Bondman

I'll add an Amen to that! (I just adore the heart one!!)

Continuing in prayer for you and family.

Bless you heaps!

- BM

Fluffy

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Be transparent before God, He sees right thru you, anyway!
http://www.likepreciousfaith.org/testimony_val.htm
Please pray for your local emergency responders, daily.

Mark_18

I went back to reread the messages. There's no Mark 18. It goes up to 16....

I've been bored lately with spring break and had lots of time on my hands. I'm now taking that time to read the bible instead of doing absolutely nothing or watching TV, or eating.

I'm reading Mark, it's great.

"Mark 11

The Little Children and Jesus

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
The Rich and the Kingdom of God

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.' [d]"
20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is [e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God."
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With human beings this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
28 Then Peter spoke up, "We have left everything to follow you!" 29 "Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first." "

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Luke 15:31 - And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
Joel 2:28 - I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Matthew 7:7 - Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Psalms 126:5 - Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

JOKE POLICE

Bondman

PRACTICAL NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY

MESSAGE #40


BONDMAN - DOULOS


There's nothing to be proud about being a 'bondman' - or 'bond-slave', or 'slave', or 'bond-servant', or just 'servant' - depending on how it's translated in your Bible. The Greek word is doulos. Strong gives one meaning for this as:"One who gives himself up to another's will." And also: "Devoted to another to the disregard of one's interests." I love both of these!

DOULOS = SLAVE

But let's not shilly-shally about this one little bit: doulos means slave, pure and simple! A bond-slave in NT times was bought and totally owned by his master, there for no purpose but to be a SLAVE to his master - for life!

A slave, that is, with NO human rights remaining whatsoever - NEVER to be released! In the New Testament Paul's first letter to the Christian church, and in the very first verse... well here's what he called himself:

Romans 1
1 Paul, a bond-slave of Jesus Christ.

I've related here how I CHOSE to become a bond-slave to Jesus as late as 1999, and now will be one forever. But what I didn't realise at that time, and probably you don't realise either, is contained in this mind-bending statement of Paul's:

1 Corinthians 7
22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.

• STATEMENT 1: If you were a bond-slave when you got saved, you're now a man totally FREE in the Lord. How wonderful is THAT for anyone who is not FREE, or who doesn't FEEL like they are free!

• STATEMENT 2: Similarly, if you were (already) a free man when you got saved, you're now Christ's slave!

WHO ARE BOND-SLAVES?

Again you can see the strong contrasts and opposites here between 'slave' and 'freeman'. But it's perfectly and absolutely clear what God is saying overall in this verse: as Christ's man or woman - YOU ARE ALREADY A BOND-SLAVE, a doulos!!!

I had never seen that! I thought Paul was the one who'd just chosen to be a bondman, and so I'd chosen too. But the truth is that if you are a true Christian, you're already a bond-slave to Jesus!!!

JESUS IS YOUR LORD!

Shall I tell you the wonderful thing I see that this does for us all? - God here has made it SO MUCH EASIER for us to acknowledge that Jesus Christ IS Lord over all of our lives... because we ALREADY totally belong to Him as his doulos! WOW!!

BOUGHT WITH A PRICE!

And in case we didn't quite 'get' it, here's the very next verse:

1 Corinthians 7
23 You were bought with a price.

And that's THE GREATEST PRICE
ever paid by ANY MAN,
for ANY THING!!!
GOD HAS BOUGHT YOU!
Paid a MASSIVELY high price for you:
Jesus' SHED BLOOD, and ultimately HIS LIFE!!!

1 Corinthians 6
19b You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.

God is now adding one more truth here: "You do not belong to yourself any more," He's saying. "YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN. YOU ARE MINE! I PAID A VERY GREAT AMOUNT FOR YOU!!"

Dear ones reading here, let's start living it like it really is - which is that WE ARE COMPLETELY and TOTALLY HIS!!!!

Bless you each and every one!

- BM, with his lady-love

Bondman

Oops! It's Mark Ch 4:18-19. VERY powerful words there. I've fixed it. Many thanks for pointing that out, Mark!

Oh 'eck, why don't I put them here right now! Jesus speaking:

Mark 4
18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth ** and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

And then the next verse:

20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."


** We are ALL very wealthy!! Even the poorest of us! Most of the world hasn't anything like the money, housing, food, leisure-time and life-style that we have!!!

Faithwoman

Bondman

Oh, sweetie, it IS too hard! That's why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit! He has the POWER for you so you can live the life.

He's always ther. Speak to the Lord ALOUD each time you feel overwhelmed, tell Him that you can't do it, then tell Him you are relying on Him for HIS help. There is no other way for us. And your FAITH and trust in His ability will be rewarded the more your exercise it.

Bless you so much in your journey, dear one!

- BM

P.S. To change the colour of what you're writing, click the A at the top, click the colour you want in the box, then type from there.

To change the size, click the number at the top, and choose 2, similar to changing colour. (NOTE: if you can't see a number, then click "Go Advanced" down below which will take you to a new page which HAS the number.)

Bondman

My apologies to those who follow my messages - I failed to properly mark the last one AS a message. Fixed now. It's called "BONDMAN - DOULOS" just a few posts back. But I do have an excuse! *grin*

You may read the quite serious story about this HERE - in my first blog!

Fluffy

__________________
Be transparent before God, He sees right thru you, anyway!
http://www.likepreciousfaith.org/testimony_val.htm
Please pray for your local emergency responders, daily.

SweetSurrender

[quote=Mark_18;94617]I went back to reread the messages. There's no Mark 18. It goes up to 16....

Mark, I think he meant Mark 8:18.

18Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

That's cool you are reading more. And, I'll bet you are understanding more also. It's kinda like that when the Holy Spirit is in you and you are actually hungry to read His Word, not doing it just because you know you should. I hope we never lose that hunger. I think from what Bondman said, you will come to that place after awhile, that we will go beyond slipping back into sin, but continuing to grow. Press on, Bonnie

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