Talk of JESUS . com

Tag: Christ

Some thoughts about 10 years and more
Some LIVE thoughts from Roger

HERE is where you can add your COMMENTS & birthday wishes IF you read what I write.

Thoughts from TODAY
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Throughout this post
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and below some thoughts, quotes & links from the 1000+ posts on TalkofJESUS.com.

Don’t forget to COMMENT BELOW

and

Come back later TODAY OR TOMORROW to see what may again become PRIVATE from the archives of my library of thoughts, scriptures and writing from personal things about Roger over the years.
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MORE surprises later...
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God-willing, REGULAR UPDATES TODAY ONLY. —

To be continued…

Roger

Thought from my first post –

Jesus interrupts our thinking that life is burdensome or ordinary.

Every moment has the possibility for a miraculous interruption of interaction in the will of God.

Life Interrupts Life – August 6, 2013

Follow Me.

Thought 10 years later: Twitter is now brand X – Facebook is now Meta – JESUS IS still ONE with GOD!

Series of thoughts about EMPIRE

We live in a FALLEN world where Christ followers are aliens (not truly citizens) in FALLEN EMPIRES.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com – 21 August in the year of our Lord 2023

The lessons of history and specifically Scripture sound the trumpet of warning in these last days. Is the United States of America any less likely to fall than the EMPIRE of Rome know to JESUS?

EMPIRE Fallen; Church Divided traces the beginnings of CHURCH HISTORY as related to historical events also linked to Christian faith.

The concept of the Falling CHURCH has been food for thought since my early posts. Here is a quote from an early series RE-Posted as a Summer Rerun in A.D. 2021:

8 August, 2013 A.D. – This time in history.

Genesis 1:2a King James Version – And the earth was without form, and void…

Creation, mankind, nations, the church, families and individuals ALL have a history.

“Most history is untold and unknown to most.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com – Thought from a 3 min. introduction to a 3-part series EMPIRE Fallen; Church Divided

Roger writes for Christian believers

false – for it is intolerant of Christ and Scripture

GOD Allows Violence

“Sin against God Almighty will be judged. Sin of false prophets will be judged. Sin of godless religious and national leaders will be judged. Sin of godless men will be judged. – August 17, 2013 AD

Paul and his Christian brothers write to the churches. They are not claiming to write to everyone in Galatia or Corinth or EVERYONE anywhere else in the idol-worshiping gentile world. Is that OUR approach?

Isn’t it nice to watch some preacher online (or on T.V.) and conveniently claim to the culture that you are ‘a christian?” ARE YOU? Simply because YOU watched some christian preacher saying graceful things?

But Not ALL Preaching is Scripturally motivated
Distinction between the Kingdom and the Church of Christ – 9/24/2022 AD

ONLY Scripture – Sola Scriptura

An ongoing thought & caution:

True of False Teaching?

a 2 minute read, BUT do my ‘christian’ ‘friends’ bother to HEAR Scripture & respond?

AGAIN, the challenge of 2013 remains among the challenges of A.D. 2023. What is true of false teaching? What source can you trust for TRUTH?

How is it that you can listen to false teachers for hours, yet will not READ your Bible even for minutes?
Do you believe the Bible? How will you know if your teacher is false?
Roger@TalkofJesus.com – August 13, 2013

Thoughts about gods and COUNTRY

And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.
Luke 20:15 LSB – thought from JESUS

Don’t you just love all the DEBATE every four years trying to buy a NEW Caesar for the Palace?
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Roger has generally not take political sides nor does he avoid the debate as some of the arrogant leaders may spin their own outcomes.
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Supposing that WE THE PEOPLE elect our Caesar’s as Idols of our EMPIRE only to carry daggers of assassination into hate week debates of NEWSPEAK every four years.

#2024NoTrumpNoHarris
Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” – Gospel of John 19:15 LSB
– YET the ‘christian’ right & ‘catholic’ ‘choice rights’ radically claim ‘religion without Christ’

The Unfaithful City

for the US election in the Common Era of 2014

JUSTICE is not only blind, but crippled by unrighteousness.
LAW is lost without AUTHORITY of GOD.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com – August 14, 2014 CE

FORGET POLITICS & RELIGION, CHRIST

IS THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC!

You may have heard of the Trinity before,

but it will not impact your faith until you receive the Holy Spirit.
Roger@talkofJesus.com – June 12, 2021 Doctrine – GOD IS HOLY

About Roger + some theological thoughts

Job 27:11

A ‘life verse’ from Job, a righteous man questioning Almighty God.

For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain,
When God taketh away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry,
When trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty,
And call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
Job 27:8-11 ASV

Many of His Disciples Left Him – John 6:66

updated TODAY – is this a post-Covid christian direction?

A man of too many friends comes to ruin,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24
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I have neither too many nor a friend closer than a brother.
For I have not been one to more than a few.

Lack of response by these here will verify the lonely truth of this. - RH
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more about Roger
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Written for this 'celebration' of my mortal life 3 years ago with some personal events and milestones available to ALL as one of my 1000+ posts written for my 'brothers & sisters' in Christ for 10 years. (I suppose not much has changed, but who really wants to hear what.)
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70 Years (or so)?

Thought of this celebration: Today I have reached the ‘or so.’

Talk of JESUS . com

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Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel

a thought on my birthday
August 21, 2023
From now on I will go ethnos
ACTS 18 continued..

ἔθνη – ethnos
“Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
ACTS of the Apostles 18:6b ESV – Paul’s curse toward the Jews rejecting the Gospel in Corinth

Paul’s persistence in ACHIA for 18 months

Our 2nd mission to Jews and the ethnos so far..

As we near the end of Paul’s second missionary journey the author of Acts who is also witness to this part of it shows his readers how the ethnos (gentiles) continue to be a challenge to the Jews.

Once again Paul began this second mission from Antioch Syria where the apostles’ depart with an epistle to all the churches from church leaders in Jerusalem.

Previously:

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
ACTS of the Apostles 15:1 ESV

Even an epistle from Jerusalem from leaders of the church did not solve this issue of the ethnos joining the Jews in worship.

[In Derbe] Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.
Acts of the Apostles 16:3-4 ESV

6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia..
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By the way, as all this has happened Paul writes a letter back to the Galatians addressing some of these same issues of ethnos.
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“This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

.. they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagog ESVue of the Jews.. he reasoned with them from the Scriptures..

4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks.. 5 But the Jews were jealous..

.. the Jews from Thessalonica.. came [to Berea], agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.
excerpts from ACTS 17 ESV

more about the resurrection?

with the Jews of Corinth
- Paul waits in Athens for Silas and Timothy to return by separate sailing from Macedonia.
- 17:34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
- 18 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ²And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla..
- 18:5 ..Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia..
- (Most Biblical scholars believe that Luke, author of LUKE-ACTS, arrived with them.)
Luke – an ethnos physician from Antioch Syria

Luke was a frequent companion of the Apostle Paul, at least from the time of Paul’s Macedonian vision (Acts 16:9, 10) right up to the time of Paul’s martyrdom (2 Tim. 4:11).
BlueLetterBible.org commentary of John MacArthur

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
ACTS of the Apostles 18:5 ESV

6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

We will go to the ethnos!

Some Jews chained to the cultural teachings of first century synagogues believed that having been chosen by God then the ONLY way to please God was to stick together.

AND leaders of synagogues (NOT places of worship, but of teaching) stuck to select old testaments of certain ancient Scriptures.

The Jews had updated their LAW with rules replacing a broken OLD Covenant which God’s chosen had abandoned long-ago.

SO HOW DOES THIS LOOK TO A GENTILE like Luke REDEEMED BY and worshiping Jesus, THE JEWISH MESSIAH?

HOW DID GENTILES (ETHNOS) like LUKE view THE CHRIST (Greek for Messiah) OF THE JEWS?

We CONTINUE with LUKE’s 2nd account from this juncture between the FIRST TWO MISSIONARY JOURNEYS OF PAUL and a THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY with the Apostle’s focus into all the world directly pointed to the ethnos – the gentiles of the Roman Empire even beyond Greece.

From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.

The Gentiles (ethnos) ἔθνος
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Lexicon :: Strong's G1484 - ethnos

Before we conclude our 2nd Missionary Journey with Paul let's look at what the Apostle's gentile physician meant in his 1st century account of the early church.
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The KJV translates Strong’s G1484 in the following manner: Gentiles (93x), nation (64x), heathen (5x), people (2x).
- a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together
  - a company, troop, swarm
- a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus
  - the human family
- a tribe, nation, people group
- in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles
- Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians
LUKE’s NEW TESTAMENT ACCOUNT:
- ethnos – 13x in his Gospel
- Greek ἔθνος (ethnos) – 43x in ACTS of the Apostles
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation^G1484 under heaven. – ACTS 2:5

And all the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles G1484 also. – ACTS 10:45

Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles G1484. – ACTS 13:46 [from Paul’s 1st missionary journey]

“Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

To be continued…

NEXT: more from Corinth & the conclusion of Paul’s 2nd missionary journey to the ethnos
June 22, 2023
My HOT reaction to a 1st. c. Hot Topic
As I read my own contemporary REACTION to Paul’s epistle (letter) to the ‘foolish Galatians’ I realized that the Apostle had provoked PREACHING in my own commentary.

Which HOT Topic that matters to YOU will push your button of REACTION?

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO PERVERSION?

OR YOUR REACTION TO HYPOCRISY?

HOW DO YOU REACT TO SIN?
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IF you even hold that SIN is identifiable in a man or woman.
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IS YOUR REACTION TO OPPONENTS OF GOD SIMILAR TO PAUL’S?
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IF YOU YOURSELF are not opposed to the ONE GOD and JESUS CHRIST?
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REACTION to Galatians
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Think of this an extended personal COMMENT and reaction to my own post 
AND then ADD your reaction to Paul's letter with YOUR comment.

Please forgive any overlap of content from Scripture. It is my hope that these exhortations may also convict 21st century christians in addition to the Galatians.
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HOT topics from Galatians – Perversion of the Gospel

Galatians 1:7b LSB – .. there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Apostasy appears throughout the Holy Bible when God’s people become unholy.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?

It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
Paul’s epistle to the churches in Galatia 3:1 ESV

Foolish Reactions of milk-fed christians

(My REACTION to those led to ‘some other gospel,’ as Paul puts it.)

For the turning away^H4878 of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

See Paul’s reference to foolishness according to Proverbs

God’s reaction to worshipers turning from HIM!

Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine:

the soul who sins shall die.
the word of the LORD through His Prophet Ezekiel 18:4

It is NOT ONLY the flesh which will wither and die; but, SAYS THE LORD, ‘the soul who sins shall die.’

Galatians 4:

SON OF A SLAVE! (What’s your reaction to that?)

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

DOES THIS NOT CONTINUE TO BE THE CONDITION OF EVERY CHRISTIAN BEFORE WE TURN TO JESUS CHRIST?

So why then, O foolish 21st century sinner, do you speak of reparations for slavery when you continue to refuse release from the CHAINS of CULTURE?

We are ENSLAVED by CULTURE! – the PERVERSE cultures of media leavening every moment of our day; the PERVERSE claims of political leaders PAID FOR secretly by those evil ones of Satan to whom their parties are chained.

The list is endless in these last days of this 21st century since the ascension of the risen Christ until HE returns to judge the living and the dead.

What’s your REACTION to HELL?
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Now there's a HOT Topic to avoid for those who pervert justice and oppose the Gospel of Christ's return. Again Paul's concern for the Galatians ought to mirror our own concern for 21st century church.
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9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
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OR, foolish claimant of Christ, is your own perversion of the Gospel leading your own soul into inevitable darkness, death, Judgment and right punishment for preaching culture and not Christ?
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15 What then has become of your blessedness? .. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
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DO YOU CHOOSE THE TRUE GOSPEL or have you foolishly followed the descending flow of their cultural gospel (which is false) into the very pit of perdition?
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17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.
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The Apostle Paul exhorts so-called christians of the churches of Galatia to return to the GOSPEL OF CHRIST. 

I, too, have cultural HOT buttons of REACTION.
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false – for it is intolerant of Christ and Scripture

Syncretism

You can’t be Orthodox AND Roman..

You’re no longer Catholic..

You can’t be righteous to Allah if you claim Christ..

Moroni and Smith hid in a secretive and false church of Jesus Christ in these latter days..

Our preaching is NOT Universal and CANNOT accept all religions..

GOD calls SELF-worship ‘SIN.’

Buddha can help you find your true SELF..

Our gods of the earth and nature bring you to the karma of this life..

We are ALL good..

The Bible is just another book.. )

DO YOU SEE THE DANGERS?

Evidence of Christ or Signs of Apostasy?

No Bible translation I know is so brash as to use this HEADING for Paul’s closing argument in his case against some members of the churches we call Galatians;

yet I’ll risk closing this HOT topic with such a summation for a jury of my Christian peers.

4 You are severed [cut away] from Christ, you who would be justified by the law;

you have fallen away from grace.

The GOSPEL of Christ’s grace IS good news not only to the redeemed but in its evidence to others.

17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit,

and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh,

for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

CAN THE PERVERSITY OF HYPOCRISY BE ANY MORE OBVIOUS IN ITS WITNESS THOUGH THOSE WHO CLAIM CHRIST?

Perversion of the FLESH? vs. Fruit of the SPIRIT?

WHICH do YOU choose AND what evidence does every juror see, you who have been given the Gospel?

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident:

sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies,

and things like these.

I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
Paul’s epistle [instructive letter to the churches] to the Galatians 5:22-23a ESV

against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

ARE YOU a christian wearing the Cross of Christ while living in the flesh just as Paul calls out to the Galatians to return to the GOSPEL of CHRIST?
- Does REACTION to your christian claim lead to further apostasy from God?
Does Paul’s HOT Topic #2 for the saints of the churches in Galatia CONVICT YOU?

WHAT FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT do you lack?

OR

Is your witness as a christian saint somewhat steeped in the unholiness of the fruit of the flesh?

COMMENTS? or Questions?
June 20, 2023