Like the other parables of Jesus, this one is about fruit-bearing, and the un-fruitful are thrown into hell. Those who hear the TRUE word of God, they are cleansed by it by doing it. Christ abides in the TRUE hearers and doers. Luke 6:47 - Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them..." John 8:47 - He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 1 Corinthians 4:15 - For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." The branch cannot bear fruit by itself. 1 Corinthians 2:12 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 - Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" Philippians 3:9 - And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" 3 John 1:11 - Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God." Who can do good, but the true ones on the vine? Even TRUE faith is not from flesh and blood, but from God. John 3:27 - John answered and said, A man can receive NOTHING, except it be given him from heaven." 1 Corinthians 12:9 - To another FAITH by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;" Not one man can TRULY say that Jesus Christ is the son of God nor can any man truly tell people,(so-called preachers, ministers, or pastors) Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Also, to put an end to false teachers that say if you believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as your Lord and saviour, you'll be saved, NO MAN can come to Jesus unless God Himself decides that he would. Acts 16:31 - And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." But then, those people heared the TRUE word of God, and the words of JESUS CHRIST, John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 2 Thessalonians 2:14 - Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then again, same gospel, 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.(God revealed it to them, and had faith in him, that faith is not from their own heart, but from God) 70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve(God approved those 12, not the other disciples, because if He did give it to them to come to Jesus, they would of stayed, like the true disciples), and one of you is a devil?" Now all you people that read this, the false christians will not believe this, but the true christians will. John 15:20 - Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." These sayings are in the bible, those who just ignored them in the bible will ignore my words(no, not truly mine) also. Those who believe these things, or knew them already, please, please contact me, at dallascourchene @ hotmail.com (NOTE: there are no spaces in the address.) Also to the so-called born-again christians, what did God call you to do? Live a normal life? I don't think so. People who are truly called are CALLED to do something for the LORD, not just worship Him and those who are called, know what they have to do by a certain wonder, or phenomemon. Acts 16:10 - And after he had seen the VISION, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had CALLED us for to preach the gospel unto them." Romans 1:1 - Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, CALLED to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God," Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." 1 Corinthians 7:20 - Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." Ephesians 4:1 - I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," We MUST be also worthy of this calling. 2 Timothy 1:9 - Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began," 1 Peter 2:21 - For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:" 1 Peter 5:10 - But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you PERFECT, stablish, strengthen, settle you." 2 Peter 1:3 - According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:" And yes, we can be perfect like Jesus. Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." 2 Corinthians 4:4 - In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Philippians 2:6 - Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:" John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." 1 John 2:13 - I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father." 1 John 3:9 - Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Revelation 3:21 - To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." We are called to be made into the image of Christ, who is the image of God. Jesus said so himself, the called can and will be like him. Matthew 10:25 - It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord..."
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Hello; When Christ was on earth the first time there were two major religious parities in Judaism--the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees were the fundamental legalists. They believed the letter of the law. They believed in a future resurrection, in angels, and in the spirit realities. The Sadducees though were more liberal in their theology. They rejected any thought of a future resurrection, and they didn't believe in angels or in spirit realities [ Acts 23:8 ]

But the Pharisees and the Sadducees did have one thing in common. Neither would have anything to do with the message surrounding the proffered kingdom [Matt. 16:1-6 ]

The Pharisees followed Christ about the country, seeking to counter the signs being manifested , and seeking to bring about unbelief on the part of the people. They formed, by far, the largest religious sect in Israel. And, because of there numbers, they held undisputed sway over the people and masses. The sadducees were the second largest sect in Israel and sometimes joined themselves with the pharisees who controlled the religious like of the nation. They sat "in Moses seat" [Matt.23:1,2]. I hope this helps , Bye.....
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No, this is not a parable about the mustard seed. Rather, it is a parable about Kingdom of Heaven.

In this sense, this simply tells us that the so-called Kingdom of Heaven is not -- repeat, is not -- a place. It's just like a small mustard seed that humanity can (indeed, does) overlook. But this same seed has the potential to get nourished until it grows into a full-grown tree.

It is that little "spark" of divinity that has been planted by God (the sower) in man. It is little in the sense that it cannot manifest itself easily since our material existence often overshadows it, as we oftentimes neglect it in favor of materialism and all that this world has to offer.

But it can grow (The choice is ours). If we select the righteous way of life and let that divine spark reign supreme in our life, we actually let it grow. And when it grows into a tree, when it has grown so large and tall enough as to "dwarf" the wordly desires of our flesh, then the birds will start lodging upon its branches -- the spiritual words of God will have all the chances to come freely to us, as we can now more deeply appreciate them.
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The meaning of this scripture is very simple if you allow the other scriptures concerning the kingdom to interpret it. All that's being said hear is that "there is nothing hid which shall not be manifest". It's an example of how the word of God reacts with the human spirit and together they radiate the fact that his word was put in. If you take two balls of dough, insert yeast in one of them and come back in twenty minutes, it doesn’t take a genius to say "hey someone put yeast in that one". Yeast is not good or bad it's just a catalyst that works with something else for a desired end. Certainly it can be bad, "beware of the leaven of the scribes and Pharisee’s-hypocrisy" for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed (same idea). But it also says that the kingdom of God is like leaven.

The meaning is this. When we "hide" the word in our hearts, the leaven of god’s word will work with our spirit to "manifest" or bring to light or "reveal" the fact that we "sowed" to our hearts the word. It will manifest. Now, if there's nothing hid that shall not be manifest, shouldn't we as Christians be asking "then how on earth do I "hide" something? This is the idea here. We have a treasure hid in our hearts, and the person who discovers how to hide something, will be able to "manifest" or tap into that hidden treasure. He'll bring forth fruit.

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In fact, the father did "reinstate" the son to his former place - that is the significance of the giving of the ring and the sandals. Servants did not wear sandals, and would certainly not have been given rings. These gestures indicated the father's full acceptance of the son "back into the fold".
You are probably right that the son came home out of desperation... sometimes, that's what it takes to effect a turnabout in one's life.
Each son had something to learn... the father's love extended beyond what either considered fair or "expected".
As far as each "righteous" person is concerned, when it comes to God, there is good news and bad news.
The bad news is - we don't get what we deserve.
The good news is - we don't get what we deserve.

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After reading all the comments on the Filling of the spirit I find this one to be right on the money. I was going to post a writing of my own, but after reading this I decided to commend this writing. God bless and an excellent job Robert.
Pastor Rick.
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I dont know what this is about...will someone give me sum help?? I am scared
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jesus christ is the good shepard, he is the source of salvation, if you want to go to heaven you have to go through christ.
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The parable of the Sower, the first of four parables which Christ gave outside the house[Matt. 13:1], by the seashore, is comprised of four parts. Each part has to do with exactly the same thing: FRUIT-BEARING, with the Kingdom of heaven in view - a kingdom being offered[ during the time covered by this parable] to a people other than Israel [ to the new creation" in Christ "].
The parable of the Sower was given with a view to this entity not only being brought into existence but also being extended the opportunity to bring forth fruit for the kingdom. The parable of the Sower looks out a head to that time when the kingdom would be taken from Isael because of the nation's failure to produce fruit and given to a nation which would produce " the fruits thereof" [Matt.21:43]. In the first three parts of the parable through, indivduals comprising the one new man fail to bring forth fruit, as those in Israel had done relative to the proffered kingdom. Rather than overcoming and bearing fruit, they are instead overcome [through various means] and bear no fruit. But in the last part of the parable, that expected of the one new man during the present dispensation is shown. Unlike barren Israel, overcoming and fruit-bearing are seen. Thus, it is revealed at the beginning, before God brought this new creation into existence, that not all those comprising the one new man--not all Christians--would bring forth fruit. Fruit- bearing is seen in only one part of the parable, in the last part. In the first three parts individuals are shown to have been overcome through various means resulting in barrenness.
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hey I'm 17teen years old, and I am trying to find my talents b ut i don't know how to begain? can you give me some bible verse or some infomation on where to begain looking for those talents God has given me. do all people have talents or just some ? i'm not talking like spiritual gifts i'm talking like drawling , playing a music insterment or something like that to let you know.

thanks your sista in christ

sarah drury
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i want to know to. A couple of weeks ago i saw a film about Barabas, where he eventually became a christian but it took him ages and he mucked up alot along the way. The facts fit. the times, but i want to know if its true, because if it was it would be cool. ive always felt that there was something of Barabas' story we werent hearing. I always felt like he should have changed. I hope some one can prove that right.
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The parable of the 'shrewd manager' in Luke 16 is probably my favorite parable. Please provide the evidence from Luke 16 itself that suggests this is about picking the pockets of evil, rich unbelievers. I think it is quite the opposite!

Do I understand correctly? I think you are saying the talent parable is about literal money, right? Even if that is true, I say the emphasis in both parables is about GIVING your wealth away, using it, not bringing it in.

In Luke 16, Christ is telling us to use our wealth, our literal money to "gain friends for yourselves..." (vs. 9) and in turn make our master--God--look good by being generous with what he has entrusted to us. Just as the evil manager was commended for his shrewd, but wise, actions, we too will be commended by our heavenly master for being shrewd and generous with what has been entrusted to our care, investing it wisely in loving acts of generosity and kindness. After all isn't it "God's kindness (that) leads you toward repentance?" (Romans 2:4).
(Just as a side note notice how Paul in this Romans passage shows us what the real riches of God are, let us be found diligent and trustworthy with the 'true riches' (Luke 16:11) that God has entrusted to us.

The master commended his unworthy manager because it was very shrewd to win praise for both himself AND his master by using his master's possesions in this generous way. This is the very thing God wishes for us to do. God is exhorting us, "Take what I've given you and show the generosity and love of the master you serve!!!!!!!!!!!! They'll love you and they'll love me, too!. I've given it, now be shrewd and wise with what I've given you--USE IT!!!!!!!! What a witness you'll be!!!"

I can only say amen to the warning given by the previous person to you or anyone "who think that godliness is a means to financial gain" (1 Tim. 6:5).

This cannot be ignored: "Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be RICH IN FAITH and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" (James 2:5) Read on for his opinion about rich people in general.


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i am interested with the plant growth cycle including its seed's size and weght, and height of a mature plant.
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Caused to sin (Matt. 18:5-7 ) through work on the Sabbath because of failures to meet my needs through the workweek, I ask, seek, and knock again for leads to churches already faithful in (with) the unrighteous mammon of Luke 16:9-13. Such a congregation must, of course, include among its members at least several who know rich folk of this world. I am too sick and fed up with local churches content to remain short of this goal to let this most important matter slide. Therefore, in the name of Jesus the Messiah I assign you the task of contacting churches all across these United States subject to denominational governance in order to find a list for me of all churches under their guidance wich have many or several members well acquainted with rich folk of this world.

I have no printer. You must have seen my smiley problems by now. My comupter still operates on Windows 95, I am poor, and my mother outside the Lord is in charge of my money from SSI. I cannot serve God's people where I now live, but if I had wealth to turn to I would willingly move out. Televangelists have left me to my own feeble resources. I leave it to you to contact denominational headquarters of the various Christian denominations and to seek a list from each of all churches under them which already have their rich friends. Do not cause me to keep on sinning beyond a reasonable time for your completion of this project (worth a curse, Matt. 18:5-7 ). This is not funny; I need specific guidance to congregations known to be already faithful in the unrighteous mammon lest I sin habitually until the Parable of the Servants (Matt. 24:45-51 ) be fulfilled, my only other way to stand in Christ because the churches nearby are faithless at least in regard to Luke 16 (KJV).

Lacking hearkenings to my preceding requests, now I must assign ***YOU*** the task of contacting denominational headquarters of various denominations with requests of guidance to such churches of theirs are happen to be faithful already in the unrighteous mammon BY NEXT FRIDAY AT SUNSET. You will be in sin next Sabbath if the letters remain yet to be sent out. Please help your brother in Christ in need!

Yours in Christ,

+++ Kevin D. Rosenberg

a martyr for continuing to ask, seek, and knock (Matt. 7:7 )
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I am trying to locate a particular picture of a grown mustard seed in white sketching with birds flying over it on a grey background. I do not know where else to look. At the bottom of the picture are the words
Heaven.
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Edwin,
Jesus says that if you live for him that He will take care of everything else, including the people who are making your life miserable. Living for Jesus is not always easy, it is full of suffering and riducle, but look at the suffering and judgement that He went through just to save you and me. It is important to remember that God will bless you eternally as long as you obey His commands and although it doesn't seem like it He is sovreign through all things ecspecially this situation. It is not for us to understand why these things occur but it is important to trust and have complete faith in His Sovreingy for our lives. One of the important themes in Mark is suffering. Jesus said if we want to follow Him we must endure suffering.
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" Mark 10:45

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways adn my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
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I was also wondering what became of Barabas after his release. I had always thought of him as a murderer, but "sedition" appears to indicate that he was a revolutionary..... and I wonder about his crimes also.
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Hello,
I am also just starting a CGS Program here in the Sacramento area. Could you please forward the photo of the mustard tree. I am having a difficult time locating one for the class. Thank you so much! God bless, Christine
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I'm giving a speech to a group of over achievers and using this parable as my core idea....but i'm relating it to the mantra found in Spiderman which says that with "great power comes great responsibility"....
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Luke 13:18-19 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Ezekiel 17:22-23 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
Remember the song "he is the vine and we are the branches"? Luke, Matthew, and Ezekiel can all be paralleled. Luke and Matthew are descriptive, and Ezekiel gives even more detail on what it is talking about, which is God's fulfillment of his promise for a Messiah (the highest branch that is taken and planted in Israel), and in the shadow of his wings (ok, branches, lol) all of the nations will take refuge and dwell in his presence. (shadow) Chrys

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The wise were those who build their lives on Christ, not on any worldly form so many are doing. So many seem to build their supposedly Christian life on anything but the real Truth of Christ. The power of reason is so strong in many that they become as god's to themselves. They decide what the rules are based upon their own way of believing. It is a form. a shell of godliness, but is shallow and without power. They do not have the approval of God upon their heart. They know nothing of the assurances the true believer experiences when they follow the Lord. These have been decieved by the great deceiver of mankind, the Devil. To these, the Bible has been largely ignored. Or they have not divided the Scriptures so it all fits together without contradictions. Their supposedly educated reasoning is so wonderful, that in fact they make their own laws, and worship themselves. These have not built their house upon the eternal rock of Christ, but upon the sand of their own ideas. Or they have picked out some of the Bible truth, according to their own liking, and left some other vital facts of the Bible out. This is building on sand. Their house will not hold up in the time of testing, of the trials of life.
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My problem is why did the father not send for the elder son in the field. He told his servants to do a lot of things, but never thought to send for the brother.

He had to come home and see all that was happening. I would have been upset.

The father did not think of the older son.
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My Aunt is doing a bible study on the mustard seed. She ask me to find her a picture of a mustard seed tree to use in the bible study.
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i hope i am not asking too much but can you send me a picture of the mustard tree via e-mail
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Please send picture of mustard seed tree. We will be covering the parable in our preschool Sunday School class this week.
THANK YOU!
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The message to this little story (told by Jesus) is to treat other people how you would like to be treated, no matter what. Help your enemies.
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"leaven" - n. - a substance due to fermentation which causes bread dough to rise - Webster's Dictionary

"leaven" - n. a substance to make dough rise, esp. yeast; anything that makes a general change, --vt to raise with leaven; to spread through, causing gradual change. [Fr levain--L levamen-- levare, to raise--levis, light. (There is an accent " - " over the "a's" in levamen and levare, unfortunately I do not know how to do this)] - Webster's New Dictionary and Thesaurus

"meal" - is food, or bread

The kingdom of heaven is like unto yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of flour/bread, till the whole was risen??

Jesus is the Bread of Life see John 6:48


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Is this complete?
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Often times when we stray away from the Body of Christ, we feel as if we can't return. We are often embarrassed and ashamed of our actions. Sometimes we feel as if God has somehow revealed to everyone the dirt that we have done. In similarity to the Prodigal Son for a while he rather stepped down from returning to his father because of the wrong he had done. He had went out and had a worldly time with his share of the wealth. He felt bad about his actions,but he knew his father, he didn't know what to expect but he knew his father. Just the same as we know the "FATHER", if you are saved, and you have fallen short, you still know God and can identify with his fogiving and loving spirit. You may not know the consequence, but you know that through the blood of Jesus, you are saved and forgiven if you go to our Lord with divine, and sincere repentance. All you have to do is call on the Father and we will restore you to your rightful place, just as the Prodigal Son was restored to his.
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Although many of those who dare interpret the extremely difficult Parable of the Unrighteous Mammon (Luke 16:1-13) have seen the lessons to be learned as otherworldly for heaven, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ still expects His followers to obey it beyond conversion to Christ to get out of coming damnation for sin sure to be found out. This parable is no mere allegory; it has practical value, sadly neglected by today's churches. I aim to show the following twin points:

(1) The availability of individual faithfulness in the unrighteous mammon through personal practice of bankruptcy law (vv. 1-8).

(2) The importance of corporate faithfulness of a congregation in the unrighteous mammon by sending the members in Christ out to befriend the rich people of the world (vv. 9-13).

These points are of great importance to depose the evil servants in charge of so many of today's churches and to dethrone stingy Budgets which have severely limited the work of God in most congregations.

First, let us examine the practical value of the parable alone in Luke 16:1-8. I leave it to others to explain the allegory in which the master represents God threatening damnation yet offering to afford our salvation; still, however, as it continues to speak differently to the converted, there is great practical value even for surely born-again Christians to heed in it. Let us now examine the transactions of this parable as a triangular double exchange.

These exchanges are reminiscent of bankruptcy proceedings. If we follow the example of the Unjust Steward, except his dishonesty, as believers, we should seek a way to offer mercy to the world as the fired steward offered partial forgiveness of perhaps legally binding debts --- in exchange for the debtors' good will (vv. 4 - 7). We should seek a way to arrange for the indebted people of the world to provide partial payment to its masters in exchange for the masters' words of forgiveness (vv. 6 - 8). We should seek a deal with the masters of this world to offer them our professional services in exchange for the commissions or fees of the steward's position (vv. 1, 3, 8). Such a position is available out in the world for us to take up: bankruptcy lawyer.

In almost any modern bankruptcy case, the judge and creditor(s) hold the master's position in the parable; the debtor holds the debtors' position; while in the position of the steward being fired are bankruptcy lawyers. The bankruptcy lawyers corresponding to the parable are not permanent employees of the creditors and will seek other cases when the case at hand is closed. The deal is similar to the parable as follows: The bankruptcy lawyers grant mercy to the debtor by arguing the case for forgiveness of debts before the judge in the presence of the creditor(s). The debtor provides partial payment to the creditor(s) and remains grateful to his lawyer in addition to paying the lawyer's fees. The judge presents the word of justice to all creditors and to the debtor through explaining how the settlement thus reached is fair according to all applicable laws and precedents. The creditor pays lawyer's fees in exchange for legal services. Thus does the profession of bankruptcy law embody personal emulation of the role of the Unjust Steward.

Alas, it is not easy to take this position up in modern English-speaking countries. In the days of Jesus' ministry, nigh any freeman, or servant or slave with his master's permission, well-behaved in court, could argue as an advocate for the creditors or the bankrupt; Roman bankruptcy law was simple and harsh. Today's English-speaking countries, on the other hand, aim to protect the public from "unqualified" professionals; the result is a long, expensive and worrisome training of law school and certification such that disbarment is greatly feared. There are therefore two good reasons for Christians not to train for the professional position of bankruptcy lawyer: worry (Matt. 6:24ff) and belief that Jesus might rapture us saints out of this world before the career could pay off. Nevertheless, whenever an entire congregation of many Christians has left the profession of bankruptcy law completely to worldly lawyers, that church is not following the example of the Unjust Steward.

What brings me to my second point is that it is not always possible for Christians to hold the positions of bankruptcy lawyer. A missionary is uniquely ill-equipped to argue cases at law in a foreign language, for instance. For this reason, Jesus Christ has given us the real requirements for faithfulness in the unrighteous mammon in practice on a congregational level (Luke 16:9-13): that at each congregation claiming to follow Jesus we make friends with the wealth of unrightous people so that they might take us in if we should lose our homes through persecution, disaster, or financial trouble (v. 9) and so that the rich people of the world might endow us with the wealth created by God for us which accrues to the rich so that we might be well-funded for generous Christian ministry (vv. 11-12). That we cannot serve both God and Mammon (wealth) (v. 13) indicates what happens whenever a church is thoroughly unfaithful in the unrighteous mammon and relies on hard-earned donations for its function and replaces the generosity of God with stingy Budgets. Such churches have held to their Budgets and despised Jesus Christ's commands to give freely and set people free from financial worries, just as He predicted! Judgement is coming for these evil servants in charge!

Now if you read Luke 16:9 or any discussion of it with "it" in the second clause instead of "ye" or "you" (all, as a congregation), the text has been corrupted and translated from a Greek text missing the two letters Tau and Epsilon present in the word "eklipe^te," "(when) you fail financially," in the correct text. Please ignore such an author's or preacher's pronouncements from the wrong text (e. g., NIV) and pick up a King James Version to interpret correctly. Even experts reading from the corrupted translations make false promises of houses and welcomes in heaven and claim a false need to have the favor of many poor people in Christ for heaven's sake in eternity. Do not believe their mistaken promises; the "failing" in verse 9 is loss of home in the here and now rather than loss of dominion after death. Now, if we neglect the rich mission field as most American Christians have seen fit to do, we shall continue to lack the means for faithful local ministry, let alone world evangelism (v. 12). I, Kevin Douglas Rosenberg, refuse to tolerate this abominable state of affairs any longer; I decry and denounce the evil servants in charge of most churches and cry out for their master to return in the here and now (Matt. 24:45-51). Let it be known that those evil servants in charge when their master returns have no forgiveness from me, but sure awareness of the wrongness of their expedients to serve Christ in stinginess while His Holy Word requires their generosity. If the laws in the way of this judgement were repealed, I could gladly call a respected pastor an evil servant in charge and hack him apart and kick him out and flog him if I had the position; that position, however, is not mine, but that of the gatherings which hire such individuals. In the meantime, be sure of each church's need for favor with the rich people of the world, especially if there be no bankruptcy lawyers in it.

Let God enrich your churches through the favor of the rich people of the world, not through hard, proud work. Good luck!


(Erratum to my earlier message: A transposition occurred in my typing afflicted with carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes in both arms: "Matt. ... 6:42" -- a nonexistent verse -- should have read "Matt. ... 6:24, ..." in which Jesus taught against worry.)
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I haven't noticed if anyone else has noted this but Luke does not talk about the stories in Luke 15 as being three parables. In 15:3 it states "He told them this parable..", but in the rest of the chapter, each of the other stories is not called a new parable. I believe they are all together as three different aspects of the same parable, a harmony or chorus written as a trilogy under one suggested heading That Which Was Lost, and Was Found.

Since this parable was not directed at His disciples, but rather at the tax-collectors, sinners, Pharisees and scribes, I don't think we should interpret it as being for Christians. Although there are aspects of reconciliation there, the parable seems to be about the "Lost and Found" and the joy of the One who is the finder.

Both sons were "lost" but only one realized it, and admitted it. He was restored. There is no suggestion that the older brother was willing to admit his sins. He was dishonoring to his own father. He was self-righteous in his suggestion that he "never neglected a command of yours". This echoes the words of that unfaithful young man from Matthew 19:20.

So since this parable was expressed to the Pharisees, I suggest that He was trying to show them that their own unrighteous arrogance made them blind to their need. Unlike the sinners and tax-collectors who "drew near to Him" (15:1), these men were scrutinizing Him, "watching Him closely" (14:1) and "plotting against Him, to catch Him in something He might say" (11:54).

It's ironic that they murmured quitely under their breath about how Christ received sinners "and eats with them". Christ had a meal with the Pharisees, just a few hours before! (14:1)


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The sandals represent that the prodigal son was taken back not as a servant or slave but as a son. That goes along with the ring. The servants and slaves did not wear sandals!
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1. HISTORY
Man used yeast before he knew how to write.

Hieroglyphics suggest that the ancient Egyptian civilizations were using
living yeast and the process of fermentation to rise their bread
over 5,000 years ago. Of course, they didn’t know what was responsible
for the leavening process. The chemical action of yeast that causes dough
to rise is known as fermentation and was probably looked upon by early
man as a mysterious and unreal phenomenon. It is believed that since
early times, mixtures of leavening for bread making were formed by
natural contaminants of the four such as: wild yeast and lactobacilli
(organisms also present in milk). Leaven, mentioned in the Bible, was a
soft dough-type medium kept from one baking of bread to another. A
small portion of this dough was used to start or leaven each new bread
dough. Later scientific research found that yeast is a microorganism
(visible only with a microscope). The chemical action and growth of yeast
that caused the dough to rise then became understandable.



2. WHAT IS YEAST
Yeast is a tiny form of fungi scientists call microorganisms. They are egg-
shaped cells that can only be seen with a microscope. It takes 20,000,00
00,000 (twenty billion) to weight one gram or 1/28 of an ounce.

The scientific name for one species of yeast is SACCHAROMYCES
CEREVISIAE or sugar eating fungus. Cerevisiae is the Latin word for
brewer. A very long name for such a tiny organism. It is a very strong
strain that is capable of fermentation or causing bread dough to rise.


Yeast cells digest food to obtain energy for growth. Their favorite food is
sugar; sucrose (beet or cane sugar), fructose and glucose (found in
honey, molasses, maple syrup and fruit) and maltose(derived from starch
in flour). The process, alcoholic fermentation, produces useful end
products, carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol, which are released by the
yeast cells into the surrounding liquid. This is how alcoholic drinks are
produced from starch containing flours, i.e., barley flour for making beer
and wheat, corn or other grains for making whiskey.


Fermentation occurs naturally in nature. For instance, many berries break
open in late fall when they are over-ripe and full of sugar. Natural yeast
from the air, so tiny they cannot be seen, lodge on the surface of these
berries, which then become fermented and alcoholic.

In commercial fermentation of grape juice for the production of wine, the
carbon dioxide gas escapes from the solution. Evidence of gas can be
seen in the heavy foam caps in fermenting wine tanks. In bread baking,
when yeast ferments the sugars available from the flour and from added
sugar, the carbon dioxide gas cannot escape because the dough is elastic
and stretchable. Therefore, the dough inflates as a result of the expanding
gas. Thus, the term yeast-leavened breads came into the vocabulary of
the world of baking.



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I am looking for a picture of a real mustard tree.
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This may not be a popular interpretation, but from the parable itself it is hard to conclude too much more than this being about God and His activity in growing the 'seed.' It is tempting to allegorize this (i.e. say that JC is the farmer), and it is tempting to say its about our 'producing fruit' or 'miracles.' Although scripture talks about this, this particular parable does not. The point...and I think this is very good news...is that God does the growing. He is the one able to do the unthinkable; grow His word in the midst of a sinful world. For this I am thankful, and don't take this as a license to be lazy, but an invitation to be faithful to the great grower.
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This statement is wrong, sorry. I retract it.
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This is simple. The seed is Jesus which is planted in the world. The birds are the people of the world whom are given the chance to eat of the tree which is planted for them.
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the parable of 10 virgins,( we as christain we have to be ready for the comeing of christ. some will be ready and some wont be ready.jesus are the bridgrome, we are the brids, oil are salvation. stay in christ untill jesus come
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I would also like to know where I can find a picture of a mustard tree as discussed in the Bible.

Thanks
D'Laine Evans
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You're pretty quick on the draw! Thank you.

And, in addition to that:

"...his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice...I know my sheep and my sheep know me..." (John 10:4, 5, 14)

It took me many years to begin to develop the courage to let false teachers teach their lies and remain calm, if not quiet. It wasn't until 9-11 and my concern about Islam's growing influence in the world that God spoke to me through the Matthew 15:14 scripture I shared before.

I don't remember where it is in the gospels, but remember what Jesus said to his disciples when they asked if they should call fire down on those who had rejected the message at a certain place? Jesus restrained them. (Anybody remember where that is?).

In regard to the wheat and the tares, Jesus teaches that he intends to "let both grow together until the harvest. AT THAT TIME I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned..." (Matthew 13:30).

"Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping." (2 Peter 2:3)

A good reminder for us all is Jesus's own words: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. REJOICE AND BE GLAD, because great is your reward in heaven..." (Matthew 5:11, 12)

"...Christ suffered for you, LEAVING YOU AN EXAMPLE...When they hurled their insults at him, HE DID NOT RETALIATE; when he suffered HE MADE NO THREATS. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:21-23) God give us the courage to live this!

At the same time, Peter gives us the warning that "if you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, OR EVEN AS A MEDDLER." (1 Peter 4:15)

God give us the discernment to know when we're meddling in the conceit of knowledge; the "unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments that result in envy, quarreling, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind..." (1 Tim. 6:4)



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Well this present kingdom(till JESUS returns and included his reign). The church started off small and now it is big(just like the mustard seed) and there are other religions considered as CHRISTIANDOM which are not and it is up to CHRIST in the end to get rid of the tares among the wheat. These kingdom of heaven parables are not the goody goody thing that everyone thinks they are. You have two groups in this section of Matthew: the multitude(Those with no ears to hear and no eyes to see) and the diciples (who represent GOD's people).The multitude will never understand these parables and JESUS explains them to the diciples how to interpet them in Matt. chapter 13,the parable of the sower. You see the Kingdom (this present day) there are Non believers and satans people (Tares in the wheat) masked by all other christian organization,they are the birds perched in the large mustard tree(the fowl that take the seed in the Sower parable).When Christ comes in his second coming he is going to change all that with his glorious rule in the millineum. You notice the LEAVEN was HID,what is there to hide,our salvation or GOD's great gift to the world I THINK NOT.



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Patrick hold on to your faith and Father God... He grieves with you...I too grive with you, as a formerly behaving as elder brother of prodigal son...Myself personaly God did a work in me and revealed my PRIDE, MY SELFISHNESS AND MY HEART, AND MY FEARS......

Keep praying God will reveal it to her in the scriptures about herself...
let god lead you when or if you should quote the scripture..Change may not come over night, as it did not come over night with you, or with the prodigal son, but the FATHER made his self availble to them, told elder son is been here for you the fatted calf, party, deliverance awaits your child. i love the comment made about wanting to be like the Prodigal son's Father that i read earlery

be bless everyone, i was enlightened by all the comments and revelations on this parable
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I was looking for a picture of a mustard tree when this site came up. How wonderful is God to show me the way to this. Could some one please respond to my e-mail address and explain what this site is all about? Oh ya, I still want a picture of a mustard tree.
Blessing of the Father of us all on you!
Scott
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do us a favor and get some manners please. these people are here to discuss the bible, not write your hw for you.

god bless
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all these responses helped me a million. im suppose to give a lesson tomorrow for my honors eng. class about the prodigal son and all these points of views gave me a variety on which to present to the class. :)
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My team at my chruch is going to be teaching this to K-5th graders what should we do to help them learn.
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There is a Buddist sect that carries brooms with them and sweep the ground where they step so as not to step on a bug out of their respect for life. THis is taking things way to far! KJV1611 all the way!
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I see the Father's blessing the Obedient son even though he had a less than perfect, loving attitude. The father said, "All that I have is yours."

I would like to see more emphasis on the Obedient, Respectful son.

Otherwise, the parable is an excellent lesson on the differance between Relationship and Fellowship with the Father.
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many christians who read this parable, tend to see the two sons, and lack focus on the father.the sons represent humanity with all its frailty. having the distinct tendency to drift away from GOD .represented by the father,, the father fogiving the son is the embodyment of GODs true love for humanity.. in that GOD would use an earthly father to represent himself,Speaks of the true humanity of JESUS CHRIST the father , Who with open arms will fogive all who come to him.. IT is to be observe also a triune in this parable.. As it involves the father the son and the HOLY SPIRIT who pricked the heart of the repentant son, thus restoring him to the father....................GOD bless us all
Kitt Thompson.........
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Many people focus just on the younger son...lets remember something here. The scriptures say that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy, in the Holy Ghost. What did the younger son actually feel in his fathers arms? Do you recon he was more excited about the feast, or the redemption? What had the older son lost sight of, in the presence of his father, but not in his arms? We tend as christians to get so busy in our "works efforts" that we loose sight of the purpose of our stewardship. Our carnal natures sneak into prominance and then we wind up working to achieve the wrong goal.....to please ourselves, not to glorify our Father! The Father said what to the older son? DO we as christians take full advantage of our inheritance and the privelidges of our Bloodline? The wealth had already been divied up, the older son had received his fair share, and should have then been enjoying the status of just living in accord with His Father....all the benefits of the Fathers prosperity were there for his use....but he wasn't using them was he! He was so busy still trying to please his father, that he lost sight of the fact that he was already in good standing with him. WHy do you think he felt he had to keep trying? See, it wasn't about pleasing his father....it was about pleasing himself....to be better than the lost brother..(in his own eyes). Our Father wants to see us take advantage of our status as his child.....to put to use and enjoy the benefits bring his children....or are we too busy (self absorbed) to see the big picture here? As children of the Father...we are sanctified, holy, we are his Glory.....so why do we scurry around trying to earn an inheritance we have already been given? That inheritance isn't ours to earn...it came as a gift! We own it...so why don't we put it to use!
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