Jesus said to Peter that he would build his church upon him,(Mt 16:18) he didn't ask Peter to build a structure of stone and wood, fill it with people and worship him it it, he meant that he would send his Holy Spirit upon his disciples.(Act 2:4) This doesn't mean that we shouldn't worship God in a building, but that we should always remember this first principle.
The church of God is not be a building, it is the people of God. We shouldn't 'GO to church' we should 'BE the church'.(1Pe 2:10) we shouldn't 'worship IN the church' we should 'worship AS the church'.(Jn4:24) It is important to note that Jesus used the future tense in Mt 16:18 because he wanted to make it clear that his church could not be built without his Holy Spirit.(Jn 14:25-26) Some Christians tend to turn up at a worship service, after living a secular life, not having been 'in the spirit' during the week at all (with perhaps just a quick prayer before going to bed each night and another before meals). If we do this, how do we expect the Holy Spirit to attend the worship service with us...how do we expect to BE the body of Christ when we don't invite him into our lives on a constant basis but merely at set times?
Suppose you only let your husband/wife into your house at certain times which you appointed? Do you think they might be upset? We are Gods temple,(2 Co 6:16) that means he dwells in us, in fact Jesus gave us the assurance of it;(Jn15:4) if we do not give him free access to our thoughts, we not only dishonour him, but we do ourselves great harm by allowing the enemy a foothold.
In Matthew 16, the conversation Jesus had with his disciples immediately prior to his comment concerning Peter was that concerning the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducee's and how they ought to beware of it. This was a way of reminding them of the danger of false doctrine, I believe this was no accident. We are in perilous times as a church and should remind each other that we each of us make up the body of Christ,(Ro 12:4,5) that God is our refuge (Ps 62:8) and that God dwells in our bodies (1Jn 4:12). If we let the religiosity of 'going to church' corrupt us to the point that we start to rely on times and statutes for our service to God, we are in danger of becoming idolaters.(Mt 23:1-5)
Too many Christians see their duties to the building they worship at every Sunday as their service towards God, and neglect their own Spiritual Growth; they do this because they confuse the building structure with the concept of church and turn Christianity into a religious doctrine, which requires certain actions to be done of them each week or each day.(Ga 3:3) We shouldn't seek God periodically, but be constantly aware of having Christ dwelling in us and having him teach us on a moment to moment basis. When David had it in mind to build a temple for God to dwell in, and God told him that he had chosen Solomon instead for the task,(1Chr 28) The Lord said 'Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgements, as at this day'. Notice the word 'constant', in order for us to be assured an establishment in Gods kingdom, does in not follow that as we are now Gods temple on earth, we should also be 'constant' in service?
It's easy to see Paul's exhortation in Ro 12:2 as a call to be separate from the world, but we can also see by the language he uses that it's also a reminder of ourselves as a work in progress. He says 'be transformed by the RENEWING of your mind', not the RENEWAL. This suggests something that cannot be finished when you're first born again, but something to be worked at, why should we not be working at it every moment of our lives?
We often think of the Apostle Paul with such respect and admiration that he might seem almost as perfect as Christ himself, we learn however in Ro 7:23-25 that he's actually quite harsh on himself in terms of the work he still has to do. This is because, no matter how much more mature he might be than others, even us, he still recognises the imperfection of his fleshly self in comparison to the perfect divinity of Christ. He is in no doubt that he is still an unfinished work and that he must keep on striving to be more in the spirit and less in the flesh. We all have something to learn from this level of
humility as we strive to get more closer to God through our saviour Jesus Christ; growing in the spirit, diminishing in the flesh. (Ro 8:13; Ga 5:16,17; Ph 3:3)
Jesus said 'Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak'(Mk 13:28) when Simon Peter had fallen asleep after Jesus had asked him to watch. This is clearly an important teaching, it came right at the end of his ministry right before he was crucified. We cannot take discipleship as some weekend hobby, social gathering or 'feel good factor'. This is a spiritual battle, and though it's already won, we must take part in it in order that we and those around us not become a casualty. Yes, we already have a victory, but only if we remain 'in Christ' as a branch
of his vine.(Jn 15)
Ephesians 6
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;15 And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace;16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:18 PRAYING ALWAYS with all prayer and supplication in the SPIRIT, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
I have dipped into a few responses and there appear to be some very encouraging and agreeable opinions on the matter.
It is a personal choice of mine to not drink. though I do take a sip at communion. And though I do not believe drinking alcohol to be a sin,I do believe that actually if a person is drinking merely to become drunk, this is sinful.
There are many scriptures that have been pointed out already, so I shan't bother, really I just wanted to add one perspective which I personally find helpful.
If we look at this from the perspective of walking with God at all times, it helps I think. How can we effectively walk with Jesus whilst being intoxicated? I want to be in constant fellowship with him, and I would not want to disrupt that, I couldn't pray to God if I were drunken, I would feel like a hypocrite for a start and I feel the Holy Spirit within me would very quickly admonish me.
For this reason, if you are a Christian and you are even actually ABLE to get drunk, I suggest you take a very hard look at your prayer life!
May your family stay strong in the Lord, may the Lord fill it continually with his living water and cover it with his blood. You will not be overcome by any wickedness and all strongholds in the lives of you and yours will be pulled down in the Lords mighty name!
Blessings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, the most high and worthy Lamb of God, Christ Jesus!
We all have our own ways of worshipping the ancient of days, our Lord Yahweh, and if celebrating this festival edifies your spirit, helps you to grow more in it and gives you comfort, I am sincerely overjoyed for you!
I must however note, for those who are perhaps still new in Christ or who otherwise are confused by a Christian celebrating Jewish festivals, this is not a necessary part of Christian discipleship. We have a Jewish heritage yes, and in the sense that we have an adoption into the son-ship of Jacob (Israel), even Abraham, even Adam, even Abba our father. Nevertheless, for reasons of the sacrifice of his only begotten son, the Christ from before the foundation of the world, Emanuel, God who is forever with us; we are saved by Grace through Faith.
And what an honour and privilege that is!
If however a Christian viewed these festivals as somehow important to their salvation, I would have to strongly admonish them, with love. That view would be a false doctrine and actually potentially so damaging to ones faith that I would begin to question whether such a person was in fact actually, in Christ by faith. For we are indeed saved not by our works but by our faith in the Son of God. Not to mention the damage caused by the teaching of such a doctrine to impressionable young/new Christians.
All blessings in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus!
Did you read any of my post and are you going to explain what the scripture you post actually means?
Are you not aware that when God created man there was only one commandment in the law, which was do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good or evil, and that for every passing generation our Lord Yahweh has had need of adding more and more commends to the law until finally in the time he came in the flesh as Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees were so overrun with laws that they had forgotten the whole point of the laws in the first place. Which was to condemn us of our sin.
If you truly accept what Jesus has done is final in your lives, you have no need of these once essential ordinances. The Lord only wishes you to come into the world as a new creation and save souls for him, your new heart will show you the right and wrong way to live, and the blood of Christ is sufficient to forgive you when you make a mistake or when you are unaware of a sin. Just pray that God show you where there is sin in your life and he will show you, like he showed Israel where it's sin was in Joshua chapter 7.
You need to trust Jesus, how much use can a day of atonement be with the blood of Jesus covering you my brethren?
If you have no words of your own to say and just passages of scripture it's hard to discuss this with you though!
The word of God is awesome, but it does need to be interpreted!
I thank you for your fellowship in the name of the Most High Lamb of God, who took our sins and our transgressions of his divine law away with his own life blood; and to whom we are so grateful for the privilege of being given new hearts to not want to sin any more and new spirits so that we can dwell with him and in him at the right hand of our father in the new Jerusalem, amen!
I thank you for presenting me with the opportunity to study the Word of God together, with his Spirit in us, in an attempt to understand his will for us all as we abide both in the world but not of the world(Jn 17:14) as well as in his glorious body; as both co heirs of his promise to Abraham(Ga 3:29) being as we are sent into the world by Jesus(Jn 17:18)
As we know Brother and Sister, we are dead unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord(Col 2:12; Ga 2:20) and we also know that anything we may do in the lives which we live by our faith of Jesus, cannot justify us(Ro 3:20). We know that when we repented of our sins, gave our lives to Jesus and asked him to dwell in us; he gave us a new heart(Ez 18:31) in which he declared us to be his epistles(2Co 3:3), and his Holy Spirit(1Co 3:16). We know that he made us new creations(2Co 5:17)
We know that those people who are still in the world and partakers and lovers of things in the world; are not of God(1Jn 2:15,16). And we know that those who have not accepted Christ and still rely on their own good works are not saved by God and are still in the world; making sacrifices to idols for there own vanity instead of putting their faith in the work already done by Christ(Col2:20-23).
Brother and Sister, we must know that the ordinances set up by the Lord of Hosts in generations past are not relevant, not because they are from a long time ago, neither because they are unimportant for us to consider in our lives; but because our Lord Jesus has removed our sin from our lives once and for all time! Why would God give his only begotten son, as a sacrifice for our sins, only for us to try to make atonement for those sins once a year with our own sacrifices?
Brother and Sister, do you not realise that when God ordains Israel to these festivals 'forever' he does so knowing that they are still alive unto their sin. We however are dead unto our sin and alive unto God the Father through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that is why these ordinances apply no longer to us. Though it is important for us to know that they exist, so that we know what a great, awesome, and unfathomable honour it it that we have remission of our sins through the blood of the sinless Lamb of God; so that we know what an incredible privilege it is to be able to walk with our Lord Jesus who already at this moment sits at the right hand of our Father in Heaven, despite having sin in our flesh, but knowing that we are renewed and born again in the spirit.
All Love and Blessings in the name of the worthy Son of God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Hallelujah!
I must thank you for asking for references, because God has revealed the awesome meaning of Ex 3:14 to me
Ex 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.
Obviously in context the 'me' is refering to Moses, and the Lord God is commanding Moses to say of himself that God has sent him (as in the previous verse Moses asks God what he should say his name is when the children of Israel ask).
But the verse is clearly powerful when we take it on it's own, It is the only time God ever refers to himself as 'I Am that I Am' and for me he clearly gives us a forewarning of Christ being sent to us. 'I Am hath sent me unto you.'
I'm sorry about the last msg, I had just woken up and perhaps I was a little too defensive, please forgive me!
Scriptural reference, of course.
Jn 1:1 In the begining was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jn 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Jn 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Jn 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
Jn 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Co 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Co 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Jn 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Ex 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.
Since Christ was fully God as well as fully man, He (as God) can easily be seen to have 'stepped down' from heaven onto earth to dwell here as the man, our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul says almost as much in his first epistle to Timothy.
1 Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
God became flesh (God stepped down from heaven)...preached unto the Gentiles (as Jesus Christ of Nazareth).
May God bless you in all you do and may his word dwell in you and transform you always my Brother and Sister in Christ Jesus!
