Real Christian discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Challenges
>
October- November Challenge
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
I shall be delighted to give this challenge of thine a try! Thank thee for sharing and starting this good friend! Regards to thee,
~ Timothy
Hi Kate, I am struggling a bit with the instruction here, what or where is keats?
Mod
@Peter- Oh I'm so sorry. That was a typo. It was meant to say, "Write at least one paragraph or more." Least was changed to Keats. I'm sorry! I hope that makes sense now. (:
Thanks Kate, now I understand :)
Mod
Sorry, I won't have time to participate in the challenge. Hopefully another time.
Mod
:) I already have an idea to share, I just do not want to look too eager, and I want to check it all out with Sarayu first.
Mod
You have to have read The Shack to recognise that reference to the Holy Spirit. Just testing :)
Mod
Mary Kate wrote: "As of October 25th- November 15th here is the challenge:****Study upon the Birth of Jesus and tell in at Keats a paragraph or more what His birth brought into the world that was present at His bir..."
I will.
Mod
Mary Kate, just because some people feel threatened by a novel view of the godhead I was not prepared to miss a book which I felt led to read. And I am glad I read it. The discomfort of what I regard the established church has only served to make me more interested and willing to discover what the author is trying to say, but more importantly what God wanted to say to me through the words of this book.Yes I loved The Shack and would recomend it to anyone who truly wishes to stretch their understanding of the faith they have grown up in.
Mod
Mary Kate, if I gave you the impression I thought you were attacking me, I apologise. I did not feel that and I did not wish to pressurise you in any way. I thought I heard the voice of someone who had been 'warned off' by the voices that say there is dodgy theology in The Shack.But if Sarayu :) has not nudged you to read it then it is not yet time for you to read it. You probably do not need to hear the message it contains.
I know that has always been part of how I choose to read books.
Bless you
Mod
So true (:
Mod
Mod
I'm in. This is one of my favorite subjects. I go deep.
Mod
We have five people now ((((:
Mod
So much could be said. . . At the Messiah's birth, there were shepherds, angels, a star which the wise men were following and arrived later, Light—the true Light—was drawing nigh, David's son yet David's LORD, the dawn of salvation was making its way to be spread like yeast in bread, King of kings and Lord of lords. . . This and so much more. . . The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. His birth was the dawning and fulfilling of Jeremiah the prophet: I shall make a new covenant with the house of Judah and the house of Israel. . . The birth of Jesus usher'd in a new means of approaching Him in the Holy of Holy places, as at His death, the veil of the temple rent asunder from top to bottom. The birth of Christ: wise men and women still follow Him, seek Him, and long to better know Him and His Words. May the true meaning of His birth be constantly within our hearts and minds always! Blessings to each of thee, ~ Timothy
The birth of Christ, what was present at his birth?Well this all depends on how you view the event that changed the history of the world. I mean was it simply the birth of a baby, all be it a baby who is God's son and his planned saviour of the world, or was it the invasion of enemy occupied territory by God, his first move to overthrow satan's forces on earth?
Okay I hear you asking - where is he getting this from? Well if you look in Revelation 12 you will see how John the Apostle recorded the event of Christ's birth. A pregnant woman with a mighty dragon awaiting the birth of her boy child, conflict in heaven and fallen angels, a child who will rule the world, I will let you read the rest.
Does that sound like Silent Night or Little Town of Bethlehem? Not to me. That looks like a serious power struggle, and that is what it was. A power struggle between the king of the world and the Lord of lords!
So what did he bring? He brought war!
Isaiah 7:14 has been debated over the years. The atheists the says that this scripture means that the woman is a young woman and not a virgin. The have American teenage girls on their minds. The think that all teenage girls have sex. However, this scripture is addressing a totally different culture. In ancient Israel teenage girls where virgins otherwise they would be stoned unless they were rapped. This is a dual prophecy. This prophecy has already came to pass once in the Tenakh, and it came to pass again in the gospels. There are many dual prophecies in the Bible.
Although the first prophecy was fulfilled in Ahaz's lifetime. The second prophecy was fulfilled in the gospels. What's the difference? Easy! You can tell the difference with Immanuel. The prophecy says that that baby's name will be Immanuel; which means "God's with us."
Mod
@Peter- Great work!! That is a very new outlook. One I haven't heard before. Shows you took deep thought in such and creativity! Awesome!!
@James- Very deep!! Oh yes, the world tends to look at the Bible within the same culture we are in now. And in that way they stumble upon lots of problems. People want to look at the miracles as natural occurences and when they feel they can't explain something they change it so they can. God doesn't need natural order to do His miracles, never has. He uses natural occurences, yes. But He can do it just because He wants to, also! Very keen observance!! (:
Y'all are doing great *handclaps*
What did Jesus bring with Him at birth. The onset of a new way of life. A promise of peace. The opening of the door to eternal life and hope.
Mod
Ever imagined what a little girl, like Mary went through that night? Historically, Mary was about thirteen or fourteen years old and a virgin. Christians forget that she was a VIRGIN! She pushed a baby out of an nonstretched womb. She was literally being ripped open from the inside out. Can you imagine the pain and the blood loss? When people say that the Virgin birth was a miracle, they have no idea!
Mod
Yes she was. See how Isaiah's prophecy fit so eloquently and precise.
Mod
Only Matthew and Luke really speak about Jesus's birth in a historical way, the other gospels almost go straight to when Jesus is older.Jesus's birth was an absolutely amazing event. It defies science and all logic or reason. But it is true and it really happened. Mary was probably only thirteen when she was told by an angel that the Holy Spirit would come over her and she would be pregnant. Do you know how scary that must've been? But all she said was. Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38) She was so strong and later rejoiced over it. That is just wow.
Then while she was pregnant she traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. That's estimated to be about 68 miles! That is a long trip for someone without a car or anything like that. But she and Joseph did it.
When she gave birth to Jesus, she laid him in a manger (a trough that animals eat out of). The Son of God was laid in a manger! That is very low from being with God in Heaven in all his majesty.
There were angels who told shepherds in fields nearby who were told about Jesus from angels. Angels! And wise men (we actually don't know how many there were, but we sometimes assume three because their were three gifts) were guided by a star to where Jesus was in Bethlehem. The wise men probably saw Jesus a few years after his birth. They gave him three expensive gifts and bowed down and worshipped him.
I watched this documentary called The Star of Bethlehem a few years ago. This man talked about how he could find about the exact date of when Jesus was born by following the history of the stars. It was really neat. He even explained how there was that one bright star that shown over Bethlehem. I'd recommend everyone watching it when you get the chance.
I think this is the documentary on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oGUlWa2...
Mod
And I plan to watch that documentary sometime (:
Mod
Cause I know I've been known to randomly forget things xP
Mary Kate wrote: "As of October 25th- November 15th here is the challenge:****Study upon the Birth of Jesus and tell in at Keats a paragraph or more what His birth brought into the world that was present at His bir..."
The Birth of Christ says to me that God gave up everything to come to us and live by example and share our suffering and our joy and die an extremely excruciating death - facing the worst of all possible fears and punishment in order that he could impute to me His goodness to stand in place of my weakness and so it is the ultimate act of Love.
And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. - Luke 1:41It was John, not yet born, who was the first person to understand the promise and hope of Jesus. His role was to be the messenger, preparing the way of the Lord.
It is the promise and hope of Jesus that we look forward to as Christians, and to filled with the Holy Spirit in the present time.
How can we not also leap for joy at the coming of our Lord?
Mod
@Heather- Amen! Brilliant!!! And I'm so glad he did!!! (((:
@Matt- That is just grand!!!!! Exactly right on :D
Mod
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
****Study upon the Birth of Jesus and tell in at Keats a paragraph or more what His birth brought into the world that was present at His birth.**** this may seem deep but let the Lord lead. Here are some verses to get you started: http://www.biblestudytools.com/topica...
Now go (; I know life is busy but God takes care if all the billions if people in the world but still has time for you, I think you will be blessed spending a bit in his word, especially when its busy and near Halloween. God loves you so!! Thanks much!!!! (((: