TALKING CHURCH- [notes from Real Life Church- C.C.]
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
https://youtu.be/NOU5AqLwoL0 Talking Church
ON VIDEO-
.Church movements
.Overview- Real Life church service
.Pastors rethink ‘church’
.5 fold ministry
.community model
.Body ministry
NEW- The last few weeks I have been teaching on the nature
of the church. I added a few links below- and there’s a lot on my blog over the
years that deal with the subject. https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/what-is-the-church-1/
In short-
When young men feel called to preach- to go into ministry
full time.
That's a noble calling.
Often times we attend a bible college and are trained in
what is called ‘pastoral ministry’.
Then these good men go and ‘start a church’.
In our country [USA] we recognize the ‘local church’ as an
actual nonprofit entity.
And we view our calling as heading up an organization
[called ‘local church’] that is really not the best biblical model of the
church.
The biblical model is a community of people- who have
leaders in their midst who help facilitate body life.
Pastors- all good men- are simply shepherds who guide the
people into becoming mature followers of Christ.
In the New Testament we read about Apostles- Prophets-
teachers- elders- all of these men are gifted leaders who serve the church- the
people of God.
And their roles are indeed important- but they fit into a
biblical picture of a family.
When we take these titles/offices- and fit them into the 501
c3 model- thinking that ‘that’ is actually the ‘local church’- then we have
problems.
PAST LINKS-
Below are past studies/books I wrote that fit with what I
talked about on the above video-
[1498] ‘THE WORDS
THAT I SPEAK ARE NOT MY OWN, BUT THE FATHER THAT DWELLS IN ME- HE DOES THE
WORK’ Jesus Christ. In John 14 Jesus tells his men that he and the Father will
manifest themselves unto them; they ask ‘how will you manifest yourself unto us
and not unto the world’? Jesus responds that those who love him will keep his
commandments, and to these he will come and dwell with them by the Spirit. The
world [unbelievers] have no thirst for this. Of course the question would be
‘which commandments’? Most of us are familiar with the big 10; others see certain
Christian practices as the most important- going to church on Sunday, tithing,
etc. The writer of this gospel [John] also wrote the 3 smaller letters [1st,
2nd, 3rd John]. John seems to see the law of love as the
supreme commandment, of course he gets this from Jesus own words. Jesus at one
time was asked what the greatest commandment was, and he replied ‘to love the
Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and might’ and to love our
neighbors as ourselves. Did Jesus just pick this out of the air? No, he was
actually quoting the person that the Jews looked to as the great law giver-
Moses. Moses, the man famous for receiving the 10 commandments at the hand of
God, yes he was the one who had such a grasp of the character of God that he
was able to sum up the 10 commandments as these 2 universal laws. When we love
God and our neighbor we will be put in a ‘place’ where God will speak to us-
when we live in true community we will see and experience God thru one another.
A while back I had a friend who began hanging out with me and some of the
homeless guys- he too was homeless. He didn’t look the part, always clean
shaven, worked regularly, but yet he was homeless. My friend had some
background with the Lord, he knew the bible and it was easy to see that he had
been a believer for many years. At the time I had just finished reading Frank
Viola’s Pagan Christianity- the book stirred up a controversy and I was careful
to whom I would recommend it. But I knew Robert had expressed some of these
beliefs in the past and I thought he would like it. He read it and did like it,
but one day he emailed me and asked ‘do you know where I could find an
‘organic’ church to join’? He made the mistake of thinking he could find true
community in some meeting, that is if he found ‘the church’ with the right
answers [concerning organic church] that he would then attend these church
meetings [as opposed to the institutional church] and then he would have
arrived. What my friend was missing was the fact that much of the daily
community things we were doing at the time- getting together as a group of
friends, sharing the word at certain times, and yes, having meetings every so
often- that the actual daily helping of one another and identifying as
believers was in itself a true expression of community. Jesus told his men that
when they loved God, and each other, that it was in that environment that God
would reveal himself to them. John himself would later write ‘how can you say
you love God, who you cannot see, if you don’t love your brother who you can
see’? I fear we live in a day where other things have taken precedence over the
value of ‘our brother’. We have our political ideas, our theological slants,
our ‘better’ beliefs than the church down the bock- and these things become the
main thing to us, often at the expense of truly loving our brother. Jesus was
giving us the words of God, not men. He quoted the great lawgiver of the Old
Testament; the main ‘philosopher’ of the Jew of his day- if Moses said it, then
surely it must be so.
[1492] ‘submitting to each other in the fear of God, wives
submit unto your husband’s as unto the Lord…husbands love your wives even as
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it…this is a great mystery, Christ
and the church’ Ephesians 5. The apostle tells us that in marriage the 2 become
one, just like our ‘marriage’ to Christ. In 1st Corinthians Paul
rebukes them for a specific sin; incest, fornication. He tells them that when
they sleep with a person outside of marriage that the 2 become one- he then
says ‘shall I take the members of Christ and make them the members of a
harlot’. The point he makes is as Christ’s body we are actually parts of him.
The various debates that the church has had over the communion table have
centered around whether or not the elements become the actual physical body and
blood of Jesus. One of the sad things that has happened is while we have had
this debate [centuries old] we have missed the agreed reality that yes, our
bodies are actually considered parts of Christ. These verses have also come
under fire over the years because they speak of the wife submitting to the
husband- the reality is this submission is not some type of bigoted thing, it’s
a willing submission done in love as the husband expresses Christ like love to
the wife. Paul said the great ordinance of marriage points to the great reality
of us being joined to Christ in a very real way- if you will, it can be said
without contradiction that the Real Presence of Christ is in the world today thru
the church, the people of God.
[1489] ‘till we all come to the unity of the faith and the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man…that we henceforth be no more
children, tossed back and forth and carried around by every new teaching, by
the tricks of men who lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love
may grow up INTO HIM in every way, he is the head- even Christ’ Ephesians
4:13-16. This passage comes right after Paul gives us a description of the
gifts/ministers that exist in the church; the purpose of gifted people is to
bring the people to a maturity in Christ- not just an increase in knowledge
about Jesus, but that we as the body of Christ might fully mature and be more
like him. Often times we confuse intellectual knowledge with knowing Jesus; or
we think that the end goal is to simply increase in learning. While I love to
learn and grow in all areas of teaching, I also realize that Jesus is looking
for more than just smart people. In the gospels we see Jesus engaging at
different times with the religious leaders, they usually have some trick
question that they think will stump him- what were they doing? They felt like
if they could ‘catch him’ in a contradiction, then that would prove to them
that they were still the elites of the day and that this Jesus was just another
one of the so called messiahs. But in every case Jesus would respond with a
short, quick answer that would dumbfound the questioners. You got the feeling
that he could have easily blown everybody away with his intellect, but he
didn’t use his wisdom in that way. What we consider to be the best teachings of
Jesus are his parables and the great Sermon on the Mount; though these
teachings are great, yet they are simple. They call us to the Christ like life,
not just to a life that knows more about Christ. In the above passage Paul
tells the Ephesians that God is building us into a mature body of people who
will express Christ to the world. The gifted people are not just great speakers
who the people gather around weekly to listen to- they are carpenters who are
building the people of God until we all come to a unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. God wants us to ‘grow up INTO him’ that is to be formed into a
mature body of people- God is looking for real growth, not just a bunch of
people who have all the best answers.
[1467] JESUS MANIFESTO, Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet. The
other day I received an interesting email, Thomas Nelson book publishers
offered me a free advanced copy of the above book, they are giving away 200
advanced copies and they offered one to me. They simply said they would
appreciate it if I mentioned the book on my blog. So here I am; I’ve read a few
chapters and ‘Frank-Len’ make a good case for restoring the church back to a
strong Christology [I think I would have said ‘Christ centric model’ instead].
The point they argue is that the people of God and Christianity itself has lost
the matchless vision of a magnificent Lord and has replaced it with all types
of other stuff. They give a list of some of the stuff; it includes end time
things, prosperity, leadership…theology, evolution versus creation- well you
get the hint. While it’s difficult to argue against the authors main point [who
can argue against returning the church to Christ?] the danger is in thinking
that ‘theology’ or any other attempt at clarifying the orthodox Jesus is a
substitute for Jesus himself, that is we as believers do need to be aware of
the many rabbit trails we often get sidetracked on but at the same time we need
to understand the need for good Christian doctrine [theology]. I noticed that
the authors did not include ‘organic church’ on the list. I do like the many
quotes from historic church figures; Tertullian, Aquinas, Barth, etc. and I
like the ‘folksy-popular’ style the book is written in, sounds like reading
Eugene Peterson’s Message version. All in all the first few chapters are well
worth reading, they do center you back on Jesus Christ, and the devotional
style restores the soul. To be fair the authors do answer the charge that the
bible itself teaches lots of subjects, so why be against all the other things
on their list? They explain well that although we as believers will learn and
teach various subjects, yet according to the apostolic pattern, these things are
like ‘spokes on a wheel’ they are needed at times, but Jesus is the center of
the wheel. All in all it’s hard to disagree with the main point of the book. I
have found the argument ‘we focus on Jesus only’ to be at times an excuse for
‘unlearned preaching’ sometimes preachers have used this as an excuse to not
delve into good Christian ‘theology’ but I don’t sense this with this book.
Over the next few days I will finish the book [it’s not big, I’m just busy!]
and hopefully will comment a few more times. I’m not sure how I got on the list
to receive an advanced copy, but I’m grateful for the copy- as a book collector
its cool to have a copy that says ‘advanced copy- uncorrected proof- not for
resale’. I guess Frank must have recommended me for the book; I have blogged on
a mutual site in the past. I have heard of Leonard Sweet before, but am not
familiar with him at all. I should note that I have taught many of the same
themes found in this book, and I think it would benefit all of us to re focus
on the early church’s emphasis on knowing the Lord, not just doctrinally, but
in a real way- this is the main point of the book.
(1032)‘A GIFT
DESTROYETH THE HEART’ Ecclesiastes 7:7b Over the last few years I have read
testimonies from Pastors who said they felt like they were unconsciously being
manipulated to look good or perform for the community. Though they were well
meaning, and the people they were ‘pastoring’ were also good people, yet the
system of being a paid clergyman caused there to be a degree of inauthenticity.
A famous quote of a quote [Frank Viola quotes another person in the book ‘Pagan
Christianity’] says it’s hard to convince someone about something when their
salary depends on them not being convinced! [paraphrase] So the actual position
of being dependent on the offerings/tithes of people can put pressure on
leaders to not deal with certain subjects. I have had fellow ministers over the
years reject what I was saying simply because they felt it would affect their
income. Their priority was on surviving. These men are not bad people, they
mean well and don’t purposely want their message to be shaped by their
dependence on a job/position. But in many cases the temptation is too great.
Solomon said a ‘gift’ can corrupt the motives of people. While it is fine for
ministers to receive financial help out of respect for their labor, yet we need
to examine whether or not the salaried position of the fulltime minister is in
keeping with New Testament ecclesiology. Are you tailoring your message by the
support you bring in? Do you view success from the standpoint of material
assets? Do you see ‘your ministry’ as a career choice? Lets all examine our
hearts and motives, we might not be taking bribes in the classic ‘Mafia’ sense,
but if we are allowing our financial support to effect the way we live and
teach, then we are allowing our hearts to become ‘corrupted’.
[STUDY] WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE CHURCH? PART 1-
(1015)‘THE
LOCATABLE LOCAL CHURCH ’? I remember how we were taught
in the Baptist church that the local church is ‘locatable’ that it is a real
‘place’ that you could find when visiting a city. This tended to confuse the
matter somewhat. In church history you can find teachings on the visible church
versus the invisible church. Saint Augustine is famous for this distinction, as
a matter of fact Augustine taught that it was possible [not probable] that a
person who is a member of the visible church might not really be a believer,
and that it was possible for someone to be a believer and not be a member of
the visible church, though he did see this dynamic as a rare thing. Even some
of today’s organic church teachings seem a little confused at times on this.
They seem to indicate that a ‘locatable church’ means a home type meeting that
you can find if you visit a particular city. While it is true that in the New
Testament you most certainly could locate a home meeting [or temple one or one
at the synagogue while Paul was teaching the local Jewish community-
evangelistically] yet I prefer to see it like this. If I were to tell you that
a wonderful community of people exist, let’s say in Houston . And I described these ‘Houstonians’
as being bright, progressive go getters. I explained to you that they are all
real people who live and function as citizens of Houston . If you then studied the history of Houston a thousand years
from now, how would you describe them? Were they ‘locatable’? Well yes, of
course. If you went to Houston
you would be able to most certainly ‘locate’ them. How? Well you would run into
them at the store, see them shopping. Possibly playing ball at one of the
parks. There are hundreds of ways to ‘locate them’. You would even be able to
locate them at some home meeting [or church building]. But you certainly would
not describe their ‘locate-ability’ [if this is even a word!] as being the home
or building. They were/are locatable because they really exist as citizens from
another place! So likewise I think it would be better to describe the
‘locatable, visible church’ as being the actual communities of people who
reside in your area and are believers in Christ. Now, you should be able to
locate a place where they meet and celebrate the Lords Table and stuff like
that, but don’t confuse locating a meeting with the actual people themselves.
NEW NOTE- In the study of the bible- there are debates about who wrote
the letters of the New Testament.
In the field of higher criticism- it gets a bit silly at times.
I just finished an on line course from a respected scholar out of Yale
university.
He taught from the higher criticism perspective- I enjoyed the course-
though I did not agree with lots of his conclusions.
At one point he questioned whether Paul wrote the middle chapter of one
of the letters attributed to Paul.
Yet he did believe the first- and last chapters were by Paul.
For the most part- we believe that the letters in the bible- that say
in them ‘written by Paul’ are from Paul [or Peter, James, Etc.].
But- Hebrews leaves the authors name out- so some debate who wrote it.
Tertullian- an early church father [2/3rd century]
attributed it to Barnabus- Paul’s companion that we read about in the book of
Acts-
For about 1500 years- till the time of the Reformation- most Christian
scholars attributed it to Paul.
Hebrews is written in a high form of Greek [which is another way we
determine who wrote the letters- tough this is not always accurate.
Many say John the apostle did not write Revelation- because the form of
Greek used is much lower than the other writings of John- yet- there is
internal witness that John [the apostle] wrote it.
In John’s writings [gospel- 1st, 2nd and 3rd
John] he speaks about Jesus as the Word [Logos] and this theme is seen in
Revelation too].
So- while we don’t know for sure- I personally stick with the
authorship of Paul the apostle.
VERSES-
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every
man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith.
Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all
members have not the same office:
Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every
one members one of another.
Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace
that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the
proportion of faith;
Romans 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he
that teacheth, on teaching;
Romans 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth,
let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth
mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is
evil; cleave to that which is good.
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly
love; in honour preferring one another;
Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving
the Lord;
Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing
instant in prayer;
Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to
hospitality.
10 Now I
beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak
the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it
hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house
of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now
this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I
of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is
Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of
Paul?
14 I thank
God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
15 Lest
any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
16 And I
baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I
baptized any other.
17 For
Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of
words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18 For the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which
are saved it is the power of God.
1Corinthians
3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto
carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.1Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Corinthians 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
1Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Corinthians 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
1Corinthians 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Cor. 12:28
17 And from
Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
18 And when
they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I
came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
19 Serving
the Lord with all
humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the
lying in wait of the Jews:
20 And how I
kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have
taught you publicly, and from house to house,
21 Testifying
both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 And now,
behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that
shall befall me there:
23 Save that
the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions
abide me.
24 But none
of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I
might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the
Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
25 And now,
behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of
God, shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore
I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I
have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28 Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood.
29 For I
know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you,
not sparing the flock.
30 Also of
your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them.
31 Therefore
watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn
every one night and day with tears.
32 And now,
brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to
build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are
sanctified.
33 I have
coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
34 Yea, ye
yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to
them that were with me.
35 I have
shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and
to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to
give than to receive.
36 And when
he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
37 And they
all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,
38 Sorrowing
most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no
more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.
Acts
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ:
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,
and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into
him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and
compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that
ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the
blindness of their heart:
Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over
unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been
taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation
the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings;
with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with
twain he did fly.
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy,
is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isaiah 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him
that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a
man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for
mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live
coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isaiah 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath
touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall
I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed,
but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears
heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until
the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the
land be utterly desolate,
Isaiah 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a
great forsaking in the midst of the land.
Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return,
and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them,
when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
The Purpose
of the Parables
10 Then
the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he
answered them, “To you
it has been given to know the
secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to
the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from
the one who has not, even
what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to
them in parables, because seeing
they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.14 Indeed,
in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never
understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and
did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Matt.
facebook.com/john.chiarello.5
Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts-
re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. I deal with
issues at times that it would be beneficial for some of you to download and
save the file from the Word Press link. This creates a permanent record. The
on-line videos are only good if sites are not hacked- which has happened in the
past. Thanks- John.#
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