General Chat

There is a scripture in the Old Testament that says

Hear O Isreal the Lord our God is One

David it's difficult to explain and even more so to understand. I don't precisely, but as a basic idea: ( from the BBC )


"The idea that there is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit means:

There is exactly one God
The Father is God
The Son is God
The Holy Spirit is God
The Father is not the Son
The Son is not the Holy Spirit
The Father is not the Holy Spirit

An alternate way of explaining it is:

There is exactly one God
There are three really distinct Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Each of the Persons is God"

Or you can try this page https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity

I am sure Cynthia will have a stab at explaining, and will not have to rely on Google to do so :-)

and now I am going to have the line of a hymn going through my brain all evening lol "Holy, holy, holy
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons blessed Trinity"

Without the remotest desire to be heretical or sacrilegious, I confess to

being puzzled.. Church boards say God is risen. As Jesus was dying due to

crucifixion, he cried out, "Forgive them Father, they know not what they do"

Then Jesus cried again "My God why have you forsaken me ?" Then he died.

To ensure he was dead a soldier lanced his side.

Then he was taken off the cross and placed in a tomb, alone with a huge stone

rolled across its entrance. Guards were at the entrance so that his Disciples

couldn't steal his body. At dawn the stone was rolled away and the guards had

scattered. Jesus was gone. If Jesus was God, who had he been praying to ?

And if Jesus / God was dead then who resurrected him ?

Good morning :-) Thanks Emma xx


And so......thinking back to the resurrection; it meant so much for those disciples, but what does it mean for us?

The resurrection of Christ brings hope.

There is hope that mistakes and sins can be forgiven.
There is hope that we can have joy, peace, assurance, and security in the midst of the despair of this age.
There is hope that Christ is coming soon—this is what is called in Scripture “the blessed hope.”
There is hope that there will come some day a new heaven and a new earth, and that the Kingdom of God will reign and triumph.
Our hope is not in our own ability, or in our goodness, or in our physical strength. Our hope is instilled in us by the resurrection of Christ.

Lord, in these days following our Easter celebration, I pray that You will meet Your disciples right where we are in this moment. Help us to find comfort in Your presence and supply for our deepest needs. Amen.

Cx :-)

Caught up with yesterday's post and today's.

Thank you Cynthia x

Good morning :-)

~~~~~~ waves to kandj <3


There is, of course, someone else who had an experience of the risen Christ.....and it seems right that he should be included.....it's quite a story.

Paul of Tarsus, also known as St Paul, (AD 9–67) was a Messianic Jewish-Roman, Turkish writer and rabbi. He wrote the Pauline Epistles in the New Testament. It is believed that he wrote thirteen books of the Bible, all of which are letters to churches and Christians, encouraging them, helping them to understand Christian teaching and helping them to live Christian lives.

Paul's name was originally Saul. He grew up learning both the Jewish law and the Greek ways of discussing things. When the Christian movement began, after the death of Jesus, he was strongly against it. He worked for the Roman Government and helped lead the arrests and killing of many Christians in Israel and the nearby area.

While he was on the road to Damascus in search of Christians there, he had a vision. In the vision Jesus Christ spoke to him, telling Saul that his persecution of Christians was a persecution of Jesus himself, and that it did not please God. Saul was blinded by the vision.

A short time later he met Ananias, a disciple of Jesus, and his sight came back to him.

Saul was baptised as a Christian. He spent the next three years studying the Jewish scriptures again to find explanations for the Christian teachings. His experiences changed his viewpoint completely. He changed his name to Paul and he dedicated his life to serving Jesus Christ.

He used his earlier education to explain his new faith to other people, and to discuss things with people who had other beliefs. He travelled around the Roman Empire, teaching others about Christianity, and wrote letters back and forth with the churches he helped to begin. The letters contain many important parts of Christian teaching.

Paul was put to death by orders of the emperor Nero in Rome, in 67 AD. He had the rights of a Roman citizen, which meant that he could be put to death by having his head cut off with a sword, rather than by crucifixion.

In our everyday life, Father, we pray for the Spirit to inspire and empower us that we may show forth our faith in action, beside all the people you love in our world of today. It is in our everyday lives that we are planted in love and built on love, to follow Christ by loving as he loved us. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Thank you Cynthia and all who pop in and share this interesting thread.

Challenging times continue here. I'm blessed to never feel alone.

For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and
says to you, Do not fear; for I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

Thoughts and prayers for those who are anxious. xxx

Good morning :-)

Thank you Vera - lovely to see you. x

Who replaced Judas Iscariot?

Matthias was selected to replace Judas. The other man who was also in consideration was named Joseph or Barsabas, and surnamed Justus.

Lots were cast and eventually Matthias was chosen. Acts 1:24-26 records the following, "And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

The Bible is sparse on additional details relating to Matthias, but it does say that Matthias was with Jesus since His baptism until his resurrection. Besides the book of Acts, Matthias isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.

According to historical sources Matthias lived til 80 A.D. and spread the gospel on the shores of the Caspian and Cappadocia.

 Loving Father, you alone are the source of every good gift. We praise you for all your gifts to us, and we thank you for your generosity. Everything we have, and all that we are, comes from you. Help us to be grateful and responsible. Amen.


Cx :-)

A very interesting series of posts Cynthia and others who have added :-). Thank you.

Good morning :-)

Almost at the end of our look at the stories of the apostles...…

St. Thomas Died AD72 in India
Feast day 3rd July
Patron saint of architects, blind people, stone cutters, surveyors, theologians and construction workers.

Thomas Didymus lived in Galilee.
Thomas was his Hebrew name and Didymus was his Greek name. Thomas appeared in the raising of Lazarus and in the upper room where we see him saying unless he sees the nail prints in Jesus' hand and the gash of the spear in His side he will not believe. That's why he became known as Doubting Thomas.

By nature, Thomas was a pessimist. He was a bewildered man. Yet, he was a man of courage. He was a man who could not believe until he had seen. He was a man of devotion and of faith. When Jesus rose, he came back and invited Thomas to put his finger in the nail prints in his hands and in his side.

Here, we see Thomas making the greatest confession of faith, "My Lord and my God." Thomas' doubts were transformed into faith. By this very fact Thomas' faith became great, intense and convincing. Thomas was an evangelist in Persia and India. In India he is reported to have built a church with his own hands.

Thomas died when he was shot with arrows, stoned and left to die. A priest then ran a spear through him. His symbol is a group of spears, stones and arrows.

 Lord Jesus Christ, you have given us every spiritual and material blessing. Show us how to share our gifts with others, and inspire us always to follow your example of generous self-giving. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning (just) :-)


Totally agree David :-D They were quite a group weren't they?


Continuing with the disciples of Jesus........just one today and tomorrow.


Simon the Zealot Death - unconfirmed but several thoughts.

Feast Day 28th October. Patron saint of Curriers, sawyers and tanners.

Simon, the Zealot, one of the little-known followers called the Canaanite or Zelotes, lived in Galilee.

The New Testament gives us practically nothing on him personally except that it says he was a Zealot. The Zealots were fanatical Jewish Nationalists who had heroic disregard for the suffering involved and the struggle for what they regarded as the purity of their faith.

The Zealots were crazed with hatred for the Romans. It was this hate for Rome that destroyed the city of Jerusalem. Josephus (ancient writer), says the Zealots were reckless persons, zealous in good practices and extravagant and reckless in the worst kind of actions.

From this background, we see that Simon was a fanatical Nationalist, a man devoted to the Law, a man with bitter hatred for anyone who dared to compromise with Rome. Yet, Simon clearly emerged as a man of faith. He abandoned all his hatred for the faith that he showed toward his Master and the love that he was willing to share with the rest of the disciples and especially Matthew, the Roman tax collector.

Simon, the Zealot, the man who once would have killed in loyalty to Israel, became the man who saw that God will have no forced service. His apostolic symbol is a fish lying on a Bible, which indicates he was a former fisherman who became a fisher of men through preaching.
 

Cx :-)

Good morning. It is remarkable that a small group of me should follow one man to the end of his short life and travel so far and suffer so much to spread his message..
Even Saul who was intent on chastising them was converted and is responsible for a large part of there NT. He paid with his life in Rome.

Good morning :-)


Lovely to see you both...... <3


The Collect (special prayer) for today

Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord:
give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened
and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness
and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Gospel reading is of Jesus cooking breakfast on the shore - not long after his resurrection.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Very many thanks for your daily commitment to this Christian thread Cynthia.

I'd also like to join Emma by sending sympathy and prayerful support to Mersey.

Gentle hugs to all in need today xxx

Enjoying your posts on the disciples Cynthia,
very interesting indeed. x

Good morning :-)

Yes indeed Emma. I don't come on here often during the day, so tend to miss some things.

The disciples of Jesus are quite an interesting bunch aren't they?
Two more...….

Matthew or Levi died in Ethiopia
Feast day 21st September Patron saint of tax collectors and accountants
Matthew, or Levi, son of Alpheus, lived in Capernaum. He was a tax collector. He wrote the Gospel that bears his name.

It is likely that James the lesser, who was one of the twelve Apostles, was Matthew's brother, also the son of Alpheus. Although we know little about Matthew personally, the outstanding fact about him is that he was a tax collector.

The tax collectors were hated not on religious grounds only but because most of them were notoriously unjust. In the minds of many honest, Jewish men, these tax collectors were regarded as criminals. Such was Matthew. Yet, Jesus chose a man all men hated and made him one of His men. It took Jesus Christ to see the potential in the tax collector of Capernaum.

Matthew was unlike the other Apostles, who were mostly fishermen. He could use a pen, and by his pen he became the first man to present to the world, in the Hebrew language, an account of the teaching of Jesus. It is clearly impossible to estimate the debt that Christianity owes to this despised tax gatherer.

The average man would have thought it impossible to reform Matthew, but to God all things are possible. Matthew became the first man to write down the teachings of Jesus. He was a missionary of the Gospel, who laid down his life for the faith of his Master. The apostolic symbol of Matthew is three money bags which reminds us that he was a tax collector before Jesus called him.

Philip Died 80AD Martyred in Turkey
Feast day 1st May Patron saint of Cooks and bakers

Philip came from Bethsaida, the town from which Peter and Andrew came. The likelihood is that he, too, was a fisherman. The Gospel of John shows Philip as one of the first to whom Jesus addressed the words, "Follow Me."

Philip was a man with a warm heart and a pessimistic head. He was one who would very much like to do something for others, but who did not see how it could be done. Yet, this simple Galilean gave all he had. In return God used him.

It is said that he died by hanging. While he was dying, he requested that his body be wrapped not in linen but in papyrus for he was not worthy that even his dead body should be treated as the body of Jesus had been treated. The symbol of Philip is a basket, because of his part in feeding of the five thousand. It is he that stressed the cross as a sign of Christianity and victory.

Cx :-)

For the loss of a dearly loved grand mother my thoughts
and prayers are with Mersey and her family.
<3 <3

Good morning.. :-)

Thanks Emma. <3


Two more disciples of Jesus, but one is certainly not a saint!

Judas
Judas Iscariot, the traitor, was the son of Simon who lived in Kerioth of Judah. He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and afterwards hanged himself.

Judas, the man who became the traitor, is the supreme enigma of the New Testa-ment because it is so hard to see how anyone who was so close to Jesus, who saw so many miracles and heard so much of the Master's teaching could ever betray him into the hands of his enemies.

Judas came from Judah near Jericho. He was a Judean and the rest of the disciples were Galileans. He was the treasurer of the band and among the outspoken leaders.

It is said that Judas was a violent Jewish Nationalist who had followed Jesus in hope that through Him his nationalistic flame and dreams might be realized.

There is no certain reason as to why Judas betrayed his master; but it is not his betrayal that put Jesus on the cross, it was our sins. His apostolic symbol is a hangman's noose, or a money purse with pieces of silver falling from it.


Jude or Thaddeus Died 70AD Feast Day 28th October Patron Saint of desperate case and lost causes.

Jude, Thaddeus, is son of Alpheus or Cleophas and Mary. He was a brother of James the Younger. He was one of the very little-known Apostles and lived in Gali-lee. Tradition says he preached in Assyria and Persia and died a martyr in Persia.

By character he was an intense and violent Nationalist with the dream of world power and domination by the Chosen People. In the New Testament records he asked Jesus at the Last Supper, "But Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

Judas Thaddeus was interested in making Christ known to the world. Not as a suffering Saviour, however, but as ruling King. We can see plainly from the answer Jesus gave him, that the way of power can never be substituted for the way of love.

It is said that Jude went to preach the gospel in Edessa near the Euphrates River. There he healed many and many believed in the name of the Master. Jude went from there to preach the Gospel in other places. He was killed with arrows at Ararat. The chosen symbol for him is the ship because he was a missionary thought to be a fisherman.

Lord, You have called us to follow your son, Jesus, without counting the cost. Send us your Holy Spirit to give us courage and wisdom to be faithful disciples.

Cx :-)

Enjoying your posts Cynthia x

Good morning.. :-)


Whoa...David....so many questions - so little time! :-D

The bible tells us that Jesus had 4 brothers and mentions sisters, but doesn't say how many.

I don't know much about the rosary as it is not part of my tradition but we do have one upstairs for some reason. I had to smile when I googled and saw Praying the Rosary - dummies, with a step by step guide on how to use a rosary properly.

Now to today :

Introducing 2 more of Christ's disciples...….

St. James the Lesser or the Younger Died AD62
Feast Day 3rd May Patron Saint of dying people, apothecaries, druggists, fullers, hatmakers , pharmacists

James, the Lesser or Younger, son of Alpheus, or Cleophas and Mary, lived in Gallilee. He was the brother of the Apostle Jude.

According to tradition he wrote the Epistle of James, preached in Palestine and Egypt and was crucified in Egypt. James was one of the little-known disciples. Some scholars believe he was the brother of Matthew, the tax collector. Although his accomplishments remain unknown to us today, James may simply have been overshadowed by the more prominent apostles. Even still, being named among the twelve was no small achievement.

According to tradition, James was thrown down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned, and his brains dashed out with a fuller's club.


St. John Died c98AD at Ephesus.
Feast Day 27th December Patron Saint of love, loyalty, friendships, and authors.

John Boanerges, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of James, the Apostle. He was known as the Beloved Disciple. A fisherman who lived in Bethsaida, Capernaum and Jerusalem, he was a member of the Inner Circle.

He wrote the Gospel of John, I John, II John, III John and Revelation. He preached among the churches of Asia Minor. Banished to the isle of Patmos, he was later freed and died a natural death. John was one of the prominent Apostles.

He is mentioned in many places in the New Testament. He was a man of action; he was very ambitious; and a man with an explosive temper and an intolerant heart. His second name was Boanerges, which means son of Thunder. He and his brother, James, came from a more well-to-do family than the rest of the 12 Apostles. Since his father had hired servants in his fishing business he may have felt himself above the rest.

John mellowed with time. At the latter part of his life, he had forgotten everything, including his ambition and explosive temper, except his Lord's command of love.
It is said that an attempt was made on his life by giving him a chalice of poison from which God spared him. He died of natural causes. A chalice with a snake in it is his symbol.

Gracious Lord, teach us to give with a joyous and grateful heart that we may provide hope, consolation, and pastoral care to your people and thus give glory and honour to your holy name. Amen.

Cx :-)