Christians should follow the 10% minimum for tithing: agree or disagree?

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DIYOS o DIYOS ko !

Maraming marami pong salamat sa mga paalalang ito.
QUOTE=aida;39952410]

The Spiritual Language of the Lamb


John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

The beast that looks like the Lamb speaks as a dragon. God reveals who the beast that speaks as a dragon is:

Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

The beast therefore is the counterfeit jesus, the False Christ! The language of the Dragion or Satan was revealed when he tempted our Lord in the desert. Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and Satan saw this LITERALLY-PHYSICALLY that he told Him to convert the stones into bread.

Matthew 4:3 "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."

Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Juan 6:51 "Ako ang tinapay na buhay na bumabang galing sa langit: kung ang sinoman ay kumain ng tinapay na ito, siya'y (espirituwal na) mabubuhay magpakailanman: oo at ang tinapay na aking ibibigay ay ang aking laman (ang "laman" ni Jesus ay sumisimbolo sa Kaniyang mga salita), sa (espirituwal na) ikabubuhay ng sanglibutan (ng tao)."

Ang "tinapay" ay sumisimbolo sa purong salita ni Jesus. Kaya't ang sabihing "Hindi sa tinapay lamang mabubuhay ang tao kundi sa bawa't salitang lumalabas sa bibig ng Dios," ito ay nangangahulugan na ang tao ay hindi sa basta lamang salita o sa basta kapaliwanagan ng mga lider ng pananampalataya espirituwal na mabubuhay ang isang tao kundi sa purong salita ng Dios na "walang dagdag" (o hindi iniiba ang mensahe), at "walang kulang" (o tinatanggap ang lahat ng nasusulat at hindi namimili lamang ng talata).

Sa kasaysayang ito ay ipinakikita rin na kung paanong ang espirituwal na himala sa Dios ay ang pagpapagaling sa mga may espirituwal na karamdaman gaya ng pagpapagaling sa kaluluwa, pagpapalakad sa espirituwal na pilay na hindi lumalakad sa tamang daan ng kaligtasan, pagpapagaling sa espirituwal na bulag na di nakakakilala sa Dios, atbp., kay Satanas at sa kaniyang mga anak (ang mga nasa hiduwang pananampalataya), ang "himala" ay inaakala nilang kababalaghan o isang uri ng mahiko (ito ay mula sa salitang "Ipagutos mo na ang mga batong ito ay maging mga tinapay"). Evangelio na katotohanan at ang pangangaral nito ang nakapagpapagaling sa mga may espirituwal na maysakit:

Mateo 4:23 "At nilibot ni Jesus ang buong Galilea, na nagtuturo sa mga sinagoga nila, at ipinangangaral ang evangelio ng kaharian, at nagpapagaling ng lahat ng sarisaring sakit at ng lahat ng karamdaman na nasa mga tao.

Satan can only perceive material-physical things. Jesus Christ is speaking "spiritual things." Are not people who do not truly recognize the True Christ see the fasting of Jesus as Satan did? Thus they follow LITERAL FASTING and hungers for LITERAL BREAD, instead of SPIRITUAL fasting hungering for the pure word of God, which is the BREAD OF LIFE.

Dito ay makikita natin kung gaano kapanganib na ang salita ng Dios ay unawain at ipangaral ng mga tao sa literal na paraan.[/QUOTE]

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Gideon learned the lesson of Joah and Abraham (continuation)


The real nature of man is alluded to by Paul as "the old man in the man." "Bowing down upon the knees to drink water" therefore means soulishness, the opposite of spirituality.

7. Soulishness is the love for the use of the intellect and feeling. These are the fruits of the soul. Human reasoning and emotion make man to think of himself - that is the equivalent of "bowing down upon the knees to drink water." Water is "people." "People" refer to other people and to man himself. The mind and emotion are stumbling blocks to the acceptance of spiritual things. Human reasoning and feeling, and spiritual things are "natural enemies. The intellect and feeling are the components that make spiritual things foolishness to the natural man.

1Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man (Ang taong ayon sa laman o taong literal na inuunawa ang Biblia sa paggamit ng sariling kaisipan at pisikal na karunungan + pilosopiya) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God (ay hindi tumatanggap ng mga espirituwal na bagay o "mga bagay ng Dios"): for they are foolishness unto him (sapagka't ang mga ito lalo pa ang espirituwal na wika ni Jesus ay kamangmangan at katawa-tawa para sa kaniya at ang karunungan ay ang literal): neither can he know them (wala ngang kaalaman ang mga taong ayon sa laman o mga taong nabibilang sa mga relihiyon sa mga espirituwal na bagay, dahil ang Espiritu ni Cristo ay hindi sumasa kanila - Roma 8:9), because they are spiritually discerned."

8. The fact that the nine thousand seven hundred (9,700) men were included among the ten thousand (10,000), who were "not fearful and afraid," indicates that they also believed in God as the remaining three hundred (300) men. This signifies religiosity. Were not the Scribes and Pharisees during the time of Christ very religious and very confident of their relationship with their God?

9. But religiosity does not mean spirituality. The reader must understand the distinction between the two, in the same way that he must see the difference between the natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14 ) and the spiritual man:

1Corinthians 2:15 "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (may "kaisipan ni Cristo" dahil sumasa kanila ang Espiritu ni Cristo)."

10. Realizing this distinction, could we now see the wisdom of God in only choosing three hundred (300) of the original thirty two thousand (32,000) men?

11. The three hundred (300) men are the "little ones." They are the "little chilldren," the "babes" who "had not known good and evil" and therefore "did not bow down to the spiritual water."

12. No wonder the nine thousand seven hundred (9,700) who showed "soulishness" were kicked out, for they could not have "hated their own selves, their parents, their children, their spouse" (which is their own SOUL - Deuteronomy 13:6) and followed what is spiritually right as our Lord put it in LUKE 14:26. Certainly, they would not have made worthy spiritual warriors against evil and wickedness, against falsehood and deception, and had not the strength to condemn precepts and wisdom of men, and anything against the truth.

13. Those who "lapped with their hands to drink water" did not show much subservience to the "old man" in the man, in comparison. These were the equivalent of "the little ones." Paul saw himself within this category. Paul typified a spiritual man as "a little one." While he had the "old man" in him, he however had the desire and the will to put it away. That is why he said in:

1 CORINTHIANS 15:31 "...I die daily."

Death of the "old self" is inversely proportional to spiritual perfection.

14. The victory of Gideon and his three hundred (300) men over the one hundred thirty five thousand (135,000) enemies could not have been accounted to their own personal and individual capabilities. It was by the power of God, with His mercy, that man is able to defeat Satan and his evil spirits. Satan represents anthing not of God, not of the truth, or not of God's word. These are the enemies in the eyes of God.

TO BE CONTINUED

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DIYOS o aming DIYOS na Pinakamakapangyarihan, pasasalamat at pagbubunyi sa Iyo sa mga nasusulat na walang humpay na binabahagi dito para sa mga nanumbalik na mga batang maliit.

JESUS OF THE (ORIGINAL) APOSTLES


- "JESUS is the TRUTH, the WAY, and the LIFE"

- With the different identities of JESUS being peddled in the pulpits and religious rallies today, Christianity has become a "market place" for TRUTHS and WAYS to eternal life.

- How and where can we find, and who can tell us the "teachings of the Apostles about Jesus?"


A WARNING TO ALL:


The apostles forewarned the people to the onslaught of the enemy with the following guidelines:

2 Corinthians 11:4 "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

Galatians 1:8 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

The apostles emphasized the need to identify the real Jesus that they recognized, because it was prophesied that "other Jesus’s" would be preached to the people.

Recognition of the REAL JESUS is the only way to the truth, for CHRIST IS THE TRUTH (John 14:6). The world is virtually showered with "truths" by people professing to be prophets, apostles, preachers, teachers, and evangelists of Jesus Christ. Our Lord gave the warning:

Matthew 24:5 " For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

Para sa ikaliliwanag ng Mateo 24:5, kunin natin ang talatang ito:

Revelation 1913 "And he (JESUS CHRIST) was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."

Ang espirituwal na pangalan ni Jesucristo ay "ANG SALITA NG DIOS" gaya ng nasasaad. Kaya't ang sabihin na "Marami ang magsisiparito sa aking pangalan, na mangagsasabi, Ako ang Cristo; at ililigaw ang marami," ang nauuna na "Marami ang magsisiparito sa Aking pangalan" ay nangangahulugan na marami ang mangangaral ng evangelio.

Ang "CRISTO" dahil katumbas ng pagiging TAGAPAGLIGTAS, at si Jesus ang KATOTOHANAN, hindi man literal na sinasabi ng mga lider ng pananampalataya na "Ako ang Cristo," lumalabas na sila ang tumatayong Tagapagligtas. At hindi rin baga't ang lahat ng naglipanang mga sekta ng pananampalataya ay nagsasabing sila ang nasa katotohanan (katumbas ito ng sinabi ni Jesus sa Juan 14:6 na "Ako ang katotohanan")?

Maaaring ikatuwiran nila na ang pangangaral ng evangelio ay isang utos ng Dios. Tama. Ang tanong: Ang kanila bang mga ipinangangaral ay eksakto sa mga mensaheng ipinararating ng Dios?

Matthew 24:23-25 "Then if any man (sino man sa mga lider ng pananampalataya o alinman sa kani-kanilang mga miembro) shall say unto you (ang magsasabi), Lo, here is Christ (kami ang nasa katotohanan o "Kami ang katotohanan"), or there (o ang alinman sa iba pang mga sekta ng pananampalataya); believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs (mga taong tatayong mga Tagapagligtas), and false prophets (ang mga lider ng pananampalataya na huhulaan o bibigyang kahulugan ang mga kaganapan ng mga sinasabi ng Dios), and shall show great signs and wonders (kakikitaan ng mga kababalaghan sa halip na espirituwal na mga himala).... 25 Behold, I have told you before."

There is only one REAL JESUS; so there is only one TRUTH.

Today, people recognize different Jesus’s and believe different truths. Since the 2nd century A.D., different doctrines introducing JESUS have cropped up. Among the many (tingnan po ninyong mabuti na TAO ang nag-imbento ng kani-kanilang doktrina na liko sa salita ng Dios):

1. The Sabellian or Oneness doctrine teaches that Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit. The name of God is Jesus Christ. (Advocated by Sabellius in the 2nd century A.D.)

Ang doktrinang "si Jesucristo ang tunay na Dios" gaya ng nasasaad sa 1 Juan 5:20 ay isang katotohanan. Ganoon pa man, dahil ang kanilang unawa sa Biblia ay literal, at sinasabi naman ng Dios na ang Kaniyang wika ay espirituwal (Juan 6:63), inililigaw pa rin nila ang marami.

2. The Arian doctrine teaches that Jesus is only a man, and never a God. (Espoused by Arius, 265-356 A.D.)

3. The Trinitarian doctrine teaches that God is composed of three divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person is a God, but one person is not the other two persons. (Championed by Athanasius, 295-373 A.D.)

4. The Heraclian doctrine teaches that Jesus is the Father, and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God. (Endorsed by Heraclius in the 6th century A.D.)

5. The Jehovah doctrine teaches that God is Jehovah, the Almighty God; and Jesus is only a Mighty God. (The name Jehovah was coined by Cardinal Peter Galatin in 1518 A.D.)

How easy for people to recognize the DIFFERENT JESUS'S, and believe the different "TRUTHS," because all doctrines are supported by Bible verses! The guide given by God, however, is incontrovertible - IT IS MUST BE IN LINE WITH THE (ORIGINAL) APOSTLES’ TEACHINGS.

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


God’s prerogative of choice


God's selection of Gideon's men, or any man for that matter, was illustrated by our Lord Jesus Christ in His The Parable of the Net.

MATTHEW 13:47-48 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away."

Can the fisherman be faulted for retaining some and throwing away the others? Certainly, not one of the fishes could question the fisherman for doing so, for he know what he was doing.

If man accepts God's omniscience, he could never question Him for His prerogative of choice for this is based on His foreknowledge. Man is never deprived of his free will. He is free to make his own decision and God will never take a hand to control him. But God will never go wrong with His judgment. Who can accept this fundamental truth?


TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Man’s concept for the saved


Man's notion for the number of people to be saved is just the opposite of God's concept. In practically all religious sects that compose today's Christianity, man's boasting is that of the number. Thus, we hear things as:

"We are many here."

"We compose the majority."

"Our number is increasing in leaps and bounds."

"We must be on the right track, judging by the size of our membership."

"The majority must be correct."

In other words, man is taken by the bandwagon mentality. These are all the fruits of the intellect and feeling. It is easy for man to see goodness in many people. Man sees righteousness all around by good human relations and throught various charitable activities. This is so because man has established his own standard of "good and evil." This is the "knowledge" that he acquired after the Fall.

Man knows about the fewness of the chosen people in the Old Testament. From Adam to Gideon, as discussed, man no longer believes that this could still be true in the New Testament, after "God was manifest in the flesh." Man reasons out, "God has already changed. He is now a loving and merciful God. That is precisely the reason why Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to save many people from eternal damnation." What man seems to overlook is the immutability of God:

MALACHI 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I change not..."

and the unchangeability of His word, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away."

ECCLESIASTES 1:9 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."


TO BE CONTINUED

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Ayon sa mateo 18:3 na nagiging matibay na gabay ng mga mumunting bata ay nararapat rin naman na ang pagbabasa ng Bibliya ay ito ang ating napakasagradong susundin. Sa ating kapanahunan ngayon ay tunay namang maraming nalilinlang dahil sa mga mabulaklak na mga pagpapahayag ng mga naglipanang mga mangangaral.

JESUS OF THE (ORIGINAL) APOSTLES


GOD IS REPRESENTED BY HIS WORDS (John 1:1)


God teaches us how to read the Holy Bible:


Isaiah 28:10 (KJV) "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:"


A topic should be set, and this is explained by "LINE UPON LINE, HERE A LITTLE AND THERE A LITTLE." With God’s design and from His direction, we get the great spiritual message of His words.


HUMAN INNOVATION IN THE WORDS OF GOD:


Man, however, improved the words of God by providing the following:

1. The Bible was divided into CHAPTERS by Stephen Langton about 1228 A.D.

2. The Old Testament was divided into VERSES by R. Nathan in 1448 A.D., several decades before Columbus discovered America.

3. The New Testament was divided into VERSES by Robert Stephanus in 1551 A.D.

4. The entire Bible, divided into chapters and verses, first appeared in 1560 A.D. in the Geneva Bible. This was at the height of the Inquisition period.

We cannot therefore rely on the CHAPTERS and VERSES to get the required message for these are but the brainchild of men. To do so, the reader will end up taking the CONTEXT of the story, resulting in the loss of the great spiritual message of the word. Only God is the authority to direct us in reading the Holy Bible. Human intelligence cannot supersede divine wisdom.


A GUIDE TO THE TRUTH


Galatians 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

a) Following the guide, if Paul or John or Matthew, and the other apostles, appear to us today, and speak contradicting what they have written in the gospels and epistles, LET US NOT BELIEVE THEM. They must be impostors!

b) Following the guide, if an angel, or Virgin Mary, or any saint, in apparition perform wonders, and speak not in accordance with what the apostles have written in the gospels and epistles, LET US NOT BELIEVE THEM. They must be impersonators!

1. According to the gospel of PAUL, if we are to ask Who the God is (and how many), the answer is precise with a LINE, not the verse.

1 Corinthians 8:6 "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

2. According to the gospel JOHN, if we are to ask what the form of God is, the answer is precise with a LINE, not the verse:

John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

3. According to the gospel of PAUL, if we are to ask what this ONE SPIRIT GOD did, the answer is clear-cut with a LINE, not the verse:

1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV only) "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

4. According to the gospel of PAUL, if we are to ask Who the FATHER GOD IN THE FLESH is, the answer is definite with the LINE, not the verse:

Philippians 2:5-8 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

5. According to the gospel of MATTHEW, if we are to ask our Lord Jesus Whom to worship only, the answer is definite with the LINES, not the verse:

Matthew 4:10 "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

6. According to the gospel of MATTHEW, if we are to ask if the FATHER GOD in the FLESH was worshipped, the answer is factual with the LINES, not the verses:

Matthew 2:11 "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (The Wise Men from the East.)

Matthew 8:2 "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."

Matthew 28:9 "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."

John 9:38 "And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him." (The man born blind.)

Luke 24:52 "And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:" (The disciples after the resurrection of Christ.)

TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


The chosen in 30-33 A.D.


Is the truth that had been proven since Abel and Seth, to Noah, to Abraham, to Gideon, be equally true during the time of Jesus Christ? Many believe that this trend of "only a few" had been shattered when "God was manifest flesh." Many people will be astonished that Jesus Christ Who said this in MATTHEW 22:14, is the one Who was to prove it in His own ministry.

From the time our Lord changed water into wine to the amazement of many people, to the many sick people He healed, to the five thousand (5,000) He fed in one occasion and another four thousand (4,000) men in another, excluding women and children, those great multitudes of people that followed and listened to His sermons - Jesus Christ was only demonstrating how "He called many people."

It will show that SALVATION is centered on the true recognition of Jesus Christ. Watch how He underscored the importance of His identity.

JOHN 8:24 "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins; for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

JOHN 5:43 "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."

JOHN 8:28 "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man (not people and self), then shall ye know that I am he..."

JOHN 10:25-30 "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not, the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear (understand) my voice (spiritual language), and I know (choose) them, and they follow (obey and submit to) me......I and my Father are one."

But how many of the multitudes who listened to His sermons really recognized Jesus? How easy to say, "He is the Christ." How simple to speak of, "Jesus is the Son of the living God." But do people realize that to profess this, it must have come from the "Father which is in heaven?"

TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Identity of God and idolatry


If the reader will notice, in almost everything Jesus Christ did He directed the attention of the listeners either to the introduction of the Father or to Himself. Could we not see this as the great subject in the book of John? Did He have to do this? Did not His listeners, the Jews, presumed to have known the Father Who is the God and the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Could we not relate this to what Paul wrote as he emphasized his own, and the other apostles', recognition of God?

1 CORINTHIANS 8:6 "But to us there is but one God, the Father;...and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

What did Paul and the other apostles see in:

DEUTERONOMY 6:4 "Hear (listen intently), O Israel (chosen): The Lord (Jesus Christ is the only Lord) our God (our Father) is one Lord."

What did Paul and the other apostles see in Jesus (in His role as Son of God) giving "the First of all the commandments," when He was asked by Scribe in:

MARK 12:28 "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?"

MARK 12:29 "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord."

In the New International Version of the Bible, and other translations, the phrase "first commandment" is changed to "the most important commandment."

It was after Jesus Christ said this that He began summarizing "the laws and the prophets" into just two commandments of, "loving God and that of the neighbor ( "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" - Ibigin mo ang kaligtasan ng iyong kapwa pili na binabahaginan siya ng katotohanan para sa kaniyang ikaliligtas, gaya ng kung paano mo inibig ang iyong sariling kaligtasan)."

Could we see in the same manner the listing of the Ten Commandments, the first being directed to the identification of God and the command not worship "another?"

EXODUS 20:2-3 "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt , out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Did the Jews, in the eyes of Jesus Christ, truly recognize the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? This was answered by our Lord in:

JOHN 8:19 "Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father; if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also (Kung Ako ay mangakikilala ninyo, ay mangakikilala na din ninyo ang Aking Ama, na Ako at ang Ama ay iisa at siya din)."

TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Identity of God and idolatry (continuation)


If the Jews did not know the God that they were worshipping, could that be acceptable to God? The following matters need to be considered:

1. Peter wrote that, in order to purify the soul, one needs to obey the truth:

1 PETER 1:22 "...ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit..."

What is one truth to consider here? The truth is, as Jesus stated in MARK 12:29, before being able to love God and the neighbor, one has to know and clearly recognize, "The one Lord and one God." This is the "first" or the "greatest" of all the commandments, according to Him.

2. In the eyes of Jesus Christ, did the Jews recognize "the Lord and God?" If not, were they able to obey the truth?

3. What more, what was in the heart of the Jews was exposed through the word as Jeremiah wrote:

JEREMIAH 24:7 "And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart."

If only the Jews returned to God with their whole heart, then they would have been given a heart to know the Father and Jesus Christ!

4. As it was, Jesus saw them as not having returned with their whole heart for they did not recognize Him!

5. Another truth that was evidently inconsistent with the claim of the Jews was:

JEREMIAH 31:34 "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord...":

For not properly identifying Jesus Christ and the Father, the Jews who were the physical descendants of Abraham were not truly the spiritual chosen people of God; but only the disciples who recognized Him. However, the Jews were claiming all along that they were the direct physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.


TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Identity of God and idolatry (continuation)


6. Our Lord was speaking spiritual things, but the Jews could only understand physical things. And for this reason, our Lord was completely justified in calling the Jews as:

JOHN 8:44 "Ye are the sons of your father the devil...he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

7. But the Jews insisted on being the children of Abraham, and did not listen to what Jesus Christ was telling them. Therefore, Jesus gave this sweeping statement:

JOHN 8:47 "He that is of God heareth God's (spiritual) words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

JOHN 8:37 "I know that ye are Abraham's seeds; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."

8. Physically the Jews were the children of Abraham and the Bible talks of them as the chosen people of God in the Old Testament. Spiritually, they were not because they are not "of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 3:29). Could we now see very clearly the spiritual aspect of the word of God?

9. Spiritually, only the disciples of Christ who recognized Him, understood what He said, followed Him, and remained faithful to Him, were the real spiritual chosen people of God. These were the "little ones who had not knowledge of good and evil."

10. These were not many. In fact, they were only a "handful" as shown in the account of the apostles themselves.

ACTS 2:1-3 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."

ACTS 1:15 "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples... (the number of names together were about a hundred and twenty.)

Harvest for our Lord's own ministry confirmed His statement, "For many are called, but few are chosen."


TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


The time of the apostles


Was the trend reversed during the time of the apostles? We find in the book of Acts that Christ's disciples aggressively preached the gospel, and instances of mass "conversions" were recorded:

ACTS 2:40-41 "And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

ACTS 4:4 "Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand."

Let us not misconstrue the people who are "called" and those that are "chosen." Did we not see the same thing in the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ? Multitudes heard "the voice shouting in the wilderness" and were baptized by John. Many of these followed our Lord. Great multitudes followed our Lord in the mountains, along the seashore, and wherever He went. He fed five thousand men in one instance, and another four thousand men excluding women and childrren in another. He healed many people from their diseases. Were these great multitudes really "chosen," or were they only "called?" Succeeding events led to the answer. Our Lord was arrested, and later mocked and tortured. He was presented to the high priests, and lastly to Pontious Pilate. When Pilate presented Jesus Christ and Barrabas to the Jews for their choice, where were these great multitudes? Did the people of Israel hear a dissenting voice from a deafening shout "CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!?

Where were these great multitudes when the promised Holy Spirit came at Pentecost? Did not the apostles only counted a scanty one hundred twenty (120) deserving souls at the time of final accounting? Could people still insist on thwarting the great message of, "many are called, but few are chosen," and keep on invoking God's mercy and love? Man should be able to distinguish truth from the dictate of his intellect and the influence of his feeling.


TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


The time of the apostles (continuation)


The acts of the apostles confirmed the trend set by our Lord. They were always aware of the wiles of the tempter, that they were not lacking in their warning to the Christians:

1. Warning for the preaching of another gospel different from the original teaching of the apostles:

GALATIANS 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man (natural man) preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

Paul felt that some people were creeping and tried to inject strange doctrines different from the original gospel. Religious sects will take this warning of Paul as referring to the doctrines of the opposing denominations which are different from their respective doctrines. Let this serve as a stern reminder.

TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


The time of the apostles (continuation)


2. Paul again warned of an introduction of "another Jesus" different from the Jesus recognized by divine revelation:

2 CORINTHIANS 11:4 "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

Would Paul give this warning if he did not sense that a different Jesus or different recognitions about Jesus, were being introduced to the product of mass conversions of Christians? Let us remember that the Bible is the inspired word of God. This warning of Paul was confirmed historically, when Constantine the Great called the Nicaean Council of 325 A.D. In that "religious summit," a clash of beliefs ensued among the followers of Arius, and the followers of Athanasius. The followers of Arius defended his teaching denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, while the followers of Athanasius took the stand of Jesus Christ being both God and man.

3. Paul again warned of strange doctrines that could waylay those who found the truth by writing:

EPHESIANS 4:14 "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried with every wind of doctrine, by the sleights of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

How deceitful indeed is Satan when people are misled into thinking that this refers to their respective religious sects. Paul directed this admonition to the Christians who followed the original and perfect Christianity. May the reader see the distinction between the original and perfect Christianity, from the kind that he has in mind.

With all these warnings which we did not even hear from Jesus Christ during His time, could the great message of, "many are called, but few are chosen," be possibly reversed in the ministry of the apostles? Do we expect the reversal of the trend set by our Lord inspite of the jitters expressed by the apostles, which all pointed to the continuance of the trend? We will find later that the answer is being confirmed by present day events on Christianity.


TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Post-apostolic time to the present


Events following the apostolic age dictated today's Christian religious realities. This only authenticated Christ's classic pronouncement, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

The teaching of the different doctrines on the identity of Jesus, as Paul warned in 2 CORINTHIANS 11:4, came into reality; and today we are to be the living witnesses! The Sabellian or Oneness doctrine in the second (2nd) century, the Arian doctrine and the Athanasian Creed or the Trinitarian doctrine in the third (3rd) century A.D., became the foundations of 20th-21st century religious sects belief in God. These are what compose modern Christianity. Non-Bible believing people will wonder why so-called Christians today cannot see eye to eye on this matter.

The basic issue remains to be real identity of Jesus Christ. If one will notice, Jesus Christ concentrated on the introduction of Himself - through the "declaration and manifestation of the name of the Father." But it was very clear the Jews missed His point. The Jews professed sonship of Abraham, and affirmed worshipping the God of David , called the Lord of hosts, the God that never change, and the first and the last. But our Lord rebutted the claim of the Jews by saying:

JOHN 8:19 "...Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father; if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."


TO BE CONTINUED

[tiburcioSais]

GOD, thank you soooo much for the Spiritual revelations from YOUR written scriptures too far out contrasting the letter for letter, words upon words interpretations. No wonder that by this scholastic knowledge, unbelief and deception abound.

False prophets are peddling "truth" using the Holy Bible as basis. Many people are deceived who cannot distinguish between God and human doctrines. Both God and human doctrines are supported by Bible verses! TRUTH finds no contradiction to what is written although very repulsive to the intellect and feeling. DECEPTIONS or falsehood concocted through human wisdom with philosophy will surely find discrepancy with the word of God, provoking many questions remaining unanswered.That is how real Christians identify the spiritual enemy.

Numbers 6:2 " Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite… 5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head:…and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

"No razor come upon his head and let the locks of the hair to grow." - Samson was a Nazarite, meaning, "there shall no razor come upon his head, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow." God does not make distinction between physical gender:

Galatians 3:28 " There is neither Jew nor Greek… there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

However, God gives significance to "long hair" as referring to a "spiritual woman." To God, His chosen are His "wife," both physical male and female.

Jeremiah 3:14 " Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you."

As a Nazarite therefore, Samson was a spiritual woman, wife unto God. This meant total submission and dependence on Him. Our Lord declared this:

Ephesians 5:22 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:…"

And, it is from this spiritual relationship with God that Samson derived his strength, not of his own. Thus, the extraordinary strength, literally, but having spiritual significance.

A spiritual woman totally dependent on God is similar to being a "babe" before God:

Psalms 8:2 " Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."

Shaving the head or cutting the hair therefore indicates cessation of this spiritual relationship with God. If God is the "spiritual male" saying, "I am that I am;" shaving the head of Samson had the effect of making him also say, "I am". This means self-centeredness, self-will, self instead of God-dependent. It also meant not being a "babe" anymore that he did not have to depend on God but to himself.

matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Post-apostolic time to the present (continuation)


Comparatively, people of the 20th & 21st century Christianity profess sonship of God, and also claim worshipping the true God. Refuting the avowed knowledge and recognition of God of modern day Christianity:

1. For those claiming there is one Almighty God and one Mighty God, or one great God and one minor God; God answers them squarely in:

DEUTERONOMY 32:39 "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me..."

Is not God a jealous God? Could the Almighty God accept the worship for Mighty God without getting jealous? Let no one be blind to the contradiction and inconsistency of the truths resulting from this erroneous doctrine.

2. For those who deny the divinity of Jesus Christ, does not Jesus Christ answer them straightforwardly when He said in:

MATTHEW 4:10 "Then saith Jesus...thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

Could Jesus Christ be dishonest to Himself when He accepted the worship of His disciples?

MATTHEW 28:17 "And when they saw him, they worshipped him..."

What more, is the following verse, plus many more, not enough refuting the denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ?

1 JOHN 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true...even in his son Jesus Christ.This is the true God, and eternal life."

3. For those who simply say Jesus Christ is the Father, He is also the Son and the Holy Spirit; may the revelation of Jesus to John the apostle in the island of Patmos serve as a stern warning:

REVELATION 13:11 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon."

The real lamb is Jesus Christ. The dragon is identified as the old serpent:

REVELATION 12:9 "And a great Dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world..."

The counterfeit lamb is distinguished by the language of the real lamb. While the counterfeit looks like the real lamb, the language of the real exposes the imitation lamb. Here is the language of the real Lamb:

JOHN 6:63 "...the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit..."

ROMANS 7:14 "For we (Paul and the real Christians) know that the law is spiritual..."

The real Lamb speaks the SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE, while the counterfeit lamb articulates the LITERAL LANGUAGE of the Old Serpent.


TO BE CONTINUED

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Post-apostolic time to the present (continuation)


4. For those who say Jesus Christ is the Father, and the Holy Spirit is but a force of God, here is what the Bible says:

2 CORINTHIANS 3:17 "Now the Lord is that Spirit..."

Who is the Lord? who is the Spirit? What more, why did Jesus say in:

JOHN 14:23 "...if a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

If Jesus said that it is He and the Father Who reside in the believer, why does Paul say, the one actually residing in the real Christians is the Holy Spirit?

1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you...?"

5. For those who say that Jesus Christ is only one of the three (3) divine persons of God: the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Son; and these three are all Gods distinct and separate from each other, who really is the one true God? It is very easy to say that there is only one God and one Lord! But how does God clearly become one under this doctrine? If each of the three persons is a God, and one is not the other two, how could there be one true God and one clearly recognizable Lord? What is the name of the one Lord and one God?

Believing in one God is not enough. That is only the category of the devils:

JAMES 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe..."

[Tagapagmasid]

@ aida: kamusta na?

[tiburcioSais]

GOD' Words only from Spiritual Truth, line upon line; line upon line; here a little; there a little.

For being the littlest child within our midst at this point in time, thank you aida for unitiringly sharing GOD ' s written Words here which are unyielding deemed endless living Spiritual Truth from HIS Sacred Book taken as a whole
and not being particularly attentive to amuse anybody.

THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS - Building the "Spiritual Life"


How easy for many people to say, "We are saved by the blood of the Lamb." But only a few believe it is the TRUTH in the word that cleanses the sins of the humble. All these came about from the TESTAMENT OF SALVATION promised by the FATHER GOD, and fulfilled by the death of the maker thereof:


Hebrews 9:16 "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator."


For the Spirit God to fulfill His testament by His death, "He had to manifest Himself in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV only) now known as the Son Jesus Christ. This "mystery" is revealed in the following:


1 John 3:16 KJV only "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to…"


With the shedding of blood on the cross, the promised INHERITANCE (God Himself promised to be the inheritance in Ezekiel 44:28, and later on revealed as the HOLY SPIRIT in John 7:39, Acts 2:1-4) is made available to those who believe:


John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."


Thus, Jesus calls Himself the "bread of life."


John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."


To take the word to the "letter," how could this be possible? Who, then, can explain the "spirit" of the word but God alone through His words.


John 6:54 "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life… 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."


The "flesh and blood" of Jesus is revealed in the "miracle" when Simon Peter clearly recognized Him:


Matthew 16:15 "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."


True recognition of JESUS cannot come from "flesh and blood," where "“flesh and blood" means the wisdom or rationality of man. The wisdom of man comes from the dictate of the intellect and feeling or emotion. Emotion is mistakenly felt as coming from the Holy Spirit. Thus for Simon Peter, the non-use or renunciation of his "flesh and blood" gave way to the "flesh and blood of Jesus" that revealed the TRUTH to him.


Therefore the "flesh of Jesus" refers to the "letter" of His words. His "blood" represents the Holy Spirit the shedding of which cleared the way of His availability to those who believe. It is the Holy Spirit that "quickens the dead letter" or reveals the meaning of the word. This serves as the "living bread."


John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."


Now these words of our Lord present a "new" meaning:


John 6:54 "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life…"


But many of those who heard this left Him because they could not understand what our Lord meant:


John 6:60 "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."


But the Apostles who were "converted like little children" (Matthew 18:3) remained with Him:


John 6:67 "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."


It is from this perspective that our Lord said:


Matthew 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."

[aida]

THE CHOSEN FEW


Post-apostolic time to the present (continuation)


God is never a mystery to His chosen. The very first thing that God does is to reveal Himself to His people. This is not only true in the Old but in the New Testament as well:

ISAIAH 48:16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning..."

HEBREWS 8:11 "And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all (CHOSEN) shall know me, from the least to the greatest."

Proponents of the Trinity Doctrine interpose the defense by quoting:

DEUTERONOMY 29:29 "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

The three so-called persons of God cannot possibly fall under the category of secret things, because the Bible defines secret things and revealed things. Secret things are those that are not written in the holy Scripture:

REVELATION 10:4 "And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."

The Bible contains things about the Father, about the Son, and about the Holy Spirit: their NAME (Acts 2:38), and their being ONE (1 John 5:7). Therefore, these things cannot be secret!

To invoke the mystery of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is an open admission that God is not truly recognized. This is what our Lord saw in the religious people during His time!

JOHN 8:54-55 "Jesus answered... it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him..."