Tune and Prepare!

Joseph Marie Vien: Sarah Presenting Hagar to Abraham Based on the Galatians 4 you can read here an overview +teaching about the old and new status of the believers. According to the apostolic teaching the old, child like status describes Israel and the new status refers to the adoption we have got in Christ. Meanwhile, the symbolic image of the two women, the two mothers (Abraham's concubine and his wife), gives a detailed picture of the complex spiritual family relationship between the Jewish and the Christian believer. We will use the ESV Bible. Pre When the apostle Paul speaks of the life of Abraham and about the Law, we need to see two states. One is a blessing: based on the voluntary mercy and grace of God, the other is a system: which God has prepared for the deliverance of His people and the building up of the Jewish nation. We can see that the promise, Abraham's blessing came 430 years before the giving of the Law. Moreover we will see that...

..and their restoration This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack Pre Protestantism have seen many changes, variations, (and ramifications) since Martin Luther. Even in the early days, Calvin himself modified (theologically developed) Luther's original prophetic vision. Meanwhile, the ever-ubiquitous Catholic culture continues to "keep pace with the world" and with its needs in various human activities. I think We, faithful folks are not to be like them... We can see many strong, portfolio building trend: "come as you are" we hear "and do not change for the purse sake!" is the reason why. The result? Growth-centered mindset and technique, aiming quantity at the expense of quality. We have seen this before and although we repeat the warnings, this is a thriving practice for the sake of the church budget. The Portfolians are on the threshold, brothers! New strength and vitality In the following note, I would like to highligh...

Jézus egyik jól ismert példázata a Máté evangélium 13. részében található. Ez a tiszta búza között talált konkoly története. De vajon értjük-e az eredeti üzenetet? Jézus egy másik példázatot is hozott: "A mennyek országa ahhoz hasonlítható, mint aki jó magot vetett a mezején; amíg azonban mindenki aludt, jött az ellenség és gyomot vetett a búza közé,... Amikor tehát a búza felnőtt és kalászt hozott, megjelentek a gyomok is... ekkor eljöttek a földesúr szolgái és azt mondták neki: - Mester, nem-e jó magot vetettél a meződre? Akkor honnan jöttek ezek a gyomok? - Egy ellenség tette ezt. - Azt akarod tehát, hogy menjünk és szedjük össze őket? - Nem. Mert ha összeszednétek a gyomokat, azzal együtt a búzát is kitépnétek. Hagyjátok mindkettőt együtt nőni az aratásig; és az aratás idején megmondom az aratóknak: "A gyomot gyűjtsétek össze először, és kössétek kötegekbe, hogy elégessétek, a búzát pedig gyűjtsétek be a pajtámba." Mt 13:24-30 Jézus péld...

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. Gal. 5:16 if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Manner & Character worthy of the gospel of Christ ... he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. Heb 2:17 Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a High Priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a Priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek ”. Heb 5:5 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. Heb 5:7 ...you are a chosen race, a Royal Priesthood, a holy nati...

A well-known parable of Jesus is found in Matthew 13. It is the story of the weed /darnel /tares found among the pure wheat. But do we understand the original message? Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat,... So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well... the slaves of the householder came and said to him: ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy has done this.’ ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers: Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn‘ Mt 13:24-30 Jesus' par...

Arm yourselves! Recognizable influences, habits False or wrong models The following Scripture passages provide an opportunity for a meditation exercise without commentary. The subject is the Christianity: not an "all-inclusive religious philosophy" but knowledge of the apostles' teaching and life model. 1Peter 4:1 Since ...Christ suffered in the flesh, [for us, for you] arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), so as to live for the rest of your earthly life [rest of the time in the flesh] no longer by human desires but by the will of God. You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. Ephesians 5:1 ..be imitators of God, as beloved children, and li...

by Luke Wesley {Chinese mission} On the basis of my experience in China over the past 30 years, I want to highlight five theological truths that inevitably emerge as crucial battleground issues for Christians living in a hostile, totalitarian environment. Although the experience of Christians in the U.S. is vastly different, we can learn from the faithfulness of our brothers and sisters in China. 1. Head of the Church Jesus Christ, not any government or human authority, is the head of the church. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has consistently sought to assert its authority over the church since the formation of the “new China” in 1949. I vividly remember a dialogue I had some years ago with a Chinese government official. When he asked, “Are you here to propagate religion?” I responded, “I am a Christian. If people ask about my faith or express interest, I will tell them about Jesus.” He shouted his response: “You will obey Chinese law.” There you have it. Who’s in c...

Tanulmányok a Káptalanházban Kölcsönös hit és a gyülekezeti kapcsolatok Az Újtestamentum szellemisége ápolja a tehetségeket, segítve mindenki személyiségét és értékeit. A szimplán vallásos emberekkel ellentétben a hívők elmerülnek Isten szavának és kinyilatkoztatásainak tanulmányozásában. Ez egy szellemi munka: nagyfokú egymásra­utaltságot / kölcsönösséget igényel. A kölcsönösség igazi kihívás, manapság feltérképezetlen terület. Ahogy Tim Maton ( Everyday Church, Wimbledon ) bölcsen megjegyezte: 59 konkrét "egymást" kifejezés, utasítás van a Bibliában arról, hogyan viszonyuljunk egymáshoz az egyházi közösségen belül. Az "egymás" kifejezés a görög allelon [al-el-on] szóból származik, ami azt jelenti, hogy " egymásnak, egymás között, kölcsönösen ". Többek között úgy olvashatjuk: szeretni, gondoskodni, szolgálni, építeni, tisztelni, elfogadni, vigasztalni, bátorítani, és imádkozni egymásért, valamint az a parancs, hogy figyelmeztessü...

Messsage Notes 📝 Online Service - Post-Lockdown Church Acts 5:11-21a & 42 By Phil Moore  ... There was a moment, while Jesus was still with the disciples, when they felt utterly powerless and when Jesus had to teach them: You Have All You Need .  When they were faced with 5,000 people to feed, Jesus said you feed them and they said we can’t, so Jesus said show me what you’ve got, they replied 5 loaves and 2 fishes. As they stopped looking at what they hadn’t got and started bringing to God what they had, they discovered: You Have All You Need. In Acts 5:11-21a & 42 we read that a few weeks or months after Jesus ascended back to heaven and the Church moved out of lockdown, some time in 30AD, the disciples had to learn that lesson again.. In Jail / No money ( Acts 3:4 ) / No building ( Acts 5:12 ). It looks like the story of the Church is over, they’re so weak, but what we read about in these verses is the moment that it really all kicked off. It wa...

EN version Ezekben a hónapokban {vagy az utóbbi években!} Iten vmi különleges és jelentőség teljes változást készített el a Gyülekezet életében. Itt most nagy valószínűséggel egy feltérképezetlen terület kerül elénk, új folyamat indul el: egyfajta kilépés a megszokott rutinból egy új átmeneti időszakba a Jel 2 és 3 szerinti rázós idő /ösvény azok számára akik eddig vmi egzisztencialista perspektívát (v. élet stílust) követtek... Úgy tűnik az apostoli alapokat újra kell gondolni { 1Kor 3:10-11 } Vagy egy másik, jól ismert kép szerint: A lepkévé válás gyönyörű útján most a gubó fázisába lépünk.  A Nagyszerű Hernyó Lét után, a vidám és ünnepi növekedés elmúltával most fel kell kapaszkodnunk a levélre, átmenni a transzformáción.  Ha bármi is történne a gubó építése alatt az eredmény igen valószínű, hogy gyászos lenne. Ezért nem manipulálhatjuk, kontrollálhatjuk az eseményt.  Úgyhogy kérlek, ne nyomulj keresztül ezen a perióduson gyorsan és kényelmesen, se te sem a gy...

HU version In this months {and years!} Gd is pre­paring a significant change in the Church's life-line. It's likely will be a really uncharted territory/ progress: kinda step out of the former routine to a new transitional period - according to the Rev 2 & 3. And it could be a bumpy, shaky path for those who are following some existentialist perspective (or live style). The apostolic foundations seem to be reconsidered. { 1Cor 3:10-11 } By another well known picture: It is the cocoon-phase in the monarch butterfly's beautiful life. After the Great Caterpillar Era, the feastful merry growing, now, we must climb up to the leaf, then being prepared for the change, finally we must have the transformation.  If anything happened during the building of pupa the result would be significantly gruesome. Therefore, We should not control the next event by mere human force. Please, do not push yourself through this period somewhat "fastly & conveniently", ...

Fulfilling your life mission on earth is an essential part of living for God’s glory. The Bible gives several reasons why your mission is so important. Your mission is a continuation of Jesus’ mission on earth. As his followers, we are to continue what Jesus started. Jesus calls us not only to come to him, but to go for him. Your mission is so significant that Jesus repeated it five times, in five different ways, in five different books of the Bible. Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8. It is as if he was saying, “I really want you to get this!” Study these five commissions of Jesus and you will learn the details of your mission on earth—the when, where, why, and how. In the Great Commission Jesus said, “ Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. ” Matthew 28:19–20 (CEV) . This commission was given to every follower of J...

 To fulfill your mission will require that you abandon your agenda and accept God’s agenda for your life. You can’t just “tack it on” to all the other things you’d like to do with your life. You must say, like Jesus, “Father,… I want your will, not mine .” Luke 22:42 (NLT) . You yield your rights, expectations, dreams, plans, and ambitions to him. You stop praying selfish prayers like “God bless what I want to do.” Instead you pray, “God help me to do what you’re blessing!” You hand God a blank sheet with your name signed at the bottom and tell him to fill in the details. The Bible says, “ Give yourselves completely to God—every part of you…to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes .” Romans 6:13b (LB) . If you will commit to fulfilling your mission in life no matter what it costs, you will experience the blessing of God in ways that few people ever experience. There is almost nothing God won’t do for the man or woman who is committed to serving the kingdom ...

My father was a minister for over fifty years, serving mostly in small, rural churches. He was a simple preacher, but he was a man with a mission. His favorite activity was taking teams of volunteers overseas to build church buildings for small congregations. In his lifetime, Dad built over 150 churches around the world. In 1999, my father died of cancer. In the final week of his life the disease kept him awake in a semi-conscious state nearly twenty-four hours a day. As he dreamed, he’d talk out loud about what he was dreaming. Sitting by his bedside, I learned a lot about my dad by just listening to his dreams. He relived one church building project after another. One night near the end, while my wife, my niece, and I were by his side, Dad suddenly became very active and tried to get out of bed. Of course, he was too weak, and my wife insisted he lay back down. But he persisted in trying to get out of bed, so my wife finally asked, “Jimmy, what are you trying to do?” He replied, “Got...

Study The 'End' of the Law The purpose of the Law & the New Start This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack  It is impossible to count the tendencies and religious movements clashing on the subject of law and grace – pros and cons – that is, one always in the foreground and the other in the background.  Many even get to the point where they can’t fundamentally explain the apostle Paul’s teaching about the New Self in an acceptable way — so they put it aside. But, instead of a statement, here we can follow a 3 points outline: Christ's teaching about the purpose of the Law Apostolic testimonies about the Law and the Change The apostolic revelations about Fulfilling the aim of the Law and the trustful freedom of the Love Apostle Paul's words about the link between faith, grace, justice, and deeds. There are also some more complex link, pointing to each other, so I’ll help you a bit with the orange highlights . ...