Sunday sermon
Acts
1:3
To
whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Links to my sites here and the bottom of every
post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/
Sunday sermon video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjJRRUsa09w&t=8s
https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10205714658543929/
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMi0oTQlcxLhm8L-Wc
ON VIDEO
.The
longer reading
.Luke/Acts
.Who
wrote the most chapters in the New Testament?
.Who
wrote the largest part of the New Testament? – Good Question [Word
for word- Luke. Most letters- Paul]
.The
promise of the Spirit
.The
importance of the ascension
.The
Kingdom question in Acts 1?
.The
unfolding of the plan/mystery of God
.The
present ministry of Jesus
.Continual
intercession
.He
showed himself alive- after his passion
.How
about us?
.Passover-
Pentecost
.Jesus
and his church are the fulfillment of these great feasts
.The
good argument Justin Martyr made
.Tabula
Rasa
.The
2nd coming of Christ
Hebrews
7:25
Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
TEACHING
[Past
posts below]
Today
I have no plan on making a video- so this will be it until Monday night.
I
just finished a study for the weekly text posts- and I’ll start a new one Tuesday, God willing. I want to wish all of you a great Lord’s day- hopefully most will attend a church service in the
city you live in.
I
realize some are not able to attend for various reasons- but would encourage you to fellowship with other believers- even if it’s in a home setting- it’s important for believers to meet together-
it builds each other up when we do this.
Ok,
that’s it for this brief note-
God
bless all
John
James 2:26
For
as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
[These verses thru out the post are some I quoted on the video- all the verses I quoted or taught from are at the bottom of this post]
PAST POSTS [These are links and parts of my past teachings that relate in some way to today’s post- Verses below]
https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/
https://ccoutreach87.com/ephesians-links/
https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-links-updated-10-2018/
https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/
https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/
https://ccoutreach87.com/corinthians-links-4-2019/
Acts 1
POSTED
BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ JANUARY 18, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT
ACTS
1
Acts
1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.
https://youtu.be/7UqPubfdyTM Acts 1
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/1-12-17-acts-1.zip
ON
VIDEO-
.The
Jesus movement
.Is
it just a ‘story’?
.Act’s
proven to be historically accurate
.How?
.Industrial
revolution leads to field of archeology
.We
found stuff
.field
of documentary evidence arose-
.That
proved it too
.Sir
Ramsey changed his mind
.Church
in world history
.Descartes-
Copernicus- etc.
.Acts-
.Jesus
ascends
.Wait
for the promise of the Father
.Judas
replaced
.Power
is on the way
.History-
.early
20th century- Spirit comes to Azusa
.Then
at Duquesne University
.Catholics
get it too
.Charismatic
movement
PAST
TEACHING [below are my past links/teaching I did that relate to today’s video- ACTS 1]
https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/
https://ccoutreach87.com/overview-of-philosophy/ %5BMentioned Aristotle
and Plato on today’s video- Here’s my past teaching on them]
https://ccoutreach87.com/acts/
https://ccoutreach87.com/atheism-apologetics-links-added/
ACTS
study
Introduction;
Yesterday I took my kids to the mall after church, I usually get lost in the book store. Even though I bought an entire shelf of books a few months back, I still can’t help from buying more
books! So I picked up a few more and found a comfortable bench and started reading the History of Christianity. At the house I am almost thru with another ‘history of Christianity’ that covers
the story of the church from Pentecost to the present day. I own a few complete volumes and have checked out many from the libraries over the years. I read from both the Protestant and Catholic
[Orthodox] perspectives. I also read from the ‘out of the institutional church’ perspective. These are the histories of various groups of believers who never became Catholic, Orthodox or
Protestant. I consider all these groups Christian and appreciate the tremendous wealth of knowledge that these communities provide.
Now,
as we go thru Acts, I want to stay as close as possible to both the doctrine and practices of the early church as seen in scripture. We are not the first [or last!] study that has attempted to do
this. That is attempted to ‘get back to the original design’ as much as possible. Historically you have whole categories of believers who fit into this mindset. They are referred to as
‘Restorationist’ as opposed to Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox. The Church of Christ, The Disciples of Christ, the Anabaptists and others fall into this class. I believe you find true believers
in all of these groups.
As
you read the history of Christianity as told by the other perspectives, you will find it interesting as to the way the institutional church describes these ‘out of church’ groups. Some are called
heretics [Waldensians] others are simply seen as fringe groups. The strong institutional church has branded those who would reject her authority as schismatics and heretics on the grounds of
their refusal to submit to the hierarchy of the institutional church.
As
we go thru Acts, I want us to read carefully and see the story as told by Luke. We will not find ‘another more true group’ in the sense that I want to start some new denomination. I also don’t
want to simply find proof texts to justify doctrine. Many well meaning believers can find the verses they like the most and use them to combat the other points of view. We will see verses
emphasizing the importance of water baptism, or various truths on the outworkings of the Spirit. We will see prophets functioning and read texts that clearly teach Gods sovereignty [as many as
were ordained unto eternal life believed]. Instead of getting lost on these side trails, I want us to read with an open mind and allow our beliefs to be shaped by ‘the story’.
I
will spend time defending my own view of Local church. Not because I believe ‘my view’ is the only thing worth arguing about, but because I believe we see the intent of God for his people to be a
living community of believers in this book. Right off the bat we will see giving taught in a radical way. The early church at Jerusalem will ‘continue in the Apostles doctrine and breaking of
bread and prayers’. They then sell their goods and distribute to all who had need. Where in the world did they get this idea from? The Apostles doctrine obviously taught the plain teachings from
Jesus on sharing what you have with others. So instead of seeing an early tithe concept, you see an early ‘give to those in need idea’ straight from the teachings of Jesus. We will see this early
Jerusalem group meet daily, as opposed to seeing ‘Sunday worship’ as some sort of New Testament Sabbath. Of course this group will meet at the Temple [actually an out door courtyard called
Solomon’s Porch] and from ‘house to house’. But the simple realty of Christ’s Spirit being poured out on them as a community of people will be the basic understanding of what ‘church’
is.
You
will find citizens of many surrounding areas going back to the their home towns after Pentecost. These believers shared the gospel with those in their regions and this is how the early church
would spread. Some commentaries will show you how when Paul will eventually show up in Rome there already was an established church there. They obviously heard the gospel from these early Roman
Jews who were at Jerusalem during Pentecost. So we will see ‘church planting’ from the paradigm of simple believers going to areas with the message of Christ. Those who would believe in these
locations would be described as ‘the church at Corinth’ or ‘the church at Ephesus’ and so on. So we see ‘local church’ as communities of believers living in different
localities.
We
will see the development of leadership along the lines of ‘appoint elders in every city’. Not a top heavy idea of ‘Bishop’ in the later sense of Catholic belief, but a simple ordaining
[recognizing!] of those in the various cities who were stable enough in the basic truths of the gospel, that in Paul’s absence these elders were to be trusted as spiritual guides. Now, many of
our brothers can trace the historic office of Bishop as a fairly early development in church history. Polycarp and others were considered direct disciples of the Apostles who would be seen as
Bishops and even write of the importance of Bishops for the church ‘Where there is no Bishop there is no church’.
This
will cause many well meaning believers to eventually become Catholic/Orthodox as they read the church fathers and see the very early development of Catholic Christianity. In many of the church
fathers writings you will also see an early belief in the Eucharist as being the actual Body and Blood of Jesus.
To
the consternation of many Protestants you even find Luther condemning fellow Protestants for not taking literally the words of Jesus ‘this IS my Body’. Now, I will not defend transubstantiation,
but try to follow the trend lines in Acts as to the lack of this doctrine being a part of the early church. We will find Paul’s letter to the Corinthians addressing the Lords Supper, but for the
most part we do not see a strong belief in the transmitting of divine grace to the soul thru the eating of Christ’s literal Body and Blood as they ‘broke bread’. We do see the sharing of the
common meal and the ‘Eucharist’ as one meal called the ‘love feast’. Only later on in church history is there a division made between the full fellowship meal and the
Eucharist.
So
to be frank about it, I will challenge both our Catholic and Orthodox brothers on some very fundamental beliefs. Well I hope this brief introduction sets the proper tone for the rest of this
study, God bless you guys and I hope you get something out of it. John.
(738)
ACTS 1- Luke, the writer of this book, feels the need to document the ongoing work of Jesus and his revolution. He already wrote a gospel and believes this to be the beginning of the story. In
essence, the reality of Jesus and his resurrection are just the start, we have much more to do and become on this journey. Most writers jump to chapter 2. We have churches and music groups called
‘Acts chapter 2’. Why does Luke seem to wait till chapter 2 before getting to ‘the good stuff’? Chapter one records the 40 days of Jesus showing himself alive after his death. Luke feels this
singular truth to be important enough to simply stand alone [I do realize the early letters did not have chapter and verse divisions like today]. The real physical fact of Jesus bodily
resurrection is without a doubt the foundational truth of the gospel. The outpouring of the Spirit and the whole future of the church depends on the reality of the resurrected Christ. Paul will
write the Corinthians and tell them if the resurrection were not true then they are the most miserable of all people. Luke tells us Jesus gave instructions for the Apostles to wait at Jerusalem
for the Spirit. They will be witnesses of him to all the surrounding nations after the Spirit empowers them. We also see Peter emerge as the key spokesman for the group. He quotes freely from the
Psalms and reads their own history into the book. He sees the prophetic verse from David on ‘let another take his office’ as referring to Judas betrayal and death. They cast lots and choose
Matthias as the one to replace Judas. Peter shows the importance of Judas replacement to come from one that was with them thru out the earthly time of Jesus. Someone who saw and witnessed Jesus
after the resurrection. Scholars have confused this with the ‘ascension gift Apostles’. Some scholars have taken the truth of the early Apostles having the criteria of being actual witnesses of
Jesus, and have said ‘therefore, you have no Apostles today’. Paul will teach in Ephesians that after Jesus ascension on high he gave gifts unto men ‘some Apostles, others Prophets, etc.’ The New
Testament clearly speaks of Apostles as an ongoing gift in the church. Barnabas will later be called an Apostles [Acts 14:14] as well as many other references in the original Greek using the same
Greek word for Apostle. But here we find Peter seeing the need to replace Judas. Other scholars think Peter might have jumped the gun. They see Paul’s apostleship as the possible person the Lord
picked out as the replacement. You do find Paul referring time and again to his Apostolic authority as one ‘born out of due time’ who saw Jesus on the Damascus road. If Paul was simply an
ascension gift Apostle, why would he refer time and again to his authority based on being a witness who also saw Jesus? It’s possible that Paul was in this group of ‘Apostles of the Lamb’ who had
extra authority based upon their testimony of being eyewitnesses. So in chapter one we see that Jesus appeared for 40 days giving instructions to the early leadership and told them to wait at
Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We see the incarnational purpose of God, Jesus was and continues to be the express image of God to man. He was not some ‘phantom’ like the
Docetists will claim, but a very real physical resurrected Lord. Luke begins the early history of the church with this reality being important enough to stand on its own.
[parts]
(1357)
I WILL UNCOVER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HIDDEN SINCE THE WORLDS FIRST DAY- [Jesus]. Yesterday I read an article in the paper that talked about an amazing dinosaur find in China; they found around 15
thousand fossils in a cave area. The amazing thing was the fact that so many dinosaurs would have been in one place right when they died. I immediately saw this as proof that would back up the
creationist cataclysmic view of a worldwide flood destroying all life on the planet. As I read thru the article they explained how much of ‘fossil science’ has been done thru finds in the U.S.,
but over the last few years China [and the eastern world in general] have undergone their own industrial revolution and this has led to the unearthing of new ground for the purpose of
construction and these new projects are unearthing these fossils. Much like what took place in the 19th century when many archaeologists were discovering ‘hidden things’ that seemed to be buried
‘since the foundation of the world’. In the 19th century it was popular for the intellectuals in theology to embrace the ‘historical/critical’ method of bible learning. Many began to reject the
early dating of the New Testament [early- a.d. 50-70] and began accepting a theory that said much of the New Testament was written in the 2nd century. These ideas were promoted by men like
Rudolph Bultman and were made popular at the German university which he taught at [in Marburg]. So it became ‘intellectually fashionable’ to accept this new way of critiquing scripture. One
problem- as the industrial revolution took off in the west archeology rose as a new science and we now had the ability to historically search for clues. A famous historian by the name of Sir
Ramsey went on this exhibition to see whether or not the bible was accurate when it spoke about ‘so called’ first century things. Our bibles do have lots of names of political characters and
certain historical events that can be measured for accuracy. Ramsey found to his dismay that all the evidence leaned towards the ‘less enlightened’ view of an early dating of the New Testament.
This was a tough pill to swallow by the intellectuals who had already formed their opinions on the subject, but in due time most trustworthy scholars would come to accept [for the most part] the
earlier dating. So now back to the dinosaurs, as the article went on they admitted that it’s possible that a Tsunami might have caused the dinosaurs to gather in one place before their deaths- A
FLOOD! It’s funny because some in the modern scientific community have argued, very convincingly, that the Geologic table and the extinction of the dinosaurs can be attributed to a world wide
flood. Others have vehemently opposed this idea [most evolutionists]. And now the new evidence seems to be backing up a flood theory, they simply don’t want to admit it. Like the intellectuals of
Sir Ramsey’s day, the smart thing to do is to go where the evidence leads. The facts don’t lie; these are ‘facts’ that are being now uncovered, things hidden ‘since the world’s first
day’.
[parts]
HISTORY
OF EVERYTHING- IN 1 HOUR
And
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. … 2nd Thes. 2:10-13
https://youtu.be/uwDi82SICXo History of
everything in 1 hour [part 1]
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/6-16-16-history-of-everything.zip
ON
VIDEO-
.Did
my ‘prophecy’ come true? Watch and see
.They
said a rocket hit the plane
.What
did Patience say?
.Update
on detention center
.Bishop
Mulvey
.I
was right about Devon Anderson- planned parenthood- the judge said she broke the law
.Where
did the animals come from?
.Is
the story true?
Mesopotamia
.Palestine
.Aristotle
.They
were looking for the ‘LOGOS’
.Ptolemy
.Copernicus
.Cosmology
.Scientific/Industrial
revolution
.Sir
Ramsey and documentary evidence
.Luke/Acts
as historical evidence
.Phenomenological
language
.Aquinas-
Anselm and Augustine
.Richard
Dawkins alien creator
.Einstein
and the big bang
.C.S.
Lewis
.Everything
is proof of God
MY
LINKS-
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/overview-of-philosophy/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/protestant-reformation-luther/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/qm/
[parts]
(766)
Let me interrupt our Judges study a little. Right now [2008] there is another renewal/revival movement taking place in Florida [Lakeland]. The brother who was used as the ‘fire starter’ is Todd
Bentley. I have tried to catch the services on T.V. and appreciate the presence of the Lord. Of course you can go on line and read terrible stuff about the revival. Once again some are 100 %
against it, others are a little too exaggerated in their language in defense of it. What I mean is it’s easy to see a move of God and believe ‘this is the final move that will out do all other
moves in the history of the church’ the ‘latter glory’ if you will. Let’s do a little history on moves of God. The present Pentecostal movement started at the beginning of the last century [for
the most part]. You had a brother by the name of Charles Parham in Topeka, Kansas who had this little bible school. One day they experienced an unusual event. Gods Spirit fell on the students and
they all ‘began to speak in other languages’. Now, to those who reject the modern gift of tongues as ‘gibberish’, I want you to see something. The ‘tongues’ [languages] of this experience were
actually real foreign languages that the speakers never learned. They were very much like the ‘tongues’ at Pentecost! Parham took this as a modern day Pentecost and began sending these students
to foreign countries, believing that they would be able to evangelize the world without having to teach the students/missionaries the foreign language of their field. Well this experiment
flopped! Even the accurate Pentecostal historians will tell you this. But we are still left with the supernatural account of the kids having spoken in languages that they never learned. Parham
was a strange type of fellow. He believed in the ‘seed of the serpent’ doctrine and a few other weird things. He was also very racist! He allowed a black student by the name of William Seymour to
sit out in the hall and hear his teaching. He could not ‘intermingle’ with the white students in class. Seymour was a humble uneducated man who had a heart for God. Seymour would eventually find
his ‘harvest field’ in Los Angeles. He began preaching at different churches and would experience strange manifestations equal to the things that Parham experienced. The churches did not
appreciate this unlearned, one eyed black preacher introducing these strange ‘manifestations’ into their congregations and eventually Seymour rented a building on Azusa street. In 1906 this Azusa
street mission would become ground zero for the outpouring of the modern day Pentecostal movement. Seymour was a very humble man by all accounts. He was known for sticking his head inside a box
on the pulpit so the people wouldn’t see him instead of the Lord. The L.A. papers would run front page stories on ‘the strange tongues of Babel’ and stuff like that. Though Seymour was young and
inexperienced at ‘running a revival’ he tried to the best of his ability to follow the Lord. He would contact Parham and ask him to come and check out the move. Parham came and totally denounced
the wild meetings as spiritists run amok! Even though Parham had himself experienced the gift of tongues at his bible school, he saw the unrestrained nature of Azusa and condemned it. Seymour
would never invite him back. The little mission building at Azusa would become the place of pilgrimage for 20th century Pentecostalism. Some were adamantly opposed to the outpouring, others 100 %
supporters. After 100 years of seeing what the outcome would be, the historical significance is hard to refute. Some still see the worldwide spread of Pentecostalism as error. Others see it as a
fulfillment of the scriptures that in the last days God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. I see Pentecostals as part of the Body of Christ and in no way reject them as heretics. This
doesn’t mean I agree with them in every doctrine! [As you can see when you read this site]. I feel we need to keep things in perspective when we feel God is moving in a new way. Is it possible
that ‘this move’[any move that you happen to be in at the time] will have worldwide historic results? Sure. But because the Body of Christ is so wide and diverse in our day, it is harder for a
single move to have the same type of impact as the original Pentecost. Should we judge the initial outpouring at Parham’s school as demonic? I don’t think so. The fact that they mistakenly took
the gift as being missionary in nature does not disqualify the gift. In Act’s chapter 2 the gift of being able to speak in a language never learned did allow the immediate hearers to hear the
gospel in their distinct languages. But the actual ‘missionaries’ [the hearers who went back to their towns] spread the message in their own known language. So in all types of moves you can find
real fault, as well as real truth [most of the time]. We as the people of God should ‘test the spirits, because every spirit is not of God’ [1st John] while at the same time keeping an open mind
like the head leader of religion in the book of Act’s, Gamaliel. He said ‘let’s leave the disciples alone for now, if this work is of God you will not be able to stop it. If it’s not of God it
will fall by itself’. I personally believe in most of the renewal and revival movements of our day. I try not to get over excited by some of the language that tends to see these moves as ‘the
last and greatest move of all time’. But I also avoid the constant attacks by the apologists who seem to never find a move they can agree with. [see entry # 844]
[parts]
The
Iliad and Odyssey [Homer]
I
want to cover some of the classics of Western Literature- when I do the philosophy and science stuff- the purpose is to show how God- and ‘religion’ are an inescapable thread that we see all thru
out history- and in fact- the rise of what we call ‘intellectualism’ did indeed come from the Judaic/Christian tradition [for instance- the modern day university system did come from the
Church].
Ok-
lets start with what most believe to be the greatest work from antiquity- outside of the bible.
These
are 2 poems by Homer- the Iliad and Odyssey.
These
poems were written in the 8th century BCE- and cover the Trojan war- which most believe was a real war- that took place in the 12th-13th century BCE.
In
Homers works we read about this epic battle.
The
war starts with- once again- a ‘woman’ issue.
Prince
Paris of Troy steals Helen of Greece- from her husband King Menelaus [king of Sparta].
The
Greeks- led by Achilles- lay siege to Troy.
In
Homers telling of the event- the Greeks are actually defending the honor of marriage- and are carrying out a just retribution against an unjust act.
Sort
of the same themes we read in scripture- when the sons of Jacob defended the honor of their sister Dinah- when she was treated unjustly by the pagan nation that took her- forcefully- to be the
wife of a kings son.
The
brothers meted out justice- by tricking these pagans to get circumcised- then- while recovering ‘from surgery’- the sons went in and wiped out the city- to their fathers
dismay!
In
the story- Achilles is a warrior- who displays extreme violence- and also the human traits of a man who acts out of selfish motives.
At
one point in the war- he removes himself from battle- because he feels his honor was betrayed.
The
only thing that brings him back is the killing of his close friend Patroclus- by Hector.
Achilles
leads the Greeks to victory- and reflects the struggle between living a long life- or dying young- yet dying for a just cause.
One
of the more famous quotes form Homer’s Poems- attributed to Achilles- is ‘I carry 2 sorts of destiny to the day of my death. Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of the Trojans, my
return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting; but if I return home to the beloved land of my fathers, the excellence of my glory is gone, but there will be a long life- left for me, and
my end in death will not come to me quickly.’
There
has been some debate over the historicity of the war itself.
Some
scholars believe it was Myth [I’ll get to this in a moment].
That
is- they believe the war itself was not true- but a sort of Oral Tradition- that encompasses the reality of the human condition- and that Homers Poems are simply mythological ways to reveal the
true condition of man.
Yet-
much like the debate that took place in the 19th century German universities- over the ‘Myth’ of the bible- later on- the rise of what we now call Archaeology [because of the Industrial
revolution- a new field arose- men started digging up the ground- for the primary purpose of extracting materials from the earth- and at this time we also discovered ‘lost worlds’- that is we
could actually trace cities and lands that were once deemed fake].
So-
as with Homers Troy- and bible lands- these archaeologists did indeed find Cities that matched the stories.
In
1870 the German Archaeologist Schliemann discovered remains that seemed to find the city of Troy- the area is known today as modern day Turkey.
This
same thing happened with the bible- we did indeed find historical evidence that seemed to back up the historicity of the stories we find in the bible.
As
a matter of fact- a famous doubter of the bible embarked on a search- to prove the bible was ‘myth’ yet- after researching carefully the historical names and places we read about in the book of
Acts- he came to believe that the book of Acts- written by both an historian and doctor [Luke] was the most historically accurate writing that came from the first century [Acts has lots of names
of political figures- court proceedings- stuff like that- and when doing research like this- it is quite easy to debunk the historical reality of a fake work- but- when these names and places
were researched- from actual historical records dating back to the first century- it was amazing how the pieces fit].
The
Trojan War is found in many works of Greek literature- and art.
But
the most comprehensive account comes from Homer’s 2 poems.
Now-
in Homer’s poems there are obvious references to Mythology- Goddesses- Golden apples- the Greek gods intervening in the affairs of men.
So
yeah- we see that there are obvious mythological aspects to the work.
Yet-
the ancient Geeks did indeed believe the war itself was a real war that took place at around the 12th century BCE.
Some
believe that Homer never actually wrote the poems- but that he told the stories- like Oral Tradition- and they were later written down by others.
Sort
of like the classic- Paradise Lost- by John Milton. Milton was blind- and told the story to his daughters [oral tradition] and the actual work was penned by those who heard it.
Jesus
himself used this method- he never wrote a book- or letter in the New Testament- yet the gospels were compiled by his men after his death.
We
read about this when Luke [who I mentioned above] gives the reason for his documenting stuff in the book of Acts [read Acts chapter one].
Luke
also wrote his gospel a few years after the death and resurrection of Christ.
So-
some believe the same thing happened with Homer- those who heard him tell the story multiple times- simply put it together later on.
Most
scholars believe that Homer did indeed write the poems- and that the famous Trojan War was a real historical event.
Last
year- when in North Bergen- my atheist friend Daniel said he watched a PBS show- and he said ‘even a priest said the bible was Myth’.
I
explained to Daniel that when the more liberal scholars use this term [like in the writings of Bultman] that they do not mean ‘fake’- like Greek Mythology.
But
they mean that some of the stories in the gospels might be a compilation of the many Oral teachings of Jesus- and they were put together as one story [some think the Sermon on the Mount was
actually multiple teachings Jesus did- and they were compiled into one event].
Now-
when I explained this to Daniel- he said ‘see- even you believe it was Myth’.
I
told Daniel that no- I do not hold to this theory [not 100%] but that I was simply telling him that even those who use the term Myth- when talking about Theology- they do not mean Myth- as in
fake.
So-
I find it interesting that both the New testament- and Homers poems- got the same scrutiny.
In
these poems we do indeed see the condition of man- which Homer depicts as one of constant war- not peace.
The
letter of James in the New Testament says- James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
James
4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
James
4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it
[parts]
MY
VIDEOS
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/10-18-15-nietzsches-twilight-of-the-idols.zip
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/10-28-15-jean-paul-sartre.zip
On
today’s video- I attempted the impossible- to tell the story of ‘everything’ in 1 hour.
Ok
I bit off more than I could chew.
It
took 2 hours [the next video ‘history of the world- part 2’ will finish it].
But-
to sum up today’s video.
Is
the biblical account of creation accurate?
We
read that God made everything- by speaking.
Is
this even possible- or some silly fable?
Over
the history of time we read the story of the Jewish people- their trials and failures.
That’s
the majority of the history of the Old Testament.
They
believed the story in Genesis- while others questioned whether or not all things actually had a beginning point.
In
time- we see the rise of the Greek philosophers- during what we call the intertestamental period [the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew].
These
thinkers were looking for the answer to these questions- and the Greek word they used to describe this answer- was LOGOS- which is the Geek word- for WORD.
Then
we had the appearing of Christ in the 1st century- and the apostle John calls him the LOGOS.
Hmm?
That’s
the same word that the Greeks were looking for- John says ‘we have found him’.
Remember-
this is Jesus Christ- the living Word.
Ok-
over time we had the great movements of history- the Renaissance- the Reformation- the Enlightenment- the scientific revolution- the industrial revolution.
Most
scientists believed that all creation was eternal- so- for them- the answer to ‘everything’ was- it was always there.
In
the 20th century we had the great breakthroughs of Einstein- and we call one of them the Big Bang theory- meaning- all things did not always exist.
They
had a beginning point- which we call the point of singularity.
Ahh-
now we are back to ‘where did it all come from- if at the start- there was nothing’.
Yes-
‘In the beginning God spoke’.
So-
at the end of the story- of everything- we find the answer at the beginning.
In
the beginning God spoke-Yes- the early followers of Jesus called him by this name- THE WORD.
And
science and logic show us that all events need a cause [even the ‘event’ of creation].
So-
this history of the world- recorded in the scripture- was true all along!
Surprised?
[parts]
(1332)
Been doing some reading on church history/philosophy, it’s interesting to see the role that theology/Christianity played in the universities. Theology is referred to as ‘the queen of the
sciences’ and philosophy was her ‘handmaid’. They saw the root of all learning as originating with the study ‘of God’. Many modern universities have dropped the term ‘theology’ and call it ‘the
study of religion’. The study of religion is really the study of how man relates to God, his view of God; this would fit under anthropology/sociology, not under theology. Modern learning has lost
the importance of the study of God and the role it plays in all the other sciences. The classic work of Homer [8th century BC] called the Iliad, has Achilles debating whether or not he should
‘stay and
[parts]
WHAT’S
REAL? And HOLY SAVIOR
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/12-18-20-whats-real.zip
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/12-20-15-holy-savior.zip
https://youtu.be/1xlAC-2CHPw What’s real?
https://youtu.be/7RQ85MGE-8I Holy Savior
I
made these videos in Texas. Then didn’t have time to write the usual teaching. So I stuck them together and did the best I could.
ON
VIDEO’S- note- I mentioned on the video the philosopher who ‘doubted everything’. I wasn’t sure if I got it right. I said ‘maybe Blaise Pascal’- but it was Renee Descartes.
.Kill
Muslims?
.Bruce
Jenner- 2nd thoughts?
.Little
people
.He
eats with sinners
.Philosophy/Physics
.Arianism
.Islam
and Christianity
.Abrahams
kids
.Ishmael
too!
God
and Allah
.Chaz
Bono
.End
times war?
.In
defense of cops
.Hung
jury
.Columbus-
Aztecs- Conquistadores
PAST
POSTS [verses below]
.
REMINDER- This is a commentary I wrote years ago- the videos are new.
.CHAPTER
8- FEW POINTS;
1-
Did God choose us to believe- or did we choose him?
2-
When Paul says ‘he makes our bodies alive’ is he only speaking about resurrection?
3-
Does God use difficulty- or is it to be rebuked?
4-
Was Paul a ‘hyper- Calvinist’?
(839)ROMAN
8:1-4 ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [sinful nature] but after the Spirit [new nature]’. Now, having proved the reality of
sin and guilt [chapter 7] Paul teaches that those who ‘are in Christ’ are free from condemnation. Why? Because they ‘walk according to the Spirit’ the ‘righteousness of the law is being fulfilled
in them’. Having no condemnation isn’t simply a ‘legal function’ of declared righteousness, and Paul didn’t teach it that way! Paul is saying ‘all those who have believed in Jesus and have been
legally justified [earlier arguments in chapters 3-4] are now walking [actually acting out] this new nature. Therefore [because you no longer walk according to the flesh] there is no
condemnation’! This argument helps bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant theology, part of the reason for the ongoing schism is over this understanding. After the Reformation the
Catholic Church had a Counter Reformation council, the council of Trent. They dealt with a lot of the abuses of the Catholic Church, things that many Catholic leaders were complaining about
before the Reformation. They did deal with some issues and reformed somewhat. To the dismay of the more ‘reform minded’ Catholics [with Protestant leanings] they still came down strong on most
pre reform doctrines. This made it next to impossible for the schism to be healed. But one area of disagreement was over ‘legal’ versus ‘actual/experiential’ justification. The Catholic position
was ‘God can’t declare/say a person is justified until they actually are’ [experientially]. The Protestant side [Luther] said ‘God does justify [legal declaration] a person by faith alone’. Like
I taught before, both of these are true. The Catholic view of ‘justification’ is looking ahead towards a future reality [The same way James speaks of justification in a future sense- He uses the
example from Genesis 22, when Abraham does a righteous act] while the Protestant view is focusing on the initial legal act of justification [Genesis 15]. Here Paul agrees with both views, he says
‘those who walk after the Spirit [actually living the changed life] have no condemnation’.
[parts]
[parts]
(1242)
Read a few chapters from Brian McLaren’s ‘everything must change’ thought I’d comment. I like Brian’s writing style, I agree with him on believers needing to be challenged to see things
differently, but I disagree on some of his ‘everything’s’. He challenges the idea of objective thinking as defined as foundationalism. He explains well the questioning of modern intellectuals
after the world wars and Holocaust of the 20th century. He shows how certain thinkers began looking for answers to the problem of society’s failure as seen in these events. He also shows how some
blamed the events on ‘foundationalism’ which is a way of ‘seeing things’ [epistemology] as defined by Rene Descartes. These thinkers diagnosed the problem as society’s acceptance of absolutes,
they felt that this led to an ‘overconfidence’ in right and wrong and this in turn allowed for these atrocities to happen. Many modern thinkers would disagree with this conclusion. I find it
interesting that Brian makes some statements about Evolution that seem to say he accepts the theory, but yet he fails to see the role that Social Darwinism played as a precursor to the Holocaust.
You could make the opposite argument that it was the rejection of absolutes, and the rise of liberal theology from the universities in Germany that led to these events. Many scholars began
questioning Gods truth and laid a foundation that said ‘we really can’t trust Gods truth’ [or even know it]. To be honest these debates are a little philosophical and I didn’t think Brian would
go down this road, but he does so I will deal with it. Many ‘post moderns’ believe that one of the things that must change is the ‘old’ [what is termed modern] way of thinking. These new thinkers
assert that truth itself, as an absolute thing that people can know for sure, is out of mans reach. They question the modern way of thinking that teaches there are certain absolutes [preconceived
ways of thinking that everyone accepts]. These new thinkers say this ‘foundationalism’ is the problem. Did the enlightenment invent this mode of objectivism? No. Thinkers from Aristotle to
Aquinas to Descartes all approached thinking this way. It was defined more clearly during the enlightenment period. But this is a philosophical debate that goes on in these various camps. You
have had very smart people disagree on these things. The great theologian Karl Barth would say you are not truly educated until you can ‘affirm both sides of an argument, accept contradictory
definitions of the same thing’ many believe this would lead to lunacy! The two greatest theoretical physicists of the last century also disagreed on this. Neils Bohr would say that you can have
two contradictory truths about a subject, and they could both be true, Einstein disagreed. So these things have been around for a while, many of the eastern religions teach the same [Zen]. So I
would disagree with Brian on this, but do agree with him on the need for believers to expand their concerns from simple ‘going to heaven when I die’ concerns, to social justice concerns in the
nations. He does give some good examples along these lines.
[parts]
In
the last Philosophy post I hit on the 10th-14th century development of modern thought- today I want to jump into the 16th-18th centuries. Like I said in a previous post- after the Renaissance and
the Reformation and the great scientific revolution- you had the world in somewhat of a tailspin.
What
I mean is for hundreds of years people trusted in the old institutions [like the Catholic Church] to tell them what was true or false- then with the development of all these modern movements
people began questioning stuff.
Was
it good to question things? Sure. But some challenged the very foundations of thought and knowing [called Epistemology] and went a bit too far.
Some
thinkers went back to the thought of Plato [400 years BC] and said that the mind is the main source of all knowledge- these were the 17th century Rationalists.
Rationalism-
as a philosophy- was an outgrowth of all the great strides that man was making in all these other areas of life. The Scientific Revolution totally challenged the age old beliefs of many in the
church.
Math
became a sort of new ‘god’. How so? As science invented the Microscope and Telescope- man was able for the first time to peer deeply into the heavens- and to see deeply into the microscopic
world.
As
the great minds [Copernicus] showed us that the Universe was different than what we thought [Heliocentric versus Geocentric] man was able to do mathematical calculations and to say that a
specific planet or star [or Comet] would show up at an exact date- or spot- and Walla- it would happen [you could look thru the Telescope and sure enough the math was right- the object that was
calculated to be there- was.]
These
calculations were mathematical formulas- so math began to be seen as the new religion in many ways.
There
are even some thinkers in the modern day that still say the only ‘real truth’ that exists is mathematical formulas. Yeah- one guy wrote an entire book on the subject- the problem? Well- his book
was not written in math- but words.
Yes-
even the extreme deniers of Objective truth do make mistakes.
Now-
what’s wrong with rationalism? Of course being rational is okay- but the philosophy itself denied real Objective truth. Truth that corresponds to some other ‘outside’ reality.
This
form of thinking [rejecting outside reality] is called Relativism/Subjectivism. While there is some truth to all the various fields of thought- yet extreme Relativism denies ‘reality’ as most of
us understand the term. There was a strong resistance to the 17th century rationalists- we call this Philosophy Empiricism.
The
main thinker in this field was John Locke. Locke lived most of his life in the 17th century- but his thought laid the foundation for the 18th century Empiricist.
This
philosophy says that the mind does indeed play a major role in the knowledge of things- but this knowledge does not originate in the mind [Plato] but in the ‘thing’ itself [Aristotle- remember
when we covered these men? Plato was an idealist- Ideas were more real than matter. Aristotle was a Realist- closer to the thought of Locke].
Locke
developed a theory called the Correspondence theory- that truth that the Mind discovers corresponds to real things that actually exist apart from the mind.
Locke
was a practicing doctor- and most of the other thinkers of the day had room to speculate about reality in a way that Locke could not.
He
lived in a real world with real patients who had real symptoms- in a nutshell Locke had to diagnose his patients based on his findings- he could not deny that there was a real problem- he had to
have his ‘feet on the ground’ [based in reality] while engaging with his head up high.
Okay-
I think we’ll end with this. Maybe you can go back and read some of my previous posts on this subject- just to become a little more familiar with it.
As
Christians- we are not ‘required’ to know Philosophy- or current events- or science- but it helps us engage the culture when we do educate ourselves in these areas.
Go
slow in learning [not too slow!] and try and see how the Christian Worldview agrees with- or rejects certain aspects of these different felids of thought.
Most
Christians would reject Rationalism as a Philosophy- because it denies real objective truth- it says truth is relative- whatever the mind can conceive- or think- can be defined as truth
[Unicorns?]
Biblical
truth is based on real historic events- 1st Corinthians chapter 15 says that if we deny the physical resurrection of Christ- a real event- then our faith is in vain.
Christians
base their faith on a real historic event- not simply on a belief system.
[parts]
VERSES-
Acts
1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Acts
1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
Acts
1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of
God:
Acts
1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of
me.
Acts
1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Acts
1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Acts
1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Acts
1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.
Acts
1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Acts
1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Acts
1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven.
Acts
1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.
Acts
1:13 And when they were come in, they went up into an 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.
Acts
1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Acts
1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
Acts
1:16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took
Jesus.
Acts
1:17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
Acts
1:18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
Acts
1:19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
Acts
1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
Acts
1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
Acts
1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Acts
1:23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
Acts
1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
Acts
1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
Acts
1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
John
14:16
And
I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
John
14:26
But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
John
15:26
But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
John
16:7
Nevertheless
I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Psalm
109:8
Let
his days be few; and let another take hisoffice.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Psalm
41:9
Yea,
mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
John
13:18
I
speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
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Related
Sunday
sermon
Sunday
sermon 4-21-19
The
Seed [Galatians]
EPHESIANS- INTRO- CHAPTER 1
Ephesians
1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ephesians
1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Ephesians
1- Intro.
https://ccoutreach87.com/11-21-17-ephesians-intro-chapter-1/
https://ccoutreach87.com/11-21-17-ephesians-intro-chapter-1-2/
ON
VIDEO-
.Butterfly
.Background
on the city of Ephesus
.Sovereignty
.Paul’s
prayer
.Plymouth
Rock
.Mayflower
.Jamestown
.Puritans
.Reformation
.Church
of England
.Some
history of the Puritans and their rejection of the Church of England [Anglican] keeping some of the High Church practices of the Catholic Church
NEW-
[Notes- corrections? Below]
Intro-
Ephesus was the capitol city of the Roman province of Asia- it was one of the top cities of the day [Like Rome- Corinth- Alexandria- etc].
It
was a major commercial center because of a port to the Aegean sea- [Now silted up]
And
if you remember my Acts study- the famous temple of Diana was located there- which was considered to be one of the 7 wonders of the ancient
world- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/
Paul
spent more than 2 years there and he probably penned this letter while sitting in jail at Rome [House arrest]
I
actually just covered the history of this in my study on the book of Acts- so I thought it fitting to now start a new study on the letter the apostle wrote to this Christian
community.
Chapter
1-
Paul
begins the letter acknowledging God’s sovereignty in his own calling-
Ephesians
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
His
own conversion was an example of God’s choice- God converted Paul that day on the Damascus road- when Paul was on the way to persecute
Christians- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/
So
his own experience is seeing God picking him- not based on his [Paul’s] own choice-
And
Paul reminds the believers that is the same choice of God that picked them as well-
Ephesians
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Ephesians
1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
The
doctrine of predestination is clearly taught in this passage-
It
has been a hotly debated doctrine thru out the history of the church-
But
it is simply stated in the above passage- God chose us to become his children- before the world was made.
Yet-
the purpose of God is greater than us- people in time- who have believed-
God’s
greater purpose is reconciling all creation to himself thru Christ- who was/is the eternal Logos who himself made all things-
Ephesians
1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ephesians
1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one ALL THINGS in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Paul
also speaks of this redemption of creation in his letter to the Romans- https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ [see chapter 8]
The
scope of what God has done in Christ is difficult to grasp at the start- and the apostle prays that their spiritual eyes might be able to see the bigger picture-
Ephesians
1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Ephesians
1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Ephesians
1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Ephesians
1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians
1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Ephesians
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
The
raising of Jesus from the dead and his ascension to the right hand of the throne of God shows us that ultimate rule and authority are now exercised in the kingdom of God-
A
kingdom that is above all others-
Ephesians
1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
This
authority given to Jesus Christ has also been delegated to us- the body of Christ-
We
are the community of people where the Spirit of God resides- Jesus being the head of the church- we being the Body- and all things having been put under his feet- speaks of all authorities being
subjected to the Body as well- who we are-
Ephesians
1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Ephesians
1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
All
of these great mysteries have come to pass- because these things are planned by the counsel of God himself-
Ephesians
1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
The
power given to the church is an enormous responsibility- the gift of the wisdom of God to enter into these realities also comes with a balance- a discretion-
Ephesians
1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
All
of these things were made possible only thru the obedient act of the Son who went to the Cross to redeem us-
8 And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Phil
2-
Ephesians
1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
The
death of Christ for the sins of man positions those who believe to stand blameless before the throne-
Ephesians
1:4
According
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
As
we walk before him in love- seeing the grace and peace that has come to us as a free gift- we then can become change agents in the world-
A
world that is destined to be redeemed as well- a creation that looks forward to the final day of the redemption of all things-
16 The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For
the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For
the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because
the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For
we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
NOTES
[corrections?]- On this video I talked ‘off the cuff’ about the Puritans- the Mayflower- etc.
Then
a day or so later I watched a history special on PBS-
Sure
enough- I figured I better make a few corrections-
They
said the date for the Mayflower was 1630- but I just checked- I was right- I said the date was 1620- here’s a link http://www.history.com/topics/mayflower
The
PBS documentary also seemed to say William Bradford was not the governor of Plymouth colony [actually- they did not mention Bradford at all- but spoke of the whole story of the founding of
Plymouth colony]-
So-
I thought I was wrong on Bradford too- because I mentioned him as one of the original founders- and the governor-
But
as I just checked- I got that right too- http://www.history.com/topics/william-bradford
I
have written on Plymouth rock in the past- and will try and find those notes and add them below.
I
don’t mean to say ‘see- I was right’ – I actually was upset when I watched the PBS show- because I thought I was wrong on a lot of stuff- and that’s why I started ‘correcting’ the post right
now.
Then
found the above links.
It
simply shows us to fact check stuff- use more than one source.
It
is also frustrating because when I added one of the above links- I had to delete it and add it again- and it deleted all the notes I just wrote!
And
you are now re-reading the 2nd version.
So
yes- doing this takes time- takes checking- and sometimes it’s nice to see you did get it right- the first time around.
To
be fair- PBS is usually a reliable source- and I didn’t watch the whole documentary- I fell asleep while watching it- thinking ‘Geez- I will have to correct my post’-
We
live in a day where we talk about ‘fake news’ we see bias in all the media- whether they mean to do it or not.
On
the video I talked about the Puritans to show how their faith in God was THEE determining factor to sail the Mayflower and come to the new world.
It’s
also possible that some documentaries want to down play the whole aspect of God and the founding of the country.
William
Bradford was brought up in a Puritan home- his faith was the key reason he- and the others- sailed to America.
If
you read the founding documents [Mayflower Compact and others] you clearly see this- https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact
But
the whole debate about the so called ‘separation of Church and state’- the establishment clause- comes into question when you see the actual writings of the founding fathers.
And
these might be reasons that good news outlets shy away from certain facts-
Not
that they are ‘wrong’ on their coverage [though they are at times] but that they might simply overlook the importance that certain people played in the actual stories of
history.
PAST
POSTS-
Did
a quick search of my past posts- here are a few where Plymouth Rock showed up in the text-
https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/04/27/stuff-2016/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/05/17/gideon/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/06/26/history-of-everything-3/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/28/samuel-revelation-kingdoms/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/18/kings-9/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/22/acts-28/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/09/acts-19/
https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/
https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/
https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/23/wednesday-5/
https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/
You
might find some past teaching on the Puritans in these- I obviously do not re- read my past posts- I just try and copy the ones I think are relevant to each teaching post-
[past
stuff I taught]
I
mentioned our Revolutionary war- below are my past teachings that relate-
I
have taught in the past how some of our Founding Fathers were influenced- heavily- by Enlightenment thinking.
Thomas
Jefferson is the best example.
Why
is this important?
On
my previous post [Plymouth Rock] I tried to show the role that religion played in the founding of our country.
Yet-
at the time of the Continental congress [The first meeting was in 1774- the 2nd was in 75. The Declaration was approved in 1776] some of our founding fathers were leaning towards Deism [Ben
Franklin- etc.] and the wording of the Declaration of Independence [below] was written more along the lines of Enlightenment thinking [also strong influence from the writing of John
Locke].
The
phrase ‘we hold these truths to be SELF EVIDENT’ was indeed a contrast from the traditional view of the church.
Believers
do indeed believe in ‘self-evident’ truths [Romans1-2] but in context- this term challenged the historic thinkers of the church.
I
add this to simply show that Thomas Jefferson [who wrote the Declaration- at the young age of 33] added language that was in a sense- a ‘compromise’.
John
Adams- Jefferson’s colleague in the congress- would later be challenged in a presidential run by Jefferson.
The
accusations flew- and Adams supporters said the beliefs of Jefferson would be the downfall of Christianity in America!
Why
did they make this accusation?
Because
the Enlightenment thinkers were indeed challenging some of the core beliefs of Christianity in the 18th century.
Jefferson
spent 5 years in France- right at the time of French Revolution [remember the post I did recently on it?].
The
French Revolution was indeed a ‘revolution’ against the church in a way.
Many
Americans in the colonies were shocked by the bloodshed of the French Revolution.
Yet
Jefferson sided with it- and even wrote in support of some American merchants who were rebelling against paying their debts here in America.
This
outraged John Adams.
Eventually
Jefferson would serve on the cabinet under President Washington- and he would conflict with Alexander Hamilton over the direction of our New Republic.
Jefferson
felt that Hamilton wanted to give too much power to the Federal govt. [Federalism]
Eventually
Adams and Jefferson would be on opposing sides- of just about everything!
Adams
was a good friend of Jefferson during the continental congress in Philadelphia.
Jefferson
was the representative from Virginia- he was not an eloquent speaker- but he gained the respect of the other representatives.
He
was seen to be a hard worker-
When
the drafting of the Declaration came up- Benjamin Franklin turned down the job- and it was given to Adams and Jefferson.
Jefferson
wanted Adams to do it- yet Adams [Jefferson’s senior] recognized the great skills of his younger colleague-
And
Jefferson went to work.
Yet
their friendship was strained over the years- and at the end of their lives they became friends again.
Jefferson
would become the 3rd president of the U.S.
And
his legacy remains with us today.
It
has been said that our country is founded upon a Creed-
We-
as Americans- give our assent to a creed.
And
that creed- was penned By Thomas Jefferson.
A
preacher stopped at a tavern [Inn] In Virginia for the night.
The
story goes that he spoke with a stranger while there- they talked about mechanics- and the minister thought the man was an engineer.
They
then spoke on various subjects- and the preacher saw the stranger was knowledgeable in many fields.
They
finally spoke about religion- and the minister thought ‘he must be a preacher too’.
The
next day he asked who the man was- it was Thomas Jefferson.
How
did Jefferson gain all this knowledge?
At
the age of 6- he was reading the books from his father’s library.
He
learned Latin and Greek- on his own.
His
dad died when Jefferson was 14.
He
eventually went to the college of William and Mary- and became a dedicated student.
It
was said that 15 hours out of every 24- he was reading/studying.
Jefferson
kept this up throughout his life.
He
had a large library at Monticello- his home on a mountain in Virginia.
One
of his slaves [yes- slaves] said whenever someone had some question- Jefferson was well able to answer the question- and refer to one of his many books.
Jefferson
was the 2nd largest slave holder in his county- owning more than 200 hundred slaves at one time.
Yet-
he tried to enact legislation to outlaw slavery.
He
even added some language at the continental congress about it.
The
other representatives from the 13 colonies rejected it.
He
also tried to pass laws in Virginia against slavery.
Yet
he himself had them- how could this be?
It
even violated his own words in the Declaration ‘All men are created equal’.
Many
historians differ on why/how this could be.
In
the end- Jefferson was like all of us- he was able to articulate noble ideas- yet he himself struggled to fully live up to them.
We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. Thomas Jefferson- Declaration of Independence.
[PARTS]
PLYMOUTH
ROCK
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/1-9-16-plymouth-rock.zip
https://youtu.be/DyDv5n6U-3o Plymouth Rock
ON
VIDEO-
.God’s
choice
.Mayflower
.John
Robinson
.Scrooby
believers
.William
Bradford
.Objections
.All
creation waits
.John
Locke
.King
James [bible]
.Puritans
.Geneva
bible 1st
.Virginia
colony- 1607
.Plymouth-
1620
.Cape
Cod
[Past
posts- verses below]
NEW
STUFF- As I cover some history from the 16th/17th centuries- a significant event came from the religious controversy over the Puritans [separatists] disagreement with the Church of
England.
After
the death of queen Elizabeth of England- she had no direct heir to the throne- and the son of Mary- queen of Scots- became the new king of England.
James
the 1st took the crown- and the Puritans had hoped that he would compromise with them.
They
disagreed with the role of Bishops in the church and other ‘Catholic’ beliefs.
Though
England broke from Rome- it was mainly in the area of the papacy- they were in reality a ‘Catholic’ church- with no pope [or the King of England replaced the Pope].
So-
the Puritans wanted more reform- sort of like what was taking place in Germany under Martin Luther.
But
James rejected the appeals of the Puritans- and gave them only one request- a new English version of the bible.
The
King James Version [1611] became the favorite bible for Protestants for many years [even till this day].
Yet-
it was actually not the ‘original’ Protestant bible.
The
first one was the Geneva bible- put together by the reformers.
So-
some of the Puritans who had already started their own churches [one in Scrooby England] fled England- and went to Holland.
The
pastor of the Scrooby church- John Robinson- stayed in the Netherlands for a few years, but then decided to go back to England.
In
1620- they agreed to leave England once again- and sail to the ‘new world’.
The
English already established a colony in Virginia in 1607- and their goal was to arrive in Virginia and hopefully have the freedom to worship God according to their conscience.
They
left on the Mayflower- with some other merchants and adventurers.
It
was a daring journey to say the least.
And
instead of landing in Virginia- because of bad weather- they hit Cape Cod instead.
Before
coming ashore- they made a ‘deal’- called the Mayflower Compact.
It
was a sort of Democratic agreement that would govern the new colony.
The
new colony was founded in what is now called Plymouth Massachusetts.
William
Bradford became the governor of the new colony- and was only a teen when he first left England with the Scrooby believers.
The
area in England where they left from- was called Plymouth [Devon- North England].
So
the new colony was named Plymouth.
PAST
POSTS-
.
JOHN LOCKE-
Locke
taught that each man has individual rights- and he empowers government- an elected designated body- to have rule-
[parts]
AN
UNJUST LAW
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/4-20-16-an-unjust-law-is-no-law-at-all.zip
https://youtu.be/oQMmaWERTYk An unjust
law is no law at all
ON
VIDEO-
.MLK
.Kennedy
.Andrew
Snowden
.USSR
.Saudi
Arabia
.911
hijackers- who were they?
.Release
the 28 pages
.Dow
18,000- sell! [remember- the video was made last week]
.Iran-
Yemen- Libya- Ukraine- Russia
.How
did we bail out the banks again?
.NATO
.Cuban
Missile crisis
.Did
Russia have the right to fly over our ship in Baltic Sea?
.War
Games
.Water
Gate- Nixon
POSTED
BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ NOVEMBER 22, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT
ACTS
28- [Conclusion of the Act’s study]
Isaiah
25:7
And
he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Acts
28- https://youtu.be/JNtaYP1cqEs
https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl/
https://ccoutreach87.com/11-14-17-acts-28-concl-2/
ON
VIDEO-
.Stranded
on the island
.Melita
[Malta] founded by the Phoenicians around 1000 BC
.Paul
gets bitten by a snake
.The
‘natives’ think he is being judged
.Then
when he doesn’t fall down sick and die-
.They
think he is a ‘god’ [Fickle]
.Where
did these ‘natives’ get the concept of justice? [natural law theory is true]
.Paul
functions in the gift of healing
.The
ship he takes to Rome has the names ‘Castor and Pollux’- who were they?
.The
mythical sons of Zeus
.Paul
at Rome
.He
makes his case to the Jews
.Some
believe- some don’t
Note-
when we study church history we realize there was already a church [believers] at Rome before Paul got there
.So
we often teach that Paul was not responsible for the church at Rome
.Yet
here we see he did introduce some Roman Jews to Jesus- so he certainly played a role
.Paul
quotes from Isaiah 6- which in a way sums up the last half of the book of Acts [see my teaching below]
.Nero
After
thoughts-
.Would
you go to hell to save the world?
.A
talk I had with a homeless friend
.Do
we live with a self preservation mentality?
.Are
our churches centered around this mentality?
.Your
purpose is to fulfil the mission- even if it does not ‘save’ you [The Cross]
.A
polarized nation- our times
.Yet-
their is a redeemer- Jesus God’s own Son
NEW-
As we end the Acts study- I’ll add my past teaching below- and just mention a few things.
The
last few chapters was the lead up to the climax- Paul was going to Rome to appeal his case to Nero-
His
accusers have been on his trail the whole time-
And
as he arrives in Rome- he calls together the Jews to present his case first to them.
He
figured they heard all the rumors about him- and wanted to make a defense.
As
it turned out- they were not aware of all the stuff he was going thru.
So
he presents the gospel to them- some believe- others do not-
Then
he quotes one passage out of Isaiah 6-
Acts
28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Acts
28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
Acts
28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Acts
28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
It’s
interesting- because the whole chapter of Isaiah 6 [posted below in the verses section] sort of sums up Paul’s whole experience in the last half of the book of Acts.
He
has been going from city to city- desperately trying to persuade his fellow Jews that Jesus is indeed the Christ- the anointed one- the promise that they have been waiting for.
And
in this excitement of the reality that they were living in the time when the promise made to their father’s thru the prophets- has now been fulfilled-
Yet-
he is dumbfounded that his fellow Jewish brothers refuse to believe it!
And
that sums up the chapter of Isaiah 6-
God
called the prophet to go and preach to his fellow Jews-
Yet
it was thru this preaching of Isaiah that their hearts would be hardened- and they would not believe-
Isaiah
even asks God how long will this go on- God says until he makes a full end.
Isaiah
6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isaiah
6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and
be healed.
Isaiah
6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
Yet-
there is still the promise of the remnant- which Paul himself speaks about in his letter to the Romans-
Romans
11:5
Even
so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Paul
even quotes out of Isaiah again-
Romans
9:27
Esaias
also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
In
Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
And
God also speaks about the remnant to Isaiah-
Isaiah
6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the
substance thereof.
Meaning
there would be a period of time in the history of God’s dealings with the Jewish people- and during this period of time- there will always be a small group of Jews who believe.
And
in the fullness of time- they will embrace Jesus as their messiah as a whole nation of people.
There
are many verses on this- but that is indeed what the bible teaches.
So
the process- in the frustration of a Paul- or Isaiah- or any one carrying the message to people who initially do not receive it-
Is
the promise that there are indeed some who are listening- some who are seeing what’s going on-
and
this remnant will have an impact on others as well.
The
preaching of the gospel- the setting forth of the message of Christ- in the day we live in- it’s not always embraced at the start.
Sure-
some have turned the message into a self help type thing- others have focused the message on material gain- https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/
These
messages do gain a following- because they appeal to the base nature of man-
But
the message of the Gospel- and the teachings of Jesus- are not about popularity-
The
message of the Cross is about sacrificing the temporary things of this life- to fulfill a greater purpose in God.
Paul
will go on to preach the gospel- the chapter [Acts 28] ends with Paul still waiting to appear before Nero.
Yet
later on in the letters of Paul we see that he more than likely was released from jail- and possibly even made it all the way to Spain [There is a tradition that says this- from the writings of
Clement]
Paul
sat in Rome from ad 60 to 62-
Then
was released- did some more missionary work- then probably rearrested and executed around ad 67.
Nero
set fire to Rome in ad 64- he blamed it on the Christians- and a great persecution of the saints took place.
Paul
finished his mission- he preached the gospel of Jesus and went thru much difficulty in his life-
We
continue to study his letters today- and the message he spoke- and wrote about- is still going strong.
Yes-
I guess you could say the small remnant has now become a multitude of people- too many to number-