Being without a firm foundation in the truth of eternal judgment and punishment prevents us from building a proper healthy life in Christ. It would be compared to attempting to advance your education without basic tools acquired in elementary school, such as the ability to read.
In careful study of the Gospels you will notice that Jesus spoke of hell and described it more than he did about heaven. He did this to plant a foundation within us: FEAR GOD.
LUKE 12: -YOU CAN'T HIDE BEHIND A RELIGIOUS MASK. A Warning Against Hypocrisy.
By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other's toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus' primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, "Watch yourselves carefully so you do not get contaminated with Pharisee yeast -I mean their hypocrisy. Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops."
-WHOM TO FEAR. I tell you, my friends, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterward do anything worse. I will show you whom to fear: FEAR GOD; who after killing, HAS the AUTHORITY to throw in hell. Believe Me, HE is the ONE YOU MUST FEAR!"
-CONFESSING AND REJECTING. "I assure you that those who DECLARE publicly that THEY BELONG TO ME, the Son of Man will do the same for them before the angels of GOD. But those who REJECT ME publicly, the Son of Man will also reject them before the angels of GOD.
Whoever says a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says evil things against the HOLY SPIRIT will not be forgiven. When they bring you to be tried in the synagogues or before governors or rulers, do not be worried about how you will defend yourself or what you will say. For the HOLY SPIRIT will TEACH you AT THAT TIME what you should say."
LUKE 21: -THE NEED TO WATCH. "Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you like a trap. For it will come upon all people everywhere on earth. Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man."
2 CORINTHIANS 4 : SPIRITUAL TREASURE IN CLAY POTS.
GOD in His mercy has given us this work to do, and so we do not become discouraged. We put aside all secret and shameful deeds, we do not act with deceit, nor do we falsify the WORD of GOD.
In the full light of Truth we live in GOD's SIGHT and try to commend ourselves to everyone's good conscience. For if the gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost.
They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this World.
He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of GOD. .. The GOD who said, "Out of Darkness the Light shall shine! is the same GOD who made HIS LIGHT SHINE in our hearts, to BRING us the KNOWLEDGE of GOD's GLORY shining IN THE FACE OF CHRIST."
2 CORINTHIANS 6 : WARNING. "Do not try to work together as equals with unbelievers, for it cannot be done. How can right and wrong be partners? How can Light and Darkness live together? How can Christ and the Devil agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? How can God's temple come to terms with pagan idols? For WE ARE the TEMPLE OF the living GOD! As GOD Himself has said, 'I will make My Home with My People and live among them'
And so the LORD says, "You must leave them and separate them and separate yourself from them. Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you. I will be Your Father, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'"
Thursday, 29 December 2016
THE UPPER ROOM.
The Upper Room is a place were people usually went to congregate and unified themselves in Spirit to enter in deep meditation and give thanks to GOD in deep praying and elevate petitions to GOD. It was known to them as a place of meeting.
The deep, concentrated thinking in which one can seriously reflect on past experiences, ponders and muses over current matters, and thoughtfully contemplates possible future events, was the deep nature of the events that happened in that place of meeting, the Upper Room, day by day with people who sincerely chose to follow the WORD OF GOD with their lives.
By engaging in this profitable meditation, one will not be inclined to give foolish answers, merely out of his head. His heart will work on this matters of importance and the answers given will be from the heart of the Spirit, and will not be something to regret later on. (Prov. 15:28).
When Joshua was appointed as the overseer of the nation of Israel he was instructed to make a copy of GOD"S LAW, and was told to "MEDITATE" thereon DAY and NIGHT (Joshua 1:8). "YOU MUST in an undertone READ IN IT" (Psalm 1:2).
In order to meditate properly, one needs to feel free of any ties linked to the World of Flesh, along with his thoughts. Isaac, for example, went out walking alone in the early evening to meditate. (Gen. 24:63). Another example is found in the Book of Psalms. It was during the solitude of the night watches that the psalmist meditated on the greatness of his grand Creator (63:6).
The apostle Paul told Timothy that he should ponder over or "be meditating" on his conduct, ministry, and teaching. As an overseer, Timothy had to be unusually careful that he taught "sound doctrine" and that his way of life was exemplary.
After the apostles Peter and John had been arrested by the "captain of the Temple" and the Jewish rulers had threatened and charged them not to teach further on the basis of JESUS' NAME, the apostles returned to the other disciples. These prayed earnestly to GOD, referring to David's prophetic words, saying :"Why did the nations become tumultuous and people meditate upon empty things?" (Acts 4).
The empty things here spoken are the ones devoid of all good. King David said of those who hated him and sought his death: "Deceptions they keep muttering all they long."(Ps.38:12) These meditations were not mere passing thoughts. They were deep-rooted in the heart. Their natural inclination being toward that wicked pursuit. The writer of Proverbs says of such men "Despoiling is what their heart keeps meditating, and trouble is what their own lips keep speaking." (Prov. 24:2) Look at the World in which we live now. Look how this men, still continue with their wicked hope. We do not meditate deeply in the WORD OF GOD. Why? It is because we are bound to the rules of this World. But we are free to choose the ROAD TO SALVATION.
The physical location of the Upper Room, mentioned in the New Testament, is not known nor is it known whether the Scripture speaks of the same location in each instance.
Theories abound on where in Jerusalem this Room might have been, some point to the lower city West of the Temple where the Chief Priests lived, while still other indications point to a place both near the Temple and King David's Tomb.
From Scripture we do know that all the events from Acts 1:13 through 2:41 occurred in the proximity of that Upper Room. Later, on the Day of Pentecost the Scripture says: "And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were ALL WITH ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE." (Acts 2:1).
The deep, concentrated thinking in which one can seriously reflect on past experiences, ponders and muses over current matters, and thoughtfully contemplates possible future events, was the deep nature of the events that happened in that place of meeting, the Upper Room, day by day with people who sincerely chose to follow the WORD OF GOD with their lives.
By engaging in this profitable meditation, one will not be inclined to give foolish answers, merely out of his head. His heart will work on this matters of importance and the answers given will be from the heart of the Spirit, and will not be something to regret later on. (Prov. 15:28).
When Joshua was appointed as the overseer of the nation of Israel he was instructed to make a copy of GOD"S LAW, and was told to "MEDITATE" thereon DAY and NIGHT (Joshua 1:8). "YOU MUST in an undertone READ IN IT" (Psalm 1:2).
In order to meditate properly, one needs to feel free of any ties linked to the World of Flesh, along with his thoughts. Isaac, for example, went out walking alone in the early evening to meditate. (Gen. 24:63). Another example is found in the Book of Psalms. It was during the solitude of the night watches that the psalmist meditated on the greatness of his grand Creator (63:6).
The apostle Paul told Timothy that he should ponder over or "be meditating" on his conduct, ministry, and teaching. As an overseer, Timothy had to be unusually careful that he taught "sound doctrine" and that his way of life was exemplary.
After the apostles Peter and John had been arrested by the "captain of the Temple" and the Jewish rulers had threatened and charged them not to teach further on the basis of JESUS' NAME, the apostles returned to the other disciples. These prayed earnestly to GOD, referring to David's prophetic words, saying :"Why did the nations become tumultuous and people meditate upon empty things?" (Acts 4).
The empty things here spoken are the ones devoid of all good. King David said of those who hated him and sought his death: "Deceptions they keep muttering all they long."(Ps.38:12) These meditations were not mere passing thoughts. They were deep-rooted in the heart. Their natural inclination being toward that wicked pursuit. The writer of Proverbs says of such men "Despoiling is what their heart keeps meditating, and trouble is what their own lips keep speaking." (Prov. 24:2) Look at the World in which we live now. Look how this men, still continue with their wicked hope. We do not meditate deeply in the WORD OF GOD. Why? It is because we are bound to the rules of this World. But we are free to choose the ROAD TO SALVATION.
The physical location of the Upper Room, mentioned in the New Testament, is not known nor is it known whether the Scripture speaks of the same location in each instance.
Theories abound on where in Jerusalem this Room might have been, some point to the lower city West of the Temple where the Chief Priests lived, while still other indications point to a place both near the Temple and King David's Tomb.
From Scripture we do know that all the events from Acts 1:13 through 2:41 occurred in the proximity of that Upper Room. Later, on the Day of Pentecost the Scripture says: "And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were ALL WITH ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE." (Acts 2:1).
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PASSOVER.
The Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery. It is a very important Scriptural Holiday as a commemoration of their soul's liberation by GOD from slavery in Egypt, representing in a metaphorical way, freedom to choose whom you serve.
After an amount of time of slavery to the Pharaohs, during which the Israelites were subjected to overwhelming labor and unbearable horrors, GOD saw the people's distress and sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: "Send forth My People, so that They may serve ME." But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed GOD's command. GOD then sent upon Egypt 10 devastating plagues, afflicting its power and destroying everything from their livestock to their crops.
At the stroke of Midnight of the 15 day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, GOD visited the last of the 10 plagues, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, GOD spared the Children of Israel, "PASSING OVER" their homes -hence the name of the Holiday.
Pharaoh's resistance was broken, and he virtually chased the Israelites out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry, in fact, that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise.
SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND adult males, plus many more women and children, left the slavery on that Day, and began the journey to Mount Sinai, which at the end of the 50th day of the journey, they received the Law from GOD, through Moses, and that specific Day is celebrated as the birth of Israel as a Nation of GOD, naming it Pentecost.
During the existence of the Jerusalem Temple, Passover was celebrated as a Spring Festival and was connected to the Offering of the "First-Fruits of the Barley," barley being the first grain to ripen and to be harvested in the Land of Israel.
The plagues of Egypt, also called the 10 Scriptural plagues, were 10 calamities that, according to the Scriptural Book of Exodus, GOD inflicted upon Egypt to contrast the power of the GOD of Israel with the Egyptian gods associated with the forces of nature and fertility. The gods of Egypt were judged through the 10 and final plague: "On that same Night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring JUDGMENT ON ALL the gods of Egypt, I AM the LORD." (12:12)
The reason for the plagues appears to be twofold: to answer Pharaoh's taunt, "WHO IS the LORD, that I should OBEY HIS VOICE to LET ISRAEL GO?", and to show the Israelites what GOD's POWER really means and teach them A LESSON FOR ALL TIME, which was also meant to become known throughout the world.
By remembering the Passover, we have the ability to relive and experience the Spirit of TRUE freedom that our ancestors gained. GOD hardened Pharaoh's heart so he would be strong enough to persist in HIS UNWILLINGNESS to OBEY the COMMAND OF GOD to RELEASE HIS PEOPLE, so that GOD MANIFESTED HIS GREAT POWER and CAUSE HIS POWER TO BE DECLARED AMONG THE NATIONS.
By remembering the Passover, we have the ability to relive and experience the Spirit of True Freedom that our ancestors gained. Because of it, GOD introduced HIMSELF BY NAME and MADE an exclusive COVENANT with them ON THE BASIS OF this MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE.
The 10 COMMANDMENTS encapsulate the TERMS OF THIS COVENANT.
Joshua, the successor to Moses, reminded the People of their deliverance through the 10 plagues, and later, the psalmist sang of these events, in order to be recalled and remembered.
After an amount of time of slavery to the Pharaohs, during which the Israelites were subjected to overwhelming labor and unbearable horrors, GOD saw the people's distress and sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: "Send forth My People, so that They may serve ME." But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed GOD's command. GOD then sent upon Egypt 10 devastating plagues, afflicting its power and destroying everything from their livestock to their crops.
At the stroke of Midnight of the 15 day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, GOD visited the last of the 10 plagues, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, GOD spared the Children of Israel, "PASSING OVER" their homes -hence the name of the Holiday.
Pharaoh's resistance was broken, and he virtually chased the Israelites out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry, in fact, that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise.
SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND adult males, plus many more women and children, left the slavery on that Day, and began the journey to Mount Sinai, which at the end of the 50th day of the journey, they received the Law from GOD, through Moses, and that specific Day is celebrated as the birth of Israel as a Nation of GOD, naming it Pentecost.
During the existence of the Jerusalem Temple, Passover was celebrated as a Spring Festival and was connected to the Offering of the "First-Fruits of the Barley," barley being the first grain to ripen and to be harvested in the Land of Israel.
The plagues of Egypt, also called the 10 Scriptural plagues, were 10 calamities that, according to the Scriptural Book of Exodus, GOD inflicted upon Egypt to contrast the power of the GOD of Israel with the Egyptian gods associated with the forces of nature and fertility. The gods of Egypt were judged through the 10 and final plague: "On that same Night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring JUDGMENT ON ALL the gods of Egypt, I AM the LORD." (12:12)
The reason for the plagues appears to be twofold: to answer Pharaoh's taunt, "WHO IS the LORD, that I should OBEY HIS VOICE to LET ISRAEL GO?", and to show the Israelites what GOD's POWER really means and teach them A LESSON FOR ALL TIME, which was also meant to become known throughout the world.
By remembering the Passover, we have the ability to relive and experience the Spirit of TRUE freedom that our ancestors gained. GOD hardened Pharaoh's heart so he would be strong enough to persist in HIS UNWILLINGNESS to OBEY the COMMAND OF GOD to RELEASE HIS PEOPLE, so that GOD MANIFESTED HIS GREAT POWER and CAUSE HIS POWER TO BE DECLARED AMONG THE NATIONS.
By remembering the Passover, we have the ability to relive and experience the Spirit of True Freedom that our ancestors gained. Because of it, GOD introduced HIMSELF BY NAME and MADE an exclusive COVENANT with them ON THE BASIS OF this MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE.
The 10 COMMANDMENTS encapsulate the TERMS OF THIS COVENANT.
Joshua, the successor to Moses, reminded the People of their deliverance through the 10 plagues, and later, the psalmist sang of these events, in order to be recalled and remembered.
Wednesday, 28 December 2016
THE FEAST OF PENTECOST
The Feast of Pentecost commemorates 50 Days from the day the first fruits of the Barley Harvest was waved before the Lord GOD. It was on this Day that GOD visited His People after their Exodus from Egypt and through Moses, brought the Law down from Mount Sinai. This earthshaking Day of Visitation, trembling, and betrothal is the birthday of the nation of Israel.
Moses brought down the Law for the nation. Because of sin 3,000 were death under the Law that Day.
The Old Covenant is the national Covenant between GOD and His covenant people, and so the nation was established. They agreed to follow Him in DEVOTION and OBEDIENCE.
There is a Jewish tradition that King David was born and died at Pentecost. In the first sermon of the apostle Peter, recorded in Acts 2: 14-39, he linked the life, death, and Ascension of Jesus to King David's death, burial, and hope of immortality.
The biblical narrative of Pentecost is recorded in the 2nd chapter of the Book of Acts. Present were about 120 followers of Christ (Acts 1), including the 12 Apostles (the 11 faithful disciples and Matthias who was Judas' replacement), his mother Mary, various other women disciples and his brothers.
Traditional interpretation holds that the Descent of the Holy Spirit took place in the Upper Room, or Cenacle, while celebrating the day of Pentecost (Shavuot). The Upper Room was first mentioned in Luke 22: 12-13 "And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them, and they made ready the passover." This Upper Room was to be the location of the Last Supper and the institution of Holy Communion. The nest mention of the Upper Room is in Acts 1, the continuation of the Luke narrative by the same writer.
Here the disciples and women wait and they gave themselves up to constant prayer: "And when they were come in, they went up into the Upper Room, where abode both Peter and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continue with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
Then, in Acts 2: 1-2, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they went all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting."
"They" refers to the aforementioned disciples, including the women. The "place" referring to the same Upper Room where these persons had "continued with one accord in prayer and supplication."
In spite of past failures the nation of Israel will indeed be restored. The House of Judah will be saved and the throne of David in Judah will be established upon the earth under the Messiah. The lost sheep of the House of Israel will be found and brought back home to Israel again because of their sincere and righteous heart. The nation will be fully restored. Those being saved are bringing many companions with them. The nation will be reunited as spoken by the Apostle Paul.
The New Covenant is established soul by soul and silently in the gentle bonds of Love.
Moses brought down the Law for the nation. Because of sin 3,000 were death under the Law that Day.
The Old Covenant is the national Covenant between GOD and His covenant people, and so the nation was established. They agreed to follow Him in DEVOTION and OBEDIENCE.
There is a Jewish tradition that King David was born and died at Pentecost. In the first sermon of the apostle Peter, recorded in Acts 2: 14-39, he linked the life, death, and Ascension of Jesus to King David's death, burial, and hope of immortality.
The biblical narrative of Pentecost is recorded in the 2nd chapter of the Book of Acts. Present were about 120 followers of Christ (Acts 1), including the 12 Apostles (the 11 faithful disciples and Matthias who was Judas' replacement), his mother Mary, various other women disciples and his brothers.
Traditional interpretation holds that the Descent of the Holy Spirit took place in the Upper Room, or Cenacle, while celebrating the day of Pentecost (Shavuot). The Upper Room was first mentioned in Luke 22: 12-13 "And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them, and they made ready the passover." This Upper Room was to be the location of the Last Supper and the institution of Holy Communion. The nest mention of the Upper Room is in Acts 1, the continuation of the Luke narrative by the same writer.
Here the disciples and women wait and they gave themselves up to constant prayer: "And when they were come in, they went up into the Upper Room, where abode both Peter and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continue with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
Then, in Acts 2: 1-2, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they went all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting."
"They" refers to the aforementioned disciples, including the women. The "place" referring to the same Upper Room where these persons had "continued with one accord in prayer and supplication."
In spite of past failures the nation of Israel will indeed be restored. The House of Judah will be saved and the throne of David in Judah will be established upon the earth under the Messiah. The lost sheep of the House of Israel will be found and brought back home to Israel again because of their sincere and righteous heart. The nation will be fully restored. Those being saved are bringing many companions with them. The nation will be reunited as spoken by the Apostle Paul.
The New Covenant is established soul by soul and silently in the gentle bonds of Love.
THE CHURCH IN CORINTH.
The letters of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians were written to the Church that resided in Corinth. The site of the city was on the Isthmus that connects the Peloponnesus to the rest of Greece. While an unavoidable passage for the land-born, North-South trade, the city's location also made East-West trade common because ships traveled from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea would cut through the Isthmus to save hundred of miles of dangerous sea travel. The method of crossing the Isthmus involved putting the ships on rollers and transporting them across the 4-mile stretch of earth that connect the 2 land masses (a canal was not constructed until the late 19th century). Corinth was both a political and commercial capital-city, and very well-trafficked with travelers; and so the population at the time of the apostle Paul was about 600,000 people and quite diverse. Some of the outcomes of this diversity were the prosperity of both: religious syncretism and immorality. Corinth had a reputation for its depravity, and the temple prostitutes of Aphrodite did not help in saving the city's bad name. There was even a Greek word reflecting the life in the city "Korinthia ' Zomai" (Corinthianize), which meant "to practice fornication."
The account of Paul's 1st visit to Corinth is recorded in Acts 18. He had found himself in Corinth after passing through Athens. When Paul came to the city he found a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who were there because Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome. They, like Paul, were tentmakers by trade, and so Paul stayed and worked with them. He visited the local synagogue every Sabbath. Silas and Timothy met up with Paul after their extended stay in Macedonia. They brought support from the Macedonians so that Paul could be preaching the "Word." Paul's ministry to the majority of the Jews ended up being unsuccessful (they opposed and reviled him), therefore he decided to go to the Gentiles (Non Jews). After this, many Corinthians believed including Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue. Then one night the LORD instructed Paul to continue with HIS MESSAGE and not be silent for he has many people in this city. So Paul's stay was extended.
After some time some rebel Jews attacked Paul bringing him before the tribunal, accusing him of persuading people to WORSHIP GOD in a manner that was contrary to the Law. Yet the proconsul, Gallio, found it to be a petty accusation and exonerated Paul on the basis of it being a matter of Jewish doctrine and not public affairs. Some time after that, Paul departed Corinth after a year and a half of ministry there. He went to Jerusalem, and later ended up staying in Ephesus for 3 years.
At sometime-before or while he was in Ephesus, Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians that preceded 1 Corinthians, but it is lost. The next written letter, 1 Corinthians is a response to a letter that Paul got from the Corinthian Church, which they wrote as a response this previous letter.
Paul writes in 1 Cor. 5:9, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people." From Chloe's household, Paul received more reports of division (1Cor 1:11), not to mention other reports of sexual immorality (5:11) and further reports of division (11:18). With all these in mind Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in response to the reports covering the topics about division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, Christian liberty, order of worship, and the resurrection.
Paul then deployed Timothy to the Church of Corinth in order to scout the situation and be a representative of Paul's teaching (4:17; 16:10-11). Timothy's visit gave Paul an urgency to change his plans and so made a 2nd visit to Corinth. This visit is commonly called the "painful visit" as Paul himself refers to it (2Cor.2:1). Form Ephesus he sailed across the Aegean Sea to Corinth for a short and hasty trip. The outcome was not as Paul had wanted. He was provoked to writhe a 3rd letter, giving the letter to Titus to deliver it to Corinth. Paul's reasoning for it is found in 2Cor.2:3-4. He also wrote in order to test them because he wanted to find out whether or not they would be obedient in all things (2Cor2:9). So the "severe letter accomplished that which Paul had desired (2Cor7:8-9).
Being encouraged, Paul wrote a 4th letter to the Corinthian Church. Known as 2 Corinthians, Paul defends his apostolic authority, encourage the church to be unified with him, gives instructions about giving, and tells of his future plans. He mentions that Titus and others are going to make a visit (2Cor8 :16-18). Paul also makes sure to note that he, himself, is going to make his 3rd visit to Corinth (12:14; 13: 1-10).
After staying in Macedonia Paul visited Greece for 3 months, making his 3rd visit to Corinth (Acts 20: 1, 2). Then Paul went back up to Macedonia and off to further ministry elsewhere (Acts 20).
In total, Paul wrote 4 letters to the Corinthians and visited them 3 times.
The account of Paul's 1st visit to Corinth is recorded in Acts 18. He had found himself in Corinth after passing through Athens. When Paul came to the city he found a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who were there because Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome. They, like Paul, were tentmakers by trade, and so Paul stayed and worked with them. He visited the local synagogue every Sabbath. Silas and Timothy met up with Paul after their extended stay in Macedonia. They brought support from the Macedonians so that Paul could be preaching the "Word." Paul's ministry to the majority of the Jews ended up being unsuccessful (they opposed and reviled him), therefore he decided to go to the Gentiles (Non Jews). After this, many Corinthians believed including Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue. Then one night the LORD instructed Paul to continue with HIS MESSAGE and not be silent for he has many people in this city. So Paul's stay was extended.
After some time some rebel Jews attacked Paul bringing him before the tribunal, accusing him of persuading people to WORSHIP GOD in a manner that was contrary to the Law. Yet the proconsul, Gallio, found it to be a petty accusation and exonerated Paul on the basis of it being a matter of Jewish doctrine and not public affairs. Some time after that, Paul departed Corinth after a year and a half of ministry there. He went to Jerusalem, and later ended up staying in Ephesus for 3 years.
At sometime-before or while he was in Ephesus, Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians that preceded 1 Corinthians, but it is lost. The next written letter, 1 Corinthians is a response to a letter that Paul got from the Corinthian Church, which they wrote as a response this previous letter.
Paul writes in 1 Cor. 5:9, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people." From Chloe's household, Paul received more reports of division (1Cor 1:11), not to mention other reports of sexual immorality (5:11) and further reports of division (11:18). With all these in mind Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in response to the reports covering the topics about division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, Christian liberty, order of worship, and the resurrection.
Paul then deployed Timothy to the Church of Corinth in order to scout the situation and be a representative of Paul's teaching (4:17; 16:10-11). Timothy's visit gave Paul an urgency to change his plans and so made a 2nd visit to Corinth. This visit is commonly called the "painful visit" as Paul himself refers to it (2Cor.2:1). Form Ephesus he sailed across the Aegean Sea to Corinth for a short and hasty trip. The outcome was not as Paul had wanted. He was provoked to writhe a 3rd letter, giving the letter to Titus to deliver it to Corinth. Paul's reasoning for it is found in 2Cor.2:3-4. He also wrote in order to test them because he wanted to find out whether or not they would be obedient in all things (2Cor2:9). So the "severe letter accomplished that which Paul had desired (2Cor7:8-9).
Being encouraged, Paul wrote a 4th letter to the Corinthian Church. Known as 2 Corinthians, Paul defends his apostolic authority, encourage the church to be unified with him, gives instructions about giving, and tells of his future plans. He mentions that Titus and others are going to make a visit (2Cor8 :16-18). Paul also makes sure to note that he, himself, is going to make his 3rd visit to Corinth (12:14; 13: 1-10).
After staying in Macedonia Paul visited Greece for 3 months, making his 3rd visit to Corinth (Acts 20: 1, 2). Then Paul went back up to Macedonia and off to further ministry elsewhere (Acts 20).
In total, Paul wrote 4 letters to the Corinthians and visited them 3 times.
CORINTH BACKGROUND.
Corinth is well-known from the 2 Letters of the apostle Paul in the New Testament, 1st and 2nd Corinthians. Corinth is also mentioned in Acts as part of Paul's missionary travels.
Ancient Corinth was a city-state (polis) on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, roughly between Athens and Sparta. It was one of the largest and most important cities in Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. The Romans demolished the city-state in 146 BC, built a new city in its place in 44 BC, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.
The site of Corinth was occupied from at least as early as 6,500 BC, always the settlement acted as a centre of trade, but a dramatic drop in ceramic remains occurred during 2,500-2,300BC and only sparse ceramic remains in the site appeared in the period immediately before the Mycenaean. The site remained not heavily occupied again until around 900 BC, when the Dorians settled there.
According to Hellenic myth, the city was founded by Corinthos, a descendant of the god Helios (Sun), while other myths suggest that it was founded by the goddess Ephyra, a daughter of the Titan Oceanus. There is evidence that the city was destroyed around 2,000 BC. It seems that Corinth was also the site of a Mycenaean palace-city.
Following a myth, Sisyphus, king of Ephyra, and son of King Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete, was the founder of a race of ancient kings at Corinth. He was the father of Glaucus, Ornytion, Almus, and Thersander by the nymph Merope, the brother of Salmoneous (who hate each other), and the grandpa of Bellerophon (slayer of monsters) through Glaucus. The king Sisyphus promoted navigation and commerce but was avaricious and deceitful. He killed travelers and guests. The evil action was considered a violation of the code of hospitality (Xenia). He took pleasure in these killings because they allowed him to maintain his iron-fisted rule.
Zeus then ordered Thanatos, Death, to chain Sisyphus down below in Tartarus. Sisyphus was curious as to why Hermes, whose job was to guide souls to the Underworld, had not appeared on this occasion.
He asked Thanatos to demonstrate how chains worked. As Thanatos was granting him his wish, Sisyphus seized the opportunity and trapped Thanatos in the chains instead. Once Thanatos was bound by the strong chains, no one died on earth. This caused an uproar especially for Ares, who was annoyed that his battles had lost their fun because his opponents would not die, and so he intervened.
Ares freed Thanatus and turned Sisyphus over to him. His soul was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it come back to hit him, repeating this action for eternity.
Corinth, under the tightly-knit Doric clan and the ruling kinship group was a backwater in the 8th and 7th BC, a period of expanding Corinthian power until it became a unified state. In 733BC, Corinth established colonies at Corcyra in the Ionian Sea, 2nd largest of the Ionian Islands, and Syracuse in Sicily. By 730BC Corinth emerged as a highly advanced Greek city with at least 5,000 people.
Aritotle tells the story of Philolaus of Corinth, a Dorian who was a lawgiver at Thebes. He became the lover of Diocles, an athlete that became the winner of the Olympic games. They lived together for the rest of their lives and were buried in builded tombs near one another. Philolaus' tomb points toward the Corinthian country while Diocles' faces away. In 657BC, Cypselus representing the tyrants, who usually seized the power at the head of some popular support. After the traditional king was assassinated, he was a Dorian, but not from the royal lineage. He was the son of Eetion and a disfigured woman named Labda, who was a member of the Dorian family.
Aristotle reports that Cypselus had made a vow that if he became master of the city, he would offer Zeus the entire property of the Corinthians. Accordingly, he commanded them to make a return of their possessions.
In classical times, Corinth rivaled Athens and Thebes in wealth, based on the Isthmian traffic and trade. Until the mid-6th century, Corinth was a major exporter of black-figure pottery to city-states around the Greek world. Corinth had a temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, employing some thousands temple prostitutes. The city was renowned for these prostitutes who served the wealthy merchants and the powerful officials who frequented the city. Referring to its exorbitant luxuries, Horace is quoted as saying: "Not everyone is able to go to Corinth."
The city had 2 main ports: to the West on the Corinthian Gulf, Lechaion which connected the city to its Western colonies and Magna Graecia, while to the East on the Saronic Gulf, Kenchreai which served the ships coming from Athens, Ionia, Cyprus and the Levant. Both ports had docks for the city's large navy
By 332BC, Alexander the Great was in control of Greece. Under his successors, Greece was a contested ground, and Corinth was occasionally taken as a battleground. In 308BC, the city was captured from the Antigonids by Ptolemy I, who claimed to come as a liberator of Greece. In 253/2 Alexander of Corinth resolved to challenge the Macedonian supremacy and seek independence as a tyrant. He was poisoned in 247BC and after his death a Macedonian king retook the city. After the Roman intervention in 197BC the city was permanently brought into the Achaean League. The Achaeans took control of the entire Peloponnesus and made Corinth its capital. In 146BC, Rome declared war and captured Corinth, killing all the men and sold the women and children into slavery before burning the city. Under Romans, Corinth was rebuilt as a major city and had a large and mixed population of Romans, Greeks, and Jews.
The city was largely destroyed in the earthquakes of 365CE and 375CE followed by Alaric's invasion in 396CE. Alaric (Visigoth) is best known for his sack of Rome. The city was rebuilt on a monumental scale, but covered a much smaller area than previously.
During the reign of Justinian I (527-565), a large stone wall was erected from the Saronic to the Corinthian gulfs, protecting the city and the Peloponnese peninsula from the barbarian invasions from the North. Corinth declined from the 6th century on. In November 856CE, another earthquake devastated the city killing an estimated 45,000 people. In 1147, the city was sacked by Sicilian Normans under Roger of Sicily carrying off many captives, most notably silk weavers. The city never fully recovered from the Norman sack.
During the Greek War of Independence, 1821-1830 the city was destroyed by the Ottoman forces. The city was officially liberated in 1832 after the treaty of London. In 1858, the village surrounding the ruins of Ancient Corinth was destroyed by another earthquake, leading to the establishment of New Corinth 3km (1.9 mi) NE of the ancient city.
Ancient Corinth was a city-state (polis) on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, roughly between Athens and Sparta. It was one of the largest and most important cities in Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. The Romans demolished the city-state in 146 BC, built a new city in its place in 44 BC, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.
The site of Corinth was occupied from at least as early as 6,500 BC, always the settlement acted as a centre of trade, but a dramatic drop in ceramic remains occurred during 2,500-2,300BC and only sparse ceramic remains in the site appeared in the period immediately before the Mycenaean. The site remained not heavily occupied again until around 900 BC, when the Dorians settled there.
According to Hellenic myth, the city was founded by Corinthos, a descendant of the god Helios (Sun), while other myths suggest that it was founded by the goddess Ephyra, a daughter of the Titan Oceanus. There is evidence that the city was destroyed around 2,000 BC. It seems that Corinth was also the site of a Mycenaean palace-city.
Following a myth, Sisyphus, king of Ephyra, and son of King Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete, was the founder of a race of ancient kings at Corinth. He was the father of Glaucus, Ornytion, Almus, and Thersander by the nymph Merope, the brother of Salmoneous (who hate each other), and the grandpa of Bellerophon (slayer of monsters) through Glaucus. The king Sisyphus promoted navigation and commerce but was avaricious and deceitful. He killed travelers and guests. The evil action was considered a violation of the code of hospitality (Xenia). He took pleasure in these killings because they allowed him to maintain his iron-fisted rule.
Zeus then ordered Thanatos, Death, to chain Sisyphus down below in Tartarus. Sisyphus was curious as to why Hermes, whose job was to guide souls to the Underworld, had not appeared on this occasion.
He asked Thanatos to demonstrate how chains worked. As Thanatos was granting him his wish, Sisyphus seized the opportunity and trapped Thanatos in the chains instead. Once Thanatos was bound by the strong chains, no one died on earth. This caused an uproar especially for Ares, who was annoyed that his battles had lost their fun because his opponents would not die, and so he intervened.
Ares freed Thanatus and turned Sisyphus over to him. His soul was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it come back to hit him, repeating this action for eternity.
Corinth, under the tightly-knit Doric clan and the ruling kinship group was a backwater in the 8th and 7th BC, a period of expanding Corinthian power until it became a unified state. In 733BC, Corinth established colonies at Corcyra in the Ionian Sea, 2nd largest of the Ionian Islands, and Syracuse in Sicily. By 730BC Corinth emerged as a highly advanced Greek city with at least 5,000 people.
Aritotle tells the story of Philolaus of Corinth, a Dorian who was a lawgiver at Thebes. He became the lover of Diocles, an athlete that became the winner of the Olympic games. They lived together for the rest of their lives and were buried in builded tombs near one another. Philolaus' tomb points toward the Corinthian country while Diocles' faces away. In 657BC, Cypselus representing the tyrants, who usually seized the power at the head of some popular support. After the traditional king was assassinated, he was a Dorian, but not from the royal lineage. He was the son of Eetion and a disfigured woman named Labda, who was a member of the Dorian family.
Aristotle reports that Cypselus had made a vow that if he became master of the city, he would offer Zeus the entire property of the Corinthians. Accordingly, he commanded them to make a return of their possessions.
In classical times, Corinth rivaled Athens and Thebes in wealth, based on the Isthmian traffic and trade. Until the mid-6th century, Corinth was a major exporter of black-figure pottery to city-states around the Greek world. Corinth had a temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, employing some thousands temple prostitutes. The city was renowned for these prostitutes who served the wealthy merchants and the powerful officials who frequented the city. Referring to its exorbitant luxuries, Horace is quoted as saying: "Not everyone is able to go to Corinth."
The city had 2 main ports: to the West on the Corinthian Gulf, Lechaion which connected the city to its Western colonies and Magna Graecia, while to the East on the Saronic Gulf, Kenchreai which served the ships coming from Athens, Ionia, Cyprus and the Levant. Both ports had docks for the city's large navy
By 332BC, Alexander the Great was in control of Greece. Under his successors, Greece was a contested ground, and Corinth was occasionally taken as a battleground. In 308BC, the city was captured from the Antigonids by Ptolemy I, who claimed to come as a liberator of Greece. In 253/2 Alexander of Corinth resolved to challenge the Macedonian supremacy and seek independence as a tyrant. He was poisoned in 247BC and after his death a Macedonian king retook the city. After the Roman intervention in 197BC the city was permanently brought into the Achaean League. The Achaeans took control of the entire Peloponnesus and made Corinth its capital. In 146BC, Rome declared war and captured Corinth, killing all the men and sold the women and children into slavery before burning the city. Under Romans, Corinth was rebuilt as a major city and had a large and mixed population of Romans, Greeks, and Jews.
The city was largely destroyed in the earthquakes of 365CE and 375CE followed by Alaric's invasion in 396CE. Alaric (Visigoth) is best known for his sack of Rome. The city was rebuilt on a monumental scale, but covered a much smaller area than previously.
During the reign of Justinian I (527-565), a large stone wall was erected from the Saronic to the Corinthian gulfs, protecting the city and the Peloponnese peninsula from the barbarian invasions from the North. Corinth declined from the 6th century on. In November 856CE, another earthquake devastated the city killing an estimated 45,000 people. In 1147, the city was sacked by Sicilian Normans under Roger of Sicily carrying off many captives, most notably silk weavers. The city never fully recovered from the Norman sack.
During the Greek War of Independence, 1821-1830 the city was destroyed by the Ottoman forces. The city was officially liberated in 1832 after the treaty of London. In 1858, the village surrounding the ruins of Ancient Corinth was destroyed by another earthquake, leading to the establishment of New Corinth 3km (1.9 mi) NE of the ancient city.
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
WHAT IS DESIRE?
The word "desire" covers a wide range of human wants, emotions and cravings. It can describe natural desires, which include hunger food for food, sexual longings, and desire for GOD. It can also covers unnatural cravings, which include greed and lust.
Desire is ultimately the longing to return to the Source of Creation. The dissatisfaction with what is and a longing and desire to close that separation is what fuels the act of Creation.
Desire is the raw material of Creation. The longing, the desire to close the gap within the longing, is the creative tension that will supply the energy for the new creation. It is for this reason that we cannot outright dismiss our desires. Desire at any and all levels of our being is important. Nor can we see our desires as something that needs to be given up. Rather we need to understand the desire and the source of it.
The flow of energy that sustains us arises from the intention that back up our life and caused us to come into physical existence. This flow of energy or substance lies at the source of our being and sustain us much the way the heart lied deep within our being and sustains the physical body through the flow of blood.
Metaphorically the heart is used to represent 4 interconnected things. First, it is the resting place for the creative spirit. Second, it is the source of the flow of our creative life energy. Third, it is the location for the intention and the flow of the energy aligns us with that intention. Fourth, represents the dream we wish to manifest. It aligns with the flow of energy and carries us to what we desire to create and the experiences we desire to have that fulfill the intention of our being and the reason why we are here.
The dream within our heart and the intention for our life are different forms of the same things. They are like flip sides of a coin. They just look different but they only take different focus. In one case the focus is on the intention we have for coming into life. The other is what we wish to create with the life we have. One look to the past, the other look to the future. Yet each is the same flow of energy.
The creative spirit and the flow of the creative life energy is what nurtures and sustain us. We can feel what serves or do not serve our being. But to do so, we must open to feeling and face the reasons why we shut down our ability to feel.
The heart has been traditionally seen as the seat of the emotion, especially of love and affection, and having the capacity for kindness and sympathy. In reality, the emotions and what we love are actually determined by what we think and believe about our own feelings. Similarly, it is the mind which determines the choice we make for, or against, tenderness, kindness, and sympathy.
Unless we explore the origins of our negative experiences at the deepest inner level we will not understand why we are creating them. There are desires that we have as a result of the societal programming reflected in our mind. We do things in life not because we freely choose to do them, rather we are simply following a program given to us at a very early stage of our development.
The Scripture explains in a very clear way the very nature of our desires. What we need to learn from it is how to maintain the positive nature of it.
Desire is ultimately the longing to return to the Source of Creation. The dissatisfaction with what is and a longing and desire to close that separation is what fuels the act of Creation.
Desire is the raw material of Creation. The longing, the desire to close the gap within the longing, is the creative tension that will supply the energy for the new creation. It is for this reason that we cannot outright dismiss our desires. Desire at any and all levels of our being is important. Nor can we see our desires as something that needs to be given up. Rather we need to understand the desire and the source of it.
The flow of energy that sustains us arises from the intention that back up our life and caused us to come into physical existence. This flow of energy or substance lies at the source of our being and sustain us much the way the heart lied deep within our being and sustains the physical body through the flow of blood.
Metaphorically the heart is used to represent 4 interconnected things. First, it is the resting place for the creative spirit. Second, it is the source of the flow of our creative life energy. Third, it is the location for the intention and the flow of the energy aligns us with that intention. Fourth, represents the dream we wish to manifest. It aligns with the flow of energy and carries us to what we desire to create and the experiences we desire to have that fulfill the intention of our being and the reason why we are here.
The dream within our heart and the intention for our life are different forms of the same things. They are like flip sides of a coin. They just look different but they only take different focus. In one case the focus is on the intention we have for coming into life. The other is what we wish to create with the life we have. One look to the past, the other look to the future. Yet each is the same flow of energy.
The creative spirit and the flow of the creative life energy is what nurtures and sustain us. We can feel what serves or do not serve our being. But to do so, we must open to feeling and face the reasons why we shut down our ability to feel.
The heart has been traditionally seen as the seat of the emotion, especially of love and affection, and having the capacity for kindness and sympathy. In reality, the emotions and what we love are actually determined by what we think and believe about our own feelings. Similarly, it is the mind which determines the choice we make for, or against, tenderness, kindness, and sympathy.
Unless we explore the origins of our negative experiences at the deepest inner level we will not understand why we are creating them. There are desires that we have as a result of the societal programming reflected in our mind. We do things in life not because we freely choose to do them, rather we are simply following a program given to us at a very early stage of our development.
The Scripture explains in a very clear way the very nature of our desires. What we need to learn from it is how to maintain the positive nature of it.
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