Reprobate Mind - the faithless generation seems to include His own disciples who had not prepared for exercism with prayer and fasting and a group of scribes that were using one mans plight to provoke a crowd of seekers. Only one man is depicted as seeking the Lord to help him with his unbelief.
Reprobate Mind - Whatever they listed, this is how they treated a prophet, and they felt fully justified in doing so. The Baptists head delivered on a plater as a token of appreciation for a party dance?
Though He is sorely displeased with Israel seeking a king, God is unchanged about doing what He was all along going to do about fulfilling of the covenant and prophecies. This is not a set back or a plan "b". This is another in a long series of Israel's reprobate actions "doing what is right in their own eyes" which God is well aware of. He works His will regardless. It is important for us to see this in our lives and our nations as well.
The extra details exhibited in this passage away from Jesus makes me think that there are multiple testimonies recorded here. Either by some disciples stepping aside from the Jesus crowd and following up on this healing, or by people that had occasion later to follow up with the disciples that had witnessed, or by the man returning to the disciples himself, or by all of the above. It is obvious that these are details collected from others as is much of the Gospels, one writer collecting and organizing many peoples testimonies. All the more reason to believe the Gospels.
Jewish people today should know that the sceptre and lawgiver literally did depart Judah historically right at the time of Jesus. They have not had this self determining power since throughout the dispersion. Further proof that Jesus is the Shiloh.
How cool would it be to be like a great grand child two or three generations from this and see that the men of your family are actually mentioned in the Book of Chronicles as actually doing something marvelous for the Lord. There for you and everyone else to read about. Problem is that two generations or so seems to be the length of most of these revivals, those generations may not even be aware that there is such a book.
The thing about having an actual physical temple is that it often stands as a barometer of the people of the nation spiritually. The condition of the temple reflects the condition of men's hearts. Figuratively, it takes one drunken night to tear it apart and defile it, yet it takes eight intense days and the political will several years later just to bring it back to where it was.
Is Pilate now inciting the crowd to riot to regain his advantage? Why would he say this? Is he preparing a cover for his own escape when he must account of this to his superiors?
It is not true that this circumstance multiplies without cause, it is that Job and his friends do not yet know the cause. Even if they knew the cause, like us reading this, they may not understand the cause still. The cause is for God to know and for us to trust His judgement.
Remember this description of Saul later when most of the church will be suspicious of Saul/Paul and will have nothing to do with him. Remember this when you see what a wonderful conversion God has in store for him.
There are times that the Lord speaks His will to us directly. There are times He speaks directly to another and has them to speak to us. Are we prepared for the later? If someone else were to speak God's will to you would you be willing to accept it as such? Even a total stranger? If not we may be cutting out the majority of His conversation to us.
Belief in Jesus always comes and is confessed before any baptism. Many scholars feel that the Spirit comes to all believers upon belief and that this hands on account of transference refers to the particular spiritual gifting of tongues and prophecy specific to these twelve Ephesians. Others are convinced that this can be understood as first a general receiving of the Holy Spirit we've all received upon belief and then an addition baptism of the Holy Spirit that is received by the laying on of hands. The question then becomes what would happen to a secluded community of new believers that have not oppurtunity to receive hands from one that has.
The Acts of the Spirit continue. Leading certain people together. Bringing tongues and prophecy. Enabling individuals to dispute and persuade. Special uncommon gifts are providing widespread results in Asia. We also see other competing interests trying to emulate these gifts or perform them in the old covenant way and how ineffective they are in the face of the demonic. The Word is spread all the more. We read of what Paul is doing during this time but, surely there is much going on around him emanating from the community of spirit-filled believers surrounding him.
There is general revelation kjv@Psalms:19:1-6 available to all and special revelation kjv@Psalms:19:7-11 that comes from His Spirit through His word/law; together they bring understanding to the spiritually inclined. The first understanding is that one cannot fully understand his ways nor cleanse himself from the many faults he has little/no comprehension of; the existence of presumptuous/proud sins that have dominion over us that His Spirit must keep back.
From the very core of his heart outward the psalmist is asking God to perform a thorough work. By God placing his eyes/his heart/his understanding on the righteousness of His judgments, guiding his path with precept and statute and command, by blessing and standing for him as he stands against those that rage against truth, man is transformed in God's way. This petition reaches all areas of his walk.
One of the things we miss the most in our doctrine nowadays is the concept of just how right each and everything God has said or done or decided or judged or testified of has been. We get caught up in the love and grace without understanding what it is that defines that love, defines that grace, makes it so immense and great: His righteousness. In the law, the statutes, the precepts, the testimonies these things can be searched out, can have their proper effect helping us to grasp His defining nature. We know now that in our faith that the Grace supersedes the moral code, that the spirit of it exceeds the letter, but, the Law still can be our schoolmaster not only teaching where we fall short but where God's righteousness stands out.
What would Jesus know about marriage fidelity? Funny you should ask. Who is Jesus married to (future tense)? The Church Israel/Gentile. Has She been faithful? Is She unblemished? Has there not been cause for a writ of divorcement? Continuously. Why then has He not? What is it in Her that He sees in Her future and is willing to go to His grave for? What God has joined together... let no man put asunder. The principal is true as a church. It is true as a couple. Is Christ righteous in not serving us His papers? Is He merciful in this? Shouldn't we likewise be?
2012 - pBiblx2 Field Wise Bible System Version 2.0.9d - GPL3
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