The apostle Paul, from the beginning of this letter, was addressing the issue of some of the people raising up some of the ministers of the gospel above others, sort of in a worshipful way or as to make idols of them and to make distinctions among them as to who was greater. They were becoming followers of man in place of followers of Christ and they were idolizing certain men over others who were all servants of the Lord Jesus. And this was causing divisions among the people.

In our day and age we have the same situation where certain men or women are being raised up to almost God-status to where the people appear to be worshiping the man (or woman) in place of God, or to where they are making idols of these people, but based on the wisdom of this age, which is not true wisdom, but is a false wisdom of man. And I will give you some examples of what I am talking about here and what I believe Paul is talking about here, for this is a critical issue in the church today.

If you have gone to Bible college or to seminary and so you have a degree from one of these places of learning, you are raised up above the rest of us who do not have such degrees. If you have accreditation through a particular church denomination or you have a religious title in front of your name, you are raised up to a status above the rest of us common people. If you are a pastor or an elder in a church, or you have the official title of missionary to a specific physical location, you are also idolized and raised above others.

But these could be people who are living worldly and fleshly lives, who are not really serving the Lord with their lives, whose lives are not surrendered to Christ, but who are still operating in the flesh. But because they have a degree or a title or an accreditation, then they are raised up above the rest of us to some special status that is above us common folk. And they could be called missionaries and pastors, but they may be teaching a false gospel to the people and using trickery to deceive the people under them.

But as soon as it is acknowledged that they have a title or some kind of official position within an official organization, they are automatically raised up above the rest of us. This should not be! And I am not saying that this happens in all cases, but from my observation over my 74 years of life and over 50 years of Christian ministry, I would say that this is more the norm than it is the exception. And so it puts this unnecessary separation between clergy and laity, and between “missionaries” and those not in official positions.

And this is what Paul was speaking against. For what does this also do? It lowers those who do not have these credentials as though they are less, or as though what they are doing is not as important as what someone is doing if he is called “pastor” or “missionary.” And that is just wrong! For someone not credentialed could be serving the Lord Jesus full-time in ministry without recognition and be leading people to faith in Jesus Christ and be treated as a nobody while the credentialed get acclamation for titles.

But all of us who believe in Jesus Christ with God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ are all to be his servants and witnesses. All of us are to be sharing the gospel and ministering to one another in the areas of giftedness and calling where God has gifted us and assigned us. And titles and diplomas mean nothing in the sight of God. What matters to God is that our lives are surrendered to him, that we are committed to his service, that we are walking in obedience to his commands, and sin is not our practice.

And it is that we are ministering to one another in the ways in which the Scriptures teach that all of us should be ministering to each other, and that we are faithful in being lights in the darkness for the truth of the gospel of our salvation, and that we are sharing the truth and not the lies, and that we are not ashamed of the gospel, and that we are not more concerned with people liking us than we are with obeying our Lord. The Lord is looking for those who will serve him with their lives, no titles required.

And if people judge us because of our service to the Lord because of their own preconceived religious notions as to how things must be done within institutional Christianity, but not according to the Scriptures, then we cannot let that determine who we are and what we do in love response to our Lord. But we are not to be prideful, but to give God all the glory for what he accomplishes in us and through us. And we are to have fair and honest evaluations of ourselves, too, and to not think too highly of ourselves.

We must recognize that all that we are and do in accord with the Lord and with his teachings are only because of God’s grace to us, and have nothing to do with our greatness in our own flesh. All that we are able to do in ministry and to accomplish in the name of the Lord are only possible because of God’s love for us and his callings upon our lives, and because of his guidance and direction and empowerment in our lives. And if this is not our approach or belief, then we are operating in the flesh.

So be careful in making judgments of other people that you don’t raise some people up too high and put others way too low who are serving the Lord with their lives. Be careful, too, that you don’t make judgments based on your own way of thinking or based on human philosophy and tradition or on religious cultures and practices which have been passed down from generation to generation but which are not biblical, but which are just the opinions of humans who are of the flesh who are not listening to God.

Pray to the Lord that he will give you the discernment and the knowledge to make wise and just decisions in how to view all people regardless of their status or titles or education level, etc.

Servant of the Lord

An Original Work / July 26, 2012
Based off Romans 1:1-17

Servant of the Lord;
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.
Through Him, and for His name alone,
We receive His grace
To call people, Him to obey;
Coming from their faith.
Servant of the Lord,
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.

You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ;
Always praying for others’ needs;
Helping hand to lend;
Giving courage to others’ faith,
For the praise of God.
You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ.

Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.
In the gospel find righteousness:
Being right with God.
Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.
By faith, live in Him.
Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.

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May he rest in the peace of Christ.

narnia59 said:

That's what I always thought. One reason I don't buy into the idea they are the same person.

It was interesting to me when I ran across that passage about the woman who annointed and wiped Christ's feet with her hair was Lazarus' sister Mary though. My assumption has been that she had lost faith in Christ when Lazarus died. She who sat so devotedly at his feet stayed home while Martha went out to meet him to tell him that if he had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Seemed like she was angry, or had lost her faith in him or something. She didn't want to see him. So afterwards it would seem much in her character to have had that kind of act of repentance.

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Thanks for the info! That definitely makes more sense to me!

Thank you for all of the prayers.

I love this song. If it isn't literally true I wish it was. Got to sing it with a mixed group of Brits and Yanks after a football match in London last spring, and it was wonderful. England!

Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon England's mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England's pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green & pleasant Land.

To be born again, is a choice.
When the decision has been made,
2 choices lay await after
To be an eternal servant of God,
or to be a slave.

Choosing to be a servant is not choosing to be a slave.
For all eternity, the servant will be tempted with the choice of being a slave.
However, the choice will always be in choosing the chosen who chose Christ.
For he choose us out of the world of no choice.
for the world without Christ is choiceless.

In a big bang universe,
Which starts the same, (big bang)
And end the same (entropy)
Thinking there is any difference between the middle and in between,
IS ACTUALLY INSANE!

It's only through Christ that we get a choice!
For in God's eternal rock tumbler,
That which go in without Christ,
Go back out into the sands,
While that which go in with Christ, back into salt at the supper of the Lamb!

Therefore, Those without Christ have zero choice
They are program operated and are merely organic props.
Those with Christ have 2 choices,
To be an eternal servant, free will,
Or to be a slave, no will.

tonychanyt said:

Literal Standard Version, Matthew 22:


feasts
γάμους (gamous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural

English Standard Version:


Why did ESV use the singular form?

In those days, a Jewish wedding ceremony could last for days, Young's Literal Translation, Judges 14:


Now fast-forward to Matthew 22:


the entire series of feasts, plural


i.e., the 1st of the marriage-feasts, singular


i.e., the singular "marriage-feast" is used as an adjective.

ἐπλήσθη ὁ γάμος ἀνακειμένων
was filled marriage-feast with guests

New King James Version translated γάμος as "wedding":


The noun "hall" is implied by the Greek article.


singular, the one that was ongoing now.


A similar plural usage was in YLT Mt 25:


How might the ESV justify translating both in the singular?

Today, English-speaking countries are not familiar with wedding ceremonies that go on for days. The singular marriage-feast would simplify the translation and understanding.

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The wedding feast, The Kingdom of Heaven as described in revelations will be eternal!

Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Blessings.

Appreciate your time and comments …

blessings

KevinT said:

I am a protestant that stumbled across your post. I agree with what you are saying, so I guess I'm not a very good protestant, am I?

KT

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There are many Protestants that believe the same but there are many that don’t. The ones that don’t are usually the ones Catholics have to wrangle with.

Go to suno.com and put your lyrics in there, and you can turn them in to a full song in about 1 minute. You just need to say "christian worship". It's really cool to hear your lyrics turned in to songs. I keep doing it almost every day.

Clare73 said:

I understand Scripture to mean what it says.

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Do you see it is meaning:

Rom 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

When we, present ourselves, give ourselves, to sin, what happens? We become a slave to sinly obedience. We can no longer control our sinful habit. It has a slavish effect.

Jesus came to give us the Holy Spirit so we can have power over that binding power. So we are no longer slaves to sin.

So He stated:

Joh 8:33-36 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Note that Jesus said "a slave does not abide in the house forever", the one who gives themselves to sin (as a habit) is in danger of hell fire.

1Jn 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus was not saying "we all sin", he was saying "I have come to free you from the slavery to sin".

Tropical Wilds said:

Riley, she is quoting books that she hasnt read, and are only railing against because of somebody else told her to be upset about it. The one book, the one that “teaches kids as young as 7” to cross dress? It does not. It doesn’t even imply it. She’s upset about something that doesn’t exist.

The other article? The one from 2022? The one she linked? It is about Muslim parents protesting the inclusion of books that have LGBT characters. They’re not protesting specific content and no specific books are mentioned, they don’t say there is “very graphic” content, only that heteronormative relationships should be the only thing in books in the library because that’s what they, as Muslims, feel is religiously appropriate.

She is just parroting what other people say. She has no knowledge of these books, or even what the protests are. She’s upset because a website told her she should be. She is poorly informed, at best.

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I have no opinion on these books, but per Amazon reviews it appears they are geared at children? I honestly don’t know.

Unless I read it for myself, I won’t comment on it. That’s only fair.

God did all 3 modes of creation. This isn't an either or.
God created light and matter out of nothing, He created chaos first. The Earth was formless and void.. chaos in other words, then God began creating things out of the matter He'd created, organizing it, so both ex Materia and Order out of Chaos simultaneously. He created living organisms in the world from previously existing material.

In Genesis 1 and 2 God shows He is capable of creating things multiple different ways, speaking something into existence out of nothing, taking existing non living material and making it alive, and cloning life from other life. Eve was made from Adam's rib, the rib bone being one of the best sources of stem cells in an adult human, where hematopoiesis (formation of new blood cells) takes place in the marrow of flat bones, God picked the most logical place to find stem bells to clone Eve from (as taking Adam's pelvis or sternum or shoulder blade would not make sense) This fact is one of the things that convinces me the bible is true, because an Ancient human would have no way of knowing about Hematopoiesis, stem bells, or surgery, and yet it's in the bible, it's a scientific process that makes sense to someone with a background in biology.
Frankly if God had just spoken things into existence, or made clay sculptures and used magic to make them alive as our creation origin.. I might write it off as faerie tales.
But because something I can understand was done, in a way that ancient people could not understand it, and yet they wrote about it... I believe it. It's like how did Solomon know that worker ants are female, and write about it in Proverbs thousands of years before it could be observed in microscopes? Consider her ways.

So for at least me, it is important that God created in a variety of ways, including one that grabbed my attention.
Because lots of mythology has magic beings creating sculptures of men and making them alive.
Lots of mythology has gods creating with snapping their fingers or some other magic.

But only Genesis shows God doing something that makes biological sense to someone modern, but totally nonsensical to an ancient person.

Belk said:

The losses at Bull run, Carthage, Blackburns ford, and Kessler's cross, were not "one bad night"

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your original statement had to do with Lincoln's assassination, not Civil War battlefield losses

and you are wrong

Biden is being forced out of the race by his own party after a series of disastrous public appearances and record-low approval rating. We might see the 25th Amendment invoked next week if he doesn't discontinue his campaign

at no point in his administration was Lincoln's own party considering dragging him out of the Whitehouse

JesusFollowerForever said:

Judas made his choice the wrong choice, he betrayed the son of GOD knowing very well who Jesus was.

will you also claim that satan will be saved?

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We would first need to define who or what Satan is. That would take awhile, a very long while.

So here is my exceedingly condensed thinking on the subject, without details:

I believe Satan to be the ordained adversary and accuser of the soul (Job chapters 1-2), who is providentially used by God for testing His creation through which His creation was subjected to vanity, in Hope (ie: Christ), (Rom 8:20-8:21).

I believe Satan as represented in scripture is a metaphor for the mind of the flesh that wars and lusts against the mind of the spirit (Rom 8:6-8:8, Gal 5:17). The mind of the spirit being the very breath of God that gives life to all (Gen 2:7).

So, no, I don't make the claim that Satan will be saved. I believe in the final and total destruction of the flesh to the saving of the spirit. And, I believe this to be not only for the elect in this age who know they've been crucified with Christ, but for all of humanity in the resurrection, in the age of judgment to come.

HYDERABAD, India — Worship services at a church in a village in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state have been suspended since Hindu extremists attacked the congregation on June 1, sources said.

The mob of about 20 villagers led by members of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal intruded into the house of Pastor Madia Damor in Thuvadara village, Jabua District, disrupting the worship service and beating the 50 people gathered for fasting prayer, including women and children.

The assailants arrived at about 4 p.m., seized Bibles from children and began beating male and female members, Pastor Damor said.


“There was all chaos,” he told Morning Star News. “The children and women were crying, shouting, asking them to stop, but they forcefully dragged them out of my house,” Pastor Damor told Morning Star News. “When I tried to stop the mob from attacking the women and children, they pushed me off and threatened me that they would kill me if I conducted church prayers in the village again.”

Continued below.

The New York Times spots a religion ghost and runs away from a serious discussion​

I don’t have solid poll data backing me up on the following.

But, in my experience, if you walk up to church-going, scripture-quoting evangelical Protestants and Pentecostals and say that you are trying to think of a Bible verse defined by “6:11” many, if not most, will say, “You mean Ephesians 6:11?”

That would be the following (and I have included verses 12-13, as well):

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

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There is no mention, however, of brave believers shaking their fists and shouting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

That said, glance through these Google search results — “Trump,” “assassination,” “Ephesians”— and read some of the chatter about Americans who truly believe they saw the hand of God in this dramatic event. Needless to say, connections of this kind showed up in this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.

Yes, the term “conspiracy theory” pops up in that Google search. I guess that’s what happens when people believe God has the ability to affect what happens in real life.

Here is one statement of this thesis. A veteran, and very media-savvy, evangelical pastor that I know (from a blue zip code) sent me an email after my Rational Sheep post about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the niche-news business models that shaped the news coverage. This pastor responded with:

Last Saturday, 6:11 PM. What happened?
To really know what happened, read Ephesians 6:11.

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Continued below.

Ana the Ist said:

People across the nation have lost jobs after posts about Trump shooting

It's not just the Tenacious D bandmate reaping the consequences for offensive jokes about the shooting. People are losing jobs for social media posts.

www.usatoday.com

So...a few "celebrities" like the half of Tenacious D that people don't know the name of have arguably lost employment. Jack Black cut that guy loose faster than you can say Kung Fu Panda 5.

Regular people have lost jobs though...and I'm not really a fan of that. I certainly don't care if anyone is fired for promoting violence. Violence (actual violence, not the kind that has been equated with not using someone's pronouns) has long been the line in the sand when it comes to free speech. Most of what was said probably isn't criminal...but there's a difference between wishing Trump died of Covid-19 (back when he caught covid in 2020) and cheering on murder attempts.

Anything short of that though...really shouldn't cost people their jobs. People have different opinions...I think we're a better society when people are free to express them. I know that I can't change what some employer does. I certainly don't have any say what is allowed on any social media platforms.

Cancel culture can broadly be described as the attempt to punish people (usually job loss) for having a different opinion than yourself. For a long time....particularly when X was Twitter...people went after people over petty things. Pronouns. Dead names. Unpopular political beliefs. People lost their jobs...over petty stuff....not supporting violence. The reality of course, is that everyone disagrees with you...on a lot of things. It's not something we should try to punish each other for. I feel sorry for anyone who didn't express any support for violence and got caught up in this anyway....I'm sure it happened some of those who lost their jobs. It shouldn't have. People need to lighten up...or understand the internet isn't really a place for them.

Thoughts?

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Their whole mantra has been based on .... hate Trump and they have been very vile in that regard. To me (am a simple person) .... was the condition of our country better under Trump or under Biden? They say Trump will do this and that ... well we do have a comparison between the two.

Under Trump ...

No wars
Near energy independent
A controlled border
Economy was reasonable shape
Housing was more affordable

just a few I can think of.

Vambram said:

Ask, and you shall receive after a 2 minute search on Google.

‘The View’ Ranks No. 1 in Households and Total Viewers Among the Network and Syndicated Daytime Talk Shows and News Programs for the Week of March 18

‘The View’ Ranks No. 1 in Households and Total Viewers Among the Network and Syndicated Daytime Talk Shows and News Programs for the Week of March 18

www.dgepress.com

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Most people under a certain age aren’t watching network or even cable tv anymore.

HIM said:

If we are not sinning through Christ. But if we are then the Law is for us. For the Law is for the sinner.

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When was the last time you sinned?

Whoopi is one angry lady looking for a argument where there isn't one.

Bhutan​

Pray for a Release International partner as he oversees the only theological seminary in Bhutan. His focus is to offer discipleship and biblical training in order to see a new generation of Christian leaders equipped to serve the church.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Though small numbers of Bibles are allowed into the nation legally, the Government continues to restrict widespread distribution. Most copies must be smuggled in. Pray for successful Bible distributions.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Converts to Christianity endure threats and pressures from local community leaders and Buddhist religious leaders. Christians have lost jobs or have been unable to find employment because of their faith. Ask the Lord to provide for them.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

It is extremely difficult for Christians to meet publicly in Bhutan and church buildings are illegal. Pray for Christians who are forced to practise their faith at home or in secret.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Christians are often viewed as followers of a foreign, Western religion and can be subject to various forms of discrimination. Buddhists who become Christians can even lose their citizenship. Pray that Christians would be able to stand firm in their faith and multiply.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Bhutan’s constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, in practice, evangelistic work that seeks the conversion of Buddhists is illegal. Pray that Bhutan would open its doors to a vibrant Christian witness.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Burkina Faso​

Pray for those being recruited into terrorist and criminal gangs; that God would call them out to a different life and provide them with honest ways to make a living.
YES - I WILL PRAY

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Children’s Prayer Sheet​

It’s not only adults who can pray for our persecuted family. Every month we produce a prayer sheet aimed specifically for children. Each sheet has specific activities and prayers which will help children learn more about how persecution affects children in other countries.
You can visit our Children’s Prayer Sheet page here.

This is one of my most favorite songs by Phil Wickham. I praise the Lord for this song and all of the blessings He gives to me through the power of the lyrics and music of this song.
THIS IS OUR GOD
THIS IS WHO HE IS
HE LOVES US
THIS IS OUR GOD
THIS IS WHAT HE DOES
HE SAVES US

Thank you for posting this powerful song, and I praise the Lord for Who He is and for His Grace, His Love, His Mercy, and His Blessings!!!