"No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse./ And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
The saying of Jesus is mentioned in both versions of Matthew and Luke.
We shall examine it from the specific, in the resistance of the Jews to him. They judged him from their holier-than-thou attitude as the people of the Law. What had the Law of Moses become? It was a treatise collated from the everlasting covenant, which before the advent of the Son in the fulness of time was given to the nation of Israel as the path to righteousness. Garment as in the Parable of the Wedding Guest refers to righteousness. So when Jesus spoke the parable it was in condemnation of what had come up as tradition. It was as unexpected as tares from the Parable. "An enmy hath done this'. From the manner the scribes and the Pharisees held on to the traditions of their fathers which only allowed them to fill up to the measure of their fathers. In his woe to ye tirade he faulted them,"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith, these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."(Matt.23:23). Their hypocritical observation of paying tithes and worship rather to be seen of men than any real change in their old selves was new. This mix and match of old with new did not sit well.
In Luke we have " But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved./No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better."(5:38-39)
New wine in new bottles refer to the new creation.
"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Jesus as the Son of God knew what was in the mind of man. But he did not make it a point to separate man according to his profession or morals before he condescended to sit with him or sup in any convivial company. But when he say faith among them he responded. It was thus at the house he came to heal the man with palsy what struck him was the faith of four who took trouble to bring him to the fore. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."(2:5).He understood man was sinful so how sinful the matter of degrees did not interest him. The word of his Father was sent out calling all unto repentance. It was potent enough to enthuse the good to hear the call and make peace with God. For example St Luke speaks of Simeon of Jerusalem who was just and devout,"waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him./And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ./ And he came by the Spirit into the temple."( Luke 2:25-27). God let him see his heart's desire before he died. Then there was Anna the prophetess. It is of them Jesus meant when he referred the righteous. They were led by the Spirit of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Ghost would come only after hid resurrection.
But sinners whom came as in the case of Levi or the man with palsy did not came across him by coincidence,- but the call had gone forth before the worlds began and went to the ends of the world; it was their faith in exercising completed the calling and election sure. vv.15-16 The house of Levi was a microcosm of the world. So many were saved as there were many who went away as they came in because of their disbelief.
It is hard not to feel an impetus to prod on this subject. I am well aware that I don't have a spiritual gift of service and helps.
There are always needs and we can't live our lives in a vacuum; and that goes for church as well as in the rest of our lives. Perhaps it is doing what is needed rather than endless activities that also matters. I don't personally find it comfortable having a "Game night" at church nor have I been a social "butterfly" in general but these events when accompanied with prayer (and not with sinful activities that so often come about) these events can be edifying. As I stated previously discussions on world events often deviate toward speculation; there are times when scriptures can be discussed; and can be edifying when these discussions go into detail of Bible truths.
Evangelism
I probably said sometime in the last few years of posts that prayer is also good accompanying evangelism for anyone genuinely seeking it. I am not into the "sinner's prayer" in initial conversations; once we get to know people and see a genuine conviction that is the time to seek if they are ready to commit their lives to the Lord. We are partially responsible for someone's fate (blood on our hands) if we don't warn people of taking a vow to God flippantly. We should warn that the more we know the more we are responsible for. We should give many warnings as Christ did about it being the "narrow" path not the broad road leading to destruction ( Matthew 7:13-14). We should also give caution on the trials; thorns and temptations that God uses to test us to see if we are true believers ( Matt. 13:22). Such exhortations may filter out some; but I am convinced will in the end have a greater percentage of committed believers who endure to the end. The song by David Meese "You've gotta count the cost if you want to be a believer" isn't exactly the lingo in today's Christian music "industry" and that is to it's shame.
Whole counsel of God: Reading the Bible and prayer
There is the old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." The same principle exists with the Word of God. Psalm 119 for instance is the longest chapter in all of scripture and incessantly talks about loving God's law. Hungering and thirsting for the Word is something said to characterize the last days ( Amos 8:11-12). This verse talks of a famine for God's word; but we also see Jesus talking about "hungering and thirsting for righteousness ( Matthew 5:6).
It seems counterintuitive or a "no brainer" to consider reading scripture and prayer as something a believer should do; but it has been my experience the enemy will use all sorts of tactics to dissuade believers from focusing on the Word and probably even more so on prayer. It is easy for the enemy to allow us with minimum distractions to read the Word of God because we can easily go into our own error in making it merely an intellectual exercise or feed off it to divert to the latest conspiracy theory or politics or whatever is trending. Prayer of course has it's own ways that it can deviate from scriptural standards; but from my experience it is the lack of prayer that seems to be a common denominator in many congregations. Yes; someone can try to use prayer as a means of spreading gossip or trying to get attention. It seems that too often there is a planned schedule for prayer and it is almost unheard of for it to extend any length of time beyond that planned timeslot even when nothing is pressing. Just to find one or two people who have an urge to pray before a service or for others when needs are expressed and can do it "on the fly" in my mind can literally mean the life or death of a local congregation. If we can't be as a weapon of warfare prepared at all times then we simply will in one way or another be compromised and heading for defeat in having any real impact on individuals or a local community.
It is said by Catholics that marriage is a sacrament that is only necessitated by the vow a man makes with a woman; and I agree with that view despite disagreeing with many other things in their belief system. The idea of a minister to oversee the event from what I can tell helps to involve two or three witnesses (usually along with parents) such as 2 Corinthians 13:1 states. There are other verses as well; none directly discuss a marriage or any other vow; but it does apply in the fact that should one or more parties violate the covenant church discipline can be used against them. I am not sure how things are in the big picture but it seems whenever marriages do occur it is often in another church that the family prefers and many times there is little sense of a whole congregation being involved at least like they used to in the past. Maybe I am off somewhat but that's how I see it.
Good counsel is helpful in that respect however; if anything to keep a healthy balance of older women guiding the youth and allowing for good interactions and support. This is something more favorable it seems today in the Reformed churches from my experiences. Such interactions of a church being a family of course should extend to foreign missionaries that are affiliated with a denomination. It is a shame when we think of missionaries being "out there" and we detach ourselves emotionally when we give financial support. Their marriages and family are components of their witness as much as their evangelism and one can't be separated from the other; although of course some are single individuals on the mission field.
Again; it is sad to say that from my viewpoint there is a tolerance for remarriage in these same sort of congregations (although many won't perform them). I would say that existing marriages have greater chance of longevity and less for divorce in the Reformed circles than others who have 50 percent divorce rates as all of society if they marry at all.
I was in a very odd situation with a former OPC church I attended where I was granted a sort of "partial" membership without ascribing to their stance on infant baptism. There are a couple other issues which would keep me out of a similar place in the future (that church shut down 6 or 7 years ago due to lack of attendance). I will say that it wasn't required that I believed in their stance on Postmillenialism; although I may have mentioned here in the past when it was brought up how foolish it was to believe in the Antichrist and Mark of the Beast in one of their sermons and I took them up on that they sort of backed down. It wasn't a requirement to adhere to their eschatology, although it was a rather cliquish sort of mentality at that place. I agreed to disagree with them without such banter so I thought it only fair; however of course it was their belief.
In any case; infant baptism has cast a rather nebulous picture in my mind as to explanations; somehow holding what children or infants were commemorated with when they become adults and rebel as if they had some sort of inherent partaking of a covenant; I suppose equivalent to the Israelites who were "baptized" by crossing the Red Sea. ( 1 Cor. 10:2). No one I know actually thinks someone is saved through infant baptism but nonetheless they seem in my mind to have carried on a Catholic tradition through the Reformers in the past. I also had a "rebaptism"; having argued beforehand the sprinkling of water should also be legitimate ( Ezekiel 36:25). In my case I had it done that way along with my wife at the time because she had a balance issue going totally underwater; but I rededicated myself to a commitment as a church member when I had an immersion at the founding of a church I used to attend at its inception almost 10 years ago. Seeing how quickly Philip baptized the eunuch in Acts 8; and the jailor with his family ( Acts 16:33) it should follow salvation quickly.
To continue on the subject I would consider attending someplace for at least a year to understand fully doctrines ascribed to as well as to how genuine the love for Christ is in the church. If we are seeing little opportunities to contribute (which can happen in a place where one Pastor seems to hold all the cards); or where there is a great deal of pettiness; family pride (like where founders of the church and their children have had control for a long time in decision making) it may be a situation best avoided in such a commitment. This situation is occurring where a friend of mine is a new Pastor in a rural church in the Midwest.
Communion rules
In taking communion; there are what is known as closed or open communion. I am convinced that anyone who is Born Again and not living in unrepentant sin is eligible for communion. Nevertheless; there should be some discussion with a person beforehand to make sure they are indeed in the faith if someone comes in as a stranger and I can certainly get why some churches want to see if someone regularly attends for a period of time first. Waiting months on end without being given permission is something I have experienced in the past and I think that is going overboard. We shouldn't have a double standard either assuming just because someone has attended church as a member for years that they are "good to go" either; but without any real suspicion I can see how in that case an "open communion" (i.e for all members) can be given. We need to attend to warnings in Corinthians about those dying who take communion unworthily ( 1 Cor. 11:27-34). Unity in the Body of Christ in the church is represented with Communion and His presence is there along with any other actions such as two or more praying together. This is why we are to clear things up with our brother first ( Matthew 5:23-24) it should be settled-this discusses a gift at the altar but seems fitting nonetheless
Here is an issue that can leave us at times with more questions than answers. I may have stated in a past post about a friend of mine in a former church who gladly cleans bathrooms and does other "servile" actions. The definition of that word is interesting because it both encompasses someone who is exuberant about serving others as well as someone often looked down as a low class member of society. Food for thought...
At any event; this friend of mine along with a sizeable group in my current church more than meet the commitment of those who are considered "members" (in fact they seem to exceed them in many ways). In general their explanation of not being a member when I have inquired is that they feel no need to make a formal commitment to something that is a man made sort of concept. Here are a few summary bullet points.
WHY WE SHOULD BE A CHURCH MEMBER
WE MAKE A FORMAL DECLARATION AND ARE HELD TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR COMMITMENTS TO SERVICE; PRAYER; SCRIPTURE READING; EVANGELISM AND WHATEVER ELSE IS IN A DENOMINATIONAL "STATEMENT OF FAITH"
WE ARE IN MANY CASES GIVEN ACCESS TO COMMINION AS WELL AS DECISIONS IN CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS ON FINANCES AND VOTES FOR NEW LEADERSHIP
Now I am going to go through a couple reasons that we should be cautious about becoming a member. Most pressing in my situation is something I was concerned about before I was made a member; that is those who are taking communion unworthily (either in adultery or fornication in particular). I won't go into the subject again as to how I view remarriage when a spouse is still alive as being adultery. In general though if we are a church member we have a responsibility to hold leadership as well as other laypersons accountable which is often uncomfortable. Clearly we should expect our own conduct to be examined carefully as well; exhortation is said to be a spiritual gift but we rarely see it these days.
Perhaps Acts 20:27 about the whole will of God is closest to the concept in this title. I have found a growing issue of many who have aberrant doctrines (losing one's salvation; or "modalism" but who have a correct interpretation of certain specific issues. Specifically; I have been looking at those who preach what I consider correct doctrine on the permanence of a marriage covenant while a first spouse remains alive. I have mentioned previously churches where I have fellowshipped that are either "Post or Amillenial" which I disagree with but nonetheless felt that I would regard it as a "secondary" issue after seeing the conviction of faith in general. Therefore; the first thing we have to consider is if the errant doctrine is in our own church or in someplace we are either surfing online or perhaps occasionally attending such as a Bible Study. I have been to VERY liberal groups on occasion where I have had the opportunity to challenge leadership when I had some time alone as well as try to be a witness to those needing some further insights into the Bible. Clearly even in this setting; when someone else wants to teach and says that we only need Jesus not the Bible (such as happened with a friend of mine recently) it is time to pull the Kenny Rogers and know when to walk away or run if we can't convince leadership to stop someone like this (in this case it was the guy's best friend and hopefully he heeded the warning of my friend).
A big component related to this subject goes from the extreme of "hyper grace" individuals to overly legalistic. Again; some latitude needs to be considered as to a style of worship and more importantly the REASON certain procedures are followed along with the character of those in leadershiip. It is an honor to jealously guard the honor of a congregation from wolves and to use scripture to back all things up; but we shouldn't make the way more narrow than Jesus intends.
1:22-24 "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,/ Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us?"
How come the Gospels are replete with the aspect of Trinity and yet man stumble over it? Devil has set him to coin outlandish concepts of 'accelerationalism' as though an historical imperative to bring down his own house. God is in charge and ungodly men cannot know the unclean spirit that spins his head to think of his home a charnel house. This is how the unclean spirit tore down the man in the synagogue of Capernaum.
Similarly when Jesus would heal the man with palsy, his detractors cried 'blasphemy'. Do we not see it in our own times, After kicking the dog what does man say, He howls, hasten his end,'hang him',
Jesus worked so he would say,"Mu Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
vv.10-12
"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)/I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house./And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.
Mark 2:1-12 "We never saw it on this fashion" (1 of 2)
"And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion."
Authority of Jesus evidently came from the doctrine of his Father; and the word become flesh could say,"I am the truth". Unlike the scribes whose authority, as Jesus faulted them, reeked of hypocrisy (1:22) he walked the straight and narrow line. John testifies,"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken./I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."( John 12:49-50) Where did he learn from? He was in the bosom of his Father so what he said and did was defining the Father inside out.( John 1:18)
While healing the man with palsy, his response we read,"immediately" he arose. He proved "I and my Father are one" and Mark's delineation spares no pains to tell this relation. "He that has the Father has the Son as well. He that has the Son has the Father also' when Jesus made it possible 'inso much that they were all amazed." They glorified God.( 1 John 2:23)
In the previous chapter he was in a synagogue in Capernaum, the unclean spirit 'cried out,"I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." In the world of the Spirit even unclean spirits know the Holy One of God" but they do not want to follow him. In what was the scribes and the Pharisees who did not live by what they preached? Their uncleanness arose from hypocrisy a spiritual malady. Mark here takes us again to Capernaum. In the domestic setting what does the scribes say," Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?"(2:7) He was indeed of God to see through them. The tag 'immediately' in v.8 "And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit", is an indication that his deity worked even when he emptied himself.
"And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean./ And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." Here we see the word prospering in its round. (Is.55:11) It shall never return to God in void. "God sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.(Ps.107:20) explains the healing of the leper. Mark lays emphasis on the aspect of the word as God's work. So "immediately" refers to the word of God the Father; secondly of the Son. So 'as soon as he had spoken' defines the second aspect of the Trinity. He 'put forth his hand, and touched him' refers to 'the finger of God' the word become flesh ( Luke 11:20). The kingdom of God coming unto you is fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. In short the Will of the Father is fulfilled by the Son in this healing. Third office of the Spirit is the witnessing spirit otherwise Mark would have no reason to record it unless he himself was present there.
"And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;/And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." (vv.43-44) Jesus tells him not to give glory which is due to his Father. He did not teach the leper to break the Law of Moses. Instead he advised him to present himself to the priest. As a sign he was a testimony to man and his Father in heaven.
45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
His authority came from his deity. "I and my Father are one" As his Son the voice from heaven claimed his humanity so "Trinity" was not merely a doctrine but validated the everlasting covenant. " And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased./And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness." (vv.11-12) The Spirit the third office in Trinity led him as the Lucan Gospel says. He was among men but his deity was never in jeopardy. So His power and glory is his as he makes clear in his prayer, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."( John 17:5)
As the Word become flesh his presence among them was a sign. "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."( John 14:10)
He works so all the healing we have in vv.21-45 we shall fill the dots all the way to the throne of God. Thus the healing validated the blessings mentioned in Ge.1:28. "God blessed them" and it was through his Son.
For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. Here is another, "And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
"And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness./ And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."
Matt.4:1-2 refers to the same which however is to present the temptation, in detail while Mark skips it altogether. His version of the Gospel to give us a digest of the deity and humanity for his audience mostly from the pagan world. (5:41;7:3)
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,/ And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
vv.16-22. Marks reports of the disciples as much as of their master. Jesus chose for instance the brothers Andrew and Simon "or they were fishers."
vv.17-20 "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men./And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him./And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets./And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him." Here we can gather that Zebedee was a man of means having servants.
Another curious feature is how the Evangelist keeps fast pace, using straightway or immediately as shorthand as it were, so doctrinal matters he has left for the other three gospel writers to fill in. It is how each gospel is self-contained in terms of its purpose but also dependent on the rest.
vv.21-22 "And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught./ And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes."
So why would a true believer not want to believe in the Trinity? We know God the Father, our creator. We know Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, God Himself becoming incarnate as man so He could shed His divine blood for the salvation of mankind. We know the Holy Spirit, the fire that came to the Church so she can be wholly sanctified so the Bride can make Herself ready for the Marriage to Her precious Groom, the Lamb of God. A Bride without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, including the sin nature we are born with. All of it gone because Jesus isn't going to marry a grimy bride.
God is God so if He is all three in one, then He is. It is very plainly seen in the scripture for any child of God who rightly divides the word of God, which, I don't believe means arguing about His sovereignty. God Bless :)
Mark 1 :1-11 The word of God-sound and sign (2 of 2)
v.5 " And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins"
The great revival 'in all the land of Judaea and they of Jerusalem' was not because of John's austerity or of his person but the voice of the Lord worked with men as he 'shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.". Hinds calve as surely men see a great light dawning on them.(Ps.29:8-9). Here also Isaiah saw ahead ,"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."(Matt.4:14-16). The same voice that inspired Isaiah did enthuse John's Father. The Angel of the Lord is how the sound becomes a sign. St Luke report of it, "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God./And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."( Luke 1:16-17) At first Zecharias would not believe and his temporary dumbness was a sign. As surely as calves of a hind.
v.11 "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here we have both word as a sound as a sign.
Compared to other gospels Mark tells us salient features of the Advent of the Son with great economy of words. "And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness."(v.12)
The Apocrypha wad translated by the Commission that translated the Textus Receptus (of which virtually all is the KJV).
The Apocrypha did not get removed until the KJV was updated -- in 1882. So if it wasn't "God inspired," how did it manage to remain between the Testaments for 270+ years?
Before you try to answer that, bear in mind thise who put it there also translated the Testaments, as well. So clearly they knew about it.
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;" 1 Timothy 3:2 KJV
A sober person is serious person (making and doing what is important, taking the gospel of Jesus Christ seriously. Since as in the office of a Bishop, God is the supervisor of this office, if you will, and God is a spirit. Being able to have a knowing of the unseen presence of God at all times. (all believers should have a God consciousness)
A sober person is a solemn person (being able to perform sacred ceremonies or worship rituals with great importance and in a highly serious manner.
In order for a Bishop to perform this their thinking has to be sober, and not experiencing uncontrolled thoughts, having complete focus and be in charge of his thoughts and thinking on purpose. During times of holy ceremonies a Bishop needs to be fully reverencing God and the things of God, with his heart and mind open to God and not things of the flesh during sacred times and events.
Because all believers need to be serious also and participate in solemn ceremonies a Bishop is needed to be an example of a sober minded person. A Bishop is needed to teach about such things as well.
Respectfully submitted in the name of our precious Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ.
I have a replica of the 1611 KJV. The Apocrypha is in there. It is tucked in between the Old and New Testaments -- as it should be.
From what I understand, the Apocrypha covers the time between Malachi and the New Testament.
Interestingly enough, the commission that translated the Textus Receptus (where the KJV almost exclusively entails), they did NOT remove the Apocrypha. It stayed in the KJV until the late 1800 (around 1880). So, if it were truly "unGodly," they would have NEVER left it in.
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;/As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."(vv.1-2)
Mark presents Jesus as the Son of God. He does not say he was the Word become flesh but in his obedience to the Word, he is shown as born of God. His faith makes him human as John or anyone of us. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."( John 1:12-13) Above the quote is from Malachi (3:1) which has not become entangled with that of the quote from next verse. About this we shall take up at the end of the note on v.3
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (v.3)
This cites Prophet Isaiah who did not say it in a vacuum but inspired of God who commanded so the knowledge of his glory in terms of man gave expression to the word of God which itself manifests the other worldly quality of faith."The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."(2 Co.4:6;Is.40:3) St Paul asks, "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." It is thus truth written in our inward parts make sense of it.(Ro.10:18)
quote from Isaiah is set in place by the preceding verse. "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." This refers to the remnant of Israel at the eleventh hour as it were, delivered from fire. Compare the quote from Malachi. "behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."(Mal.3:1) Mark's quote therefore fits with the Advent of Jesus Christ as more closer in time. The voice of the Lord reaches the ends of the world as risen Christ promises. (Matt.28:20) '
Thank you for taking time to help me understand Isaiah 53:5.
Healing puts back in place something that is out of order. Healing fixes things. Jesus' purpose in the land of the living was to make us whole.
It seems that Jesus reassured people that came to him for healing that their sins would not hinder their healing if they believed. Isaiah 53:5 is referring to both body and soul. In one scripture , the devils knew the prophesy of Isaiah concerning him. Jesus not only heals the "sin-sick soul, (transgression, iniquities) but the mind, BODY and soul. (COVID, Cancer, AIDS, Heart
Trouble, High blood pressure, diabetes) I noticed that in many conversation with the sick, Jesus mentions "sin." He was connecting sickness and sin.
St. James also mentioned Elders of the Church in relations to prayers for healing "sickness. and "sin."
The words " the chastisement of our peace, (our anxieties)
was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." "Jesus stripes" are talking about healing every part of us that need fixing.
Prima facie one is likely to assume that Evangelist Matthew as one of the twelve is more likely to be advantaged over Mark as one given a ringside view of Jesus, his life, passion death and resurrection. The generation of Mark was farther from controversies whipped up for and against the man but what he had set off, the visible form of worship and attitudes unusual in the prevailing moral laxity the nascent church was gaining strength despite all odds. Mark however was among the stalwarts like Simon Peter and Paul and also early convert.
The Spirit having taken a hand over both Matthew and Mark has set down the truth regardless of the time lapse. How can he not present the Word become flesh but with authority so his truth sanctifies to which no scholarship of man is equal. Without any hesitation we can say that Mark as a faithful believer benefits from the Holy Ghost as other canonical gospel writers to set what is true. The risen Christ said, "And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Given the truth set in inward parts whosoever thus equipped it is fit to the job.
As a disciple the Spirit entrusted St Matthew to delineate the preeminence of Jesus Christ; so with a large canvass at his disposal the risen Christ caps his Gospel with these stirring words of comfort, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." As having overcome death for believers both heaven and earth are reconciled in a believer by his assurance: St Mark is as inspired as he but his is like lapidary work, focusing more on his inner life, prayer life for instance
After mentioning his temptation in the wilderness we have this verse: 'And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed(1:35)'. (6:31-32)(6:34)
Isn't believing in the Trinity just simply believing in God? The Trinity is God so how can you be saved and not believe in the Trinity. You can't separate the Trinity and God, they are one and the same thing. Which part of the Trinity do you not believe in and can still be saved? The Father, the Son or the Holy Ghost? It's amazing to me that the idea that you can be saved and not believe that the Trinity/God are the same thing. ????
Apart from the symbolic aspect of the gifts that the three wise men presented before infant Jesus the Gospel is replete with symbols so the similitude works as principle. "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,"in the Lord's prayer sets the rock compare heaven with the earth. Matthew presents the rock as a witness while Jesus presented the Sermon on the mount. He compares it to himself. "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."(21:44) Parable of the wise builder is about the kingdom building to which his words bring those blessed of his Father before the foundation of the world. "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." (7:24)
The rock hewn tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea was foreordained. This Alpha aspect of Christ we can find Isaiah referring, "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death."(Is.53:9). God refused Moses his request instead he showed the cleft in the rock and it refers the brightness of his Glory in his Son. Isaiah annotates why 'backparts' instead. It is the difference between the hole and the pit. "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." His glory was for those new creation who were buried with his Son and who live by faith.(Is.51:1;Ex.33:21-23)
In so many ways Gospel of St Matthew resonates with the everlasting covenant entered between God and Man than with his Jewish sensibilities as often made by Bible scholars.
For this reason Matthew begins the Book referring to the generation of Jesus Christthat is pendent on Ge.2:4. So when he tells, it is to the generation of vipers "Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."(23:36)
1:1 The first line encapsulates the generation of Jesus Christ which delineates the Alpha and Omega mode of the holiness of God. As provided for man his blessings surely are let in his Son. So he is the son of Abraham whom God blessed. (Ge.12:3). He is also the son of David whom God blessed by equal measure,"and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever."(2 Sa.7:12). These blessings did not begin with Abraham but from the everlasting covenant. It is set down as the driver so both Gentiles and Israel are to be allowed in the Fellowship of God with Man.(Ge.1:28) This universality of the Word become flesh we see in the arrival of the Magi and his attitude towards the Gentile centurion. (8:10) He was looking for faith in the world before whom he appeared as the Apostle.
The Sermon on the Mount presents him state the holiness of His Father as perfect. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."(5:48) He shall prove with his life that it was doable. Blessings presented in this discourse carry for those who refused it. In Ch.23 his discourse 'Woe to ye' was condemnation to the nation that shortchanged Mercies of his Father for the traditions of their fathers. "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers./Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"(23:30-31) The parables are a literary devise that the Spirit uses with telling effect to separate the chaff from the good seed. "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them."(21:45)
Fulfillment of the Scriptures is a notable feature of the Gospel so Alpha and Omega aspects of the kingdom of heaven keep the Son of man in the crosshairs from beginning till the end. Jesus began his ministry where the quote from isaiah served as a cue. "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."(4:14-17)
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth"
Jesus came to fulfill the law. He was the Word become flesh. When he presented the doctrine of his Father he was presenting himself as its fulfillment. He said with vehemence what he as the Man the message would do. "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." His death was in dishonor but in his resurrection he proved the Power of the Word Simon Peter addressing men of Israel speaks,"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:/Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."(Ac.2:23-24). He opened a new way, the path of righteousness. "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."(1 Co.1:30). All who followed him shall have a standard which is affixed by faith and not by praditions or by precepts of men. "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
This is the power given to men.
"And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Here we have a demonstration of what one means by Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and forever. Mark 16:18 supplied us signs and 'in my name' what happen. "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them." St Paul in Malta proved the viper did not hurt him in fulfillment of the word. Elisha in Gilgal was told by sons of the prophets, "O thou man of God, there is death in the pot." They were not hurt because Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Law or the Word. (2 Ki.4:38-41) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending."
"And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."
Hypocrisy of the chief priests and elders is vile in that they profess faith, without backing it with their whole heart. "Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." (Is.29:13) They covenanted with Judas for a sum to destroy an innocent man. But they would not take what he returned. Knowing money as blood money they use it yet to buy silence from soldiers. Their respect for money was learned from the precepts of men. If this nation was a bundle of prejudices and shallow opinions what they really believed in? Their heart was like "a cage of every unclean and hateful bird" with least attention span to commune with God in truth and quietness, As soon as Moses turned his back they were urging Aaron "Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him."(Ex,32:1) . When the ten spies brought back an evil report, they were so overwrought, "And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?/And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt."(Nu.14:3-4)
'Until this day' refers to the Son so what is written of him must be fulfilled as well as the kingdom appointed for him fill both heaven and the earth. " For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;/ And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."(Col.1:19-20)
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth"
The Spirit in organizing the Alpha and Omega aspects of the Son brings out the word of God as true which is validated in his Son. The world made flesh and the word revealed by the humanity works equally well with all those who believe in him. An example we have in the Gospel of St Mark. In the last chapter the risen Christ gives the signs that shall follow the believers. It is valid only, 'in my name' for example "They shall take up serpents." ( Mark 16:18), the Spirit adds "And it shall not hurt them."
The Spirit gives us an example in the case of St Paul on the isle of Malta.
"And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand./And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live./And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm./Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god." (Ac.28:3-6)
From lack of understanding with regards to the Holy Spirit and the purpose of the scripture there are some children of Belial in our times who handle serpents as a test of their spiritual prowess. Is God to be tempted by serpent handling?
v.1 End of sabbath and beginning of the Lord's Day.
Jesus' claim, "The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath" is shown to be true. (12:8) The Lord of the heavenly and he returns to the rest as was before. With regards to the Alpha and Omega provisions the scripture was fulfilled in him. "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (He.4:11).He is the forerunner and our faith must be stedfast to enter into His rest.
v.2 "And, behold, there was a great earthquake" Angel descent from heaven has its consequential effect. Jesus gave up his Spirit while on the cross and the result was evident:the vail of the temple was torn from top to bottom.. A worldly man given to the ways of the world believe only his rational mind and the error of it we find in the conspiracy theories. The Spirit expressly gives evidence to the pre-eminence of the Son in the earthquake. No different than the darkness at noon at the hour of crucifixion. St Paul says, "And by him all things consist," and yet how man shall believe our report? "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"
vv.2-3 "And came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it./ His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow" The Angel of the Lord or His presence refers to the same: the Word revealed. "But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee"(26:32) More or less what Jesus had mentioned earlier. This is how the Spirit of Christ worked with holy men of old,- and the angel and man constitute a single measurement by truth.(Re.21:17) Thy word is truth, It is now demonstrated before the woman who were present that morning.
vv.8-9 They obeyed the angel and went back to tell the disciples, "behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."
"No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse./ And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
The saying of Jesus is mentioned in both versions of Matthew and Luke.
We shall examine it from the specific, in the resistance of the Jews to him. They judged him from their holier-than-thou attitude as the people of the Law. What had the Law of Moses become? It was a treatise collated from the everlasting covenant, which before the advent of the Son in the fulness of time was given to the nation of Israel as the path to righteousness. Garment as in the Parable of the Wedding Guest refers to righteousness. So when Jesus spoke the parable it was in condemnation of what had come up as tradition. It was as unexpected as tares from the Parable. "An enmy hath done this'. From the manner the scribes and the Pharisees held on to the traditions of their fathers which only allowed them to fill up to the measure of their fathers. In his woe to ye tirade he faulted them,"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith, these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."(Matt.23:23). Their hypocritical observation of paying tithes and worship rather to be seen of men than any real change in their old selves was new. This mix and match of old with new did not sit well.
In Luke we have " But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved./No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better."(5:38-39)
New wine in new bottles refer to the new creation.
"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Jesus as the Son of God knew what was in the mind of man. But he did not make it a point to separate man according to his profession or morals before he condescended to sit with him or sup in any convivial company. But when he say faith among them he responded. It was thus at the house he came to heal the man with palsy what struck him was the faith of four who took trouble to bring him to the fore. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."(2:5).He understood man was sinful so how sinful the matter of degrees did not interest him. The word of his Father was sent out calling all unto repentance. It was potent enough to enthuse the good to hear the call and make peace with God. For example St Luke speaks of Simeon of Jerusalem who was just and devout,"waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him./And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ./ And he came by the Spirit into the temple."( Luke 2:25-27). God let him see his heart's desire before he died. Then there was Anna the prophetess. It is of them Jesus meant when he referred the righteous. They were led by the Spirit of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Ghost would come only after hid resurrection.
But sinners whom came as in the case of Levi or the man with palsy did not came across him by coincidence,- but the call had gone forth before the worlds began and went to the ends of the world; it was their faith in exercising completed the calling and election sure. vv.15-16 The house of Levi was a microcosm of the world. So many were saved as there were many who went away as they came in because of their disbelief.
It is hard not to feel an impetus to prod on this subject. I am well aware that I don't have a spiritual gift of service and helps.
There are always needs and we can't live our lives in a vacuum; and that goes for church as well as in the rest of our lives. Perhaps it is doing what is needed rather than endless activities that also matters. I don't personally find it comfortable having a "Game night" at church nor have I been a social "butterfly" in general but these events when accompanied with prayer (and not with sinful activities that so often come about) these events can be edifying. As I stated previously discussions on world events often deviate toward speculation; there are times when scriptures can be discussed; and can be edifying when these discussions go into detail of Bible truths.
Evangelism
I probably said sometime in the last few years of posts that prayer is also good accompanying evangelism for anyone genuinely seeking it. I am not into the "sinner's prayer" in initial conversations; once we get to know people and see a genuine conviction that is the time to seek if they are ready to commit their lives to the Lord. We are partially responsible for someone's fate (blood on our hands) if we don't warn people of taking a vow to God flippantly. We should warn that the more we know the more we are responsible for. We should give many warnings as Christ did about it being the "narrow" path not the broad road leading to destruction ( Matthew 7:13-14). We should also give caution on the trials; thorns and temptations that God uses to test us to see if we are true believers ( Matt. 13:22). Such exhortations may filter out some; but I am convinced will in the end have a greater percentage of committed believers who endure to the end. The song by David Meese "You've gotta count the cost if you want to be a believer" isn't exactly the lingo in today's Christian music "industry" and that is to it's shame.
There is the old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." The same principle exists with the Word of God. Psalm 119 for instance is the longest chapter in all of scripture and incessantly talks about loving God's law. Hungering and thirsting for the Word is something said to characterize the last days ( Amos 8:11-12). This verse talks of a famine for God's word; but we also see Jesus talking about "hungering and thirsting for righteousness ( Matthew 5:6).
It seems counterintuitive or a "no brainer" to consider reading scripture and prayer as something a believer should do; but it has been my experience the enemy will use all sorts of tactics to dissuade believers from focusing on the Word and probably even more so on prayer. It is easy for the enemy to allow us with minimum distractions to read the Word of God because we can easily go into our own error in making it merely an intellectual exercise or feed off it to divert to the latest conspiracy theory or politics or whatever is trending. Prayer of course has it's own ways that it can deviate from scriptural standards; but from my experience it is the lack of prayer that seems to be a common denominator in many congregations. Yes; someone can try to use prayer as a means of spreading gossip or trying to get attention. It seems that too often there is a planned schedule for prayer and it is almost unheard of for it to extend any length of time beyond that planned timeslot even when nothing is pressing. Just to find one or two people who have an urge to pray before a service or for others when needs are expressed and can do it "on the fly" in my mind can literally mean the life or death of a local congregation. If we can't be as a weapon of warfare prepared at all times then we simply will in one way or another be compromised and heading for defeat in having any real impact on individuals or a local community.
It is said by Catholics that marriage is a sacrament that is only necessitated by the vow a man makes with a woman; and I agree with that view despite disagreeing with many other things in their belief system. The idea of a minister to oversee the event from what I can tell helps to involve two or three witnesses (usually along with parents) such as 2 Corinthians 13:1 states. There are other verses as well; none directly discuss a marriage or any other vow; but it does apply in the fact that should one or more parties violate the covenant church discipline can be used against them. I am not sure how things are in the big picture but it seems whenever marriages do occur it is often in another church that the family prefers and many times there is little sense of a whole congregation being involved at least like they used to in the past. Maybe I am off somewhat but that's how I see it.
Good counsel is helpful in that respect however; if anything to keep a healthy balance of older women guiding the youth and allowing for good interactions and support. This is something more favorable it seems today in the Reformed churches from my experiences. Such interactions of a church being a family of course should extend to foreign missionaries that are affiliated with a denomination. It is a shame when we think of missionaries being "out there" and we detach ourselves emotionally when we give financial support. Their marriages and family are components of their witness as much as their evangelism and one can't be separated from the other; although of course some are single individuals on the mission field.
Again; it is sad to say that from my viewpoint there is a tolerance for remarriage in these same sort of congregations (although many won't perform them). I would say that existing marriages have greater chance of longevity and less for divorce in the Reformed circles than others who have 50 percent divorce rates as all of society if they marry at all.
I was in a very odd situation with a former OPC church I attended where I was granted a sort of "partial" membership without ascribing to their stance on infant baptism. There are a couple other issues which would keep me out of a similar place in the future (that church shut down 6 or 7 years ago due to lack of attendance). I will say that it wasn't required that I believed in their stance on Postmillenialism; although I may have mentioned here in the past when it was brought up how foolish it was to believe in the Antichrist and Mark of the Beast in one of their sermons and I took them up on that they sort of backed down. It wasn't a requirement to adhere to their eschatology, although it was a rather cliquish sort of mentality at that place. I agreed to disagree with them without such banter so I thought it only fair; however of course it was their belief.
In any case; infant baptism has cast a rather nebulous picture in my mind as to explanations; somehow holding what children or infants were commemorated with when they become adults and rebel as if they had some sort of inherent partaking of a covenant; I suppose equivalent to the Israelites who were "baptized" by crossing the Red Sea. ( 1 Cor. 10:2). No one I know actually thinks someone is saved through infant baptism but nonetheless they seem in my mind to have carried on a Catholic tradition through the Reformers in the past. I also had a "rebaptism"; having argued beforehand the sprinkling of water should also be legitimate ( Ezekiel 36:25). In my case I had it done that way along with my wife at the time because she had a balance issue going totally underwater; but I rededicated myself to a commitment as a church member when I had an immersion at the founding of a church I used to attend at its inception almost 10 years ago. Seeing how quickly Philip baptized the eunuch in Acts 8; and the jailor with his family ( Acts 16:33) it should follow salvation quickly.
To continue on the subject I would consider attending someplace for at least a year to understand fully doctrines ascribed to as well as to how genuine the love for Christ is in the church. If we are seeing little opportunities to contribute (which can happen in a place where one Pastor seems to hold all the cards); or where there is a great deal of pettiness; family pride (like where founders of the church and their children have had control for a long time in decision making) it may be a situation best avoided in such a commitment. This situation is occurring where a friend of mine is a new Pastor in a rural church in the Midwest.
Communion rules
In taking communion; there are what is known as closed or open communion. I am convinced that anyone who is Born Again and not living in unrepentant sin is eligible for communion. Nevertheless; there should be some discussion with a person beforehand to make sure they are indeed in the faith if someone comes in as a stranger and I can certainly get why some churches want to see if someone regularly attends for a period of time first. Waiting months on end without being given permission is something I have experienced in the past and I think that is going overboard. We shouldn't have a double standard either assuming just because someone has attended church as a member for years that they are "good to go" either; but without any real suspicion I can see how in that case an "open communion" (i.e for all members) can be given. We need to attend to warnings in Corinthians about those dying who take communion unworthily ( 1 Cor. 11:27-34). Unity in the Body of Christ in the church is represented with Communion and His presence is there along with any other actions such as two or more praying together. This is why we are to clear things up with our brother first ( Matthew 5:23-24) it should be settled-this discusses a gift at the altar but seems fitting nonetheless
Here is an issue that can leave us at times with more questions than answers. I may have stated in a past post about a friend of mine in a former church who gladly cleans bathrooms and does other "servile" actions. The definition of that word is interesting because it both encompasses someone who is exuberant about serving others as well as someone often looked down as a low class member of society. Food for thought...
At any event; this friend of mine along with a sizeable group in my current church more than meet the commitment of those who are considered "members" (in fact they seem to exceed them in many ways). In general their explanation of not being a member when I have inquired is that they feel no need to make a formal commitment to something that is a man made sort of concept. Here are a few summary bullet points.
WHY WE SHOULD BE A CHURCH MEMBER
WE MAKE A FORMAL DECLARATION AND ARE HELD TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR COMMITMENTS TO SERVICE; PRAYER; SCRIPTURE READING; EVANGELISM AND WHATEVER ELSE IS IN A DENOMINATIONAL "STATEMENT OF FAITH"
WE ARE IN MANY CASES GIVEN ACCESS TO COMMINION AS WELL AS DECISIONS IN CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS ON FINANCES AND VOTES FOR NEW LEADERSHIP
Now I am going to go through a couple reasons that we should be cautious about becoming a member. Most pressing in my situation is something I was concerned about before I was made a member; that is those who are taking communion unworthily (either in adultery or fornication in particular). I won't go into the subject again as to how I view remarriage when a spouse is still alive as being adultery. In general though if we are a church member we have a responsibility to hold leadership as well as other laypersons accountable which is often uncomfortable. Clearly we should expect our own conduct to be examined carefully as well; exhortation is said to be a spiritual gift but we rarely see it these days.
Perhaps Acts 20:27 about the whole will of God is closest to the concept in this title. I have found a growing issue of many who have aberrant doctrines (losing one's salvation; or "modalism" but who have a correct interpretation of certain specific issues. Specifically; I have been looking at those who preach what I consider correct doctrine on the permanence of a marriage covenant while a first spouse remains alive. I have mentioned previously churches where I have fellowshipped that are either "Post or Amillenial" which I disagree with but nonetheless felt that I would regard it as a "secondary" issue after seeing the conviction of faith in general. Therefore; the first thing we have to consider is if the errant doctrine is in our own church or in someplace we are either surfing online or perhaps occasionally attending such as a Bible Study. I have been to VERY liberal groups on occasion where I have had the opportunity to challenge leadership when I had some time alone as well as try to be a witness to those needing some further insights into the Bible. Clearly even in this setting; when someone else wants to teach and says that we only need Jesus not the Bible (such as happened with a friend of mine recently) it is time to pull the Kenny Rogers and know when to walk away or run if we can't convince leadership to stop someone like this (in this case it was the guy's best friend and hopefully he heeded the warning of my friend).
A big component related to this subject goes from the extreme of "hyper grace" individuals to overly legalistic. Again; some latitude needs to be considered as to a style of worship and more importantly the REASON certain procedures are followed along with the character of those in leadershiip. It is an honor to jealously guard the honor of a congregation from wolves and to use scripture to back all things up; but we shouldn't make the way more narrow than Jesus intends.
1:22-24 "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,/ Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us?"
How come the Gospels are replete with the aspect of Trinity and yet man stumble over it? Devil has set him to coin outlandish concepts of 'accelerationalism' as though an historical imperative to bring down his own house. God is in charge and ungodly men cannot know the unclean spirit that spins his head to think of his home a charnel house. This is how the unclean spirit tore down the man in the synagogue of Capernaum.
Similarly when Jesus would heal the man with palsy, his detractors cried 'blasphemy'. Do we not see it in our own times, After kicking the dog what does man say, He howls, hasten his end,'hang him',
Jesus worked so he would say,"Mu Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
vv.10-12
"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)/I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house./And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.
"And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion."
Authority of Jesus evidently came from the doctrine of his Father; and the word become flesh could say,"I am the truth". Unlike the scribes whose authority, as Jesus faulted them, reeked of hypocrisy (1:22) he walked the straight and narrow line. John testifies,"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken./I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."( John 12:49-50) Where did he learn from? He was in the bosom of his Father so what he said and did was defining the Father inside out.( John 1:18)
While healing the man with palsy, his response we read,"immediately" he arose. He proved "I and my Father are one" and Mark's delineation spares no pains to tell this relation. "He that has the Father has the Son as well. He that has the Son has the Father also' when Jesus made it possible 'inso much that they were all amazed." They glorified God.( 1 John 2:23)
In the previous chapter he was in a synagogue in Capernaum, the unclean spirit 'cried out,"I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." In the world of the Spirit even unclean spirits know the Holy One of God" but they do not want to follow him. In what was the scribes and the Pharisees who did not live by what they preached? Their uncleanness arose from hypocrisy a spiritual malady. Mark here takes us again to Capernaum. In the domestic setting what does the scribes say," Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?"(2:7) He was indeed of God to see through them. The tag 'immediately' in v.8 "And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit", is an indication that his deity worked even when he emptied himself.
"And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean./ And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." Here we see the word prospering in its round. (Is.55:11) It shall never return to God in void. "God sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.(Ps.107:20) explains the healing of the leper. Mark lays emphasis on the aspect of the word as God's work. So "immediately" refers to the word of God the Father; secondly of the Son. So 'as soon as he had spoken' defines the second aspect of the Trinity. He 'put forth his hand, and touched him' refers to 'the finger of God' the word become flesh ( Luke 11:20). The kingdom of God coming unto you is fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. In short the Will of the Father is fulfilled by the Son in this healing. Third office of the Spirit is the witnessing spirit otherwise Mark would have no reason to record it unless he himself was present there.
"And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;/And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." (vv.43-44) Jesus tells him not to give glory which is due to his Father. He did not teach the leper to break the Law of Moses. Instead he advised him to present himself to the priest. As a sign he was a testimony to man and his Father in heaven.
45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
His authority came from his deity. "I and my Father are one" As his Son the voice from heaven claimed his humanity so "Trinity" was not merely a doctrine but validated the everlasting covenant. " And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased./And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness." (vv.11-12) The Spirit the third office in Trinity led him as the Lucan Gospel says. He was among men but his deity was never in jeopardy. So His power and glory is his as he makes clear in his prayer, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."( John 17:5)
As the Word become flesh his presence among them was a sign. "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."( John 14:10)
He works so all the healing we have in vv.21-45 we shall fill the dots all the way to the throne of God. Thus the healing validated the blessings mentioned in Ge.1:28. "God blessed them" and it was through his Son.
For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. Here is another, "And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
"And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness./ And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."
Matt.4:1-2 refers to the same which however is to present the temptation, in detail while Mark skips it altogether. His version of the Gospel to give us a digest of the deity and humanity for his audience mostly from the pagan world. (5:41;7:3)
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,/ And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
vv.16-22. Marks reports of the disciples as much as of their master. Jesus chose for instance the brothers Andrew and Simon "or they were fishers."
vv.17-20 "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men./And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him./And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets./And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him." Here we can gather that Zebedee was a man of means having servants.
Another curious feature is how the Evangelist keeps fast pace, using straightway or immediately as shorthand as it were, so doctrinal matters he has left for the other three gospel writers to fill in. It is how each gospel is self-contained in terms of its purpose but also dependent on the rest.
vv.21-22 "And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught./ And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes."
How is your health and the health of your daughter in law? Are the repairs in your house over? Everything OK?
God is God so if He is all three in one, then He is. It is very plainly seen in the scripture for any child of God who rightly divides the word of God, which, I don't believe means arguing about His sovereignty. God Bless :)
v.5 " And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins"
The great revival 'in all the land of Judaea and they of Jerusalem' was not because of John's austerity or of his person but the voice of the Lord worked with men as he 'shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.". Hinds calve as surely men see a great light dawning on them.(Ps.29:8-9). Here also Isaiah saw ahead ,"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."(Matt.4:14-16). The same voice that inspired Isaiah did enthuse John's Father. The Angel of the Lord is how the sound becomes a sign. St Luke report of it, "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God./And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."( Luke 1:16-17) At first Zecharias would not believe and his temporary dumbness was a sign. As surely as calves of a hind.
v.11 "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here we have both word as a sound as a sign.
Compared to other gospels Mark tells us salient features of the Advent of the Son with great economy of words. "And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness."(v.12)
The Apocrypha did not get removed until the KJV was updated -- in 1882. So if it wasn't "God inspired," how did it manage to remain between the Testaments for 270+ years?
Before you try to answer that, bear in mind thise who put it there also translated the Testaments, as well. So clearly they knew about it.
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;" 1 Timothy 3:2 KJV
A sober person is serious person (making and doing what is important, taking the gospel of Jesus Christ seriously. Since as in the office of a Bishop, God is the supervisor of this office, if you will, and God is a spirit. Being able to have a knowing of the unseen presence of God at all times. (all believers should have a God consciousness)
A sober person is a solemn person (being able to perform sacred ceremonies or worship rituals with great importance and in a highly serious manner.
In order for a Bishop to perform this their thinking has to be sober, and not experiencing uncontrolled thoughts, having complete focus and be in charge of his thoughts and thinking on purpose. During times of holy ceremonies a Bishop needs to be fully reverencing God and the things of God, with his heart and mind open to God and not things of the flesh during sacred times and events.
Because all believers need to be serious also and participate in solemn ceremonies a Bishop is needed to be an example of a sober minded person. A Bishop is needed to teach about such things as well.
Respectfully submitted in the name of our precious Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ.
From what I understand, the Apocrypha covers the time between Malachi and the New Testament.
Interestingly enough, the commission that translated the Textus Receptus (where the KJV almost exclusively entails), they did NOT remove the Apocrypha. It stayed in the KJV until the late 1800 (around 1880). So, if it were truly "unGodly," they would have NEVER left it in.
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;/As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."(vv.1-2)
Mark presents Jesus as the Son of God. He does not say he was the Word become flesh but in his obedience to the Word, he is shown as born of God. His faith makes him human as John or anyone of us. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."( John 1:12-13) Above the quote is from Malachi (3:1) which has not become entangled with that of the quote from next verse. About this we shall take up at the end of the note on v.3
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (v.3)
This cites Prophet Isaiah who did not say it in a vacuum but inspired of God who commanded so the knowledge of his glory in terms of man gave expression to the word of God which itself manifests the other worldly quality of faith."The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."(2 Co.4:6;Is.40:3) St Paul asks, "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." It is thus truth written in our inward parts make sense of it.(Ro.10:18)
quote from Isaiah is set in place by the preceding verse. "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." This refers to the remnant of Israel at the eleventh hour as it were, delivered from fire. Compare the quote from Malachi. "behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."(Mal.3:1) Mark's quote therefore fits with the Advent of Jesus Christ as more closer in time. The voice of the Lord reaches the ends of the world as risen Christ promises. (Matt.28:20) '
Thank you for taking time to help me understand Isaiah 53:5.
Healing puts back in place something that is out of order. Healing fixes things. Jesus' purpose in the land of the living was to make us whole.
It seems that Jesus reassured people that came to him for healing that their sins would not hinder their healing if they believed. Isaiah 53:5 is referring to both body and soul. In one scripture , the devils knew the prophesy of Isaiah concerning him. Jesus not only heals the "sin-sick soul, (transgression, iniquities) but the mind, BODY and soul. (COVID, Cancer, AIDS, Heart
Trouble, High blood pressure, diabetes) I noticed that in many conversation with the sick, Jesus mentions "sin." He was connecting sickness and sin.
St. James also mentioned Elders of the Church in relations to prayers for healing "sickness. and "sin."
The words " the chastisement of our peace, (our anxieties)
was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." "Jesus stripes" are talking about healing every part of us that need fixing.
Prima facie one is likely to assume that Evangelist Matthew as one of the twelve is more likely to be advantaged over Mark as one given a ringside view of Jesus, his life, passion death and resurrection. The generation of Mark was farther from controversies whipped up for and against the man but what he had set off, the visible form of worship and attitudes unusual in the prevailing moral laxity the nascent church was gaining strength despite all odds. Mark however was among the stalwarts like Simon Peter and Paul and also early convert.
The Spirit having taken a hand over both Matthew and Mark has set down the truth regardless of the time lapse. How can he not present the Word become flesh but with authority so his truth sanctifies to which no scholarship of man is equal. Without any hesitation we can say that Mark as a faithful believer benefits from the Holy Ghost as other canonical gospel writers to set what is true. The risen Christ said, "And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Given the truth set in inward parts whosoever thus equipped it is fit to the job.
As a disciple the Spirit entrusted St Matthew to delineate the preeminence of Jesus Christ; so with a large canvass at his disposal the risen Christ caps his Gospel with these stirring words of comfort, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." As having overcome death for believers both heaven and earth are reconciled in a believer by his assurance: St Mark is as inspired as he but his is like lapidary work, focusing more on his inner life, prayer life for instance
After mentioning his temptation in the wilderness we have this verse: 'And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed(1:35)'. (6:31-32)(6:34)
Apart from the symbolic aspect of the gifts that the three wise men presented before infant Jesus the Gospel is replete with symbols so the similitude works as principle. "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,"in the Lord's prayer sets the rock compare heaven with the earth. Matthew presents the rock as a witness while Jesus presented the Sermon on the mount. He compares it to himself. "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."(21:44) Parable of the wise builder is about the kingdom building to which his words bring those blessed of his Father before the foundation of the world. "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." (7:24)
The rock hewn tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea was foreordained. This Alpha aspect of Christ we can find Isaiah referring, "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death."(Is.53:9). God refused Moses his request instead he showed the cleft in the rock and it refers the brightness of his Glory in his Son. Isaiah annotates why 'backparts' instead. It is the difference between the hole and the pit. "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." His glory was for those new creation who were buried with his Son and who live by faith.(Is.51:1;Ex.33:21-23)
In so many ways Gospel of St Matthew resonates with the everlasting covenant entered between God and Man than with his Jewish sensibilities as often made by Bible scholars.
For this reason Matthew begins the Book referring to the generation of Jesus Christthat is pendent on Ge.2:4. So when he tells, it is to the generation of vipers "Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."(23:36)
1:1 The first line encapsulates the generation of Jesus Christ which delineates the Alpha and Omega mode of the holiness of God. As provided for man his blessings surely are let in his Son. So he is the son of Abraham whom God blessed. (Ge.12:3). He is also the son of David whom God blessed by equal measure,"and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever."(2 Sa.7:12). These blessings did not begin with Abraham but from the everlasting covenant. It is set down as the driver so both Gentiles and Israel are to be allowed in the Fellowship of God with Man.(Ge.1:28) This universality of the Word become flesh we see in the arrival of the Magi and his attitude towards the Gentile centurion. (8:10) He was looking for faith in the world before whom he appeared as the Apostle.
The Sermon on the Mount presents him state the holiness of His Father as perfect. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."(5:48) He shall prove with his life that it was doable. Blessings presented in this discourse carry for those who refused it. In Ch.23 his discourse 'Woe to ye' was condemnation to the nation that shortchanged Mercies of his Father for the traditions of their fathers. "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers./Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"(23:30-31) The parables are a literary devise that the Spirit uses with telling effect to separate the chaff from the good seed. "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them."(21:45)
Fulfillment of the Scriptures is a notable feature of the Gospel so Alpha and Omega aspects of the kingdom of heaven keep the Son of man in the crosshairs from beginning till the end. Jesus began his ministry where the quote from isaiah served as a cue. "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."(4:14-17)
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth"
Jesus came to fulfill the law. He was the Word become flesh. When he presented the doctrine of his Father he was presenting himself as its fulfillment. He said with vehemence what he as the Man the message would do. "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." His death was in dishonor but in his resurrection he proved the Power of the Word Simon Peter addressing men of Israel speaks,"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:/Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."(Ac.2:23-24). He opened a new way, the path of righteousness. "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."(1 Co.1:30). All who followed him shall have a standard which is affixed by faith and not by praditions or by precepts of men. "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
This is the power given to men.
"And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Here we have a demonstration of what one means by Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and forever. Mark 16:18 supplied us signs and 'in my name' what happen. "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them." St Paul in Malta proved the viper did not hurt him in fulfillment of the word. Elisha in Gilgal was told by sons of the prophets, "O thou man of God, there is death in the pot." They were not hurt because Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Law or the Word. (2 Ki.4:38-41) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending."
"And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."
Hypocrisy of the chief priests and elders is vile in that they profess faith, without backing it with their whole heart. "Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." (Is.29:13) They covenanted with Judas for a sum to destroy an innocent man. But they would not take what he returned. Knowing money as blood money they use it yet to buy silence from soldiers. Their respect for money was learned from the precepts of men. If this nation was a bundle of prejudices and shallow opinions what they really believed in? Their heart was like "a cage of every unclean and hateful bird" with least attention span to commune with God in truth and quietness, As soon as Moses turned his back they were urging Aaron "Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him."(Ex,32:1) . When the ten spies brought back an evil report, they were so overwrought, "And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?/And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt."(Nu.14:3-4)
'Until this day' refers to the Son so what is written of him must be fulfilled as well as the kingdom appointed for him fill both heaven and the earth. " For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;/ And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."(Col.1:19-20)
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth"
The Spirit in organizing the Alpha and Omega aspects of the Son brings out the word of God as true which is validated in his Son. The world made flesh and the word revealed by the humanity works equally well with all those who believe in him. An example we have in the Gospel of St Mark. In the last chapter the risen Christ gives the signs that shall follow the believers. It is valid only, 'in my name' for example "They shall take up serpents." ( Mark 16:18), the Spirit adds "And it shall not hurt them."
The Spirit gives us an example in the case of St Paul on the isle of Malta.
"And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand./And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live./And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm./Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god." (Ac.28:3-6)
From lack of understanding with regards to the Holy Spirit and the purpose of the scripture there are some children of Belial in our times who handle serpents as a test of their spiritual prowess. Is God to be tempted by serpent handling?
v.1 End of sabbath and beginning of the Lord's Day.
Jesus' claim, "The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath" is shown to be true. (12:8) The Lord of the heavenly and he returns to the rest as was before. With regards to the Alpha and Omega provisions the scripture was fulfilled in him. "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (He.4:11).He is the forerunner and our faith must be stedfast to enter into His rest.
v.2 "And, behold, there was a great earthquake" Angel descent from heaven has its consequential effect. Jesus gave up his Spirit while on the cross and the result was evident:the vail of the temple was torn from top to bottom.. A worldly man given to the ways of the world believe only his rational mind and the error of it we find in the conspiracy theories. The Spirit expressly gives evidence to the pre-eminence of the Son in the earthquake. No different than the darkness at noon at the hour of crucifixion. St Paul says, "And by him all things consist," and yet how man shall believe our report? "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"
vv.2-3 "And came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it./ His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow" The Angel of the Lord or His presence refers to the same: the Word revealed. "But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee"(26:32) More or less what Jesus had mentioned earlier. This is how the Spirit of Christ worked with holy men of old,- and the angel and man constitute a single measurement by truth.(Re.21:17) Thy word is truth, It is now demonstrated before the woman who were present that morning.
vv.8-9 They obeyed the angel and went back to tell the disciples, "behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."