Janette,
I feel like i know what you are going through. I was saved several years ago, I have also strayed away from God in the past year or so. I question if I lost my salvation and faith. I realized that Once the LORD is in your HEART he is there for GOOD. NO MATTER WHAT. He will alswya be there for you even if he feels distant.
I pray that God would reveal HIMself to you today and that his HOLY SPIRIT will rest upon you in a might way today. Where he is Evil cannot be. The only way evil can enter into us is if we open a door to it. focus on him and his faithfulness to you.


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1. why is this parable only recorded by luke?
2. Why is there no mother in the story?
3. Could this parable refer to the story of Jacob in Genesis? There seem to be many parallels.
4. Many of us do what the prodigal son did--leave home and misuse our inheritance. I know of many cases. But was the son completely restored to his former priveledged position after he came home, or was he treated as a guest?
5. It seems unfair that the older son was never given a party--but God is a God of justice--there seems to be a contradiction between the justice of God and the mercy of God.
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How blind people can be!! Jesus explains it in the parable itself!! Read the first sentence! Then read it again, and again, and again, let it sink in your ears, those who do Jesus' commandments are the wise builders!! John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:21 - He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:23 - Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Now, it would be wise to do what Jesus says, right?
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Sinning through work on the Sabbath for the sake of my other message, I must reply here first. You have confounded the general riches and plain gifts of rich lost folk with their offerings and sacrifices. Only their offerings and sacrifices are an abomination to the Lord.

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is unwilling to accept their terms. Why, in the fifteenth century, rich folk bought false salvations without their repentance or faith when a monk named Johann Tetzel sold them indulgences! Our Lord, however, is unwilling to grant salvation in exchange for the willful offerings and sacrifices of rich lost folk: just read the story of the rich young man! (Matt. 19:16-26 ) The seeker of salvation who trusts in his or her wealth to purchase salvation even today still is to be told to sell everything he or she may own before returning to follow Christ.

I conclude that although Jesus plans for us Christians to use wealth from the rich folk of this world, never will He acquiesce in becoming thoroughly beholden to them. And so it is that our command from Him in Luke 16:9 is to make friends with the rich folk of this world without mention of keeping them. If we as congregations should deplete the favor of rich folk in our midsts, He will call us to flee the resulting persecution (Matt. 10:23) -- not necessarily for reasons explicitly of our faith. Jesus Christ can call groups of at least two Christians to flee, together or whither the first has taken refuge, just because psychiatry is coming after two of them, or just because psychiatry pursues one while another finds no welcome for his witness of Christ, or just because nobody among the lost people nearby will listen to the Word, or just because the rich folk never give freely but instead seek what Jesus in truth always denies them, or even because the rich folk of this world there see fit to give only what they most please, such as earrings, rather than what can be made useful for Christian ministry! I tell you, it is easy for groups of genuine Christians to get called by Christ to flee together!

In the name of Jesus Christ I warn you strongly not to use the Lord's Name in vain. By lumping the wealth of the wicked which they keep and their plainest gifts to the poor with offerings and sacrifices and calling it all "an abomination to the ****", Patsy, you have profaned the Name of the Lord. Please repent now! As for me, I am miserable, and we serve the Lord mostly in order to be happy. I need hearkenings to my requests for a congregation already faithful even in (with) the unrighteous mammon of Luke 16 as soon as possible to have any chance whatsoever to be happy and keep His commandments. Please read my newest posting.

+++Kevin Douglas Rosenberg
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The nearer interpretations of Fig Tree is Israel. Three years of
observation is the time of Lord's earthly ministry. Lord Jesus is the
dresser, who interceded for the Nation.

This parable can be applied to the believer of Lord Jesus Christ who is
spiritual Jew. If a believer is living a barren life, the judgement is
certain; but timing is not known when it happens. There are clear incidents
where believers who are living in sin in spite of repeated warnings from
the Lord through His servants are taken away from this world.
It is evident that by the intercession of Lord Jesus Christ, our heavenly
High Priest, our lives are spared in spite of our short comings.
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I'm wondering about this connection - the "prodigal" son has a life issue - ADHD. Anyone who has lived in a family where one child has this life issue and another doesn't understands perfectly well the distress of the elder son on the return and celebration for the younger. The non-affected child, in many ADHD living situations, takes back seat to the behavior and emotions of the affected child as the parents spend most/all of their parental energy working with the affected child to maintain some sort of stability in the home and between the family members. The non-affected child does not KNOW that he is welcome to all the parents/father have as most of the family resources go to maintain the issued child.
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What was special about the way the fig tree of the Middle East grew. Once I figure that out then mabe I can understand this parable.
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IF YOU HAVE A PICTURE I WOULD SURE LIKE TO VIEW IT. THANKS GOD BLESS JOAN
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The evil one spoken of in the beggining
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What is the significanceofparables to people today?

Jesus used parabolic language so that the audience could make links to the story. do you think that converts of today can still make the links to the parables as they did 2,000 years ago? Do you not think that interpretation ruins the message of God?
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I agree with you about putting more into it than what is there. I too wonder what the oil is and that you can go and buy it. As for being ready look up for HE is coming. When you see the shadow, know that things are near. Paul said Feast days are a shadow of things to come. Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the horn for TEN days and then at the LAST TRUMP well, you know the rest of the story.
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Looking to do something for school retreats involving the mustard seed parable.

I would really appreciate a picture of a Mustard Tree.

Thank you in advance for your kindness.
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I think this is eluding to the fact that God gave us the world and it is up to everyone of us to build up his kingdom by bringing more people to Christ and not just worrying about ourselves but lending a hand to our neighbor.
Also it says that since God has been merciful to us by giving us talents we should show mercy to others and preach the word and make disciples of all nations. Because God has blessed us all with different capabilities in order to Glorify God and he expects us to use all he has given us to build his kingdom. If Christ lives through us we are supposed to be the light of the world. On judgement day our Father will ask what we have done to glorify his name, what we have done with the talents and the time God has given us. And what will our answers be ?????????????????

God bless
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Pharisee Sadducees you do not see the phrases in the Old Testament. I am assuming they originated during the inter testamen period. Are they in the lost books
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Father God in the name of Jesus I pray please deliver me from this deep depression that I am fallen into. God I pray please bring people around myself, Kevin, Kim, Christy, Betty, Dean, Delbert, Wanda, and all other family members that are under the Blood of Jesus. God I pray please put the love of Jesus in the hearts of my family members. God I pray please lead, guide and direct me by your spirit. God I pray please bind up fear, doubt, unbelief, lying spirits, pain, confusion, witchcraft spirits and all other demonic spirits that are attacking me. God I pray please send the right person to my sister Dean. God I pray please bring my sister Betty someone that will love her and get her out of that situation that she is in. God I pray go ahead of me next week and please keep the devil and his demons off of my back. God I pray please strengthen my faith and help me through these terrible times that I am going through. God I pray please clear the way for the person you are sending to get me out of bondage and that will love me and take care of me. God please give me your blessed assurance that help is on the way. God I ask all of these things in the Holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen
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The bible is a spiritual book and it must be spiritually discerned.Jesus said that the words that He speaks are Spirit and Life(Jn.6:63).Barabas means father's son.He was in bondage and should have received death,except Jesus took his place.Barabas was a type of ourselves.Note that this was done on the Feast of Passover.Death passed over Barabas because Jesus took his place and shed His blood instead of Barabas,who was deserving to die.So Barabas became a child of God(Father's son).
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The 13th chapter of Matthew is both a fork in the road and a litness test for the believer in Christ. Are you going to read the Bible with Jewish or Gentile definations? What is your interpertative stance? Do you read it as you always have or do you read it as it is?

Like all definations and types in the Bible, the must be taken in context and remain consistant with any usages in previous passages. Leaven is always used as a type of sin. To a Jew, putting leaven in the bread (the reference is the fellowship offering in the book of Leviticus) is a very bad thing. (In the book of Genesis, Sarah is asked by Abraham to make a fellowship offering for Lord and two angels and to use unleavened bread.)

This scripture is clear. In the kingdom of heaven there is sin that permeates the kingdom and is found everywhere. Now before you think that I am spreading heresy . . . just what is the kingdom of heaven anyway? Is it just a place of the saved or is it more than that.

Follow my logic. Both Jesus and John the Baptist began preaching, "Repent. The kingdom of heaven is at hand." They do not define this "kingdom" but just proclaim it. (It is from our New Testament only theology that we draw the conclusion that the kingdom of heaven is just the rehealm of the saved. In the Old Testament, the kingdom and the temple are always two separate entinitys. Salvation is appropriated at the temple. Justice and judgment is found at the throne. The law is appeased at the temple. The law is fulfilled at the throne.

The kingdom of heaven is the economy of God, not the people of the kingdom. It is how Christ will rule, not those who are ruled. It is Him, not us. We enter the kingdom by making Christ our King. (This is not Lordship salvation. Our salvation is by Christ our High Priest. Our purposes and placements are from our King. The kingdom of heaven exsists now in the spirit but one day it will be both in the spirit and in the flesh. Jesus will come back and rule from His throne in Jerusalem for a thousand years. Many of these parables in Matthew 13 are about His Millienial Reign. It is this Millienial Reign that will begin with the second coming of Christ and end with a war with the people of the earth who reject Him and follow Satan when he is loosed for a while. There will be fleshly people in the Millienial Kingdom and it is these carnal people and their pride that will be the sin that perminates the kingdom of heaven.

When you study the term "kingdom" from Moses thru David and the split kingdom, you will find that "kingdom" is not about who is being governed but how the people are governed. After His second coming, Christ will reign over the whole earth with a rod of iron but many will reject and hate this and thus be the unleaven bread that permeates the loaf.

I hope that this brief explanation is adequate. We are all woefully ignorant of the millienial reign. (Many popular end-times books and movies and teachers stop just after the second coming and do not realize that there is still an important chapter to go.

Write me if this is vague or confusing.

Peace
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Thanks for the insight, I was looking for insight on the web about this parable that I am teaching on Sunday morning. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you.

I can see how a church getting larger can get out of control, regarding the birds of the air making their nest in it.

May the Lord help us "small or large" to keep the birds out.

God Bless.
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I have not overlooked the last verse of the Parable of the Unjust Steward, that is, Luke 16 : 13. On the contrary, I have explained on the Unjust Steward site that most churches today are trying to serve both God and mammon. They have overlooked this verse by ignoring its context.

Our Lord Jesus Christ never expected His people to live completely providently. His way was that we would give freely to one another (Matt. 5 : 42 ), blow off our concerns (Matt. 6 : 24 ff ), continue to ask, seek, and knock (Matt. 7 : 7 ), and He likened whoever heard or read Him and would do so to a man who built his house upon the rock rather than to the man whose house built on sand fell with a great crash (the Parable of the Wise / Foolish Builders). On that page I have posted my stand that the things to be obeyed to be like the wise builder consist entirely of the Sermon on the Mount, yet it slipped my mind to include whatever may be needed to follow Jesus' teachings from it. In contrast, our Modern English speaking culture clearly ignores the Sermon on the Mount even at the pulpit. Americans today scarcely give to the needy who come to ask from them. Next, I show that it is this stinginess which shows that someone is serving Mammon in preference to God.

By condemning the servant of two masters as inadequate and refusing to acknowledge service of God as valid from those serving Mammon (wealth), Jesus Christ makes clear to us that any excuses of ours for withholding our wealth will anger Him (Luke 16 : 13 ). We should not rely upon prudent earnings of our own, but, rather, have the security of the favour of rich folk to lean on because they are more prudent than followers of Christ (Luke 16 : 8 ). Jesus went on in verse 13 to explain the two outcomes of trying to serve both God and Mammon:

"Either he [the servant] will love the one and hate the other," as happens when an unbelieving man cannot understand his wife's faith in Jesus Christ and thus makes ungodly choices, "or he will cleave to the one and despise the other." This latter result happens at churches all across the English-speaking world every time church staff hews to its Budget to withhold money from one who asks while at other times in the week professing strong faith in Jesus Christ.

I conclude that we cannot serve God on a budget. Still, if we have not yet obeyed Luke 16 : 9 - 12 and thus have not even met any rich friends of the members of our congregations, the predictable result of such genereosity is a totally unfair exploitation of our wealth by the needy until we have practically nothing, whereupon we shall be called by Christ to ask, seek, and knock despite the many martyrdoms of such persons among the churches run by evil servants today (Matt. 24 : 45 - 51 ).

I will never forgive the evil servants in charge of so many contemporary churches, the evil staff who are swift to get angry and to call the police and to complain about a presumed mental illness. If I must share heaven with them, they will be absolutely chastened first as I have requested -- or left behind to be martyred when I am raptured into heaven, or fast for forty days and pray together on their knees, and if any one of them have turned ten men or boys over to psychiatry, he or she has no chance whatsoever for heaven without amputations anyway. For example, evil servant Bill Meier in charge of Twin City Bible Church in Urbana, Illinois, known to defend sophisticated English manners in preference to Jesus, already stands with "a who...le WEE...k of RE...PEA...TI...NG 'terribly sorry beyond [b]wyrds for what I did to Kevin' " demanded of him by telephone as of May 2001, before his lawyers notified me of their threats. Where shall I post the messages to doom the evil servants? I need help to find the most visited Christian forum to doom the evil servant so that world evangelism might be accomplished for Jesus' sake under truer leadership.

Yours in Christ,

+++Kevin Douglas Rosenberg

a martyr for asking, seeking, and knocking (
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Yes there is a case to be made about the elder son. In my Christain Fellowship we spent two weeks on this one parable; the first week we looked at how we can put ourselves in the shoes of the older son, and the sencond we talked about how, if we don't necesarily identify with the younger son, we probably do with the older one.
We talked about how sometimes as Christians we view that there are certain things we feel we have to do in order to recieve God's love. We have to go to church, not swear, follow the commandments, give to the poor....etc. And then we see/realize that there are other who are not doing all of the "required" things, and yet they still recieve God's love.
But the point that (I think) Jesus was trying to make is that there is no list of things you have to do to be loved by God. God loves all His children no matter what. And at the end of the parable Jesus never said whether or not the older son decides to go in and recieve his father's love, or stay out and get nothing.
Hope that helps!
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Rob

That was really good! I’m all ears.

A good example that would support what you’re saying would be the fact that Jesus said in Mark chapter Four “the earth brings forth fruit of herself”.

The earth is the human heart (our own). Jesus also said “things spoken in darkness will be heard in the light” and scripture supports that it’s your own spirit that’s radiating it outward-like a ball of dough manifesting yeast or becoming leavened (YOU CAN SEE IT!). And yet Jesus said “your HEAVENLY FATHER will reward you openly”.

Jesus taught that the human spirit acts as a candle or a light. I call it the overhead projector that projects things onto the canvas of our lives. But you’ve picked up on the fact that there’s a mystical parallel between the human heart and our heavenly father. Someone might be tempted to conclude that WE are GOD, but no I think the real meaning is that we were designed to be a type of mirror that reflects the glory of God (a chandelier?). God has sent the light of his word into the world and for those who allow it to “dwell in them richly”, that light will hit that inner mirror and be refracted into the world around us. Hence God uses this refracting property of mans heart as his M.O.

So, then the question is, just who is this unjust judge? FYI, I’m not saying that God is the unjust judge. What I was saying is that if this small, worldly insignificant woman can instill such torment into the heart of a human of great worldly stature through the use of this idea (it’s the idea of faith found in the new testament), then HOW MUCH MORE can we get results from one who is NOT proactively resisting us.

Both the man who came for bread at midnight and the widow came boldly DEMANDING that their petition be granted. Notice it had nothing to do with friendship, worldly status, or lack thereof; it had to do with BRAZENESS. That’s the word that comes closest to the real meaning of the word that was translated “importunity”. The real meaning of the word is WITHOUT BASHFULNESS. It’s the same idea found in the parable of the widow and unjust judge.

OK, but how about your point that we’re really in a sense praying to our own spirit and our own spirit is the putrid judge? Frankly I agree with you on that. But the question arises; do we need to go that far into the interpretation of this parable to reach some kind of understanding of it? Well your thinking is good! But I just don’t know if Jesus intended for us to analyze this analogy to that degree. But then that’s what we always say.

All that I can say right now is that I’ll have to look into that. I heard what you said and will take it seriously. But I like the way that you attempted to keep the underlying parallels of the kingdom in tacked when breaking this down.

Right now I think it’s merely an example of holy boldness and the refusal to capitulate upon the promises that we’ve received from God. It would also underscore the fact that prayer is based on covenant rights not wishy washy gravelling or begging as though were dogs under the table. HEY, didn’t Jesus say something similar to a woman who he ended the conversation with GREAT IS YOUR FAITH?

Rob keep up the good work. You’re an inspiration! And I’ll continue to look at it in the light that you’ve laid down.

God bless:)

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my wife and i are retired and during a recent discussion we each commented that we had never seen a mustard tree nor a picture of one. if you have a picture i would appreciate very much seeing it.
thanks!
john
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The prodigal son is a lesson that not too many churches teach or believe in today.

It is a lesson in assurance.

God took for himself the name of "Father" so we could some how relate to Him. (Isa 55:8)

A Father can never say that a son or a daughter is not His.(Gal 4:6)and (Rom 8:14-17)

The father can write that person out of his will or kick him out of the house or correct him by discplinary measures (Proverbs 3: 11-12), but the child will always be the child of that Father.

Once you are born again (John chapeter 3 teaches one how to be born again) You can never "not be a child of God".

The world constantly misqoutes the Bible by saying "we are all God's children."Galatians 3:26 is often quoted without the second part of this verse.
Gal 3:26 "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."


We Christians should correct them and say we are all God's creation but you don't become a child of God until you are born again.

1Pe 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." You see when you are born again it is forever.

The lesson in the prodigal son is that no matter how bad one acts (Thank GOD that this is true) you or I will never be disowned by the Father.



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I am looking for information that is at once Biblical and biological and reconciling the seed and the tree or large shrub.
Thank you.
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In understanding Jesus’ teachings concerning the Kingdom of God, (God’s way of doing things in the earth) one of the most misunderstood and underrated things that a Christian has to consider is the time element involved in Faith.

Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is likened unto a seed, which is sown in the earth, and then after many days a fruit is harvested. But in light of faith being likened unto a seed or the idea of farming, the growing time has to be considered.

As difficult as this is to do, there is no other way around it. When I want a fishing lure, I want it today not tomorrow. When I woman eyeballs a new pair of shoes, is she content in having them next week? Trust me, if she really wants them she’ll have them tonight.

But in the realm of the spirit there are mechanisms set in place for our protection. It's called growing time. So, why this growing time? Is God just a hard head? Is he just being unreasonable? Or is there divine reasoning behind it?

According to Jesus our hearts are a two way street. “Let your light so shine”, “take heed that the light which be in you be not darkness”. And God has confined himself to working through the human heart. But do you know what? Satan is also confined to working through the heart. Now he has an advantage because he’s already in the earth (due to the fall of man). God on the other hand is trying to get back into the earth, and the great battleground is the heart.

The growing time is a buffer zone that God uses to function in the spiritual realm where #1. Satan can never beat him (us). And #2. He can preserve Christians from the affects of fickleness and unbelief. If the system worked that way we wanted it to, then Satan would be able to wipe us out in a matter of days. But this long growing time assures that the only things that truly enter into our hearts are things that we really desire or things that we obstinantly adhere to (negative things-yes they can get in there too). The whole thing is a safety mechanism whereby God in his infinite wisdom can keep us alive and happy.

Jesus taught that there is power in words and interestingly, he manifested himself as the Word of God (John 1:1). If all of the crud and expressions of the day were to REALLY take root in our hearts, we would seal a fate of doom very quickly. But be of comfort, God has set up a plan whereby we can access the “treasure of our hearts” in a deliberate way without destroying ourselves in the process. Of course the one drawback is this long time element, but if we know it going into the process then we can #1. Make sure that the things that we pray for are truly desires of the heart and not temporary whims that we all get into. And #2, we’re encouraged to be responsible thereby preparing for the future, much like Noah preparing an ark on dry land being warned by God’s Word of things yet to come. (This is the meaning of this parable: Prepare beforehand.)

This parable shows vividly this time element and it also shows the importance of preparation for the future in a godly sober manner.

God is not the author of hardship though we may think that he is in making us wait such a long time-so it seems, (we want everything yesterday) for the things that we ask for. But give the God of the heavens-the one who actually died for us the benefit of the doubt and know that he doesn’t withhold things from us, he preserves them for us. But we must figure in the time element in the growing of our faith.

If done properly we can feather a nest of blessing, security and provision over our families that terrorism or global uncertainty can never quell.

But you have to get on the front end of things and this entails preparation in the light of Gods word for the future. This is what a wise person does. A fool will always live behind the eight ball, forever reacting to unexpected visitors from the dark side in the form of circumstances not in line with the abundant life that Jesus promised all.

If done correctly, not only will our life’s structures prevail against the storms of life, but also we’ll have room for others who have not been so wise, so as to build their lives upon the word of the Almighty.

Don’t ever buy into that anger business where the adversary accuses God of making you wait as though he’s dangling a carrot in front of our faces leading us on. No, to the contrary, we’ve probably been believing things in our hearts that if he were to honor the one he would have to honor the other, and the other could possibly destroy us. God will work as advocate and counselor making up for our “ways” assuring us blessing if we but patiently harbor his promises in our hearts.

Cheer up! God’s CAUSING these things to come to pass, not impeding them. But we must hold fast his Word in our hearts liberally giving him time to work around our sin and quirks. All things considered, we serve a wonderful God that is not hard and unreasonable, but one who has all the facts, and who is our greatest ally.

So build your spiritual structures on the foundation of prayer and the believing of his word, in time you’ll be the “strong tower” that others come running to in times of a storm and destruction.

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Read Matt. ch. 13 again,fowls are are satan and his demons and look at the parables of the sowers especially,the fowls swoop down and take the seed which was sown."
We might wonder how leavend bread was prescribed for peace offerings, peace being a good thing and all. But you''re right about those foul fowls,,,especially the white doves...
Hitch
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I have a challenge for anyone reading this. In my studies of the “kingdom of God” there is this mystical thing breathing in the background that if you understand and accept, it will make you more productive in the kingdom of God. I’m convinced that it is the actual spirit of the matter, and if not understood, a lot of people will sit there and scratch their heads pondering why their spiritual lives are not more productive. What is this mystical spirit that permeates the teachings of the kingdom of God? It’s the spirit of true humility.

Humility is something that can be misconstrued. One person may think their being humble by saying “there’s none righteous no not one” and this is after he’s made Jesus the lord of his life. In their false sense of humility they reject scripture that support that in Christ we have become the righteousness of God. Humbleness never says “oh, no God. You’re sadly mistaken. I’m a putrid thing, if you only knew how pathetic I really am”. Notice the arrogance in this. Telling God that he’s so stupid he doesn’t know how retched you are. When he’s the guy who told you to repent for being a sinner. There comes a time when we must humble ourselves as children and just accept what he says without challenging him. What do we care if he says you’re the richest person in the universe? ACCEPT IT! What do we care? What if he says you’re the most beautiful person in the universe? Don’t run and look in the mirror and say I’m hideous, and through doing so cast Gods word out as a lie. Just accept it like a child does. “You’re a good boy aren’t you Johnny”? “Oh no mom I’m a retch”! Children don’t act like that and we need to learn to do the same thing. Otherwise his word will never penetrate our hearts and will not sink roots. Doesn’t the ground have to receive the seed before the seed will grow and produce fruit? Well what does it matter what God says-if it’s a good thing?

Now notice these expressions used in scripture and see if you don’t notice an underlying spirit. “HIDDEN”, “SECRET” ”CONCEALED”, “WHISPERED IN THE EAR IN CLOSETS”, (your own prayer closet) “DO NOT DISIGURE YOUR FACE WHEN FASTING LIKE THE HYPOCRITS DO”, “LET NOT THE LEFT HAND KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT HAD DOETH”, “DO THY ALMS IN SECRET” ‘SOUND NOT THE TRUMPET AS THE HYPORITS DO”. Do you see anything in all these expressions? The idea is that if we will humble ourselves and be content to be hidden, to do things in private, not attempting to show things to the outer world, YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL REWARD YOU OPENLY.

There is a story that frequently comes up in faith circles that goes like this. A woman was suffering from a terrible goiter that had grown to about the size of a basketball hanging from her neck- if that’s not an exaggeration. Well this woman wood come to the meetings of a very blessed man of God by the name of Wigglesworth (last name). For three years in a row she would come to these meetings and testify to the crowd that she had been healed by God and was demonstrating her faith by doing so. Well, in the presence of the crowd as she was testifying, the goiter disappeared and she was healed. Truly a wonderful miracle. But faith people have seized upon this to say, “Look at the faith of this person who would testify of things that are not yet manifested as though they already were” and they encourage to do likewise But did you know that Jesus taught just the opposite? “Yes, but she was healed” you may say. Isn’t God wonderful! I’ve been blessed too when my thinking was absolutely backwards. The secret of faith is to do just the opposite. It’s called humility or humbling yourself before God. We are to accept Gods word into our hearts through prayer and then to conceal it as though it was a map to a treasure. Harboring it in our hearts and literally fighting its’ coming to the surface. “Let not your left hand know what the right hand doeth” If it’s you, then you have your reward. But if it’s God who’s doing the exalting, you’ll be exalted indeed, in the presence of people. I liken it to a train jumping its tracks at just the right time. Your own heart will assume a mind of it’s own.

Maybe the act of planting a seed is literally humbling that seed. It’s dead you know. The life has gone out of it. Maybe it’s an example of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. But one thing is certain to me anyway. There is a spirit of meekness that just beckons God to exalt us. Maybe in this day and age of know-it-alls, we’ve become a little too all knowing ourselves. Maybe we need to hide ourselves in Christ trusting that the father will promote us into the light. Just a thought.



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The rich man and Lazarus is a prophetic parable. It comes before and after parables from Jesus. It is actually one of the most astonishing prophesies Jesus spoke. In a nutshell, the rich man, Israel, and the Lazarus, gentiles. It is prophesy of the role reversal that will be played out in the coming mellenia. The jews will not have the place of honor and blessings they once had and to the gentiles it will be given. The death in the parable is symbolizing the death and resurection of Christ. The 5 brothers are further evidence. The scriptures record for us the sons of Jacob through Leah were six, thus Judah had five brethren, all full-blood brothers. Those who would have heard Jesus 2,000 years ago would have understood as they lay great store in their ancestry. This rich man then was Judah the southern kingdom of the Jews. I could go on and on but, with this in mind now, read and study the parable again and see what God is showing you.
This parable is RICH with prophetic knowledge and understanding, and to take this incredible and powerful scripture and use it as some proof text for eternal torment in hell is small minded and missing the point all together.
Think people! God asks us to come and "reason" with Him.
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This has been a great study to learn how to apply this parable to my own life and pass on my findings in the LORD. I have a wonderful time looking at this small but great seed for my life.
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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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Denny,

I honestly didn't intend to leave the impression that we are praying to ourselves but I guess I did. And in a sense, any time we try to "establish our hearts" in something (be it good or ill), we mix repetition and emotion.

In some circles, it's called "positive affirmations". All it is, is self-talk. The world blasts us with negative self-images all the time. Really, the church does too (but that's a topic for another post).

Television and radio advertising conditions us to believe certain ways. The beliefs of our hearts drive what we spend our money on. Advertisers mix repetition and emotion through the senses. This sensual stimulation is designed to make us feel a certain way. Then it is repeated over and over until it becomes a pattern in us. When that pattern is laid down, the course of our lives follows.

We do the same thing as Christians. We immerse ourselves in the word because we it makes us feel good. We worship God because it feels great! We pray for the same thing over and over - not to convince God to do something He was originally unwilling to do, but to open up our hearts to the truth that we "have received" His blessing.

Mark 11:24 (NIV) says - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Jesus said "... believe that you HAVE RECEIVED it and it will be yours". Well, I don't know about you, but that doesn't come easily to guys like me. Think about it - I don't have it but I'm praying to God believing that I already have it. That's not altogether intuitive, ya know?

Paul said - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil 4:6 NIV)

Did you ever pray with anxiety? I did. "God please have mercy!" That's really not the "kingdom way" to pray, is it? "Do not be anxious" but pray and petition - WITH THANKSGIVING! Thanking God for what? I'm just guessing - I'm no bible scholar - but I'd say we should be thanking God for the very thing(s) we were praying and petitioning about. "Dear God thank you for prospering me as my soul has been prospered. Now I can pay the rent." But your bank account is zero. God is good and He does deliver us from harm. He who trusts in the Lord shall not be disappointed.

Kingdom thinking is NOT intuitive but we get good at it after awhile. Fully trusting in God's grace is a challenge but it's not hard. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. His commandments are not grievous. And none of this is automatic. We spend time renewing our minds, don't we.

We conform to the world’s pattern when we pray with anxiety or think we've got to change God's mind about something. We are transformed when we renew our minds with "kingdom thinking". We "fully persuade" our hearts to receive the bounty of the kingdom of God - to believe God's promises by walking in His abundant life.

We condition our hearts the same way we've always conditioned them. We mix belief and emotion then we repeat it so that it gets down in our hearts, "GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!"

Denny, if you do that, you will be light years ahead of everybody you go to church with (unless you go to a MOST unusual church). If you get in your heart that God will not fail you, your study of His word will change. Things will begin to jump off the page. I know. It happened to me :)

God is NOT holding out on you. The good news is that God is not some "unjust judge" withholding His blessings. The apostle Paul understood that because he said, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Rom. 8:32

God has come to our rescue (past tense). All we have to do is start believing it.

Or so it seems to me,
Rob




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In the parable of the barren fig tree, something that stands out to me is the all-importance of producing fruit in our Christian lives. In other portions of scripture Jesus said that the axe is laid to the root, hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Have you ever asked yourself “do I produce fruit”? And for that matter how is fruit produced?

Look at the consequences of not producing fruit. “Cast into the fire”? It sounds like hell to me. This is serious business and I think it requires something over and above human opinion.

Oh, and get this, Jesus said that not only are we rewarded for our fruit, but that “every tree that my heavenly father has not planted will be uprooted in that day” Matt 15:13 (paraphrased). Capture that! All of the things that we apply ourselves to in the course of everyday life that does not come about from the sowing of the seed of Gods word will be uprooted and counted for nothing. That’s scary. There are going to be a lot of empty gardens in heaven if everything unfounded in the word is not permitted there.

I know a lot of Christians who think their Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon, (I had to ask to find out the name) as they conduct the affairs of life. Stars in their own picture shows they are! All the while not realizing that when they stand before God he’s going to say “ah, I don’t reward for that up here”. “But I have a crazy smile like Mel’s” you say. I can just hear God saying, “Yea we’ll have to talk about that”.

So you have a person with no “Word” abiding in them and the few things that they do have abiding in their hearts-TRASH is not allowed in his kingdom. LOO-SER!

I encourage everyone to study the precepts of the “Kingdom of God” as found in Mark chapter four.

Jesus said, “with what measure you mete, it will be measured unto you, and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that has to him shall be given and he that has not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have”. Have what you may ask? How about the Word of God abiding in your heart? One scripture said that the man would have abundance. It sounds like the rich getting richer to me. But then what do I know.

All of us should be doctors of faith and of Mark chapter four, making sure that our hearts are filled to overflowing with the word of God.

I firmly believe that when we stand before God, the light that he emits will strike the word of God abiding in our hearts and it will look like a laser light show. Kind of like a chandelier, reflecting light in all directions. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father”. Of course Jesus said, “Take heed that the light which is in you be not darkness”. Some people will be like black holes-the total absorption of that light.

If for no other reason then my asking you to, don’t be found in that state of disrepair on judgment day. When you look into the eyes of some people you’ll be overwhelmed by the desire to look away because of such an inglorious state. And yet others will carry this glorious light around throughout eternity. Can you imagine that? People will know that you’re coming from a distance because of the brilliance of light that you carry around. All because you took the time to sow to your inward garden the word of God.

What a glorious thought. Just think of it, you dear reader can have the white light of the sun shinning out of you’re inner man once we get into the presence God. And it’s your reward throughout eternity. But conversely, “he that has not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have”. “Take heed that the light which is in you be not darkness”.


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The rich man will be cast into the lake of fire, and Lazarus is now in heaven!
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My advice to you would be to #l. Look at what I wrote under the subject of the leaven parable. #2. Decide weather you believe that that’s what Jesus’ was taking about or not. Then take ownership of the matter and teach it as though you ascribe to it yourself.

The parables of the Kingdom are intertwined and they all lead back to each other. I’d meditate on these things until I have the idea down, then you can teach these things with their intended end in mind.

I don’t think it hurts to SUBMIT things. Allowing people to decide for themselves. As long as you’re stressing the analogies that Jesus used vs. the interpretations, you’ll perk people’s interest. Heck, you might even learn some things from the kids. Just make sure that you OFFER these things instead of stuffing them down someone’s throat and I think you’ll be all right. I think children can understand metaphors better than adults because their imaginations are allowed to wander more.

It might also be good to seize upon this idea of Jesus revealing “things that have been kept secret from the foundations of the earth”, maybe asking, “What on earth do you think he could be saying”? “What might these secrets be”? “Should we know and understand them”?

Also, you may want to convey the importance of this scripture (Mark chapter four) because Jesus asked, “you don’t understand this parable? “Then how will you understand ALL parables concerning the kingdom of God”?

Good luck with the kids. God bless!

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The weeping and the gnashing of teeth {An Eastern expression of " Deep Grief"{ Matt.24:51; 25:30,ASV}. and this place is referred to as " the outer darkness"[ASV] in the latter parable.
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I simply believe it is a tool to prophecy his ressurrection. Note the punchline - If they don't believe Moses they won't believe if someone rises from the dead.
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Would you please send me a copy of that picture? If it's good, I'd like to use it for my sermon on Sunday.

Mike
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What do you think the symbolism of the water is?I think its truth Gods word that the rich man didn't seek while here .I believe the rich man was "saved" but it recieve judgement for a time maybe 1000 years if he was really in what we see as hell why would he want just a taste of cool water? Just a though I going to study it out and would be interested in what others see from the scripture.
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i really enjoyed reading yours the most. it left me feeling satisfied, and closer to having a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. =)

thank you for blessing me.

how has your seed sowing been?

love in Christ,
edna
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To this man who wrote the message about me, I'd advise that you dis-continue your comments. God is not the author of confusion, the scriptures has one and only one meaning to it, Malachi 3:6 - For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.", why should the words of God change to people? Obviously, you twist the words of God to suit your own needs, which is wrong.
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I agree, it's not designed to make us beg, it's designed to show us how eaiser it is for us to count on God than anyone else
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The only perfect response in each of the three parables in Luke 15 is God's response. He seeks to save the ignorant and helpless. He seeks to find an carelessly lost inheritance. He affirms the right of man to choose. He rejoices in the results of shepherd, the woman and the return of his son.

Neither the younger or older son respond perfectly to the situations they are confronted by. Only when the youngest son's life style drops below that of the father's servants does he decide to return home.

His repentance was perfect, though.

The older son is obedient and hard working. In fact he is working at earning and preserving his inheritance. Nothing in his life would have taught him to respond as the father did. Only a father can understand the joy of a child returned to him. The oldest son should have joined in the celebration but could not. His obediance was without fault.

Today our churches don't have the excuse of not knowing the true nature of God. Today we have the presence of the Holy Spirt, and still many believers cannot rejoice at the salvation of repentant sinners. They too have led lives of hard work and obedience.

We seek a simple straight-forward understanding of things; even in God. We seek to hold a complete understanding of God in three short stories; It isn't meant to be. Use these stories to understand God's love and his desire for a relationship with each one of us.

Thesis topic: The evolution of the meaning of the prodigal son; How context can change the classic understanding of this story. Or how different cultures relate to this story;
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I have already explained that the Greek for "everlasting habitations" did not clearly mean those in heaven. Let me explain most thoroughly.

The Greek word for "eternal" or "everlasting" is "aio^nios", accusative plural "aio^nious" in the text. It actually means "of or pertaining to an aio^n", an age. I hold that the age intended is this age because Jesus was not teaching about heaven near this passage. I conclude that the "everlasting dwellings" or "everlasting habitations", tents in Greek, must be dwellings owned by rich folk or companies of this world. What is everlasting about them is that they were built long before our resort to them and that they will be secure for us in times of persecution or financial failure. No bank could ever foreclose on them, no persecutor could find us there, and no persecutor could burn or bomb them down on account of our presence. They are to provide "everlasting" refuge for us in this life. They are not to be in Hell!

+++Kevin D. Rosenberg
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Quote:Leaven is always represented as a bad thing in the Bible and in the context the women also.

Mat 13:33 KJV Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto a bad thing, which a bad women took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was a bad thing.

Are you sure you wish to say this? Kingdom of Heaven = Leaven? Kingdom of Heaven = A bad thing?

Maybe I'm confused or missing something? When I read the above it doesn't sound right. I don't think Jesus would call or refer to the Kingdom of Heaven as a bad thing?



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The text of the good Samaritan story does not say whether the man is Jewish or Gentile or Samaritan or anything. The greek uses an indefinite pronoun, so the best translation is "certain man". One may infer that he was Jewish because he was traveling from Jerusalem (a place Samaritans wouldn't be welcome), but it is not certain.
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Jeffery, I think that Sue is more correct than you. That's a wonderful, inspired comment she made. The compilers of the Bible often didn't put things in order. There are many compilations that straightened these verses out and put them back into their ORIGINAL order whatever that may be, so the KJV doesn't look or read in the same order as you see in your Bible of today. So to say that Sue has taken something out of context because it may be out of order, belies history. Not only verses in our Bible are out of order to the original, but chapters and whole books of the Scriptures too. Quite often compilers added their own notes also.-----What makes you think that Matthew, a tax collector, wrote the Gospel of Matthew and that if he did, he had a ready pen and paper and wrote down in shorthand everything that Jesus said and IN ORDER? Don't you think that he would have been more interested in really listening to Jesus and gaining some spiritual insight? Are you even sure that he heard Jesus in person? If he did, and I think as a disciple may have heard some, are you sure he walked the long trek home after listening to Jesus and was able to print by hand, everything in order and in exactly the same words? Do you think that he may have left something out on occasion? As all of us know, the stories were always word of mouth, not the printed page. Many of these things were written years later after they were heard. The synoptic Gospels are most generally the same and in the same order, but not all were disciples, so they copied from one another, hence their sameness in a lot of areas. Let me tell you that most authorities say that Mathew had Mark's Gospel before him as he wrote his book, inserting his own valuable additions, very seldom diverting from Mark's order. Also, Matthew borrows about half of his narrative from St. Mark and aprox. one third was borrowed from Luke. His main source of his discourses was a document called the Logia. -----There were numerous other Gospels that are not now in our Bible, although were transmitted in earlier history. The Gospel of Peter, for instance is contaminated by fiction. The despised Mathew, employed by Herod and the REPUTED author, was writing for the Jews from his tax collector's viewpoint. His point of view would necessarily be different than that of Luke who was St. Paul's interpreter and a physician. Mark was writing for the Romans. John's recordings were SELECTED by him to make a certain other point----that of illustrating the incarnation of the Son of God. So each was a scribe and not necessarily a reporter, scribing from others’ copies with a personal point of view and with a particular purpose and audience in mind.----The two different viewpoints of you and Sue illustrate my point that all of us take and see from the Scriptures different things because of our different backgrounds, personal history, occupation, likes, dislikes, and purposes----even though we all are reading the same words. This is good, for God speaks to all of us individually and according to our need. The point is for each of us is to gain the SPIRITUAL meaning of the Scriptures and not get hung up on semantics. Is there any one of us that can dictate another's inspiration? Your origanl inspiration taken from Sue's was what you should cling to.


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I would like a copy of the good shepard sermon

Thank You
sharan Jones
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Just a Question:

Is there a case that can be made for the elder brother who stayed home?

Not a lot of sermons on him.

Thanks.
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I can not agree that these sheep are the pharisees and the tax collectors because Jesus in John goes to great lengths to say that those sheep within HIS fold KNOW his voice...do those who are unrepentant KNOW jesus' voice? Is Jesus the door to their fold? I don't think so! As leigh points out...there is only 1 sinner realising he is lost? No I don't think so...and of course there is the question...where does Jesus take this lost sheep back to????? the fold? or some other place? what then would happen to the 99 sheep????????
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Dear Peter,

Your note on the web touched me. It sounded like a cry for help from a young man struggling to stay afloat. Internet correspondence with people I don't know is not my habit but I feel a concern for you.

I am not privy to all that is in your situation.

How old are you and how long have you been a Christian?

Are both of your brothers Christians?

Does your brother who stayed home share your feelings?

On what terms was the returning brother brought into the business? Is he an employee or did he buy into the business? Do you and your other brother have clear legal title to the business that you bought form your father?

Are you involved in an unequal yoke, ie. are both of your brothers believers? You could be faced with selling your interest and starting a business of your own.

How does your father see the situation? Can you appeal to him for guidance?

If you and your brother bought the business why do you still retain the irritations?

If your father has a will how can others take what is not theirs?

There is so much that I don't know but it sounds like it is time for a family conference to clear the air and redefine everybody's limits and responsibilities.

The closer we come to home the more crucial relationships become.

Have you thought of seeking advice from a wise business man in your church or community?

Above all don't become weighed down with resentment and bitterness. You need to forgive your brother and deal with him graciously. It only takes one to forgive. To forgive wrongs gives the soul buoyancy and joy.
It is a reminder that we also are forgiven by One who was offended by our sin in a way that we will never understand.

I hope that this is of some help.

tom


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