"So we learn that there is rejoicing in heaven over every sinner who repents; but those who are faithful and transgress not any of the commandments, shall inherit 'all that the Father hath,' while those who might be sons, but thought their 'riotous living' waste their inheritance, may come back through their repentance to salvation to be servants, not to inherit exaltation as sons.
"The wonderful story of the prodigal son has been misinterpreted almost universally. How frequently is the statement made from sectarian pulpits that because this younger son transgressed and committed all manner of sin and then repented, he was better off than his older brother who did not sin. By many the real lesson in this parable is lost. The younger son asked for his inheritance and received it. He went out and spent it in the vilest wickedness. When his substance was gone, he was forced by physical suffering and degradation to repent. Had his substance held out longer, he would have sinned that much more. It is needless to repeat all the circumstances of this story. It is sufficient to say that when he returned his father received him, but did not promise to reinstate him in the fullness of the inheritance; this is apparent in the answer made to the obedient son: 'Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine'." (The Way to Perfection, p21)

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The Word says, we are to look for Heavenly Things, not earthy things. Jesus called His sevants, that we might teach others to observe all things He has commandment of us, and to preach The Gospel of Christ! That repentance and remissions of sin shall be preached to all Nations!
(Luke-1-75-77) That we walk before Him in righteousness and holiness al the days of our life!

With His calling in mind, what has your posting, of the rich, money, reward, or the eviliness of another, have to do with the Kingdom of God?
One speaks from the love of their heart, with you, this seems to be the love is money! For with the mouth, man speaks from his heart!
Not onetime have you posted anything concerning Salvation, not onetime have you repeated the words of Jesus, whereby man might be saved.
You want to use the evil rich man for your benefit, does your heart not break to EVEN THINK, the very people you want to use may end up in Hell?
If the people you talk against are as evil as you say, why are you not praying for them, instead of trying to destroy them? Do you not know, Even the Religious can be saved!

Like I said to you before, Jesus is the Head to Rule over His True Chruch, this Authority has no man! Revenge is Mine saith The Lord, whereby, it is best that you leave it alone!
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Many people focus just on the younger son...lets remember something here. The scriptures say that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy, in the Holy Ghost. What did the younger son actually feel in his fathers arms? Do you recon he was more excited about the feast, or the redemption? What had the older son lost sight of, in the presence of his father, but not in his arms? We tend as christians to get so busy in our "works efforts" that we loose sight of the purpose of our stewardship. Our carnal natures sneak into prominance and then we wind up working to achieve the wrong goal.....to please ourselves, not to glorify our Father! The Father said what to the older son? DO we as christians take full advantage of our inheritance and the privelidges of our Bloodline? The wealth had already been divied up, the older son had received his fair share, and should have then been enjoying the status of just living in accord with His Father....all the benefits of the Fathers prosperity were there for his use....but he wasn't using them was he! He was so busy still trying to please his father, that he lost sight of the fact that he was already in good standing with him. WHy do you think he felt he had to keep trying? See, it wasn't about pleasing his father....it was about pleasing himself....to be better than the lost brother..(in his own eyes). Our Father wants to see us take advantage of our status as his child.....to put to use and enjoy the benefits bring his children....or are we too busy (self absorbed) to see the big picture here? As children of the Father...we are sanctified, holy, we are his Glory.....so why do we scurry around trying to earn an inheritance we have already been given? That inheritance isn't ours to earn...it came as a gift! We own it...so why don't we put it to use!
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Although many of those who dare interpret the extremely difficult Parable of the Unrighteous Mammon (Luke 16:1-13) have seen the lessons to be learned as otherworldly for heaven, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ still expects His followers to obey it beyond conversion to Christ to get out of coming damnation for sin sure to be found out. This parable is no mere allegory; it has practical value, sadly neglected by today's churches. I aim to show the following twin points:

(1) The availability of individual faithfulness in the unrighteous mammon through personal practice of bankruptcy law (vv. 1-8).

(2) The importance of corporate faithfulness of a congregation in the unrighteous mammon by sending the members in Christ out to befriend the rich people of the world (vv. 9-13).

These points are of great importance to depose the evil servants in charge of so many of today's churches and to dethrone stingy Budgets which have severely limited the work of God in most congregations.

First, let us examine the practical value of the parable alone in Luke 16:1-8. I leave it to others to explain the allegory in which the master represents God threatening damnation yet offering to afford our salvation; still, however, as it continues to speak differently to the converted, there is great practical value even for surely born-again Christians to heed in it. Let us now examine the transactions of this parable as a triangular double exchange.

These exchanges are reminiscent of bankruptcy proceedings. If we follow the example of the Unjust Steward, except his dishonesty, as believers, we should seek a way to offer mercy to the world as the fired steward offered partial forgiveness of perhaps legally binding debts --- in exchange for the debtors' good will (vv. 4 - 7). We should seek a way to arrange for the indebted people of the world to provide partial payment to its masters in exchange for the masters' words of forgiveness (vv. 6 - 8). We should seek a deal with the masters of this world to offer them our professional services in exchange for the commissions or fees of the steward's position (vv. 1, 3, 8). Such a position is available out in the world for us to take up: bankruptcy lawyer.

In almost any modern bankruptcy case, the judge and creditor(s) hold the master's position in the parable; the debtor holds the debtors' position; while in the position of the steward being fired are bankruptcy lawyers. The bankruptcy lawyers corresponding to the parable are not permanent employees of the creditors and will seek other cases when the case at hand is closed. The deal is similar to the parable as follows: The bankruptcy lawyers grant mercy to the debtor by arguing the case for forgiveness of debts before the judge in the presence of the creditor(s). The debtor provides partial payment to the creditor(s) and remains grateful to his lawyer in addition to paying the lawyer's fees. The judge presents the word of justice to all creditors and to the debtor through explaining how the settlement thus reached is fair according to all applicable laws and precedents. The creditor pays lawyer's fees in exchange for legal services. Thus does the profession of bankruptcy law embody personal emulation of the role of the Unjust Steward.

Alas, it is not easy to take this position up in modern English-speaking countries. In the days of Jesus' ministry, nigh any freeman, or servant or slave with his master's permission, well-behaved in court, could argue as an advocate for the creditors or the bankrupt; Roman bankruptcy law was simple and harsh. Today's English-speaking countries, on the other hand, aim to protect the public from "unqualified" professionals; the result is a long, expensive and worrisome training of law school and certification such that disbarment is greatly feared. There are therefore two good reasons for Christians not to train for the professional position of bankruptcy lawyer: worry (Matt. 6:24ff) and belief that Jesus might rapture us saints out of this world before the career could pay off. Nevertheless, whenever an entire congregation of many Christians has left the profession of bankruptcy law completely to worldly lawyers, that church is not following the example of the Unjust Steward.

What brings me to my second point is that it is not always possible for Christians to hold the positions of bankruptcy lawyer. A missionary is uniquely ill-equipped to argue cases at law in a foreign language, for instance. For this reason, Jesus Christ has given us the real requirements for faithfulness in the unrighteous mammon in practice on a congregational level (Luke 16:9-13): that at each congregation claiming to follow Jesus we make friends with the wealth of unrightous people so that they might take us in if we should lose our homes through persecution, disaster, or financial trouble (v. 9) and so that the rich people of the world might endow us with the wealth created by God for us which accrues to the rich so that we might be well-funded for generous Christian ministry (vv. 11-12). That we cannot serve both God and Mammon (wealth) (v. 13) indicates what happens whenever a church is thoroughly unfaithful in the unrighteous mammon and relies on hard-earned donations for its function and replaces the generosity of God with stingy Budgets. Such churches have held to their Budgets and despised Jesus Christ's commands to give freely and set people free from financial worries, just as He predicted! Judgement is coming for these evil servants in charge!

Now if you read Luke 16:9 or any discussion of it with "it" in the second clause instead of "ye" or "you" (all, as a congregation), the text has been corrupted and translated from a Greek text missing the two letters Tau and Epsilon present in the word "eklipe^te," "(when) you fail financially," in the correct text. Please ignore such an author's or preacher's pronouncements from the wrong text (e. g., NIV) and pick up a King James Version to interpret correctly. Even experts reading from the corrupted translations make false promises of houses and welcomes in heaven and claim a false need to have the favor of many poor people in Christ for heaven's sake in eternity. Do not believe their mistaken promises; the "failing" in verse 9 is loss of home in the here and now rather than loss of dominion after death. Now, if we neglect the rich mission field as most American Christians have seen fit to do, we shall continue to lack the means for faithful local ministry, let alone world evangelism (v. 12). I, Kevin Douglas Rosenberg, refuse to tolerate this abominable state of affairs any longer; I decry and denounce the evil servants in charge of most churches and cry out for their master to return in the here and now (Matt. 24:45-51). Let it be known that those evil servants in charge when their master returns have no forgiveness from me, but sure awareness of the wrongness of their expedients to serve Christ in stinginess while His Holy Word requires their generosity. If the laws in the way of this judgement were repealed, I could gladly call a respected pastor an evil servant in charge and hack him apart and kick him out and flog him if I had the position; that position, however, is not mine, but that of the gatherings which hire such individuals. In the meantime, be sure of each church's need for favor with the rich people of the world, especially if there be no bankruptcy lawyers in it.

Let God enrich your churches through the favor of the rich people of the world, not through hard, proud work. Good luck!


(Erratum to my earlier message: A transposition occurred in my typing afflicted with carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes in both arms: "Matt. ... 6:42" -- a nonexistent verse -- should have read "Matt. ... 6:24, ..." in which Jesus taught against worry.)
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I think that we can overthink this....Is it truly the belief of the majority of Christians that you have to "believe" the right things and say the right things in order to be "saved"?
John the Baptist said the Kingdom was at hand...Jesus said the Kingdom is HERE. We need to live the examples set forth by Jesus...love our neighbor....and to have faith LIKE Jesus, not necessarily IN Jesus.
To say that a modern day Jew is not "saved" is neurotic and egocentric. Why do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God....Our Lord and Savior (both are words taught by the Augustinian Roman empire, not by God)...and that He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins? Is it so that we get to go to Heaven? Or are we a bit deeper? Is it because we wish to live the love that Jesus taught and that we understand that Jesus died BECAUSE of our sins...not FOR them. Grace ceases to be grace once we place conditions on it.
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Pastor Mike,

Thank you for your response.

There is one thing that stands out to me about the article that you wrote and it’s this: It’s “academic”. I don’t mean that offensively. A lady once used that word around me talking about a well known ministry and the things that they were saying. That threw me for a loop. I literally had to look up the meaning of that word and then figure out what she said. What she was saying is that “those things go without saying”. There is no “magic” in that.

Matthew 13:35
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept SECRET from the foundation of the world.

I think your failing to give credence to that fact that there is a hidden mystery revolving around the teachings of the kingdom. Jesus was saying something so mind blowing that only IT (the secret, the mystery) could qualify as something so magnificent, that God almighty felt the need to hide it-and then reveal it at the opportune moment as the "secret" of the kingdom.

Look at the scriptures listed below.

Matthew 6:4
That thine alms may be in SECRET: and thy Father which seeth in SECRET himself shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in SECRET; and thy Father which seeth in SECRET shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:18
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in SECRET: and thy Father, which seeth in SECRET, shall reward thee openly.

Notice the word SECRET. Isn’t it safe to say that there is something about this idea that is a lot more far reaching then what we’ve given credit for being?

Did you know that there is a scripture in the Old Testament where a man demands to know Gods name from the angle standing before him representing God, and do you know what the angel said? (Paraphrased) “Why do you ask me my name being that it’s “SECRET” (might Gods name literally be “SECRET”? As in “hi my name is Denny, I’d like you to meet my friend Secret).

Is it just me or is there something a lot more to this; that God would keep centering on the idea of “secret”?

Well in my articles I seize upon this idea and I expound on what I believe this secret is. In what you just wrote, you can’t glean anything out of it that could be construed as a “secret hidden from the foundation of the earth”. Can you see that? It’s all academic.

JESUS WAS SAYING SOMETHING INCREDIBLE! I mean in terms of helping the human race.

I would submit that the pearl of great price or the treasure hid in the field is this ability that a human being has to resplend the contents of his heart onto the picture screen of his life. I.E, get it to MANIFEST.

Now seriously, isn’t that more of a fulfillment of the scripture:

“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world”.

Who cares about things that don’t help you get God manifest in your life? Haven’t you ever been afraid of something? Haven’t you ever been in a jam in which you need God NOW! Haven’t you ever been anxious, careful, strung-out (stressed out-whatever)? Haven’t you ever asked “isn’t there something for my being (body) in terms of the presence of God? Why would a person have to lie in bed feeling spiritually cold, dark, as though God is totally absent? Shouldn’t we have a “manifestation” of the presence of God to where we always know that he’s there? Some will say “but you must take it by faith”. But the whole reason why you take it by faith is because Hebrews says “faith is the substance, or giving substance to the things that we hope for. We use our faith to get something to manifest.

God wants to be manifestly present in our lives. Many people have had an experience with God in which they say it was as though a being of fire came upon them. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could get this experience and impart it unto others? Instead of kids blowing the brains out on dope, impart this being that the bible calls the Comforter unto people and just see if that wouldn’t far out do what crack can offer.

Isn’t this better than all of that theory business?

I don’t want theory; theory doesn’t pay the bills and give me something to look forward to. FUSHTANE? (I think that’s German for do you get it? I’m probably wrong. Forgive me thou German people.)

I would submit that THIS, IS THE “CONTEXT” THAT JESUS WAS ADDRESSING.

Just remember though, Jesus said many things. Some of which may be an overall view from above concerning the predicament of man. But by far his most awesome teaching was that of manifesting the Word of God to the world around us via Kingdom principles.

Mark 4:13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

The parables of Mark chapter four are the ones that open the door to all the others. And it speaks of manifesting things hidden, to the world around us.

God bless.

Tell no man.

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the parable also exists in buddhism: see http://www.comparativereligion.com/prodigal.html

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On the topic of the younger son hating his father. It is not said that he hates his father, and I don't believe that he does... but in asking for his inheritance... it is like wishing his father were dead. That had to hurt the father. Yet the father took him back unconditionally.

As for the older son, that has also been on my heart a lot. You see my sister ran away from home. When she returned I was glad and celebrated, but at the same time it was frustrating. Where was my reward for being the good daughter?? The father's response to the older's sons complaints is, "Everything I have is yours". God gives us everything! He gave us His Son and eternal life. At the same time, the father's plea to the older son to join in the celebration, is how God us to celebrate when others grow in relationship with him.
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I have a friend on life support. She was like Lazurus, full of sores that our eyes could not see, but the heart could. So many people became tired trying to deal with her sores (including myself). She felt as though no one really loved her. She had received Jesus, but I don't really think she understood his love for her.

The family is pulling the life support in just fifteen more minutes, Wednesday, March 25th at 5pm. Do we know whether she will breathe on her own? Is she already with the Lord, as there is no brain function? She probably knows better than we who remain.

I ask Jesus for forgiveness for anytime that I did not treat her as my neighbor and acted in part as the rich man did who received good things. This is a day to remember, that in life, always love your neighbor, show mercy, share your good things and try to endure with patience those who have a life of evil sores befalling them. This is humbling.

God bless,
Victoria Trees
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I am the prodical son. I need all of you to pray for me, and with me. I need to come back to my father.
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I have been giving Eternal Life by Christ Jesus by believing in his name and finished work ( John 3:16). I am a re-born creation in Christ, a member of a Holy Nation (1 Peter 2:9), seperated from this world. My old sinfull nature and desires I mortify daily ( Rom 6:3-5; Col 2:12 ).

I now run the race of faith continuously for the duration of my life ( Heb 12:1 ). I must property pace myself daily with patient endurance looking from all things which could distract me and looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of my faith.

I have confidence and will rejoice the Blessed Hope set before me ( Heb3:6) . Not looking back toward worldly things but unto the Hope and promises of my inheritance ( Col 1:12 ) into his Heavenly Kingdom to be a Priest and to rule over many things ( Matt 25:21 ). To sit with Christ on his Throne ( Rev 3:21 ). This is what Scripture calls : So Great Salvation ( Heb 2:3 ). The greatest thing God has ever designed for redeemed man.

You to can have this blessed Hope by Believing in Christ,
by overcoming the World , the Flesh, and Satan

By overcoming the World you obey all of the Lords Commandments.

By overcoming the Flesh you mortify it daily.

by overcoming Satan you resist him.


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you cant ask the internet a question you got from mr. mcgowan.. geez man
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I've recently seen some facetious replies to this perfectly serious question by people who obviously dismiss the whole story as a fiction. Wrong! Back in the 1970s I spent several years researching the identity of the Prodigal and privately published a book on the subject (Brussels, 1981, in French). There seemed to be several approaches to the problem, some starting at the family end (stories of exultant fathers, calves unexpectedly killed, jealous brothers etc., possibly legal documents relating to the original unconventional division of the property), others at the "far country" end (stories of extravagant strangers, records of itinerant Jewish labour). The problem is, of course, that the documentary record for any of this is very patchy. For example, I found a possible 882 pig breeding farms where the prodigal might have worked, but only 17 (SEVENTEEN) had any surviving labour records. However it as while examining some pig farming records in the National Archives of Syria that I found what I believed, and still believe, to be a possitive identification. Another resercher was working on prostitution at around the time of Jesus, and shared some notes with me. I was *thrilled* to discover that he had found a kind of diary kept by a prostitute called Lilia in Damascus (really a client record with comments). Several records referred to a Jewish stranger who had recently come to the area and was spending lavish sums of money on parties and women. Lilia seems to have been a little bit in love with him, and included more details than usual: she says he was short, but strong and aggressive-looking, and most importantly that "he had had his inheritance." She records his visits for 6 months, then he is mentioned no more. HOWEVER she mentions chronic food shortages just after the last reference to the Jewish stranger. These facts fit the Biblical account of the prodigal son so well that I think it 99.9% certain that it was him.
But his name? That's still a bit of a problem, as Lilia seldom referred to her clients directly by their names. And on only one occasion (in what remains of her "diary", which has several missing pages) did she actually refer to the Jewish stranger by name, and there, as bad luck would have it, the manuscript has been torn. The first part of his name can be read however, and it is "Ron...". There are several possible names of the period, all discussed in my book. As further information is unlikely to be forthcoming I suggest that we simply call the prodigal "Ron", though.
Your readers may be interested to know that I am now writing a book identifying the Good Samaritan. I hope to publish this in English, and possibly to make parts of it available on the internet. There is still a huge amount of reasearch to be done identifying the persons in the parables.
Peter

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Violation of any command is an act of disobedience or rebellion. Sin entered the world through the disobedience of one man. There are many commands from God unambiguously expressed in different parts of the Bible. Contravention of these commands is a sin punishable in different ways.

The most rtragic consequence of disobedience, however, is the hardening of heart due to habitual practice, which makes it impossible for the guilty to confess his/her sins and seek divine forgiveness. The sin of disobedience thus separates us from the glorious presence of God, an eventuality played out in the very early days of God-human interaction.

Another point to be noted is that there is very little leeway for us to justify ourselves by means of contextual explanations of our disobedience. Once we are convinced of our error, the only way back to His grace is through confession and renunciation. Remember the Pharisee and the tax collector at the synagogue, and the contrasting cases of the two thieves on the crosses flanking our Lord's cross on Calvary.
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dera sirm
iam a priest,
i would like get your semon on goodsheped,
thanks lot
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Some of us possess stronger ability to share God's grace, or our faith with others. Someone called to the ministry may be able to share the word of God more freely and to more people (i.e. possesses 5 talents). A deacon or a Sunday school teacher may be able to share the word effectively with a few people (i.e. possesses 2 talents). But someone who accepts Christ but makes no effort to share their faith and the grace of God, is like someone who buries their faith within themselves. Being too afraid to share the good news. Yes God does not need our help to save man, he could do all on his own if he so chooses (i.e. reaps where he did not sow, gathers where he scattered no seed). But God asks us to acknowledge him to man. To share the good news. This is our Talent, using whatever ability we have to share Him; not necessarily maximizing the use of our gifted profession.
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Not much is said about what the prodigal son LOST in the process of riotous living. He was restored to his father but the son who was faithful retained more than what the prodigal did. Remember, sin always take sus farther than we planned on going, it keeps us longer than we planned on staying, and it costs us more that we planned on paying.

The scars of our indulgent living sometimes remain, ( ie: consequences of the sin such as pregnancies, jail, diseases, health issues, etc.) but God is the ever loving and faithful forgiving Father who restores us and helps us deal with the consequences.....Praise God for His awesome love!
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HARVESTING

The harvesting is nothing more than concentrating the yeast cells by
passing the fermented liquid through large centrifugal pumps called
separators. This process is similar to spinning clothes dry in a washing
machine. The result is off-white liquid called cream yeast. Further
processing is dependent on the type of yeast desired.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

In all the yeast processes, utmost care is taken to produce a product of
the highest possible quality and purity. Samples are routinely checked by
the laboratory and frequent cleaning and sterilization of the equipment
are conducted to assure the proper standards are met.



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I am trying to research the mustard plant, with special interest in the mustard "tree" mentioned in these passages. Where can I go to find out more. For instance you have mentioned near the Sea of Galilee and near Damascus the mustard tree of scripture is found. Where did you get that info.? What is the documentation? I would like to research this but need documentation so I know where to look for more info. Please help.

In Christ's Service,
Loran Haugsted
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in a way you can add me to your tally.
I read this parable today and was online searching for some insight.
I really didnt get much from most ot the comments, but your well thought out response and your dedicated research really helped me understand.
I appreciate the time you took to quote the Scriptures and link these
biblical words together in a public place that I could access. These verses really do support the conclusion that you suggested, that talents and seeds of the word of God are the same thing. I just wanted to say "thank you."
May God Bless You, Continuosly
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Thank you for constantly updated, always a pleasure to read.
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please send me a pictures of mustard tree.
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Dear Kathleen,

I am also a CGS catechist and am looking for a photo of a mustard tree that would be appropriate to use with the children. If you have anything like this, sould you mind forwarding? Thanks! Nadine
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teachers - profits

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Big Island, the seed is planted with the words of our mouth-spoken out loud. Apparently there is a mechanism set up within the human being that forever monitors our words and accepts them as programs. It doesn’t differentiate between good and bad, it just receives them much like the ground accepts seeds when planted, or the way yeast responds with dough.

IT’S THE NATURE OF THE WORDS DUDE! Second Corinthians chapter four says:

13We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Paul quotes David and says in essence: (paraphrased) “do you recall when David said, “I believed therefore have I spoken”? Well we also have that same spirit of faith. Our faith also climaxes with a confession of the mouth.”

Jesus said a lot about our words and the affect that they have on our inner man. He talked about the faith that would speak to a mountain, sycamine tree, or uttered out loud (in the ear) in the privacy of the prayer closet.

Jesus said “if you had faith as a grain of Mustard seed you might say…” It’s very clear that he’s saying, “If you had faith as a seed, you would PLANT.

Make sense?

I hope that helps.

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The Parable of the Sower is about the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

The Sower - Jesus
The Seed - The Sons of the Kingdom ( The Christians )
The Field - The World - Our respective areas ( working place ) where
Jesus has sown us.(marketplace)

All believers of Jesus are sown to respective location to be the light and salt to conquer that place and establish the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God should start on that person by LIVING according to the Word of God, if not the Devil will take away the light and darkened his testimony and will cause unfruitfulness. He should continue to be a testimony and be mature so that root will be established . Persecution and the World temptation will be part of his life but to be fruitful he should continue to HEAR AND DO ( understand ) the Word of God thus becoming fruitful for the Expansion of God's Kingdom in his area of responsibility.

All Christian are ambassador of Christ. We are the representative of God's Kingdom. In our areas, we need to LIVE and DO the Kingdom of God agenda ( Gospel of Matthew ) We need to please the KING. We can only expand the Kingdom of God through fruitfulness not just attending our sunday services. The Kingdom of God can be established Monday up to Saturday. ...in our WORKPLACE.

HONOR THE KING. EXPAND THE KINGDOM.LIVE IN THE KINGDOM PRINCIPLE. CONQUER MORE KINGDOM IN THIS WORLD FOR OUR KING.BE FRUITFUL. GOD BLESS YOU
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for all my life i've belived in jesus and his teachings even though i have never read the bible i have decided to live in jesuses footsteps WWJD, but as i grow old i get deeper in the belive but i get the sence that i am going very insane with my intence belive because i do not belive in having to go to church every day that is to teach children, i think if u have god on your mind all the time and live in Jesuses footsteps as he told us to live that is being a true cristian please get back to me i was brought up in a very strict catolic family and if i said this to people i know they would laugh at me.
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the moral of this story is you have many people in your life and many

people who do the works of God and have gifts and talents, but your real

neighbor is the one who shows mercy , compassion and love. That's the

one who is your neighbor. that is true religion.
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Tare's love liberal idea's, and organizations of destruction....they "tare" things apart. Also, are found in the 4 agencies, Polictic, Econmics, Education, Religion.....that reglious teaching that is destructive and compromising....."falls short"....they twist the scripture to meet their agendas.....They appear very sweet....yet their teeth are sharp.
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Does the prodigal son represent a person who comes to know the faith and has salvation but because he rely's on his own strength falls away from God and once he sees that he is eternaly seperated from God, decides to come back in repentance and with the attitude of humility is welcomed back in to Gods light and his salvation is renewed.
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Those who hear and understand the parables are of God, those who don't are not of God. Jesus said that. Also warned in proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." That is a really bad thing to be found as too. Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood," What happens to liars? Proverbs 6:19 - A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." Proverbs 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape." Proverbs 19:9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies SHALL PERISH."
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You're pretty quick on the draw! Thank you.

And, in addition to that:

"...his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice...I know my sheep and my sheep know me..." (John 10:4, 5, 14)

It took me many years to begin to develop the courage to let false teachers teach their lies and remain calm, if not quiet. It wasn't until 9-11 and my concern about Islam's growing influence in the world that God spoke to me through the Matthew 15:14 scripture I shared before.

I don't remember where it is in the gospels, but remember what Jesus said to his disciples when they asked if they should call fire down on those who had rejected the message at a certain place? Jesus restrained them. (Anybody remember where that is?).

In regard to the wheat and the tares, Jesus teaches that he intends to "let both grow together until the harvest. AT THAT TIME I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned..." (Matthew 13:30).

"Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping." (2 Peter 2:3)

A good reminder for us all is Jesus's own words: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. REJOICE AND BE GLAD, because great is your reward in heaven..." (Matthew 5:11, 12)

"...Christ suffered for you, LEAVING YOU AN EXAMPLE...When they hurled their insults at him, HE DID NOT RETALIATE; when he suffered HE MADE NO THREATS. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:21-23) God give us the courage to live this!

At the same time, Peter gives us the warning that "if you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, OR EVEN AS A MEDDLER." (1 Peter 4:15)

God give us the discernment to know when we're meddling in the conceit of knowledge; the "unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments that result in envy, quarreling, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind..." (1 Tim. 6:4)



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In the parable of the ten virgins the question is asked, what might the oil in the vessels be that some had an adequate amount of and yet others did not. One thing we can determine is that whatever it is, it is not transferable. One cannot receive it from another just because your supply has dwindled.

The first thing that stands out to me is that these women have LAMPS. In Mark chapter four Jesus said, “is a candle brought to be put under a bushel or under a bed and not to be set on a candlestick”? Other translations use the word lamp and lamp stand. Being that we’re talking about a parable of the kingdom, which is often intertwined, with others, might the lamp being talked about be the condition of the heart and the degree to which we are letting our lights shine? “So let you light shine before men that they may see your good works”?

In Luke Jesus says that “the light of the body is the eye, if you’re eye be single your whole body will be filled with light”. This eye that Jesus is talking about is the spirit, the part of us that retains spiritual vision. And it’s also the place where the word is supposed to abide and operate from (a lamp stand). Then might the oil in this parable be the oil of the abiding word?

Darkness, which represents a spiritual climate of deception, has an adverse affect on the shining of these lamps. Why might that be? Well, if the truth is light then the spirit of error (lies) or darkness, is going to be diametrically opposed to the light. Hence, if we’re not founded on the TRUTH of god’s word, the deceptive anti-Christ atmosphere will challenge our inner beliefs causing many to loose their faith. Doesn’t that sound like the day that we’re living in? The word says that there would come a time when evil would be esteemed as good and good for evil.

If people believe that we’re living in the last days then wouldn’t you have to also say that were living in the darkest, most deceptive spiritual climate that has ever been? Notice the differences in thinking between the Europeans and the Americans. France sent an envoy to Israel and said we don’t believe that Hamas is a terrorist group. Dear lord, the deception has started and is rising to flood tide. But hang on; this world hasn’t seen anything yet in way of deception. We’re about to call upon ourselves the mother of all deceivers. All because we harbor not the truth in our hearts.

Our only defense in the day being talked about is to have the Word richly abiding in us. All of us should be in the prayer closet “speaking in the ear’ (out loud) the promises of God. Cultivating faith rich in visual clarity not falling for the ploys of the adversary.

Though the thought could be troubling I choose to fear not, for at the midnight hour the Lord shall come. And his reward is with him.

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i think that there is no name for the prodigal son. Jesus uses it as a "symbol" im not sure if that's the word for it but basically a general implication of us, before christ. i think, don't take my word for it, but pray about it. God will know.

hope that gives u more of a view of things

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The intent of the parable is to contrast the seemingly insignificant life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the disciples, and the kingdom of God in its present order of the "now and not yet". It speaks to the fact of the kingdom of God in the hearts of believers; that will one day be manifested as great. This is a parable of encouragement to continue and live in the hope of the Glory of God to come. The world looks at the good message and news of the Kingdom, and at the messengers, as un-important in comparison to academic degrees, world philosopies, material riches, politcal power, and whatever else secular man values.
It is a comment related to the prior parable in Mark about the man who sowed seeds and did not know how they grew, addressing the miraculous work on God. The branches and birds reflect the truth of God's government and rule reaching the nations of the world. Birds here refer to the habitation of peoples, as it is referred to in the book of Daniel. Some point out the birds as a negative aspect taking the symblolsim from the book of revelations. But seen in its context the parable refers to God's kingdom and blessing to all peoples who trust in Jesus.
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Jesus does show in this parable that it is the content and character of a man's heart that is important to God. But to say that there will be those who will go to heaven without Christ as their Savior is a misunderstanding of this parable. Jesus is showing that no matter what amount of religion a person seems to have, as in the case of the priest who passed the beggers by, that a person will not be saved by religious acts but will be judged by our heart and the actions that ultimately come forth from it. Jesus is very clear (if one really does believe in the authenticity of scripture) in John 14:6 - "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, noone comes to the Father except through Me" Either believe Christ or don't, but do not twist His words to make any unacceptable religion ok in your own eyes.
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James J suggests this parable has "the master" (God) asking for immoral earnings from his servants. Even the suggestion to put the money in the bank and get interest would have been against the Torah law against usury.

The more you think about this parable as it would have sounded to the people of the time, the more strange it seems.

I think the chances of us getting at what Jesus actually mean, if he ever said it, are slim.

Still, like many parables it can be made to fit in with what ever current thinking is, and thereby demonstrate that that current thinking is based on "Biblical principles". Or am I being cynical?
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All we have to do to recognize the leaders of the Church Growth Movement each as a "Rich Fool" of Luke 12 : 16 - 21 is to conceive of the harvest of fruits as a harvest of followers. Most church expansion projects never had the approval of God. They result in stringent budgets and stinginess.

Our Lord and Saviour never will forgive the stingy, domineering practices of the Church Growth Movement leaders toward His needy folk, who were commanded by Him to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking (Matt. 7 : 7 ). The Judgement of the Good and Evil Servantis in Charge is coming right up! (Matt. 24 : 45 - 51 ) Should these judgements occur on this earth, the evil servants will be most thoroughly chastened with amputations, assignments of their portions with the hypocrites, rejections of pleadings with weeping and gnashing of teeth, and floggings according to their former knowledge of their moral wrong before Christ, and only if afterwards they repent and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour for real.

Jesus Christ will demand their lives, whether in heaven after the Rapture after complete world evangelism this very winter or on earth to prod His people to get it done for His Name's sake (Matt. 24 : 14 , 34 ). If as I expect it happens here, the evil servants in charge of their fellowservants, now known by honorable titles, will lose their livelihoods, their wealth, their good names, and flesh off their own bodies to their Judgements (Matt. 24 : 45 - 51 ). There is no need to murder the evil servants to make them likened unto the Rich Fool. What good is a large church or an ample bank account in time of need of physical restoration of amputated and destroyed arms or genitalia? Yes, many pastors and ministers and most psychiatrists shall live on earth with such mutilations unless world evangelism be complete by next Passover because I have made these requests in prayer with faith and another brother in Christ and thanked God for this vengeance in place of the deliverance I needed.

You see, I have been atrociously harmed by the church expansion project of Twin City Bible Church in Urbana IL in progress in 1993 under pastors who ducked the heat from the next pastor of Newchurch for turning me away in need, but turned me over to needless, hostile psychiatry through his lies of more blatant need than the truth. Only after Psychiatry wracked my body and wreaked the havoc to shipwreck my career path did I quit TCBC with a statement in pubic, "YOUR church isn't loving." I have requested fifty million dollars in writing from later churches in my walk with God and told them to complain to TCBC to beg for the money if the local congregation could not afford it. The evil servant at TCBC cajoled each that I liked him and convinced them to try to keep me and conform me to contentment. It was hard to learn to quit each. Since then, in 2001, in order to protect their wealth and flesh from my demands in the name of Jesus Christ, TCBC resorted to worldly lawyers to protect their wealth, names, and flesh. Judging from the Word of Jesus Christ as I have taught it in my postings on the Parables of the Ten Virgins, Pounds and Talents, and the Unjust Steward, the defenses of all churches such as TCBC will soon fall to the judgements prophesied by our Lord Jesus.

The needy people persecuted as mentally ill who were referred to psychiatry, sinful and worldly as it was, never will allagree together to forgive the evil servants in charge of churches to avoid. These mentally ill Christians good as sentenced to psychiatris maltreatment include many martyrs like me, called by Jesus Christ (Matt. 7 : 7 ) to keep on asking for gifts, to keep on seeking to find, and to keep on knocking expecting the door to be swung open, and to continue to press our luck when we failed to understand the trouble we were in with the pastors. If we "mentally ill believers" were spoiled rotten brats converted as adults to Christ, Jesus knew, and if we were wrong to persist for fear of reprisals (Matt. 7 : 6 ), upon our repentance Jesus wishes to avenge us upon the evil servants because He will not turn back time and will not intervene miraculously to heal us and set our lives straight. His will is that His people minister unto our needs, yet for us with severe grievances against evil servants in charge, we are called to keep our complaints out of the ears of the evil servants in charge as best we can.

It is such martyrs as I whose forgiveness every currently evil servant in charge needs to earn in deed and in truth, rather than by domination, in order to escape the finding of evil culpability as servant in charge and the judgement of loss of life, say vitality, of the rich fool (Matt. 24 : 45 - 51, Luke 12 : 20 ). These martyrs consist mostly of people who will never again return to the church of the evil servant for worship, not of the supporters whose presences enrich the church under an evil servant. If you happen to be such an evil servant in charge now, you have to make complete amends to every such individual still alive at your Judgement to be found good. It is too late for Bill Meier, evil senior pastor of Twin City Bible Church, who repeatedly refused to beg for tens of millions of dollars in amends and falsely claimed my admiration only to get judged through my telephone call in 2001. He shall suffer and endure his Judgement as an evil servant, and his expensive home church will not avail him. What a perfect example of the Rich Fool!

In order to get the boards and committees who hire and fire staff to wake up and take control as masters of their servants in charge under Matt. 24 : 45 - 51, I need to teach them, and they need newly resurgent faith to entrust the master with all his goods and sweeping authority to execute Jesus Christ's utterly corporal sentences. God is omnipotent and can bring this about. When the mentally ill who nowadays never return for worship find sympathy from the boards, many martyrs may ask that the entire congregation sell everything they own and donate the proceeds. My actual request in May 2001 of TCBC was that the entire congregation, one by one, either (1) if unbelieving, swear that Jesus Christ never had any power whatsoever to save souls or (2) if believing, sell everything they own and give me the proceeds and ask another nearby church to sends them out to Turkey to spread the Gospel and yet another amputation from the Meier family for each member or attender who does neither. In order to obey Jesus Christ, now extremely scarce sympathy toward such crazy-sounding requests will be required of the boards who hire and fire pastors or ministers.

The wealth of the evil servants in charge (Matt. 24 : 45 - 51 ) and their supporters, the rich fools (Luke 12 : 16 - 20 ), and of their expansive churches, is stored up for "who"-soever dare keep on asking when it becomes tolerated, such as the most determined mentally ill in Christ (Luke 12: 21 ). The needs and requests of the martyrs such as I are to be squared off against the faith of the churches. Boards and committees which run churches claiming faith in Christ cannot continue to turn the needy away and proclaim faith in Christ indefinitely. Time is long in coming and has almost come for the judgement to befall the Church Growth Movement!

Yours in Christ,

+++ Kevin Douglas Rosenberg
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thats it, brother
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The Parable of the 10 virgins that our Lord told in Matthew 25 is broad and not very well defined, and so, can have several interpretations. One can think of the girls representing believers and unbelievers when the Lord, as the bridegroom arrives as the second coming, or may be even as Jews who accept and don't accept the Lord at His first coming. It is not easy There are problems of logic and truth at each turn. I think we are on thin ice when we make the oil in the lamp the HS. After all, how can I carry a store or buy more of Him? Are the girls who go in really the ones who are saved and the others not? If so, then it sounds like salvation by works to me! What I can do to be saved, such as be properly prepared?

The best interpretation I can put on it, and I think the Lord's hearers may very well have taken it that way, is that this is guidance and a warning to those who believe. Guidance and a warning for you and for me. We are given a task, we have access to the materials and we have time. All are under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt who is in control. It is his wedding and he is the kingpin. Nothing starts before He is ready and in His presence.

All the girls are given a task to do; the same task. I must use my time and opportunities properly so that I am ready and behaving as the Lord requires to be able to participate in the task. Successful participation means that
1.my contribution to the ministry is accepted and so am a I. I can't just go on doing things, even if they are those of God, my way. If I do, there is going to be a problem! This is not about salvation, but participation in ministry.
2.If I am found prepared and present, then I will be swept in in the wonder of the Lord's presence and participation in far more than just my contribution makes.
3.If I am accepted or 'known' in ministry, then I will participate and enjoy the warmth, celebration and joy of the outcome of the ministry with the Lord Jesus. Ministry is not the end itself, just as welcoming with light wasn't the end of their task.

The Groom's response is harsh, yes! But God doesn't compromise with our dilly-dallying, lack of commitment and mucking about in ministry. In terms of our task in a ministry, either He accepts our contribution and us, or neither. We can't muddle through or do it our way. I must remember I am dealing with almighty God, the one with all authority.
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I KNOW YOU WILL SEND IT TO ME
TANH YOU
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One Talent Man buried it in the "earth," was cast out into utter darkness. For when the Light-Word-Truth came, the darkness comprehended it not (The John 1:5). Because the darkness believed that salvation was for the Jewsish church. For those who believe Jesus spake not for without a parable, it's reasonable to believe that the pre-Incarnate Jesus taught Moses how to write Gensis in parable, metaphor, and allegory. For the apostle Paul in Galatians 4:24 confirms the 2 covenants, the first with the bondwoman, Hagar, as well as the freewoman, were allegory. Likewise Moses addressed his people as following, "Give ear O' heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O' earth, the words of my mouth." Deuteronomy 32:1. Therefore the priesthood equated with the emotionally, spiritual matured were cast out into utter darkness because they failed to reflect the Light-Word-Truth to their own church. They buried their very reason to be in utter darkness. A serious warning to Christendom. Deone Hanson
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You missed a very important point in the scripture you used, 'if it were possible' the elect shall be deceived.
It is impossible for God's Elect to be deceived, God uses His Elect, to fulfil His Word!
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There are many opinions and debates on the true meaning the the collective parables. What do they really mean? This parable is definitely one of the most cryptic parables and can't be truly understood, unless we ask Jesus himself, if these are infact his exact words (translation errors, etc)
Maybe these stories are things that he had witnessed upon his travels and experiences throughout his life? Maybe he is actually some of the characters in the parables he tells? One thing we do know is that he had a message for humanity that somehow has travelled through the ages to answer some of the questions in life we could not ask ourselves. I find it wierd how most people today don't appreciate the words of the wise, choosing to trust science or nothing at all because it feels safer.
But perhaps this is what the parable means:
The ground could represent anything from society, down to the your own family or employees that you rely on. Jesus does not mention anything else about the 'rich man' (who could represent the ignorant and distrusting members of society, etc) other than the fact that he is concerned about his goods. This shows the error of his ways, because the rich man doesn not appreciate how he got the land, who worked to make it the way it was, who harvested his 'goods', which in the end are truly irrelevant to true happiness in life. The joy in life, the meaning and the way God wishes us to truly live our lives is to share with others and ultimately to share out time and effort with god e.g. prayer and ceremonial offerings, etc. In this way, the goods could possibly represent all the tings in life that distract us and hinder us from recieving God's word. The 'rich man' is the embodiment of greed and self indulgience. He represents those in society who only think for themselvesl.
Looking into the words of the parable, although we are being encouraged to be truly kind to each other and most importantly show self respect, God at the end of the parable could represent the government of those times and because of this, could also represent temptation in some small way for who truly benefits in life when others feed off of our greed? By following christ and trying our best to be free of greed and helping those in need we have recognised a few of the important steps towards entering the Kingdom of God.
In the parable there is a part where the rich man talks to his 'soul'. What does the soul represent? God and his will? Or perhaps human compassion and the will to be servants to society and God himself? Who knows? All i know is that it is saying that when we slack off and deviate from God's will, when our time of death comes ("this night thy soul shall be required of thee") or when the times comes to prove our worth and commit an act of kindness(this night thy 'compassion' shall be required of thee), we will not be ready and we will not enter the Kingdom of God. The rich man desperately sought for a place to store his fruits and did not think of those who he might be able to help by giving his fruits, so they might survive. He took down his barns and built a big barn solely for the fruits. Maybe this implies that maybe in his greed he cast out those that initially lived in those barns? In his greed, he completely neglected those who needed and deserved his kindness.
If these are in fact stories from Jesus' life, then what happened to these people he speaks of? We can never be sure of where we will end up in the afterlife, but if one thing is for sure, it is our duty as humans to respect the lives of others and to assist humanity in making this world a better place, because with God, we are never alone.
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You need to remember the Prodigal Son never HATED his Father!
The people Paul was refering to HATED God in their hearts after receiving the Holy Spirit. Once you do that then basically the Holy Spirit will leave you and that person cannot be brought back unto repentance! It also crosses the line into the unpardonable sin. This person before he reaches this state should be turned over to satan for the destruction of the flesh that he might be saved during the day of Judgement otherwise he will burst the gates Hell wide open!
See the parable of sower for a reference
http://www.web-ministry.com/religious/parables/sower


But the Holy Spirit remained with the Prodigal Son and protected him from himself. Remember these points! The Holy Spirit kept him from crossing the line on numerous occasions and brought him safely back home after the lesson was learned! He always loved his Father! The Greatest Commandment Jesus Christ gave us!

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
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Many people take this at face value and interpret it to mean that God gives everyone literal talents, e.g., music, art, administration, etc., and that they should be applied to Godly pursuits. In my opinion, this is an entirely too literal reading of the text.

Moreover, the talent was a form of currency. So if there should be a literal interpretation of this text, it should more correctly be that we should re-invest the money God gives us in Christian enterprises.

But we all know that parables are "earthly stories with heavenly meanings." My understanding of this is that what we are to continually re-invest is what God gives to every believer, the whole of our spiritual life.
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Short parable, but meaningful! The truly saved WILL bring forth fruit, just by the true indwelling of the Spirit! Two ways to look at the last verse...one, as the second coming occuring at the fulfillment of the kingdom, and two, as our branches getting "pruned" when full to that we can produce more fruit. Chrys _________________ Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth.


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This is not the complete story about the two sons.
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After much study and deliberation I have come to the conclusion that there is a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. 1st Thes 4;14-17 is quite clear about the way in which Christ will return "WITH" the saints. Then those of us still alive will be caught up in the air to meet him. Rev19:8 refers to the bride of Christ being arrayed in white linen described as the righteousness of the saints. Then in verse 14 it speaks of the army that followed Jesus from Hevan as being clothed in the same linen fine white and clean and ride white horses. So we must have been taken up before we could have descended to the Mt. of Olives.
Now then God always made a way to save his loyal remnant from earthly disaster. Noah and his family were saved by an ark. Lot and his family were told to flee Sodom&Gomorrah. So it stands to reason that his church should be removed from the face of the earth before God pours out his judgement upon the wicked. Besides "He" the Holy spirit must remove his restraining prescence so that the man of lawlessness can be revealed. God made a covenant to the church with his Holy Spirit that He would never leave us nor forsake us. So that means that we too must be removed befor the antichrist can be revealed.
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Sheryl,

It may be that you’re experiencing a “move of the spirit” in your life. God may be manifesting his spirit to you and I feel it’s a wonderful thing. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you a Word founded person? Do you have an active knowledge of the New Testament? And of course do you confess Jesus as Lord? If you do, then there isn’t any reason of concern-as far as fearing it goes. But you have to be honest with yourself. I would be very disappointed if I found out that you had a history of drug use etc.

What your describing could be a type of Pentecostal experience that many people have had in history and they ended up having incredible ministries-though that’s not always the case. Don’t think that you’re necessarily being called to the ministry though.

But as long as you’re a Word oriented person, there’s no reason to be afraid of it. But then again it sounds like a good experience. If you deem it bad then it could be the devil trying to pull something on you.

Actually I believe that that’s the way it should be and if it is a TRUE manifestation of the Holy Ghost then accept it. But I can only judge based on what I’ve heard you write.

My suggestion is to do this: Go to a search engine (google will bring you right to it) and plug in “New Zealand Revival”. Then scroll down looking for the article “great healing revivalists-how the power came” by Andrew Strom. Then read about some of the experiences that Gods great ones have had in history. It’s a fabulous article. Compare your experiences with theirs and see if it sounds similar. But a lot of people would discourage you from accepting that anointing-I however do not and would encourage you to accept it. There again if it’s a good thing. You have to decide.

Just make sure that everything that you believe lines up with scripture.

God bless

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