WT Study for September 06, 2009

[James]

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[Eyes & Ears]

Well last week they tried to make my head spin around and it did.

Today I enjoyed the lesson. :) I am glad that Jehovah has allowed me to understand what I understand otherwise I would be totally messed up. Last week they say one
thing and this week something else.

It's like the evil & good slave are having a spiritual boxing match. :fight.sml: the mags are in my opinion a reflection of that.

I guess the issues lie within the service and writing departments, who knows. (again just my opinion)

Still getting answers from the audience is like pulling teeth.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

E & E

[Nightflyer]

I enjoyed this one too.

[billy2]

i personally found the first 2 paragraphs irritating - as i have found that ancient artifacts dug up have proved very beneficial in understanding the bibles history and verifying many of the accounts which have been questioned - such as the gilgamesh account, roseta stone, steppe pyramids through Iraq - and so many more harmonise with the bible and have given another dimension of understanding the bible

[SWORDOFJAH]

Excellent study. No other religion entity has the discernment that JW'S has related to Jesus role in Jehovah's purpose for mankind.

[FutureMan]

Excellent study. No other religion entity has the discernment that JW'S has related to Jesus role in Jehovah's purpose for mankind.

A very balanced article from my perspective, it does show that someone in the Watchtower society has discernment when it comes to bible truth.

[Gabriel]

Its obveous to me that there are two groups within the writting department. Perhaps I have a over active imagination but I sence a strong conflictual undercurrent within the writting department. This weeks article looks as though it was a direct reply to last weeks and the two groups are using the minds of the flock as the battlefield. No wonder why brother and sister dont like raising their hands....no one knows what to think anymore. Lol

[Eyes & Ears]

Its obveous to me that there are two groups within the writting department. Perhaps I have a over active imagination but I sence a strong conflictual undercurrent within the writting department. This weeks article looks as though it was a direct reply to last weeks and the two groups are using the minds of the flock as the battlefield. No wonder why brother and sister dont like raising their hands....no one knows what to think anymore. Lol


I agree with ya Gabriel, something is going on in those
departments. Perhaps we both have an over-active mind
:).

This is why I am finding it so important to make sure I am
reading our heavenly Father's Word and requesting his Holy Spirit as much as I can asking for wisdom and discernment. My mind is very tired right now :), very very tired.

It's interesting how the evil one uses different forms of harassment to cause us to get discouraged.

Talk about spiritual warfare and the complete suit of armor. PHEW!!!

Take Care Garbriel.

E & E

[billy2]

or maybe the GB thought they better do the next article on Jesus - so we will be distracted from their previous study on glorigying themselves

[The Way]

While I enjoyed and appreciate this study, I do have some minor remarks on the phrasing in par. 16-17.

Abraham’s faith incomplete?

„In that sense, their faith was incomplete.”
I wouldn’t say their faith was incomplete. Abraham is called „the father of all those having faith” (Ro 4:11).

(Romans 4:18-22) Although beyond hope, yet based on hope he had faith, that he might become the father of many nations in accord with what had been said: “So your seed will be.” And, although he did not grow weak in faith, he considered his own body, now already deadened, as he was about one hundred years old, also the deadness of the womb of Sarah. But because of the promise of God he did not waver in a lack of faith, but became powerful by his faith, giving God glory and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. Hence “it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Abraham’s faith was as complete as can be for a mere imperfect human being. True, „they did not know all the details of how God will fulfill his promise through the Messiah and the Kingdom”, and some „did not fully grasp the import of what they wrote”. But that’s a matter of knowledge and understanding, not of faith. What requires more faith? Believing like Abraham in Gods promises, with as little knowledge as Abraham had and could have about how Gods promises would eventually be accomplished and even who the Seed would be, or we, who have the complete inspired scriptures at our disposal? ’All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ regarding Jesus and his role in Gods purpose were still concealed at that point in time, the ’sacred secret’ had not yet been revealed.

’The Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith’

When Paul is drawing a lesson from this ’cloud of witnesses’ of great faith in ancient times and goes on addressing his fellow believers in He 12:1-2, he starts talking specifically about „our faith”. This is not faith in God in the most general sense, but more in particular ’the faith in connection with Christ Jesus’ (1Ti 3:12; 2Ti 3:15), ’the faith of Jesus’ (Re 14:12).

(Galatians 3:22-25) But the Scripture delivered up all things together to the custody of sin, that the promise resulting from faith toward Jesus Christ might be given to those exercising faith. However, before the faith arrived, we were being guarded under law, being delivered up together into custody, looking to the faith that was destined to be revealed. Consequently the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith. But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a tutor.

Of this faith, Jesus is the starting point and the end point. He is the ’Chief Agent’, in Greek archegon, meaning the leader from the very beginning, the origin, the founding on. He will also be the one who makes this faith complete, perfects, finishes it, the one by means of whom God’s revealed promises, and the connected faith, will be fulfilled.

(Colossians 1:18) and he is the head of the body, the congregation. He is the beginning [Greek: arche], the firstborn from the dead, that he might become the one who is first in all things

(Revelation 3:14) These are the things that the Amen [= ’let it be so’ = fulfillment, end point] says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning [Greek: arche] of the creation by God

(2 Corinthians 1:20) For no matter how many the promises of God are, they have become Yes by means of him. Therefore also through him is the “Amen” [said] to God for glory through us.

(Revelation 1:17-18) And he laid his right hand upon me and said: “Do not be fearful. I am the First and the Last, and the living one; and I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

Let’s conclude by rereading Paul’s encouraging words in some other interesting versions:

(Heb 12:1-2 Amplified Bible) Let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher .

(Heb 12:1-2 New Living Translation) And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, [B]on whom our faith depends from start to finish.

Thanks for reading so far :) Loving greeting to all.

[Utuna]

Dear The Way,

Thanks for your very interesting post.

When I was at the meeting, I made a brief comment about the point I'll develop a bit more here:

The elder who led the study asked why Jesus was the perfecter of our faith? I let other b/s read the answer in their own WT article and said this when I was told to make my comment:

My opinion is that Jesus is the Perfecter of our faith because he made it all come true thanks to what he did on earth and thanks to his sacrifice (you broached that point in some parts of your post).

Please read Ja2:22:

"You behold that [his] faith worked along with his works and by [his] works [his] faith was perfected,"

In that verse, Abraham's faith is analyzed but the same reasoning applies to Jesus' works, our faith was perfected too through his works.

How?

"as YOU receive the end of YOUR faith, the salvation of YOUR souls." - (1Pe1:9)

"For we were saved in [this] hope; but hope that is seen is not hope, for when a man sees a thing, does he hope for it? But if we hope for what we do not see, we keep on waiting for it with endurance." - (Rom8:24-25)

We have faith in Christ Jesus and his works (death and resurrection, 1Cor15:12-28) enable us to be certain that our faith is something real. We'll see our hope soon, if we have faith!


(2 Corinthians 1:20) For no matter how many the promises of God are, they have become Yes by means of him. Therefore also through him is the “Amen” [said] to God for glory through us.

The WT article says that Jesus was the perfecter of our faith because he showed us and all mankind too God's purpose in our/its behalf. Yes, it's true but it is the reality of his sacrifice that will make our faith come true! We know how it all works and, above all, know that the reality of his death and of his resurrection means a lot to us, that is, eternal life!

---------------------------------------------
"Le sectarisme des jugements pauvres lui tenait quelquefois lieu de volonté" - Hervé Bazin
"J'ai pétri de la boue et j'en ai fait de l'or" - Charles Baudelaire
"S'il m'a été donné de voir un peu plus loin que les autres, c'est que je me tenais sur les épaules de géants" - Isaac Newton

[The Way]

Please read Ja2:22:

"You behold that [his] faith worked along with his works and by [his] works [his] faith was perfected,"

In that verse, Abraham's faith is analyzed but the same reasoning applies to Jesus' works, our faith was perfected too through his works.

How?

"as YOU receive the end of YOUR faith, the salvation of YOUR souls." - (1Pe1:9)


Thanks Utuna for the additional insight and scriptures. 'By iron is iron sharpened!'

Ja 2:22 tells us how Abraham's faith was, in an important way, made complete or perfected. And Heb 2:10 says how Jesus, "the Chief Agent of their salvation, [was made] perfect through sufferings".

[Zen_Alexander]

Iv'e learned not to even read all the bitterness and fault finding you former brothers take time to write. Time is going to show that your energies and nasty comments have gotten you absolutley no where but in a swine trough. Are you ready?

[TheMdC]

:eek:
You haven't been to any real ex-JW boards apparently, if you think there is bitterness and fault-finding here. Google is your friend. ;)
:rolleyes:

Enjoy your stay here. It probably won't be a long one.

[Utuna]

Iv'e learned not to even read all the bitterness and fault finding you former brothers take time to write. Time is going to show that your energies and nasty comments have gotten you absolutley no where but in a swine trough. Are you ready?
Dear Zen_Alexander,

Thanks for the lesson! How come do you think you have the right to tell us what we should write or not? you now writing insulting innuendoes about the brothers and sisters on this DB. You're complaining about all the bitterness and the nasty comments we take the time to write but where were you, just 6 months ago, on this very DB, when some brothers and sisters were trying in firm but very loving ways to tell real bitter ones that all JWs aren't all that way and above all that bitterness is often a symptom of a great sorrow and of feelings of betrayal. Bitterness may not always appear because of a wicked heart. This DB is a living proof of that! Many members of this DB have changed, have become sheep again instead of remaining wolves. Did they do it because of posts like yours? No! They did it because there was much much much LOVE demonstrated here (Is25:4-5) towards all and I praise my dear heavenly Father each time I feel love in the air here.

Here, we love and take care of each other and we don't allow wolves to do their filthy job anymore towards broken-hearted ones. Many have come in, some have changed, some went away. We have to protect ourselves against real opponents but also against stupid rank-and-file JWs. We can assure you that hatred is not just the privilege of opponents.

I'm looking forward to reading your numerous future up-building and loving posts on this DB, thus demonstrating that you love your neighbour as yourself. Are you ready?

PS: Most of the members of this DB are baptized JWs, just as I am... Some are not JWs anymore but we all need the same loving help from our Father because we're all Jesus' sheep!

---------------------------------------------
"Le sectarisme des jugements pauvres lui tenait quelquefois lieu de volonté" - Hervé Bazin
"J'ai pétri de la boue et j'en ai fait de l'or" - Charles Baudelaire
"S'il m'a été donné de voir un peu plus loin que les autres, c'est que je me tenais sur les épaules de géants" - Isaac Newton