#Bible-teaching

[kr-yoongi]

S2 Ed scribbles <3

[beautyandlifestyleblog86]

Amen!!! ✨✨✨

[justajsworkshop]

neville and edward are not the only people to learn from; their ways are not the right and only ways, and the law of assumption is not the only paradigm to better understand yourself, reality, and yourself as reality.

i think it's so easy to get tunnel vision since neville is the current big shot people always defer to, but there's infinite ways to experience yourself/reality. so, please, do not make this fuckin white guy from the 1900s into a god and his teachings as a whole other set of rules you need to follow.

if the bible doesn't resonate with you, even as a metaphysical text, there are plenty of other cultures and spiritual practices that have been delving into all this waaaay before jesus.

and i think it's important to recognize the harm perpetuated by the church, christianity's fucked history, and people's individual experiences with religion that might make setting aside preconceptions and prejudices more challenging (even to accept the metaphysical message outside the religious).

all this to say: do not make barriers for yourself when you are limitless. if the words "feel it real" make you want to tear your hair out, forget them. please, for the love of you, drop the shit that you feel like you have to force to get or that just isn't clicking.

start getting curious about how you experience yourself and reality. start asking yourself who you really are. start asking yourself "who do i want to be?" vs. "how do i need to be?" set an intention to receive answers in language, analogies, and ways that deeply resonate with you and that will make an instant, profound impact on you.

you do not have to force yourself to fit into an external mold, no matter how alluded it is. not all that glitters is gold because this is YOUR subjective experience of yourself. this has, always has been, and always will be a journey of self, knowing yourself as the limitless, infinite, timeless being you are.

it's doesn't matter what neville said and did if it doesn't benefit you. it doesn't matter who he was or how much his teachings have helped others. what matters is YOU. stop looking at neville, and look at you. who do you know yourself to be? who do YOU say you are?

[cringefail-clown]

if it seems like im posting hs screenshots from completely random bits in the comic its because ill start reading some homestuck analysis post, click on the provided link to the page theyre referencing to check their sources, ineventably go "oughh home stuck" and read the comic from this point onward for the next half an hour, completely forgetting what i was doing in the first place

[vangoghschair]

I'm well aware I won't get many answers but:

[aspirant1598]

[bal0neysandwich]

whimsical hellsing doodles bc my dad got me obsessed

[feedingtheflockministry]

Don't Worry!

It’s difficult to be content when you’re full of worry and anxiety, isn’t it? If you’re not dealing with elevated anxiety levels yourself, perhaps someone close to you is.

So, what’s the solution?

When the Apostle Paul wrote these words, he knew that the Christians in Philippi had a lot to be anxious about; in the first century, it was illegal to be a Christian. Paul himself wrote this letter while in a Roman prison because of the Gospel; he had plenty of reasons to be anxious. Roman prisoners like Paul likely didn’t know where their next meals were coming from and had to rely on the generosity of their friends and family to keep them alive. I, for one, start to get a little anxious when I haven’t eaten for a while. Paul had this and many other reasons to give in to worry and anxiety, but instead of worrying and getting overwhelmed by his situation, he chose to pray with a heart of gratitude.

These verses promise a supernatural peace from God that will be placed as a guard around your mind and heart, meaning that God’s peace will guard your thoughts and emotions against catastrophizing the future.

Worrying is like praying for the worst-case scenario to happen; it’s an act of faith and a killer of contentment. But prayer is also an act of faith where you decide to trust God with all your cares and concerns. So, instead of worrying, why not try praying?

---

By: Brad Bergman

[septicwriters]

It's like perusing through your fine wine collection.

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

Verse of the Day - Matthew 5:10

[starrysharks]

tried to test the waters by asking my mother what she would do if she had a gay child and she said that she'd have them sent to ghana (home country) to be purified. ok

[beemintty]

walking into a christian bookstore hesitant.

walked out feeling like i failed as a christian.

let me explain:

i was that girl. the girl who lived and breathed bible books and devotion and self help books on christianity. i was that girl. the bible bash girl. the “i’m praying for you” girl. the god and the bible is the loud solution girl. the purity culture girl. the only friends with other christians, everyone else needs to be saved girl. the self righteous girl. the go to youth and church and conferences girl. i was THAT girl.

so what happened? i looked at the world. i saw people outside of my bubble. i saw pain and grief and anger and hurt. i saw PEOPLE. and my heart shattered. then i walked away. i walked away from my bubble. i walked away from purity. i walked away from my cruel ignorance. and i walked into curiosity and questioning. i walked into kindness and equality. i walked into openness and learning. i walked into love, for the world and for a girl. and i uncovered the truth of the church…. they do not love me. and if i was still “that girl”, neither would i. i walked out of the horrible reality is that was my whole world…

but some part of me always judges myself and the way my life is now. telling me i failed as a christian.

but know this: maybe i have failed as a christian. but, i have not failed as a follower of jesus. i have not failed at kindness.

[chicagognosis]

Spiritual discipline is what awakens us to divine reality, not belief.

Gnosis signifies knowledge from experience. Gnosticism, as a field of study, pertains to all the ancient schools of mysteries from both East and West, whose scriptures encompass the practical science of awakening consciousness. Gnosis is not isolated to the first Christians, but permeates all times, cultures, and spaces, for while consciousness is universal, the means of expressing such experiential wisdom of the divine is temporal and idiosyncratic to the language, mentality, and needs of a particular society.

Gnosis is what we have verified through experience and experimentation, predicated upon practical methods and personal effort. It is never the product of a belief system, of adopting a religious or mystical attitude, demeanor, or behavior. It is never achieved through attendance, adherence to, or acceptance from a group, by believing in doctrine or creed. It is the flowering and natural unfolding of the soul, which is created and developed when the proper causes and conditions have been met.

Just as there are laws that govern the physical universe, so too are there spiritual laws, causes, and methods to originate the soul: the awakening of the consciousness.

Therefore, the Greek term γνῶσις gnosis is synonymous with genuine faith. Faith has nothing to do with belief, with accepting or rejecting a concept in the mind or upholding a sentiment in the heart. Faith is what we know from facts, from witnessing and understanding reality. Belief takes no effort to foster or develop, whereas the awakening of consciousness and divine experience requires tremendous discipline and the application of spiritual works.

Read or listen to the entirety of this article:

[cath-lic]

when are we gonna break it to american conservatives that we already HAVE schools that teach the bible and they are called private christian schools. oh right i forgot they don’t actually care about that and are trying to enforce a state religion

[sharkbatez]

Ursula trying to teach Akko magic, defending her from co-teachers wanting to expel Akko for not being able to do the most basic of spells, skirting her teaching responsibilities to cover for Akko because Ursula's afraid of having another thing taken away from Akko because Akko can't do magic at all because Ursula unknowingly stole her magical ability when they were younger.

I gotta lie down.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus Teaches in Parables

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Weeds

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. — Matthew 13 | English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Cross References: Genesis 18:6; Genesis 26:12; Deuteronomy 29:4; 2 Samuel 23:6-7; Psalm 78:2; Psalm 104:12; Psalm 119:70; Ezekiel 17:6; Daniel 3:6; Daniel 12:3; Zephaniah 1:3; Matthew 5:37; Matthew 8:20; Matthew 12:32; Matthew 13:1; Matthew 13:3-4; Matthew 13:44; Matthew 13:49; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 20:1; Mark 3:23; Mark 4:4; Mark 4:6; Mark 4:16; Mark 4:25; Luke 5:3; Luke 8:8-9; Luke 8:11; Luke 10:23; 1 Corinthians 15:42

Why Did Jesus Teach in Parables?

Key Passages in Matthew 13

1. The parable of the sower and the seed; 18. the explanation of it. 24. The parable of the weeds; 31. of the mustard seed; 33. of the leaven; 36. explanation of the parable of the weeds. 44. The parable of the hidden treasure; 45. of the pearl; 47. of the drag net cast into the sea. 53. Jesus is a prophet without honor in his own country.