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Time搵NT Wright寫咗篇文, 講新約聖經點樣講天堂, 篇文只夠篇幅俾佢講結論: 「上天堂」唔係聖經概念:
'Studying the New Testament historically, in its own world (as opposed to squashing and chopping it to fit with our own expectations), shows that the first Christians believed not that they would “go to heaven when they died,” but that, in Jesus, God had come to live with them.'
How to Discern Between God’s Voice and Your Own Thoughts?
“For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 WEB)
The difference between the soul and spirit can sometimes seem blurred. Both these parts of you have thoughts—it may be tough to differentiate the voices.
The soul is like your personality—what’s uniquely you based on your life experiences. This includes your mind, will and emotions.
The soul is what makes you different among others.
The spirit is your true self—the essence of your being. God is Spirit, and He communicates with you in your spirit.
By default, the spirit of unbelievers is dead because of sin. In contrast, a believer’s spirit is alive forever because it has been reborn by the Holy Spirit when he/she first placed faith in Jesus.
The soul and spirit are attached together. Wherever the spirit goes, the soul follows. The body is just a home for the spirit and soul to dwell in.
Because the spirit and soul are eternal, they cannot cease to exist and must continue to dwell somewhere.
Since a sinner cannot live in our holy God’s presence, a departed unbeliever’s spirit has to be separated from God in Hell, and eventually in the lake of fire.
When a thought arises from inside you, it’s understandable that you get confused, not knowing if it’s God speaking to you in your spirit or if it’s just the ramblings of your own mind.
When such a situation arises, there is a living weapon that is so precise that it can differentiate God’s thoughts from your thoughts—it’s called God’s word.
The word “sword” in the passage above is also used to describe a knife used to slit a sacrificial lamb’s throat, as well as a surgeon’s scalpel.
Both such tools are used for precision and must also be handled by skillful practitioners.
By judging a thought based on what God’s word says, you can discern if it’s your own fleshly thought, or God’s spiritual thought.
It all boils down to familiarity. Do you know Jesus well enough to know if a thought is from Him, or just from you?
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 WEB)
A sheep follows its shepherd because it’s familiar with his voice. When you’re well versed with God’s character and the way He deals with His own children, you’ll be able to differentiate the thoughts inside you.
For example, a thought that stems from fear cannot be from God because perfect love casts out fear—it doesn’t produce fear.
Another example is a thought that is condemning and threatening is surely not from God because the Holy Spirit reminds us of our righteousness in Christ and testifies that we are children of God because He witnessed Jesus’ finished work at the cross.
Most believers want Jesus to lead them especially in major life decisions. When one is not familiar with what God’s word says, that’s where the frustration happens.
“I don’t know if it’s God telling me to do this, or is it just my own thoughts.” Can you relate to this?
The more you receive God’s word and familiarize with how God deals with you under the New Covenant of Grace, you’ll be able to wield it skillfully to differentiate between God’s thoughts and your own thoughts.
Besides being a discerner of thoughts, God’s word is a powerful weapon to slay all enemies.
There was a person in our Christian group on Facebook that asked why is God’s word likened to a sword when today there are far more powerful modern weapons like guns and bombs.
I believe the sword is just to give us a visual to help us to understand the nature of God’s word.
In the battle against the Antichrist, Jesus will use His word alone to defeat him and his armies.
“The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:21 WEB)
All modern weapons that they will use at that time will be useless against Jesus. Of course Jesus is not shooting a literal sword out of His mouth—it’s a symbol to help us visualize that His word can be a weapon to destroy enemies.
Do you find that there is an enemy of sickness in your body? Remember that the word “sword” can also be related to a surgeon’s scalpel.
God’s word is able to pinpoint the exact area where the problem lies, and to destroy it as you receive and believe the word.
“But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8 WEB)
Studying God’s word is also a spiritual training in godliness which has value in all things. I pray that you will become skillful at wielding this living sword.
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#Godsword #Faith
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Unending daily to-do lists. The frantic pace of modern living. The race to stay relevant in the face of disruption. The very real threat of superbugs and terror in our everyday lives...It’s not hard to see why so many people today are experiencing stress, worry, and anxiety attacks.
Unfortunately, these aren’t simply innocent states of emotion—they can insidiously develop into chronic depression, psychosomatic illnesses, and lead to destructive behaviors. But here’s the good news: While stress is depleting and debilitating, it can be defeated and driven from your life.
In Live the Let-Go Life, Joseph Prince shows you how to beat stress and anxieties that come with the everyday demands and pressures of modern living. Discover how you were not designed by God to live under stress, but called to live the life of rest. You will learn how to let go of stress and see His grace flow unabated in the worry-free areas of your life.
Find out more: http://www.theletgobook.com
Find us at:
http://www.facebook.com/josephprince
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