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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the parable of good samaritan is very interesting topic because what good deeds do we want to do is in the topic.and we know that love is very important in this world and without this is everywhere is chaos.
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I hope by now you have found some of the peace you were seeking. I never understood the parable of the prodigal son until I had one. The argument of the dutiful son always made sense to me. But now that I have a younger child who has gone off to waste and destroy his God-given talents through drug abuse, crime, problem relationships...I fully understand how gladly I would celebrate his return to us, not expecting any favored treatment from us. All the time I love both my children, but more of my prayers have been for the wayward one. The celebration would be for the answer to my prayers.
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Hello!
How are you?
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In the postings found below I’ve extracted many different ideas out of the teachings of the Kingdom that are true and hold water all throughout scripture. But as of late I’ve been getting something that I feel is even more profound then anything I’ve laid down as yet. I think if you get this it will answer a lot of questions as to why we aren’t getting anything from God and why we are so barren spiritually.

Christianity was to be a message of power, resurrection life and of totally victory over death. And yet we don’t even have the bark of a chewawa when it comes to having any kind of influence in this world. Pardon the expression but man have we been impotent. Consider what I’m about to say and just see if you can see why our prayers are misdirected or that the connection with heaven is never made.

Quite often in writing about the teachings of the kingdom I try to ride the words of Christ as much as is possible. And yet I think there is one area that it would do me well to sever off from them and to put them in my own words.

I’m talking about the usage of the word “heart” vs. “spirit”. Why would this be important? Consider these two scriptures and just see if contradicting ideas don’t surface.

There is a scripture in the Bible that says that God will “write his laws in the fleshy tablets of the heart”. Now look at something that Jesus said:

John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Luke 24:39
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Can you see how that even though the terms spirit and heart are quite often used interchangeably, in some instances they shouldn’t be?

What I’m getting at is this. If our perceptions concerning the word heart are that it is somehow tied to the flesh then we are bound to have missed the spirit which Jesus said doesn’t have “flesh and blood”. It’s like an email that ends up in cyberspace instead of getting to the person that we are sending it to.

“OH, THAT’S REDICULOUS” YOU SAY. “THAT’S THE DUMBEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE”.

Is it really? When was the last time you had a prayer answered? “Forty years ago” you say. I REST MY CASE. Isn’t it clear that God is holding us to a higher degree of accuracy in spiritual matters these days? Remember, we are the ones who can use computers, text messages, download music to I pods. Some of us can get pretty snooty about techy things if we’re asked the wrong questions. Jesus said “with what measure you mete it will be measured unto you”. That means what you put in is what you get out. And it’s quite clear that God is saying to us “if you would put one iota of interest into spiritual things like you do that tech stuff, then maybe you’d get somewhere in your spiritual life”. FUSHTANE? (Do you get it?)

Let’s continue.

Could it be that all of this talk about “hidden” things, “secret” things, things “spoken in darkness”, “mysteries”, could all of these sayings be fingers so-to-speak that are pointing to the human spirit? Isn’t the human spirit a mystery of sorts? You can’t locate it. It’s subconscious. You can’t feel it. Don’t we have some ninety percent of the human brain that we don’t use? Could that be a reserve for when we revive the human spirit? Maybe it will come back on-line. The book of James says that God is the father of “spirits”. Are you a spirit? If you can read this I would submit that you are. The problem is that our perceptions about spiritual matters are all over the board. We never do isolate the part of us that runs the show. Kind of like the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. “DON’T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO HIM”. Yea it’s YOU ya turkey!

The reason why it’s important to isolate the human spirit is because that’s where faith comes from. It’s the place where we either believe or fear.

GOD IS A SPIRIT. To contact God we have to use our spirits. I’ve totally replaced the use of the word heart in prayer with the word spirit. It’s making a difference.

In Luke 17:21 Jesus said.
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Have you ever looked at this scripture and thought WELL WHICH IS IT? DO YOU BIND ON EARTH OR DO YOU BIND IN HEAVEN?
Why does it matter? Because one will work and the other won’t. It’s these kinds of things that are defeating us, and we only have ourselves to blame. We’re just not a very diligent people. We’re content in living lives that make the word of God a lie (there is no power, no answer, no Holy Spirit-nothing). But things are changing. If you’re reading this there is a good chance that you too might be looking for answers.

When Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within you, might he have been referring to the human spirit and that how it’s already separate from the realm of the natural? In other words, to affect the world around you, you must approach the Kingdom of God that abides within. IT’S YOUR SPIRT. Your spirit will abide after your body is lying in a coffin holding its breath. But when we use the word heart, the whole matter gets washed out and we never do isolate the spirit.

So then, we bind satanic forces IN OUR SPIRITS. We loose the things that we desire to enter our lives IN OUR SPIRITS. Our spirits subsequently shine these bindings and loosings out onto the picture screen of our lives. I will admit, I never thought that this scripture worked (binding and loosing). But then, I thought that you were to look out at the world and bind it in the world. NO, IT’S ALL DONE IN THE SECRET PLACE. The secret place is a metaphor for going into the realm of the spirit and establishing things there. THEN they show up in our lives. To attempt to affect the flesh or the world around us by the perception that we are dealing directly with it, is as foolish as using the word “manifestation” in prayer. DON’T DO IT. IF YOU DO YOU’VE BEEN DUPED BY THE DARK SIDE. That word doesn’t belong in your prayer life. It’s attempting to change things illegally. You’ll open the door to the adversary.

Our spirits are a place that Satan wants direct access to. But we are the only ones who have the “KEY” (as in “keys of the kingdom”). We set things there (establish). Then it’s just a waiting game. When you deal with your spirit your dealing with power, and there are checks placed on the system whereby the only things that get in there are due to either determination, or unreasonable hardheadedness-as in the person who reaped tragedy as a result of stubborn rebellion.

Proverbs 4: 20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the ISSUES OF LIFE.

When we use the word spirit in our prayer time as in “I bind the powers of darkness in my spirit, and I loose all of heaven in my spirit”, we are entering a realm that God has given us legal access to. The realm of the spirit is subject to different rules. In essence, what God says goes. It’s the sole truth. Nothing in the world can call it into question. But that’s the place where the Kingdom of God abides. Solomon said “the spirit of man is the candle of the lord searching all the inward parts of the belly”.

USE THE WORD SPIRIT NOT HEART IN PRAYER. You’ll be putting your finger right on the pulse of the issue. The power button.

The treasure that Jesus spoke of is the spirit of man. It’s the thing that at the time was a tremendous mystery. But when we hide things there, or bind or loose things there, truly it is the incubator or the loading dock that eventually ejects things into our lives.

If nothing else I think that this generates “kingdom thinking”. God bless you in your endeavors.

Tell no man.

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god is telling us as christians to leave out of the church go to the homeless ,the projects your friends and invite them to your church so they can hear and recieve the word of god !
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i love the prodigal son parable. to me, the brother is all of us...jealous, miserable, our own obstacle to enjoying the things before us. he was so resentful of his brother's forgivenss that he could not enjoy the party. he, like us, was given all god things by his father. but he lost the appreciation for those things because all he could see is that his brother got the recognition and celebration. he forgot about his time wiht the father, being fed and cared for and clothed.
aren't we like that when someone repents? we say " good" but maybe we feel that they don;t really deserve God's mercy. that makes us like hte brother.
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What do you think the symbolism of the water is?I think its truth Gods word that the rich man didn't seek while here .I believe the rich man was "saved" but it recieve judgement for a time maybe 1000 years if he was really in what we see as hell why would he want just a taste of cool water? Just a though I going to study it out and would be interested in what others see from the scripture.
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Maybe the question is not so much a matter of when to ask, but whom to ask. I mean, does the father: a) validate the son's complaint?, b) respond to it epathically or sympathetically?, or c) admit the wrong and try to right it, e.g., "Hey, I hear you. Today we celebrate little bro, but tomorrow, it will be all about you."

Maybe, sadly, the dad is not far long enough in his receovery process, as an emotionall abusive parent, to see offer emotinal presence to his son. I mean, does he? he may be working out so much guilt for his faiures as a pop, the ones that the little bro's flight brought to the fore of his consciousness, that he cannot take on another breach or boken relationship. One breach at a time. That dad, I feel for him; he's got to be grieving and doin' a lot of make up for lost time. OR, he may be a changed man.
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I've recently seen some facetious replies to this perfectly serious question by people who obviously dismiss the whole story as a fiction. Wrong! Back in the 1970s I spent several years researching the identity of the Prodigal and privately published a book on the subject (Brussels, 1981, in French). There seemed to be several approaches to the problem, some starting at the family end (stories of exultant fathers, calves unexpectedly killed, jealous brothers etc., possibly legal documents relating to the original unconventional division of the property), others at the "far country" end (stories of extravagant strangers, records of itinerant Jewish labour). The problem is, of course, that the documentary record for any of this is very patchy. For example, I found a possible 882 pig breeding farms where the prodigal might have worked, but only 17 (SEVENTEEN) had any surviving labour records. However it as while examining some pig farming records in the National Archives of Syria that I found what I believed, and still believe, to be a possitive identification. Another resercher was working on prostitution at around the time of Jesus, and shared some notes with me. I was *thrilled* to discover that he had found a kind of diary kept by a prostitute called Lilia in Damascus (really a client record with comments). Several records referred to a Jewish stranger who had recently come to the area and was spending lavish sums of money on parties and women. Lilia seems to have been a little bit in love with him, and included more details than usual: she says he was short, but strong and aggressive-looking, and most importantly that "he had had his inheritance." She records his visits for 6 months, then he is mentioned no more. HOWEVER she mentions chronic food shortages just after the last reference to the Jewish stranger. These facts fit the Biblical account of the prodigal son so well that I think it 99.9% certain that it was him.
But his name? That's still a bit of a problem, as Lilia seldom referred to her clients directly by their names. And on only one occasion (in what remains of her "diary", which has several missing pages) did she actually refer to the Jewish stranger by name, and there, as bad luck would have it, the manuscript has been torn. The first part of his name can be read however, and it is "Ron...". There are several possible names of the period, all discussed in my book. As further information is unlikely to be forthcoming I suggest that we simply call the prodigal "Ron", though.
Your readers may be interested to know that I am now writing a book identifying the Good Samaritan. I hope to publish this in English, and possibly to make parts of it available on the internet. There is still a huge amount of reasearch to be done identifying the persons in the parables.
Peter

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And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.


I think Jesus might be talking about other than an Earthly fold here. He could be acknowledging lineage other than Adams, which he is the God of. It might be something worth considering.

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I agree with Jason Ward's comment about the background of wedding ceremony that happen at that time.

I believe the the Lamp represents faith. And of cousre our faith comes from hearing the Word (Romans 10:17)

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

which makes me to think that the oil is the hearing the message.

People become christians by starting to hear the message. Personally I believe hearing message is different from hearing the word of Christ. Many people comes to church and read bible but don't hear the message, which also don't produce faith in them.

I believe the foolish virgins are the ones who stops hearing the message though they did in the beginning, which of course brought them to new life through grace. This also makes me to think of the parable of sower, third kind of seed were choked by life's worries and etc...

Just my opinion.. :-)
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Sandals in the Bible are connected with the feet. Feet are connected with the WALK. The father is interested in our walk. The son was obviously barefooted. His feet/walk were exposed to stones, glass, injury of all kinds whilst unshod. When we are not walking with God, our feet, our lives are exposed to the pains which are caused by sin and transgression. When our feet, our walk is protected by the sandals we can walk in a way that is pleasing to our father. Sandals represent protection for the feet, a renewed walk, walking on a right path. See Psalm 1.

Paul also spoke of the feet being shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. See Ephesians 6. There we can relate to the need for the feet to be prepared to walk or run with the gospel message. Without feet that are properly shodden or covered, they too will be exposed to the harshness of the road. It won't be long that we shall not be able to walk with the gospel. We need help.

We need to have feet that are properly prepared for the journey, wether the Christian life or the gospel.

How beautiful are the feet of them the publish the gospel of peace.
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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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Sounds like you're grinding an ax with a church leader somewhere. May I recommend you handle it the way Jesus told his disciples to deal with the offended Pharisees?

"Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. LEAVE THEM; THEY ARE BLIND GUIDES. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Matt. 15:13,14)

Make your appeal to the flock and leave corrupt leadership to the wrath of God (if in fact they really are corrupt). Those who have ears to hear and eyes to see CANNOT be mislead by false--or as you call them--"evil servants". How can someone who sees be lead around by someone who cannot see? And that's Jesus's point exactly. He didn't get overly concerned about the wolves in sheep's clothing. Neither did Paul. They both warn us of their presence, but Paul reminds Timothy that even though false teaching "destroy(s) the faith of some...Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his...'" (2 Tim. 2:18,19)
Take comfort in that.

I'm guessing there is a lot more going on here than we readers know about. I don't know exactly what the contention is you're having with this paster in Illinois, and I don't want to know, but let it go and be careful to "not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses." (1 Tim.. 5:19). Truthfully, warning the world about a leader in faraway Urbana, IL will only serve your own purposes and not those of the world-wide body of Christ (unless he has a world-wide ministry).

Don't resort to rebuking an elder by name on a public forum without witnesses, much prayer, and a sober investigation of your own motives.
It's amazing how personal agendas motivate some of our so-called Christian duty. Often it is pride or envy disguised as zealous Christian duty. Let love be your guide as you examine the teachings of Christ and the example he has left recorded for us in scripture.

A good example of a mis-guided agenda could be this issue of giving that Jesus addresses in the scriptures. Nobody could argue with his desire for all of us to be hilariously generous with our worldly wealth. Like other things the Lord wants us to do (witnessing, giving, praying...) someone will come along who doesn't struggle with one of these and is quite productive in them. So now his life's mission seems to be to beat the rest of us Christians over the head with what that person now feels is the essential command of the scriptures--essential because he feels it so strongly in his own life and is so good at it.

It can be, for instance, a veiled form of pride. A way of boldly standing up and saying "look what a generous giver I am". We resort to condemnations, heaping heavy loads onto the backs of other believers, and not lifting a finger to help carry those loads. In effect saying, "I did it, so can you!" The self-righteous pride of glorying in one's service to God, as if they did it all by themselves, comes out in criticism and condemnation of those who don't do it like you, or to the same extent. In this example the exhortation to give, looks righteous, but is really motivated by the ugly sin of PRIDE! There is NO reward waiting for that work!

Anyway, I've learned alot about myself through this kind of self-examination. Maybe it will be helpful to others too--help to discern the true will of God for specific areas of our lives guided by the pure love that God has.

I'm flipping over to your words about the Luke 16 parable to learn more about the role of the rich man. I don't quite understand your pitch, but before I ask anymore I'll check out your statements, and because this page is dedicated to the parable of the talents.
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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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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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I heard that the mustard trees bark is petrified and has a dew that keeps insects away from sheep. That when a goat gets under the mustard tree that same dew will drive them mad and they will ram the tree until they die. That there are only 2 things that grow under it, one the Rose of Sharon, and two a weeping willow (humility). Has any one else ever heard of this?
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THE SPIRITUAL EXPLANATION IS THIS. A PERSON WHO LOVES HIS MAKER FATHER-GOD FOR HIM MONEY MATTERS PROPERTY JEWELS BONDS THE RICHES THAT WORLD GOES AFTER ARE NOT IMPORTANT AFTER-ALL ALL ARE CLASSIFIED AS MAMMON PERIOD. MOST IMPORTANT PART OF HUMAN LIFE IS WE ARE STEWARDS THAT MEANS WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AFTER THE CREATIONS, LOVE AND RESPECT HIS CREATIONS AND HAVE COMMUNION WITH OUR MAKER FATHER-GOD ALL THE TIME. WE HAVE TO BE SMART NOT DUMB NOT ANTI-CREATION WHICH IS ANTI-LIFE THEREFORE ANTI-GOD THEREFORE THE BEAST. WE HAVE TO MANAGE THE RESOURCES WITH WISDOM. SHARE CARE COMPASSION FORGIVENESS AS JESUS SAID AND PRACTICED TO THE END WHEN HE WENT TO THE CALVARY AND SAID "IT IS FINISHED" AND WHAT IS FINISHED THE WORK FATHER-GOD WANTED AND HE BECAME THE SACRIFICE, SHED HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD GAVE HIS LIFE WILLINGLY TO WASH THE SINS OF THE WORLD THOSE WHO WHERE SACRIFICING OTHER CREATIONS FOR THEIR SINS AND FINALLY SO BELIEVE JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD WHO HAS TAKEN THE SINS OF THE WORLD "FATHER FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO" AND SEE THE RESULT THAT OUR LORD IS ALIVE AND WELL SITTING ON THE RIGHT HAND OF OUR FATHER-GOD WITH ALL THE ENEMIES AS FOOTSTOOLS AMEN. JESUS CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD AMEN BECAUSE HE PRACTICED ALL SCRIPTURES TEACHINGS PERFECTLY BUT HE ALWAYS PRAYED COMMUNED WITH THE FATHER-GOD THE GOD OF ALL GOOD CREATIONS THE MAKER, THE FATHER OF ALL WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, GOD ALMIGHTY IS THE ULTIMATE FATHER OF ALL CREATIONS AND HE IS THE LIVING GOD THE GIVER OF LIFE IN ALL CREATIONS AMEN. IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE FOR OUR BEING IS IN HIM AMEN. GOD IS CLOSER THAN OUR BREATH AMEN. THANK-YOU FATHER-GOD FOR EMMANUEL GOD WITH us AMEN
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"It seems by the way Jesus told the story, that one need not be a christian to inherit eternal life. "

True, by the parable alone it does seem that way. But remember the context. The original question was in verse 25 where a teacher of the law tests Jesus:

"Master, what have I to do that I may have eternal life?" (BBE)

Then Jesus gets him to answer his own question in verse 27:

"Have love for the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and for your neighbour as yourself." (BBE)

Jesus basically says 'yep, that's it.' And then I think the teacher feels a bit embarassed so he asks "And who is my neighbour?" (BBE) Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

All that to say: The parable of the Good Samaritan does not answer "How shall I have eternal life?" It answers "Who is my neighbour?"


In regards to eternal life, I think anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, came to Earth and died for our sins would agree that part of loving Him includes accepting the forgiveness He offers us and following Christ and His teachings.

Jesus did say "judge not, lest you yourself be judged." But He also said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one gets to the Father except by Me."


Please let me know if you believe I've left something important out or misinterpreted something.

--Peter

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I have traveled the Country and always heard the same interpretation of the Mustard Seed and never say one mention above (unless I just missed it). There are many times people feel down but if they can maintain their faith, even if it feels so small, small as a mustard seed, God will always be there to grow that faith into the largest of seed baring plants. If you want to debate herbs, plants and trees, go nuts (no pun intended). The importance of the parable is that God is there-Always. Keep the faith, even when it seems unbearable, He will grow your faith to the largest.
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The scripture I used, as (11Thess-3-12) should have been (11Thess-2-3-12)
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In Mark 11:23-24 Jesus said:

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

I have already submitted that the very thing that we are cultivating in Mark Chapter four is faith or belief. If the same word or idea found in Mark 11:24 is “believe”, then couldn’t we overlay the teaching template or matrix-so to speak-of Mark chapter four’s teaching, over this scripture, to gain some enlightenment into what’s being said?

If you do a translation comparison amongst many translations you will find that in some translations they use the expression “believe you receive it” (present tense). Others use the expression “believe you HAVE received it” (past tense). So which one is it? And might it be explained by the idea of farming or sowing and reaping? (Parable of the sower, Mustard seed etc.)

This has bothered me for a long time because I couldn’t rectify there being any similarities between the two. And something so important as the scripture by Jesus instructing us as to how to get our prayers answered; must be clearly understood. Doesn’t it?

Consider if you will that this might be what’s going on here. Notice in verse 24 the expression “when you pray”.

Might a farmer when planting his field (at that very point in time in which the seeds hit the soil) be doing the natural equivalent of the spiritual idea of “believing”-present tense? Could Jesus be saying that we are planting something when we “believe” it- present tense? Might we be doing the actual planting of the seed of Gods word, when we say in prayer “I believe it”, “ I receive it by believing it”, “now”?

Now, back to the “when you pray”. Might this expression be a TIME STAMP? Which endorses our petition, locking it in at a certain time and place? And if this scripture has within it this “time stamp”, and the flow of time is heading into the future, can you see how that the time stamp now falls in the PAST after we’ve prayed? (It now becomes past tense.) With every second after we’ve prayed-BELIEVING, for us to keep the time stamp valid and the continuity of this scripture valid, then we would have to change our confession to past tense. Or the time stamp is nullified and our seed ruined or kept from growing. (The scripture ceases to be applied).

Isn’t this what farmer’s do?

What if you noticed every three days a farmer out in his field RE-planting his crop? Would he ever come to a harvest? I submit NO. A farmer has to get the planting of his crop behind him for the year and then he can expect the seed to grow. And yet our NOT CHANGING our confession from I “believe” present tense, to “I have believed” past tense, is the very thing that our hearts hear as a mixed message (The word is being sown in our hearts). Not to mention violating of the conditions of the scripture.

We have to “believe” (confess out loud before God, in the secret place of our prayer closet-NOT before men. “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you might SAY… Verse 23, whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain…) that God grants us what we pray for “when we pray”, then change our mind set allowing the time stamp to lock that prayer in time thus drifting into the past tense. To pray again in the present tense resets the time stamp and we start the growing cycle over, forfeiting the time that we spent waiting for the growing cycle to be completed. We could do that forever never receiving a thing. Does that sound like anybody that you know? Me too! (We won’t say whom.)

When farmers come in from the field HAVING planted their seed for the year, they probably say, “I’m glad that’s done”. They crack open a cold one knowing that the reaction between the ground and Gods unique creation, the seed, will shortly go to work causing a crop to begin to grow. How does he know? It’s been written in nature from the beginning of time. Seeds just grow. They’re miraculous. The thing that causes them to grow is the fact that he’s a descendant of his forefather seed, the one that God spoke to in Genesis commanding them to GROW. If you understand this alone, you will see how farmers are cultivating Gods word without even knowing it (their literal miracles-LITERAL).

The apostle Paul said in Corinthians that the seed has to die first before it will grow. And there is no life in it at the time it’s planted. Where does the life come from? Apart from Gods word-I don’t know. But they grow.

If you remember anything that I have written remember this: We receive from God in the present tense, NOW. We received Gods word by believing it (learn to use that word in prayer, your head my not understand it but your heart does) present tense-NOW.

But for this scripture to remain applied, and to not violate the time stamp that we applied at the time of prayer, we then must allow it to slip into the past tense and KEEP it there. Any pulling it out of the past tense (“I HAVE receivED it”, “when I believED it”, “when I prayed”) cancels out the scripture. Your violating the “when you pray” time stamp that we endorse our prayers with.

According to scriptures all of Gods promises are written in the past tense, indicating that he’s already provided whatsoever things we ask-BELEIVEING. We engage our faith for them when we “believe” them (accept, plant, hide, bury, keep secret).

If done properly, with the course of time (the growing cycle needs to be completed, patience is required) our heavenly father will reward us openly for the things we planted in prayer when we believed.

Believe, plant, and reap, may your joy be full!


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Can anybody offer anything in way of how we plant this mustard seed? If we are going by faith and there is no evidence to support that it really got planted, then it seems to me that it would be imperative that we know exactly how to do it. Wouldn't it? If were judged according to the fruit that we produce by the planting of this seed, then wouldn't everything START with that knowledge? Is that not a valid question? Am I missing something? Does anybody know?
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To Lucius,

The Holy Spirit has caused me to consider the brother who stayed home with the Father. For years I thought the brother's indignation was justified. Jesus was speaking to the Pharasees when teaching this parable. So I must consider am I like the Pharasees? If I take the side of the brother who stayed home then I do not have a tender heart for the lost. Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. If the brother cannot even love his brother and celebrate his return how can he love his neighbor.
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Yes, the symbolic name of the younger son is Ephrahim. The older's name is Judah.

Selah,
Donimus
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I believe your third explanation about Matthew 13:22 and what type of person this is, is not entirely correct. I believe they have indeed recieved the spirit and do have understanding. But the choking of the word or known as quenching of the Spirit, is done because of their cares for the world. They would rather indulge than follow the spirit in their heart therefore they choke him off from flourshing.
Like Paul says Don't take your liberty as an occasion to sin. That is this person. Thankyou for your comments on this though. I am sorry to see of the painstaking process you have had to endure. This is the patience and endurance of the Elect (Saints). God has blessed you with redemption friend what more do we need from this world.

Brother in Christ

James
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I am currently doing a paper, for school, on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I do not have much background in Christianity. I am to write a Modernized version of this parable and would greatly appriciate any advice or suggestion that you have.
Thank-You
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No. They wer bridesmaids. Read about Eastern marriage customs.
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pls. give me an ending to the parable of good samaritan!
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The fig tree without fruit represents our fruitless life. The leaves represent the word of God. You see we can have a lot of word in us but not produce fruit. The word of God in us has to be watered, birth in our spirit and then preached to the people. When the Lord told the man that he was going to cut the tree down and the man told the Lord no give me a year I will dig it up and fertilize it this reminded me of how Jesus interceeds on our behalf. Even Moses interceeded for the people of Israel when they were worshipping the golden calf. Even though this was a tree the man loved that tree and he knew that if he was given the chance to dig up the ground and fertilize it there would be fruit the following year. This is the same love the Lord has for us he always gives us a second chanc
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Dear Kathleen,

I am also a CGS catechist and am looking for a photo of a mustard tree that would be appropriate to use with the children. If you have anything like this, sould you mind forwarding? Thanks! Nadine
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barren people should most definatly not die, that is just ridiculous! the parable of the withered fig tree, means not the people who are barren, must die, for all humans must die eventually. but rather that those who do not produce christian fruits must die. not even necessairly die, but they will be cut off from the kingdom of Heaven. we must bare the fuits of our christian nature in our everyday life. if we truly love god he should be an important part of our life, and should shine through us.

Tricia Wieske
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(Mathrews-13-22) He that receives the seed (Word of God) among the thorns is he that hears the Word: and the CARES OF THE WORLD, and th DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES, choke the Word and he becomes UNFRUITFUL!
(39) The ENEMY that sowed them is the DEVIL: and the reapers are the angels.
Again, we look at a Lost deceived World, on it's way to Hell, that Christ loved so much, that He gave His life that man might be saved, and all you can do is keep knocking for Riches!! Pray tell me, what do you think He still OWES you?
Again I will say, You are walking on dangers ground! You gave me until Friday, for a list, what happens if God should require your soul before Friday? Would you be ready?
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Please send me a picture of a mustard tree/plant. I need it for church. Thanks, HEIDI
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The man who left Jerusalem and started out on his way to Jericho is a picture of a man who is leaving the presense of God (Jerusalem), and is going downhill or backsliding to the fleshly way of life (Jericho), a city that was known for its immorality. When he started down the dangerous path of backsliding, he left himself open to thieves and robbers, a type of spiritual wickedness and demonic activity. He was pounced upon and robbed. The first things the thieves took from him was his robe, a type of the robe of Christ's rightousness. While he lay at deaths door on the backslidden path, a priest walked by. The priest is a type of "religion". When your soul is in desperate need of a touch from God, "religion" is worthless. Your religious tag is of no value whatsoever. The priest, or "religion, passed the wounded man by. Then a Levite came by. A Levite was a lawyer. When your desperate and out of touch with God, the "law" can't save you. The law is good, but only for letting you know you are a sinner. The law can't save you. The Levite walked on by. Then came the Samaritan. The Samaritan's were mongrel Jews. They were Jews who had married with other nationalities. The Jews were commanded not to do that, so Samaritans were outcasts. The Samaritan is a perfect type of Christ, because you see, Jesus was also somewhat of a mongrel. If you read his geneology, you will find Rahab the harlot mentioned, as well as Ruth. These women were not Jewish by blood, but had married into the Jewish race. ---------let me inject here that interacial marriage has never been contrary to God's Law except for the Jews, and that only because of God's Divine Purpose for the Jewish people and the Jewish nation for the reconciliation of all things-----------The Samaritan, or Jesus in type, placed the injured man on His jackass and took him to the Inn, a type of the Church. The innkeeper (a type of the five ministry-pastor) was told to take care of the man and the Samaritan (Jesus), paid the price for his care.
The man of Law was being taught by Jesus through this parable that the Samaritan, the man of grace, was his neighbor. In salvation, the law is very important because it convinces man of sin. Religion is important, if it is pure and undefiled religion. But we are saved by Grace through faith and that not of ourselves lest any man should boast, but it is the gift of God.
One of the most important points in the story is the fact that the Samaritan (Jesus), placed the wounded man on his jackass. The jackass is a type of you and I, average joe Christian. God wants us to be obedient in going into the highways and hedges and compelling souls to come. The jackass followed Jesus and took the injured man to church so he could be placed in the hands of the five-fold ministry and be healed mentaly, physically,and spiritually. I would encourage all of us to be jackasses for Jesus until his return.
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Hi there-- I am a saved person and born again-- however according to bearing fruit, well am i going to hell and don't know it, what i mean is this i don't pass out tracks and iam not a preacher but if th case arises i will speak up for Jesus i am not ashamed at all of the name of Jesus but i don't stand on corners and preach or things like that.


Larry
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This is so true. this is a perfect parable to relate to life today. when we sin we have to go through the consequences of that sin but we can still go to our father in heaven and ask his forgiveness. i just wanted to give up major props to you, this is one of the best articles i've ever read on this subject! Thank you.
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Both the evil servants in charge of their flocks of Christians and the lazy servants in the pews will be judges to a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 24:51, 25:30 ). Speakers of English have not the faintest idea of what this phrase might entail.

At best, some will weep bitterly while others gnash their teeth somewhat under the influence of outside, nighttime cold. Beware what this phrase might also mean....

The Russian language has an unusually nasty plan for dealing with tooth decay with "a mouthful of cavities and abscesses". Without modern dentistry, they would quit trying to save their teeth with cashews because spreading pus all around their mouths had become futile and fast around the clock. If they started to starve, they would gnash their teeth ***to bits and pieces*** and again be able to drink milk and eat pureed foods. If they had even one gene for Russian innate crying, once they got enough calcium phosphate in them, a third set of teeth would grow.

This third set is not a good set of teeth. It contains forty (40. ) teeth of far different sizes and shapes than the second set which was replaced. You cannot bite into an apple or a pear or a sandwich with the third set; apples and pears must be cored and sandwiches must be cut up into four, six, eight or twelve pieces because the incisors of the third set are small and week. The third set of teeth offers enormous bicuspids (side teeth) good for carrots, celery, whole walnuts, and crushing bones to extract the marrow. Worst of all, it demands an extremely large and incredibly ugly jaw so heavy as to make psalmists lament, "Lift up my head"-- a Hebrew idiom derived from people with the third set of teeth which came to mean "restore my former condition". Contrary to dentists' and orthodontists' and oral surgeons' pronouncements, there is no need to extract impacted teeth which are not causing problems; rather, by eating plenty of nuts, apples, pears, carrots, celery sticks, and seeds whole (with third teeth in front, apples and pears in sixths) with dairy products, the patient is actually able to grow the jawbone to accommodate all those teeth and straighten them out! With a mouthful of third dentition, the resulting face is incredibly ugly. Preserving a small face, there is nothing to be done about impacted teeth to avoid numerous needed extractions.

Yes, this is what "weeping and gnashing of teeth" might mean! If we were to read "gnashing of teeth" without mention of "weeping", its Russian translation would be the noun "skrezhet" or the verb "skrezhetat'". That is not a weepy word to the best of my knowledge. Jesus Christ, however, put "weeping" with "gnashing of teeth" to express the weepy word, definitely crying, "uvyadaniye" as a noun and "uvyadat'" or "uvyanut'" as verbs. Given in good dictionaries as meaning "to waste away" in reference to a person, this most extremely, incredibly shameful verb in either form in its most shameful sense as crying in the first person ("uvyad", "uvyanu yazF?", "uvyanyum' yazF", "yazF uvyadayu", etc.) refers to gnashing one's teeth to bits and pieces, in various tenses. I warn you that THIS suffering could befall the evil servants in charge and, later, lazy stewards from among the followers!

And now I warn you that many "evil servants in charge" and many "lazy stewards" will most certainly lose all their teeth through this judgement and be left to pray the psalmists' prayer, "Lift up my head." Surely the master, when he returns, will have obtained the authority to compel Badpastor to bite on steel pipes while he is flogged. The lazy stewards, far more numerous, may be in for this most awful fate, or they may be cast out where the evil servants suffer so horribly. Who will suffer what is unclear because Scripture only says "where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 24:51, 25:30 ) rather than a clear statement of "(he shall) weep and gnash his teeth". Yet I tell you, in order to make the Gospel ring true to the Russian people, there will be individuals among the evil servants in charge whose teeth are now sound yet shall be made to bite on steel pipe during their floggings and thus lose all their teeth. It is absolutely unsafe for us to run churches like evil servants in charge, and it is likewise absolutely unsafe for us in the pews without vast wealth of our own to ignore our stewardship even of our chances to befriend the rich folk of this world.

The message of gnashing one's teeth to pieces or of a mouth full of natural replacement adult teeth is admission of utter decadence and age. Nobody looks young with a third set of teeth. Still, Jesus accepts and accommodates them. Some of His disciples must have had feeble incisors of third dentition because He broke bread for them. To prepare bread for people with first dentition (baby teeth, milk teeth) or second dentition ("permanent" teeth, adult teeth), we usually slice it or find it already sliced for our convenience. As I conclude, please remember the incredibly severe risks inherent in evil servanthood and lazy stewardship and unfaithfulness in (with) the mammon of unrighteousness. God bless those who heed.

Yours in Christ,

+++Kevin D. Rosenberg

a martyr for continuing to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7, Greek )
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HI
i am doing this parable for a school essay

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This parable teaches us about non-judgemental love, about justice and mercy, humility and redemption. All three of the characters have a difficult problem to face, and the parable tells us the correct way to handle each. The prodigal son has to face his own failures and mistakes and sins without “giving up”, or ending his life. The parable shows him that the way to do this is to acknowledge his sins, ask forgiveness, and to surrender completely to God’s will for him. He did not put any conditions on his surrender at all, and that is what we must do also.
The “good” son must give up the notion that life is “fair”. We are not all given the same opportunities or talents or dispositions, and each must be grateful for what he has been given, rather than being angry that “I didn’t get a fatted calf…” The good son shows no understanding that he had those years of closeness with his Father and years of plenty while his brother was suffering in poverty, he only thinks of what he didn’t get. The parable tells us that to be happy we must be grateful for what we have, not envious or selfish.
The father in the story has to be able to “forgive and forget”. It would be so easy and natural for him to berate the prodigal son for all his failures, but instead the father’s love is openly displayed, spontaneous and genuine. He has more of a problem relating to the older son, but it is significant that he does “go out” to the 1st son, he makes a conscious effort to help the son understand his joy. Here again the father is not being judgemental of another human who is making a mistake in actions or attitudes, but is making a sincere and loving effort to reconcile with him also.
I want to be like this father in all I do, and I pray that I make the right choices in handling difficulties like he has.

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Although Jesus says through this parable that God will restore you to what you`ve been before you left, and I take by that he also means that the Holy Spirit will come and live in us once again. The Apostle Paul says that once we let go of the Spirit that gives life (i.e the Holy Spirit) it would be impossible to get it back. Would you please clear this out for me `cause I tend to find this confusing. Thanx
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I know what it is like to be the Prodigal child who is too ashamed to approach our Father's home...and yet, when my soul heard my Father's silent prayer calling me back; I ran.
Indeed my Father welcomed me, and blessed me incredibly...which only caused me to shed endless tears of gratitude...a very different person than I had been when I was a "loyal church member"...this time, each tiny gift of bread or water, each stone on my Father's property was sacred to me...this time I took NOTHING for granted. I was so thrilled to be in the presence of my Father's home once again.
However, my elder brothers and sisters could not help but whisper about me, and none visited my home when I lived nearby. This hurt deeply, but I could understand.
I continued to pray with tears of gratitude each day, in a way that I never knew how to pray before...over the years, my tears melted away the residue of resentment I felt towards my elder brothers and sisters in the church, and I began to feel deep compassion for each one of them... and found myself praying that my tears of gratitude and of repentance could be used by our Heavenly Father to wash away the resentment in my elder brother's and sister's hearts...so that there is no resentment or sense of separation left...so that we are of one heart in front of our Heavenly Father...
I pray this not only for my own situation, but for the drama of elder and younger brother being played out in the middle east right now. If the Jewish people has been able to recognize Jesus and to embrace him as the King of Kings (instead of killing him, as Cain killed Abel); Jesus would have unified the Jews and their brothers, the Palistines long ago.
I agree with the writer, that our Heavenly Father is looking for both brothers to love one another with tears of gratitude while in the presence of our Lord.
Thank you, and Happy Father's Day,
Annie
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can i request a picture of the mustard tree
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You're right. Salvation is enough to be ready. And you can't lose your salvation. That's why they call it eternal life. If a person could lose it then it wouldn't be ETERNAL LIFE; it would be TEMPORARY LIFE.
Being ready means being truly saved and not just going through the motions. It means being born again by the spirit of God.
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Interesting and varied comments thus far. I have given this parable some thought. I do not agree with the reverse parable conclusion. Jesus spoke to his audience in a way that they would understand. Servants or managers were entrusted to carry out the business of their master. Each of the servants were chosen to manage the talents according to their abilities. God does not entrust great authority and responsibility to a new believer.
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does not matter if p-son hated father, dont let hate scare ya it's normal
part of existence in material plane...from some angles we all hate that
we were thrown onto this plane thru no reckoning of our own, and
mostly coerced to accept or deal with it...if we're truly awake/aware
we're being the prodigal son/daugher/entity incessantly in each
here-now moment and so shaping our next moments - even the
luxury of having a little bit of clarity/real-consiousness doesn't
guarantee that we will be comfortably accepted, embraced, cared-for
by some (god, father, mamma) entity...but ownership of how this
parable can really work for you is reeeallly something!

it's neither good nor bad,only thinking tends to make it so.
all men wanna be better and aren't but for lack of knowing how.
this one can only suggest how you might: we get to being parts of
each other this way
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Incredible comments so far -- wonderful things to think about.

If I may, I would just like to point to something that I haven't seen addressed yet and wonder what it might lead to. In Luke 15 there are the three parables, Johnny Groda did a great job of highlighting that the parables were spoken to a mixed group. What I wanted to point to was something that is consistent with the first two, yet different in the third parable. In the first two, of this chapter, the focus of the message is on the subject of losing something and going to great lengths, even risks, to gain it back. The shepherd loses a sheep and leaves his flock to find it. The woman loses a silver coin and sets the others aside and goes through the whole house to find it. Something is lost and then searched for by the one who lost it.

The third, however, has nothing, or no one, searched for when lost. The prodigal son is lost but no 'shepherd' nor 'woman' searches for the son.

In all three, when what was lost was found again there was great celebration. In the first two, what was lost was more obvious, and they were searched for and found by the ones who lost them. In the third, however, what was truly lost? Who truly searched and found it? If all three are reflecting the same point, or issue, then in the third parable we should wonder to find that what was lost was searched for and found by the one who lost it.

Who, then, lost, searched and found?
What, then, was truly lost and then found again?


Peace

KB-
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Hey.
For a project I need to know the scientific name for yeast. No specific kind, just the scientific name for all yeast.
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[ Luke.16:13 ] [Bible] NewAmerican Standard. No servent can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth[cf.Luke:16:9].
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