Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem(6/14/18)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 6/14/18 | left that other site

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

The Shared Meal




(New Testament)

Matthew 15

That Which Defiles

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’[c]”

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

(End of Scripture Passage)



Upon hearing this story for the first time, I (a precocious six-year-old) inquired of my Dad (who knew EVERYTHING), "Why didn't Jesus wash His hands before eating? Didn't he know about GERMS? Eyew!" Dad patiently explained to me that it wasn't about germs or even washing up before dinner. It was about ostentatiously making a big show of washing, to show how "pure and holy" you were and better than everyone else. Oh yeah! That made a LOT of sense to me. It really appealed to my rebellious, precocious little soul. I was REALLY beginning to like this Jesus Person.


New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Abba, Father Who Art in Heaven,
Blessed Be Your Holy Name!
How we love to sing Your praises,
To Lift Up Your Holy Name in Worship,
For You Alone are Worthy of Praise.
For You are Holy, Righteous and Just,
And Glorious in Majesty!
You Alone Are The One True God.
Perfect in All Your Ways
Ancient of Days,
King of Kings,
And Lord of Lords!

We Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem,
According to Your Will and Promise.
We Pray For the People and Leaders of Israel,
that They Will Look to You for the Protection
and Prosperity of their Nation.
We Also Pray For Revival in our own Beloved USA.



We Pray For The Leaders of Our Nation,
May They Be Inspired and Led By You,
And Please Guide Them in All Things.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Recently, a series on TV has caught the attention of the public. It exposes the plight of people leaving a clutches of a large organization that is labeled a "religion" that was founded by a Science Fiction writer. The people who leave this organization are subjected to a huge amount of abuse, both on the Internet and in person, as the group in question tries to refute the claims of those who have escaped.

The "religion" is based upon a huge chart of "levels" that a devotee studies their way through, step by step (and paying large sums of money each step) to eventually be cleared of all the negative thoughts, memories, feelings, etc, left over from past lives and causing trouble now. There is much, much more to it, but the idea is, of course, to separate the devotee from his or her money. The worst thing about it is that, when the devotee gets to the "Top", the entire system is revised and reworked so that he has to start all over again, and pay for the steps again too! (I have purposely not used the group's name or terminology, as the group is very litigious and I do not want to expose FR to any nuisance lawsuits. You all know who I am talking about, so let's leave it at that. Thanks)

The Ancient Greeks had a story about the depths of Hades and punishment for those who had offended the gods". Here is one that is relevant to today's story:

(From Wikipedia):

In Greek mythology Sisyphus or Sisyphos (/ˈsɪsɪfəs/;[2] Greek: Σίσυφος, Sísuphos) was the king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down when it nears the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on modern culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean (/ˌsɪsɪˈfiːən/).

God gave Moses The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). These "Big Ten" govern our relationship with God Our Creator, and then Our Fellow Man. Jesus summed them up to be "The Two Greatest Commandments: Love God with your whole heart, and Love Your Neighbor as you love yourself. If one does that, then the rest of the Commandments fall into place. If you love someone, you are not going to cheat on him, steal from him, lie to him, accuse him falsely, envy him, or kill him.

Religious Rules and Regulations usually start in the right place. The aforementioned cult in this article is an exception. It was founded PRECISELY to separate people from their money. That being said, other restrictions in other faiths were originally instituted to help the people keep the Laws of God. But, when these laws and ordinances become mandatory and an end in themselves, they are no longer a positive effect of Faith, but an oppressive system that leads people AWAY from Faith and toward self-righteousness. Then, the common people who just "want to do the right thing" become like Sisyphus pushing the rock uphill just to have it roll down again, or like the earnest young person spending everything they have to get to the top of the chart only to be sent back to the bottom again.

There is Freedom in Faith, and "Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed" (John 8:36).

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance..” Psalm 33 NASB

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[etabeta]

Amen and God bless.

[NEWwoman]

Amen, left that other site

When I read about the hand washing, I thought about “Virtue Signaling” in our day.

And for those earnestly trying to worship God, but are fleeced, I thought of Jesus whipping the money changers at the Temple.

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and the world.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance..” Psalm 33 NASB

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, NEWwoman, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance..” Psalm 33 NASB

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Silentgypsy]

Amen and thank you.

[Kitty Mittens]

Abba, Father Who Art in Heaven,
Blessed Be Your Holy Name!
How we love to sing Your praises,
To Lift Up Your Holy Name in Worship,
For You Alone are Worthy of Praise.

Amen to Every Anointed Word of your Beautiful Prayer, Dear Servant of Jesus Christ.
Joining you in Thanksgiving, Prayer, and Praise.

[Hiskid]

Amen

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Silentgypsy, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance..” Psalm 33 NASB

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Hiskid, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance..” Psalm 33 NASB

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Kitty Mittens, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance..” Psalm 33 NASB

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Maudeen]

Amen

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Maudeen, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance..” Psalm 33 NASB

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS