Thursday, 18 July 2013

IN CHRIST We are: The House of the Living God

Here are some of the main bible passages which show we are the House/Temple of the Living God. We want to be a people who are growing increasingly aware that God is powerful, present and active and then speak (prayer & worship) and listen (Word & Spirit) to God with great confidence. If you want to do some further study then have a look at these passages in context.

2Co 6:16 - 7:1
16 [...] we are the temple of the living God;
as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.


Ex 25.8 "Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.  


Ex 29: 45 "I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.  46 "They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.


Ex 40: 34Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to theLord, saying,
“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”


Jn2: 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

Acts 2 
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.


Heb 4:14-16 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (NASBStr)
Heb 9:11-12
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.


Heb 7:25-26
25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him,
since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens


Rv 21: 1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God

Eph 2: 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.


Eph 3
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Tuesday, 25 June 2013

IVP New Testament Commentaries Available Free on Biblegateway (IVP NTC)

16 of the IVP commentaries for NT books are available at bible gateway. Here's the list below: This post comes from Theosource.

Recommended Volumes are:

W. Larkin on Acts,
I. Howard Marshall on 1 Peter,
Linda Belleville on 2 Corinthians,
Rodney Whitacre on John

IVP NT Commentary Series (Free Online at BibleGateway)

This is a commentary series I have only recently been introduced to. In many ways it is similar to the very popular Tyndale Commentary Series. I recently purchased M. M. Thompson's commentary on 1, 2, and 3 John and have appreciated what I have found in it. This is a fantastic way to get familiar with more volumes in this series!
Bible students will be happy to know that there are 16 commentaries on New Testament books --- written by noted evangelical scholars --- that are available online for free.

A select few of the commentaries from the IVP New Testament Commentary Series (InterVarsity Press) can be found online at the BibleGateway.com website.

New Testament scholar Donald Carson describes the series this way: "... they are brief, simple, and designed to be immediately nurturing. Quite a few have now appeared, and if several are bland, several others are outstanding (W. Larkin on Acts, I. Howard Marshall on 1 Peter, Linda Belleville on 2 Corinthians, Rodney Whitacre on John)," in New Testament Commentary Survey, 6th ed. (Baker Academic).

Grant Osborne is the series editor, with Haddon Robinson and Stuart Briscoe serving as consulting editors.

The IVPNTC titles are as follows (title links will direct you to the free version at BibleGateway.com):
  • Matthew, Craig Keener
  • Mark, Ronald J. Kernaghan
  • Luke, Darrell L. Bock
  • John, Rodney Whitacre
  • Acts, William J. Larkin, Jr.
  • Romans, Grant R. Osborne
  • 1 Corinthians, Alan F. Johnson
  • 2 Corinthians, Linda Belleville
  • Galatians, G. Walter Hansen
  • Ephesians, Walter L. Liefeld
  • Philippians, Gordon Fee
  • Colossians & Philemon, Robert A. Wall
  • 1-2 Timothy & Titus, Philip Towner
  • 1-2 Thessalonians, G. K. Beale
  • Hebrews, Ray C. Stedman
  • James, George Stulac
  • 1 Peter, I. Howard Marshall
  • 2 Peter & Jude, Robert Harvey & Philip H. Towner
  • 1, 2, 3 John, Marianne Meye Thompson
  • Revelation, J. Ramsey Michaels
Thanks to Jon Rising (Word & Spirit for pointing this out!

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

National Geographic Traveller Magazine 2013 Photo Competetion

See the whole set at The Big Picture photoblog page






8
OUTDOOR SCENES - Beeseeching - The fog had thickened to a point where the distant mountains had almost vanished. I turned my attention to something a bit closer and as I stood looking at the tree it occurred to me that the branches seemed to be held out in a gesture that seemed to be imploring something, or someone to pay attention...maybe it was me! Buttermere, Cumbria, England UK (Alf Bailey/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)#

OUTDOOR SCENES - Gravity -A storm is coming. East Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala. (Juan Aguilar/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

OUTDOOR SCENES - Yosemite Valley at Night - The mist on the valley floor reflects car lights driving through. Yosemite National Park, USA. (Phil Hawkins/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)#

OUTDOOR SCENES - Serenity - In the vast red-rock valley of Moab, Utah stand ancient yet ever changing sandstone structures that bring one back to the reality of how small we all are. Moab, Utah. (Becky Abrisz/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)#

SENSE OF PLACE - Fishing - A father and daughter with a fish in the net at sunset on Inle Lake, Myanmar. Inle Lake, Myanmar. (Cynthia MacDonald/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)#

OUTDOOR SCENES - Rising Sun Dongsheng - The mountain the night before it began to rain. I thought the next morning the sun does not appear, did not think it was almost dawn, the sun emerged from the clouds. But the dark clouds will soon cover up the sun, will... Taiwan. (Hsiao Chen-Hsuan/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)#

SENSE OF PLACE - Stingray Split - Years ago, fisherman would dump their scraps overboard at this location, as they came into harbor. The southern stingrays (Dasyatis americana) pictured soon learned about this free meal and have congregated there in large numbers. Stingray Sandbar, Grand Cayman. (Thomas Pepper/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)#

SENSE OF PLACE - Taj Reflection - A reflection of an Indian woman and the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal, Agra, India. (Degrey Phillips/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)#