The Lord's prayer

Now once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.' Jesus said to them, 'Say this when you pray: [ Matthew's text have seven petitions, Luke's five. There were therefore two traditions of the Lord's prayer. Matthew's form seems the more ancient. ]

"Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread, [ Var. (borrowed, perhaps, from a baptismal liturgy) 'may your Holy Spirit come down on us and cleanse us.']
and forgive us our sins, [ 'Debts in Matthew here correctly interpreted by Luke who, however, does not suppress this juridical aspect (cf. his following line 'each one who is in debt to us').]
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test." - Luke 11:1-4 -

The importunate friend

Jesus also said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him"; and the man answers from inside the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you." I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants. - Luke 11:5-8

Effective prayer

'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his sons a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit [ Instead of the 'good things' of Matthew 7:11. The Holy Spirit is the best of all 'good things'.] to those who ask him!' - Luke 11:9-13 -

Jesus and Beelzebul

Jesus was casting out a devil and it was dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, 'It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.' Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but knowing what they were thinking, Jesus said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses.

So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?- Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be judges, then.

But if it is through the finger of God [ On this phrase, cf. Exodus 8:15 and Psalms 8:3. This passage and its parallel, Matthew 12:28, have combined to provide the title 'finger of God's right hand' for the Holy Spirit.] that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil. - Luke 11:14-22 -

No compromise

He/She who is not with me is against me; and he/she who does not gather with me scatters. - Luke 11:23 -

Return of the unclean spirit

'When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, "I will go back to the home I came from." But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.' - Luke 11:24-26 -

The truly happy

Now as Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, 'Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked?' But he replied, 'Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!. - Luke 11:27-28 -

The sign of Jonah

The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them, 'This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. [ That is, a miracle in evidence and vindication of Christ's authority, cf. John 2:11+; Luke 1:18+; Matthew 8:3+.] The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. [ Jonah showed Ninevites the way to God; now Jesus points the way, but his hearers, less generous than the Ninevites, have refused to take it. Matthew 12:40 offers a different interpretation.]

On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemns it because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here. - Luke 11:29-32 -

The parable of the lamp repeated

'No one lights a lamp and puts it in some hidden place or under a tub, but on the lamp stand so that people may see the light when they come in. The lamp of your body is your eye. When your eye is sound, your whole body too is filled with light; but when it is diseased your body too will be all darkness. See to it then that the light inside you is not darkness. If, therefore, your whole body is filled with light, and no trace of darkness, it will be light entirely, as when the lamp shines on you with its rays.' [ The textual tradition of vv. 35-36 is confused, and the text is probably corrupt. But the general meaning is clear: Jesus addresses his message to all, and if the mind is 'healthy' that is, unclouded by selfish prejudiced, cf. John 3:19-21, it can be understood by all.] - Luke 11:33-36 -

The Pharisees and the lawyers attacked

WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY.

The Lord Jesus Christ, promised to us that our mission on this earth is really and utmost important for our own salvation.

"I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not be given repayment many times over in this present time, in the world to come, Eternal Life." - Luke 18:28-30 -

'Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?'

"Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He is like a man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built.

But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 -

HOW? AND IN WHAT WAY, WHEN IT COME TO UNDERSTANDING MATTERS: WHAT I WAS ALWAYS BEING TOLD IS: THERE ARE WAYS AND PREFERENCES TO COMPREHEND ALL MATTERS, WHETHER IT IS OF SPIRITUALITY AND OF UNSPIRITUALITY.

FIRSTLY, IN A LITERALLY MANNER: THAT IS, USED FOR EMPHASIS OR TO EXPRESS STRONG FEELING WHILE NOT BEING LITERALLY TRUE.

SECONDLY, IN A HUMANLY MANNER: THAT IS, FROM A HUMAN POINT OF VIEW, IN A HUMANLY MANNER, BY HUMAN MEANS; WITHIN ABILITY; WITH HUMAN FEELING OR KINDNESS.

THIRDLY, IN A SPIRITUALLY MANNER: THAT IS, IN A WAY THAT RELATES TO OR AFFECTS THE HUMAN SPIRIT OR, SOUL AS OPPOSED TO MATERIAL OR PHYSICAL THINGS.

FINALLY, IN AN UNSPIRITUAL MANNER: THAT IS, NOT SPIRITUAL. BUT SECULAR AND WORLDLY.
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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -