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Post by Admin on Aug 26, 2018 13:01:46 GMT -6
Study Begins: August 26, 2018
Discussion Begins: September 02, 2018
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Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. English Standard Version (ESV) |
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John R
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Post by John R on Aug 27, 2018 10:20:26 GMT -6
In Matthew 12:34-37 Jesus lashes out at the Pharisees, "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Jesus confirming James' teaching here on the tongue.
In the flesh we are capable of speaking words of hurt and encouragement with the same tongue. However, if our hearts our filled with anger the hurtful words will flow readily and not give way to encouragement. In the case of religious teachers, double speak (Jesus said) will be judged because God sees what's at the heart of our speech. If we can lift up others with encouraging words about the faith and later speak harshly with hatred, our hearts tell on us that the encouragement was merely for show. This two faced nature was exposed by Jesus to call them to repentance.
I am guilty at times of the same crimes and as a leader of a small group, I pray for God's mercy on judgement day. Only Christ can cover my sins.
Blessings!
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JB
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Post by JB on Sept 1, 2018 11:06:12 GMT -6
1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
Not everyone should teach. 1 Corinthians 12:28 and 14:26 both point out that God has called on certain people to teach.
As one whose primary ministry has been teaching Bible since 1987, this verse haunts me at times. I am a very flawed and imperfect Christian. I know, we’re all supposed to think and say that about ourselves, but I really am.
2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
James is one to whom Christ showed Himself after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Paul referred to him as one of the 3 pillars of the church (Galatians 2:9). It is somehow comforting to me for him to admit publicly and in writing that he stumbles.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Small bits control large horses, small rudders control large ships, small sparks ignite forest fires. Similarly, James implies, a foul or loose or destructive tongue can destroy a person’s morals. A small error in teaching can grow into major heresy. A small sin, once it becomes acceptable, can result in widespread apostasy.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.
It’s easy to read v.9 too quickly and miss the core message: It should be no easier to speak badly against any human than it is to speak badly against God Himself. We can only treat human beings badly if we forget how deep the Father’s love is for them and the unfathomable value He places on them – enough to die the brutal death of a sinner for them.
10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Praising God and treating a human being poorly is inconsistent and two-faced because dishonoring one of His creations is dishonoring Him. There are no conditions placed on this. It doesn’t matter if the other person has been horrible to you or harmed you or your loved ones. There simply is no excuse.
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elacey
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Post by elacey on Sept 9, 2018 11:44:00 GMT -6
What is the nature of your inner-self?
Freshwater or Salty?
The tongue is like a spring flowing with water that comes from your soul.
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John R
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Post by John R on Sept 11, 2018 9:14:26 GMT -6
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I want to write here something that is heavy on my heart. For sometime now, I have struggled with finding a church for my wife and I to attend. I have asked for prayer and I believe God is working in my life through this issue. Please continue to pray for His will to be done. That said, in the course of this situation, I was given a book by another brother in Christ who said that I should read it. I started it yesterday and am about half way through and I am blown away and terrified at the thought of eternity without Christ!
The book is called, "Driven by Eternity," by John Bevere. In the Preface Bevere writes, "The day will come when each of us will stand before God. The question is, will we be ready? Scripture exhorts us, 'Brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election.' (2 Peter 1:10 NET) The operative word here is sure." He continues, "Were you ever sure of something only to later find out you were wrong?....I didn't want to make (that) mistake with eternity....The sobering fact is that when we stand before our Creator, it is too late for a do-over. My hope and prayer is that as you read or re-read this message, the Holy Spirit will use it to move you forward to your greatest eternal potential-forever changed by His grace and mercy."
Well brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit is moving in me. Perhaps I can't find a church because so many are not heavenly (eternity) focused? Perhaps most who are going to these places are filling the pews without any life change (likely not even Christians!). "By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him." (1 John 2: 3-5) However, this fact does not relieve me from my obligation to keep looking! That is not my point here. (excuse my rambling, please!)
Is the Church ineffective because most who are inside the walls or call themselves Christians, live double lives, rather than transformed lives. If the Body was effective, we would not have abortion ("legal or not), same sex marriage, a transgender movement, rampant divorce among professing believers, pornography, and on and on. How can the Catholic church scandal exist in a body of believers who are concerned about their eternal destiny? The passage in James about teachers being held to a higher standard is particularly important here!
We need to take obedience and reverence to God seriously! Please pray that our Body will repent and seek His face before it is too late for a do-over!
Blessings! John |
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elacey
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Post by elacey on Sept 11, 2018 13:33:53 GMT -6
John I agree with everything except that PORN is bad. **That's a little joke just to see if people actually read what I post. John... Im having a hard time with the entire Religion myself some days... especially in the backdrop of our polarized culture in the good ole USofA. But that doesn't change how I feel about Jesus and I always go back to this. Not my job to pull weeds. God has a plan. “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ” Matthew 13:29-30 NIV bible.com/bible/111/mat.13.29-30.NIV |
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elacey
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Post by elacey on Sept 11, 2018 13:58:10 GMT -6
He said... let them grow TOGETHER
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Post by Admin on Sept 12, 2018 4:19:51 GMT -6
... My point is the Church ineffective because most who are inside the walls or call themselves Christians, live double lives, do not live transformed lives, etc. If the Body was effective, we would not have abortion ("legal or not), same sex marriage, a transgender movement, rampant divorce among professing believers, pornography, and on and on. How can the Catholic church scandal exist in a body of believers who are concerned about our eternal destiny?
We need to take obedience and reverence to God seriously! Please pray that our Body will repent and seek His face before it is too late for a do-over!
Blessings! John Satan is the great deceiver; we know that. But that means that self-proclaimed Satanists, occultists, Wiccans, etc. are his weakest soldiers! They are and always will be part of the subculture. Most
people look at them, recognize them, and look away.
Satan's most effective warriors are in the mainstream: Misguided, apathetic Joe and Jane Schmos who work in the office next to yours, maybe even share your Sunday pew. They live "normal" lives. But their minds are deceived and their lives are permeated by subtle, socially acceptable, ungodly attitudes. Such "innocent Satanists" have the greatest influence in our world.
Is it possible that some of Satan's strongest influence comes even through members of Christ's church? |
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elacey
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Post by elacey on Sept 15, 2018 8:33:03 GMT -6
I'm not willing to go down rabbit holes anymore and call this "bible study".
With all due respect ...this is what I understand that you are stating John.
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"If the church was effective, we would not have weeds."
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As Jesus clearly taught us, we the workers in the field should not concern ourselves with the weeds.
The truth is that we are all hypocrites and weeds are everywhere including my home, your home, JBs home, and name the holiest person you know...
This is the nature of life.
Why should we not concern ourselves with the weeds?
Because when we try to uproot the weed, we uproot the wheat. That means an infant believer who the Church was having success with suddenly says ... "No thank you"
The Church IS EFFECTIVE. Think about where it started in Acts.
I believe when we try to pull the weeds... Satan is cheering us on.
We should follow Jesus instruction here.
Let the weeds GROW (alongside the wheat). That means homosexuality condoned by your fellow church member.
This is exactly the picture that Jesus painted for us in my humble opinion.
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John R
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Post by John R on Oct 5, 2018 5:41:50 GMT -6
Not trying to argue with anyone. I simply point out that the mainline churches are full every Sunday with record crowds and growing congregations as our society marches further and further into darkness. I agree with the truth of the parable of the wheat and the tares, but I have also an obligation to separate ourselves from unbelievers (2 Cor 6: 14-17). Our study of James reveals that some in the Church are not what they appear making them "unbelievers." Which makes the trend mentioned earlier become clear. The point I make about eternity is that we can deceive ourselves with a false notion of salvation. Jesus says, "Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness." (Luke 11:35) The entire New Testament demands that we have an obligation out of love we point out behaviors to our brothers and sisters in Christ (not unbelievers) that do not align with scripture, it keeps sin out of the Church. If the Body of Christ turns a blind eye to God's precepts through a watered down gospel we end up with a world that claims more than 80% faith in Christ yet vehemently supports murdering children in the womb. How is such a "Church" attractive to an unbeliever who lives with greater moral character?
Just food for thought everyone, because I love you all and "...depart from me" (Luke 13:27) are the most frightening words Jesus ever spoke. No rabbit hole intended. |
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