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1) Acts 15:19-20 . . Abstain from food tainted by idols, from promiscuity,
from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
Here's the text of a common Christian prayer.
"Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from
thy bounty through Christ, Our Lord. Amen."
That prayer credits the providence of God for the nourishment on the table.
Well; in the old Roman world, they sometimes credited the providence of a
pagan deity for their nourishment. According to 1Cor 10:25-31; this is one
of those don't ask situations; we'll get to that.
Promiscuity typically refers to things like adultery, incest, shacking up, one
night stands, sleeping around, etc.
Strangulation is a slow, inhumane way to die. If you know that the meat
you're being served came from an animal that was choked to death,
consider it food fit only for barbarians. We want nothing to do with animal
abuse.
In other words: Christ's followers are forbidden to use blood as a beverage.
There are cultures that poke holes in cows' necks in order to drink blood
straight out of the living animal utilizing its own blood pressure like a tap to
fill their cups; a rather ghastly thirst that might be okay for Edward Cullen's
family but certainly not for us.
2) Rom 6:11 . . Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ
Jesus.
"dead to sin" in this case doesn't mean Christ's sheep can't, won't, and/or
don't sin (cf. 1John 1:8-10). It means that sin can no longer give God cause
to slam them with the sum of all fears.
Rom 5:12-21 explains, in so many words; that Christ's believing followers
are accounted as having gone to the cross with him similar to accounting
them as having tasted the forbidden fruit with Adam. This principle is at the
very core of Christianity's plan of salvation so it's important to get it.
In a nutshell: When Jesus went to the cross; he died for the sins of the
world from first to last. That being the case, then when his believing
followers went to the cross with him, they died for their sins from first to
last. As a result: when the books are opened as per Rev 20:11-15, there will
be nothing on record with which to charge them.
FYI: Rom 6:11 is an order, and Christ's believing followers are expected to
obey it.
3) Rom 6:12 . . Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey
its evil desires.
4) Rom 6:13 . . Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments
of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been
brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as
instruments of righteousness.
If I'm understanding John 5:24-25 correctly; Jesus spoke of a non-physical
resurrection that his believing followers undergo in this life-- now --before
they pass on.
It's a pretty good resurrection too because it doesn't rejuvenate ordinary
life, rather; it's a step up to eternal life-- a superior kind of life that brings
with it not only immortality, but also a change from human nature to divine
nature. (2Pet 1:4)
Anyway, the point is: Christ's non-physically resurrected followers really
should make an effort to walk as insiders who live in heaven rather than
outsiders on their way to the other place. Political theorists like Niccolò
Machiavelli would not recommend Christ's way of life of course because in
this world, situation ethics are better; viz: the end justifies the means so
long as the end, no matter how obtained, benefits the so-called greater
good.
Well; to my knowledge, Machiavellian thinking doesn't fly in heaven so it's
best for those "brought from death to life" to avoid it.
5) Rom 12:1 . . Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service.
Sacrifices are basically things dedicated to God; i.e. set aside for God's
purposes and/or utilized in such a way as to make God feel special instead of
disgusted and/or disappointed.
A "living" sacrifice is sort of like a gift that keeps on giving in comparison to
a gift that's only useful for a moment.
I would say that Rom 12:1 is a flashback to Rom 6:12-13 where it's stated:
Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do
not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but
rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death
to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of
righteousness.
Well; our bodies consist of more than just what's below the neck; they also
consist of the flabby stuff inside our boney little skulls too.
6) Rom 12:2 . . And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Christianity, when taken seriously, can't help but radically change the way,
the what, and the how we think about things in this life and in the next.
Personal Bible reading is a good place to begin with Rom 12:2; however, the
will of God isn't meant to be self-taught; it's meant to be instructed by
teachers empowered by God for that specific purpose. (Rom 12:4-8, 1Cor
12:1-30)
"Are all teachers?" (1Cor 12:29)
No, not all are teachers; which of course precludes self-teaching. Only some
are teachers and the rest of Christ's believing followers are supposed to be
students.
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in
the unity of the faith." (Eph 4:11-13)
According to that passage, the goal of gifted teaching is unity. Well, when
Christians come together with differing perspectives-- debating and
engaging in perpetual bull sessions that never get to the bottom of anything
--we're in danger of becoming divided and taking sides as intolerant bigots
instead of unified. Like it's said: Too many cooks spoil the soup.
Sermons and Sunday school classes are Christianity's traditional sources of
teaching. But there's radio programs too, e.g. Thru The Bible with Dr.
J.Vernon McGee. These days with radio, television, and the internet; gifted
teaching is wide-spread and readily available.
In centuries gone past, it was necessary to go where the teachers were in
order to hear them speak. Nowadays, they come to speak right where we
are by means of electronic gadgetry.
7) Rom 12:3 . . I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is
among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but
to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of
faith.
"soberly" is from the Greek word sophroneo (so-fron-eh'-o) which means to
be of sound mind, i.e. sane.
A popular saying going around is this: "You can be anything". No, you can't
be anything, and it's unreasonable to think otherwise. Know your limits and
stay within them; don't be setting impossible goals for yourself; especially in
matters of faith and practice.
"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members
do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one
body, and each member belongs to all the others.
. . .We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him
serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage;
if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is
leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it
cheerfully." (Rom 12:4-8)
Some church managers have a really bad habit of recruiting people to teach
Sunday school who don't have a gift for it in accordance with Rom 12:3-8,
1Cor 12:1-30, and Eph 4:7-12. Well; if teaching is not your spiritual
specialty; then the sensible thing to do is turn them down. Stay within your
limits like Rom 12:3 says, and don't let those managers pressure you into
submission by making you feel guilty for refusing. Nobody gains points with
Christ by going off-reservation.
8) Rom 12:6 . . If God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out
when you have faith that God is speaking through you.
The koiné Greek word for "prophesy" in that verse is from propheteia (prof
ay-ti'-ah) which encompasses predictions. Predictors were common in the
early church; for example Agabus' predictions at Acts 11:27-28 and Acts
21:10-11. Hunches don't count as God speaking through you. You have to
really know it. Don't ask me how to really know it because I don't have the
gift.
9) Rom 12:7a . . If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well.
"serving well" implies serving conscientiously and whole-heartedly rather
than half-baked and/or hit and miss. So If you're thinking about becoming
helpful in some way, don't do it unless you're willing to commit to the long
haul because people need to know that they can depend on you to stay the
course.
10) Rom 12:7b . . If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching.
I had a Sunday school teacher once who worked as a maintenance man in a
public swimming facility. One Saturday he had to work very late repairing
some equipment at the pool and had no time to prepare his lesson plan for
Sunday morning so he just threw something together. It stunk; and my wife
and I got nothing out of it.
In contrast, I once knew a pastor who took all week long to prepare his
Sunday morning sermons; rather than just Saturday night. Now there was a
guy who knew what it means to "do a good job of teaching".
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