NoLongerN Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 SO YOU'RE HEARING GOD SENT THIS CORONA VIRUS? LET'S LOOK AT GOD'S HEART. "But God DEMONSTRATED His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us [Romans 5:8]. The context of Romans 5 also says we were saved from the wrath of God, we were enemies, we were ungodly, we were helpless, we were under condemnation, we were disobedient [living in unbelief] ... and yet, God DEMONSTRATED His love by sending His Son to the Cross. God isn't mad at humanity. Jesus took all the shame, blame and condemnation. In fact, the ministry of the Spirit today is one of righteousness [or right living]. It was the Law of Moses that was "the ministry of death and condemnation" [2 Corinthians 3]. It was replaced now by the Spirit. Jesus bluntly said that He, “did not come to condemn the world, but to save it” [John 3:17]. And, He did provide the Way [all that is needed now is to receive/believe]. Jesus was struck to the core with compassion over people far from God, seeing them as sheep without a shepherd [Matthew 9:36-37]. Look at how Jesus dealt with folks caught/trapped in sin. The woman caught in adultery in John 8. He said, "No one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." Jesus said that He came to “seek and save” that which is lost [Luke 19:10]. Jesus cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing ...” [Luke 23:34]. Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen God the Father” [John 14:9]. It was Jesus who came to offer rest [not stress] to the weary and burdened [Matthew 11:28-30]. Also, don't forget, "it was His perfect love that casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love" [1 John 4:18]. And Paul said that God’s kindness [not wrath], is what leads us to repentance [Romans 2:4]. Peter said in this way, "The Lord is not slow ... [but] is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance [belief in Jesus]" [2 Peter 3:9]. The heart of Jesus has been clearly seen. He came to save a broken and fallen world. He does not look down on the downtrodden and afflicted. He came to redeem man from being under the curse [Galatians 3:13]. This is God’s true disposition toward a broken humanity ... the Just One [for the unjust - 1 Peter 3:18], for the joy of knowing that His death and resurrection would lead to eternal life [John 17:3] for any who would believe, endured the cross and despised the shame [Hebrews 12:2] ... and has now sat down because His work of redemption is complete. May the Spirit of Grace and Truth [John 1:16-17] be your Teacher as you weigh through the messages you hear ... EVEN THIS ONE! Remember, it is Truth that will set you free. It is error that will put you into bondage. If you are a Saint/Believer, you know that beloved of God, He has for you taken away your sin by the sacrifice of Himself [Hebrews 9:26]. He did that for you while you were yet an enemy. Now, you are saved by His very Life [Romans 5:10]. The Spirit is now your Teacher, Guide, Helper, Sustainer and Advocate. Today, the Spirit is at work convincing [John 16:8] those without hope of their unbelief in Jesus, the righteousness [or lack thereof] that comes only IN Jesus and the coming judgment that every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is THE Lord [Philippians 2:11]. Let's continue to be the Love, Life and Liberty of our Great Redeemer and communicate the heart of our Father. He has instilled in all of us IN Christ His Life and His Hope via the resurrection so that now, through us, He will reflect His comfort and peace amidst the storms of today. Present Jesus boldly to others as your Comforter, Healer, Deliverer, Father and Friend. He will empower you, fill you with His Spirit, to enter into the pain of others as wounded healers ourselves. To whoever reads this, I hope you know how much God loves you [John 3:16]. I pray that you know God in the way Jesus revealed Him in His New Covenant ... and not according to man-made traditions and misinterpretations. He lined out Four Provisions/Promises for any/all that will receive/believe in Him and His New Covenant. Here they are [Hebrews 8:10-12]: - I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. - I will be their God, and they will be my people. - No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying "Know the Lord," because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. - I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Don't underestimate the far reach of these promises where your life in Christ is concerned. These promises produce much rest, peace and comfort. These contain everything you need for life and godliness. Take hold of these four promises and your life will never be the same. The Gospel that Jesus mediated is truly GOOD NEWS! Thankfully, it not only takes away our sins but the more important part, is what was lost "IN Adam" is restored "IN Christ". Through the Spirit, God has now put Himself back into man. We now have His Life in us. His very resurrection Life! May this message find your Spirit well and at peace. Oh, and by the way ... you don't need to forward this to receive any blessing. Nor will you be cursed if you don't. :-) Pastor Mark Jesus' New Covenant http://www.facebook.com/JesusNewCovenantANewAndLivingWay/ http://www.JesusNewCovenant.com PS. If you haven't heard the gospel, give this a listen. https://youtu.be/rMNGoXQmm_U 1 1 1 Link to comment
knapplc Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 I think it's important to figure out which side of god's temperament we're dealing with. Is it the loving, kind god? Hardly seems so. Seems more like the god who drives people from the temple with whips: John 2:13-16 Quote Jesus Clears the Temple Courts 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” If we think if Covid as the whip, this could absolutely be something sent from god. Perhaps god will be so kind as to tell us what we're supposed to be learning from this. 1 Link to comment
teachercd Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 God: "Guys, stop eating bats" People: "Hmmm, I am still going to eat bats" God: "Okay then" 1 Link to comment
NoLongerN Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 22 minutes ago, teachercd said: God: "Guys, stop eating bats" People: "Hmmm, I am still going to eat bats" God: "Okay then" Good word @teachercd! Man will always try to be Batman, right? It's my pride that always tries to make my own way. No wonder he opposed me, the proud one ... rather than come as a child to receive by grace through faith what is freely given to any who will be humble. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 YOU’RE Unless there is a “hearing god,” but this is the first time I’m... hearing about it. 1 Link to comment
NoLongerN Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 Just now, Moiraine said: YOU’RE Unless there is a “hearing god,” but this is the first time I’m... hearing about it. Thanks for helping me with my grammar ... much needed. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 6 minutes ago, BigRedN said: Thanks for helping me with my grammar ... much needed. Link to comment
NoLongerN Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 32 minutes ago, knapplc said: I think it's important to figure out which side of god's temperament we're dealing with. Is it the loving, kind god? Hardly seems so. Seems more like the god who drives people from the temple with whips: John 2:13-16 If we think if Covid as the whip, this could absolutely be something sent from god. Perhaps god will be so kind as to tell us what we're supposed to be learning from this. In this story, Jesus was showing the Jews His godly anger for turning what was suppose to be the place of worship into a financial center of gain. Jesus would call these kinds of folks "white-washed tombs". If you look at Jesus' ministry, He was trying to help the Jew to understand that it wasn't about the Law, but the deeper desperation and brokenness in the human heart, which was deceitful and wicked. He rebuked those who said they did not violate the Law. The example there is when he spoke to the one who said he hadn't committed adultery. Jesus sharpened the Law and said, "I tell you this, if you look at a woman to lust after her, you have committed adultery." Thus, Jesus' ministry to the Jew was a very good rebuke. It's totally different after Jesus mediates His New Covenant. The Law will always be the ministry of death and condemnation. The ministry of the Spirit and Christ's Life in and through the believer is His way now. Grateful that we all get the freedom to choose of our own free will what we see and believe. For me, life is happening and whether its war, famine or the latest sickness ... it's part of this life ... not the "whip" of an angry God. I'll never believe that man "is a sinner in the hands of an angry God", rather ... because of the cross and resurrection ... God's hands are open and available to all to be "saints in the hands of a loving God." All the best to you ... as you walk through this life. 1 Link to comment
JJ Husker Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 5 hours ago, teachercd said: God: "Guys, stop eating bats" People: "Hmmm, I am still going to eat bats" God: "Okay then" This is the best take on this subject. God didn't send this plague and he isn't going to stop it. If/When it gets stopped, it will be due to human beings. 1 Link to comment
NoLongerN Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 5 hours ago, teachercd said: God: "Guys, stop eating bats" People: "Hmmm, I am still going to eat bats" God: "Okay then" 1 Link to comment
RedDenver Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 5 hours ago, JJ Husker said: This is the best take on this subject. God didn't send this plague and he isn't going to stop it. If/When it gets stopped, it will be due to human beings. If that's the case, then we should also stop eating poultry and swine. Link to comment
JJ Husker Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 1 hour ago, RedDenver said: If that's the case, then we should also stop eating poultry and swine. ....What? Sorry, this went way over my head. To be clear, I was not agreeing that eating bats was the problem. Rather that God doesn't seem to get involved in either side of these type issues anymore. I'm not going to give him the blame for bad things nor the credit for the good. My point was, what happens, happens, and by all accounts we're pretty much on our own and subject to our own decisions. If God has a hand in it, we'll never know or be able to recognize it. 1 1 Link to comment
RedDenver Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 1 minute ago, JJ Husker said: ....What? Sorry, this went way over my head. To be clear, I was not agreeing that eating bats was the problem. Rather that God doesn't seem to get involved in either side of these type issues anymore. I'm not going to give him the blame for bad things nor the credit for the good. My point was, what happens, happens, and by all accounts we're pretty much on our own and subject to our own decisions. If God has a hand in it, we'll never know or be able to recognize it. I was addressing the quick take about not eating bats. I probably should have replied to teach's post instead. Link to comment
NUance Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 From Bats to Human Lungs, the Evolution of a Coronavirus By Carolyn Kormann www.newyorker.com March 27, 2020 For thousands of years, a parasite with no name lived happily among horseshoe bats in southern China. The bats had evolved to the point that they did not notice; they went about their nightly flights unbothered. One day, the parasite—an ancestor of the coronavirus, sars-CoV-2—had an opportunity to expand its realm. LINK 1 Link to comment
knapplc Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 25 minutes ago, NUance said: From Bats to Human Lungs, the Evolution of a Coronavirus By Carolyn Kormann www.newyorker.com March 27, 2020 For thousands of years, a parasite with no name lived happily among horseshoe bats in southern China. The bats had evolved to the point that they did not notice; they went about their nightly flights unbothered. One day, the parasite—an ancestor of the coronavirus, sars-CoV-2—had an opportunity to expand its realm. LINK That's a really good article. I wonder if someone wasn't eating bat meat and swallowed wrong, getting some food in their lung. That food particle contained the virus, which was able to mutate and live inside humans. Probably never know, but that seems plausible. Link to comment
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