Daniel
joarm
free-to-print gospel tracts
Dear Christian,
We would like to help you in sharing the free gift of the gospel. With our gospel tracts you can give a biblically faithful gospel meassage to an old friend or someone you have just met. Please download, print and distribute freely. WE WILL NOT SEND OUT OUR TRACTS BY MAIL – THEY ARE FOR DOWNLOAD ONLY, SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
These tracts are designed to be printed back to back on A4 white card. You get 2 tracts from each page which fold up behind the front picture. All tracts are in PDF format. You could print them on your home computer or take them in to a professional printer. Some professional printers have special deals and free pinting offers – so watch out for these if you’re short of cash (or frugal).
EA Blog Team.
Family Values (Special Jesus All About Life edition)
“…All families want to raise their children with good values…How do we work out what values to have?…I encourage you to look into the bible for yourself to find out what it teaches. Have a look at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) which our core values are based on…We have lied, envied, lusted…, taken things that aren’t ours. All sin is ultimately against God….So we are left without any hope of ever being good enough. We need to be saved from our eternal destiny…That’s why Jesus came. He came to provide sinners with THE WAY to be saved…”
Frequent Sinner Card
“Each sin you commit earns you an Eternal Debt of punishment payable in full upon your death to the One you owe it to. God…Hell is what we earn… a real, spiritual and physical condition for all the enemies of God… He soaked up all of God’s anger and punishment for the sins of all His people – each one of them a desperate, debt ridden sinner like you… “
Choose Your Own Adventure
“…God has told us …we are walking willingly, like the uniformed, unwise child, toward the fire …the eternal pit of fire that those who enter – never leave …There is hope for sinners deserving hell. That’s why the gospel is THE GOOD NEWS, not just a nice story…”
Mark Of The Beast
“…God’s word clearly states that every human belongs to Him (God) or the Devil. It also says that you will carry around the mark or the characteristics of whoever you belong to.. The amazing gift of salvation through Jesus means that people who belonged to Satan are actually adopted from the family of darkness… into God’s own family…”
Tell Aussies 
We would very much like to have the free gospel tracts. Your website is just wonderful in the Lord.
Thanks Jettie, that’s a great encouragement and blessing. Download all the tracts you can hand out!!!!!!!!!!!
Angela 🙂
Have a street min. need all the gospel material s that I can get will be used to uplift the name of Jesus thank you God Bless
Do you have any tract for postmodernists, dealing with their issues?
Not yet, nothing specifically for the postmodernist. Thanks for the idea though. We are currently working on some new stuff, and we’ll look at that for you. Another team member might know of a good link on the net somewhere?
Angela
hello
I am a Pastor, Pastoring a small church and I want to multiply the church as Christ instruct us to do. Could you please send me some materials for Evangelism?
Hi Pastor Michael,
you are welcome to download and use any and all of the tracts available on this website. If you click on the image for each a page with the PDF file will open for you to copy.
Please send to me printed gospel tracts for distribution. I am an evangelist
My mailing address is as follows:
Ojo Jacob Olukunle
G.P.O.Box 13173 Dugbe,
Ibadan,
Oyo State,
Nigeria.
Please send to me printed gospel tracts for distribution. I am an evangelist
My mailing address is as follows:
24 yoruba street zaria,
kaduna state.
nigeria
Please send to me printed gospel tracts for distribution. I am a christa\ian and am intending participating in evangelism
My mailing address is as follows:
Box DC 1066,Dansoman-Accra,
Ghana,West Africa
HI RTodney
Its great to hear from you – and others that have left their postal address. I’m sorry, but we have not intentions at the moment of posting out our tracts. As the above paragraph states – our tracts are free to download and print out yourself (back to back printing).
I apologise that I have not replied sooner to others who have left their details here.
Daniel
greetings of peace, love and joy to you who are hihgly favoured. we thank god for your existence . pls i want you to help my church in providing soul winning tracts as part of our vision to win souls into the kingdom. my chuech has less funds in printing and downloading so i want you to help us by sending the tracts to us. i will be very grateful cuz it has been our desire especially we the youth in the church to share the word of God to our brethens.
Hi there, we have free gospel tracts that we CAN post off to people. We very much appreciate other people who have tract ministries and we USED to have a webpage, but we don’t now, but anyone who would like some free gospel tracts is welcome to email us and ask. I hope this is not treading on your toes, just saw others asking to be sent tracts.
We print our own. I’d like to have them online to be downloaded but haven’t worked that out just yet.
Keep up the good work.
gospeltruth@aapt.net.au
Robin
Great to hear from you Robin.
Toes are OK.
I long to become your partner. Not only on the web but even in the physical toch to touch of the word.
i will tell you about myself if you wish to.
GOD keep smiles on your faces. I love you.
This is the best vocation with eternal compensation, please Keep me involved.
Good job with the tracts. Just a few comments though (TioLi)
1. Sin is more than the naughty things we do. Our sinful actions are an outworking of our hostility towards God and our opposition to Him. We sin because we are sinners. Sin is a relational issue before it is a morality issue. We will be judged ultimately because we have refused to know the Father through his Son Jesus Christ (‘Depart from me, for I never knew you’).
2. The tracts could imply that we have to do something to be saved – OK we do need to repent and believe – but it is the cross that saves us, and our repentance and faith is the response to the gift of salvation. Presenting them with choice as two options puts the call back onto them to determine if they are saved or not, instead of the free election of God.
3. Romans 2:4 tells us that it is the love of God (kindness, tolerance, patience) that lead us to repentance, not the fear of judgement. Please make mention of the love of God (ala John 3:16) as this the motivation for his sending of Jesus to deliver us from death and hell.
When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them. Matthew 9:36
From:
Rev.Davidson Chinnam
India.
To:
Evangelism Action. WordPress
Dear beloved brother in Christ,
Our hearty Christmas greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. “Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you”.
At this Juncture, I Rev.Davidson Chinnam take this opportunity as privilege and honor for me in a capacity as a servant of God and as well as responsible social worker do here by forwarding this apt, lucid, candid and precious detail message pertaining to our respective ministry, titled ” Compassionate Heart Ministries” which had been registered under the said provisions of the respective act of our respective Government of Andhra Pradesh. It is indeed be very glad and delightful for us for being sent this letter to you, for your perusal, peaceful reaction and most obviously for your continuous immense prayers for us and for our respective ministry in India.
So far as our Gospel work is concerned, on our ministry behalf, with faith and trust we were being done the most yeoman Gospel service for the last 3 years at our operational areas and villages here in India. We will have our own church and regular comers to our church members 170. We have established 6 congregations in 6 villages. Previously, at selected villages, we have conducted some Gospel meetings by being invited an eminent and renowned Gospel speakers, who are well versed in Biblical Theology. As a part of our stipulated ministry programmes, it is the mandatory for us to be involved in the Gospel outreach programmes, street evangelism, house to house visiting, fasting prayers, special prayer meetings for the women, youth and Sunday school for the children. Predominantly, our conspicuous focus and emphasis is among caste Hindu people and really, with our precious preaching’s, some caste Hindu people have been accepted The Lord Jesus Christ as their personal saviour and redeemer and few Hindu people were Baptized by us in this aspect, as there are only 3% Christians in India and as such, still more, a lot is to be done more vehemently and to this extent, myself and our fellow pastors were being made hectic efforts with firm commitment, determination and decent forethought. Hence, we do need your continuous prayerful cooperation for the total augmentation of our respective ministry in India.
We are requesting for Gospel tracts, Diary’s ,Calendars, Daily Devotional books, Bible Literature, Packet Calendars and CD’s etc. These are very useful for the Rural Christian People and for their Spiritual Life. Hence I request you kindly send them either English (or) Telugu languages as early as possible.
Please pray for us as we pray for you, convey my good regards and best wishes to your family members.
We shall look forward for your further the most valuable, optimistic and prayerful response as early as possible with good anticipation and fervent hope.
The following in ours intact postal mailing address which is as follows:
Compassionate Heart Ministries,
Rev.Davidson Chinnam,
H.No.2-91, ETHERU – 522310,
Bapatla, Guntur Dist.
Andhra Pradesh, South India.
Mobile: (+91) 9989720226
E-mail: compassionatehm@yahoo.com
Thanking you,
Yours in His Mighty Name,
Rev.Davidson Chinnam
I find your material not only offensive, but not at all, that is the message you are purporting to bring, in the spirit of christianity.
For example, I was walking through the Murray St Mall recently, when a pleasant enough women handed me a small piece of paper – your message – stating that I (1). have sinned (2) will spend eternity (because of my sin) in hell, and (3).conveniently enough, if I accept certain conditions and adjustments I may be fortunate enough to be forgiven (for what I do not know?) by some omnipotent entity who you are, apparently, on very familiar terms with.
Now I would like to respond, does any sane person truly believe (1). if some all-knowing etc entity was in fact able to remove all my supposed sin, that he may have, in the first instance, thus created a people, in his own image nonetheless (mind boggling stuff again, but more on this later), that were a little nicer, so they did not in fact require their sins to admonished?
Good point say I.
Your material, which was handed to me in a public place, I find analogous to pornography. That is, I would not want my children to read it or to try and interpret it’s message. The implications resemble a horror movie (rated R or X) and as such should not be on public display.
Thus I find your actions reprehensible, irresponsible and worse yet, the conclusions one can draw from such material, may cause physical harm – in this world – which is the only world anyone has every spoken of with any authoritative and first hand experential knowledge.
Please respond, as I am interested in debating this topic further.
So, as all matters concerning human interests, which to your mind are the most pressing, please do (respond and debate) through the site so it (the debate) is in the public domain, so others who may not yet be fully committed to to your religious ideology, have an opportunity in which they can hear other, and as equally coherent, views expressed.
This should not be an issue, since if one is convinced in their belief, then there will be little I could say or do to change it.
However, if they are not yet totally convinced, then we have equal opportunity to convince them one way or the other; that is , to convince them otherwise.
Kind Regards
Bradley
*Miracles That Actually Happened To Me, In 11/2006! The Following is a TRUE Story. Read It, & Dare To Believe.*
In 11/2006, I came home one night, feeling broken, & beat down by the world. I was just about broke, I had no relationship with my family in the previous 5 years, & it was very poor anyway with them, so … I also felt like ending my life right then & there, due to continuous thoughts of hopelessness, as well as other tormenting thoughts… social ´fears,´ as well as this unfounded fear that people were tryn´a kill me, in the middle of the night.
It was the wierdest thing; I felt ´compelled´ to just start praying. I said:
“OK, Jesus. Help me. You win. I can´t do this anymore. IF you´re real, You show me! Here I am …. I´m sorry I cursed out my parents & for rejecting you. Here, look … I´ll call my father to appologise to him …. (So, I called my dad to appologise to him, & after I called him up to leave him a messege, I cried out): Look. You see? I told you! Where are you, Jesus? Help me, please. I can´t do this on my own anymore … Please forgive me. Help me! I´m sorry I rejected you …”
So I´m standing there with tears running down my face staring up at the ceiling as if I was ´expecting´ to hear from Him, or feel something, & I did! — All of the sudden, I felt this overwhelming peace come over my entire body. — The tormenting thoughts of hopelessness, & ending my life, INSTANTLY left my head, & was replaced by the soothing, comforting, & emotionally-stabilizing Holy Spirit. He instantly healed my bottom left rear moler, as well.
My right ankle was diseased; it used to lock up on me, an average of 10 times per month, & was stiff practcally every other day, in that 5 year period. I had a medical condition called “Effusion” in the joint … — It instantly healed up, & when no other Dr. helped me because I had no insurance to cover an operation. I was snubbed & rejected in emergency rooms by several different “Dr..´s.” – both in NJ, & here in PA. Not surprising, in this cold-blooded medical system! — JC healed my ankle, when the world litterally coldly turned it´s back on me. I was miraculously healed, in an instant! — No psychiatrist, D.D.R (Dentist) or Dr. was ever able to make this happen for me, in my entire life. How interesting!! My torments fears & pains at that moment, completely vanished on the spot. … I mean whut can I say? I am so impressed by the works that He has done in my life, that I must tell you about this, so that you too, can experience this, if you so desire.
Some Of My Old Habbits, Prior To 11/2006
I used to draw airplanes all the time, since I was a little kid. I over-focussed on them as I love aviation, & as an adult, I drew planes nonstop 12 hours a day stuck in my strong-hold, not going anywhere in my pseudo-misery (so to speak), & after that moment in 11/2006, I just lost the compulsive urge, stopped drawing. It just ceased, all at once. No meds … No counselling …. No “help” from the world. Amazing. Absollutely amazing. I would have never believed that such a thing was at all possible, if it didn´t happen to me, personally. This was not some phony-balony televangelist put-on; — this was an actual in the flesh in yer face experience, & I attest to it to be the 100% truth.
I can forgive people now, I´m not suicidal … I´m not full of hate … I´m not severely obsessed with my former passion of drawing airplanes day in & day out like I´ve been doing for my entire adult life prior to 11/2006, & I´ve gotten the relationship back with my parents, which means a whole hell of alot to me. I went from being a selfish, vengeful, unforgiving individual, to having a sudden hunger for knowing more about this amazing deity that from what I used to hear so much about in the world throughout my life up to that point, was this dude who healed the blind, the lame, & the sick, 2000+ years ago.
Shortly before God saved my soul through JC, I used to be in counselling for hateful feelings I had towards everyone who wronged me, w/other bad thoughts, & at the moment that I was healed. It was the wierdest thing. I just knew that I was made right, by my faith in Him(!) When it happened, I automatically went over to the phone, & cancelled all of my future Dr.´s appointments. There simply was no more need to go to further sessions as I was not suicidal any longer … I was not hateful of people any longer. It was all over. At that point, that´s when I suddenly put ´2 & 2 together´ as they say, once I received the Holy Spirit, & believed evrything that was written in whut I now know to be the soveriegn Word of the Only living God, & His Son as told of, in the New Testament. — Also He is prophacied aabout, in the Old Testament! “The demons tremble at His name.” Amen. Neat, huh?
Let me say, that ANYONE who tells you that the Holy Spirit of God, or His Son Jesus Christ does not exist, or that He does not heal, or that the Holy Spirit is not real, is nothing more than a liar, a misleading snake, a false-prophet, & are an anti-Christ, as warned of, in II PETER 2. I reccommend the NKJV, as myself, & my other evangelical brothers & sisters agree on this variant. Check it out, sometime.
As far as the influence yer “friends” may have over yer decision, who cares whut yer “friends” think about it. Friends are fickle & generally undependabe, — ESPECIALLY those of em,’ who are still heathen, their souls not having been born again, through Jesus Christ. I´ve got another astonishing revelation for ya … People in general, are not yer judge, so remember that.
At this point, I´m a prayer warrior, in the Christian faith. He has shown me that He loves me for who I am, & most importantly, that He has forgiven me for my blasphemies, for the self-exhaltations & pride in my heart. He’s shown me that I´m now a partaker in His inheritance, & promised rest. He has given me the right to enter heaven not by my own might, but by God’s grace & mercies. Just think … if you open up your heart to him, He will do the same, for you too!
Behold:
JOHN 6 : 47 – 51
47 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes
in Me has everlasting life.
48 “I am the bread of life.
49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness,
and are dead.
50 “This is the bread which comes down from
heaven, that one may eat of it, and not die.
51 “I am the living bread which came down from
heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh,
which I shall give for the life of the world.”
My Way Of Life
The life I lead goes like this: I witness to people around my town & tell others of the miracles that Jesus did for me. No, I´m not a pastor, but I do minister to people around the town from time to time of Jesus & who He is, & of the miracles that He performed in my life in 11/2006. In return, the Lord sends people my way to help me out with a variety of things, from time to time. (Food, little things like that … etc.) That´s what´s called living BY FAITH. Through Faith in Jesus Christ are we healed, as what is spoken of, in the New Testament.
My Being A Follower Of Christ Does Not Mean …
…that I’ve lost my manhood
…..that I no longer have feelings like the average Joe who, has not been forgiven his sins, by Christ
….that I am ‘poifect,’ as I am quite ‘impoifect.’ I’ve only been forgiven of my sins, through the blood that was shed on the cross at Calvary — & also by my choosing to open up my heart to Him, in prayer
…that I do not know how to laugh & have a good time with my friends, saved, or not. My friends love my sense of humor, & my imitations o everyone else including farm animals. Lol
…that I am not a human being, with human emotions like you. I have them! So, please don’t take a crap on me, & neglect me & my feelings, just because I’m forgiven of my sisns, by JC.
…that I forgot how to make my partner feel good privately — (you know whut I mean!) I KNOW how to do that. TRY ME!
…that all I know how to do is to quote scripture, because I am knowledgable in a variety of areas of conversation., so kindly do not stand in judgment of me. Thanks.
My Appropriate Match
SWF (Single White Female) / SHF (Single Hispanic Female), meaning: Unmarried, Single, or Widowed. NOT SEPARATED/NOT MARRIED! 25-40 years of age / 170-250LB / 5´6″-6´6″ — I would prefer that you´d be at least 6´ tall, but if not, it´s alright/ Any color hair / Any color eyes / I LOVE BBW types of women. (Big Beautiful Women). I have a thing for your type, if you´re a BBW, that is.
Your Faith
Due to ongoing pagan nastiness that has been directed to me from witches & other types of non-Christians, I am no longer willing to accept anyone other than a Christian, for a b/f-g/f relationship. That means, that with the label, you understand …
1) Whut Jesus Christ came & died for; why He was persecuted, tortured half to death, spat on, & nailed to the cross
2) You understand whut it means to live by faith in Him
3) You understand why it’s important for a Christian to keep into the word of God
4) You know for sure that when you die, you’ll be going to heaven, because (why?)
The other reason, is because you will not understand why I feel that i have to pray all the time, & pray over you in person. It will make you feel fed up, pride & resentment will well up inside of your soul, & you will feel compelled to get angry, & snub me to no end. That’s because instead of being guided by the Holy Spirit of God, you’ll be directed by a demon, or you will follow the doctrines of such, as you will not have God to control those emotions for you. I know this, because of the fact that I am a born-again, who has gone through it first hand, until He performed miracles within me, in 11/2006, as I’ve listed in the upper middle of this dossier. Please understand that it’s a spiritual issue. I’m not ‘hateful’ of you, & I respect your feelings. At the same time …
The ONLY way that I will be willing to accept you as a general unbeliever in Jesus Christ, is IF you are willing to accept Him into your life, & allow Him to provide you with His Holy Spirit, through praying to Him. That way, the spiritual ‘blinders’ will be removed, & you’ll then understand what the heck I’m carry’n on about. I appreciate your time in reading & understanding this, & may God be with you.
What is a general non-believer/phony Christian
1) Non-repentant; they are unwilling to accept the fact that they are ever wrong, can NEVER say that they’re sorry to someone, & always defend their evil works, & the evil works of others.
2) They are absollutely cold blooded; they help no one, have a terrible attitude, & are very difficult to get along with.
3) Their heart is hardened black as coal to God’s living word in the Holy Bible, & the person get’s angry for no reason, when the gospel is mentioned to them.
4) The general unbeliever believes that he/she will be admitted into heaven by works alone, which is a lying false belief.
5) You are an unbeliever if you deny the Holy Spirit, or that Jesus Christ came into the world being born of the virgin Mary, was baptised in water by John the baptist, & then attained God’s Holy Spirit, & bore the sins of the world in the stripes that He took, for man’s iniquities. You understand that He bore the sorrows of the world upon Him & then was crucified, raised up I believe it was on the 3rd day, & was taken to heaven by His holy angels.
Who is Jesus Christ, you ask? Read JOHN 1:22-23 in the New Testament, in the NKJV. Aw, whut the heck. — I’ll tell you! —
The Gospel According to
JOHN
1 : 22 – 23
22 “Then they said to Him who are you, that we
may give you an answer to those who sent us? What do
you say about yourself?
23 He said: “I am
‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the LORD,”‘1(Isaiah 40:3)
Behold:
The Gospel According to
MATTHEW
27 : 45 – 54
45 “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour
there was darkness over all the land..
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with
a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”
that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”49(Psalm 22:1)
47 Some of those who stood there, when they
heard that, said, “This man is calling for Elijah!”
48 Immediately one of them ran and took a
sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed,
and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, let Him alone: let us see if Elijah
will come to save Him.
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice,
and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in
two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and
the rocks were split,
52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies
of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the graves out of His resurrec-
tion, they went into the holy city and appeared to
many.
54 so when the centurion and those with him, who
were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the
things that had happened, they feared greatly, say-
ing, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
We are thankful to God who have choosen you and who gave you the passionate heart for evangelism by Gospel tracts because this is very powerful way to expand the Gospel and to bring the people to Jesus Christ.We are working for many years in Pakistan and we go to the lost and non-christians to preach the Gospel and God is moving here.But we believe that if you send us your these powerful and spiritual Gospel tracts and we distribute into our communities, our members will go to house to house , markets, hospitals, colleges, universities, schools, streets and other public places and give these tracts to thousands people then there will be a new change.We believe that these tracts will bring many people to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Many people will come to Jesus Christ and in this way the work of God can be expanded.
Ineed some gospel tracts please.
i need about 50000 tracts for evangelism.Please help me for my fire has been ignited and i want to be part of ‘the few laborers’
The Book of
ZECHARIAH
3:2-10
3 “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest
standing before the Angel of the LORD, and
Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD re-
buke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen
Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand
plucked from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy gar-
ments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then he answered and spoke to those who
stood before Him, saying, “Take away the
filthy garments from him.” And to him He said,
“See, I have removed your iniquity from you,
and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on
his head.” So they put a clean turban on his
head, and they put the clothes on him. And the
Angel of the LORD stood by.
6 Then the Angel of the LORD admonished
Joshua, saying,
7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“If you will walk in My ways,
And if you will keep My command,
Then you shall also judge My house,
And likewise have charge of My courts;
I will give you places to walk
Among these who stand here.
8 ‘Hear, O Joshua the high priest,
You and your companionswho sit before
you,
For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant
the BRANCH.
9 For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave it’s inscription,’
Says the LORD of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land
in one day.
10 In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor
Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ” ”
The Gospel According to
MATTHEW
8 : 11 – 12, 23 : 9 – 36
11 “And I say to you that many will come from east
and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
12 “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out
into outer darkness. There will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
23 : 9 – 36
9 “”Do not call anyone on earth your father;
for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 “And do not be called teachers; for One is
your Teacher, the Christ.
11 “But he who is greatest among you shall
be your servant.
12 “And whoever exalts himself will be hum-
bled, and he who humbles himself will be ex-
alted.
13 “But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hyp-
ocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven
against men; for you neither go in yourselves,
nor do you allow those who are entering to go
in.
14 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for
a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you
will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! For you travel land and sea to win one
proselyte, and when he is won, you make him
twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides who say,’Who-
ever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but
whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he
is obliged to perform it.’
17 “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the
gold, or the temple which sanctifies the gold?
18 “And ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is
nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that
is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’
19 “Fools and blind! for which is greater, the
gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20 “Therefore he who swears by the altar,
swears by it and by all things on it.
21 “He who swears by the temple, swears by
it and by Him who dwells in it.
22 “And he who sears by heaven, swears by
the throne of God, and by Him who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and
cummin, and have neglected the weightier mat-
ters of the law: justice, and mercy, and faith.
24 “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and
swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup
and dish, but inside they are full of extortion
and self-indulgence.
26 “Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of
the cup and dish, that the outside of them may
be clean also.
27 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! For you are like whitewashed tombs
which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but
inside are full of dead men’s bones and all un-
cleanness.
28 “Even so you also outwardly appear righ-
teous to men, but inside you are full of hypoc-
risy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! Because you build the tombs of the
prophets and adhorn the monuments of the righ-
teous,
30 “and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of
our fathers, we would not have been partakers
with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 “Therefore you are witnesses against your-
selves that you are sons of those who murdered
the prophets.
32 “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’
guilt.
33 “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you es-
cape the condemnation of hell?
34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets
wise men, and scribes: some of them you will
kill and crucify, and some of them you will
scourge in your synagogues and persecute
from city to city,
35 that on you may come all the righteous
bloodshed on the earth, from the blood of righ-
teous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah, son of
Berechiah, whom you murdered between the
temple and the altar.
36 “Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will
come upon this generation.”
The Gospel According to
MARK
7 : 20 – 23, 9 : 42-44, 46, 48
7 : 20 – 23
20 “And He said, “What comes out of a man, that
defiles a man.
21 “From within, out of the heart of men, pro-
ceed evil thoughts, adulteries, forications, murders,
“thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewd-
ness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23 “All these evil things come from within and de-
file a man.”
9 : 23
23 “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things
are possible to him who believes.”
42 – 48
42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones
who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better
for him if a millstone were hung around his
neck, and he were thrown into the sea.
43 “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed,
rather than having two hands to go to hell,
into the fire that shall never be quenched—-
44 “where
‘Their worm does not die,
And the fire is not quenched.’
46 “where
‘Their worm does not die,
And the fire is not quenched.’
48 “where
‘Their worm does not die,
And the fire is not quenched..’
The Gospel According to
LUKE
4 : 18 – 19, 8 : 50, 9 : 26, 11 : 2 – 4, 12 : 8 – 12, 21 : 15 – 17
4 : 18 – 19
18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has annointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are opressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the
LORD.”
8 : 50
50 “But when jesus heard it, He answered him, say-
ing “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be
made well.”
9 : 26
26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words,
of him, the Son of Man will be ashamed when He
comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of
the holy angels.”
THE ACTS
of the Apostles
1 : 8, 9 : 4 – 6, 11 : 15 – 18
8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be wit-
to Me in Jeruslem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
9 : 4 – 6
4 “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice
saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecut-
ing Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, LORD?” Then the
LORD said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “LORD,
what do You want me to do?” Then the LORD said to
him, “Arise, and go into the city, where you will be told
what you must do.”
11 : 15 – 18
15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell
upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
16 “Then I remembered the word of the LORD, how
He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you
shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He
gave us when we believed on the LORD Jesus Christ,
who was I that I could withstand God?”
18 When they heard these things they became si-
lent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has
also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
ROMANS
3:11-18, 10:14-21, 12:10-13, 14:11, 15:8-13
10 “As it is written:
“”There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not
one.”5 (Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20)
13 “Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced
deceit.”;6 (Psalm 5:9)
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;7 (Psalm 140:3)
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness.”8 (Psalm 10:7)
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 “Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not
known.”9 (Isaiah 59:7, 8)
18 “Their is no fear of God before their
eyes.””10 (Psalm 36:1)
10:14-21
14 “How then shall they call on Him in whom
they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unles they are
sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who
preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”35 (Isaiah 52:7; Nahum 1:15)
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For
Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our
report?”36 (Isaiah 53:1)
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God.
18 but I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the
world.”37 (Psalm 19:4)
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses
says:
“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who
are not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a foolish
nation.”38 (Deuteronomy 32:21)
20 but Isaiah is very bold and says:
I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not
ask for Me.”39 (Isaiah 65:1)
21 But to Israel he says:
All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.”40 (Isaiah 65:2)
12 : 10 – 13
10 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with
brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one
another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serv-
ing the LORD;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, con-
tinuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given
to hospitality.”
14:11
11 “For it is written:
“As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”52 (Isaiah 45:23)
15:8-13
8 “Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a
servant to the circuncision for the truth of God,
to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
9 and that the gentiles might glorify God for
His mercy, as it is written:
“For this reason I will confess to You among
the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.”54 (2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49)
10 “And again He says:
“Rejoice O Gentiles, with His people!”55 (Deuteronomy 32:43)
11 And again:
“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!”56 (Psalm 117:1)
12 And again, Isaiah says:
“There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the
Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”57 (Isaiah 11:10)
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace in believing, that you may
abound in hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
CORINTHIANS
14 : 27 – 29, 15 : 51 – 56
27 “If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or
at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpet.
28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent
in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the
others judge.
15 : 51 – 56
51 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed–
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the
dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorrup-
tion, and this mortal has put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin
is the law.”
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
GALATIANS
1 : 9, 3 : 11, 5 : 16 – 18
9 “As we have said before, so now I say again, if
anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what
you have received, let him be accursed.”
3 : 11
11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the
sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by
faith.”
5 : 16 – 18
16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not
fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to
one another, so that you do not do the things that
you wish.
18 but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under the law.
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
EPHESIANS
2 : 1 – 2, 6 : 10 – 18
1 “And you he made alive who were dead in tres-
passes and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit who now works in the
sons of disobedience.”
6 : 10 – 18
10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the LORD and
in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiri-
tual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that
you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with
truth, having put on the breastplate of righ-
teousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation
of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which
you will be able to quench all the firey darts of the
wicked one.
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, being watchful to this end with all
perseverance and supplication for all the saints– …”
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
PHILIPPIANS
3 : 20 – 21
20 “For our citzenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may
be conformed to His glorious body, according to the
working by which He is able to subdue all
things to Himself.”
The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
THESSALONIANS
5 : 6 – 8
6 “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let
us watch and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those
who get drunk are drunk at night.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting
on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet
the hope of salvation.”
The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
THESSALONIANS
3 : 3, 10 – 11
3 “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you
and guard you from the evil one.”
3 : 10 – 11
10 “for even when we were with you, we com-
manded you this: If anyone will not work, neither
shall he eat.
11 For we hear that there are some who walk
among you in a disorderly manner, not working at
all, but are busybodies.”
The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to
TIMOTHY
1 : 18 – 20
18 “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, ac-
cording to the prophecies previously made concern-
ing you, that by them you may wage the good
warfare,
19 having faith and a good conscience, which
some having rejected, concerning the faith have
suffered shipwreck,
20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom
I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to
blaspheme.
The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to
TIMOTHY
2 : 3 – 5, 4 : 3 – 4
3 “You therefore must endure hardship as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself
with the affairs of this life, that he may please him
who enlisted him as a soldier.
5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he
is not crowned unless he competes according to
the rules.”
4 : 3 – 4
3 “For the time will come when they will not en-
dure sound doctrine, but according to their own
desires, because they have itching ears, they will
heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the
truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to
TITUS
1 : 7 – 12
7 “For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of
God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given-
to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-
minded, just, holy, self-controlled,
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been
taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both
to exhort, and convict those who contradict.
10 For there are many insubordinate both idle
talkers and deceivers, especially those of the cir-
cumcision,
11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert
whole households, teaching things which they
for the sake of dishonest gain.
12 One of them a prophet of their own, said, “Cre-
tans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
The Epistle to the
HEBREWS
6 : 13 – 15, 7 : 1 – 3, 10 : 26 – 29, 13 : 5 – 6
13 “For when God made a promise to Abraham,
because He could swear by no one greater, He swore
by Himself,
saying, “Surely, blessing I will bless you, and
multiplying, I will multiply you.” 20 (GENESIS 22:17)
7 : 1 – 3
1 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of
the most High God, who met Abraham return-
ing from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all,
first being translated “king of righteousness,” and
3 then also king of Salem, meaning king of peace,”
3 without father, without mother, without geneal-
ogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of
life, but made like the Son of God, remains a
priest continually.”
10 : 26 – 29
26 “For if we sin willfully after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remans a
sacrifice for sins,
27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment,
and fiery indignation which will devour the adver-
saries.
28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies with-
out mercy on the testimony of two or three wit-
nesses.
29 Of how much worse punishment do you sup-
pose, will he be thought worthy if he has trampled
the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the
covenant by which he was sanctified a common
thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”
13 : 5 – 6
5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be
content with such things as you have. For He Him-
self has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake
you.” 38(DEUTERONOMY 31:6, 8; JOSHUA 1:5)
6 So we may boldly say:
“The LORD is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”39 (PSALM 118:6)
The Epistle of
JAMES
1 : 21 – 24
21 “Therefore lay aside all filthynessand overflow
of wickedness, and receive with meekness the im
planted word which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves..
23 or if anyone is a hearer of the word and nt a
doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in
a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and imme-
diately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty
and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but
a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what
he does.”
5 : 16
16 “Confess your tresspasses to one another, and
pray for one another, that you may be healed.. The
effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much.”
The Second Epistle of
PETER
2 : 1 – 22
1 “But there were also false prophets among the
people, evenas there will be false teachers
among you, who will secretly bring in destructive
heresies, even denying the Lord who brought them,
and brng on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways,
because of whom the way of truth will be blas-
phemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with de-
ceptive words; for a long time their judgment has
not been idle,and their destruction does not
slumber.
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned,
but cast them down to hell and delivered them into
chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment;
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved
Noah, one of eight people,a preacher of righteous-
ness, bringing in the flood on the world of the
ungodly;
6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making
them an example to those who afterward would
live ungodly;
7 and delivered righteous Lot who was op-
pressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them,
tormenting his righteous soul from day to day by
seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)–
9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly
out of temptations and reserve the unjust under
punishment for the day of judgment,
10 and especially those who walk according to the
flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise author-
ity. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are
not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,
11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and
might, do not bring a reviling accusation against
them before the Lord.
12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be
caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they
do not understand, and will utterly perish in their
own corruption,
13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness,
as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the
daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing
in their own deceptions while they feast with you,
14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot
cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have
a heart trained in couvetous practices, and are ac-
cursed children.
15 They have forsaken the right way and gone
astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor,
who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity; a dumb
donkey speakingwith a man’s voice restrained the
madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds carried
by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness
of darkness forever..
18 For when they speak great swelling words of
emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh,
through lewdness, the ones who have actually es-
caped from those who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they them-
selves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a per-
son is overcome, by him also he is brought into
bondage.
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord an
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in
and overcome, the latter end is worse for them
then the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than having
known it, to turn from the holy commandment de-
livered to them.
22 But it has happened to them according to the
true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit.”2(PROVERBS 26:11)
and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in
the mire.””
The First Epistle of
JOHN
3 : 4 – 15, 4 : 1 – 3
4 “Whoever commits sin also commits lawless-
ness, and sin is lawlessness.
5 And you know that He was manifested to take
away our sins and in Him there is no sin.
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin.. Whoever
Whoever sins has neither seen Him or known Him.
7 Little children let no one deceive you. He who
practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is
righteous.
8 He who sins is of he devil, for the devil has
sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son
of God was manifested, that He might destroy the
works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for
His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because
he has been born of God
10 In this the children of God and the children of
the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not
love his brother.
11 For this is the message that you heard from the
beginning, that we should love one another,
12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and
murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?
Because his works were evil, and his brother’s
righteous.
13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates
you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to
life, because we love the brethren. He who does not
love his brother abides in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and
you know that no murderer has no eternal life abiding
in him.”
4 : 1 – 3
1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the
test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many
false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this
is the spirit of he Antichrist, which you have heard
is coming, which is coming, and is now already in the world.”
The Epistle of JUDE
5 – 9
5 “But I want to remind you, though you once
knew this, that the Lord, once having saved the people
out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those
who did not believe.
6 And the angels who did not keep their proper
domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved
in everlasting chains under darkness for the judg-
ment of the great day;
7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around
them in a similar manner to these, having given
themselves over to sexual immorality and gone af-
ter strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffer-
ing the vengance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also, these dreamers defile the flesh,
reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with
the devil when he disputed about the body of Mo-
ses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusa-
tion, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
THE REVELATION
of Jesus Christ
3 : 9, 20, 7 : 15 – 17, 13 : 9 – 10, 22 : 7, 12 – 13, 16, 20 – 21
9 “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of
Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie–
Indeed I will make them come and worship before
your feet, and to know that I have loved you.”
20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any-
one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come
in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
7 : 15 – 17
15 “Therefore, they are before the throne of God,
and serve Him day and night in His temple.. And He
who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
16 “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst
anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any
heat;
17 “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne
will shepherd them and lead them to livng foun-
tains of water, And God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes.”
13 : 9 – 10
9 “If anyone has an ear, let hm har.
10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captiv-
ity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with with
the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of
the saints.”
22 : 7, 12 – 13, 16
7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he
who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
12 “And behold, I am comng quickly, and My re-
ward is with Me, to give to everyone according to
his work.
13 “I am the alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the End, the First and the Last.”
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you
these things in the churches. I am the Root and the
Offspring of David, the Bright and the Morning Star.”
20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I
am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord
Jesus!
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
all. Amen.”
Attn: Bradley:
I have read your response t oviewing the gospel tracts, & I am not surprised at your vehement hatred of God, & His holy word. You feel in your heart that his word is tantamount to pornography” as you put it, because you are not only an antichrist, but you’re full of pride, arrogance, & you have a rotten soul, my man. Your ramblings are that of a perishing soul, on his way down to the Pit.
God’s living word states that ALL have sinned, & that there is not one righteous, no, not one. One thing’s for sure, Bradley, God will have t operform a miracle in your life to get you to believe that Jesus Christ is the only one who can remit your sins. I tell you this as a former agnostic Jew, who grew up in a household without God. – Read my testimony on this site, if you have not done so, already.
God will have to make something really hurt in your life, for you to actually believe Him, Bradley. you may have t olose someone very dear & close t oyou, for you to feel the pinch enough to have to go to Him, or perhaps a few other things may have to go drastically wrong for oyu at the same time, that your pride be pounded into dust, that your heart be humbled before Him, in prayer.
The reason why you are so disgruntled about Him Bradley, is because when a follower of Christ pours out God’s living word upon you as the pagan, it is the same thing as pouring alcohol on the gaping wounds of paganism. It hurts you, & makes you wanna run like a chicken. It really hurts you, to have your pride attacked & burned up, by the word of the living God Bradley, but as hard as it is for you to understand, I will tell you myself; If you continue upon your path in making believe that Jesus Christ isn’t real, does not heal, does not remit sins, & does not have any power or glory, then you my main man will never be allowed into heaven. He simply will not let you in there, & why should He, Bradley? You choose thus far to ignore Him & His righteous Son. Instead, you choose to make believe that He doesn’t exist, but see here’s the thing, B … your conscience tells you, that He does.
Can you imagine Bradley if people the world over picked on, spat on & ignored your little boy, or little girl? How would you react, B? Would you wanna cooperate with them? Or would you feel like setting conditions, liike God was forced to do with us as disobedient people? Tell the truth, Bradley, it’s OK to lose some of that worldly pride you have for a moment.
Since you choose to ignore Him, I’m gonna tell you, what to expect after you slip away, out of your present life:
You’re gonna wind up in a place that’s black as the deepest shade of matte black. Yer gonna be bitten, poked at, yer gonna hear screams of people in torment, & yer gonna have no one to talk to. No police to call, to help you get out of it. Nobody, Bradley. It’s gonna be very hot for you, ontop of all the rest of the whole nightmare yer gonna face. It’s not gonna last for a wee, or a month, but for tens of years, until the great day, when you’re gonna face Jesus Christ to be judged according to the life which out of your own free will, you chose to live without your sins having ben forgiven you. You’re knees will bow, Bradley. Yer gonna stand there prideless, scared, shocked, & He will show you every single time that He will have sent one of us your way, to wake you up out of your prideful spiritual stupor.
After your judgement, your gonna be given a body fit for the lak of fire, where Death, Hell, & Hades will be thrown into, without mercy, Bradley. – Yer time for mercy is now, in your present life, not after, standing there looking stupid, before your judge, Jesus Christ.
You have a great vocabulary Bradley, more so advanced than mine ever was, but … you use little wisdom, my man. You choose out of your own prideful free will, & arrogance, to ignore the only one who has the power to forgive your sins, that you may enter into His promised rest. You have thusfar chosen to play Russian roulette with your eternal life, & it’s very irresponsible.
Although you have a impressive vocabulary on your response listed above on this website, you choose to march yourself straight into hell, forsaking your own mercy. no one else is gonna feel your pain but you in the end, OK, so … you’ve been warned time & time again, & I’ll surely pray for you, that you’ll be smart enough to allow Jesus Christ a chance, by asking Him to forgive your sincs, & come into your life, that you too may partake in His promised rest … in His merciful Kingdom … that your wounds & psychic torments may be healed as well.
You see, whether you wanna believe it or not Bradley, a tidal wave approaches you. Your lack of wisdom has thusfar caused you to arrogantly turn your back upon the beach, where that tidal wave approaches. I suggest to you, that you turn around Bradley, & kick sand on those flames of pride which surround you, OK?
God be with you, & have mercy upon you.
Sincerely,
Andrew Friedman
DELTA_flt.1189
Benefits of Christianity
What’s in it for me?
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Introduction
Before I describe the benefits I am aware of that are available to a Christian, I feel it is necessary to first give a quick explanation of what it actually means to be a Christian. It does not mean, as many would think, attending church once a week or in some cases twice a year. It means both more and less than that..
To be a Christian, you must first believe in God. Not just any god either, but a real God who has created the universe and relates to us personally. Christians believe this God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, all-good, and all-loving. He is perfect in every way.
Furthermore, you must believe that there is a problem with the human race. Namely, that we are all imperfect and that no amount of willpower or attempts at greatness will erase the fact that mankind is inherently evil. This belief should not be too difficult to conclude; crimes against humanity are committed daily and not a single person lacks selfish and destructive motives. This evil tendency is what Christians call “sin”, and unfortunately this is what separates us from God.
Next, you must believe that there was once born a man named Jesus who was the son of God, and who was sent to Earth by God to take the punishment for the sins of mankind by being crucified on a cross. Because Jesus lived a sinless and perfect life, he was the only one qualified to take the punishment for everyone else, allowing for reconciliation between mankind and God.
Lastly, God asks only one thing in return for the forgiveness of your sins, and that is to put your faith in Jesus Christ and to surrender your life to Him. This is the most difficult part, because you must choose between serving yourself and loving the world versus loving others and serving God, and our whole lives we choose the former by default.
This article will not attempt to persuade its readers to believe in these things on the basis of evidence or argument. There are plenty of resources available which effectively argue the truth of the above propositions. Instead my goal is to show the reader what the direct benefits are of allowing Jesus to become the lord of your life and your savior, if you do decide that you believe.
I will quote verses from the Bible assuming that you already believe in it, in order to explain the main benefits as I see them.
Eternal Life
The Bible states that “The wages of sin are death” (Romans 6:23), and not only that but “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Without someone to pay those wages, you will surely die. John 17:3 says, “This is eternal life—to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.” Jesus also says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me.” It is clear that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was meant to give eternal life to the men and women who have faith in him.
Not only that, but once you have accepted Christ as your savior, you will never lose your salvation. Consider John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Guidance and Direction (The Holy Spirit)
John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”
Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit here, the third part of the Trinity. When you become a Christian, you receive the power of the Holy Spirit within you, which has the following benefits:
He guides us to the truth [John 16:13]
Assures us that we are children of God [Romans 8:16]
Acts as an intercessory between you and God during prayer [Romans 8:26]
Gives us hope [Romans 15:13]
Strengthens us [Ephesians 3:16]
The Holy Spirit then, is our personal link to God the Father. When we pray or read the Bible, the Holy Spirit is the one who will let us communicate with God. Through the Spirit we can discern God’s will for our lives, giving us guidance and direction.
Fruits of the Spirit
This may be one of my favorite things about being a Christian. If we “walk with the Spirit”, then our character improves in the following ways, as described in Galatians 5, verse 22:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Generosity
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
Because God has a purpose for our lives as Christians, he works in us through the Holy Spirit to improve us in these ways. Although ultimately these character improvements work to serve Him, they also benefit us in the process. Who couldn’t use a little bit more patience, peace, hope, or love?
The nice thing about this improvement is that we don’t have to do it all ourselves, via sheer willpower. God is the one who will shape and mold us in this way if we merely trust in Him.
Joy
This is one of the fruits of the Spirit, but I think that it deserves special mention. It’s not as important as love of course, but I will talk about this one because it’s not well understood. Joy is not pretending to be happy when you are actually depressed, nor is it genuinely being happy all the time.
What joy really means is that you are content in all situations. In Philippians 4:12, Paul writes, “In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Christians can find peace knowing that God is in control, no matter the current circumstances.
A Purpose
In John 17, Jesus prays to God for himself, his disciples, and for the world. It is here that we find the reason why God doesn’t take us straight to heaven once we accept Jesus—it’s because we have a job to do! “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.” He also says, “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
We have a duty to share Christ’s love with others, just as it has been shown to us. God wants to use us, the weak, to proclaim Christ to the mighty.
Paul reiterates this point, saying “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” [Philippians 1:23].
And let’s not forget Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
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Lasting Impact
A man’s natural instinct is to spend his whole life trying to be successful, rich, and powerful. The natural man focuses all of his energy on himself and his accomplishments. Ultimately a life focused on success leads to shallow relationships and selfish endeavors.
Jesus has a different plan for our lives. John 13:15 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Matthew 6:19-21 says, “”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus is saying that the only thing that really matters when it comes to your life is how you stand in relation to the Creator of the Universe, and whether your life is eternal or temporary.
As a Christian, you can share God’s gift of reconciliation with those around you in order to make their lives better. Your impact on them will likely produce fruit in their lives that has an impact on others who they interact with. By introducing even one person to Christ, you have the potential to influence thousands or millions of people before the end of time.
Eradication of Fear
Fear has a crippling effect on our lives if unchallenged, leaving us weakened, disheartened, and miserable. We fear losing our jobs, losing material possessions, and losing loved ones. We fear heights and uncomfortable social situations. We fear criticism and judgment from others. But we don’t need to fear any of these things.
1st John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out all fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears has not yet been fully formed in love.”
With God in heaven and our salvation secure, there is no reason to fear anything on this earth. For even if we die, we achieve a much greater happiness than we now have. And we know that there is nothing we cannot face if God is with us.
2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Divine Support (Prayer)
Prayer is the Christian’s way to talk to God. Through prayer, we can praise Him, thank Him, confess our sins to Him, and petition Him for the things we desire. We can ask for His guidance and listen for His advice. When we pray, we have confidence that God loves to answer our prayers.
Mark 11:24 says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it and it shall be given to you.”
Luke 11:9-11 says, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
John 14:13-14 says, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”
James 5:16, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Freedom
Once we accept Christ as our personal savior, we are freed from the bondage that sin puts on our lives. Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Romans 6:5 says, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
Pure Heart and Mind
Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
James 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-¬loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
True Love
We all need love. But we are as equally unable to show others true love as we are to successfully receive it. But God’s love for us is perfect, and true, and because of it we have the capacity to love others.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” [1st Corinthians 13:4-8]
1st John 4:19 says, “We love because God first loved us.”
Because of God’s abundant love for us, we can truly love others the way that God loves them. It is never enough to simply say “I care”—we have to act in order to demonstrate our love. Feelings of compassion are worthless without making a sacrifice and taking action to help the person you love.
Love is never easy. But if you walk with God, He will give you a bigger heart for those who are hurting. He will give you the desire, the power, and the means to serve others with all of your heart.
Your New Life in Christ
Starts right away
If you just now prayed to God and invited Jesus to come into your life as your Lord and Savior, you have begun your new life in Christ. Jesus has entered into a personal relationship with you. Or maybe it has been awhile since you made that prayer, confessed your sins, acknowledged that Jesus is Lord, and invited Jesus to come into your heart and life. In either case, if you were sincere, you should begin to experience the work of the Holy Spirit right away as he begins to make you into a new person. Just as a new-born baby is no longer in a sack of amniotic fluid in its mother’s womb, so you are now in the world as a “new creation” (according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17), having been “born” of the Spirit (as explained by Jesus in John 3:6). You have a new life as a new person in Christ Jesus, and your situation is new and different. You have been “born again”. You have been given a fresh start in life.
New emotions
One of your new emotions may be an immediate sense of having a heavy burden lifted off of you. This is your sins being taken from you by Jesus who bore them on the Cross so that God could forgive you and receive you into his family as one of his “children” (see John 1:12). As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, “…God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned….” (John 3:17–18) You are now in the world as a forgiven sinner. There is nothing that you did to earn God’s forgiveness. It is his gift of grace to you through Jesus when you accepted him by faith as your Savior and Lord. That is a really good gift!
God’s forgiveness is real and personal. You should experience a feeling of joy and relief as you are given new life through his grace. Your mood should be one of praise and thanksgiving for what God has done for you. As David, Israel’s great king who himself was forgiven by God, says, “rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous, all you who are upright in heart.” (Psalm 32:11) Your heart has been made “upright” and “righteous” through God’s forgiving grace and cleansing power in his Son and the Holy Spirit. Your old heart that had been deadened by your sins has been replaced by a new heart that is vibrant and healthy through the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ in your life (see Colossians 2:13).
Your emotional mood may change from time to time, but don’t let that make you anxious about your new life. It is based on God’s promise to those who believe, not your feelings. As John says in his first letter, “and this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11–12) That is a good word of instruction.
New initial perceptions
You may immediately perceive yourself, those close to you, and your worldly situation in new and different ways. This is to be expected. As Paul says, “from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view…..The new has come!“ (2 Corinthians 5:16–17) Individuals with whom you have a close relationship may be seen in the new light of God’s love and glory because some of the impressions created by your selfish sinful rebellion have been removed by the new lenses of God’s forgiveness and transforming power. They may appear to be more beautiful and friendly than they have ever been. People that you once considered to be your personal enemies may no longer be seen with much fear and hostility.
Your situation in the world may take on a new perspective. Things that once appeared to be insurmountable problems may no longer be so large. Material issues and desires may no longer have the same priority and appeal. Habits and friends that may have seemed to provide so much fun and pleasure may no longer be as enjoyable as they once were.
As you humbly share the results and blessings of your new life in Christ with others, they will also begin to see you in new and different ways. The change that they see in you may please some of them, but it may offend others. That is to be expected. Not every one of Jesus’ contemporaries was comfortable in his presence.
Your first steps
Your first steps as a new person in Jesus Christ should be taken as you hold his hand, as you trust yourself to his upholding strength and guiding wisdom. He died to give you new life, and he doesn’t want the Devil to crush it out of you or to see you all buised and bloody because you have been trying to walk around too soon on your own. It is one thing for a toddler to learn to walk in the safe comfort of his/her carpeted living room. It is quite a different situation were he/she to try to learn to walk in the middle of a busy four-lane highway.
Paul, writing to new Christians in Thessalonica, told them to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). You may be nervous and somewhat unsteady as you try out your new legs of faith. That is why Paul told his Christian friends in Philippi to “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7). Keep your prayers simple and use your own sincere words of praise and request. God really loves to hear such prayers from his children.
One of the psalmists gives us this wise instruction: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your (the LORD’S) word. I will seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9–11) As you take your first steps as a new Christian, do so with an open Bible in your hand. The Bible is your “owners manual”. It is your book of instructions for your new life.
It may seem to be “grown up” to start walking about with an attitude of independence and arrogant confidence, but as a “new born” child of God you are not strong enough or wise enough to go to battle on your own against the Devil. You might start your new walk with Jesus by reading the book of Ephesians in the New Testament. It is a short book in which Paul describes the basic blessings that God has given to you through Jesus Christ. The brief letters of 1st, 2nd. and 3rd John may also be helpful. John is very practical and clear in these instructions and teaching. The book of James also has some good practical guidance for Christians. To learn more about Jesus read the gospels of John and Luke.
Start every day with a few minutes of reading from your Bible and prayer for God’s protection and guidance through the day. You can find various books and resources for such daily devotions at your local Christian book store or on the Internet. One excellent devotional resource is published by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries. “A Word With You” is his free email message that can come to you regularly through your email provider, if you choose to subscribe.
Become active in God’s family
When God gave you a new life in Christ, he also provided for you a local group of “brothers” and “sisters”, other believers in Jesus with whom you can now fellowship as you seek to grow in God’s grace and love. You will find these spiritual “relatives” in a church in your community or area. Make sure that the group, congregation, and its leaders are recognizing that Jesus is the “head” of their “body” of believers and that the Bible, God’s Word, is the authority and guide for their worship and teachings.
This local family of fellow believers should welcome you with a friendly spirit and be ready to help you to grow in your new life and walk with Jesus. They should provide a weekly opportunity for you to join with others in uplifting experiences of worship and praise to God. The pastor’s preaching should be instructive and encouraging. There should be classes in which you can get some teaching in biblical doctrines and the history of God’s revelation in the world and in his work with his family of “children” in the Church and with his special people, the Jews. If they offer a variety of small groups on various types of personal problems or concerns or particular aspects of spiritual growth and development, you might also join such a gathering to share in their supporting fellowship and study. Such a group can be very helpful as you make the transition from your old life to your new life in Christ.
When you received new life in Christ, you also received at least one personal spiritual gift from God through the Holy Spirit. This gift is a special ability that God has given to you for you to use in your new life of worship and service. It may be a gift of wisdom or one of knowledge. It may be a gift to teach or one to serve in some position of administration within a church. It may a gift to enable you to provide psychological or even physical healing for someone. It may be a special gift of hospitality or one that provides strength and encouragement and comfort to others, and there are other gifts. No gift is given to make you superior to someone else who may have a different gift.
Paul has a lot to say about “spiritual gifts” in his letter of 1 Corinthians. Your pastor and other leaders and teachers in your church family should be able and willing to help you to recognize and to effectively put your spiritual gift to good use in your new life. Don’t wait too long to unwrap your spiritual gift and begin to use it. God will be greatly pleased as you use it, and your use of it will produce many blessings in your life and that of others.
Be on your guard
Although you have been given a fresh start in life and a new life in Christ, you are still living on a “battlefield”. The Devil and his servants and soldiers will still be out to get you, to hurt you, to disable you, to make your service to God and others ineffective, to persecute you, to take away the joy of your walking with Jesus, to discourage you as you continue to sin, and to generally seek to deprive you of the “full” life or the “abundant” life (see John 10:10) that God has given to you in Christ.
When you sin, and you will, and again displease God or dishonor Jesus your Lord and Savior, confess your sin in prayer and ask God for his cleansing and strengthening power. It is promised to you according to 1 John 1:9. If you have been spiritually hurt by any of the Devil’s weapons, ask God for his comforting and healing touch. David, the ancient king of Israel, was a sinner who faced a lot of violent enemies in his life, but he said “O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)
Every morning as you get up and get ready for another day, “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Continue to read these words of Paul in Ephesians 4:25–6:18. You will find some very practical and helpful instructions that will enable you to live your new life in Christ with victory, joy, and confidence that your fresh start and new life in Christ will not be in vain. It will be a good life.
In chapter 6 verses 11–18 of Ephesians Paul describes the spiritual “armor” that you had better wear while on the “battlefield” of this world. Don’t give in or surrender to the Devil and his tempting sins for one minute. In his letter to the Romans Paul states with confidence that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39) You may be a new young child of God, but he has not left you alone to fight off the enemy and survive by yourself.
Includes a great inheritance
The benefits of your fresh start and new life in Christ are not limited to the physical duration of your human life on earth, but they are greatly increased when you join God and Jesus in his eternal heavenly kingdom. There you will receive “every spiritual blessing in Christ” and share in “the riches of his (God’s) glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:3, & 18). Our minds cannot comprehend the complete eternal inheritance that God has reserved for his children.
May God really bless you in your new life in Christ. If you have questions about this matter or this statement, you may address them to Disciple Bob.
Why The Atheist Hates The Faithful
by Andrew Friedman
The Atheist hates the faithful, because a lot of us unfortunately, come across as holier-than-thou, & then a lot of us act like we hate them, personally. It’s a terrible blunder on a lot of our part. I used to be an unbeliever, so I can identify with this, & I do not condemn them for feeling this way, as I too, do not have a short memory, as far as that goes. I used to really hate hearing people condemn me, by saying: “Well, as a Jew, you will go to hell.” As a teenager, I was like … OK, well to hell with you, too! So, that’s why, for so long, I went all those extra years growing up tormented & punished, with a few learning disabilities. There was never any other follow-through by these half-assed people, like: ‘In order for that not to happen, you have to come to God with a humble heart, & open up your heart to Jesus in prayer, as He is the only intercessor between God, & fallen man. All you have to do, is go somewhere private, & say: Jesus, please forgive me of my sin. I’m sorry that I have ignored you up to this point. Please come into my heart & allow me Your Holy Spirit that I might be saved & be a partaker in eternal life forever, with You.’ – It’s the same thing as some needling dingaling telling a nervous flyer that if he doesn’t fly on a plane with good backup systems, then in an emergency, he will freak’n crash & burn, & die! – It’s no different! That’s why so many of us have to come across as exact & with love in our hearts, & that we must be precise when trying to explain to the general unbeliever, how to handle this matter of salvation.
One tactic that a lot of atheists loves to use, is the classic one; copy & paste scriptures from oh, let’s see here … LEVITICUS, as an example:
“23: And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.”
After presenting this to a believer on the internet, hey will then follow up with some garbage like: “Well, if God is a loving God, why would a loving God tell moses to stone him to death? Tell me then! huh, huh? Tell me! Tell me! …awe, whut’s the matter … a little abuse & you want to retreat?”
LOL – This is the common behavior of a lot of their types. This tactic is used to make some who engage in this tactic to feel more or less safe in his own self-deceit, as to why they want to rebel against God, & automatically assume that He isn’t fair. — They also fail to mention those specific times in His Holy word when God has warned people not to do specific stuff like worshiping other gods, because He “is a Jealous God.” His “name is Jealous”, as it is mentioned in: EXODUS 35:14, for example.
The 1 thing that I always tell people like this, is: ‘Look, dude, anyone can copy down scriptures, who has half a brain, but it means absolutely nothing, if you have no faith.’ This is true. If you have no faith as an atheist, how am I to make you believe in something that you cannot touch, or view? HOW???? This is litterally impossible. Even if someone were to put you in the racks & stretch the s*** out of you, there is NO WAY to make one of you believe, if you flatly refuse to open up your heart to Jesus Christ in prayer. There’s a very very good reasonfor that. —
What a lot of atheists refuse to acknowledge in their blind zeal to copy down the scriptures & try to comdemn the faithful with, is that:
When one opens up his black heart to Jesus Christ to Him in prayer with a humble heart, & says a variant of the sinner’s prayer like I mentioned how to do in the above, then you will not experience a miracle that He will perform in your heart, TO CHANGE your heart, & turn you from a non-believer, into a believer, & thereby giving you FAITH. I mean … how much more simpler can I possibly put that? Satan knows the scriptures; he knows EVERY last letter of it. So, if he knows EVERY last letter of the scriptures with HIS heart as black as coal – with NO faith in Jesus Christ, — by his own choice & “free will,” then it is NO different that the wicked & unbelieving & unrepentant atheist to act so similarly with pride … with vengeance … with arrogance … with hate, just like Satan acts like.
This explains why some atheists viciously attack the faithful with the scriptures, because they do NOT have FAITH in Christ.The atheist/general unbeliever does not wanna hear that. This type of atheist is led purely by his vengeful, & selfish motives, strictly out to condemn, & attack. Condemn, & attack. Condemn, & attack –. Where do these feelings or pride & vengeance come from? I’ll tell you, where: They come from Satan, & the demon(s) that serve Satan, in the heavenlies. They operate contrary to the doctrines of the living God, & they hate God. To get back at Him for throwing them out of heaven for their rebellion. As a result, Satan & his fallen angels ALWAYS come against us, with all kinds of hateful behaviors, which explains the wicked behavior that I have just mentioned in here.
Satan is responsible for pride, covetousness, hate, & the lusts of the flesh. There is NO truth in him, as a lot of people tend to feel otherwise, but see, a lot of people purely don’t care — like I used to not care as a teenager, & as a rebellious individual, up until the point when I humbled my heart & came to Him in prayer to ask Him, for forgiveness & to help me by coming into my life.
As another example, a lot of atheists claim that “Jesus Christ was a liar.” LOL – Oh, really? He was, huh? OK … Firstly, Jesus Christ never lied. How do I know? He never gave an exact day or an exact time as to when something was going to happen. He was blemishless; Tell me something … as an example … assuming that JC was a “liar,” according the wicked & the unsaved soul, why did He not charge anybody when He fed all those thousands of people bread & fish? Why did He not charge the poor people money, after He healed them of their ailments? Y!! Tell me that, O atheist. See, you wickedly cast blames upon the blemishless deity of Christ, but you are too afraid to answer that question.
Tell me something else … where again, do these feelings of pride, hate & resentment come from? WHERE? From who???? As I am led by the Holy Spirit, who are you led by, without faith in Him, in this spiritual war to which you are always demanding “proof?” Lol – Faith is not something to be seen, but it is something that God has to impart to the spiritually-blinded individual. But see, after the spiritually-blinded individual has been TOLD of how to gain faith in Him as I have clearly mentioned above, then you are held to accountability, to act upon softening up your heart, & humbling yourself to come to Him in prayer. That’s the way that it works, atheist. In MATTHEW 4:10, it mentions JC telling Satan:
10 “Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!
For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your
God, and Him only you shall serve.'””
Jesus Christ told people about their sin, like the Pharisees, & told them why they are wicked, did He not? He told of how to pray. He mentioned where people would go, if they die in their sins. He spoke of hell, more than He did of heaven. Look it up; it’s all throughout the New Testament. I go with the NKJV variant. There are other variants out there, but a lot of them sound pretty watered down, to me, & are not comfortable in trusting a lot of them.
Am I “Perfect?”
The 1 thing that I want to make absolutely clear in this blog, is that … I AM NOT perfect. I am a rebelling soul, who has been made righteous by Jesus forgiving me of my past sins … things that I did as a result in rebelling against God my whole accountable adult life, since I became a teenager. Believe it or not, I still make mistakes – just like you do. I feel lustful sometimes, just like you do … I also have trouble with my language sometimes, — just like you do! Not one person, is perfect, without blemish. No one, but Him. The anointed One whom God sent down to pay the price for the sins of the wicked — of wicked people like me, & you.
He has imparted to me His Holy Spirit, & has changed my heart from being full of selfish, hateful & murdering thoughts, to a forgiving, loving & kind heart & soul. This soothing transition, are fruits of the Holy Spirit. I have experience it first hand, so yer hearing this from a former unsaved Jew.
The reason why a lot of us feel so compelled to share the gospel of peace with everyone much to the atheist’s dismay, is because a lot of us, are led by the Holy Spirit. As a result, His Spirit has given us boldness, inner-peace, & a stable mind, as well as the urgent feelings to go out, & to tell others of the miracles that were performed in our lives by Him. That explains that. I never had these feelings to do this before I got saved under the blood of Jesus Christ, but it has taken literally a miracle to get me t osee the truth of who He is, & has caused me to buy into whut the bible mentions in it’s entirety.
In A Nut Shell
See, now that the whole situation has been explained to you as the unbeliever, what steps are you going to now take to change your life, & experience the same miracle-working actions by the Holy Spirit, that I have? cutting & pasting all kinds of scripture proves absolutely nothing to anyone, but how you’re able to do it with your keyboard. Let me ask you something, atheist … While you do this, are you going over the rest of the bible, as well, or are you just purely being a dishonest snake, & plucking ou at random, & shoving it down our throats, crying how Jesus Christ was a “liar’? I’ll tell you something, unbeliever, anyone who participates in such wicked assumptions of the blemishless One whom God sent down for your own benefit, is nothing more than a liar himself. — By your very nature. No one can make you believe, or give you some type of “concrete proof” as you so demand. Tell me something, if you sit in a chair blindly without looking behind you, why do you not look behind your back, to make sure that you actually physically see it? You feel it, to pull it closer to you, right? — YOU FEEL IT. Now to make a further excuse as as to why you should not believe in Him, a lot of you will claim, well, we see it first! Lol – Good point. Lol Faith is not something to be seen, but to be FELT. F-E-L-T. It’s going to take a miracle for you, to have a changed heart, for only He is the One who can perform this. No one else.
Thank you much, for taking out your time to read my blog on this matter. May the Lord be with you all, & guide your paths.
Sincerely,
Andrew Friedman
DELTA_flt.1189@yahoo.com
Introduction to the Book of Proverbs
by Roger Hahn
Edited by Andrew Friedman
The books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon are often called Wisdom Literature by biblical scholars. These books plus certain psalms (called wisdom psalms) share a common perspective and poetic form. In the Roman Catholic Old Testament the books of the Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Sirach are also part of the Wisdom Literature (see Canons of the Hebrew Bible). Other Jewish writings from the Intertestamental Period (450 BC to the birth of Jesus) have similar interests and are considered part of a wisdom tradition or wisdom school of thought.
Old Testament theologians usually identify three major approaches to spirituality in the Old Testament. The prophets brought a direct word from God that often conflicted with the institutional form of worship. The priests ordered the services of the temple and administered the sacrificial system. As part of the larger Levitical family they corresponded to what we now call the professional clergy. The third way of relating to God was through wisdom. This approach dealt more with the matters of everyday life and how to survive and be successful in the business of living. The key person was the sage or wise man or wise woman. These were lay leaders whose insight and perspective were valued resources for people in need of counsel and direction (see The Character of Wisdom).
This three-fold way of relating to God is reflected in Jeremiah 18:18 where the parenthetical remark is made, “for instruction shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet.” Second Samuel 14:2-20 describes David’s search for counsel from a wise woman. Second Samuel 16:15-17:14 describes the process by which counsel from different wise men was evaluated and used by Absalom. References to the wise as a group of spiritual leaders in Israel can be found in various places within the Wisdom Literature itself..
The fact that prophets, priests, and sages represented three different and sometimes even conflicting ways to relate to God should be helpful to us.. The prophets, priests, and sages seemed to communicate most successfully to different types of personalities. God seemed to understand that different kinds of people would respond to him in different ways, needing different structures. The way of wisdom provided a very common sense, down-to-earth way of understanding one’s spiritual life. Wisdom literature especially communicates with people who need only a few, well-chosen words. People trained in the prophetic model of revelation from God are often frustrated with the spiritual insights of the wise. The sages seem too down-to-earth and practical to be spiritual. From the priestly perspective the wise men and women did not seem to be organized and structured enough to be effective. But God provided different ways of knowing himself for different kinds of people and did not try to force everyone into the same model of spirituality.
People today may respond to the wisdom literature differently according to their personality and training. Wisdom Literature often frustrates people who love the heavy-duty theology of Isaiah or Paul. Some of them even call the Wisdom material secular because it deals so much with life on earth. Other people who have been frustrated by theological intricacies often love Proverbs and other wisdom sayings. They like the simple, bottom line summaries of what pleases God. Regardless of our personality type and the way we individually might respond to the Wisdom literature, we can rejoice that God has included it in the great variety of kinds of Scripture to meet the needs of different people.
The Background of Wisdom Literature
Two important streams of influence have shaped the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. Because wisdom material is down-to-earth and everyday much of it springs from the observations of insightful people. They observe life and summarize it in short and to-the-point observations. Their observations are repeated and become sayings that are passed along by word of mouth. This is sometimes called folk wisdom. There is evidence of a vast amount of oral folk wisdom that was available in the various nations of the ancient Near East.
However, the wisdom material we know about moved from the oral form to written form. Somebody (actually many people) collected the wisdom sayings, organized them, and wrote them down for us to read. In the nations of the ancient Near East the people who could research, organize, and write such material were usually part of the king’s court. Hired to provide records and administrative resources these wise people also collected proverbs and wise sayings and put them in the written form we know today. This is often called court wisdom.
Folk wisdom and court wisdom do not need to be considered rivals or in opposition to each other. Generally speaking they represent two different stages in the development of wisdom sayings. (Court wisdom can also produce its own observations and then organize and write them down.) The patterns of folk and court wisdom can be found in the history of several nations in the Near East… Babylonian and Egyptian wisdom literature has been found to reflect concerns and even sayings similar to the Old Testament wisdom material. Comparison has often suggested some kind of relationship between the wisdom literature of the Bible and that of Egypt. The Bible itself provides the information for a likely explanation.
The Old Testament reveals a strong connection between Solomon and Wisdom Literature. Solomon has often been considered the author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon although close analysis of those books suggests otherwise. Also, the deutero-canonical book of the Wisdom of Solomon found in Roman Catholic Old Testaments is ascribed to Solomon although the evidence shows that it much later.
First Kings 3:5-28 and 4:29-34 emphasize Solomon’s wisdom and 1 Kings 4:32 attributes 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs to Solomon. The structural outline of the book of Proverbs shows that Solomon not only wrote proverbs but also inspired others to write and collect proverbs. First Kings 4:1-28, the passage between the two descriptions of Solomon’s wisdom, deals with his administration. Root words and patterns suggest that Solomon imported scribes and administrators from Egypt to help him set up and administrate the great kingdom that he had been given. Since such administrative assistants in Egypt would have been involved in the court wisdom process there, it is likely that they are the ones who began collecting proverbs. Thus Solomon appointed the people who would do the secretarial and organization work that lies behind the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. From a Hebrew perspective that made those books, the books of Solomon.
The Concerns of Wisdom Literature
The Old Testament uses the word “wisdom” to refer to any educated discipline or skillful performance. The word was used in Isaiah 10:13 for successful military leadership. The Hebrew word appears in Exodus 35:26 to describe skill in turning goat’s hair into cloth. Exodus 28:3 then uses the word for the skill required to tailor cloth into clothing, while Exodus 31:1-5 uses it several times for metalworking and carpentry skills. The Hebrew word for wisdom is used in Psalm 107:27 apparently to refer to navigational skill. The context speaks of stormy seas and the second line of verse 27 literally states, “all their wisdom was swallowed up.” Modern translations translate, “they were at their wits’ end.” Deuteronomy 34:9 describes Joshua as full of the spirit of wisdom which appears to mean that he possessed the skills, gifts, and knowledge to become the political leader of Israel.
Beyond the skills and training of specialized people, the Old Testament speaks of wisdom as skill in life. In this sense the wisdom tradition and the wise men and women were the ancient ancestors of modern social and natural scientists. They observed behavior patterns and tried to describe predictable results. Whether the marriage relationship, parenting skills, work habits, or interpersonal relationship patterns, the wisdom literature comments on which habits will produce which results. Thus concepts that modern psychologists, sociologists, and economists are “discovering” via the scientific method may well appear in simple form in the proverbs. The wise were people who paid attention to how life works and they expressed their observations in proverb form.
The earliest form of Hebrew natural science was conducted in the wisdom tradition… The Song of Solomon is full of observations of nature. Though sexual love is the central theme of the Song, numerous comparisons and illustrations are drawn from nature. The author had obviously spent many hours studying both plant and animal life. Proverbs 30 has several numerical proverbs built around the predictable patterns of animal life. Whether ants, locusts, or lions the wise author has noticed the patterns that God through nature has built into the various animals. The argument of Job 37-41 can only be framed and understood by a person who has spent hours contemplating the mysteries of nature.
At some stage in Israel’s history the sages moved beyond observations about life to observations about wisdom itself. The most noticeable example of this is the personification of Wisdom. In Proverbs 1-9, wisdom is portrayed several times as an attractive woman whose charms should be welcomed. The Lady Wisdom is contrasted to the dangerous prostitute as a safe companion. Proverbs 8:22-31 also personifies Wisdom as a companion of God at the time of creation. This personification of wisdom, especially associated with God in creation, is developed further in the apocryphal books of the Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Sirach.
Most New Testament scholars believe that early Christians drew from the language of Proverbs 8, Wisdom of Solomon, and Wisdom of Sirach to describe the role of Christ as a pre-existent partner in creation. This “Wisdom Christology” as it is called can be found in John 1:1-4 and Colossians 1:15-18. This should not be understood as a prophecy of Christ – after all the personified Wisdom of Proverbs and the apocryphal books is feminine. However, the personified Wisdom does show God at work. Even in the Old Testament wisdom tradition he prepared concepts and phrases that would help the earliest Jewish Christians express the deity of Christ.
The Forms of Wisdom Literature
Almost all the Wisdom Literature is written in the style of Hebrew poetry. The book of Proverbs is completely in poetic form and most of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are also. Traditional English poetry is characterized by rhythm and the rhyming of final words of lines. Translation of rhymed poetry into another language is almost impossible. However, Hebrew poetry was not built on rhyming words but on parallel ideas. The technical term is parallelism (see Parallelism in Hebrew Writing). Hebrew poetry is constructed of two lines with some pre-designed relationship between each line. The most common form is called synonymous parallelism. In this form the second line repeats the idea of the first line, but uses different words. Proverbs 5:3 provides a good example:
“The lips of a loose woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil.”
There are many variations on the basic synonymous parallelism pattern. Often the second line will repeat the basic idea of the first line but amplify in some new direction. An example can be found in
Proverbs 4:1:
“Listen, children, to a father’s instruction
and be attentive, that you may gain insight.”
Sometimes the second line provides the logical consequence of the first line as happens in Proverbs
26:4:
“Do not answer fools according to their folly,
or you will be a fool yourself.”
Another very common form of parallelism contrasts the first and second lines. This is called antithetic parallelism. The second line frequently begins with the word but as the example of
Proverbs 10:1 shows:
“A wise child makes a glad father,
but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.”
Such contrasting ideas can also be presented by use of words with opposite meaning without using the disjunctive “but” to begin the second line.
The variations and combinations of these basic forms of parallelism offer the opportunity for fascinating analysis in the Wisdom Literature. We are able to see dedicated thinkers offering their creative ways of constructing parallelism to the Lord and to the community of faith.
Hebrew poetry also frequently shows patterns of rhythm. The rhythmic meter cannot be translated into English. However, the poetic genius of parallelism can be translated into any language. That is one of the special blessings of Hebrew poetry. Since parallelism of ideas is the basic feature it can be translated into any language when rhyming words cannot be.
The speakers and writers of the Wisdom material also use several other specific literary forms. Many proverbs are constructed in the “better than” format. Proverbs 15:17 is a typical example:
“Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is
than a fatted ox and hatred with it.”
Many proverbs are constructed with the words “like” or “as” to show comparison. Proverbs 11:22 is a biting example:
“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without good sense.”
The Wisdom writers also used acrostics and alphabetic constructions, although translators usually have no way of showing such Hebrew artistry. Commands, prohibitions, and instructive speeches are also illustrative of the literary creativity of the Wisdom Literature. Since such craftsmanship with words is found almost continuously throughout the poetic books, but infrequently in the Old Testament narratives, it cannot be explained simply by claiming inspiration. (Why did God only inspire one set of books to be so poetic?) What we see is the loving, devoted creativity of the sages offering God and Israel the best literary work they can produce. The content of wisdom writers is important and profound but the literary forms represent a special love for God that works patiently with words and ideas until the most beautiful and effective way of expressing the content is achieved. The wisdom writers worshipped God with their minds!
The Structure of Proverbs
The book of Proverbs takes its title from the first word in the Hebrew text which is usually translated as “proverbs.” That word, mashal, is a general Hebrew term for any kind of verbal comparison. It would describe the parable Nathan used to confront David in 2 Samuel 12:1-7. Similes, allegories, wisecracks, sermons, one-liners, proverbs, maxims, announcements, and even doctrinal revelations could be described as mashalim (plural in Hebrew for mashal). Most of the mashal in the book of Proverbs are two-line sayings in the form of one of the parallelisms mentioned above. Often three- and four-line sayings are put together with some combination of parallelisms. These two- to four-line sayings tend to be independent of each other. That is, they can be taken out of the context and they can stand alone as an observation about life. (This is the way most people use the proverbs of Proverbs.) However, longer speeches, exhortations, and poems can be found in the book of Proverbs.
The book of Proverbs is a collection of collections of proverbs. Individual proverbs are units of from one to three verbs. The book is obviously a collection of individual proverbs. However, by both structure and headings it is clear that several collections of proverbs were made and that either all or parts of those collections were combined to produce the book we have. The book itself states that several authors contributed. Solomon (10:1), Agur (30:1), and Lemuel (31:1) are specifically named. Twice (22:17 and 24:23) the wise (or wise men) are named as the source of some of the proverbs.
The following divisions reflect the separate sections that the book of Proverbs itself identifies. Each section represents a collection of proverbs and the book took final form when these collections were collected.
Title and Introduction
1:1-7
Instructions and Speeches
1:8-9:18
Proverbs of Solomon
10:1-22:16
Words of Wise Men
22:17-24:22
More Words of Wise Men
24:23-34
More Proverbs of Solomon Collected by Hezekiah’s Men
25:1-29:27
Word of Agur
30:1-33
Words of King Lemuel
31:1-9
Acrostic Poem on the Ideal Wife
31:10-31
It is impossible to date the final form of the book of Proverbs with any certainty. The sections that go back to Solomon would come from the period 960-920 BC. Proverbs 25:1 describes one collection as being made by the men of King Hezekiah. We have no way of knowing whether they wrote down proverbs that had been passed along orally or if they edited a larger written collection of proverbs to distill our the ones that appear now in the book. In either case that portion of the book would come from the period near 700 BC. We have no idea of who Agur and King Lemuel were and thus no idea of the date of the composition of those sections.
The first seven verses provide the book title and an introduction stating the purposes. The first large section consists of Proverbs 1:8-9:18 which contains twelve speeches often called “instructions.” These speeches follow a pattern that was common in the ancient Near East. They frequently use the second person (you) in a command (imperative) form. These verbs are common: give heed, trust, honor, avoid, put away, give, go, and listen. An instruction is usually addressed to a student or student who is called “my son” or “sons.” These speeches are composed of combinations of proverbs but form longer units of thought designed to teach a single lesson.
The twelve instructions prepare for the second major section, the proverbs of Solomon found in 10:1-22:16. Most of the material in this section consists of two-line proverbs. These proverbs may be connected by a key word but there is no development of thought in a logical progression. Though these proverbs jump from subject to subject, each provides a specific example of the truth already presented in 1:8-9:18.
The next two sections of Proverbs are brief: The Words of Wise Men in 22:17-24:22 and More Words of Wise Men in 24:23-34. Here the format is different from either of the two preceding sections. Individual verses are shaped into two- to four-line proverbs but there is subject development without the use of the instruction-speech format. The most intriguing thing about the Words of the Wise Men is that the teaching here appears to be almost copied from an Egyptian wisdom writing known as the Teaching of Amenemope. Some have felt compelled to argue that Amenemope borrowed from the book of Proverbs. However, both the literary logic and archaeological evidence makes it clear that the Bible writer borrowed and edited the material of Amenemope.
Proverbs 25-29, the next major section, returns to the style of 10:1-22:16. Individual proverbs with little or no logical connections compose all but 27:23-27. There is special emphasis on creation and the animal world in chapters 25-27. Chapters 28-29 emphasize social and legal problems. The poor and correct behavior for a king is the main subjects.
The final three sections are brief. The Words of Agur use numerical sayings and riddles in chapter 30. The Words of King Lemuel are a series of commands and prohibitions dealing with women, drinking, and justice. The final part of chapter 31 is an anonymous acrostic poem on the virtuous woman.
The Interpretation of Proverbs
Part of the appeal of proverbs is that they are down-to-earth and practical. However, that does not mean that they are easy to interpret. In fact, because Proverbs is so true-to-life it is possible to find contradictions. Proverbs 26:4 commands the reader not to answer a fool according to his folly, while the very next verse commands to answer the fool according to his folly. The second lines in both verses make sense of both commands understood separately. However, the contradiction remains. Thus the following suggestions for interpretation will help prevent the student from getting bogged down in the wrong details of the proverbs.
First, the proverbs are general observations about life; they are not designed as legal guarantees from God. Proverbs 15:20 states that “a wise son makes a glad father but that a foolish man despises his mother.” This is true as a general rule, but it is easy to find wise children who still do not satisfy their parents and often foolish children will like their parents very much – sometimes too much. Proverbs 15:25 states that the Lord will tear down the proud person’s house. It is true that pride often leads to downfall, but there are some notable exceptions. To claim the proverbs as promises that God guarantees in every case will ultimately lead to spiritual frustration.
Proverbs are also worded to be poetic and memorable, not to be philosophical statements. Proverbs were spoken before they were written. Even when they were written most people did not own a written copy. Thus proverbs were constructed to be spoken with a punch and to be easily remembered.
Figures of speech, vivid comparisons, alliterations, and other rhetorical devices are freely used in the proverbs. To correctly understand proverbs one must use imagination to enter the world created by the figures of speech. Trying to draw theoretical statements or philosophical logic from the proverbs misses the point. This means that proverbs need to be “translated” from the words of the imagery to the meaning of the imagery to similar meaning in our cultural context. For example, Proverbs 25:24, “It is better to live in a corner on the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious wife,” was written in a culture where houses had flat roofs that were used for storage… We might say, “It is more peaceful to live in the garage (or doghouse) than inside with a griping companion.” The point is not for husbands or wives to go to the roof to escape their spouse. Rather, the point if to be the right kind of spouse so we don’t drive our loved one away.
Finally, Proverbs must be read as a collection. No single proverb can express all the truth about any given subject. Wisdom comes from a balance of truth. In fact, knowing only one side of a matter is folly, which the proverbs consistently warn against. When Proverbs is read as a whole, beautiful principles begin to emerge. These provide guidelines that can save us from a lot of trouble. However, even taken together and conscientiously followed they do not guarantee a life without difficulties. Part of wisdom is knowing how to live in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Study Questions for Reflection and Discussion
These readings and study questions are in preparation for next week’s lesson.
As you study each day ask the Lord to speak to you through his word. Ask the Holy Spirit to make the word come alive to you for that day.
First Day:
Read the notes of Introduction to Proverbs. Look up the Scripture references that were given..
1. What were the most significant new insights you received? How have they raised your interest in studying Proverbs?
2. List some areas of your life that you want God to help you with from your study of Proverbs this year.
3. Write a prayer asking the Lord to use this study of Proverbs to help you live a life that will be more pleasing to him and will provide a better testimony to those whom you meet.
Second Day:
Read Proverbs 1:1-19. Now focus in on Proverbs 1:1-9.
1. What purposes are listed in the opening verses for the book of Proverbs? Which of these purposes is most important for you personally? Why?
2. State the meaning of Proverbs 1:7 in your own words. Besides knowledge, what else ought to be the product of fearing God in your life?
3. What is compared with parental instruction in verses 8-9? What is the point of the comparison? What examples from real life have you seen that illustrate this truth?
Third Day:
Read Proverbs 1:1-33. Focus in on Proverbs 1:8-19.
1. What enticements and false promises are expressed by sinners in the focus verses? Is this similar or different from the temptations of your life? In what way? How does this picture of sin compare with Genesis 3:1-19.
2. What reasons do the focus verses give for avoiding temptation? Are these reasons valid? Why? Does such reasoning help a person avoid temptation? Why?
3. What is the most powerful temptation in your life? What would you lose by yielding to it? What would you gain by yielding to it? How does verse 19 apply to your life?
Fourth Day:
Read Proverbs 1:20-2:8. Now focus in on Proverbs 1:20-33.
1. In verses 20-33, Wisdom is personified as a woman making a speech. List the main points of her speech?
2. What are the consequences of refusing to seek Wisdom according to these verses? How do these consequences compare with those described in Romans 1:18-33?
3. What consequences come from accepting Wisdom? What example(s) from real life can you give that illustrate the good consequences of seeking Wisdom?
Fifth Day:
Read Proverbs 2:1-22. Focus in on Proverbs 2:1-11.
1. What conditions (indicated by the word “if”) are necessary to find understanding? Which of these conditions is most difficult for you to meet?
2. What promises from God are given in Proverbs 2:1-11? Which is most important to you? Why?
3. How do justice and righteousness fit into the message of these verses? Why do you think God is so interested in justice?
Sixth Day:
Read Proverbs 2:1-22. Now focus in on Proverbs 2:12-22.
1. What does wisdom save a person from according to Proverbs 2:12-22? What personal application could you make from this teaching?
2. What conclusion(s) is (are) reached in verses 20-22? What application of this conclusion can you make to your own life?
3. Write a prayer asking God to guide you in living by the understanding he has given you through these verses.
dear christian friend
greeting to you in the name of the lord
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Thank you for your open heart. Your website is a blessing to every group Christians who needeth materials like gospel tracts. keep up. God bless
Thank God for using you people to offer tracts for the gospel. Please, do send me printed tracts for evangelism to carry out effective evangelism in our church.
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Mrs. Okojie Mabel,
Church of God Mission Int. Inc,
6, Esosa Street, Off Upper Mission Road,
After New Era College,
P.O.Box 4675,
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Thanks again for your kind response.
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thanks and God bless you the more.
Dear beloved brother in Christ,
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Thanking you,
In Christ,
Rev.Davidson Chinnam
Compassionate Heart Ministries.
Who are we?
Dan Little1Daniel
I am passionate about communicating the free and universal offer of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. I became a Christian 12 years ago but never really understood grace. I can remember, however, that I always desired to see people saved. I often prayed fervently for the lost and even studied current evangelism resources but I never really shared the gospel with anyone. In December 2005 friends introduced me to the Way of the Master DVD series. I instantly knew this was the missing information I was longing to hear. The Law is the key that helps people in our affluent society understand their true need – righteousness! Thankfully, this teaching also started me on a path to learning about reformed doctrine and understanding about grace. I started to listen and read great bible teachers like John Piper, DA Carson, RW Glenn, RC Sproul and John MacArthur. I started to learn about reformed statements like the ones referred to in this page, and then got blown away when I would open the word and see things I never noticed before. God’s grace and His work in saving sinners made a new deep impression on me. I am now excited when I share the gospel with friends and strangers because I know they are hearing the biblical gospel that can save them.
Angela
I’m a full time mum of two kids. I am currently having leave from my primary school music teacher position and enjoying the busy job of caring for my girls. I was brought up in the Uniting Church but have recently discovered the importance of sound doctrine. If we don’t have sound doctrine we get blow every which way by fun new theologies. I am passionate about reformed theology and chocolate. I too have been transformed in my thinking by the WOTM teaching and wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone.
Josh (joarm)
My name is Josh. I love life. I love what is good and I love the God who has freely given me all things good for the sake of His Son when all I deserve is His judgement and punishment. I want others to know about this life, the way of receiving it and their great need to be put right with their Creator. I hope the things that I am able to contribute to this blog will help other Christians to become more faithful and effective in their witness and get active in whatever sphere God has placed them in right now. I believe that there is great importance in being faithful to the truth of scripture when we speak to others about God and I believe the reformed confessions are extremely important in giving a unifying voice and reference to the theology of the church of Christ.
georgieGeorgie
I am a young, married, full time mum to a lot of kids. I have been raised in the reformed faith. Over the last 3 years a slow awakening occurred in the way I perceive the faith that I have been given. I guess I started to think – if we do have such a precious heritage in the reformed faith, and such great news in the salvation we have through Christ, why am I happy to keep it to myself? Why aren’t I caring about the “lost souls” yet to be called into the kingdom? It’s great to be seeing people as souls at last… eternal people with eternal needs.I have lots and lots to learn… but am super keen to use my gifts and what i do know in the service of spreading the gospel faithfully. It’s an honour.
Nathan
I can’t think of any other real purpose for which God has Christians on this planet other than to help bring his chosen ones into his kingdom through the proclamation of the gospel and to keep them there through the proclamation of the gospel in the church.
Scott (pyropenguin)
Being born in to a Pentecostal Church when I was 19 years old kept me in a perpetual state of “baby Christianity” for over 8 years. I was stuck on the milk of the Word (Hebrews 5:12-14.) I knew that there was something wrong, but I didn’t know what it was…
But thanks to the providence of the Lord brining David Pawson and his expositional 80+ part overview of the bible, I became aware of the power and weight of the WORD of GOD: laying down CLEAR biblical teaching, showing that every page in the bible related to real history, real places, real people and is 100% relevant and 100% needed. I gained a biblical world view for the first time and could respond to things like tithing, miss quoting the bible, spiritual warfare and tongues, etc. My eyes had been opened to the need for biblical expositional teaching and I couldn’t go back.
But this is where my Church problems started! EVERYONE in my Pentecostal Church either didn’t understand what I was saying regarding my new found biblical bias and hard stance on things like evolution, cults and Catholicism. The leadership put up walls to block me from speaking in Church; soon I was off the speaking roster and silenced for the crime of encouraging people to read there bible! Now I have a passion to proclaim the truth of the gospel correctly and clearly, also telling people about good solid teachers, preachers, ministries, and help people come out of bondage to error.
As well as my passion for truth, I also have a strong desire to share the gospel with all people. I have struggled most of my life with a slight stammer and shy disposition has made the idea of walk up evangelism or even giving out tracts in person kills me! My first steps have been to get tracts that I like and put them on cars parked in the car parks. I’ve also started putting down a 10 commandment coin down in a visible spot each time I go to the supermarket. I am so happy to see it gone when I come out!
Now in my own life I have to constantly keep my eyes on the cross, keep remembering what I have been commanded to do, and that it is far more important than my pride, shyness, selfishness, self doubting and fear. Paul in Romans says it so well (Romans 10:14) How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them?
Why a blog about evangelism?
Evangelism Action exists to glorify and enjoy God by sharing and reflecting on evangelism encounters. We want to encourage and equip Christian’s who already labour or want to become labourers in the harvest field. The blog team adheres to a reformed evangelical view of the bible and strives to be biblically faithful in evangelism encounters.
What do we believe?
We hold to the reformed confessions of faith including:
The Belgic Confession of Faith (1561)
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
The Westminster Confession of Faith. (1647)
Canons of Dort (1618-1619)
Be encouraged
Matthew 5 v 13-20
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
How can we become more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees who were meticulously zealous for perfection through human effort? Only through the grace and power of Christ and Him crucified. Only through the gift of his righteousness given in exchange for our sin. All our righteous works combined will in no way come close to covering our guilt before God, only through the free gift of grace may we be saved! Christ calls us to:
repent of our transgression of the Law of God – this is to forsake it completely and turn to God with our whole heart;
and to trust in Christ alone. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2 v8).
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MARY WOMEN’S MINISTRY
(ORGANIZED BY SOCIETY OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE)
P. O. BOX NO. 3. TENALI- 522 201. GUNTUR (DT) A. P. INDIA
P. MARY
Evangelist
To
Dear brother in Christ
Greetings to you in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Once again the God of love provide a great hap to write this letter to you as replies of your previous letters. I am very happy for having of connection with you because you are anointed and blessed by Eternal God.
Brother, here, we have a women’s ministry in my area, we win some souls to our Lord’s kingdom, and we distribute 20 poor widows’ new cloths, please see this program http://www.clothsdistribution.blogspot.com
And we started a full time Christian Library November 2007 in my town. So many people are come and read the Holy Scriptures and they know the real God of Jesus Christ. I am happy this library work in my area, there is no such type of library in my area. This is a non- profitable gospel ministry. We have no subscription or charities from my people in any kind, we are doing God’s ministry with the grace of our Lord only. God inspiring peoples like you to help us to do non-stop this ministry. I have a desire to proclaim the God’s word to my people through this library, and we have a good gospel team, our team visits to Hospitals, Educational centers, Railway stations, Bus stands and some remote villages, and we distribute the gospel tracts and we spread the word of God. So in this way we need some more gospel tracts and booklets. We request you please send some more tracts and booklets to me to my area people spiritual need. We pray for you and your families and also your ministries. We invite you please visit once here and see my ministry.
Brother, God meets our needs through you. God bless you. I am waiting for your kind reply.
Thanking you brother
Yours sister in Christ
P. Mary
praise God……….. such conviction you have there to share the GOSPEL……. keep on my brother
Dear Friend
Pr. Daniel,
Praise be to the name of the living God for the great work that you are doing in his kingdom, its my prayer that this email finds you well in the Lord.
By the names, Im Joseph Senoga Richard pastoring a, local church here in Uganda , East Africa , and Im interested in joining your ministry. And I hereby welcome you dear friends to partner and join hands together with us so that we may work together, hand in hand in order to win as many souls to Christ.
We love to welcome you dear friend Pr. Daniel together as a team to Uganda , Africa for an outreach ministry crusade, conference, seminar and Church Planting, Equipping and Training pastors and church leaders, and to have you dear friend here in Uganda for an outreach ministry .
May the Lord God continue to richly bless you Amen.
In Him
Joseph Senoga Richard.
+256-772-090765
http://www.restorationworship.org