Beyond The Four Spiritual Laws

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Webers_Home

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92) 1Cor 9:7-12 . .Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants
a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not
drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't
the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: Do not
muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is
concerned?

. . . Surely he says this for us, doesn't He? Yes, this was written for us,
because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to
do so in anticipation of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed
among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?

Detractors sometimes find it necessary to criticize the Bible's Jesus for free-
loading and imposing on people's hospitality wherever he went. But when
you think about it; the Lord earned every so-called free meal he ever got.
His miracles healed and/or cured thousands of people in Israel during a time
when health care and medical technology were all but non-existent. His
countrymen owed the Lord a huge national debt of gratitude; just as the
Hmong family next door owed Walt Kowalski a debt of gratitude for
protecting them from gang-bangers in Clint Eastwood's movie Gran Torino.

93) 1Cor 9:13-14 . . Don't you know that those who work in the Temple get
their food from the temple, and those who serve at the Altar share in what is
offered on the altar? In the same way, The Lord has commanded that those
who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

The covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God in the Old Testament
doesn't allow Levitical priests to own land where they can provide
themselves sustenance by working their own farms. It's God's decree that a
number of the sacrifices and offerings that the priesthood's constituents
bring are dedicated to not just sustaining a friendly association with God, but
also to nourishing the priests. (e.g. Ex 29:31-32, Lev 2:1-10, Lev 7:11-15)

Obviously then, 1Cor 9:13-14 is saying that Christian congregations ought to
pitch in and help provide their churches' full-time pastors with a decent
standard of living. This is not optional; no, it's something that "The Lord has
commanded."

NOTE: I would say that Christians whose pastors rarely, if ever, preach the

94) 1Cor 9:24-25 . . Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but
only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown
that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

The "prize" that Olympians won back in those days wasn't much. No medals:
just a simple garland for the head consisting of a wreath made with wild
olive leaves from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus at Olympia. In time
the leaves dried out and crumbled.

The important thing to note in 1Cor 9:24-25 is that the prize isn't a pass into
the kingdom of God. No; the prize is an award rather than a wage; and
there is more than one kind; e.g. Php 4:1, 1Tim 4:8, Jas 1:12, 1Pet 5:4, Rev
14:14.

95) 1Cor 10:6-7 . . Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is
written: The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play.

The Bible doesn't provide much detail at Ex 32:1-6 as to what went on in
camp while Moses was up on the mountain. But one thing we know for sure
is that there was a golden calf; and the "eat and drink" to which the apostle
refers was a ritual where people sacrificed to the calf and afterwards
consumed the sacrifice as an act of communion with it; sort of like an old
fashioned Passover.

"to play" in Ex 32:6 is from the Hebrew word tsachaq (tsaw-khak') which
means: merriment; viz: pagan songs and dances dedicated to the calf; a
kind of worship revelry; the likes of which in the ancient city of Corinth no
doubt culminated in a drunken orgy. Apparently some of the religions in the
Roman world were pretty wild and sensual, and as a result; very popular. In
comparison; Christianity was dull and boring. Those pagan religions really
gave you your money's worth, while Christianity has very little to offer in the
way of entertainment, except maybe for Catholicism. David Letterman says
they put on a pretty good show.

96) 1Cor 10:8 . . Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them
committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

That event took place at Num 25:1-9. The fornication he's talking about
wasn't believers with believers. It was believers with unbelievers. In other
words; Christ's followers need to avoid getting romantic with unbelievers lest
unbelievers lead his followers down the primrose path into something
shameful and very unbecoming.

97) 1Cor 10:9 . .We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-- and
were slain by snakes.

That event took place at Num 21:5-9. It's noteworthy due to the fact that
Christ appropriated it at John 3:14-18 to illustrate the necessity, and the
efficacy, of his crucifixion. But anyway, the lesson is that it's not a good idea
to complain about the quality of God's providence.

NOTE: Providence is valuable not only as a source for one's needs; but also
protection from one's own stupidity. For example: with the help of God's
intervention, a few of the Old Testament saints dodged some pretty big
bullets of their own making.

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Webers_Home

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98) 1Cor 10:10 . . And do not grumble, as some of them did-- and were
killed by the destroying angel.

That incident took place at Num 14:2-38. The "grumbling" grew into a pretty
large anti-God protest. Anon it became violent and within a hair's breadth of
culminating in Joshua's and Caleb's assassination. That was a very grave
moment in Israel's history.

Anyway, Yhvh's people were of the opinion that God had led them out of the
frying pan into the fire by assigning them an impossible task; one that would
result in everybody's deaths had they attempted to obey His orders; viz: a
suicide mission. Joshua and Caleb tried to convince them it wasn't a suicide
mission; and that with God on their side; they would not only survive; but
easily succeed. They refused to listen; and thus became resolutely
insubordinate.

Now; the obvious fatal error in their thinking was simply a lack of belief that
God would assist them to conquer the land. In point of fact, they didn't
believe God was able to in spite of all His amazing displays of supernatural
power in rescuing them from Egyptian slavery; and that's what made their
unbelief all the more inexcusable. Most of us today have never seen God in
action; we've only heard tell of His exploits; but Yhvh's people were
eyewitnesses.

Putting this in a modern context:

New Christians are often led to believe that accepting Christ will improve
their mood and remedy their circumstances. Well; apparently somebody
neglected to tell them that they would have to fight for it, i.e. in order to
obtain the fruit of the Spirit spoken of at Gal 5:22-23 they would have to
knuckle down and live a life pleasing to both God and Christ; viz: comply
with their wishes. (John 14:23, John 15:11)

I'm sure you can see how easy it would be for a new Christian to become
disillusioned, disappointed, and somewhat bitter at being seemingly tricked
into something that turns out to be too good to be true-- then they get to
complaining that a number of Christ's commandments are too difficult.
Nobody can keep them so what's the point in even trying.

Well; that complaint is reasonable, I'll admit; but it's also insubordinate; and
worse; it's contagious. If they want to give up trying to comply with the
Lord's wishes; fine; but they really ought to keep their discontent with his
wishes to themselves in order to avoid kindling large-scale rebellion and
discontent in the ranks; which will quite effectively end up thwarting their
church's work for the Lord.

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Webers_Home

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99) 1Cor 10:11-12 . .These things happened to them as examples and
were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages
has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.

Their substandard compliance with God's wishes didn't bring about the
return of Moses' people to Egypt; no, "once saved always saved" applied to
them as well as to us. However, their conduct did cause them to "fall" that
is: fall out of favor with God.

That's a risk even for born-again Christians whose destiny in heaven is a
sure thing; iron clad and set in concrete. The good shepherd's sheep will
never again be in danger of eternal suffering; but they are always in danger
of losing out on the benefits of providence due to conduct unbecoming.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For
your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered." (Rom 8:35-36)

That's a reference to Psalm 44 which speaks not of damnation, rather, of
discipline.

100) 1Cor 10:14 . .Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

There's that word "flee" again; which in many of its applications in the New
Testament means to run for your life. So you can see that idolatry can have
very serious consequences.

There's more to idolatry than just bowing and/or praying to sculpture and
art. It's possible to be an idolater without even being especially religious.

Col 3:5 . . Don't be greedy for the good things of this life; for that is
idolatry.

Greed then, is one of the characteristics of an idolater. In other words:
idolatry is a personality issue rather than only a religious issue. Even
atheists qualify as idolaters if they have a greedy personality; e.g. Wall
Street's investment bankers and commodities traders. Their "golden calf" is
profit.

It's okay to want the good things in life: after all; God has given us richly all
things to enjoy (1Tim 6:17). It's the insatiable desire for good things that
makes people idolaters; in other words avarice; which is never content; no,
avarice always wants more, more, more, more, and then some. Nowhere is
that more rampant than corporate greed which will walk over the dead
bodies of its employees if that's what it takes for a better quarterly report.

I'm not exaggerating. Made-in-China goods merchant
WALMART used to
take out life insurance policies on its employees-- not for the families; but
for itself. In other words; it named itself the beneficiary on those employee
life insurance policies so that when one died, they recovered some of the
wages and benefits they had to pay the employee while they were alive and
working for them.

The policies are called
COLI (corporate-owned life insurance) policies. But
they're better known in the insurance industry as "dead peasant" and/or
"dead janitor" policies.


WALMART isn't the only big business doing this sort of thing. An attorney for
the Hartford Life Insurance Co. estimates that one-fourth of the Fortune 500
companies have them, which cover the lives of between 5 million and 6
million workers.


COLI policies seem to me a ghoulish way to make a buck; but then it should
surprise no one that idolaters have no sensibilities to speak of seeing as how
they revere not God, but rather the power, the prestige, and the comforts of
wealth.

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Webers_Home

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101) 1Cor 10:24 . . Nobody should seek only his own good, but also the
good of others.

That's not saying it's wrong to seek your own good; just wrong to seek it at
the expense of others' good; viz: selfish ambition might be an acceptable
modus operandi in professional sports and big business; but it's totally
unacceptable in one's association with other believers. And there is nothing
new in that; I mean after all; it's just another way of expressing the so
called golden rule; which states: "All things whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets. (Matt 7:12)

It's interesting to note that if people weren't so hard-hearted; there would
be no need for laws that force people to do right by their fellow man.

I once took a city slicker friend out shooting in the Oregon woods with a
cowboy style six-gun. In typical wrangler fashion he yelled yahoo and fired
the six-gun up into the air before I could stop him. It then became
necessary for me to remind my friend that bullets eventually come down and
can quite possibly hit someone off in the distance; maybe even a child.
Drive-by shooters know this, but they're typically psychopathic so it's to be
expected they don't care where their bullets go. However, I should hope no
Christian reading this is psychopathic; but will think about their words and
actions before those words and actions impact an innocent person's life in a
way that's not easily repaired.

102) 1Cor 10:25-26 . . Eat anything sold in the meat market without
raising questions of conscience, for the earth is The Lord's, and everything in
it.

A percentage of the meat sold by vendors in Corinth was either blessed by,
or dedicated to, heathen deities. Paul instructed his friends to avoid asking
which was which since it doesn't matter to the Bible's God if the foods
Christians ingest are religiously tainted without their knowledge: and since
it's the Lord's earth, then if He says it's okay; then it's okay.

103) 1Cor 10:27 . . If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to
go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.

In other words, this is one of those Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell situations.

104) 1Cor 10:27-29 . . But if anyone says to you "This has been offered in
sacrifice" then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and
for conscience' sake-- the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours.

If you go ahead and dine in someone's home where you know in advance
the food is either dedicated to, or blessed by, a heathen deity, or that when
they say grace around the table it will be to a god other than your own, or to
a sacred personage that you do not accept; then your host is quite possibly
going to come to the conclusion that his religion is just as valid as yours if
you don't decline.

This is not saying that Catholics and Protestants can't eat together and/or
pray together around the table; nor is it saying that Christians and Jews
can't eat together and pray together around the table: not when Catholics,
Protestants, and Jews are all praying to the same God: just from a different
perspective.

I will say this though: if you are a Catholic host, and your guests are either
Protestants or Jews; then for God's sake DO NOT pray around the table to
the Lord's mom and/or to one of Catholicism's many patron saints. That is
extremely offensive to Protestants and Jews, and totally unnecessary
anyway when you can just as easily say grace to the one God common to all
of you.

105) 1Cor 10:31 . . So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it
all for the glory of God.

One of the meanings of the Greek word for glory is "honor" which in this
case can be defined as doing something out of respect for someone admired.

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Webers_Home

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106) 1Cor 10:32-33 . . Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the
Gentiles, nor to the church of God: even as I please all men in all things, not
seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

The main idea here is courtesy with respect to cultural differences, viz:
tolerance; defined by Webster's as sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or
practices differing from, or conflicting with, one's own-- which is just the
opposite of bigotry.

107) 1Cor 11:1 . . Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

In the Catholic religion, a "saint" is a role model for others. Well, 1Cor 11:1
lists two models for everyone regardless of their denominational affiliation:
Mr. Paul, and his master Messiah Jesus.

John 13:14-15 . . If I then, your Master and Mentor, have washed your
feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an
example, that you should do as I have done to you.

Here in the USA people sort of look down on service occupations; for
example housekeepers, sweat-shop seamstresses, yard maintenance, car
washers, gas pump attendants, and fast food and farm labor. But yet those
are very good examples of the proper attitude. It's ironic that capitalists-- by
means of predation, exploitation, plunder, and profits --strive to be on top;
while Christians are supposed to be striving to marginalize all that the
capitalist values and be down low.

Matt 5:3 . . Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.

Matt 5:5 . . Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

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Webers_Home

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108) 1Cor 11:3 . . But I would have you know, that the head of every man
is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is
God.

It never seems to fail that somebody will actually attempt to refute Paul's
statement by quoting another of his own statements.

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew
nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus." (Gal 3:26-28)

(chuckle) Paul pitted against Paul; the clash of the titans, only in this event,
both titans are one and the same titan. Yes, both genders are one in Christ;
but then Jesus and God are one also, yet there is a hierarchy in the Divinity
because "the head of Christ is God"

109) 1Cor 11:4-5a . . Every man who prays or prophesies with his head
covered disrespects his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies
with her head uncovered disrespects her head

That's a little tricky seeing as how the word "head" can refer to a skull
and/or a superior; so to clarify this a bit, I'm going to revise some of the
above a little.

"Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disrespects
Christ. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered
disrespects men."

Some of the world's women have made disrespecting men their life's work;
and nothing makes them happier than finding ways to chafe one. When they
become a Christian, it's imperative they give up that particular ambition.

This issue isn't really a gender issue, it's a progenitor issue.

The woman wasn't made directly from the dust of the ground like the man
was. She was made from material amputated from the man's body; which
makes him every woman's father. So that when women disrespect men,
they are actually disrespecting their paternal ancestor; which is a shameful
thing to do in any culture; not just the Christian religion.

Christian women aren't required to cover their hair all the time; only
whenever they pray and/or prophesy; especially in the presence of men.

No doubt this is very disagreeable with a certain number of Christian women
whose heart's ambition is to assert their independence and demand equality.
Well, if they don't want to cover their hair when praying and/or prophesying
out of respect for men, then they should at least woman-up and do it out of
respect for Christ's feelings about it; after all, he's supposed to be every
Christian woman's lord and master.

John 14:15 . . If you love me, you will comply with what I command.

John 14:21 . .Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one
who loves me.

John 14:23-24 . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . He who
does not love me will not obey my teaching.

John 15:14 . .You are my friends if you do what I command you.

110) 1Cor 11:5b-6a . . it is just as though her head were shorn. If a woman
does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off;

In other words: if Christian women want to be treated equal to Christian
men, then they should go all out to imitate Christian men by first of all
getting themselves a man's haircut, and leave their hair short all the time
like a masculine lesbian, a.k.a. a dyke.

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Webers_Home

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111) 1Cor 11:6b . . If it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or
shaved off, she should cover her head.

Okay then: if Christian women would be somewhat embarrassed to show up
in church looking like a man and/or LGBT, then then they have only one
other option; and that's to show up in church looking like women. But in
order to retain their femininity whenever they pray and/or prophesy; they
are simply going to have to cover their hair with something or heaven will
have no choice but to assume the worst about them.

112) 1Cor 11:7-100 . . A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the
image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not
come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for
woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the
woman ought to have a token of authority on her head.

The koiné Greek word translated "angels" is aggelos (ang'-el-os) which is a
nondescript word that just simply indicates a messenger. In other words;
aggelos doesn't always indicate a celestial being but can just as easily
indicate a human being, for example Matt 11:10, Luke 7:24, Luke 9:52, and
Jas 2:25.

The identity of the "angels" in 1Cor 11:10 is probably best understood as not
the holy angels of Heaven, but rather the angels of Rev 2:1-3:22; which
aren't spirit beings, but rather, human beings; in other words: church
supervisors; viz: the pastors. In other words: a woman praying and/or
prophesying with her hair exposed is an arrogant way of telling the pastor
that he's no better than she is; which of course displays an insolent attitude
towards the hierarchy that humanity's maker established in the very
beginning.

Though the wording of Gen 1:26-28 suggests that women were created in
the image of God; they actually weren't; no, according to Paul, they were
created in Adam's image. Where Adam was created directly from dust in the
image and glory of God; Eve wasn't, no she was constructed not from dust,
but from the organic tissues of an already existing man (Gen 2:21-13). So
then, since Eve was, organically, Adam's first child, then all women,
including the Lord's mom, are subordinate to men due to the principle of
primogeniture.

So then, contrary to feminist humanism's rabid protests, women will never
be equal to men in the natural order of things. No, they will always be
daddy's little girl. Ergo: women aren't from Venus after all; no, they're
actually the progeny of Mars.

(Television talk show host Kelly Ripa once made the remark that guys should
always pay the restaurant tab for their dates because women are the ones
who have the babies. Well, my question is, who gave birth to Eve? Since
women owe their existence to Adam, then maybe they should be the ones
paying the tab.)

Anyway, what this boils down to is that hair coverings are not costumes or
uniforms; but rather: an indication that the covered Christian woman
accepts that she owes her existence to a man, and that women were not
created to be served by men, nor were they created equal to men, nor were
they directly created in the image of God as men were; but they were
created from a man, after the man, in the image of a man, and for the
express purpose of aiding a man. (Gen 2:18-23, Gen 3:16)

When a Christian woman covers her hair with something while praying
and/or prophesying, she's declaring her subordination not just to men, but
even more importantly to Christ. This is probably a mite difficult for
American women since their culture encourages them to compete with men,
to stand up to men, and assert not only their equality with men; but also
their independence. Subordination to men really chafes some women, even
those piously wearing the Christian label; and really puts their professed
devotion to Christ to the acid test. American Christianettes who accept their
place in the creator's scheme of things are pretty rare.


POSIT: You've taken those passages out of their appropriate historical
context. In no way are Christian women of today required to cover their hair
in church; nor are Christian women subordinate to Christian men in any
way. That was a rule given to a particular people in a particular place in a
particular time. And what about Paul's comment: "But if any man seem to be
contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God" (1Cor
11:16)


RESPONSE: The "custom" he's talking about was the practice of heathen
women praying and/or prophesying with their hair exposed in some of the
Roman world's pagan religions. And in point of fact, some of those heathen
women were actually cult prostitutes.

Basically what Paul is saying is that if the pastors of the Christian churches
in Corinth were to allow their Christian women to pray and/or prophecy in
church with their hair exposed, everybody would have to assume they were
immoral. And not only that, but none of the rest of the Christian churches in
the Roman empire were allowing their women to pray and/or prophecy with
exposed hair, and none of the synagogues were allowing their women to do
it either.

So; had the Christian churches at Corinth allowed their women to pray
and/or prophecy with their hair exposed; they would have not only been the
exceptions; but also the odd balls and people would quite naturally begin to
wonder what was the matter with supposed followers of Christ acting like
that.

1Cor 11:13 . . Judge in yourselves: is it proper that a woman pray unto
God uncovered?

The answer of course is NO; it isn't proper-- it's insolent, it's inappropriate,
it's disrespectful; and it's conduct unbecoming for women professing to be
followers of Christ and worshippers of mankind's creator. Christian women
ought not to be telling the world they're equal to men, or that they're cult
prostitutes; no; they ought to be telling the world that because of Christ;
they're different; and their hair coverings-- whether a simple scarf or a
stylish hijab --have a pretty amazing story of their own to tell that goes all
the way back to the opening chapters of Genesis.

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Webers_Home

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113) 1Cor 11:27-30 . .Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord
in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood
of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and
drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the
body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many
among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

The koiné Greek word for "unworthy" is anaxios (an-ax-ee'-oce) which
means: irreverently; which Webster's defines as: lacking proper respect or
seriousness. In other words "sacrilege" which is gross irreverence toward a
hallowed person, place, or thing.

"sinning against the body and blood of the Lord" is very similar language to
1Cor 6:18, which states: The immoral man sins against his own body. There,
as here, we're not talking about suicide and/or homicide; were talking about
degradation; which Webster's defines as the act of treating someone or
something poorly and without respect.

People sin during the Lord's supper when they fail to take it seriously that
the elements represent his body-- not his glorified body; but the one that
was crucified; viz; his disfigured, bloodied body.

Matt 27:45 . . From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over
all the land.

What do you suppose went on during those three hours of thick darkness
around the cross? Well; I'll tell you what went on because I'm not authorized
to keep it a secret. The things that the Romans did to Christ were merely a
warm up for the main event. When the darkness came; that's when God
stepped into the ring; and the gloves came off. When the darkness lifted,
people saw a Jesus so beaten and bloodied beyond recognition that they
could scarcely tell he was the same man.

Isa 52:14 . .There were many who were appalled at him-- his appearance
was so disfigured beyond that of any man, and his form marred beyond
human likeness.

Isa 53:10 . . But the Lord was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief

I have to wonder how ever a father could do something like that to his own
son; especially do that for a world that wouldn't even appreciate that the
injuries God inflicted upon His own son were for their benefit.

"A man ought to examine himself" is an imperative to make double sure that
one's heart is in the right place when consuming the elements. Some people
gulp them down as if they were nothing more than a snack of hot wings and
cold beer during a Super Bowl game instead of a sacred reminder of what
God's son endured to ransom their souls from a second death in the lake of
brimstone depicted at Rev 20:11-15. Those people have to expect that a
very insulted father is going to come down on them for that-- maybe not
with sickness, maybe not with death, and maybe not right away; but
eventually with something; and really, who can blame Him?


NOTE: Observance of the so-called Lord's Supper isn't a mandatory
requirement; so if you are a bit nervous about going about it in the wrong
way, then don't take chances; play it safe and refrain.

/
 

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114) 1Cor 11:33-34 . . My brethren, when you come together to eat, wait
for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when
you meet together it may not result in judgment.

The command doesn't frown upon things like church banquets, men's'
breakfasts, ladies' luncheons, and/or potlucks per se. What it's criticizing is a
lack of congregational unity. Here's comments leading up to that verse.

1Cor 11:17-22 . . Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you,
since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all,
when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among
you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that
those who are approved may be recognized among you.

. . .Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the
Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others;
and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to
eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who
have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not
praise you.

Their lack of love and unity during church functions was nothing short of
hypocrisy seeing as how the Lord's supper speaks of sacrifice rather than
selfishness, elitism, and hoarding. In other words; seeing as how Christians
all share in Christ's blood equally, then everyone should be given equal
treatment at church regardless of age, gender, skin color, intelligence,
income level, nationality, what side of the tracks they live on, or social
status. None of Christ's body parts are untouchable; nor are any of them
expendable. God forbid that there should be some sort of caste system in a
gathering of people for whom Christ suffered and died equally for each one.
That just wouldn't be right: it would be an insult to the principles underlying
the Lord's supper.

Matt 26:27 . . Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them,
saying: Drink from it, all of you.

If Christians are all drinking from the same cup, then they should all be, at
the very least, eating the same food and not be overly concerned about
where they sit and/or who they sit next to and/or who they're seen with.
And they should also make double sure that everyone gets enough to eat
and that no one gets left out and nobody gets more than his fair share. And
they should all sit down together at the same time. I just hate it when
people don't wait for each other. Some get back to the table and start in
gulping, slurping, clattering, and clanking while others from their table are
still in line.

And they should also take into consideration the possibility that a number of
their congregation are in assistance programs like TANF and SNAP. In other
words; don't just bring enough food from home for yourself; but, if you're
able, bring enough for those among you who can't bring anything at all. And
for God's sake, don't bring a side dish of gourmet food along just for
yourself. Leave your special gourmet stuff at home. There's just no excuse
for flaunting your "sophistication" around church thus giving everyone the
impression that everyone else's tastes are below yours.

You know; why am I even saying these things? In point of fact, why even
did Paul? I mean: shouldn't Christians be eo ipso sources of the milk of
human kindness without somebody shaming them and lecturing them into
being humane with their fellow believers and taking thought for their
feelings? Why must so many Christians be practically strong-armed into
being civil with one another?

/
 

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115) 1Cor 12:24-27 . . God has combined the members of the body and has
given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no
schism in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each3
other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored,
every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of
you is a part of it.

It's sad that congregations have been reduced to the level of an invasive
species in some churches by over-achieving, ambitious types passing
themselves off as pastors, deacons, and elders. Churches like that might just
as well start selling tickets to their sermons and Sunday schools; and set up
red carpets outside so the rank and file might crowd up like the Oscars;
where they can ooh and ahh over the Cadillac Escalades and Lexus LX10's
driven by their church's managers; admire their fashions, cheer, kiss
derrieres, lick shoes, pose for selfies, and ask for autographs.

The rank and file are not expendable commodities; nor do they constitute a
fan base. And God forbid that church managers should begin to think of their
congregation as just numbers.

I once attended a mega Baptist church in San Diego that hired a hot shot
business man that we all had to address as "reverend" to help them increase
their membership. Why would they do that when there was 4,000+
members on the books already? Well; I'll tell you why. They had an
ambitious building program in mind that couldn't proceed without more
money in the church's coffers. Well; Mister HotShot got the church's
numbers up, and the managers got their building program. My wife and I
bailed. We wanted no part of it.


BTW: After the church's managers got the congregation deeply in debt to
finance the building program, they all took new positions elsewhere,
including the pastor, leaving his flock holding the bag. That was the most
disappointing church I ever attended. It treated the congregation like so
many head of livestock: just dollars per pound on the hoof and cheap labor
easily exploited.

/
 

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116) 1Cor 14:1a . . Pursue charity

The koine Greek word for "charity" in that command is agape (ag-ah'-pay)
which basically means love, e.g. affection, benevolence, kindness,
compassion, tenderness, understanding, devotion, caring, thoughtfulness,
and a host of other things like that. Love will cause you to look out for
someone's best interests without them even having to ask you to.

The word for "pursue" is dioko (dee-o'-ko) which in many places in the New
Testament means persecute. Well; it hardly seems a good idea to persecute
love. I think what the command is wanting to get across to Christians is that
they're supposed to go after and obtain love with a determined attitude like
a hunter, or a stalker, or someone who just won't take "no" for an answer;
like the woman who hounded the Lord at Mark 7:25-28.

Love is the heart and soul of all of Christ's commandments. Christians
without love haven't even got to first base yet. I think it's very safe to say
that without love; one won't be loyal because love and loyalty go together
like a horse and a carriage.

John 14:15 . . If you love me, you will comply with what I command.

John 14:21 . .Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one
who loves me.

John 14:23-24 . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . He who
does not love me will not obey my teaching.

You know, when you love somebody, you will do all in your power to make
them happy. Nobody has to crack the whip on people who truly love Christ
because their affections compel them to please him-- not to get on his good
side, but just to cheer him up, do him little favors, and make him happy.
People with a tin woodman's soul don't understand what I'm talking about
because there's a cold piece of steel inside them where a heart is supposed
to be. Well; thank God there's a remedy for that; at least for Yhvh's people
anyway.

Ezek 36:24-27 . . For I will take you from among the nations and gather
you from all the countries, and I will bring you to your land. And I will
sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean; from all your
impurities and from all your abominations will I cleanse you. And I will give
you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away
the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And
I will put My spirit within you and bring it about that you will walk in My
statutes and you will keep My ordinances and do them.

I think it safe to say that what we're looking at there in Ezekiel is a result of
the curious birth about which Jesus spoke at John 3:3-8.

I believe that there are large numbers of rank and file pew warmers trying
to follow Christ and keep his commandments without love. They're actually
love-starved and love-challenged. It's a handicap; and for them, following
Christ and keeping his commandments is a chore rather than a pleasure. I
feel for those love-challenged pew warmers because without affection for
Christ, it is impossible to please him. It just can't be done. In point of fact;
I've no doubt they even resent having to make the effort. To them; Jesus is
a nuisance-- he's trespassing on their privacy, he's meddling in their affairs,
he's asking too much of them, and he's sticking his nose in things that are
none of his business.

There's a worst-case scenario depicted in the third chapter of Revelation.
The Laodicean church had become so love-challenged that Christ is depicted
standing outside the building banging on the door trying to get someone's
attention to let him in. Nobody in that church had any feelings for Christ, he
was unwelcome there, none of them were his friends-- not the pastor, not
the deacons, not the choir, not the Sunday school teachers, not the
deaconesses, not the ushers, not the elders, and certainly not the rank and
file pew warmers. Can you imagine an entire, fully-functioning Christian
church off-reservation and estranged from Christ? Well; if there was one,
then you just know there's gotta be more.

/
 

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117) 1Cor 14:1b . . eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of
prophecy.

A true spiritual gift is an ability that comes from God, and there are quite
few of them, e.g.

The word of wisdom (1Cor 12:8)
The word of knowledge (1Cor 12:8)
Faith (1Cor 12:9)
Healing (1Cor 12:9)
Miracles (1Cor 12:10)
Prophecy (1Cor 12:10)
Distinguishing spirits (1Cor 12:10)
Languages (1Cor 12:10)
Interpreting languages (1Cor 12:10)
Helps (1Cor 12:28)
Administration (1Cor 12:28)
Ministering (Rom 12:7)
Teaching (Rom 12:7)
Encouragement (Rom 12:8)
Charity (Rom 12:8)
Leadership (Rom 12:8)
Compassion (Rom 12:8)
Evangelism (Eph 4:11)
Pastoring (Eph 4:11)

The New Testament Greek word for "prophesy" is propheteuo (prof-ate-yoo'
o) which essentially means to speak under inspiration. That definition is very
similar to the Old Testament Hebrew word for "prophet" which is nabiy'
(naw-bee'). That word describes an inspired person of either gender; e.g.
Abel was a prophet (Luke 11:50-51) Abraham was a prophet (Gen 20:7)
Moses was a prophet (Deut 18:18) Miriam was a prophet (Ex 15:20)
Deborah was a prophet (Judg 4:4) and Huldah was a prophet (2Kgs 22:14).

Inspired people need not be especially educated because the situation of a
prophet isn't a career path. For example Amos was just a simple farm boy
whom God drafted into service right out of the blue. (Amos 7:14-15)

Prophets are not only given glimpses of the future; but also things to say
relative to current events; e.g. the author of the book of Revelation.

118) 1Cor 14:13 . . anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may
interpret what he says.

If Acts 2:1-12 is the model; then a genuine Spirit-endowed tongue should b
an honest to gosh real-life language instead of incoherent blabber that's
intelligible to no one, not even the speaker.

"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation
under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in
bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

. . . Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking
Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native
language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea
and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the
parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to
Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them declaring the wonders of God
in our own tongues!"

Mozart composed some amazing music; but had he not arranged the
components sensibly, it would likely grate on people's nerves instead of
entertaining them; sort of like when an orchestra verifies the pitch of its
instruments just prior to a performance. The discordant din that the
orchestra makes is a cacophony instead of a rhapsody.

1Cor 14:7 . . Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as
the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless
there is a distinction in the notes?

Modern tonguers typically don't compose anything pleasant to the ear. At
least if they would chirp like birds their speech would be a discernable song
instead of an unintelligible warble.

I was informed by a Charismatic friend that he prayed in a tongue because
he couldn't express his deepest feelings any other way. Mind you this was an
American adult of almost fifty years old; educated in America and spoke,
wrote, and read English his native language his entire life. So I asked him
how it is that his command of the English was so poor that he could only
express his thoughts in a language that not even he himself could either
identify or understand?

1Cor 14:13-15 . . If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is
unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray
with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

In other words: there are Christians out and about blabbering incoherently
because they choose to, rather than because they have to. With just a
simple act of their own will they could easily switch to something composed
with real words.

Why on earth would a grown-up prefer incoherent blabbering? Isn't that the
way small children communicate? Well, i can excuse small children because
they're uneducated. But shouldn't supposed educated adults be just a bit
more mature with their language and grammar than small children?

1Cor 14:20 . . Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be
infants, but in your thinking be adults.

The true gift of tongues is very handy for communicating with foreigners.
But in our day and age, Charismatics typically don't communicate with
anybody, either foreign or domestic . As a result, Charismatics are looked
upon with the same disdain as the kooks that hurl themselves on the floor,
faint, scream, writhe, shout, and dance with rattlesnakes.

Well; not too many sensible people care to accommodate kooks so if you're
serious about influencing people for Christ, I highly recommend sticking to
an intelligible language. Here in my country, English is a good choice
because most people can understand it without requiring the services of a
translator.

And for God's sake, please do not allow yourself to be drawn to participating
in a tongues meeting.

1Cor 14:23 . . So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks
in tongues, and some who do not understand, or some unbelievers come in,
will they not say that you are out of your mind?

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119) 1Cor 14:22a . .Tongues are for a sign

The sign isn't intended for the benefit of believers, but rather, for non
believers.

1Cor 14:22b . . not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but
prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which
believe.

The purpose of any tongue is communication.

1Cor 14:9 . . Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how
will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.

So if a tonguer is speaking a language nobody understands, they've actually
created a barrier to communication; viz: a regression to the tower of Babel;
and you can see for yourself how destructive that was to unity (Gen 11:1-9).
Webster's defines "regression" as: movement backward to a previous, and
especially worse or more primitive state or condition; viz: backwards
thinking.


NOTE: Some people object to the use of a Webster's dictionary in Bible
study; but this is the very reason why I highly recommend it's use to anyone
who utilizes the English language when communicating with English
speaking peoples and/or reading Bibles translated from the ancient
languages into English.

Since tongues are for the benefit of unbelievers, then it's de facto that a
tongue should be a valid language that the unbeliever himself speaks and
understands (cf. Acts 2:4-11). Somebody who exercises a tongue for any
other reason has missed the point; and they're behaving like a little kid with
a toy.

120) 1Cor 14:20 . . Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in
malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

121) 1Cor 14:27-28 . . If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by
two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But
if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him
speak to himself, and to God.

Tonguers are not permitted to speak all at the same time like a mob of
howling political protesters. One of the reasons why I get so annoyed by talk
shows like Today's Talk with Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kodb, and ABC's
The View is because everyone talks all at once like a bunch of undisciplined
dogs barking and yapping in a kennel. And the way they interrupt each other
back and forth before the other can even finish a sentence is one of the very
things we teach children not to do. You'd think those supposedly mature
adults grew up without supervision the way they conduct themselves in a
conversation.

NO; tonguers are to take turns; speaking one at a time, rather than an
entire congregation of tonguers barking and yapping like dogs in a kennel
whenever they "feel the Spirit" moving them. And if there's no one to
interpret, tonguers are not permitted to speak at all. If Christians the world
over followed those rules, it would put the charismatics out of business in
less than two weeks.


FYI: These directives regulating the exercise of tongues in a church meeting
were written by the apostle Paul-- a duly authorized agent speaking on
behalf of Christianity's Christ.

1Cor 14:37 . . If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let
him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of The Lord.

Therefore, when Christians proceed to defy the rules regulating the exercise
of tongues, they are in shameful rebellion against the very lord and master
of Christianity; and yet, ironically, many tongue violators still have the
chutzpah to pass themselves off as the Lord's Spirit-filled followers.
However; a follower can be defined as someone who gets in step and/or falls
in line rather than going off-reservation to do their own thing.

1Sam 15:23 . . Rebellion is as the sin of divination; and insubordination is
as iniquity and idolatry.

1John 1:6 . . If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth

/
 

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122) 1Cor 14:29-31 . .Two, or three, prophets should speak, and everyone
else should weigh carefully what is said. If a revelation comes to someone
who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy
in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.

Though God endows certain Spirit-selected people in church with the gift of
prophecy (1Cor 12:4-11) it is not He who endows them with the impulse to
talk out of turn. Self control is their responsibility; not His.

1Cor 14:32 . . The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

True prophets channel God's thoughts; viz: they speak as the voice of God.
People with opinions don't speak as the voice of God at all; they speak as
themselves. True prophets are revelators; people with opinions are little
more than a nuisance; and if not kept in check they will quickly derail a
Sunday school class and drag it off onto a perpetual bull session that never
gets to the bottom of anything.

123) 1Cor 14:34 . .Women should remain silent in the churches. They are
not allowed to speak; but must be in submission (i.e. subordinate to the
men)

It could be argued, with some merit, that this rule applies only to tongues
and prophecy; but Paul goes further with this rule in a letter to his friend
Timothy.

1Tim 2:11-13 . . Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I
suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be
in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

It's important to note that this is neither a gender issue nor an issue related
to competence; it's an issue related to primogeniture. For that reason it's an
insubordinate act of contempt for authority when Christian women to lead
Christian men in a Christian congregation.

Q: Doesn't 1Cor 11:3-10 permit women to pray and/or prophecy just so long
as they cover their hair?

A: There is a gender limit to that privilege. In other words: Christian woman
are not allowed to pray and/or prophecy in the hearing of a mixed
congregation; i.e. where Christian men are present.

Q: What about women like Anne Graham Lotz. Is she out of order?

A: Though women aren't permitted to speak to a mixed-gender Christian
congregation, that doesn't mean they can't speak to a mixed-gender public
forum, or in the street; or in a coliseum, or in a stadium, or in a convention
center, or on radio and television.

The best place in church for women blessed with the Spirit's gift to teach for
Christ is in a women's group; and if a man should invade a women's group
led by a Spirit-gifted woman; I think he should be asked to leave.

Q: What about Deborah in the Old Testament book of judges? Exactly how
was she an exception to this rule, if indeed she was?

A: Things are quite a bit different now with Christ at the helm, i.e. Christ's
association with his church trumps Deborah's association with the Jews. I do
not recommend using her, or any other woman in the Bible, as an excuse to
defy Christ's edicts in matters pertaining to the governance of Christian
congregations.

Paul appealed to "the law" as the basis for 1Cor 14:34. Normally when Paul
speaks of the law he's referring to the covenant that Moses' people agreed
upon with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Exactly where in the covenant that women are forbidden to preach, or teach,
or usurp authority over men in matters of religion, I don't know. However,
it's quite obvious that the covenant is very sexist, i.e. women are not
permitted in either the priesthood or the Sanhedrin.


NOTE: The law doesn't always speak explicitly about certain things.
Sometimes the law's rules and procedures imply principles that we call "the
spirit of the law". Not everyone is able to discern the spirit of the law. I think
most of us would prefer having everything spelled out in clear language.

124) 1Cor 14:35 . . If women have questions, they should ask their own
husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

What's an inquiring wife to do if her husband is spiritually inept? I'd suggest
that women married to spiritually inept Christian men, and/or women
married to non-Christian men, and/or unmarried women; seek assistance
from one of the ladies in church known to be somewhat of a Bible expert.
But for God's sake, don't seek assistance from another woman's husband;
even if he's the pastor, or a deacon, or an elder; it's not only disobedient,
but that's also how rumors (and other things) get started.

/
 
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125) 1Cor 14:37-38 . . If anybody thinks he's a prophet or spiritually gifted,
let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command.

If your Sunday school, or your catechism class, is being chaired by
somebody who disagrees with The Lord's commands regulating women's
subordination, or the use and abuse of tongues, and/or the speaking of
prophecy; then believe me you have a serious problem because it indicates
that your leader is humanistic rather than inspired.

126) 1Cor 14:38 . . But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

In other words: if somebody in a Christian church refuses to accept Paul as a
duly authorized agent speaking for Christ; then Christians are under orders
to ignore that person's opinion of themselves that they're a prophet and/or
spiritually gifted.

127) 1Cor 14:39-40 . .Therefore, brethren, be eager to prophesy, and do
not forbid speaking in tongues.

That rule applies only to people who actually have the gifts of tongues
and/or prophesy because according to Rom 12:4-6, 1Cor 12:10, 1Cor
12:29-30, and 1Cor 14:5 not everyone does.

128) 1Cor 15:34 . . Come to your senses and stop sinning. For to your
shame I say that some of you don't have the knowledge of God.

That directive is in connection with some of the Corinthians' insistence that
dead people stay dead and never recover.

1Cor 15:12 . . Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the
dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the
dead?

Apparently some of the Corinthians couldn't see that Christ's resurrection is
evidence that it's possible for dead people to recover. A measure of that
blindness exists even today among people who insist that Christ's natural
body didn't recover. They insist he rose from the dead with a so-called
glorified body; and some even insist that Christ returned from the dead as a
spirit being rather than a human being, and others postulate that his post
crucifixion appearances were done as an angel disguised in a fully
functioning human avatar. But if any of that were true, then Christ's
prediction at John 2:19-22 would be easily invalidated.

According to 1Cor 15:51-53 and 1Thes 4:13-17, the natural remains of
Christ's followers will first revive as they were and then be transformed into
something very wonderful during a flight up to meet the Lord in the air.

There is really no sensible reason to not believe that Christ's dead body
underwent the very same process, i.e. his crucified remains were first
returned to life just as he predicted; and then forty days later, at some point
during the flight to heaven as per Acts 1:9, his natural human body was
transformed into an immortal, supernatural human body; the likes of which
is on display at Matt 17:1-2; where it's depicted extremely incandescent.

/
 
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129) 1Cor 15:56-58 . .The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is The
Commandments; but thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing
discourage you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of The Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord isn't futile.

Though Mother Teresa put up a very convincing public image during those
five decades of missionary activity in India, her private letters to spiritual
counselors reveal that the poor woman was never really sure that
Christianity's God even exists; and if He did exist, she was plagued with
dread that He didn't particularly like her and might be quite disposed to
condemn her. Though she never said so in public, there were was hardly
ever a time when she didn't truly wonder if God wanted her in India in the
first place.

Had Teresa's personality not been the D-9 Caterpillar tractor that it was, I
think the celebrity nun would have given up in India after only one year. But
as anyone who knew her will vouch, Teresa wasn't a quitter; no, she was a
little bulldog, a survivor; and poverty was her dream venue. However, bull
doggedness is not what Paul is talking about in 1Cor 15:56-58; no, quite the
contrary.

Just imagine if somebody had it in the back of their mind that they might be
giving the Lord unreserved quantities of their time, talent, and resources in
a thankless endeavor only to end up being condemned anyway as per Matt
7:22-23. Well, Paul assured the Corinthians that Christ's work on the cross,
and in the grave, guaranteed that wouldn't happen to them-- their
resurrection to a better life was in the bag; therefore they needn't fear that
in the end their work for the Lord will be judged all for nothing.

Ironically; and at the time of his writing, the Corinthians were not all that
spiritual. (1Cor 3:1-3). However; though their work in the Lord was being
performed by Christians whose spirituality was basically substandard, they
were still useful; which tells me that it isn't necessary to be a super saint
before one can begin serving Christ. Just serve him as best you can and pay
no attention to your location on the curve: keeping in mind that reliability
counts more than quantity. Webster's defines reliable as "dependable".

130) 1Cor 16:1-3 . . Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I
told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of
you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it
up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I
arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send
them with your gift to Jerusalem.

The "God's people" to whom Paul referred were Jewish Christians whose
church was located at Jerusalem. They were having it pretty rough in the
early days of Christianity.

Lest somebody should get the wrong idea, that wasn't a tithe. Christ left it
up to each individual in Corinth the amount that they felt like donating
towards the Jews' relief effort.

2Cor 9:7 . . Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to
give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Tithes are not gifts; no, tithes are demanded rather than donated out of the
goodness of one's heart. I don't give the government my taxes; no, they
take them from me by force of law; viz: I pay taxes against my will, both
reluctantly and under compulsion; and I have absolutely no voice in the
parentage of my income that they take. When it comes to taxes: I am not
cheerful; no, I am grudging. Well; that is not the Christian way of giving.
Christians have a faith that works by love, not by law. (Gal 5:6)

It would be interesting to take a poll among America's churches just to see,
out of curiosity, how many have a program for assisting Jewish Christians
over in the modern State of Israel.

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131) 1Cor 16:13a . . Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be men of
courage; be strong.

The koiné Greek word for "men of courage" is andrizomai (an-drid'-zom
ahee) which basically means to act manly; defined by Webster's as: (1)
having qualities generally associated with a man; viz: strength and virility,
and (2) appropriate in character to a man.

Well; we sure don't want the Christian women in church to become so-called
strong women; i.e. she-males. Masculinity is definitely not appropriate in
character to Christian women. We want them to stand firm in the faith in a
womanly way, viz: feminine rather than masculine.

132) 1Cor 16:14 . . Do everything in love.

In context; "everything" probably refers to managing a church.

If church officers aren't sure how to be in charge and at the same time be
civil, then they might take some time to study 1Cor 13:1-8 with a
commentary and/or read How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale
Carnegie.

133) 1 Cor 16:15-18 . .You know that the household of Stephanas were the
first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of
the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone
who joins in the work, and labors at it. I was glad when Stephanas,
Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was
lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men
deserve recognition.

Paul and his associates depended pretty heavily upon the hospitality of local
believers for accommodations and daily necessities. Believers do well to
follow the examples of Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus either by
opening their homes to missionaries or by funding their stay in a motel and
providing them with a rental car. You can usually arrange this through your
local church. Believers who do so "deserve recognition." That doesn’t mean
they should demand recognition, but there is coming a day of evaluation for
believers when they'll be fully compensated. (1Cor 3:10-15, 1Cor 4:5, and
Rev 22:12)

134) 1Cor 16:20 . . Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Kissing was a common form of greeting in the old world; and still is in the
Middle East and certain parts of Europe; but here in America-- a super-sized
racial/cultural. Ethnic amalgam of customs from all over the known universe
--it's wise to dispense your kisses with discretion. Some of us don't even like
to be hugged, let alone bussed; and if you should perchance try to make
physical contact with an autistic Christian, you're liable to cause them a
panic attack; so go easy on the touchy-feely stuff.

The people to whom Paul referred as "one another" are one's fellow born
again Christians. We're not required to kiss unbelievers. You can be
courteous to them, yes (cf. Matt 5:47) but reserve especially warm greetings
for your siblings; viz: those who've undergone a second birth as per John
1:12-13 and John 3:3-8, and thus share your adoption into God's home as
per Rom 8:15-17.

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135) 1Cor 16:22 . . If anyone love not The Lord, let him be accursed.

There's nothing new in that command. It's been on the books every since
the days of Moses.

Deut 6:4-5 . . Hear, O Israel: Yhvh our God, Yhvh is one. Love Yhvh your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Failure to love Yhvh in those days was curse-worthy.

Deut 27:26 . . Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this
law by carrying them out.

One's love of Yhvh is evidenced by loyalty.

Deut 6:6 . .These commandments that I give you today are to be upon
your hearts.

That hasn't changed.

John 14:15 . . If you love me, you will comply with what I command.

John 14:21 . .Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one
who loves me.

John 14:23-24 . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . He who
does not love me will not obey my teaching.

Does a Muslim have to be a terrorist to be cursed? No; they only have to be
a loyal follower of Muḥammad ibn `Abdullāh instead of a loyal follower of
Jesus Christ; same goes for anybody whose loyalty is elsewhere. How many
people am I talking about? Well, according to my sources there are
approximately:

50 thousand Scientologists
15 million Mormons
8.2 million Jehovah's Witnesses
7.8 million Baha'i
515.9 million Buddhists
451.3 million Chinese Folk Religionists
8.4 million Confucianists
258.5 million Ethnic Religionists
974.6 million Hindus
5.6 million Jains
1.7 billion Muslims
14.1 million Jews
64.2 million New Religionists
2.8 million Shintoists
24.9 million Sikhs
14.2 million Spiritists
8.7 million Taoists
1.1 billion Atheists/Agnostics

The grand total of just those categories is 5,174,700,000

If those figures are in the ball park, and if traditional Christianity is the
truth; then at the least 70% of the earth's current population of 7.43 billion
people is cursed; and no doubt some of those are people we know: our
friends, our relatives, and our associates.


NOTE: Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons are Christians, yes, but not in the
traditional sense.

Joseph Smith's movement is a cult; in other words: there's some Christianity
in Mormonism, but Christianity comprises only a portion of Mormonism. The
rest of it is extreme, to say the least.

Neither do Jehovah's Witnesses qualify as Christians in the traditional sense.
Charles Taze Russell's movement is a cult. There's some Christianity in the
Watchtower Society's doctrines, but Christianity comprises only a portion of
Russell's doctrines; and his slant on it is very peculiar.

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136) 2Cor 2:5-10 . . The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is
sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so
that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore,
to reaffirm your love for him.

The cause for which Paul wrote that section was a guy in the Corinthian
church sleeping with his stepmother (1Cor 5:1). Paul had commanded the
Corinthians to not only hold the man's feet to the fire, but also to ostracize
him.

Some time had passed since then, and the man was apparently regretting
his actions, and broken off the illicit relationship with his kin, so it was time
to let him back into the group. No doubt the humiliation of it all had a
tremendous impact upon his attitude-- probably upon the congregation's too
because at first their attitude wasn't all that good about it either. (cf. 1Cor
5:2)

Here in America scolding and ostracizing a church member would probably
just make them indignant rather than repentant.

137) 2Cor 2:9-11 . . If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I
have forgiven-- if there was anything to forgive --I have forgiven in the sight
of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are
not unaware of his schemes.

One of the opposition's tactics is to create disunity in a church. Sure enough
when that happens-- as when one portion of the congregation believes in
judging and ostracizing while the other doesn't --people start taking sides
and the church will end up divided into cliques and factions. According to the
lord and master of New Testament Christianity, a house divided against itself
cannot stand.

Paul mentioned that his extension of forgiveness was "in the sight of Christ".
Judging by the churlish behavior of a good many online Christians, I've come
to the conclusion a lot of them are unconcerned that everything they
compose for forums and message boards be in the sight of Christ.

138) 2Cor 5:20-21 . . We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God
were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be
reconciled to God.

There's two different aspects to reconciliation. One is a criminal justice kind
of reconciliation (Rom 5:6-11, Rom 6:3-11, 1John 2:2) and the other is a
fellowship kind of reconciliation. (Gen 4:1-7, Gen 5:22-24, Gen 6:9, Gen
17:1, 1John 1:3-7)

For example, a man and his wife may not be speaking to each other; and
sleeping in separate beds; but they're still married: they're just not getting
along; in other words, they're out of fellowship with one another. It's God's
wishes that His own walk with Him in fellowship while they're waiting for
their departure; and the Corinthians weren't doing very well at it.

In order to restore diplomatic relations between themselves and their Father
above, that congregation had to knuckle down and deal with sin in their
midst in accordance with their master's wishes rather than their own.
Compare Josh 7:2-26 where Yhvh's people couldn't win anymore battles
until they first dealt with a sin in their midst.

It's ironic that a fully functioning Christian church like the one at Corinth was
in need of reconciliation with God. How many Christian churches are just like
that today? They pride themselves in being Spirit-filled congregations, yet
their congregational attitude is completely out of touch with Christ. Yes,
Christian congregations are oftentimes out of touch and need to come to
their senses and reconnect or else they risk becoming like the church at
Laodicea where the central figure of Christianity is depicted outside the
building banging on the door trying to get someone's attention to let him in.
(cf. Rev 3:14-22)

139) 2Cor 6:1-2 . . As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive
God's grace in vain; for He says: In the time of my favor I heard you, and in
the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor,
now is the day of salvation.

Some of Christ's followers are sort of on hold as they look forward to God's
patronage and providence after they die; but Paul says you can lay hold of
those benefits now. In other words: the cross not only qualifies people for
Heaven, but also for obtaining God's earthly patronage and providence.
However, that earthly aspect of the plan of salvation comes with a string
attached-- obedience.

John 15:1-7 . . No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the
vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you
are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me,
he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are
picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

Nobody really wants to be a stick of ol' dried up yard debris, but that's what
happens when Christ's followers go off-reservation and follow their own
noses instead of walking in the light.

John 14:23-24 . . When somebody loves me, they will obey my teaching;
and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home
with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words
you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

In other words: according to the Father's testimony as an expert witness in
all matters pertaining to fellowship: a Christian not obeying Christ has
disassociated themselves from both Christ and his Father (2John 1:9). But
they aren't lost; they're just lapsed.

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140) 2Cor 6:14-18 . . Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols?

. . . for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in
them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be
a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty.

That commandment clearly forbids intermarriage between Christians and
non-Christians; e.g. Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky. Failure to comply
with those instructions is not only grossly disobedient, but it's unwise and
can have tragic results; for example:

Gen 6:1-2 . .When men began to increase in number on the earth and
daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of
men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

If we assume that the "sons of God" were believers and the "daughters of
men" were not; then it would appear that back in Noah's day, believing men
threw caution to the wind and built themselves harems of unbelieving
women. What happened to those believing men when it came time for the
Flood? Well, for one thing; they had lost their piety.

Gen 7:1 . .The Lord then said to Noah: Go into the ark, you and your
whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

None of the other sons of God in that day were righteous; hence they
weren't invited aboard the ark. All of those men-- whose wives were chosen
based solely upon sex appeal sans any spiritual prudence whatsoever -
perished in the Flood right along with their infidel wives and children. Let
that be a lesson to you.

1Cor 10:11-12 . . Now all these things happened to them as examples,
and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages
have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

It is definitively not wise to make yourself one flesh with an unbelieving
spouse. It's a proven tactic for watering down, compromising, and even
extinguishing Bible beliefs and practices (e.g. Num 31:7-16). Solomon found
that out the hard way; but too late. (1Kgs 11 & 12)

In a mixed relationship-- one a born-again Christian and the other not --the
born-again Christian will be forced to compromise their convictions in order
to keep the relationship going. Compromise in the area of spiritual values is
not a good thing for born-again Christians who wish to be Christ's followers.
It will quickly cool their love for Christ and quite possibly result in the Lord
calling them on the carpet for being tepid; which Webster's defines as
lacking in passion, force, or zest, and/or marked by an absence of
enthusiasm or conviction.

Most people want love, romance, companionship, and a family of their own.
According to Gen 1:27-28, and Gen 2:21-24, those things are Divine
blessings, they're perfectly normal, nothing to be ashamed of; nor is there
anything intrinsically naughty or sinful about them. But a believer has to be
self controlled, and not permit their base nature to make them lose their
heads and ruin their chances for happiness.

Adult dating is where it starts. And adult dating isn't harmless. It leads to
other things, and it leads into commitments and promises that are not easily
reneged. The end result of adult dating is ultimately marriage and children
(quite possibly illegitimate children). Whose religion will prevail in the
marriage? Whose religion will be taught to the children? The believer's or the
infidel's? And ultimately, who will get the children's souls-- God, or the
Devil?

Some couples try to accommodate each other's beliefs by teaching their
children the concepts of both ideologies. For example, a marriage between a
Buddhist and a Christian. The children are given a choice between the
Dharma and the Bible; and between Siddhartha Gautama and Christ. That
may seem like a good idea, but it only creates confusion in the minds of the
children. Why are mom and dad not in agreement? Whose ideology is right?
Can both be right? Does it mean that one ideology is just as good as the
next?

Teaching their children more than one system of beliefs and practices is out
of the question for born-again, Bible-believing Christians because the Lord
and Master of Christianity demands their exclusive devotion. It's always
been that way; even for God's chosen people.

Deut 6:4-5 . . Hear, O Israel: Yhvh our God: Yhvh is one. Love Yhvh your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Mark 12:28-31 . . One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and
recognizing that he had answered them well; asked him: What
commandment is the foremost of all? Jesus answered: The foremost is
"Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength."

I think there's a pretty good number of insubordinate Christians out there
who are essentially heathens and don't know it. (1Sam 15:22-23)

So far I've only talked about marriage; but 2Cor 6:14-18 also targets
ecumenism; which can be roughly defined as an ideology that believes
everyone's a Christian if they say so. Okay, fine, everyone's a Christian if
they say so; but do all believe in intelligent design? No. Is everyone in the
same denomination? No. Do all believe that Christ's crucified body revived?
No. Do all believe in a literal hell? No. Do all believe in something called once
saved always saved, a.k.a. eternal security? No. So be careful out there.
Those are potentially serious missteps.

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