Christ in the Books of the Bible Series: 2 CORINTHIANS

--2 CORINTHIANS--

He is your Gospel

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2 Corinthians 4:3

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit:
2 Corinthians 3:6

Creation Moment 6/23/2016 - Your ATIII Mousetrap

I will praise thee;

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

Psalm 139:14

"....a molecular machine that works like a mousetrap. How cool is that? No kidding, here's how the authors of a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describe serpin antithrombin III (for short, ATIII):

Here the cellular folding pathway of the serpin antithrombin III (ATIII), which inhibits proteases

involved in the coagulation cascade, was determined. ATIII uses a large conformational movement in a mousetrap-like mechanism to bind and distort its target protease, resulting in protease inhibition. This work establishes that folding to an active, cocked state requires early stabilization of the C-terminal region, which is the last sequence translated, explaining how the serpin or mousetrap is set.

Here we find a mousetrap, a molecular machine, and the blood clotting cascade brought together in a single irreducibly complex protein. And proteins, we all know, are coded by complex specified information -- another hallmark of intelligent design -- in the genome.
Be glad you have ATIII in your bloodstream. It's an anticoagulant, helping prevent thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. It plays a very important role in regulating normal blood coagulation. As a serpin (serine protease inhibitor), its job is to prevent runaway clotting by deactivating a certain protease called thrombin." EN&V

Christ in the Books of the Bible Series: 1 CORINTHIANS

 --1 CORINTHIANS--

He is your Discipline

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

1 Corinthians 5:9

 

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11

Matthew 28:19 debate

Q: "... I want to know what is true about Matthew 28:19 which I found out that it doesn't exist in the oldest writings.That in the Hebrew Matthew, Jesus said "Go and make disciples in my Name" not "Go and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

A: "When they say it is not found in the oldest manuscripts they mean Sinaiticus and Vaticanus which are both very poor copies. In fact the ancient church fathers quote Matthew 28, numerous times..." YT

Stumbled across this Q & A online......this is in response to some, especially oneness Pentecostals as

well as Jehovah Witnesses, who claim that the part of "baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." isn't in the original. This answer blows away that theory.
BTW, the reason some try to claim it isn't in the original because they oppose the idea of the Father, Christ & Holy Spirit - rather they argue for "one" God.
Obviously the Godhead consist of three.....

 

SDA Issues - HARDCORE APOSTASY

How is Greg Boyd being given a platform the Adventist Forum Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland? How do these men get respect by leaders and Doug Batchelor gets banned in Florida or Walter Veith banned in Germany by church "leaders"?
ALSO- "Greg Boyd. He is senior pastor of the 4,000 member Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. He holds an M.Div degree from Yale Divinity School and a Ph.D from Princeton Theological Seminary. His church is affiliated with the Baptist Church."-----FROM 2009- "In fact, one of the objectives of The Good News Tour is to bring the Good News of God’s transforming love to Seventh Day Adventists and everyone else who may be entrapped in legalism."

Boyds' Q & A & my responses in blue:
"Dr. Greg Boyd is the keynote speaker for the upcoming Adventist Forum Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland titled Non-violence and the Atonement. In this Q & A with Adventist Forum board member Carmen Lau, Boyd describes his ministry, his views on God's non-violence, and why he is hesitant to self-describe as Evangelical.
We live at an exciting juncture of history. The traditional triumphant understanding of the church, known as “Christendom,” is crumbling. [NO-it's not "crumbling"...we have the usual mixt multitude doing what they always do--trying to fit Scripture into

THEIR worldview---nothing new here---.. there is no new thing under the sun. Eccl. 1:9] Out of its rubble is rising a grass-roots global movement of people who are captivated by the vision of a Jesus-looking God raising up a Jesus-looking people to transform the world in a Jesus-kind of way.  [what exactly does that emergent church new age-ish babbel mean?] And as this new kingdom wine is bursting the old wineskins of Christendom, believers and skeptics alike are being forced to rethink everything they thought they knew about the Christian faith and life [REALLY?...only those who don't know their Bible's are] .......
With the rise of the penal substitution view of the atonement, the western church began to think of salvation increasingly in legal categories. God has thus come to be viewed as the judge, [HE IS THE JUDGE--in the MOST HOLY PLACE.--Here we go with a subtle swipe at the Sanctuary] humans as the guilty defendants, [we are guilty, our sins are the reason He dies up on a cross--never forget that] and Jesus as our defense attorney who allows us to be acquitted by suffering our sentence in our place. [Try reading Isaiah 53 or Zechariah 3, the books of Hebrews & Daniel, etc. please---Scripture contradicts you Mr. Boyd].
As a result, salvation has come to be thought of primarily as an acquittal (escaping hell) that people receive when they simply believe that Jesus did this for them. [It is an "acquittal"----oh I'm starting to get it---you believe in the new theology - "Cheap Grace"] Among the many unfortunate consequences of this view is the fact that Christianity has become much more focused on how

we benefit in the afterlife from what God has done for us in Christ than it is focused on the beautiful things God wants to do in our present life—the relationship God wants with us, the character that God wants to cultivate in us, and the things God wants to accomplish through us now. [Who says you can't focus on both? This type of non-sensical rhetoric is used by the emerging church types as a way to intimidate their opponents into viewing God as simply love--never stern. But God is both stern & loving....ever heard of the Lake of Fire at the end of this Great Controversy between God & His opponent? {stern} AND how He leans over to wipe away all tears from the eyes of the saints {loving}? Why is Mr. Boyd speaking at an SDA event?]
....While legal metaphors are sometimes used to express salvation in the New Testament, the dominant way of expressing salvation is as a marriage covenant. [Both are used in the NT because both apply. Here we go again with the either/or of emergent theology. But to be part of the "marriage feast" one has to pass through Justification, Sanctification & Judgment. How does Boyd NOT get this?] Salvation is not primarily about being acquitted by God. Nor is it primarily about the afterlife. Rather, salvation is primarily about becoming part of “the bride of Christ” and participating in—and being transformed by—the fullness of God’s life that he opens up for us in the present." [To be part of the "Bride of Christ", one has to be acquitted, then the "afterlife" becomes the reward for the "Bride of Christ" How does Boyd not understand this? And why again is he a guest "speaker"?].

spectrum
 ...there shall be false teachers among you,

who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,..

2 Peter 2:1

Oh, and there is this from Boyd (who apparently narrowly survived a vote to be kicked out of the Baptist Church for his nonsense)

“In this light, it is important to recognize that this century has witnessed a revolution in all of these fields of learning in terms of how we see the world. We have been shifting from a static to a thoroughly dynamic understanding of reality. . . . The most fundamental challenge this shift poses for Christian theology is this: The classical view of God and of creation was thoroughly influenced by, and is logically tied to, the old understanding of reality. Hence, the more influential the dynamic understanding of reality becomes in our culture, the more out of sync classical theology will be with our culture. . . . . Therefore, there is no reason for theology to resist the paradigmatic shift occurring in our culture. On the contrary, there are actually good grounds for embracing and celebrating much of it” (Gregory A. Boyd,God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000], 107-109).

Now you can apply more of 2 Peter 2:1--even denying the Lord that bought them,

AGAIN--WHY is this man invited to speak an SDA event? Even the Baptist tried to kick him out? And WHO sent the invitation?

FROM THEIR FB PAGE:

Mark your calendar now for the 2016 Adventist Forum Conference in the Washington DC area. Pastor and theologian Greg Boyd headlines a weekend of presentations on Non-violence and the Atonement.

Call (916) 774-1080 for more information.
Early registration available soon!

Other Participants:
Clifford Goldstein, Jean Sheldon, Ron Osborn, Keisha McKenzie

Topics:
Suffering God's "Wrath": Confronting Violent Atonement Theory
Divine Aikido: How God Overcomes Evil
The Cruciform Life: Living out the way of the Cross

 

Q: What is Cliff Goldstein doing there? I thought he was a defender of the Sanctuary Doctrine?

And what is DIVINE AKIDO? --"Aikido is often referred to as the “Art of Peace.” The founder, Morihei Ueshiba, known by his students as O’Sensei, declared that we must stop fighting. In order to bring about Peace in the world, we must first eliminate the discord within ourselves. This mission can be accomplished through the unification of mind, body and spirit. Through regular practice and the ongoing development of the Self, one can experience the joys of living a harmonious life fully present in the here and now." Akido

Again--WHAT IS CLIFFORD GOLDSTEIN, EDITOR OF THE SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON, DOING THERE???????????????? What's happening to the Church?

But hey, it's sponsored by Spectrum, so are you really surprised, except the part about Cliff Goldstein participating?

Creation Moment 6/22/2016 - Placenta Problem for Evolution

"According to the theory of common descent, all true mammals are supposed to have descended from a common ancestor with a placenta. This is a trait common to all mammals. However, it has been a puzzle for some time that placentas differ in the form they take among different mammalian clades.

In the year 2000, French researcher Thierry Heidmann and coworkers found that genes derived from

endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) appear to have been coopted to perform an essential role in placental formation.

These genes, which resemble the ERV envelope gene env, make a protein that originally promoted fusion of the virus with its host cell's membrane, but now acts to promote fusion of membranes between the embryo and the lining of the uterus. These "repurposed" proteins are called syncytins.

They are essential for placental formation, yet are of independent origin in different kinds of mammals -- primates have one kind, mice another, rabbits, cows, and carnivores yet others. They are clade-specific. In fact, in 2015 a functional syncytin was found in several marsupials, extending the presence and essential function of the protein to all placental mammals examined.

All syncytins are lineage-specific, meaning that each mammalian clade has its own syncytin, with a unique sequence and location in the genome. They must have inserted themselves (or been placed there) after the separation of the mammals into different clades! This means there must have been multiple independent acquisitions of these syncytins to participate in an essential process that is common to all mammals. Why should there be unique syncytins in each clade?

I repeat: distinct syncytins for cows, carnivores, rodents, primates, rabbits, and even tenrecs (a species thought to retain features of primitive mammals). We all recognize these clades based on their traits -- cows are different from carnivores, which are different from rodents, which are different from chimpanzees. Even nursery school children can tell the difference. And they are all thought to have descended from a common ancestor, the proto-mammal. Well, apparently, these well-defined clades of mammals make their placentas using analogous but distinct proteins. This perhaps explains why the placentas of each clade differ in their structures. But it flies in the face of the idea that all mammals are descended from a single kind of ancestor with a single kind of placenta." EN&V

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind,

cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:

Genesis 1:24

Are You Wearing Strange Apparel?

And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice,

 that I will punish .... all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

Zephaniah 1:8

 

Are you wearing the apparel of His salvation laid out in Scripture?

Or are you wearing STRANGE APPAREL for Salvation?

Such as:

@ Sacramentalism (last rights, confession, mass, penance, etc.)?

@ Predestination?

@ Once-Saved-Always-Saved?

@ Universalism?

@ Spirit Baptism of Tongues?

@ Legalism?

 

Salvation is laid out in the Sanctuary: 

Outer Court/JUSTIFICATION + Inner Court/SANCTIFICATION = prepared for Most Holy Place/JUDGMENT

* And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; ...

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:...

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,

and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,

and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire,

that thou mayest be rich;

and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,

and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;

and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Revelation 3:14,16-18

1) The gold is faith
2) The White Raiment is purity of character
3) The eyesalve is the wisdom to discern between good and evil

 

 

 

Christ in the Books of the Bible Series: ROMANS

--ROMANS--

He is the Righteousness of God

...that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Romans 4:11

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 3:26

Papal Notes - Calvinists Bow....

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,

whose names are not written in the book of life of the

Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 13:8

"The Pope met with the delegation of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, which unites about 225 Protestant churches in 100 countries, representing at least 80 million Christians.

The pastors visited Rome to hold working meetings with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and with those dedicated to promoting justice and peace.

"Unity is both a gift and

a mandate for the Church."

"Our meeting here today is one more step along the journey that marks the ecumenical movement, a

blessed and hope-filled journey whereby we strive to live ever more fully in accord with the Lord’s prayer 'that all may be one'”

After the official speeches, the president gave the Pope a painting that evokes environmental care.

"This painting, is an artistic expression of the motto of our Assembly in Leipzig, where we can see, inspired by the Psalm, how the fruit of creation is shared by the people of God, it is for the welfare of all."

One of the fruits of this visit to the Vatican will be promoting various projects of social assistance with Catholics and Protestants working together. The idea is to focus more on what unites than what separates." RomeReports

Creation Moment 6/21/2016 - Philosophical Prism

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Romans 1:22

"Do you accept that if hypothesis A readily explains an empirical fact F and hypothesis B does not,

then F (taken by itself) constitutes scientific evidence for A over B? Or putting it another way, if a fact F is predicted by hypothesis A, and compatible with hypothesis B but not predicted by B, then do you agree that F constitutes scientific evidence for A over B? If not, why not?

Do I accept Torley's logic? Yes. Do I think common descent is explanatory (A) and design is not (B)? No. Do I think that common descent is predictive (A) and design not (B)? No. The reason is that the syllogisms cut both ways. Design is both explanatory and predictive, particularly when dealing with pattern breaking observations in biology, where common descent doesn't work as an explanation. Thus the onus of proof is not on design alone, as Professor Swamidass thinks, but on common descent as well." EN&V

Christ in the Books of the Bible Series: ACTS

--ACTS--

 He is the Savior of the World

 Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Acts 1:11

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

Acts 17:23

Noah--in a Martyr's self defense

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me;

for the earth is filled with violence through them;

and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Genesis 6:13

Pionius was martyred in 250. His martyrdom, due to local inscriptions, his diary and other writings was well documented. Many of his cellmates relapsed...But what is of interest was his use of Noah in his defense....

"Pionius next reminded the pagans of their hero Deucalion and the Jews of their Noah. Apologists had often compared these two traditions of a flood."
Pagans & Christians by Robin Lane Fox, p.476

Who was Deucalion?
"When Zeus, the king of the gods, resolved to destroy all humanity by a flood, Deucalion constructed

an ark in which, according to one version, he and his wife rode out the flood and landed on Mount Parnassus. According to a story found first in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book I, upon offering a sacrifice and inquiring how to renew the human race, they were ordered to cast behind them the bones of their mother. The couple correctly interpreted this to mean they should throw behind them the stones of the hillside (“mother earth”), and they did so. Those stones thrown by Deucalion became men, while those thrown by Pyrrha became women. In early Greek versions Hermes told the couple directly to cast stones behind them." GreekMythology


Here you can see the Greeks keeping the roots of a true story and then tweaking it over time. But what is of interest here is what Paul described happened as people turned from God. Note that the Greeks tweaking included "mother earth" into the storyline...listen to Paul, as their unbelief led to nature worship--

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,..

Romans 1:21,23,25

 

Creation Moment 6/20/2016 - Digging Deep into Genesis 1

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that in them is,

and rested the seventh day:

wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day,

and hallowed it.

Exodus 20:11

"God establishes form—or realms—in the first three days, and creates inhabitants for each of the formed realms on days four through six.

The following are proposed as parallel:
* light of day 1/light-bearers of day 4;
* creation of the firmament of day 2/living creatures of the waters of day 5; 
* dry land of day 3/inhabitants of the earth of day 6.
The symbolic framework hypothesis views this literary structure as a means by which the author accentuates the climactic point of the structure.
@ This climax may be the sixth day, the crown of creation—man made in the divine image.
@ This particular view also acknowledges the importance of the Sabbath, often considered to be written to validate Sabbath observance.
..... highlight day 7, God’s day of rest, and also the goal of creation—God’s covenant relationship with us." KC

Blow Through Me performed by DALLAS HOLM

Blow Through Me performed by DALLAS HOLM
https://www.youtube.com/embed/OyakbO2ThpQ?list=PLT70zxsi10M-wca0WK1yK9sRYwNnsL1LT

...he breathed on them, and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
John 20:22

Christ in the Books of the Bible Series: JOHN

--JOHN--

He is Love

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 13:34

 

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:

John 15:9

EXAMPLES: Dynasty of Judah (Till there was no remedy...)

Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:

and they are written for our admonition,

upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1 Corinthians 10:11

 

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years......And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man..Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon......--Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;--Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,..And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways,.... 2 Samuel 5:4/12:7,9/Psalm 51:10-12/1 Kings 2:1,3   Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt... And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon,..And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:....For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God,...Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall..... 1 Chronicles 29:3/2 Chronicles 9:32/1 Kings 4:30/2 Chronicles 9:3,5/1 Kings 11:4/Proverbs 16:18   Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem,...And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day....And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,... 1 Kings 14:21/2 Chronicles 12:14/2 Chronicles 10:18,19/2 Chronicles 12:2    Abijah to reign over Judah...He reigned three years in Jerusalem..And he walked in all the sins of his father,....And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: 2 Chronicles 13:1,2,/1 Kings 15:3/2 Chronicles 19,20   Asa his son reigned in his stead...And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem....And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:...For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:...So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled...And he took away the sodomites out of the land,----Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah,..Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, saying, There is a league between me and thee,...Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God,..therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars....Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time...Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 2 Chronicles 14:1/1 Kings 15:10/2 Chronicles 14:2,3,12/1 Kings 15:12/2 Chronicles 16:1-3,7,9,10/1 Kings 15:23   Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead,..And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David,..he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem.....So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him....And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land. 2 Chronicles 17:1,3/20:31-33,46   Jehoram his son reigned in his stead...and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, ..slew all his brethren with the sword, ..And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD......And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father,..And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day....Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians:...Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. 2 Chronicles 21:1,5,4,6,12,15,16/2 Kings:22   ...for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned....Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah...He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly...and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramothgilead: And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah,....And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah,....And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 2 Chronicles 22:16,8/2 Kings 9:27   But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land. 2 Chronicles 22:10-12   And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, ..and shewed them the king's son. And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, ... Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason. And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain. Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest....But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places... But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols:....the host of Syria came up against him: So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were departed from him, his own servants conspired against him ...and slew him on his bed, and he died: 2 Kings 11:4,11/2 Chronicles 23:12,13/2 Kings 11:13/2 Chronicles 24:1,2/2 Kings 12:3/2 Chronicles 24:15,17,18,23,25   Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart..... after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them....And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate,...Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there. 2 Chronicles 25:1,2,14/2 Kings 14:3/2 Chronicles 25:27   Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king.. and he reigned fifty and two years...And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD,...And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians..... and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly..And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal.......Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places...But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense....And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land.... 2 Chronicles 26:1,2,4,7,8,15,16/2 Kings 15:4   Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years.. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD,.. howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly... he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. 2 Chronicles 27:1,2,4,5   Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years...But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen,...And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him....So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, ..and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria....And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof....Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 2 Chronicles 28:1/2 Kings 16:3-5,7,10/Isaiah 7:10-14   Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years..And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD,.. in the first year of his reign, ..opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them....He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it:...For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him,...And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover...Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities,...And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria....In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, .. O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth ..And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 2 Chronicles 29:1,2/2 Kings 18:4,6/2 Chronicles 30:1/32:1,21/2 Kings 20:1-3/Isaiah 38:4,5   Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years...But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God,...Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another;...Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight,...And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh ..for that which he did in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 33:1-3,5/2 Kings 21:6/2 Chronicles 33:7/2 Kings 21:16/2 Chronicles 33:11-13/Jeremiah 15:1,4   Amon was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years...But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house. 2 Chronicles 33:21-24   Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images,....Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses...And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes....And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept,.....Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him...And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: 2 Chronicle 34:1,3,14,19/35:18,20-23/2 Kings 23:30/2 Chronicles 35:25   Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months..And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 2 Chronicles 36:2/2 Kings 23:32/2 Chronicles 36:3   And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt....Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon....Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him,... 2 Chronicles 36:4-6/Jeremiah 22:18   Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.....Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 2 Chronicles 36;9,10   Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.....Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years...And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD...For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison,..And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon,...And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;.. And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. 2Kings 24:20/2 Chronicles 36:11,12/Jeremiah 32:6,28,4/52:10,11 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 2 Chronicles 36:16

SDA Issues - Shame on Kettering!

The Global Leadership Summit 2016 of Willow Creek --WHY are any Adventists participating in this event??? There are a hole list of churches participating this year including the Kettering SDA Church! Shame on Kettering!----below is what goes on there....

 

"A Catholic priest and a New Ager walk into Willow Creek…

No, it’s not a joke waiting for a punchline. It’s an experiment called The Practice, and it’s the brainchild of Pastor Bill Hybels’ son-in-law, Aaron Niequist. Niequist is also the Worship Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, and he calls a Jesuit priest his spiritual director.

Be warned; you are about to hear a lot of New Age lingo:

The Practice is an experimental gathering where we immerse ourselves in God’s dream for humanity, practice the historic disciplines that align us with His dream, and carry each other along the way.  PracticeTribe.com

Starting this Sunday, Niequist will teach you about “unforced rhythms of grace,” in which you will learn to align your rhythm with God’s rhythm, practice contemplative prayer methods like Lectio Divina, and learn from a Catholic priest.

 

The Practice has been a Sunday night ritual at Willow Creek church since 2013, after that summer’s Global Leadership Summit invited Vijay Govindarajan, Professor of International Business and the Founding Director of Tuck’s Center for Global Leadership, to speak about about innovation:

Niequist: Honestly without Vijay’s talk at the Summit, the Practice experiment could not have happened, because it gave us the language to navigate and frame what we needed to do. He spoke about his book, Beyond the Idea, and his three-box strategy. Basically, every organization, he said, has three boxes. Box One is about managing the present. It’s everything the organization is doing to maintain itself. Box Two is about making minor improvements to make Box One even better. But Box Three is about creating the future. It’s all about innovation.

Note that Niequist does not mention Jesus Christ, the cross, sanctification or any other biblical doctrine as reasons to start The Practice. Just boxes and business management.
This season’s direction for The Practice:

RHYTHM: Learning to align our rhythms with God’s Eternal Rhythms, for the sake of the world.

Where does this idea of “unforced rhythms of grace” come from? Only one place: The Message, quoted extensively by Niequist:

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message (MSG)

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Does that sound strange? Try a word-for-word translation like the English Standard Version:

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

(Side note: Rick Warren also blogged last spring that Jesus Teaches Unforced Rhythms of Grace.)
Here then, are the four ways Niequist is leading Willow Creekers in a new rhythmic realignment with God through The Practice:

(1) Present Moment Rhythm – practicing the Presence of Christ

Already I need to insert this:  On 9/20, Niequist has invited New Ager Ruth Haley Barton to teach Sacred Rhythms.

(2) Daily Rhythm – practice the Daily Examen

(3) Weekly Rhythm – keeping The Sabbath

(4) Yearly Rhythm – aligning with the Church Calendar

What church calendar?  Here is The Practice Calendar, in which you are invited to deep dive into a

self-assessment of your own rhythms. Next month, you’ll learn the three foundational practices for a life aligned with God: SILENCE, EMBODIED EXAMEN, and SABBATH.

“Silence helps us hear God’s still small voice and align with God in each moment of our day.  The Examen helps us look back upon each day and find God’s fingerprints in the most unlikely places.  Sabbath helps us reorder our days into the rhythm God established in Creation: 6 on and 1 off,” Niequist says.

And then, the church calendar: “In December, we will align with the church calendar and celebrate the season of ADVENT… and also helpful to give a vision for why the church calendar is so helpful.” 

Could it be that Niequist means the Roman Catholic calendar?

Eucharist and priestly preachings

During the “Examen” phase, a distinctly Catholic element comes into play, with the introduction of Father Michael Sparough, a Jesuit priest who guided The Practice community through the Catholic practice of The Examen.

“Last April, my spiritual director—Father Michael Sparough, SJ—guided our Practice community through the historic Christian practice of The Examen. The night was powerful and so unexplainably holy that we wanted to invite more people into the experience. So we’ve turned the live recording of Fr Michael into a full New Liturgy—fleshing it out with an evocative musical score and three original songs. We hope it helps you connect with God in a deep and daily way.”

It’s interesting to note that The Practice openly promotes building a bridge between Protestants and Catholics through Ecumenicism, “the idea that unity among the whole church is central to spreading Christ’s kingdom to the ends of the earth.”
Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn during the Examan phase including this digital toolkit:

• Audio: The Cross Meditation – a ten minute guided meditation on the Sign of the Cross.
• Teaching: St Ignatius and The Examen – Fr Michael Sparough teaches on the history of The Examen.
• Teaching: The Five Steps of The Examen – Fr Michael Sparough teaches through the steps of The Examen.
• Video: A conversation with Fr Michael Sparough and Aaron Niequist about The Examen, spiritual direction, and learning from other Christian traditions.

Spiritual Formation
It would appear that the entire purpose of The Practice is to practice Spiritual Formation and all of its contemplative components, like Lectio Divina, a centuries-old mystical Catholic practice involving repeating a word or phrase from the Bible over and over until you reach a higher level of consciousness to “hear God speak” to you:" BereanResearch