kingdomready.org

A campaign promise ought to contain some benefit for the voter, shouldn’t it? Well, here are a few promises our Father has made and I think we can call it good considering the source:

Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when

his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

and

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your

sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,

1 John 5:7-8 [KJV] 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1 John 5:7-8 [NASB] 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

We’re living in a time where there is much talk about global warming, changing our light bulbs, and offsetting our carbon emission. Even from a Christian perspective we hear on one side of the spectrum we hear “take care of the planet, God gave it to us,” “we have the responsibility to steward the creation, etc.” And on the other side of the spectrum “it’s all going to burn,” “this planet is going to be taken over by God again and fixed so what we do now doesn’t matter, etc”

There are several categories of duality: (1)Theological/ontological, (2)Thelogical/cosmological, (3)Moral, (4)Eschatalogical, (5)Theological/moral, (6)Cosmological, (7)Anthropological, (8)Epistemological, (9)Sectarian, and (10)Psychological. When we say dualities, we mean two opposite sides. And these categories are fairly atomistic, but vary greatly in the areas they cover. I hope to go over each of these in the context of Judaism, and therefore, Christianity in an effort to show what dualities fit with Jesus. We will start with Theological/ontological.

Theological/ontological duality. The postulation of heavenly beings other than the one god, even if these being exist at his behest and to do his will. The New Testament and the People of God, NT Wright, pg. 253

HTML clipboardThen Jesus said him, “Begone Satan!  For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”  (Matthew 4:10 - NASB)
John Wilson was a printer and author, born in Scotland in 1802.  He later moved to America and was a staunch defender of Unitarianism.  His work on “Scripture Proofs and Scripture Illustrations of Unitarianism” is a great source of Biblical knowledge concerning the unity of God.  For a short biography of John Wilson you can go to:  http://www.famousamericans.net/johnwilson1/ .  His other Unitarian publications comprise “Scripture Proofs and Scripture Illustrations of Unitarianism” (1833; 3rd ed., London and Manchester, 1846; abridged, Boston, part i. ; new ed., New York, 1847); “The Concessions of Trinitarians” (Manchester, 1842 ; Boston, 1845) ; ” Unitarian Principles Confirmed by Trinitarian Testimonies” (Boston, 1855-57).  The following is a paragraph that summarizes the topic that only the Father was the one whom the apostles worshipped.

What Does the Bible Mean by the Term “worship”?
by Carlos Jimenez (Xavier)

Jason D. BeDuhn, Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament, University Press of America, 2003, pp. 41-49.

Ancient Mediterranean societies tended to be very hierarchical. It was a world where everyone knew their place in relation to countless superiors and inferiors. Those who neglected or forgot this stratification of rank would be readily reminded by those around. In the highest place stood God or the gods. Below that in the Roman Empire ranked the emperor, followed by senators, governors, and a very complex system of local officials, priests, and landowners. The very bottom was occupied by slaves who might be owned by the lowliest of peasants.

As news spreads of the economic challenges facing the United States, many people are raising serious concerns. President Bush recently said “our entire economy is in danger” and that “the government’s top economic experts warn that without immediate action by Congress, America could slip into a financial panic, and a distressing scenario would unfold…”  Yesterday the proposed bailout package which was designed to return stability and confidence to the markets was rejected by the House.  

For the Christian who is focused on the coming of the Kingdom, the writer of Hebrews provides words which speak to these concerns directly:

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”  God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you ‘ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”   Exodus 3:14 & 15 NASB

The following article from Christianity Today caught my attention, not specifically because it was about the Roman Catholic Church’s stance on the use of Yahweh, and not only because of the consideration of the use of that word in songs and prayers, but more generally in the use of the word Yahweh.

Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.

Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

I can’t help but wonder what life became like for those early converts to Messiah Jesus. Certainly those of us who were born and grew up here in the US cannot even remotely relate to the first century Jews as regards what life was like. We live in a nation where Christianity and the name of Jesus was entrenched since the beginning. They, on the other hand, completely broke with the entrenched religious order of their day.

Over at www.ChristianAudio.com, this month (Sept 2008), the freebie is In His Steps on mp3 as a free download. You have to sign up for an account with them, if you don’t already have one, and then just enter the coupon code, SEP2008. Here is the description from the site.

Sheldon’s story traces the account of the fictional Reverend Maxwell who challenges himself and his congregation to constantly ask, “What would Jesus do?”

https://christianaudio.com/free_download.php