Oklahoma Howdy to Aw,

I probably put it badly when I used the term ethnic when referring to Jews. I know this is a difficult subject.

I could say a person was of Jewish heritage, but that might be difficult to prove and the blood lines were almost certainly mixed along the way. I guess that God would be the only one to know who the actual Jews of heritage (blood line) are.

Then you have the Old Covenant and New Covenant bloodline Jews who are in various categories (i.e. Christian, Non-Christian).

There are quite a few folks who never had a Jewish blood line who have decided to adopt the religious practices of Judah, but I don't think that makes them Jews by any definition.

Then you have the Gentiles who are Christians and have been grafted into the tree.

I certainly don't explain this very well, and I probably shouldn't have tried. If you wish to study prophecy, you must address several categories of Jews.

Now that I've confused everyone some more, I'll be quiet and let someone more versed in this area explain it.  

Love In Christ,
Tom

[True Story.]

Oklahoma Howdy to JudgeNot,

Brother, I will certainly be praying for you and for the doctors and nurses who will be taking care of you.

Let me tell you one true story to hopefully put a smile on your face. I was at the hospital not too long ago for some tests, and I saw one of my nurses who took care of me twice on lengthy hospital stays. It's somewhat of a coincidence that her name is Angel, and her name fits her kindness. It must have been the end of their shift, and I saw Angel talking to 5 or 6 other nurses in a room adjoining a waiting room full of people. I called her name and asked if she remembered me. She stopped talking and walked over to me in a room full of about 30 people. She took a good look at me and said, "Of course I remember you, I didn't recognize you with your clothes on."    True Story.

Brother, God, the Great Physician will also be there.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Oklahoma Howdy to MalkyEL,

I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed doing it. If you put the portions of Scripture in context, they are beautiful descriptions of Almighty God. I know what you mean about the Holy Trinity being a difficult topic for many, especially for the babes and less mature in Christ. This beautiful truth defies human logic, but humans should not be surprised that much of the power and majesty of Almighty God is far beyond human logic. No beginning and no end is another topic in a long list of beautiful truths about Almighty God that we should just accept with a simple, childlike faith. After all, we are simply humans, part of HIS Creation.

Love In Christ,
Tom

AMEN and AMEN!

I've been thinking quite a bit about little children, how Jesus loves little children, and how salvation is described as a simple, childlike faith in Jesus. Men have stacks of books that involve highly technical doctrinal beliefs, but this thread made me think of what a simple, childlike faith might be that really is Salvation, pure and simple.

I'm visualizing a 6-8 year old child kneeling in prayer and saying something like:

Jesus, mommy and daddy have been teaching me a lot about you. I learned about your life and what you did for me in Sunday School and from mommy and daddy.

Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for bad people, and I've been bad. I know you are God and you live in heaven, but I believe You will come live inside of me and forgive me for all of the bad things I've done. I'm real sorry about the bad things I've done. Daddy told me I could talk to you whenever I wanted to and that you would be my Father in Heaven if I believe in you and ask you. Jesus, I do believe in you, and I want you to be with me for the rest of my life. Jesus, would you forgive me for all the bad things I've done and come live in my heart?

__________

Are there any technicalities here and missing PHDs, or do you think that Jesus took this little boy?

Love In Christ,
Tom

Oklahoma Howdy to Ambassador4Christ,

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy the materials from the Berean Bible Society. You might remember that I subscribed some time ago. It is the same Berean Bible Society that furnished Bible study material for our Sunday School over 50 years ago. Their materials and studies are great. I might add their web site has wonderful materials and studies for Christians of various ages and levels of maturity.

I'm almost sure that I thanked you for making me aware that the Berean Bible Society is still running strong. Thanks Brother! I get their daily Email material and their material by mail. I plan to help them with whatever financial support I can and hope they are still running strong 50 - 100 years from now.

Love In Christ,
Tom

This is a fascinating but difficult topic. To understand it, I think we must forget about what man thinks and concentrate on what God thinks and what is taught in HIS WORD.

Before their rejection of Jesus, the Jews were God's chosen people (HIS own - Israel). Almighty God made covenants with his own, Israel, and God will honor and fulfill those covenants he made, regardless of their rejection of Jesus.

After Israel's rejection of Jesus, things get much more complicated. Some in Israel accepted Jesus and are New Covenant Christians. The Gentiles who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour are also New Covenant Christians. In Biblical terms, it is correct for a Christian to say they are a chosen people and a Jew, but man will not understand or accept this.

This would make a great Bible Study. Almighty God will certainly fulfill HIS promises to Israel and HIS promises to HIS children of the New Covenant. Petro has already said it, God's children are Jews. In the eyes of men, minus the Biblical teaching, Jews are unbelievers, a race and ethnic origin that can be traced back to the Israel of old. Please, don't anyone get angry about this. It would be a difficult Bible study and impossible for men to understand without the Holy Bible.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Hug a soldier - smack a politician or movie star in the chops.]

Oklahoma Howdy to Paul2,

THANKS BROTHER! I will definitely relay your thanks to my son and many other fine young men and women. This is also something I feel strongly about. I pray that we as a nation never treat our returning Armed Services like we did those returning from Viet Nam. Hug a soldier - smack a politician or movie star in the chops.

I think it's fine for the movie stars and politicians to debate all they want. When our sons and daughters boots are on the ground in service, it is time for the entire nation to give them whatever they need to win, survive, and come home. As a nation, that would certainly include support and whatever sacrifices we might have to make, be it gasoline rationing or whatever else it takes. This may be a sore subject for some folks. If so, it's the politicians and movie stars who deserve a smack in the chops, not the men and women who are carrying out their oath in honor.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Oklahoma Howdy to All,

I grew up with military families because my home has always been Lawton/Ft. Sill. I've had a chance to visit with many sharp folks in the Armed Services, including my son.

My son was talking about the long hours, and I do mean long. He's on an aircraft carrier, and he thought he had it easy because of not having to deal with bullets being fired at him and all the blowing sand. I've asked him and others how they feel about their mission, and I was very proud of the answers. Generally, everyone works as a team in a 100% effort to try to make sure their children and grandchildren don't have to fight terrorists on our streets of America. I think they are right, and I'm proud of them. All of them have critical job functions, regardless of whether they serve in the desert with a rifle or cook the meals.

Sincereheart, we should all be shedding a few tears and praying that God watches over them.

Love In Christ,
Tom

JudgeNot, me thinks that we just got zinged by Reba.  

Reba, actually, my son taught me everything I know about pantyhose.     I had always wondered what those where, and then I found out they were used by soldiers in the desert.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  

Love In Christ,
Tom

Oklahoma Howdy to Palmoni,

Brother, I look forward to our fellowship. I also belong to an independent church. Our beliefs are pretty close to the Berean Bible Society. Regardless, you will find a lot of sweet Christians here from various denominations. I like the little brick and mortar church I go to, but I actually belong to the Church Which Is The Body of Christ.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Thanks Brother Petro,

I'm positive that I missed many beautiful portions of Scripture. Isaiah is definitely a beautiful Book.

Brother, please feel free to join in. I would love to read and study the Bible facts that are the favorites of others.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Sister Reba,

I almost missed that beautiful letter from Paul Beiring. It was a real blessing, and I appreciate you sharing it with us. He is with Jesus, but it is always so hard for the families and friends. We recently had a memorial service for 8 Ft. Sill soldiers all killed on the same day. It is heart breaking.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Amen Brothers and Sisters!

I would like to second JudgeNot's double DITTO on A4C's post, but now I'm confused. I got out my scientific calculator and squared the cosign of the tangent exponentially and came out with two different answers = either three DITTOS or four DITTOS.  

I have a lengthy list of topics and portions of the Bible I want to study. I'm fairly slow because I like to use contrasts and comparisons most of the time. There are other times when I simply enjoy reading a favorite portion, chapter, or book of the Bible.

I am completely spoiled in using a Bible Study Software package called e-Sword. I use the larger fonts and love the click and go to contrasts and comparisons. Brother Petro, you can flog me with wet noodles, but I enjoy the built-in dictionaries, commentaries, topic studies, language functions, supporting ancient history, and maps. It's probably slower the way I like to study, but I've got plenty of time and really enjoy it. I have a house full of books, but my eyes get tired pretty quickly with the small prints. In fact, my brothers and I own a large library of old and rare Bible study books that were passed down through several generations of preachers. Some of the books are 200 or more years old. One room of our church is set aside for everyone in the congregation to use.

Brother Petro, I understand your objection to using texts other than the Holy Bible and various study aids, and it might be detrimental for some people. However, for me, I would have to disagree and say that selected study aids enhance my study and increase my enjoyment of Bible study. Our pastor many times locks himself in our library and spends hours or days with various books, but the Holy Bible is always the primary source of study. The Holy Bible is also my primary source of study.

Love In Christ,
Tom  

Oklahoma Howdy to Palmoni,

It sounds like you really enjoy studying God's Word. We are happy to have you. Is the Berean Research Center where you teach connected to the Berean Bible Society? If so, I love their materials and receive quite a blessing from them daily. Regardless, the term "Berean" indicates a workman who loves to study HIS WORD.

I sincerely hope you enjoy Christians Unite and look forward to our fellowship.

Jump in and have some fun.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Oklahoma Howdy to TwinkleDust007,

YES!, another Okie - we have a small army now. I think there are three of us on Christians Unite now. Obviously, all of the Universities in Oklahoma are the finest in the world.

We also have a growing number of young adults on Christians Unite, many more than three. I'm one of the resident grandpas, and I sincerely hope you enjoy Christians Unite.

By the way, please don't pay any attention to what some of the Texans on the forum say about Oklahoma. They are just jealous, and they should be.  

Love In Christ,
Tom