The Parable Of The Wedding Banquet

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

“But they paid no attention and went off–one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matt 22:1-14)

Why All The Parables?

The Greek word for parable literally means to set along side. A fictional earthly story is set alongside a heavenly truth to help convey its meaning. When the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to the people in parables He said,

“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matt. 13:11-12)

In effect this means a parable was meant to accomplish two things: 1) to instruct His followers, and 2) to confuse everyone else. These seemingly conflicting objectives can both be accomplished because it’s the Holy Spirit who gives us the understanding we need. Without the Holy Spirit no one can comprehend the things of God. Paul put it this way;

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:14)

The parable of the wedding banquet is a good example. It’s either very instructive or very confusing depending on your understanding of the Bible. (A working knowledge of Jewish wedding customs during Biblical times can also be helpful but is not essential.)

The Wedding Planner

First century Jewish wedding customs held that the father of the groom was in charge of the event and bore all the expense associated with the wedding and the banquet that followed. I’ve been told that in case of royalty or the very wealthy this often included providing a specially made garment to be worn over a guest’s regular clothing. This wedding garment was presented to the guest upon arrival and donned immediately. Refusal to wear it was an insult to the Father of the groom and could get a guest ejected from the festivities. In case of large gatherings it also served as identification to discourage uninvited guests from crashing the party.

As I said, the Parables of our Lord Jesus are earthly stories meant to explain heavenly truths. Each person or object is symbolic of someone or something else. Understanding the symbolism is crucial to discovering the lesson of the Parable. In fact receiving the full theological impact of a parable requires such an understanding.

The King represents God the Father, His Son our Lord Jesus. Invited guests who declined His invitation symbolize Israel’s rejection of the Messiah and the servants He sent to invite them are the prophets. The city He destroyed is Jerusalem, and the wedding banquet is the Kingdom of Heaven. This puts the timing of the parable at the Second Coming.

Do You Know The Bride?

Some say the last group He sent His servants out to invite represents the Church, but the symbolism and timing are wrong. The Church is the Bride of Christ (Ephes. 5:25-27), not a group of last minute substitute guests. Since Israel had already declined His invitation, and the Church (being the bride) would not need an invitation, who could these guests be?

They have to come from a time after the Bride is chosen and prepared, because the wedding banquet is ready and only the guests are lacking for the festivities to begin. They’re from a group we call Tribulation believers, those who come to faith after the Rapture of the Church in Revelation 4 but before the Wedding Banquet of Revelation 19.

Here’s The Real Lesson Of The Parable

The wedding garment represents God’s righteousness. This is a concept explained on several occasions in both the Old and New Testaments. Isaiah described our righteousness as filthy rags (Isa 64:6) and God’s righteousness as “garments of salvation” and “robes of righteousness” (Isa 61:10) where the acquisition of these qualities is likened to clothing given us at a wedding.

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isa 61:10).

In Revelation 19 the church has been prepared as a bride having been clothed in white linen, representing our righteousness. But as in Isaiah 61:10, the righteousness symbolized by the clothing is given to the bride, not purchased or earned. Paul said that ours is a righteousness that comes to us through faith (Romans 3:21-22).

The fact that a guest is thrown out into the darkness for not wearing wedding clothes indicates these last minute guests are required to be clothed in “garments of salvation” as well. Rev. 16:15 tells us Tribulation believers will have to “keep their clothes with them.” In other words they’ll be responsible for maintaining the righteousness they will have been given by obeying God’s commandments and remaining faithful to Jesus (Rev. 14:12). Only the Church has been promised the gift of eternal security.

Therefore the guest who was escorted out had been a Tribulation believer who was now trying to gain entrance to the banquet in his own clothing, having lost or discarded the “garment of salvation” he’d been given. He was hoping to gain entrance to the kingdom in his own righteousness, which as Isaiah said, is like filthy rags in God’s sight.

This is another slant on the parable of the 10 bridesmaids (Matt. 25:1-13). The setting there is also the time of the 2nd Coming. And again, the Church is not a bridesmaid. The Church is the bride and could not be refused admittance to her own wedding banquet. The five who were excluded were tribulation believers who had lost their salvation either by not obeying God’s commandments or by not remaining faithful to Jesus or both. This is indicated by their lack of sufficient oil, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is sealed within the Church as a deposit guaranteeing our salvation (Ephes 1:13-14), the bridesmaids who were excluded from the banquet have to represent a post rapture group from whom the Holy Spirit had departed for lack of faith.

Many are invited, but few are chosen (Matt 22:1-14). God doesn’t desire that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But whether it’s the Bride or the wedding guests, the only righteousness that gains us admission into His presence is that which is given us as a gift and accepted in faith (Rom 3:21-22). All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal 3:27). For God made Him Who had no sin to become sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). Selah.

Rolling through the bay

La monnaie européenne et ses symboles religieux -1

La monnaie européenne et ses symboles religieux -1

http://schoenelblog2.blogspot.com.br/

De temps en temps je rafraichis la mémoire spirituelle de l’Epouse du Christ pour lui rappeler que la base de ses réflexions doit être spirituelle et non terrestre. Il est beaucoup question de la crise européenne de la dette en ce moment et du sauvetage de la zone euro. D’un point de vue spirituel, l’euro devrait être considéré comme un artéfact spirituel ou la projection visible d’une domination spirituelle maléfique. Dans le cas de l’euro il ne s’agit pas d’une représentation de Mammon comme simple représentation de l’argent en général, mais plutôt, comme aime à nous le rappeler tellement nos politiciens éclairés par leur porteur de lumière, Lucifer, une idée de l’Europe comme concept politique. Car de plus en plus on nous répète que ce fut une erreur de mettre en place la monnaie sans prévoir une fédéralisation des pays de la zone. Toute les négociations actuelles concernant le pacte budgétaire européen, n’a qu’un but, donner à la Bête de l’Apocalypse, une tête unique, un chef, un messie en hébreu, qui dirige politiquement la zone. Les différences culturelles empêchant les rapprochements, le diable les contraint désormais financièrement en les enfonçant dans des dettes impayables à se fédérer autour de lui.

La Banque centrale européenne (BCE) résiste. Ni la menace de sortie de la Grèce de la zone euro, ni les risques de contagion aux autres Etats membres ne l'ont encore convaincue d'intervenir. La voix la plus audible jusqu'ici a été celle de Jean-Claude Trichet, l'ancien président de l'institution, qui a plaidé pour un « fédéralisme d'exception » lors d'un discours à Washington. En clair, selon lui, lorsqu'un Etat membre menace de faire faillite, l'Union européenne doit prendre le contrôle de ses finances publiques. La position officielle de la BCE, elle, se résume à « préférer »que la Grèce reste dans l'euro. L'heure est néanmoins à fourbir les boucliers. La BCE devient par la force des choses le ‘sauveur’ en dernier recours.

Il est évident que le mode de consommation occidental et son modèle économique basée sur une croissance sans fin sont le vrai problème actuel, mais il n’en est jamais fait mention. Toute une génération a vécu au-dessus de ses moyens, accumulant une montagne de dette qui nous écrase désormais. Mais ni un changement du modèle de consommation ou celui du financement de la dette est envisagé. Car il serait possible de produire durablement ou de financer les Etats directement par la banque centrale avec un taux 0, donc sans intérêts, mais alors il deviendrait difficile pour Satan de réduire en esclavage sa civilisation corrompue par l’argent.

On impose donc un modèle économique et une monnaie qui sont le reflet du Maître, Baal et de son corps, la monnaie. Car dans l’antiquité l’or était considéré comme le corps des dieux et la monnaie qu’on en tirait, l’expression de leur autorité. Les premières pièces furent frappées dans des temples et les idoles qui y étaient représentées gardaient le trésor des royaumes à l’abri de leurs regards. Ainsi quand le besoin s’en faisait sentir, on puisait dans le trésor du temple l’or nécessaire pour financer une guerre, des travaux ou un tribut. Ce principe valait à Jérusalem du temps de Jésus, où les pharisiens et les saducéens se disputaient l’autorité sur le temple justement à cause de l’immense profit qu’ils en tiraient. On connait la suite de l’histoire…

Pour que l’Europe connaisse à nouveau la croissance économique, Messieurs Attali et Lamy proposent les projects bonds. On parle là d’investir plus de 1000 milliards d’euros. Comment sera financé cet énorme gâteau, qui aiguisera les appétits des lobbyistes et des corrupteurs ? Il le sera par de l’endettement ! Oui, nous allons financer la « relance de l’économie » par de la dette, la source du problème. Mais pour que cela fonctionne, il faudra fédérer les ressources et les dépenses futurs, afin qu’une administration commune gère toute la zone et les budgets des Etats, pour éviter les dérives à la grecque. Un "eurobond" ou "euro-obligation" unifierait le principe de l’endettement et celui de l’autorité de tutelle satanique sur toute la zone euro. Le nouveau Président de la Banque Centrale européenne, Mario Dragon, pardon Draghi, c’est la même chose en italien, va donc mettre en place le plan décidé par son maitre à la BRI. La marque de la Bête sera donc bien appliquée au fer rouge sur toutes les mains européennes. Mais qu’est-ce que l’euro ?

Comment faire reposer la gouvernance d’un continent entier, peuplé de 400 millions d’individus, sur la couronne d’une seule reine ? En substance la reine mentionnée ici est, la reine du ciel et mère de Dieu, Vierge immaculé représentant le corps mystique de l’Eglise. Tout un édifice communautaire complexe, d’airain et d’argile, scellant des alliances fragiles repose sur une base aussi étroite qu’une simple pièce de monnaie frappée du sceau de la reine du ciel, symbole de son autorité suprême.

Je voulais reprendre un ancien article écrit sur mon premier blog, mais bizarrement l’article sur les pièces en euro a disparu, je vais donc réactualiser les connaissances sur ces choses cachées, car j’aime bien que la lumière brille dans les ténèbres, moi. On va donc commencer par le drapeau européen, les pièces en euro puis les billets. Comme toutes les pièces européennes sont frappées du symbole des douze étoiles mariales, il convient de revenir à l’idée de base qui a motivé ce choix.

Le drapeau européen

Sans avoir besoin de lancer un sondage, il est probable que bien peu de citoyens appartenant à l'U.E. (anciennement la C.E.E.) connaissent l'historique du choix du drapeau Européen et la nature de l'inspiration de son auteur, un strasbourgeois, Arsène HEITZ, travaillant au service du courrier du Conseil de l'Europe, qui à lui seul a conçu une vingtaine de projets sur les 101 présentés entre 1950 et 1955! « C'est à moi qu'on a demandé de dessiner le Drapeau de l'Europe. J'ai eu subitement l'idée d'y mettre les douze étoiles de la Médaille Miraculeuse de la rue du Bac, sur fond bleu, couleur de la Sainte Vierge. Et mon projet fut adopté à l'unanimité, le 8 décembre 1955, fête de l'Immaculée Conception. »

Ces aveux, du créateur même du drapeau européen, ne peuvent que conforter une signification qui n’est ni d'inspiration maçonnique, ni ésotérique, ni technocratique, mais bel est bien inspirée par l'église catholique romaine. Les douze étoiles ne correspondaient pas, à ce moment-là, au nombre des nations. Le Parlement Européen était «conçu pour» douze nations, mais le drapeau de l'Europe est le drapeau du « Conseil de l'Europe », et ce Conseil n'a jamais comporté douze nations : il en a comporté successivement six, neuf, puis quinze... et actuellement bien plus. Les discussions, réunions, commissions et sous-commissions furent innombrables, pendant plus de cinq ans, de 1949 à 1955. Finalement, c'est le 8 décembre 1955 que le dessin de M. Heitz fut retenu... à l'unanimité !

En effet, les douze étoiles n'ont rien à voir avec le nombre des nations tel qu'on a pu le croire à une époque mais fait directement référence aux douze étoiles de " la médaille miraculeuse de Notre Dame " de la rue du Bac à Paris.

Evidemment, il fallait éviter d'évoquer la signification religieuse des douze étoiles et du fond bleu, en vertu de la sacro-sainte laïcité. En 1950, c'était M. Paul M.G Lévy qui était le premier Directeur au Service de Presse du Conseil de l'Europe. C'est donc lui qui fut chargé de faire aboutir le projet de Drapeau. Cet homme très cultivé ne savait pas dessiner. Mais il connaissait M. Arsène Heitz, homme très simple, employé au service du courrier, mais très artiste pour peindre et dessiner. Tous deux étaient de bons catholiques. M. Paul M.G. Lévy avait une réunion de 3 jours, fixée aux 7, 8 et 9 décembre, pour faire adopter tout un ensemble de projets. Tous les documents sont datés du 9 décembre, puisqu'on signe l'ensemble à la fin de la réunion. Mais tout alla si vite et si bien que cette assemblée termina son travail le 8 décembre, jour où furent apposées les signatures particulières. Et en sortant de la salle, le gendre de Paul Claudel poussa du coude M. Lévy en murmurant: «Mais c'est aujourd'hui la fête de la fête de L'immaculée Conception! » Et tous deux ont retrouvé sans le vouloir le fameux introït du 15 août : « Un signe grandiose est apparu dans le ciel, une femme revêtue du soleil, la lune sous ses pieds, et sur sa tête une couronne de 12 étoiles. » (Apocalypse XII, 1). Arsène Heitz, lui, homme simple, parlait des 12 étoiles de la Médaille Miraculeuse. M. Lévy, professeur d'économie politique, parlait du chapitre 12 de l'Apocalypse.

Le drapeau a été officiellement présenté au public le 13 Décembre 1955...
Le 13 Décembre, à (6 + 6 + 6) ou 18 jours de la fin de l'année, est la fête de Sainte Lucie, Lucie signifie "lumière" en latin. Sainte Lucie fut fêtée dès le Moyen Age en Scandinavie, sur sa tête repose une couronne de bougies allumées (elle porte des lumières), ce qui lui laissait les mains libres pour transporter mets et boissons et éclairer son chemin la nuit (là encore en portant une torche, elle porte la lumière).

Les apparitions de la vierge, rue du Bac.

Les fameuses étoiles européennes sont donc la reproduction de celles figurant sur la médaille miraculeuse de Notre-Dame, emblème de la chapelle du Sacré-Cœur de Jésus construite en 1815. Ici, au 140, rue du Bac (Paris-7e), Catherine Labouré, une fille de paysans de 23 ans entrée dans les ordres, aurait par trois fois vu la Sainte Vierge en 1830.Marie lui aurait demandé de faire réaliser une médaille la représentant entourée des douze étoiles citées dans l’Apocalypse. Catherine Labouré aperçoit le 27 novembre 1830 une apparition de la Vierge, debout, les pieds posés sur un globe terrestre, où s'agite un serpent de couleur verdâtre. La Vierge avait le pied posé sur le serpent. Elle dit : "Cette boule représente le monde entier, la France, chaque personne en particulier."
La Vierge tenait entre ses mains un globe plus petit surmonté d'une croix d'or. Tout à coup les doigts de ses mains se remplissent d'anneaux porteurs de diamants qui jettent des rayons de lumière de tous côtés.

Le contexte historique de la médaille de la Rue du Bac.

Les apparitions de la Vierge s’inscrivirent dans un contexte bien particulier, qui s’apparente plus à une reprise en main directe par le prince de ce monde qui voit la domination sans partage, pendant plus mille ans, de "son" église être battu en brèche spirituellement, d’abord par la réforme protestante, puis au XVIII siècle par le réveil méthodiste de John Wesley. Auxquels il faut rajouter les évènements révolutionnaires français du début du XVIII siècle qui jetèrent l’Europe dans un grand chaos. En France on assiste à la destruction des cathédrales, des églises et des couvents. Partout, écrit Châteaubriand, on peut apercevoir les ruines des églises et des couvents; les hommes, d’une certaine manière, se divertissaient à se promener sur de telles ruines. Tout l’épiscopat, ajoute Montalembert, se trouve en persécution, les prêtres sont envoyés à la guillotine ou exilés.
Les révolutionnaires cherchent à convaincre les hommes que la religion est une folie, une erreur, qui se base sur l’ignorance et sur la superstition. La vague révolutionnaire alla jusqu’à chasser le pape de la ville éternelle, siège séculaire du vicaire de Rome. Le 24 novembre 1848, portant le "Saint Sacrement" sur son cœur, Pie IX fuyait de Rome pour sauver sa vie dans l’exil et ne pas priver l’église de son chef. A Rome la révolution chantait victoire : on proclama la république, le gouvernement fut confié à un triumvirat. “Le peuple est l’unique maître”, hurlait la foule devenue féroce.

C’est dans ce contexte catastrophique que "Marie" apparut plusieurs fois au XVIII siècle afin de sauver "son" église, il y a urgence car l’église catholique romaine est en passe de s’effondrer.

Tandis que le pape exilé observait de la forteresse de Gaète cette terrible situation, le cardinal Lambruschini se présenta à lui en disant : «Saint Père, Votre sainteté n’assainira de nouveau le monde qu’en déclarant l’immaculée conception de Marie comme dogme de foi.Le 2 février 1849, de Gaète il adresse aux évêques catholiques la lettre encyclique «Ubi Primum», dans laquelle il ordonne que partout on élève de ferventes prières et que l’on prépare ce qui est nécessaire pour la solennelle définition de "l’Immaculée Conception de Marie". Plus de 500 évêques, cardinaux, patriarches répondirent au Saint Père qu’ils attendaient avec anxiété le jour de la définition dogmatique de l’Immaculée Conception. L’épiscopat répondit : «Parle, oh! Pierre, par la bouche de Dieu, et nous écouterons humblement». Où est le pape là est l’Eglise et la forteresse de Gaète devint une nouvelle Rome chrétienne. Des millions de cœurs s’unirent en prière et s’adressèrent à l’immaculée conception pour sauver le Pape exilé, pour anéantir les phalanges des ennemis de l’Église.

Le 12 avril 1850 Pie IX retourna à Rome. Aux salves s’unissait la jubilation de la population qui criait ses vivats. Le Capitole, la Coupole de Saint Pierre et toute la ville était en liesse. Ce changement subit Pie IX l’attribua à celle qu’il avait appelée en aide dans la forteresse de Gaète; et se convainquit que le dogme de l’immaculée conception était ce remède que Dieu avait ordonné pour notre époque. Et finalement le 8 décembre 1854, en présence de 200 évêques, Pie IX lui-même dans la basilique Saint-Pierre posait sur le chef de Marie la couronne sans tache, définissait le dogme catholique de l’immaculée conception. Le règne du Christ Roi s'acheva et commença celui de la"Reine du Ciel".

On ignore souvent que les apparitions de la Chapelle de la Rue du Bac ont préparé également les 18 (3 X 6) apparitions de Lourdes en 1858. "La dame de la grotte m'est apparue telle qu'elle est représentée sur la médaille miraculeuse" en disant « je suis l’Immaculée Conception » a déclaré Bernadette qui portait sur elle la médaille de la Rue du Bac. Un immense mouvement de foi maritale s’en suivit en France.

Le 8 décembre 1854 prépara le 18 juillet 1870. Après le dogme de l’Immaculée Conception, devait venir le dogme de l’infaillibilité du pape. Et ainsi l’immaculée conception anéantit l’hérésie de ceux qui ne reconnaissent pas une telle infaillibilité, elle fit en sorte que le prisonnier du Vatican devint le centre autour duquel gravitât le monde; et il fut le promoteur principal du renouveau catholique. Le maître reprit fermement les rênes des destinées humaines en Europe avec tant d’autorité qu’il poussa son audace jusqu’à en imprimer sa marque sur l’étendard européen.

Il est évident que c’est la "Vierge Marie" qui sauva du naufrage l’église catholique romaine au XVIII siècle, sans elle aucun renouveau spirituel catholique n’eut été possible.

Third Georgia patient comes down with flesh eating bacterial infection

Third Georgia patient comes down with flesh eating bacterial infection

http://the-end-time.blogspot.com.br/

Three people from Georgia have now been infected and are being treated for the dread flesh-eating bacterial infection.

1. Aimee Copeland was riding a homemade zip line near the Little Tallapoosa River near Carollton, Georgia May 1st when the line snapped, causing a gash in her left calf. The bacteria thought to have triggered the infection, Aeromonas hydrophila, thrives in warm climates and fresh (brackish) water, like the river where Copeland was kayaking and zip lining with friends.

2. Lana Kuykendall was infected on May 7th after she gave birth to twins at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

3. Bobby Vaughn of Cartersville, Georgia's story-- "Reports emerge of third flesh-eating bacteria victim with ties to Georgia." Vaughn is a Cartersville landscaper who was injured at work May 4th when he fell from a tree and suffered a cut to his side.

The scale of miles between each location where the patient became infected is that each side of the triangle is roughly 50 miles from each destination. The distances are not long.

OK, one is a freak thing, two is something that makes me go HMMM, but three is a pattern. Three from the Atlanta area is just too close for comfort!

But now there is one in Long Island NY, a veteran fought for his life from a hospital bed warding off this weird bacteria. He survived. The article says that the bacteria "is rare". I think they need to look up the definition of "rare" again. Four in the news in one week, suddenly, is not rare. It's freaky...

I think of the verse that will be fulfilled in the Tribulation, the one where Jesus promised that there will be pestilences, (Luke 21:11; Rev 6:8). He created the entire world and all that is within it in 6 days. He can create a disease that will kill a fourth of mankind. Or He will allow a mutation of a disease that man in his own sin created, to kill a fourth of mankind. Or both.

What we have today is a flesh eating bacteria that is hard to handle in these relatively calm times with all the focus of the practicing experts brought to bear, with a total focus of curing the patient afflicted with it. A cure is almost too hard for them to manage now. Imagine when things are really chaotic and a quarter of the world is dying from plagues and wars and other deathly afflictions. If a person in the Tribulation catches this bacteria you will watch your flesh rot off while doctors are performing triage on patients worse off than you, until even they are overwhelmed with the flood of medical emergencies and finally practicing medicine as we know it sputters to a halt. If you believe I am overstating things, look what happened during Katrina.

I bring these unpalatable things to mind for you so as to think on His mercy. THIS is the age of grace, when repentance will bring joy and redemption to the penitent. Submitting to the loving care of the Savior brings to fruition for each individual all the promises of glory, peace, eternal joy with Him in heaven. Rejecting His offer of grace brings pain, death, and eternal separation from all his promises in hellish agony.

He said that he told us these things head of time so that when they came to pass you would believe. This presently ending of the Age of Grace is the last lead-time you will have to make these choices. (John 13:19). You can choose Jesus during the Tribulation, IF you survive any part of it, IF you don't wait too long before all the world becomes deluded by the antichrist, IF Jesus doesn't give you over to your perversions first, IF......

No, do it NOW. He loves you and wants you. He wants YOU.

Un G8 toujours aussi vain

dimanche 20 mai 2012
Un G8 toujours aussi vain
http://schoenelblog2.blogspot.com.br/

Les dirigeants des pays du G8 ont plaidé samedi avec un bel ensemble en faveur de la croissance économique pour compenser l'effet de l'austérité budgétaire et appelé de leurs vœux le maintien de la Grèce dans la zone euro. "Tous les dirigeants sont d'accord aujourd'hui ici, la croissance et l'emploi doivent être notre priorité absolue", a déclaré le président Barack Obama, hôte du sommet organisé dans sa résidence forestière de Camp David, en clôturant les travaux. Le renouvellement des chefs d’Etats autour de la table des négociations, en dit long sur la profondeur de la crise actuelle.

La crise de la dette qui balaye les chefs d’Etats les uns après autres, montre l’inéficacité économique des politiques employées dans le monde occidental depuis 60 ans. Sur fond de guerre monétaire pour assurer la survie économique des blocs occidentaux, les Etats-Unis en sont à produire 2,5 dollars de dette pour 1 dollars de croissance, l’échec est patent. L’Europe suit le même chemin mais par des mesures drastiques de réductions budgétaires le poids de la dette va être maitrisé à moyen terme, sauf si on rechute en récession rapide, ce qui semble être le cas. Car un profile en W s’amorce et rechute comme en 2007. Alors on lâche du lest en espérant que les choses vont s’améliorer.

Dans une interview récente à Bloomberg TV, le lauréat du prix Nobel et économiste Paul Krugman a dit: «J'aurais aimé avoir eu tort pour le salut du monde" au sujet de sa prédiction selon laquelle les "austériens" (les partisans chevronnés de l'austérité, NDA) qui « faisaient pression pour l'austérité budgétaire détruiraient l'Europe. Ce sentiment trouve un écho dans des pays tels que les Pays-Bas, entre autres, qui ont annoncé qu'ils allaient recommencer à dépenser. Et la victoire du nouvellement élu président français François Hollande est une manifestation du rejet absolu des mesures d'austérité. »

La planche à billet est actuellement la seule planche de salut US et si on compare les niveaux d’endettements dans le monde, le cas grec présenté comme catastrophique, fait doucement sourire face à celui des Etats-Unis. L’explosion de la bulle immobilière américaine a été le révélateur de l’entrée en phase terminale d’un modèle ayant déjà sombré en 1929. Les pertes induites ayant menacé en 2008 d’emporter le système bancaire dérégulé, les États sont venus à son secours, ainsi qu’à celui de l’économie en profonde récession. Les pertes ont ainsi été transférées aux États, mais leur taille gigantesque a entrainé l’explosion des dettes publiques, et une deuxième phase de la crise.

En marge du G8: l’Iran

Mais les dossiers économiques ne sont pas les seuls sur la table du G8, également bien encombrée par des dossiers de politique internationale brûlants. Vendredi soir, au cours d'un dîner de travail, les dirigeants du Groupe des Huit ont ainsi abordé les questions de l'Iran, de la Syrie et de la Corée du Nord. Ils ont convenu lors de cette première rencontre qu'il était urgent que l'Iran prenne des mesures concrètes pour assurer la communauté internationale de la nature pacifique de son programme nucléaire.

Les dirigeants du G8 ont augmenté samedi la pression sur l'Iran en laissant entendre qu'ils étaient prêts à puiser dès cet été dans leurs réserves stratégiques de pétrole si un durcissement éventuel des sanctions contre Téhéran devait limiter les approvisionnements sur le marché. Avec un franc-parler inhabituel, le G8 a demandé à l'Agence internationale de l'énergie (AIE), l'organisation internationale qui coordonne l'utilisation des réserves des pays occidentaux, de se tenir prête à agir. "En prévision de probables perturbations dans les ventes de pétrole (...) nous nous tenons prêts à demander (à l'AIE) de prendre les mesures appropriées pour s'assurer de l'approvisionnement complet et opportun du marché", a déclaré le G8 dans un communiqué publié dans la foulée du sommet à Camp David. Il s'agit du dernier signe en date du soutien gagné par Barack Obama auprès de ses alliés pour puiser pour la deuxième fois en deux ans dans les réserves stratégiques, une première au cours du mandat d'un président américain.

Certains pays occidentaux envisagent une action militaire contre l'Iran qu'ils soupçonnent de vouloir se doter de l'arme nucléaire, a déclaré dimanche le vice-ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Sergueï Riabkov. Le responsable russe s'adressait à des journalistes dans l'avion qui le ramenait du sommet du G8 à Camp David, où les dirigeants mondiaux ont laissé entendre qu'ils étaient prêts à puiser dès cet été dans leurs réserves stratégiques de pétrole si un durcissement éventuel des sanctions contre Téhéran devait limiter les approvisionnements sur le marché. "C'est l'un des signes nombreux et variés, venant de plusieurs sources, qui montrent que l'option militaire est considérée comme possible et réaliste", a dit Riabkov. "Nous recevons des indications, à la fois par des canaux publics et par nos services de renseignement, selon lesquelles cette option est considérée dans certaines capitales comme désormais plus plausible."

Petit à petit la focale se resserre sur l’Iran. Israël voit monter la menace iranienne et s’impatiente, l’Amérique et l’Europe se prépare au pire en organisant dès à présent l’organisation des réserves de pétrole en cas de blocage du détroit d’Ormuz. La Russie a refusé de livrer des missiles très sophistiqués au prétexte qu’ils tombent sous le 4e train de sanctions imposées à l’Iran par le Conseil de Sécurité, et le Président Medvedev publia un décret, en septembre 2010, interdisant la vente des S-300 à Téhéran, en citant les restrictions imposées par le Conseil de Sécurité de l’ONU à l’Iran en raison de ses activités nucléaires. Selon l’agence iranienne Fars, la Russie a remboursé, avec les intérêts de retard, les acomptes que l’Iran a versé pour sa commande de missiles de défense S-300. D’après le contrat passé en 2007, la Russie devait livrer au moins cinq systèmes de missiles de défense S-300. L’Iran n’a donc aucun moyen d’empêcher une frappe israélienne avec ses moyens actuels et les grands blocs USA, Europe et Russie s’organisent autour de la négociation de la dernière chance. Mais il doit être clair pour le monde chrétien, qu’une guerre avec l’Iran, conjuguée avec une crise économique majeure, va transformer la société occidentale en profondeur, de manière extrêmement rapide.

'Political Correctness' Is Totalitarian Mind Control

'Political Correctness' Is Totalitarian Mind Control

By David Kupelian WND

“PC is, strictly speaking, a totalitarian philosophy.” —Newsweek, Dec. 24, 1990, “Thought Police” cover story

A major engine for the left’s insatiable quest for power goes under the strange name of “political correctness”—an insidious frontal attack on common sense and conscience through language manipulation.

Many people mistakenly regard political correctness as just a nutty liberal fetish for not hurting people’s feelings. Words and phrases are continually decreed to be “insensitive” to various “minorities” and therefore replaced with euphemisms so as to avoid real or perceived offense.

People who are mentally retarded used to be called “idiots,” “imbeciles” and “morons”—psychological terms that correspond to different IQ ranges (0-25 for idiots, 26-50 for imbeciles, 51-70 for morons). But as those words gradually came to be considered offensive, the euphemism “retarded” came into vogue. When “retarded” came to be regarded as insensitive, new-and-nicer euphemisms like “intellectual disability” and being “intellectually challenged” emerged, culminating with “special.” It’s hard to be offended over being “special.”

In like manner, the deaf became “hearing impaired,” the blind “vision impaired” and the crippled “mobility impaired,” inspiring a new breed of cocktail-party jokes wherein the bald are “folically challenged” and so on.

More subversively, however, people’s ignoble or criminal qualities became disguised and excused with euphemisms: “Illegal aliens” became “illegal immigrants” and then “undocumented immigrants” and presto-chango, something bad was magically transformed into something good. Homosexuals became “gay,” abortion advocates became “pro-choice” and atheists became “brights,” each euphemism converting a negative association into a positive one. Today, increasing numbers of people refer to pedophilia as “intergenerational sex” and child molesters as “minor-attracted persons” or MAPs. (In Islam, the popular euphemism for pedophilia is “child marriage,” just as adultery is called “temporary marriage.” Really.)

Of course, Islam has become a major beneficiary of political correctness, reminiscent of what George Orwell called “Newspeak” in his novel “1984.” After 19 Muslim terrorists, acting in the name of Islam, murdered almost 3,000 Americans in a wanton act of war on Sept. 11, 2001, the government and media, to avoid offending Muslims, declared Islam to be a “religion of peace.”

The Islamic jihad declared on America was mysteriously referred to by our leaders as a “war on terror” involving some unnamed enemy. But even that awkward and evasive expression was deemed too insensitive toward Islam, so under Obama the euphemizing turned surreal when “war on terror” morphed into “overseas contingency operations.” Likewise, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano came up with a friendly new phrase for mass-murder terror attacks. Announcing that she was deliberately avoiding the term “terrorism” in speeches because “we want to move away from the politics of fear,” she adopted the term “man-caused disasters.”

All of this is not, however, just a matter of annoyingly manipulative “word games.” Our civilization is literally being turned upside-down through the strategic redefinition (and therefore transformation) of our society’s operating principles.

Today’s most obvious case in point: Barack Obama, a far-left radical manifestly hostile toward free-market capitalism and American exceptionalism—in fact, to just about everything American—but who campaigned using powerfully evocative words of national restoration and reconciliation. “Hope,” “change,” “fairness,” “justice,” “reform” and “transparency” would usher in a bright new era of “healing” and “unifying” America and the world through this charismatic young leader’s “post-racial,” “post-partisan” presidency. What we got instead was a jarringly narcissistic, supremely demagogic and corrupt Chicago politician, lacking both in experience and wisdom, and displaying breathtaking contempt for America’s Constitution and its best-in-the-world system of government.

If the ongoing language war consisted solely of one man’s use of emotionally compelling catch-phrases—like Obama’s current re-election favorites (“Everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules”) and his ceaseless appeals to raw envy (attacks on “millionaires and billionaires,” “hedge-fund managers” and “oil-company executives”)—it wouldn’t be difficult for truth to prevail.
But the political and cultural left has hijacked virtually our entire language in the last couple of generations. It has redefined many key words, phrases and concepts, changing not only the words we use, but the way we think.

Consider:
“Equality” has been utterly redefined. To previous generations, equality—as in Jefferson’s phrase in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”—referred to our being equal in our God-given rights before the law. Today’s idea of equality, however, is based on the virtual repudiation of meaning and morality and God Himself. Good and evil are basically “equal.” As I write in “The Marketing of Evil”:

Today, in the rarified but toxic air of multiculturalism and political correctness, all cultures and all values are of equal value. The most ignorant, oppressive, suffocating, women-hating kind of culture—where people’s hands and feet are amputated as punishment for petty offenses—is now worthy of equal respect to Western culture, which has provided most of the world’s knowledge, progress, food, medicine, technology, quality of life, representative government, and liberty. This moral inversion, which proclaims that all cultures are equal, has extended to virtually every area of society.

“Love” too has been redefined. At its finest, love is a spiritual quality of selfless, sacrificial caring about others, epitomized by Jesus when He said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” The soldier who falls on an enemy grenade to save the lives of his fellow warriors acts out of love. But today, “love” has reached a low point—the word is used to sanctify same-sex marriage and celebrate what once were called “vile affections.” Even pedophiles creepily talk about “men and the boys they love” to justify their crimes. After all, how can love be vile? For many, our idea of “love”—basically, our feelings of attraction toward anything to which we are addicted—is now firmly in the gutter, like “equality.”

“Justice,” likewise, has been redefined. Phrases such as “social justice” and “economic justice” are euphemisms for confiscating, by threat and raw force, what belongs justly to others—in other words, injustice. Likewise, “affirmative action” is imposed and defended in the name of justice, but is inherently unjust: The most qualified applicant for a job is turned down in favor of another, because that other person has the right skin color. That used to be called racial discrimination (a great injustice), but now the same act is rationalized as “social justice.”

Freedom Is Slavery

In Orwell’s “1984,” the outside walls of the “Ministry of Truth” (headquarters for propaganda and revisionist history) are adorned with three “Newspeak” phrases—slogans of the political party ruling the total surveillance state of Oceania. They are: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

America today is rapidly becoming Oceania, where many key political and cultural concepts actually amount to the opposite of what their labels profess:
How about these? THEFT IS JUSTICE. MORALITY IS HATE. FAITH IS IGNORANCE.
Or maybe these: ENVY IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. SIN IS LOVE. CHARITY IS ENTITLEMENT.

A 180-degree inversion of reality has been codified within our political and cultural vernacular. Whereas the poor and disadvantaged once were the grateful recipients of charity, thanks to the generosity of individuals, churches and organizations, today what used to be charity is an “entitlement.” The idea that charity—whether through private-sector generosity or governmental “safety-net” programs—is something to which the recipient is “entitled” is bizarrely presumptuous and discordant to all right-thinking people. It’s almost as though the government intends to program recipients of charity to become arrogant and ungrateful; after all, why would you be grateful for receiving something to which you were already entitled?

Likewise, “tolerance” today often amounts to not only acceptance, but virtual celebration of sexual immorality—or at the very least, an agreement not to utter or write a word of disapproval over immoral, corrupt or self-destructive behavior. However, homosexual activists condemning the “intolerance” of others are notoriously intolerant of all who hold to the millennia-old moral code of the Western world.

Why are the most perverse, immoral and confusing programs imaginable being instituted so easily throughout our nation’s public schools under the banner of “anti-bullying”? Because “gay” activists figured out that the best way to intimidate everyone into embracing their agenda was to package it that way. This is pure conditioning. For most people, the very thought of opposing any “anti-bullying” program is chilling, because we fear being condemned as haters of children.

The emotional programming inherent in words and phrases is so compelling that it affects our behavior in many areas of life. So, for instance, many conservatives automatically conclude that “environmentalism,” “conservation,” “hybrid” vehicles, “recycling” and “organic” foods are things to avoid, just because they associate them with liberals.

The Hidden Power of Political Correctness

The whole idea of political correctness is an assault on the freedom of the human mind.
The operating principle behind political correctness is raw intimidation: In a politically correct culture, if you dare use certain words—and by logical extension, even think a certain way—you are ignorant, insensitive, intolerant, bigoted or hateful.
If you criticize the president of the United States as a “socialist” or “Marxist,” for instance, you will likely be accused of “McCarthyism.” Regardless of the real history of the “McCarthy era”—yes, there really were Soviet agents honeycombed throughout the U.S. government—the phrase has become a verbal weapon with which the left attacks conservatives.

(Personal story: As a guest on Sean Hannity’s “Great American Panel,” I used the words “socialist” and “Marxist” to describe Obama,and rattled off highlights of far-left associations and exploits from his teen years to his presidency. Liberal panelist Bob Beckel, taking offense at my use of the word “Marxist,” turned to me and angrily accused me of being “worse than Joe McCarthy,” insisting I should “apologize to the president.” Apologize for what? Telling the truth? For the record, I like Beckel, he’s a very nice man off-camera.)

The point is, the weaponization of a word like “McCarthyism” has nothing to do with history or reality; it is the intimidation factor that’s programmed into the word—almost like a post-hypnotic suggestion—that we automatically associate with fears of being ostracized, diminished, marginalized and ridiculed. Remember Saul Alinsky’s famous Rule No. 5 from “Rules for Radicals”: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
Nobody wants to be scorned and mocked, and therefore many of us, consciously or unconsciously, avoid intimidating situations by refraining from standing up for what we really believe.

At its core, then, political correctness is nothing more nor less than the unjust intimidation of others into thinking and speaking a certain way. As such, it is pure totalitarian mind control.

[The preceding was excerpted from a much more comprehensive report—titled “Magic Words: The left’s secret weapon for transforming traditional America” by David Kupelian—in the May issue of Whistleblower magazine, “THE ALINSKY CODE.”]

God´s Friend?

God´s Friend

Greg Laurie

 

Do you have any good friends? Are you a good friend to someone else? Having friends can actually improve women’s health, according to a UCLA study done by scientists Laura Cousin Klein and Shelly Taylor. Their research found that women under stress experience at least temporary relief by bonding with her pals, which releases the hormone oxytocin, which, among other things, helps create a sense of tranquility.

 

And study after study has shown that social ties actually reduce our risk of disease by lowering our blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol.

It has been said a friend is one who walks in when others walk out. It takes a long time to build true friendships. They don’t come all that often in life.

 

It was Aristotle who said rather cynically, “O my friends, there is no friend.” Maybe that is because Aristotle did not know about the friend “who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV), the friend who wants to enter into a relationship with all of us. I am speaking, of course, about Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to be a friend of God? I know that God extends His friendship toward us, but the question is, are we reciprocating? Are we responding appropriately?
Jesus spoke about true friendship with others and with God. He said, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:12–14 NLT).

Here we find that Jesus is offering His friendship to all of humanity. But here is what we need to know: A friendship consists of two people committing themselves to each other. In other words, I can’t just say to you, “From now on I am your close friend.” Rather, you would need to enter into friendship with me as well. It is a partnership, an agreement.
In the same way, I can’t simply say that I am God’s friend unless he responds. Nor can God say that I am his friend unless I respond. So here is what we need to know: God has offered His friendship to us. Jesus also said, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you” (John 15:16). Imagine that for a moment. God chose us to be his friends, to be His companions.
Maybe when you were growing up, you were forced to be friends with someone. Maybe your mother felt sorry for someone and said, “Make that person your friend. Take them with you.” You didn’t want to be a friend with that person. Or maybe you went out on a blind date. You were set up with someone and you felt pressure to be that person’s friend when you really didn’t want to be.

That is not the case with God. He wants to be your friend. He has pledged His unwavering offer of friendship to us. If we want to respond in kind, here is what we need to do.

We need to obey him. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). How do we demonstrate our friendship with God? We do what he says. And if we don’t, then we have no right to call ourselves his friends.

God has a lot of so-called friends. They say they love him. But then they will go out deliberately break his commandments. They will go out and intentionally do what he tells them not to do, all the while boasting of their love for him. But Jesus said that his friends will do what he commands.

We need to obey actively. The obedience Jesus required was an active obedience. Again, he said, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). Some think that it is enough to merely avoid what God forbids. They might say, “Well, I am not a thief,” or list some other thing that God tells us not to do. But that would be like someone saying, “Well, I am your friend because I don’t insult you or beat you up.” Friendship is more than just the absence of bad things; it is also the presence of good things. God really wants both from us.

We need to obey continuously. In the original language, the word “do” that Jesus used speaks of something that is continuous. In other words, it means a constant obedience. This does not mean we must be perfect, because no one is. But it does mean that when we fall, we get up and try again. We want to honor the commitment we have made to God.

We need to obey even in the little things. True friends of God obey him in even the smallest matters. Jesus didn’t say, “You are my friends if you do whatever you are comfortable with or what you personally agree with or what you find easy.”

We need to obey voluntarily. True friends of God obey him because they want to. When you love someone, you like to do things for them. Sometimes we look at giving and serving as a duty. When we are really friends of God, it is a delight, a privilege to do something that he tells us to do.

We need to cultivate the friendship. True friendship with God must be maintained by cultivation. When someone is your close friend, you talk to him or her a lot. You shoot them emails. You text them. You often have ongoing conversations. Friends talk to friends. And that is what we should be doing with God – constantly communicating with him. That is what prayer is, really. When you are in friendship with God, you will cultivate the communication. And when you are out of friendship with God, you won’t want that communication.

You have a friend in high places who will never betray you, who is extending communication and fellowship to you that will never betray your confidence. God loves you and offers his friendship to you. Do you want it? Do you have friendship with God?

The Red Mountain Cafe

Ohhh … Ojo Caliente, NM #Coffeehouse, the Red Mountain Cafe

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Lisa

Ohhh … Ojo Caliente, NM #Coffeehouse, the Red Mountain Cafe

What a darling little spot just off Highway 285 north of Santa Fe.
It was hard to resist the homemade goodies that David, the owner of 1 1/2 years offered in his bakery display. He makes everything for the cafe on his own, and you can feel the love!



He is able to sustain his business by the patronage of the locals as this area of New Mexico’s peak season is only in the summer. That leaves about eight months of slow business where the tourists (like me) are hard to come by.
Ojo Caliente is a town that features mineral healing pools to relax in. If you have never been there, you really should visit. It is a magical part of the high desert country. We camped in the RV park walking distance to the springs for $20 a night with water and electricity. The website for the spa is www.ojospa.com.
Hope your day is great!!
~Lisa
Comments and reviews:

May 13, 2011

Delicious!

byAccurate(3 reviews)

We had lunch today at Red Mountain and loved it. We had great pastrami sandwiches - not too sweet iced tea - and a cookie for the road. The owner, David, is friendly and provided us with two routes for traveling further on to Taos. Great to have this cafe stop in between Santa Fe and Taos - and we would recommend it all traveling along highway 285.

January 28, 2011

Hot, fresh, and homemade

byRhi Denissen(3 reviews)

I'm local, so maybe I'm biased, but I love the coffee and the baked goods. Everything is prepared on the premises - homemade soups, smoothies, sandwiches, brownies, etc. There's a rumor afoot that they're going to start doing hand-crafted pizza, too!

January 28, 2011

Best Pizza Ever

byfastattackmarine(1 review)

Passing through Ojo, I met the owner/chef David who gave me a sample of the Best Pizza I have ever eaten. Brooklyn style, green chile pesto, with roasted chicken.. the opening night for pizza is saturday Jan 29... from 4pm to 9pm

Source: http://www.urbanspoon.com

Best organic pizza ever!”

Reviewed 18 November 2011

The front desk at Ojo recommended it. It was great. We had some of his tomato soup. Amazing. we ordered a pizza to go we everything on it. Whole cloves of roasted garlic, you've got to get one with those on it!
Source: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/

CONVERSA CORAJOSA

CONVERSA CORAJOSA

http://teachervjcpjoani.blogspot.com.br/

Será que os avanços tecnológicos na comunicação nos deixaram incapazes de confrontar as pessoas adequadamente? Afinal de contas, agora os empregadores podem enviar cartas de demissão por e-mail. E as pessoas podem criticar outras no Facebook e no Twitter, em vez de falar face a face. Talvez seja melhor colocar tudo isso de lado e imitar a maneira como Paulo se comunicou com Pedro quando eles discordaram.

 

Paulo teve de confrontar Pedro por ter comprometido a graça (Gálatas 2:11-16). Pedro vinha tendo comunhão com os gentios, mas, quando chegaram os judaizantes (que criam que os pecadores são salvos através de Jesus e da obediência à lei de Moisés), Pedro separou-se dos gentios. Ele os deixou no ostracismo, embora professasse ter união com eles. Vendo essa hipocrisia, Paulo, em amor e com entusiasmo, confrontou Pedro face a face por este se acovardar diante de um sistema legalista incapaz de transformar vidas. Com vigor, ele lembrou Pedro de que a graça leva à libertação da escravidão do pecado e à obediência a Deus.

 

Ter conversas corajosas com outros cristãos pode ser difícil, mas elas promoverão a pureza e a unidade. Podemos exercitar nossa responsabilidade mútua de falar a verdade em amor (Efésios 4:15) andando no poder do Espírito Santo.

Uma palavra bem escolhida pode ser muito eloquente. (RBC)

 

 

Abide in Me

In the Gospel of John 15:1-8, Jesus tells a story about the importance of our connection to the true source of life. Of the true source of power. Jesus uses the analogy of the vineyard of the vine and the branches.

Just as the electricity provides the power necessary for the bulb to produce light.
So the vine provides the life necessary for the branches to produce fruit.

Jesus is the vine, God the Father is the vine grower, and true believers are the branches.

As branches we are spiritually alive, yet we can only grow if we are connected to Him, the true vine.
As long as we are connected to Jesus the power of the Holy Spirit can run in us and keep us spiritually alive.

This passage tells us of pruning, fruit-bearing and abiding.
Let’s be clear, pruning is not punishment.

It is done so that the tree or plant can be even more productive so that it will be more fruitful. Pruning sounds destructive, but it is actually creative.

While visiting Walt Disney World when my children were little, I noticed that there were hedge-type plants growing in amazing shapes.
They had one that looked just like Mickey Mouse and another like Donald Duck.
By trimming the bushes regularly, they were able to shape the plants into the form that they were seeking.

In similar fashion, God prunes our lives to shape us into the image of Jesus.
Sometimes the pruning involves removing sin or other distractions from our lives. Sometimes God’s pruning is painful, but over time God is changing us to be more like Jesus. Because God loves us, He prunes us which allows us to bear more fruit for His glory.

You will never see a branch pruning another branch! The responsibility of pruning, shaping and otherwise trimming the vines is not of the other branches. That responsibility is God’s and God’s alone.

Pruning not only is the removal of what is bad or not necessary, but also cutting away the good and the better so that we might enjoy the best!

Second, from this text we see fruit-bearing. This fruit bearing is speaking of the spiritual life flowing through the vine. And this spiritual life produces fruit.

We are not producing fruit to please ourselves but to give to serve others.

A true branch, united with the vine, will always bear fruit. Not every branch bears a bumper crop, just as not every field has a bumper harvest, but there is always fruit where there is life.

A branch should have the same DNA as the trunk. If God’s DNA is love, then our DNA should be love as well.

Third, there is abiding.

The more we abide in Christ, the more fruit we bear. The more fruit we bear, the more the Father has to prune us so that the quality keeps up with the quantity.

Such transformation comes from connectedness, not from effort.
Suppose someone were to walk up to one of those vines and yell, “Start Producing fruit!” Nothing would happen.

Once the vine grower has done His job, all the branches have to do to bear fruit is to stay connected to the vine. The command to us is not to produce fruit.

The command is to abide! When we are abiding in Christ the fruit comes naturally. He produces fruit in us. If we abide in Christ we will bear fruit. We do not have to work at it. The Vine brings forth the fruit naturally, if we abide in the vine.

Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing.” Will we ever grasp this truth? The daily in-flow of the Holy Spirit is the only power to bring forth spiritual fruit. Abide in Jesus Christ daily and you will be transformed, conformed more and more like Christ and you shall bear fruit for Him.

Pastor Jim Frankeas is the pastor of Hope Community Church in Pilesgrove NJ.

Corrupting the Image - Part II. Doug Hamp.

Corrupting the Image with Doug Hamp Part 2 from Gary Stearman on Vimeo.

The shocking story of Genesis 6 has escaped the notice of most Christians. It’s just not a good Sunday morning message. God had a good reason for Noah’s flood. Fallen angels corrupted the human race by procreating with human women. Will this hybrid race of giants make another appearance? Corrupting the Image, Doug Hamp’s new book and DVD, is explosive!

SALMO 116

http://gracethrufaith.com/estudios-biblicos-en-espanol

Amo a Jehová, pues ha oído mi voz y mis súplicas; Porque ha inclinado a mí su oído; por tanto, le invocaré en todos mis días. Me rodearon ligaduras de muerte, me encontraron las angustias del Seol; angustia y dolor había yo hallado. Entonces invoqué el nombre de Jehová, diciendo: Oh Jehová, libra ahora mi alma. Clemente es Jehová, y justo; sí, misericordioso es nuestro Dios. Jehová guarda a los sencillos; estaba yo postrado, y me salvó.

Vuelve, oh alma mía, a tu reposo, porque Jehová te ha hecho bien. Pues tú has librado mi alma de la muerte, mis ojos de lágrimas, y mis pies de resbalar. Andaré delante de Jehová en la tierra de los vivientes. Creí; por tanto hablé, estando afligido en gran manera. Y dije en mi apresuramiento: Todo hombre es mentiroso.
¿Qué pagaré a Jehová por todos sus beneficios para conmigo? Tomaré la copa de la salvación, e invocaré el nombre de Jehová. Ahora pagaré mis votos a Jehová delante de todo su pueblo. Estimada es a los ojos de Jehová la muerte de sus santos. Oh Jehová, ciertamente yo soy tu siervo, siervo tuyo soy, hijo de tu sierva; tú has roto mis prisiones. Te ofreceré sacrificio de alabanza, e invocaré el nombre de Jehová. A Jehová pagaré ahora mis votos delante de todo su pueblo, En los atrios de la casa de Jehová, en medio de ti, oh Jerusalén. Aleluya.

¿Cómo podemos pagarle al Señor por todos sus beneficios para con nosotros? Él no necesita nada de lo que nosotros tenemos. No podemos comprarle un regalo ni darle dinero. Tampoco podemos hacer ningún proyecto especial para Él, como lavar Su automóvil o pintarle la entrada principal de Su casa.

Una vez alguien le preguntó al Profeta Miqueas qué le debía traer al Señor. ¿Holocaustos? ¿Millares de carneros? ¿Diez mil batos de aceite? ¿Qué tal mi hijo primogénito? La respuesta de Miqueas fue tan simple como exacta: “Solamente hacer justicia, y amar misericordia, y humillarte ante tu Dios” (Miqueas 6:6-8). Dios no está interesado en lo que le traemos, sino en cómo es que vivimos.

“Hacer justicia”. Tratar a las personas honestamente. No aprovecharse de ellas. Apoyar a aquellas personas que no lo pueden hacer por sí mismas. Decir la verdad, aun cuando eso no sea lo más popular.

“Amar misericordia”. Celebrar cuando alguien sale favorecido en algo. Agradecer al Señor por salvar a las personas que no lo merecen, aun si no le gustan a uno en particular. Y aun si son nuestros enemigos.

“Humillarte ente tu Dios”. Reconocer quién es el Socio Principal en nuestra relación. Consultarle absolutamente todas las cosas. Obtener Su permiso antes de poder actuar. Cultivar una actitud de agradecimiento. No temerle a nada, orar por todo, y ser agradecido en todo.

Recordemos que somos el cuerpo de Cristo. Y eso no solamente es cierto en el sentido espiritual. Durante la Era de la Iglesia, literalmente somos Sus ojos y oídos, Sus brazos y manos. Cuando Él quiere ayudar a alguien más, nos usa. Cuando necesitan consuelo son nuestros brazos con los que Él los abraza. Cuando están caídos y no pueden levantarse, Él toma nuestras manos para levantarlos. Cuando lo buscan porque los están persiguiendo y les hacen injusticias, es con nuestros oídos con los que Él los escucha. Cuando Él está buscando a alguien a quien bendecir, es con nuestros ojos con los que Él ve. Cuando Él quiere enjugar las lágrimas de los ojos de ellos, es con nuestras manos con las que Él sostiene el pañuelo. A través nuestro, Él alimenta al pobre, consuela al enfermo, le da abrigo a quienes no tienen casa, defiende la causa de los huérfanos, implora la causa de la viuda, etc., etc.

“En cuanto ustedes lo hicieron a uno de estos mis hermanos más pequeños, dijo Jesús, a mí me lo hicieron” (Mateo 25:40). Después de todo, sí podemos darle algo.

Traducido por Walter Reiche B.
walterre@racsa.co.cr

Sanctifying Ourselves?

Sanctifying Ourselves?
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher

Q. We have been exploring Hebrew Roots and are all in agreement that following the Law does not save us but there are those who believe following the Law is part of the sanctification process. What are your thoughts on this?

A. The Greek word translated sanctify means to make holy. The word appears only 6 times in the New Testament and five of those times it refers to something the Lord is doing to us. The sixth one, the only time we make anything holy, is when we sanctify God in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15).
This in no way negates the value of trying to live in a manner pleasing to God as an expression of our gratitude. But keeping the Law in an attempt to sanctify ourselves is just another way to say we’re finishing the job God only began. Phil. 1:6 says He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion.
The thing we have to remember is that we can do nothing to improve our position before God. He did it all.

Limiting Grace? Qs and As

Limiting Grace?

http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher

Q. Re: Romans 5:15. It says that the Grace of Jesus Christ has abounded to many. I’m given to understand that people of the Calvinist view point to this verse to support their contention that God doesn’t extend His offer of Grace to everyone, only to the ones He has predestined to be saved…the “many”. There are lots of verses that say this is error, not the least of which is John 3:16. Please help me understand what Rom 5:15 is actually saying.

A. The Greek word translated abounded in Romans 5:15 means ” to exceed a fixed number of measure, to be left over and above a certain number or measure, to exist in abundance”. It’s never translated “to extend”. This means the extent of the abundance of the Grace of Jesus Christ exceeds our ability to measure it. And the verse doesn’t say “the many” it only says many, meaning that not everyone for whom it exists has accepted it. The verse cannot be used to suggest there’s a limit to His grace. On the contrary it means the opposite.