The role I unwittingly played in the decline of Christianity in America.

KateforChrist

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Question: "What is the meaning of the Parable of the Wedding Feast?"

Answer:
Jesus told the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14. This parable is similar in some ways to the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), but the occasion is different, and it has some important distinctions. To better understand the context of this story, it is important to know some basic facts about weddings in Jesus’ day.

In Jewish society, the parents of the betrothed generally drew up the marriage contract. The bride and groom would meet, perhaps for the first time, when this contract was signed. The couple was considered married at this point, but they would separate until the actual time of the ceremony. The bride would remain with her parents, and the groom would leave to prepare their home. This could take quite a while. When the home was all was ready, the groom would return for his bride without notice. The marriage ceremony would then take place, and the wedding banquet would follow.

The wedding banquet was one of the most joyous occasions in Jewish life and could last for up to a week. In His parable, Jesus compares heaven to a wedding banquet that a king had prepared for his son (Matthew 22:2). Many people had been invited, but when the time for the banquet came and the table was set, those invited refused to come (verses 4-5). In fact, the king’s servants who brought the joyful message were mistreated and even killed (verse 6).

The king, enraged at the response of those who had been invited, sent his army to avenge the death of his servants (verse 7). He then sent invitations to anyone his servants could find, with the result that the wedding hall was filed (verses 8-10).

During the feast the king noticed a man “who was not wearing wedding clothes” (verse 11). When asked how he came to be there without the furnished attire, the man had no answer and was promptly ejected from the feast “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (verses 12-13). Jesus then ends the parable with this statement: “For many are invited, but few are chosen” (verse 14).

The king is God the Father, and the son who is being honored at the banquet is Jesus Christ, who “came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). Israel held the invitation to the kingdom, but when the time actually came for the kingdom to appear (see Matthew 3:1), they refused to believe it. Many prophets, including John the Baptist, had been murdered (Matthew 14:10). The king’s reprisal against the murderers can be interpreted as a prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans (cf. Luke 21:5). More broadly, the king’s vengeance speaks of the desolation mentioned in the book of Revelation. God is patient, but He will not tolerate wickedness forever (Obadiah 1:15). His judgment will come upon those who reject His offer of salvation. Considering what that salvation cost Jesus, is not this judgment well deserved (see Hebrews 10:29-31)?

Note that it is not because the invited guests could not come to the wedding feast, but that they would not come (see Luke 13:34). Everyone had an excuse. How tragic, and how indicative of human nature, to be offered the blessings of God and to refuse them because of the draw of mundane things!

The wedding invitation is extended to anyone and everyone, total strangers, both good and bad. This refers to the gospel being taken to the Gentiles. This portion of the parable is a foreshadowing of the Jews’ rejection of the gospel in Acts 13. Paul and Barnabas were in Pisidian Antioch, where the Jewish leaders strongly opposed them. The apostle’s words echo the king’s estimation that those invited to the wedding “did not deserve to come”: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). The gospel message, Jesus taught, would be made available to everyone.
 
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Robert65

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It has nothing to do with how many Bibles you have worn out.

Believe
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."John 3:16, NIV

Repent
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 3:18-19

Confess
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Accept
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If that is all it takes then why read the other 700,000 words in the Bible? I think you are over simplifying Christianity.

Have you read the Bible cover to cover? If so was once sufficient and you now have it all figured out? My point being that the more one studies and contemplate what they have read the better one will understand what they have read. Self betterment is a life long journey as opposed to simply accepting the Bible verses you posted.
 
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Robert65

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How can you be so certain of that on that side (the outside) of the Kingdom?

No one can even SEE the Kingdom of God unless/until they are Born-Again [John 3:3].

I am not arguing certainty. I do Say that just claiming that Christianity is simply being and doing is an overly simplistic view of a deep and complexity religion. Can you expound upon what it is to be and do?
 
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Robert65

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You are sidestepping.

Your question was "What does it take to earn the privilege of calling oneself a Christian?"

Belief, repentance, confession and acceptance is what you have to do. This is how you become a Christian.

If you are now asking "How does one live as a Christian?" Well that is another question.

Heck, that will fit on a index card. I guess the other 700,000 words in the Bible are simply redundant?
 
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Robert65

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One can nominally be a Christian by identifying with the religion known as Christianity in some way.

One can be justified (saved) by acknowledging and confessing to be a sinner and accepting God's grace by receiving Christ into one's heart as Lord and Savior.

Many, many Christians stop right here. Sure, they might go to church or argue on the internet, but their lives are not transformed by the Spirit to become conformed to Christ, to love others as HE loves.

Salvation is a lifelong process, not an instantaneous altar call. If one is going to actually *follow* Jesus, if one is going to *practice* one's faith, then there is much, much more to be done. We must practice various spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, fasting, service to others, etc.) to place ourselves before God, to make ourselves accessible to his work of holiness in us.

James says in his letter that "faith without works is dead." James is not saying that we are justified (saved) by our works, but that once we have received the grace of God and the Spirit begins to transform our lives to be more conformed to Christ, there should be visible *evidence* to others that such is the case.

We’ll said. I wish more Christians shared your perspective. So many seem to want to dumb down the religion to the point of ridiculousness.
 
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Robert65

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What people claim will align with what they do depending on whether or not the new birth occured. We can't give that birth to ourselves. Eternal life is a gift of God that results in and creates the new birth.

What do you do when one claims to be a Christian yet acts contrary to it’s teachings? Just allow them to run amuck and damage how the religion is perceived by nonbelievers like me?

This is why judgment is so important. In the absence of judgment there is no incentive for those who behave badly to stop.
 
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coffee4u

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Heck, that will fit on a index card. I guess the other 700,000 words in the Bible are simply redundant?

You asked and I gave a precise answer. An excess of words does not make an answer better.

All of the Bible is important.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

And yes it can fit on an index card, because at its heart Christianity is simple. It's a relationship with God.

As to living as a Christian, that is also simple.
Mark 12:30-31
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Since I only just realized this is posted in debate I will leave you to your pot stirring debating. :)
 
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Robert65

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Personally..... I am impressed with your exceptional honesty and I believe that within five to ten years you might just be able to write a book and do a series of lectures online that could assist in transforming many lives.

Your honesty and humility is a phenomenal beginning.......
to a radical conversion experience if you really want it?

I have a question for you........
do you like me believe that Mr. Dean Braxton is telling the truth about his experience to the best of his ability?

He admits that the English language seems inadequate for some of what he saw, smelled, heard and experienced.




Note... I wrote all of what I wrote above before finishing your entire opening post.......Now I am really impressed now that I know how hard you have been working to assist others to get off alcohol and other drugs..... Wow!!!

Now I am thinking that you could well already write that book even though you term yourself an Agnostic.......but I will be interested in how you react to Dean Braxton......... By the way....... In 1990 I put a bullet in a 30.30 so I can really identify with much of what you write!

My story as to why I decided against finishing things back then were somewhat similar to yours..... but more extreme.

This is some background information......and I may send you a personal message to add some details. My blog fills in some gaps as well.

My conversation with the Rabbi.....


First let me say thank you for the praises, and sharing a bit of your story.

As far as religion, I am not in the market, but I have seen the positive side of Christianity in action enough to know that it has value to our society. Frankly I fear an America without Christianity as I believe that it is important to have a code of conduct to rally around. Currently I see no better alternative for a collective moral code of conduct.

As for do I believe that Mr. Braxton is being honest? I have no way to know, but for the sake of argument let us assume that he is. When it comes to NDE’s I do not jump to a conclusion and instead say it is an area in need of more research. I tend not to fill in the gaps of my knowledge with an assumption of god nor have I concluded that one does not exist.
 
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Sabertooth

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Can you expound upon what it is to be and do?
Heck, that will fit on a index card. I guess the other 700,000 words in the Bible are simply redundant?
Salvation is just the beginning. God loves you right where you are, but He loves you too much to leave you there.

He uses the rest of those words, and more, to move you forward, as long as you let Him.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." Jesus, Matthew 7:15-20 NKJV

Jesus was talking about false prophets, but it is true for all Christians. You need to BE (let Him make you into) a good tree, first. Then bearing good fruit will happen naturally. You won't have to maintain a "Good Works" to-do list.

If you won't let Him change you on the inside, there will be/can be no worthwhile changes on the outside.
 
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Carl Emerson

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So your answer is love god. So what is the point of the other 700,000 words in the Bible if that is all it takes someone to be a Christian?

Did I say that?

However if there is no encounter with God the 700,000 words will come to nothing.
 
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DennisTate

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First let me say thank you for the praises, and sharing a bit of your story.

As far as religion, I am not in the market, but I have seen the positive side of Christianity in action enough to know that it has value to our society. Frankly I fear an America without Christianity as I believe that it is important to have a code of conduct to rally around. Currently I see no better alternative for a collective moral code of conduct.

As for do I believe that Mr. Braxton is being honest? I have no way to know, but for the sake of argument let us assume that he is. When it comes to NDE’s I do not jump to a conclusion and instead say it is an area in need of more research. I tend not to fill in the gaps of my knowledge with an assumption of god nor have I concluded that one does not exist.


I like the idea that fundamental energy would exist from infinite time in the past and would be moving around and obeying the Law of Complexity Consciousness and planning an essentially infinite number of Big Bang type events.

Mellen-Thomas Benedict's Near-Death Experience

At this point of my near-death experience, I found myself in a profound stillness, beyond all silence. I could see or perceive FOREVER, beyond Infinity. I was in the Void.



I was in pre creation, before the Big Bang. I had crossed over the beginning of time / the First Word / the First vibration. I was in the Eye of Creation. I felt as if I was touching the Face of God. It was not a religious feeling. Simply, I was at one with Absolute Life and Consciousness. When I say that I could see or perceive forever, I mean that I could experience all of creation generating itself. It was without beginning and without end. That’s a mind-expanding thought, isn’t it? Scientists perceive the Big Bang as a single event that created the Universe. I saw during my life after death experience that the Big Bang is only one of an infinite number of Big Bangs creating Universes endlessly and simultaneously. The only images that even come close in human terms would be those created by super computers using fractal geometry equations.
 
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Robert65

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You asked and I gave a precise answer. An excess of words does not make an answer better.

All of the Bible is important.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

And yes it can fit on an index card, because at its heart Christianity is simple. It's a relationship with God.

As to living as a Christian, that is also simple.
Mark 12:30-31
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Since I only just realized this is posted in debate I will leave you to your pot stirring debating. :)

I am not here to stir up the pot. I am here to learn, although what I learn may not be what you are trying to teach.
 
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Robert65

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Salvation is just the beginning. God loves you right where you are, but He loves you too much to leave you there.

He uses the rest of those words, and more, to move you forward, as long as you let Him.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." Jesus, Matthew 7:15-20 NKJV

Jesus was talking about false prophets, but it is true for all Christians. You need to BE (let Him make you into) a good tree, first. Then bearing good fruit will happen naturally. You won't have to maintain a "Good Works" to-do list.

If you won't let Him change you on the inside, there will be/can be no worthwhile changes on the outside.

I will let him in when he makes his existence inescapably known to me.
 
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Robert65

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Did I say that?

However if there is no encounter with God the 700,000 words will come to nothing.

I sometimes get my discussions crossed. Happens when having multiple conversations sometimes. If that be the case apologize. I am still waiting for that encounter. But it will require inescapable proof of his existence.
 
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I will let him in when he makes his existence inexplicably known to me.
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 NKJV
 
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DennisTate

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I will let him in when he makes his existence inescapably known to me.

In my case i had rheumatoid arthritis since the time I was fourteen, (1973).

By 1980 or '81 my then girlfriend talked me into being prayed for and anointed with oil as advocated in the book of James. Within a couple of months I noticed I no longer was in pain and for a decade and a half after that I worked at forestry in cold and wet conditions but..... .no arthritis pain. (I did have some back pain due to my lifting wood in an unwise manner, but I could definitely tell the difference between that and arthritis).

James 5

Jas 5:14

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
 
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durangodawood

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“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 NKJV
Pride is taking the things you imagine and insisting they are real.

I mean, thats what youre asking the non believer to do: insist that the human mind is the measure of whats real.
 
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