A friend recently told me about a Christian who was explaining Holy Communion to a muslim in the Christian's church. The Christian showed him the communion table and explained that Jesus told us to partake in communion as "his body and his blood." The muslim simply asked him "If this is what you believe...that Jesus is here at this table.....how could you ever possibly leave?"Really made me think and I hope it's impressed you somehow, too! What an amazing thought...
Also, I saw a wonderful thing the other day: "A Southern Baptist's preacher's four word summary of everything God was trying to get across to us in the Bible...2 things: "I'm God." "You're not."
I liked that very, very much. After about 12 years of studying, asking questions of experts and of myself, learning, believing, falling off that wagon, believing again (repeat the aforementioned time and time and time...)..........I thought, when I saw those four words, "I hope everyone understands the truth, simplicity and power in those words...and, if they're so intended to, they realize how true that is, how concise and 'enough'." It helps. It is.
"Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future - all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God." 1 Corinthians 3:22, 23
Have a great Sunday............think about this stuff!
Z
12 comments:
"A Southern Baptist's preacher's four word summary of everything God was trying to get across to us in the Bible...2 things: "I'm God." "You're not."
Throughout the annals of history, we see that mankind has been seeking to be a god unto itself in mankind's never ending quest for power. Even in the Garden of Eden:
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
-- Genesis 3:4-5 (KJV)
At times, the idea of the union of divinity in an earthly king or queen has been explicit, as in The Divine Right of Kings.
Z - I like that: I'm God; you're not.
I think lots of times we forget who is God and who isn't. That may sound exaggerated but it is true.
We need to be more humble and bow down before Him.
Have a great Sunday - Z.
Always, as you know, we're asked to pray for all of our leaders but I wonder if God would ask us to pray for leaders who do not follow His words. And, the answer to that is "I don't think so!"
Yes, many queens/kings have taken their throne as if God annointed them and their people have been for it. Perhaps it's derived for that admonishment!?
Sue..I'm glad you like that, too. It's so simple, but until we become well-studied and what I call the 'magic' happens, we try so hard to want to understand things from our point of view, don't we? It IS, finally, enough to know WE ARE NOT!!
Yes, and I think that experience at the communion table reminds us that we need to be more humble and bow down before Him. How could we leave, indeed, if we do believe that Christ is there in any way?
You have a great Sunday, too, Sue.
The foundation of Christianity is faith. You either have it, or you don’t. Jesus understood how diffiuclt it is to maintain faith, particularly in chaotic societies leaning ever more toward ungodliness. He told us, in essence, it is not necessary to be consumed with faith … only to have the faith of a mustard-seed. How amazing it is that so many people do not even have that much faith. No wonder our society is so dismal.
The union of divinity in royalty (god-king) such as Hirohito, is not the same as divine right.
Divine Right originates in the scriptural precedent of God annointing Saul and David.
Also Paul's admonishment to obey those who have the rule over you.
And David's command to not touch God's annointed.
I pray for Obama to be the president he needs to be, not the one he is.
I often pray he'll drop dead too.
That's wrong, by the way.
I like that too Z..simple but profound!!!
Ed, you really made me laugh!! That is so funny!
Yes, it IS wrong..but..heck...
Once, in a small group, they asked me to pray for the president..."Lord, we lift up President Obama..." I started.. then I couldn't resist following it with "...and we hope you keep him there for quite a long while."
We were all laughing that day, toO!
And yes, as we said above, I think the fact that we're asked to pray for our leaders gives some sort of divinity to it. But, as I said above, I don't believe God thinks leaders who don't follow His word are much of a leader, do you?
Mustang, life is easier with more than a mustard seed, but at least something is better than nothing, as you say! And heck, probably all of our faith is only a mustard seed size compared to what it might/should be, right?
Hi, WHT....have a wonderful night!
Ask yourself. How would you pray under the Nazi regime?
Ed
Do you mean the one we're under now, or the earlier regime?
Yes.
It still irritates me when people confuse themselves with God, particularly in so-called spokesmen in various religions. They claim to have to and to know the "real God" and that somehow you will or cannot yourself.
When I wrote God, Church or Heart, I was railing, a bit I suppose, against organized religions that frustrate me.
We need to separate sometimes, I suggest, Man from God because Man canNOT be God and altogether too frequently attempts to place himself at an equal level.
God is. We aren't.
BZ
BZ...exactly right.
And it helps to just 'give in' and accept that HE IS and WE CAN NEVER BE GOD. And, when we do believe and surrender, life is so different. I'd never have expected what came when I finally just let go and stopped fighting God like "are you telling me all the people in India are going to hell cuz they don't believe in Jesus?" was a popular one of mine :)
We have a BIG BIG GOD......we have to just let him be BIG and loving and righteous, don't we.
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