Tim Staples vs. Mike Gendron

What is Pope Francis Up To?

Grow me up, Lord!

Once Benjamin Franklin said, "Without...continual growth such words as improvement or achievement means nothing."

Question becomes: how does a man grow up?

According to the Scriptures man grows up as his faith in the (grace and) knowledge of the Lord grows. (2Th 1:3; Col 2:19; 1:10; Eph 4:14,16)

For this reason the Apostle Peter says straightforwardly: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18 And he exhorted fellow siblings in the Lord to grow by eating (craving) the word of the Lord (pure spiritual milk) (namely the Bible).

To grow up the slave nation Israel out of slavery onto his greatness the Lord revealed himself to his children so that they might come to the knowledge of him as the Lord (Jehovah) God stated through Moses:

'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. [And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.' ” Exodus 6:6-8

The Lord revealed himself to them so he could dwell among them and make them holy. Exodus 29:46; 31:13

When Jesus came he expressed the same purpose saying in effect, "on that day you will know that I am in the Father, the Father in me, you are in me and I am in you." So all three (God the Father who sent Jesus, Jesus the Son, and you, his child/brother/friend) are in one, so God would be "all in all." (JOHN 14-17; 1 Co 15)

So growth comes through (the growth in the faith in the) knowledge of  Christ maturing in and to the full knowledge of the full measure of His greatness.) Col 4:13; Eph 1:28

Biblical Concept of Man (Man 101)

Once upon a time, King David said, "What is man that you are mindful of him (so much)?" Psalm 8:4
What then is man? There is a pictorial answer to this question, illustrated in Exodus 1-4.

In calling Moses to go and save the slave nation Israel, the Lord said, "This will be a sign to you - the sign that it is I who sent you: "After you have brought the people out you will worship God on this mountain."

God created man in His image. By worshiping God man can thrive functioning like Him, so that man would be like God serving Him as His child enjoying the fellowship with Him, taking care of His creation.

The Israel of Moses' day fell short of this glorious state. The downward trip began with Abram and eventually all of his 70 going down to Egypt where its ruler began to treat the people Israel as slaves. After about 4 centuries the Lord heard their cry. Through Moses the Lord chose to recover them back to the original state, that is, the life that worships and serves God, deriving from the fellowship with Him the full life and thriving onto His infinite beauty.

No creatures were endowed with this feature, that is, the image of God and the feature to worship Him. Only human beings were created in His image, not even angels. No wonder that the devil also known as Satan grew jealous that through the serpent tried to tempt man causing his downfall and since then continually attempting to pull him down. But still the Lord God chose to save man back to the original state of glory. Speaking of this restoration the Lord God said, "Here on this mountain you (Yes, even you yourself Moses) will worship God!

Man worships God in spirit and in truth. Spirit and truth refer to the Living Word that comes from the mouth of the Living God. After giving Moses the sign for him, the Lord performed three miracles: staff turning to snake, hand turning leprous, water turning to blood. While the three miracles of snake, leprosy, and blood address the way/power of redemption, it denotes the Lord God being holy, who alone is set apart, in that he alone is self-sufficient, so that under His holy wings man though in and of himself self-deficient can stand perfect in righteousness, holiness, and redemption, becoming fully sufficient through God-sufficiency.

Speaking of this truth the Apostle Paul states, "Now if we are children, we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with the Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings, in order that we also may share in his glory." Romans 8:17 [For those who live by faith in the Lord, participating in His sufferings for His name's sake represents opportunities to experience His glory.]

The Biblical definition of sleep

You  say "I sm going to go and sleep." Then you go to your room fall down on the bed and sleep, or lie down in a couch for a night's sleep.

What then do you mean by sleep?

Here is the answer: to go to the Lord (Jesus Christ) and rest in His arm and find rest in Him.

This definition is true for in the true sense of the word sleep it represensts finding rest in it and this rest is found only in the Lord. 

In this world there is no rest. There you are made only restless. This is seen in the book of Exodus 1 where while the Istarlites were in Egypt they were made restless, for Pharaoh put slave masters over them who in turn drove them to work work and work but no rest. 

Understanding their restlessness the Lord says: come TO ME all of you who are weary and burdened. I will give you rest." King David heard the Lord went to him and found rest (or sleep) in the Lord so he says "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want."

For the same reason John says: do not love the world and anything in it, for if you do love of the Father is not in you. 

This command may sound hard to practise for you say, "the world offers so much but I don't see the Father." Then you need to understand this: all that are in the world came from the Father." 

So which one woud you rather choose? The world that is seen or the Father who is unseen? Further "Why is it said "God chose the things that are not to nullify the things that are"? Or why did Jesus say to Martha: "Lazarus is not dead but asleep?"