#what did we do to the last person that preached kindness and love and pledged to feed those that are hungry....

[therealslimsanji]

Taz: "If someone is hungry, I want them to be fed"

Some random clown: "Sanji wouldn't care if any of the Celestial Dragons were hungry, clearly you don't understand his character at all"

Me, an intellectual: "Sanji would have gladly fed Donquixote Homing and his family (all born as Celestial Dragons) during their time of crisis if he had the chance"

Fr I thought Sanji's whole thing was no food wasted and feed those that are hungry?? Like, I know I'm super new to this Fandom but that's one thing I've read over and over about his character.

[giftofshewbread]

HERE IT COMES !

 By Daymond DuckPublished on: January 30, 2021

It is my desire to stop writing about the election and direct more of my time to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, but the election has major prophetic implications, and the two issues cannot be separated.

Pres. Trump promised a peaceful transition of power, and he and Melania left the White House with grace and humility.

Here are some quotes that may interest you:

“The purpose of the New World Order is to bring the world into a world government” (Winston Churchill).

“Out of these troubled times [out of the Persian Gulf War], our [America’s] fifth objective—a new world order—can emerge” (Geo. H. W. Bush, 1990).

“I learned to love the New World Order” (Joe Biden, Apr. 23, 1992).

“The hierarchy [of the U.N.], among other things, had called for world government to be achieved in STAGES through the forming of world administrative REGIONS. This was in accordance with the U.N. charter, which encourages the implementation and administration of world government on a REGIONAL basis” (Edmund J. Osmanneczyk, 1995).

“What I am trying to do [to build a global system] is to promote a process of reorganization of the world” (Bill Clinton, 1997).

“Within four years, we will see the beginning of a new international order” (Henry Kissinger 2008).

“The burdens of global citizenship bind us together” (Barack Obama, July 24, 2008).

“To bring about the New World Order, we have to have a new consciousness” [a new spiritual ethic, or new world religion] (Henry Kissinger, Jan. 12, 2009).

Concerning who will head up the New World Order, “We’re trusting that he will be President Obama” (Henry Kissinger, 2009).

“The affirmative task we have now is to actually create a new world order” (Then Vice-Pres. Joe Biden, Apr. 5, 2013).

“I believe we and mainly you [the U.S. Air Force Academy graduating class] have an incredible opportunity to lead in shaping a new world order for the 21st century…” (Joe Biden, May 28, 2014).

“You are about to graduate into a complex and borderless world” (Biden’s new Climate Change Czar, John Kerry, May 6, 2016).

Globalists have big plans, but they are not in control; they just think they are.

The more they reject God; and the more they turn against His people; and the closer they move toward world government; the more they stir His wrath, and the closer God’s people are to the Rapture.

Here are some of my thoughts on current events:

On Jan. 20, 2021, the “America First” president was replaced with a “Fundamentally Transform America” president.

This “fundamental transformation” of America involves the submission of America to a godless world government (the New World Order, The Great Reset, the U.N. 2030 Sustainable Development goals, etc.).

Biden has already announced his intent to undo Trump’s America First policies, rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, rejoin the World Health Organization, halt America’s departure from the World Trade Organization, halt construction on the Keystone Pipeline and border wall, review and reverse more than 100 Trump policies on the environment, stop immigration enforcement in the U.S., and more.

Biden announced support for things (other than world government) that go against the Scriptures: taxpayer-funded abortions for everyone up to the moment of birth (murder of babies), nominate judges that support abortion, allow gays to serve openly in the military, reinstate Title IX that lets transgenders use bathrooms according to their gender identity (men use women’s bathrooms, etc.), etc. Think about this. Through a Political Action Committee (PAC), Planned Parenthood gave more than 27 million dollars to Biden’s election, and now Biden is going to give Planned Parenthood millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to kill babies.

Biden has already cut America’s defense budget, cut the Space Force budget, transformed money budgeted for America’s nuclear arsenal to FEMA, and threatened to fire at least two Generals (one in the Army and another in the Air Force) that questioned these cuts. There is speculation that a military purge is coming to replace patriot-minded officers with officers that will pledge allegiance to the U.N. Here is a link to an article about this: https://beforeitsnews.com/blogging-citizen-journalism/2021/01/generals-tell-trump-we-got-your-back-2649650.html

Biden dissolved the 1776 Commission designed to teach patriotism in public schools and replaced it with a group “to assist agencies in assessing equity with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability.”

Simply put, “Here It Comes” means that I believe the Biden administration intends to support policies that will lead to the rise of the Ten Kings, world government, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, tracking everyone, godlessness, the Tribulation Period, etc.

The shadow government controls every branch of the U.S. government, and, as I see it, there will be a surge forward with no going back. In his first six days in office, Biden signed more executive orders than the last four presidents combined (and one of his officials said there are more to come).

How long it will take to bring in the world government is unknown, but I expect the shadow government to push Biden to accomplish as much as he can before the next election two years from now.

No one knows the day or hour of the Rapture, but whenever it happens, the Restrainer will be removed, and godless world government will go into overdrive.

Here are several stories that made the news:

One, Biden asked a “Christian” preacher friend to offer the benediction at his inauguration, and the preacher closed his prayer, not in the name of Jesus, but “in the strong name of our collective faith.”

Praying in “the strong name of our collective faith” is the kind of reprobate thinking that left God out of the Democrat Party Platform.

Their total one-party control of the U.S. government will cause them to fully support a godless one-world religion and government.

The Bible clearly teaches that God will put up with this godless world government nonsense for 7 years, but if He did not bring it to an end, no flesh would be saved.

The pastor’s prayer is also evidence of a sick, lukewarm Church that tickles people’s ears instead of proclaiming the truth.

Two, on Jan. 23, 2021, a bomb exploded at First Works Baptist Church in El Monte, Cal.

Hate messages were painted on the inside walls of the church.

Several news organizations ignored the bombing and blamed the church for preaching against same-sex marriage.

These people appear to believe it is okay to blow up a church if the preacher preaches the Scriptures.

Three, on Jan. 20, 2021, an unidentified person in the U.S. State Dept. decided that the U.S. Ambassador to Israel will now be called the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

The person that made that decision posted it on the State Dept. website, and it appears that whoever did it does not believe that the West Bank and Gaza should be part of Israel.

Some say the Biden administration also plans to change the U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that God had a reason for putting Trump in office, He has a reason for removing Trump, and He has a reason for putting Biden in office.

I tend to believe God is ready to let world government advance, and He removed Trump because Trump would have been in the way.

I also tend to believe that God put Biden in office because He wants Israel to trust Him, not Trump or the U.S., for protection.

Unfortunately, most Christians do not know enough Bible prophecy to recognize the danger that dividing Israel poses to America.

According to the Bible, those that try to cut Israel into pieces at the end of the age will be cut into pieces.

(Note: Before this article was sent to the editor, the State Dept. reversed itself on the issue and went back to calling the U.S. Ambassador the Ambassador to Israel.)

Four, concerning pestilences, my last week’s article noted that a group of U.S. doctors believe Ivermectin is safe and effective for preventing Covid in most people.

The article also noted that India has developed an inexpensive, effective, and safe Covid Ivermectin treatment kit.

On Jan. 19, 2021, it was reported that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has upgraded Ivermectin from “against the drug” to “not for or against the drug.”

According to the article, this opens the door for doctors to feel safe in prescribing it and for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve it for emergency use if they choose to do so.

I found Ivermectin searching “Ivermectin for humans” at amazon.com.

There is also an apple-flavored paste, and a reader told me about a nurse that puts it in peanut butter.

I am just passing this information on for people to make their own decision.

Five, concerning persecution, much of the hatred that has been dumped on Trump over the last 4 years is now being directed toward those that voted for him.

Since Jan. 15, 2021, more than 22,000 people have signed a petition to have Franklin Graham fired from Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc. for supporting Pres. Trump.

On Jan. 20, 2021, the Daily Beast published an article calling for a new “secret police” force to spy on Trump supporters because the FBI and NSA will not sufficiently punish these Americans.

Many Christians and conservatives are expressing concern that Biden’s support for the LGBTQ agenda (biological males in women’s bathrooms, etc.), and Pelosi’s rule that people in Congress are not allowed to say man, woman, etc., will lead to people being denounced as homophobes, etc. One reader e-mailed me to say there will be a tremendous effort to pervert the children that are not killed by abortion.

It has been reported that Katie Couric is calling for Trump supporters to be deprogrammed in re-education camps and for members of Congress that question the accuracy of the election to be punished. This could pit brother against brother just like Jesus said because the left wants to silence and shame those that disagree with them.

On Jan. 20, 2021, it was reported that former FBI Director James Comey said the Republican Party “needs to be burned down or changed.” He asked, “Who would want to be part of an organization that at its core is built on lies and racism and know-nothingism?” Comey is a proven liar, and there is evidence that he used false evidence to protect Hillary Clinton when she destroyed thousands of e-mails.

On Jan. 21, 2021, it was reported that a columnist for the Washington Post is calling for Fox News to be kicked off the air for “radicalizing people and setting them on the path of violence and sedition.”

I pray that Jesus will Rapture the Church off the earth before the persecution gets too bad, but judgment must begin at the house of God (I Pet. 4:17).

It falls on believers first, and it falls harder on unbelievers second (persecution of the Church signifies a greater persecution is coming on the lost).

Six, after constantly condemning Trump’s handling of Covid and claiming that he (Biden) will vaccinate a million people a day, concerning Covid, on Jan. 23, 2021, Biden said there is “nothing we can do about the trajectory.”

He added, “In the next few months, masks, not vaccinations, are the single best defense against Covid.”

Seven, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog in the latter years and latter days, on Jan. 20 it was reported that a senior Israeli official said if Biden returns to the same terms of Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, Israel will have nothing to discuss with him.

Biden is clearly interested in returning to the deal but said Iran must start complying first.

To summarize this article, concerning world government, I am not like Chicken Little, who claimed the sky is falling (world government indicates many good things such as the approaching rapture; reign of Jesus; peace, justice, and righteousness on earth; etc.), but I am saying get prepared because here it comes.

Some are saying a police state and persecution are coming.

U.S. Josh Hawley recently said, “You can go to church now, but you may not be allowed to go to the church of your choice in two years.”

As far as many of you are concerned, your pastor will never tell you about these things, so I suggest that a good place to get started is hischannel.com.

Finally, if you want to go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

[paperpenz]

[ Moments in Time ]

A short story I did back when I took creative writing classes. I’ve edited and made some minor changes since then.

Hope yall enjoy this small read !

-

Songs to listen to as you read:

1.  데려가줘 | TAKE ME by GIFT

2. Someday, The Boy by Kim Feel

3. Still Fighting It by Lee Chan Sol

-

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The gentle beating of the heart monitor echoed through my cells and bones, as my consciousness slowly seeped back in, causing me to stir awake.

My eyelids, heavy with drugs, fluttered open as the constant shuffling of feet filled the large white room, my home for the past 3 years. The smell of alcohol and disinfectant still dancing around my nose like bees in spring, groggy, I felt a weight on my arm. Staring down at the white bandages wrapped neatly around my arm, confusion filled me. Then, slowly images filled my mind …

A little boy’s cry of dismay…

A balloon snagged on a tree trunk…

My hand, inching towards the balloon…

A heart-wrenching snap beneath me…

A sharp pain…

Blackness

 “I see that you’re awake now.” A calm and deep voice broke through my thoughts.

 “You had a bad fall. Thankfully, you didn’t sustain any major injuries except for a broken arm, which would heal soon enough, if you don’t strain it too much. Now Grace, mind explaining to me how you, a perfectly sensible soon-to-be 18-year-old young lady, would be doing on a tree?” His calm voice now laced with worry and concern.

 “I wanted to help the poor boy retrieve his balloon?” I smiled sheepishly at the man in white –Dr Raymond, Ray for short chided.

 “You need to be more careful Grace. You can’t afford to injure yourself.” He said while jotting down the readings of different monitors and scribbled them down, all part of the routine.

 “Looks like your readings are normal. I’ll come back later in the evening to check on you again. Please stay out of trouble and within the hospital vicinity.”

I simply nodded, but we both know that it’s simply not possible.

The moment his footsteps were out of hearing range, I slipped on my slippers, slowly draped my cardigan over my shoulders, grabbed a pen and a piece of paper hidden under my pillow and snuck out to a straight cemented path behind the hospital. It led to a single willow tree perched on top of a small hill. Tugging my cardigan tighter around me as the wind kissed my already rosy cheeks, I hastened my pace along the path I knew all too well before they realised I was missing.

Rumour had it that before the hospital was built; a young lady born into a rich family was to be wed to a suitor of her father’s choice. However, the young lady already had someone in her heart, a young lad, born to serve her family. They were madly in love but not only did her father disapprove of their relationship, but the young lad was called away to serve their nation in times of war. Heart-broken, they pledged their love under the tree and the young lad swore to return for her. Unfortunately, fate wasn’t kind towards them. The young lad had perished during battle and when the young lady heard the news, she was grief-stricken. She made her way back to the old tree where they once pledged their love and decided to join him in the afterlife, for life without the young lad was already a death sentence. Ever since then, people claimed that they would sometimes hear soft wails in the middle of the day… Or so they said.

I’ve always had a thing for tragic love stories; maybe that’s why I was attracted to this looming, hollow, arched tree that I now call Fingers –due to her overhanging, tear-drop like leaves, gracefully dancing along with the wind. Her arched branches tower over me, resembling a mother’s hand –protecting me from the harshness of the sun. With her I felt safe, she was my refuge. I would write to her each day, leaving my notes in her hollow trunk –the perfect hiding place.

However, 2 years ago my notes were replaced with an unfamiliar one –a reply. Clearly somebody had found my notes and not only decided to read it, but to respond to it and even had the audacity to sign off. Anger and embarrassment stirred within me, I felt exposed, naked but above all curious. Out of curiosity, I decided to respond to this so-called “J”.

Eventually, exchanging letters became our way of communicating.

He –yes, I managed to establish that “J” was a ‘he’, understood me in a way nobody could. We talked about all sorts of things, from his noisy drummer neighbour, Mark, to picturing the perfect vacation, to even describing how our days went.

The only thing is; he doesn’t know that I’m a girl with an expiry date. He thinks, or how I led him to think that “Grace” is an average soon-to-be 18-year-old girl. And I intend to keep it as such.

Slouching by her slender trunk, Finger’s leaves rustled as I jotted down my ‘little adventure”. Ever since we exchanged our letters, it became my way of picturing life as a normal teenager, doing what every other girl should be doing. It helped me forget that I’m not what people considered to be ‘normal’.

“Today, I saved a little boy’s balloon that was stuck on a tree branch. The poor boy cried really badly, I felt bad for him and decided to retrieve it. Although I can’t say that I left unscathed. I broke my arm in the process, but thankfully it wasn’t my dominant hand. School was boring, as usual, the same old class, teachers and tests. Hopefully school has been better for you.

-G”

But of course, “going to school, taking tests and complaining about teachers” were only half-truths. Signing off, I dropped my note into Finger’s hollow trunk and headed back.

 “You look better than when I first saw you earlier in the day. Something interesting happened that you would like to share with your Doctor-in-charge?” Dr Ray asked playfully. Dr Ray found out about “J” by accident one day, but never once did he mention “J” to anyone else.

 “Has it got to do with that secret lover of yours?”

 “Firstly, yes. And secondly, “J” isn’t my lover of any sort. He’s just a good friend that I have never formally met and besides he thinks I’m a normal girl enjoying her life.”

 “Be careful, for all you know he might be just some creep preying on unsuspecting young girls such as yourself.”

 “Yes, ‘mum’.” Rolling my eyes at his comment.

 “I know “J” isn’t some sort of creep, even if he were to ask to meet up, I don’t think I have the courage to let him see me –the real me, ‘the girl who probably won’t be able to live past-’”

 “What’s wrong?” I asked upon seeing Dr Ray’s brows frowned in confusion.

 “Well, this can’t be right” The way Dr Ray rubbed his chin unleashed waves of uneasiness in my heart. “It’s probably nothing, don’t worry about it and get a good night’s rest. I’ll check up on you tomorrow morning.” Before I could ask any further, he disappeared into the never-ending corridors, leaving me with my raging thoughts.

It’s probably nothing like he said; you’re overthinking again Grace. I assured myself before dozing off to the endless possibilities of becoming healthy once more.

Or so I hoped…

Sitting under Fingers luscious thick leaves, my hands tightly clutched “J”’s letter unable to process what Dr Ray had just explained to me.

What am I going to tell “J”? I can’t simply tell him, “Oh hey just so you know everything about me attending school was a big fat lie and I won’t be able to write anymore, cause apparently my time got cut short. Looks like I won’t even make it past to see my 18th birthday since the cancer cells are growing at a ridiculously fast pace. Thanks for everything up till now’.

I simply can’t tell him that. What would he think of me?

Tears clouded my eyes when I remembered the piece of paper that was now crumbled in my hand.

“On behalf of the boy that you risked your arm for, I thank you. No really, you are a hero.

School’s been the same old cycle, you wake up, go to school, hear teachers preach about their subjects and soon you’re home again doing the same old homework. Thankfully, I had good old Mark and his drums to accompany me through the night; I swear I could hear him even in my dreams. Do you think they’ll notice if he goes missing?

On another note, I respect not knowing each other’s identities, but I do want to meet this amazing person behind these letters if that’s okay with you.

-J”

He wants to meet me. “J” wants to actually meet me, the girl whose time got cut short. He wants to meet the “normal teenage” Grace, but nothing about me is normal, especially when your due date is almost up. Why can’t I be like every other teenager? Why of all things did I contract leukaemia, why can’t it be some other curable disease? Is that too much to ask? Biting my lip, I let the tears fall.

Letting it all out sure did feel good, but the problem remains unchanged. “What am I going to tell “J”, Fingers? Should I tell him the truth? Should I even meet him since I wouldn’t live any longer? Gosh, why is it so difficult? I guess after writing this letter, I have to say goodbye to you too huh Fingers.”

Feeling her rough woody bark under my fingertips for the last time, I began crafting my final letter.

“Mark definitely deserves the Best Neighbour Award of all time (note the sarcasm). Jokes aside, I have something to tell you. I do want to meet you, really, I do… But I’ll be going on a trip soon and I’m not sure when I’ll be leaving or when I’ll be back. Before leaving, I want to let you know that you are a special existence to me and our time writing was surreal, unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye to those days. Thank You for everything.

-G”

Every word penned down on that piece of paper took a piece of my heart with it. I figured that this was the best decision for us, I guess mostly for me. I couldn’t bear the thought of meeting him only to leave him soon after. It’ll be too painful. I didn’t go back to see Fingers, neither did I return to see his reply.

And just like that, 2 months passed. I spent most of my time in the hospital, going through tests which honestly, I don’t see any point for, considering that I’ll be gone soon. Not seeing Fingers and not being able to write to “J” killed something inside me. I guess I was already dead before I knew it.

 “Grace, you have a visitor.”

Turning my attention away from the window, my pale blue eyes met a pair of hazel eyes that belonged to a lanky boy dressed in a plaid shirt with brown pants, and a chocolate-coloured hair that was slightly covered up by his grey beanie. “Grace, this is Jack, my younger brother.” Dr Ray introduced. “Apparently he has something that he wants to tell you; I’ll leave you two to chat. I’ll be back in the evening to check on you again.”

 “Hey”

 “Hey”

 “Well, it’s nice to finally be able to talk to you live, and not through a pen and paper, G”

That’s when it clicked. Jack is “J”. And “J” is standing in front of me. He –the boy who made me forget that I was ever sick, is standing right in front of me. He found me and he knows me –the real me.

Suddenly, I felt self-conscious, with the way his gentle eyes met mine, how his cheeks flushed to form a slight pinkish shade and the way he rubbed his neck sheepishly. While my eyes seemed hollow and cheeks drained of any sort of colour.

 “But… But how? How did you know that I was here and not someplace far away?”

 “Well, it’s sort of a long story. I knew that you’ve been living in the hospital 3 years ago since I’m a frequent here, poor immune system and all that. You intrigued me, a girl that found out she contracted leukaemia 3 years ago was filled with so much spirit and life. It was pure coincidence that I discovered the notes that you left inside Finger’s trunk, I also figured you didn’t want me to know about the whole hospital thing, so I kinda left it as that. After reading your letter, I knew something was up and I may or may not have asked my brother subtly about your condition. And I may or may not have also begged him to let me finally meet you.” He grinned, his cheeks forming a small dimple.

Having him by my side was no easy decision; but somehow, he managed to convince me. Since then he visited me each day without fail, telling me stories of his hopes and dreams, just like he did in those letters. He silently supported me, giving my hand a little squeeze each time I went through the tests.

When I was bored of being cooped up in the room, we would sneak out of the room to race each other to the hill, lying on the grassy patch, gazing at the endless array of stars in the night sky. Eventually, my body became too weak and I no longer had the energy to walk, let alone stand. Even so, Jack still stayed beside me.

Whenever the pain felt unbearable, he would hold me close, patting my back as he whispered words of assurance and comfort. The room was always filled with life and laughter. Every moment spent with him was truly more than I could ever ask for. I loved him wholeheartedly and I knew that Jack did too.

Soon, my time was coming to an end and we both knew it.

 “Jack, I have a request. I want to see Fingers one last time.”

Pushing my wheelchair up the hill was no easy feat but he still did it nonetheless. Waves of nostalgia consumed me, memories of us writing to each other were now far behind us. Leaning against his shoulder, I felt safe and protected like I once did. His fingers interlaced with mine, like two fitted pieces of a puzzle –his hands fitted to mine. Breathing in the cool evening breeze, we sat in silence, but our thoughts roared like lions.

Taking one last glimpse of the fiery sun slipping beneath the clouds, I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of the world in the palm of my hand, and the earth beneath me. Memories of the days spent together replayed in my head.

Leaning on his shoulder, I felt safe. 

I whispered a word of thanks before drifting off into an endless dream, awaiting the day where we would share more moments in time together. And maybe this time, I would be normal once more.

-

I left the ending open-ended so it’s up to yall to guess what happens to her in the end. Does she simply fall asleep? Or has she passed on? The ending is up to your very own interpretation!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this small read :)

[dalyunministry]

BEWARE OF DIFFERENT JESUS' AND SPIRITS

(Galatians 1:6-9)

Before we begin our study let us pray,

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Holy Father, please bless our time in this study of Your Word. Please grant us the spiritual wisdom and understanding to better understand what You are teaching us. And Father, please grant us the discernment and conviction to heed you warnings.

Amen

INTRODUCTION

In our previous study we read about some of the different gospels that were and are creeping into the church. In addition, we also saw that those who taught or preached a gospel other than the one given by Jesus Christ were to be eternally condemned. To refresh our memories let us read from the theme of this study,

Galatians 1:6-9

"[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- [7] which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! [9] As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"

Since it is imperative for our eternal well being that we remain steadfast in our faith in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, we also discovered that the Scripture exhorted us to stay away from and avoid all false prophets and teachers.

Romans 16:17

"[17] I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them."

However, the Bible does not stop here. There is more, much, much more. To see this let us now read from a similar warning that was given to the body of Christ that was in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4

"[3] But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. [4] For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough."

Notice that in the above Scriptures we are warned about being led astray to follow:

a. Different Jesus'

b. Different Spirits

c. Different Gospels

Since in our last study we covered the issue with respect to different gospels, this study will focus on the following two topics: (1) Different Jesus’ and (2) Different spirits.

For the first topic we will,

1. Review the characteristics and/or attributes of the true Jesus Christ of the Bible.

2. Review the characteristics of some of the different Jesus’.

In the second topic we will,

3. Review the characteristics and/or attributes of the Holy Spirit.

Given this introduction and outline, let us begin our study of,

DIFFERENT JESUS'

Before we look at some different Jesus', let us first refresh our memory with respect to exactly who is,

THE REAL JESUS, THE JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE

To do this we will briefly review five main characteristics and/or attributes of Jesus Christ.

Before we do this it will be helpful for us to recognize that the term “Christ” means “Messiah” or “Anointed One” or “The Lord’s Anointed One”. Thus, when we say the Name Jesus Christ what we are saying is: “Jesus, the Anointed One.”

With this background let us now review the first critical attribute of Jesus Christ which is that,

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD WHO TOOK ON HUMAN FLESH

To see this let us read about His birth as recorded in,

John 1:1-4

"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

Let us notice the following verses,

1 … The Word is another name to for Jesus Christ. To see this let us read an excerpt from a description of Jesus that is recorded in,

Revelation 19:13

[13] He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

Let us also note that in the last portion of verse one, “The Word” or Jesus was and is God.

2 … Through Jesus Christ all things were made.

3 … In Jesus is life.

And now let us read from,

John 1:14

"[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The second attribute of Jesus is that to become a man, the Bible teaches us that He,

JESUS CHRIST WAS BORN BY A VIRGIN

To see this let us read about the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in,

Luke 1:26-35

"[26] In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, [27] to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. [28] The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." [29] Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. [30] But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. [31] You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." [34] "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" [35] The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

Let us notice the following verses,

31 … His name is to be Jesus.

32 … He will also be called the Son of the Most High.

33 … His Kingdom will have no end.

34 …Mary told the angel Gabriel that she was a virgin.

35a … Gabriel told Mary that her Child will ne conceived by the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus will be and was true God and true man.

35b … Consequently, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is He is Lord and God (see Chapter 5, Volume I).

This brings us to the third attribute which is that Jesus Christ is

THE ONE AND ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD

We discover this by reading why Jesus came into the world. As we read this passage let us remember that the key words are "one" and "only."

John 3:16

""[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The fourth attribute of the true Jesus Christ is that,

ONLY THE JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE CAN SAVES US FROM OUR SINS

To verify this let us read an excerpt from what the Apostle Peter while bearing witness of Jesus Christ. To do this we go to,

Acts 4:12

"[12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.""

Consequently, those who are not true born again believers in Jesus Christ remain in their sins. Hence, they are still under God's wrath and under the penalty for their disobedience to God's Laws.

The Bible teaches us that to save us from our sins and extend to us eternal life, Jesus Christ was crucified, died and was buried. However, in reading the New Testament we also discover that Jesus did not stay in the tomb. The Jesus Christ of the Bible physically rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven and is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

Thus, the fifth attribute of the true Jesus Christ is that,

HE IS ALIVE AND LORD OVER ALL THINGS

To see this let us read Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus. To do this we go to,

Ephesians 1:15-23

[15] Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, [16] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: [17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, [18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power [20] which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. [22] And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, [23] which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

As another side note, the above prayer is a good model for us when we pray for one another.

Unfortunately, not everyone nor every religious organization recognize or accept or even teach these truths about the Jesus Christ of the Bible. In fact we find there are many different Jesus' that are preached and/or worshipped. So that we are not deceived and led astray to a Jesus who cannot save us from our sins, let us look at some examples of,

SOME DIFFERENT JESUS'

It must be noted that even though the following organizations teach or preach a different Jesus than the one of the Bible does not mean every person within these organizations either believe or are even aware of their organization’s heresy. Only each individual person and God knows their true beliefs.

With this in mind, let us now read some of the organizations who claim to be Christian but preach a different Jesus.

1. JEHOVAH WITNESS - Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel.

2. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE – Jesus is a man; Christ is an ideal.

3. LATTER DAY SAINTS - Jesus is the first of many spirit children of Elohim.

4. HEALTH AND WEALTH MINISTRIES - Jesus is like Santa Claus who, on demand, provides His people with health and financial prosperity.

5. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH – Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was not sufficient to save us from all our sins. Consequently, a person who died with an un-confessed, small or venial, sin is required to go to purgatory to make atonement for them and cleanse their soul (RCC 1030-1031).

We also find there are religious organizations that do not claim to be Christian but do teach about a different Jesus. For example,

1. JUDAISM - This religious organization believes that Jesus is a dead prophet.

2. EASTERN MYSTICISM (TM, BUDDHISM, KRISHNA, ETC.) - These organizations believe and teach that Jesus is a dead teacher or master.

3. ISLAM – He was a prophet called Isa. He did not die on the cross or was physically resurrected from the dead.

This brings us to,

THE POINT OR MESSAGE FOR THIS PORTION OF OUR STUDY

As we did with our study of different gospels, let us now find out what the Bible has to say about those who come and preach a different Jesus. To do this let us read from,

2 John 7-11

"[7] Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. [8] Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. [9] Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. [10] If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. [11] Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work."

Let us notice the following verses,

7 … The person who teaches or preaches about a Jesus, other than the one who is revealed to us in the Bible is a deceiver and an antichrist.

8 … We must be diligent to not be deceived and led astray.

9 … Those who do not continue in the Biblical teaching of Jesus Christ do not have God. However, those who continue in the true Biblical Gospel teaching have both the Father and Jesus Christ.

10-11… Do not welcome, that is accept the teaching or beliefs of those who teach or preach a different Jesus. Notice, if we do welcome or accept them and their beliefs we are really sharing in their work. This does not mean that we are not to pray for or share with them about our Lord Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross. We must always remember that Jesus came to save all of us.

Let us now proceed in our study to explore in a bit more depth the issue of,

DIFFERENT SPIRITS

For us to discern a spirit other than the Holy Spirit, we must first recognize and believe that,

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD, THAT IS THE TRINITY

As we study the New Testament we find that Jesus Christ never referred to the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force. Jesus always referred to the Holy Spirit as a person. For example, let us read what Jesus said to His disciples to prepare them for the arrival of the Holy Spirit,

John 16:13

"[13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

In addition to being a person we also find that the Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is also God Himself. To see this let us read what the Apostle Peter said to Ananias when Ananias lied about an offering he (Ananias) made to the church. We find this conversation recorded for us in,

Acts 5:1-4

"[1] Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. [2] With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. [3] Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? [4] Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.""

Let us notice the following verses,

3 … Peter accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit. Notice Peter did not treat the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force but as a person, that is someone who can be lied to.

4 … Peter identified the Holy Spirit as God.

Consequently, any person or organization that does not believe or teach this doctrine is not from God. Some examples of organizations that claim to be Christian but do not teach that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead are,

1. JEHOVAH WITNESS - This organization teaches that the Holy Spirit is the invisible force of Almighty God which moves his servants to do his will.

2. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE - This religious system teaches that the Holy Spirit is Divine Science; the development of eternal life.

3. LATTER DAY SAINTS - This religious organization teaches that He is the influence of deity, the light of Christ, or of truth.

In addition to being the third Person of the Godhead we find that,

THE HOLY SPIRIT ALWAYS BEARS WITNESS TO JESUS CHRIST

To see this let us read another passage of what Jesus said to prepare His disciples for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. This time we will read from,

John 15:26

""[26] When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."

With this background let us read a word of exhortation that is written in,

1 John 4:1-3

"[1] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

Let us notice the following verses,

1 … We are encouraged to test the spirits. In other words, just because someone or some organization say they are from God we are to test the spirit to be sure they are from God.

2 … As we saw above, the Holy Spirit will always bear witness to the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

3 … Any spirit that does not bear witness of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible is from the evil one.

The above observations or doctrines are what could be called objective facts or truths that may be easily recognized. However, since we are dealing in spiritual matters we must also learn to discern or hear the spirit. To do this let us begin by recognizing that,

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS "HOLY"

Therefore to determine whether or not a teacher or preacher has been sent by God and the Holy Spirit is speaking through them, the fruits of the Holy Spirit should be manifested and growing in their lives (2 Peter 1:1-11). The fruits of the Holy Spirit are listed in,

Galatians 5:22-23

"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

In fact, it is the Holy Spirit’s fruit of love that fulfills the Law for us. To see this let us read what Jesus once said to a lawyer. To do this we go to,

Matthew 22:35-40

[35] Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, [36] “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” [37] Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In contrast to these fruits we find that the spirit of the world or our sinful nature is far from holy. To see this let us read from,

Galatians 5:19-21

"[19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

In addition, let us read what Jesus has to say about those who teach, preach or operate in spiritual gifts and yet continue to live their life in accordance with the spirit of the world or their sinful nature. His warning to these false prophets and teachers is recorded for us in,

Matthew 7:15-23

""[15] Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. [16] By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. [21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Let us notice the following verses,

15 … On the outside the false prophets or teachers appear to be righteous and holy. However, on the inside they are still full of the spirit of the world.

16-20 … It is by the fruits of one's life we can determine whether or not they are from God. In other words, if the fruits of the Holy Spirit are present and growing in a person's life then they are filled with the Holy Spirit and are from God. On the other hand if the fruits of their life are still the fruits from their sinful nature, then we should not accept them as a teacher or preacher sent from God.

21 … If we profess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and do not do what He says then is He really our Lord?

22-23 … It is not the spiritual gifts or wonders that we may perform in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that makes us a disciple of Him. No, our discipleship is based upon whether or not we are yielded to the Holy Spirit and His fruits are being manifest and growing in our daily walk (2 Peter 1:1-11).

Not only does Jesus say that He never knew these false prophets or teachers, but the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us to stay away from them. To read His instruction we go to,

2 Timothy 3:1-5

"[1] But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

[kaylahill94]

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[surveysonfleek]

318.

1. Can you remember ever feeling like someone stole your idea or took credit for something that was your work? If not, can you remember a time when you introduced a friend to something and they sort of began acting like they know more about it than you? yes, both. more annoyed about the first one. someone obviously had stolen my photography from deviantart years ago and it completely blew up on tumblr and instagram. last time i saw it on tumblr it had over a million notes.

2. If you were to ever imagine getting married, do you think you have a lot of people that would invite to your showers and actual wedding? Or is it more like you’d be inviting long-lost family members and hoping for the best? i don’t want a huge wedding, but my boyfriend has a huge extended family that his parents would probably want to invite. so i’ll be reaching out to long lost family to keep the numbers even.

3. When you think about your extended family, are your relatives more similar to you and your family or different? Is it just you that’s different from your family or do you have a diverse family, in general? my whole extended family are quite different from each other but it’s never stopped us from reunions etc.

4. Have you ever lost a friend to someone you introduced them to? haha not completely lost, but they ended up closer than we were.

5. Do you remember the last thing you posted on the internet that you regretted? If not, can you think of one time it’s happened? hmm not really. i don’t post that much on social media anymore.

6. Regarding your current or former high school, what is something that you really felt your school was lacking or what is something you would change about your high school? the diversity... i was one of two asians in my grade, it was pretty shitty. oh and the place didn’t have air con... i feel for those kids in summer.

7. Choose a male friend of yours. Will you please describe him in a way that might convince me he’d be a good person to date? my friend phi is kind, loyal, caring and smart. he can cook some of the most amazing dishes and will spoil anyone he loves like crazy. he’s probably the genuinely nicest guy i know.

8. Have you ever pledged money to a Kickstarter (or other similar website) project? no.

9. If I handed you a voucher for a free tattoo from a renowned tattoo artist, but it had to be redeemed within 24 hours, would you use it? haha no, i’d literally call all my friends and go with anyone who wanted it.

10. Thinking about your favorite television show, are there any other similar shows out there (e.g., American Idol and X Factor; True Blood and Vampire Diaries)? If so, do you also like those shows? What is it that makes your favorite stand out from the similar shows? well, my favourite show of all time is the office. i can’t really compare it to anything but i feel like it’s most similar to modern family (the format) and superstore (humour and huge cast).

11. Do you ever follow artists as they switch from band to band? nope.

12. Do you find yourself being afraid of men? For example, if you are alone at a gas pump and a man pulls up to the pump next to you, does it make you nervous? if they simply pulled up next to me then no. maybe eye contact or something would make me feel uncomfortable but i’m looking way too much into it now.

13. What is your biggest goal right now? What do you hope to attain by achieving it? get a new job by the end of this year.

14. Did your high school have a Model UN club? If you’re not sure, what were some of the more interesting clubs your school had? mine didn’t. my school didn’t have any cool clubs. it was sports or social justice.

15. Have you ever hung out with a group of people who are significantly older than you? Was it a decent time or did you feel out of place? yeah i guess so. i’ve hung out with older people during my internship and it was not my thing at all. but tbh i think it’s coz i was really different from most of them.

16. If you are of age, do you enjoy the bar scene? What about it do you like or dislike? If you are below age, do you think you would enjoy going to bars when you are older? i prefer the bar scene compared to the clubbing scene. that’s my idea of a night out nowadays.

17. Is often that you will have one symptom and then you will diagnose yourself with catastrophic, even though it will usually end up just being nothing at all? yeah sorta. this is more the epitome of my boyfriend though.

18. If you are unhappy with your appearance (even just with a bad hair day), does that keep you from going places? Does it keep you from fully enjoying yourself, as you’re too worried with how you look? not really. if i really need to do something, i couldn’t care less about how im feeling about myself on that day.

19. Are you ever surprised and put-off by rude or ignorant comments that your classmates make? If you don’t have classmates, replace that with “friends” or “people you know.” yeah of course. facebook is a prime example of that.

20. Have you ever had a goal to be better than someone at something? For example, there’s a dude in your class that always brags about his grades, so you work hard to do better than him, specifically? when i was in elementary yes, very much so.

21. Are you friends with more artistic people, more academic people, or more athletic people? academic or artistic.

22. Regarding a specific friend, or more than one if you wish, what are some specific things that you bond over? For example, you like the same video games or have the same college major. i have a certain group of friends and we bond over two things: we all used to work together and we all love traveling. so it works!

23. When you are at a place where people are dancing and people are seated/mingling, like a wedding reception, do you dance or do you remain standing/seated? i will mingle until a good song comes on tbh.

24. If you see someone and notice something you like about them, physical or otherwise, how likely are you to actually compliment them? if it’s a friend, instantaneously. if it’s a stranger, i’d have to really like it or want to know where something is from to compliment them.

25. How easy is it for you to tolerate and keep an open mind when people reveal they have completely opposite political opinions to you? Does it change based on how close to your heart the issue at hand is? it’s rather hard for me to tolerate if they’re really headstrong about it. i’ll always keep an open mind, but if people are feeding and preaching me their opinion, it’s definitely frustrating.

[minnamarie1983-blog]

Bible verses for Friday August 11,2017

Baptism bible verses Colossians 2:12 Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. NIV 1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. NIV 1 Peter 3:21 And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ NIV Mark 1:4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. NIV Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism NIV Acts 13:24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. NIV 1 John 5:6 This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. NIV Acts 19:4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." NIV Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. NIV ============ Faith bible verses Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – NIV Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ NIV Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. NIV Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. NIV Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. NIV Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. NIV James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them? NIV Galatians 3:26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith NIV 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? NIV Hebrews 12:2 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NIV Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. NIV John 14:12 Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. NIV 2 Timothy 3:15 And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. NIV 1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. NIV Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. NIV James 2:1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. NIV Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." NIV Romans 1:12 That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. NIV 2 Timothy 1:13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. NIV ========= Joy bible verses James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds NIV Hebrews 12:2 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NIV Luke 1:14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth NIV 3 John 1:3 It gave me great joy to have some believers come and testify to your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. NIV Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. NIV 2 Corinthians 2:3 I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. NIV Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." NIV 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. NIV 2 John 1:4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. NIV 2 Timothy 1:4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. NIV Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. NIV Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit NIV Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." NIV Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. NIV John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. NIV Matthew 25:21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" NIV Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." NIV 1 Thessalonians 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. NIV Jude 1:24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – NIV Luke 15:10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." NIV =========== Knowledge bible verses 1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. NIV 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. NIV Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children." NIV 2 Peter 1:6 And to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness NIV Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. NIV Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives NIV 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. NIV Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'" NIV 1 Samuel 2:3 "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed." NIV =========== Past bible verses Hebrews 1:1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways NIV Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. NIV Mark 1:15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" NIV Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. NIV Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. NIV Hebrews 2:1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. NIV Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." NIV

[zerolover66]

How would you write Kaname as a character if you have the chance?

Hi anon. I am going to answer you with a few things that I remember reading about a couple of years ago on the internet. If I had the chance to write Kaname as a character I would definitely make him the final villain for sure. I would not whitewash him and erase or make excuses for what he did or became. Hino was actually doing a pretty good job following the list below. She could have given us more of a believable and in depth backstory to show how he got from point A to point B. But overall she was pretty on point with creating a worthy villain. The problem happened when she started to try to retcon him and his actions. That is where it fell apart for me.

 But she followed the list of creating a villain pretty well until for whatever reason, that we may never truly know, she changed direction and just made him a mess of a character in the end. I personally have never thought Hino did a terrible job with Kaname as a character until the final 5 or 6 chapters. She was completely on track until towards the end of the series. That is where it seemed she went for the redemption arc and had him also sleep with Yuuki which totally made him seem even more loathsome than your normal villain. It just didn’t fit at all at that point in the story. But if you take the time to truly read the list below you will find that Hino was pretty much following an awful lot of the list that makes a good villain. Therefore I would have to conclude that she had every intention of having Kaname be a villain but was swayed at the last moment for whatever reason to try to redeem him and that lead to him just falling flat as a character.

But if you would like to know how I would have written Kaname just read the list below. I would have followed the pattern that is written in order to make Kaname a wonderfully believable yet understandable villain.

The villain functions as a reflection of the hero.

Picture your hero looking into a mirror. The reflecting image is that of your villain. At first you only see their obvious similarities. But upon closer inspection, you see how the two characters contrast each other in all their disturbing glory. These dark reflections equip your villain with layers of character that match your hero’s depth.

Lord Voldemort is a reflection of Harry Potter.

Both are orphans:

Both view Hogwarts as their first home:

Both open the Chamber of Secrets:

Both lead crews toward their story goals:

Both are half-blood wizards whose emotions fuel their great strength:

Voldemort became an orphan due to misery and lack of love when his mother died from heartbreak.

Harry became an orphan founded in love when his parents sacrifice their lives to save him.

Voldemort (Tom Riddle) allowed Hogwarts to become another broken home as he emerged into the Dark Lord.

Harry made Hogwarts a happy home where he finds his best friends and true family.

Voldemort embraced the power of the Baselisk to wreak havoc on Hogwarts.

Harry destroyed the Serpent of Slytherin.

Voldemort rules the Death Eaters with self-serving fear to vanquish half-bloods.

Harry inspires good-hearted friends and wizards while doing almost everything for others to protect the world.

Voldemort uses hate to dominate without regard for anyone’s safety.

Harry is driven by love and despises putting anyone else in danger.

The Joker is a reflection of Batman.

Both wear costumes:

Both instill fear in Gotham:

Both inspire Gotham:

Both subscribe to ideological views:

The Joker dresses like a carnival freak show to confuse and disturb.

Batman shields his identity and body to protect and safeguard.

The Joker forces criminals to accept and join his insane mission.

Batman drives criminals to look over their shoulders.

The Joker breeds chaos which motivates lunatics to help topple the city.

Batman serves justice which drives citizens to help protect the city.

The Joker believes the world offers no redeemable value and mayhem should govern.

Batman aspires to support the world long enough to fix itself so it can flourish

The villain exposes truths the hero does not want to admit.

Your hero has fears they don’t want to believe or admit. These fears are dark truths. Your villain must preach these dark truths like gospel to the hero. These revelations will cast your villain as a memorable conductor of conflict.

Voldemort vows to Harry Potter that he’s destined to die by the Dark Lord’s hand.

Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter as a baby but failed. The Dark Lord reminds Harry of his murderous intentions throughout the series. And Harry can only escape Voldemort’s proclamation for so long.

Because in the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it’s revealed to Harry that Voldemort’s repeated death sentence was actually a dark truth. Harry learns the only way to defeat the Dark Lord is if he, himself, dies by Voldemort’s hand.

The Joker pledges Gotham will turn on itself.

The Joker tells Batman in the Police interrogation room that Gotham’s morals and code are a farce. The Joker declares the citizens will eat each other alive and cross Batman at the first sign of trouble.

The Joker’s words are fulfilled after his plan transforms Harvey Dent (a secondary hero) into Two-Face (a secondary villain). Dent was supposed to be Gotham’s White Knight, the best of them. But The Joker turns him. So in turn, Two-Face seeks revenge against the corrupt cops and citizens that failed him (killing five people).

The villain forces the hero to evolve into a savior.

Your villain must push your hero to confront the exposed truth. This confrontation permits your hero to emerge as the savior they’re intended to be.

Harry Potter faces Voldemort’s death sentence.

After Harry learns he must die by Voldemort’s hand to destroy a protective link they share, Harry decides to surrender in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry allows Voldemort to cast the Killing Curse but finds himself go to a place between life and death. In this strange place, Harry learns that by facing death and not running from it, he’s become the true master of the Deathly Hallows (a trio of powerful, magical objects).

Harry is then reborn and conquers Voldemort, an impossibility had Harry refused to brave the uninviting truth that Voldemort forced him to reconcile.

Batman faces The Joker’s self-destruction prophecy.

After Two-Face dies trying to kill Batman and Lieutenant Gordon’s family, Batman recognizes that Gotham will implode if it discovers the Joker’s revelation that he, himself, did not want to believe.

Batman decides to make Gotham think he killed the five people, not Dent (Gotham’s White Knight). The joker’s “chess game” forces Batman to accept all the blame and sacrifice his reputation, an act that propels him to become The Dark Knight which Gotham needs to survive.

Why it Works

It’s no secret that villains generate the primary conflict in stories. They produce major obstacles that heroes must overcome. It’s this cause and effect process that empowers heroes to save the day and shine at the climax.

Except we want our villains to shine, too! As storytellers, we dream of creating unforgettable monsters that impact readers. The kind they secretly root for. Or openly rave about. Thankfully, every storyteller can prepare a villain that leaves a remarkable impression.

But it can’t start until you permit your villain to be more than the “Lord of Cliches.”

When you position your villain as a dark reflection of the hero, you guarantee that the villain has a backstory just as deep as your hero.

By having the villain reveal dark truths to the hero, the reader sees legitimacy in the villain’s evil plans. Finally, the act of challenging the hero to overcome what he did not want to behold is more effective than the act of attacking the hero’s current beliefs.

Orchestrating this blend of conflict elevates your villain beyond the cliches. And it should move readers to gush about your villain, maybe even more than your hero

Villains are real people to whom terrible things have happened.

Maybe in childhood, maybe in adolescence, maybe later. At some point, rather than learning and growing, their maturation process stunted and stalled.

Roots of bitterness and anger sprang up in them. On the surface they may have many, if not most, of the same attractive qualities of your hero. But just beneath the surface fester the qualities you can access in yourself if you allow yourself to.

While this may explain the reasons for your villain’s actions, it doesn’t excuse or forgive them. He’s still evil, and he must still be brought to justice. But giving him motivation will make him more than a cardboard cutout.

So conjure a backstory for your villain. Make him real and believable and credible—even attractive in many ways.

And while you’re writing your story, see how many boxes you can check off on this list of characteristics that pertain to your villain.

The more that apply, the more successful your novel is likely to be. Because the more worthy his opponent, the more heroic your hero will appear.

He’s convinced he’s the good guy

He has many likable qualities

He’s a worthy enough opponent to make your hero look good

You (and your reader) like when he’s on stage

He’s clever and accomplished enough that people must lend him begrudging respect

He can’t be a fool or a bumbler

He has many of the same characteristics of the hero, but they’re misdirected

He should occasionally be kind, and not just for show

He can be merciless, even to the innocent

He’s persuasive

He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants

He’s proud

He’s deceitful

He’s jealous, especially of the hero

He’s vengeful

The most interesting villains are not completely evil. They have a soft spot for puppies or they write cheesy love poems. Contrary personality traits add depth and realism to all characters. Describe your villain’s positive traits.

Thanks for dropping by :)

[pamphletstoinspire]

Gospel Reading and Commentary for Saturday, January 12, 2019 - Roman Catholic - John 35: 22 - 30

22. After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

23. And John also was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

24. For John was not yet cast into prison.

25. Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

26. And they came to John, and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with you beyond Jordan, to whom you bare witness, behold, the same baptizes, and all men come to him.

CHRYS. Nothing is more open than truth, nothing bolder; it neither seeks concealment, or avoids danger, or fears the snare, or cares for popularity. It is subject to no human weakness. Our Lord went up to Jerusalem at the feasts, not from ostentation or love of honor, but to teach the people His doctrines, and show miracles of mercy. After the festival He visited the crowds who were collected at the Jordan. After these things came Jesus and His disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. BEDE; After these things, is not immediately after His dispute with Nicodemus, which took place at Jerusalem; but on His return to Jerusalem after some. time spent in Galilee. ALCUIN. By Judea are meant those who confess, whom Christ visits; for wherever there is confession of sins, or the praise of God, thither comes Christ and His disciples, i. e. His doctrine and enlightenment; and there He is known by His cleansing men from sin: And there He tarried with them, and baptized. CHRYS. As the Evangelist says afterwards, that Jesus baptized not but His disciples, it is evident that he means the same here, i.e. that the disciples only baptized. AUG. Our Lord did not baptize with the baptism wherewith He had been baptized; for He was baptized by a servant, as a lesson of humility to us, and in order to bring us to the Lord’s baptism, i.e. His own; for Jesus baptized, as the Lord, the Son of God. BEDE; John still continues baptizing, though Christ has begun; for the shadow remains still, nor must the forerunner cease, till the truth is manifested. And John also was baptizing in Ænon, near to Salim. Ænon is Hebrew for water; so that the Evangelist gives, as it were, the derivation of the name, when he adds, For there was much water there. Salim is a town on the Jordan, where Melchisedec once reigned. JEROME; It matters not whether it is called Salem, or Salim; since the Jews very rarely use vowels in the middle of words; and the same words are pronounced with different vowels and accents, by different readers, and in different places.

And they came, and were baptized. BEDE; The same kind of benefit which catechumens receive from instruction before they are baptized, the same did John’s baptism convey before Christ’s. As John preached repentance, announced Christ’s baptism, and drew all men to the knowledge of the truth now made manifest to the world: so the ministers of the Church first instruct those who come to the faith, then reprove their sins; and lastly, drawing them to the knowledge and love of the truth, offer them remission by Christ’s baptism. CHRYS. Notwithstanding the disciples of Jesus baptized, John did not leave off till his imprisonment; as the Evangelist’s language intimates, For John was not yet cast into prison.

BEDE; He evidently here is relating what Christ did before John’s imprisonment; a part which has been passed over by the rest, who commence after John’s imprisonment. AUG. But why did John baptize? AUG. Because it was necessary that our Lord should be baptized.

And why was it necessary that our Lord should be baptized? That no one might ever think himself at liberty to despise baptism. CHRYS, But why did he go on baptizing now? Because, had he left off, it might have been attributed to envy or anger: whereas, continuing to baptize, he got no glory for himself, but sent hearers to Christ. And he was better able to do this service, than were Christ’s own disciples; his testimony being so free from suspicion, and his reputation with the people so much higher than theirs. He therefore continued to baptize, that he might not increase the envy felt by his disciples against our Lord’s baptism. Indeed, the reason, I think, why John’s death was permitted, and, in his room, Christ made the great preacher, was, that the people might transfer their affections wholly to Christ, and no longer be divided between the two. For the disciples of John did become so envious of Christ’s disciples, and even of Christ Himself, that when they saw the latter baptizing, they threw contempt upon their baptism, as being inferior to that of John’s; And there arose a question from some of John’s disciples with the Jews about purifying. That it was they who began the dispute, and not the Jews, the Evangelist implies by saying, that there arose a question from John’s disciples, whereas he might have said, The Jews put forth a question. AUG. The Jews then asserted Christ to be the greater person, and His baptism necessary to be received. But John’s disciples did not understand so much, and defended John’s baptism. At last they come to John, to solve the question: And they came unto John, and said to him, Rabbi, He that was with you beyond Jordan, behold, the Same baptizes. CHRYS. Meaning, He, Whom you baptized, baptizes. They did not say expressly, Whom you baptized, for they did not wish to be reminded of the voice from heaven, but, He Who was with you, i.e. Who was in the situation of a disciple, who was nothing more than any of us, He now separates Himself from you, and baptizes. They add, To Whom you bare witness; as if to say, Whom you showed to the world, Whom you made renowned, He now dares to do as you do. Behold, the Same baptizes. And in addition to this, they urge the probability that John’s doctrines would fall into discredit. All men come to Him. ALCUIN. Meaning, Passing by you, all men run to the baptism of Him Whom you baptized.

27. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

28. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

29. He that has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

30. He must increase, but I must decrease.

CHRYS. John, on this question being raised, does not rebuke his disciples, for fear they might separate, and turn to some other school, but replies gently, John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven; as if he said, No wonder that Christ does such excellent works, and that all men come to Him; when He Who does it all is God. Human efforts are easily seen through, are feeble, and short-lived. These are not such: they are not therefore of human, but of divine originating. He seems however to speak somewhat humbly of Christ, which will not surprise us, when we consider that it was not fitting to tell the whole truth, to minds prepossessed with such a passion as envy. He only tries for the present to alarm them, by showing that they are attempting impossible things, and fighting against God. AUG. Or perhaps John is speaking here of himself: I am a mere man, and have received all from heaven, and therefore think not that, because it has been given me to be somewhat, I am so foolish as to spear: against the truth.

CHRYS. And see; the very argument by which they thought to have overthrown Christ, To whom you bare witness, he turns against them; You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ; as if he said, If you think my witness true, you must acknowledge Him more worthy of honor shall myself. He adds, But that I was sent before Him; that is to say, I am a servant, and perform the commission of the Father which sent me; my witness is not from favor or partiality; I say that which was given me to say. BEDE; Who are you then, since you are not the Christ, and who is He to Whom you bear witness? John replies, He is the Bridegroom; I am the friend of the Bridegroom, sent to prepare the Bride for His approach: He that has the Bride, is the Bridegroom. By the Bride he means the Church, gathered from amongst all nations; a Virgin in purity of heart, in perfection of love, in the bond of peace, in chastity of mind and body; in the unity of the Catholic faith; for in vain is she a virgin in body, who continues not a virgin in mind. This Bride has Christ joined to Himself in marriage, and redeemed with the price of His own Blood. THEOPHYL. Christ is the spouse of every soul; the wedlock, wherein they are joined, is baptism; the place of that wedlock is the Church; the pledge of it, remission of sins, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost; the consummation, eternal life; which those who are worthy shall receive. Christ alone is the Bridegroom: all other teachers are but the friends of the Bridegroom, as was the forerunner. The Lord is the giver of good; the rest are the despisers of His gifts. BEDE; His Bride therefore our Lord committed to His friend, i.e. the order of preachers, who should be jealous of her, not for themselves, but for Christ; The friend of the Bridegroom which stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom’s voice. AUG. As if He said, She is not My spouse. But do you therefore not rejoice in the marriage? Yes, I rejoice, he said, because I am the friend of the Bridegroom. CHRYS. But how does he who said above, Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, call himself a friend? As an expression not of equality, but of excess of joy: (for the friend of the Bridegroom is always more rejoiced than the servant,) and also, as a condescension to the weakness of his disciples, who thought that he was pained at Christ’s ascendancy. For he hereby assures them, that so far from being pained, he was right glad that the Bride recognized her Spouse. AUG. But wherefore does he stand? Because he fails not, by reason of his humility. A sure ground this to stand upon, Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. Again; He stands, and hears Him. So then if he fails, he hears Him not. Therefore the friend of the Bridegroom ought to stand and hear, i.e. to abide in the grace which he has received, and to hear the voice in which he rejoices. I rejoice not, he said, because of my own voice, but because of the Bridegroom’s voice. I rejoice; I in hearing, He in speaking; I am the ear, He the Word. For he who guards the bride or wife of his friend, takes care that she love none else; if he wish to be loved himself in the stead of his friend, and to enjoy her who was entrusted to him, how detestable does he appear to the whole world? Yet many are the adulterers I see, who would fain possess themselves of the spouse who was bought at so great a price, and who aim by their words at being loved themselves instead of the Bridegroom. CHRYS. Or thus; The expression, which stands, is not without meaning, but indicates that his part is now over, and that for the future he must stand and listen. This is a transition from the parable to the real subject. For having introduced the figure of a bride and bridegroom, he shows how the marriage is consummated; viz. by word and doctrine. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And since the things he had hoped for had come to pass, he adds, This my Joy therefore is fulfilled; i.e. The work which I had to do is finished, and nothing more is left, that I can do. THEOPHYL. For which cause I rejoice now, that all men follow Him. For had the bride, i.e. the people, not come forth to meet the Bridegroom, then I, as the friend of the Bridegroom, should have grieved. AUG. Or thus; This my joy is fulfilled, i.e. my joy at hearing the Bridegroom’s voice. I have my gift; I claim no more, lest I lose that which I have received. He who would rejoice in himself, has sorrow; but he who would rejoice in the Lord, shall ever rejoice, because God is everlasting. BEDE; He rejoices at hearing the Bridegroom’s voice, who knows that he should not rejoice in his own wisdom, but in the wisdom which God gives him. Whoever in his good works seeks not his own glory, or praise, or earthly gain, but has his affections set on heavenly things; this man is the friend of the Bridegroom. CHRYS. He next dismisses the motions of envy, not only as regards the present, but also the future, saying, He must increase, but I must decrease: as if he said, My office has ceased, and is ended; but His advances. AUG. What means this, He must increase? God neither increases, nor decreases. And John and Jesus, according to the flesh, were of the same age: for the six months’ difference between them is of no consequence. This is a great mystery. Before our Lord came, men gloried in themselves; He came in no man’s nature, that the glory of man might be diminished, and the glory of God exalted. For He came to remit sins upon man’s confession: a man’s confession, a man’s humility, is God’s pity, God’s exaltation. This truth Christ and John proved, even by their modes of suffering: John was beheaded, Christ was lifted up on the cross. Then Christ was born, when the days begin to lengthen; John, when they begin to shorten. Let God’s glory then increase in us, and our own decrease, that ours also may increase in God. But it is because you understand God more and more, that He seems to increase in you: for in His own nature He increases not, but is ever perfect: even as to a man cured of blindness, who begins to see a little, and daily sees more, the light seems to increase, whereas it is in reality always at the fall, whether he sees it or not. In like manner the inner man makes advancement in God, and it seems as if God were increasing in Him; but it is He Himself that decreases, falling from the height of His own glory, and rising in the glory of God. THEOPHYL. Or thus; As, on the sun rising, the light of the other heavenly bodies seems to be extinguished, though in reality it is only obscured by the greater light: thus the forerunner is said to decrease; as if he were a star hidden by the sun. Christ increases in proportion as he gradually discloses Himself by miracles; not in the sense of increase, or advancement in virtue, (the opinion of Nestorius,) but only as regards the manifestation of His divinity.

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Generosity Encouraged - Charlie Boyle

Our giving should be planned, proportionate and prayerfully done.

Context Before we start let me just give some context to this letter written by Paul to the Corinthian church in Greece. Paul knew the church between the period of 50 and 57 A.D. had made a few visits but at times the relationship was strained and most recently he’d been subject to a hurtful attack. It is into this context that we are looking at his argument about how to encourage generosity in giving.

How do you react when you begin to hear someone preach about giving? Do you walk out and leave Do you fall asleep Does it upset you..?

I can tell you it is not the easiest of subjects to preach on!

I ought to just say at the outset apologies for those who are visitors, you just happened to have come along on a Sunday when we look at our annual giving.

Paul is, like me, was walking on egg shells, as talking about giving is never easy, particularly for us English folk. His overall purpose is to make sure that by the time he arrives in Corinth the church will have put aside the full amount of money they are going to contribute to the impoverished Jerusalem church. That is like the wish list SEE SLIDE that I talked about last Sunday and at the beginning of the service. We don’t want to run before, we can walk. Ideally we want have the finances in place for the projects we want to get done, like Paul did, before we start them.

Now bear in mind the context Paul is talking here to mostly relatively wealthy Christians, who live by the seaside, not unlike us, but he’s had a tricky relationship with them and yet he wants them to share in a great project he has in hand. The project is demonstrating to other churches that they are part of the same family of God. He is desperately concerned about the unity of the whole Christian family and perhaps a bit like us, he is challenging them to reach out to other churches less fortunate than us. He is initiating a healthy competition between the two churches, encouraging each to strive to outdo the others in acts of kindness and generosity. By way of illustration for example the 8am average collection each Sunday, excluding festivals is £68, for 9:30am it is £350 and 11am £250. Now it would be great to not have any collections, it would make things a lot simpler and easier if everyone gave more generously by direct debit.

On Saturday our daughter Church, St Aldheim’s had their vision day, in part to address their deficit, which is almost twice the size of ours. Wouldn’t it be great to have some funds to bless them in their time of financial need? After all the orinigal Victorian founders of this Church helped set it up. As I said last Sunday when presenting the Annual Report, our regular giving by standing order is at the lowest level it has been in the last 3 years, down to 81,000.. See slide… Last year we lost to glory some significant regular givers, one person gave £700 per month. Yet due to our increased congregational size we have been asked to contribute more to the Parish share this year, it is over £103K. If one individual was to pay this that seems a lot but when divided amongst the 313 on the electoral roll, which equates to £332 per year or £ 27 each per month. Many of us can afford to give much more. Of course we need to get rid of the current deficit of £9.2 thousand which to be honest I am not really worried about it. Why? Because I know that there is some money in the bank, and plenty in our own congregation and assets. It just requires each one of us to play our part to address it. I am doing my bit by putting in £500 to address the deficit and support the pledge for projects. I know that in part that is due to HSBC rejecting the standing orders. I also know that this is a generous congregation, people have given sacrificially and willingly in the past. I have every confidence that each of us can play our part in the future.

So how much should we give?

We give in a planned,  proportionate and prayerful way. That is why I would encourage you to give by the new direct debit scheme, Parish Giving Scheme. In proportion to your ability to pay. If over 300 people gave £50 a month, we could get rid of collections all together… I was always taught you should give 10%, which for me equates to £245 / month. Why do I tell you this…to inspire you to also give generously and sacrificially? I’ve always found that I’ve had more than enough money to spare. Not for my wants but plenty enough for my needs…. You can’t out give God. As Paul says here in this passage, we give in an abundant way for the “privilege of sharing in this service to the saints”

Why 10% because that is biblical, we tithe and we always give first to the Lord, to the Church. Then we give on top of that to our favourite charities…

We give freely, cheerfully not reluctantly or out of compulsion… We all have free will to decide.. That’s what makes us do good or bad things. I can’t force you to give, I can explain and exhort you to but the final decision, as it was for Paul and the Macedonians is with you.

As Paul said I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Christ became poor, remember that our aim as Christians is to be Christ-like, and for and perhaps some of you this is particularly hard, particularly countercultural to give. We are called to rich deeds of compassion and generosity on a daily basis. If you remember back to Jesus’s birth he was given gold, frankincense and myrrh. But what did he and his family do with it, I’m sure he gave it away. Jesus became poor by living for the poor and living a life of simplicity. It is hard for us as rich Western Christians to identify and emulate Jesus, but by giving more away, we can start that journey, of being Christ-like and working towards our final destiny. We should give sacrificially and generously.

Why give? We give to fulfil the vision of this Church, showing Christ’s love to the world We give because we believe in the cause, of proclaiming Christ on earth.

We give because it’s part of our Christian duty

We give out of God’s grace to us

as Paul says in verse seven excel in this grace of giving

What are we giving for?

Well for me that’s the exciting part in that there are lots of different projects that you can support. See slide

we can give to… see slide..

Each one needs funding and I hope you find something here that excites you, that encourages you to give. We are all different and what one person finds important another may not…

Or you can just put it into the general pot, which of course pays for less tangible but nonetheless important things like heating, lighting and insurance as well as existing salaries. People often say to me, this Church is so warm and welcoming, it’s because we can afford to put the heating on!

But as you will see from the wish list Emma Blaney, who is currently paid £160 a month as an intern and does an average 40 hours a week, £1/hour. She could really do with being blessed by our support during had time moorland theological training college. She is paying the college fees herself but wouldn’t be great to bless her, as her placement Church, which she will be helping at for the next couple of years?

How much should you give?

As I said earlier it should be in proportion to your income and outgoings. You know 1 pound a week unless you’re on £10 a week is not really very generous.

By way of example. I came across my old 1983 coin collection. See slide Did you know that the first £1 coin was introduced in 1983 apparently by sold this collection get £19 on eBay. But in today’s money that 1 pound coin which has recently been replaced with a more tamperproof model adjusted for inflation is now only worth 32p. I remember as a child encouraged by my grandmother to give the pound in the collection, it was an expensive trip to church for her as she had to give each of their grandchildren a pound…!

I want to pay tribute to those who have given generously in the past and looked after this building and the people in it, with care and love. We also want to set up a good, firm foundation for the future on which to build. That’s why we want to plan our giving for the future.

Now of course you can say well I see going skiing every year, which I do, I love skiing. Skiing is also shorthand for some, for spending the kids inheritance but I am spending it on them. Is that the need of course not it is a want. Like being a member of a sailing club, golf club or any other club for that matter…

But I do so, conscience free, knowing that back home the bills, the Church wages are taken care of and my share of them has been given, in advance, in a planned, proportionate and prayerful way. I encourage you to do the same..

So the challenge for each one of us is • if we are giving regularly can we give a bit more? • if we are giving regularly can we encourage one another or perhaps someone hasn’t started giving do so. People here and in my life have inspired me to be generous, who can you inspire or challenge to be generous? • if we have not started giving can we begin? • There is a new parish giving scheme set up by the diocese to give regularly by direct debit

Emma has produced a pledge card, which we would love you all to think about, pray about and commit to signing if possible today, putting it in the basket as you come up the holy Communion or the 9:30 service as you leave. As John Wesley said,

‘Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.’

You and I are saved because God believed in grace giving. He gave his only Son Jesus to save us from our sins. You can trust God for heaven BUT can you trust him with your chequebook/bank account?

How much do we believe in grace giving? If we do believe in Him we should automatically give generously,

It is like gardening, which I have been doing a fair bit of recently with the boys…

…For whoever sows generously will reap generously…

PRAYER: PRAY THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVES US TO BE GENEROUS, DELIBERATE AND CHEERFUL IN OUR GIVING NOT ONLY OF OUR TREASURE BUT ALSO OUR TIME AND TALENTS TO BUILD YOUR KINGDOM AND MAKE JESUS KNOWN HERE ALL SAINTS and ELSEWHERE...Amen