Paul’s warning about false stories and his call to quit touching the unclean thing

Paul’s warning about false stories is in the first letter he wrote to Timothy, a Christian elder. Paul told Timothy to keep the congregation clean and to help his brothers and sisters to stay loyal to Jehovah.

1 Timothy 1:18, 19: 18 This instruction* I entrust to you, my child Timothy, in harmony with the prophecies that were made about you, that by these you may go on waging the fine warfare,+ 19 holding faith and a good conscience,+ which some have thrust aside, resulting in the shipwreck of their faith.

The Greek word that Paul used for “false stories” means “a lie” or “a made-up story.” One book says that a false story is a religious story that has no connection with what is real. (The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia) Perhaps Paul was thinking about the religious lies that came from old stories that people made up and that made others curious.*

Paul said that these stories were dangerous because they “furnish questions for research.” This means that people who pay attention to these stories start having questions about things that are not true and then use their time trying to find the answers.

The adversaries of God (also called Satan) do like to bring division in those who are looking for God and into those who want to be part of the Body of Christ. Christendom has lots of preachers who worship another god than Jews, like Jesus worshipped only One True God. They follow lots of human teachings which where brought into the religion by the years, by so called “theologians” who claimed to be clergy ordained by God.

We must be fully aware that there are lots of people who like to twist the words of the bible, which we consider the infallible Word of God. They offer the world a false religion to fool people. That is why the Bible says that he makes himself into “an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14) For example, the religions of Christendom say that they follow Christ, but they teach lies like the Trinity and hellfire. They also teach that some part of humans lives on after the death of the body. Many think that Christmas and Easter please God, but the things that people do during these celebrations really come from false worship. False stories will not fool us if we pay attention to God’s warning to separate ourselves from false religion and

“quit touching the unclean thing.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).

When we hear the majority of people we may get the impression it all does not matter so much. But we may not be mistaken. God gives enough warnings and lets the world know that He is a serious God of order who wants people to recognise Him as the Only One true God. As a jealous God He also does not like it that graven images or pictures are  made of Him and other gods to pray to Him and other gods. He detest any form of heathen worship. But lots of people want to convince you and others that it does not matter to participate at those many heathen festivals, like Halloween, Christmas, Easter and so on. They want you to believe all those stories about Santa Claus, the elf’s, Easter bunnies do no harm. Such teachers are the ones Paul and other apostles warn for. Because they allow wrong actions to be done by you, and you to be a partaker of heathen festivals, which is an abomination in the eyes of God.

A map of the world, showing the major religions distributed in the world as of today. A different type of map which views only the religion as a whole excluding denominations or sects of the religions, and is colored by how the religions are distributed not by main religion of country etc. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We may never forget that the first and biggest lie, which false teachers bring is:

You can do whatever you want; you decide what is right and what is wrong.

We often hear this on television, in movies, in magazines, in newspapers, and on the Internet. Because we hear this lie all the time, it is easy for us to start to think that way and follow the immoral ideas of the world. But the truth is that we need God to tell us what is right and what is wrong.

Jeremiah 10:23: 23 I well know, O Jehovah, that man’s way does not belong to him. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.+

The second lie is:

You are now saved and free to do whatever you want. God will never change anything on the earth.

This idea makes people think only about today. They do not care about the future or about pleasing God. Several preachers wants the Christians to believe they are saved for ever and have not to worry any more about what they do or if they sin, because according to those false teachers they always will end up in heaven.

Such thought of not having to do any works of faith is a false teaching which lures lots of Christians in not bothering any more to do good and to avoid doing wrong. Lots of people start to think like them and then become “inactive or unfruitful” in their service to God. They become partakers of this world corrupt system, avoiding you to escape the entrapments of this world.

2 Peter 1:4-8-11: 4 Through these things he has granted* us the precious and very grand promises,+ so that through these you may become sharers in divine nature,+ having escaped from the world’s corruption produced by wrong desire.* 5 For this very reason, put forth all earnest effort+ to supply to your faith virtue,+ to your virtue knowledge,+ 6 to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control+ endurance, to your endurance godly devotion,+ 7 to your godly devotion brotherly affection, to your brotherly affection love.+ 8 For if these things exist in you and overflow, they will prevent you from being either inactive or unfruitful*+ regarding the accurate knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 For anyone lacking these things is blind, shutting his eyes to the light,*+ and has become forgetful of his cleansing from his sins+ of long ago. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling+ and choosing sure for yourselves, for if you keep on doing these things, you will by no means ever fail.+ 11 In fact, in this way you will be richly granted* entrance into the everlasting Kingdom+ of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.+

False teachers blind people or shut their eyes for their actions and for abstaining from certain actions the people of the world like to do. They give the impression it does not harm to be of this world and to partake into all the actions of this world.

Peresopnytsia Gospels. 1556-1561. Miniature of Saint Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Already early in the beginning of manhood man became to dread the presence of God because they were under His wrath. The children of Adam and Eve present to us a picture of good and false religion. Cain his offering was not done in the right way and was rejected, which made him furious and made him to kill his brother Abel. Later in history man sought all sorts of ways to elucidate things he could not understand and therefore started making different gods. They also started to split the elements of nature into characters of God, often giving reason for them to worship elements of natural phenomenons and creating ones-more false gods. Trying to declare the events in our world lots of philosophies were brought forward. Many people got carried away by such philosophies and by teachers using lots of such theories. Also today we can see that false teachers take many captive through their words full of philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on the teachings of the Jewish Nazarene Jeshua, Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:8-9: 8 Look out that no one takes you captive* by means of the philosophy and empty deception+ according to human tradition, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ; 9 because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily.+

Neither Jesus nor his disciples ever quoted oral Jewish tradition to support their teachings but, rather, appealed to the written Word of God. (Mt 4:4-10; Ro 15:4; 2Ti 3:15-17) It is the Word of Gdo as presented in the Scriptures which we should hear and take into account.

Mt 4:4-10: 4 But he answered: “It is written: ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from Jehovah’s* mouth.’”+

5 Then the Devil took him along into the holy city,+ and he stationed him on the battlement* of the temple+ 6 and said to him: “If you are a son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written: ‘He will give his angels a command concerning you,’ and, ‘They will carry you on their hands, so that you may not strike your foot against a stone.’”+ 7 Jesus said to him: “Again it is written: ‘You must not put Jehovah* your God to the test.’”+

8 Again the Devil took him along to an unusually high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.+ 9 And he said to him: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘It is Jehovah* your God you must worship,+ and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”+ 11 

Jesus as the son of God never wanted to test God and preferred doing God His will, not his own will. Jesus gave an example to us how we, like him, should obey only Jehovah God and not try the Most High God to see how far we can go or what we can do to better ourselves. All people should come to understand not human teachings are going to bring the all life saving knowledge. Man should know that the Most High God provided all knowledge man should know to come to live a proper life giving him the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God.

Ro 15:4: 4 For all the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction,+ so that through our endurance+ and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.+

Though it might ask patience fro mus it are the writings in those old manuscripts, reprinted in the different Bible translations, which shall bring hope and comfort. We must pay full attention to those words in that Book of books, Bestseller of all times, that was written for our instruction in order that through the steadfastness and encouragement in the scriptures we may have hope. False teachers do bring false hope and might even take away the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God, because you going in against the Will of God.

From the early gatherings of the followers of Christ we can see that observance of the unscriptural Jewish traditions amounted to a “fruitless form of conduct” that Jewish persons had ‘received by tradition from their forefathers [Gr., pa·tro·pa·ra·doʹtou, “given along from fathers”].’

1Pe 1:18:  18 For you know that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that you were set free*+ from your futile way of life handed down to you by your forefathers.*

The “things given aside” (The Greek word pa·raʹdo·sis means, literally, “a thing given beside”) and hence “that which is transmitted by word of mouth or in writing.” (1Co 11:2, Int) we should be very careful with and always compare it with what is written in the Bible. The word paradosis as used in the Christian Greek Scriptures is applied to traditions that were proper or acceptable aspects of true worship, as well as to those that were in error or were followed or viewed in a way that made them harmful and objectionable. the false teachers are those who present such sayings which are in error with the bible, God’s Word.

Several Jews, upon becoming Christians, abandoned many false Jewish traditions. When some false teachers in Colossae urged taking up that form of worship, Paul warned against “the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men.” Though evidently he meant, especially, the traditions of Judaism (Col 2:8, 13-17) we also can transpose it to the Celtic and Germanic traditions which were integrated by the false church, first the Catholic Church and later also not abandoned by many protestant churches.

Viewing tradition in the sense of guidelines handed down orally or by example, the information that the apostle Paul received directly from Jesus could properly be passed on to the Christian congregations as acceptable Christian tradition. This was so, for example, regarding the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal. (1Co 11:2, 23) The teachings and example set by the apostles constituted valid tradition. Thus, Paul, who had personally toiled with his hands so as not to be a financial burden on his brothers (Ac 18:3; 20:34; 1Co 9:15; 1Th 2:9), could urge the Thessalonian Christians

“to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition [pa·raʹdo·sin]” they had received. One who would not work was plainly not following the fine example or tradition of the apostles. (2Th 3:6-11).

Each of us shall have to decide fro himself or herself in which way he or she wants to follow human teachings and human traditions or the Word and the Will of God. Those who want to call themselves Christian should know that God’s Word should come in the first place. all should also know that when one chooses to follow human doctrines, like the one of the Trinity a.o., it shall be decisive for what happens with that person. We always should remember

Mark 7:7-8: 7 It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’+ 8 You let go of the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men.”+

Isaiah 29:13: 13 Jehovah says: “This people approaches me with their mouth, And they honor me with their lips,+ But their heart is far removed from me; And their fear of me is based on commands of men that they have been taught.+

Following false teachers shall not bring us far. Just the other way around, it shall bring us on the wrong track, further away from the entrance to the Kingdom of God.

The truth is that Jehovah will soon change things on the earth, and we must show by the way we live that we really believe that there is Only One True God above all gods and that He had sent His only begotten son, who did not do his own will (which he would have done when he – Jesus -would be God) and gave his body as a ransom for our sins to liberate us from the enslavement of sin and the curse of death. In that son of man we should find our hope, because God authorised him to be a high priest for God and a mediator between God and man. We may be looking forward to the time this man of flesh and blood, who was taken up in heaven to sit next to God, shall come back to the earth to judge the living and the dead. Make sure that you are ready for that time.

Matthew 24:44: 44 On this account, you too prove yourselves ready,+ because the Son of man is coming at an hour that you do not think to be it.

Mark 13:35: 35 Keep on the watch, therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming,+ whether late in the day or at midnight or before dawn* or early in the morning,+

Make sure you prove yourself ready by being alert, always on the lookout,

Mark 13:33: 33 Keep looking, keep awake,+ for you do not know when the appointed time is.+

Romans 13:11 : 11 And do this because you know the season, that it is already the hour for you to awake from sleep,+ for now our salvation is nearer than at the time when we became believers.

1 Thessalonians 5:6: 6 So, then, let us not sleep on as the rest do,+ but let us stay awake+ and keep our senses.+

*

Footnote:

• The book of Tobit, or Tobias, which some people think is part of the Bible, is an example of the false stories that existed in Paul’s time. It was written about the third century before Christ. This book is full of false beliefs and stories of magic. It tells impossible stories but says that they are true.

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Preceding articles

Matthew 7:13-14 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The True Disciple #1 The Narrow Gate and the way to destruction

Matthew 7:15-20 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The True Disciple #2 False prophets and fruitage

Matthew 7:13-23 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The True Disciple #3 Matthew 7:21-23 The ones Jesus never knew

Position and power The early days of Christianity

False teachers and false prophets still around

Good or bad preacher

Teachings, prophets, wolves in sheep’s covering and a narrow gate

2015 the year of ISIS

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Additional reading

1. Warning
2. Should We Love The Ungodly?
3. Satan Has Many Roads That Lead To Him But Jesus Only Has One
4. Settling for Less
5. Fundamentals of Iglesia Ni Cristo. 26 Points Contrary to the Holy Bible.
6. Beware of Counterfeit Catholicism
7. Prophecy or Divination?
8. The beginning of false religion
9. High-living North Carolina ‘prosperity gospel’ pastor indicted for bilking church in massive tax fraud scam
10. Being Religious and Spiritual 6 Romantici, utopists and transcendentalists
11. Lord in place of the divine name
12. Displeasures and Actions of the Almighty God
13. Relapse plan
14. Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
15. Halloween custom of the nations
16. Christmas in Ancient Rome (AKA Saturnalia)
17. Great things, Voice of God and terrors
18. Satan the evil within

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Further related posts

1. My experience today with detecting cults / false churches
2. Brian Leonard Golightly Marshall False Messiah Part 1
3. The Warlord Of Religion 
4. True and false religion
5. It’s Never been about Religion!
6. Cookie a day: Topic-Man-Made Tradition
7. Speck In Your Eye
8. “Westboro Baptist Church cheers on Hurricane Irma via Twitter”
9. Calvinism & Christianity
10. If God spoke to us audibly
11. Why Are there So Many “Gods” & Religions?
12. Know God in a Year #191 Religion Gone Bad
13. Church History is good to know
14. Confounding the Idols: A Rebuke of the Impotency of the Modern Church
15. What Is A False Prophet?
16. “Cain,Tubal Cain, Mystery Babylon & The Image of the Beast”
17. Confident Evangelism: Roman Catholicism
18. What makes a false religion, false?
19. Babylon Is Fallen
20. The Danger Of Hyper-Grace
21. Falling for Anything

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• Mike Lee warns Democrats: Your hostility to religion makes average Americans feel despised by their leaders
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There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving

There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.—Acts 20:35.

Wednesday night we look how we as people, who have so much, should not have to look for our luck or happiness in gathering all material things.

We do find people who think they found God, get baptised, and than think everything is all-right and they should not do anything any more because they are saved by the sacrificial offering of Christ. They do forget that faith without works is dead.

26 Indeed, just as the body without spirit* is dead,+ so also faith without works is dead.+ (James 2:26)

When we are baptised, having chosen to go for God, we do need to keep in line with God His Will and with God His commandments. As we can see in several books of the Old Testament, there have been men of God who first walked in the line of God, but got tempted by worldly attractions. They let themselves be carried away. Some of them even did lost interest in the previous told and written down Words of God.

“Death of King Saul”, 1848 by Elie Marcuse (Germany and France, 1817-1902) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On Monday we saw (in the study readings of that day) how King Saul allowed selfish thinking and pride to develop, like corrosive rust.
Saul arrogantly built a monument to himself. (1 Sam. 15:3, 9) When the prophet Samuel told him that Jehovah was displeased, Saul tried to justify himself by focusing on the part of God’s command that he had obeyed and by blaming others for his error. (1 Sam. 15:16-21)
Saul’s experience shows that we cannot be complacent, assuming that if we previously showed a self-sacrificing spirit, we will automatically continue to manifest it. (1 Tim. 4:10)

Also Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch, apparently forgot to focus on the right things. At one point in time, he was no longer enjoying Jehovah’s service. Jehovah told him:

“You are seeking great things for yourself. Stop seeking such things. For I am about to bring a calamity on all flesh, . . . and wherever you may go, I will grant you your life as a spoil.” (Jer. 45:3, 5)

Bear in mind that Saul did well and enjoyed God’s favour for a while, but he failed to root out selfish tendencies that began to take hold. Jehovah ultimately rejected Saul for his disobedience. (w14 3/15 1:9, 10) We too, when we soften our interest in God, give preference to worldly matters and become obedient to God, shall see that the small gate might be shut for us.

As we have seen last Thursday King David described the information needed to build a human body as being written in a figurative book. Speaking of Jehovah God, he said:

“Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your book all its parts were down in writing, as regards the days when they were formed and there was not yet one among them.” (Ps. 139:16)

Which impression do you want to give to God? How do you want to present yourself in front of the heavenly Father, the Only One True God? do you think He shall love you more because you have gathered more material things in your life?

The son of God showed us a very good example of a life worth living in front of the eyes of God. Jeshua (Jesus) did not want to do his own will, but always tried to apply God’s commandments and to do God His Will. He did not look for treasures on earth and did not talk about the worldly wealth to be gathered on earth, but about the spiritual richness people had to strife for.

What sort of building do you want to construct? Do you want to be one of the many stones in the building or body of Christ?

Jesus enjoyed seeing meek people respond to the good news. (Luke 10:21; John 4:34)
Perhaps you have already experienced the happiness that results from helping others. If you base your major choices in life on the principles Jesus taught, you will surely bring happiness to yourself as well as to Jehovah.

11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice,+  So that I can make a reply to him who taunts me.+(Prov. 27:11)

Our greatest and most true happiness, comes from love and perfection which can receive the best foundation-stones from serving Jehovah, with all your heart.  (Prov. 16:20)

What do you think? What would have made Baruch happy — seeking great things or surviving Jerusalem’s destruction as a faithful servant of God? — Jas. 1:12. (w14 1/15 3:10, 11)

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Preceding articles:

A look at materialism

As Christ’s slaves doing the Will of God in gratitude

Philippians 4:4–7 – Do Not Be Anxious

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Additional reading:

1. Are you being swept along by the world
2. Gone astray, away from God
3. May reading the Bible provoke us into action to set our feet on the narrow way
4. People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions
5. Like grasshoppers
6. Message to teenagers
7. As the Lord commanded Moses
8. Happiness mapping and getting over gender mapping
9. Lonely in the crowd
10. Leaving the Old World to find better pastures
11. Luck
12. Not holding back and getting out of darkness
13. Your position about materialistic desires having conquered the world
14. The Art of Doing Less – Your Time is Finite
15. Why “Selfishness” Doesn’t Properly Mean Being Shortsighted and Harmful to Others
16. Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth
17. Looking at a conservative review of Shop Class As Soul Craft
18. For The Love of Stuff
19. Learning that stuff is just stuff
20. Watch out
21. Food as a Therapeutic Aid
22. Being Religious and Spiritual 1 Immateriality and Spiritual experience
23. How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace
24. To be prepared and very well oiled
25. Thirst for happiness and meaning
26. True happiness, love and perfection
27. Spreading good cheer contagious
28. Happy is the person who knows what to remember of the past
29. Joy: Foundation for a Positive Life
30. God plays hide-n-seek?
31. Commit your self to the trustworthy creator
32. To Soar In The Spirit You Have To Be Hard Core
33. Myth 12: The Hyper-Grace Gospel Makes People Lazy
34. Let us become nothing, and Christ everything
35. With all your heart
36. God’s wrath and sanctification
37. You shall howl in your latter end

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Related articles

• Walk Humbly with God Daily
• Breath Of Life
• The Meaninglessness of Wealth
• “A Man’s Enemies Are The Men Of His Own House”
• Bible Daily Devotional – Job 28 The hidden treasure – Wisdom
• There is God, and there are gods (Richard P. Sheridan)
• 1 Samuel, chapters 26-31
• Preaching openly
• What is the fastest-growing Christian religion?
• Wait for the Lord

Philippians 4:4–7 – Do Not Be Anxious

Last year the Christadelphians and several Bible Students in Belgium had a lot of worries and tried to get more and better contact with different believers in the Low Countries. They wanted the different communities sharing ideas and working more together.

.

From all up the North (Riga) there was real sabotage which ignited also opposition from the United Kingdom and Australian bases, making the Belgian Christadelphians even more isolated.

We only now came acroos this interesting writing by Phillip J. Long which also looks at the writing of the apostle Paul which we also took as our guide in this difficult time of making church.

Often we as simple humans forget the role of the guiding or directing hand of the Most High in His time period. We so often want to hurry up things, not taking into account that it is perhaps not according to God His Plan or time scheme.

Often we worry too much about worldly matters, getting enough people at the meeting, being able to pay the bills, getting the publications ready in time, etc. instead of letting it come like it comes…

The difficulties we encounter today or nothing compared to the difficulties of the first followers of Christ. In our civilised industrialist democratic countries we are not imprisoned for our beliefs and do not have to worry to be executed for our faith, yet we are so often afraid about what others might think and how others react. We should learn more from the examples of the apostles, like Paul who rejoiced in his circumstances, modelling the kind of attitude not only he desires from the congregation, but which Christ would like to see as the ignition key for a trusting Christian congregation.

+

You may read also:

1. A rebellious movement founded on a fake?
2. Are you religious, spiritual, or do you belong to a religion, having a faith or interfaith
3. Inculturation today calling for a different attitude
4. Problems attracting and maintaining worshippers
5. Others that hinder the message
6. Vision blurred by cumulative burden of divisions
7. Church has to grow through witness, not by proselytism
8. Let us not forget it was God who chose us
9. Faith because of the questions
10. Fear of failure, and fear of the unknown
11. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
12. Aim High: Examples of Godly Characters to follow
13. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
14. Being Christian, following Jesus Christ
15. Parts of the body of Christ
16. What part of the Body am I?
17. The Church, Body of Christ and remnant Israel synonymous
18. Being Missional
19. Flowing out from a genuine spiritual “heart”
20. Our openness to being approachable
21. Words in the world
22. Looking from different perspectives
23. Belonging to or being judged by
24. Jerusalem and a son’s kingdom
25. Anti-church movements and Humanism
26. Quibbling siblings united or allied children of an organisation or a church
27. No reconciliation possible between CBM and Duncan Heaster from Carelinks
28. Delay in publications because attack from outside
29. A man from the North wanting to have control in Belgium
30. Our openness to being approachable
31. Let us not fret or worry about next season
32. Fearing the right person
33. God’s Time is Best
34. Together tasting a great promise
35. Change of name
36. New Name a fact
37. To whom do we want to be enslaved
38. Are you being swept along by the world
39. Encouraging one another
40. A participation in the body of Christ
41. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear…
42. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
43. Not words of any organisation should bind you, but…
44. Gods hope and our hope
45. Fixing our attention

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  Since the beginning of time, mankind has formed beliefs of the unexplainable and unknowable. Over thousands of years, these beliefs became traditional, customary, and institutionalized within regional societies. People continue to express an interest in spiritual matters from all corners around the world. Everybody has pondered the meaning of life, what happens after we die, what existed before us, and whether any other life exists in the universe. Mankind may never know concrete answers regarding the spiritual. In fact, humans may destroy the planet before we can discover the remaining life in unexplored regions. Nevertheless, we continue to seek spiritual enlightenment and a connection with our Creator.
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  At the Sunday Angelus Pope Francis warns against becoming “worldly” and “tasteless salt”. “Watered down Christians” are like watered down wine, “you do not know whether it is wine or water”. Read the Gospel every day. Gospel, Eucharist, prayer help us to safeguard the newness of Jesus.
• When The Sin Of Contention Comes (Bible tools commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh) (prophecynewsandviews.wordpress.com)
  A quarrel that could be easily settled if both parties were humble continues indefinitely when parties are arrogant. Why? Because pride plows the way for contempt for the others opinion. Pride inflames passion and wounds feelings. Because of competitiveness, also an aspect of pride, a person feels he has to fight back. And so the argument goes back and forth.
• Let us not fret or worry about next season (belgianbiblestudents.wordpress.com)
  Last season we like the Belgian Christadelphians perhaps had set our hopes to much on human beings, hoping they would not be as partial to prohibit brothers and sisters in Christ to join hands and have meetings together.

  In the midst of our many activities our minds should have been on the eternal and the magical ways of the universe, trusting God He would be the One Who brings the Chosen ones unto Him.

Reading Acts

While the following commands from Paul seem unrelated to the theme of unity, Frank Thielman argues they ought to be read in the context of persecution (Philippians, NIVAC, 217-9). While this is not an Empire-wide systematic persecution of believers, we have already seen several times in the letter than the church at Philippi was a small community of believers who are in many ways “different” from the Roman culture around them. The existence of a group of people who “have the mind of Christ” is enough to be suspicious, and suspicion easily gives way to gossip, wild accusations and pressure to conform. This sort of social pressure can be difficult to accept and a source of great fear for the church. Paul’s series of short exhortations in these verses are therefore designed to give comfort and encouragement to endure.

First, Paul encourages the church to set aside worry…

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