Title: The kingdom of God | |
Revival_Centres_Discussion_Forums > Bible, Beliefs, Scriptures and 'The Word' > The Christian room - For Christians about Christianity | Go to subcategory: |
Author | Content |
Sea Urchin | |
Date Posted:03/06/2008 2:12 AMCopy HTML I began a conversation in another thread (GRC) that may be better off here, in a new topic.
Epi and I discussed our thoughts about the Kingdom of God and what it means. I'll endeavour to copy & paste from our discussion. There's been heaps of negative stuff in the forum of late, and it would be nice to engage with people (Christian or non-Christian) who don't bring their hatred, bitterness, unresolved conflict with them, if that's OK? Just an exchange of views without some of the nastiness that has been going on. Anyone got any thoughts? Urchin |
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Sea Urchin | Share to: #1 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:03/06/2008 2:15 AMCopy HTML Epi wrote:
Hi all, I just have to put my bit in here. It is good to see someone quote The Lord's Prayer because it was missing (more's the pity) from the Revival group I belonged to, which was RCI then RF - they are pretty well all tarred with the same brush. It was considered by RCI/RF NOT to be a prayer, and on these grounds, they wouldn't have a bar of it as such. Those who accepted Jesus' words of "When you pray, say, Our Father etc, and recited it, which is just about all churches except Revival groups, were considered by Revivalists to be using vain repetitions - babblings. I was told many years ago that these verses in Matthew and Luke are just a leading up towards receiving the Holy Spirit and salvation with the bible evidence of speaking in tongues. Consequently this wonderful prayer which almost everyone knows was absent from my life as a prayer for far too long, and even when it was prayed at certain public events which I attended, my mouth remained tightly shut. I admit though that I always had reservations about RCI/RF explanations regarding these scriptures but just accepted it. "As Jesus was praying one of his disciples said unto him "Lord teach us to pray........And he said unto them; When you pray, SAY Our Father which are in heaven........" Luke 11:1-4. In Matthew 6:9-15 "After this manner, therefore, pray; Our Father........" To overlook this prayer that Jesus taught us and the humble attitude that should accompany this prayer has to reveal huge deficiencies in those who twist and take away from these scriptures. Also as stated in the above post:- "Our Father.............forgive US OUR sins as WE forgive them who sin against US" This is a community prayer! God bless Epi Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.
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Sea Urchin | Share to: #2 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:03/06/2008 2:17 AMCopy HTML Urchin wrote:
You are spot on Epi, the Lord's Prayer is a community prayer. Like you, I'd gone along with RF/RC views for many years and consequently (even though I questioned in my mind at times) never understood why Jesus answered the disciples about how they should pray - and yet as a group we skimmed over it. Last Sunday in church Pst Danny said that, in the Lord's Prayer the only person mentioned in the singular sense is the the Lord - everyone else is in the plural or 'they/others' e.g. OUR (not just 'my') Father...thy kingdom come on earth...(has to be about 'us') give US (not 'me') this day OUR (not 'my') daily bread, and forgive us OUR sins as WE forgive them who sin against US..for thine is the kingdom... Jesus introduced the kingdom of God to us when He came to the earth. The kingdom of God is a ' place' (not heaven) but a place where His love is and His mercy is. As we start to embrace ' kingdom' thinking, we start to move forward - away from the ' it's only this church (revs) that's right ' mentality. Kingdom is about ALL of the body, not individual denominations thinking that they're the only ones that have got it right. Urch Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.
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Glad-to be out | Share to: #3 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:03/06/2008 2:44 AMCopy HTML The Lord's Prayer was always my favourite prayer as it encompassed everything that I believed Christianity stood for. (The GRC did say the Lord's Prayer on the very odd occaision.)
Respect for God, first and foremost, being willing to carry out and to be receptive to God's wishes. Kindness and compassion to others and most importantly forgiveness - to be able to forgive ourselves and move on and to be able to forgive others. To be given the courage to lead a good life and to finally recognise that all of these things are possible only through the qualities that are given to us by God. Once we recognise that God is all encompassing and all empowering I think that helps us to see the Kingdom of God as a place that can be reached here and now, not a state that can be attained only when we die. There is a Psalm that says, "Surely His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Combine the Lord's Prayer and that and I think you have heaven on earth. I think as Urch says, if you believe in this type of Kingdom, then it is impossible to be elitist or to have a seperation of Faiths. Cheers, Glad "Faith is not about everything turning out OK; Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out."
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Still Set Free | Share to: #4 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:03/06/2008 6:51 AMCopy HTML Good topic! |
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Sea Urchin | Share to: #5 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:04/06/2008 12:21 AMCopy HTML When Jesus answered the Pharisees question of when the kingdom of God would come, He told them; (Amplified) Luke 17:21 Nor will people say, Look! Here (it is) or, See, (it is) there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you (in your hearts) and among you (surrounding you). (Message) Luke 17:20-21 Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, 'Look here!' or, 'There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you." The kingdom of God is present wherever human beings love and serve God and seek in obedience to extend acceptance of his kingly reign on earth. Urch Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.
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Still Set Free | Share to: #6 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:04/06/2008 7:10 AMCopy HTML you should read some stuff by Dr Myles Munroe
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Ex_Member | Share to: #7 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:06/06/2008 6:38 AMCopy HTML This is certainly a good topic. Thanks for making it a new thread Urch. Have been a bit busy lately but last night found myself pouring over the scriptures on the subject. Jesus showed His disciples the Lord's Prayer as an example as to how we should pray - God's prayer of what HE wants us to pray for i.e. His Kingdom to come. We are the salt and light of the earth and so we want to see His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The Kingdom of God is wherever Christ is acknoweged as Lord, and so we put our lives, our families, our churches under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. |
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Sea Urchin | Share to: #8 |
Re:The kingdom of God Date Posted:11/06/2008 12:16 PMCopy HTML A few more notes of the talk re the Kingdom of God: Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.
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