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Showing posts with label Video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video. Show all posts

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Bonhoeffer's Discipleship: Lesson 19 - The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship - The Image of Christ


 Well, as the upstate regions of New York prepare for a snow storm tonight and tomorrow there has been a change in the program!  Not really, I just decided to take a personal day off from work tomorrow and decided to join my wife at our countryside home in Easton NY to beat the storm and to enjoy an extended weekend. But that hasn't changed my goal to finish the Bonhoeffer's Discipleship series of presentations for the MT4Christ247 podcast and YouTube Channel!  

So,  I am happy to announce that I have completed and uploaded  Lesson 18 of “Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship” : our informal study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship – with Lesson  19  “The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship” – The Image of Christ! 

 

 

Here is a link to the audio podcast: Lesson 19 Podcast

Here is a link to the video on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel:  






Doing this series of presentations was a lot of work! But it was a labor of love and I pray that Christians enjoy it and the Lord uses it for His purposes. 


It is my prayer that this series will encourage people to read Bonhoeffer’s work but more importantly I hope the lessons encourage people to deepen their faith in Christ by pursuing a life of Christian Discipleship. 

God bless you all. 

 

M. T. Clark  




Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Leaving a Legacy or a Scandal? - The Prisoner’s Dilemma and the Truth - Purity 913


 

Leaving a Legacy or a Scandal? - The Prisoner’s Dilemma and the Truth  -  Purity 913      

Purity 913 12/13/2022 Purity 913 Podcast

Purity 913 on YouTube: 


Not sure how YouTube flipped the Thumbnail!?!


Good morning,

Today’s photo of a street lamp shining like the sun in a blue sky as the real thing fades over the horizon illuminating the road side trees on State Route 9J, or River Road in Schodack Landing, comes to us today from yours truly, as I was moved to turn my phone sideways from its vertical rearview mirror mounted orientation to capture some of the glory before me during yesterday’s commute back to River House. After the previous day’s snow storm the Lord graced us with a clear day and a reminder of that His creation is awesome and something we can miss and just drive through if we are too consumed with the things of this world.  

Well, It’s Tuesday and I learned this morning that Clyde Wilburn’s Memorial Service and Funeral will tomorrow in Catskill but I won’t be in attendance.  I am not the best “griever” and a quote from F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s “Great Gatsby’s isums up my feelings about funerals, a mob boss in the story says : “Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”   Of course, the context of the Gatsby story actually reveals that this quote isn’t so profound as it may have been self-serving, as Gatsby’s Meyer Wolfsheim may have desired to distance himself from his deceased friend and his illegal dealings. 

So, do I want to distance myself from my deceased friend because of his falling away from the church we attended, his illegal choices, and his death by overdose? Not really, I try to be as transparent about my addictive past and don’t try to distance myself from anyone I met along the way during the 5 years that I went through, taught. and eventually led the Celebrate Freedom recovery ministry at my former church.  Because of our interactions there and in church, I will always consider Clyde Wilburn as a brother and a friend but the truth is that other than seeing him earlier this year at a “Bible Study with the Cincotti’s”


 (


https://youtu.be/7hvGHU1lmtg
)  I haven’t seen him in quite a while.

My life has taken me in a direction that led me away from Hudson and the church that we used to attend together and before hearing about Clyde’s death on Sunday I didn’t what was going on in Clyde’s life.  I assumed he was well.  I was wrong and discovered that he was charged with armed robbery in September.  In 8 months, Clyde went from a Bible Study to the police blotter and, now 3 months later, his obituary will be all the news we may see regarding our old friend.  

As I was thinking about Clyde yesterday, I was reminded how important it is to keep walking with the Lord and how when I was first saved I was so ignorant about the importance of having a “good testimony”.   Because I had lived a very selfish and sinful life for 38 years before being saved in 2010, I never thought that I would had any hope to leave a “good testimony” other than that God is gracious to forgive a sinner like me.   I didn’t understand that or testimony isn’t frozen in stone. It is progressive.  While it is awesome to say a sinner’s prayer and to attend church services, the glory that we give to the Lord comes from our decision to continue to follow Him and to seek our identity and enact our purpose in Christ. 

My testimony regarding Clyde Wilburn would be overwhelmingly positive as I loved him for his testimony as someone who had walked in darkness and decided to get right with God. His insights on the word of God, his sense of humility and humor,  and his huge heart made it easy to love him, But my testimony is obviously one sided and based on the context of Clyde’s time in church.

However, recently I wrote about how due to situations from my past, some people out there, even though I am walking out my faith the best I can, consider me to be a “bad Christian” or hypocrite.  And as I thought about the unfortunate circumstances and poor choices Clyde had made in his life, I suspect that for every praise of his name that will come tomorrow at his memorial service and funeral, there may also be words of condemnation and possibly cursing whispered or flatly statde about Clyde in the days, weeks, months, and years that will come as Clyde doesn’t get a chance to change his story or to defend himself.  

The woman charged as an accomplice in the armed robbery that allegedly took place in September with Clyde, now has the perfect opportunity to craft a defense as a hapless victim to an out of control man that coerced her into participating in his crime.  How true that is we will never know but whether the legal proceedings regarding those charges are resolved currently or not, this woman now has the option to speak well of or ill of my friend because he gave into his dark side.  

I wonder if she knows that Clyde was a Christian.  Did he share his faith with her? Does she know the Lord? Will she bless Clyde’s name with fond remembrances and a defense of the things he is alleged to have done or will she, possibly rightfully, curse him?  

It’s is doubtful that I will ever know any of the answers to these questions but I pray for peace and comfort for the Wilburn family and I pray for this woman, who remain nameless, in my blog anyway, and all the people that Clyde met in his time on this earth that they would discover the truth the gospel of Jesus Christ, turn to Lord in repentance, and learn from Clyde’s death just how important it is to continue walking with the Lord and to endure in our faith.  

The longer we live as active Spirit filled disciples of Jesus Christ the longer and brighter our testimonies become. No matter how dark our pasts may be, if we keep walking and talking with God and show our faith in the way we live, every day, the brighter and more glorious our lives become.  

So let’s not forget to encourage one another as we walk through the last month of this year, and through out our lives, to stay the course, to resist the devil and his temptations and to stay within the safety of the community and fellowship of the church.  Church congregations and the individuals who make them up may not be perfect but the One who established the church is and He calls His to abide with Him there.  

So let’s draw close together and keep following the voice of the Good Shepherd all the days of our lives and show our friendship to one another while we live so we can report on the good testimony and legacy of faithfulness each of us will leave behind.

 

--------------------------------------------------------

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

John 1:29 (NLT2)
29  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 

Today’s verse tells us that Christ was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  

Christ died for all sinners. But we must be redeemed by putting our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  And let’s face it, we also have to follow Him,   

I’m short on time but this “Lamb of God” thing indicates that Christ was the perfect sinless sacrifice to pay for all the sins we have ever done or will ever do and when we put our faith in Him we are forgiven and set free. So thank God for Jesus and your forgiveness and walk free from the sins of your past.

___________________________________________

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Discipleship”, also known as “The Cost of Discipleship”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship

 

Chapter Eleven

The Visible Church-Community

The body of Christ takes up physical space here on earth. By becoming human Christ claims a place among us human beings. He came unto his own.[3] Yet when he was born he was given a stable, “because there was no other place in the inn.” And when he died, they cast him from their midst so that his body hung on the gibbet between heaven and earth. Nevertheless, the incarnation does entail the claim to space granted on earth, and anything that takes up space is visible. Thus the body of Jesus Christ can only be a visible body, or else it is not a body at all. Our human eyes see Jesus the human being; faith knows him as the Son of God. Our human eyes see the body of Jesus; faith knows him as the body of God incarnate. Our human eyes see Jesus in the flesh; faith knows him as bearing our flesh. “To this human being you shall point and say: ‘Here is God’ ” (Luther).[5]

A truth, a doctrine, or a religion needs no space of its own. Such entities are bodyless. They do not go beyond being heard, learned, and understood. But the incarnate Son of God needs not only ears or even hearts; he needs actual, living human beings who follow him. That is why he called his disciples into following him bodily. His community with them was something everyone could see. It was founded and held together by none other than Jesus Christ, the incarnate one himself. It was the Word made flesh who had called them, who had created the visible, bodily community. Those who had been called could no longer remain hidden; they were the light which has to shine, the city on a hill which is bound to be seen.[8] Over their community stood visibly the cross and suffering of Jesus Christ. For the sake of community with him the disciples had to give up everything, they had to suffer and endure persecution; and yet, in the very midst of being persecuted together with him, they received back in visible form the very things they had lost—brothers and sisters, fields and houses. The community of those who followed him was manifest to the eyes of the world. Here were bodies that acted, worked, and suffered in community with Jesus.

The body of the exalted Lord is likewise a visible body, taking the form of the church-community. How does this body become visible? First, in the preaching of the word. “They continued in the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). Every word in this sentence is significant. Preaching here is called teaching (διδαχή) in order to set it apart from all forms of religious speech. The term means communication of facts that have actually taken place. The content of what has to be said is already objectively determined. It simply needs to be conveyed through the ‘teaching’. A communication of news is by definition confined to facts which are not yet known. Once these facts are known, it makes no sense to communicate them again. ‘Teaching’ thus aims by definition at making itself superfluous. However, in strange contrast we read here that the earliest church-community “continued” listening to this teaching. This means that this teaching did not make itself superfluous, but, on the contrary, required precisely this continuing attention. There must, therefore, be some rational necessity for this particular ‘teaching’ to demand continued attention. This necessity lies in the fact that the teaching in question is “the teaching of the apostles.” What does “teaching of the apostles” mean? Apostles are those chosen by God to witness to the facts of the revelation in Jesus Christ. They have lived in bodily community with Jesus. They have seen the one who became incarnate, was crucified, and is risen. They physically touched his body with their hands (1 John 1:1). They are the witnesses whom God the Holy Spirit uses as instruments to proclaim the Word. The apostles’ preaching is the witness to the physical event of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. The apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:20). Any subsequent preaching must itself be ‘apostolic’ in the sense of being based on the same foundation. Thus it is the word of the apostles which makes us one with the earliest church-community. But in what way does this apostolic teaching require ongoing and continual hearing? The word of the apostles is truly God’s Word in human words (1 Thess. 2:13). It is thus a Word which seeks to accept human beings and which has the power to do so. The Word of God seeks out community in order to accept it. It exists mainly within the community. It moves on its own into the community. It has an inherent impulse toward community. It is wrong to assume that on the one hand there is a word, or a truth, and on the other hand there is a community existing as two separate entities, and that it would then be the task of the preacher to take this word, to manipulate and enliven it, in order to bring it within and apply it to the community. Rather, the Word moves along this path of its own accord. The preacher should and can do nothing more than be a servant of this movement inherent in the Word itself, and refrain from placing obstacles in its path. The Word goes forth to accept human beings. This is something the apostles knew. It is the very essence of their preaching. They had seen the Word of God with their own eyes, how it had come into the world and assumed human flesh, and with it the whole human race. Now they were compelled to bear witness to nothing else but the fact that God’s Word had become flesh, and had come to accept sinners, to forgive their sins and sanctify them. It is this same Word which now enters the church-community. The Word made flesh, the Word which already bears the whole human race, the Word which can no longer exist in isolation from the humanity it has assumed—this same Word now comes to the church-community. And in this Word comes the Holy Spirit, revealing to the single individual and to the church-community the gifts they have already been given in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit bestows faith on the hearers, enabling them to believe that, in the word of preaching, Jesus Christ himself has come to be present in our midst in the power of his body. The Holy Spirit enables me to trust that Jesus Christ has come to tell me that he has accepted me and will do so again today.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, ed. Martin Kuske et al., trans. Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 225–228.

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Bible Study with the Cincotti's - Light of the World - 12/11/2022

 


Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 12/12/2022

Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Light of the World Podcast

Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube: 






Light of the World

 

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.   II Cor. 4:6

 

         In the Roman worldview everything was about glory

         For the Greek, knowledge was preeminent.

         For the Jew, it was all about light.

        

Last weeks study was truly a precursor for today’s lesson, and anybody who has been putting up Christmas lights this week will understand the timeliness of this subject!!!

 

To approach first cause, we see, in Gen. 1:3 that God said, “Let there be light,” and this, in essence, is His first blessing upon His creation. Truly He blesses His creation with Himself, since

I Jn. I1:5 tells us, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”

It is as if He enters into His creation and participates in it.

 

This is the first inclination that God is intimately involved in His creation.

 

Consider the contrast before light, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” This is a bleak picture. He has not yet declared anything as good.

 

In last weeks study we looked at the lampstand, or menorah, and it’s placement in the “holy place” of the tabernacle. We emphasized that it was the only source of light in a purposefully darkened space. The seven branches signify God’s perfection, and the source of fuel is a type of the Holy Spirit. It was situated across from the table of showbread, which is a type of Christ, to shine light upon it.            Beginning to get the picture???

         The Priestly Blessing, in Num. 6:22-27, the blessing becomes personnel, and we again engage the usage of light in vrs. 25, “The LORD make His face shine upon you.”

Ps. 89:15, “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

 

         In the progression we are seeing that light is not just a general blessing for creation, but it is very personal; for the Nation of Israel and for all believers individually.

 

         Enter next our Lord Jesus, and in the birth narrative (Christmas) Simeon prophesies over the baby, when His parents brought Him to the temple to “present Him to the Lord”; “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” Lk. 2:22 & 32

 

         John declares, “the Word (which) was with God and was God” 1:1, “Became flesh and dwelt among us” (personal) vrs. 14, and “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” vrs. 4

 

No wonder we put up lights at Christmas!

 

         Fast forward thirty years and Jesus will leave Nazareth, departing for Galilee (Mt. 4:12) and fulfill Isaiah’s prophesy, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.” Mt. 4:16

 

         We don’t need to make any further case that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, but in last weeks study we examined a transference of authority when Jesus said, in Jn. 8:12, “I am the light of the world”, but then in Mt. 5:14, “You are the light of the world”.

Imagine, for a moment, that before knowing Christ, we were like the earth in Gen. 1:2, “without form, (or purpose) void (empty), and dark”

Eph. 5:8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” And reading on, Paul equates “darkness” with unfruitfulness.

 

Here is the Christmas directive for today...Phil. 2:14-15

 

-----Join us for another Bible Study Next Week -------

or

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


Thursday, December 8, 2022

Bonhoeffer's Discipleship: Lesson 17 - The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship - The Saints - Part 1


 
What better day to present a lesson on the Saints! Thursdays were the nights I taught recovery ministry and initially launched the Community Freedom Ministry that led to me expanding my blog to the podcast and YouTube channel.  

So I find it oddly appropriate and I am happy to announce that I have completed and uploaded  Lesson 17 of “Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship” : an informal study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship – with Lesson  17  “The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship” – The Saints - Part 1   

 

 

Here is a link to the audio podcast: Lesson 17 Podcast

Here is a link to the video on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel:  





It is my prayer that this series will encourage people to read Bonhoeffer’s work but more importantly I hope the lessons encourage people to deepen their faith in Christ by pursuing a life of Christian Discipleship. 

God bless you all. 

 

M. T. Clark  



Sunday, December 4, 2022

Bible Study with the Cincotti's - The Lampstand - 12/04/2022


 

Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 12/04/2022

Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: The Lampstand Podcast

Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube: 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lampstand

 

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.”  Rev. 2:3

 

Much is known about the church in Ephesus from Scripture and tradition. Paul left Timothy in charge of the church there following his release from his first Roman imprisonment. John is also believed to have moved to Ephesus somewhere between 66 and 70 AD. There, it is believed that John wrote his gospel. Acts 19 tells of some of the dramatic events that occurred in Ephesus during Paul’s visit there, and Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus is replete with doctrine.

 

Why would Jesus, in Revelation, make such a bold rebuke to the church in Ephesus?

 

The lampstand is described in Ex. 25:31-40. It is make of pure gold, one piece, ornamented with almond blossoms. Though the dimensions are not given, vrs. 39 says, “It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.” about 75 lbs. The almond blossoms come out early in this region of the Middle East; around late January. Arron’s rod was made of almond wood. When Arron’s  rod budded, in Num. 17, it designating the tribe of Levi as the priests and settled the complaints against Moses by the children of Israel. The lampstand was placed in the south portion of the Holy Place, opposite the table of showbread, and was the only source of light. There was a wick, fueled by olive oil which had to be refilled daily by the priests.

 

In the parable of the ten virgins, Mt. 25:1-13 we see the use of oil lamps and a reserve of oil. From this we receive that oil is a type of

the Holy Spirit.

In Jn. 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

 

But in Mat.5:14 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is sit on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

 

The transfer of authority to preach the gospel to the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit is a timeless injunction. Yet we see that this fuel, or source of power must be replenished. Mt. 25:1-13

 

Since the Holy Spirit is a person – the third Person or the Trinity – it would make sense to suggest that we may nurture a relationship with the Holy Spirit. The manner in which we nurture a relationship is to first listen, and then to agree, and then to obey.

 

The office of the Holy Spirit is to “help” Jn.14:16; To teach, Jn. 14:26,

“He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment;” Jn. 16:8; and “He will guide you into all truth” Jn. 16:13

 

The gifts of the Spirit are expressed in I Cor. 12:1-11, and the fruit of the spirit is described in Gal. 5:22,23; the first fruit being “love”.

 

The church in Ephesus was indicted, “you have left your first love.” Rev. 2:4

 

But they were a busy church!

 

It seems as though we can do, without listening, agreeing, nurturing, or obeying. “The Feast of the Harvest, the first fruits of your labors” Ex. 23:16 and vrs 19, “The first of the first fruits” meant the best and the first of the products of Israel’s labors.

 

When a church loses it’s lamp, it loses it’s influence. No longer the light of the world. How can Is. 9:2 be fulfilled?

         “The people who walked in darkness

         Have seen a great light

         Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

         Upon them a light has shinned.”

-----Join us for another Bible Study Next Week -------

or

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Bonhoeffer's Discipleship: Lesson 15 - The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship - The Visible Church Community - Part 1

 


In my continuing efforts to complete the Bonhoeffer Series before the end of 2022, I am pleased to announce that I have made strides in that direction and now endeavor to complete all 19 installments of Bonhoeffer's Installments before Christmas!  

So, I am happy to announce that I have completed and uploaded  Lesson 15 of “Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship” : an informal study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship – with Lesson  15  –The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship: The Visible Church Community - Part 1  - 

This Lesson was based on Chapter 30 of the "original" The Cost of Discipleship, which was simply called "The Visible Community", in that version (oh don't get me started!).  This chapter was a long one and rather than doing a presentation of excessive length to "get 'er done", I made the executive decision to split the chapter in two parts.  

Spoiler: I will also be taking this approach with "Chapter 31 - The Saints" as well, for the same reasons.   

Here is a link to the audio podcast: Lesson 15 Podcast

Here is a link to the video on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel:  




It is my prayer that this series will encourage people to read Bonhoeffer’s work but more importantly I hope the lessons encourage people to deepen their faith in Christ by pursuing a life of Christian Discipleship. 

God bless you all. 

 

M. T. Clark  


Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Bonhoeffer's Discipleship: Lesson 14 - The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship - The Body of Christ


Good Evening,  

I had some extra time on my hands over the Thanksgiving Day weekend so I prepared the 14th powerpoint presentation a few days ago and had a little extra time tonight so I decided to produce and release the latest installment of Bonhoeffer's Discipleship.  

So, I am happy to announce that I have completed and uploaded  Lesson 14 of “Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship” : an informal study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship – with Lesson  14  –The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship: The Body of Christ. 

 

 

Here is a link to the audio podcast: Lesson 14 Podcast

Here is a link to the video on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel:  



It is my prayer that this series will encourage people to read Bonhoeffer’s work but more importantly I hope the lessons encourage people to deepen their faith in Christ by pursuing a life of Christian Discipleship. 

God bless you all. 

 

M. T. Clark  

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Bonhoeffer's Discipleship - Lesson 12 - The Messengers

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! 

I am happy to announce that I have completed and uploaded  Lesson 12 of “Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship” : an informal study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship – with Lesson  12  – The Messengers: The Harvest,  The Apostles, The Work, The Suffering of the Messengers, The Decision, & The Fruit   

 

 

Here is a link to the audio podcast: Lesson 12 Podcast

Here is a link to the video on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel:  


 

 

It is my prayer that this series will encourage people to read Bonhoeffer’s work but more importantly I hope the lessons encourage people to deepen their faith in Christ by pursuing a life of Christian Discipleship. 

God bless you all. 

 

M. T. Clark  

 

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Bonhoeffer's Discipleship - Lesson 11: Set Apart: The Community of Disciples The Disciples and Unbelievers & The Great Divide


I am happy to announce that I have completed and uploaded  Lesson 11 of “Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship” : an informal study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship – with Lesson  11  – The Disciples and Unbelievers, The Great Divide, & The Conclusion  

 

Here is a link to the audio podcast: Lesson 11 - Audio Podcast

Here is a link to the video on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel:  



 

 

It is my prayer that this series will encourage people to read Bonhoeffer’s work but more importantly I hope the lessons encourage people to deepen their faith in Christ by pursuing a life of Christian Discipleship. 

God bless you all. 

 

M. T. Clark  

 


 

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Bible Study with the Cincotti's - For a Time Such as This - 11/13/2022

 

Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 11/13/2022

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For a Time Such as This

 

         “The LORD is King forever and ever;

           The nations have perished out of His land.

           LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;

           You will prepare their heart;”              Ps. 10:16,17

                 

The Lord is sovereign over all. He takes allegory and makes it history so that when we discover it, He says, “I know, I wrote it that way.”

 

The Book of Ester is filled with allegory. There are sevens, and twelves, and a rebellious queen, and a king – who does not reign forever and ever” – a humble servant, and a new queen who has to go through “purification”, and a plot to wipe out the Jews...again.

 

Overview:

King Ahasuerus delighted in his accomplishments and aimed to celebrate. Es. 1:3:4

He summoned his queen (Vashti) that he may display her beauty, and certainly to celebrate with him. vr. 1:11

         “O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,

           Lovely as Jerusalem,

           Awesome as an army with banners!”  SS. 6;4

         “He brought me to the banqueting house…” SS. 2:4

But she refused.  vr. 12

         “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious                 people,

           Who walk in a way that is not good,   

           According to their own thoughts;”  Is. 65:2

I don’t wish to read too much into this, but some have said that, “God left one bride at the alter”. This is called “replacement theology” meaning that the Church replaces Israel in God’s plan. I disagree because God made promises to Israel, and God always keeps His promises. He kept His promise to David.

But it is interesting to see, in the narrative, a new queen rise up; born of adversity, purified, accepted, and eventually humbly risking her life on behalf of another.

 

God always raises up a chosen instrument to thwart the enemy and accomplish His purpose.

 

It’s not without significance that Ester risks her life to engage God’s deliverance. We see a similar event in Neh. 2:1,2

Also, I believe, in Mk. 5:25

 

Some questions for discussion should rise up in our thinking about these texts.

         Will God pass over His people because of sin and rebellion?

                  Consider the Laodicean Church in Rev. 3:14

         Who is God raising up in this generation? “For a time such as              this.”

         Will God pass over us because of sin and rebellion?

         Perhaps the narrative is really about Haman; self made man,            enemy of God, hung on his own gallows?

 

It’s disturbing that we don’t discover what became of Queen Vashti. Small points like this may be why scholars disqualify this as a true allegory. We have many accounts in Scripture of people God used in spite of their rebellion; Samson, Jonah, Paul.

 

The sovereignty of God defies the notion that we could, “miss God’s plan” as many believers are accustom to saying. And yet this statement is not a free pass to sit back and let God thrust His plan upon us. Somewhere in the middle is a perfect mariage.

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.”  SS. 7:10              

Let’s keep this truth before us always!!


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