(05/15/2013) The Church as a Bride?

      Focus, today, is upon the church as the “bride of Christ” and whether that title applies to the practice of homosexuality as an aspect of Christian belief. Also, there is more on TV portrayals of GOD that raise questions about divine immortality. The “Yahoo! Answers” writer using the ID “flutter” (Level 6 with 12,680 points, a member since June 6, 2006) posted the following:

If the church is supposed to be considered the bride of Christ does that mean?

that christian men are gay

THE BATTLE AXE: Can GOD Die? (05/14/2013)—(6.) Television programs that offer ghost stories, horror tales, and supernatural thrillers cannot be trusted as sources for divine truth, sacred doctrine, and genuine spiritual insight. While many Christians regard TV fare as harmless and useful for sharpening the mind like brainteasers and crossword puzzles, others realize many dangerous presentations are broadcast that contain corruption, distraction from performing ones duties, encouragement of complaining and violence, half-truth, hidden messages, lies, poison, and open thrusts against sound belief. Their danger to young and developing minds is that they also introduce assumptions and false truths relied upon for emotional, psychological and spiritual strength that can not be removed without severe disruption and damage. New believers and those recently “born again” are encouraged to carefully reexamine their amusements, break some favorite habits for entertainment, or even completely avoid their old pleasures. As with science fiction, viewers must employ the mental device common to most story-telling called “a willing suspension of unbelief.” Such programs present the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the principles for righteousness given by GOD using errors, exaggerations, and unbalanced extremes. The various shared purposes among the actors, film crew, writers and others often center in arousing the sexual appetite of viewers, exploitation of human weaknesses, generating fear as a device to ensure excitement, self-promotion, and dispersing “the leaven of the Pharisees.” See Psalm 1: 1, 1st Peter 2: 1-3, Colossians 2: 18-29, 1st Corinthians 13: 1-13 and Luke 12: 1-5, King James Version. (7.) According to the standards for Christian believers, angels, the divine tool of death, demons and devils actually do exist. However, the fictional accounts that portray death as a man, a heroic figure, or a god are little different from the stories and tales that advance the Devil and other unclean spirits as exercising divine authority, and power. In fantasies, spirit beings may be used to display a mix of animal and human behavior at the same time, and so are repeatedly depicted as monsters. Characters that exhibit only blasphemy, defiance, rebellion and spiritual confusion properly are seen as abnormal, deformed, imperfect, powerless, ungodly, unnatural, and weak. No created being or living creature will ever have sufficient authority, content, knowledge, or power to end divine being and the existence of GOD. See Deuteronomy 32: 39-43, James 2: 19 and 1st John 4: 1-3, King James Version.

THE GOLDEN ARROW: Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts. And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. (Malachi 2: 11-15, King James Version)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER: When Jesus Comes Back? (04/19/2013); What’s The Way Out? (04/20/2013); Girdle 5: Of Trust (11/20/2011); Binder 43: The Holy City (11/09/2011); Binder 41: Access to GOD (11/07/2011); Written Above? (02/18/2011); GOD’s Favorite? (02/19/2011)

      “flutter”, here are some points acknowledged by many mature Christian believers who are continuing to carefully examine the claims made by GOD upon mankind through Jesus Christ:

(1.) A bride is to be a life companion within a human relationship founded in choice, courtship and dating, divine/mature guidance, respect, shared purpose, and trust. Arbitrary and erratic features of human experience are dampened and removed through commitment, faithfulness, stability, and truth.

(2.) As the bride of Christ, the church serves as a confidant, an intimate partner, and a “sounding board” to sacred goals, divine operations, and eternal truths. The church is a beloved and primary co-worker with Christ in various roles of ministry to the earth. Included are apostle, comforter, family, healer, herald, judge, leader, model (i.e., example), pastor, prophet, spokesperson, and teacher.

(3.) While sexual behavior has great power to determine content, duration, fertility, prosperity, quality of life, and success for many human relationships, the salvation of GOD through Jesus Christ cannot be acquired or maintained on the basis of desires, lusts, and sexual practices. All believers upon the earth are privileged to share in the duties of a divine priesthood from the heavens. For maximum effectiveness, believers hold to strong discipline, giving, focused practice, prayer, study, and watchfulness. Together these remove spiritual confusion generated by the world as well as such obstacles to faith as self-contradiction, error, folly, inconsistency, irreverence, and pride.

      There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (4.) Ones bride is also their partner for claiming their own inheritance, for lawfully bringing forth offspring, for endowing and equipping ones offspring to receive, preserve and continue the shared heritage, and for overcoming the challenges and limits of mortality such as corruption, fear, isolation, pain, poverty, and sickness.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(11/07/2012) A Life Companion?

Focus today is upon the role of “life companion,” and there is more on seeing with new eyes, including a drawing to clarify “thinking inside/outside the box.” Also, because I want to share some perspective with my readers upon what we may have accomplished in this writing ministry, I reviewed some of the numbers. Since 2006, I have now shared 827 responses to questions posted at “Yahoo! Answers.” I estimate that at least 800 of these replies have been to issues and queries found in the Religion & Spirituality section.

The “Yahoo! Answers” writer “Dutchess V” (Level 1 with 150 points, a member since June 29, 2007) posted the following:


Bible verse He who finds a wife finds a good thing?

I don’t understand this verse because what’s the point in marriage when there’s so much divorce? Why get married anyway?


THE BATTLE AXE: To See With New Eyes (11/06/2012)—The developing Christian sees with new eyes when first thinking outside the box whose four sides are custom, popular culture, self-will and tradition, and then thinking exclusively within the box whose four sides are facts (Scripture), goals (Spirit), rules (Law), and truth (Gospel).

The Holy Spirit (also called the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Prophecy) generates discernment, insight, vision, and understanding. Even without a multitude of words, otherwise invisible connections, conflicting details and subtle differences become apparent, and reasonable. In the same way children acquire language (mama and dada) by repeated exposure, correction, and approval, right knowledge of salvation for mankind (and those in the heaven) comes through continuing proclamation, discovery, trial and error, and conclusive judgment. Thereby, the church of Jesus Christ instructs and transforms all within the kingdom of GOD (see 1st Peter 1: 10-12 and Revelation 1: 1-6, King James Version). The greater challenge to believers is that they grasp new truth when dealing with familiar and old things, and not that they encounter new things or things they’ve never seen before. For angelic beings supplied with a full measure of knowledge and understanding that does not include recognition of forgiveness, repentance and sin, and who can receive no added endowment of truth, there remains a capacity to focus discrete knowledge in new patterns that come forth as voluntary action, choice, obedience, service, submission and worship. The angels may not learn new things, yet, they may continually witness new things.


THE GOLDEN ARROW: Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? (Proverbs 5: 15-20, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER: Women Ordained to Minister? (10/27/2012); Does Everyone Go To Heaven? (10/28/2012); Birth Control and Sexism? (03/16/2012); Many Forms of GOD? (03/17/2012); Monogamy? (11/29/2010); The Lost? (11/30/2010)


It is the faith of many mature believers who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Redeemer, Savior and Son of GOD that marriage is a sacred institution created by GOD, and is being used to accomplish divine, not human, purposes. Included are judgment, maturation (i.e., completing physical, emotional and psychological growth), perfection (i.e., bringing created beings to spiritual maturity), sanctification (i.e., cleansing and setting apart for divine service), revelation and salvation. When Adam and Eve were barred from the Garden of Eden, the pair carried three institutions with them, marriage, priesthood, and keeping the Sabbath.

Every married woman is not a “wife” just as every married man is not a “husband.” To be a wife a woman must be in the peculiar bond established through the Spirit of GOD that is visible as shared identity and union. Thereby she becomes a “life companion,” and is no longer an independent being. Copulation, intercourse, and other sexual joining only establishes an added spirit-presence within a woman or man that in fornication with multiple partners corrupts and defiles their inborn spirit. 
 
Adam was a single entity before GOD, and the same name was given both the male and female (the male came up with “Eve” and “woman”). In holy matrimony, apart from the relationship to her mate, a wife does not exist alone before GOD, the two are one flesh. Besides marriage only adoption and birth create lifelong spiritual relationships (parents, siblings) that serve as primary social anchors to the living. Given there is so much more involved than simply voluntary commitment, desires and feelings, a man or woman’s place as life companion must be gradually discerned and discovered through spiritual growth.

While holy matrimony and divorce are both emblems of divinity belonging only to GOD (like the badge of authority worn by a police officer), society must regulate marriage through civil law as a social covenant, or contract for ownership of property. The spiritual bond of marriage is only established or dissolved by GOD. The principles of duty (things that must be done, like it, don’t like it, no matter what the cost) and faithfulness that express divine presence within the marriage cannot be annulled by judicial, or legislative acts. Thus, as when a mother loses her child in birth, years of separation alone are rarely enough to heal the wounds from divorce.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, the authority, benefit and respect due a wife is as great as that of a mother, and correctly understood, is no less than that of a husband. Equality within marriage is primarily a matter of oneness rather than sameness. Thus, a fifty/fifty arrangement is not automatically a better expression of balance than sixty/forty, seventy/thirty or ninety/ten. Like ones status as a believer begins before ones baptism, and a couple’s intimate relationship is in place before acknowledgment by family and friends, status as life companions begins before wedding ceremonies and other public acknowledgments.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC