Gender Bias — Definitely: Part Four (Co-opting Caesar)

November 29th, 2012

I hope that you did not think that I would leave Caesar alone. I fully intend to interact with Caesar, but not on his terms: not, as a politician. In fact, there is no way to remove Caesar from the equation. First, as Christians, we have a direct commandment to honor Caesar. It is a commandment that comes from the highest source that was made available to us, as provided by the Father God.

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money.

And they brought unto him a penny.

And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

They say unto him, Caesar’s.

Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

(Matthew 22:15-22)

Also, as pertains to our relationship with the rulers of the world, we received further instructions about how we acknowledge their appointed place in our lives. The apostle Paul gives us this further insight into these sorts of required relationships, for the children of God . . .

– Explore Gender Bias — Definitely:  Part Four –

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Kingdom of God: Part Eighteen (Absorption)

November 19th, 2012

Now, each one of us needs to take some time to explore our own need. To begin the process, take a moment to absorb the following Scripture.

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

(Revelation 3:14-21) In light of that Scripture, let us consider only our position in the LORD. Let us be selfish, for a moment.Ooh; somebody is feeling hyper-religious, aren’t they?

“

What is this stuff about being selfish,” they ask. “Of course that can’t be right. Everyone knows that we should be ready to perform our service to God in the same fashion as was done by the prophets and apostles of olden times. For instance, we need to perform as recorded in this Scripture; don’t we,” they ask, with a look and a tone that bespeaks assurance that they are speaking absolute truth. They speak as one who is sure that the entire world will say, yes, to what they have just pronounced.

To add to the inevitability of receiving the, as they think, only possible response, yes; they resort to authority. Wherefore they continue, by saying, “Please pay attention to these words: seeketh not her own.” Then they try to bring the full weight of their authority to bear, as they quote Scripture.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Eighteen –

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Gender Bias — Definitely: Part Three (Centralized Control)

November 8th, 2012

Please take some time to consider a reason for the incident in the church that is described below. As you do; the main thing that I want you to think about is this: Why did God have to press the members of the church to such a rigorous pattern of compliance? Also consider this: Was the resulting upheaval, in some fashion, an avoidable outcome?

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it, at the apostles’ feet.

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much?

And she said, Yea, for so much.

Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

(Acts 5:1-11)

To get a little closer to the matter of control in the church, as it is set above human convenience; we will share an event of the life of Jesus. If you really think about the event, you might come to the conclusion that there are certain things that are made to go wrong, so that the glory of God can be highlighted. Actually, that is not too far from being correct; but, it is more than, that these things are just a burden for us. In fact, it is a way of lightening our load; in that, it places the burden on God to provide perfection for mankind, as opposed to placing the burden on mankind to be able to reconcile imperfection. For that reason, we should draw back, somewhat, from our angst about any present perception of peril. Take a look at the following Scripture, and see if you can determine what the true message of the event is.

– Explore Gender Bias — Definitely:  Part Three –

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Kingdom of God: Part Seventeen (Transcendence)

October 29th, 2012

A key part of our assignment from the LORD is that we achieve transcendence. Scripture tells us how this is done.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

These things I command you, that ye love one another.

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

(John 15:7-19) At the start of the New Age, the people received a clear vision of the potential for transcendence of the human condition. This clear vision was embodied in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. However, the vision is not limited to the time of the start of the New Age; during the time of the unfolding of the Old Testament, the vision was there, too. At that time, the vision was being pressed forward by the people of God, as they progressed through time to join with the waiting New Testament, in a time that had not come yet. Jesus Christ witnessed to this spanning, Old to New, of the potential for transcendence in mankind.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Seventeen –

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Gender Bias — Definitely: Part Two (The Church)

October 18th, 2012

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.   For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:6-11)

There is this wish that floats through the church: the wish is that the church be a “democratic” enterprise. In support of the democratization of the church, many members of the church rely on the following Scripture.

But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

   And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

(Galatians 3:25-29)

This if often cited as justification for full and open democracy in the church. There is, though, a problem with immersing this Scripture in the proof of open service in the LORD. The problem is that the same inspired servant of God also delivered this directive from the LORD.

– Explore Gender Bias — Definitely:  Part Two –

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Kingdom of God: Part Sixteen (Perpetuation)

October 8th, 2012

Knowledge, in and of itself, is marvelous. But, knowledge is even more fulfilling when we can see that what we know and what we do with what we know will endure. Throughout history, there have been questions, and even assaults, on the durability of the way of the LORD. These questions-and, sometimes, assaults–persuade us that we have a better way to follow, in the LORD’S way. Simply put: things that have a history of new assaults against them, have a history of endeavor. This is so because when the history stops being formed, there will be nothing new to assault. This is the type of knowledge that will withstand even the fiercest of nay saying, such as are those psychological barbs that are directed at God.

There are times when some of us say that God does not exist. To that group of people, I dedicate the following Scripture. These are the declared atheists. This Scripture is not just for those people who use the label, atheist. This Scripture is also for folks who declare that God is not a part of a particular situation or circumstance. This Scripture is for those situational atheists, too.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

(Psalm 14:1-4) This foolishness, of disavowal of God, is not a new thing. In the Beginning, Cain practiced it, in a subtle way. Cain had a pair of God-fearing parents, and, through them, he gained an understanding of the presence of the LORD. At his birth, Cain’s mother, Eve, showed her zeal for the LORD. This is the kind of zeal that can serve as a strong motivator for a child, persuading him or her to seek to serve the LORD.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Sixteen –…

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Gender Bias — Definitely: Part One (Nature Interface)

September 27th, 2012

Warning!

You are approaching politically incorrect quicksand.

Prayer and caution are highly recommended.

Okay; having done that, let me walk it back a bit. To do that, let me say that I am indeed a firm believer of the following Scripture.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

(Galatians 3:27-29)

. . . However, let me also say that I am a firm believer of this next Scripture, in its fullest impact on the world.

– Explore Gender Bias — Definitely:  Part One –

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Kingdom of God: Part Fifteen (Perfection)

September 17th, 2012

Yes, perfection in man in the Kingdom of God is possible. Scripture gives us an example.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. (Job 1:1-3) Scripture also contains a declaration that requires us to strive to move in the LORD’S performance, as unto perfection. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

(Matthew 5:43-48) Though we could rest in this motivation to Be ye therefore perfect, let us go further. Let us meditate on the one who is both the author of the right and righteous method of performance in the Kingdom of God, and the only complete example of right and righteous perfection, in the LORD: Christ.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Fifteen –

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The Fullness of David: Part Eighteen (Satisfying Rest)

September 6th, 2012

The fullness of David is not a journey either to or in unconditional forgiveness: forgiveness is always conditional, even when it is freely given. A certain man of Jesus’ day received a quiet condition to his acceptance of forgiveness: lest a worse thing come unto thee.

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.

He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.

Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?

And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

(John 5:1-14)

Also, forgiveness has a generational aspect to it. Toward the end of David’s life, he taught his son, Solomon, about the forward moving obligation that comes with walking in the LORD’S forgiveness and redemption. At that time, David shared with his son the message that he had received in one of his times of communion with the LORD . . .

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Eighteen –

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Kingdom of God: Part Fourteen (Performance)

August 27th, 2012

Some preliminary words may be needed here, to set the stage for an expression that we will stress in much of the following writing, even more than we have done in prior pieces. The expression is, the Lord Jesus Christ. To some of the members of the human race it might be easier for them to handle the expression, Jesus of Nazareth. In this group, there may even be some members that are comfortable with the expression, Jesus Christ, since they recognize that the word, Christ, is actually a designation of the authorization of his mission, and not a part of his earthly name.

We use the expression, Jesus Christ, because a large part of the physical and now completed mission of Jesus of Nazareth was to begin the process of the Lord Jesus Christ’s onward and eternal service to God as a focal point for the forward progress of man, in righteousness, in the New Age. So, on the authority of the following Scripture, we ask you to be comfortable with the functional use of the expression, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

(John 8:12-20) In the Kingdom of God, our tool for bringing performance from promise as an extension of preparation is as described by the Lord Jesus Christ, in this declaration….

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Fourteen –

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