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focusontheeasternlightning-blog · 6 years ago

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Catholic Beliefs: The Lord Really Has Returned

By Renshi, USA

My whole family believes in God. I attended mass with my mom from the time I was a little girl and God bestowed so much grace on us—we were full of gratitude toward Him and we were also longing for the Lord’s return. But I never imagined that when the Lord really did return to work and save us, I wouldn’t recognize His work but would instead rely on my arrogant nature and cling to my old notions, nearly missing out on the Lord’s salvation.

Every time I think of this I feel self-reproach but I also rejoice. The Lord Jesus had mercy on me and through my brothers’ and sisters’ patient fellowship on the Lord’s new words I have gained an understanding of His new work, thus becoming able to follow His footsteps. I am grateful for the Lord’s salvation for me that allowed me to catch the very last train for the Age of Kingdom. Now all sorts of scenes of me accepting the Lord are playing in my head….

One day my mom’s church friend, Auntie Li, took several other church friends to our home to share God’s gospel of the last days. I thought they were coming to convert us to Christianity so I wasn’t very receptive to them, but Auntie Li said: “The Lord has already returned; He is Almighty God, Christ of the last days. Almighty God has expressed truths and done the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. The Age of Grace is over and we’re now in the Age of Kingdom. When we sin we no longer need to go to a priest to confess but we can directly read Almighty God’s words and accept their judgment and chastisement, reflect on and know our own corrupt dispositions from His words, and conduct ourselves in accordance with God’s requirements. This way we can gradually be freed from the bonds of sin, be purified, and become people after God’s heart.” Hearing all of this, I was shocked, and I thought to myself: “Almighty God is the appearance of the Lord? But I’ve believed in the Lord all these years and have enjoyed so much of His grace. If I were to accept Almighty God’s new work wouldn’t it be forsaking the Lord Jesus?” I was a little confused. I didn’t express any of that, so after seeing what my attitude was they didn’t say anything further.

After that I saw that my older sister would often go out alone and after coming back, she and my mom would be whispering to each other. Later on both of them started going out together and every time they came home they’d be full of smiles—it looked like they felt much better than before. I was really confounded and figured that they were keeping something from me. After a period of time they told me very seriously that they had accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days and had determined that Almighty God is the appearance of the Lord. They advised me to seriously look into it. Hearing them say this, I had a hard time understanding. I thought: “My mom and sister are such devout believers, how come they both believe in Almighty God now? Isn’t this departing from the way of the Lord and forsaking their Catholic beliefs? They changed with just a few days’ time?” I frowned and didn’t say a word. Seeing I wasn’t saying anything, my sister said: “I understand how you feel. When Auntie Li came and shared the gospel of the last days with us I was also afraid of adopting the wrong faith, but I found that what they were preaching made a lot of sense and was also in line with biblical prophecies. I’ve also seen that disasters throughout the world are getting bigger and bigger. All signs point to the return of the Lord. If Almighty God really is the Lord returned, wouldn’t I lose the grace of His salvation if I refused to accept Him? So, I prayed to the Lord every day: If Almighty God really is the Lord returned, may the Lord enlighten and guide me so that I can follow His footsteps and allow me to run into the sisters who had shared the gospel of Almighty God with me. Wonderfully, they came again to share Almighty God’s gospel of the kingdom with me and I knew that this was the Lord’s design and arrangement, so I began to investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days. They later had me read many of Almighty God’s words. I saw that it all possessed authority and power, that it was all the truth and was God’s voice. Almighty God has told us everything: the purpose of God’s management plan, how God saves people, the root of mankind’s corruption, how human beings should cast off evil and be saved, and our final outcome and destination. Through reading Almighty God’s words, I came to understand many truths and many mysteries of the Bible. My heart really brightened and I determined within my heart that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned.” After hearing what she had to say the knots in my heart loosened a bit. It turned out she hadn’t just blindly accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days, but had continued seeking the Lord’s leadership and guidance. I then felt a little ashamed and reproachful of myself, thinking that I had never stopped longing for the Lord’s return but when I heard people bear witness that He really had returned, I did not have a humble heart of seeking. How could I gain the Lord’s enlightenment and guidance that way? If Almighty God really was the Lord returned and I didn’t seek and investigate this, wouldn’t I truly miss out on His salvation? When that occurred to me I promised my sister that I was willing to investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days.

Two days later my mom and sister took me to The Church of Almighty God so that I could look into it. Since I was still a bit guarded, when I was listening to people share fellowship I simply could not quiet myself, but since my mom and sister were there for the sake of saving face I had to force myself to “earnestly” listen. During this time I heard a brother with the Church say: “Now most people have felt while attending mass that what the priest talks about is just the same old stuff from the Bible—it’s dry, there’s no new light, and parishioners get no enjoyment out of it. They confess every day but still live in sin they cannot extricate themselves from. Many people have lost their faith and fallen into darkness. We have all seen that the entire religious world has become desolate and lacks the work of the Holy Spirit. This is a widely recognized fact! But do you know the reason for the desolation in religious circles? This is directly related to whether or not we are able to welcome the return of the Lord Jesus. In fact, there are two main reasons for the religious world losing the Holy Spirit’s work and becoming so desolate. One is that because the priests and leaders don’t follow the Lord’s commandments or practice His words, instead only upholding human traditions and focusing on theological discussions and biblical knowledge. They use this to show themselves off and bear witness to themselves so that others admire them. They don’t remotely bear witness to or elevate the Lord, nor do they lead others to practice and experience the Lord’s word so that people may achieve understanding of the truth and know the Lord. They have completely veered off the Lord’s path, which is why they have been abandoned and eliminated by Him. This is the primary reason for the desolation in religious circles. Another reason is because the Lord Jesus has returned—He is Almighty God in the flesh, and He has done the work of judgment beginning with the house of God on the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption, expressing truths to judge and purify all those who have accepted His work of the last days. Accordingly, the Holy Spirit’s work has shifted to God’s work of judgment in the last days. Those who accept this work are able to gain the work of the Holy Spirit as well as the sustenance and watering of the living waters. However, those who are stuck in the religious sphere and refuse to accept God’s work of the last days have lost the Holy Spirit’s work and fallen into darkness, becoming negative and weak. This fulfills the biblical prophecy: ‘When there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon: and the piece whereupon I rained not, withered’ (Amos 4:7).”

Although I forced myself to “earnestly” listen, I really didn’t take much in from that brother’s fellowship because of my apprehensions. After returning home I continued to go to church to pray, read the Bible, and attend mass, but I was totally unable to settle my heart. The fellowship from that day kept surfacing in my mind. I thought: “That brother’s fellowship made sense and I’ve also felt that the church is lacking the work of the Holy Spirit. Could it be that the Lord really has returned to do new work? But I’ve believed in the Lord all these years and He’s bestowed so much grace upon me. I cannot betray Him!” I was intensely conflicted and I didn’t know if I wanted to continue to investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days or not.

One time I went to attend service and when I got to church, I was dumbfounded. At the time I arrived, in the past mass had always already begun, but that day some of the lights in the church weren’t even on yet and it was really dark inside. There were just a few people scattered here and there and they were just sitting there chatting about secular things. I didn’t see any sign of a priest anywhere. The scene in front of me was really disappointing for me, and I thought: “The church really is becoming more and more desolate! Could it really be just like the brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God said, that the Lord has returned and done new work, and those who have not kept up with it have lost the work of the Holy Spirit? Oh, has the Lord’s work really shifted?” After service I went home and stood in front of a portrait of the Lord Jesus and silently prayed: “Oh Lord! Have You really become flesh and done new work? Is Almighty God really Your return? Lord! I implore You to guide me….” After this prayer it felt like the great weight pressing down on me was lifted. I let out a breath, and thought: “Since this church no longer has the Holy Spirit’s work I should seek out a church that does have it! Yes, I do need to continue to look into Almighty God’s work of the last days. If Almighty God really is the Lord Jesus returned I must accept Him!” I felt much more at ease when I thought of that.

After that I continued to look into Almighty God’s work of the last days alongside my mom and my sister. I was surprised to find that when I went to listen to sermons again I was able to quiet my heart. I then spoke out about the confusion within myself: “When I heard your fellowship before about the reason for the desolation in the churches I was in complete agreement. They really are desolate and are lacking the work of the Holy Spirit. But I still have reservations—I’ve believed in the Lord all these years and have enjoyed so much of His grace. If I stray from the Lord Jesus and believe in Almighty God, wouldn’t that be betraying the Lord Jesus? Could you address this topic?”

Hearing my question, Sister Liu smiled and said: “Sister, this is a really important question that you’ve brought up. Having that concern mainly stems from a lack of understanding of God’s work. It’s just like the end of the Age of Law when God became flesh as the Lord Jesus and then completed the work of the Age of Grace on the foundation of the Age of Law. Those who heard His word, recognized that it was God’s voice and accepted His work were all those who were keeping pace with the Lord. Just like Peter, John, and the Samaritan woman, they heard the Lord Jesus’ message and realized that He was the Messiah. They followed God’s steps and enjoyed the watering and sustenance of God’s words, gaining the work of the Holy Spirit. Not only did they not betray Jehovah, but they followed God’s footsteps; that was the only way they could be faithful to Jehovah God. But those, such as the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, who clung to the law and refused to accept the Lord Jesus’ words and work not only failed to gain Jehovah God’s praise, but actually became people who resisted God and were eliminated through His work. Just the same, according to His management plan and in accordance with mankind’s needs, the Lord of the last days has done the stage of work of judgment and purification on the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work. Accepting Almighty God’s work of the last days is not betraying the Lord Jesus, but is following God’s footsteps. It’s upholding the way of God and devoutly following Him. This fulfills the prophecy in the Book of Revelation: ‘These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth’ (Revelation 14:4). We’ll understand this better after reading a few passages from Almighty God’s words. He said: ‘The work of managing mankind is divided into three stages, which means that the work of saving mankind is divided into three stages. These three stages do not include the work of creating the world, but are rather the three stages of the work of the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom’ (‘Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh). ‘From the work of Jehovah to that of Jesus, and from the work of Jesus to that of this current stage, these three stages cover in a continuous thread the entire gamut of God’s management, and are all the work of one Spirit. Since the creation of the world, God has always been at work managing mankind. He is the Beginning and the End, He is the First and the Last, and He is the One who begins an age and the One who brings the age to an end. The three stages of work, in different ages and different locations, are unmistakably the work of one Spirit. All those who separate these three stages stand in opposition to God’ (‘The Vision of God’s Work (3)’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh). ‘The work being done at present has pushed forward the work of the Age of Grace; that is, the work under the entire six-thousand-year management plan has moved forward. Though the Age of Grace has ended, God’s work has made progress. Why do I say time and again that this stage of work builds upon the Age of Grace and the Age of Law? This means that the work of this day is a continuation of the work done in the Age of Grace and an advance over that done in the Age of Law. The three stages are tightly interconnected and each link in the chain is closely tied to the next. Why do I also say that this stage of work builds on that done by Jesus? Supposing that this stage did not build on the work done by Jesus, He would have to be crucified again in this stage, and the redemptive work of the previous stage would have to be done all over again. This would be meaningless. And so it is not that the work is completely finished, but that the age has moved forward and the level of the work has been raised even higher than before. It may be said that this stage of work is built on the foundation of the Age of Law and on the rock of Jesus’ work. The work is built stage by stage, and this stage is not a new beginning. Only the combination of the three stages of work may be deemed the six-thousand-year management plan’” (“The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“The three stages are tightly interconnected and each link in the chain is closely tied to the next.” “These three stages … are all the work of one Spirit.” It was the first time I had heard something so refreshing and I was deeply drawn by it. I thought: “These three stages of work are the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom; are all three stages done by the Lord? Why does He have three stages of work? How are these three stages completed?” I felt really excited and wanted to understand the mystery within this, so I explained my confusion.

Sister Li opened an image on her computer of the three stages of work and fellowshiped with me: “Almighty God’s words tell us that there are a total of three stages in His work to save mankind. The first was the Age of Law of the Old Testament, the second was the Age of Grace of the New Testament, and the third is the Age of Kingdom as prophesied in the Book of Revelation. These three stages are God’s different work in different ages, and although the ages, the work, God’s name, and the disposition that He expresses are all different, it is all the work of a single Spirit. Each of the three stages closely follows the next stage and each is higher and deeper than the last. Without any given stage, it wouldn’t be possible to entirely save humanity from Satan’s dominion. During the Old Testament Age of Law God worked under the name of Jehovah. The disposition He expressed was that of majesty, wrath, mercy, and curse; He issued the commandments and the law through Moses, and led the lives of recently-created humans on earth so that they knew what was a sin, how they should worship God, and that by observing Jehovah’s laws God’s blessing and grace would follow. Anyone who violated the law would be stoned to death or burned alive. Toward the end of the Age of Law people became more and more corrupt and sinful and were no longer observing the law. They were all facing the danger of being condemned and executed according to the law. God performed a new stage of work in accordance with mankind’s needs, becoming flesh as Jesus to work. He ushered in the Age of Grace, ending the Age of Law. The disposition He expressed was that of love and mercy; He brought the way of repentance, taught people to be tolerant and patient, to love their enemies and forgive others seventy times seven times. He also bestowed rich grace upon people and in the end was crucified in order to save mankind, rescuing us from Satan’s grasp. From then on whenever we sinned we could call out to the Lord Jesus, confess and repent, and our sins would be forgiven, allowing us to enjoy the peace and joy bestowed by God. Although our sins are erased because of the Lord Jesus’ redemption, we still have not escaped our corrupt satanic dispositions so we still frequently sin and have not been gained by God. In order to fully save us from sin, God has once again become flesh and has done the work of judgment beginning with the house of God in the name of Almighty God, expressing millions of words to expose mankind’s corrupt natures, judge our unrighteousness, have us know our own natures through God’s words, clearly see the truth of how deeply we have been corrupted by Satan, know the root of our corruption, and recognize God’s righteous disposition which will tolerate no offense. God’s words also point out a path of practice for us to free ourselves from our satanic dispositions. If we accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, reflect on ourselves and know our satanic dispositions through the revelation of God’s words, and then practice the truth, we will gradually be able to cast off the bonds of sin, our perspectives on things will slowly change, and our life dispositions will transform over time. In the end, we will be able to fear God and shun evil and become people who are in line with God’s will, and finally be brought into a wonderful destination by God. The three stages of work have been done based on God’s management plan as well as humanity’s corruption. Each stage has been built upon the foundation of the last; each stage is higher and deeper than the last. If God had only done one or two stages of work He would not be able to thoroughly save mankind. It is only through doing three stages of work that He can completely save mankind from Satan’s dominion. It is only the three stages of work that are God’s complete work of salvation for mankind. This is why accepting Almighty God’s work of the last days is not forsaking the Lord Jesus but is following the footsteps of the Lamb. Only someone who does this is truly faithful to God.”

After hearing God’s words and that sister’s fellowship my heart brightened considerably. I said happily: “So all three stages of work have been done by one God, but it’s just because they’ve been in different ages that God’s work, His name, and the disposition He expresses have not been the same. God has only done three stages of work in order to thoroughly save us from Satan’s dominion. Almighty God’s work in the Age of Kingdom was built upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work. It’s a new step of higher work, and as long as we accept Almighty God’s new work we’ll be able to cast off our sinful nature, achieve purification and be saved by God! This time I understand that believing in Almighty God is not forsaking the Lord Jesus, but it is keeping up with God’s new work and welcoming the Lord.”

Hearing this, Sister Li said happily: “Being able to have this kind of understanding is God’s guidance. Thanks be to the Lord! In the last days, God has incarnated and expressed all truths to purify and save man, unveiling the mysteries of His six-thousand-year management plan to save mankind. He has told us all truths including the goal of His three stages of work to save mankind, mysteries of His incarnation, how Satan has corrupted mankind, how God saves mankind, what mankind’s final destination is, and how we should seek to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who love the truth and are able to hear God’s voice can hear from His words that they are the Lord’s voice and return to stand before His throne. By seeking the truth we can achieve purification and be perfected by God. However, those who do not love the truth and refuse to accept Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days, who still resist and condemn Christ of the last days, can only fall into disaster, weeping and gnashing their teeth; they are exposed and eliminated. It’s through this kind of practical work that God sorts people according to their kind, in the end rewarding good and punishing evil. All of the work in His management plan has been done by God Himself. No man could take that place.”

Brother Yang then read two passages from God’s words: “If you have a clear knowledge of the three stages of work—which is to say, of God’s entire plan of management—and if you can fully correlate the previous two stages of God’s work with the present stage, and can see that it is work done by one God, then you will have no firmer foundation. The three stages of work were done by one God; this is the greatest vision, and is the only path to knowing God. The three stages of work could only have been done by God Himself, and no man could do such work on His behalf—which is to say that only God Himself could have done His own work from the beginning until today” (“Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Only those who know and appreciate the three stages of work can fully and accurately know God. At the very least, they will not define God as the God of the Israelites, or the Jews, and will not see Him as a God who will be forever nailed to the cross for the sake of man. If you only come to know God from one stage of His work, then your knowledge is too, too little. Your knowledge is but a drop in the ocean. If not, why would many of the religious old guard nail God to the cross alive? Is it not because man confines God within certain parameters?” (“Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

The brother said in fellowship: “Knowing the three stages of work is the greatest vision in our faith and it is also our only path for knowing God. If we do not understand God’s three stages of work or we only know God through one stage of His work, believing that He is just the God of redeeming mankind and bestowing grace upon us, or believing that His only name is Jesus, and so forth, we will be likely to delimit God and limit Him within our own notions and imaginings. Just like when the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees of the Jewish faith arrogantly relied upon their own notions and imaginings to delimit the Lord Jesus’ work, believing that if He wasn’t called ‘Messiah’ He couldn’t be God. And they seized upon every chance to resist and judge the Lord Jesus, in the end nailing Him to the cross, committing a most heinous sin and thus being punished by God. This led to the Israelites losing their country for nearly two thousand years. Now many pastors, elders, priests, and leaders across the religious world do not recognize God’s work and rely on their arrogant natures, upholding their own notions and imaginations to resist and condemn Almighty God’s work. Aren’t they making the same mistake that the Pharisees did? If we are unable to recognize the vision of God’s three stages of work we will be prone to following the priests and leaders of the religious world in judging and condemning God’s work, and doing things that are resistant to God. This is extremely serious and will certainly result in losing the chance to be saved by God!”

After hearing God’s words and this brother’s fellowship, I said excitedly: “Now I’ve really understood. It is only God Himself who is able to do the three stages of work to save mankind, and without understanding God’s three stages of work you can only use your own notions and imaginings to delimit and resist God, and then you will be extremely likely to lose the salvation of His return. So hasn’t my faith in God over these years been in vain? Not only could I not gain God’s approval that way but I became someone who believes in Him but still resists Him! It’s frightening to think of it. I must become a humble, obedient person, let go of my own notions and imaginings, and hurry to investigate and accept Almighty God’s work of the last days.” After hearing me say this my mom said with joy: “That’s so right!” My older sister and the other brothers and sisters also happily applauded me.

After that I started to proactively read Almighty God’s words, watch gospel films from The Church of Almighty God’s website, have gatherings with brothers and sisters to read Almighty God’s words, and have fellowship together on our understanding of God’s words. I gradually came to understand many truths I had never grasped in my faith before, such as: mysteries of God in the flesh appearing and doing work, how God does His work of judgment, and the significance of God changing His name. Through attending gatherings and watching gospel films from The Church of Almighty God I no longer doubted God’s new work and felt that my relationship with Him was growing closer and closer. I also felt freer and freer in my heart and determined that Almighty God really is the Lord Jesus returned! Although it hasn’t been long since I accepted Almighty God’s gospel of the kingdom, I feel that in this time I’ve understood more truths than I did in the 20-odd years I believed in God before this. I give thanks to God for His salvation for me!

#faith #return #grace #gospel

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johnchiarello · 6 years ago

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Colossians 1

COLOSSIANS [Intro- Chapter 1]

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Col. 1 Colossians 1 https://youtu.be/7-ABHPhtkIM https://vimeo.com/260737886

ON VIDEO .Introduction to Colossians .Brief history of Colosse .Jesus- the Firstborn- what does this mean? .A radio message on cassette ‘Legalism spoils rotten’- probably the first message I preached at the Old Hospital in Kingsville .Time .The prison epistles .The Logos and the act of creation .Christology in the first 3 centuries of Christianity https://www.gotquestions.org/Christology.html .Arius- Athanasius https://www.ewtn.com/library/HOMELIBR/ARIANISM.TXT http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/athanasius.html .Constantine in the 4th century .The official split between east and west [Catholic and eastern orthodox] was in 1054 ad- but the division started long before .Trinity- eternal fellowship in the God head itself [Himself] .What is the renewing of the mind- how is this accomplished?

OTHER VIDEOS [These are videos I upload just about every night to my sites]

Oso update https://youtu.be/m1uh2JFyUcY Me n Pops sing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iKW3ixyXt_t2BWeBr4wiozpDURa–TJz/view?usp=sharing Christ died for you https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQsjMU436n_rzKlC John 18 https://vimeo.com/260503659 Back in NYC [2-17 trip- they shut the GW bridge down] https://youtu.be/TfMAU0hmpjA Church Unlimited- Mass https://vimeo.com/260589215 Galatians 6 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQzjBmUmaRVxQ7NI Telos https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qjRffrtTePL1zXb6WIkXnNaBeIDagMB2/view?usp=sharing Samuel 21 https://vimeo.com/260678273

NEW Intro- This letter is one of the prison Epistles of Paul [the other 3 are Ephesians- Philippians- Philemon]. He probably wrote it while in prison at Rome- between ad 60-62. I covered this in my Acts study [Chapter 28- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/22/acts-28/ ].

Its too easy to label what exact heresy Paul was fighting in his various letters. We do know that the rise of Gnosticism was a real threat to the early church [1st John] as well as Legalism [Galatians]- so I think its better to say that Paul was basically doing the same thing in all of his letters.

Exalting Christ- showing how our relationship with Christ by faith unites us with him. Teaching that the law [and ceremony] were only shadows of the real thing to come- which is Christ. Yes- he follows this basic theme in most of his letters.

But we usually say that the apostle was fighting asceticism in this letter [true as far as it goes]. Asceticism was the belief that extreme self denial produces holiness. In my view this is simply another form of legalism- attempting to make ourselves right in the sight of God thru self effort.

Whether that be thru the works of the law- or any other religious practice. Paul also warns against the worship of angels and teaches the preeminence of Christ.

Colossae [or Colosse] Like some of the other cities I covered in my Acts study https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/ – was an area not at its ‘best’ at the time Paul wrote to the church there. A few hundred years before Paul the city was a leading city in Asia Minor [Turkey] but in the 1st century it was more of a market town and other regions had greater influence- economically speaking.

In Acts 19 https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/ we read that during Paul’s stay at Ephesus- the converts to Christ spread the word of the Lord to Asia- Acts 19:10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. In this letter Paul seems to identify the person who brought the gospel to Colosse- Epaphras- Colossians 1:7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Ok- that’s a brief introduction before we get into the letter itself.

Chapter 1-

Paul first of all thanks God for those who believed the message of Christ- Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Leaders- ‘apostles’- those who are striving to do the work of God- we often read the bible looking for keys to effective ministry- We just saw one of them. praying always for you, Prayer- pray for the people you preach to- pray for the work of God- the work of grace- to continue in the churches you hope to build- pray.

Pray this- Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; It is thru the people that the work of the ministry is carried out- Leaders- preach- teach- and when the word is planted in the people- you will have times to keep silent-

1 Thessalonians 1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

It is by the power of the gospel- yes- the death of Jesus- bodily- and his Blood being shed- that brings us into the kingdom now- Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Now- we see exactly who this Jesus is- for the first 3 centuries of the church- the debates were primarily about ‘Christology’- trying to define the person of Christ- This passage below has been seen by some to say that Jesus had a beginning point- Lets look it at- Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Colossians 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. How is Jesus the firstborn? I have taught on the relationship of the Logos [Word] and God [The Father]- When God created all things- He Spoke. The Word of God brought all things into existence. This Word- the Logos- was always with the Father- yet we did not see the activity of creation until God chose to speak it into existence. The early church settled this question of the deity of Christ- and one of the key passages they used was from John’s gospel- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Jesus is the firstborn- has the preeminence because everything else came forth from Him- He is not the ‘firstborn’ meaning he too was born- or created- but the first in God’s creative act. Truly this Logos became flesh- and that’s why we identify him as the only begotten Son of God. When the word was made flesh- the Logos [Word] took on a human Body. But he was with the Father from all eternity- as the passage from John states. The New Testament also states that Jesus was the first to rise from the dead- to die no more- Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. All the fullness of God dwelt [dwells] in him- Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; Colossians 1:20 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. And because of this- his death for us brings peace-

The process of all things being brought back to God has now begun.

Ok- look at the next verse- Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled Colossians 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Much has been written and spoken about the need for the Christian to have a renewed mind. Paul himself speaks about the importance of this- Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Yet look at this passage- ‘alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled- In the body of his flesh through death’ It is actually the work of Christ- the gospel- that accomplishes this renewed mind. In this letter Paul will refute ‘self holiness’- he will argue against extreme self denial. Yet many teach that we are ‘saved by grace’ true- then will sort of say ‘but the renewing of the mind is hard work’. I realize these men mean well- but I think this view is a legalistic way to look it it. The renewal of the mind is primarily being focused on the work of the Cross itself- seeing how the death and resurrection of Christ has actually ‘reconciled’ our minds- not simply a work that saved our souls.

The apostle gives us another key to effective ministry- Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: Not just to suffer- but to embrace it as a gift from God. When we as Christians speak about bearing our Cross- I don’t think we fully grasp what this means. The Cross was indeed the redemptive purpose of God. We have already seen this in the first chapter of this short letter. And Paul saw his sufferings as a key part of his ministry. He is penning this letter from prison- his body is ‘captive’ but the Word of the Lord has free course. In our Ephesians study- we talked about the mystery that God revealed- it was the mystery [hidden until the time God revealed it] of both Jew and Gentile being one body. Here we see another mystery- Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: What is the mystery? That Christ himself- by the Spirit- actually lives inside the believer- Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Yes- he is speaking of the Gentiles here- and this of course fits with the mystery seen in Ephesians- But yet- this was still unknown until the time of Christ. That thru the Spirit of God dwelling in us- we have the power to overcome the world. 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

We end the chapter with the apostle once again giving us a key- Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Colossians 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Paul was carrying out his mission- The declaration of the Word of God- to fulfil the word of God; Verse 25. He had many struggles in the journey- we saw in our Acts study how he was beaten at times- some think he was actually killed at one point- and God raised him up.

Yet thru all of this- he saw it was God himself doing the work- it was ‘his working’ which was working in him in a mighty way.

He was not ‘working the Word’ for material gain- but the Word- even the word of the Cross was working in him.

The apostle of Grace understood that all that was happening- all the great churches that Paul planted- all the suffering he went thru- was simply God working in and thru him- Amen

PAST POSTS [Past teaching I did that relates] https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2018/01/17/kings-17/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/john-11-the-8th-sign/ https://ccoutreach87.com/christian-recovery-from-addiction-long-version/ https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/

1ST, 2ND CORINTHIANS 1ST- 2ND SAMUEL 1ST- 2ND SAMUEL [LINKS- UPDATED 3-17] 1ST-2ND KINGS ABOUT ACTS ACTS [LINKS] ATHEISM- APOLOGETICS [LINKS ADDED] CHRISTIAN RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION [LONG VERSION] CLASSICS OF WESTERN LITERATURE DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA EPHESIANS [HIGHLIGHTS] EPHESIANS [LINKS] FURTHER TALKS ON CHURCH AND MINISTRY GALATIANS [LINKS] GALATIANS- JOHN’S GOSPEL GENESIS HAGGAI HEBREWS- UPDATED 2015 HISTORICAL FIGURES FROM CHURCH HISTORY HOUSE OF PRAYER OR DEN OF THIEVES HURRICANE HARVEY INSIGHTS FROM A REVOLUTION ISLAM JAMES- 2015 JOHN [COMPLETE- LINKS ADDED] JONAH [LINKS] JUDGES- RUTH [VIDEO LINKS INCLUDED] JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH LINK TO PAST POSTS- UP TO 12-2017 LINKS TO STUDIES MARK [LINKS] MY BIBLE COMMENTARIES [OTHER LINKS] MY OTHER SITES N.J./NYC- 2017 NEHEMIAH, ISAIAH NYC-NEW JERSEY TRIP- 2015 ONE LINK OVERVIEW OF PHILOSOPHY OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE PROTESTANT REFORMATION- LUTHER QM RADIO CATALOG RAPTURE- 2ND COMING- 2 EVENTS? ROMANS-UPDATED 2015 RUSSIA- U.S.- WORLD EVENTS THE GREAT BUILDING OF GOD WESTERN INTELLECTUAL TRADITION // you’re reading… UNCATEGORIZED Acts 28 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ NOVEMBER 22, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT ACTS 28- [Conclusion of the Act’s study] Isaiah 25:7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Acts 28- https://youtu.be/JNtaYP1cqEs https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl/ https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl-2/ ON VIDEO- .Stranded on the island .Melita [Malta] founded by the Phoenicians around 1000 BC .Paul gets bitten by a snake .The ‘natives’ think he is being judged .Then when he doesn’t fall down sick and die- .They think he is a ‘god’ [Fickle] .Where did these ‘natives’ get the concept of justice? [natural law theory is true] .Paul functions in the gift of healing .The ship he takes to Rome has the names ‘Castor and Pollux’- who were they? .The mythical sons of Zeus .Paul at Rome .He makes his case to the Jews .Some believe- some don’t Note- when we study church history we realize there was already a church [believers] at Rome before Paul got there .So we often teach that Paul was not responsible for the church at Rome .Yet here we see he did introduce some Roman Jews to Jesus- so he certainly played a role .Paul quotes from Isaiah 6- which in a way sums up the last half of the book of Acts [see my teaching below] .Nero After thoughts- .Would you go to hell to save the world? .A talk I had with a homeless friend .Do we live with a self preservation mentality? .Are our churches centered around this mentality? .Your purpose is to fulfil the mission- even if it does not ‘save’ you [The Cross] .A polarized nation- our times .Yet- their is a redeemer- Jesus God’s own Son NEW- As we end the Acts study- I’ll add my past teaching below- and just mention a few things. The last few chapters was the lead up to the climax- Paul was going to Rome to appeal his case to Nero- His accusers have been on his trail the whole time- And as he arrives in Rome- he calls together the Jews to present his case first to them. He figured they heard all the rumors about him- and wanted to make a defense. As it turned out- they were not aware of all the stuff he was going thru. So he presents the gospel to them- some believe- others do not- Then he quotes one passage out of Isaiah 6- Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. It’s interesting- because the whole chapter of Isaiah 6 [posted below in the verses section] sort of sums up Paul’s whole experience in the last half of the book of Acts. He has been going from city to city- desperately trying to persuade his fellow Jews that Jesus is indeed the Christ- the anointed one- the promise that they have been waiting for. And in this excitement of the reality that they were living in the time when the promise made to their father’s thru the prophets- has now been fulfilled- Yet- he is dumbfounded that his fellow Jewish brothers refuse to believe it! And that sums up the chapter of Isaiah 6- God called the prophet to go and preach to his fellow Jews- Yet it was thru this preaching of Isaiah that their hearts would be hardened- and they would not believe- Isaiah even asks God how long will this go on- God says until he makes a full end. Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, Yet- there is still the promise of the remnant- which Paul himself speaks about in his letter to the Romans- Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Paul even quotes out of Isaiah again- Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations And God also speaks about the remnant to Isaiah- Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. Meaning there would be a period of time in the history of God’s dealings with the Jewish people- and during this period of time- there will always be a small group of Jews who believe. And in the fullness of time- they will embrace Jesus as their messiah as a whole nation of people. There are many verses on this- but that is indeed what the bible teaches. So the process- in the frustration of a Paul- or Isaiah- or any one carrying the message to people who initially do not receive it- Is the promise that there are indeed some who are listening- some who are seeing what’s going on- and this remnant will have an impact on others as well. The preaching of the gospel- the setting forth of the message of Christ- in the day we live in- it’s not always embraced at the start. Sure- some have turned the message into a self help type thing- others have focused the message on material gain- https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ These messages do gain a following- because they appeal to the base nature of man- But the message of the Gospel- and the teachings of Jesus- are not about popularity- The message of the Cross is about sacrificing the temporary things of this life- to fulfill a greater purpose in God. Paul will go on to preach the gospel- the chapter [Acts 28] ends with Paul still waiting to appear before Nero. Yet later on in the letters of Paul we see that he more than likely was released from jail- and possibly even made it all the way to Spain [There is a tradition that says this- from the writings of Clement] Paul sat in Rome from ad 60 to 62- Then was released- did some more missionary work- then probably rearrested and executed around ad 67. Nero set fire to Rome in ad 64- he blamed it on the Christians- and a great persecution of the saints took place. Paul finished his mission- he preached the gospel of Jesus and went thru much difficulty in his life- We continue to study his letters today- and the message he spoke- and wrote about- is still going strong. Yes- I guess you could say the small remnant has now become a multitude of people- too many to number- Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; Revelation 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. PAST POSTS- [Verses below] ACTS- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/15/tuesday-5/ %5BI made this post the same day of the Acts 28 video] https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/19/sunday-sermon-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/23/acts-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/31/acts-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/06/acts-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/acts-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/07/acts-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/16/acts-11/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/22/acts-12/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/01/acts-13/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/14/acts-14/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/03/acts-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/07/acts-16/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/27/acts-17/ http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2017/08/acts-18-acts-1828-for-he-mightily.html https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/20/acts-20/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/04/acts-21/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/20/acts-22-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/04/redo-acts-23-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/08/acts-24-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/14/acts-25-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/29/acts-26-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/06/acts-27/ (766)ACTS 28- After the shipwreck they wind up on an island called Melita. Paul meets the barbarous people and they welcome him. During a bon fire type thing, Paul is collecting wood and a poisonous snake bites him. The people think ‘surely this man is a murderer and ‘vengeance’ got him!’ Notice the fact that moral/natural law was imbedded in the consciences of these savage like people. Where in the world did they come up with such an idea of right and wrong and justice? The atheists say ‘well, all people simply come up with some type of code to live by. This is really not proof for moral law’. The Christian answers ‘so how come you never find some isolated tribe who rewards murder and punishes goodness’! Now, I realize there are distant tribes who practice violent stuff. The point is in all of these societies, there is a basic right and wrong that is honored. If the tribe is violent, they still don’t reward the cowardly killing of one of their own kids! These savages had the built in conscience of moral law that Paul teaches in Romans. Now after Paul doesn’t get sick or die from the bite, they ‘change their minds’ and say he is a god! People are fickle. Paul heals the father of the chief of the island, a small healing revival breaks out. Paul demonstrates the power of the gospel in word and deed. Even today, in many 3rd world countries you see healings and miraculous signs along with the preaching of the gospel. They launch off and land in a few more spots and finally make it to Rome! Paul calls the Jewish leaders and makes his familiar defense. He lists the accusations against him and defends himself. He thought the whole Jewish world knew about the gossip! The leaders tell him ‘we haven’t heard any stuff about you, but tell us more about this sect’. Leaders, don’t make the mistake of defending yourself over personal stuff from the pulpit! Often time’s people don’t know what you are talking about. Paul does set up a day and teaches the Jews in Rome from morning till evening showing them all the scriptures that testify of Jesus in the Law of Moses and the prophets. He ‘testified of the Kingdom of God and Christ’ [they go hand in hand!] Some Jews believe, others don’t. Paul then quotes the most quoted verse from the Old Testament in the New Testament ‘Isaiah was right about you! Having eyes you can’t see, ears you can’t hear…’ Luke ends the chapter [and book] with Paul living 2 years in a rented room and preaching the kingdom of God to all who will listen. Paul finished his days infecting the capitol city of the empire with the gospel! Church history tells us that Paul [and Peter] were martyred under Nero’s persecution. John [the apostle] writes about the beast making war against the saints and killing them. No wonder why the early church called Nero ‘the beast’. Paul writes one of his best letters to the Roman saints and the church will forever have an ‘eternal witness’ in the city of Rome. Paul got his wish. (767)ACTS CONCLUSION- As we finish our study in Acts, I want to review a few things. The ‘church’ [ecclesia] as seen in Acts are without a doubt ‘organic’ this term describes the community of people in the various locations who believed the message of the Messiah. These people were not establishing ‘church meetings at the church on Sunday’ to compete with the Jewish meetings at the synagogues on Saturday. The transition from the old law into the new covenant was not only one of a change in message [law versus grace] but also a transition from shadows to reality. All the ways of worship and ‘liturgical’ form were part of the old law. The temple and priest and altar were important types and symbols of what was to come. But in the New Testament communities these ideas of physical worship changed. The actual praise of Gods people and doing good deeds will become the sacrifices that God is well pleased with [New Testament]. The Lords meal was actually a meal! The gathering on the first day of the week became a good tradition in memory of Christ’s resurrection. But as time went on many well meaning believers would return to the symbols and incorporate them into their worship. The church would be seen as the ‘church house’ the altar would be seen as a real place upon which the ‘bloodless sacrifice’ [Eucharist] would be re offered again for the sins of the world. The priest would be seen as having special powers given to him by Jesus, that during the mass the host becomes Jesus flesh and blood and as the people ‘eat’ him they are partaking, literally, of Jesus flesh and blood. Now, are all these believers wrong? Should we see the development of sacramental theology as pagan? I personally don’t think so. I prefer to view the changes that took place in the church as part of a process of Gods people grappling with doctrines and beliefs while at the same time struggling to maintain unity as the centuries progressed [I am not making excuses for wrong doctrine, I think well meaning church fathers grasped wrong ideas out of a fear of loosing their identity. The idea of a strong magesterium [teaching authority] gave room for wrong doctrines to become firmly entrenched in the collective mind of the early church]. For the first 1000 years of Christianity the people of God were primarily seen as Catholic. In 1054 the official split between eastern and western Christianity will take place. Another 500 years until the Catholic Church split again [1517]. The host of churches that came out of the Protestant Reformation are too innumerable to mention. Should we view all of these groups as deceived religionists? Of course not. Do we find a pattern in Acts that would allow us to trace ‘the true group’ and lay claim to being the most authentic? I don’t believe so. But as all the people of God strive for the unity that we actually posses in Christ, we have the great resource of the church fathers, the wisdom and insights of the reformers. The heritage of the outgrowth of the restorationist movements. The excitement of the Puritans as they launched out to found a new world free from religious persecution. If it weren’t for the strong institutional church we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have even had a Luther [Wittenberg] Calvin [first Paris then Geneva] or Zwingli [Zurich]! Or the ‘pre reformers’ Wycliffe, Huss and Knox. These men were products of Catholic higher learning! It was the reality of Catholic institutional Christianity that allowed for these men to be trumpets of truth in their day! The university cities that they taught in as Catholic priests allowed for their influence to spread far and wide. In each generation of believers you have had Gods people progress so far and leave us with great treasures that were intended to be passed on to future generations If we severe ourselves from historic Christianity, then we lose the great gains that have been made in the centuries gone by! The book of Acts shows us the freedom of the people of God. ‘Where 2 or more are together in my name, I am in the midst’ isn’t some description of ‘local church’. As in if we copy the formulas of what happened in Acts [break bread, prayer, etc.] then you ‘have a church’. Jesus promise to be with us when we are together is the act of brotherhood. Surely we saw Jesus going along with the people of God all thru out Acts. The Spirit of God that indwelt them in chapter 2 was the promise that he would be with them. He legitimized them! Not some institution [‘local church’] that they were to start! So today all the people of God are striving to find a closer identity with each other as fellow believers in the Lord. I believe the book of Acts gives us a beautiful picture of the church in her infancy stage. I also believe the growth seen as we read Paul’s letters to these churches indicates the heart of God for his people to remain in grace. Paul warns the churches to not fall into the legalism of observing days and regulations and legalistic requirements. He wants them to live simply, free from sin and to be the people of God in society. Some branches of Christianity took hold of the strong ‘we are pilgrims’ view [which is true to a degree] and would separate from society. Not realizing we are pilgrims and strangers to the worlds system, but our Father is God of heaven and earth! We are here to impact this planet! So let’s run with the exciting message and revolutionary mindset that the early church possessed. They weren’t in this thing for what they could get out of it, they were really laying their lives down for the gospel. They were sharing their stuff with each other. They were loving God and their fellow man in ways that were uncommon for their time. It wasn’t only what they said that allowed them to ‘turn their world upside down’ it was who they were, the People of God. VERSES- Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Acts 28:1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. Acts 28:2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. Acts 28:3 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. Acts 28:4 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. Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Acts 28:6 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. Acts 28:7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. Acts 28:8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. Acts 28:9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed: Acts 28:10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary. Acts 28:11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. Acts 28:12 And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. Acts 28:13 And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: Acts 28:14 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. Acts 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. Acts 28:16 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. Acts 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Acts 28:18 Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. Acts 28:19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. Acts 28:20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. Acts 28:21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. Acts 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against. Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. Acts 28:24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Acts 28:29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. Acts 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: Isaiah 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, Isaiah 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. MY SITES http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com %5BMain site] https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts https://vimeo.com/user37400385 john chiarelloFollow On https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_logo http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/

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ROMANS 12 .ARE SOME GIFTS BETTER THAN OTHERS? .HOW SHOULD THEY FUNCTION IN THE ‘BODY’? . HOW SHOUD WE GIVE OFFERINGS- DID PAUL TEAHC TITHING? .HOT COALS ON THEIR HEADS- HUH? (864)ROMANS 12:1-8 ‘I beseech you by the mercies of God to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service [spiritual worship]’. Most times we see ‘by the mercies of God’ as a recap of all that Paul has taught from chapters 1 thru 12. This is true to a degree. I think Paul is honing in on the previous chapters that dealt with the purpose of God specifically seen in the resurrection of the body. As we read earlier ‘for we are saved by hope’ [the hope of the resurrection]. Basically I see Paul saying ‘because of what I showed you concerning Gods redemptive purpose for your body, therefore present your body now, in anticipation of it’s future glorious purpose, as a living sacrifice ‘holy and acceptable unto God’. Why? Because you are going to have that thing [body] forever! [in a new glorified state] Paul exhorts us to be changed by the renewing of our mind, the way we think. I have mentioned in the past that this renewing is not some type of legalistic function of ‘memorizing, muttering the do’s and don’ts all day long’. But a reorganizing of our thoughts according to this new covenant of grace. Seeing things thru this ‘new world’ perspective. A kingdom view based upon grace and the resurrection of Jesus. This resurrection that is assured to us because we have the deposit of the Spirit which is our guarantee that God will complete the work that he has begun in us. And Paul will jump into one of his ‘Body of Christ’ analogies which he uses often to describe the people of God. Because we are all one body, we should think soberly about our different gifts and purposes. God gave some ‘better’ [or more noticeable] gifts for the overall edifying of the body. So don’t boast about it. All have varying gifts, freely given. Administrate them with much grace. Do it with humility and cheerfulness. We are simply children thru whom Gods Spirit manifests himself in different ways. Don’t boast that ‘Wow, daddy gave me a bike’. Or look, I got a more expensive Christmas present than you. Daddy distributes the gifts freely as he wills. They are for everyone’s benefit. Don’t use this grace gift as a means of self importance or prestige. It would be like ‘prostituting’ a gift for self-aggrandizement. People have done it, but it displeases the giver of the gift. (865)ROMANS 12: 13 Paul continues to give some basic guidelines on practical Christian living. Notice his teaching on financial giving ‘distribute to the necessity of the saints’. This basic Christian doctrine from Jesus teachings has become the premier act of giving for the New Testament saint. The reason I have stressed this teaching as opposed to the more popular view of tithing, is because the scriptures place such a high priority on Christian charity. As I have mentioned before, Jesus even uses this basic description to describe those who ‘are righteous’ or ‘unrighteous’. He teaches the final judgment will be based on this outward identifier of ‘what we did to the least of these’. If you read carefully the New Testament epistles you will see a picture of ‘local church’ as a caring community of people who show their love for one another thru these acts of kindness and compassion. None of the New Testament letters teach a type of financial giving that focuses on ‘support the ministry/institution’ as being ‘the new testament church’ that replaced the ‘old testament temple’. For example a tithe system that supports the ‘pastor/priest’ in the same way the Levitical priests were supported under the law. It’s so vital for us to see and understand this. Because the average believer is taught thru out his life that his primary expression of giving is to ‘bring the tithe into the storehouse’ in such a way that it violates the actual primacy of giving as taught in the New Testament. Which is to regularly give to meet the needs of those around you. The fact that there were instances in the book of Acts or the letter to the Corinthians where believers gave an offering in a corporate way [the collection for the poor saints- 1st Cor. 15, or the laying of the money at the apostles feet in Acts] does not excuse the believer from the teaching that we should all regularly give to meet the needs of those around us. This is flatly taught as a regular part of the Christian experience. The other fact that Paul never once teaches the tithe as a function of giving for the Gentile churches should cause us all to take another look at the way we teach giving in the church today. (866)ROMANS 12:14-21 Notice how Paul puts such a high priority on the principles of Jesus. He exhorts the saints to live by the precepts of the great ‘sermon on the mount’. Often times believers try and make a division between Paul’s revelation of justification by faith and the ‘liberal moral teachings of Jesus’. I see no division here. Paul actually quotes Jesus ‘if you’re treated badly, respond in love. By not getting even you heap “coals of fire on your enemies head”’. Actually, I remember how a few years back, when everybody was coming up with their ‘new revelation knowledge’ ideas on scripture. Things like ‘the camel going thru the eye of the needle’. Some taught Jesus was not really rebuking wealth, he was simply talking about a ‘low gate’ thru the wall of the city that was called the ‘eye of the needle’ and the camels had to crouch a little to get thru, true silliness! This verse ‘coals on the head’ was taught as saying Jesus was simply saying you were helping your enemy on cold nights by ‘keeping his head warm’! Sad. Jesus said don’t avenge yourselves, God will avenge you. Doesn’t sound like the lord is talking about ‘head warmers’! Look at these verses carefully. Paul incorporates the teachings of Christ as having a very high priority for the believer. We are often inundated with modern concepts of ministry. How to raise funds [or amass wealth]. Paul ‘locates’ the important thing as being centered on Christ. He knew if the churches [believing communities] of the first few centuries would follow this idea, that they would truly turn their world upside down for the cause.

(562) John:1[radio # 584] Jesus is called the Word of God, he comes into the earth as the incarnation, the ‘fleshed out’ fulfillment of Gods Word. John the Baptist is asked who he is. The Jewish leaders ask ‘are you that prophet?’ he says ‘no’. What prophet? The one Moses said would come ‘the Lord God will raise up a prophet unto you, like me. Whoever doesn’t listen to him will be destroyed’. We covered this in Deuteronomy. They ask him ‘are you Elijah’ he says ‘no’. John was the fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy that said before the Lord comes he will send Elijah the prophet. Jesus says this about John. Why did John deny it? I am not sure, but it might be because he really didn’t know. Sort of like the thorn in Paul’s side, God allowed things to happen to Paul so he would not get puffed up in pride and side track his mission. Maybe the Lord never let John see how truly effective he was. John does say ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness’ John does see himself thru the prophet Isaiah. I like this. I have personally had many words from Isaiah that I felt the Lord had given me, John saw himself in this book too. John was ‘the voice’ just like Jesus is ‘the Word’ John is ‘the voice’. John was a voice before he was a man. God had predestined John to carry a message before he was born. He had this word in his DNA at birth. His body was simply a carrier, an ‘incarnation’ of the voice that he was to have. God has predestined all of us with a purpose before we were born. Our appearing on the planet is for the sole purpose of carrying out this destiny. You are not here to be happy, have a nice income, go to a nice church. You are here to fulfill Gods will, you can have the other things or not, that is irrelevant. You must first fulfill the mission! John testifies of Christ by the Spirit descending on Jesus. John says ‘I knew him not, but by the Spirit’ John knew Jesus, he was his cousin! But John was only going to recognize the gifts and callings on people. He would follow Paul’s admonition ‘know no man after the flesh’. It is incumbent upon us to recognize the gifts in others and to operate accordingly. Don’t make alliances and pacts with people based on friendship and personal affiliations. It’s good to have friends and all, but the Kingdom is built upon recognizing and receiving those who have come with a mandate from God. John saw Jesus in this light. Scripture says ‘the world was made by him, he was in the world, yet they knew him not’ Jesus was creating a divine atmosphere of grace for people to access. They didn’t even know or recognize him, yet this didn’t side track him from his purpose. Understand that God has placed you in a geographical location with a pre planned destiny in mind. God has chosen you to be where you are and for this season. You will fulfill your calling whether people ‘know’ you or not. God requires us to see the gifts in each other, but many will not appreciate what you are doing, do it any way, you have come with a destiny to fulfill, so fulfill it! (563) John 2[radio # 585]- Jesus does his first miracle, changes water into wine. They say ‘most people put the good wine out first, but you have saved the best for last’. This is a type of the new covenant of his blood [wine], Jesus will introduce a better covenant thru his blood. Many will not accept this new way because they have been ‘drinking’ old wine for so long, they are not willing to change. We often see this in Christian circles, people who have functioned in a limited way for years, God might bring to them new ways of seeing things, they will often reject the new wine on the basis of being comfortable with the old way, we don’t want to shake the apple cart. God wants us to shake it! Jesus finds the money changers in the temple and drives them out with a whip, turns the tables over and gets mad. He didn’t take the ecumenical approach! There are times for radical transition, I feel we are at that place now as the people of God. The gospel is not about us increasing our portfolio, it’s about laying our goals down for the kingdom. These money changers lost their influence in the ‘temple’ after Jesus got thru with them, I think it was prophetic. Jesus says ‘destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up’ those hearing this mistake his Body [temple] with the building [temple in Jerusalem]. Evangelicals [some of them] make the same mistake today. They are looking to the natural events in natural Jerusalem, they should be looking at the real temple! [Both Jesus and the Body of Christ]. Jesus goes to the Passover, the people hail him and Jesus says he will not commit himself to them, because he knew what was in man. What was in man? These same people will be asking for his death not long from now. Jesus did not seek commitment from men, contrary to the way we see ministry today. Modern ministry seeks to increase man’s commitment to them ‘pledge so much money, join this or that’ Jesus knew he had a destiny, he would fulfill it without the help of man! [parts] Okay- in the last post I discussed the main message of the bible- what the main purpose is.

Over the years- as Christianity developed- the church had councils and meetings to hash out various controversies.

Over time- these meetings produced the historic creeds of the church.

Now- as a Protestant- I am not an ‘anti- traditional’ one.

I have read- taught- studied the creeds and the councils- and I’m on the side of those who hold to the creeds.

But- this has tended to cloud the main message of the New Testament.

Which is called The Good News.

What was the message the Apostles preached in the book of Acts?

The bible says they ‘preached the word’.

This was not simply a ‘bible message’ per se.

That is- they were not doing what many modern preachers do- simply going thru the bible to find various verses- about all types of subjects- and then making application.

No- they were preaching Christ- they were telling the world of their day that Christ came as the promised Messiah and died and rose again.

Then they told the people if they had faith- and they became followers of ‘This Way’- they would be justified by God- in a way that the law would not be able to do.

This is the heart of the New Testament message- that people are now saved by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ- as opposed to the old way of Law.

This is the basic message- what we call the good news.

But- like I said above- in the world of politics and religion- this simple message has been obscured.

Many people reject Christianity because of the hard line creeds and statements that came out of the church councils.

Many object to the way the Church has defined the doctrine of the Trinity.

Now- I’m with the creeds on this- but I do understand how Muslims- Jews- and even many Christian ‘groups’ have also had problems with the historic definition.

A friend asked me the other day about the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Now- at first I had no idea why he asked- but I told him I try and take a much more gracious position then you might hear from the average Christian teacher.

I told him they did break away from the historic position of the Trinity- but I also told him there have been many believers- all thru the history of the church- that have done the same thing.

I did a quick review of the Arian controversy [not Aryan- like the racist group].

In the early centuries of the church there was a famous Catholic bishop by the name of Arius.

He held to the same belief that the present Jehovah’s Witnesses do- that Jesus was not God- in the same sense that God the Father is God.

Okay- eventually the church overruled him- but there was a time where this belief was widely accepted- and taught- in much of the church.

Till this day there are entire groups of Christians that never rejected this initial belief- and they have been around since the days of Arius.

So- when discussing this with my friend- I tried to say I do understand how other religions have a problem with the historic way we have defined the Trinity.

He then told me his dad- who was a heathen his whole life- married a wonderful Jehovah Witness woman later in life- and he has become a devout believer.

So- in a way he was glad to see that even though the church does not believe the same way his dad believes- yet at the same time- there have been- and continue to be- many sincere believers who have had the same ideas as his dad and step mom.

Okay- said all that to say this.

Many good Muslims- who try to serve the Lord to the best of their ability- they see this doctrine as the major point of Christianity.

That is- they do not see the main message spoken about in the New Testament as the simple truth that God sent Jesus as the Messiah- more than a prophet- though a prophet he was.

But he came as the fulfillment of the promise that God made all thru out the history of Israel.

That someday a Messiah would come and he would not just die for the Jewish nation- but for all people groups.

And that all those who are struggling to please God thru their own obedience to the law- they are now free from ‘the law’ and can come to God based on the obedience of Christ.

Now- this would later become a debate- both in church history- and in the pages of the bible itself.

We read in the New Testament that some were accusing the apostle Paul of teaching that we can go out and sin- break the law- because we are now under grace.

Paul defended himself against this charge- and said we- as children of God- do God’s will.

He did not teach it was okay to break the commandments.

But- he did teach we are not justified- made acceptable in the sight of God- thru our doing of the commandments.

He taught that this system of trying to please God thru the obedience of the law was flawed from the get go.

Simply because all men are sinners- and no man could ever keep the law 100%.

Therefore God made a New Covenant with man [as opposed to the Old Covenant which was based on the law and works].

In this new ‘deal’ Jesus dies for the sins of the whole world- and all who now believe are forgiven by God and have eternal life.

This is a free gift that God gives to man based on the death of his Son.

Jesus said ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son- that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life’.

This is the Good News- this is the main message of the bible.

When I hear people of other faiths- or even people who have joined various sects of Christianity- when I hear them have sincere objections to the Trinity- or to some other doctrine- I try and bring them back to this main message of the bible.

This simple message of Christ dying for the sins of men- and freeing man from the struggle of trying to please God by keeping the law- that’s the old Testament that is no longer in force.

Paul the apostle wrote the Corinthian church and he said he was worried that satan was blinding their minds form the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ.

I have found this to be true over the years- many people have all types of objections to Christianity.

Some have to do with politics and the Western world.

Some have to do with the way the church has come to define certain doctrines.

But for the most part- many of these well meaning objectors have never really understood what I just showed you- that none of these things are the main message of the bible.

No- the main message of the bible is that because of Christ we now have a New Covenant with God.

Not one that is based on our ability [or inability] to keep the law.

No- that was doomed from the start- no man could do it.

But this New Deal we have is completed in Christ- we can come boldly to the throne of grace- because Jesus made the way.

[parts . [1486] ARIUS- a priest from Egypt who would challenge the deity of Jesus in the 4th century. Arius taught that Jesus was the Son of God, but not eternally the Son. He said Jesus was a created being whom the father ‘bestowed’ son ship upon. He taught that Jesus was ‘like God’ but not God. The emperor Constantine would call the famous council of Nicaea in 325 a.d. and the council would agree with Athanasius and say that the Son and the Father were of ‘the same substance’ [homoousios] and Arius’s belief would be rejected. The debate would still rage on thru out the century as Constantine would die and the new emperor from the east would hold to ‘Arian’ views. Eventually Orthodoxy would win out and Arianism would be rejected by the majority of believers. I should note that many of the oriental churches would go the way of Arianism till this day; some of these churches are not like the modern cults that we would automatically reject, but they do hold to beliefs that Orthodox Christianity has rejected. As I have written about before, it’s easy to see how various believers have struggled with these issues over the years, some of the ways people express things can be deemed heresy a little too quickly in my view. There are believers who express the deity of Jesus in ways that some Arians express it, and they are not full Arians! The point being, yes- Arian went too far in his belief that Jesus was a created being, Johns gospel refutes this belief strongly [as well as many other portions of scripture] but too say that Jesus was/is the full expression of the father, because he ‘came out from God’ is also in keeping with scripture. Today we should be familiar with the issues and also use much grace when labeling different groups of believers; and we should strive for a unity in the Spirit as much as possible. As believers we accept the full deity of Christ, one who is of the ‘same substance’ of the father- true God from true God. He who has seen the Son has seen the father- Jesus said to Phillip ‘I have been with you a long time, if you see and know me, you have seen and known my father’ Jesus is God come down in the flesh to dwell among men, the true Immanuel, God with us. [1484] ‘This is why I Paul am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so called. I take it that you are familiar with the part I was given in God’s plan for including everybody… none of our ancestors understood this, only in our time has it been made clear thru God’s Spirit… this is my life work, helping people understand and respond to God’s message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details’ Ephesians 3, message bible. As I said earlier in this study, the ‘mystery’ that God revealed to Paul was the reality that thru Christ all ethnic groups would be on the same footing with God. This specifically related to the religious belief of the day that the ethnic nation of Israel were the only ones with special access to God. For Paul to have been preaching this message in his day would be like us teaching that God’s plan for all people today- Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, Iranians, etc., it would be like saying Gods purpose for our day is to accept all of these ethnic groups as one group thru Christ. To be frank about it, I believe many evangelicals today are not fully seeing the reality of the Cross when they exalt the natural heritage of Israel as Gods special people. Though I realize many of these teachings mean well [end time scenarios and stuff] yet in practice they deny the equal footing that all people have in Christ. Paul was preaching the great news that your ethnic/cultural background no longer made any difference- thru Christ we are all Gods special people. This does not mean that we are all accepted whether or not we believe in Christ, a sort of religious syncretism, but it does mean that the offer of Jesus is available to all. [parts]

VERSES [These are the verses I quoted or taught on the video- Colossians 1]

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Isaiah 54:16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Colossians 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Colossians 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: Colossians 1:7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Colossians 1:8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Colossians 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; Colossians 1:20 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. Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled Colossians 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Colossians 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

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Sunday sermon 9-30-18

Colossians 4

Colossians 2

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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Saint Stephen - King of Hungary - Feast Day: August 16th (Ordinary Time) -September 2nd - Latin Calendar

"To thee, O Queen of heaven... I commend the holy Church… the whole kingdom… but before all, I commend my soul to thy care." - Saint Stephen of Hungary

Saint Stephen, who is justly called the Apostle of the Hungarians, on account of his unwearied zeal in disseminating the true faith, was born in Hungary. His father, Geisa, was a renowned leader and general of the wild Huns and ruled over them with the title of Duke. Severely as he treated his heathen subjects, he was mild to the Christians who came into his dominion, and when God had bestowed upon him the grace of recognizing the truth of the Christian religion, he determined to establish it in his land. One day, when, occupied with this thought, he laid himself down, and an angel appeared to him in his sleep, who announced to him that he would become father to a son, who was chosen by God to execute all that he was just now revolving in his mind. The angel further said, that on the following day, a messenger of God would come to him, whom he should receive, and to whose words he should listen with due reverence. A similar vision was shown, at the same time, to the wife of Geisa. Saint Stephen, the protomartyr, appeared to her, and among other things, told her to give his name to the child to whom she was soon to give birth. Saint Adalbert, bishop of Prague, arrived on the following day. He instructed the duke and duchess in the truth and baptized them. The prince who was soon afterwards born, was joyfully received into the Church of the Lord by the holy bishop, who gave him, in Baptism, the name of Stephen. Geisa led an edifying life until he died.

When Stephen had arrived at manhood, and had taken the reins of government, he resolved most earnestly, to exterminate all idolatry among his people, and everywhere to plant the emblem of the Christians, the Cross. To be more secure in his pious undertaking, he formed an alliance with the neighboring princes in order to prevent them from assisting those of his subjects who might oppose his design. Notwithstanding this, some of the Hungarian nobility dared to take up arms in defense of idolatry, and to make war against their legitimate Lord. Saint Stephen, full of trust in the Almighty, met the rebels with his small force and defeated them so completely, that in the future none ever dared refuse him obedience. The great and rich booty of which Saint Stephen became possessed on this occasion, he appropriated to the building of a Monastery in honor of Saint Martin, a native of Hungary. The Saint then invited from different Catholic lands, priests and religious men to Hungary to instruct the people.

Those who converted were favored with many privileges and immunities by the devout prince, while the refractory were dealt with in such a manner, that they were prevented from opposing others in embracing Christianity. In various cities and villages he erected Churches and Chapels, endowing them all richly. The number of the faithful grew in a short time so much, that he divided Hungary into ten dioceses, to all of which he endeavored to give holy bishops. He sent a certain bishop Anastasius to Rome, to request the pope to confirm all he had done for the propagation of the Christian faith, and also to beg the holy Father to proclaim him King, so that he would be invested with greater power, happily to conclude the conversion of the entire country. During the night on which Anastasius arrived at Rome, an Angel informed the Pope of Saint Stephen's request, and commanded him to give to the Saint's ambassador the crown which he had designed for another prince. Inexpressibly rejoiced at everything that Anastasius related to him, the Pope confirmed what Saint Stephen had done to disseminate the faith of Christ, and granted him the privilege to act further as he and his bishops thought the welfare of the Church demanded. He also sent him the crown and a cross of gold which should be carried before him after the coronation.

No sooner had Anastasius returned, than Saint Stephen was solemnly anointed and crowned as the first King of Hungary. After this he married Gisela, the sister of the holy emperor Henry, a princess not less talented than pious, who assisted him most assiduously in all his virtuous undertakings. Besides Saint Stephen's apostolic zeal in spreading the true faith, his charity and generosity deserved the admiration of the world. He was almost prodigal in distributing alms, and spared neither his own garments nor the royal treasures. He often washed the feet of the poor, visited the hospitals during the night and served the sick. Many hours of the night he passed so devoutly in prayer, that he frequently went into ecstasy and was raised high above the earth. The hours of the day he devoted most earnestly to the affairs of the government, and every one of his subjects had free access to him. He indulged neither in hunting, gaming, nor other similar amusements, giving all his time to the administration of the state and devout exercises; "for," he said, "they are more pleasing to me than hunting, gaming and whatever else may amuse a king."

Towards the Queen of heaven, whom he called "My Lady," he was most devout from his tender youth and he chose her as patroness of Hungary. To her honor he built a most magnificent temple at Alba, where he resided. He built churches in her honor in several cities not in his dominions, as at Jerusalem, at Rome and at Constantinople, and to these he attached large convents. Hence, it is not surprising that the divine Mother protected her faithful servant...

Speaking of the sickness of the holy king, we must not omit to relate that God visited his servant, notwithstanding his fidelity and zeal, with great sorrows. He sent him a sickness which lasted for three years, and what was still more painful, deprived him, by an early death, of all his children except one son. Saint Stephen brought up his son, who was called Emeric, with the greatest care, and wrote, with his own hand, several instructions for him which he desired him to observe. Foremost among these were, that he should remain faithful to the Catholic faith, protect and disseminate it; that he should show honor and obedience to the clergy; that he should cherish his subjects; attend to his prayers with fervor; be generous to the poor and suffering; deal out justice, and submit himself in adversity to the will of the Almighty. Emeric manifested in his conduct that he endeavored to live according to these holy precepts, and thus gave inexpressible peace and comfort to his father. The king daily begged the Almighty to preserve the life of this beloved son, that the Christian faith might have a protector in him. But this son also, whose holy life was an example of all Christian virtues, was destined to die before his father's eyes, whose grief was too great for words; but greater still was the heroic resignation to the will of the Most High. He even conquered himself so far as to thank God that He had called his beloved son before him into the kingdom of heaven.

The holy son was soon followed by the holy father. When his last hour, which God revealed to him, approached, he devoutly received the holy Sacraments, and then exhorted the bishops and the first men of the state to Christian charity and union; to rule with justice; to remain true to their faith; and not only take the utmost care to protect this, the only faith instituted by Christ, but also to propagate it more and more. After this, the dying Saint turned his eyes to God and his blessed patroness, Mary, and addressing the latter, he said: "To thee, O Queen of heaven, and to thy guardianship, I commend the holy Church, all the bishops and the clergy, the whole kingdom, its rulers and inhabitants; but before all, I commend my soul to thy care." In such devout sentiments, he died on the festival of the Assumption of Our Lady, his greatly venerated patroness...

Image is of: The Virgin Receiving St Stephen of Hungary into Paradise by Scarsellino, c. 1590.

#st. stephen king of hungary

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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Saint Maximilian Kolbe - Feast Day: August 14th - (Ordinary Time) - Mary’s Knight

His name wasn't always Maximilian. He was born the second son of a poor weaver on 8 January 1894 at Zdunska Wola near Lodz in Poland, and was given the baptismal name of Raymond. Both parents were devout Christians with a particular devotion to Mary. In his infancy, Raymond seems to have been normally mischievous but we are told that one day, after his mother had scolded him for some mischief or other, her words took effect and brought about a radical change in the child's behaviour. Later he explained this change. "That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both." Thus early did the child believe and accept that he was destined for martyrdom. His belief in his dream coloured all his future actions.

In 1907, Raymond and his elder brother entered a junior Franciscan seminary in Lwow in Polish (Also known as Lviv in Ukrainian - which is the largest city in western Ukraine and the seventh-largest city in the country overall, with a population of around 728,350 as of 2016. Lviv is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine). Here he excelled in mathematics and physics and his teachers predicted a brilliant future for him in science. Others, seeing his passionate interest in all things military, saw in him a future strategist. For a time indeed, his interest in military affairs together with his fiery patriotism made him lose interest in the idea of becoming a priest. The fulfillment of his dream would lie in saving Poland from her oppressors as a soldier. But before he could tell anyone about his decision his mother announced that, as all their children were now in seminaries, she and her husband intended to enter religious life. Raymond hadn't the heart to upset his parents' plans and so he abandoned his plans for joining the army. He was recieved as a novice in September 1910 and with the habit he took the new name of Maximilian. From 1912 to 1915, he was in Rome studying philosophy at the Gregorian College, and from 1915 to 1919 theology at the Collegio Serafico. He was ordained in Rome on 28 April 1918.

The love of fighting didn't leave him, but while he was in Rome he stopped seeing the struggle as a military one. He didn't like what he saw of the world, in fact he saw it as downright evil. The fight, he decided, was a spiritual one. The world was bigger than Poland and there were worse slaveries than earthly ones. The fight was still on, but he would not be waging it with the sword. At that time, many Catholics in Europe regarded freemasonry as their chief enemy; and it was against the freemasons that Maximilian Kolbe began to wage war. On 16 October 1917, with six companions, he founded the Crusade of Mary Immaculate (Militia Immaculatae), with the aim of "converting sinners, heretics and schismatics, particularly freemasons, and bringing all men to love Mary Immaculate".

As he entered what was to be the most creative period of his life, Fr Maximilian's health had already begun to deteriorate. He was by now in an advanced state of tuberculosis, and he felt himself overshadowed by death. His love for Mary Immaculate now became the devouring characteristic of his life. He regarded himself as no more than an instrument of her will, and the only time he was known to lose his temper was in defence of her honour. It was for her that he strove to develop all the good that was in him, and he wanted to encourage others to do the same.

When Maximilian returned to Poland in 1919, he rejoiced to see his country free once again, a liberation which he attributed to Mary Immaculate. Pius XI, in response to a request from the Polish bishops, had just promulgated the Feast of Our Lady, Queen of Poland, and Fr Maximilian wrote: "She must be the Queen of Poland of every Polish heart. We must labour to win each and every heart for her." He set himself to extend the influence of his Crusade, and formed cells and circles all over Poland. The doctors had by now pronounced him incurable; one lung had collapsed and the other was damaged. Yet it was now that he flung himself into a whirlwind of activity. In January 1922, he began to publish a monthly review, the Knight of the Immaculate, in Krakow. Its aim was to "illuminate the truth and show the true way to happiness". As funds were low, only 5,000 copies of the first issue were printed. In 1922, he removed to another friary in Grodno and acquired a small printing establishment; and from now on the review began to grow. In 1927, 70,000 copies were being printed. The Grodno Friary became too small to house such a mammoth operation, so Fr Maximilian began to look for a site nearer to Warsaw. Prince Jan Drucko-Lubecki offered him some land at Teresin, west of Warsaw, Fr Maximilian promptly erected a statue of Mary Immaculate there, and the monks began the arduous work of construction.

On 21 November 1927, the Franciscans moved from Grodno to Teresin and on 8 December, the friary was consecrated and was given the name of Niepokalanow, the City of the Immaculate. "Niepokalanow", said Fr Maximilian, "is a place chosen by Mary Immaculate and is exclusively dedicated to spreading her cult. All that is and will be at Niepokalanow will belong to her. The monastic spirit will flourish here; we shall practise obedience and we shall be poor, in the spirit of St Francis."

At first, Niepokalanow consisted of no more than a few shacks with tar-paper roofs, but it soon flourished. To cope with the flood of vocations all over Poland, a junior seminary was built at Niepokalanow "to prepare priests for the missions capable of every task in the name of the Immaculate and with her help". A few years later, there were more than a hundred seminarians and the numbers were still growing. Before long, Niepokalanow had become one of the largest (some say the largest) friaries in the world. In 1939, it housed 762 inhabitants: 13 priests, 18 novices, 527 brothers, 122 boys in the junior seminary and 82 candidates for the priesthood. No matter how many labourers were in the vineyard, there was always work for more. Among the inhabitants of Niepokalanow there were doctors, dentists, farmers, mechanics, tailors, builders, printers, gardeners, shoemakers, cooks. The place was entirely self supporting.

Not only the friary but the printing house had been expanding. More modern machinery had been installed, including three machines which could produce 16,000 copies of the review in an hour. New techniques of type, photogravure (an image produced from a photograph negative) and binding were adopted. The new machinery and techniques made it possible to meet the growing demand for Knight of the Immaculate -- which had now reached the incredible circulation figure of 750,000 per month -- and to produce other publications as well. In 1935, they began to produce a daily Catholic newspaper, The Little Daily, of which 137,000 copies were printed on weekdays and 225,000 on Sundays and holydays.

Maximilian did not rest content with mere journalistic activity. His sights were set even further. On 8 December 1938, a radio station was installed at Neipokalanow with the signature tune (played by the brothers' own orchestra) of the Lourdes hymn. And now that there was so much valuable equipment around, Niepokalanow acquired its own fire brigade to protect it against its enemies. Some of the brothers were now trained as firemen.

There was no doubt that Niepokalanow was going from strength to strength, a unique situation within Poland. The results of the work done there were becoming apparent. Priests in parishes all over the country reported a tremendous upsurge of faith, which they attributed to the literature emerging from Niepokalanow. A campaign against abortion in the columns of the Knight (1938) seemed to awaken the conscience of the nation: more than a million people of all classes and professions ranged themselves behind the standard of Mary Immaculate. Years later, after the war, the Polish bishops sent an official letter to the Holy See claiming that Fr Kolbe's magazine had prepared the Polish nation to endure and survive the horrors of the war that was soon to follow.

Fr Maximilian was a restless spirit, and his activities could not be confined to Poland. His junior seminary had been started in 1929, but he didn't intend to wait for its first priest to be trained before he himself set out for the mission lands. To those who pointed out that Niepokalonow wasn't yet up to undertaking foreign apostolic work, he quoted the example of St Francis, who had risked himself on the mission fields when the other Orders had remained uninvolved. With the blessing of his Father General, Maximilian prepared his expedition. Asked whether he had money to finance it, he replied: "Money? It will turn up somehow or other. Mary will see to it. It's her business and her Son's."

On 26 February 1930, Fr Maximilian left Poland with four brothers from Niepokalanow on a journey to the Far East. They travelled by way of Port Said, Saigon and Shanghai, and on 24 April they landed at Nagasaki in Japan. Here they were given epispcopal permission to stay. In fact Archbishop Hayasaka received them very warmly when he learned that Fr Maximilian had two doctorates and would be able to take the vacant chair of philosophy in the diocesan seminary in exchange for a license to print his review.

The going was hard. The Poles' only shelter was a wretched hut whose walls and roof were caving in. They slept on what straw they could find and their tables were planks of wood. But despite such hardships, and the fact that they knew no word of the Japanese language, and had no money, on 24 April 1930, exactly a month after their arrival, a telegram was despatched to Niepokalanow: "Today distributing Japanese Knight. Have printing press. Praise to Mary Immaculate." After that, it was scarcely surprising that a year later the Japanese Niepokalanow was inaugurated -- Mugenzai no Sono (the Garden of the Immaculate), built on the slopes of Mount Kikosan. The choice of this site in the suburbs had been dictated by poverty, but it proved to be a lucky one. People thought Fr Maximilian was crazy to be building on steep ground sloping away from the town; but in 1945, when the atomic bomb all but leveled Nagaskai, Mugenzai no Sono sustained no more damage than a few broken pains of stained glass. Today it forms the centre of a Franciscan province.

Despite his passionate zeal in the cause of Mary, Fr Maximilian proved to be a wise missionary. He did not attempt to impose Western ideas on the Japanese. He respected their national customers and looked for what was good in Buddhism and Shintoism. He entered into dialogue with Buddhist priests and some of them became his friends. In 1931, he founded a novitiate, and in 1936 a junior seminary. And of course he continued to publish his beloved magazine. Seibo no Kishi, the Japanese Knight, had a circulation six times that of the nearest Japanese Catholic rival. This was because it was aimed at the whole community, not just Catholics. The first 10,000 copies had swollen to 65,000 by 1936.

Fr. Maximilian's health was rapidly deteriorating, but he didn't allow this fact to diminish his zeal -- or his restless energy. Although he often complained of the lack of manpower and machines needed to serve the people of Japan, in 1932 he was already seeking fresh pastures. On 31 May he left Japan and sailed to Malabar where, after a few initial difficulties, he founded the third Niepokalanow. But his superiors requested him to return to Japan, and as no priests could be spared for Malabar, that idea had to be given up. On another of his journeys, he travelled through Siberia and spent some time in Moscow. Even here, he dreamed of publishing his magazine -- in Russian. He had studied the language and had a fair acquaintance with marxist literature. Like Pope John XXIII, he looked for the good elements, even in systems he believed to be evil; and he tried to teach his friars to do likewise.

In 1936, he was recalled to Poland, and left Japan for the last time. He had thought that he would find martyrdom there; and indeed he had found martyrdom of a kind. He was racked by violent headaches and covered with abscesses brought on by the food to which he could not grow accustomed. But these things were only pinpricks: the real martyrdom awaited him elsewhere.

Just before the Second World War broke out, Fr Maximilian spoke to his friars about suffering. They must not be afraid, he said, for suffering accepted with love would bring them closer to Mary. All his life, he had dreamt of a martyr's crown, and the time was nearly at hand.

By 13 September 1939, Niepokalanow had been occupied by the invading Germans and most of its inhabitants had been deported to Germany. Among them was Fr Maximilian. But that exile did not last long and on 8 December (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) the prisoners were set free. From the moment that he returned to Niepokalanow, Fr Maximilian was galvanised into a new kind of activity. He began to organize a shelter for 3,000 Polish refugees, among whom were 2,000 Jews. "We must do everything in our power to help these unfortunate people who have been driven from their homes and deprived of even the most basic necessities. Our mission is among them in the days that lie ahead." The friars shared everything they had with the refugees. They housed, fed and clothed them, and brought all their machinery into use in their service.

Inevitably, the community came under suspicion and was watched closely. Early in 1941, in the only edition of The Knight of the Immaculate which he was allowed to publish, Fr Maximilian set pen to paper and thus provoked his own arrest. "No one in the world can change Truth," he wrote. "What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the catacombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?"

He would never know that kind of defeat; but a more obvious defeat was near. On 17 February 1941, he was arrested and sent to the infamous Pawiak prison in Warsaw. Here he was singled out for special ill-treatment. A witness tells us that in March of that year an SS guard, seeing this man in his habit girdled with a rosary, asked if he believed in Christ. When the priest calmly replied, "I do", the guard struck him. The SS man repeated his question several times and receiving always the same answer went on beating him mercilessly. Shortly afterwards the Franciscan habit was taken away and a prisoner's garment was substituted. On 28 May, Fr Maximilian was with over 300 others who were deported from Pawiak to Auschwitz. There he received his striped convict's garments and was branded with the number 16670. He was put to work immediately carrying blocks of stone for the construction of a crematorium wall. On the last day of May he was assigned with other priests to the Babice section which was under the direction of "Bloody" Krott, an ex-criminal. "These men are layabouts and parisites", said the Commandant to Krott, "get them working." Krott forced the priests to cut and carry huge tree trunks. The work went on all day without a stop and had to be done running --- with the aid of vicious blows from the guards. Depsite his one lung, Father Maximilain accepted the work and the blows with surprising calm. Krott conceived a relentless hatred against the Franciscan and gave him heavier tasks than the others. Sometimes his colleagues would try to come to his aid but he would not expose them to danger. Always he replied, "Mary gives me strength. All will be well." At this time he wrote to his mother, "Do not worry about me or my health, for the good Lord is everywhere and holds every one of us in his great love."

One day, Krott found some of the heaviest planks he could lay hold of and personally loaded them on the Franciscan's back, ordering him to run. When he collapsed, Krott kicked him in the stomach and face and had his men give him fifty lashes. When the priest lost consciousness Krott threw him in the mud and left him for dead. But his companions managed to smuggle him to the Revier, the camp hospital. Although he was suffering greatly, he secretly heard confessions in the hospital and spoke to the other inmates of the love of God. In Aushcwitz, where hunger and hatred reigned and faith evaporated, this man opened his heart to others and spoke of God's infinite love. He seemed never to think of himself. When food was brought in and everyone struggled to get his place in the queue so as to be sure of a share, Fr Maximilian stood aside, so that frequently there was none left for him. At other times he shared his meager ration of soup or bread with others. He was once asked whether such self abnegation made sense in a place where every man was engaged in a struggle or survival, and he answered: "Every man has an aim in life. For most men it is to return home to their wives and families, or to their mothers. For my part, I give my life for the good of all men.

Men gathered in secret to hear his words of love and encouragement, but it was his example which counted for most. Fr Zygmunt Rusczak remembers: "Each time I saw Fr. Kolbe in the courtyard I felt within myself an extraordinary effusion of his goodness. Although he wore the same ragged clothes as the rest of us, with the same tin can hanging from his belt, one forgot his wretched exterior and was conscious only of the charm of his inspired countenance and of his radiant holiness."

There remained only the last act in the drama. The events are recorded in the sworn testimonials of former inmates of the camp, collected as part of the beatification proceedings.

They are as follows:

Tadeusz Joachimowski, clerk of Block 14A: "In the summer of 1941, most probably on the last day of July, the camp siren announced that there had been an escape. At the evening roll-call of the same day we, ie Block 14A, were formed up in the street between the buildings of Blocks 14 and 17. After some delay we were joined by a group of the Landwirtschafts-Kommando. During the count it was found that three prisoners from this Kommando had escaped: one from our Block and the two others from other Blocks. Lagerfuhrer Fritzsch announced that on account of the escape of the three prisoners, ten prisoners would be picked in reprisal from the blocks in which the fugitives had lived and would be assigned to the Bunker (the underground starvation cell)"

Jan Jakub Zegidewicz takes up the story from there: "After the group of doomed men had already been selected, a prisoner stepped out from the ranks of one of the Blocks. I recognized Fr Kolbe. Owing to my poor knowledge of German I did not understand what they talked about, nor do I remember whether Fr Kolbe spoke directly to Fritzsch. When making his request, Fr Kolbe stood at attention and pointed at a former non-commissioned officer known to me from the camp. It could be inferred from the expression on Fritzsch's face that he was surprised at Fr Kolbe's action. As the sign was given, Fr Kolbe joined the ranks of the doomed and the non-commissioned officer left the ranks of the doomed Firzsch had consented to the exchange. A little later, the doomed men were marched off in the direction of Block 13, the death Block.

The non-commissioned officer was Franciszek Gajowniczek. When the sentence of doom had been pronounced, Gajowniczek had cried out in despair, "Oh, my poor wife, my poor children. I shall never see them again." It was then that the unexpected had happened, and that from among the ranks of those temporarily reprieved, prisoner 16670 had stepped forward and offered himself in the other man's place. Then the ten condemned men were led off to the dreaded Bunker, to the airless underground cells where men died slowly without food or water.

Bruno Borgowiec was an eyewitness of those last terrible days, for he was an assistant to the janitor and an interpreter in the underground Bunkers. He tells us what happened: "In the cell of the poor wretches there were daily loud prayers, the rosary and singing, in which prisnoers from neighbouring cells also joined. When no SS men were in the Block, I went to the Bunker to talk to the men and comfort them. Fervent prayers and songs to the Holy Mother resounded in all the corridors of the Bunker. I had the impression I was in a church. Fr Kolbe was leading and the prisoners responded in unison. They were often so deep in prayer that they did not even hear that inspecting SS men had descended to the Bunker; and the voices fell silent only at the loud yelling of their visitors. When the cells were opened the poor wretches cried loudly and begged for a piece of bread and for water, which they did not receive, however. If any of the stronger ones approached the door he was immediately kicked in the stomach by the SS men, so that falling backwards on the cement floor he was instantly killed; or he was shot to death ... Fr Kolbe bore up bravely, he did not beg and did not complain but raised the spirits of the others. ...Since they had grown very weak, prayers were now only whispered. At every inspection, when almost all the others were now lying on the floor, Fr Kolbe was seen kneeling or standing in the centre as he looked cheerfully in the face of the SS men. Two weeks passed in this way. Meanwhile one after another they died, until only Fr Kolbe was left. This the authorities felt was too long; the cell was needed for new victims. So one day they brought in the head of the sickquarters, a German, a common criminal named Bock, who gave Fr Kolbe an injection of carbolic acid in the vein of his left arm. Fr Kolbe, with a prayer on his lips, himself gave his arm to the executioner. Unable to watch this I left under the pretext of work to be done. Immediately after the SS men with the executioner had left I returned to the cell, where I found Fr Kolbe leaning in a sitting position against the back wall with his eyes open and his head dropping sideways. His face was calm and radiant."

The heroism of Fr Kolbe went echoing through Auschwiz. In that desert of hatred he had sown love. Mr Jozef Stemler, former director of an important cultural institute in Poland, comments: "In those conditions ... in the midst of a brutalization of thought and feeling and words such as had never before been known, man indeed became a ravening wolf in his relations with other men. And into this state of affairs came the heroic self-sacrifice of Fr Maximilian. The atmosphere grew lighter, as this thunderbolt provoked its profound and salutary shock." Jerzy Bielecki declared that Fr Kolbe's death was "a shock filled with hope, bringing new life and strength. ...It was like a powerful shaft of light in the darkness of the camp."

His reputation spread far and wide, through the Nazi camps and beyond. After the war newspapers all over the world were deluged with articles about this "saint for our times", "saint of progress", "giant of holiness". Biographies were written, and everywhere there were claims of cures being brought about through his intercession. "The life and death of this one man alone," wrote the Polish bishops, "can be proof and witness of the fact that the love of God can overcome the greatest hatred, the greatest injustice, evern death itself." The demands for his beatification became insistent, and at last on 12 August 1947 proceedings started. Seventy-five witnesses were questioned. His cause was introduced on 16 March 1960. When all the usual objections had been overcome, the promoter spoke of the "charm of this magnificent fool." On 17 October 1971, Maximilian Kolbe was beatified. Like his master Jesus Christ he had loved his fellow-men to the point of sacrificing his life for them. "Greater love hath no man than this ..." and these were the opening words of the papal decree introducing the process of beatification. Fr Kolbe's canonisation was not long delayed. It was the Pope from Poland, John Paul II, who had the joy of declaring his compatriot a saint on 10 October 1982.

St Maximilian Kolbe's feast day is 14 August, the day before the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.

Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, pray for us.

“For Jesus I am willing to suffer more “!

#st. maximillian kolbe

8 notes · View notes

dailyofficereadings · 6 years ago

Text

Daily Office Readings April 23, 2019

Psalm 103

Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness

Of David.

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live[a] so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. 14 For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word. 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will. 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Footnotes:

Psalm 103:5 Meaning of Heb uncertain

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 111

Praise for God’s Wonderful Works

1 Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. 8 They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it[a] have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

Footnotes:

Psalm 111:10 Gk Syr: Heb them

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Psalm 114

God’s Wonders at the Exodus

1 When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, 2 Judah became God’s[a] sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

5 Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? 6 O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

Footnotes:

Psalm 114:2 Heb his

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Isaiah 30:18-21

God’s Promise to Zion

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

19 Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. 20 Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Acts 2:36-47

36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah,[a] this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The First Converts

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers,[b] what should we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Life among the Believers

43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds[c] to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home[d] and ate their food with glad and generous[e] hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Footnotes:

Acts 2:36 Or Christ

Acts 2:37 Gk Men, brothers

Acts 2:45 Gk them

Acts 2:46 Or from house to house

Acts 2:46 Or sincere

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

John 14:15-31

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, you will keep[a] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in[c] you.

18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate,[d] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

Footnotes:

John 14:15 Other ancient authorities read me, keep

John 14:16 Or Helper

John 14:17 Or among

John 14:26 Or Helper

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

#April 23 #2019

0 notes

johnchiarello · 7 years ago

Text

Colossians 1

COLOSSIANS [Intro- Chapter 1]

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Col. 1

Colossians 1 https://youtu.be/7-ABHPhtkIM

https://vimeo.com/260737886

ON VIDEO

.Introduction to Colossians

.Brief history of Colosse

.Jesus- the Firstborn- what does this mean?

.A radio message on cassette ‘Legalism spoils rotten’- probably the first message I preached at the Old Hospital in Kingsville

.Time

.The prison epistles

.The Logos and the act of creation

.Christology in the first 3 centuries of Christianity https://www.gotquestions.org/Christology.html

.Arius- Athanasius https://www.ewtn.com/library/HOMELIBR/ARIANISM.TXT

http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/athanasius.html

.Constantine in the 4th century

.The official split between east and west [Catholic and eastern orthodox] was in 1054 ad- but the division started long before

.Trinity- eternal fellowship in the God head itself [Himself]

.What is the renewing of the mind- how is this accomplished?

OTHER VIDEOS [These are videos I upload just about every night to my sites]

Oso update https://youtu.be/m1uh2JFyUcY

Me n Pops sing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iKW3ixyXt_t2BWeBr4wiozpDURa--TJz/view?usp=sharing

Christ died for you https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQsjMU436n_rzKlC

John 18 https://vimeo.com/260503659

Back in NYC [2-17 trip- they shut the GW bridge down] https://youtu.be/TfMAU0hmpjA

Church Unlimited- Mass https://vimeo.com/260589215

Galatians 6 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQzjBmUmaRVxQ7NI

Telos https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qjRffrtTePL1zXb6WIkXnNaBeIDagMB2/view?usp=sharing

Samuel 21 https://vimeo.com/260678273

NEW

Intro- This letter is one of the prison Epistles of Paul [the other 3 are Ephesians- Philippians- Philemon].

He probably wrote it while in prison at Rome- between ad 60-62. I covered this in my Acts study [Chapter 28- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/22/acts-28/ ].

Its too easy to label what exact heresy Paul was fighting in his various letters.

We do know that the rise of Gnosticism was a real threat to the early church [1st John] as well as Legalism [Galatians]- so I think its better to say that Paul was basically doing the same thing in all of his letters.

Exalting Christ- showing how our relationship with Christ by faith unites us with him.

Teaching that the law [and ceremony] were only shadows of the real thing to come- which is Christ.

Yes- he follows this basic theme in most of his letters.

But we usually say that the apostle was fighting asceticism in this letter [true as far as it goes].

Asceticism was the belief that extreme self denial produces holiness.

In my view this is simply another form of legalism- attempting to make ourselves right in the sight of God thru self effort.

Whether that be thru the works of the law- or any other religious practice.

Paul also warns against the worship of angels and teaches the preeminence of Christ.

Colossae [or Colosse] Like some of the other cities I covered in my Acts study https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/ - was an area not at its ‘best’ at the time Paul wrote to the church there.

A few hundred years before Paul the city was a leading city in Asia Minor [Turkey] but in the 1st century it was more of a market town and other regions had greater influence- economically speaking.

In Acts 19 https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/ we read that during Paul's stay at Ephesus- the converts to Christ spread the word of the Lord to Asia-

Acts 19:10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

In this letter Paul seems to identify the person who brought the gospel to Colosse- Epaphras-

Colossians 1:7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

Ok- that's a brief introduction before we get into the letter itself.

Chapter 1-

Paul first of all thanks God for those who believed the message of Christ-

Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

Leaders- ‘apostles’- those who are striving to do the work of God- we often read the bible looking for keys to effective ministry-

We just saw one of them.

praying always for you,

Prayer- pray for the people you preach to- pray for the work of God- the work of grace- to continue in the churches you hope to build- pray.

Pray this-

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

It is thru the people that the work of the ministry is carried out-

Leaders- preach- teach- and when the word is planted in the people- you will have times to keep silent-

1 Thessalonians 1:8

For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

It is by the power of the gospel- yes- the death of Jesus- bodily- and his Blood being shed- that brings us into the kingdom now-

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Now- we see exactly who this Jesus is- for the first 3 centuries of the church- the debates were primarily about ‘Christology’- trying to define the person of Christ-

This passage below has been seen by some to say that Jesus had a beginning point-

Lets look it at-

Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Colossians 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

How is Jesus the firstborn?

I have taught on the relationship of the Logos [Word] and God [The Father]-

When God created all things- He Spoke.

The Word of God brought all things into existence.

This Word- the Logos- was always with the Father- yet we did not see the activity of creation until God chose to speak it into existence.

The early church settled this question of the deity of Christ- and one of the key passages they used was from John’s gospel-

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus is the firstborn- has the preeminence because everything else came forth from Him-

He is not the ‘firstborn’ meaning he too was born- or created- but the first in God’s creative act.

Truly this Logos became flesh- and that's why we identify him as the only begotten Son of God.

When the word was made flesh- the Logos [Word] took on a human Body.

But he was with the Father from all eternity- as the passage from John states.

The New Testament also states that Jesus was the first to rise from the dead- to die no more-

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

All the fullness of God dwelt [dwells] in him-

Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Colossians 1:20 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.

And because of this- his death for us brings peace-

The process of all things being brought back to God has now begun.

Ok- look at the next verse-

Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Colossians 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Much has been written and spoken about the need for the Christian to have a renewed mind.

Paul himself speaks about the importance of this-

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Yet look at this passage-

‘alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled- In the body of his flesh through death’

It is actually the work of Christ- the gospel- that accomplishes this renewed mind.

In this letter Paul will refute ‘self holiness’- he will argue against extreme self denial.

Yet many teach that we are ‘saved by grace' true- then will sort of say ‘but the renewing of the mind is hard work’.

I realize these men mean well- but I think this view is a legalistic way to look it it.

The renewal of the mind is primarily being focused on the work of the Cross itself- seeing how the death and resurrection of Christ has actually ‘reconciled’ our minds- not simply a work that saved our souls.

The apostle gives us another key to effective ministry-

Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Not just to suffer- but to embrace it as a gift from God.

When we as Christians speak about bearing our Cross- I don’t think we fully grasp what this means.

The Cross was indeed the redemptive purpose of God.

We have already seen this in the first chapter of this short letter.

And Paul saw his sufferings as a key part of his ministry.

He is penning this letter from prison- his body is ‘captive’ but the Word of the Lord has free course.

In our Ephesians study- we talked about the mystery that God revealed- it was the mystery [hidden until the time God revealed it] of both Jew and Gentile being one body.

Here we see another mystery-

Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

What is the mystery?

That Christ himself- by the Spirit- actually lives inside the believer-

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Yes- he is speaking of the Gentiles here- and this of course fits with the mystery seen in Ephesians-

But yet- this was still unknown until the time of Christ.

That thru the Spirit of God dwelling in us- we have the power to overcome the world.

1 John 4:4

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

We end the chapter with the apostle once again giving us a key-

Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Colossians 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Paul was carrying out his mission-

The declaration of the Word of God-

to fulfil the word of God; Verse 25.

He had many struggles in the journey- we saw in our Acts study how he was beaten at times- some think he was actually killed at one point- and God raised him up.

Yet thru all of this- he saw it was God himself doing the work- it was ‘his working’ which was working in him in a mighty way.

He was not ‘working the Word’ for material gain- but the Word- even the word of the Cross was working in him.

The apostle of Grace understood that all that was happening- all the great churches that Paul planted-

all the suffering he went thru- was simply God working in and thru him-

Amen

PAST POSTS [Past teaching I did that relates]

https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/

https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/

https://ccoutreach87.com/2018/01/17/kings-17/

https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/john-11-the-8th-sign/

https://ccoutreach87.com/christian-recovery-from-addiction-long-version/

https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/

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Acts 28

POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ NOVEMBER 22, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT

ACTS 28- [Conclusion of the Act’s study]

Isaiah 25:7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Acts 28- https://youtu.be/JNtaYP1cqEs

https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl/ https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl-2/

ON VIDEO- .Stranded on the island .Melita [Malta] founded by the Phoenicians around 1000 BC .Paul gets bitten by a snake .The ‘natives’ think he is being judged .Then when he doesn’t fall down sick and die- .They think he is a ‘god’ [Fickle] .Where did these ‘natives’ get the concept of justice? [natural law theory is true] .Paul functions in the gift of healing .The ship he takes to Rome has the names ‘Castor and Pollux’- who were they? .The mythical sons of Zeus .Paul at Rome .He makes his case to the Jews .Some believe- some don’t Note- when we study church history we realize there was already a church [believers] at Rome before Paul got there .So we often teach that Paul was not responsible for the church at Rome .Yet here we see he did introduce some Roman Jews to Jesus- so he certainly played a role .Paul quotes from Isaiah 6- which in a way sums up the last half of the book of Acts [see my teaching below] .Nero After thoughts- .Would you go to hell to save the world? .A talk I had with a homeless friend .Do we live with a self preservation mentality? .Are our churches centered around this mentality? .Your purpose is to fulfil the mission- even if it does not ‘save’ you [The Cross] .A polarized nation- our times .Yet- their is a redeemer- Jesus God’s own Son

NEW- As we end the Acts study- I’ll add my past teaching below- and just mention a few things. The last few chapters was the lead up to the climax- Paul was going to Rome to appeal his case to Nero-

His accusers have been on his trail the whole time- And as he arrives in Rome- he calls together the Jews to present his case first to them. He figured they heard all the rumors about him- and wanted to make a defense.

As it turned out- they were not aware of all the stuff he was going thru. So he presents the gospel to them- some believe- others do not- Then he quotes one passage out of Isaiah 6- Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. It’s interesting- because the whole chapter of Isaiah 6 [posted below in the verses section] sort of sums up Paul’s whole experience in the last half of the book of Acts.

He has been going from city to city- desperately trying to persuade his fellow Jews that Jesus is indeed the Christ- the anointed one- the promise that they have been waiting for. And in this excitement of the reality that they were living in the time when the promise made to their father’s thru the prophets- has now been fulfilled-

Yet- he is dumbfounded that his fellow Jewish brothers refuse to believe it! And that sums up the chapter of Isaiah 6- God called the prophet to go and preach to his fellow Jews-

Yet it was thru this preaching of Isaiah that their hearts would be hardened- and they would not believe- Isaiah even asks God how long will this go on- God says until he makes a full end. Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, Yet- there is still the promise of the remnant- which Paul himself speaks about in his letter to the Romans- Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Paul even quotes out of Isaiah again- Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

And God also speaks about the remnant to Isaiah- Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. Meaning there would be a period of time in the history of God’s dealings with the Jewish people- and during this period of time- there will always be a small group of Jews who believe. And in the fullness of time- they will embrace Jesus as their messiah as a whole nation of people.

There are many verses on this- but that is indeed what the bible teaches. So the process- in the frustration of a Paul- or Isaiah- or any one carrying the message to people who initially do not receive it-

Is the promise that there are indeed some who are listening- some who are seeing what’s going on- and this remnant will have an impact on others as well. The preaching of the gospel- the setting forth of the message of Christ- in the day we live in- it’s not always embraced at the start.

Sure- some have turned the message into a self help type thing- others have focused the message on material gain- https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ These messages do gain a following- because they appeal to the base nature of man-

But the message of the Gospel- and the teachings of Jesus- are not about popularity-

The message of the Cross is about sacrificing the temporary things of this life- to fulfill a greater purpose in God. Paul will go on to preach the gospel- the chapter [Acts 28] ends with Paul still waiting to appear before Nero.

Yet later on in the letters of Paul we see that he more than likely was released from jail- and possibly even made it all the way to Spain [There is a tradition that says this- from the writings of Clement] Paul sat in Rome from ad 60 to 62-

Then was released- did some more missionary work- then probably rearrested and executed around ad 67. Nero set fire to Rome in ad 64- he blamed it on the Christians- and a great persecution of the saints took place.

Paul finished his mission- he preached the gospel of Jesus and went thru much difficulty in his life- We continue to study his letters today- and the message he spoke- and wrote about- is still going strong. Yes- I guess you could say the small remnant has now become a multitude of people- too many to number- Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; Revelation 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

PAST POSTS- [Verses below] ACTS- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/15/tuesday-5/ [I made this post the same day of the Acts 28 video] https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/19/sunday-sermon-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/23/acts-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/31/acts-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/06/acts-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/acts-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/07/acts-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/16/acts-11/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/22/acts-12/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/01/acts-13/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/14/acts-14/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/03/acts-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/07/acts-16/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/27/acts-17/ http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2017/08/acts-18-acts-1828-for-he-mightily.html https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/20/acts-20/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/04/acts-21/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/20/acts-22-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/04/redo-acts-23-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/08/acts-24-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/14/acts-25-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/29/acts-26-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/06/acts-27/

(766)ACTS 28- After the shipwreck they wind up on an island called Melita. Paul meets the barbarous people and they welcome him. During a bon fire type thing, Paul is collecting wood and a poisonous snake bites him. The people think ‘surely this man is a murderer and ‘vengeance’ got him!’ Notice the fact that moral/natural law was imbedded in the consciences of these savage like people. Where in the world did they come up with such an idea of right and wrong and justice? The atheists say ‘well, all people simply come up with some type of code to live by. This is really not proof for moral law’. The Christian answers ‘so how come you never find some isolated tribe who rewards murder and punishes goodness’! Now, I realize there are distant tribes who practice violent stuff. The point is in all of these societies, there is a basic right and wrong that is honored. If the tribe is violent, they still don’t reward the cowardly killing of one of their own kids! These savages had the built in conscience of moral law that Paul teaches in Romans. Now after Paul doesn’t get sick or die from the bite, they ‘change their minds’ and say he is a god! People are fickle. Paul heals the father of the chief of the island, a small healing revival breaks out. Paul demonstrates the power of the gospel in word and deed. Even today, in many 3rd world countries you see healings and miraculous signs along with the preaching of the gospel. They launch off and land in a few more spots and finally make it to Rome! Paul calls the Jewish leaders and makes his familiar defense. He lists the accusations against him and defends himself. He thought the whole Jewish world knew about the gossip! The leaders tell him ‘we haven’t heard any stuff about you, but tell us more about this sect’. Leaders, don’t make the mistake of defending yourself over personal stuff from the pulpit! Often time’s people don’t know what you are talking about. Paul does set up a day and teaches the Jews in Rome from morning till evening showing them all the scriptures that testify of Jesus in the Law of Moses and the prophets. He ‘testified of the Kingdom of God and Christ’ [they go hand in hand!] Some Jews believe, others don’t. Paul then quotes the most quoted verse from the Old Testament in the New Testament ‘Isaiah was right about you! Having eyes you can’t see, ears you can’t hear…’ Luke ends the chapter [and book] with Paul living 2 years in a rented room and preaching the kingdom of God to all who will listen. Paul finished his days infecting the capitol city of the empire with the gospel! Church history tells us that Paul [and Peter] were martyred under Nero’s persecution. John [the apostle] writes about the beast making war against the saints and killing them. No wonder why the early church called Nero ‘the beast’. Paul writes one of his best letters to the Roman saints and the church will forever have an ‘eternal witness’ in the city of Rome. Paul got his wish.

(767)ACTS CONCLUSION- As we finish our study in Acts, I want to review a few things. The ‘church’ [ecclesia] as seen in Acts are without a doubt ‘organic’ this term describes the community of people in the various locations who believed the message of the Messiah. These people were not establishing ‘church meetings at the church on Sunday’ to compete with the Jewish meetings at the synagogues on Saturday. The transition from the old law into the new covenant was not only one of a change in message [law versus grace] but also a transition from shadows to reality. All the ways of worship and ‘liturgical’ form were part of the old law. The temple and priest and altar were important types and symbols of what was to come. But in the New Testament communities these ideas of physical worship changed. The actual praise of Gods people and doing good deeds will become the sacrifices that God is well pleased with [New Testament]. The Lords meal was actually a meal! The gathering on the first day of the week became a good tradition in memory of Christ’s resurrection. But as time went on many well meaning believers would return to the symbols and incorporate them into their worship. The church would be seen as the ‘church house’ the altar would be seen as a real place upon which the ‘bloodless sacrifice’ [Eucharist] would be re offered again for the sins of the world. The priest would be seen as having special powers given to him by Jesus, that during the mass the host becomes Jesus flesh and blood and as the people ‘eat’ him they are partaking, literally, of Jesus flesh and blood. Now, are all these believers wrong? Should we see the development of sacramental theology as pagan? I personally don’t think so. I prefer to view the changes that took place in the church as part of a process of Gods people grappling with doctrines and beliefs while at the same time struggling to maintain unity as the centuries progressed [I am not making excuses for wrong doctrine, I think well meaning church fathers grasped wrong ideas out of a fear of loosing their identity. The idea of a strong magesterium [teaching authority] gave room for wrong doctrines to become firmly entrenched in the collective mind of the early church]. For the first 1000 years of Christianity the people of God were primarily seen as Catholic. In 1054 the official split between eastern and western Christianity will take place. Another 500 years until the Catholic Church split again [1517]. The host of churches that came out of the Protestant Reformation are too innumerable to mention. Should we view all of these groups as deceived religionists? Of course not. Do we find a pattern in Acts that would allow us to trace ‘the true group’ and lay claim to being the most authentic? I don’t believe so. But as all the people of God strive for the unity that we actually posses in Christ, we have the great resource of the church fathers, the wisdom and insights of the reformers. The heritage of the outgrowth of the restorationist movements. The excitement of the Puritans as they launched out to found a new world free from religious persecution. If it weren’t for the strong institutional church we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have even had a Luther [Wittenberg] Calvin [first Paris then Geneva] or Zwingli [Zurich]! Or the ‘pre reformers’ Wycliffe, Huss and Knox. These men were products of Catholic higher learning! It was the reality of Catholic institutional Christianity that allowed for these men to be trumpets of truth in their day! The university cities that they taught in as Catholic priests allowed for their influence to spread far and wide. In each generation of believers you have had Gods people progress so far and leave us with great treasures that were intended to be passed on to future generations If we severe ourselves from historic Christianity, then we lose the great gains that have been made in the centuries gone by! The book of Acts shows us the freedom of the people of God. ‘Where 2 or more are together in my name, I am in the midst’ isn’t some description of ‘local church’. As in if we copy the formulas of what happened in Acts [break bread, prayer, etc.] then you ‘have a church’. Jesus promise to be with us when we are together is the act of brotherhood. Surely we saw Jesus going along with the people of God all thru out Acts. The Spirit of God that indwelt them in chapter 2 was the promise that he would be with them. He legitimized them! Not some institution [‘local church’] that they were to start! So today all the people of God are striving to find a closer identity with each other as fellow believers in the Lord. I believe the book of Acts gives us a beautiful picture of the church in her infancy stage. I also believe the growth seen as we read Paul’s letters to these churches indicates the heart of God for his people to remain in grace. Paul warns the churches to not fall into the legalism of observing days and regulations and legalistic requirements. He wants them to live simply, free from sin and to be the people of God in society. Some branches of Christianity took hold of the strong ‘we are pilgrims’ view [which is true to a degree] and would separate from society. Not realizing we are pilgrims and strangers to the worlds system, but our Father is God of heaven and earth! We are here to impact this planet! So let’s run with the exciting message and revolutionary mindset that the early church possessed. They weren’t in this thing for what they could get out of it, they were really laying their lives down for the gospel. They were sharing their stuff with each other. They were loving God and their fellow man in ways that were uncommon for their time. It wasn’t only what they said that allowed them to ‘turn their world upside down’ it was who they were, the People of God.

VERSES- Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Acts 28:1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. Acts 28:2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. Acts 28:3 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. Acts 28:4 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. Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Acts 28:6 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. Acts 28:7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. Acts 28:8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. Acts 28:9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed: Acts 28:10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary. Acts 28:11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. Acts 28:12 And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. Acts 28:13 And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: Acts 28:14 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. Acts 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. Acts 28:16 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. Acts 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Acts 28:18 Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. Acts 28:19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. Acts 28:20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. Acts 28:21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. Acts 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against. Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. Acts 28:24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Acts 28:29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. Acts 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: Isaiah 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, Isaiah 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. MY SITES http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com [Main site] https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg

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