Tune and Prepare!

"Oh it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good things incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked it has already done this, and is constantly doing them. Whoever does not do such works however is an unbeliever. He gropes and looks around for faith and good works, but knows neither what faith is nor what good works are, yet he talks and talks with many words about faith and good works." Martin Luther

The Word became flesh and took up residence ( tabernacled ) among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:1, 14 Grace and Truth? Well, the first one is more or less obvious. Meanwhile Truth, or more precisely real-truth , or reality → in Greek: "aletheia" has several meanings in the apostolic mindset. He acts in the truth The Greek word translated " truth " is aletheia , which most closely resembles our English word " reality ." It means "the manifested, unconcealed essence of a matter." We could say : truth means, precisely, the reality that reveals itself, the true reality that emerges from under the veil, the unconcealed. (see for example: the book of Revelation, in Greek: "apocalypse"). In contrast to the abstract Disciplines of The Law, this truth is a correct reflection of reality in the mind of man, reality is reality-itself. Al...

and the teetering vessel of the Lord Study 2. The conflict described in 2 Samuel 6 is really a conflict between David and the Lord. Although it is an incident with dire consequences, despite its dramatic beginning, it is an extremely powerful departure for David, a cleansing and righting of his personal identity and his worship. The spiritual foundation of his kingdom was here solidified for the next period of history. The reasons for the Uzza conflict, in brief The kings of Israel were informed about the order of the Holy things, including the use and transport of the tabernacle and ark. The community of the ark is not only the community of the priesthood but also the community of the king. .... When David entered the new, triumphant era of his life as king of his nation, he was subject to the ordinances as were all Levitical priests and leaders. So he had to be informed about the transport of the ark. Well. He was not informed. Two things, two ...

and the teetering vessel of the Lord Study David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. He and all his men went to Baalah 1 in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, 2 harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. Then David w...

brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, dwell in these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:8

For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 1Cor 4:15 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:9 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sancti­fiction.. 1Thess 4:1 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the...

By David Guzik on Dec 31, 2023 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2) The thought in these lines from Ephesians 5:1-2 continue the thought from the end of Ephesians 4, where he described how Christians should relate to one another. The believer has an example for how they should treat other believers: God Himself. Christians are to be imitators of God. The idea is simple – that believers are to make God their example and model. It does not say here, “Think about God” or “Admire God” or “Adore God,” though those are all important Christian duties. This is a call to practical action, going beyond our inner life with God. We could say this is a continuation of the same idea Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4:13 regarding the extent of Christian growth: to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness...

Our Spiritual Journey Teaching and learning is not a lecture.. is there a way back to the informal? This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack In the tapestry of believer's life, teaching and learning are woven threads, strongly connected yet profoundly distinct from mere lectures and rote memorization. The teachings of Jesus Christ, the process of imparting knowledge transcends the mundane, becoming a sacred endeavor. Or - rather - challenge. One way or peer to peer? The postmodern life has a one way {consumerism or entertaining} culture. You can see the model: The person who's entertaining and the Audience who listens. In other words this is the Lecture culture or TED talk culture. Unfortunately this misleads us keeping our lives, hearts in the unilateral communication which is far far away from the peer to peer developing relationship during the {original} teaching. In the ancient culture the sages , seers and prophets or the pro...

(Matt 5:1-16) by Andreas Köstenberger In his monumental Gospel, Matthew introduces Jesus as the descendant of Abraham and David, narrating his miraculous virgin conception and birth and recounting his flight to Egypt and return to Nazareth. At the inception of Jesus’ public ministry, John the Baptist cries out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (3:1). Later, when hearing of John’s arrest, Jesus begins to proclaim an identical message (4:17). Yet while John is only the forerunner, Jesus is the Messiah. At this, Jesus gathers a large following and travels far and wide “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (4:23). After this preamble, Matthew opens the first of five major teaching sections of Jesus in his Gospel. The number five is reminiscent of the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses. Similarly, the reference to Jesus ascending a mountain brings to mind Moses’ ascent of Mount Sinai when recei...

Estudio. diferentes pensamientos y conexiones con Oseas 6:6 Un sorprendente punto ciego ..que es importante para Jesús Como vimos en la primera parte de la serie "Palabra viva", nuestras posibilidades han cambiado y se han ampliado fundamentalmente con la llegada de Jesu-Christo. Voy a mostrarte algunos versículos importantes y útiles de este contexto profético. Su misericordia y su gracia serán así más visibles. Porque quiero misericordia, y no sacrificios; conocimiento de Dios más que Holocaust os.. Oseas 6:6 [Reina-Valera] Jesús citó las palabras del profeta Oseas dos veces y en dos situaciones diferentes. Lo que para nosotros no suele ser más que una "rectificación profética" de una crisis del Antiguo Testamento, para el Señor son dos ámbitos de importancia crucial para la Iglesia en todo tiempo de alianza y para todo creyente. Descifremos juntos esta advertencia intemporal. Hos 6:6 - 1Pedro 2:9 Hemos visto en el ...

The Stage vs Jesus' Role Model Behaviour among the followers As we previously saw, - Erik Satie's model has clearly demonstrated - the Stage and the Auditorium behave differently. We saw that the stage has a restraining influence in the post modern consumerist culture because it gives a strong entertaining message. It also showed that in such a situation the real, natural character of the actors does not necessarily cover/represent the message being shown. Important that actors are also influencers nowadays. Their lifestyle (above others) is a special way of life that presents unrealistic demands and rhythms of life for the average person. From the Christian viewpoint this is a carnal role model, the one who follows it, walks on the broad way, and this way triggers a lot of temptations. I don't think you have to wonder about the troubles and scandals of megachurches. Eric Satie There is a stark contrast between today's fashionable consumer service to t...