If you put a greater weight on the words of Paul than on the words of Christ which one do you worship? It is insufficient to say that Paul’s words are about Christ. If his writings are of greater significance to me than the words of Christ, which which one has a greater focus for me?

We are not saved by grace. We are saved by the atonement. Can the concept of grace without the action of Christ’s atonement save us? No more than obedience to the laws given through Moses could without the fact of the atonement.

After reading the rest of the scriptures a lot in the last years I realized it has been some time since I had read the gospels straight through. I decided to do so now. I was surprised at how much more power the words of Christ had for me. I was surprised at the reverence I felt as I began the 26th chapter of Matthew.

“And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.”

The shoes on the ceiling are full of bananas. But, my aunt’s donkey which is about to vomit can not hear himself bray.

AMEN, or should I say AMEN – RA.

Revelation 3:14
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The AMEN, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: (NASB ©1995)

Yes Paul is wonderful example to us all of Gods Saving Mercy. In my study of Scripture I have noticed many times, that many of the Greatest messages from God; come from the least likely source. Paul one of the chief persecutors of Christians becomes one of greatest Christians of all time. Not unlike the stone the builders rejecting becoming the cornerstone. How about the first people to recognize Jesus had risen from the dead were women. Back in those days women were like property and their testimony in a court of law was unacceptable. Their personal testimony would not be believed. Yet they were the first to see and to believe and to report the resurrection. How about the the woman calling out Jesus son of David have pity on me. Jesus and the disciples ignored here but she called on all the more and louder. So the disciples asked Jesus to do something about her because she wouldn’t shut up. Jesus said to her I have come for the children of the lost house of Israel. But she persisted begging please Lord please. Jesus rebukes her again this time saying it is not right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs! Yet she still persists…saying yes Lord but even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters table. Finally Jesus grants her a blessing. Or how about the Roman centurion who’s slave was very ill. As you probably know Jews back in those days could not associate with Romans and they could not even have them in their home. So a Roman centurion who was Christian sent messengers to Christ asking him to come heal his servant. The Christian messengers he sent pleaded with Jesus to come and heal the slave saying he is a believer and he even built our synagogue for us and he deserves to have you do this for him. Jesus said I will come. While only a short distance from the Roman house the Centurion sent new messengers to Jesus to tell him Lord please don’t trouble yourself further. I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof and this is why I did not come to you, but please Lord just say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority. I say to one come here and he comes or to another go and he goes, or to my slave do this and he does it. Jesus exclaimed at that point that though out all of Israel he had not seen such faith. Up to that point everyone seemed to believe that Jesus needed to do something to bring back the dead or cure someone…he had to touch them or do something physical. Here a non Jew and Roman to boot was the first to realize the immense authority Christ had and Christ credits him with the strongest faith he had seen. Finally Peter himself walked on the water and was with Christ all the time yet he still managed to deny Christ three times in one day. Yes the Apostles were sinful people just like you and I. But when push came to shove they stood up remarkably well. What a rich faith we have

God Bless

Mark Nasche

Your comments and references are enigmatic. Would you care to state what you believe and how your beliefs relate to LaShawn’s post? Without expressing your belief system with clarity and purpose, I am afraid your comments references are but dust in the wind.

Acts 7:22
“Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. (NASB ©1995)

http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/negative_confessions/index.html

http://www.maatinus.com/Nguzo%20Saba/negative.htm

I ask, because the state of creation myth religion in the Near East and Egypt in the time of Moses and the time of Jesus are worlds apart.

What is this, if this lowly Canaanite believes then the rest of you should too?

Some scholars call this religion Paulianity since Paul extends (the Egyptian KRS) Christ to the gentile. Initially, gentiles had to convert to Judaism prior to becoming KRStians. Seems that Jesus himself did not have everyone in mind.

Christ specifically chose St. Paul to be His Apostle BECAUSE he was the greatest sinner of age. St. Paul then goes on to be the great Lion of God, the Apostle that delivered the Good News to the Gentiles, and the most prolific writer in the New Testament.

This to me speaks volumes…

Jesus’ point to the woman was two-fold. 1. He came first to the Jews (and many of them were to ultimately reject him). 2. His response allowed her to display her faith (to those around them). Remember, He healed her child, she went away satisfied. Was that an act of racism?

Some Biblical scholars see the “curse of Ham” story as an early Hebrew rationalization for Israel’s conquest and enslavement of the Canaanites, who were presumed to descend from Ham.

The “curse of Ham” has been used by some members of Abrahamic religions to justify racism and the enslavement of people of African ancestry, who were thought to be descendants of Ham (often called Hamites)

Your explication benm; chosen people indeed.

Did not Jesus tell the Canaanite woman that he’d the dogs prior to feeding her. Straight up Hebrew racism.

Luv ya,
Shannon

I too, do not believe that Jesus is who He said He is because of historical evidence. I believe because He chose me to believe. My earlier point, probably not well fleshed out, was that it was in reading the accounts in Acts and in thinking about the implications of those accounts, such as Peter’s speech on the day of Pentecost, that the Bible became real to me and I could no longer ignore the Truth.

-Ben

As far as God having a chosen people, well the Jews were chosen by God to be a priesthood. He chastened them (like the post after yours) and has tried repeatably over the centuries to bring them to himself. Not a “chosen” people that many would choose to be. Not a “chosen” people like the Nazi’s believed themselves to be, but truly God meant them to serve all mankind. Including you.

Jim, no it was Peter who was crucified upside down (from tradition, his death was not recorded in the Bible). But he died a good death. We all die sometime. don’t we. Just as we all suffer, Christian and non-Christian alike, the difference is, as followers of Christ, we suffer and die for a purpose. The gospel has been spread by the shedding of Christian’s blood. It is in that way that we live out our faith and demonstrate to the world that we have something worth dying for.

When Christians have gone astray (and they have repeatably) and tried to shed other people’s blood (i.e., the Crusades, the conquest of the New World under the Spanish), the body of Christ has suffered. But during the times of great persecution, the body of Christ flourishes (by the way, I believe we are entering into a time like that now).

But if you ask me, or rather if God commands me to lay down my own life for His Glory, I will go to my death praising Him and thanking Him that I was found worthy. So yes, He is the kind of God I want to worship.