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the-chosen-fanfiction · 8 months

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Jesus | Blinded To The Truth | Platonic

Dialogue prompt: “You really like making things difficult.”

Requested: Yes

After inviting you to listen to His meditation at Synagogue, your childhood Friend Jesus makes the boldest of claims.

“Hey, you’re cheating!”

“I am doing no such thing!” you quip, throwing the small ball towards Rafi in the hopes he will not catch it–

–He catches it with his left hand and you huff, preparing yourself to get it hurled back at you in return. However, Rafi tosses it with a firm movement of his arm towards Jesus, Who misses it by a hair. The ball falls to the grass and Rafi cheers, causing you to roll your eyes. Aaron lets out a sigh of defeat.

“I win!” Rafi exclaims.

You place a hand on your hip. “Fine, you win. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to get myself some snacks to comfort myself at this incredible loss.”

“Nah, (Y/n), you are just being sarcastic now even though I know quite certainly that you are upset.”

“I’m not! It’s Rosh Hashanah, I will not allow myself to sulk over something like a game.”

Jesus chuckles at your response and runs a hand through His hair, sighing deeply. “You did better at this game than I did, (Y/n),” He reassures you. You smile at your childhood Friend, Who heads over to you. “I will join you for that comfort snack, okay?”

You nod in agreement and both of you head for the nearest platter of sweet treats. You scoop a whole load of honey onto a slice of apple and give it to Jesus. He thanks you with a word of gratitude and waits for you to get one for yourself as well.

“Hey,” Jesus begins as the pair of you bask in the sunlight, enjoying the fruit. “I am going to give a Torah reading tonight at the synagogue. Would you like to attend as well? You’re a good friend of Mine, so I would appreciate it if you were to–”

“Of course!” you say without hesitation, “I knew that You were a Rabbi now. Your mother told me about Your ministry.”

Jesus hums. “I don’t think she told you all of it.”

You frown in puzzlement. “What do You mean?”

The Nazarene gives you a look. “You’ll see.”

Trusting Him enough to not ask, you decide to not press any further.

��Time for a rematch?” you suggest, nodding at Lazarus and Rafi, who are still gloating in their victory.

Jesus nods in agreement, polishing off the honied apple. “Let’s go.”

In spite of the heat outside, the synagogue is cool and dark, apart from some light drifting in through the small windows above. The village of Nazareth has gathered and you’ve taken a seat with two women who introduced themselves to you as Martha and Mary, whom you’ve started to mingle with in anticipation of Jesus’ reading. You’re curious to see what He will choose to read.

The crowd’s chatter falls silent when Rabbi Benjamin walks up to the pulpit and stretches his arms in a way to lead everyone into prayer. You bow your head and close your eyes.

“Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe. Who has kept us alive and sustained us for another year. Who bestows kindness, restores and redeems. Praise to You, Adonai our God, sovereign over creation. Who has chosen us from all the peoples. May Your blessings be all who seek You earnestly. Bring joy to Your land and gladness to Your city. In Your mercy, bestow on us a prosperous year, a bountiful harvest, and the promised arrival of Meshiach. Your anointed One, the Son of David.”

The congregation replies with an agreeing ‘amen’ as the sound of the shofar fills the room in a few quick puffs of noise. Goosebumps litter your skin at the sound like it does to you every time, and you smile, watching Jesus across the room.

“Thank you for the call to repentance and rest.” Rabbi Benjamin comments. “And now, for the reading and interpretation we have with us Jesus bar Joseph. He was one of my students in Torah class and we’ve heard reports–” he turns to Jesus, “Some of them very positive, of His rabbinic journeys.” Jesus and Lazarus chuckle a bit, “Jesus.”

Jesus heads for the pulpit and smiles. “Thank you, Rabbi Benjamin. Ah, please.” He gestures for the person carrying the scroll to lay it out for Him.

“You know, it’s not easy to share in front of Nazareth’s most pre-eminent Rabbi, but I will do My best. And I’m certain that if I miss a word or two, one of you at least will speak up, huh?”

A few of the men make sounds of agreement, Lazarus leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. “Oh, don’t worry.”

“I wonder who it will be,” Jesus murmurs in amusement before turning to the scroll.

“A reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.” Jesus announces, then lifts His eyes upwards for a few silent seconds. He unfurls the scroll and takes the yad to point at the text He is reading to follow along.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me. Because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight of the blind. To the opening of the prison for those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

With bated breath, you watch as He steps away from the scroll and rolls it up, handing it back to the assistant before taking a seat in the chair placed in the middle of the room. For a moment, He locks eyes with Lazarus, then with you, until He opens His mouth to speak.

“The fulfilment of this Scripture as you have heard it is today. This is the year of the Lord’s favour. This is a year of jubilee. A year the poor, the brokenhearted, the captive and the blind are offered redemption.”

Your heart stutters inside your chest. Are you hearing this correctly?

Rabbi Benjamin’s posture stiffens.

“Here. Now.”

Jesus pauses for a few moments, and Lazarus speaks up. “We are here with You,” he remarks, “Keep going.” He seems just as interested in Jesus’ words as you are. “Not bad for a carpenter’s son, yes?”

You cannot fight the small laugh that escapes you, and Rabbi Benjamin gives you a sharp look.

“I mean, especially Joseph…” Lazarus continues, “May he rest in peace…”

Rabbi Benjamin has a stern look on his face when he speaks up.

“Jesus, please explain why You stopped the reading before Isaiah spoke of the day of vengeance of our God? Especially during a time of such oppression.”

A few silent moments as you keep your gaze focused on Jesus, anxious what He will say. You have never heard this interpretation before, and you’re only hoping that Jesus will not say anything that could get Him in trouble.

“The day of vengeance is in the future. I’m not here for vengeance. I’m here for salvation.”

Rafi and Aaron’s brows furrow, as does Rabbi Benjamin’s. “You’re here for salvation?” the Rabbi mutters, “What are You saying?”

Over her shoulder, Mary looks at you with a delighted look on her face. Your expression resembles confusion as your heart hammers inside your chest. “It’s Him…” Mary whispers, “He is trying to say that He is… You know…”

You swallow thickly. Thinking of the rumours that have been going around about Jesus, and now… Could He be…

“You know what I am saying.”

Your heart skips a beat.

“And this year of jubilee, this year of the Lord’s favour, is not about release from financial debts. I’m here to provide release from spiritual debt.”

“We are the chosen seed of Abraham.” Benjamin darkly sounds, “We don’t have spiritual debt!”

Jesus purses His lips and looks away.

“Jesus,” Aaron starts. “We’ve been hearing about the signs and wonders, and now this? Are You claiming to be more than a Rabbi? More than even the Baptiser?” Aaron has the exact same question as you.

The room is tense and you lean closer towards Him, not wanting to miss a single word.

“No doubt one of you will quote me the Proverb; ‘Physician, heal yourself’. The things we heard You did in Capernaum and in Syria, do here in Your hometown, yes?”

“Why not?”

“I get it.” Jesus counters. “It’s always easier to accept hard truths and even greatness from strangers than from those you know well, especially those you knew as awkward teenagers or even as adults as some of you saw earlier today. Laz here would make a more believable prophet.”

You grin as the two chuckle, until Jesus’ smile falls.

“But this brings up an important truth. No prophet is acceptable in his hometown.”

Around you, people start to mutter amongst themselves.

“Be careful with what You call Yourself.” Benjamin growls.

“This should be easy to prove!” Aaron says, “Dinah and Rafi, you say you saw it, yes?”

Rafi nods. “Yes! Yes, we saw it, but… He did not claim this…”

“A true prophet from Adonai would not deny His own people signs and wonders.”

Jesus takes a sharp breath. “Listen carefully. When a great famine hit Israel during the days of Elijah. Three years and six months. There were many widows, yes? And we know how the Father cares for His chosen people, especially widows. But Elijah was sent to none of them… Not one.”

You drink in every single word He says, your mind spinning with questions and clarity at the same time.

“Instead he was sent to a widow in Sidon, in Zeropath. A Gentile woman. Martha, what happened?”

Jesus turns to her and for a moment, He locks eyes with you. It is as if He can read your mind - your soul - and He nods. He nods to answer the question bouncing around in your skull, and you have to prevent yourself from gasping.

“She gave up her last flour and oil for one more cake and gave it to Elijah.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Elijah told her the Lord said to do so.”

Jesus turns back, “Yes. The Lord said that He would make it so that her flour and oil would never run out. And she believed. A pagan Gentile in a pagan land. And she was hungry enough to know that she needed God and to obey Him. And so, God sent Elijah to multiply our food forever.”

He shortly pauses to let the words sink in.

“What about Elisha, and Naaman? There were many lepers in Israel during this time, but none of them were cleansed except Naaman. Only a Gentile, a Syrian soldier and enemy of the Lord’s people. But he was so desperate, he trusted Elisha, and his leprosy was cleansed.”

The tension in the synagogue rises with every word that falls from His lips, and your throat runs dry at the expression many hold on their faces; deep, unadulterated offence.

“You may be the chosen seed of Abraham, you may be the people of the covenants, but that will not bring you My salvation.” Jesus’ eyes are shimmering with both sadness and persistence, “If you cannot accept that you are spiritually poor and captive, in the same way that a Gentile woman and a Syrian leper recognised their need–”

He pauses, the words getting stuck in His throat as He pinches together his fingers to emphasise the message. Across the room, you see Aaron shake his head slowly, and Rafi’s expression is conflicted.

“If you do not realise that you need a year of the Lord’s favour… Then I cannot save you.”

You can hear a pin drop as the hostility in the room advances, your heart almost leaping out of your chest in fear as Aaron slowly stands, his brow knit together in rage.

“Who do You think You are?!” His voice drips with malice.

“This is what Hannah talked about.” Martha says in front of you, making your chest tight with anxiety for His safety. “That He even called Himself the Messiah!”

Rabbi Benjamin takes a step in Jesus’ direction. “Are You claiming to be the Messiah, or are You merely claiming to speak for the Lord as a prophet?”

Jesus, turned away from the Rabbi at first, slowly pivots in His seat.

When He opens his mouth to answer, your face pales.

“Yes.”

For a moment, you lock eyes with Lazarus, who looks from you to his sister Mary, who has a certain sparkle in her eye that makes you convinced that she believes, too.

And so do you.

Something within your spirit puts you on edge in a way you have never experienced before. It reels inside your gut in a strange way, as if everything in your soul is teetering on the edge of interfering, but that same spirit holds you back from doing so, convinced that He knows how to handle this all.

“You are a false prophet!” Benjamin accuses.

Mother Mary gasps in shock and you put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her immediately. Lazarus reaches over to put a hand on the elderly Rabbi’s shoulder. “Woah, that is quite a thing to say! Jesus, maybe we should leave.”

Aaron interrupts: “Lazarus, you’re His friend, you cannot be involved! You know what the law of Moses says–”

“We are all His friends, Aaron,” Lazarus counters. “We cannot say things like this!”

“Jesus, stand up at once!” Benjamin orders, but Lazarus tries to fan the flames.

“Rabbi, please. Rafi, come with Jesus and me, we will leave, and you can all continue the service.”

Slowly, Jesus rises from the chair.

Rafi clearly draws his own conclusions. “Rabbi Benjamin has asserted false prophecy and I cannot argue it.”

Lazarus will not have any of it. “You said you saw the miracle!”

“He’s saying only He can save us!” Rafi bites.

“He did not use those words–”

“–It’s what I meant.” Jesus quips, earning Him a glare from Lazarus.

“Jesus, you’re not helping!” Lazarus pleads.

Deciding to intervene between your bickering childhood friends, you stand and make your way down to them. “Rafi, are you deaf? And blind? Have you not heard the stories of the miracles? Have you not tasted the wine?”

Aaron scoffs. “Those are just rumours! You’ve got no evidence, and people can say whatever they want. As long as enough people tell the same story, you’d believe anything, wouldn’t you, (Y/n)? Always so gullible…” He shakes his head almost pitifully.

You let out a noise. “And you, not even considering the words of a Man you know to be trustworthy, even though He makes things so clear right now! You really like making things difficult!”

Jesus puts a hand on your shoulder and you turn to Him. He smiles at you softly, His gaze containing a certain kind of warmth that fills you with rest. It is the briefest of moments, but intense nevertheless.

Rafi points a finger at Jesus, breaking the moment of eye-contact. “He’s saying we are not the Holy One’s chosen!”

“Now, He did not say that!”

Rabbi Benjamin’s voice is like ice, full of fury, unlike anything you've ever heard before. It makes the hairs of your neck stand on end. “In words, the book of Moses; ‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My Name that I have not commanded him to speak, that same prophet shall die.’...”

As Lazarus leans closer, he lowers the volume of his voice. Jesus’ mother seems distraught and anxious. “Rabbi Benjamin, I beg of you… Not this…”

“Lazarus,” Jesus calmly hums, “It’s fine…”

“Jesus they’re going to–” Jesus leans closer to His friend and whispers something in his ear for a few moments. As soon as He pulls back, Lazarus stares at Him rather nervously.

“Yes?” Jesus acknowledges, and Lazarus reassures Him.

Before you can speculate, Lazarus locks eyes with you, and nods towards Jesus’ mother Mary, whose eyebrows are furrowed in fear of her Son’s safety. You immediately understand the hint, rushing over to her and crouching down to take her hand in yours. She gives you a grateful glance, but it soon focuses back to her Son, Whose safety she so desperately fears.

“Jesus…” Benjamin utters, “If you do not renounce Your words, we will have no choice but to follow the Law of Moses…”

You can hear your own blood rush inside your ears as the strain within the synagogue reaches its breaking point. The Messiah steps closer to the Rabbi, His eyes filled with heartache.

When Jesus speaks, it is the straw that breaks the camel’s back:

“I AM the Law of Moses.”

Benjamin staggers back, gasping in indignation. Before you can truly process what is going on, Jesus is grabbed into His tunic by Rafi and Aaron, who shove Him towards the exit. They yank off the tallit that is still draped over His shoulders and Mary reaches out. You can barely hold her back to keep her from harm, but Lazarus soon assists you.

Before He is pushed outside, Jesus has a moment of intense eye-contact with His mother, but then, He is forced out.

As Jesus is led out of the synagogue by the angry mob, Mary starts to sob. You can barely look at what is happening, your entire being frightened and shaking, but you cannot follow the crowd to see if there is a way to save Him. All you can do is comfort His mother, who accepts your embrace as you pull her into your arms. Her form trembles in agony.

“Jesus promised that He’d be alright,” Lazarus reassures both His mother and you as everyone pours out of the synagogue, “We will meet Him after sundown on the outskirts of Nazareth, where His father is buried. Mary, you know the place, right?”

Slightly calmed by the words, Mary nods meekly, but her demeanour remains distraught. And who could blame her? Although she trusts that her Son’s word is true, and that He will be alright, a mother’s instinct is ever so strong.

“It will be fine, Mary,” you whisper, yet still filled with questions. “Is this all true? Is He truly the Messiah?”

Mary nods, her lips trembling as fresh tears brim on her eyes.

“He is.”

Your mind spins with everything you feel in this very moment - confusion, happiness, relief, fear. “Then why do they not accept Him? I don’t… I don’t understand. The signs and wonders…”

Mary slowly shakes her head, sniffling a bit, seemingly calming down. “I do not know,” she whispers, “But what I do know is to trust Him on His word.”

“Always, Mary,” you reassure her, “Always.”

You remain in the synagogue until the sun has fully set.

#the chosen #reader insert #the chosen x reader #x reader #chosen x reader #angel studios #the chosen jesus #jesus x reader

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kamreadsandrecs · 10 months

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Title: White Lady, Black Christ

Author: Charlson Ong

Genre/s: mystery, thriller

Content/Trigger Warning/s: police brutality, vigilantism, reenactments of the crucifixion, drug use, depiction of a cult, kidnapping

Summary (from publisher's website): When an explosion occurs in front of Dr. Chester Limhuatco’s condominium, events unfold leading to his discovery of Emily, the “white lady” he has been having visions of. To discover her identity, he enlists the help of former classmate Jefferson Po, a government agent Emily works closely with. Together, Chester and Jefferson pursue the mystery surrounding Emily and her involvement with Tata Peping, a modern day “Itim na Nazareno” or Black Christ.

Set in the midst of Quiapo, the heart of the frenzied devotion and veneration of the statue of the Black Nazarene, White Lady, Black Christ is a high-stakes pursuit of the truth behind a strange brotherhood and the rituals surrounding blind devotion and the search for salvation as told by a masterful storyteller.

Buy Here: https://www.milflorespublishing.com/product-page/white-lady-black-christ

Spoiler-Free Review: I'm sad I have to say this, but: this was disappointing. I picked this one up out of curiosity: it was billed as Smaller and Smaller Circles meets Himala, with the summary on the publisher's website implying that it was more along the lines of a thriller than F.H. Batacan's novel, which was very much a mystery novel.

But whatever this was, it definitely wasn't a thriller. It's not that I was expecting pulse-pounding, balls-to-the-wall action, since not all thrillers are built like that and frankly, I need to be in a very specific mood for that sort of thing to be any kind of fun. But I was at least expecting an intriguing plot: something with a cool mystery to untangle at the heart of it. The fact that this book centers around the Black Nazarene and Quiapo implied that the author would be mining the extremely rich vein of Philippine folk Catholicism, with the angle of tackling the many fringe practices and cults that are the byproduct of syncretization between Spanish Catholicism and precolonial beliefs.

Sadly, none of that comes to fruition in this book. First off, the pacing in this book is completely out of whack. While there’s nothing wrong with going off on occasional tangents to show what’s happening with other characters, there was just way too much of that happening here to make for a tightly-told story.

This pacing is a reflection of the plot, which was just as out of whack as the pacing. I can see what the author was trying to do, but they just didn’t pull it together tightly enough for it to be any kind of fun read. There was a moment, about two-thirds of the way into the book, where there is a big explosion in a cave, and then the next scene cuts to the characters back in their safe spaces, celebrating Christmas. I know these quieter moments are vital and they contribute greatly to character development and plot movement because you can’t always have the action going full speed, but that was VERY badly placed.

The way flashbacks were handled was also poorly done. I think the author was shooting to make each chapter a complete entity unto itself, so he writes each chapter as if telling a short story about the character who’s the current focus of that chapter, but it just doesn’t work when you’re trying to do tension and intrigue in a scene. There were so many of these moments where something tense was happening, only for it to be broken because of a flashback. Of course, this meant the pacing and plot were further hobbled, unable to get any kind of real momentum.

Not that I'm talking of flashbacks, I think I need to talk about characters. For one, I think there were way too many POV characters in this novel - and this is coming from someone who reads fantasy on the reg, where sometimes you need a list of characters at the start of the novel just to keep track of who's who. The problem is that it felt like the author was trying to make EVERYONE a main character, but none of them had "main character energy", so to speak, save fr one or two, but they tended to get lost in the crowd of other characters who, quite frankly, just weren't interesting enough to hold my attention.

Additionally, the characterization also felt weirdly flat in places. I understand that in most cases, thrillers are about plot and not so much character development, but these characters felt like cardboard cutouts trying to sound more profound than they actually are. I think this might be because they’re all trying to be the main character and it’s just not working out. The way dialogue was formatted also didn't help, because there was something about the way it was handled that meant I sometimes didn't know who was talking in any given scene. On top of the fact that most of the characters aren't really THAT fleshed out, it's easy to get lost and wonder "Who the hell is saying this now?"

What I suspect the main problem here is, is that this book was written with the themes in mind first, and everything else built around those themes. Which, when you look at the themes presented in this book, is kind of admirable: the intersections between the wealthy, the powerful, the Church, and corruption in the Philippines; how Catholicism in the Philippines has valorized poverty and suffering instead of trying to uplift those who are poor and suffering; justice as commodity to be bought and sold by the corrupt and powerful, instead of a right guaranteed to all; the deep-seated wounds of colonialism and where that intersects with white privilege and cultural appropriation. These are all amazing ideas. But the book doesn’t let these emerge organically from the story through the characters and the plot; instead, it feels like the characters and the plot were made in service to the themes. Which then explains all the other problems this book has, in my opinion: the characters are reduced to puppets, and the plot reduced to a series of mere lines to be put into their mouths, with things happening TO them instead of BECAUSE OF them.

And again, this is all very disappointing, because I can SEE how this could have been an awesome read, but the execution just wasn't up to snuff. Maybe in the future someone will try this sort of thing again - honestly Philippine folk Catholicism is a VERY rich vein for story material and really should be mined more - and I hope it does the job better than this book. Which, frankly, isn't going to be that hard.

Rating: 1 estampita

#book review #book reviews #white lady black christ #charlson ong #thriller #mystery #books

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adamsvanrhijn · 1 year

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#this is not ''which kind of christianity was most popular in your community'' this is ''which OF THESE were you most aware of''

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exvangelicalrage · 1 year

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Exvangelical Rage

4/13/23

I'm not sure how I feel about the term #exvangelical. I recently had the opportunity (misfortune?) to spend some time among some episcopalians, and I made the spontaneous decision to be open about my lack of christianity, and my deliberate exit from said ideology. And some of the questions I fielded, besides "why?" and "what was the trigger for you?" included, "so you attended an evangelical church then?"

And I said no. Because I didn't—not technically. I attended a couple wesleyan churches, a couple methodist churches, a couple baptist churches, a nazarene? Nothing labled "evangelical." This meant that a couple of the people listening to me were able to dismiss everything I said with a simple, "oh, I'm episcopalian, not evangelical, so your experiences aren't relevant to me."

Like wtf bro

It made me mad. Obviously. I don't like being ignored and invalidated, especially when I made the choice to open up and be vulnerable in a potentially hostile environment.

To be clear, I know these people would have likely found a way to invalidate me even if I didn't use the term exvangelical. But I'm considering exchristian instead. Because that's really a lot more accurate.

But I think there is a disconnect between the way many exvangelicals think about what it means to have left christianity, and the way christians perceive exvangelicals. I came across an article by a theologian who concluded that the exvangelical "movement" was mostly fueled by rage that would eventually burn out, and "those heathens" (my words haha) wouldn't make any progress unless they could find some common ground and come together.

After my initial burst of rage, I rolled my eyes. Whoever said we were a movement? We're not. We're a group of loosely affiliated individuals who had a similar experience. We're not trying to evangelize others out of their faith. We're just trying to be authentic and learning to respect ourselves. We are seeking logical and ethical consistency between action and belief.

This theologian clearly can't separate his own foundational faith from his understanding of someone else's lack of faith.

Classic.

When I call myself exvangelical, I mean that I left christianity and never looked back. I mean that I looked christianity in the eye, and found that it lied. I mean that the *fundamental ideology of christianity* did irreparable harm to me. And it was wielded not by a single pastor or leader, nor by a single church or organization, but by all of them. Every single one.

So yeah. Exvangelical. Exchristian. Atheist. Agnostic. Whatever you want to call me, it doesn't matter. Because it doesn't change the fact that I left, and I'm never going back.

#exvangelical #ex christian #exchristian #agnostic #atheist #absurdist #rage #heathens #never going back

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travisjessen82 · 5 days

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dfroza · 20 days

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At times those who walk in Light are falsely accused in this world

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 6th chapter of the book of Acts:

Things were going well, and the number of disciples was growing. But a problem arose. The Greek-speaking believers became frustrated with the Hebrew-speaking believers. The Greeks complained that the Greek-speaking widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. The twelve convened the entire community of disciples.

The Twelve: We could solve this problem ourselves, but that wouldn’t be right. We need to focus on proclaiming God’s message, not on distributing food. So, friends, find seven respected men from the community of faith. These men should be full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. Whomever you select we will commission to resolve this matter so we can maintain our focus on praying and serving—not meals—but the message.

The whole community—Greek-speaking and Hebrew-speaking—was very pleased with this plan, so they chose seven men: Stephen (a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a Greek-speaking convert from Antioch). These men were presented to the apostles, who then prayed for them and commissioned them by laying their hands on them. The message of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples continued to increase significantly there in Jerusalem. Even priests in large numbers became obedient to the faith.

Stephen continually overflowed with extraordinary grace and power, and he was able to perform a number of miraculous signs and wonders in public view. But eventually a group arose to oppose Stephen and the message to which his signs and wonders pointed. (These men were from a group called the Free Synagogue and included Cyrenians, Alexandrians, Cilicians, and Asians.) The Holy Spirit gave Stephen such wisdom in responding to their arguments that they were humiliated; in retaliation, they spread a vicious rumor: “We heard Stephen speak blasphemies against Moses and God.”

Their rumor prompted an uprising that included common people, religious officials, and scholars. They surprised Stephen, grabbed him, and hauled him before the council. They convinced some witnesses to give false testimony.

False Witnesses: This fellow constantly degrades the holy temple and mocks our holy law. With our own ears, we’ve heard him say this Jesus fellow, this Nazarene he’s always talking about, will actually destroy the holy temple and will try to change the sacred customs we received from Moses.

The entire council turned its gaze on Stephen to see how he would respond. They were shocked to see his face radiant with peace—as if he were a heavenly messenger.

The Book of Acts, Chapter 6 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

Life in the new community isn’t perfect. However, the believers don’t allow their linguistic and social barriers to divide the church; instead, the emissaries seize this opportunity to create greater unity between disparate groups. They appoint seven leaders, mostly Greek-speaking (based on their names), to oversee the distribution of food. This movement toward unity will be a challenge to the future church that will so easily be divided by any problem, real or perceived.

Today’s paired reading from the First Testament is the 39th chapter of the book of Genesis:

Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, himself an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there to sell along with their goods and wares. The Eternal One was with Joseph, however, and he became successful in his own right as a slave within the house of his Egyptian master.

Potiphar could not help but notice that the Eternal One was with Joseph and caused everything Joseph did to prosper. Joseph became the favorite of the household and rose in the ranks to become Potiphar’s personal attendant. In time, Potiphar made Joseph overseer of the entire household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From that moment, the Eternal One blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, a blessing which seemed to cover everything Potiphar possessed from house to field. Potiphar entrusted everything to the care of Joseph. With him in charge, Potiphar had no concern about anything except for his private affairs, such as the food he chose to eat!

Now Joseph was a well-built, good-looking young man. After a while, his master’s wife began watching him, and she tried to seduce him.

Potiphar’s Wife: Come. Sleep with me.

But Joseph refused.

Joseph (to Potiphar’s wife): Look, please don’t take offense, but with me in charge, my master has no concerns for anything that goes on in his house. He has trusted me with everything he has. He hasn’t treated me like I am any less than he is, and he hasn’t kept anything from me—except, of course, for you because you are his wife. Why would I do something so clearly wrong and sin so blatantly against God?

Although she pursued him day after day, Joseph would not consent to sleep with her and refused to be alone with her. One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work while no one else was in the house, she grabbed him by his clothes and tried again to seduce him.

Potiphar’s Wife: Come on. Sleep with me.

But Joseph ran outside away from her, as far and as fast as he could, leaving her holding his clothes in her hand. When she realized he rejected her again and she had his clothes in her hand, she called out to the other servants of her household.

Potiphar’s Wife: See here! My husband brought this Hebrew into our house to take advantage of us! He came to me and wanted to sleep with me. I screamed as loudly as I could, and when he heard me yell, he dropped his clothes here beside me and ran outside.

She kept Joseph’s clothes beside her until her husband came home. Then she told him the same story.

Potiphar’s Wife: The Hebrew servant you brought into this household came in to take advantage of me. When I screamed as loudly as I could, he dropped his clothes here beside me and ran outside.

When Potiphar heard his wife’s account, his face flushed with anger. So Potiphar, Joseph’s master, put him into prison and locked him up in the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. Joseph remained there for a time. But the Eternal One remained with Joseph and showed him His loyal love and granted him favored status with the chief jailor. The jailor put Joseph in charge of all of the prisoners who were confined there. Whatever needed to be done, Joseph was the one to do it. The chief jailor, like Potiphar, didn’t need to worry about anything that was in Joseph’s care because the Eternal One was with him. And whatever Joseph did worked out well because the Eternal made it so.

The Book of Genesis, Chapter 39 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

Joseph’s refusal to have sex with Potiphar’s wife demonstrates how God wants His people to act. How different he is compared to Judah and Reuben!

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, April 10 of 2024 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New) of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about how to walk:

The central message of the Scriptures is to turn to God for life. Rabbi Sussya once said: "There are five verses in the bible that constitute the essence of the Torah. These verses begin in Hebrew with one of these letters: Tav (תּ), Shin (שׁ), Vav (ו), Bet (בּ), and Hey (ה), which form the word for repentance, "teshuvah" (תְּשׁובָה). The five verses are 1) Tamim tiheyeh (תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה): "Be wholehearted before God" (Deut. 18:13); 2) Shiviti Adonai (שִׁוִּיתִי יְהוָה): "I have set the LORD always before me" (Psalm 16:8); 3) Va'ahavta lere’akha (וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ): "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18); 4) Bekhol derakekha (בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ): "In all your ways know Him" (Prov. 3:6); and 5) Higgid lekha (הִגִּיד לְךָ): "Walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

In other words, the way of teshuvah, of answering God’s call for you to return to Him, is to wholeheartedly "set" the LORD before you (i.e., to believe), to respect others, and to know God's Presence as you walk in humility with Him....

Aren't you grateful that the Lord asks this of us -- and not some long litany of commandments to juggle? Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Micah 6:8 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/micah6-8-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/micah6-8-lesson.pdf

4.9.24 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel365:

Picture this: a single blossom pushing through the hardened earth, reaching for the sun. It is a silent yet powerful declaration of resilience and rebirth. This is the essence of the Hebrew month of Nisan, a time when the echoes of ancient liberations ignite our hopes for a future where harmony and renewal bloom across the world.

Nisan is considered the first month of the Jewish calendar (Exodus 12:2) and coincides with March-April on the civil calendar. It is called chodesh ha-aviv, or the month of Abib (spring), in the Torah since it heralds the spring months, a time of renewal and rebirth. As it says:

אֶת־חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב כִּי בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם׃

You shall observe the festival of Pesach—eating unleavened bread for seven days, as I have commanded you—at the set time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you went forth from Egypt.

Exodus 34:18

Nisan is also considered the month of redemption, reflecting the exodus of our forefathers from Egyptian bondage which took place in this month. “In Nisan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt, and in Nisan we will be redeemed” (Rosh Hashanah 11a). The sages teach us that Nisan’s redemptive power isn’t only about remembering the past, it is a time to look forward with hope to the future, ultimate, redemption as well. This aspect of Nisan, celebrating past redemption while anticipating future salvation, gives this month a special place in the heart of Jewish consciousness.

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

April 10, 2024

The Trinity and the Christian

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

The doctrine of the triune God is unique to Christianity. There is only one God yet three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each with His own distinct relation to mankind but each equally, fully, and eternally God. Although these truths are implicit throughout the New Testament, the doctrine of the Trinity is seldom, if ever, presented explicitly as a formal doctrine.

There are several passages, however, where all three Persons are mentioned in the same context, and each one deals with a significant aspect of the Christian life. There is, first of all, the provision of salvation, “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God” (Hebrews 9:14). Then follows regeneration. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). Salvation and regeneration are then publicly testified in baptism “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

The chief resource of the believer is prayer, and this also involves all three Persons. “For through [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). He must also continue to learn of Christ and to bear witness of Him. “The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). “The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness” (John 15:26-27).

Finally, in the words of our text, we have eternal assurance in the triune God. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” HMM

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zooterchet · 6 months

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Andromeda Strain: Famous Nietzscheans

Boudica: Invented Irish Pancration, the grip of the body and the dislocation of the joints, with bare hands.

Hamilcar: Invented the Catholic priesthood, the police code as expected of criminals, therefore all civilians, unless pedophile, an informer or murderer of an informer, either a priest.

Hannibal: Invented the Italian ingenuity, the interbreeding of Africans with Europeans, both in the North, Italy, and the South, Africa, for the intermingling of tools, the invention of civilization of Africa.

Jesus: The first female sheriff, placed in the hands of the man, Marcus, the switch of housing, to create King James, the Jewish Kings of Europe; the ceding of the kings, to the Pontiff, Peter the Patriarch, actually Jezebel, the Joker, through son.

Gilles de Rais: The creation of the law of state, the woman as the matriarch if refusing such title and accepting law of state as battle, war; the creation of the play and title and tithe, as ignonomy, demanding to be a land baron to be taxed by play as Villain, the judge's pontiff; the magistrate's servant.

Hugh O'Neill: The theft of the Nicean Bible, printed in Turkish Steppes Altaic, the language you know as English. The creation of Belfast and North Ireland, as Gael, and Home Rule, as Britain, the Irish Republican Army; the guaranteed movement of souls, inwards, to Ireland, now Britain, through Irish spoils, under Essex, the proper Earl of Tyrone, not Hugh's claim through his mother.

Friedrich Nietzsche: The invention of the British Imperial Psychiatric, the Asylum; those having been born of blood of the Secret Intelligence Service, a Gentile of Noble born with a midget mother and normal size, both sides, as a Supervillain, placed into care of ideal ground by a pornography actress, MI-6, by family, an wealthy actor's daughter through housework as wife of one generation, planting the activation of an agent, the theft of a spy by natural fact and placement outside of police grounds, into Martyr's System, the Intifada; golf, unless unable to play, a Nazarene, the Hindu Spell, the Bondersman, a British Army of Irish claims, the Irish Republican Army; a taxes and stock man, Baccarat.

Heinz Heydrich: The placement of the comic book "Batman" into circulation, by use of Gestapo to deport Jews to America through Abwehr and Sinn Fein title, the Monarchy of the Black Parliament, Victorian England, manipulated to create the Irish Mafia, those against conscription orders of the American Tabernacle; Hitler's organization, through Mecca, within the American Bund, the Prosecutor's Guild. The limitation of the United States Marine Corps, to repeat the Pacific Theater, if following Prosecutor's orders.

Robert Oppenheimer: The use of the Barca poison, the B-Particle, a Neutrino, upon a lab sheet, to fashion a dinosaur urine, the uranium mound, and to place the bomb to make Americans unpopular, therefore feared, but only by Jews, those following the work of Nicolo Machiavelli, the false report of the Borgias and Absolution, the police demand of service if found in fraud; therefore, all fraudulent parties, politicians under cop service, will obey America, having devastated Japan with a poison to avoid sex with an overweight woman to bear child. Otherwise, sex with obesity, having lost the hymen to orgasmic semen, is imminent, a lesbian's bride.

Brian Halloran: The print of "The Big Lebowski", the pornography and sex tourism industry as "Treehorn", the pedophile's rules of state out of the Los Angeles Police Department, and related print; the prohibition of "Hawaii Five-O", and related prints, for relevance, and any such cop lures, through Frank Miller's humiliation, of airmen, as prohibited, pilots now considered refused of whores and pornography appearances, due to reasons of magazines written with preference of view being written as those viewing, the military now refused as homosexual motive to join, unless coming under influence of the Iranian sex doctor, the "Hebe", Whitey Bulger, membership in the Juan Peron organization.

David Charlebois: The use of the slur "faggot", on female sheriff's deputies, in Russian origin of territories for fact websites, to prohibit the Slavic intelligentsia term for both money and restaurant seating, "pussy"', as censored, requiring all Russians having robbed patents and poor into politics, to refuse to type proper term, for fear of Medvedev, own individual oppressed, however claiming Putin, the Jewish lollipop fortune of Russia and American children's finance as the foe; therefore, any refusing to censor food order, therefore hungry, as pedophiles in American business, in view of female sheriff's deputies, the German unions of deportation on unjust legislation of imprisonment for terms of film and gentry prohibition of entertainment to children in favor education of family police unit; otherwise ignored, by Americans, for library study, unless Trump supporter, a Russian philosophy, a pacifist muscle builder, a prison inmate.

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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 1 year

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Neil Salonen asked about ‘Pikareum’ on TV

Neil Salonen, a senior Unification Church leader in the USA for nearly 40 years, was asked about ‘Pikareum’ on TV on January 4, 1977. The show was entitled “Firing Line: The Moon Movement” and was hosted by William F. Buckley.

About the episode: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-23008/episodes/1064822703 Download the transcript: http://hoohila.stanford.edu/firingline/programView2.php?programID=370 Summary: Questions had been asked about the Reverend Sun Myung Moon for a while (starting with his sexual practices, and the nature of the charge on which he was arrested in Korea in the Fifties), but it was only recently that his movement hit the front pages. Parents of some of the young people who had joined the Unification Church had made accusations of “brainwashing” and had kidnapped their children to bring them back home. Mr. Salonen is a true believer (“I found that [Moon] was not only a man who lived according to his teachings, but by following those teachings I myself experienced a kind of spiritual rebirth which I had only before read about”). Mr. Kaufman maintains that the Unification Church’s official writings contain “redundant expressions of anti-Jewish feeling and anti-Christian feeling,” and he is appalled by the church’s doctrine against separation of church and state: “If the Reverend Mr. Moon and the Unification Church achieve their goal, this separation, possibly Satanic, will end in this country.” A lively, though sometimes acrimonious, exchange.

Excerpt:

MR. BUCKLEY: Right. May I ask you this: Do you detect from the career of the Reverend Moon anything that sets him apart as a plausible religious leader?

MR. KAUFMAN: As a plausible religious leader? Plausible to me may be implausible to somebody else. I have a resistance to all proclaimed messiahs and so none of them is plausible to me. But one of the questions that arises – Mr. Salonen may refer to it as a libel; I don’t know because in all I’ve read I’ve not seen it satisfactorily set aside – is the question of the Reverend Moon’s jail term in Korea. I think it was 1955 and three months in South Korea. The Church of the Nazarene Korean Mission – and others have picked it up from them – say it was on a morals charge that had to do with his policy at that time of inducting men and women into his church, the expression – and if this is Korean, my Korean is inadequate – “pikareum” or blood separation – The Nazarenes, the United Presbyterian magazine, A.D., claimed that the Reverend Mr. Moon used to say the only way a young woman could rid herself of the taint of Eve was to have intercourse with him, and that young men coming into the organization, if they were to be parents of a pure and sinless generation, would have to have intercourse with a properly inducted young lady. He’s been excommunicated by the Presbyterian Church of Korea, in 1948; runs a school on anti-communism, and I don’t know if these are qualifications for religious leadership today. I don’t know that they are not, either.

MR. BUCKLEY: What is your comment on those charges, Mr. Salonen?

MR. SALONEN: First of all, I’ve visited in Korea a number of times; I’ve talked with the people who were with Reverend Moon at that time. I just categorically deny that there was any morals implication in his arrest at that time. I can explain to you what did happen, and you’ll just have to take my word, at least as the explanation of the church. When our church was founded in 1954, we had a tremendous sense of spiritual vision and there were many revelations received by spiritually attuned people.

_____________________________________

Can the Moonies talk honestly about polygamy?

Moon’s first wife, Choi Seon-gil, and Kim Deok-jin interviewed

Dong-sook, born in 1955 and listed as a ‘True Child’, was married to Sung-jin Moon

Moon had sex ceremonies with the wives of all the first 36 couples

The lie that Kim Myung-hee was raped in Japan

The Moons’ God is not the God of Judeo-Christianity

How “God’s Day” was established by Sun Myung Moon in 1968

Pak Chung-hwa interviewed about Moon’s “SEX relays”

Ritual Sex in the Unification Church – Kirsti L. Nevalainen

#Neil Salonen #pikareum #Unification Church #Sun Myung Moon #polygamy

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