Jesus on Children

Jesus on the value of children
Then Jesus took a little child, and placed it in the middle of them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, Anyone who for the sake of my name welcomes one of these little children welcomes me.(Mk 9.36-37)
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be best for him to be sunk in the depths of the sea with a great millstone hung around his neck. (Mt 18.6)
Parents, do not  irritate your children, but bring them up with discipline and instruction from the Lord. Do not provoke them, or they may be disheartened. (Eph 6.4, Col 3.21)
  IN ANCIENT TIMES, children were not held in high esteem by the Romans. Life was so hard that unwanted babies were abandoned in trash heaps by the sidewalk. Some unscrupulous passersby would pick them up and raise them as prostitutes, beggars or servants. (Daniel Akin, danielakin.com)
The children were not considered important in the social pecking order. A person could literally throw children away by exposing unwanted infants at birth. (Jonathan McLeod, sermon central.com) When the disciples tried to stop the little ones from approaching Jesus, he rebuked them and said, in effect, It is to these children that my ministry belongs.
At the same time, theologically (in another part of the scripture) Jesus enjoins the children to respect their parents and by extension their grandparents. (Honor your mother and your father.) Also Jesus tells parents to bring up the children to a moral, uplifting life thru "discipline and instruction from the Lord."
Children become what they are the way they were brought up to be, and they bring up their own children the way they were brought up to be. So this legacy of upbringing passes on from generation to generation until we become a nation of child-loving parents.
God bless our children.
---borromeofaithforjesus.blogspot.com

Jesus on Existence of Evil

Jesus on the existence of evil
reddragondesigns.net

Jesus recognizes the existence of good as well as evil. For "God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Mt 5.45 NIV)

The good person therefore must continually seek the good, and with prayer and good deed, shall overcome evil.

Jesus was a first century prophet preaching the end time, and he had no time to convert   evil people but to enjoin good people to keep doing good.

"The good man brings good things out of evil stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men  will have to give account on the the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Mt 12.35-36)

Evil exists because there are cruel persons who harbor evil and inflict pain on their fellow humans. Endowed with free will, they choose evil and twist reason to gain power or wealth over others.

Even in the face of overwhelming evil, we must not lose hope, for the arc of history bend      toward justice. "I have overcome the world," says Jesus.

God manifests himself thru man, not thru miracles or hosts of angels. So a righteous and God-fearing person must turn from evil and do good. She must seek peace and pursue it. (Ps 34.14)

We decent loving people everywhere will have nothing to do with evil. We shall avoid every kind of evil. And hold on to the good. (Ps 101.4, 1Th 5.22)

Jesus on the Existence of Evil

Jesus on the existence of evil

reddragondesigns.net

Jesus recognizes the existence of good as well as evil. For "God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Mt 5.45 NIV)

The good person therefore must continually seek the good, and with prayer and good deed, shall overcome evil.

Jesus was a first century prophet preaching the end time, and he had no time to convert   evil people but to enjoin good people to keep doing good.

"The good man brings good things out of evil stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men  will have to give account on the the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Mt 12.35-36)

Evil exists because there are cruel persons who harbor evil and inflict pain on their fellow humans. Endowed with free will, they choose evil and twist reason to gain power or wealth over others.

Even in the face of overwhelming evil, we must not lose hope, for the arc of history bend toward justice. "I have overcome the world," says Jesus.

God manifests himself thru man, not thru miracles or hosts of angels. So a righteous and God-fearing person must turn from evil and do good. She must seek peace and pursue it. (Ps 34.14)

We decent loving people everywhere will have nothing to do with evil. We shall avoid every kind of evil. And hold on to the good. (Ps 101.4, 1Th 5.22)

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Jesus on Homosexuality

When Jesus preached in ancient Israel, he preached about the coming heavenly kingdom. He preached the way to salvation. And being a Jew teaching in a Jewish environment, he taught the Mosaic law. So the so-called sinners in his time were those who violated the Mosaic law. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Mt 5.17 NIV)

But as teacher (rabbi), he believed too that that the end was near --- “The time is coming when all who are in their graves… will come out --- those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (Jn 5.28-29 NIV)

And this would happen in Jesus’s generation. “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” (Lk 21.32 NIV)

So Jesus was concerned with salvation of mankind, whatever their sins, not any particular transgressions of man. Jesus came not to condemn sinners but to save them, not to judge but to render mercy, not to punish but to forgive. Condemn the sin but love the sinner.

Similar Event in New Testament

The reason why Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality was because in his daily preachings the situation did not present itself. We can deduce however what he would say based on a similar situation. When the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in the act of adultery, and they asked him what to do with her, knowing full well that Mosaic law  commanded to stone such women, and intending to entrap him in order to have a basis for accusing him --- Jesus said, “If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

Nobody did, and they all left. So Jesus asked the woman, “Woman where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (Jn 8.3-11 NIV)

Now Jesus did this to avoid entrapment by the scribes and the Pharisees, but more importantly, to emphasize the power of forgiveness over punishment, the overarching goal of salvation, and the coming apocalypse.

In the meantime, through the centuries, social upheavals, scientific discoveries, and secular governments have loosened the grip of religious institutions on society. Where slavery, racism and sexual bigotry were condoned in the scriptures --- now these ideas, in the 21st century, are rejected by most countries in the world, regardless of society’s predominant religion.

Diverse Demographic

Now in America, we have reelected the first black president, we have been electing openly gay and non-Christian candidates to Congress. It will only be a matter of time when we shall elect an atheist as president.

If Jesus were to preach today, he would have to preach before a diverse American demographic. He would have to interpret the scriptures in the light of today’s amalgamating culture and homogenizing society.

Today, in the 21st century, he cannot preach under the cloak of mysticism, ignorance and superstition. (Which was the worldview in the known world at that time.) He cannot honestly say that the graves will open up and the dead breathe life again in their physical bodies which had been eaten away by worms and rotten by decay. He cannot say, echoing the statement of a present-day evangelist, that homosexuals caused the tragedy of 9/11.

If Jesus were alive today, and he professed to be a Christian, Jewish or Muslim, he would say --- “God loves everyone regardless of faith, race or sexual orientation. So love everyone. That is my commandment.”

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Englewood NJ Book Sale Breaks Record

The Friends of the Englewood Library broke another book sale record by grossing $17,972 during the recent four-day sale at the Renaissance Office Center, according to Northern Valley Press in its Jan. 7th issue.

"This is slightly higher than the total for the same four-day sale last year," said Cynthia Sumner to the paper. Cynthia is the Friends book sale vice president.

In her report to the Friends board of directors, she said, "What made this year's event significant is participation of a large number of of new volunteers recruited by Ella Urdang, the organizational skills of the spouses of the board members, and effective publicity campaign of Irmari Nacht."

Sale was well organized

"Several patrons commented on how well the sale was organized," Cynthia said. "The 'staggered opening'... not letting in all of the 90 people in line at the same time... seemed to work well despite some initial grumbling. Ella explained the 'rules' to everyone in her 'command' voice', and they listened.

"We had fewer piles of books left in the hallway thanks to Bobbie, Irmari and others who kept track of what was happening in the 'outside room'.

"I'm hoping that the new volunteers this year will become regular volunteers. I want to say a special thanks to Jonathan Nacht who acted as 'traffic cop' at the door on the first day, as well as monitoring people carrying books in and out of the 'inside room'. Plus he seems to have inherited Irmari's talent for organizing boxes. Our 'box room' never looked good. And thank you to J.K. Levien for helping out in clearing out the mess on the last day after the closing time."

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