Please consider that a simple reading of this parable teaches something that is actually untenible.

How can it be that the 99 are " just persons, which need no repentance."

There are no such persons anywhere, ever.

So who are these 99, and to what is Jesus referring?

In Matthew 15:1-2 we read to whom Jesus was speaking: tax collectors and sinners, Pharisees and teachers of the law. These latter two groups were being critical of Jesus as he spoke.

Is it not the case that the Pharisees and teachers of the law were the ones who represent the 99? Would not they, and all who heard, have know Jesus was speaking of them as the ones "which need not repentance?" Not that they did not need repentance, but that they denied needing repentance.

The whole story is about the pruning of the vine, in which the hard hearted Jews were removed. The one sheep is then those Jews who would hear, and the gentiles as well.

As you read the following 4 stories Jesus gave, you will see this same thread in all of them, culminating in the Rich Man and Lazarus.

This is the real reason the Pharisees and teachers of the law got more and more perturbed as Jesus spoke!

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Is it truly possible to be called in a spirtual way for something, I have had such vivid color dreams of christ, I had a feeling of some presence pulling me, I had such a increadible felling of such great love and happeness flow through me i just would have died if i stayed in that state. I seem to know a thing, not just knowing it but know it as an absalute, then ill see it or live it, but the knowing first. I fell im being pulled, i cant stop if i wanted to, i cant shut up eaither, im driving my family nuts on realigion Sheryl stewart
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I think the parable suggest that a parent's love is never ending. Most parents will accept their children back if they come back with the right heart. God allows this with us and we should follow this example.

I had a daughter that left my home and lived a life of the world. She got pregnant and was living with a boy. After having the baby, we invited her to live with us. She left the boy and has now turned her life around.

We have a beautiful granddaughter and our daughter back. This would not have happened if we did not forgive her.

Good luck.
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the fruit bearing has nothing to do with salvation. Jesus is talking to his 11 disciples, they are all saved. this parable is not about losing your salvation because we are eternally secure, nothing can pluck us out of Christ's hand or the Father's hand. nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

the parable is teaching that if we do not have complete continuous fellowship with Christ, spoken of abiding in him and he in us, then we will bear no fruit. what is gathered together is the carnal work, the wood hay and stubble which shall be burned, but if our works are precious stones gold and silver they shall remain.

the same can be understood when we look at Lot. he was out of fellowship with the Lord. he produced no lasting fruit all the while he was in Sodom. all he had was burned with that wicked city, yet he was saved yet so as by fire.

I hope this helps your understanding of this subject

sincerely

Fred
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Bob:
Was Dr.Scofield a Freemason at any time?
Your answer will be greatly appreciated.
George
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http://www.ilhawaii.net/~danrubio/mustard/
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I believe that the 10 virgins are bridesmaids. Wedding signifiies a good and wonderful time, and in our daily vocubarlary, "Let us celebrate and go partying".

When we go partying, it applies to everyone. In our christian world, every ordinary christians are invited. But if you are not alert and not watchful, you will miss the party time.

So, the virgins are just us, the ordinary christians. Bridesmaids help the wedding party, but they are not someone improtant enough to make or break the wedding.
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1. Story of the strayed sheep
2. Story of the lost coin
3. Story of the Prodigal son
Could these three parables have the same message from different circumstances.
Strayed sheep or lost sheep, I see a member of the church caught up with the temptation of the world which is good for the eyes and good for the taste But far from the truth, the Pastor or Sheperd then must reach out or seek out to correct his/her way get him/her back on the right path.
Lost coin or misplaced coin, a member of the church family is backsliding because of some miscommunications or hurt by another church member. Again, the leader or some headfigure of the church seek out and make right with this lost member.
Prodigal son, he was in tune with everything about the church, still chose to leave God behind to find the worldly happiness, left home/church, father did not go out to seek him out as he (prodigal son) knew fully well what he was doing yet chose the world thinking he knew better. When there was no place else to go, home came to mind where peaceful rest always found, returned and was welcomed with open joyful arms. Shouldn't we seek out the son/daughter who do so choose to leave in their own free will knowing fully well after being told the consequence they'll meet if leave the truth? Is is biblical? The Holy spirit is always with us trying to guide us back home, the Father is always thinking and waiting with open arms to welcome us back home.
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I hope that it is possible to assist me
I have a Bible Study on
St. John 4:35 - The Ripe Harvest;
James 3:18 - The Plenteous Harvest;
Luke 10:2 - The Righteous Harvest.

I urgently need information please help me
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One of the greatest things I’ve learned about Mark chapter four is how Jesus in his analogies talks about the same thing but from different angles. Many people have thought that after the parable of the sower Jesus might have become disoriented or lost train of thought so as to start talking about candles, candlesticks and hiding things under beds. But in reality he used a slick analogy for saying the same thing that he said in parable of the sower. There is a lot of misconception about the subject matter. Some say it’s the Word some say it’s the world and some say it’s evangelism. But consider if you will that he was talking about a reaction between a catalyst and an agent. The agent being the heart of a man, and the catalyst being the Word of God. Seizing upon this idea will help understand the “mysteries” that lie in the parables of the kingdom.
After saying that some bring forth fruit in measures, Jesus immediately says, “is a candle brought to be put under a bushel or under a bed and not to be set on a candlestick?” When the catalyst of Gods word is fed into our hearts, we are not putting it in a place where the light will be covered up or extinguished, like under a bushel or bed. To the contrary, we are placing it in a place where the light can be emitted the most, like on a candlestick. Have you ever seen the type of candlestick that has a shiny plate behind it? I believe that’s what he’s talking about. It is something that is designed to utilize the light to the utmost. Jesus is saying that this is what your heart is like. It is a refractor of the light of Gods word-put in. “Let your light so shine…….”.
He continues “for there is nothing hid which shall not be manifested and neither was anything kept secret but that it should come abroad. Hidden where? Kept secret where? How about in the ground of the human heart? Aren’t seeds covered? Aren’t seeds hidden in soil? So then the secret of manifesting things is to learn how to hide them.
Consider this parable. “The kingdom of God is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened”. Might this be an example of the idea of “there is nothing hid that shall not be manifested”? The woman sowed, hid, covered up yeast in a ball of dough. And before long its was manifested to those who could se it; the fact that yeast had been secretely added.
If you keep this idea of the two working together, the Word and the heart of man, I think this will help you in other parables of the kingdom.

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Maybe the question is not so much a matter of when to ask, but whom to ask. I mean, does the father: a) validate the son's complaint?, b) respond to it epathically or sympathetically?, or c) admit the wrong and try to right it, e.g., "Hey, I hear you. Today we celebrate little bro, but tomorrow, it will be all about you."

Maybe, sadly, the dad is not far long enough in his receovery process, as an emotionall abusive parent, to see offer emotinal presence to his son. I mean, does he? he may be working out so much guilt for his faiures as a pop, the ones that the little bro's flight brought to the fore of his consciousness, that he cannot take on another breach or boken relationship. One breach at a time. That dad, I feel for him; he's got to be grieving and doin' a lot of make up for lost time. OR, he may be a changed man.
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this parable is very simple. Stay ever ready for ye know not when the master of the house will return.
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Webmaster, I found the link for the "Parable of Servants" to lead me afar to the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. Without a page for Matt. 24:45-51, I include it with this Parable of the Ten Virgins.

The preceding Parable of the Two Servants is critical to the Parable of the Ten Virgins, which begins with the word "Then" (Matt. 25:1). Therefore, the fulfillment of the Parable of the Ten Virgins will shorly follow that of the preceding Parable of the Two Servants (Matt. 24:45-51). Well, when will that be? Who are the servants in charge, and who is their master?

For centuries churches have taught that Jesus Christ is the Master of His parable, but this understanding is collapsing before our very eyes in today's end times. He has prophesied that the end of the age, when He would rapture us home to heaven, would come once the gospel of salvation through Him got spread throughout the whole inhabitable earth for a testimony to all peoples (Matt. 24:14). My problem with the traditional church teaching is as follows: what if the evil servant in charge should prevent world evangelism so that Christ should never return? Well, in that case, Jesus Christ obviously was not the master of His parable. Hebrew and Aramaic grammar can shed light on this.

In English, we usually speak of classes of things in the plural unless we use collective nouns. The same was true of Greek, yet Hebrew and Aramaic were exceptions. In those two tongues, there is a "general (use of the) masculine singular" as we see in Psalm 1, in which a righteous (man) in Hebrew represents righteous people ("am) in general. In the Parable of the Two Servants (Matt. 24:45-51), the general masculine singular "master," "wise and faithful servant," and "evil servant" have been retained upon translation to Greek and English rather than receiving grammatrically correct plural translations to preserve the meaning of the text. The verb "dichotome^sei" (will cut asunder) could merely mean "will categorize" if the evil servant were presented naturally in the plural in Matt. 24:51. By leaving the general masculine singular forms intact upon translation to Greek, Saint Matthew makes it completely clear to us that, yes, the master(s) will most certainly cut the evil servant(s) to pieces. Now that we understand the general masculine singular, I examine the plural meanings of the master and each servant in charge.

If the master be not Jesus, he must have entrusted the servants in charge of his wealth or at least now hold the position to return and judge them. Only the people, or successors threof, who entrusted the servants in charge of the goods of God's people and responsible to nourish them can then be this master. Furthermore, when this master returns, he must recognize faithful service and entrust the good servant with all his goods: who is so incredibly generous today? Furthermore, he must conceal his intentions to return to the evil servant unawares, do so in good times, cut him to pieces, understand how the evil servant was hypocritical and assign him his portion of the hypocrites, cast him out knowing the weeping and gnashing of teeth to result, and beat or flog the evil servant according to the servant's conscience (Luke's account). The text to condemn the evil servant is Matt. 7:7 to refute the spiritual claims of every pastor who browbeat his needy while he lived it up. By putting his needy down when they made requests, the evil servant has caused them to sin habitually (worth a curse, Matt. 18:5-7) by putting aside Jesus' commands not to worry but to ask, seek, and knock. In light of the general use of the Hebrew or Aramaic masculine singular forms, the master, if not Jesus, over servants, represent the following situations...

Board of elders (master) over pastor, treasurer, Sunday school teacher;
State legislature or accreditation board (master) over psychiatrists, corrections officers, physicians, psychiatric gatekeepers, etc.;
HR Department (master) over hospital billing staff, nurses, etc.;
College of cardinals (master) over Roman Catholic bishops (servants);
Head of the United Methodist Church (master) over itinerant ministers;

and so on. Still, this judgement cannot happen yet because these masters still have today's laws to fear, laws against aggravated assault and battery. Remember, in order to return as master, each of these gatherings in power must be able to amputate the evil servants, so literal a word in the Greek as to make Matthew retain the general masculine singular of Hebrew in Greek translation to preserve its meaning of cutting into pieces, of absolute amputations, perhaps just one, perhaps several amputations. Furthermore, from Luke's account they must have the power and will to beat the crying evil servants already kicked out severely according to the content of the conscience of each. How the various masters will gain their rights to impose these corporal punishments, judgements of Scripture, I leave to the Lord Almighty. (Lord's Prayer)

Next, after all this has happened, the Parable of the Virgins will be fulfilled as the church worship industry dies and loses its buildings. The five wise virgins with extra oil represent believers, such as churchgoers, with salvation and sufficient obedience to Jesus to be received into house churches. In contrast, the five foolish virgins represent lukewarm so-called or backslidden Christians who believe or go to church for social reasons and are unwilling to desist from sin in order to stay welcome at a house church. When the Kingdom of Heaven moves out of the dedicated church buildings and into house churches to meet in mundane places, will the social churchgoers indeed feel locked out! And thus our "extra oil" represents sanctification beyond the oil in the lamps, justification. Lastly, the wedding banquet will occur then in the house churches if not after the Rapture in heaven.

Finally, the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30) will be fulfilled as masters call their rank-and-file stewards to account. Each steward, each of us in charge of wealth of our own, however little, has been entrusted to make a profit according to our abilities. The good stewards or servants (not necessarily in charge of people) will have profits to show their masters, their rich friends of Luke 16 if not Jesus Christ in heaven. The lazy servants have failed to do what was right: to trade with their wealth and make profits. Perhaps the load of seventy-six pounds avordupois of silver was too heavy for the lazy to carry; soldiers who drop their seventy-pound rucksacks are those most likely to get killed because others have to carry their packs for them. Perhaps his experience is with funerals and burials rather than in trading; perhaps he does not trust in his master's return, thinking instead, "He won't ever come back. When he dies, I won't trust his heirs; they won't know what I have hidden to free myself." In the worst case, however, the lazy servants say they never had money to invest. In that case, I, Kevin Douglas Rosenberg, prophet of Luke 16, or some ally of mine, shall be their master if the faithful servants answer to their rich friends then instead of to Jesus Christ after the Rapture.

I will tell the hard-lot lazy servants that they had Luke 16:1-13 in their bibles; how come they contented themselves with financially limited congregations despising Jesus' commands to generosity as they hewed to their Budgets? Very few of them indeed in Christ can say they never had the chance to read this passage, only that no one led them to it. I will be far less sympathetic toward those lazy servants who did not have such a problem as incarceration yet still ignored Jesus' clear command to make friends with the rich people of the world so that people might welcome us into everlasting dwellings if we lost our homes and so that our congregations might be granted the wealth for our ministries. And the profitable servants will be commended by their grantors while the lazy servants get stripped of their little wealth and possessions and cast out into the outer darkness of homelessness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Yes, the lazy servants content to serve God by themselves with what they have will lose it all, and that will be given to the best stewards.

By obeying Luke 16, we may know the rich people of the world, and they may let us in on their investment advice. In contrast, the proud among us who avoid the rich will make dumb investments such as gambling. Therefore, faithfulness even in the unrighteous mammon of Luke 16:1-13 is even more important than investment advice for hard-earned money.

I wish you all the best of luck in these end times as we get our houses in order for these awesome events.

Yours in Christ,

+++ Kevin D. Rosenberg

(reply here; e-mail is exclusive of junk mail)



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I can not agree that these sheep are the pharisees and the tax collectors because Jesus in John goes to great lengths to say that those sheep within HIS fold KNOW his voice...do those who are unrepentant KNOW jesus' voice? Is Jesus the door to their fold? I don't think so! As leigh points out...there is only 1 sinner realising he is lost? No I don't think so...and of course there is the question...where does Jesus take this lost sheep back to????? the fold? or some other place? what then would happen to the 99 sheep????????
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Denny,

I honestly didn't intend to leave the impression that we are praying to ourselves but I guess I did. And in a sense, any time we try to "establish our hearts" in something (be it good or ill), we mix repetition and emotion.

In some circles, it's called "positive affirmations". All it is, is self-talk. The world blasts us with negative self-images all the time. Really, the church does too (but that's a topic for another post).

Television and radio advertising conditions us to believe certain ways. The beliefs of our hearts drive what we spend our money on. Advertisers mix repetition and emotion through the senses. This sensual stimulation is designed to make us feel a certain way. Then it is repeated over and over until it becomes a pattern in us. When that pattern is laid down, the course of our lives follows.

We do the same thing as Christians. We immerse ourselves in the word because we it makes us feel good. We worship God because it feels great! We pray for the same thing over and over - not to convince God to do something He was originally unwilling to do, but to open up our hearts to the truth that we "have received" His blessing.

Mark 11:24 (NIV) says - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Jesus said "... believe that you HAVE RECEIVED it and it will be yours". Well, I don't know about you, but that doesn't come easily to guys like me. Think about it - I don't have it but I'm praying to God believing that I already have it. That's not altogether intuitive, ya know?

Paul said - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil 4:6 NIV)

Did you ever pray with anxiety? I did. "God please have mercy!" That's really not the "kingdom way" to pray, is it? "Do not be anxious" but pray and petition - WITH THANKSGIVING! Thanking God for what? I'm just guessing - I'm no bible scholar - but I'd say we should be thanking God for the very thing(s) we were praying and petitioning about. "Dear God thank you for prospering me as my soul has been prospered. Now I can pay the rent." But your bank account is zero. God is good and He does deliver us from harm. He who trusts in the Lord shall not be disappointed.

Kingdom thinking is NOT intuitive but we get good at it after awhile. Fully trusting in God's grace is a challenge but it's not hard. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. His commandments are not grievous. And none of this is automatic. We spend time renewing our minds, don't we.

We conform to the world’s pattern when we pray with anxiety or think we've got to change God's mind about something. We are transformed when we renew our minds with "kingdom thinking". We "fully persuade" our hearts to receive the bounty of the kingdom of God - to believe God's promises by walking in His abundant life.

We condition our hearts the same way we've always conditioned them. We mix belief and emotion then we repeat it so that it gets down in our hearts, "GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!"

Denny, if you do that, you will be light years ahead of everybody you go to church with (unless you go to a MOST unusual church). If you get in your heart that God will not fail you, your study of His word will change. Things will begin to jump off the page. I know. It happened to me :)

God is NOT holding out on you. The good news is that God is not some "unjust judge" withholding His blessings. The apostle Paul understood that because he said, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Rom. 8:32

God has come to our rescue (past tense). All we have to do is start believing it.

Or so it seems to me,
Rob




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Actually here I disagree with you. The verse speaks to the fact that it is good for the mustard seed to grow. And no where does it make any kind of parallel to the birds being the anti-Christ. On the contrary it speaks to the birds taking shelter under the the shadow of the tree that grows. If anything, the birds would be paralleled to Christians.
UNP Adam

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I am a deeply troubled believer in Christ Jesus harmed and long neglected by today's evil churches. If their leaders are true to the Word of God rather than apostates, usually an evil servant such as a Church Growth Movement pastor runs the show and dominates his needy, for which exceptionally severe judgement is coming (Matt. 24:45-51). If I find a church faithful in doctrine with a good servant, he usually disppoints me with his flock's utter unfaithfulness regarding the unrighteous mammon, that is, worldly wealth. They won't even let me teach Luke 16!-- a critical passage without which they will continue to refuse my requests in the face of Jesus' own words (Matt. 5:42, 6:42, 7:7, and 18:5-7) for fear of being made poorer. I condemn the stinginess of today's American churches in Jesus Christ in His holy Name! Let us examine Luke 16:9, the actual command from our Lord, to be truly obeyed. Prepare for pandemonium among the churches!

Let it be known that many texts of Luke 16 are corrupt in verse 9. Worse yet, Christian authors have prophesied falsely from the corrupt text translated into one of many English translations. Scribes or printers in the seventeenth century shortened the Greek word for "(when) ye fail," eklipe^te, to "(when) it fails," that is, "when the mammon of unrighteousness fails" (eklipe^i / eklipe^). Even secular historians understand the strife which the addition of an iota into the word "homoousios" in the Nicene Creed caused; here we see a change of an important personal ending in sacred Scripture. This mistake, taking "eklipe^i" with perhaps half a T and no E as a finished word in place of "eklipe^te," will lead many readers of Luke 16 to misunderstand Jesus' command as follows:

They will see need to prepare for the depletion of the wealth of unrighteousness rather than the need to prepare for THEIR OWN financial failures! I translate "eklipe^te" as "whenever ye may lose your homes." Many believers even among authors have interpreted from corrupt texts and concluded that the command is for each believer to befriend many mostly poor Christians for welcomes in heaven for the afterlife by means of ill-gotten wealth rather than for each congregation to befriend several specifically wealthy people out in the world in the here and now for future welcomes in everlasting dwellings belonging to unbelievers and still available during persecutions when our homes get confiscated or when God calls us to give our houses away (Matt. 5:42) so that we Christians fail financially. Burn the books of false prophecy, O Lord Almighty! I pray.

Jesus' point in the commanding part (verses 9 through 13) is fourfold:

(1) We are commanded by him to have members of our congregations meet and befriend the wealthy people out in the world and not free to accept the ways of the worldly poor as God's will for His people.

(2) If we fail to obey this command, like most Americans in Christ, Jesus asks who will give us endowments for His work, and for most of us nobody will. Therefore, we see most American churches operating on tight budgets, still stingy if they have tens of thousands of dollars in the bank. All American Christians in my experience have feared financial loss whenever I manifested my neediness or begged, and nobody has ever surmounted these fears in my experience. Still, Jesus Christ wills that we have access to wealth... if we obey Him regarding Luke 16:9.

(3) Jesus refuses to trust anyone who complains, "If only I had..." as an excuse for sin. If you had an enormous fortune, would you willingly give it away to a mental patient who dare impoverish you with his insane request? Only the congregation which is faithful in the least, in the unrighteous mammon, could faithfully go broke out of love for their Lord, and it is just such a congregation which Jesus Christ would entrust with plenty. Are you aware of such a congregation?

(4) Finally, we cannot serve both God and Mammon (Money). The current situation with Church Growth Movement leaders keeping as many people as possible sitting in their pews on Sundays as possible and serving the world through the week rather than sending as many people out into foreign nations to spread the Gospel is just terrible. I can't wait for the Master of Matt. 24:45-51, the state legislatures and the governing boards of churches and hospitals if not Jesus Christ Himself, to wise up and return to amputate each "evil servant," assign each his portion with the hypocrites for teaching to the effect that "you should be terribly heartbroken for asking us for anything" in Jesus' name despite Matt. 7:7, kick them out into the cold outer darkness of homelessness and weeping and gnashing of teeth, and even then beat or flog them, according to Luke's account, according to the extent of their knowledge of their wrongdoing in charge. Worst are the pastors who turn God's needy over to hostile psychiatry to be bound and wracked and ruined and caused to sin habitually with "witchcraft" (Gal. 5:19, Gk.; Matt. 18:5-7). I have suffered in perilous poverty and abominable affliction for far too long to forgive these evil men, and I cry out for faithfulneess in the unrighteous mammon!-- and for judgement of the evil servants!

Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. The kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...
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I've heard it said this way "Use your time, talent and treasure for God". The scriptures support this:

TIME:
1 Peter 4:1-3 ...he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have SPENT ENOUGH TIME in the past doing what pagans choose to do...
(Peter is exhorting us to use our remaining TIME to do God's will, not to fulfill the evil human desires of our will. Don't jump to hasty conclusions or be moved by other peoples condemnations, read the scriptures thoroughly to discern God's will).

TALENT:
1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use WHATEVER GIFT HE HAS RECEIVED to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. (Peter then goes on to list some of those 'various forms')

TREASURE:
2 Cor. 8:7 ...see that you EXCEL IN THIS GRACE (gift) OF GIVING.
(In light of all the scriptures there is no reason to think this only applied to the Corinthian church he was speaking to.)

As our character becomes more and more like Jesus's character we will become more and more productive in the things that Christians do. In
2 Peter 1:5-7 Peter lists the qualities of Godly, Christlike character. Then he goes on to say in verse 8: "For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, THEY (these qualities) WILL KEEP YOU FROM BEING INEFFECTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST." (Godly character is what will equip you to 'produce', and bring 'increase', the very things we are exhorted to do in the parables.)

The seed sown and the talent entrusted is the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our responsibility is to let that knowledge grow and increase into active, visible deeds as God himself gives increase.

God develops the very character of Jesus within us, character that can't help but to be expressed in the righteous deeds of the Spirit. God changes WHAT we do by changing WHO we are.

Hope this is what you were looking for.






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The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed,
which a man took, and sowed in his field:
Which indeed is the least of all seeds:
but when it is grown,
it is the greatest among herbs,
and becometh a tree,
so that the birds of the air come
and lodge in the branches thereof.

heaven = mustard seed.
mustard seed = a tiny tiny seed.
mustard seed = a herb.
least of all seeds = a tiny tiny seed.
But when a mustard seeds grows it becomes the greatest among herbs.

The Kingdom of heaven started with a few Jews getting in to the
marriage, then the rest rejected him and killed the prophets, so he
sent his son and they killed him also, So he sent his servants
which are us Christians to go into the streets & invite everybody
who would come into his Kingdom for the wedding.

The growth of the tree doesn't represent a monstrosity!

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What was special about the way the fig tree of the Middle East grew. Once I figure that out then mabe I can understand this parable.
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Contrary to what many think, I would submit that the point of this parable is NOT to stress repetitious prayer. Jesus said, “Pray not vain repetitions as the heathen do, thinking they will be heard for their much praying.”

Just think about it for a moment. You could really get on the nerves of a friend by forever questioning their veracity, if they were to agree to help you out financially or in some other way. A non-stop “will you do it” would drive them right up the wall. Why on earth would God want us to beg and gravel, Squall and whine? Does that really build character? Wouldn’t it show more character to take a person at their word and then never bring the subject up again?

The word importunity is a bad translation for the Greek word translated such. It does not mean a persistent badgering-as though he doesn’t want to do it-though he may not want to. It means barefacedness, boldness, having the ba__…-you know what, to approach this person in the middle of the night because your in a jam and will not be denied. This person didn’t have time to keep coming again and again. He needed the answer right there and then.

Paul says in Hebrews “come boldly unto the throne of grace that we might receive grace and mercy in a time of need”.

This type of behavior demonstrates the highest type of friendship. “If my friendship means anything in the world to you, you’re going to do it and do it now!”

One time I came home in the late evening to find a friend waiting for me. It was very clear that he would not be denied. He needed help. Do you know what I did? Even though I was not in a position to help him out, I practically went into hock helping him out.

Trust me on this. The attitude, and the sound of his voice, didn’t leave any alternative. He was bold and he walked away with the help that was needed.

Showing this type of attitude with God is the highest compliment. For he is the one who calls us friends.



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This matter has had my concern for some years now. I see that there is a great confussion in mainly wo the virgins realy represent.
My concern lies in the fact that if the virgins are wives to be of the groom, then Jesus was using a parable using poliginy (understandable for the jewish and new chritians). If these virgins are not the wives to be of the bridegroom, bu merely bride's maids, what is so devastating if 5 of the maids can not enter the marriage feast?

What is the relation 'Kindom of God" and not so significant brides maids?

If Jesus is the groom, should the parable not be talking about the wive(s) to be instead of the brides maids?

When we get a definite and eliable expanation on this matter, oter issues will become clearer.
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I would really love a copy of this picture. Could you send it to my email address(larzeno@hotmail.com). I am a cathechist at my church and would love to use it for my class. Thanks
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"Why were the first paid last, and the last first?

The pay God's servants receive is enternal life, and is characterized by the penny. Therefore, those who are granted the assurance of a never ending life first, are those who were hired last, and according to the parable, it was the company called at the eleventh hour. They are those who are marked or sealed by the man with the writer's inkhorn of Ezekiel 9, or as John calls him, the angle with the seal of God: and he sealed, or marked, 144,000. Rev. 7:1-8. This glorious company are the first who are granted the assurance of never tasting death. Thus they are paid first, but those who were called early in the morning (Ancient Israel) are to receive their reward, enternal life when they are resurrected. "So the last shall be first, and the first, last."

Why was he calling those questioning him evil? Was he calling them evil?

They that murmured represent that part of the Jewish nation who were unworthy, and the phrase, "Friend, I do thee no wrong... Take that thine is, and go thy way," denotes the rejection of the nation.

Note that those who were hired last were paid first, and the first, last. As all were equally regarded, the ones hired first murmured, though they were paid in full. Their disdainful act denotes that the Jewish nation was unworthy of their hire, and the Goodman said to them, "Take that thine is, and go ty way." As Ancient Israel is represented by the first called, so shall they be the last paid.
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the prodigal son is a parable of imense propotion the can touch the very fonation that you stand on its various words of knowledge and wisdom leave many suttering for words
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THIS PARABLE (PRODIGAL SON) IS NOT ABOUT POSESSIONS AND INHERITANCE BUT ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD AND THE RETURN TO HIS LOVE BY ONE WHO WENT HIS OWN WAY. THIS IS ALL ABOUT GODS GREAT LOVE AND THE ENORMOUS VALUE OF HIS SALVATION. GODS HEART FOR HIS CHILDREN. EVEN WHEN HIS CHILDREN TAKES WHAT GOD HAS FREELY GIVEN HIM, AND BLOWS IT TO A POINT WHERE HE LEARNS THAT EVEN THE SMALLEST OF GODS CRUMBS ARE BETTER THAN ANYTHING THE WORLD CAN OFFER. THAT THE WORLD'S OFFERINGS ARE AN ILLUSION INTENDED TO APPEAL TO OUR OWN SELF AND INDEPENDENCE APART FROM GOD. THAT ALL THIS WORLD AND ITS RULER (SATAN) OFFER, IS A LIE AND WILL RUN OUT ONLY TO GET US TO WORK ENSLAVED WITH THE PIGS. FOR WE LEARN THE SMALLEST OF GODS CRUMBS ARE AS BIG AS HE HIMSELF FOR HIS ENORMOUS LOVE FOR US WHO ARE HIS CHILDREN WILL HOLD NOTHING BACK FROM US. THE OLDER BROTHER CAN LEARN MUCH FROM THE YOUNGER BROTHERS CHOICES AND BAD DECISIONS. THAT GOD IS SO GOOD THAT EVEN HE, THE OLDER BROTHER, SHOULD REJOICE WITH HIS BROTHER IN THEIR FATHERS ENORMOUS LOVE. THIS IS ALL ABOUT OUR WONDDERFUL AND GREAT LOVE NOT ABOUT POSSESSIONS AND INHERITANCEE OF THINGS.
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Would it be possible for me to read how Brenda T:urner napplies this parable to her life to pass it on for tomorrow morning as a sermonette to children age 5 thru 4th grade?
Thank you.
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I agree with u about the lack of teaching on elder brother.
I think the teaching mostly about him is with totaly and utterly disguest
I too can identify with elder brother. I think great point is that Jesus was addressing differnent groups, and they all need to know the father better

I am glad that the issue with elder brother was brought up. i feel a release in my heart and spirit that someone else feel like they are the
prodigal son's elder brother.

God is revealing to the Pharissee(church folks) the Elder Brother
The righteous folks, the "Good People" Who work and mission for
God, sing on the Choir, Leaders,Missionary, etc. That your righteous is as filty rag, no not one is good, a man ways my seem right in his eyes but in the end lead to destruction. I beleive he was sending a flashing sign
WARNING!! WARNING!!! TURN RIGHT. WRONG DIRECTION
God children, cant earn there place by work, we are justified
As James says Faith without works is dead....Show me your faith by your works... but dont get it confuse or twisted or preverted that your Works prove you have faith but instead your faith shows by you working, and not you working shows you faith. Faith, love are first......
YEILD SLOW DOWN DANGER HEAD
ELDER BROTHER WORK HARD, AND FAITHFUL THERE PHYSICAL BUT
NOT THERE WITH ALL HIS HEART OR FAITH WHEN THE YOUNG BROTHER
LEAVE HOME, THE ELDER BROTHER LEFT TO NOT PHYSICAL BUt SPIRITUALLY IN HIS HEART HE DESIRE TO HAVE FUN.. DO THINGS OF THE WORLD HE DOUBT HIS FATHER LOVE, HIS FATHER RULES. LAWS,
HE DOUBTED AND QUESTION HIS FATHER IN HIS HEART.

Out of the ABUNDANCE of the HEART the MOUTH SPEAKETH.
Guard your HEART b/c OUT of IT COMES the ISSUE of LIFE
When the elder brother says(paraphrase- what i think he really say)
What is going on. My work has been in vain, i did all these things to
please my father so i could get Pleased. so i could have Joy....
I did not do,keep his commandments work b/c i love him with all my heart, yeah i do love him, but i love myself more(ABUNDANCE) THERE
IS THE ISSUE BEING EXPOSE OR REVEAL..... THE BABY BROTHER YOUNG AND WILD REBILLOUS SIN COULD EASILY BE SEEN AND DETECTED BUT THE SIN HIDDEN IN ELDER BROTHER HEART HAD TO BE
REVEAL IN HIS WORDS....HOW CAN U SAY U LOVE GOD YOUR FATHER
AND YET HATE YOUR BROTHER WHO YOU SEE EVERYDAY... YOU ARE LIAR....

God has been dealing with me on this issue with other parables, such foolish virgins, the rich young ruler...God wants you and me to not be
decived in thinking we are better or higher than others, we all are works in process, we must be forgiving and not like the man who was forgiven for his great debt, but would not forgive his brother for the same thing owing a debt he could not pay..

They are brothers, we are brothers and sister why b/c we all have
something in common.
Both brothers commit the same crime or broke the law of:
Love God with ALL your HEART, MIND and Soul
so in God the Father eyesight they both need to repent, turn themselves in for their crimes
God, the Father shows his mercy on the son who was outwardly rebillious
should be an encouragement not resentment to us who are inwardly rebillious, that God accepts both of his kids, no matter what, he wants and desire to bless them, love them, and have a relationship with them
he wants both of them to come to him with their emotions there feelings
desire, tell him how they really feel..... he told the elder brother all this things he was having a ISSUE ABOUT NOT HAVING THIS AND THAT
HE COULD HAVE HAD, YOU HAVE NOT B/C YOU ASK NOT.....GOD IS REWARDER TO THOSE WHO LOOK FOR HIM HE IS NEAR....SPEAK TO HIM
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Title of Message: The authority of the kingdom now and its full power later
Central Point or Truth: The power and authority of the Kingdom of God is in operation now. “The kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history” (Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, 91). The kingdom of God is not only a future realm but the present dynamic power and dominion of Jesus in this present history as it is known. The parable conveys the point that “the ‘kingdom’ in question was not a realm or a people but the right to reign as king. According to this passage, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God in terms of the exercise of divine royal power” (Ladd, Jesus and the Kingdom, 132). The kingdom of God now is not only God’s rein, which is similar to the concept that rabbinic Judaism held, “it is rather a dynamic power at work among men” (Ladd, 235). The power as demonstrated in the person and mission of Jesus the Christ. Those who did not recognize the present power and rule of the kingdom would be condemned at the future consummation of God’s kingdom.

Context:
Jesus was possibly speaking to the crowd, the disciples, and the scribes, his opponents. The scribes had been entrusted with the spiritual leadership of the nation. These leaders did not accept Jesus’ authority. A recent political incident was a part of their memory. “This parable closely parallels the details of the trip of Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, to Rome in 4 B.C. to receive imperial ratification of his hereditary claim to rule Judea, along with the Jewish embassy which opposed him and Archelaus’s subsequent revenge of the Judeans” (Blomberg, 218). There was an expectation by some that the kingdom of God would appear immediately (Luke 19:11). Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and it was there that some possible believed he might set up the manifestation of the Kingdom of God. The parable of the talents, particularly in Luke’s account, relates to his triumphant entry into Jerusalem as king. “The progression towards Jerusalem takes place ‘after he had said this’. These words establish a link with the preceding periscope. That periscope has indicated that the kingdom will not appear immediately in Jerusalem. However, the subsequent story has an almost immediate declaration of Jesus’ kingship in Jerusalem. The apparent futurity of the kingdom in v. 11 must be read in the context of the presence of the kingdom in v.38 (Guy, 128). Not only is the event after the parable significant. The event prior to the parable is also important to understand the parable. “Luke’s introductory clause, ‘as they were listening to this’ v. 11, counsels against making any significant structural separation after v 10 and deans that we grapple with the relation of the parabolic teaching in vv 12-27 to the preceding account of Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus (vv 1-10)” (Green, 674). Luke makes reference to the presence of salvation, today.

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Hello-
I have taught a women's Bible Study for many years, and my lesson next week is on mustard seeds. I would love a picture of a mustard tree to show the ladies. Thank you. Bea Heid
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please can l have someone help me with the sermon on the prodigal son.the lessons we learn from the story as l am to preach the sermon soon.
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First of all, please note my postings on Matt. 24:45 - 25:30 covered under the Parable of the Ten Virgins. If God, to whom vengeance belongs, in order to get world evangelism, falsely promised by many by the year 2000, indeed accomplished for His Holy Name's sake for His return before the generation He mentioned passes away (Matt. 24 : 14, 34 ) resorts to delegating the judgement upon the evil servant(s) in charge of churches to their human boards, committees, and so on, to return as the evil servants' masters just as He already delegated such power to foreign, ungodly armies in the book of Habakkuk long before, then the atrocious judgements of the evil servant(s) in Matthew 24 : 45 - 51, the fulfillment of the Parable of the Virgins, and the fulfillment of the Parables of the Pounds and Talents will happen on this earth rather than in heaven as most pastors would prefer to teach. As time past New Year's Day 2001 progresses, the wrath of God against those who made the false promises and now try to live them down and against the evil servants in charge of His people who tie us down to American livings continues to grow. Unless the Gospel be spread throughout the whole world this very winter by Passover 2004, it will start to seem that world evangelism will never happen with the evil servants still in charge of their churches.

If the evil servants in charge must be ousted in the here and now on earth (in order to accomplish world evangelism in truth) rather than after the Rapture in heaven, the following parables will also be fulfilled immediately on earth thereafter. Then the Parable of the Virgins, instead of referring to the Rapture with many so-called Christians left behind, will be fulfilled litterally when all living churchgoers find themselves locked out of their church buildings forever, and only those who are willing to desist from all obvious habitual sin will be welcome in house churches. Christians who are unwilling to obey the rabbis' teachings on holy, Jewish life such as keeping kosher kitchens (Matt. 23 : 1 - 3 ) will be rebuked as sinners and locked out of those house churches. The social churchgoers unwilling to worship at a house church or unwelcome in the house church due to persistent habitual sins will become unreachable; I say, now is the time, while you still have your church buildings, to win the lost folk of your flocks to Christ indeed.

And if the previous judgements in the parables should happen, as I stated, on earth rather than in heaven, so will the judgements in the parables of the Talents and the Pounds. The talents in Scripture, in Greek "talanta," are not abilities or skills, but each "talanton" as much pure silver money as a man might endure patiently (in Greek tal-, tle^-: etle^n, tetle^ka "I dare, I endure patiently") to carry, 100 lb. Troy or 76 lb. 1 oz. av. or 34.5 kg. Yes, the talents are real, hard, heavy money, and the steward in charge of but one probably represents the one who knew nothing about the care of pack animals and thus was expected to carry one talent personally to market as he could indeed have done. Are you personally ready for this upcoming judgement?

Many may say such a sob story as this: "I've worked hard for everything I get. Nobody ever gave me much money that I didn't earn." Well, I've got news for such Christians: When the faithful stewards answer how well their investments have performed to their rich friends, all of these poor Christians will answer to me or a reader of mine who knows and teaches that LUKE 16 : 1 - 13, the Parable of the Unjust Steward, was indeed in your Bibles to be obeyed. Jesus never expected His people to earn most of the wealth for Christian ends; rather, He requires each of His congregations to make friends with the rich people of the world so that we may be welcome with them in time of wrack and ruin and so that our churches may receive large grants for Christian ministry. Too many churches by far consist of members content not to know the rich people of the world and to remain in such impoverished churches.

Who never had a chance to read LUKE 16 from a lack of this book or was incarcerated or hospitalized so as to be utterly unable to use LUKE 16? Most Christians are financially limited yet cannot claim such an excuse. When and if I get my chance, I will deprive them of whatever wealth they may possess and throw them out into the cold outer darkness of homelessness or Russian evangelism even in the prisons according to Jesus' own words in Matthew 25 : 28 - 30, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Gospel has got to get spread to all the peoples of the earth!

Each of us Christians with a complete (perhaps New) King James Bible or Tyndale's Bible with LUKE 16 still in it can read Jesus' plan to enrich His congregations. God blesses the rich people of the world with the fruits of the earth and expects us Christians to pay proper attention to the rich mission field for our provisions; as stewards or servants of Christ, we are to "trade" the endowment of the passage of LUKE 16 by obeying His words in it and making friends with the rich people of the world, however they may have earned their wealth. We are not all called to provide, but to make use of their provisions. If we so do, when the judgement of the stewards occurs, we shall answer to our rich friends in the world. If we shall have fared well with their investment advice, they will commend us; if we happen to have lost wealth, they will understand. Those who remain in congregations content not to know the rich people of the world, however, are liable to stupid investments of whatever wealth they earn or may have the good fortune to receive, and if Jesus leaves it to me I will condemn them to deprivation and homelessness on account of their disuse of their truest endowment, LUKE 16 : 1 - 13, the Parable of the Unjust Steward.

Why does the lazy steward disobey his master? He is able indeed to take his talent to market and to trade with it, as his master knew rather than guessing. He may be like the soldier who drops his cumbersome rucksack of some seventy or eighty pounds; according to Eric Foss, "such soldiers are the most likely to get killed in battle, because somebody else has to carry their rucksack for them." Among Christians it is LUKE 16 which is dropped. This steward may, on the other hand, feel incompetent to trade, as when we might think or say about the rich, You've gotta kiss up to these people... and do nothing to meet them and thus drop the pack of LUKE 16. The lazy steward may feel ill will toward the master or his potential heirs and may stow away his endowment in a secret place (the closed Bible) to escape with upon news of the master's death when if the endowment is to grow, it must remain evident to everyone.

I have suffered so horribly and abominably under the church leaders of poverty for so long already that I seize fast upon LUKE 16. I will not drop this ungainly pack, the message "We have got to make friends with the rich people of the world for our security in bad times and for our financial endowments for ministry" which makes me unwelcome at local churches here in Columbus, Indiana. Please reply here with news about any congregations of which you may be aware which will do their utmost to put LUKE 16 into practice by meeting and befriending the rich people of the world for security against homelessness and to receive lasting benefit for ministry. The lazy servant churches cannot attract me; if I need not fear lack of provision in the stingy, inhospitable Modern English speaking cultures, I shall flee to find a fruitful servants' assembly in Christ. Help me here, for it would be ruinously foolish of me to set out on my own in flight without a sure destination of faith. And now I wish you the best of luck in implementing the Parable of the Unjust Steward as it properly reads in the pure King James Version.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

+++ Kevin D. Rosenberg


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well ive been lookin 4 a while for a good meaning of this parable, im a gcse student sitting my gcse's in june but my mock exams are next week, i had to learn about the true meaning of the parable of the mustard seed, my re teacher said it was in our notes and i have had full attendance for 2 years and i have hardly missed a lesson but i couldnt find nothing in my notes about this topic, no one could so thank you very much for your help, hopefully you will get me an A*. tHANK YOU. BYE
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On behalf of everybody who like me has been martyred by the evil servants in charge of churches through calling the police to remove us from church or arranging hostile psychiatric hospitalization on account of spoiled rotten begging, I thank God for His words which justify us (Matt. 5:42, 6:24ff, 7:7) and promise our deliverance (Matt. 24:45-25:30).

We who have suffered such abominable punishments deserve to know well that we have no rewards waiting in heaven for us for patiently enduring under punishment from evil servants in charge or, especially, for going over the line between right and wrong in our begging... because Matt. 7:6 and I Peter 2:20 were printed in copies of the Holy Bible available to us long before our sufferings. Therefore, such a pastor as may dominate us now to keep our grievances quiet has no crowns in heaven to offer us for accepting his church discipline, and our rewards in heaven will be far greater if we cry out and call the church leaders completely to account for such failings as broken promises to spread the Gospel throughout the whole world by the year 2000.

Jesus Christ will be far more satisfied with us and able to bless us if we become completely frank with Him in prayer and no longer hold back our hearts. Failing to help us in our times of greatest need on earth through needed divine intervention, He has provided for absolutely incredible vengeance against the evil servants in charge (Matt. 24:45-51) in place of more years of freedom to apostatize in which to enjoy being completely healed and established as we might prefer. That the churches have already failed to fulfill their promises to evangelize the world by the year 2000 has changed the proper interpretation of Matthew 24:45-25:30 incredibly adversely for the evil servants in charge from offices to pulpits.

Because so many church leaders and evangelists have made and broken these promises, it is now patently apparent that they are unable to plan to spread the Gospel throughout the world with a testimony to all peoples (Matt. 24:14, Mark 14:9) and follow through on their promises. Well, the clock is ticking! The generation of Jews who saw Israel become a nation when they were twenty years old is aging, and God's holy Name is at stake to return before they all pass away. For this reason, the loss of morale among missionaries from failing to fulfill their promises to evangalize the world by the year 2000 cannot continue to drive churches inward to build the home church building and congregation and ignore world evangelism. In this context, the pastors' pretext that the judgements of Matthew 24:45-25:30 would be carried out in Heaven with the ever forgiving character of Jesus Christ as master must be torn to shreds; for if they should get their way, world evangelism will NEVER happen to make Jesus Christ return when He promised! Let us examine the judgements of Matthew 24:45-51 as possibe on earth with human masters or groups of humans as masters. This is now necessary to bring about world evangelism and the rapture of the saints.

Now seek I to bring about the judgement of the servants in charge as soon as possible on this earth (Matthew 24:45-51) so that without the hindrances of the Church Growth Movement, world evangelism may be attempted under faithful leadership, which unlike the Church Growth Movement will remember the need to memorialize Mary's anonymous anointing of Jesus Christ at Bethany if our spread of the Gospel really be worldwide (Mark 14:9, John 12:1-3). The power to judge is not yet in the right hands, yet our omnipotent Lord, praised be his name!--is surely able to bestow it. Promises from the American government such as our First, Fifth, and Eighth Amendment rights must fail, however that may happen, in order to judge the evil servants in charge with amputations and floggings as Jesus said would be done (Matt. 24:45-51, Luke 12:42-48); still I say, our awesome God is omnipotent and able to accomplish this, and both to those who pray to keep America safe and secure and to national enemies who would rejoice in an invasion or a coup d'etat I remember my citizenship in heaven and offer the Lord's Prayer just the same. American constitutional rights are defending injustices which Jesus Christ will not tolerate just before His return to rapture prepared believers into heaven. Still, unless the United States Congress and the state legislators wake up to the reality of the end times and find some way to permit the imposition of the judgements upon the evil servants in charge prescribed by Jesus Christ, God's will could turn in an extremely adverse direction very fast in order to allow the ousting of bad pastors so that world evangelism may be accomplished.

And now I announce judgements. My requests and demands in the name of Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:42) of all the flock's wealth and amputations made by telephone in 2001 of the Meier family at Twin City Bible Church in Urbana, IL 61801, in place of failure to provide fifty million dollars requested in 1997 and 1998 to be obtained by begging to compensate Kevin Douglas Rosenberg for incredibly ruinous, utterly needless, admittedly mistaken psychiatric captivity and drugging (sin of witchcraft, Gal. 5:19, Greek), will accrue more demanded amputations before God: a thumb's weight weekly if evil servant in charge Bill Meier dare escape what was demanded before into the afternoon of December 26, 2003 UT. I myself cannot impose this, yet I dare ask Jesus his Lord, and He encourages me to keep on asking (Matt. 7:7). I have had to sin habitually because of Bill's influence on pastors to keep me quiet until I had to junk church after church to escape their domination, and I call down Matt. 18:5-7 to curse Twin City Bible Church like the fig tree in the name of Jesus Christ and send Bill's flock destitute for nearby churches to send out.

I do not possess such power as to bring this all about, yet still I thank God again for the Scriptures to show my current ways right before Him and to deliver me from the power of the evil servants in charge of today's churches through His will for vengeance. May God help our mentally ill brethren and everyone else in Him who needs assistance and has trouble asking for it among English speakers in authority. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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The Parable of the 10 virgins that our Lord told in Matthew 25 is broad and not very well defined, and so, can have several interpretations. One can think of the girls representing believers and unbelievers when the Lord, as the bridegroom arrives as the second coming, or may be even as Jews who accept and don't accept the Lord at His first coming. It is not easy There are problems of logic and truth at each turn. I think we are on thin ice when we make the oil in the lamp the HS. After all, how can I carry a store or buy more of Him? Are the girls who go in really the ones who are saved and the others not? If so, then it sounds like salvation by works to me! What I can do to be saved, such as be properly prepared?

The best interpretation I can put on it, and I think the Lord's hearers may very well have taken it that way, is that this is guidance and a warning to those who believe. Guidance and a warning for you and for me. We are given a task, we have access to the materials and we have time. All are under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt who is in control. It is his wedding and he is the kingpin. Nothing starts before He is ready and in His presence.

All the girls are given a task to do; the same task. I must use my time and opportunities properly so that I am ready and behaving as the Lord requires to be able to participate in the task. Successful participation means that
1.my contribution to the ministry is accepted and so am a I. I can't just go on doing things, even if they are those of God, my way. If I do, there is going to be a problem! This is not about salvation, but participation in ministry.
2.If I am found prepared and present, then I will be swept in in the wonder of the Lord's presence and participation in far more than just my contribution makes.
3.If I am accepted or 'known' in ministry, then I will participate and enjoy the warmth, celebration and joy of the outcome of the ministry with the Lord Jesus. Ministry is not the end itself, just as welcoming with light wasn't the end of their task.

The Groom's response is harsh, yes! But God doesn't compromise with our dilly-dallying, lack of commitment and mucking about in ministry. In terms of our task in a ministry, either He accepts our contribution and us, or neither. We can't muddle through or do it our way. I must remember I am dealing with almighty God, the one with all authority.
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I am looking for a large picture of a tree grown from a mustard seed to
use as an object lesson with children - young and old!
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I wish I could express those words as you did ;
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the smallest seed;becomes the largest tree.
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Since Isreal rejected CHRIST,GOD goes to the gentile nations (from CHRIST's death on the cross to the end of the tribulation) and gathers people good and bad (goats and sheep) and invites them to the marriage and satan is bound and thrown into the pit (Rev chap. 19:11- 21.

To GOD be the glory.


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The power of the sower parable comes with the key 23rd verse of Chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew: "But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Never underestimate the power of God's gifts for you. These gifts that we reap are many fold more plentiful and bountiful than the actual strength of our faith.
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There was a lot of talk about the "bad" wayward brother and the "good" brother who stayed home and minded and got hacked when bad boy came home apologetically and resumed his place. Well, what about those other guys in the field who just do their job for pennies taking care of slopping the hogs or whatever. Aren't they human beings also, don't they have souls, aren't they capable of attaining status. In Judaism your mother has to be a Jew or you will not be allowed at the table at all. Speaking as a low waged hog slopper, I suppose my reward awaits me in heaven, right?
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In Luke 21 Jesus says:

34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

I think it’s safe to say that this pertains to the rapture of the church. Because how do the WORTHY get extracted from the world to stand before the son of man and yet the unworthy get left behind?

If that’s the case then I think it relates to the parable of the ten virgins because they too are allowed into a gathering while others are not let in. What was the determining factor? For some reason these women lamps failed.

Being that Jesus likens this parable unto the kingdom of God, wouldn’t we have to take into consideration “kingdom of God” elements found in Mark chapter four? Jesus said, “You don’t understand this parable? Then how will you understand all parables?” (Of the kingdom of God.)

Jesus spoke of the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things “ENTERING IN” choking the word of God within us. Doesn’t that sound like the “overcharged” heart in the above-mentioned scripture?

Now, choke what? It chokes faith that is within us by his word abiding in our hearts.

Notice how these ladies lamps dwindled and went out. Jesus taught that our faith is radiated from our hearts. He also that taught that our hearts radiate light as a result of the things that we have spoken (“hidden” in our hearts) in the prayer closet.

It’s very clear to me that these woman (the body of Christ) were living worldly lives, being consumed in the cares of this world, drunkenness and surfeiting (excessive overeating). Subsequently it had a dampening affect on the keenness of their spiritual eyesight. Their eyes (spiritual eyes-the heart) were closing and their ability to be “watchful” was slipping away. All because they didn’t maintain the brilliant glow of this inner lamp. Which is our faith-our inner light.

What’s the solution? Don’t sweat the small stuff. Hebrews four says, “We which have believed do enter into rest”. Be master of your own domain in the prayer closet. But leave it there. Don’t attempt to manifest it in the light because that’s God’ job. He’ll reward us openly. But above all else, BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING, don’t let that stuff into your heart; it will dim your EYES, CANDLE, LAMP, FAITH. Do you get it?

HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR LET HIM HEAR.

Watch the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Many feel that the signing of a peace agreement commences the seven-year tribulation period of time spoken of by Daniel. Could this be the “revealing” (of the man of sin, the Anti-Christ) that the book of Thessalonians hints that the rapture occurs before? God only knows. But be watchful.

Have a good one!



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I think this story gives us the clearest explanation in the bible of what happens to a person after they die
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The virgins are the church ofcourse. The wise ones are the church or the body of believers who live wisely in this wicked world and work out their salvation with fear and trembling. They walk by the spirit (oil). They love the bridegroom (Jesus) and stay in wait for him. They live as citizens of heaven.
The foolish ones in contrast although christians, yet fail to live up to the calling. They forget the binding they will have with the bridegroom (Christ), they lack a love realtionship with the bridegroom instead they love the world and the cares and things of the world (sleep). They walk according to their flesh rather than the Holy Spirit indwelling in their hearts. Lukewarmness, worldliness,Shallowness and Immaturity is the characteristics of the foolish ones. They are unprepared for the marriage with the bridegroom. Hence they are left behind and only the wise ones are joined to the bridegroom.
The Bible says the Lord is preparing the bride (Eph 5:27 KJV) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

If the believer is unprepared he will not be raptured but go through the process of refining in the tribulation. These two points must be kept clearly in mind: 1) the kingdom is a reward to the overcoming believers, and 2) rapture requires the maturity of the overcomers.

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James J suggests this parable has "the master" (God) asking for immoral earnings from his servants. Even the suggestion to put the money in the bank and get interest would have been against the Torah law against usury.

The more you think about this parable as it would have sounded to the people of the time, the more strange it seems.

I think the chances of us getting at what Jesus actually mean, if he ever said it, are slim.

Still, like many parables it can be made to fit in with what ever current thinking is, and thereby demonstrate that that current thinking is based on "Biblical principles". Or am I being cynical?
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I believe that when the Good Samaritan gave the coins to the Innkeeper he established that he would return to the Inn and pay whatever amount was necesary to cover the mans needs for his injuries.
This personnally tells me that when I help someone , that I need to be ready to pay whatever price that it takes to meet that need if possible. We are called to be Good Samaritans like Jesus was, and to set that example for others.That price may be money or it may be many ours praying and talking to the person.It may be shelter or clothing.
Whatever the need may be , when we help someone are we ready to tru0ly help and pay the price?
I hope that this was helpful to you David. God Bless You.
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what is your thought on the idea that the leaven refers to the trinity...after all the idea of a trinity didn't come about until 345A.D.
please reply.
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the parable has so many lessons and each of us will take a different lesson away from it.

both sons thought they knew better than the father and were both proven wrong. the father knows what we don't and we need to respect that.

i'd like to draw attention to some of the verses:
(12) And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. (the younger son); and (29) ... And yet thou never gavest me (a kid), that I might make merry with my friends (the older son).

notice: both sons asked for the same thing.

the difference follows: when the younger son sinned he sinned. then when he repented he repented. his dirt was dirty and his clean was clean (because his father forgave him without malice). the older son had the same sinful inclination but lacked the nerve to follow through. with the older son, his dirt and his clean were almost identical; not quite dirty enough to be sinful, but not spotless enough to be righteous. his righteousness changed depending on how much you knew about him. there isn't a right son/wrong son debate. to me, one son was wrong in public where his sin was exposed and corrected, and the other was wrong in private where his sin was well hidden but the father knew it all along and corrected him also.

the younger son and older son alike were also selfishly demanding. it wasn't until the younger son lost all that he learned to pray. furthermore, the younger son learned to be decisive, to stand and account for his actions (in v18 and 19). the older son never did but instead resorted to excuses (v29) and blame (v30). he stayed selfish to the very end.

only one son repented and only he was happy to be in the mansion. how many of us who have been saved too long will enjoy being in heaven? i'm sure some of us 'older son' believers will complain when we see streets of gold and whine because they're not streets of platinum. surely god owes us some platinum after we've served him all these years, doesn't he? i won't even mention what we'll say about some of the other 'younger son' believers we scorn as 'unsaveable' who arrive in heaven before we do. the devil himself would be ashamed to utter such backbiting and cursing.

now i'd like to contrast the sons' demands with the father's actions:
(22) ... Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (23) And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry (to his younger son); and (31) ... All that I have is thine (to his older son).

bring the fatted calf! all that i have is yours! could either son say the same thing to their father? this shows the error of both their ways. the first couldn't say this because he had nothing. the second couldn't say this because he was selfish. neither son could be generous to their father because they were dependent on what he gave them. neither one was an earner. both failed to learn the lesson of wealth-building their father taught them daily with his words and actions. if you can't learn to be wealthy from a tycoon, who will teach you to be wealthy. if you can't learn to be generous from one who can afford generosity, who will you learn it from. these are important lessons neither son learned. again, it's not about which son was 'better' off. both missed the mark.

and now, let's contrast the story with the storyteller.

jesus himself was a son who inherited his father's great wealth. he's also a son who left home, so he did what both sons did. unlike the other sons, jesus increased his father's wealth and returned home to unselfishly share with his father. he didn't sqander his returns like the younger son or try to angle his way to his father's portion of the family money like the older one. jesus didn't try to cut his father out of the picture like the other sons. his father was ever foremost in his mind. jesus didn't divide his wealth from his father; he multiplied it unto his father.

so often we read this parable and we wonder which son we're like. instead, we are free to look to the storyteller for the best example.
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Sir,

If you would like a picture of an aged mustard tree, I can email the jpg to you.

Regards,
Deborah
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