previously on Theist Week
Episode One - Knowing God; Episode Two - Organised Religion. And now Theist Week continues with
Episode One - Knowing God; Episode Two - Organised Religion. And now Theist Week continues with
Terms & Conditions (well...)
So your theist friend gone to church to pray for your immortal soul because these are the end of days… find out what the heck that means.
Prayer Meetings
A setting where like minded individuals gather together to pray God’s Will on the Earth for any and every type of situation (s).
Prayer
The humble but straightforward petition made by humans to the Divine. These prayers may be personal or inspired by The Holy Spirit on our behalf (“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26) Prayer is not ritualistic nor should it be.
The Holy Spirit:
A LIVING, BREATHING… PERSON (doh get me started on why “it” is not an acceptable status for Him). The third in the Holy Trinity and the facilitator of all things (“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” – Zechariah 4:6) The Holy Spirit ministers to our spirits, the truth about God and of His Christ ("When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.” John 15:26)
Church:
A group of people held together by the common belief in the Holy Trinity, the Holy Word (Bible) and the tenants/principles lived by Jesus Christ. They may be found all over the world and can be classified as “the body of believers”. Church is NOT a building. It is the people. The Building is a gathering place.
Body of Believers/Bride of Christ:
The Church. Christ is often referred to as The Bridegroom (see a reference in Mark 2: 18-20) thus the church that will be ready on His return is metaphorically called The Bride of Christ.
End of Days/The Last Days:
A period of time (well… now) in which the world experiences a heightened amount of anxiety in the form of pains and pestilence. These are all signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ ("Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." – Acts 1:11). For a full list of signs of the Last Days, Google Matthew chapter 24 or 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Note – this is not a new concept in Theism. There is a similar concept in Islam and in Hinduism the concept of an end is written because Life happens in cycles and must inevitably return to the time of peace.
Rapture:
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Separation/Consecration:
There is a reason why your theist friend may not necessarily go everywhere you go or do half the things you do. Or cuss. Well… the reason is separation. The body is a temple unto God and as such must… MUST be treated as if God himself lives in us. A level of holiness (that surpasses the Pharisees/religious folks) is required.
The Blood of Jesus:
You might here some Christian theists invoke that phrase in prayer and such. A relatively easy explanation of this can be linked to Isaiah who prophesied about Christ’s sufferings (But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5) The Name is powerful. His blood was too.
No I don’t expect actual blood to come pouring on my head every time. It’s a principle.
And there you have it Christian terms/conditions (Well… no) as used by Christian Theists. I may yet post Muslim and Hindu terms for the likes of the uninitiated.
Pax
So your theist friend gone to church to pray for your immortal soul because these are the end of days… find out what the heck that means.
Prayer Meetings
A setting where like minded individuals gather together to pray God’s Will on the Earth for any and every type of situation (s).
Prayer
The humble but straightforward petition made by humans to the Divine. These prayers may be personal or inspired by The Holy Spirit on our behalf (“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26) Prayer is not ritualistic nor should it be.
The Holy Spirit:
A LIVING, BREATHING… PERSON (doh get me started on why “it” is not an acceptable status for Him). The third in the Holy Trinity and the facilitator of all things (“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” – Zechariah 4:6) The Holy Spirit ministers to our spirits, the truth about God and of His Christ ("When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.” John 15:26)
Church:
A group of people held together by the common belief in the Holy Trinity, the Holy Word (Bible) and the tenants/principles lived by Jesus Christ. They may be found all over the world and can be classified as “the body of believers”. Church is NOT a building. It is the people. The Building is a gathering place.
Body of Believers/Bride of Christ:
The Church. Christ is often referred to as The Bridegroom (see a reference in Mark 2: 18-20) thus the church that will be ready on His return is metaphorically called The Bride of Christ.
End of Days/The Last Days:
A period of time (well… now) in which the world experiences a heightened amount of anxiety in the form of pains and pestilence. These are all signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ ("Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." – Acts 1:11). For a full list of signs of the Last Days, Google Matthew chapter 24 or 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Note – this is not a new concept in Theism. There is a similar concept in Islam and in Hinduism the concept of an end is written because Life happens in cycles and must inevitably return to the time of peace.
Rapture:
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Separation/Consecration:
There is a reason why your theist friend may not necessarily go everywhere you go or do half the things you do. Or cuss. Well… the reason is separation. The body is a temple unto God and as such must… MUST be treated as if God himself lives in us. A level of holiness (that surpasses the Pharisees/religious folks) is required.
The Blood of Jesus:
You might here some Christian theists invoke that phrase in prayer and such. A relatively easy explanation of this can be linked to Isaiah who prophesied about Christ’s sufferings (But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5) The Name is powerful. His blood was too.
No I don’t expect actual blood to come pouring on my head every time. It’s a principle.
And there you have it Christian terms/conditions (Well… no) as used by Christian Theists. I may yet post Muslim and Hindu terms for the likes of the uninitiated.
Pax
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