Hi! All you beautiful People.
"The Coat of Many Colours" is just one of the very pertinent questions asked by Ray and he sort of leaves us in mid air to do the work of finding the answer by searching the many Scriptures having a bearing on the subject. This I believe is a very important part of his teaching method. Now please don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that Ray is anywhere on the same level with Jesus, when I say that his teaching method is very much on the same principle as that used by Jesus.
Understand ye not? No we don't understand. Then search the many Scriptures relating to it with the help of the Holy Spirit within you and you will understand! Got it?
In the case of the "Coat Of Many Colours" I believe Joe hit the nail right on the head, the coat of many colours is the sacrificial lamb -JESUS CHRIST. The difference between the Chosen and the just called as CTY suggests.
But there is another pertinent question posed by Ray in his "Lake Of Fire Series Part V111" and it is this. "ARE YOU "CALLED AND CHOSEN" OR JUST "CALLED". In this he leaves each individual to be their own judge, using the same method of examining the many Scriptures for the answer.
He makes no secret of the fact that to meet the criteria of this challenge is a daunting task.
The Scripture I place first on my list is:
"Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt.5:48.). Without this requirement the answer is, "No Chance" of making it.
Now what does being
perfect involve?
“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt.5:43,44).
Considering our dear sister Arcturus' present situation this is what she and her family are presently being confronted with. They need our prayers urgently. It is a most difficult thing to do, as it involves not just the words but the forgiveness must come from the depths of the heart in order to be accepted as
perfect. For those of us not faced with this mammoth task there is:
"…A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow he took out two shillings, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay thee. Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto him that fell among the robbers? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. And Jesus said unto him,
Go, and do thou likewise. (Luke 10:30-37).
But it doesn't end here. knowing human nature we must of necessity introduce some stumbling blocks. From the human perspective the man who showed mercy is
Perfect, but from God's perspective let us change the cast, colour, creed, race and social status of the victim, now consider does the man who showed mercy still maintain his
perfect[/b ]status?
Now let us consider this Scripture as we take each incident that follows separately and consider whether we do it automatically without thinking out of compassion to be perfector do we have to think about it? “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me." Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matt.25:32-46).
We have a mountain of Scriptures to face, the breaking of any one of which disqualifies us: "Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1Cor.11:4)
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen. 21And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also." (1Jn.4:20,21).
The message I receive here is, that in order to be perfect I must LOVE my God and NEIGHBOUR or BROTHER with true Godly LOVE - AGAPE LOVE - not the smallest percentage less than that will suffice.
Because God is Love; The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." . (1Jn.4:.
Hence I agree wholeheartedly with Ray. To be among the "Called and Chosen" is no casual walk in the park.
Final condition. The first one to meet these requirements must print the fact in big block letters right across their post so that the rest of us can follow Craig's example to collect our running shoes from the locker and RUN.
God bless you my brothers and sisters in our joint walk in Christ.
Love in Christ Jesus.
Roy UK