting different people every day. Life was a challenge a day. Now he wakes up and wonders what he will do today?

25. One state advertised the lure of winning lotteries this way:

Plan A = Boring, hard work, struggles, and family strife -or-

Plan B = The easy way, win the lottery and have fun

26. States now see greed in major proportions. We have such unhealthy attitudes about greed that simple freeway drivers kill each other with guns just because they cut one another off in traffic. One man was so upset because another man filled up his gas tank with the hose he thought he should have had. He followed the other man to his home and as they drove up, he got out and shot him to death. Experts say crime has increased in order to feed gambling. Alcohol and drugs are on the rise again.

27. Satan makes it all look so good. But all we need to do is read the morning newspapers and listen to the TV news to see that the criminals make it look bad. I don't know how your news reads, but our's is depressing.

28. So does all this make our politicians think of outlawing Lotteries and getting back to basics?

No way! Some states are now combining their pots to make them bigger and more lucrative. To keep Lotteries from becoming dull every day, promoters are always trying to think of new ways to separate people from their money.

29. Do members of the Lord's church buy lottery tickets? Absolutely! Do any of you? I used to buy them myself using the same rationale to justify my actions. Every Christian who gambles on lotteries will tell you "if I win, I will give a big chunk of the winnings to the church or work of the church". Experience teaches us that people do not do that.

30. In fact, if anything, it causes people to become so greedy they wind up loosing their faith as they become preoccupied with spending their wealth on "THINGS" and no longer have time for God and Jesus and church.

31. For years, we sent in to Reader's Digest forms promising that we were very near winning. The mail every week showed "The Garrison Family" has already won 12 million dollars ---- IF our lucky numbers are drawn".

32 My wife tells me over and over that she prays that we not win and become rich. She fears we will lose our focus on Jesus and His church.

And I agree. After we saw the program I mentioned, I asked her why we send in the Reader's Digest forms? She said she did it because "I wanted her to do it". She had just filled out a new form and it was waiting the outgoing mail.

33. I said why don't we stop mailing these in every week. It has cost us (now) 42¢ in postage each time and we don't win. And you are praying we don't win. Some weeks there are two forms to send in.

34. We agreed and I tore up the envelop and we will not be sending them in any longer.

35. Does the Bible say anything concerning the evils of gambling? The answer is "yes" as it is with all advice about evil.

Listen to 1 Tim 6:6-10

6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.

7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.

Now hear God's additional word in verses 17-19

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

That sound advice is the opposite to that of televangelists who preach that "God wants us to get rich" and thereby replace donations to them.

Paul would not have us fall into temptation with ill gotten wealth.

Listen to vss 9 and 10 again,

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation (What temptation Paul?)

Foolish and harmful desires (Why are they harmful Paul?)

Because they plunge men into ruin and destruction. (Is there a person reading this who does not know of one person or family who has not been affected by a friend or relative who has been plunged into ruin and destruction?)

If you say you don't know of anyone like that, the truth is not in you.

But is money the root of all evil Paul?

"No", says Paul, it is the "love of money which is a root of all sorts of evil.

But what's the harm Paul if we do love money?

For by longing for it, says Paul, some have wandered away from the faith.

Which is more important to the covenant Christian, our faith or our wallet?

But Paul, what should we be doing?

He replies --- When we do the right thing, that is being content with what God has given us and has blessed us in such a way that we are, in effect, storing up for ourselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that we may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Don't be lulled into the sin of gambling. It is a sinister and devious device of Satan and it will bring no good to your life. And if you have friends who have this problem, share this lesson with them and warn them of their

impending destruction.

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Important statistics

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Gambling (Lotto) Statistics!

* Nearly all 50 states now legalize Lotto or Power Ball

* Indian Reservations in many of those states legalize hard gambling (poker-roulette-slot machines)

* Anyone 18 can play and win up to 300 million dollars

* Unlawful gambling 15 years ago --- is now blessed by politicians

* $88 million is spent daily on Lotto/Power Ball

* Biggest Power Ball now exceeds $300US Million

* 40 places to buy tickets per poor district -- vs 5 places in richer neighborhoods

* Gamblers maintain those who oppose gambling don't have to play

* For the poor, gambling has become mandatory to gain riches

* Promoters spent in excess of $500US million to promote Lotto

* Schemers now advertise Lotto to coincide with nation holidays

* Lotteries portray the players on TV as "having fun" --- they do not show the misery created

* Odds of winning are 1 in 14,000,000

* 20% of all players now spend from $15US to $500US a day -some steal or borrow

* 5% of entire populations of some nations already have a serious problem gambling

* 70% of all lottery income comes from 20% of the players who can least afford it

* Indian casinos are now open 24 hours a day and murders have increased within 5 miles of them

* Casinos offer free food and alcoholic drinks to lower resistance and promote a desire to believe in winning

* Video Lotto takes a dollar from every player every 15 seconds.

* Seniors now spend hundreds of dollars a day gambling and some cannot pay their electric bills

* Young people are told guns and drugs are wrong --- but sex (free condoms) and gambling is OK

* 20 million Americans and 20% of the population of 3rd world countries test HIV positive (lowering inhibitions to gamble to pay for so-called cures)

* Lotto tickets are sold using the 3 E's as being supported (education-elderly-environment)

* Studies show schools are falling apart and class rooms even more crowded and illiteracy rates are soaring.

* The elderly are still deprived of good housing-food-medical

* Lottery revenues are divided equally between states, prizes, and promoters

* All winners have their lives changed --- some are ruined

* Members of churches play as regularly as non members

by Robert Garrison