Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Message from John Mulinde - Very Important!
This was probably the purest preaching I have heard in over ten years. I strongly implore you to take an hour of your time and listen.
God Bless
JEB
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
An Intricate Plan
"I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion." Proverbs 8:12Wisdom is clear direction. The Greek word used most often in the scriptures to denote "wisdom" is sophia. Sophia is derived from the Greek word Saphes which means clarity.
In the old testament, in Proverbs chapters 2,3,4 and 8, the word "wisdom" is often associated with the words "way", "path", or "direction." So taken together, we see that in it's purest form, wisdom is a clear way, path or direction from God. And per Proverbs 8:12 above, wisdom is always accompanied by prudence, knowledge and discretion.
Prudence in this verse is derived from the Hebrew word Ormah. Ormah comes from the word Orem which means strategy. Discretion in the same verse is derived from the Hebrew word Mezimmah. Mezimmah means a plan. Mezimmah is further derived from the Hebrew word Zamam. Zamam is defined as a plan, a plot, or a purpose.
In all of this together, if we were to write our own amplified version of Proverbs 8:12, we could say the following:
"I, clear direction, dwell together with strategy; I possess knowledge and plans within an overall plot and purpose."God is a God of plans and strategies. And this planning and strategizing extends throughout all of creation. From the very numbers of the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30) to the time when you are to be born and the places you are to live (Acts 17:26). Everything is determined and intended by a Master Planner. And these plans express themselves in Ergons, in works that we are called to be a part of from day to day, week to week, year in and year out.
From faith to faith (Romans 1:17) we go from one work to another according to his plans and strategies for our lives.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Ergon
The words "work" or "works" occur 185 times in scripture. Of those 185, the Greek word Ergon or a one of its primary derivitaves (ergasia, ergates, ergazomai) is used 176 times in the original Greek.
Strongs Concordance defines ergon as: to work, to labor or toil at an occupation.
When we look at the dynamics of "works" in scripture we will focus on the passages that use the word Ergon. Works are a really big deal to God. And I might emphasize that they are not optional if one wants to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Strongs Concordance defines ergon as: to work, to labor or toil at an occupation.
When we look at the dynamics of "works" in scripture we will focus on the passages that use the word Ergon. Works are a really big deal to God. And I might emphasize that they are not optional if one wants to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Saturday, July 7, 2012
An Unrepentant Generation
Dear Jesus,
Sorry for not talking in so long a time, but Your love being compulsory, You’ll just have to understand. We the people of planet earth have gotten together and have agreed upon some things, which we thought fitting to pass along.
We think it only right we have a say, and even if You disagree, we demand it, and as such You have to do it.
First off, we believe there has been some sort of miscommunication, because a handful of your representatives still seem to think we are in need of forgiveness, and keep throwing around words like repentance, self-denial, and self-renunciation. We are not looking for forgiveness since forgiveness implies wrongdoing, what we are looking for from You is validation more than anything.
We don’t believe we’ve done anything wrong since sin is relative and subject to individual interpretation. As such, we no longer believe in the existence of sin, or consequence, justice, or hell for that matter.
Just tell us we’re okay and heaven-bound no matter what we do and no matter what we allow to nest in our hearts, and we can continue having as amicable a coexistence as we have enjoyed thus far.
Since certain things in Your Book were offensive to us, we decided to change the parts we didn’t like. At first we thought you might disapprove, but what You have to understand is that by changing a few things, and tweaking a few others, coming to church has become attractive to more people, and this translates into more revenue. In the end, isn’t revenue what it’s all about?
Trust us, we know business, and keeping the Book the way it was, was cutting into the bottom line. Make people feel at ease, make them feel comfortable, do not challenge their lifestyle, and you’ll have faithful and loyal givers that will put you over the top with every offering.
When you really think about it, it was only a matter of time anyway. Can You really expect those of this generation to prefer You over their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, wives and husbands, when they don’t even prefer You over their possessions, positions, and proclivities?
Since you’ve likely seen what is happening on this planet, we were also wondering why you were late in returning. What’s keeping you? By our estimation You should have been here by now, and we should all be in heaven feasting and attending a wedding…at least that’s what our guest speaker said last Sunday.
Need we remind you this isn’t what we signed up for? The Apostles of old, and those of the primary church might have been foolish enough to sign on the dotted line, but we read the fine print, and made our own amendments before signing. We hope you honor those amendments, even though we didn’t run them by you.
So just to set the record straight, our amendments include but are not limited to, no persecution, no hardship, and no tribulation. We’ve all agreed we don’t have what it takes to endure to the end, so please come sooner than you’d intended, just to make sure we’re not scarred – emotionally or otherwise – by what we’re starting to see taking shape all around us.
Although we do not intend any offense, we are firm concerning the aforementioned issues, and even most preachers, evangelists, and pastors agree with us on our points.
Sincerely,
An Unrepentant Generation
Thank you Brother Michael Boldea for allowing the reprint
Sorry for not talking in so long a time, but Your love being compulsory, You’ll just have to understand. We the people of planet earth have gotten together and have agreed upon some things, which we thought fitting to pass along.
We think it only right we have a say, and even if You disagree, we demand it, and as such You have to do it.
First off, we believe there has been some sort of miscommunication, because a handful of your representatives still seem to think we are in need of forgiveness, and keep throwing around words like repentance, self-denial, and self-renunciation. We are not looking for forgiveness since forgiveness implies wrongdoing, what we are looking for from You is validation more than anything.
We don’t believe we’ve done anything wrong since sin is relative and subject to individual interpretation. As such, we no longer believe in the existence of sin, or consequence, justice, or hell for that matter.
Just tell us we’re okay and heaven-bound no matter what we do and no matter what we allow to nest in our hearts, and we can continue having as amicable a coexistence as we have enjoyed thus far.
Since certain things in Your Book were offensive to us, we decided to change the parts we didn’t like. At first we thought you might disapprove, but what You have to understand is that by changing a few things, and tweaking a few others, coming to church has become attractive to more people, and this translates into more revenue. In the end, isn’t revenue what it’s all about?
Trust us, we know business, and keeping the Book the way it was, was cutting into the bottom line. Make people feel at ease, make them feel comfortable, do not challenge their lifestyle, and you’ll have faithful and loyal givers that will put you over the top with every offering.
When you really think about it, it was only a matter of time anyway. Can You really expect those of this generation to prefer You over their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, wives and husbands, when they don’t even prefer You over their possessions, positions, and proclivities?
Since you’ve likely seen what is happening on this planet, we were also wondering why you were late in returning. What’s keeping you? By our estimation You should have been here by now, and we should all be in heaven feasting and attending a wedding…at least that’s what our guest speaker said last Sunday.
Need we remind you this isn’t what we signed up for? The Apostles of old, and those of the primary church might have been foolish enough to sign on the dotted line, but we read the fine print, and made our own amendments before signing. We hope you honor those amendments, even though we didn’t run them by you.
So just to set the record straight, our amendments include but are not limited to, no persecution, no hardship, and no tribulation. We’ve all agreed we don’t have what it takes to endure to the end, so please come sooner than you’d intended, just to make sure we’re not scarred – emotionally or otherwise – by what we’re starting to see taking shape all around us.
Although we do not intend any offense, we are firm concerning the aforementioned issues, and even most preachers, evangelists, and pastors agree with us on our points.
Sincerely,
An Unrepentant Generation
Thank you Brother Michael Boldea for allowing the reprint
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