The Aramaic Bible Web Log is a forum for discussing the origins of the Bible and the value of translating the Scriptures from the Ancient Aramaic Texts of the Ancient Church of the East directly into English. I believe that the Ancient Aramaic language is the true scribal language of Scriptures. My translations are posted at http://www.v-a.com/bible/. If you send me appropriate questions or comments, I will post them on this Web Log and attempt to answer or respond to them as best as I can. I will only post what I consider proper. I will not include e-mail addresses, but only your name as you wish it to appear on this blog. Click here to submit your questions or comments via e-mail. Or you may use the FORM MAIL at the bottom of this blog.
Proclaiming Jesus.
For it was not about ourselves that we preach, except about the Christ Jesus our Lord, ourselves then, we are your servants because of Jesus. 2 Cor 4:5.
How often have we found that in listening to someone talking about others that they are in fact talking about themselves? How often have we found that the same pertains to us? So often when I hear people preach I realise that they are actually talking about themselves, which after all, is most people’s favorite topic of conversation. All too often when I listen to myself, the same applies. Hence this is why a person may, and does become addicted to the sound of their own voice and to their own opinions, as from these self-assertions they derive a sense of comfort and reassurance.
In contentiously striving to assert our own wisdom, we become as foolishness to God. 1 Cor 1:17-31.
Addictive compulsive behavior is common to all Mankind, and arguably ithe most subtle addiction of all is to our own opinions and the proclamation thereof. People become dependent upon whatever brings them comfort – a heroin addict does not become one because he likes to be a human pin cushion or because he enjoys destroying himself – he does so because initially it takes away the pain of the living death which has been his ‘life’ and affords a form of convenient comfort but which also comes at a cruel price.
So often we fall into the trap of preaching our struggle and or our blossoming awareness of revelation instead of waiting upon the Lord until the buds develop into fully fleshed fruit that we may be fed and led from within and that others may learn thereby. We are enjoined to minister peace and reconciliation, not strife and condemnation, and all too often condemnation masquerades as illumination.
There are a lot of believers out there who both suffer and promote spiritual indigestion in that they offer up and feed upon blossoms and buds. People grow into spiritual maturity as and when they learn to be fed from within, to draw upon the springs of living water which well up from the inner resource of Christ in us and which overflow to the benefit of others. This is contrasted with the preaching of compulsion and condemnation which masquerades as Christ and which simply averts the attention away from our own issues.
How many times have we found or received something on the internet or elsewhere and thought, “Hey this would be just right for so-and-so?” When in reality we recognise its seeming wisdom because it reflects our dysfunction, but the compulsion to avoid our own inner issues which have resulted in our failure to manifest Christ-likeness compels us to pass the parcel of condemnation on to someone else? Sooner or later we have to begin to grow up spiritually and realise that for each of us, the buck stops here and that we may quench these thinly disguised and religiously contrived fiery darts by faith in Jesus Christ in realising that there is therefore now no condemnation to they who are in Christ. Further to this is the realisation that all things are in Christ and that he is the saviour of all mankind, but it is difficult enough for most to even comprehend their own salvation, let alone the ability of God to save all to the uttermost.
With man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
Herein is the conundrum of this human existence, that in talking about ourselves or others, we are in fact talking about Jesus – if you have not as yet gotten a revelation of that let me assure you that you need to. The unfolding of the revelation of “All in all” enables us to learn to submit thereby and to manifest the Love of God in Christ Jesus in us and to bring God’s peace and good will toward all men.
This also is the difference between the sheep and the goats. You cannot make a sheep out of a goat nor vice versa – they are essentially genetically very similar and they can interbreed to make a sterile hybrid. The truth is that the sheep and the goats are not different peoples but a metaphor for those who are spirit-led and those who are a slave to the flesh. The propensity for both is inherent in all Mankind and whose minds and souls are dominated by their flesh will be “The sons of the kingdom who will go out looking at darkness where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
As preachers or proclaimers of Christ Jesus, we either proclaim Him Lord, or we preach ourselves – we either manifestly show forth the Spirit of Grace in the face of Christ Jesus or we manifest ourselves in the name of Jesus. To proclaim the gospel, to show forth Jesus, is not just talking ABOUT Him, and bragging on the manifestation of His gracious gifts in us as if we had anything to do with it, it is as manifesting His grace as an expression of His Divine Person in an earthen vessel.
In attempting to marry together or reconcile within us the behaviour of the sheep and the goat, we will simply derive a sterile hybrid which has a form of godliness but which denies the power thereof. This does not mean that there will not be any manifestation of power at all, but that we DENY the power its rightful headship and instead make the power a tool of our own selfish ambitions and carnal motivations. Shudder!
16. For I am not embarrassed by Him, as He is revealed through the Gospel, because He is the Power of God, [proffering] Life to whoever believes in Him, whether from the Jews first or from the Aramaic speaking people (Aramaeans) first.*
17. For the righteousness of God is revealed through Him, from faith to faith, as is written in Scriptures, "By faith you shall Live."
(*In the Greek translations this was changed to read “Greeks”)
Now here is the rub – if we try to proclaim Jesus but instead preach ourselves and others, this is in reality indicative of our perception of Jesus and so we are preaching the Jesus we perceive – get it? We either perceive Jesus and Him crucified for us, and the totality of His finished work and so in humble submission do as He asks us to as His servants, or we still judge others according to the flesh, thankful that Jesus dealt with our sin yet blithely ignorant of how far that extends to others. This is why the religious mind draws barriers of acceptability and defines people into two broad camps, Christian and non-Christian, saved and unsaved, whereas in truth the demarcation is between Christ and antichrist, and that is internal, not external.
Thomas a Kempis wrote prophetically by the Holy Spirit in the “Of The Imitation of the Christ”:
“My son, let not the sayings of men move thee, however fair and ingenious they may be. ‘For the kingdom of God consisteth not in word, but in power.’”
“I teach without noise of words, without confusion of opinions, without desire of honour, without bandying of arguments.”
Chapter 43
“MY son, in many ways it is they duty to be ignorant, and to esteem thyself as dead upon the earth, and as one to whom the whole world is crucified.”
“Thou must also pass by many things with a deaf ear, and rather think upon those things which belong unto peace.”
“It is more useful to turn away one’s own eyes from unpleasing things, and to leave everyone to his own opinions, than to be a slave to contentious discourses.
“If all stand well between thee and God, and if thou hast this judgment in thy mind, thou shalt the more easily endure to be oversome.”
Chapter 44.
And Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit in the Epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 4:
1. I beg you thus, I who am bound to our Lord, that you proceed according to the calling by which you were called,
2. In complete sympathy (gentleness of outlook), peacefulness and generosity (enlarging) of spirit, and preach [the Kingdom] to each other in love,
3. And you should endeavor to guard the Triune essence of the Spirit (Oneness in the Spirit), dovetailed in peace,
4. So you may be with one body and one spirit, as you are called by the one Hope of your Calling.
5. For One is the Lord and one is the Faith and one is the Baptism,
6. And One is God, Father of everyone and Supreme over all, and Omnipotent in everything and Omniscient in all of us.
7. To each one of us, however, He gave us grace according to their measure in appreciating Christ.
8. Because of that it is said [in Scriptures,]
"He ascends to the highest,
He furnishes a resting place
and He grants rewards to humanity."
9. That He ascends, however, is what, except for also that He beforehand would descend to the lower depths of the earth.
10. He who descends, was the One who ascended higher than all, so as all heaven should be in submission to Him.
11. And it is He who grants that some should be apostles, prophets, preachers, sheppards and some to be teachers,
12. To nurture the saints, to perform ministry, to build the body of Christ,
13. Until we all become one in faith and knowledge of the Son of God, and [we become] one person according to the measure of Christ's all encompassing stature.
14. And that we should not be like the boys who are shaken and tossed asunder by every revolutionary spirit of human knowledge, those ideas that are designed to mislead through stupidity.
15. Except [your ideas] should be confirmed by our love, so as that everything that belongs to us is nurtured through Christ who is our head,
16. And from Him is everybody mustered and assembled, whoever He embodies, according to the measure of the endowment granted to every member for the discipline of his or her body, so as the entire structure is established in love.
Jesus died as the second Adam for everyone born from the first Adam – He was crucified for all and in Him all men and women were crucified.
Romans 5:18. In similar manner thus, because of the foolishness of one person, all humanity was under obligation (to the Law), likewise because of the righteousness of one person, there will be victory with respect to eternal life for all humanity.
To you it was shown; that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; that there is none other besides Him. Deut 4:35.
Although Christianity is under attack in the world, we need to stay objective in discussing the origins of the Scriptures. The Internet provides an opportunity for free discussions. Thank you for participating and expressing your opinions, as I have.