Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Jewish Sabbaths, Holy Feasts and British Israelism...

by Diane M. Hoffman

Continuing from my previous post on the subject of the Jewish Sabbath and Holy Feasts from chapter 21 in the book “24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today”, I pick up from where I left off, showing again the email received from the reader in black with my response in green…
I said in my earlier post that not many readers of the "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today" are particularly  interested in the subject of the keeping of the Law ordinances, especially Christians... however some are because of the wrong teaching that is going around about Christian having to keep the Sabbaths and Holy Feasts. And there are enough of them getting lost in what should be a simple Gospel that the subject has to be addressed. "But I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3).

To people who are in the movement of British-Israelism this subject matter of the keeping of the Sabbaths and Holy Feasts does come up as part of their belief system. These latter folks believe that present day Anglo-Saxon people are direct descendants of the ancient Israelites, and have thus inherited all God's promises to Abraham and his descendants.
Most of the teachings that are being passed on to Christians and non-Christians alike come from sub-groups or hybrids of this movement. 
  
From the reader's email:
“I am surprised that you as a Ph.D. in Theology seem unaware of the true history of the Israelites because Jesus knew where they were when He sent His Apostles to them in Matthew 10:6 and lots of large churches nowadays (eg Philadelphia Church of God) can easily prove where they are now by tracing their movements through history and comparing that with which nations received the massive promises of wealth and power made by God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David and of course they are mainly us the Anglophones plus several other European nations especial Dan and Reuben in Denmark, Holland and France.”
First of all, I want to be clear that just because someone holds a Ph.D. does not mean that person cannot have differences of opinions. Nor does it mean that such a person cannot have another understanding of an issue.
As one can see from the reader, the issue of the belief in British-Israelism (now apparently changed to Christian-Israelism) is quite complex and deep in philosophical misinterpretation and understanding of scriptures.  
In Matthew 10:6, quoted above by the reader, Jesus is actually saying to His apostles to not go to the Gentiles nor the Samaritans but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  They were lost spiritually. The Gospel came to the Jew first, then the gentiles (Romans 1:16). That’s what Jesus is referring to here. Notice Jesus said “the lost sheep of the house of Israel – not the lost tribes of Israel, and especially not the ten lost tribes. Who is the house of Israel?  The 12 tribes. Within these are lost sheep.
The Jews or Israelites were spread around the region. Paul calls himself a Jew, an Israelite and a Hebrew (Acts 21:39; Romans 11:1;  Philippians 3:5). He was of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
The apostles are told to go to cities and towns and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, and given certain instructions. They are given warnings of persecutions and then, in verse 23, they are told: “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
So we see that the Lord is speaking of the Jews/Israelites within Israel. And, of course many had already gone to other countries throughout Europe East and West. Paul speaks of his journeys to Asia Minor and Rome and Spain. There is no mention of Britain or British anywhere in the Gospels, although eventually Jews/Israelites made it up there too and all around the world over the centuries.
In the discourse of Stephen in chapter 7 of the book of Acts, after summarizing the story of the Israelites from Abraham to Solomon, he ends by saying: “You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.” (verses51-53).
Who is Stephen addressing? The Hebrews/Jews/Israelites. “Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.” (Acts 6:9)
 Back to the book of Matthew, later on at this same time (chapter 11), Jesus begins to upbraid the cities wherein most of his works were done because they repented not. All cities and towns mentioned are local. Throughout the ensuing chapters, we see that the disciples are with Him.
The passage of scripture continues at verse 11 of Matthew 10: “And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy and enter, and there abide till ye go thence (from there).”
In the book of Acts, during the first journey of Paul when they were in Pisidia, we read that the Jews were against what was being preached by the apostles/disciples: “and the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.” (Acts 13:44,45).
The Gospel is clear that Jesus died on the cross to make us children of God. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
His work on the cross replaces the work of the Law which no-one could keep and which was temporary and a shadow of things to come. It is God's grace and mercy that saves alone through repentance and faith - not grace and mercy + works.
In another post, I will expand further on the British-Israelite movement./dmh
.-------------------------------------------
 Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/


Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:

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Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...
.

Further on the subject of the Jewish Sabbath and Holy Feasts...

by Diane M. Hoffmann
 
Further to previous posts on the subject of the Jewish Sabbath and Holy Feasts that some believe should be kept by Christians, I pick up from the last post on this issue to do with chapter 21 of the "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today", and expand on it some more.  Within this is covered also the issue of who are the Jews/Israelites.

Although the average readers of the book "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today" are not so much interested in this topic, I am diverging a bit in responding to this reader because of the seriousness of the issue. The subject is a complex one, thus my response in sequential posts, as I spend the time to cover further the layers and sub-issues of the beliefs of this movement which is taking astray so many Christians and non-Christans.

Following is the email comments from the reader in black and my response in green which I pick up from an earlier post:

“I was quite enjoying your book until I came to the chapter 21 on Jewish Feasts and Saturday Sabbath and frankly I was shocked at how badly you have treated this or these topics in comparison to how well you had treated most others.”

Firstly I have to make it clear that my treatise in the book is dealing only with the practical side of some of the errors of the teaching on Christians having to keep the Sabbath on Friday/Saturday as opposed to Sunday.
“This is not my ‘opinion’ below but it is what The Holy Bible clearly and repeatedly states…” (the reader quotes several scriptures which I refer to below in part and will continue in a next post.)
Then the reader continues: "Yes it is good to at least keep A Sabbath, especially after Jesus liberalized such things, but Scripture clearly instructs us to "remember THE Sabbath to keep IT Holy" and what Jesus did was not to change the Sabbath (which He kept religiously) but to remove the death penalty for failing to do so until there is a repentance."
Jesus kept the Sabbath, yes, and other Holy Days as well.  He was a Jew, living among the Jews, but His atoning death had not yet been consummated. Remember on the cross He cried out “It is finished”. That’s when His ultimate sacrifice became in effect. 
During His ministry, he was constantly attacked on the issue of the Sabbath where He responded that He was even the Lord of the Sabbath (chapter 12 verse 8). But they didn’t understand this yet, for He was going to give His life for that “fulfilment” of the shadows of things to come. Jesus not only “liberalized” but He actually fulfilled all the demands of the law in His death and Resurrection.
By the way, to the scriptures the reader quoted, one of them speaking of  "a sign for ever" or a "perpetual covenant" as being the interpretation for believers today to still have to keep the law,  a search of the word “perpetual” and "forever" shows that the Hebrew word used is ‘olam’ which means a thing concealed, a vanishing point, always as in continually, lasting, long time, etc.  It does not always refer to forever in the sense of never ever ending throughout eternity.

However in some scriptures, the same words, perpetual and forever, are from another Hebrew word. Based on the context of the scripture we can tell what the sense of it is. For example when a scripture refers to God's eternal glory as in Psalm 104:5, the same word is used and we know that it means eternal. However, even this is not always the case as we can see from Isaiah 57:15 where it speaks of God as the "lofty one that inhabits eternity"; here, the word in Hebrew for eternity is 'ad' which means a duration, everlasting, perpetuity. And in another scripture, Isaiah 60:15, speaking of Zion, the Hebrew word for 'eternal' is 'olam'.

In the Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, there is a whole page-and-a-half spent to explaining the varieties of meanings for this one word 'olam'.  One portion of it I quote: "(2) It more often refers to future time, in such a manner, that what is called the terminus ad quem (the goal, the object) is always defined from the nature of the thing itself. When it is applied to human affairs, and specially - (a) to individual men, it commonly signifies all the days of life, as a perpetual slave (not to be discharged as long as he lives)... poetically used as a beast, Job 40:28..." etc. The Lexicon goes on to show a multitude of examples to this effect.
So, the scriptures the reader refers to in the book of Exodus, in context, is actually saying: “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual (olam) covenant.” (For a time concealed, till a vanishing point, always as in continually every day for a long time, etc. during their life time). 

How do we know this? Because that time came to an end in the New Covenant when God, through the death of Jesus Christ His Son (God in the flesh) gave His life on the cross, as the ultimate sacrifice that the previous ordinances could not permanently cover. This had been promised for over four thousand years, through the prophets and the shadows of the Feasts and Sabbaths of things to come… to the people living at that time, that four thousands years was an eternity!.  The explanation of all of this is given in the many books of the New Testament, especially Romans, Hebrews and others that specifically refer to the books of the Law in the Old Testament. (More on that in future posts).

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1-3).

But, we have to remember though, that the Jews/Israelites who are not born-again, who have not yet received the work of Jesus Christ on the cross in the New Covenant, are still continuing to keep the Sabbaths and Feasts... however these are not necessary for Salvation, because Salvation is by grace alone once repentance has taken place in the heart of the unsaved. 
 "Note that the Apostles continued "keeping" the original Sabbath and original Holy Days long after Jesus had departed so they certainly were not done away and they were only changed centuries later by a corrupted church for political reasons."
These issues are dealt with specifically in the book of Acts and Romans which were written just a few years after Christ’s death and resurrection. The apostles did go into synagogues, where there were gathered Jews, to teach them the good news of Jesus Christ and contend for the faith. The Christians began to worsip on Sunday – Resurrection day – immediately.

As for the Jewish Feasts, the reader commented:
"They are not "Jewish Feasts" - that's only a misnomer that became used when only the Jews were around to keep them, but originally they were given to ALL Israelites during Exodus before the nation of Israel was re-formed and before it broke apart."
This comment refers to those people today who believe in the “ten lost tribes of Israel”, making a distinction between Jews and Israelites. I deal with that in my next post in detail, as to who are the Israelites and the Jews. /dmh
.--------------------------------------------
Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/



Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:
Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Xulonpress.com,
Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...
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Friday, January 15, 2016

More on Israel/Jews, Christians and the Sabbath.


by Diane M. Hoffmann

On an earlier post (click here), in my response to a reader about the issue of whether or not Christians need to keep the Jewish Sabbath, I mentioned that I would continue to respond to this topic.

Well, today I pick up here on the argument brought about by people who believe in the Btitish-Israelism theology... (I will have more on this specific subject in another post, but you can read the previous post on the link just above).


One reader's arguments includes quotes from scriptures such as Exodus 31:13, 17, reiterated in Deuteronomy 6:8, where Sabbath keeping was to be a sign of no labour for pay… and other scriptures that speak of a perpetual covenant, relating it to the Israelite Holy days given before the break away from the Jews.

Then he gives more scripture (i.e.: Exodus 20 and 24:7 and refers to the Irsraelites as being “us Anglophones" -- i.e. British-Israelism)… 


He then quotes Acts 7:38 and Romans 3:2 which indicate that Israel/Jews were to maintain the oracles of God as a reason for keeping the Sabbath.

There is no argument here, Israel/Jews indeed were to receive the oracles (the words) of God. The whole of the Old Testament is made up of the oracles of God.  


Nevertheless, the New Covenant came after the Old, delivered by Jesus Christ (God in the flesh), which is also made up of the oracles of God.

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."  (Matthew 5:17) (KJV)


This was predicted in the Old Testament:


"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord" ( Jeremiah 31:31-32).


And confirmed in the New:

“For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:” (Hebrews 8:8)

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people" (Hebrews 8:10)


"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." (Hebrews 10:16)


The 10 Commandments are still in effect today, every day:


1._Thou shall have no other gods before me.

2._Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...
3._Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain...
4._Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5._Honour thy father and thy mother...
6._Thou shalt not kill.
7._Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8._Thou shalt not steal.
9._Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10._Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house...

Are YOU keeping
ALL of these, every day?

We need to know the Old Testament in order to understand the New Testament.  But the Sabbaths and Feasts are not for the purpose of Salvation. We are saved by Grace.



In one of his sermons, C. H. Spurgeon deals with the topic of the New Covenant:
  
You see, dear friends, the first covenant was in these terms,—"You do right, and God will reward you for it. If you deserve life, God will give it to you." Now, as you all know right well, that covenant was broken all to pieces; it was unable to stand by reason of the weakness of our flesh and the corruptness of our nature. So God set aside that first covenant, he put it away as an outworn and useless thing; and he brought in a new covenant,—the covenant of grace; and in our text we see what is the tenor of it: "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts." This is one of the most glorious promises that ever fell from the lips of infinite love. God said not, "I will come again, as I came on Sinai, and thunder at them." No, but, "I will come in gentleness and mercy, and find a way into their hearts." He said not, "I will take two great tables of stone, and with my finger write out my law before their eyes." No, but, "I will put my finger upon their hearts, and there will I write my law." He said not, "I will give promises and threatenings that shall be the safeguard of this new covenant;" but, "I will with my Spirit graciously operate upon their minds and their hearts, and so I will sweetly influence them to serve me,—not for reward, nor from any servile motive, but because they know me, and they love me, and they feel it to be their delight to walk in the way of my commandments." O dear sirs may you all be shares in the blessings of that new covenant! May God say this of you, and do this to you; and if so, we shall meet in the glory-land, to sing unto the grace of that eternal God who has wrought so wondrously with us, and in us, and for us!   

You can read the complete sermon at  http://www.romans45.org/spurgeon/sermons/2506.htm

.----------------------------------------------

Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/


Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:
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Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...
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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Comments on sex, pornography and judging from a reader.


Comments from a reader on chapters of the “24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today” and my reply below each item:

“I can’ t argue much with what is said ...I mostly agree, except for women enjoying less the sex.  I think that they enjoy it just as much as men but have been brought up not to enjoy it.”

My reply:

I could not remember saying that women enjoyed sex less then men, and it took me a while to search the book as to where this came from. I found it in chapter 9 where it says in context: 

God, the Creator made sex pleasurable to attract the husband and wife to reproduce. God is not unwise, if it wasn’t a pleasant experience, He could say good-bye to procreation. By the way, sex is more principally pleasurable for men than for women and don’t let Hollywood make you believe otherwise; that’s also built-in by God for a good reason. We saw that in the chapter “Male/Female Brain and the Gender Gap. My heart aches when I see young people today being “educated” by movies and videos that are all lies and perversions, distorted demonstrations of what a woman is and should be—and a man, as well.”



“I also do not believe that pornography is responsible for all the rapes and lunatics walking around. Countries where prostitution is legal do not have any more problems than the countries that outlaw it. In fact I think it should be legalised and controlled by the government.  Like any other job it’s not everybody that can handle a job like that --  just like it’s not everybody that would be a good candidate to go to the moon.”

My reply:

Again, I did not say ‘responsible for all the rapes’, what I said in chapter 9 is that “collective pornography in any of its many forms is the intrinsic cause of most of the rapes, sexual abuse, and crimes.”

A good reminder to always read within context. Countries that have legalised prostitution have a whole lot of problems with their societies. Sex outside of marriage is wrong either way according to the Word of God -- and common sense.


“The ‘judging’ chapter is extremely confusing.....too many authors with too many different ideas.  All texts come from the Greek, how do we know that they were translated correctly to begin with?  They are 2000 year-old texts that you try to apply in 2016, and those translated texts belonged to another civilisation completely different than ours.  Somehow I think that it will never catch; all controlling cults are slowly dying and for good reasons -- even ISIS can’t maintain it.”

 My reply:

Firstly, let us not forget that my audience is primarily “Church and Christian”.  The   scriptures are an intricate part of the argument that strongly exist in the church today.

The problem is that Christians say “do not judge” to everything that goes on in the church, without consequences.  This is one of the problems for the lack of teaching about certain responsibilities that Christians have in living their lives as Christians (born-again Christians that is).

Just this morning I was reading in the book of 1 Corinthians.  Verses 14 and 15 say:

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.”

People have a responsibility to judge between what is right and what is wrong – even the non born-again have a responsibility to know the things that are wrong. However the ‘natural man’ – that is the non born-again or the non-spiritual -- who lives without God in his/her life cannot or does not receive nor discern the things of the Spirit of God.

That's a whole Bible study in itself./dmh

Order a copy of 
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at:
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Your Local Book Store,
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Sunday, January 10, 2016

On the Jewish Feasts and Saturday Sabbath, Chapter 21

A friend and reader of the "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today" sent me an email regarding some of the comments she is hearing on the topic of the Jewish Feasts and the Saturday Sabbath. It seems that the issue is getting bigger, and the Church needs to address it -- unfortunately.

I cover that issue partly in Chapter 21 of my book, but will be expanding on the apologetics of it in subsequent blogs. Below is my reply to the email that was originally sent.

Dear S.:

Your friend is quite versed and mature in her faith, but unfortunately quite sidetracked with this false doctrine, like many others are.  As I already mentioned, it is a tough position to tackle. One has to counter every scripture used for the argument which is the only way, rather than just opinion exchange, but that takes time to put together.

I will address that further on subsequent blogs (and in the next book). I also have another person friend of mine who is into the same belief system.  The fact is that the "eternal" keeping of the feasts was given to the Jewish people.

The Sabbath is a day of rest for man to rest and worship one day a week, that is every 7th day.  Jewish people hold it on Saturday, Christians on Sunday -- God doesn't mind the latter. The Pharisees tried to catch Jesus on this subject matter constantly, and He kept rebuking them that He was even the Lord of the Sabbath and that this day was made for man not the other way around.

It is not "wrong" for Christians to keep Feasts or Saturday Sabbaths but it is certainly not required for Salvation.  And we need to know about what they represent, just like we need to know about the Old Testament in order to undrstand the New.

Christians need to be careful about these new propaganda because they confuse the unsaved world, wasting energy that could be used to reach the lost. We need to stick to the central Church Doctrines of the New Testament which is the new Covenant made by the precious Blood of God the Creator and Saviour, Jesus Christ, as concerning the Redemption of mankind.

It is good to read the whole of Chapter 15:1-32 to get the feel of the context:

Acts 15:1-32

"And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.

24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:

31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them."

(P.S.: I always quote from the King James because some translations have changed words to mean what they believe.) /DMH

.---------------------------------------------
Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/


Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:
Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Xulonpress.com,
Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...
.

Friday, January 8, 2016

What About the End times?

By Diane M. Hoffmann

In re-reading my book “24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today”, I noticed an error in chapter 24, page 325. I thought I should let you know of it so that you may make a note.

It is found in the 3rd paragraph where it reads “Matthew 24:54-57, but it should be 1 Corinthians 15:54-57. For some reason, all editors, including myself missed it. I am speaking from Matthew 24 on this chapter of end times, but within it I quote, among other scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and then, verses 54-57”. 

And on page 323, 3rd paragraph, last line it should be: "Read the last chapters of the last book of the Word of God (not books). /DMH

P.S.: This will be revised in the next printing.

.---------------------------------------------

Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/


Order a copy of 
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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

The Word of God is Truth

by Diane M. Hoffmann

I received the following comments from an obvious atheist or agnostic reader of the "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today" on chapter 13:

"I quite agree on this issue of are they born that way, although you can’t deny it being a “natural” phenomenon because it is from nature -- but definitely abnormal because the norm is not like that.

One phrase that is extremely misleading (it’s like false advertising) and totally wrong is “the word of God”...NO SUCH THING....it is the words of MEN claiming IT to be the words of God. You always skip the part “words of MEN claiming” and you do it with good reason because the whole statement has zero credibility when honestly said. You keep repeating it over and over and it still doesn’t make it correct. It’s only a wild belief and nothing more. The real problem is that your whole castle is built on that false statement, like a castle built on quicksand... just like “sin” is wrong only in religious context or strict moral belief of something."

My Answer:

Even nature has normal and abnormal -- but we were created by God, separate from nature... nature was also created by God.

The only truth is from the Word of God. Look where the words of men have taken us. God's Word was written by the Spirit of God through men -- over 35 authors from all walks of life, during a period of some 1500 years... and all is coherent.

Everything that's happening now was prophesied in the Word of God.

The Word of God says:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Again, Jesus (the Word of God) says:

 "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27)


(scriptures from the King James Bible)

.---------------------------------------------------------

Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX


web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/



Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:
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Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...

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Man Is Not An Animal and Love Is An Act Of The Will...

by Diane M. Hoffmann

I received comments from a non-believer who is reading the book "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today", which I summarize below:

"...nice info on the language and I agree with you on many of the things you point out in chapters 5 to 7, but not always for the same reason...

the problem with sexualizing young girls is not a religious one. It is a natural one, no matter how tight you hold the people back nature will prevail.  Reproduction in nature is one of the strongest natural forces in the animal kingdom.  Another point I do not agree...we are animals like all the other existing animals and we also share the same survival instincts, no matter what you call it: fornication... lovemaking... prostituting... adultery... it’s all the same to nature and it brings out the same emotions and results... even selfishness is a survival act...

Some years ago I remember talking to someone who said she couldn’t do a certain commitment on a certain date because every year at that same time she volunteered her services in a hospital.  She said she had to help others.  I probed a little further and got her to admit that she “felt good about doing kindness” and I got her to admit that the real reason she was doing it was for herself -- not the sick people,  not for god, but just because she “felt right” in doing so.  That person was merely surviving -- it was after all a selfish act.

To me one of the most selfish person I ever heard of was Mother Teresa......totally motivated by the fear of her god.....totally convinced that her soul was saved by what she was doing....her ulterior motive (her self) was really showing.  Last week I heard the pope (the guy with the vow of poverty) from his gold and marble kingdom was giving the message of “sharing” with the poor....

I also do not agree that “love” is an act of will -- it’s a total act of chemicals that blur  reality.  The paragraphs on “God’s standard of living” and “no marriage in the next life” are farfetched fantasies..."


My answer:

I understand the comments from the unbeliever point of view... but I want to just say the following, briefly, which readers already know from my point of view:

1)_we are not animal - we are above, made in the image of God and were given to have dominion over the animals... and we have a conscience of right and wrong...

Psalm 8:4-9 -- “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth”

2)_re doing things for selfish reasons... there are many who don't know God through the spiritual birth, and will do things for selfish reasons and often as a means to achieve Salvation... but that is not God's way. As I say in the book, we need to get saved, THEN we work because we have a burden that comes from God for a lost world.

3)_re the comment about the Pope... there are a lot of rich people who talk the talk but don't walk the walk... that too is not God's way.

4)_re the last comment about "love" not being an act of the will... from this comment, I can see that the reader is mixing the word "love" with "sex" -- as many in the world do --sex has chemicals that blur reality... but love is an act of the will. Here's the description from the Word of God:

"Love suffers long, and is kind;
Love envies not;
Love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,
Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own,
Is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;
Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails"
(language modified for convenience of reading)

5)_About "no marriage in the next life" that is from the Word of God -- not far-fetched fantasies... the next life is a whole different dimension... as we know from physics. Sex for reproduction down here is only temporary for this mortal life.

Matthew 22:30 – Jesus said: “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” /DMH

(Scriptures quoted from the Old King James Bible)

.-------------------------------------

Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/

Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:
Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Xulonpress.com,
Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...
.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

On What God Has Cleansed, That Call Not Unclean and The Curse Reversed (Chapters 3, 4)

by Diane M. Hoffmann

Following is my response to a comment received from a reader regarding 'What God Has Cleansed, That Call Not Unclean and The Curse Reversed' (from  Chapters 3, 4) of the book "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today".

Here's the email I received from the reader:

"Diane....I can understand your frustrations in chapter 3 and 4, and you are correct about how the upbringing favors the male.  I think a lot of this comes straight from the very book you are so fond of (i.e.: The Bible). You really have to jump through hoops and rings to justify some of those passages. M."

My response:

The problems are not from the Word of God, they are from the misinterpretations of it...  and that’s what I’m trying to point out in my book. The more I read and research, the more I find this to be the case.  That’s what God came in the flesh to do: straighten out the direction of the wayward leadership of the Old Testament (and the New later on) and redeem mankind. He came as the light in a dark world. /DMH

.-----------------------------------------
Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/

Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:
Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Xulonpress.com,
Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...
.

On "The Law Is Made For The Lawless And The Disobedient" (chapter 2).

by Diane M. Hoffmann

Following is my response to a comment received from a reader regarding 'The Law Is Made For The Lawless And The Disobedient, from Chapter 2 of the book "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today".

Here's the email I received from the reader:

"Diane, very interesting facts about the translations. Your title in Chapter two is in my opinion faulty -- Laws are not made for the criminals, they are made for the normal people like you and me. People like you and me fear breaking laws and ending up in jail. Criminals do not fear being in jail, they even thrive being in jail. They operate their business and function just as well in jail or out, so, what laws are there for criminals? A vacation off the streets. It’s all  a question of control, and the vast majority (us) is controlled. 

I also think that you are really going out of your way to save Paul’s reputation. He definitely had a bad streak for women no matter how you interpret his words. Face it. Paul’s ministry was and still is ‘an old boys club’. I can understand why you wish to save him: you can’t have part of the Bible being wrong. 

Man’s fear has nothing to do with the devil or God....99% of the time.  It has to do with his libido. Self- confidence and weak or strong ego, a self image that stems from a very early age, built up or thwarted by hundreds of other reasons that brainwashes the mind in believing garbage.  Looking at the context of scriptures is the same as studying the life and times of the Easter Bunny. M."

My response:

Actually,

1) the law being made for the lawless is from scripture, and in this case, is related to the scriptures that the church leadership is using to keep women down – what I’m saying is that if a woman is in her proper place in the  church and in the family, the law that the church is using against woman is not made for her… she is right in God's eye.

2) I’m not defending Paul at all, I’m defending the woman’s place in the church as misinterpreted by the church leadership.

3) As for the rest of the comment, it really goes beyond the point of the chapter, but is nevertheless quite interesting...but, the law is not just for criminals -- and certainly not the way the reader's comment develops it.  It is, as the title says, "made for the lawless and the disobedient". What that means in here, as I cover in "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today", is that when scriptures are quoted out of context, if the intended object individuals already keep the law in question, then the law is not aimed at them according to the Word of God -- it is only mislead by the ones quoting out of context.

4) I also want to point out that the discussion in this chapter is not intended as the reader points out "to save Paul's reputation" in any way, shape or form.  My point is always to correct errors in the church within the interpretation of the Word of God, no matter who originally wrote it. I don't find Paul to be against women at all, on the contrary he speaks well and highly of many of them.

5) Then I quite agree for the most part with the comments from the reader in the last paragraph of his email,  EXCEPT of course for the last line which gives the reader away as being a non-believer and skeptic about the Word of God.  I do hope that eventually the reader will find truth in the pages of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today". /DMH

.-----------------------------------------

Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX


web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/


Order a copy of 
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
at:
Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Xulonpress.com,
Your Local Book Store,
or
from here direct through PayPal 
See this page...
.