Religious people often are looking for their gods or for The God and may find those gods or God useful for obtaining things in life. It is said that
Christians find God beautiful and knowing Him is the chief good they seek. {Gazing Upon True Beauty}
Lots of those people who call themselves Christian do not see the spiritual lifeline that will keep them from giving their heart to lesser loves and other beauties that will ultimately lead them into bondage, misery, and despair.
With most of those calling themselves Christian there is a painful absence of the spring of the living water, welling up in the lives of many walking around on this earth.
The fundamental reason why is that we have obeyed our thirst rather than embracing God’s gift. {Image is Nothing…Thirst is Everything…Obey Your Thirst}
Most Christians do not listen to the words of Jesus or do not want to hear what he says about his relationship with his heavenly Father. They prefer to listen to the false teachings of those who call themselves theologians and twist the words of the Holy Scriptures.
To cherish to commend gave on 2016 March 18 a sound definition from the British-born Canadian Christian theologian who is known in the low church Anglican and Reformed traditions, James I. Packer his classic book Knowing God in the chapter “Thy Word is Truth”
“A person who acknowledges and lives under the Word of God. He submits without reserve to the Word of God written in ‘the Scripture of truth’ (Daniel 10:21), believing the teaching, trusting the promises, following the commands. His eyes are to the God of the Bible as his Father, and the Christ of the Bible as his Savior. The Word of God has convinced him of sin and assured him of forgiveness. He aspires to have his whole life brought into line with it. The promises are before him as he prays, and the precepts are before him as he moves among others.
He knows that in addition to the Word of God spoken directly to him the Scriptures, God’s Word has also gone forth to create, and control, and order things around him; but since the Scriptures tell him that all things work together for his good, the thought of God ordering his circumstances brings him only joy. He is an independent fellow, for he uses the Word of God as a touchstone by which to test the various views that are put to him, and he will not touch anything which he is not sure that Scripture sanctions.”
J.I. Packer asked back in 1973: “Why does this description fit so few of us who profess to be Christians these days?” He concludes: “You will find it profitable to ask your conscience, and let it tell you.” {What is a Christian}
Jesus very well knew the Scriptures. After he was born he had to learn everything and before his death had still to say he did knew a lot of things not, whilst only God knows everything. The One Who can not die placed Jesus above the angels (him having been lower than angels before), but Jesus knew also he could not do anything without God Who is greater than him.
The Only True God Who send his only begotten beloved son to the world has given the world a spring for new life. Because that man, not doing his own will, not falling for temptation, always showing his love for God and fulfilling God’s commandments, accepted his ransom offering and took him out of the dead, to come to sit next to (or besides) Him (God) as a high-priest and mediator between Him (God) and man.
Ephesians 1:20 (Anderson)
which he made active in the Christ when he raised him from the dead, and caused him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,Matthew 26:64 (Anderson)
64 Jesus said to him: You have said. Moreover, I say to you, Hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the Almighty, and coming upon the clouds of heaven.Hebrews 1:3 (Anderson)
who, being the effulgence of his glory and the exact representation of his essence, and upholding all things by his own powerful word, when he had by himself made expiation for our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,Hebrews 10:12 (Anderson)
but after offering one sacrifice for sins, he himself sits continually at the right hand of God,Hebrews 3:1-3 (Anderson)
Hebrews 3
1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who is faithful to him that appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house. 3 For this man is counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who has builded the house, has more honor than the house.Hebrews 3:1-3 (Anderson)
Hebrews 3
1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who is faithful to him that appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house. 3 For this man is counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who has builded the house, has more honor than the house.1 Timothy 2:5-7 (Anderson)
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all, [of which] the testimony [has been given] in its proper times, 7 to give which testimony I have been appointed a preacher and an apostle; (I speak the truth, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faithfulness and in truth.
Those who call themselves Christian should belief what Jesus says and what the God Who does not tell lies says. they also should come together to the city of the living God, becoming partakers of the Body of Christ. Together they should unite and become one with Christ, as Christ is one with God. The ones who call themselves “Christian” should belong to the congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. They should really appreciate to have received the grace of salvation under the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does.
Real Christians are those who follow the teachings of Christ and take care not to refuse the one who is speaking!
Hebrews 12:22-27 (Anderson)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels; 23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect, 24 and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you reject not him that speaks: for if they escaped not who rejected that earthly man who gave the oracles, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that is from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, saying, Yet once more I will shake not the earth only, but also the heaven. 27 And this [prophecy], Yet once more, signifies the removing of the things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that the things which can not be shaken may remain.
The native New Mexican with roots in Santa Fe and Albuquerque Paul Smith, ventures into troubling waters today or is into foggy skies, wrestling for the past few days with a question that recurs frequently in conversations among brothers and sisters in Christ.
That question is, “Who is my brother or sister in Christ?” {Boundaries of Brotherhood}
Which is a very important question by which we as Christians should stand still. Because being a Christian is as follower of Christ also wanting to be a Brother in Christ.
At the center of the discussion is the frequently repeated and much discussed phrase, “in necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus charitas.” (in matters of necessity, unity; in matters of doubt, liberty; in all things love) Confusion and ignorance reign. {Boundaries of Brotherhood}
We should be fully aware that there is a big difference in which way those Christians consider Jesus to be “Lord“. Lots of them want to make him to be the Most Highest Lord of lords instead of the worldly Lord of lords, the son of man and son of God.
Intellectually we may know that God’s grace must exceed our own human limits – otherwise we would be God!
– but emotionally I have a hard time welcoming those who disagree with me. After all, I am always right (c’mon – my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek). {Boundaries of Brotherhood}
writes the blogger of Instrument rated theology.
He seems to know that he must reject out-of-hand the growing chorus of the “easy believeism” that is sweeping through the Churches of Christ, and says
That is nothing other than the “Cheap Grace” identified by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We cannot accept that two diametrically opposite views of Holy Scripture can both be correct. We cannot accept that two diametrically opposed views of worship – or especially of the requirements of Kingdom membership – can both be correct. We must allow for differences of opinion and conscience, but at some point there must be a determination of wrong and right, of heresy and of sound doctrine. Likewise, we must be careful that we do not elevate our own intellectual prowess to the level of God’s judgment. We do not tell God who is a part of his Kingdom, God does that. Refer to my Undeniable Truth for Theological Reflection #1, the foundation for theology must be humility. Our greatest error is in proclaiming that we are beyond making errors. If universalism is wrong, so is Phariseeism. {Boundaries of Brotherhood}
At the same time it is that want to have our human ideas instead of accepting the words of the Holy Scriptures that is dividing Christendom and Christianity. Human beings preferring to stick to human doctrines instead of Biblical doctrines make it that we do have so many denominations.
Problem is that not enough people are willing to pray for God’s Spirit to guide us into the healthy truth. When they ask their own gods (except from the Only One True God, not Jesus but Jehovah), whoever they might be, we do not think they will get answers from them, but if they listen carefully they shall be able to hear the Call of God, because God knows the heart, and when they sincerely want to look for God He shall guide them.
– the truth that sets proper boundaries where God has placed them, and not where fallible humans have placed them. {Boundaries of Brotherhood}
thinks
Jesus is challenging us to open our hearts and minds to hear today’s humbling good news – God’s immeasurable love. {“God Loves You.” 03.06.2016 Sermon}
and asks
Are you and I open to that good news? The good news of our prodigal God’s immeasurable love that is freely and extravagantly shared with all: love that we cannot earn, love that we do not deserve. And our response to God’s grace and mercy encourages and invites us, even pleads with us, to share God’s perfect love with others. Even when those others look and act a whole lot like the two sons in today’s parable. (This section was inspired by the writing in Day Resources, Sundays & Seasons.com) {“God Loves You.” 03.06.2016 Sermon}
It makes it important for us to decide which way we do want to go. do we want ot keep to human tradition and keep sticking to the so called Holy Trinity, or do we want to take the Word of God, the Bible to be infallible and telling us the truth?
Fewer and fewer people take the time for deep study and thought anymore, partly because of the busyness of our lives. We are quick to believe what we hear on social media or in the news because we just can’t be bothered with actually taking the time to investigate and think for ourselves. {Sounds Nice, But is it in the Bible?}
At this site we do ask you to compare what we and others say, with what is written in the most sacred Book of books and best-seller of all times: the Bible.
Let the living water flow of the pages of that book. Let it come into your hands, into your heart and into your spirit, opening your eyes and showing you that Jesus is the Way to the Only One True God.
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Read also
- Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
- A Royal Rule given to followers of Christ
- Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
- Names, Titles, and Characters of Jesus Christ
- Lord and owner
- Lord in place of the divine name
- People Seeking for God 7 The Lord and lords
- A God between many gods
- Lord or Yahuwah, Yeshua or Yahushua
- Hashem השם, Hebrew for “the Name”
- Background to look at things
- The Bible and names in it
- Written to recognise the Promissed One
- Scripture about Creation and Creator Deity
- Bible, helmet of salvation, God’s Words put in the mouth of prophets for perfecting, to reprove and correct
- The very very beginning 1 Creating Gods
- The very very beginning 2 The Word and words
- Accuracy, Word-for-Word Translation Preferred by most Bible Readers
- Some Restored Name Versions
- Al-Fatiha [The Opening] Süra 1: 4-7 Merciful Lord of the Creation to show us the right path
- Almighty God above all other gods greater than all gods
- El-Shaddai God Almighty Who no-one may see and live
- No man see the Almighty God and live
- The Almighty Lord God of gods King above all gods
- Jehovah God Almighty greater than all gods
- The Almighty Lord God of gods King above all gods
- Genuine Christians content with going through motions of ritualistic religion
- Necessity of a revelation of creation 6 Getting understanding by Word of God 4
- Necessity of a revelation of creation 11 Believing and obeying the gospel of the Kingdom of God
- Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #13 Prayer #11 Name to be set apart
- Another way looking at a language #5 Aramic, Hebrew and Greek
- Another way looking at a language #6 Set apart
- Let us recognise how great God is
- Pluralis Majestatis in the Holy Scriptures
- Faith, storms and actions to be taken
- Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
- Listening and Praying to the Father
- Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God
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Relating to God 