"With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.  Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not to be so.  Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?  Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh."  James 3:9-12 (NKJV)

Still speaking of the tongue.  The Bible speaks much of the use of the tongue.  How is it that with our mouth we can sit in a worship service in our churches on Sunday morning, or any other day of the week praising our God, then go out the door and begin telling awful, horrendous stories, and tales about a brother or sister in Christ?  When was the last time you ever thought about that other person being also made in the image of God.

One human being is no more special than another.  Oh, sure there are a lot of people who think they are of more value in this life than another or others.  Far too many people think they are it, that there is no one more important that they are.  They have another think coming.  It will be the truth, and reality of life that we all stand before God condemned without His free gift of grace.  Some of these people who think they have more worth may have more when it comes to material things, and they may not.  The truth is; before God we all stand on level ground.

"Bless God" is a phrase of remembrance to God, a form or worship.  The Psalms are full of blessings to God.  We sing a hymn to day called "Blessed be the Name", and we bless His name.  We curse men by calling them worthless, by relegating them to the level of hopeless, or fool.  Rather than cursing our fellow man why can we not rather lift them up when they are down.  Show them that they do have some worth.  Especially that they and we are cared for by our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Springs of fresh water do not send out two types of water fresh and salt.  Neither should the life of a Christian have two different attitudes toward God and others who are made in God's image.  We show to the world a hypocritical heart, mind, and devilish soul.  Bear the fruit of the Spirit, not of the flesh.  The fruit of the Spirit is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." and that means toward all who are human; whether they are humane or not.

There has been much written about the tongue.  Let's be sure to practice Biblical and Spirit control over that little part of our bodies which affects the lives of others and our own.  We never really know how much we allow the tongue to control us, rather than our new hearts in Christ Jesus controlling our tongues.

Remember Jesus's words, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

Walk With God Today.

-Tim A. Blankenship

"And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh." Genesis 18:9-15 (KJV).

The three guests had been served, had received the meal, and had eaten. We are not told this by the text itself, but it seems to be quite clear that the reason these had come, was to bring this important, encouraging message to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham was 75 years of age when they departed Haran, and Sarah would have been 65, yet they had believed the promise of a son. It seems though, that that promise had been given solely to Abraham, and Sarah went along believing Abraham, and this was the first time she had heard it from the mouth of the LORD. If it is true that this is the first time she has heard the promise from the LORD Himself, then, we can better see why she suggested Abraham take Hagar as wife, and they had Ishmael. It might give us better understanding of why she laughed when she heard the words, "Sarah thy wife shall have a son".

At the time of this visit Abraham was 99 years of age and Sarah was 89. Now, if the preceding scenario is correct, and Sarah had not heard the promise from the LORD Himself, then she has now. The laughter can be understood from this perspective, though it may not have been appreciated by our LORD. Her laughter may have been done in stark surprise at what she had just heard coming from the mouth of this special Stranger.

Then, she heard the words, "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?", and she believed that the previous words were the word of the LORD. Sarah is not the only one who laughs at the immediate promises of God. We have heard the promises for years from the mouth and lips of others. We have heard them from the mouths of our pastors, our Sunday School and Bible Study teachers; and we have heard them as we read the Scriptures for ourselves, but they just seem distant at times, and not really applicable to us. Then, at a time of our need; at a time when we are discouraged, thinking that God doesn't care, feeling like God has just forsaken us, and left us to fend for ourselves; one or two of those promises just leap off the page at us; then we kind of laugh, not really meaning to, but we do until it sinks in, then we know God has spoken; we are no longer laughing, but praising. There is a different form of laughter. A laugh of joy, of praise, and of worship.

Why Sarah denied that she laughed is not clear. It may be that she was not that well acquainted with the LORD, and was afraid that He might judge her harshly. The LORD understands our humanity better than we do. He despises unbelief, but what Sarah had was not unbelief, but a lapsed judgment, maybe even a shortage of knowledge, concerning the way of the LORD. Abraham would have probably taught her and led her in their worship of the LORD. She had heard of the promise over and over from Abraham, but now she hears it from the mouth and lips of this Stranger, whom we know to be the LORD in person.

We learn from this that each individual Christian needs to know and worship God on their own, and with others. What we learn in our private times, our "Quiet Times" with the LORD we can share when we are in public with other believers. The wife cannot depend on the faith of her husband to save her. The husband cannot depend on the faith of his wife to save him. The child born into the home with Christian parents cannot be saved by the faith of their parents, then grow up and say, "I am a Christian, because my Mom and Dad were Christians". If you were born in a garage, does that mean you are a car? Maybe an even more pertinent question would be, If you were born in a hospital does that make you a doctor or nurse? The answer to those questions, of course, is NO!

Did Sarah have faith and believe the LORD? Most definitely. We find in the book of Hebrews these inspiring words, "Through faith Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." 11:11 (KJV). In her fear, and denial of her laughter, there seems to be faith that God would do just what He said. The LORD leaves her saying, "Nay; but thou didst laugh", letting her know that He knew her heart, and her thoughts. He does know our heart and our thoughts, and He knows the heart and thoughts of unbelivers as well. "IS ANY THING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?"

"THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT"

Idolatry And Sorcery

INTRODUCTION

1. As we continue our examination of the "works of the flesh" listed in
Ga 5:19-21...
a. We come to sins which modern man may think do not affect him
b. These are the sins of "idolatry" and "sorcery" - Ga 5:20a

2. However, as we examine them more closely, I believe we shall find
that these sins are not as far removed from us as we might think...
a. Indeed, most people practice idolatry!
b. And many people engage in some form of sorcery!

[This is true of many Christians as well, so perhaps we should give
these words our careful attention...]

I. EIDOLOLATREIA (idolatry)

A. CONCERNING IDOLATRY AS COMMONLY CONSIDERED...
1. In the beginning stages of idolatry, no one worships the idol
or image itself
a. The idol simply served two purposes:
1) To localize the god it represents
2) To visualize the god it represents
b. It is simply designed to make it easier to worship the god
represented by the idol
2. Inevitably, however, people will wind up worshipping the idol
or image itself
a. We see this in various forms of Catholicism
b. Where the leaders say the image is not an idol, only an
"icon"
c. But who can deny that the average worshipper begins to view
the image itself as something "holy" and to be "revered"?
d. Thus that which is "created" begins receiving adoration
rightfully due the "Creator"
3. According to Ro 1:19-23, the basic error of idol worship is
the worship of the "created thing" rather than the "Creator of
all things"!

B. CONCERNING IDOLATRY AS THAT WHICH DISPLACES GOD...
1. Idolatry is not just the adoration or worship of images
2. Paul defines "covetousness" as idolatry - Ep 5:5; Co 3:5
a. Any strong desire for material things that replaces our
desire for God is a form of idolatry!
1) Our hearts are such that they are drawn to whatever is
our treasure - Mt 6:21
2) If our treasure is earthly things, our heart (devotion)
is drawn away from God
3) We cannot serve material things and God at the same
time! - Mt 6:24
b. Thus we can be idolaters when we make things other than God
Himself our priority in life, such as:
1) Our job
2) Our house
3) Our family
4) Our hobby

[So when we find admonitions like this one...

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols." - 1 Jn 5:21

...let's not be so presumptuous to believe that we are too "modern" or
sophisticated to need such a warning. We might need it more than we
realize! The same can be said for warnings against the next sin...]

II. PHARMAKEIA (witchcraft, sorcery, magic)

A. INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS WORD...
1. PHARMAKEIA is found to be used in three ways
a. Medically, to the use of drugs with no bad meaning at all
b. The misuse of drugs so as to poison, not cure
c. The practice of sorcery and witchcraft, which often used
drugs to cast spells and alter the behavior of others
2. The practice of witchcraft and sorcery is strongly condemned
in the Bible
a. In the Old Testament - Exo 22:18
b. In the New Testament - Re 21:8
3. In Ac 19:18-20, we find a remarkable example of repentance
related to the practice of magic

B. EXAMPLES OF THIS SIN TODAY...
1. There is an increasing number of religions based upon the
occult, and that make use of drugs in their religion
2. The "recreational" use of drugs also falls into this
category...
a. Remember that altering the behavior of others through such
drugs was a basic function of sorcery and witchcraft
b. What difference is there between using drugs to alter
others' behavior, and your own?
c. This is not to discount the proper medicinal use of drugs
d. But just as the Bible condemns drunkenness, which is an
altered state brought on by alcohol (a drug), so it would
seem to condemn similar use of other drugs

CONCLUSION

1. As we continue our study of the "works of the flesh", we should keep
in mind that each one of these sins is a perversion of something
which in itself is good; as illustrated by Barclay...
a. Fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness - perversions of the
sexual instinct which in itself can be a beautiful thing and a
part of true love between a man and a woman
b. Idolatry - a perversion of worship
c. Sorcery - a perversion of the proper use of drugs
d. Hatred, contentions, jealousies - perversions of that noble
ambition and desire to do well which can spur one to greatness
e. Outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions - perversions of righteous
indignation without which the passion for goodness cannot exist
f. Dissensions, heresies, envy - perversions of the devotion to
principle which can produce the martyr
g. Drunkenness, revelries - perversions of the happy joy of social
fellowship

2. Indeed, the following is so true:

"The awfulness of the power of sin lies precisely in its ability to
take the raw material of potential goodness and turn it into the
material of evil." (Barclay)

I implore us all to devote our lives in the proper worship of God and
His Son Jesus Christ, and to abstain from the misuse of anything God
has created for good purposes!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2006

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Today we highlight sustainable farmers; Doran Holm, a member of the Organic Valley co-op, is a bit overcome by a kiss.

Holy Spirit, let me be aware of your presence and that of countless others, as together we pray your Divine Office in love.

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

INVITATORY & PSALTER

Lord, open our lips,
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

Alleluia. The Spirit of the Lord renews the face of the earth: Come let us adore him. Alleluia.

Hymn: Christ Our Passover

Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; *
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, *
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; *
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he dies, he dies to sin, once for all; *
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.
Christ has been raised from the dead, *
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death, *
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, *
so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?
My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;
The LORD himself watches over you; *
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,
So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.
The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.

Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me, *
“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built as a city *
that is at unity with itself;
To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, *
the assembly of Israel, to praise the Name of the LORD.
For there are the thrones of judgment, *
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: *
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls *
and quietness within your towers.
For my brethren and companions' sake, *
I pray for your prosperity.
Because of the house of the LORD our God, *
I will seek to do you good.”

Psalm 123

To you I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.
As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the LORD our God, *
until he show us his mercy.
Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy, *
for we have had more than enough of contempt,
Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the derision of the proud.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

THE LESSONS
Ezekiel 33:21-33

In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, someone who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen.” Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came; but he had opened my mouth by the time the fugitive came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer unable to speak. The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, “Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.” Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: You eat flesh with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood; shall you then possess the land? You depend on your swords, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land? Say this to them, Thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and those who are in the open field I will give to the wild animals to be devoured; and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence. I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and its proud might shall come to an end; and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed.

As for you, mortal, your people who talk together about you by the walls, and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to a neighbor, “Come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.” They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on their gain. To them you are like a singer of love songs, one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; they hear what you say, but they will not do it. When this comes—and come it will!—then they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

Canticle: A Song of Praise
Benedictus es, Domine
Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for the radiance of your holy name; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths; *
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

1 John 2:1-11 (NRSV)

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

Canticle: A Song to the Lamb
Dignus es
Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power *
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is, *
and by your will they were created and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation, *
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *
for ever and for evermore.

THE APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE PRAYERS

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Collect: The Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For the Unity of the Church

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for Mission

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

(Please add your own prayers here.)

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.++

The problem with the doctrine of Election is not that it is insufficiently proven; the problem with the doctrine of Election is that it is insufficiently believed.

- Russ Sukhia

I don't get why Christians keep saying this because it is so absolutely not true. First of all, true love is UNCONDITIONAL. I love my kids... unconditionally. If they grow up to become assholes, stealing from the poor, I would not condone their actions, question my qualities as a parent, but I would still love them. God however, has very strict demands for his 'children'.

First of all, you have to believe he exists. He does nothing to prove he does exist, yet forces us to believe he is real. If we don't believe he exists, after we die we go to Hell.

Second you have to abide by his rules. He only has ten and every good Christian knows them very well, and breaks at least one rule every single day. Hell must be full of Christians and Heaven must be very empty. Christians of course have a loophole around the ten rules in the form of confession (Catholics) and repenting (most other Christians). Beg for mercy for 'sinning' and God just might forgive you, and mostly he does, so your spot in Heaven is secured once more until the next round of sinning and saying 'sorry' for it.

So basically God is love; he loves me. All I have to do is to believe in him, follow his rules, and he will fill my heart with joy. And I get to go to Heaven. If I don't I will go Hell, where I will be tortured for eternity (which is a really really really long time), just to teach me a lesson.

Well, newsflash to all Christian evangelists; my heart is fine, and I think if God does exist, he is a complete psychopathic asshole who should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity by all the other deities. I've been told they've been fed up with Yahweh / God / Allah for a very long time now. And frankly; so am I.

Here are some pictures of Barbi Benton, if you're a Baby Boomer, you'll remember this beauty!

---Follow this link to the title page (links)---

Barbi Benton

There is also a link to what I have called my previous entries which were part of my older journal, and there will be a link to them, on the title-link page. Hopefully you'll take a look at these entries and enjoy reading them.

Yohanes

1. Jawabannya sudah kami buat dalam topik tersendiri, silakan dibaca: http://asksophia.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/benarkah-gsm-axis-antikris/

2. Ini jelas HOAX. Kemaren di TV juga sudah dijelaskan bahwa hal semacam itu tidak mungkin terjadi.

3. Jawabannya sbb:

[CKM]

Rekan Yohanes tepat sekali dalam mengamati bahwa Yesus maupun para rasul tidak pernah secara langsung menyatakan kita untuk membayar perpuluhan. Selain itu, kita juga tahu bahwa Yesus datang untuk menggenapi hukum Taurat. Nah, bila hukum Taurat telah digenapi, apakah artinya hukum untuk perpuluhan juga telah tergenapi (seperti halnya persembahan penghapus dosa, dll) sehingga tidak perlu kita lakukan?

Memang dalam PB tidak ada perintah untuk memberikan perpuluhan. Akan tetapi Roma 12:1 mencatat agar kita "mempersembahkan tubuhmu sebagai persembahan yang hidup..." Implikasi dari ayat ini adalah tuntutan Allah bagi kita bukanlah lagi 10%, akan tetapi 100%!

Sekali lagi pengamatan rekan Yohanes adalah tepat. Dalam I Korintus 9:10-14, Paulus menyatakan bahwa mereka sebetulnya berhak untuk menerima penghidupan dari pemberitaan Injil. Jumlahnya memang tidak disebutkan berapa, sehingga akhirnya dipergunakanlah 10% (yang diambil dari PL) sebagai standar.

Bagaimana dengan pernyataan bahwa "Yesus telah menggenapi hukum Taurat, jadi kita tidak perlu lagi memberi perpuluhan"?

Kalau kita berpandangan seperti itu, bukankah artinya kita tidak perlu juga melakukan 10 Perintah? Wah, bila benar seperti itu, orang-orang Kristen akan menjadi orang-orang yang paling mengerikan di seluruh dunia.

Maka, tidaklah demikian. Sebagian dari perintah dalam PL memang tidak kita lakukan lagi, contohnya membawa korban bakaran. Mengapa? Karena kematian Kristus adalah korban yang sempurna, sehingga segala korban yang dipersembahkan di masa PL sudah terpenuhi.

Tetapi ada perintah-perintah yang masih tetap kita harus lakukan, contohnya, jangan mencuri. Hal ini termasuk mencuri dari Allah. Maleakhi 3:8-10 mencatat pertanyaan Allah kepada umat Israel. LAI memakai kata "bolehkah manusia menipu Allah?" Akan tetapi bahasa Ibrani dari kata menipu adalah "qaba" yang artinya merampok. Alkitab bahasa Inggris dengan tepat menggunakan kata "rob" (merampok).

Bagaimanakah kita merampok Allah? Ayat 8 mencatat "Mengenai perpuluhan dan persembahan khusus."

Selain itu, Yesus berkata dalam Matius 22:21, "Berikanlah kepada Kaisar apa yang wajib kamu berikan kepada Kaisar dan kepada Allah apa yang wajib kamu berikan kepada Allah."

Semoga bisa menjawab.

[MC]

Sedikit menambahkan jawaban kedua rekan saya di atas, perpuluhan pada masa setelah Perjanjian Baru ini sudah bukan lagi menjadi hukum, tetapi motivasinya adalah untuk membiayai para hamba Tuhan dan pelayanan gereja. Jadi bukan berarti tidak memberi sama sekali, karena ada hak Tuhan juga dalam uang kita seperti yang telah dijelaskan oleh MC.

Perpuluhan juga merupakan teladan disiplin rohani yang baik yang dapat kita lakukan untuk melatih iman kita kepada Tuhan, bahwa Tuhan akan mencukupkan kita, walaupun kita hidup hanya dengan kurang dari 90% pendapatan kita.

Persepuluhan pada Perjanjian Lama diberikan kepada Bait Allah. Banyak penafsir yang menafsirkan bahwa masa kini berarti perpuluhan harus dibayarkan ke gereja tempat kita beribadah. Menurut pendapat saya ini tidak selalu harus seperti itu. Bait Allah pada Perjanjian Lama tidaklah dapat ditafsirkan sebagai gereja sebagai gedung atau organisasi atau tempat ibadah pada masa sekarang ini. Bait Allah pada masa kini adalah Gereja sebagai kumpulan orang percaya yang terlepas dari gedung, tempat dan organisasi. Untuk orang-orang yang punya banyak uang, memberi perpuluhan ke gereja dan memberi persembahan ke lembaga-lembaga Kristen misalnya memang dimungkinkan. Namun untuk orang-orang yang pas-pasan, dan apabila Tuhan menggerakkan orang tersebut untuk memberikan uang perpuluhan yang dimilikinya untuk diberikan kepada suatu badan misi misalnya dan bukan ke gerejanya, hal ini tidak bisa dikatakan salah. Karena badan misi juga merupakan tubuh Kristus yang perlu didukung. Kalau hal ini terjadi, istilahnya memang bukan lagi sebagai perpuluhan, tetapi sebagai persembahan (walaupun besarnya sekitar 10% dari penghasilan)

Dalam Kisah Para Rasul misalnya, persembahan bukan saja digunakan untuk pelayanan gereja, tetapi juga untuk diakonia. Juga dalam Surat Korintus Paulus mengumpulkan uang persembahan untuk bantuan sosial kepada jemaat di Yerusalem yang sedang mengalami kelaparan. Jadi di Perjanjian Baru memang tidak disebutkan lagi perpuluhan, melainkan persembahan yang besarnya bukan lagi 10%, melainkan menurut kemampuan kita masing-masing.

Jadi bagaimana? hendaknya kita tetap memberi persembahan (jika tidak mau dikatakan perpuluhan) untuk para pekerja Tuhan dan pelayanan Gereja, menurut kemampuan kita masing-masing. 10% hanyalah sebuah angka ukuran standar yang dapat kita gunakan dalam memberi persembahan/perpuluhan.

[DSB]

Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

They are one of my favourite features. Our home was built over a hundred years ago, and I think they are original from that time.

They’re beautiful. A panel of swirling shapes. Amber, lilac, sea-green.

I woke early this morning, and when I came into the living room the early light was muted and the stained glass dull.

Soon though, the sky turned pink. I sat with a cup of tea and watched as the sun rose beyond the trees. As it did, everything was filled with its brilliant light.

The stained glass came to life.

Minutes before the glass had been pretty but dull, but now it sparkled. As the light shone through, it was as if the glass was flecked with jewels; amethysts and emeralds and gold. Dazzling. Beautiful.

It made me think about what Jesus said about us. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:14-16.

We have Jesus, the Light of the World, living in our hearts. Our lives have been touched by His light; lit up by Him. In His light, we come alive with colour and vibrancy; we shine.

But have we put this light under a bowl? Do we hide His light that is in us? Or do we allow it to shine before men for God’s glory?

Let’s be radiant for God. Let’s stand in His light and then be bearers of it, so that others might see and believe.

It is said that the Chinese were the first to really master any form of catapult for military superiority in the 11th century. By the 12th century such historical military figures as Richard the Lionheart were laying siege to enemies by smashing their city walls and lobbing various projectiles over them. Trebuchets were a powerful sight in "Return of the King," the last of the Lord of the Rings series, as they were the most devastating in battle. Through the years it is no surprise that military leaders backed by mighty military machines have inspired so much loyalty and patriotism from their compatriots. The sense of purpose and duty, the promise of power, the solidarity from a common cause all ban together and lead to great and devastating results in any age, from any person.

I remember the evening the "shock and awe" campaign began in Iraq. It was supposed to be a display of the most advanced weapons our US military had to offer. I remember the following day hearing about it in school, and the following Sunday hearing about it in church. Some were upset because their idea of social justice was not satisfied, most were pleased in some form or another. I remember being confused. I stayed confused for a long time. Certain words from the Bible kept clawing at me.

Jesus answered, " My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." [John 18:36]

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. [1 Peter 2:11]

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 7:21]

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." [Matthew 12:46-50]

To an American mind, perhaps it is clearest to say that Christians are the Mexicans of the earth (I love Mexican people. The more the merrier, this is just an example). They are immigrants, an alien race setting up camp in someone else's land. All that matters in the Kingdom of God is following the King. Christ is the Christian's great inspiring war machine. He is their "shock and awe" to the world. He is the devastating blow that utterly destroys the enemy. He is both the military leader and the military weapon. Surely, for the Christian, Christ would supersede any faint notion of patriotism to an earthly kingdom? Surely, His great and awesome power would be evident to those kingdoms that look in to His, seeing His people standing in stark contrast to their notions of love, war, peace and justice? Surely, these other kingdoms would be amazed at the humility of Christ's Kingdom since they are commanded: "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right." [1 Peter 2:13-14]? And surely these kingdoms are absolutely frustrated with Christ's Kingdom, because the same man inspired by the same God said this to earthly leaders when they got in the way of Christ's Kingdom: "Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." [Acts 4:18-20]? Surely these things are the case?

Surely no one in Christ's Kingdom is more excited about democracy than Christian Doctrine? Of course, there just couldn't be those more inspired by the stars and stripes than the bread and wine in Christ's Kingdom? Those in Christ's Kingdom always know that they have more in common with foreign Christians than pagan neighbors, that they have more in common with the Arab Christian than the American Soldier who hates Christ; don't they know that? Surely citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are most concerned with pointing other kingdoms to their King, not looking to other kingdoms for a king? Surely, for the love of God, it would be clear as day that praying is more important than voting; that prayer would be preached and taught, both at home and in church, more ardently than voting for "the right person?" Surely Christ is the obvious choice as the Christian's greatest treasure? This simply must be the case, for what fools would trade so great and eternal a citizenship for such a tattered and temporary one?

"Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." [Philippians 3:17-21]

This blog entry is for those who have, at some time, decided to ask the question, "Is all of what I have right now all that will ever be?  Is this the happiest I will ever be?"

This blog entry is for those who have stated some version of the phrase, "There has got to be a better way!"

Life, real life…is all about discovering what works and what does not work. Its about spiritual survival.  Wading through the muddied waters of delusional versions or spirits of our Self in a purposeful journey toward realizing our greatness and the place we share with The One (God) within you and I.

Whether you know it or not, when you ask genuinely a question about how life works, you are presently doing that which you simply can not believe you have mastery over. Your choices to learn is YOU exercising your capacity to discover what is real, honest, true, and good….and how you fit in to how life works.  This is the HOW you make your life happier than it presently may not be.

You see, we are not really taught how life works. We are given the old teachings of the past to repeat over and over before we discover the world is not flat.  We are taught over and over to eat and eat and eat until we grow so large our closets are filled with stretchy sweat pants, XXXX shirts, and shorts.

If you are here reading this, it is for the simple reason you've found the affirmation for which you'd been looking.  You are in a very unique place for discovering the deeply passionate relationship only you share (in your place and time) with The One (God) in you.

I applaud your decision to will yourself to learn what works in love and life. You’d made a decision to set aside, at least for the moment, some of what your past had taught you as real (with regard to God)…and you have set out on a journey (physical or spiritual) to discover what works and what does not in the life you share with others on a similar journey.

Some, whether you know it or not, would say your choice was pure holiness…..

This choice you have made to learn is what makes you so damn brilliant. You have chosen to break the cycle of your past by choosing to learn more about your extraordinary present. The closer you move toward living in the present, the moment, the NOW…the more you will appreciate the full capacity of what you are capable.

Will you continue to repeat over and over behaviors that will bring you down?….yep! Eventually, those down moments will bring your heart to a place where you will ask again some version of the phrase, “there has got to be a better way!”   What WILL you do?  Listen for the answer?  Or not!

If your willingness to discover a better way is genuine, then the better way will be where you will find yourself; a little closer to living in the present. 

Lately, so much has been made of “thinking one self happy.” It is as if a simple click of the finger will bring you the happiness you seek.  Nothing can be further from the truth.   While all our power does wait for us to discover its presence, disolving the illusions for how we view our Self must be worked upon.  It may take a day, a month, a year, a decade...It all depends upon your willingness to rid yourself of the pain that describes the "happiest you will ever be" and find the "happiness you are!"

Why????

Time, lots of time, has developed the methods and the madness of what you would call happiness (but simply is not) …Some of what you do brings you real joy, memorable moments that seem to last forever into the lives you touch. And yes, some of what you do repeats outcomes where it seems you never learn your lesson.   What WILL you do?  Let failures define who you are....or stop, look, and listen for the lesson being taught.

Well….I am sure you have heard, there is a time and a place for everything. For some people, they will never to take the time to learn why they bring pain and suffering into their lives or the lives of others. For these, these painful outcomes are “as happy as they will ever be.”  They too will eventually come to a place where The Final Judgement for how deeply loved they are will be made.

BUT YOU...RIGHT NOW.... you have chosen to set aside (at least for the moment) all of what you have learned is “as happy as you will ever be” to find a better way to understand, know, appreciate, and love the life that is yours.   It is here....in this place called NOW were God, like a lover sitting on the front porch, waits to share the vast wealth of your perfection and pure love.

THIS is what makes you so brilliant...RIGHT NOW! Making for your own happiness IS what you are presently doing.  So, continue on your way, The Way where all know its path....BUT, so very few are willing to walk it.

 REMEMBER, every question you genuinely seek an answer….and for which you are willing to listen.....a genuine answer is ready for you to have.

You are loved....and LOVED RIGHT NOW!

Do you ever feel like you are going through the longest tunnel ever?!

What keeps you there? What compels you to wait it out?

Faith?

Confidence?

Experience?

Fear?

Jeremiah 17:7

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."

Banyak isu yang beredar saat ini mengenai keberadaan operator GSM baru ini dikaitkan dengan gereja setan. Mulai dari tarifnya yang disusun menjadi angka 666, nama AXIS yang diartikan menjadi antikris, atau jika dibalik membentuk kata SIX dengan huruf A yang menyerupai gambar kepala kambing, dll.
Sejujurnya saya sendiri tidak terlalu terpengaruh dengan isu ini, toh saya juga sempat menggunakan kartu AXIS ini untuk promo internet gratisnya :) Namun seringkali pertanyaan dari beberapa rekan remaja di gereja saya melayani mengenai kebenaran isu ini menggelitik niat saya untuk menanyakan akan hal ini kepada asksophia. Dibalik dari benar atau tidaknya isu yang telah saya sebutkan di atas atau motif apapun dibalik isu tersebut (politik atau bisnis), satu pertanyaan penting di balik itu semua (dan puluhan isu sejenis tentang produk lain sehubungan dengan gereja setan), bagaimanakah seharusnya orang kristen bersikap terhadap isu seperti ini? Apakah tanggapan iman kristen akan isu seperti ini? Terima kasih.

note: asksophia menerima banyak pertanyaan serupa baik melalui blog, e-mail maupun secara lisan.

Menarik sekali melihat isu-isu seperti ini terus berkembang. Sekitar 15 tahun lalu perusahaan Procter &
Gamble (P&G) dikabarkan sebagai perusahaan setan. AskSophia tergelitik untuk menanyakan apakah di antara rekan-rekan yang menanyakan pertanyaan tersebut ada yang memakai produk P&G, seperti Pantene, Gilette, dll. Dan apakah rekan-rekan tersebut terus menonton drama-drama Jepang (J-Dorama) yang cukup banyak disponsori oleh P&G.

Mengenai AXIS sendiri, perusahaan AXIS saat ini dimiliki oleh sebuah gabungan antara perusahaan Arab
Saudi (National Telecom), Malaysia (Maxis), dan saham minoritas oleh sebuah perusahaan Indonesia. Nah,
siapakah perusahaan Indonesia tersebut?

Para pengguna AXIS mungkin sudah tahu, karena kadang-kadang nama perusahaan tersebut (yang merupakan nama lama dari AXIS) muncul di daerah-daerah tertentu yang kemungkinan sistem jaringannya belum sepenuhnya diupdate. Perusahaan tersebut adalah Lippo Telecom (LippoTel), yang merupakan anak perusahaan Lippo Group. Sebelumnya AXIS sendiri bernama Lippo Telecom, namun untuk membuat image baru, nama tersebut diganti dengan AXIS.

Dunia bisnis di Indonesia pasti tahu figur di balik Lippo Group, yaitu keluarga Riady. Lebih lagi, dunia
keKristenan di Indonesia rasanya cukup mengenal figur keluarga Riady sebagai keluarga yang mencintai Tuhan. Bahkan seorang James T. Riady (putra Mochtar Riady) pernah menempuh pendidikan di salah satu sekolah teologi.

AskSophia hendak mengajak rekan-rekan untuk terus waspada terhadap isu-isu seperti ini. Bila kita
diperhadapkan dengan isu seperti ini, ada baiknya kita membuat penelitian lebih lanjut untuk memastikan bahwa isu tersebut mempunyai dasar yang kuat. Seandainya isu tersebut tidak benar, bukankah kita turut berdosa dengan menyebarkan isu tersebut?

Sebagai sebuah ilustrasi, bagaimana reaksi rekan-rekan bila mendapat sebuah SMS / email yang berbunyi
demikian:
"Kita harus berhati-hati dengan kuasa si jahat! Ternyata waktu (time) adalah alat si jahat! Mengapa?
1 tahun = 12 bulan (kelipatan 6)
1 hari = 24 jam (kelipatan 6)
1 jam = 60 menit (kelipatan 6)
Dengan begitu dapat kita simpulkan bahwa WAKTU adalah CIPTAAN SETAN!"

Nah, bila kita menerima pesan seperti itu, apa yang akan kita lakukan? Apakah kita akan percaya begitu
saja dan mengatakan bahwa kita tidak boleh menggunakan waktu? Bila reaksi kita seperti itu, bisa-bisa kita
ditertawakan orang dan dianggap orang yang sangat bodoh, bukan? Lebih dari itu, kita tahu bahwa waktu
diciptakan oleh Tuhan.

Alkitab dimulai dengan kata-kata "Pada mulanya Allah". Waktu tidaklah berasal dari kekekalan, waktu dimulai saat Allah mulai menciptakan segala sesuatu, termasuk waktu itu sendiri.

Lalu bagaimanakah kita harus bersikap terhadap produk-produk yang "disponsori" oleh gereja setan,
anti Kristus, dll?

AskSophia berpendapat bahwa adalah mustahil kita bisa terus hidup di dunia ini kalau kita menolak
menggunakan produk yang dikeluarkan oleh pihak-pihak yang anti Kristus. Mengapa?

Berpulang kembali kepada arti kata "anti Kristus" sendiri. Apakah makna dari anti Kristus? Anti Kristus
berarti "mereka yang menolak Kristus sebagai Tuhan dan Juru Selamat".

Dengan definisi demikian, bukankah berarti setiap orang yang berada di luar Kristus adalah anti Kristus?
Kalau begitu, apakah kita tidak boleh menggunakan produk yang dikeluarkan oleh perusahaan-perusahaan
yang pemiliknya bukan orang Kristen? Dan bila kita melihat seperti itu, bukankah mayoritas petani di
seluruh dunia bukanlah pengikut Kristen? Jadi kita tidak boleh makan nasi, dong. Jelas mustahil!

Panggilan kita sebagai pengikut Kristus bukanlah untuk keluar dari dunia ini atau bersatu dengan dunia ini.
Panggilan kita adalah untuk menjadi garam dan terang serta memberitakan Injil hingga ke ujung bumi. Masalah siapa yang mengeluarkan sebuah produk bukanlah sebuah masalah yang harus kita besar-besarkan, yang harus kita besar-besarkan adalah...

Apa yang telah kita perbuat bagi mereka-mereka yang berada di luar Kristus? Sudahkah kita pernah berdoa
untuk mereka? Sudahkah kita mencoba mengabarkan Injil Kristus?

[MC]

Ayat-ayat dalam Alkitab khususnya dalam kitab Wahyu tidak dapat kita terapkan secara langsung secara harafiah. Kita harus menafsirkannya sesuai dengan konteks. Misalnya kalau kita di Jawa diajarkan kalau kita bertamu ke rumah orang lain kita tidak boleh menghabiskan minuman yang disuguhkan oleh tuan rumah. Tapi kalau kita ada di Amerika misalnya, yang punya budaya yang lain dengan kita, tidak menghabiskan minuman yang disuguhkan dapat berarti tidak sopan kepada tuan rumah. Jadi kalau seandainya ada di dalam kitab suci (kalau kitab suci ditulis oleh orang Jawa) di tulis "Janganlah menghabiskan minuman saat kita bertamu", orang Amerika yang membacanya tidak bisa menerapkan hal tersebut secara harafiah. Orang Amerika tersebut harus mengerti dulu mengenai budaya orang Jawa (sebagai penulis kitab suci dalam contoh ini). Setelah tahu mengenai budaya bertamu tersebut, barulah dapat diambil kesimpulan bahwa ayat mengenai bertamu tersebut berbicara mengenai melakukan tindakan yang sopan dalam bertamu. Jadi orang Amerika yang membacanya harus menerapkannya justru dengan cara menghabiskan minum saat bertamu. Begitulah kira-kira.

Kembali ke masalah 666. Wahyu 13:18 mengatakan "Yang penting di sini ialah hikmat: barangsiapa yang bijaksana, baiklah ia menghitung bilangan binatang itu, karena bilangan itu adalah bilangan seorang manusia, dan bilangannya ialah enam ratus enam puluh enam." Ayat inilah yang sering disalahtafsirkan sampai saat ini sampai seakan-akan orang kristen harus tabu dengan angka tersebut. Beberapa penafsir menafsirkan angka 6 yang ditulis 3 kali sebagai seorang manusia yang meninggikan dirinya seakan-akan menjadi Tuhan. Jadi ini merupakan suatu simbol pemberontakan manusia terhadap Allah. Angka 666 ini adalah simbol, bukan merupakan tanda fisik di tangan dan di dahi, juga bukan merupakan angka keramat yang akan dipakai oleh antikris. Seperti Kaisar Nero misalnya, Nero yang berkuasa di Romawi pada zaman para rasul, adalah sosok yang 100% memenuhi segala kriteria antikris yang tercatat dalam kitab Wahyu. Nero sama sekali tidak menggunakan tanda 666 seperti yang tertulis. Dia juga tidak membuat tanda di dahi dan di tangan, tapi dia membuat orang-orang Kristen sejati tidak dapat membeli dan menjual barang. Saat Yohanes menulis Wahyu, orang-orang Kristen sangat menderita, para pedagang Kristen tidak dapat membeli atau menjual barang karena perdagangan dikuasai oleh serikat-serikat dagang tertentu yang mempunyai dewanya masing-masing. Barangsiapa mau berdagang harus masuk menjadi anggota serikat. Dan menjadi anggota serikat dagang berarti harus menyembah dewanya. Orang-orang Kristen sejati yang tidak mau kompromi benar-benar tidak dapat membeli dan menjual barang-barang yang dikuasai serikat-serikat semacam ini.

Jadi antikris yang dicatat pada Kitab Wahyu tidak terbatas hanya kepada 1 orang tunggal di akhir zaman pada masa Yesus akan datang kedua kali, melainkan pada orang-orang atau segolongan orang yang pada masa dia (atau mereka) hidup menganiaya orang Kristen dan menyesatkan orang-orang percaya dengan teologi-teologi yang palsu, mujizat palsu, atau dengan kuasa politik menganiaya orang kristen secara massal.

Kalau begitu apa maksudnya dengan tanda di dahi dan di tangan pada Wahyu 13:16, "Dan ia menyebabkan, sehingga kepada semua orang, kecil atau besar, kaya atau miskin, merdeka atau hamba, diberi tanda pada tangan kanannya atau pada dahinya" ? Kalau memang yang dimaksudkan adalah tanda fisik seperti chip atau barcode, maka seharusnya orang-orang Kristen sejati pun punya tanda fisik di dahi mereka seperti yang ditulis di Wahyu 7:3, "katanya: 'Janganlah merusakkan bumi atau laut atau pohon-pohon sebelum kami memateraikan hamba-hamba allah kami pada dahi mereka'" dan Wahyu 22:4, "dan mereka akan melihat wajah-Nya, dan nama-Nya akan tertulis di dahi mereka." Nah tapi kenapa orang-orang yang menafsirkan tanda 666 sebagai tanda fisik tidak menafsirkan tanda pada dahi bagi orang percaya sebagai hurufiah?

Keselamatan terjadi karena anugerah Allah oleh iman (Efesus 2:8-9). Dan keselamatan tidak dapat hilang. Paulus dalam Roma 8:35 jelas sekali mengatakan: "Siapakah yang akan memisahkan kita dari kasih Kristus? Penindasan atau kesesakan atau penganiayaan, atau kelaparan atau ketelanjangan, atau bahaya, atau pedang?" juga Roma 8:38-39, "Sebab aku yakin, bahwa baik maut, maupun hidup, baik malaikat-malaikat, maupun pemerintah-pemerintah, baik yang ada sekarang, maupun yang akan datang, atau kuasa-kuasa, baik yang di atas, maupun yang di bawah, ataupun sesuatu makhluk lain, tidak akan dapat memisahkan kita dari kasih Allah, yang ada dalam Kristus Yesus, Tuhan kita." Bagaimana mungkin orang percaya sungguh-sungguh bisa kehilangan keselamatan hanya karena menerima tanda fisik di tangan atau di dahi?

Tanda pada dahi yang dimaksudkan pada ayat-ayat tersebut sebenarnya adalah suatu penekanan ada pembagian golongan antara orang percaya sejati (yang punya "tanda" nama-Nya di dahi) dengan orang yang menolak Kristus (yang punya tanda "angka manusia 666"). Tanda bagi orang percaya adalah materai Roh Kudus, artinya saat kita percaya kepada Kristus, Roh Kudus memateraikan kita bahwa kita ini milik Kristus yang tidak akan turut dihukum.

[DSB]

The Western world has been scared by doctrinal and dogmatic religious systems and thus many of the would be Believers coming out of the Western world are skeptical of the mature methods of faith. Often times the intention of these kind of seekers is to find plurality in faith, thus penetrating some kind of perennial or objective truth. You can find this happening daily throughout America.

Saifuddin quotes from Shaykh Maulana Nazim, Grand Shaykh of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order.

People are going to great lengths to seek wisdom and are so happy with what they have gained, but all the time the pearls are falling out the holes in their pockets, because the pearls are not yet bound on a thread. What is the thread I am referring to? Wisdom pearls may only be kept with a strong faith and method. So many people have overlooked this necessity. If you have the thread, one by one you may obtain the pearls and string them.

You must follow the methods prescribed by a great religion. I am not going to tell you that you must follow this one or that; all I am saying is that making a hodge podge is useless. Why? Keeping to the precepts of a world religion, without being a fanatic, guards your string of pearls. There are many thieves at work, and you must keep it carefully lest it be stolen. Therefore, faith and wisdom need protection, and you must learn what actions or practices may protect your treasures from thieves. Who tries to go the path alone will wander into a den of thieves, or be attacked by a pack of wolves in no man’s land.

Since I accepted that my string is Christianity, God has stopped feeling like a nightmare. I was worrying about getting too caught up in church history and culture. I thought that it would stop me thinking about God in a direct way. Now I realise that God burns so brightly it is not a good idea to attempt direct independent access. I haven't been reading the lives of the saints and I still haven't gone back to the Bible, but I'm guessing that it's possible to use those stories in the same way that one uses sunglasses and smoked glass to watch a solar eclipse.

I'm discovering that there are many different types of church. Some are very informal and emotional, others are very traditional and dignified. Personally I prefer tradition. I'm very suggestible and I have enough trouble with my own emotional reactions without putting myself in a room full of emotional people.

The priest I went to see last Sunday frequently talks about people falling in love with God. I can see what he means. When I talk to people these days I'm finding it quite hard not to bring something related to the church or religion into it. In spare moments when my mind wanders I fantasise about where and when I might next get a sense that He is there. It looks to me like the early symptoms of an adolescent crush.

What I must avoid is projecting my own emotions and thoughts onto God. Very occasionally in my imagination He comes across as being very good humoured. The other day I made a breakthrough that stopped me being silly, and I could imagine Him saying with a smile "well look at you, feeling so pleased with yourself." When typing the paragraph above I imagined that indulgent smile again.

I don't know much about psychology. I do know that we all have the ability to talk to ourselves in our heads, make up imaginary friends and imagine the reactions of long dead relatives. When we think that God is smiling at us, it is necessary to keep all those things in mind. It could quite possibly be that He is smiling at me, in the same way that I smile at a particularly comical hamster. On the other hand it could just be me smiling at myself.

God is so vast and immense, and so incomprehensible, can we trust ourselves when we imagine that He is telling us things or showing a certain attitude towards us? No, I don't think we can.

When I set off on this journey I took a huge detour. It was harmless and just my way of hiding from the frightening reality of God. At the time I convinced myself that it was where God wanted me to go. Fortunately I told a priest about it. He didn't tell me I was talking nonsense, but somehow in the course of our conversation I realised that I was. That was when I started going to church.

I was not able to attend "Secret Church" again this year at The Church at Brookhills. However, I have heard from several people that attended the 6-Hour preaching marathon and I hear it was awesome, yet again. If you were able to attend, please leave me your comments.

For more information on what "Secret Church" is, check out the website. I am excited that the audio and video files from the past events are now available to download.

I just completed my 2nd year at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I turned in my last final for the semester about 20 minutes ago. I attend the extension center here in Birmingham. I have been fortunate enough to have had 3 classes taught by David Platt so far. I just completed "Preaching Practicum" with him this semester. The 3 classes that David has taught, have been phenomenal. I wish that he could teach every class that I took. God has truly blessed him with some remarkable gifts. It is hard to believe that he and I are the same age. In a day where so many "Christian leaders" are falling into various sins, it is very dangerous to have "role models" or "mentors" of the faith (if you will). David has played this role in the short time that I've know him. I hope to model his confident humility, passion, and heart for the Gospel to reach the nations as I grow in ministry.

God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God's witness to Himself.

The phrasing here is somewhat odd.  Through what has God revealed himself, Jesus or scriptures?  Well, both, it seems.  It seems to me that the last sentence should be rephrased as "Holy Scripture is one of God's witnesses to Himself."  I am not sure if this statement really intends to say that the Bible is the only witness or not, but I think it should be cleared up.  Obviously, based purely on chronology, we can see that the Bible is not a necessary condition for understanding God.

Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: It is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms; obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises.

This is perhaps the most troubling for me.  Scripture does not promise anything - it contains records of God's promises.  Why the equivocation?

The Holy Spirit, Scripture's divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

While I certainly affirm this, it can be a thorny issue.  Why is it that true believers can understand the scriptures in such radically different ways?  I will address the issue more carefully later.

Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives.

The main problem I see with this point is that it views the Bible as a generic historical narrative and does not take other genres into account?  What does it mean that the Psalms are inerrant?  The proverbs?  Parables?  Of course we can see from this statement that the drafters of this document viewed the Creation story as a historical narrative.

The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible's own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

The statement of consequences is interesting.  Rhetorically it places dissenters in a difficult position, since they are said to have suffered some sort of loss.  Personally I do not appreciate this point.  I understand that the drafters likely truly believed this, but I will reserve judgment on this point.  As for the point itself, I am not sure I see how the lack of inerrancy as stated here leads to a degradation of scriptural authority.  It seems to me that the scriptures have authority because God gave them, not because they are inerrant.

I suppose I have been quite negative and deconstructive so far, and there is probably more of the same coming.  I do not mean any personal affront to the authors.  I am just interested in interacting with the ideas.

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Isn’t funny how we can spend so much time trying to figure out the “will of God” is  for our life and yet we have it is right in front of us? Peter wrote to the church, “Here is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it!” And what is it that God wants us to do? He wants His church to be of one mind. He wants us to sympathize with each other and to love each other as brothers and sisters. If we are to do His will we must be tenderhearted toward others and be humble. We cannot repay evil for evil and feel we are following Him. Neither can we retaliate with insults when people insult us. If we are going to do His will we need to pay those that hurt us back with a blessing. Simply said, if we are going to live out the will of God we must love. We must love! John wrote it this way, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Today ask God to help you live out His will for your life. Ask Him to help you love others.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You for showing me Your will for my life. Help me to love others, really love them the way You do. Help me behave toward others the way You would have me to. Empower me Lord with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Today Irena Sendler (Sendlerowa) died. She was 98.

During the WWII she saved about 2,500 Jewish children from Warsaw's Ghetto. All of them survived the war. She is recognized as "Righteous among the nations", was nominated for a Nobel Prize in 2007. Her story below.

She was raised in a family, where her father, a doctor, was helping poor Jewish children in a town of Otwock, Poland.

In 1939, after German invasion, Nazis forbid to offer any help to Jews, but Irena decided otherwise and started to help those who needed it.

In Poland the population of Polish Jews was estimated at about about 3,000 000. Warsaw was the largest Jewish city in Europe, with 375,000 Jews. After forming Warsaw Ghetto, Poles were forbidden to enter. In occupied Poland, help offered to Jews in any form was punishable by death, it was the most severe legislation in occupied Europe.

Nazis, being afraid of contagious diseases, gave permits to some Poles to bring minimal medical resources. Irena was a social medical worker and was granted such a permit. That was the door of opportunity that Irena Sendler used to save the Jewish children, who otherwise would end up starving to death, would be killed inside the Ghetto or brought to concentration camps for extermination.

Zegota (Council for Aid to Jews)

During the beginnings of massive deportations from ghetto, Zofia Kossak, Polish writer, published a "Protest" which influenced and united many Poles in the efforts of helping Jews. Fragments of the document:

All perish. Poor and rich, old, women, men, youngsters, infants, Catholics dying with the name of Jesus and Mary together with Jews. Their only guilt is that they were born Jewish condemned to extermination by Hitler.

The world is looking at these atrocities, the most horrible throughout the whole history of mankind, and is silent.

England is silent, so is America, even the international Jewry is silent, usually so sensitive to all harm to their people. Silent are Poles.

We are required by God to protest. God who forbids us to kill. We are required by out Christian consciousness. Every human being has the right to be loved by his fellowmen. Blood of the defenceless cries to heaven for revenge. Those who oppose our protest - are not Catholics.

Children in Warsaw Ghetto

Within few months an underground Polish organization was formed, called Zegota, operated under Polish Government in Exile. Non-Jews and Jews cooperated together, uniting people form many different political backgrounds. It was the only government-financed organization in Europe set up specifically to aid Jews. Polish government was trying desperately to send the news toward the whole world about this situation, and hoping for financial support. The results were not satisfying, but they never stopped in sending funds to help Jews in hiding, even if the sums were humble and not significant. It is estimated that by the end of the war Zegota helped for 40,000 - 50,000 Jews (numbers vary, are hard to determined).

Irena was directing Children's Bureau of Zegota, which was responsible for rescuing Jewish children, placing them in safety and caring for them continually. Irena was the planning strategist behind the action. To get one child saved, about ten people were needed. People who helped were risking their own life. Her nickname was "Jolanta".

No one refused

Newborns and toddlers were smuggled sedated, put in the wooden fruit crates, potato sacks, even coffins, often delivered to the tram driver, who drove the vehicle through the Ghetto to the Polish side of Warsaw or just carried away through the gate.

As unimaginable as it sounds, kids who were 5-6 years old, were putting their bare feet into the shoes of the factory workers and covered with their long coats, marched together, hidden from the factory to the Aryan side. Kids were smuggled through cellars and sewage canals.

Saved children's documents were falsified of course. Irena was thinking how and where to keep all of the real names of the children, in order to find their families after the war and return them, of possible. She wrote the names of the children on small scraps of papers and was hiding them in glass jars. She kept those jars under an apple tree in a neighbour's house across the street. She practised throwing the jars outside her window, in case of Gestapo invading her apartment. One day, she heard banging on the door. Frantically she wanted to throw the jar with the names outside, but the whole house was surrounded by the Gestapo. She gave the jar to her visiting friend, who hid it in her underwear.

Warsaw, Ghetto deportation

She was arrested by Gestapo in October 1943, put to the harshest prison, Pawiak and tortured. She couldn't be broken, and did not reveal any names of people involved in rescuing Jews or any Jewish children's name in hiding. Her legs and feet were fractured during interrogations.

While in prison, in the midst of the prison's hey bed she found a picture of Jesus with the words "Jesus, I trust in you", known among the Catholic Believers as an Image of a Divine Mercy. She kept this picture and cherished it for years, later on sent it to the Polish Pope John Paul II during His first historical visit in Poland.

Finally she was sentenced for death. On the day of her execution, she was led by a prison guard to the execution square, and unexpectedly released in a crowded street. Zegota paid the guard huge bribe to let her go. Her name figured on a list of people killed. Later on, Germans discovered that she was not killed and were pursuing her to the end of the war.

According to Irena, the greatest heroes of these rescue missions were not the rescuers, but the mothers of the children, who intuitively sensed the end of their lives approaching and knew that was the only way for their beloveds to be saved from the horror of extermination.

She personally had oversee about 10 apartments where Jews were hidden. Most of the children were sent to the Catholic convents and orphanages. She said:

"No one has ever refused to take and save a Jewish child from me"

After the war, she recovered the jars with the children's names and found every child. Most of the parents of the children rescued by Irena died in Treblinka camp.

From an interview in U.S. News:

What was the most frightening moment?

When I saw a priest in charge of an orphanage for Jewish children in the ghetto walk with them out to be killed. The children were in their best Sunday suits. The priest was killed with them.

Forgotten

After the war Irena turned to helping young girls coming back from concentration camps. She was trying to help foreign girls who were becoming prostitutes in the remaining ruins of Warsaw to get educated and start a new life.

For the next 50 years the public did not know of her heroic acts. She was still helping some of the rescued children. Even her own children did not know the details of her rescuing mission during the WWII. She worked as a humble social worker and a school teacher. She did not belong to the Communist Party, and probably that's why her story was not known, neither published for so long.

In 1965 she accorded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem organization in Jerusalem. She was not allowed by Communist authorities to travel then.

In 1967 she was forced to retire, because she was heard rejoicing after Israel has won the conflict in the region.

She visited Israel in 1983 and in 1991 she was made an honorary citizen of Israel.

Irena in the middle, visiting school in Tel Aviv in Israel in 1983.

To the last days of her life she remembered almost everything. On March 15 2007 Irena Sendler was named a national hero by a Polish Parliament.

“I want the Jewish community to know that there was resistance and a spirit among the Jews in the ghetto."

Association of "Children of the Holocaust" quotes Irena saying:

In conclusion let me stress most emphatically that we who were rescuing children are not some kind of heroes. Indeed, that term irritates me greatly.

The opposite is true - I continue to have qualms of conscience that I did so little.

Irena Sendler's tree in Yad Vashem

Remembered

Irena's story was read by group if students in Kansas. They decided to make a play called "Life in a jar". The play is still going on.

The project drew the media attention and students visited Irena Sendlerowa in Poland.

When people form Hollywood came to visit Irena Sendler, hoping to make a movie about her in the future, she ask them:

Make this movie to help Americans understand, what this war really was, what was ghetto, what was a fight. And that everyone watching it would cry.

Mother of the Holocaust Children

In 2004 first biography of Irena Sendler was published under a title "Mother of the Holocaust Children - The story of Irena Sendler" by Anna Mieszkowska. It was translated into Hebrew and German.

It is wonderful to feel God's anointing upon you when you are doing something for Him. There is a huge difference between doing something good and doing that same thing because you are being obedient to God. When you obey, He has the freedom to work supernaturally in your life to accomplish great things.

When you seek God's face, He will reveal Himself to you in a radical way. Ask God to give you His Best, and don't settle for anything less. You will have to wait on God to get His Best, but it sure will be worth it in the end.

Please check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word