#like. it HAD to be him *BECAUSE* he loved Jesus - none of the other disciples cared enough

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 3/26

What am I feeling today?

I’m in a bit of pain that’s been lasting for about four to five days now and I had hoped I’d have gone away by now but hasn’t. I’m also saddened by the bridge collapsing in Baltimore earlier today, could you imagine how terrifying that must’ve been? To be driving across a bridge, it’s breaking and collapsing, and then you and your car are plunged in the river below in the middle of the night, surrounded by darkness? It breaks my heart, that must be truly traumatizing and I pray that they recover everyone and that they’re all okay. On the bright side, I get to travel back to my home city again and I’m bringing one of my friends and niece and can’t wait to show them Pittsburgh! It’s always nice going back home🥹

Luke 11 NIV

(v. 2-4) “He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ””

Here’s Jesus giving us the example of how we’re supposed to pray. I don’t believe we are meant to say this word for word every time, more so to use it as a template. Praising God first and thanking Him for what He’s gone for us. Petitioning and making our requests before Him. And finally, forgiveness for our sins because even as disciples, we sin daily, none of us can say that we’re without sin.

(v. 9-13) “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I know that I ask God for a lot. Every day I present requests to Him but I know that I don’t actually deserve anything. Not to put my worry down or anything but God already gave us His son when she didn’t need to. That’s already a gift that we’re unworthy of but He gave Jesus because He loves us. And He’ll give us other things we pray for (as long as it honors Him) because He loves us. Also, in the verse beforehand, at the end of the parable Jesus is giving, he says that it’s given because of the man’s “shameless audacity” and honestly it made me laugh because it’s so true! Who are we that we feel we are in any position to ask God for whatever we want when we’re not even really worthy of life (but are now bc of Jesus).

(v. 24-26) ““When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.””

I think this is kinda terrifying, but also annoying. Terrifying in that even when the impure spirits leave us as we come into our lives with Christ, then be back and even stronger, with more wicked spirits. I say it’s annoying because they’re coming back, like come on! really? y’all can’t just leave us alone in peace but gotta keep attacking us? but, with the word of God and with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can resist these attacks and stand firm in our faith.

(v. 28) “He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.””

This! It is not enough to just listen to the word of God. We can listen to the Bible for every second of our life, but if we don’t do what it says, then it’s all been in vain. I think this myself sometimes, every day I sin and I’m aware that I don’t obey everything as I should. I can catch myself, and note where I need to improve, and make a daily effort, but I also know I’ll always fall short.

(v. 34-36) “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.””

I had a bit of a hard time understanding this so I went to some commentary for clarity:

Here Jesus addressed himself to correcting his hearers’ inability (through their sins) to appreciate truth, and to read God’s sign, when they should finally see it. It was not at all the nature of the sign that needed correction but the quality of perception in his sinful audience, the evil generation which confronted him.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Monday, March 4, 2024

february 20_march 4

Week of the prodigal son

ABBOT MACARIUS AND 34 MONKS AND NOVICES OF VALAAM MONASTERY MARTYRED BY THE LUTHERANS

In Memoriam: hieromonk Titus, schemamonk Tikhon, monks Gelasius, Sergius, Varlaam, Sabbas, Conon, Silvester, Cyprian, Pimen, John, Simonas, Jonah, David, Cornelius, Niphon, Athanasius, and Serapion, and novices Varlaam, Athanasius, Anthony, Luke, Leontius, Thomas, Dionysius, Philip, Ignatius, Basil, Pachomius, Basil, Theophilus, John, Theodore, and John (1578).

ST. BESSARION THE GREAT, WONDERWORKER OF EGYPT (466)

Saint Bessarion, Wonderworker of Egypt was an Egyptian. He was baptized while still in his youth, and he led a strict life, striving to preserve the grace given him during Baptism. Seeking to become more closely acquainted with the monastic life, he journeyed to the holy places. He was in Jerusalem, he visited Saint Gerasimus (March 4) in the Jordanian wilderness, he viewed other desert monasteries, and assimilated all the rules of monastic life.

Upon his return, he received monastic tonsure and became a disciple of Saint Isidore of Pelusium (February 4). Saint Bessarion took a vow of silence, and partook of food only once a week. Sometimes he remained without food or drink for forty days. Once, the saint stood motionless for forty days and forty nights without food or sleep, immersed in prayer.

Saint Bessarion received from God the gift of wonderworking. When his disciple was very thirsty, he sweetened bitter water. By his prayer the Lord sent rain upon the earth, and he could cross a river as if on dry land. With a single word he cast out devils, but he did this privately to avoid glory.

His humility was so great that once, when a priest ordered someone from the skete to leave church for having fallen into sin, Bessarion also went with him saying, “I am a sinner, too.” Saint Bessarion slept only while standing or sitting. A large portion of his life was spent under the open sky in prayerful solitude. He peacefully departed to the Lord in his old age.

1 JOHN 2:18-3:10

18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us-eternal life. 26These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

MARK 11:1-11

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. 3 And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here. 4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?" 6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:"Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' 10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

[irfire]

OK, wow do I want to talk about all the bible verses Tamsyn uses in her John chapters! But, first a disclaimer: I’m Jewish and have a pretty solid background in TaNaKh and Jewish textual criticism but basically none in Christian/second testament textual criticism. Despite my lack of knowledge in the second testament, I went through and collected each of the bible verses for each of John’s excerpts - along with in some cases relevant following lines - because I just... had to know.

Part of my fascination here is that in many of these verses, John’s experience parallels elements of Jesus’. But, the biblical John is a disciple, not a messiah-figure like Jesus. John blurs the lines between Earth’s disciple, and “god” figure himself. The blurring of the lines in Tamsyn’s verse choices are also particularly interesting following her most recent interview where she said she’s got like six christ characters all running around. Everyone is a christ figure - and they all do it differently. Even the characters that are supposed to just be a disciple find themselves trying to play at a christ or a divine story line. Anyways, what follows is all of the verses and some of my loose and chaotic thoughts. Curious what others are noticing. All translations are from the New International Version and compiled using Blue Letter Bible.

John 20:8 “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.”

Okay when I first opened the book and obviously googled this right away I got CHILLS. We open with a reference to reaching the tomb and believing. This both feels like it’s in reference to everyone seeing the Earth as a tomb and believing. As well as, of course, everyone who at the end of the book, will go to the tomb and believe. She begins, as always, foreshadowing the end. And I find that infuriating and incredibly metal of her.

John 5:20 “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.”

“Most of the bodies got the melt, like we thought they would... But, Harrow... all the ones I touched, all the ones I loved... they stayed incorrupti” (NtN 76).

Fascinated by what is either a careful writing choice, or a sloppy copy error to leave out the period after “incorrupti”. It’s as if Tamsyn whispers back at the scripture to add an ominous open ending to the “amazed”.

John 15:23 “Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.” And continuing to the next two lines “If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”

I’m still sitting with this reference. This is the chapter where U-- And T-- are renamed and John moves them from across the room. “If I had not done among them the words no one else did” feels tied here. John’s growing sense of self righteousness continues as he becomes more fanatic... curious what other’s think. It’s a juicy line and an intense chapter.

John 5:18 “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

This is the chapter where they stream John’s necromancy. His journey towards presenting himself publicly as a “god” begins in earnest.

John 8:1 “but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.”

This is the story that even I’ve heard about where a woman is brought before Jesus and accused of adultery while he is sitting at the courts and he says “let those who are without sin cast the first stone”. John is beginning to present himself as a savior - people come to see him for their sufferings and their problems. John moves further into the public sphere.

John 19:18 “There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”

“Anyway, we all had Interpol warrens... Anyone who wanted to go, I let them go (NtN, 220).” This is also where it becomes clear just how bad the situation is - the rich are leaving the Earth to be crucified. The lines are blurry between who is being crucified and is it the disciple, the executioner, or the divine being telling the story.

John 5:1 “Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.” Followed by 5:2 “Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.”

Tamsyn also mentioned Bethesda in her article, and earlier on John does seem to get into a kind of faith healing. But the chapter this verse titles is when John begins playing puppet master to a dead world leader in exchange for money and nuclear weapons. This feels like such a sinister perversion of the healing waters of Bethesda, and in many ways this chapter feels like the beginning of the end.

John 3:20 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” 3:21 continues “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

OOF. What a fuckin’ verse to pair with John going full necromancer while he’s nursing a nuke under his floorboards. WHOABOY.

John 9:22 “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.”

John does (his first?) mass murder. This is the moment of trial to his disciples. They are not thrown out, John manipulates them, and they stay.

John 1:20 “He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” … And a few lines following in John 1:23 “John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”

“I am not the messiah” titles the chapter where the bombs go off. The world is demolished - there is no going back. “I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, ‘make straight the way for the Lord’”.

The line from Isaiah quoted in John reads, reads: ק֣וֹל קוֹרֵ֔א בַּמִּדְבָּ֕ר פַּנּ֖וּ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יי יַשְּׁרוּ֙ בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה מְסִלָּ֖ה לֵאלֹקינוּ׃ “A voice calls out in the desert ‘Clear a way for G!d, straighten out a pathway for our G!d through the wilderness” (My translation).

OOF.

John 5:4 From Blue Letter Bible: “Some Greek manuscripts exclude this verse. The NIV related footnote for 5:3 states:

Some manuscripts include here: “wholly or in part, paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.”

From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. Alecto awakes. I wonder what disturbances and diseases she will take it upon herself to cure?

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

8th November >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Luke 14:25-33 for Wednesday, Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time: ‘Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish’.

Wednesday, Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 14:25-33 Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

Gospel (USA) Luke 14:25-33 Everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

Reflections (4)

(i) Wednesday, Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time

The opening words of Jesus about the need to hate parents, wife, children, siblings, in order to become his disciple sound very strange and jarring to our ears. It seems to be a Semitic way of expressing preference. If you prefer one thing over another, you are said to love the one and hate the other. Jesus is saying that our relationship with him is to be the primary relationship in our lives. He is to be preferred over all others. Earlier in the gospel, Jesus had said that the primary relationship in our lives is with God. It is only God who is to be loved with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength and all our mind. This love of God with all our being can be transferred to Jesus because through him God is visiting his people (Lk 19:44). We are to love Jesus in this unique way because this is the way that Jesus loves us. Jesus gave his body for us, his very self, on the cross (Lk 22:19). He asks us to give ourselves in love to him, even when this places us at odds with our closest blood relations (Lk 12:51-53). Jesus knows it is a big ask which is why we need to think it through, like the builder intending to build a tower and the king intending to go to war. Following in the way of the Lord, especially when it becomes costly, will always involve a degree of careful, reflective, deliberation. Yet, the Lord does not leave us to our own devices when it comes to answering his call to become his wholehearted follower. The Holy Spirit will always be given to those who ask for it (Lk 11:13) to empower them to become the Lord’s followers. The risen Lord promises to cloth us ‘with power from on high’ (Lk 24:49).

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time

The opening verses of the gospel reading this morning seem strange to our ears. Clearly, Jesus’ call to the crowds to hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters, is not to be taken literally. Earlier in Luke’s gospel, Jesus had called upon his followers to love their enemies, to bless those who curse them, to pray for those who treat them badly. Jesus embodies that teaching in his own life. He healed the ear of the enemy who had come out to arrest him; he prayed asking God’s forgiveness for those who were crucified him. In this morning’s gospel, Jesus is using deliberately exaggerated language to get across his teaching more pointedly. He is really saying that those who want to follow him will have to love him even more than they love those for whom they have the deepest natural affection.  As God’s representative, as God’s Son, Jesus alone is to be loved in the way that God is to be loved, with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. Nothing less will do for God or for God’s Son. Jesus seems to be saying that if we want to be his disciples, we can’t be half-hearted about it. Our following of the Lord is not a casual affair; it needs to be carefully considered, just as someone who decides to build a tower or to go to war needs to think it through thoroughly beforehand.

And/Or

(iii) Wednesday, Thirty first Week in Ordinary Time

The opening words of the gospel this morning seem very harsh and strange to our ears. Yet, we are dealing here with a Semitic idiom, expressing preference. If you prefer one thing, or even one person, over another, you are said to love the one and hate the other. Jesus is not calling on his disciples to hate their families, but to love him more than they love even their families. He is to be the primary love or the primary loyalty in our lives. Elsewhere in the gospel Jesus quotes what he terms the first commandment to love God with all one’s soul, strength and mind. However, because Jesus is God-with-us, to love God in this total way is to love Jesus in this total way. As followers of Jesus we are called to give him our primary allegiance; our relationship with him is to influence all our other relationships. Jesus calls for great loyalty and devotion. That is why he calls on potential disciples to think it through,  just as a builder has to think through whether he will be able to finish building the tower if he starts on it. We ask the Lord this morning to keep us whole-hearted rather than half-hearted in our following of him.

And/Or

(iv) Wednesday, Thirty first Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading today, Jesus tells two parables, the parable of the builder and the parable of the king marching to war. In both parables two men rush into some important enterprise without reflecting sufficiently on what they were about to undertake. Their action was not matched by a corresponding reflection and, so, they failed to complete what they began. Jesus seems to be suggesting that following him, becoming his disciple, requires us to be reflective as well as active, prayerfully reflective. We need to keep stepping back before setting out, or, in the language of the parables, we need to keep sitting down to prayerfully consider before launching forth. Following the Lord is not a casual affair, no more than building a tower should be for the builder or going to war should be for a king. We don’t remain the Lord’s disciple, we don’t persevere on that road, without prayerful consideration. Such prayerful consideration can take many forms; it might mean asking the Lord for the wisdom and courage we need to take the right path, his path. It might mean prayerfully entrusting ourselves to the Lord with all our heart, in the conviction that we cannot follow him perseveringly without the resources he alone can provide.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[llycaons]

ep17: lots of crying in this one. including me

this one is sad but kind of slow and I was hungry the whole time so now my best liveblog perhaps. the end REALLY got me. ough

this memory is so sad...look how happy and inventive he was! only to see his home destroyed and his efforts shat upon. also this name rules I love you wei wuxian's naming ideas

I was mean to jc earlier today so I will say now: this was a truly horrific thing for him to go through and wwx clearly is very concerned and gentle for him right now

that may be a reason they don't go to the meishan yu sect

also this drug is called hundred days drink! who knew. hope it split wen chao's head open

and this granny...WHO IS SHE! she's clearly alarmed by wwx trying to bow to her, her clothes are not too finely made, and she speaks of the jiang parents with respect, so I assume she's a servant of some type or maybe a family friend of a lower rank? I doubt she's their biological grandma, but she obviously knows the kids and is familiar enough to call them a-cheng etc...she can't seem to offer them much more than a brief safe place to stay. and we don't see her again! mysteries

imagine being wq in this moment seeing your younger brother has brought home three fugitive refugees and one of them is looking dead and the other one is looking really fucked up and like he could stab you and you know their home has just been destroyed by your sect but if you betray your leader your family will be murdered like jesus I do not envy her this decision and I appreciate the few seconds they lingered on her clearly grappling with it before ending - as we know she does - on the side of her principles

this cloak rules so much. I assume he just had extra clothes in his pouch but the idea of him going clothes shopping while his brother is dying is really funny to me. it's all shimmery too god I love his taste

THERE'S THAT DEAD-EYED STARE

one of those things that's fine in the moment but then you think about it and it's like. oof buddy. but I'm not criticizing jc here I think he should have room to feel what he feels and that's alright because what he's been through is really awful and he's actually not even violent towards anyone this ep for it he's just miserable and probably suicidal

and it's really sad!!! because if not for jc's birth he wouldn't have to worry about this. he's not...a strong person. he wouldn't recover from this. and he's young, that's not a bad thing or a reason to dislike him. but because of this weakness, wwx put himself through hell. and he doesn't even blame jc, not once! and that's just how it is! jc would have been so much happier as a normal person without these pressures but unlike wwx he couldn't adapt, and that's just. it's sad. none of them should have been in this position

god I know this is sad but I love his sockies so much. we never see anyone's sockies

what a nice smile!! wq is proud of her brother and loves him!

messy boy....

there's the facial hair. if you squint

sweetheart I know you're trying to help but I feel like reminding him that he's failing yet again to be a proper jiang disciple is not the most helpful rn

I love jyl so deeply and she does her best but I don't think all of her comforts are useful? I think she tends to reinforce a lot of the issues jc and wwx both have (you were born with a smiling face comes to mind) and that's not all her fault it's just that she had to raise her brothers and she's like. 19 or 20 and she doesn't always know the right thing to say. which is okay! she's a person, not a human-shaped manifestation of therapy. as is lwj which is the point of many of my posts about him at this point...and yeah on the other hand what else is she supposed to say? it's not like there's much that can help at this point

wwx getting so excited about lwj here is so sad....interesting that since leaving CR in the first arc, he's really only had positive things to say about it. he'll say, the food was nourishing, it has a wonderful library, it's a safe place. CR may be the last place outside of his home that he has good memories, where he was (relatively) safe and innocent and free. all those rules and punishments pale in comparison to the actual war he's undergoing now

I love this scene a lot...wwx is so quiet and tentative in admitting this - he never would to anyone else. jyl is special, he trusts her and she's honestly the only person he feels comfortable being this vulnerable with. and jyl's response isn't quite as direct as 'it wasn't your fault' which...it may have helped, maybe not. idk if it would have changed his mind about the core exchange later on. but she expresses that she cares about him no matter what, and that she loves him and doesn't want to lose him, and maybe that's all you can ask from a very young woman who's just lost her entire world besides these two boys

and jc crying hearing his siblings cry....dude

this shot is so important to me. wwx crying in his sister's lap is like. very sad but he NEEDS that catharsis and that comfort and she does too! she does too

here's jc now with the mustache. it looks slightly fake to me but what do I know

hard to see here but wq's desk is so neat. and wwx brought her food earlier, and put a blanket on her 🥺

see I know chengqing fans who are obsessed with how similar they are don't know what they're talking about bc in what universe does jc sit down and commit to aiding someone helpless like this

I had to cut some other pics for this next sequence but it's all really important imo

I fucking love that we see an actual image of the transfer. it makes the world feel even more real and lived-in. take a HINT, crazy ex-girlfriend

and this sequences here...wwx is so excited to find something, almost tears is open, he's smiling so big and then it slowly fades as he realizes what it will cost. this may be a quick decision for him, even an easy one, but it's not painless

this is the shot that had me tearing up over this scene. wwx looking up at the trees, the sunlight, basking in the day before turning to wq and asking her to do this for him. he knows he could die, and even if he doesn't it's a slow fadeaway. he won't be able to fly on his sword anymore, or spar with the person he was so excited to call his equal. he'll barely be able to defend himself. and he's feeling the full weight of what he's giving up, and it really hurts. he's been cavalier about his own death before, but I think this is the first time it really sinks in for him

and wq, asking him 'what about you?", I love her for that. she's one of the few who knows about this, and she wants wwx to think about himself as well

I think the way this was set up and shot made it very clear what was going to happen. I assumed that wwx gave up his core for jc and we just didn't see it, and because everything I saw seemed to support that then I was pleasantly surprised when the reveal rolled out

but you know, as much as this hurt wwx, I can see that he found an equivalency in it. it sucks that he feels like the massacre was his fault, and that he has to die for jc. but I can't see any way that could ever have been repudiated for him, and this is a very firm and final way to repay what he perceives as a debt. and of course he didn't want to leave the jiangs, but I think in the long run this decision allowed him to do a lot with a clean conscience. and that counts for something

personal highlights: haven't done these in a while

Lotus Wind Wine

those sockies

wwx being able to admit his fear about LP being his fault and crying it out with jyl. it's healthy!

scroll with the gc transfer images!

that shot of wwx looking at the trees. so gorgeous and heartwrenching

[writesaboutdragons]

Salvation, Pain, and Eternal Security is on my mind, thanks for asking.

It's tied around this guy, this show, and John MacArthur's message this morning on my way in to work. The question MacArthur raised was whether we could lose our salvation, and if so, how?

His message was around Romans 8, and if you've never read it, it's a great passage to read. It ends with this crescendo:

[Rom 8:38-39 NKJV] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So the question was raised, well, what about US? Can we fall away? Can WE cause the loss of salvation? After all, the news is full of stories of people who were IN the faith, from what we could see, spiritual leaders, artists and authors, who walked away from the faith. Doesn't that negate their salvation? Can I sin enough, or reject God enough, to be OUT of the faith again?

And what does this have to do with the guy in the picture?

Well, the image is from The Chosen, which my wife and I have been watching. it centers around the experiences and perspectives of the apostles and disciples following Jesus around, and it's very good. For those who care, yes, it IS a work of fiction based on truth, so although the main points and plots are scriptural and I have not seen anything that contradicts the scriptural account yet, there's added stuff to flesh this out, some borrowed from tradition and the stories from early extrabiblical accounts, and some made up.

I have enjoyed it very much and expect you would too. Many episodes have had my wife and I crying. It's moving.

(spoiler alert) An episode of the Chosen recently (3rd season) centers around Peter (in the picture) and a crisis of faith. I will not say what, but he's angry at Jesus. Not because he doubts who He is, but because he KNOWS who He is. Why didn't an omnipotent God in Flesh protect him from harm? (end spoiler alert)

MacArthur pointed out this as well. We all have moments where we have a crisis of faith - where we don't necessarily doubt God's GODNESS, but His GOODNESS.

Can we fall away by sinning, or rejecting God? Well, our sin was paid for at the cross. past, present, future. For Jesus, ALL your sin was in the future. But that doesn't give us license to just go out and sin more. Read Romans 6 if you need help with that...

Those who walk away, who reject Christ? I know this is painful for anyone who has done that, so my apologies in advance, but John makes it clear:

[1Jo 2:19 NKJV] 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but [they went out] that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

So, what is the litmus test for whether I (or Peter, or you) are in the faith?

Well, examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith. Do you love God? Does the reading of His Word make you want to hear MORE, or make you want to shut it off? Do you want to gather with other believers and share this faith, what God has done in your life, or do you hate going to church, and want to avoid it at all costs? Does trial and temptation drive you to pray, or drive you to sin?

It's pretty straightforward. We DO sin, we are TEMPTED to sin, and we CAN feed the flesh. We CAN desire to hide from God, or run from church, or stop our ears to the Word, or avoid prayer, because if you ARE a Christian, ALL of those things would convict you of the sin you are chasing. And that, too, can be a proof.

But, like Peter, I can't ultimately deny who He is, and when times are tough and trials come, I will remember the goodness of God and the marvelous loving things he has done in MY life, to carry me through the hard times that come.

[albertfinch]

INFLUENCING ETERNITY

Paul was not content to know he was going to inherit Heaven. He wanted to be a son of God and inherit the Kingdom on earth.

Philippians 3:12-14 - "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

God has called us to rule and reign with Him now while we are on earth and when we inherit Heaven, too. We are called to be the Bride of Christ.

1 Timothy 6:11-16 "...Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time – God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen."

Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Seek first the Kingdom of God. • If you seek with all your heart, you will discover God’s purpose for your life – NOW you SEE IT WITH YOUR HEART. • When you see with your heart, you will understand your identity in Christ.as you enter the Kingdom. • When you enter the Kingdom, you will bear fruit that remains for the Kingdom -- you will inherit the Kingdom. • When you inherit the Kingdom, you will pass it on to others by discipling them into their inheritance in Christ, their right standing with God, and walking in the Spirit, thereby advancing the Kingdom.

THE POWER TO INFLUENCE OTHER LIVES

Upon our death, the life we lived here on earth will influence eternity. Because of the Living Water flowing out of our life, our life affects the people around us..

Romans 14:7- "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself."

We are called to complete the race, to subdue the earth, to take DOMINION, and rule and reign with Christ to fulfill the original commission that was given to Adam and Eve, the first man in Genesis.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - " Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..."

Hebrews 12:22-23 - "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the Church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect."

Life is one test after another that prepares us for promotion.

Deuteronomy 8:15-17 -  "He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you."

The things we endure here on earth help to mold and make us into champions of God.

WE GO THROUGH TESTINGS

Jesus was able to handle rejection and disappointment without quitting and giving up. He had to go through the testings, trials and wilderness wanderings just like you and me in order to qualify for the power.  He had a destiny and a call to prepare for.

God is preparing us to rule and reign with Him forever.

God uses the trials, tests, disappointments, sorrows, grief, and painful failures in life.

He stretches us to the breaking point time and time again so we are able to hold more of His essence, and overcoming power.

God uses pressure to cause us to expand and be strengthened.

Spiritual opposition enables us to learn to defeat the enemy through different warfare tactics.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty through the Spirit of God.

We are called to stand up and fight and take the Kingdom by force.

Those that do not learn to war in the spirit and to use their spiritual weapons will not make it through the calamities and diseases that are coming on the earth.

We must learn to walk in the fullness of what God has given us (OUR CALLING IN CHRIST).

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[dfroza]

“The Spirit of truth will come and guide you in all truth.”

“We see now that You are aware of everything and You reveal things at the proper time.”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 16th chapter of the book of John:

Jesus: I am telling you all of this so that you may avoid the offenses that are coming. The time will come when they will kick you out of the synagogue because some believe God desires them to execute you as an act of faithful service. They will do this because they don’t know the Father, or else they would know Me. I’m telling you all this so that when it comes to pass you will remember what you have heard. It was not important for Me to give you this information in the beginning when I was with you. But now, I am going to the One who has sent Me, and none of you ask Me, “Where are You going?”

I know that hearing news like this is overwhelming and sad. But the truth is that My departure will be a gift that will serve you well, because if I don’t leave, the great Helper will not come to your aid. When I leave, I will send Him to you. When He arrives, He will uncover the sins of the world, expose unbelief as sin, and allow all to see their sins in the light of righteousness for the first time. This new awareness of righteousness is important because I am going to the Father and will no longer be present with you. The Spirit will also carry My judgment because the one who rules in this world has already been defeated.

I have so much more to say, but you cannot absorb it right now. The Spirit of truth will come and guide you in all truth. He will not speak His own words to you; He will speak what He hears, revealing to you the things to come and bringing glory to Me. The Spirit has unlimited access to Me, to all that I possess and know, just as everything the Father has is Mine. That is the reason I am confident He will care for My own and reveal the path to you. For a little while you will not see Me; but after that, a time will come when you will see Me again.

Some of His Disciples: What does He mean? “I’ll be here, and then I won’t be here, because I’ll be with the Father”?

Other Disciples: What is He saying? “A little while”? We don’t understand.

Jesus knew they had questions to ask of Him, so He approached them.

Jesus: Are you trying to figure out what I mean when I say you will see Me in a little while? I tell you the truth, a time is approaching when you will weep and mourn while the world is celebrating. You will grieve, but that grief will give birth to great joy. In the same way that a woman labors in great pain during childbirth only to forget the intensity of the pain when she holds her child, when I return, your labored grief will also change into a joy that cannot be stolen.

When all this transpires, you will finally have the answers you have been seeking. I tell you the truth, anything you ask of the Father in My name, He will give to you. Until this moment, you have not sought after anything in My name. Ask and you will receive so that you will be filled with joy.

I have been teaching you all of these truths through stories and metaphors, but the time is coming for Me to speak openly and directly of the Father.

The day is coming when you will make a request in My name, but I will not represent you before the Father. You will be heard directly by the Father. The Father loves you because you love Me and know that I come from the Father. I came from the Father into the cosmos, but soon I will leave it and return to the Father.

Disciples: We hear You speaking clearly and not in metaphors. How could we misunderstand? We see now that You are aware of everything and You reveal things at the proper time. So we do not need to question You, because we believe You have come from God.

Jesus: So you believe now? Be aware that a time is coming when you will be scattered like seeds. You will return to your own way, and I will be left alone. But I will not be alone, because the Father will be with Me. I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order.

The Book of John, Chapter 16 (The Voice)

A set of notes from The Voice translation:

As Jesus warns of the mistreatment His followers can expect, He disarms fears by noting the most important things. If the Spirit is within, there is no reason to fear. In fact, the church will thrive under persecution. Yet humans are obsessed with power and political prominence as a means to influence the culture. Christian citizens have an obligation to strive for justice and freedom through the transforming power of the Spirit in people’s lives. Rather than exerting temporal power, the real work of the Kingdom often thrives under fierce attack and opposition. Jesus announces this coming persecution to His followers, believing this will lead to their finest hour.

•

The promise of eternity is a reminder that God’s children are made for a renewed world. There is great comfort amid fear, knowing believers will be reunited with Jesus and joined with the Father. As believers labor together in this world—enduring pain, loss, and unfulfilled desires—they should be encouraged that in eternity all needs will be fulfilled in the presence of God.

Today’s paired reading from the First Testament is the 28th chapter of the book of Genesis:

Isaac called Jacob to him, blessed him again, and instructed him.

Isaac: You are not to marry one of the Canaanite women. Get up and pack your things, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel (your mother’s father), and find a wife there among Laban’s daughters. (Laban is your mother’s brother.) May the All-Powerful God bless you, make you fruitful, and multiply your descendants so that you will give rise to nation after nation! May God give to you and to your children in this inheritance all of the blessings of Abraham, so that you might someday possess the land where you now live as a foreigner—a land that was promised by God to Abraham.

So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah (Jacob and Esau’s mother).

Now Esau saw that his father, Isaac, had again blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to find a wife there, instructing him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He learned, too, that Jacob had gone there just as his father and mother both wanted. So, realizing his father did not like his Canaanite wives, Esau went to see Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael (Abraham’s other son) and the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife in addition to the two others.

Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. As dusk approached one day, he came to a place where he could stay for the night. He saw stones scattered all around and put one of them under his head; then he lay down to sleep. During the night, God gave him a dream. He saw a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached to the heavens. He saw some messengers of God ascending and descending on it. At the very top stood the Eternal One.

Eternal One: I am the Eternal One, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are now lying is the land I have promised to give to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as many as there are specks of dust on the earth. You will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. Through your descendants, all the families of the earth will find true blessing. Know I am with you, and I will watch over you no matter where you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all I have promised you.

The dream ended, and Jacob woke up from his sleep.

Jacob (to himself): There is no doubt in my mind that the Eternal One is in this place—and I didn’t even know it!

But even as he said this, a bit of fear came over him.

Jacob: This place is absolutely awesome! It can be none other than the house of God and the gateway into heaven!

So early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a pillar, and then poured oil on top of it to commemorate his experience with God. He named that place Bethel, which means “house of God.” Before that the name of the city had been called Luz. Then Jacob made a vow.

Jacob: If God is going to be with me, keeping me safe on this journey and giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I return to my father’s house in peace, then the Eternal will be my God. And this stone I have made into a pillar will be the first stone laid in God’s house. And Lord, of everything You give me, I will give one-tenth always back to You!

The Book of Genesis, Chapter 28 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

Dreams are a bit mysterious. There are many theories about what dreams are and why we dream, but no one knows for sure. What is sure is that at times in the Scriptures God uses dreams to reveal Himself to His covenant partners. Certainly not everyone has revelatory dreams, and not all dreams are revelatory. But sometimes, on special occasions, when it suits God’s purposes, dreams can be a vehicle to see, hear, and experience reality as God knows it. It happens here with Jacob, who has not yet fully embraced the Eternal as his God; and it continues to happen in both testaments with Joseph, Daniel, Peter, and others.

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Saturday, march 30 of 2024 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New) of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about grace and humility:

An honest person is invariably a humble person, since honesty compels the heart to confess the truth that it is quite often ignorant, incapable of understanding even the simplest matters of life, and entirely powerless to heal itself... People may argue over words, concepts, and abstractions, inflating their opinions above even the Reality they purport to define, but the humble soul acknowledges that he doesn't really know much about anything... And if "all the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly," then how is it that people get puffed up and proud regarding their supposed knowledge of life itself? It is far better to approach life in deep reverence, wonder, love, and childlike trust than to profess your dogma based on pride and illusions...

To a visitor who described himself as a seeker after Truth the sage said, "If what you seek is Truth, there is one thing you must have above all else." "I know," said the man, "an overwhelming passion for it." "No," the sage replied, "rather an unremitting readiness to admit you may be wrong."

Ours is an age marked by suspicion, arrogance and severely impaired thinking. Gone are the days of respectful dialog and the use of intelligence and logic. The self-styled deconstructionists of today are emotionally incontinent solipsists who are so self-absorbed that they cannot tolerate any dissent from their own narrative and perspective. They are lost to themselves because they lack self-transcendence. In general the so-called "intellectuals" today have nothing to offer other than despair, anger, and veiled threats of violence.

Sadly the postmodern derangement syndrome has affected even established disciplines such as medicine and science, where opinion has been politicized and dogmatized for the sake of economic interests (i.e., worldly power). Be careful of those who think they have all the answers; beware of those who think they know better than others what is best for them! As C.S. Lewis forewarned: “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive....Those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. To be "cured" against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals" (God in the Dock).

It has been wisely said that “education is the process of turning cocksure ignorance into thoughtful uncertainty.” Intellectual humility means admitting to the humbling reality that we all have biases and blind spots and therefore we may be mistaken. Such humility is an intellectual mark of grace, since it is willing to allow others their own perspectives while we work through our own convictions and truth claims. The difference between a real scientist and a fraud is that the real scientist will question his or her conclusions and be tentative in declaring the implications of his research, whereas the fraudulent scientist will irrationally demand that his or her ideas be accepted without question.

"Into this pond were flushed the ashes of some four million people. And that was not done by gas. It was done by arrogance, it was done by dogma, it was done by ignorance. When people believe that they have absolute knowledge, with no test in reality, this is how they behave. This is what men do when they aspire to the knowledge of gods." Science is a very human form of knowledge. We are always at the brink of the known; we always feel forward for what is to be hoped. Every judgment in science stands on the edge of error and is personal. Science is a tribute to what we can know although we are fallible. In the end, the words were said by Oliver Cromwell: "I beseech you in the bowels of Christ: Think it possible you may be mistaken." (Jacob Bronowski)

We all walk by faith, but faith (by definition) implies that we do not have all the answers in front of our eyes. "We see through a glass darkly," and that means we should respect the deep complexity that is bound up in all things, and furthermore that we should acknowledge that we are still learning, still growing, still seeking the truth for our lives. Those who refuse to concede their own fundamental ignorance regarding most things in life are fooling themselves. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; Prov. 3:34).

Let me add that regarding matters of faith we cherish the truth of revelation and regard it of utmost concern, but this means knowing from a place of real humility, for what do we truly know of the unseen world and of the heavenly power? You may profess perfect doctrine and yet exist untruthfully, whereas you might not have perfect doctrine, but exist truthfully. The devil knows how to quote Scripture, and often does so, but is a devil still. We must follow the path of peace, even if that requires that we “overlook” some of our doctrinal convictions for the sake of love. I don't mean we should throw away our principles, God forbid, but we rather hold them with an inward passion that is at the same time willing to be overlooked, to suffer, to be misunderstood, and even to be mistreated by others. The key here is not to indulge in self-pity or resentment, which does us no good. And above all we ask God for divine wisdom. God is faithful and true; if we ask Him for bread, he won't give us a stone (Luke 11:11).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Proverbs 3:34 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/prov3-34-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/prov3-34-lesson.pdf

3.28.24 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel365:

Our approach to our own religious growth must echo this lesson. We must understand that the optimal response to our own sins is repentance rather than penance. If we sin and then try to pay God off by giving some charity in the hope that it will erase the sin, we are fooling ourselves. God can not be bought. Until the sinful ways have been discarded and replaced with adherence to the will of God, the distance remains.

Sometimes, when we grow distant from those who care about us – be they our parents, God, or anyone else – our inclination is to run even further away so as not to face the problem. This solution is not a solution and never leads to a harmonious result. Buying back their love with gifts also probably will not suffice. The proper – and more difficult – approach is to “draw close” to those from whom we have grown distant; to approach and mend the relationship by changing our behavior. The result is a stronger more committed relationship that is freer of guilty feelings. This is repentance. This is how we relate to God who cares about us, as opposed to a god who does not care and must merely be appeased when angry.

When we sacrifice we do not give anything up. On the contrary, we only gain. We draw closer and more intimate with God.

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

March 30, 2024

The Doctrine of Christ

“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed.” (2 John 1:10)

This apparently harsh instruction seems at first to conflict with the many biblical exhortations to show hospitality, but it needs to be placed in context. The one-chapter epistle of 2 John was addressed to “the elect lady and her children” by John, who also extended greetings from “the children of thy elect sister” (vv. 1, 13). These unusual phrases, together with the general tone of the epistle, make it almost certain that John was not referring simply to two individual Christian women, but to two churches, symbolically personified as two noble ladies with the “children” being the new converts in the churches.

The warning, then, is primarily against the danger of allowing a false teacher to come into the church, as a pastor or a teacher or even as a visiting speaker, who would not bring “this doctrine.” The doctrine mentioned is obviously “the doctrine of Christ” (v. 9). This doctrine of Christ is not, however, simply a set of doctrinal tenets about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is not the doctrine about Christ, but of Christ—belonging to Him—His doctrine. The word “doctrine” is didache, meaning literally “teachings.” The meaning clearly is “the teachings of Christ,” that is, not just one or two least-common-denominator statements about Christ to which all nominal Christians could give assent, but the entire body of teachings that had come from Jesus.

Further, since He taught that all the Old Testament is inspired and authoritative and also promised the same to the writers of the New Testament, this “doctrine of Christ” includes “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), from Genesis through Revelation. How important it is not to allow false teaching to get a foothold in a local church. HMM

[lindajenni]

mar 2

a rose by any other name "a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold." prov 22:1 what's in a name?  evidently something very important, because it is important to God.  Jesus was know for renaming His disciples; naming them not for what they are, but for what He sees they would be. He renamed abram to abraham, meaning father of a multitude.  He renamed sarai to sarah, meaning mother of nations.  He renamed jacob (meaning supplanter), to israel (meaning having power with God).  following on into the new testament, Jesus renamed simon (meaning God has heard), to peter (meaning pebble or rock). the confession that Jesus was indeed the Son of God was a pebble destined to be a rock that could crush unbelievers. yes, a rose by any other name may smell as sweet bit not necessarily be as descriptive.  let us consider doctrines that have acquired a name of their own as well; names many assert aren't in scripture, but are they descriptive anyway? christians have adopted the name of trinity as descriptive of our triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  scripture definitely indicates them as being three unique persons, but we know they are one in essence, unity and power.  all were present when Jesus was anointed for His mission to earth.  "when He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  and suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" matt 3:16-17  Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all in attendance. muslims stumble over this point of contention.  their (and others) reasoning may go somewhat like this: believer: “well, you see, there are three persons in one nature.” questioner: “tell me more.” believer: “well, there is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.” questioner: “ah, i see, three gods.” believer (shocked): “oh, no!  only one God.” questioner: “but you said three: you called the Father God, which is one; and you called the Son God, which makes two; and you called the Holy Spirit God, which makes three.” here the dialogue form breaks down.  from the believer’s mouth there emerges what can only be called a soup of words, sentences that begin and do not end, words that change into something else halfway.  only the Holy Spirit can open up one's understanding of this truth.  it's His function in the Godhead. in like manner many will argue the word "rapture" is not in the bible.  others will argue it is in the original latin translation, but whatever word we call it by, the believing heart knows what it means.  "behold, i tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 cor 15:51-52 changed by the all powerful God from the caterpillar (flesh) we now inhabit into the magnificent butterfly (our eternal likeness of Him) which God has prepared for those who love His appearing.  our long-awaited "full salvation" will be manifested. i can't imagine any better description of that outcome than a "rapturous" moment.  "it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 john 3:2 in the new jerusalem we hear that Christ will give us all a new name; a name which none shall know save Him and i.  i can't even imagine what it might be, but i believe it will not be descriptive of what we shall be, but what we are - finally at last. our transformation will be a rose beyond what any known name can now describe.  you see, we shall be like Him.  i rather think it will be like looking into a mirror, but instead of our reflection coming back, it will be His.  all glory to the Lamb!

[reedreadsgreek]

John 13, Reed's Version

Now, it was just before the Passover festival. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and move on to the Father. He’d loved his own friends from the start, but he wanted to show his strong love for them in a new way. (At this point, the devil had already put it into Judas Iscariot’s mind to get Jesus arrested.) Now, Jesus was fully aware of his glorious past and future, and that the Father had put all things under his authority. Nonetheless, during dinner, he got up from the meal, set his coat aside and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he filled a basin with water and began to wash his apprentices’ feet and wipe them dry with the towel. But when he got to Simon Peter, he told Jesus, “Gross, are you going to wash my feet, lord?” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what I’m doing right now, but you will later.” Peter told him, “I’ll never let you touch my feet!” Jesus replied, “If you won’t let me wash your feet, then you’re no partner of mine.” Then Simon Peter exclaimed, “In that case, lord, don’t wash only my feet but my hands and head as well!” But Jesus told him, “If you’ve bathed, only your feet need to be washed again, because the rest of your body is clean. You disciples are clean — although, not all of you.” You see, Jesus knew who the traitor was. That’s why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 

After Jesus had washed everyone’s feet, he put his coat back on and sat down again at the table. He asked the apprentices, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ as well you should, since I am. So then, if even I, your Lord and Teacher, have served you in this way, you also should do the same for one another. I have given you an example to follow. You can be sure of this, servants aren’t over their masters, nor ambassadors over the kings who sent them. If you know this, then you’ll do well to act like it. Now, I don’t mean all of you; I know which of you I have chosen. But the treachery must happen, so that the scripture will be proven, ‘The one who pledged loyalty to me will turn against me.’ I’m telling you all this now before it happens, so that when it does happen you’ll believe that I am the Chosen One. To be sure, whoever accepts anyone that I sent, they’re really accepting me. And whoever accepts me is really accepting the Father, who sent me.” 

Right then, Jesus became distraught in his heart, and announced to them, “Listen, one of you is about to hand me over to the authorities.” The apprentices looked around nervously at each other, unsure of whom he meant. Now, one of them, the apprentice Jesus doted on, was sitting right next to Jesus. So Simon Peter mouthed a question to him, “Whom does he mean?” So the other apprentice simply leaned over and asked Jesus, “Lord, which one of us are you talking about?” Jesus replied, “He’s the one I’m going to give this bread to after I dip it in the sauce.” Then he dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son. And right after he took the bread, Satan went into him. And Jesus told him, “Hurry up and do what you’re going to do.” But none of the others at the table knew why Jesus told him that. Since Judas was the one in charge of the money, some of them guessed that Jesus was telling him to go buy supplies for the festival, or to go make a donation to the poor. But Judas simply took the bread and hurried off into the night. 

And after he was gone, Jesus told the others, “Now the chain of events is set in motion for the Son of Man to be honored through his death, and God to be honored through him. [And if God is honored through the Son], God will also honor the Son through Himself before our eyes. My dear children, I will only be with you for a little while longer. You’ll look for me, but — like I told the people in Judea, so I tell you now — where I’m going you can’t follow yet. I’m giving you a fresh command: love one another like I have loved you; you must love each other that much. This is how the world will know that you’re my followers: because love will flourish in your community.” 

Then Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I’m going you can’t follow right now. But later on you’ll follow.” But Peter objected, “Lord, why can’t I come with you now? I’ll risk my life for you!” Jesus responded, “You’ll risk your life for me? My dear Peter, no; in fact, you’ll disown me three times before morning!”

[graciousheaven]

Who can Baptise with Water

     The authority to baptize new converts has been given by Christ to the ministers of the Gospel. As the Head of the Church, Christ has instructed them to make disciples and to baptise them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, Roman Catholicism does not side with the truth, but extends this authority to those who do not belong to the body of Christ. It claims that even a non-Christian can baptise someone in case of emergency, provided the non-Christian has a good intent and pronounces the baptismal formula, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, and pours water on the person. 

     Rome’s viewpoint promotes an obscure assimilation that raises questions; for it disregards this commandment of the Lord to those who belong to Him, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16a). However, Rome’s disobedience to this command reveals its real identity; its assimilation with the world testifies that it does not serve the Truth but falsehood. Rome is not for Christ but against Him – as the Lord Himself says in John 14:21a, “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me.” 

     Moreover, Rome talks about emergency as if the death of a person could take the Lord by surprise, and that in this case another man had to step in and do what God could not do on time, i.e., turning the heart of a sinful man to God before the man is swept away by death. The Lord does not need anyone to build His Church, and even less the sons of disobedience. He is not constrained by time, but rather He controls time and does everything at the time and place He has appointed. God is never late nor early, because He is sovereign. “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose”, declares the Lord in Isaiah 46:9c-10.

     When our Lord was crucified, most of the people in the crowd, and quite possibly everyone present at Calvary, upon seeing the two thieves nailed to the cross next to our Lord, certainly thought it was too late for the two thieves. After all, they were at the door of death and were receiving the due reward of their lawless deeds. But we should never forget that at all times everything happens by divine decree. Nothing is left to chance or bad luck. Surely, everything at Calvary was taking place according to God’s definite plan at the time He had appointed. Although the sky above the heads of these two criminals looked gloomy, hope was not lost, at least for one of them, the one whom the Sovereign One had predestined for adoption before the creation of the world. 

     What man was there to help God rescue this thief from destruction? The answer is: Nobody. But the King of glory, in the twinkling of an eye, changed this man’s heart. He was a spiritually dead man and was about to depart from this world to face eternal torment in hell. But the Sovereign Lord sprinkled clean water on him and put a new spirit and a new heart within him, and instantly the man turned to His Maker and Savior and said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). And He in whose hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10) answered the man, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). But the other thief who was divinely appointed for wrath was given no rest. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!”, as Romans 11:33 says.

     The Lord is self-sufficient. He doesn't need anything nor does He need anyone to carry out His plans. He rules and reigns over all things. He fixes times and seasons by His own authority, and ordains the events and circumstances that govern the life of all things (cf. Matthew 10:29). Nothing can thwart His plan, nothing can prevent Him from bringing to glory those whom He chose as heirs of His Kingdom. Thus, declares the Lord in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The Lord will raise from spiritual deadness all those He chose before time began and will seal them into His eternal love according to the counsel of His will and His perfect and definite plan.  

[m0m3nt0-m0r1]

when i was three years old, i was petrified of swiper the fox from dora the explorer. i was convinced that when i was asleep, he would come out from the television and swipe me in the middle of the night. each night before bed, i would cry and cry to my parents and beg for them to stay, to watch over me, to keep me safe.

one night, my mother decided to teach me about god. "you put your hands together like this, with your palms towards each other and your fingers to the sky, and you talk to god. he will listen to whatever you have to say, and he will make sure you are safe."

"why does he want to keep me safe?" i asked.

"because he loves you." she responded. i thought that was silly, for i had never met a man named god, and surely you couldn't live in the sky because my cousin told me there was no air up there. my cousin was very smart, he was a year older than me so he knew more. i wondered if he knew about god.

i tried to tell this to my mother, but she didn't want to hear it. "whatever you want to say to me, you can say to god. god doesn't need to go to sleep, but mama does." she pulled my blankets up to my chin, kissed my forehead, and turned off the light.

i talked to god a lot as a kid. i prayed the monsters away, and it worked. i was so relieved to know that there was someone whose job it was to keep me safe, someone who didn't need to wake up early in the morning or tell me that i was wrong about the things i was afraid of.

after i was no longer afraid of swiper, i asked god to make my parents love each other again. i asked him if he could stop them from screaming all the time. i asked him if he could make my grandmother remember my name. i asked him if he could make my mother be nicer to me. i asked him if he could make my dad come back.

i was met with silence, but i persisted.

i asked him how my grandmother was doing, and if he could let her know i missed her very much. i asked him why i was so angry all of the time. i asked him if he could make it so i was never born, and if he loved me so much, why was this the life he gave me?

i was again, met with silence.

i began to go to church every other sunday with my dad. i learned about jesus and the disciples, i learned about mary and joseph, i learned about david and peter and abraham. i asked god, if he could do all that for those random guys, why wouldn't he help me when i asked? what made them so special? why couldn't i be saved too?

i asked him if he could bring people into my life that wanted to be my friend. i asked him to make the kids at school stop making fun of me. i asked him if he could change my body into one that i didn't despise. i asked if he could kill me. i asked that one a lot, actually.

i found myself lost in the imaginings of biblical miracles. when nothing happened, i started to suspect that he had gone. maybe god just did great things to people a long time ago. maybe he just loved them more. or maybe it was my fault, maybe i was the one person god could not (or would not) hear. i tried the one thing i knew would make people listen to me, i yelled. i screamed and i cried at god, i told him i hated him, i told him i didn't need his help, that i could handle it on my own.

once again, i was met with silence. all i wanted was an answer, even if that answer was no. i played the silent treatment with him for years, pretending to pray but just closing my eyes, scoffing when i had to read the bible, saying "oh my god" instead of "oh my gosh," just to get a rise out of him, but none of it worked.

i didn't know what else to do, so i decided to pray. not because i thought it would work or anything, rather to fill the silence in the room. i thought, even if he is not real, if i believe he is, then he is real to me. i no longer prayed and asked for things to change, for that had brought nothing but disappointment, but i prayed to check in. to let him know i was thinking about him. to fill him in on what had changed since the last time we talked. i saw god not as my savior, but as an old friend.

i do not count on god these days. i haven't for a while. i do not try to be a good person to please him, i am a good person because i do good things. i do not look out for miracles, i do not think he meddles too much these days. i do not ask for forgiveness for my sins, he would do the same if he were in my shoes. if only he was not such a coward, staying up in heaven to merely witness all this tragedy.

i do not know why i still believe. i do not know why i still find myself asking god to check for monsters under my bed, or to let my grandmother know i miss her. perhaps it is just nice to think that someone out there, who is bigger and wiser and older than me, could still love me. if there is a something after all of this life, i would like to ask him a few questions. and i will not be angry, i will not beg him for his awesome mercy, we will pour ourselves some tea and i will finally get the answers i deserve. i think then i will finally be the bigger person. i just pray that i am enough.

[curtklingermanposts]

Empathy Does Not Equate To Free Pass

Many Have Had a Rough Life

Truth be told, many have had a rough life growing up. Most have been traumatized on some level. Some on the most extreme. The conditions in which they grew up left imprints that affects their present-day life. Empathy is a very good thing. Understanding cause and effect helps us make room for compassion.

We all want to be understood, but it is equally important to understand that empathy does not equate to a free pass. It is vital to take responsibility for our thoughts, behavior and attitudes. None of us can afford to use our past as an excuse to not improve our life - to make requisite changes for the better. That’s not hyperbole; that’s Bible.

1 Corinthians 10:12 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

When extreme emotions are involved, it is easy to feel as if you are the only one who experiences hardship. Let us underscore the word, feel, because what we feel is not necessarily reality. When emotions are not under subjection to Holy Spirit, they can lie to us. How many assumptions do people make, because of what they feel? For example, one who dislikes himself may superimpose that feeling on someone else. “That person doesn’t like me.”  That feeling produced a perception, which created its own reality. For the sake of the example, the person actually is deeply fond of him.

Damaged emotions can be very deceptive, which is why it’s important to ask God for clarity. Asking one’s self questions can also be helpful. For instance, “Is that really true? What evidence is there?” Sometimes, we need to look outward: “Is that really fair to that person to think such a thing?” Here’s something commonly said: “God hates me.” Since God is love, is that statement based on reality? Of course not. This person simply cannot grasp that God does love him, because he does not love himself. It’s inconceivable to him.

Likewise, people self-sabotage to prove their hypotheses about themselves. Keeping with our example, they may behave badly toward others, in order to incur rejection. “See, I told you they didn’t like me.” How many individuals test God’s love in the same fashion? One quick lesson: one’s behavior does not necessarily point to one’s character. It may reveal a need for healing. A need for change.

It is important to understand there are billions of people who have had it rough. Why is that important? It would be easy to make it about yourself, have a pity party, and fall in love with being a victim. It is self-centered, and unbiblical. It is the polar opposite of His character and image, of which we are called to conform. It’s vital to think differently.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

A True Disciple Will Change

Matthew 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.

In order to follow Jesus, we have to let go of everything -including our past. It includes denying ourselves the right to play the victim card. It does not mean we deny things happened; but we don’t turn them into pets to keep on a leash. Taking up our cross means being crucified with Christ.

Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ (NASB).

Some wear their difficult past as a badge of honor. They take pride in their sufferings, and also use them to manipulate others. When reading, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17), you discover circumstances have changed. It’s harder to feel sorry for ourselves when considering everything God has done for us. Each of us needs to take responsibility for our lives by submitting to Him.

“You don’t understand, my father was never there for me. All he ever did was abuse me.” You have a new Father, Whom you may call ABBA (Daddy). He loves you, and is always with you. If God is our Father, how can any of us feel sorry for his or her self? Some were orphans; and yet, God is a Father to the fatherless. Moreover, He has much better things in store for us. If you want to keep your pet, go ahead. But if you do, you will miss the better things He has for you.

perfectfaith.org

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

24th May >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on John 17:11-19 for Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter: ‘Protect them from the evil one’.

Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

Gospel (Except USA)

John 17:11-19

Father, keep those you have given me true to your name.

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us. While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except the one who chose to be lost, and this was to fulfil the scriptures. But now I am coming to you and while still in the world I say these things to share my joy with them to the full. I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.’

Gospel (USA)

John 17:11b-19

May they be one just as we are one.

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Reflections (7)

(i) Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

In the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, the Lord’s Prayer, the concluding petition is, ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’. Jesus was aware that our relationship with God, our faith, hope and love, would be put to the test in various ways; we would be tempted by evil. In the words of Paul in the first reading, ‘fierce wolves will invade you… men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips’. In that petition we are asking God to keep us faithful when our relationship with him is put to the test. What Jesus teaches us to pray for ourselves is also what he prays for us in today’s gospel reading. He prays for his disciples and for all of us, ‘Protect them from the evil one’. That prayer is expressed in another form as ‘Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth’. In other words, ‘Keep them faithful to your word of truth’. There is a recognition in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray and in his own prayer for us that walking in the Lord’s way will often be a struggle for us. There are many influences in our world trying to knock us off course. Yet, as Jesus says to God in that reading, ‘I am not asking you to remove them from the world’. We have to live out our faith in the world, with all its temptations and darkness. As Jesus says to God in that reading, ‘As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world’. The Lord needs us to live our relationship with him in the world in which we find ourselves. Much of what we find in the world won’t support our faith in the Lord, our relationship with him, but the Lord is always there as our support. He has laid down his life for us and, as risen Lord, he continues to live for us. He continues to pray for us that we remain faithful to him, and he will give us the strength we need resist evil, and, even more, to overcome evil with good, in the words of St Paul’s letter to the Romans.

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus continues his prayer for his disciples, the beginning of which we heard in yesterday’s gospel reading. In the section of the prayer that we have just heard, Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples from the evil one. You may hear there an echo of one of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught to his disciples, ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’. Jesus, it seems, was very aware of the presence of evil, of the evil one, in the world. He also knew that such evil would always be a threat to the lives of his disciples. Jesus took evil seriously. He knew his disciples needed to be protected from the power of evil. Yet, Jesus was not overly preoccupied with evil either, because he knew that the power of God was greater than the power of evil. He knew that, in the words of Paul, ‘where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more’. Just before Jesus began his great prayer in John’s gospel, he said to his disciples, ‘In the world you face persecution, but take courage, I have conquered the world’. We take evil seriously, yes, but we never allow its presence to make us despondent because we know that the light of the risen Lord’s presence will never be overcome by the power of darkness.

 And/Or

(iii) Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

In this morning’s gospel we have an extract from the prayer of Jesus for his disciples, set in the context of the last supper. In that prayer Jesus declares that since first calling his disciples to himself he has watched over them and kept them true to God’s name. Now in prayer he calls on his Father to keep them true to God’s name. His prayer to the Father on their behalf is a further expression of the commitment he has shown to his disciples since first calling them. His intercessory prayer is an extension of the many ways he had served them since they first began to follow him. In a similar way, our prayer for others is an expression of our commitment to them, our care for them; it is one of the ways we serve others. By his own intercessory prayer for his disciples - and that includes all of us - Jesus teaches us the value of all intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer, prayer for others, has been at the heart of the church’s prayer life since the time of Jesus. Paul in his letters frequently reports on his intercessory prayers for his churches and he often calls on his churches to pray for him. Both Jesus and Paul were heirs to a Jewish tradition that greatly valued this form of prayer. Praying for others is one of the ways we give expression to our communion with others in the Lord.

 And/Or

(iv) Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus prays for his disciples on the eve of his passion and death. Jesus prays that God would protect them from the evil one. This prayer of Jesus for his disciples puts us in mind of one of the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer that Jesus asked us to pray. In that prayer we pray, ‘lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil or from the evil one’. Jesus’ prayer for his disciples is the prayer that we are to pray for ourselves. In praying that his disciples would be delivered from the evil one, Jesus is praying that they would remain faithful to himself, true to himself, true to God. Jesus begins his prayer for his disciples by asking God to ‘keep those you have given me true to your name’. That is Jesus’ prayer for all of us - that we would be true to God’s name, true or faithful to the word of Jesus or, to put it more negatively, that we would be delivered from evil, that we would resist the temptation to be unfaithful to the Lord and what he desires of us. This is, in a sense, the fundamental prayer that Jesus prays for us and that he wants us to pray for ourselves.

 And/Or

(v) Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus prays for his disciples on the night before he died. This prayer really transcends that particular moment in time. It is also the prayer of the risen Lord for his disciples today, for all of us gathered here this morning. What is Jesus’ prayer on our behalf? In the words of the gospel reading, he prays that we may be true to God’s name and that God would protect us from the evil one. This prayer of Jesus for us reflects one of the petitions in the prayer that Jesus asked us to prayer for ourselves, the prayer that has become known as the Lord’s Prayer. In that prayer we pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’. This must be a prayer that is very close to the heart of Jesus if he prays it for us and asks us to pray it for ourselves, the prayer that we be delivered from, protected from, the evil one, the prayer that we remain true or faithful to God’s name, to who God is and what God desires for us. Jesus prays this prayer in the knowledge that our faithfulness will be put to the test by what the gospel reading calls the ‘world’. The gospel reading this morning assures us that in such testing times the Lord is praying for us, and his prayer combined with our own prayer will ultimately keep us faithful to him and to his Father.

 And/Or

(vi) Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

In today’s gospel reading we hear a further section of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples on the evening of the last supper. There is a great deal of realism in Jesus’ prayer. He asks the Father to protect his disciples from the evil one. We are reminded of one of the petitions of the prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples, the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’ or ‘from the evil one’. The prayer that Jesus asks us to pray for ourselves in the gospels of Matthew and Luke is the same prayer that Jesus prays for us in the gospel of John. Jesus prays in the awareness that our relationship with him is prone to assaults of various kinds. Our faith will be put to the test. Yet, the gospel reading reminds us that we have the assurance of Jesus’ prayer for us and of his supportive presence as the Good Shepherd who protects his flock from harm. The Holy Spirit at work in our lives is stronger than any temptation. Jesus prays that his disciples would be protected from evil so that they can share in his mission in the world. As God sent Jesus into the world, so Jesus sends us into the world. The mission of Jesus was to reveal God’s love for the world and that is our mission too. As God consecrated Jesus for that mission, set him apart and empowered him for it, so Jesus prays that God would consecrate us for our mission. Jesus identifies himself with his disciples, with us, in a very striking way in our gospel reading.

 And/Or

(vii) Wednesday, Seventh Week of Easter

In yesterday’s gospel reading, Jesus declared to his heavenly Father that he was praying for his disciples, all of us. In today’s gospel reading, we are given an insight into the content of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples. He asks God ‘to protect them from the evil one’. We are reminded of the petitions at the end of the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus wants us to pray for ourselves, ‘Deliver us from evil and lead us not into temptation’. Jesus’ prayer for us and the prayer he asks us to pray for ourselves recognizes that there are forces opposed to the gospel in the world that will bear down on us. In today’s first reading, Saint Paul also shows a keen awareness of this reality. Speaking to the leaders of the church in Ephesus, he says to them, ‘I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock’. Jesus once used a similar image of wolves approaching the flock, with the hireling running away as soon as he sees the wolf coming but the good shepherd staying put to watch over the flock. Jesus knew that our faith would be put to the test. In Luke’s gospel Jesus says to Peter in the setting of the last supper, ‘Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail’. The Lord is always praying that our faith may not fail, that we remain faithful to him and his way of life, especially when we are tempted to take a very different path. In the gospel reading, Jesus goes on to pray for his disciples, ‘Consecrate them in the truth’. Jesus is asking that we would be sanctified for our mission of bearing witness to the truth, to Jesus who is the truth. Jesus’ prayer for us reflects his desire for our lives. He wants us to be his faithful witnesses even in the face of hostility and opposition. His continuing prayer for us gives us the strength to live according to his desire for us.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[nijjhar]

Matt 19v16-22:- People become rich by fleecing the poor and land in Hell... Matt 19v16-22:- People become rich by fleecing the poor and land in Hell as the rich man ended and Lazurus in the Lap of Abraham. https://youtu.be/tVyl9PsDdJE John 3v31-36:- Lazarus went Above and he told what He saw but the people of Mammon didn't believe Him. https://youtu.be/8VGqKq_93bc John 3v7-15:- Honest to God Nicodemus, a moral teacher (Below) was told Saints from Above know what they speak. https://youtu.be/byzVYAA6-2Q I broke my neck falling backwards while climbing steps. A nasty fall but our Father has saved me from the serious damage. Physically I am fine and strong as I was before but I have to wear this Neck Collar for 8 weeks. I fell on 17/04/2022. Any advice from a medical team? Here is the medical report on discharge. http://www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/neck22.pdf Those who killed my Elder Brother Royal Shah Shams Tabrizi will pay a very heavy price in the Shia Sunni riots https://youtu.be/YiITkcvA6ts PAVANN (Holy spirit is like the wind and it is the Time for that – Nicodemus) ARANBHH SATGUR MATT WAILA (Go by your “innerman”, the Christ); SHABD GURU (His Word vis your Teacher), SURATT DHUNN CHAELA )(A man of holy spirit is the Disciple of His Word and not of any man on earth like Pope). THE BIBLE AND QURAN THUMPERS, DEAD IN LETTERS HATE AND KILL EACH OTHER WHILST THE LIVING IN HOLY SPIRIT, COMMON SENSE, SING THE PRAISES OF OUR “SUPERNATURAL FATHER ELOHIM, ALLAH, PARBRAHM, ETC. – JUST THE OPPOSITE. INSHALLAH ISLAM IS SHARIAH-FREE WHILST THE INSHMULLAH ISLAM OF SATAN IS FULL OF SHARIAH. Holy Gospel of our Supernatural Father Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm, etc., delivered by the First Anointed Christ, which in Punjabi we call Satguru Jesus of the highest living God Elohim that dwells in His Most Beautiful Temple of God, our physical body created not by the human hands but by the demiurge Potter, the Lord of the Nature Yahweh, Brahma, Khudah, etc. represented by Angel Prophet Elijah (My god is Yahweh) and it is called Harmandir or “Emmanuel” according to Saint John 3,31-36. The one who comes from above the heaven, the Celestial World of our Supernatural Father is Above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things that he can see such as the Scriptures. But the one who comes from Above heaven is above all, the very ROOT of the Scriptures, the Oral Torah = His Word. A typical example is Lazarus, the First Fruit of Resurrection and He talked of things Above heaven. He testifies to what he has seen sitting in the Lap of Abraham and heard, but no one accepts his testimony because it is not written in the Scriptures. Whoever twice-born does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit or he is not bound by the Law. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes, Lazarus, in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys, Judas Iscariot, a Thief, the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. The typical example of these Blasphemers are Tony Blair and Bush Saddam Hussain has WMD but none were found. Now, this Udege tribal son of Man Putin and co will punish the USA and its allies according to their parts taken in the killing of innocent Saddam Hussain, Gaddafi and others. Their bombs created refugees that these countries rejected but they are accepting of Ukraine because its President is the Jewish son of Satan as the American Jews rich in Mammon and media are. Hi Brethren, Our Brother Major General Roddy Porter gave a Sermon in Reading Christians Men Breakfast and I was there. Brother Roddy told us of his service in Iraq where he found that Sadam Hussain had no WMD this Soldier also declares:- Youtube channel - Truthsoldier 3 hours ago I served in the satanic Iraq war. I openly am shamed for that and I asked for forgiveness for taking part in that war. I actually had my awakening while over in Iraq. My eyes were open to the injustice of that war. The Iraqi people loved Saddam; they had whole stories with nothing but Saddam’s face on everything. Since then I have been speaking out against the US and ISRAEL on Youtube channel. Here is my contribution:- Holy spirit, common sense, shatters the fetters of the dead letters, the Holy Books. If we have One God, our Supernatural Father of our souls, then there should be one Faith. In Christianity, Jesus said One Fold called Church of God headed by One Shepherd, our Bridegroom Christ Jesus/Christ = Satguru Nanak Dev Ji, the Second coming of Jesus. Greatest Blasphemers and Killers Blair and Bush https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHdTpTXHvE&list=PL0C8AFaJhsWz7HtQEhV91eAKugUw73PW1 Full description:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/Rest.htm Help to finish my Books:- ONE GOD ONE FAITH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bookfin.pdf and in Punjabi KAKHH OHLAE LAKHH:-  www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/pdbook.pdf John's baptism:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/johnsig.pdf Trinity:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/trinity.pdf

[childofchrist1983]

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. - Acts 4:8-12 KJV

Peter was so much bolder following Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. He and some of the other Apostles would walk around the temple area speaking about Jesus Christ and His teachings concerning the resurrection from the dead. The leaders of the community were not happy. They really wanted to arrest them, but because of events like the healing of a crippled man, they were afraid of what the people might do. Later, Peter, John and others would be arrested and beaten for continuing to preach about Jesus.

There has always been an element of danger for those who have worked to spread the Gospel. In the early days, the disciples had to worry about persecution from the Romans as well as from others who did not want their power threatened. There are still men and women today who go into areas that are dangerous to preach the Good News of Jesus and His gift of eternal salvation. Men and women have been murdered, women have been raped, and churches destroyed by those who fear Jesus' message of love. In spite of this, Christianity continues to spread.

Whether we are threatened for our beliefs or not, whether we are missionaries to far off lands, or only in our own households, it takes courage to live Jesus' message of love and justice in today's world. The message remains the same, and the fear of powerful people that this message could make them lose some of that power will always be there. The Holy Spirit was on their side and will also be with us. We thank the LORD Jesus Christ for the courage of all those who faced persecution and danger to bring your message of salvation to the whole world. May He give us the courage to face a world that does not want to hear His Gospel message of soul-saving Truth and witness to it boldly. May we always remember to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!