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Showing posts from May, 2016

Insight from the Four-Drachma Coin from the Fish's Mouth

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www.jw.org UNSEEN GOSPEL. Most of us just read past it and miss the rich Kingdom insight it reveals. My first question is, why did Jesus do it---tell Peter to throw out the line to get a four-drachma coin from the mouth of the first fish he'd catch? Why not do a job and earn a living just like everyone else? Here's the passage: After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him.  “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. T

Jesus' Another Most Hated Teaching--Being Least of All. And He Meant It

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www.123rf.com UNSEEN GOSPEL. Among often missed points of the Unseen Gospel in the bible is how God favors the least. Everybody reads about it but almost no one really sees it. Jesus emphasized how the least among us is the greatest, and anyone who wants to be great or first must be servant of all. And yet no one wants to be least. They all want to be great. Fact is, today you should aim at being the boss to be great. The only sure way to greatness is if you make it to the top. The world does it like that, and so does the church. Everyone's after being great but hates being least. The world says you cannot be great by being the least. But God says you should be the least to be the greatest. Who do you believe? Who does the church believe? Jesus was Least Jesus believed it with all his heart and came here being the least. He started and ended ministry by remaining the least. So he became the greatest in the Father's eyes. He never bothered about greatness. In fac

Pursuing Jesus' Most Hated Teaching

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www.gabriellejaviercerulli.com People like hearing about God's love and grace and mercy. You see them flocking en masse in churches that teach nothing but these three and related matters. And indeed, God is rich in love, in grace and in mercy. In fact, God is love. But all these will have true meaning only in the context of Jesus' most hated teaching--- giving up everything . If not, they will remain mere motivational topics to keep people comfortable and challenge them to do more in church---not offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. Offer Our Bodies This is the whole point of worship and service---to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. What do we mean by  living sacrifices ? It does not mean tiring ourselves out in ministry doing this and that, going here and there, being seen on stage and being super active in church. The passage says, "offering our bodies as living sacrifices,  holy and acceptable  to God, which is our spi

Would You Have Joined Jesus' Ministry?

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Would you join this church? www.123rf.com Would you have joined Jesus' ministry if you'd been there? Especially if you saw how he had no church building, no riches, no property, no formal education, no formal clothes, no titles or degrees, and no home---not even a pillow to lay his head on? A poor pastor? On top of that, the popular church leaders with the big ministries all denounced him. One time he declared: Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. [John 7.38] Today, we realize the power of this passage because we already know it comes from the Son of God. But back then, it came from a poor carpenter who had no finances or bank account or property to back up his claims.  You looked at him and you saw someone looking just as poor and helpless as you were, probably even poorer---and later you'd see him abandoned by his own disciples and haplessly nailed on the cross. Today, church people clap

What If We Didn't Judge One Another?

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dooneawa.net JUDGMENT. What if no one judged anyone as many today demand? Even church people demand this. Even some church leaders. People today cry out in the wilderness---"Do not judge us!" Or "Don't be judgmental!" Imagine if we all stopped judging. What would happen to the world? What would happen to church? It will be exactly as the time Moses went up Sinai for 40 days and the Israelites engaged in idolatrous revelry at the foot of the mountain. Without judgment, people are hellbent on idolatry, even church people. God's judgment is His love. He judges because He wants to correct our ways. He wants us to stay in straight paths. And in the bible, God did this by sending his servants to pronounce the judgment on people. His servants spoke for Him. If God is in you in Christ, you also should judge because you love your neighbor as yourself. Prophets were called to pronounce God's judgments. And they were hated for it. Just like today. And

When GOD Steps in in Politics

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rsaconsultingllc.com Elections are just a few days ahead, and the church, as usual, doesn't know what it should do---though it pretends to. A lot of them join the political circus, thinking they have to "get involved" and be God's representative (whatever that means) in the fanfare, when all it does to them is get divided, ending up fighting each other. The times armies ended up killing each other in the bible was when God fought against them. Anyway, on the other hand, some church people also refuse to get involved because---like those who involve themselves--they, too, really don't know what to do. But they have one common denominator---they think God will involve Himself someway in politics. It was the same thing when Israel was waiting for the coming Messiah---they thought he was going to get involved politically and liberate them from Rome. Jesus never lifted a finger to do it. Instead, he introduced His Kingdom. The Kingdom had its own agenda,

GOD's Flesh (FREE) EBook: Back to God's Original Plan

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EBOOK. GOD is spirit--and we are His flesh on earth. It all started with Jesus Christ, the WORD made flesh and dwelt among us. Then he passed on the legacy to his church. The WORD must be made flesh in us, too. The bible says, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly," [Colossians 3.16]. Get this FREE e-book by emailing at godsfleshblog@gmail.com When the WORD is made flesh it reveals God's awesome power and authority in a body, and yet the body--the life--remains truly human, lowly and humble. True meekness is a must, a self-effacing character that draws attention away from itself and directed solely to Jesus. Any sign or hint of self-pride or self-boasting is not God's flesh.  It is carnal flesh. It's ego. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. [1 John 2.16] Or, "For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we s

Why Nicodemus Failed to See Even Jesus' Earthly Teachings

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jeremiahgraves.wordpress.com UNSEEN GOSPEL "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" [John 3.12] Being born of water and spirit was something out of this world to Nicodemus, but it was still basic,  earthly teaching as far as Jesus was concerned.  Nicodemus was "Israel's teacher," very knowledgeable in sound bible-based human theology and doctrines. He was an expert actually, probably holding a doctorate degree---and yet he found Jesus' earthly teachings confusing. What more Jesus' heavenly teachings? One good thing about Nicodemus---he wanted to believe, so much so that he risked his life and career when he visited Jesus personally. It was an evil thing for the Sanhedrin to be associated with Jesus. But when he heard a sampling from Jesus, Nicodemus couldn't figure it out: "How can this be?" And it was merely earthly teaching. Why d