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Parables
rjsurfs:
Kat & Joe... your posts in this thread have had me thinking all day... I was anxious to get home tonight and start to dig a little more.
I was particularly intrigued by Kat's quote:
--- Quote ---"selleth all that he hath."
--- End quote ---
All that I have... all that I have in my mind... that old carnal, self-serving thinking. The folly that I know... that I have it figured out.
Looking through much of Ray's material tonight I found this in LoF part 16D-4 (http://bible-truths.com/lake16-D4.htm)
--- Quote ---One disciple Jesus called excused himself on the grounds that he had more important things to do:
"And another of His disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:21-22).
Another disciple starts to follow Jesus, but then decides he has some personal things to attend to first. Jesus will reject such a person:
"And another also said, Lord I will follow you, but let me first go bid them farewell, which at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:61-62).
Jesus invites one young ruler to be a very Apostle, and he turns it down because the price is too high:
Jesus said unto him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven,: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions" (Mat. 19:21-22).
Others volunteer to be followers of Jesus, but Jesus rejects them without any apparent explanation:
"And a certain scribe came and said unto Him, Master, I will follow you whithersoever You go. And Jesus said unto him. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has no where to lay His head" (Matt. 8:19-20).
Jesus knew this upper class scribe would not be inclined to endure for very long.
By and by, most of Christ's disciples fell by the wayside. When Jesus told His disciples that they would have to "eat My flesh and drink My blood" (John 6:54) in order to have eonian life, they began to murmur:
"Many there of His disciples when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Does this offend you? What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before?
So today theologians and Christians would say that they are not offended that Jesus said we are to "eat His flesh and drink His blood," oh no, but they are terribly offended if one applies Jesus' very same spiritual words to such things as Gehenna fire showing that it too is nor literal fire.
"It is the SPIRIT that quickens [gives life]; the flesh profits nothings: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life... but there are some of you that believe not... Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me except it were given unto him of My Father. From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him" (John 6: 60-66).
Will any of you also "go back and walk no more with Him" after reading this Lake of Fire series? Does standing up for the Truths of Jesus Christ bring more persecution, condemnation, and ridicule from your "Christian" brothers and sisters than you are willing to endure?
"If any man come to Me, and hate [love less] not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple"
"And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple"
"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsake not all that he has, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26, 27, 33).
--- End quote ---
The physical, carnal, Babylonian thinking has to go... to truly follow Jesus. Whether it is burying the dead (symbolic), looking back (symbolic), selling all of my possessions (symbolic), the old has to go before the new can come in. And this is told by parable after parable throughout the Bible.
You said it well Joe...
--- Quote ---There are some (the elect) who sell (and shed) what they have (in Babylon) accumulated in this life and there are the many that will have it taken away in the next, either way, everyone will come to realize, accept and praise God that His Kingdom has always been within them.
--- End quote ---
I felt blessed having this Eureka moment today... seeing a truth expressed in a way I'd never seen it before.
Thanks,
Bobby
pylady:
Some scriptures that seem to go along with what's been said:
1 John 2:15 "Love not the world nor the things in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Matt 10:37 "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Luke 14:26,27,33 "So, likwise, whosoever he be of you that forsake not all that he has, he cannot be My disciple." (already quoted)
Matt 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteosness; and all these other things will be added to you."
The longing for, the searching for, and the treasuring of this pearl of great price must be the first and most important pursuit of our lives. of course, now I know via Ray's teaching that it is God putting the longing in us, and dragging us to Him, that we are able and willing to seek the kingdom first.
Thank you, Joe, for this insight into the Kingdom!
Your sister in Christ,
Cindy :)
jER:
Music Man,
If the church had written the bible then it might say, "the kingdom of god is likened unto a firecracker, when lit in an oil field".
This brought to mind; the Lamps of Gideon that were formed of clay and baked in an oven, or kiln. Afterwards, they were filled with oil and were given a wick. When lit, and placed in a pitcher (vessel), they put off a dim light.
"And he divided the three hundred men (who stood against 135,000)…a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers" (Judges 7:16)
We have this light in "vessels of clay," formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), and fired with the afflictions of this life.
"…they blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers that were in their hands" (Judges 7:19)
"…and broke the pitchers, that held the lamps…" (vs. 20)
These are just earthenware vessels; clay pots, formed by the potter, who made them frail and of limited use for a purpose – until they are broken. And, once broken, they burst forth with great illumination, like that of a torch that is fueled with oil (the Spirit of God). God is called the "Father of Lights" (James 1:17).
And, God said, "Let light shine out of darkness," and made His Light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. But, we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that this pre-eminent power is from Him, and not of ourselves ( 2 Corinthians 4:6-7).
If we, have the light of the world, "Christ Jesus" in us, then we will shine as lights in the world.
You just never know what a frail firecracker can do, mixed with the oil of HIS SPIRIT.
JER
kweli:
Hi all
Although I've been a guest for a couple of months now, I'm a new member of this forum. To be completely honest, there is something about Ray's teachings that drives the message home. A lot of the topics and discussion bring a lot of things to light. I just a a concern.
I used to believe in "Babylon" teachings because they were shared by many churches. The bible also taught me that I should not lean on my own understanding.
Explaining these parables has shed some light, but I used to be one of the people who believed that being in the usual church system, they have sold everything they have to buy that pearl.
A lot of the material here says to me that we should not even associate ourselves with "christians", infact, more so than non-believers of Jesus as the Messiah. This is a bit difficult for me to swallow.
I hope you all realise that this is coming from a place of great sincerity and concern. Are we supposed to see people the believing christian under the church system as our enemies?
Please respond to me as soon as you can as I'm in dire need of scriptural manifestation on this
Seeking the glory of God,
Kweli (Swahili word for truth)
hillsbororiver:
--- Quote from: kweli on November 26, 2007, 05:14:21 AM ---Hi all
Hi kweli (and welcome),
Although I've been a guest for a couple of months now, I'm a new member of this forum. To be completely honest, there is something about Ray's teachings that drives the message home. A lot of the topics and discussion bring a lot of things to light. I just a a concern.
That is what immediately struck me about Ray's articles, so many things started to clear up and make sense, things that I had struggled with and wondered about for decades.
I used to believe in "Babylon" teachings because they were shared by many churches. The bible also taught me that I should not lean on my own understanding.
We are also admonished to seek Him, seek the Kingdom first, we are not to rely on our own understanding but pray for the Spirit to guide us in Truth, also to remember Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Explaining these parables has shed some light, but I used to be one of the people who believed that being in the usual church system, they have sold everything they have to buy that pearl.
A lot of the material here says to me that we should not even associate ourselves with "christians", infact, more so than non-believers of Jesus as the Messiah. This is a bit difficult for me to swallow.
I am not aware of any advice to "not even associate ourselves with christians" but if you mean to come out of babylon and stay away from her heresies then yes we are admonished to "come out of her my people." We need to be a living example of the truths we have been shown, not to be incessent chatterboxes spouting declarations of their errors in doctrine. We do have this admonishment though; 1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
I hope you all realise that this is coming from a place of great sincerity and concern. Are we supposed to see people the believing christian under the church system as our enemies?
We are to love our enemies no matter who we perceive them to be.
Please respond to me as soon as you can as I'm in dire need of scriptural manifestation on this
Seeking the glory of God,
Kweli (Swahili word for truth)
Kwali, I have a couple questions though, what do you believe the "pearl of a great price" is, and what have the church members sold or given to obtain it?
His peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe
--- End quote ---
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