Christ's Instructions

Tha:yo:nih

Tha:yo:nih

Member
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Hello;

Some years ago, just for the adventure of it, I set out compiling a home-spun
catalogue of Christ's instructions in accord with Matt 28:19-20 that apply to all his
followers regardless of denominational affiliation. In time I realized that my rough
hewn catalogue, accompanied by a little commentary, would make a pretty good
devotional similar to the old standby "Our Daily Bread" pioneered by Dr. M.R.
DeHaan.

NOTE: Moses' people covenanted with God via the laws, rules, and regulations
contained in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; which was very
dangerous because it put them at risk of being slammed for non compliance by any
number of the curses listed at Lev 26:14-39, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:15-68.

Folks unified with Christ are not covenanted with God that way. No; they're
covenanted with God via a different arrangement by which there are no curses for
non compliance, viz: whereas Moses' people were under a legal system; the folks
unified with Christ are under an honor system, which is a huge advantage.

● Matt 11:28-30 . . Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
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001) Acts 15:20a . . Abstain from food tainted by idols,

In the old Roman world, nourishing things dedicated to pagan gods were oftentimes
sold as groceries. Most of us here in the USA will likely never encounter that kind of
food in Costco, Safeway and/or Whole Foods whereas markets in other parts of the
world might carry stuff like that.

002) Acts 15:20b . . Abstain from promiscuity

Promiscuity typically refers to things like adultery, incest, shacking up, one night
stands, sleeping around with swingers and/or escorts and working girls, etc.

003) Acts 15:20c . . Abstain from the meat of strangled animals.

Strangulation is a slow, inhumane way to die. If you know that the meat you're
being served came from an animal that was choked to death, consider it food fit
only for barbarians. We want nothing to do with animal abuse.

004) Acts 15:20d . . Abstain from blood

In other words: Christ's followers are forbidden to imbibe blood as a beverage.

There are cultures that poke holes in cows' necks in order to drink blood straight
out of the living animal utilizing its own blood pressure like a tap to fill their cups; a
rather ghastly thirst that might be okay for Edward Cullen's family but certainly not
for us.
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005) Rom 6:11 . . Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

"dead to sin" in this case doesn't mean that folks unified with Christ can't, won't,
and/or don't sin (1John 1:8-10). It means that sin can no longer give God cause
to slam them with the sum of all fears.

Rom 5:12-21 explains, in so many words; that folks unified with Christ are
accounted as having gone to the cross with him similar to accounting Adam's
posterity as having tasted the forbidden fruit with him. This principle is at the very
core of Christianity's plan of salvation so it's important to "get it" early on as it will
free one's mind of the terrors relative to retribution under the most disagreeable
circumstances; and thus allow them to anticipate pleasure in Christianity instead of
anxiety.

In a nutshell: When Jesus went to the cross; he died for the sins of the world from
first to last. That being the case, then when folks go to the cross with him, they also
die for their sins from first to last. As a result: when the books are opened there
will be nothing on record with which to charge them. (cf. Rom 8:31-34 & 2Cor 5:19)

NOTE: "in Christ Jesus" is a position similar to Noah's position in the ark. Getting
into the ark was a simple physical action, whereas getting into Christ Jesus requires
the assistance of a complex supernatural action. More on that later; meanwhile
suffice it to say that as his position in the ark provided Noah safety from the Flood,
so their position in Christ Jesus provides folks protection from the great white throne
event depicted by Rev 20:11-15 whereby the lost will be terminated by a mode of
death akin to a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron.
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006) Rom 6:12-13 . . Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its
evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of
wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought
from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of
righteousness.

That's essentially the same instructions that God passed on to Cain; to wit:

● Gen 4:7a . . If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not
do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;"

That's the very first instance in the Bible of the word "sin". The Hebrew word
basically means an offense; as in repeat offender. In other words; not just an
occasional slip-up, but a life style, i.e. habits.

● Gen 4:7b . . It desires to have you, but you must master it.

That's the first mention of self control in the Bible. In other words: God created
humanity with the capability to choose bad ways for itself; but that's only half the
story. God also created humanity with the capability to choose good ways for itself;
so He wasn't requiring something impossible from Cain like touching his right elbow
with the thumb of his right hand. So if self control was within the capabilities of a
brutish man like Cain, then I should think self control would be within the
capabilities of Christians too.
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007) Rom 12:1 . . Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.

The Greek word for "sacrifice" technically refers to a victim; but it's not always
applied that way. For example speaking well of God, doing good, and sharing are
legitimate sacrifices. (Heb 13:15-16)

The sacrifice required herein is a living sacrifice rather than deceased so Christ's
followers don't have to martyr themselves in order to fulfill it; but their bodies do
have to be holy in order to be accepted; which means avoiding things that defile
their bodies like indecency, promiscuity, adultery, and LGBT stuff.

The Bible calls those requirements "reasonable". In other words: It isn't asking too
much of Christ's followers to keep themselves pure.

NOTE: One of the tools employed by communism, in its quest to influence the
governance of a foreign country, is moral corruption; which is very effective when it
gets into places like education, entertainment, literature, family values, and/or
religious institutions. That strategy is to be expected from an atheistic foreign
power. (cf. 2Cor 2:11)
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008) Rom 12:2 . . Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.

Bible reading is a good place to begin with Rom 12:2; however, the ways of God
aren't meant to be self-taught; they're meant to be instructed by teachers
empowered by God for that specific purpose. (Rom 12:4-8, 1Cor 12:1-30)

Sermons and Sunday school classes are Christianity's traditional sources of
teaching. But these days with radio, television, and the internet; competent God
given spiritual leaders are wide-spread and readily available. In centuries gone
past, it was necessary to journey to hear them speak. Nowadays, they speak to the
whole world by means of electronic gadgets.

* Beware using 1John 2:27 as an excuse to circumvent instruction. When Christians
do that, they risk stunting their spiritual growth and causing division.

● Eph 4:11-13 . . And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in
the unity of the faith

The Greek word translated "edifying" means to build up as opposed to tearing
down.
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009) Rom 12:3 . . By the grace given me; I say to every one of you: Do not think
of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober
judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

"sober judgment" is from a Greek word that basically means to be of sound mind,
i.e. sane, sensible, and rational, viz: not under the influence of fatigue, drugs,
alcohol, and/or counter-culture, e.g. woke; defined by Webster's as politically
liberal or progressive (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way
that is considered unreasonable or extreme.

A popular saying going around is this: "You can be anything". No, we can't be
anything, and it's unreasonable to think otherwise. Know your limits and stay within
them; don't be setting impossible goals for yourself; especially in matters of faith
and practice.

● Rom 12:4-8 . . Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these
members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form
one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts,
according to the grace given us.

. . . If someone's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is
serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let
them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give
generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let
them do it cheerfully.

Some church managers have a really bad habit of recruiting people to teach Sunday
school who don't have a gift for it in accordance with Rom 12:3-8, 1Cor 12:1-30,
and Eph 4:7-12. Well; if teaching is not your spiritual specialty; then the sensible
thing to do is decline. Function within your range like Rom 12:3 says, and don't let
those managers pressure you into submission by making you feel guilty for
refusing. Nobody gains points with Christ by going off-reservation.
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010) Rom 12:6 . . If God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you
have faith that God is speaking through you.

The Greek word for "prophesy" in that verse encompasses predictions, which were
common in the early church; for example Agabus at Acts 11:27-28 and Acts 21:10-11.

Hunches don't count because it's required that prophets sincerely believe themselves
infallible and channeling God's thoughts with perfect understanding, i.e. by means of
inspiration. (2Pet 1:20-21)
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011) Rom 12:7a . . If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well.

"serving well" implies serving conscientiously and whole-heartedly rather than half
baked, grudging, and/or hit and miss.

My youngest brother was a construction supervisor for decades, and one of his
perpetual complaints is that he never knew from one day to the next whether some
of the men he hired would show up. In other words: they weren't reliable; he couldn't
count on them.

What I'm saying is: if you're thinking about becoming helpful in some way, don't do
it unless you're willing to commit to the long haul because people need to know
that they can depend on you to stay the course.
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012) Rom 12:7b . . If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching.

I had a Sunday school teacher some years ago who worked as a maintenance man
in a public swimming facility. One Saturday he had to work very late repairing some
equipment leaving him no time to prepare his lesson plan for Sunday morning so he
just threw something together. It stunk; and my wife and I got nothing out of it.

In contrast, I once knew a pastor who took all week long to prepare his Sunday
morning sermons rather than put it off till Saturday night. Now there was a guy
who knew what it means to do a good job of teaching; viz: a conscientious job.
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013) Rom 12:8a . . If your gift is to encourage others, then do so.

Developing children benefit from encouragement in a big way. Thoughtless grown
ups can destroy a young child's fragile spirit by criticizing them all the time and
never once giving them an "attaboy" or a single vote of confidence.

A very charming example of this was acted out in an old movie wherein Spencer
Tracey played Thomas Edison. In a scene, he tasked a young boy with carrying his
freshly completed prototype of an electric light bulb upstairs to the lab for testing.
The boy stumbled on the stairs, and the bulb was ruined.

So Tracey made another and tasked the same boy with taking it upstairs again.
Tracy's assistants protested that the boy dropped one bulb already; but Tracey
handed him the precious prototype and said: He won't drop this one. And the boy
didn't because Tracey believed in that kid.

A fitting word spoken at just the right moment can really beef up somebody's
resolve to meet life head on. If you're good at that sort of thing, then watch for
opportunities to do so. It has to be honest though because leaving people with a
false impression of themselves is all the same as treachery, and sets them up for
disappointment.

● Prov 29:5 . .Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.
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014) Rom 12:8b . . If you have money, share it generously.

"generously" is translated from a Greek word basically meaning simplicity, which
can be construed as innocence and/or naivete. In other words; sharing one's wealth
without expecting reciprocity and/or gaining an advantage. To the pragmatic mind,
that kind of generosity is a poor investment, i.e. it's like throwing money out the
window.

For example: contributions to a political candidate's campaign fund typically aren't
motivated by generosity, whereas contributions to a charitable agency like
Samaritan's Purse and/or a local rescue mission are because folks benefiting from
those contributions are so powerless, and so disadvantaged, that there's nothing
worthwhile to be gained by offering them assistance.
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015) Rom 12:8c . . If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility
seriously.

A natural aptitude for church management doesn't count. It has to be God-given;
that is: a legitimate Spirit-endowed ability. (cf. Rom 12:3-8, 1Cor 12:4-11, 1Cor
12:27-30)

There are far too many people sitting on church boards merely because they're a
success in business. Well; if your church is a commercial enterprise; then maybe
you should think about finding another one.

God-given leadership ability is spoken of as a "responsibility". In other words; it
should never be taken as an achievement. I just hate it when City, State, and
Federal government officials celebrate their positions as something they won as if
taking the gold in a spelling bee and/or a gymnastic event.

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He that ruleth over men
must be just, ruling in the fear of God." (2Sam 23:3)

Too many of the men and women in power do not rule in the fear of God; and
rather than morally upright with Christ's best interests at heart, they are often
Machiavellian instead.
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016) Rom 12:8d . . If you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

The ability to show kindness is referred to as a gift. I think most folks, given the
option, would prefer the gift of tongues over the gift of kindness because the one is
merely a skill whereas the other makes us sensitive to need; which at times can be
both uncomfortable and inconvenient.
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017) Rom 12:9a . . Don't just pretend that you love others.

The Greek word translated "love" in this instance basically pertains to benevolence
rather than affection and/or fondness.

Benevolence is defined as acts of kindness and/or generosity.

Pretense is defined as fiction, make-believe, and/or simulation.

Anyway, talk is cheap and, like it's said: Put your money where your mouth is, i.e.
if we sincerely believe that benevolence is a Christian virtue, then we ought to be
practicing it for real rather than merely giving it our vote of approval.
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018) Rom 12:9b . . Hate what is evil.

Hating evil is second nature to God-fearing people; or at least it should be.

● Ps 97:10 . .You who love The Lord: hate evil.

● Job 1:1 . . In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man
was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

● Prov 8:13 . .The fear of The Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil
way, and the perverted mouth, I hate.

I think it's fair to say that when somebody hates the same things that God hates,
and loves the same things that God loves; the two of them have the makings of a
meaningful rapport: defined by Webster's as a friendly, harmonious relationship--
especially a relationship characterized by agreement, mutual understanding, or
empathy that makes communication possible and/or easy.

● Gen 17:1 . .When Abram was ninety-nine years old, The Lord appeared to him
and said: I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.

● 1John 1:6 . . If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we
lie and do not live by the truth.

NOTE: Lukewarm is a state between love and hate; for example Rev 3:14-16 where
The Lord expresses his disgust with certain folks' lack of interest relative to his
preferences, viz: they're neither compliant nor non compliant: they just don't care.
He'd much rather those folks take a stand one way or the other rather than be so
cotton-pickin' indifferent.
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019) Rom 12:9c . . Cling to what is good.

Good in the world of humanity is typically relative and flexible. For example there
was a time when it was good science to question vaccines and their side effects,
and suggest alternative treatments. That science became evil during the Covid
crisis in favor of a science that the powers that be tried their best to prevent
questioning. (Now it's coming out that the mantra "follow the science" was a Siren's
call to disaster.)

The Greek word translated "cling" speaks of adherence; and it's pretty much the
same meaning as the Hebrew word in Gen 2:24 relative to a man and his wife
where it's assumed from Gen 2:18 that clinging infers support and dependence.

The thing is: for safety's sake, it's very important for Christians to find out what
God thinks is good rather than going with the flow of one's culture. (Rom 12:2,
1John 3:22)
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020) Rom 12:10a . . Love each other with genuine affection.

The Greek word translated "love" in that verse basically pertains to fraternal
feelings, which is a kind of love that leads to attachments, viz: it goes beyond
things like courtesy, kindness, consideration, and charity, etc. Those things exhibit
civility which is a non affectionate love; in other words: being nice to people
without necessarily liking them isn't the love we're looking at here.

Rom 12:10a is not an easy command to obey because it requires the emotions of
fondness and affection as opposed to only being nice. Real affection is easy to
imitate, but not so easy to duplicate. Going through the motions is just not the
same as feeling the feelings.

There are people in this world who, by nature, are affection-challenged. They
can't even feel anything for their own children, let alone other people. For them,
parenting is a nightmare rather than a dream come true. Their children are a
burden rather than a blessing. Children ruin those parents' lives instead of
brightening them up and making their lives more worth the living.

However, affection-challenged people aren't defective beyond repair because
Christianity isn't entirely a do-it-yourself religion; it's also a supernatural religion;
viz; part of the plan of salvation is regeneration.

"If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His spirit, who
lives in you." (Rom 8:11)

"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day
by day." (2Cor 4:16)

* A heads up to affection-challenged people: fraternal love is inconvenient. It will
make you a better human being, but it will also make you pretty uncomfortable at
times too because this love gets into your gut and makes you emotional, sensitive,
compassionate, and sympathetic. Those kinds of feelings will take some getting
used to by folks unaccustomed to them.
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021) Rom 12:10b . . Honor others above yourselves.

Christians infected with narcissistic personality disorder will find that rule difficult, if
not impossible, to obey. NPD is a mental condition characterized by a grandiose
sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, exploitive behavior in
relationships, and a lack of empathy.

Narcissistic people are by nature insufferably arrogant, self-absorbed, indifferent,
and insensitive. They see nothing wrong with their behavior, nor are they attuned
to its impact on others. Were you to confront narcissistic folk with your concerns
about their attitude; be prepared for recriminations because they'll no doubt
become indignant and defensive; possibly accusing you of selfishness, jealousy,
overreaction, hysteria, and unloving behavior. You see; they're never the problem:
you are.

As I was watching a recent series on the National Geographic channel about
geniuses; it became readily apparent to me that people in the genius category
crave recognition. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso are two very good examples.
Their contributions to art and science were secondary to their ambitions for
greatness. I wouldn't say that all geniuses are like that of course, but apparently
the desire for greatness is not uncommon among the gifted genre.

I should think that most alpha achievers would have trouble complying with Rom
12:10b too. I mean. why be a winner if not to feel superior? The alpha achiever's
motto is: It's not enough to succeed: everyone else must fail.

Feelings of value are important to everyone's sense of well being, but the narcissist
and the alpha achiever sincerely believe only themselves to be of any real value. In
their mind's eye, those inferior to themselves are of little worth, i.e. expendable
and/or a dime a dozen. (cf. Est 6:6, Matt 27:26, Mark 12:38 39, and 3John 1:9)
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022) Rom 12:11a . . Be not slothful in business; fervent in spirit

According to its use in Matt 25:26-27, the Greek word for "slothful" indicates failure
to honor one's fiduciary responsibilities.

In other words: when people have put their trust in you, in whatever capacity or
circumstance: do not disappoint them, nor (God forbid) make lame excuses for
failing to deliver on your commitments.

"fervent in spirit" sort of means on fire-- i.e. earnestly dedicated and/or committed
--which is just the opposite of half-hearted, lukewarm and/or stone-walling and
procrastination.
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