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#Apostle Paul
whereserpentswalk · 3 months
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We should start celebrating the deaths of Christan martyrs. Not anyone recent who might have like, family, but people who advocated for homophobia and genocide in the 2nd century and eventually got their shit recked for being part of a creepy anti-sex antitheist cult. Like, the apostle Paul was the person who made it so things sucked for gay people for millennia after his death, we deserve to be happy he got fucking beheaded like a fish.
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lionofchaeronea · 11 months
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St. Paul on Malta, Adam Elsheimer, ca. 1600
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Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Messiah. 11 But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Yeshua the Messiah. 13 For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Yehudim' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God, and ravaged it. 14 I advanced in the Yehudim' religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, 16 to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Goyim, I didn't immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Yerushalayim to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into `Arav. Then I returned to Dammesek. — Galatians 1:10-17 | Hebrew Names Version (HNV) The Hebrew Names Version Bible is in the public domain Cross References: Isaiah 49:1; Isaiah 49:5; Jeremiah 9:14; Matthew 6:24; Matthew 15:2; Matthew 16:17; Acts 5:42; Acts 8:3; Acts 9:2; Acts 9:8; Acts 9:21; Romans 1:1; Romans 2:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 3:4; 1 Corinthians 11:23
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"Giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.”
2 Corinthians 6:3-10
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craigtowens · 2 months
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What The Bible Doesn’t Say
We would do well to pay attention to what the Bible doesn’t say—especially when we have to interact with ungodly leaders. Check out the latest episode of The Podcast.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.  https://craigtowens.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/what-the-bible-doesnt-say.mp3 We would do well to pay attention to what the Bible doesn’t say—especially when we have to interact with ungodly leaders.  Check out this episode of The Podcast. Some resources from this…
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thewayofyehoshua · 7 months
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protoslacker · 9 months
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And the distinctive function of Thomas Pynchon as America’s theologian has been to produce an elaborate, raucous, anarchic, and terrifyingly accurate portrait of all the forces, prosaic and demonic, that in our technocratic regime militate against the restoration of our full humanity—and at the same time to show us how resilient and inextinguishable are the energies of hope, generated as they are by the belief that “secret retributions are always restoring the level, when disturbed, of the divine justice.”
Alan Jacobs in The Hedgehog Review. The Far Invisible
Thomas Pynchon as America’s Theologian
I really enjoyed reading this essay. My thin readings of Thomas Pynchon left me puzzled. But having doen even a little reading, Jacob's put together parts of the puzzle in a ways quite satisfying to me.
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shannoncygnus · 11 months
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From the Daily Office of the Book of Common Prayer this morning, a section of Romans that emphasizes Pauline theology is not different from the Way of Love. Love to you!
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dramoor · 2 years
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When people are inhabited by God's love...
(Spotted on facebook, author unknown)
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biblebloodhound · 6 months
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Dealing with Opposing Views (Romans 14:1-12)
Unity doesn't just happen; it must be pursued, worked on, and maintained.
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s…
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revivingnowblog · 1 year
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PRACTICING THESE 10 HABITS DAILY WILL IMPROVE YOUR LIFE WITHIN 21 DAYS
I have written about habits many times but this particular post is specifically tailored for yielding results in your life when you moderately apply them to your daily living. You could have come across the quote that says; “People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures” F.M ALEXANDER F.M. Alexander was an Australian actor and teacher, he…
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Women Ministers of the Gospel
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We have all heard the arguments of well know preachers that are men saying women can not teach or preach. Such men use Paul the apostle’s letters to support this way of thinking. Very “cherry picking” if you read his letters.
For example Paul writes to Timothy and says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” but in his letter to the church at Colossae at the end of his letter he writes, “Greet the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.” Notice Nympha is a woman with a church in her house.
Now one could argue that Nympha was not the leader of her house church as Paul did not specify whether she was or not, or if her house church was only women. For none of that is available to us, but as I considered these scripture passages some very simple questions came to mind about this subject.
First question, “If a woman shares the gospel with an unbeliever that is a man and converts him to Christ, is he any less of a convert than a man that was converted to Christ by another man?”
Answer; No he is not. For both converts are in Christ.
Second question, “If a woman preaches the truth of salvation and the way of true righteous living before God to men and women, does the truth become something less because she is a woman and not a man?”
Answer; No, the truth has no darkness or falsehood in it. That is why it is called the truth. In fact that way of thinking is more in line with Islam than Christianity.
In Jesus’s Great Commission He never said, “Only men are allowed to proclaim the good news in My name!” But perhaps you might say, “Only men were there.” To that I would say, “Where you there receiving those words Jesus spoke? If the great commission was only for those standing there, then how would the gospel spread to every nation and reach us today? For by both men and women the gospel has gone out to every nation. By saying women can not preach or teach others The Way, we are effectively calling them false teachers and prophets”.
What did Jesus say about false prophets? He said, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
Did He say anything about their outward appearance or was it their fruit? It was all about their fruit not what they looked like. For The Lord told the prophet Samuel this, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
If you look at why Paul said he did not allow women to teach it was a matter of Adam came first then Eve, and Eve was the first to sin not Adam. However, Adam still heeded the words of the serpent through Eve, and committed the same sin. If we apply Paul’s point of view to todays church world we might find ourselves listening to the wrong person. For example, if you had two preachers in a room, one being a man and the other a woman, and the man was a wealthy preacher who was known for using the Bible to get rich off of while the woman preacher was a humble servant of Christ who was known for preaching the gospel correctly and encouraging others to good deeds and righteous living, who would you listen to? Would it be the man who was corrupt or the woman who was living righteously before our Lord and Savior? I would hope that in this situation it would be the woman, not the man.
Now am I saying that we should not listen to Paul? Not at all! Paul was a great apostle and fellow worker in the ministry of The Lord Jesus Christ. His letters and teachings are full of understanding and spiritual wisdom, but the church world today is full of division and false teachings that would greatly grieve anyone from that time if they were here today. For they warned against fractions, arguments, debates, harsh words and rebukes, divisive people, and so on.
When we get up on our pulpits whether in a church setting or online and start preaching against fellow servants of The Lord because of what they look like, then we bring great shame to the gospel. For Jesus told us to, “love one another as I first loved you”. Accusing others of heresy because they are women preachers or teachers is not loving, but rather another argument for those that seek the truth to see and look elsewhere for God.
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lionofchaeronea · 1 year
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Saint Paul Writing, Pier Francesco Sacchi, 1520s
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Paul Preaches in Athens
16 While Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was moved in him to see the city given to worshipping of images. 17 Then he disputed in the synagogue with the jews, and with the devout persons, And in the market daily with them that came unto him. 18 Certain Philosophers of the Epicures, and of the Stoyckes disputed with him. And some there were which said: what will this babbler say. Other said: he seemeth to be a tidings bringer of new devils, because he preached unto them Iesus, and the resurrection, 19 and they took him, and brought him into Marce street saying: may we not know what is this new doctrine whereof thou speakest. 20 For thou bringest strange tidings to our ears. We would know therefore what these things mean. 21 For all the Athenians and strangers which were there gave themselves to nothing else, but either to tell or to hear new tidings.
22 Paul stood in the midst of Marce street and said, ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are somewhat superstitious. 23 For as I passed by and beheld the manner how ye worship your goddes, I found an altar wherein was written: unto the unknown God. Whom ye then ignorantly worship, him shew I unto you: 24 God that made the world, and all that are in it, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, he dwelleth not in temples made with hands 25 neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed of any thing. Forasmuch as he giveth to all men life and breath every where, 26 and hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth. And hath assigned times appointed before, And the ends of their inhabitation, 27 that they should seek God, if they might feel and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. 28 For in him we live, move, and have our being, as certain of your own poets said. For we are also his generation. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the generation of God, we ought not to think that the godhead is like unto gold, silver, or stone, graven by craft and imagination of man. 30 And the time of this ignorance God regarded not: but now he biddeth all men everywhere repent, 31 because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world according to righteousness, by that man, whom he hath appointed, and hath given faith to all men, after that he had raised him from death.
32 When they heard of the resurrection from death, some mocked, and other said: we will hear thee again of this matter. 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 Certain men clave unto Paul and believed, among the which was Dionysius a senator, and a woman named Damaris, and other with them. — Acts 17:16-34 | Tyndale New Testament (TYN) Holy Bible, Tyndale New Testament (written in olde English), copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 4:7; Deuteronomy 10:14; Deuteronomy 30:20; Deuteronomy 32:8; 2 Kings 19:18; Job 12:10; Job 12:23; Job 22:2; Psalm 9:8; Psalm 96:13; Isaiah 40:18; Isaiah 45:4; Jeremiah 23:23; Jeremiah 38:16; Mark 1:27; Luke 24:47; John 4:22; Acts 2:10; Acts 4:2; Acts 5:42; Acts 9:20; Acts 13:43; Acts 14:16; Acts 17:15; Acts 18:1; Acts 23:19; Acts 25:19; 1 Corinthians 15:12
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christ-our-glory · 2 years
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The circumcision of the heart
Galatians 5:12 I wish those who are disturbing you might also get themselves castrated!
Do you know why Paul was so mad at people, to the point of wishing they'd get themselves castrated? The Jewish people who came to Christ were acting as a stumbling block to the Gentiles with their requirement to get circumcised. The Gentiles would rather go back to paganism than get themselves circumcised as adults. The Jewish Christians were effectively hindering the gospel by keeping the old ways of the Judaic religion.
What to make of Paul commanding Timothy to get circumcised (Acts 16:3) then? First of all, look at what Paul tells Titus (Galatians 2:3-5) and consider Galatians 5:11-12; Paul was severely against circumcision for the Gentiles. We also know from Acts 15 that Paul argued strongly that it wasn't necessary for Gentile converts to come under the Law of Moses for salvation. Timothy on the other hand, as the son of a Jewish mother (Acts 16:1), would be considered an apostate if he wasn't circumcised, which would hinder their work. Paul didn't command Timothy’s circumcision as a way of salvation or right standing with God; it was merely the fact that having an "apostate" would hinder their work among the Jews. To be used in the synagogues, Timothy had to go through with it. And they were blessed for it (Acts 16:5).
Another good point to remember is that Paul met Timothy soon after the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, while Paul was “[delivering] to [the people] the decrees to keep” (Acts 16:4). To deliver these decrees —which included the command not to circumcise— in the synagogues for the Jews and Gentiles to read, Timothy had to be circumcised. It is ironic, I know.
R.C. Sproul made an excellent observation by pointing to what Christ did with the Pharisees in Mark 7:8 and the difference between how circumcision was viewed at the start of this new faith and how it came to change later on. Sproul wrote, “Jesus took the Pharisees to task for doing it, and Paul did the same thing; that is, in the earlier situation in which circumcision didn’t have this legal import to it, he went with the flow. He said if you want to be circumcised, fine; if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. So for those who wanted it, he did it. But when they tried to make it a law that he must circumcise other people, he steadfastly refused to do it, in order to keep the integrity of the gospel intact.”
In the early days of the church, things were done a certain way and they usually ended up getting out of hand; hence, the apostle Paul had to put his foot down and set people straight — just like he put a stop to the unrestrained giving and donations of early Christians to the church, as well as adding safeguards on how the church should financially help people in need.
You are to have the law written in your heart (Romans 2:15) or have your heart circumcised as Deuteronomy 30:6 tells us. You must seek to have a circumcision of the heart, not the flesh (Romans 2:25-29).
Circumcision saves no one. You are saved by what God has done in the finished work of Christ, not what you have done.
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craigtowens · 1 year
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It’s funny the things we think are “irreplaceable” 🤣 Pulpits aren’t mentioned in the Bible. As far as we know, neither Jesus nor any of the leaders in the first Church used them, and yet they are still considered “biblical” by some people. This was a part of a discussion I had with some other pastors as we talked about some of the other non-biblical things pastors and church leaders have to navigate on a regular basis.
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