Saturday 2 May 2009

Zijn de joden Gods uitverkoren volk

Deze maand stellen wij in ons onderzoeksplatform de vraag in welke mate u denkt dat de Joden al of niet Gods uitverkoren volk zijn en nog in Zijn Plan horen.

God had grootse plannen met het nageslacht van Abraham, Isaak en Jakob.Niet voor hun rechtvaardigheid kregen de Joden de hoop voor een eigen grote natie. Voor het doel van voorbeeld en dat Gods naam over de hele wereld zou verkondigd worden werd het volk gekozen. Maar hoe is het nu gesteld na dat Jezus Christus gestorven is. God had hen gezegd dat hij hen boven alle volken zou stellen indien zij gehoorzaam zouden zijn, maar zij hebben zich niet gehoorzaam getoond.
Wat denkt u? Hoe beantwoord u deze vragen?:

Are the Jews REALLY God's Chosen People?

- The Jews are NOT God's chosen nor is Israel their land.

- The Jews are God's people and an integral part of His plan.

- The notion of a chosen people is irrelevant and wrong-headed.

- Don't know.

Ga naar www.thisisyourbible.com om uw antwoorden te geven!



Click here to read  Israel: God’s People God’s Land!

Are the Jews really God's Chosen People

This month's survey question:

Are the Jews REALLY God's Chosen People?

- The Jews are NOT God's chosen nor is Israel their land.

- The Jews are God's people and an integral part of His plan.

- The notion of a chosen people is irrelevant and wrong-headed.

- Don't know.

Go to www.thisisyourbible.com to submit your answer!
Click here to read  Israel: God’s People God’s Land!

Goede humor is een van de beste kledingstukken welke men kan dragen in de samenleving



"Goede humor is een van de beste kledingstukken welke men kan dragen in de samenleving."
- William Makepeace Thackeray

"Een vrolijk hart is een vrolijk gezicht."
Spreuken 15:13

Heer geef dat ik steeds monter naar het leven kan opkijken
en steeds voldoende zal kunnen relativeren.



Good humor is one of the best articles of dress one can wear in society


"Good humor is one of the best articles of dress one can wear in society."

- William Makepeace Thackeray

"A joyful heart makes a cheerful face."
Proverbs 15:13

Lord give that I ever can look up cheerful to life
and always shall be able to see everything sufficient in perspective.



Peace in the Storm

"Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.
He constantly advertised for hired hands.
Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic.
They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic,
wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job,
he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
'Are you a good farm hand?' the farmer asked him.
'Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,' answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.
The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.
Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed to the hired hand's sleeping quarters.
He shook the little man and yelled, 'Get up! A storm is coming!
Tie things down before they blow away!'

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly,
'No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.'

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot.
Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement,
he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins.
The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred.
The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant,
so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear.

Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God.
We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms."
- Unknown

"Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them,
'Let us go over to the other side of the lake.' So they launched out.
But as they were sailing along He fell asleep;
and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake,
and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.
They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying,
'Master, Master, we are perishing!'
And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves,
and they stopped, and it became calm.
And He said to them, 'Where is your faith?'
They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another,
'Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?'"
Luke 8:22-25

Friday 1 May 2009

A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice

A LIVING FAITH IN ACTION
Sacrifice

When we contemplate the great love and mercy of Yahweh, our utter reliance upon Him and our own inability to overcome sin despite our best efforts, then faith will conclude that the only reasonable course of action is one of humble submission.  Effort and perseverance is required, yet still something is lacking if we are to develop a truly living faith. Now Paul writes:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1

Paul exhorts his readers to respond whole heartedly to the mercies of Yahweh by presenting themselves as living sacrifices. This becoming a living sacrifice involves a willing giving over of oneself, being set apart to His service, in order that we might be well pleasing to Him. Moreover Paul says that this attitude of heart and mind is a reasonable or logical outcome of appreciating the unmerited love and mercy that has been extended towards us.

Considering that whatever we possess, be it health, possessions, skills, abilities, knowledge, yes and even life itself, it has been given to us. We were born with nothing and will die leaving everything that we have behind. We have nothing whatsoever that we can call our own. What then can we offer to Yahweh who gave us all things in the first place? What can we offer to Yahweh in return for His goodness and love apart from the willing offering of ourselves back to Him?  A willing giving of ourselves involved obedience to His Word and His commandments as exemplified in the ‘Commandments of Christ’. It requires the sacrifice of self and obedient service even when it hurts!

The Law of Moses required sacrifice, but the offering of animals in themselves was insufficient. It was the attitude of the heart and mind of the person making the sacrifice that was all important. David wrote:


English: Yahweh sends fire from heaven to cons...
English: Yahweh sends fire from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice. (1 Kings 18) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people, In the courts of the LORD’S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 116:17-19

Praise the Lord indeed! But praise Him in deed as well as by word says David. Fulfil your vows, the covenant entered into at baptism, and render thanksgiving to Him for all that He has done for you. We praise and honour Him by conforming to His will and putting aside humanistic thought. Paul continues in that quote from Romans 12:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Rom 12:1-2

This then is the outworking of a living faith put into action, the presenting of oneself as a living sacrifice by a life dedicated to Yahweh. Living sacrifice involves:

Ø A life dedicated to His honour, to knowing and obeying His will as revealed in His Word.
Ø A life that strives to no longer be conformed to human nature and selfish desires, but rather longs to be renewed and purified from all evil.
Ø A life that willingly separates from whatever may lead to sin and will not fellowship with whoever is astray.

When we think of the great hope set before the children of God, a hope that not one of them deserve and then consider that we have been invited to join that Divine family, then joyous praise should spring forth from our lips. Paul writes:

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Heb 13:15-16

Not one of us is perfect, yet how often we judge others by their shortcomings in matters that deep down inside we know that we also fail at. Sadly we live in a world that asserts what it perceives as human rights and this attitude  of having ‘rights’ infiltrates the ecclesia’s of Christ. The body of him who died that we might have life. Willing self sacrifice has the opposite attitude for:

Ø  A living faith in humility enacts the royal law to love one another and show that we are truly the disciples of Christ (John 13:35).
Ø  A living faith in action strives to avoid giving offence or put stumbling blocks in the way of any brother or sister.
Ø  A living faith is not self orientated, but strives to carry another’s burdens, considering others better than themselves. (Phil 2:3)

Jesus speaks of this underpinning principle of self sacrifice saying:

"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:1:44-45

If our Creator and Father makes His sun to shine and rain to fall upon both the just and the unjust, then we are His children only if we show in some measure that same spirit of compassion. The more so of course to our fellow brethren and sisters for whom Christ died.  Therefore if our true desire is to be children of God, we must strive to do good, offering the willing sacrifice of a life dedicated to Him, desiring the attainment of godliness:

“For "He who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." 1Peter 3:10-12

A living faith tries to put His Word into action day by day, no matter what the cost. A living faith put into action seeks and desires peace above all. Not a peaceful life, not peace of mind, nor peace with others, but the greatest treasure that transcends all we could ever desire, peace with Yahweh. To be reconciled to Him is the true and only goal of a living faith.

To be continued…… A Living faith #7 Prayer

Andy Peel


In this series:

A Living Faith #1 Substance of things hoped for
A living faith #2 State of your faith
A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
A Living Faith #4 Effort
A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
A Living faith #7 Prayer
A Living Faith #8 Change
A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life
A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2
A Living Faith #11 My place in the body of Christ and my ecclesia
A Living Faith #12 The Love for Jesus

Of interest: >
Faith Requires a Basis

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Gevormde predikanten niet bijbels

Waar komt toch dat idee vandaan dat academisch gevormde predikanten zo belangrijk zijn voor de kerk? In ieder geval niet bij Jezus, die er geen been in zag zijn kerk te bouwen op vissers en andere laag-opgeleiden. Ook niet bij de sociale wetenschap, die heeft laten zien dat wereldwijd het academisch vormen van voorgangers een van de beste voorspellers is van krimp in de kerk.

Bij de PKN hebben ze er over nagedacht en gedebateerd. De vernieuwing van de kerk moet beginnen door de gewone kerkleden centraal te stellen, en niet het beroepsperspectief van o zo professionele (en misschien ook nog een beetje gelovige) theologen.
Bij de Christadelphians of Broeders in Christus zijn alle broeders gelijk en wordt van hen een inbreng in de kerkgemeenschap verwacht. Eenieder kan doen waar hij of zij goed in is en elk kan zo zijn steentje bijdragen tot de kerkgemeenschap.

> "De hand aan de ploeg" is de titel van een discussiestuk waar de synode van de Protestantse Kerk in Nederland (PKN) vorige week over sprak. Maar als zij deze kant opgaat, slaat de kerk niet de hand aan de ploeg, maar slaat zij de hand aan zichzelf. volgens ICP <

> Professionele predikanten gevaar voor de kerk

The Curse of Gold

Dr. Richard Newton tells the sad story of a sailor who stopped at a small inn at a village in Normandy. He engaged supper and a night’s lodging. The landlord and his wife were quite old and seemed to be poor. The sailor asked them to eat with him and during the meal he inquired about all their family, asking especially about a son who went to sea when a lad. They supposed he was dead, as nothing had been heard from him for years. At bedtime the landlady lighted the sailor to his room. He bade her goodnight, then slipped a little purse of gold into her hand. She showed the purse to her husband and the eyes of the two delighted at the sight of it. They surmised that the sailor must have a lot more in his possession. During the night they murdered him in bed and took all his money. Early next morning two relations came to enquire about the lodger. They said he had left. ‘That isn’t possible,’ they said, ‘for he was your son and had come home to spend his life with you. He told us he would stay with you one night and see how kind you might be to a stranger.’ They had murdered their own son from the cursed love of gold. How many today are ready to sell their souls to the devil for a purse of gold!

Quiet Hour Stories with Scripture Readings
- Keith L. Brooks -- page 87

Geen mens is vrij die geen meester van zichzelf is



"Geen mens is vrij die geen meester van zichzelf is...

Is vrijheid niets anders dan de macht van het leven zoals we kiezen? "
- Epictetus

"Ik zal rondlopen in vrijheid, want ik heb je leefregels uitgeprobeerd.
Ik zal spreken van uw statuten voor koningen en zal niet worden beschaamd,
Ik verheug mij in uw commando's, want ik hou van hen. "
Psalm 119:45-47

Ik ben rijk door Uw wet te volgen Heer.
In oprechtheid van mijn hart dank ik U, als ik uw rechtvaardige voorschriften leer.
Uw verbondseisen wil ik getrouw zijn; verlaat mij dan niet geheel. Met heel mijn hart blijf ik U zoeken; laat mij van uw geboden niet wijken.
Mijn keuze is gemaakt, voor U heb ik geopteerd.
Ik vul mijn hart met Uw woorden; dat is de enige manier om niet te zondigen en U geen verdriet te doen.
Gezegend bent U Jehovah, leer mij alles over Uw Wet en geef mij goddelijke vrijheid.


No man is free who is not master of himself

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Geen mens is vrij die geen meester van zichzelf is


"No man is free who is not master of himself ...
Is freedom anything else than the power of living as we choose?"
- Epictetus

"I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
for I delight in your commands because I love them."
Psalm 119:45-47

I am rich by following your law Lord.
In sincerity of my heart I thank you as I learn your righteous rules.
I want to be faithful to Your covenant requirements, let me not wander from your commandments. With all my heart I still find you, let me not depart from your bid.
My choice is made, for you I have chosen.
I fill my heart with your words, this is the only way not to sin and not to grieve you.
Blessed are you Jehovah, learn me all about your law and give me divine freedom.