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Our Lord Jesus Christ loves you.
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57391  Theology / Bible Study / Ephesians 3 - Part 2 on: July 26, 2004, 07:47:26 PM
Ephesians 3 - Part 2

Ephesians 3:1  For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

Verse 1 Notes - The story of Paul's earlier life was one of violence and persecution of Christ and His followers. Paul had been a powerful Jew, and his purpose had been to hunt, torture, imprison, and kill the followers of Christ. Paul held the clothing of those who stoned Stephen to death. Now, Paul speaks of being a prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles. Paul was apprehended by the Grace of God and appointed into the service of preaching the Gospel of the Grace of God to the Gentiles. Paul did suffer many times to deliver the GOSPEL to a people he once considered heathen and unworthy of the ways of God. The contrast between the old Paul and the new Paul was drastic, and the change must be attributed to the Grace and Love of God, EXACTLY like the contrast between our old man and our new man born again in Christ. The most accurate way to describe Paul's captivity in Jesus Christ is as a willing servant who loved Jesus and yielded to his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Please see:

2 Corinthians 10:1  Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

Ephesians 4:1  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

Ephesians 6:20  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

2 Corinthians 11:23  Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

Philippians 1:7  Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

Philippians 1:13  So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
Philippians 1:14  And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Philippians 1:15  Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
Philippians 1:16  The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

Colossians 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

2 Timothy 1:8  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

2 Timothy 1:16  The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:

2 Timothy 2:9  Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

Philemon 1:9  Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:11  And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

1 Thessalonians 2:15  Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
1 Thessalonians 2:16  Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
____________________
See Part 3
57392  Theology / Bible Study / Ephesians 3 on: July 26, 2004, 07:43:56 PM
Ephesians 3 - Part 1

This is a mini-study on Ephesians 3. This beautiful chapter tells a story, so I will simply provide some notes, contrasts, and comparisons at the end. You will see the "dispensation of the grace of God" mentioned, and this involves a precious truth that is a highlight in the generations of mankind. This does not imply that this is the first time that God's Grace and Love was shown to men. However, Jesus Christ and the CROSS represents an outpouring of God's Grace and Love in a magnitude never dreamed of by men. I must tell you that the ultimate GIFT of God's Grace and Love is now given to all men, not just Israel. You will also see "the mystery of Christ" mentioned, and this obviously involves the most precious and important event in the history of mankind, THE CROSS. This chapter explains why the GOOD NEWS is many times referred to as the "Gospel of the Grace of God". My notes will not involve language study, just some common sense observations that involve many beautiful portions of Scripture, including this one. I feel led to do this, and I have prayed for strength and wisdom to do this correctly. After praying about this, I don't feel led to argue or debate, but please feel welcome to post your disagreement. I'm sure that I will make some errors.

For now, please just read this slowly and enjoy it.
____________________

Ephesians 3:1  For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Ephesians 3:2  If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Ephesians 3:3  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Ephesians 3:4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Ephesians 3:5  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Ephesians 3:6  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Ephesians 3:7  Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Ephesians 3:8  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Ephesians 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Ephesians 3:11  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Ephesians 3:12  In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Ephesians 3:13  Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Ephesians 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Ephesians 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Ephesians 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Ephesians 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Ephesians 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Ephesians 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Ephesians 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
____________________
See Part 2
57393  Entertainment / Politics and Political Issues / Re:US Elections 2004 on: July 25, 2004, 12:06:13 AM
Rhys,

There was a time when churches did do a pretty good job of taking care of those in need. However, there is a new ingredient that is breaking the bank.

GREEDY LAWYERS!!!

Nobody can afford to pay for them in the health care arena. We are long past a crisis in the costs they add to every medical procedure. Some doctors are giving up, especially those in fields that are popular for lawyers to wade into. Some parts of the country are much worse than others, but it appears that lawyers are making health care harder and harder for average people to get.

So, the church question might be asked in several different ways:

Do you wish to help the sick people who can't afford medical care?

Same as above but add - prohibitive costs because we will also be lining the fat cat lawyers pockets with gold in the attempt.

This is a fact of life now. Tort reform must be one of the answers if rich and poor receive adequate medical care.

Love In Christ,
Tom
57394  Welcome / Questions, help, suggestions, and bug reports / Re:Jail on: July 24, 2004, 11:34:09 PM
Grin
Why are all of you women ganging up on me. Cry  


j/k

 Grin   Grin  Brother, I must warn you that each one of them is dangerous all alone. You might see Steve Irwin, the Croc Hunter, wrestling crocs or holding cobras by the tail, but he's terrified of women.   Grin  I can hear him now - "DANGER!!, DANGER!! - run for your lives!"  

Steve would quickly tell you that they are DANGEROUS in any setting.   Grin
57395  Welcome / Questions, help, suggestions, and bug reports / Re:Forum is very quirky and frustrating to use.... on: July 24, 2004, 11:13:48 PM
Carlos123,

Talk about it all you want. For me, the matter is closed, and I won't be discussing it further.
57396  Fellowship / You name it!! / Re:blackeyedpeas poll on: July 24, 2004, 11:07:02 PM
Shylynne,

 Grin   Grin  Sister, yes I gained some weight over 25 years. The older officers kidded me about buying clothes in the boy's department in 1976, but I was buying clothes in the men's department in 2001.   Grin  Maybe I did look a little bit like a muppet.   Grin

Love In Christ,
Tom
57397  Fellowship / You name it!! / Re:blackeyedpeas poll on: July 24, 2004, 10:59:14 PM
HEY!  Wait a minute...  I know you... Didn't you arrest me once...
 Grin

One of the members of my congregation is a former police officer who retired due to disability after an on-the-job auto accident.  It is widely said (and knowing this former officer I believe it) that 99% of his arrestees said ‘thank you’ to him after he delivered them to county jail.  Why?  Because in doing his job, he was also polite, loving, and respectful and gave them an ear full of scripture between the arrest sight and the booking facility.  

I kinda bet Brother Blackeyespeas had more than a few similar “thank you’s”  


JudgeNot,

Brother, I do remember quite a few thank yous from some really interesting characters. I did try really hard to treat people nice, and that was a real chore for some of them. I didn't like what I was seeing near the end of my career. It was becoming more and more violent by the day, and people were becoming the drugs they were on (i.e. PCP, Meth). You were actually dealing with the drug, and the person was hidden away so far that you couldn't find them. The officers have no way to guess what they will try to do next.

There was a dramatic difference between 1976 and 2001. In 1976, an officer knew there would be fights almost every night and also knew there would be stitches, teeth knocked out, etc. This was in Lawton, my home, also known as little Detroit at the time. In 2001, officers were in gun battles with 15 year old kids doped out of their minds. In 1976, officers tried to treat kids like their children and do anything possible to try to help them. In 2001, officers had to kill some kids to save other innocents and stay alive themselves. One can't train an officer to understand and deal with this. So, in terms of police work, dope is definitely the devil working overtime. I might add that the officer doesn't know the age of the person running at them with guns blazing. If they did, what could they do differently?

I loved police work, but I don't know if I could do it again with the conditions of today. I will always pray for our police officers every day, and part of me will always be a cop.

Love In Christ,
Tom
57398  Welcome / Questions, help, suggestions, and bug reports / Re:Forum is very quirky and frustrating to use.... on: July 24, 2004, 06:31:29 AM
Quote
Not that such is of no use mind you.  On the contrary.  It is often used to prevent search engines from scanning the pages of a forum, having certain pages be viewable by members only, and other such things.  But from a security standpoint CU's present handling of logged-in vs non-logged-in users is utterly useless.  It only frustrates people like me who might be inclined to visit the forum more often but don't.  

Carlos

Carlos,

You really don't have a clue about the security of Christians Unite, and you won't. Further, I doubt you are any kind of security expert. Since you are the only one who is bothered by whatever it is that you imagine, start your own forum and leave it wide open. One can be held responsible if there is a log on and a recorded IP number in many cases. Regardless, that's a moot issue since ADMIN will use whatever settings he sees fit. In other words, the matter is closed.

Moderator
57399  Theology / Debate / Re:If you vote please read this on: July 24, 2004, 06:18:14 AM
RichardElchrist,

You already have your stuff in two threads. That's all, no more. Since you started a second thread with the same stuff, I'll post something similar here that I did in the other thread.

You are doing so poorly in your campaign for Kerry that the Bush campaign should have you on the payroll. President Bush will send you a thank you note when the election is over.

I've got some swamp land in Florida I want to tell you about.   Cheesy
57400  Entertainment / Politics and Political Issues / Re:US Elections 2004 on: July 24, 2004, 05:53:57 AM
Quote
Digme Said:

BORTHER TOM THE GROUND IS LEVEL AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS...... WHETHER baby killers, liers, stealers, war-leaders, me you, Nazi, Nietzche, Escarot Euhadah (judah), Peter, St. Paul, Kerry, or Bush... all same.......  same mortal man...  SAME...  sadly i say though, most of us sometimes have a man-made tier, of who is above who is higher on the ladder leading up to God... saddly to say, i am inclined to think you might see it that way sometimes, or maybe not? i will know from your answers

Hello Digme,

I think that you misunderstand this discussion. Most of us are simply discussing our Biblical convictions concerning the race for President.

I think that we both know that men can not be forced to the FOOT OF THE CROSS. If they could be, it would not be them accepting or believing in anything. I obviously believe that all problems would be solved if all people accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. However, a large portion of the world is evil, and Christians must decide action or inaction. Almighty God can obviously do anything He wishes in and through His children. However, this is done by us yielding to HIS WILL and following the path that would be most pleasing to HIM, not us. I don't believe for a moment that HE wishes HIS children to remain quiet, defend, promote, or ignore evil. There may be some Christians who honestly feel they are led by the Holy Spirit to not be seen or heard in public. If they believe that, I would expect them to follow their convictions. However, that quiet Christian should also know there are a host of Christians with convictions to speak up, be heard, take a stand for Jesus, and call good and evil what they are.

Personally, I feel led to speak up, stand up, share HIS WORD, and yield to HIS Will and purpose. YES, HE wishes to use us. It's really not a matter of HIM needing us to stand for HIM. One could also say that HE doesn't need Pastors, witnesses, workers for the ill and hungry, cheerful givers to HIS WORKS, etc., etc. YES! HE could certainly do it all by Himself with no help from anyone, but that it not HIS WILL. HIS need of us is not the question. Our willingness to yield and serve however HE leads us is the question.

What is actually happening in this thread is a discussion of rights and wrongs that are available to us in a vote. Personally, I feel convicted to vote every time the door opens. I will study and pray about my vote, and I will certainly vote. I will do lots of other things that I feel led and convicted to do. I understand those Christians who choose to be silent and do nothing, but I disagree with them completely. I associate a silent and do nothing Christian as someone who is either ashamed of their Lord and Saviour, afraid, or otherwise letting the devil takes what he wishes without a fight. Some might even confuse piety with silence and inaction. I understand, but I disagree completely. Think about the following paraphrased:

You deny ME..........

Shout it from the rooftops...

Unto good works..........

Personally, I view silence and inaction as denying our Lord and Saviour. It is HIS WORD and HIS WILL that we are to obey to the best of our ability.

Everyone knows there is no perfect man to put in any office. So, this discussion is not about that impossibility. This discussion is about WHAT IS POSSIBLE, for or against HIS WILL, with the choices we have. I would simply ask one thing: Is it HIS WILL that we say nothing and do nothing about evil? My answer is NO. I would say that the silent and do nothing Christian is not yielding to Almighty God for HIS USE. I see mortal Christians as tools GOD wishes to use for HIS Purpose. Other than that, men are just dirt clods, but God does love us.

Love in Christ,
Tom
57401  Entertainment / Politics and Political Issues / Re:US Elections 2004 on: July 24, 2004, 04:54:26 AM
Quote
RichardElchrist Said:

2. I have been an eyewitness myself to the deceptions, unfortunately. I have witnessed the unChrist like ways of the Bush adminmistration. I have seen blood in the past and in the future.

Richard,

I'll simply say with kindness that I don't buy it, especially the part about seeing the future. Are you an Apostle or just a plain prophet?  Or, maybe you are a King or have some other self-proclaimed title. I think that the Enquirer wants to know.   Cheesy  I honestly feel that you deserve a regular pay check from the George Bush campaign to keep doing what you are now doing.   Cheesy

So, you're not a Kerry man, as you say. Who are you going to vote for Richard? OR, are you running? If so, will you vote for yourself?

57402  Entertainment / Politics and Political Issues / Re:US Elections 2004 on: July 24, 2004, 04:36:44 AM
Quote
Ollie Said (Ref. Abortion & Politics):

Yes, and it is American politics from both sides of the fence that allow it to continue.

Where is the Christian objection to both guilty parties in our politics in America. I hear silence.

It would appear that Christians choose the lesser of two evils, but evil is still chosen.

Brother, there are a ton of Christians who have fought abortion for many years and in many ways. I'm one of them. The Bush Administration is the only one I can remember in many years that took the bull by the horns and tried. In fact, it appeared close that Roe vs. Wade was about to be over turned. That battle was lost, so they started a new one on partial birth abortions.

There have been petitions, email campaigns, telephone blitzes, mail blitzes, and just about everything you can think of done by millions of Christians for many years. Many Christian groups went so far as to violate the law and go to jail in the attempt to end abortion. I don't agree with this as an effective means to end abortion, but the government is at least listening now, and many of our representatives are trying to end it, including President Bush. This is no secret about President Bush, and I'm positive he will continue to fight it.

Love In Christ,
Tom
57403  Fellowship / You name it!! / Re:blackeyedpeas poll on: July 23, 2004, 01:34:08 AM
Oklahoma Howdy to All,

For now, here's a picture in the new uniform shortly before I retired.


I'm still looking for a young picture in that professional uniform I talked about. I might have to break open the shadow box display case they gave me at retirement. There's a picture in there of some guy with with almost black hair. He almost looks like a piece of chained down lightning.   Grin   Grin  I have a hard time remembering him.

Love In Christ,
Tom
57404  Fellowship / You name it!! / Re:Debate Area on: July 23, 2004, 12:39:34 AM
Allinall,

Brother, I've thought about and prayed about nearly all of what you talked about in your post. I will quickly admit that I'm still confused and don't have a firm opinion. I'm sure this is one of the values of discussion. This is a pleasant discussion among brothers and sisters in Christ. There might be many terms that could be used to describe what we are discussing (i.e. argument, debate, war, etc.). I would quickly agree there are many definitions of the term, "Debate". I do remember many formal and informal rules of "debate" in an educational setting. I doubt that many of our past debates could be compared to debates used in an educational setting. In fact, many of them should not have been called "debates" at all.

Quote
Yup.  We can "thicken our skin" but I have to ask, is God looking for tough Christians, or tender, and broken-hearted believers?  

Just a thought...

Brother, this is more than just a lot to consider. This actually cuts to the heart of this matter. What does God want?

We've got plenty of time. There is no rush at all, and I would really like to see what others think after they have digested your post.

Love In Christ,
Tom
57405  Prayer / Prayer Requests / Re:Our beloved Mr. Beepster on: July 23, 2004, 12:05:58 AM
Brothers and Sisters,

Thanks sincerely for your prayers. The doctor has already changed a lot of my medicine, so I'm in somewhat of a fog right now. My medicine for all of tomorrow will be two grandsons, and I can't wait.   Cheesy

Love In Christ,
Tom
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