Day 301: Luke 13-15

(The previous post covered the Pharisees' frustration with Jesus to the point they began to actively look for a way to destroy Him.)

Luke 13
1 Now there were some present at that very season who told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have suffered these things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were offenders above all the men that dwell in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

(All men are sinners. Unless you repent, you will perish.)

(Verses 6-9: the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree.)

6 And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none.
7 And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground?

("Why doth it also cumber the ground?" was like saying, "why does it use up the ground?")

8 And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.

(The vinedresser represented Christ, our intercessor in verse 8. When we are made aware of our sin, our response to our sin determines our eternity.)

10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath day.

(As custom, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. Synagogues were used specifically for teachings.)

11 And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up.
12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands upon her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

(Jesus healed the woman with the infirmity.)

14 And the ruler of the synagogue, being moved with indignation because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, answered and said to the multitude, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the day of the sabbath.

(It was not the healing that bothered the ruler of the synagogue, it was that Jesus healed on the Sabbath.)

15 But the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath?
17 And as he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame: and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

(Jesus was focused on the causes. During the Dispensation of the Law, for six days, people were allowed to do whatever they wanted as long as it did not violate the Law. On the seventh day (Sabbath), people could only do what the Law told them to do. Jesus gave an example of something even the rulers of the synagogue would do on the Sabbath, and then contrasted it with how these representatives of God valued an animal over a person. Jesus' answer put them to shame.)

(Verses 18-19: the Parable of the Mustard Seed.)

18 He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I liken it?
19 It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches thereof.

(The Kingdom of God will be eternally mighty.)

(Verses 20-21: the Parable of the Leaven.)

20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 It is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

(Normally, leaven represented sin. In this parable, the lesson (like the mustard seed) was that the Kingdom of God was something that would begin small and then grow until it was all that existed. Did this mean that everyone would be in the Kingdom of God or just a few?)

22 And he went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and journeying on unto Jerusalem.
23 And one said unto him, Lord, are they few that are saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are;
26 then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets;
27 and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without.
29 And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30 And behold, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last.

(Luke showed the contrastive side to the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven: the Kingdom of God would contain all the righteous, which would be a minority of the people that ever lived. Narrow is the path that leads to Righteousness meant it had to be found and followed intentionally.)

31 In that very hour there came certain Pharisees, saying to him, Get thee out, and go hence: for Herod would fain kill thee.
32 And he said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am perfected.

(The Pharisees did not like Jesus' conclusion that few made it to the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees threatened/warned Jesus. Jesus called Herod a fox.)

33 Nevertheless I must go on my way to-day and to-morrow and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

(The word brood in verse 34 meant "to watch over and protect." There were many passages throughout the Old Testament that Jesus could have been referencing, even the first verses of the Bible where the Spirit of God "moved" upon the face of the earth. In that verse, moved meant "to brood over like a bird.")




Luke 14
1 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him.
2 And behold, there was before him a certain man that had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?

(We have seen that Jesus had healed a couple of times on the Sabbath, so everyone knew Jesus believed it was lawful. Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day.)

4 But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go.

(The lawyers and Pharisees did not respond, and Jesus healed him. However, this allowed Jesus to teach.)

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not straightway draw him up on a sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer again unto these things.

(Jesus reiterated a point documented in the last chapter: why do you think it is right (which it is) to help an animal on the Sabbath but it is not right to help a person?)

(The rest of this chapter documented consecutive parables not recorded in the other Gospels. Not only was each individual parable important, but the order was also important. Pay close attention to the amount of Doctrine in this single chapter.)

7 And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them,
8 When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him,

(Doctrine: A wedding is a marriage feast. Nowhere in the Bible was there a record of a wedding ceremony as we have in our culture today. According to the Bible, the wedding was a feast for all while the bride and groom consummated their Marriage Covenant. The best man stood outside the huppah preventing others from interrupting the completion of the Marriage Covenant. When the groom called to the best man that the covenant was complete, the bedsheet was presented to the gathering to prove the bride had not been married to anyone else. The crowd then celebrated this blood-stained sheet because it meant the bride was excellent and the community and culture of the gathered guests would be able to continue.)

9 and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place.
10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee.
11 For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

(Doctrine: Justice. Everything will be equaled out at Final Judgment, not while we are here on earth. In fact, since it will not be equaled out here, we ought to humble ourselves so that we will get a Reward at Final Judgment. Humility is the ability to consider any perspective, including that you could be wrong.)

12 And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.

(Doctrine: Reward. If we give to those who are able to give back, nothing is gained eternally. However, if we give to those who cannot pay us back, we will gain Reward "at the resurrection of the just." The resurrection of the Just is the Final Judgment.)

15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

(In response to Jesus' teaching, a man agreed with Jesus by stating those who will be at the wedding feast in the Kingdom of God will be blessed. Jesus' response was documented in Verses 16-24 which covered the Parable of the Great Supper.)

16 But he said unto him, A certain man made a great supper; and he bade many:
17 and he sent forth his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

(Doctrine: God the Father is the one who will make a great supper for Jesus' Marriage to the Bride after Final Judgment.)

18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I must needs go out and see it; I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

(Doctrine: God invited the Jews throughout the Old Testament, but they (as a community) rejected this invitation.)

21 And the servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and lame.

(Doctrine: God invited people outside of the Jewish Community.)

22 And the servant said, Lord, what thou didst command is done, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my house may be filled.

(Doctrine: There is a necessary number to fill God's Supper. God will not have the supper until He knows that His House is filled. His House is the new Jerusalem.)

24 For I say unto you, that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.

(Doctrine: God's call reaches everyone. It is our responsibility to answer. It is possible to reject God's drawing on the individual.)

25 Now there went with him great multitudes: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

(Doctrine: The word hate meant "to love less." This meant we must love Christ more than our father, mother, wife, children, etc. in order to be His disciple. This was one of the few verses that included wife in the list.)

27 Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have wherewith to complete it?

(Doctrine: God does not move until He knows all of the resources are in place. When we do not hear direction from God, it can be due to the necessary resources/circumstances not being in place, either because of ourselves or others. Also, in conjunction with the previous comments from Jesus: God is not going to have His "supper" until His "house is full." Finally, we ought to look long term and not begin an objective until we know that the objective is in our control and we have the means to finish it.)

29 Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,
30 saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh conditions of peace.
33 So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

(Doctrine: We ought to make new converts aware that following Christ means they have to be willing to give up everything. In order to be a disciple of Christ, we have to forsake all that we have.)

34 Salt therefore is good: but if even the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
35 It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill: men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.




Luke 15
1 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.

(Jesus' fame had grown to the point all the publicans and sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him. Jesus had a tremendous following from the sinners instead of the religious leaders.)

2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

(The Pharisees and Torah teachers thought they were speaking against Jesus by saying to each other in private (murmured) that Jesus ate with sinners.)

3 And he spake unto them this parable, saying,
4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance.

(Jesus told these religious leaders they did not understand what truly caused joy in heaven. There is joy in heaven when a lost soul is found.)

(Verses 8-10: the Parable of the Lost Coin.)

8 Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10 Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

(Jesus continued to use natural examples for God's spiritual perspective.)

(Verses 11-32: the Parable of the Prodigal Son.)

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

(The younger son took his inheritance.)

13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living.

(He wasted his inheritance "with riotous living"...focusing on the physical.)

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

(Remember, the Jews considered swine to be an unclean animal. This was as low as a person could get: wanting the food intended for an unclean animal, and not being able to have it.)

17 But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!

(The younger son realized he would be better off as one of his father's servants than to die with hunger. He believed he deserved this role because he was his father's son, a spiritual reason.)

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight:
19 I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

(He realized he had to deal with a spiritual issue in order to obtain this role as servant. Verse 18 was his confession. Verse 19 was his repentance, what he would do to make up for his sin.)

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

(The younger son went to his father but when he was still far away, his father saw him. His father must have been watching for him. Also, the father must have been able to see the youngest son's humble attitude from a distance because the father had compassion before the son spoke. Notice, the youngest son was not coming back proud as if he was better off. The youngest son was so humble it showed in how he came back.)

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son.

(The father first showed compassion. The younger son could have acted like everything was fine. However, the younger son chose to continue to humble himself, confess his sin, and repent. The younger son truly had a change of heart.)

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry:
24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

(The father had a feast because his younger son was lost (physical focus with a hard heart) and now was found (spiritual focus with a humble heart). The father restored the youngest son to the status of being a son and not a servant. Notice, at the beginning of this story, the younger son proved he was not a believer and the father confirmed this was his belief because he said the son was lost but was now found, now a believer.

Doctrine: Forgive unbelievers immediately; do not argue with them. At the beginning of the story, the father did not argue with the younger son; he immediately let him go, he let the son be more destructive so the son would realize the error of his ways more quickly. He didn't go out to find him.)

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

(The elder son wanted to know what was going on while he was working in the field. He heard the feast and was unaware of why the festivities were taking place.)

28 But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him.

(The elder son became angry to the point that he would not receive his repentant brother. The father had to go out to the eldest son. Notice, the father did initiate reaching out the "believer.")

29 But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf.

(The eldest son's response to his father coming out to him was to accuse his father! Notice, the youngest son was not accusing his brother, the subject of his statements of judgment were the father and himself. The elder son is in danger of becoming an "unbeliever.")

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine.

(The father's response to being accused was to state an encouraging fact: it is all yours. He also was teaching the eldest son a point that he missed: you could have this feast anytime you want if you had pursued me, if you had asked.

Doctrine: The father confronted the older son because the older son was a believer. In the next set of chapters, we will see Jesus said in Luke 17:3 we must confront the believer with their sin and if they repent we must forgive. The younger son repented and the older son was now sinning because he did not forgive. Notice, this also means God through the Holy Spirit will confront believers about their sin.)

32 But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

(Then the father taught the eldest son the point he had overlooked: your brother has improved from his former condition. The father was aware that the younger son had sinned. However, he was a forgiving father when his sons made progress. So how much more would this father give to the eldest son if he continued to make progress? This story was a lot like Cain and Abel. We ought to focus on our individual fellowship with God rather than focus on others and their fellowship with God. However, notice this parable finished with the elder son becoming an unbeliever because he didn't rejoice over the repentance of his unbelieving brother. Just like the Pharisees had become unbelievers because they weren't rejoicing over the sinners that were repenting to God because of Jesus.)

(This post covered several parables from Jesus as His fame increased while He continued to heal people on the Sabbath. This post began with Pharisees wondering why Jesus healed sinners on the Sabbath and ended with Jesus telling a parable that proved the Pharisees were unbelievers because they didn't rejoice over sinners repenting.)

Day 302

11 comments:

  1. from Luke 14

    1.) (Doctrine: Reward. If we give to those who are able to give back, nothing is gained eternally. However, if we give to those who cannot pay you back, you will gain reward "at the resurrection of the just." The resurrection of the Just is the Final Judgment.)

    How do you fit in loving believers who will give back? Ought we not to do this? Will this not create in the long term to reap in the Final Judgment?

    2.) I realize God has to have His house filled for the Wedding Supper. However, is it possible that everyone who's ever lived could fit in the New Jerusalem? Since it's His Will to have everyone there?

    For example. Lets say on a VERY SMALL AND HYPOTHETICAL SCALE. He needed at least 144,000,000 to "fill it" (what's the measure of filled. But was able to fit an 70 times 144,000,000.

    Example 2. Chicago full is 1 million residents, but it could fit 5 million. Can the New Jerusalem fit an eternal amount of people if it wanted? If not that how could he have purposed everyone who's ever lived to be there?! Does someone take their spot once they denounce Christ and go to Hades?

    3.) (Doctrine: We ought to make new converts aware that following Christ means they have to be willing to give up EVERYTHING. In order to be a disciple of Christ, we have to forsake all that we HAVE.)

    And how do we instruct new converts on how to give up everything? What else are we telling new converts...POSITIVELY!?

    sincerely,

    Nathan Wayne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi nathan,

    Three GREAT comments/questions. Hopefully I'm able to respond in as GREAT a fashion...

    1) We ought to love believers as an effect of loving God. Jesus was pointing out that giving to others...even non-believers...resulted in Reward. (Besides, friends don't have to pay you back. Perhaps during Jesus' time, people did pay each other back, during my nearly fifty years on this earth, I have to say that it is a rarity when friends pay each other back.)

    2) All of this is speculation, but I believe that there is a finite number of people NEEDED to fill the new Jerusalem. Perhaps more room is given if we end up at the minimum. However, I don't believe the maximum is dramatically more than the minimum. If the minimum was 144 million, the maximum would be closer to 150 million.

    In this hypothetical case, God's plan was for 144 million to make it to the new Jerusalem and that everyone that ever existed be believers. If that was the case, then God would have introduced eternity once the 144 millionth person became a believer. The reason things are taking longer is because less people are becoming believers than what God had wanted.

    3) In the Bible, EVERY person who has a miracle happen to them has given up EVERYTHING...completely surrendered to God. Unfortunately, the BIBLE shows that people other than the prophets reached this point by have extremely destructive circumstances come against them. Blind since birth...deaf since birth...eighteen years having an issue of blood...a roman centurion that was so broken he broke Roman Law by calling Jesus "Lord"...a religious leader jeopardizing being barred from the synagogue because he wanted Jesus to heal his daughter...etc. THE WORD OF GOD offered this "solution": people have to have horrendous circumstances in order to get the things everything says they want. Do you think this is POSITIVE? Do you think the Bible is wrong to do this?

    The Deeper Why Ministries doesn't believe people need to go through horrendous circumstances in order to completely surrender to God. The Deeper Why Ministries doesn't believe people need to learn this through experience...through "fear of loss". All of this can be learned through understanding and people can choose to surrender all.

    Notice, part of this understanding would be making people aware of the steps they avoid experiencing because they intentionally chose to face understanding these same "negative" steps.

    Some may call this "fear of loss", however, these people don't understand that they are actually avoiding experiencing the negative circumstances...which is actually a positive. If the people get in fear THINKING about the negative circumstances, then that is THEIR problem that they can't realize this process is a positive...unless the person thinks that their life should NEVER have negative moments and God should unjustly do miracles for people who don't completely surrender because they don't have to...then those people aren't going to think anything other than this unjust solution is positive.

    The REALITY is that God is going to constantly grow the person towards being WILLING to give up EVERYTHING. THAT IS THE FACT SUPPORTED BY THE BIBLE AND JUSTICE.

    The POSITIVE message is eternal life and TRUE freedom and love and fellowship and growth.

    To people who are in the flesh, this begins as POSITIVE message but it BECOMES a NEGATIVE message because all of this threatens the flesh's existence...and God is going to constantly grow this person TOWARDS killing the flesh by creating circumstances where the person will eventually surrender completely...

    So, the most POSITIVE thing we can do for people when they are deciding to be believers is to tell them the direction of the rest of their life. NOT doing this is misleading and NEGATIVE...and actually ensuring this person (who could have ended up in the new Jerusalem) will end up in the lake of fire.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Response to your response

    1. I understand

    2. I'll be chewing on that

    3...

    My first question is what's your definition of "miracle" because everything hinges on that. damn...words are important...wait can i say that ;)

    My thoughts went to post Christ raising from the dead...Jesus paid a price for us...what exactly comes along with that. Is it an admittance to heaven only? Do healings come with that? Do you have to gain enough value for healings? I really want to understand all of this...

    The Bible says it was their faith that made them whole/healed them. I understand the people you mentioned were broken. I think you are right this is POSITIVE! I want to help others realize how awesome it is and put positive emotions to killing their flesh.

    1 John 5:3 says "[3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

    However, what about the people who heard Peter and the others speaking in tongues and heard them in their own language at Pentecost? When they heard them in their own language was this not a miracle? Were they all fully surrendered to God? Can God use miracles to soften others' hearts to fully give up everything? Would this be unjust or did Jesus sacrifice cover these sort of payments....I do believe God is Just.

    And finally on this point...I was finishing up Luke and I read about the man that had his ear cut off in the Garden when they came to take Jesus. Jesus healed his hear...was this a miracle...was the soldier fully surrendered to God?

    I agree that showing new believers the kind of life they have coming is very important. I believe it's even MORE important to help them understand their identity in Christ and how to get in the Spirit...in their spirit man SO THAT they can view the hardships their flesh has to endure from their spirit; so that they can understand these are VERY POSITIVE THINGS. I want to help others untangle their thoughts and emotions and doctrine enough to get them on the right track with the RIGHT emotions for the RIGHT doctrine.

    curious questions:

    you said...

    Some may call this "fear of loss", however, these people don't understand that they are actually avoiding experiencing the negative circumstances...which is actually a positive.

    this sounds like you're saying because something's not negative it's positive. one time a man at a bar in appleton taught me how there's a difference between not unprofitable and profitable. he said something like this...

    people try to get you to do things like this "i'm gonna punch you in the face if you don't give me that money." This would be a threat and actually not gaining a value...just not losing one.

    can you explain this in relation to your above statement...?

    And secondly (in my curiosity) you stated one of the positives was TRUE freedom. What'd be the difference in TRUE freedom and another kind? Is there another kind?

    sincerely,

    nathan wayne

    ReplyDelete
  4. hi nathan,

    Great questions! Thank you for asking them...

    A miracle is a supernatural event that furthers Doctrine...which would include teaching Doctrine.

    God can only approach people through Understanding BY the Doctrine that is already within the individual.

    However, God can teach people Doctrine they don't have within themselves through miracles...but the person's lack of humility (surrender) is what prevents the miracle. Their lack of humility prevents them from being taught because their focus is to try to justify their own perspective instead of actively looking for how they could be wrong.

    (It is amazing how intelligent people seem to be unable to apply their same intelligence to prove themselves wrong...yet can go well out of their way and by many words look to prove themselves right. Clearly, God isn't focused on intelligence...He is focused on humility...and this is hard for the intelligent people among us because they are able to put much more of their brain towards justifying themselves than those who are less intelligent.)

    Christ's death, burial, and resurrection provided salvation, reward, and eternal life...respectively. However, WE are able to PREVENT the effects of this in our own lives...and think that we are actually doing everything OURSELVES to deserve it all. (This is shown when people focus on justifying themselves...when they focus on being understood first rather than first understanding others.)

    People being humble (surrendered) are able to be open to things that they haven't seen yet...which is faith.

    People who aren't open to things they haven't seen yet, lack faith. They would most likely lack faith by not being humble. For example, the guard who had his ear cut could have NOT BEEN SURRENDERED...he could have tried to attack Jesus with his sword or pushed Jesus away. The cutting of his ear (outside physical destruction) led to him being humble. Again, God would want us to willfully choose this from the inside, however, most people need bad circumstances from the outside before they are willing to humble themselves.

    As for your further points...

    When a person calls this perspective "fear of loss" they are COMPLETELY MISGUIDED AND IN THE FLESH. THAT is what I would call "negative".

    Contrasting the reality of the approach I presented would cause the person to see this process as a POSITIVE because of their choosing to be humble and surrender would result not only a quicker experience of the POSITIVE, but also quantitatively more time living in the POSITIVE.

    TRUE freedom is contrasted with short-term (or temporary) freedom. People who justify themselves do EXPERIENCE a sense of freedom in the short-term. They EXPERIENCE a temporary high and sense of being right because they took a short cut to an effect. Freedom is a WHAT...

    TRUE FREEDOM would be an effect of the Right HOW/WHY: by being humble and as an effect of focusing on how they could be wrong.

    I see a lot of people being deceived by temporary FREEDOM. They experience a high, declare it to be the TRUE long term FREEDOM...and then live in denial as they become less and less FREE.

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  5. John,

    Wow! This is absolutely amazing! This response to my responding to your response really helped me :).

    This is helping me tie together everything I've learned prior to my going to Charis Bible College and also helps me solidify and expand what I'm learning at College right now.

    Thank You So much for taking time to answer my questions. I owe you.

    Nathan Wayne

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  6. hi nathan,

    Actually I owe you! I was telling Joel yesterday how your second set of questions and comments caused God to flow through me to organize a Model. I put a draft of it on the whiteboard. I don't think it is complete yet, but I think it will be able to explain EVERY case in the Bible for how/why God moved for and against people. You have a big share in this!

    Thank you!

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  7. PRAISE GOD from whom ALL BLESSING FLOW! All goodness comes from the Father! :)

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  8. Excellent stuff guys!

    John,

    A few quick questions to help me understand the miracle definition better.

    Are there supernatural events that do not further doctrine?

    Are there miracles that do not directly involve people? I'm thinking about how the gospel was written in the stars as Ed has recently been covering.

    Is the furthering of doctrine primarily for people other than the receiver of the miracle (as is prophecy), is it primarily for the receiver, or both in different ways?


    Thanks
    Tom

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  9. Hi Tom,

    1. Yes, there are supernatural events that do not further doctrine.

    2. I think miracles always involve people, while supernatural events (like the creation of the universe and gospel written in the stars) don't further doctrine.

    3. This is a long answer that I'm going to be presenting on my blog, hopefully in December of 2011. I have a model (complete with a flowchart) that illustrates this. I will share a rough overview here and if it still doesn't answer your question, write me and I will send you a draft of the chart once I've created it in powerpoint...

    God wants to approach everyone through understanding. He does this by speaking internally into the individual...and the individual's ability to hear this depends on the doctrine the person has. If they have the right doctrine, they hear. If they don't, they don't hear...but God did do His part and spoke to them. If the person hears, the person then makes a choice to be humble or not. If they aren't humble, nothing happens. If the person humble himself as a cause, this person would experience blessings and/or God doing miracles THROUGH this individual to other people. (Examples of this are the prophets and Jesus)

    If God can't approach the person internally with understanding, then God has to approach the person externally with experience. God brings difficult circumstances to the person and the person needs to become humble as an effect of their circumstances. If they become humble as an effect, they have a miracle done TO them...not only to fix the difficult circumstance, but to learn doctrine so that God can approach them through understanding the next time. (Examples of these people are people Jesus healed because they were blind from birth, lame from birth, issue of blood for 18 years, a centurion who risked his position by calling Jesus "Lord", a Jewish leader who risked removal from the synagogue because he had Jesus heal his daughter, etc.)

    The person who does not humble himself as an effect experiences further destruction. If they then humble themselves (eg, Jonah) they experience a miracle done to them. If they don't humble themselves they experience further destruction (eg, Pharaoh)

    I think I can use this model to track every person in the Bible as they went through every situation.

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  10. John,

    That is awesome, makes perfect sense to me. I look forward to the details of some of the people.

    These comments have helped me realize that doctrine is more than simply the ideas. I'm beginning to understand that doctrine, being (especially in relation to God speaking through our heart)
    is much more active (in a similar way to truth being facts that
    create).

    Thanks,
    Tom

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  11. 13:7

    I think cumber means more like ‘bother’ or ‘trouble’.
    It could means that that tree was taking up space, but I think it is more likely that the tree was taking up valuable resources, area and location being one aspect, like nutrients and water. These resources could have benefitted a productive tree, and thus the farmer much more than a tree good for only shade.

    This seems to me to make a much clearer representation of a person who is choosing to live in their sin, rather than grow out of it, rather than try to improve and fail, they do nothing at all. And all the while they are taking space (a seat in church), nutrients (time and energy of the leaders), and water (generic benefits from being in community)

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