(but first... Dear kes, please forgive me for this lengthy post on your thread!! The greatest of love and peace to you, dear little one!!)
Now, then...
Dearest A Roarer... peace to you!
The perfect example of what I am talking about is Mother Theresa. She came out of a legalistic religion but she was a humanitarian with the Christlike teachings he taught. Even her writings were simple but profound as far as the love that Christ was talking about. Her life and works spoke for what she was and I would bet she is an annointed one that was spoken about. IMO
Indeed, dear AR? you observe correctly, for he is not a ?Jew? (or rather, he is not ?Israel?) who is one on the OUTSIDE, but he is ?Israel?? who is one on the INSIDE. It appears that d ear Mother Theresa did indeed try to live the Law of love, that s he was a DOER? and not JUST a hearer. However, we must recognize that not ALL will manifest who they are in this way, for some remember the admonition at Matthew 6:1-4:
"Take good care not to practice your righteousness in front of men
in order to be observed by them; otherwise, you will have no reward
with your Father who is in the heavens. Hence, when YOU go making
gifts of mercy, do NOT blow a trumpet ahead of you, just as the hypo-
crites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be
glorified... by men. Truly, I say to you, they are having THEIR reward
in full. But YOU, when making gifts of mercy, do NOT let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, that your gifts of mercy may be IN
SECRET; then, your Father who is looking on in secret will repay you."
Now, I know it might be "with you" to think that somehow I am belittle Mother Theresa and her good works. NOTHING could be further from the truth! I give you the example of the man my Lord spoke to his disciples about recorded at Luke 9:49, 50. Although that man was not one of them, my Lord told them not to stop him. Why? Because he WAS doing a good work - what did they have to fear of it?
My point, however, is that there are many who do the same work as Mother Theresa... albeit perhaps not on so large a scale and certainly not as prominent (in the media, etc.). They are not "glorified" by men, however: they receive no prize, no honor, no "sainthood." But there is good reason for this: they know that by means of NOT being greater than their Master, Christ, who did such things, they are simply "good-for-nothing-slaves"... and what they've done and do... is what they OUGHT to have done and OUGHT to do... without regard for "reward" from men. It is our OBLIGATION toward one another... under the law of LOVING one another. I bid you peace!
Seems all too simple, doesn't it?
Indeed, dear LT, which is why our Lord said that we must become AS LITTLE CHILDREN, yes? For children CAN fathom the simplest of things. It is we ?grown-ups? who have to taint everything with our own forms of ?logic?? trying to comprehend what we cannot with the flesh? because they are of the spirit. The greatest of love and peace to you, my dear brother!
The Bible is boring. It's the same old stuff over and over again.... I have better things to do than try to decipher a man-made book that is claimed to be inspired of god.
I am not sure that this discussion is about ?the Bible,? dear Shamus? which, you are correct, is a great deal of the ?same old stuff? over and over again? and which, in totality, is NOT ?inspired?. What most miss, however, is just what that ?stuff? is? and that is that it is a WITNESS... about the Christ. (John 5:39, 40) Many don?t SEE that, however, as they have become bogged down in the laws and decrees, seeing only them? and using them as a mean to burden, oppress and control their fellow man? rather than seeing them as a means to LOVE and FORGIVE their fellowman. I would say to you, then, since you have better things to do, leave off from trying to ?decipher? it. Doing such is truly another burden. Rather, seek the One about whom a good majority of it is written and let THAT One ?inspire? YOU. I bid you peace.
Dearest CZAR, may the undeserved kindness and mercy of my God and Father, the Most Holy One of Israel, whose is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and whose name is JAH? of ARMIES? and the peace of His most precious Son and Christ, my dear Lord and Master, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH? be upon you. To time indefinite.
Dearest Wednesday? no, you do not have need to believe in a ?hellfire?, for no such thing exists in the manner that is taught by earthling man? who uses such talisman to instill FEAR in his fellow man and exact a compelled obedience by means of it. If one sins against God? one must answer to God. However, it is not the ?vocation? of a TRUE Christian to go around using God as means of controlling others: Christ NEVER did so.
Rather, the OBLIGATION of a true Christian is to go RELEASING: to forgive, to love, to provide, to heal, to soothe? and to be a source of strength for those seeking a refuge, until such time as they themselves ?find? Christ? the COMPLETE refuge... who is all of these things, and can BE all of these things? to all who seek him. By means of HIM, then, one can find God. And it is by means of LOVE? that one can find Christ? and be found BY Christ. And LOVE? casts FEAR? outside. Peace t o you!
And finally, dearest Narkissos?
Thank you for your kind answer.
Again, peace to you? and you are quite welcome!
I think you didn't get my last point (about atheism), but maybe you couldn't. I'll try again just once. Please don't take it bad.
Perhaps I didn?t, but yes, please try again? and, no, of course, I certainly won?t take it bad; I perceived no bad motive or intention on your part!
Just to illustrate: suppose I had a great experience with Christmas (I mean the whole, common "pagan" stuff) when I was a boy. When I grew up I learned that "there is no Santa Claus". Perhaps I was a bit disappointed, but didn't want to appear so.
Okay. Disappointment is a part of life, however, and as we mature, we realize that MANY things we accepted as true as children? are not. The Tooth Fairy comes to mind.
Maybe for some years in my teens I looked upon Christmas as "childish".
The ?Santa? part of it, sure. And maybe even the gift exchange, excessive and gaudy lighting, corny carols, and never ending supply of socks and undies that for some reason are issued out in superabundance at that time of year. For some, even the ?religious? stuff gets to be bit? ummmm? overdone, too! So, I understand where you?re coming from (I think!)? but in truth, I don't mind it: I can take it... or leave it. Whatever "floats" someone's "boat"... you know?
But later on, when I had children, I came to appreciate again all the Christmas "magic", and readily told Christmas stories to my kids, though not hiding that these were only "stories".
Well, yes, if you want your kids to have a bit of the yearly ?magic,? sure! I?m with ya?
Of course I cannot believe in Santa Claus again. Would you say I have "fallen away" from Christmas' spirit? I would answer "yes" and "no".
Again, I hear you? you?ve rejected some of it, but not all of it? okay? Back to Jesus: Yes, Jesus' character was and is very important to me.
Yes?
However, over the years, I came to learn that this "Jesus" was the result of many different things: a historical man I know very few about; a fascinating literary character made up by the Gospels; a philosophico-religious "Christ" myth I can easily retrace from many contemporary texts. I still like Jesus' character, but do not see it anymore as the absolute "truth" in the former sense.
Yes. But I understood this from your last post, truly. MY point was that perhaps you feel as you do because? you truly do not KNOW HIM. True, you have heard of him, have read about him, have had discussions, debates and other interchanges about him. But your AFFECTION for him? is limited. As it would be with regard to ANYONE you don?t truly know. Yes? Dear one, it is so because all of these means that you have mentioned above? CANNOT bring you to knowing him!
Do you remember the words of those who said, ?Lord, Lord, didn?t we?? do this and do that ?in your name?? And he replied, ?I? never knew YOU?? Do you recall that? It is because such ones knew OF him? ONLY as they had been led to know by others. But they did not know HIM. For if they DID? one, he would have known THEM? and two, by this mutual relationship, they would have known that the things they THOUGHT they were doing with his approval? actually were nothing of the sort. Why? Was expelling demons wrong? Nope. Was prophesying wrong? Nope. It was because although they were doing it is his name? HE never sanctioned it because they were not doing it? OUT OF LOVE.
It was because if they had KNOWN him? not abstractly? not by means of a book? not by means of what they had been told or read? but LITERALLY? just as he said (?MY sheep listen to MY voice? and I KNOW THEM? and they follow ME?), they would have KNOWN that ANYTHING they did? absent of love? was irrelevant. Moot. For he would have TOLD them? and being his sheep they would have HEARD him? and listened and obyed.
But? they did not know him? and so ?performed many powerful works?? but not with a right and pure motive. They did it for their OWN glory? ignoring his admonition that to be the greatest one MUST be the least. True, they invoked his name? but wickedly used such invocation to gain followers and admirers of themselves and/or re-enslave those who took notice.
I guess it's more difficult for you to understand me than for me to understand you.
I would have to ask you not to make such an assumption, for truly, it is not that way at all.
Anyway, I'm just happy that you do not "shun" me in the JWs' way.
How could I do so, dear one? How could I even WANT to? It is NOT the way of the Christ, who himself actually sought out disfellowshipped ones! He shunned NO ONE? not even the scribes and Pharisees. True, he told his followers to ?look out? for such ones? look out for their ?works? and their ?leaven? (hypocrisy). But he received ALL who came to him. In fact, I wish to share with you a thing of note, which the WT fails to see over and over again:
My Lord KNEW that Judas would betray him, yes? Yet, to which one of the others did he reveal this truth? To which of the others did he say, ?Stay away from that man; he is unclean and going to betray me. You do not want to be like him so do not associate with him?? To whom did he say this? No one. Judas remained right along with the others, up until he was sent to ?do quickly? what he was going to do, even though he had revealed his true ?colors? already. And even then, my Lord did NOT tell the others what Judas was about? nor even cautioned them about him. And he CERTAINLY didn?t expel, cast out or ?disfellowship? Judas: he let that one ?judge? himself, did he not?
I was recently asked about ?bad association,? and that if we associate with people with certain ?weaknesses? aren?t we likely to assume such weaknesses ourselves? And the reply my Lord gave was, ?Did I not eat with sinners and tax collectors? Did I not touch the unclean? Were there not drunkards and prostitutes among my followers, extortioners, adulterers, liars, and more?? And the answer is yes, of course. The POINT, however, is how HE? was: he felt pity for such people so that he did not turn away from them or turn them away. He did not hide himself from them. Rather, he BEFRIENDED them and FORGAVE them and RELEASED them? and showed them how to SURPASS the Law? rather than TRESPASS it. By means of... LOVE . LOVE... covers a MULTITUDE of transgressions? and there is no "law" against love.
So, love being the ?law? that I am bound to by means of the covenant between me and God, mediated by Christ, dear Narkissos, how can I shun you? and yet say I love you? It cannot be. Love? SEEKS the lost one; it does not send away any.
Btw, would you tell me where you got the "Jaheshua Mischajah" spelling? I'm just curious.
Of course! It is the English spelling of the Hebrew. God?s name is ?JAH? (Psalm 68:4)? which is (in Hebrew) ?yodh? (which is NOT a ?y?, but a ?j?)? ?aleph? (the ?a?) and ?he? (which is the ?h?). The ?yodh?, while a ?j? is PRONOUNCED like a ?y? (think, ?hallelujah?)? and the ?he?? is silent. Thus ?hallelujah,? is TRULY pronounced ?al-lel-u-ya? - allel? or hallel meaning ?praise?: " praise you, JAH."
My Lord?s name, JAHeSHUA? means ?JAH Saves? or ?Salvation of JAH.? The actual ENGLISH spelling is ?Joshua?? and the pronunciation is ?Yah-e-shua? or ?Yah-shua? (the ?e? can be pronounced or silent, depending on how fast you say the syllables). His name is NOT ?Jesus?? which is the English translation of the Greek name ?Ieosus?, which name means ?Je (or Jah) is Zeus?. While it is true that JAH? IS ?zeus? (the Greek word for ?god?)? it is NOT true that He is ?Zeus?? the highest god of the Greek mythological beliefs.
The word ?mischa? means ?chosen? or ?anointed.? The name ?MischaJah?, pronounced ?mee-sha-yah? then, means ?chosen/anointed of JAH.? ?Mischa? in GREEK? is ?kristos?? translated in English to ?Christ.? ?MischaJAH,? in ENGLISH? is ?messiah?? (?me-si-yah? - remember that silent "h"?).
The CONFUSION is due to the renderings: a ncient Hebrew was a PHONETIC language? made up of consonants, with few vowels. That is why many have MISrendered the Tetragrammaton as ?YHWH? ? yodh, he, waw, he ? when ACTUALLY, it is JHVH: the yodh being a ?j? versus a ?y?? and the waw being a ?v? versus a ?w?. That is why Jewish people pronounce, say, ?Manischeweitz,? as MAN-I-SHEV-ITZ.
Please note, that I do not know the truth about this name from research into earthling man?s musings on it. I know it because it is what has been revealed and explained to me by my Lord, the One whose name it is, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH. It is he who told me the correct pronunciation, as well as the proper renderings in Hebrew/Aramaic, Greek and English. And it is he who told me how it came to be confused as it is.
Anyway, I hope that helped, dear Narkissos, and peace to you!
Again, I bid you ALL peace? and I remain,
Your servant, and a slave of Christ,
SJ
