Vacation Bible School
Ok - I hope no one passes out when they visit here and see that I actually posted something new. I know, it's been awhile!
Yesterday was our kick-off for Vacation Bible School at our church. We always have our kick-off after first service - right before the Bible study class time. Then, instead of having our usual Bible study time, we have VBS. Then we go back that evening and each evening this week. The program is Friday evening, after a free cookout. One thing our church does a little different for VBS, is have classes for all ages, 0-100. We try to make it a family adventure so everyone is learning and can share together at home.
This year I have the privalege of working with the teenagers. We have a class for 7th-12th graders. Our minister is the lead teacher with four of us assisting him. This is my third year to work together with him for this age. Although our church is using Standard Publishing's "Construction Zone" material, we write our own lessons for the youth. We are tieing into the construction theme by having time to work on a real construction project, a storage shed, for our church.
When our minister and I sat down to begin working on our lessons, we tried to think back to when we were teenagers and the things that we thought about the most. We came up with: Acceptance; Fear; Independence/Dependence; Sexuality; and Pride. For Acceptance, we used the examples of the Woman at the well and the Leper. We read those stories (it was last night's lesson) and discussed how Jesus treated them differently than other people. Tonight's lesson is on Fear and we use the example of David facing Goliath. He had no fear because of his deep trust in God. Tomorrow will be Independence/Dependence. We are using the example of King Saul and the consequences of him trusting himself over God. Wednesday will be Sexuality. We are focusing on how God made us in his image, but individual as male and female. We will use scripture from Genesis and creation and then skip to Hebrews, 1 Corinthians and Romans. We will talk about sexual immorality and God's warning against because it harms us and dishonors God. We will conclude on Thursday with Pride. We will study about Saul and his pride that blinded him to the truth. Then the wonderful transformation that allowed him to put his hope in Jesus rather than his own abilities.
I am feeling good with the lessons we have chosen. Makes me think back to when I was a teen and living for myself instead of God. That is why I am passionate about working with the youth thru Sunday School and VBS. I wish I had known then, what I know now. I don't think kids truly understand the blessing of being taught God's truth and being raised in the church. Still so many continue to live in the world instead of obedient to Christ.
Would you please pray with me for the transformation of young lives this week. Lord Jesus, we come to you praising your holy name. The name above all names, Creator, Lord and Savior. We hear your name and we think, holy, glory, honor and love. We live because you died. We believe because you are worthy. Lord, right now we ask that you would be with those who attend our VBS this week. Be with those who are teaching, and those who are serving in other ways. Thank you for each and every one. Allow your love to flow through them at every moment so those who come and don't know you, will leave feeling special and valued. Lord, we pray especially for those who don't yet know you. May they understand who you are and what you have done for them. May they see that they are separated from you because of their sin and believe that you died for that sin. We ask that they would admit their sin and turn from it, accepting your free gift of grace. May they confess you as Lord of their lives. And for those who have already done that, may they continue to grow in their faith, seeking a closer relationship with you. Thank you for each and every person you bring together in VBS this week. May we be worthy teachers of your Word, bringing glory and honor to your name. Amen.
Yesterday was our kick-off for Vacation Bible School at our church. We always have our kick-off after first service - right before the Bible study class time. Then, instead of having our usual Bible study time, we have VBS. Then we go back that evening and each evening this week. The program is Friday evening, after a free cookout. One thing our church does a little different for VBS, is have classes for all ages, 0-100. We try to make it a family adventure so everyone is learning and can share together at home.
This year I have the privalege of working with the teenagers. We have a class for 7th-12th graders. Our minister is the lead teacher with four of us assisting him. This is my third year to work together with him for this age. Although our church is using Standard Publishing's "Construction Zone" material, we write our own lessons for the youth. We are tieing into the construction theme by having time to work on a real construction project, a storage shed, for our church.
When our minister and I sat down to begin working on our lessons, we tried to think back to when we were teenagers and the things that we thought about the most. We came up with: Acceptance; Fear; Independence/Dependence; Sexuality; and Pride. For Acceptance, we used the examples of the Woman at the well and the Leper. We read those stories (it was last night's lesson) and discussed how Jesus treated them differently than other people. Tonight's lesson is on Fear and we use the example of David facing Goliath. He had no fear because of his deep trust in God. Tomorrow will be Independence/Dependence. We are using the example of King Saul and the consequences of him trusting himself over God. Wednesday will be Sexuality. We are focusing on how God made us in his image, but individual as male and female. We will use scripture from Genesis and creation and then skip to Hebrews, 1 Corinthians and Romans. We will talk about sexual immorality and God's warning against because it harms us and dishonors God. We will conclude on Thursday with Pride. We will study about Saul and his pride that blinded him to the truth. Then the wonderful transformation that allowed him to put his hope in Jesus rather than his own abilities.
I am feeling good with the lessons we have chosen. Makes me think back to when I was a teen and living for myself instead of God. That is why I am passionate about working with the youth thru Sunday School and VBS. I wish I had known then, what I know now. I don't think kids truly understand the blessing of being taught God's truth and being raised in the church. Still so many continue to live in the world instead of obedient to Christ.
Would you please pray with me for the transformation of young lives this week. Lord Jesus, we come to you praising your holy name. The name above all names, Creator, Lord and Savior. We hear your name and we think, holy, glory, honor and love. We live because you died. We believe because you are worthy. Lord, right now we ask that you would be with those who attend our VBS this week. Be with those who are teaching, and those who are serving in other ways. Thank you for each and every one. Allow your love to flow through them at every moment so those who come and don't know you, will leave feeling special and valued. Lord, we pray especially for those who don't yet know you. May they understand who you are and what you have done for them. May they see that they are separated from you because of their sin and believe that you died for that sin. We ask that they would admit their sin and turn from it, accepting your free gift of grace. May they confess you as Lord of their lives. And for those who have already done that, may they continue to grow in their faith, seeking a closer relationship with you. Thank you for each and every person you bring together in VBS this week. May we be worthy teachers of your Word, bringing glory and honor to your name. Amen.
13 Comments:
At 1:09 PM, Jojo said…
Hi Madgayhousewife,
Thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I am sorry that my words were offensive to you but I will try to explain.
The Bible says that homosexuality is a sin and it says that lieing, stealing, getting drunk etc are sins. That is why I compare them - sin is sin is sin. There is no difference. I know you do not choose to be gay, but you also are not born that way. I do not believe God created you to be gay when he says it is sin. However, I do not think someone chooses to be a drunkard either. No one says, "I think I will be a drunkard and put my life and the lives of others in jeopardy each time I get drunk. I want to destroy my body by allowing alcohol to eat away at my liver, kidneys and brain etc. I want to make my life miserable as I face the consequences of my actions when I'm drunk. I choose to make my family's life hell so I will choose alcohol over them. I think the reality of a drunkard is that they are searching to fulfill what is missing in their lives. It becomes an addiction as they strive to fill a void that only Jesus can fill.
Before I got into the Word of God, I used to see things so differently. I used to listen to what I heard on TV and what I learned in school and what other people who I considered good would say. I took the things I heard and accepted them as truth because that is what made sense to me. But now I see how so many of those things did not line up with God's Word. I see how mistaken I was and how much hurt I brought to the Lord and others. I believe God's Word is the only guide we must listen to.
I do not promote nor agree with Fred Phelps. I never even knew who he was until I heard Stephen talk against him and I visited his website to see who he was. It is not my desire to make anyone's life miserable. It is my desire to live a life that is obedient to Jesus Christ. I gave my life to Him because He gave His life for me.
I will never quit offering my friendship to you or caring about you. Neither will I quit speaking what I know to be true.
God bless you, my friend,
At 9:14 PM, Jojo said…
Hi Lepido,
Thanks for reading my blog. Yea, I'm bad about not posting often.
Madgayhousewife was referring to something I said at Christinewjc's blog. Not sure why he responded here, but it's not a problem.
Our VBS is going well. We had 13 kids Sun, 16 Mon and I think 14 tonight. Our lessons have been going well and the overall attendance has been good. It is such a fun week - exhausting too! :)
At 9:04 AM, Jojo said…
Dear Madgayhousewife,
Good morning! Thank you for writing again. Seems you were writing to me the same time I was responding to Lepido.
You ask what Jesus has to say about homosexuality. It seems as if you are saying, "If you can show me where Jesus says homosexuality is wrong, then I will believe it." Well, my friend, I cannot convince you of anything. I can only share with you what I believe and why I believe it.
First of all, as a Christian, I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I believe every word is inspired by the Holy Spirit, written for us so we can know our God and what His Will is for our lives. It is our road map for living. It shows us that there is more than the here and now. This life is really about the next. God wants us to know Him. He wants us to understand his power, holiness, divinity, righteousness, and love. He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent.
You ask where in the Bible Jesus says homosexuality is a sin. Well, I believe everywhere it speaks about homosexuality in the Bible, is from Jesus. You see, Jesus says, "I and the Father are one." John 10:30. He also says, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:9 "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me." John 14:11 Scripture also tells us in the beginning of this book of John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the Beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:1-5
I also know that everywhere it speaks of marriage in the Bible, it recognizes one man and one woman as marriage partners. In Genesis, we read about creation. We read how God created the heavens and the earth and how everything that is came to be. He created man in his image to rule over all that he had made. Then he saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he made a helpmate. The first words spoken about marriage were, "The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh'. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 1:23 -25 So I can see from the beginning God created marriage to be between one man and one woman and since all things were created thru Jesus and he and the father are one - this is Jesus' intention too and he speaks about it in Matthew 19:4-6.
I also know that sex outside of marriage is adultery. So if God created marriage to be between one man and one woman then anything other than that is not recognized as marriage but as adultery. Jesus talks about marriage, and about lust and adultery. His words are consistant with this.
The apostle Paul was a proud and religious man who was persecuting Christians. He was totally sold out that those teaching about Christ were wrong - so much so, he was killing them. Then he was blinded and for the first time, able to see the truth. Paul's personal encounter with Jesus radically changed his life. His fierce intensity was then used to fight for the gospel, not against. Paul has much to say about homosexuality. He knew Jesus well. I cannot read his letters and conclude that he must have been mistaken about homosexuality being sin.
Madgay - no one wants to admit they are wrong, but God's word is given so we can see that we are all wrong - sinners, separated from God. The law was given so we could see our sin and know that we are all guilty sinners. But that is not where God leaves us. He already had the perfect sacrifice ready and willing to die in our place. His love is perfect.
At 10:34 AM, Clandestine said…
Hi Jojo and MGH,
I just stopped by - haven't been here in a while, and I am saddened because it seems that Jojo is slipping further and further into the fundamentalist swamp.
Jojo, you know I respect you and think that you are a good person. However, you didn't answer MGH's question. The point is that you either have to take everything in the Bible literally, or recognize that all of it is up for interpretation. Either Jesus stands by every word of the Old Testament or not. By your reasoning, Jesus DID agree with everything in the Old Testament, right? So, what about:
Exodus 21:20-21 "And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money."
Are you telling me that you think it's okay for people to beat their servants for a day or two?
Or:
Deuteronomy 21:18-21: "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they chastise him, will not give heed to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, `This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall purge the evil from your midst; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. "
Or:
(Deuteronomy 22:23-24 NAB)
"If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out of the gate of the city and there stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbors wife."
If you believe every word of the Bible and take it literally, and also think that Jesus agreed with everything in the Old Testament (except for 'an eye for an eye,' apparently, as Jesus clearly said, 'turn the other cheek'), you must also believe that stubborn boys and girls who are raped should be stoned to death.
I'm not trying to negate your faith or anything like that. I'm trying to point out that you have to be consistent. Either the Bible is to be taken literally or not. Which is it, according to you?
At 8:54 AM, Jojo said…
Hello Clandi,
Yes, I think the Bible is to be taken literal. But you cannot read the law given in the Old Testament and understand it, without reading the rest of the Bible. The law was given so sin could be recognized. God wanted the people to see how far they were from Him. He wanted them to see there are consequenses for their rebellion against him. And those were the punishments He thought due those transgressions. But the New Testament tells us Jesus freed us from the law. We are not under law, we are under grace. That does not mean that we can sin without consequences, it means that thru Jesus, we have freedom from the hold sin has on us. Without Jesus, we have no power against sin. With Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit who reveals the sin in our hearts and in the world and gives us the power to turn from it. Romans Chapter 6
Jesus talks about the law in Matthew chapter 5:17-20 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accommplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
"Jesus is saying that his listeners needed a different kind of righteousness altogether (love & obedience), not just a more intesnse version of the Pharisees' righteousness (legal compliance) Our righteusness must (1) come from what God does in us, not what we can do by ourselves. (2) be God-centered, not self-centered, (3) be based on reverence for God, not approval from people, and (4) go beyond keeping the law to living by the priciples behind the law." (excerpt from my Bible commentary which I think explains it well)
You see, people always want to focus on Jesus' love and leave out the other. We have to read all of what Jesus said and know all of the Bible to understand any of it.
You can call me a fundementalist or whatever you wish Clandi, but I have to live my live for Jesus and with that there are beliefs that will go against the world. Look at how Jesus was treated. My faith is my own - I cannot force it upon anyone. I can share what I believe and why but I cannot make anyone believe what I do. But I also cannot sit back and be quiet or not speak out when I see things go on that are against God. If that makes me a fundementalist, so be it.
At 12:27 PM, Clandestine said…
Thanks for answering :)
I don't think 'fundamentalist' is a necessarily bad word, so I guess that's not the right term.
But do you see what I'm saying?
Either you take the entire Bible literally, or you don't. And either you follow the teachings of the Old Testament and New Testament or you don't - it's simple logic, really.
So if you say yes to taking the Bible literally, you are also saying that you think it is fine if stubborn sons are stoned to death.
And, if you say that yes, you believe the Old and New Testament both, then the same holds true.
If you say, as I am sure you would, because you're a reasonable human being, that it is ridiculous to think that a son should be stoned to death for being stubborn, then you are admitting that some of the Bible cannot be taken literally and acknowledging that it has to be left up to interpretation.
I'm not trying to do anything mean or whatever - I'm just trying to demonstrate taking an idea to its logical conclusion.
Or we can just say that what is now know as Fundamental Christianity is devoid of logic.
One of these things has to be true...
At 12:58 PM, Jojo said…
Clandi,
I guess you didn't understand at all what I said. Yes, the Bible is to be taken literal - no I do not think my son should be stoned to death when he is stubborn and rebellious. I'm sorry you don't understand that you cannot take one thing out of the Bible and try to interpret it by itself. The Bible is a progressive account of man's relationship with God. Christ is in the Old Testament as much as the New Testament. We can only understand and interpret with the help of the Holy Spirit. Any Bible study I've ever done has shown the connection between scriptures throughout the Bible. It is all linked and connected because it is all about Jesus coming to redeem man.
I had to chuckle at your first comment, "I don't think 'fundamentalist' is a necessarily bad word, so I guess that's not the right term."
I was trying to decide if you were saying that "fundamentalist" was not a bad enough word to call me. :) lol
At 2:21 PM, Clandestine said…
Ha!
No that's not what I meant at all! I meant that I don't want to use 'fundamentalist' because it has negative cultural meanings, but the real meaning of it isn't negative. I don't want to call you a fundamentalist because of the negative meanings :)
I guess I don't understand what you mean. I thought you meant that Jesus said that he wasn't going to change 'the Law,' and that if we believe in Him, we should follow the rule of the Old Testament.
But if that's not what you're saying, what are you saying? ;)
At 8:02 PM, Anna said…
Clandestine said:
"I guess I don't understand what you mean. I thought you meant that Jesus said that he wasn't going to change 'the Law,' and that if we believe in Him, we should follow the rule of the Old Testament."
Hi! Maybe I can help clarify.
Jesus did NOT say he wasn't going to change the law. He said that he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. This means Jesus kept the Law perfectly without any sin. As JoJo said so well, the Law was given to show us how sinful we are and that we cannot measure up to God's standard of righteousness by our own efforts. Everyone has failed. Jesus came to do what we could not do. The Law was given as a schoolmaster to lead us to Jesus. The Law was also unable to cleanse our conscience of the guilt of sin. Every year, there was a rememberance of all the sins of the past.
When we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, He forgives us and cleanses our sins. We then live our lives by His grace. As we follow Him, Jesus begins transforming our character from the inside out. This does not mean we have a license to sin because Jesus is so loving and forgiving. Yes, we will make mistakes but our hearts will be grieved. We do not desire to continue in sin because we love Him and know what our freedom cost.
We are no longer under the Law, but under grace. It does not mean God has changed His mind about sin. It is awful in God's eyes not just because He hates it, but because of how destructive it is to us both in this life and where it will mean we spend eternity. We are being given the opportunity to turn towards Him through Jesus Christ. Our sin separates us from having a relationship with God. Through Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled to Him. The Scripture tells us we have a better covenant than the old covenant (OT). The OT believers were made righteous by looking forward to the promised Savior. We are made righteous by looking back to what Jesus did on the cross for us.
Hope this helps.
Anna
At 9:16 PM, Jojo said…
Thanks Anna,
Very well put. I have been busy and have not had a chance to answer Clandi yet. I'm sorry for that Clandi - was not trying to put you off or ignore. Let me try to clarify.
Remember I quoted Jesus as saying, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Matthew 5:17 As I have said before, and Anna also stated, the law was given to show us our sin. Scripture tells us this in Romans 3:20 & Romans 7:7. But then it tells us in Galations 3:19 "What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come." This is speaking of Jesus. God gave this promise to Abraham - so it was known from way back that the Messiah was to come.
The law had attached to it the penalty of death and to break one command was to be guilty of breaking all. (James 2:10) Since people had broken the law they were under the curse of death. God's righteousness and holiness demanded that the penalty be paid. It was for this reason that Jesus came into the world - to pay the penalty by His death. He died as the substitute for guilty lawbreakers, even though He Himself was sinless. He did not wave the law aside; rather He met the full demands of the law by fulfilling its strict requirements in His life and in His death. So, the gospel does not overthrow the law; it upholds the law and shows how the law's demands have been fully satisfied by Christ's redemptive work.
Therefore, the person who trusts in Jesus is no longer under the law; he is under grace. (Romans 6:14) He is dead to the law thru the work of Christ. The penalty of the law must be paid only once; since Christ paid the penalty, the believer does not have to. It is in this sense that the law has faded away for the Christian. The law was a tutor until Christ came, but after salvation, this tutor is no longer needed." Read Galations 3:24-25 (this is what Anna was referring to with the schoolmaster)
"Yet while the Christian is not under the law, that doesn't mean he is lawless. He is bound by a stronger chain than law because he is under the law of Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 9:21) His behavior is molded, not by fear of punishment, but by a loving desire to please his Savior. Christ has become his rule of life. (John 13:15; 15:12; Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 2:6; 3:16)"
Another evidence of Jesus fulfilling the law and doing away with the penalty of stoning is recorded in John 8:1-11 Notice what His last words to this adulterous woman was.
As I said before Clandi, you cannot take something from the Bible and try to understand it by itself. The Bible is interactive - and progressive. We have to study throughout to come to a full understanding.
I really hope you will look up the passages I recorded here and see them for yourself. If you will ask God to help you understand - He will. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knowck and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who aks reeives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knowks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
*note - the explaination in quotes is taken from my Bible commentary.
At 12:48 PM, Clandestine said…
I appreciate everyone's attempts to answer my question.
However, what you're telling me is that Jesus did change the rules. Sinners were stoned to death in the past, and Jesus said not to do that anymore. He also said he didn't condemn the woman who was an adultress.
So, as Christians, are you not required to stop condemning others? Isn't that what is taught by that lesson? Jojo, I know you well enough to know (or hope) that you don't condemn people. But you know as well as I do that MANY Christians do. And those people are the loud people. Those are the people other people think of when they think of Christians.
Ah well...I suppose we must agree to disagree. I agree with all of you that Jesus was an inspirational teacher, and I think that if people really followed what I believe He was clearly teaching, the world would be a better place. Unfortunately, not even Christians can come to a consensus on what Jesus taught. What do I think? I think he was trying to teach us to love one another and respect one another and our differences. I don't think there is any evidence that Jesus thought people who believed in him were better people or that anyone was less deserving of love and respect than anyone else. But many Christians, all of you included, believe that He wanted you to judge and disrespect people with whom you don't agree.
I think that a lot of times, the words in the Bible are twisted and taken out of context to fit the agenda of the 'religious right.' And I just wish more Christians could see that. I am sure that if I tried hard enough, I could come up with as (weak) strong an argument against....say....violence as all of you seem to be able to find against homosexuality. However, violence necessarily hurts other people. Homosexuality does not. However. The religious right doesn't seem concerned much with alcoholism, abuse, hunger, violence, rape, etc. as they are about making sure gay people are second-class citizens. Imagine all the good that could come from taking all the energy spent on attempts at keeping gay people from having rights or even self-respect and putting that energy towards ending hunger or poverty or violence.
Can't you just let us live our lives and try to stop something that hurts people and that could, with enough time, energy and money, be stopped? Jesus wouldn't have worried so much about this, I am sure of that. I'm sure He would be much more concerned with starving and abused children.
But what do I know?
At 11:02 PM, Anna said…
Clandestine -
You made a statement that you agree with all of us that Jesus was an inspirational teacher. I think I can safely say this is not an accurate perception of how we view Jesus.
We are not saying that Jesus was an inspirational teacher. We are saying, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And yes, if people really followed what He did teach the world would be a better place. However, the sin nature of man makes this an impossibility as the Law showed us. Man cannot pull himself up by the bootstraps.
Before you get into what you think Jesus was teaching, it might be a good idea to refer to what He said He was teaching and what He was or was not doing. For example:
Matt. 5:17-20 (NIV) – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
There is confusion in you between the commandments and the consequences of breaking the commandments.
Under the OT, the consequences of sin were often received swiftly. There were consequences, which were carried out by people through the law, i.e., stoning. Then there were direct judgments from God, i.e., the ground swallowing up a group of people who sinned against Him or foreign powers taking them captive.
In the NT, judgment is deferred – we have a grace period. I recently had a newspaper subscription expire, but they continued to send me the newspaper. When I called to cancel, they informed me the additional copies were sent as a grace period to give me the opportunity to renew the subscription. We are deserving of death. God has given us a period of grace in which we have the opportunity to avail ourselves of the answer to our dilemma. However, that grace period will eventually come to an end if we reject God’s provision for our forgiveness – Jesus Christ.
Anna
At 9:07 AM, Jojo said…
Clandestine,
It seems you do not understand at all what I am (& others) are trying to show you.
Jesus did not change the rules - it was the plan from the beginning of time. Man was created to live in fellowship with God. Man turned from God by doing what He told them not to do and sin entered into the world. All of us are born sinners, separated from God. The law was given so we could realize this. God is the judge (remember God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one)deciding the punishment for sin. When Jesus came to earth and died on the cross, he fulfilled the law with his life. He was the perfect sacrifice to pay for the penalty of all sin for all time. I don't think you are totally grasping what this means.
No Jesus didn't comdemn the adulterous woman, but I asked you to notice His last words to her. Those words were, "Go now and leave your life of sin." Jesus knew the teachers of the Law & Pharasees were trying to trap Him, by bringing this woman and asking Him what to do with her. They were hoping for Him to contradict the Law so they could turn the people against Jesus. He knew their hearts. They knew that if He let the woman go free, He would be opposing the Law of Moses and they could accuse Him of being unjust. But if He condemned the woman to death, then they could show He was an enemey to the Roman Government and they could say he was unmerciful. Jesus did not say the woman should be free from the penalty of the law, but He did accuse overy one of the men standing there, of sinning themselves. He was showing that those who wish to judge should be pure themselves. (only Jesus is) Many people us this verse to excuse sin, but it does not excuse sin but rather it condemns those who are guilty even though they have never been caught.
There is a big difference between condemning and teaching the truth. I am not condemning you because I tell you what the Bible says. In reality, I am loving you. I care that you know the truth. You don't believe what I tell you is right, but what if it is? What if everyone lets you live your life as you want, and you are so happy and secure and then you die and find out we are right? That is what happened to the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Then how would you feel about Christians? You would think they cared only about themselves and would hate them for not being willing to share the truth of God's grace. And remember, I did not seek you out to tell you you are wrong. You came to my blog and I am just answering what you ask. I do care about you Clandi - please believe that. I wish so badly that you would get your Bible out and read thru the gospels. Read all of what Jesus has to say. Don't take my word for it - ask God yourself and then read his answers.
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