My conscience simply will not let me solicit the friendship of someone (saved or unsaved) just to realize some financial gain for myself or the ministry. The thought of it is completely contrary to what God has been teaching me about what reaching out in true love really is. I can't think of a more selfish way to use somebody.

Partiality and favortism is at the very heart of our sinful nature--entertaining people for whatever benefit they can provide. That is precisely the 'old man' I want to see crucified.

Thank God that He (God) did not do that to me, leaving me an example to follow. Just when I had nothing to offer Him, He saved me:

"...because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN TRANSGRESSIONS..." (Ephesians 2:4)

"You see, at just the right time, when we WERE STILL POWERLESS, Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6)

One of my favorite scriptures that almost always causes me to well up in tears is Luke 14:12-14 (THIS is the very heart of God!)

"...When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, OR YOUR RICH NEIGHBORS; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, INVITE THE POOR, THE CRIPPLED, THE LAME, THE BLIND, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, YOU WILL BE REPAID AT THE RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS."

God, create in me THIS kind of love that you might be glorified and my joy will be complete.

"...the ONLY thing that counts is faith EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH LOVE." (Galatians 5:6)
















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I tore off my handgrips to encircle affectionate with the dildo.
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I'm sorry, it looks like I forgot to address the last question on called and chosen.
Maybe the chosen are the ones who were called to do the greatest work. Relate it to martyrs, or people God has given special talent to to complete great works in short amounts of time.
Such as
Bob has been a Christian for 25 years and obeyed and honored God and witnessed when he could.
Bill was a Christian for 1 year, devoted every moment to publically speaking for Christ in China and was caught and executed.
Both were called, God chose a special assignment for Bill and blessed him with the ability to be able to do it.
Both were called, Bill was chosen.
Both get the same reward.

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this site really helped me with my school work thanx
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Matthew 13 44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

So then we can say the same thing about this one Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a bad treasure hid in a field; the which when a bad man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that corrupt field.

The field is where the birds are so it must be bad also.

?????? If all the kingdom of heaven parables are bad then it should fit with these also>Matthew 13:44-50

Good? 44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Good? 45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Good & Bad? 47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48. Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

I'm also curious about the word leaven. Why are we but it's bad? I know it's used in several other places as a reference to something as bad but does it not also have another use in the original language? Does it not make bread rise "yeast" could have been used for that reference also. Something that makes something like meal flour rise and grow. I consider the kingdom of heaven as growing as a good thing. I know there are a LOT of tares in with it but that's part of doing busniness, you get the bad with the good then the seperation at the end.


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Mt. 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
This is so simple...
The leaven represents the Holy Ghost
The three measures of meal is man - body, soul, spirit
When we receive the Kingdom of God within us, we are changed until we become whole, one in Him
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what is the significance of the two silver coins when the good samaritan gives them to the man in the inn?
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Biblical Text: Luke 19:11-27

Title of Message:

Accountability and the Kingdom of God

Central Point or Truth:

There are three central truths, that judgment will come upon the unfaithful stewards and leaders of God’s people; that the Kingdom of God is present now; and the need for faithfulness and obedience. “The parable of the pounds is certainly not, as Luke 19:11 assumes, an announcement of the delay of the Parousia…” (Jeremias, The Parables, 99). Jesus had acquired the kingdom during the present time of his ministry, this being declared or manifested by his majestic triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 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 , 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. This 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). This is contrary to traditional opinion that the parable’s central truth is about faithful stewardship after Jesus’ ascension and until the second coming of Christ. “Everything gets carried out with the dispatch. The ‘getting of the kingdom’ is not an unrealized event of the future, but one already accomplished in the story. The reward to those who have handled their charge well does not consist in some future overseeing of possessions, but present, and consist in power over cities within the Kings realm” (Johnson, 144). 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. Johnson suggest that “we must take seriously the possibility that Luke intended his parable to confirm 19:11, for the progress Luke’s story after the parable shows us in fact a ‘manifestation’ of God’s kingdom ‘immediately’” (Johnson, 152).



Context:

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). This parable is a warning of judgment.. “The sanguinary revenge inflicted upon the people by Archelaus after his return had never been forgotten; Jesus appears to have used this incident in a crisis-parable as a warning to his audience against a false sense of security” (Jeremias, The Parables, 59).
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 possibly 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). Salvation arriving at the present time to the life of Zacchaeus is a notable reference that Luke makes about the presence of salvation, today. The parable was told, according to Luke, for two reasons, he was headed towards Jerusalem and because they expected the Kingdom immediately.

Content / Exegesis:

Jesus was possibly speaking to the crowd, the disciples, and the scribes, his opponents. “In the journey narrative, Luke is generally careful to specify Jesus’ audiences, and purposefully. To the disciples, he has Jesus address teachings on discipleship; to the crowd, calls for repentance, and warnings; to the opponents, sayings of rejection and judgment. His failure to make this audience clearer to his reader leads one to think that the group to whom the parable was spoken was meant to consist in all those with Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, with the parable addressing each segment in diverse ways” (Johnson, 145).
The parable being addressed to the spiritual leaders of Israel is a warning of Judgment. Joachim Jeremias refers to this parable as being against the opponents of Jesus as being the claimant to the throne. “God has entrusted them (scribes) with much – the spiritual leadership of the nation, the knowledge of his will, the key to the kingdom. Now God’s judgment is at hand; now it will be decided whether the theologians have justified or abused this great trust, whether they have made good use of his gift or turned it to their won advantage and to the imposition of burdens on their fellow-men, whether they have opened the door to the kingdom, or shut it their judgment will be specially severe” (Jeremias, Rediscovering, 131).
The traditional view of the parable is that it is about parousia (return) of Jesus. There are some who do not hold to this traditional view. This may be because it is interpreted in light of the Matthean account of the parable. The other view under investigation is that the parable is about Jesus’ immediate Kingship, and the kingdom of God being present immediately, yet not in the form of the future consummation. “There is little in the parable itself which demands considering it an allegorical tale about the ascension-parousia. In particular, there is nothing in Luke’s version to indicate a temporal delay. Matthew’s Parable of the Talents appears to have affected the reading of Luke’s story” (Johnson, 143). Johnson also states that the getting of the kingdom is not a future event not yet realized but one that is already accomplished in the story (Luke 19:15). He also states that the reward do not relate to some future overseeing of possessions. “They (the rewards) play a present leadership role within the kingdom gained by the nobleman” (Johnson, 144).
The traditional opinion of Luke 19:11 is that Jesus is refuting the expectation of the kingdom. It is interesting to consider the view that 19:11 is not refuting but confirming instead of confuting. The verb “appear’ may have different meanings apart from only a full-scale, visible realization of the kingdom. “It is not al all impossible that Luke intended to mean that ‘the Kingdom of God was going to be declared.’ This would find immediate confirmation in the proclamation of Jesus as King in 19:38” (Johnson,150).
Fitzmyer argues that Luke intentionally altered Mark’s reference to the David kingdom to Jesus being just king. “It is not the kingdom of David that is coming, but Jerusalem’s ‘king’ himself” (Fitzmyer, 289). Fitzmyer does so because he understands that a declaration of a kingdom here would be incompatible with the postponement of the kingdom’s appearance in 19:11. Yet it is wise to consider that “king” implies “kingdom”. “19:11 is not a distancing by Luke from an imminent or present kingdom. Rather 19:38 is to be read in conjunction with 19:11. There is not yet a kingdom, but there is a king, and so by implication there is a kingdom” (Guy, 134).
Guy states that when it is argued that 19:11 is clearly futuristic and that consequently all the other present-oriented statements must be interpreted in a futuristic sense that may be an imposition of our twentieth century western understanding with its dichotomous approach to logic and thought upon first century Lukan thought (Guy, 136).
The parable of the talents is about the present kingdom of God in the life and ministry of Jesus. The key verse of this parable is 19:11: “While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.” The parable of the pounds does not deny the expectation but confirms it. “Jesus is proclaimed as a King and does exercise rule through his apostles in the restored Israel. This is a ‘manifestation’ of God’s kingdom” (Johnson, 157).
The parable is not only about the timing and manifestation of God’s kingdom but also about faithfulness. “Jesus underscores the certainty of the ‘appearance’ of the kingdom, but characteristically shifts the focus from the question of when to the issue of faithfulness in anticipation” (Green, 674). The kingdom of God is associated with faithfulness to its King. The message of the kingdom is associated with faithfulness to God’s revelation of his word entrusted to the leaders of Israel. Because of the lack of faithfulness judgment was approaching.

Practical Application:

The Kingdom of God’s authority may be exercised now. The future consummation and all of its glory is not an excuse to not use the dynamic power of the kingdom now. Faithfulness to God is not only being a good steward in holding the correct teachings and revelation of God but it also involves living a life of power manifested by godly character as well and ministering to others the powers of the world to come. The pounds that are now entrusted to believer is the preaching of the cross with its message of salvation, the healing of sick bodies, setting free from satanic bondage, and the other works that Jesus and his disciples performed.
The pound entrusted to Israel was the revelation of God’s redemptive plan and correctly representing the character of God. The teaching of the coming Messiah as a suffering servant was hid and exchanged for a mean legalistic Lord (“For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow” 19:21). The Gospel of grace must be preached and lived. This is only possible as long as the church is alert to the deception of legalism. The natural tendency of religious bodies it towards legalism and self effort instead of the grace and inner transforming power of God.
The futuristic aspect of the kingdom is a challenge for watchfulness and accountability. Because of the impending judgment Jeremias states that the primitive church interpreted and applied the parable of the talents as one of the five Parousia-parables. “The five Parousia-parables were originally a group of crisis-parables. They were intended to arouse a deluded people and their leaders to a realization of the awful gravity of the moment” (Jeremias, The Parables, 63). The other four crisis-parables are the nocturnal house-breaker, the bridegroom arriving, the master of the house returning, the merchant returning from his far journey. Ministry must be done today in light of the judgment seat of Christ.
The church, especially each individual Christian, must be burdened for the horrible punishment that awaits, the citizens (Luke 19:14, 27), those who do not serve Christ. Compassion for the lost will change the eternal future for some who do repent. If the church does not have compassion then that many more people will face an eternal catastrophic ending.
The parables illustrate the mystery of the kingdom of God. “the Kingdom of God has come into the world , but it comes with persuasion rather than power and must be accepted to be effective, even as the ground must receive the seed” (Ladd, Jesus and the Kingdom, 238). As agents of the kingdom of God believer should continually persuade others towards Christ.


WORKS CITED

Blomberg, Craig L. Interpreting the Parables. Downers Grove Inter Varsity Press, 1990.

Fitzmyer. The Gospel II. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1990.

Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke (Word Bible Commentary).
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.

Guy, Laurie. “The Interplay of the Present and Future in the Kingdom of God.” Tyndale Bulletin 48.1 (119-137) 1997.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Parables of Jesus. New York: Scribner’s,
1954.

Jeremias, Joachim. Rediscovering the Parables. New York:
Scribner’s, 1966.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. “The Lukan Kingship Parable.” Novum Testamentum 24.2 (139-158) 1982.

Ladd , George Eldon. Jesus and the Kingdom. Waco, Tx: Word, 1964.

Ladd, George, Eldon. A Theology of the New Testament.
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1974.

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I would like a copy of the sermon.
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The second message is more complete, it has more to it at the bottom!
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Violation of any command is an act of disobedience or rebellion. Sin entered the world through the disobedience of one man. There are many commands from God unambiguously expressed in different parts of the Bible. Contravention of these commands is a sin punishable in different ways.

The most rtragic consequence of disobedience, however, is the hardening of heart due to habitual practice, which makes it impossible for the guilty to confess his/her sins and seek divine forgiveness. The sin of disobedience thus separates us from the glorious presence of God, an eventuality played out in the very early days of God-human interaction.

Another point to be noted is that there is very little leeway for us to justify ourselves by means of contextual explanations of our disobedience. Once we are convinced of our error, the only way back to His grace is through confession and renunciation. Remember the Pharisee and the tax collector at the synagogue, and the contrasting cases of the two thieves on the crosses flanking our Lord's cross on Calvary.
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This is not about the rapture of the church at all. Jesus is speaking to Jews about the tribulation period. The virgins are Jews. Five responded to the preaching of the 144,000 evangelists and worshipped God and five did not. When the king comes to reign at the end of the tribulation period, the tribulation saints are raptured as He gathers the elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. 24:31 Notice that they go out to meet the bridegroom, not to marry him. He is already married to the church which is a virgin in the singular never in plural. This parable which begins with "then" (Identifying the period that is being discussed) is nestled between Matt 24:30 describing the Lord coming in in the clouds in His glory (Rev 19) and Matt.25:32 where is is seated on His throne and judging the nations. While these foolish virgins go out to buy oil, they take the mark of the beast, forever shutting themselves out and sealing their destiny to be cast into the lake of fire. Rev 14:1-6
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And new hidden door to blessing iIwill open today in Christ and many treasure may the Lord give to me and joy that go an and win the lost to him and teach them of the bibles wisdom and holiness in righteousness and joy,thanks and bless and pray,keijo sweden
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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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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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This statement is wrong, sorry. I retract it.
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Does anyone know the meaning of "Abrahams Bosom"?
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I think his name should be Aragorn.
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If you are going to give advice, give the Word of God!
(James-1-5) If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all that ask of Him in faith!
(1Corin-2-13) Not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual!
(John-16-13-15) The Spirit of Truth to guide you to all Truths, and show you things to come!
(1John-2-27) For the anointing we receive of Him, abide in us, and we need not that 'any man' teach us, but the same anointing teaches us of all things and is Truth and is no lie, and even as It has taught us, we shall abide in Him
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i need to know a modern day example of thee good sameritain. if you can help me that would bu great
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It's not a parable about literal money. Like Jesus speaking to Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus is using the literal, physical world--the things we can understand--to explain the spiritual. Over and over again in the scriptures God uses analogies and metaphors and the like to teach unseen, spiritual principles to the earthbound minds of fallen men.

"I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" (John 3:12)

Maybe this proverb sums up the parable of the talents:
"The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment." (Proverbs 10:16)

Even if the parable of the talents had a literal meaning there is nothing wrong with putting our "money to work" (vs. 16). Playing the market is only one way of bringing increase to money. You can buy things and sell them at a profit, or produce products to sell at a profit as long as we do it honestly and don't violate any of the Lord's commands.

"Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth."
(Proverbs 10:4)

"He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgement." (Proverbs 12:11)

"Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow." (Proverbs 13:11)

"The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight."
(Proverbs 11:1)

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Thansks to the Lord for my life in him and joy witht thanksgiving for my rich experience in heavenly faith and journey to evelasting victory in heaven and for Jesus who die for me and my sickness thanks to him for every second and big praise and love,thanks and bles and pray for gospel,keijo sweden
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Since, this parable of the rich fool,My understanding is that we should not be very materialistic, since this things are not ours, forever and
we never ever have these things without God's guidance and help. We can not be that greedy, what We have, it is best to share, and be kind to everyone, because as the saying goes, you can not reach where you want to go without looking it back, and always, say "Thank you" to the Lord with all the blessing he gave us in this world, you born naked I mean nothing, and we go with out anything. The best lesson we learn here is
whatever God given us, make sure we thank him for everything,

Put in mind and in our soul He is the One, Whom we owe everything.
Don't sit back and forget him, and we think we have everything. NAH!

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Dear Sir: May I have a copy of your good shepherd sermon? I am not a pastor, just ibterest you sermon. also I am a forener student in OU.
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This short parable contains a significant and salutary warning to us all not to lose sight of God in a world of rampant materialism. For our purposes, the parable can be seen in two contexts: the context in which it was first applied, and the context in which we find ourselves today.

The first context is the Graeco-Roman world in which both the historical Jesus and the Gospel writers existed. It was a world in which the major power of the age (Rome) dominated the region. Palestine was subject to Roman rule, and subject too to the trade and economic practices which had brought great wealth to a very few, and deep poverty and suffering to a great many. Given the Roman control of the economic and fiscal life of the region, it became the goal of some individuals who aspired to wealth, to work within that political and economic system, to achieve this. But, as is so often the case, this form of materialism could so easily become a self-destructive process, in which the rights and dignity of the poor was trampled upon, and the pursuit of gain became the only goal.

These individuals propped up the totalitarian Roman political system by failing to recognise the basic human dignity of their fellow human beings, and recognising instead only the need for more and more individualist material gain. And in doing this, God became forgotten. Love of God became replaced by love of individual gain and materialism.

Now this materialism could take many forms. In the parable, the easiest form to understand is employed - a wealthy man stores up more wealth, hoarding from his successful produce a great store of goods and materials with which he sought to enrich himself. But he loses sight of the point of life in this pursuit of gain. He thinks only of himself. He does not of share his good fortune with the poor and the downtrodden. Above all, he refuses to think of the only individual relationship that matters ultimately. He forgets about God. So when he faces a sudden, unprepared death (which is implied by verse 20), the emptiness of his relationship with God is revealed in all its bleakness.

And the context for today? It is interesting that this parable seems to have attracted the fewest comments so far. Is this because we are uncomfortable to condemn materialism as much as we were prepared (rightly) to condemn the Communism of the previous decades? I think so. I think the Western world especially is guilty of an individualist materialism which sees the pursuit of individual gain and wealth as the only "worthwhile" thing to do, and which deliberately forgets God.

Today's materialism takes many forms - financial, sexual, political, and emotional, to name a few. What this parable teaches us is that we should think about sharing our wealth and striving for a common good, and, above all, to remember God, who is the source of all goodness, and who will call us to account at a time not of our own choosing. Have we lived in a way that puts God first, or have we ignored that relationship, choosing our own individual materialism instead?

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This is the only parable we are told(!) to learn.

could be '48 or '67.

starts with Adam 'n Eve weaving APRONS (not face masks) of FIG leaves to cover the sin; winds up in Revelation.

it meshes directly with the Parable of the Wheat & Tares... which also starts in the Garden and culminates in Revelation.

just like the Word of God.

phil

http://WordStudy.org
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When asked about eternal life Jesus affirms the "Teacher" on his understanding that unadulterated love for God is the basic requirement for eternal life. In todays vernacular that would be "Christian". What situation in your life would make you think otherwise?
Len
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I too, don't beleive in 'skateboard salvation', which by that I'm assuming you mean that you're saved until you sin, when you lose your salvation and fall off. From there, you have to get saved again, and so on. My ministry (Greater Grace World Outreach) is all about the finished work and eternal security. Once we're saved, that's it. No questions. One question I had when I was first saved was like, how can I am some serial killer who was once saved when he was young, end up in the same place? There's two answers to that: one, sins are forgiven. plain and simple. they are completely erased from his life as they are from mine. and two, we have heavenly awards. if we are saved, but don't live the christian lifestyle according to God, we will still get to heaven, but may not get the same heavenly awards as someone who followed God completely. it's like cable, there's regular cable, and then there's the package deals that are extra. anywho, i guess this doesn't really have to do with the mustard seed, but it needs to be said.
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Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?
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Hi'! I believe the parable of the ten virgins is about the pre-trib rapture of the Saints right after the antichrist comes on the scene.The wise Virgins get to go in the rapture,and the un wise stay here.They are still virgins so they are christians,but they were not ready.They are still saved but they cannot go in the rapture.If they were ready they could go,so this is a message to us all to be ready.Does the Bible tell us that the world will know who the antichrist is?Who will know when the antichrist is on the scene? I feel that the Bible is telling christians that they may be able to know when he first begins his leadership,and who he is.The world will think he is great and that he is good,but only christians could know the truth about him when he first appears on the scene.I believe the rapture is coming very soon.Let us all pray for each other day and night so that we will all be ready,o.k?I love you all though I do not see you! I love you because Jesus loves you and because we share the same Lord Jesus,and we share the same family through him.Please be blessed,and May God bless you all greatly,in his name,amen.Loving Jesus,Diane
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The quote of Jesus that there will eventually be one fold and one shepherd is one of the most important in the New Testament. We know from the Lord's prayer that we seek the kingdom of God on earth. This surely aligns with the idea that there will eventually be one fold under one shepherd on earth. The true shepherd must be God, in this case acting through the station of the son, or Christ. But who comprises the "fold" of Christ? The only possible meaning is that the fold are the followers of and believers in Jesus as sent by God as the Christ. But Jesus refers to others not of the same fold which also have to be brought to God. The argument that this means the gentiles rather than the Jews does not stand up to scrutiny. Any person, Roman soldier or otherwise, who believed in Jesus was of his fold. Jesus was not concerned whether they were Jews or not, only that they believed in him. He did not discriminate on the grounds of race or ethnicity.
So who comprises the other fold? This can only mean other people in the world who could not know about Jesus. For practical reasons this comprised most of the people of the world at that time. These also have to eventually be brought to God and included in the one fold. They will not be believers in Jesus as they are of another fold(s), possibly of other religions. If we accept the prophecy, it must lead eventually to one unified godly community on earth, a time of world peace and unity. But how will God achieve this? The revelation of Jesus recorded in the New Testament was completed when he died and ascended. Thus was created the Christian fold comprised of the followers of Jesus ever since. But they are only a minority of the total people on earth, even today. Of necessity there needs be another revelation from God to bring all the people in different folds into one fold, otherwise the prophecy cannot be fulfilled.
We might regard that revelation as the return of Christ on earth, with teachings necessary to create one fold for all. This could only occur when the circumstances were right on earth to enable that revelation to be made known around the world so that all people can have an opportunity to accept or reject it. Given modern technological advances and the rise of the global village, the present is such a time.
So where is that revelation? We need to search for the evidences of teachings from God that have the spiritual power to unite all peoples in one fold. We need to identify the return of Christ with such a message. We know he will come as a thief in the night - the Bible says so many times. So the search will not be easy. It is, however, the most important search of our lives.
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I had a dream on June 21, 2003 and was shown an awesome sight. A swarm of Tornadoes descending from the sky that look like giant elephant trunks.

People will not know where to hide. So I am telling you now in advance. All that will listen, listen. You will want to find an underground place of shelter such as the below ground floor of a university or mall or parking garage that is windowless. Flying glass spells trouble. Start looking now where you will go. Watch for the signs, you will have time to go to your designated place of shelter. But to wait to look for the appropriate place of shelter at that time will be futile. You must do so now as an act of faith. And in that day, if anyone tells you, "Come with us! There is
a strong building over there". Don't go with them! Do not try and help anyone either or you will be confused and forget your hiding place.

I believe it will be as in the Parable of the 10 Virgins.
Let us pray earnestly to our God for the shed blood of the thousands of Iraqi people. Perhaps He will turn away His anger and leave us a blessing instead.

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hi i am also looking for a picture of the mustard seed tree, i was wondering if you ever found one. If so would you please send it to me or tell me where you found it. If not would you still please reply. Thank You and God Bless You!!
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Something as simple as finding a picture of a mustard tree, as turned
into a sales product to make others money, I just want to see a picture of
a Mustard tree.
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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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Go to the church where you received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and ask them to explain it further. Tongues is a devine language that God understands. A direct communication line to him that the Devil can not understand. Also, check out..
http://www.bible.com/answers/ahsbaptiz.html
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The non-Prodigal son was guilty of the sin that many of us fall subject to: Pride. He had clearly lived his life with an objective of pleasing his father (or others) so as to receive their acceptance and approval. When the praise and glory was given to another (who he concluded was less worthy) it was more than he could bear. We should live our lives with a mind to please only God. In doing so, we are guaranteed God's approval, and will never be disappointed as the brother was here. Moreover, in doing so, we are likely to please our fellow man anyway, as they experience the warmth that come from associating with a christ-like person.
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It seems by the way Jesus told the story, that one need not be a christian to inherit eternal life. Jesus was asked this question and after the parable answered " Go and do likewise". Now the good samaritan was not a christian, but a product of mixed interbreeding between jews from the Northern Kingdom and other people after Israel's exile. They were considered heretics. Yet, it was what was in the samaritans heart that was the focal point of the parable. To say that only christians ( only people who accept Jesus as their Lord and savior and accept that he died on the cross for their sins) are going to be saved, is in a way like, judging other people. And as you well know, Jesus clearly states "judge not, least you yourself be judged.
Amen and God bless everyone.
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B.D. Means wrote;
>>>>This passage therefore does NOT show where a New Testament believer in Christ will go, but rather where Old Testament believers would temporarily exist. I say temporarily because both the rich man and Lazarus will one day stand before the Great White Throne where the book of life will be opened and THEN their FINAL destination will be decided; either eternity future with Christ on a "new heaven and a new earth", or in torment forever in the lake of fire.
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This has been a great study to learn how to apply this parable to my own life and pass on my findings in the LORD. I have a wonderful time looking at this small but great seed for my life.
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Ok I do attend a catholic high school but I'm not that knowledgeable on this stuff so I have a question is somone could answer it quickly.........
True or False .... The message of Jesus given us in the parable of the Prodigal Son is God's unconditional forgiveness.
Thanx
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Hi

My name is Brooke Wren and I was wondering if you
Could send me out some information about Tropical or
Exotic Fruits plus some information about that particular
Fruit. If you could that would be Fantastic but if you can not
Please e-mail me and tell me.


Thank You,

For listening

Brooke Wren

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well, tradgically I feel as I was prior to today, a modern-day Pharisee I'm awful ashamed, I used religion to justify being bitter at others...reading Jonah helped...
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Dear Julie,
Yes satan will try to decieve you into thinking you are wrong about things,satan does not have to attack non believers but he works overtime to get to people whom have put their faith in Jesus to doubt themselves as he does not want Jesus to win another soul, Jesus called satan the great deciever he plays mind games with us. I remember when I first found my savior Jesus Christ I had a hard time every sunday getting ready for church my dress shoes would not be where I remember putting them or nothing would be going right that morning and once I realized that it satan trying to get me to stay home and I prayed about it, it stopped but i still pray every sunday morning just so i can get ready for church without satan playing mind games with me. Now about your illness this could be for real so listen to your Dr. but do not forget to pray for a cure ther is great power in prayer believe in the lord and pray, I will pray for you that your depression will be lifted
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I would say, mercy! That is all Lazarus desired in the crumbs!
The rich man now is experiencing the consiquences of his own
life decisions, in death. In life, the rich man had an opportunity,
which was a chance to give mercy to Lazarus or any one who was in need of mercy.He had in life, favorable conditions.We
must be very careful how we treat people. People belong to God.
So, now we see in the text the two extremes have traded places
substance wise. The rich man has become the begger, and the begger
has become rich!!!! Lazarus is so rich with the wealth of God that
he has Father Abraham as an AMBASSADOR! (smiles)
"Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus"

2nd
Hell is forever! once you are in hell there is no chance, no way, no how!
No,no,no, listen to the responce of Abraham to the rich mans plea.
Luke 16:26 And besides all this, there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us,that would come from thence. But, there is still to come judgement after a period of time. Not that this rich man is going to be in hell for a time and then go to heaven. Once we die, its too late to work the work of repentance. The time is now, while the blood is running warm in our vains. Now is the time of salvation! We all must repent of our sins before we pass away to an eternal state of existance. Then shall we forever be with the Lord Jesus having all things in common. Joy Peace Love Happiness that shall never cease. No more pain, no more suffering, no more sorrow,no more saddness. No more sickness, no more dying, no more crying, there be no more preaching no more teaching, for all secrets will be revealed, no more hate, no more no more no more! Joy! Love! God shall be with us and we shall be with Him forever! Give! and don"t hold back like the rich man. Give your life to Jesus and like He did for Lazarus he likewise do the same for all that believe and trust in Him.
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im not here to reply i just want to tell you that the morals of islam agree completley with the teachings of jesus , you only have to study it careful by yourslef and dont believe what your media tells you .
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Very good points
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Did you mean to use the word "apposed" which means, "to put before; apply (one thing) to another; to place in juxtaposition or proximity?"
There are two kinds of leaven mentioned in the Bible. One is the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the other is the leaven of the Woman. The leaven of the Pharisees and Saducees is the leaven of which we should beware. The Pharisee’s leaven was/is sensuousness, self-righteousness, vanity and hypocrisy. If one wanted to compare that to "rot", I suppose one could say that sensuousness, self-righteousness, vanity and hypocrisy "rot" the moral character and moral fabric of individuals and countries but I think it has little to do with a Jewish kitchen. (I have seen a dirty Jewish kitchen. One of the jokes I've heard from my Jewish friends is that there is NO such thing as a Jewish kitchen, "we make reservations." Perhaps that's why they are generally neat and clean.) All "leavenity" aside, the leaven the woman hid in three measures of meal---in modes of human thought--- is a different kind of leaven, in that it is Truth. "Meal" in the Bible stands for healing. The Woman's leaven is NOT that of the hypocritical Pharisees but of God's Christ, Truth. This leaven of Truth is changing the whole of thought until the all of evil thought is changed into Truth. Woman plays a very important role in Biblical history. The golden thread of Truth and prophecy come through her from Old Testament times to the New, culminating in Mary giving birth to Jesus and the beautiful Woman in the Apocalypse clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars. She opposes the dragon and is the opposite of the wicked woman Jezebel and is finally given the wings of an eagle to fly away to her place and be nourished. Her babe that the dragon is so intent on destroying is Truth. The dragon, serpent, satin, devil (Rev 12:9) is the lie and the liar that Jesus said he was in John 8:44. A lie always tries to destroy the Truth, but never will or can. Truth ALWAYS destroys a lie.-----I think the point should be that everything is a matter of human interpretation and it seems to me that what is most important is to gain the SPIRITUAL import of the Scriptures of which there is only one. It is not mine or yours but God's, given to each of us in the quiet of silent prayer. I agree that word definitions are MOST important and useful in discovering the spiritual aspect of the Scriptures, but only to that end.-------Sometimes the analogies people make about very serious spiritual things, are worse than silly. They steer our thought away from contemplating the Word of God. I would much rather "be silent, and know that I am God" than listen to someone tell me about Jewish kitchens. You said you heard this from someone. I think I would steer clear of that someone.
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Did anyone find a picture of a full grown mustard tree? I also need this for my Sunday School class next week. Any ideas? Thank you, cjm
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Can anyone help me? My teacher gave me an assignment, and i am not sure which perspective to take. Should the prodigal son be called the Parable of the Prodigal Father? Does the story describe a father that is prodigal with his property and at the end is prodigal with his love?
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