Do you remember when you got a letter in the mail and you were so excited to read it? Did you read paragraph on page three of five and feel that you got the whole idea of your friend’s letter? Of course not! You read every single word! So why do so many go to the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Rome and read verses 1-5 of chapter 6 and then walk away believing they fully understand the entire letter?

There are some distractions that block our understanding the Bible. Some of the distractions to reading for understanding are as follows:
1) The term Epistle- it simply means “letter”. It seems that when we hear the term ‘”epistle” we lose sight of the fact that this writing is simply a letter. Letter should be read as letters- in one sitting if possible.

2) The chapter and verse divisions - Originally, the manuscripts that Matthew, Mark and other writers wrote were not written as chapters and verses. The chapters and verses begin and end many times
without any regard to punctuation.

So then what is the best way to read the Bible to get a better understanding?

1) Get a Bible that has paragraph divisions. The New King James Version has paragraphs. Read one paragraph at a time to get the full train of thought.

2)Listen to the scriptures on CD, cassette or even on the Internet (http://www.audiobible.com). When we listen while we read we get a better sense of the author’s intent, tone and context. Prior to 1453 (Printing press invented by Gutenberg) the word of God was heard by most who were familiar with the it. Only a few people even possessed a hand-copied scroll of Scriptures. So listening to the word is actually closer to how the word was learned originally. When we listen and read we are involving 2 senses therefore, our quality of learning is increased. The more senses involved the more the mind retains.

3) Do not stop reading at the end of a verse but rather stop at the period. A period marks the end of a complete thought. If we stop at eh end of a verse which ends with a comma or semi-colon or a colon, we have stopped short of getting the author’s complete thought.

Let’s take a look at a scripture text to illustrate what I am trying to say:

Pick up your Bible and turn to Romans 1: 1-6 Notice, verse 1-6 constitute the first paragraph.
Verse 1 ends with the word “God” [no punctuation]
Verse 2 ends with the word “Scriptures,” [comma]
Verse 3 ends with the word “flesh, [comma]
Verse 4 ends with the word “dead.” [period]
Verses 1-4 make up the first complete sentence/ thought. Reading until you come to a period gives you the writer’s complete idea. Reading the Bible this way will help your understanding.

4) One more pointer on how to read the Bible. words must be defined. If you are reading the King James Version many words used represent the usage of that word in the days of King James (1600’s). I recommend the New King James Version for easy, clearer reading. What good does it do to read and not have an understanding?

In the KJV it says “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:” ( Philippians 1:27).The word “conversation” has the meaning today of talking or communicating with someone. Also no one says ,”becometh” we say, “become”. The NKJV takes out the “eth” that helps us all with the understanding.

But the meaning of the word translated from the Greek (New Testament) is “manner of life”. You do have to be an expert in Greek, but you need a Bible dictionary and /or Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance or Vine’s Word Study.

I hope that the points I have given prove to be helpful to you as you go to word of God for a better understanding so we can apply it to our lives as it applies.

God Bless You!
GMT

Glenda is the editor of Sister 2 Sister Newsletter

Our hearts melted into one another’s in instant recognition during that first hug. Two bodies reunited after 36 years…two spirits that had never been separated. The gap of time was instantly filled during that one moment of reunion. The bond of mother and daughter can never be broken. Only shame, guilt and remorse fed the fire of apparent separation. Only forgiveness would dowse the flames and complete the circle of love.

Thirty-six years before, I had given birth to my first daughter and then released her for adoption. Suffering from a heart broken by the decision to honor my parents’ wishes that I not marry my first love, I emerged from being an “unwed mother” with emotional scars so great that my only defense was to bury them deeply, pick up my life as though nothing had happened, and go on. So successful was my denial of the gaping hole in my heart that, as the years passed, I could not even remember my child’s birth date.

How was it possible then, some 30 years, four children and two marriages later, that I could find myself in a class of spiritual counseling students that had six other women who shared the same closely held past that I did? We were all birth mothers. Our secret became our magnet, and we began to meet and vision a ministry at our church that could prayerfully support all people who are affected by adoption: adoptees, birthparents and adoptive parents. It was a noble idea, and one that would require that we do our own healing work in order to be available to others.

And so we began the excruciating journey of dredging up our pain. We individually faced our own demons — guilt, shame, blame, anger and self-recrimination — at whatever pace we felt capable of moving, and collectively we prayed for one another and all those whose pain we share. We created the Adoption Triad Ministry at The Agape Center of Truth in Los Angeles and invited people touched by adoption to come and tell their stories and join in prayer each month. We opened the way to allow each member of the triad — adoptee, adoptive parent and birth parent — to dialog with the other, seeking an understanding of the unique emotional issues that each carries. And some of us searched to find our child and/or parent. My decision to try to find my daughter opened up my personal Pandora’s box.

It was in that atmosphere of prayer and spiritual guidance that I felt safe enough to face my own walls of defense and denial and try to bring them down. The process was agonizing. Not only was I delving into the shame and pain I had caused my parents and siblings by becoming a pregnant teenager, I was allowing to surface the hatred I held for myself for not having fought for what I wanted…my mate and my baby. What I was inviting into conscious awareness - and ultimately acceptance - were the shame and guilt of having sinned, according to the church of my childhood as well as the mores of society in 1961. I was admitting that I was filled with rage at my parents for interrupting my fantasy to have the perfect family, and at my boyfriend for not having fought harder to save me from this torturous sentence of a banished offender. During the search for my daughter, I was required on numerous occasions to recall those difficult circumstances surrounding her birth, and it was all I could do to keep from passing out. As I unleashed one tidal wave after another of suppressed feelings, I was constantly on the verge of emotional overwhelm. What kept me going was my deep, deep desire to find my daughter, to tell her how much I loved her, to share with her that she was conceived in love, and to complete the circle that began with her birth.

And so I searched…and I prayed…and I began to forgive. As I progressed through the classes in spirituality that were preparing me to be a spiritual counselor and prayer practitioner, I came to realize that without forgiveness I would be unable to free myself from the maze of negative self-judgment which I had allowed to tarnish the beauty of the birth of my daughter. I understood that if I were to welcome her with true open arms now, I had to find the good in my being her birth mother. I knew that the healing miracle I so dearly sought was possible only when I released my guilt, shame and blame about the circumstances surrounding her coming into this world.

“Seventy times seven.” Jesus admonishes us that this is how often we need to forgive in order to be free — in other words, as often as it takes. I was well on my way to completing my forgiveness of the other actors in my drama — my parents, my first love, my church, my society. Now it was time to forgive myself. I had held myself on the cross of self-blame and shame for so long that I wasn’t sure how to let myself off.

I began by feeling great compassion for the teenager I was who was so in love and so passionate about life, and who only wanted to experience and express that love in any way she knew how. I listened to that 19-year-old’s pain of profound loss and of feeling that she did not belong. That pain had been so severe that she had essentially shut herself off from trusting her own beautiful heart. I listened to her, consoled her, told her how much I loved her and that I would not let that kind of pain happen to her again. The I AM of me (my God Self) forgave her for any belief she held about being a “bad girl,” a “sinner,” an “undesirable good-for-nothing,” and a “cause of pain to others.”

The months — and yes, years — that I have spent forgiving the layers of self-recrimination and loathing I felt for myself have truly unburdened me. Freeing myself from the shackles of that seemingly unforgivable and unforgiving past has truly given me a new life. The attitude I now hold toward myself, my family, my first love and my pregnancy is only gratitude, gratitude for one of the greatest growth experiences of my life. By coming to terms with my past, the gift of compassion was ignited in me — a gift I can and do readily share with all those I teach and counsel. The miracle experienced from my commitment to forgiveness is the profound love I share with my first-born daughter, a love activated the moment we hugged that has continued to enrich my life ever since.

Diane Harmony is in the business of personal and spiritual empowerment. She is an author, platform speaker, workshop/class teacher and facilitator, ordained Minister of Religious Science and guide on spiritual retreats. Diane has been published in Science of Mind Magazine, Awareness Magazine, Inner Visions Magazine, and Daily Guides of Prayer. She is the author of the award winning book, 5 GIFTS for an Abundant Life: Create a Consciousness of Wealth. A gifted teacher, Diane has taught over 40 prosperity classes to hundreds of students. In 2002, she succeeded in successfully creating an 8 week Prosperity Course entitled 5 GIFTS for an Abundant Life! Today, Diane is the leader of her own company, Universal Harmony Inc., whose vision is to empower the planet’s population with the spiritual insight, knowledge and tools to live life in abundance, joy and peace.You can visit her web site at: 5 Gifts

Fear of death is the most widespread and deep-seated fear within
the hearts of the human race. All religions pay a great deal of
attention to the subjects of death and immortality. They all
claim to have the way to avoid death and enter into immortality.
These ways consist of avoiding wrong action and cultivating good
action, faith in and worship of their gods, and (in the
background always) the matter of material contribution.

Buddha stands in contrast to all this. As any responsible
spiritual teacher would do, he places the matter solely upon the
individual. First he sets forth the relevant question: “Who
shall gain victory over this earth together with the domain of
Yama (ruler of the Underworld) with its gods? Who shall find the
well-proclaimed Dhammapada (path of truth), even as the expert
gardener selects the choicest flower?” (Dhammapada 44)

This world and the next

First off Buddha lets us know that there is no mastery of a
future world until we attain mastery in this world. It is the
failing of every major religion on the earth to despise this
earth in some degree, whether spoken or not. Everyone is so
intent on getting beyond this world that they ignore its
absolute necessity-and this includes popular Hinduism which is a
major offender in this matter. The result, then, is guaranteed
return to this world as a slave. “This old world of sin and
sorrow” happens to be as much the kingdom of God as the highest
spiritual world. It is our ignorance that produces the sin and
sorrow, not the world. That is like calling the weapon of a
murder “a vicious killer.” But we are just that crazy. Buddha
points the way to sanity.

Wisdom

The conqueror of both “life” and “death” is he who will seek and
find the Path of Dharma, using his intelligent discrimination to
distinguish true dharma from the false, “even as the expert
gardener selects the choicest flower.”

The Venerable Thanissaro Bhikkhu translates this verse in the
following manner: “Who will penetrate this earth and this realm
of death with all its gods? Who will ferret out the well-taught
Dhamma-saying, as the skillful flower-arranger the flower?” To
“penetrate” something means to know it thoroughly, and by that
wisdom to master it. Here, too, we see that to minimally live in
this world and minimally deal with it-an ideal also set forth by
all religions-is to miss the mark completely. We must
comprehend this world. And to do that we must diligently
seek-”ferret out”-the way of dharma. Then we must put ourself in
control and order things accordingly, “as the skillful
flower-arranger the flower.” This is not the picture of some
pious nitwit proudly proclaiming his ignorance and declaring his
total dependence on God or gods. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna
tells Arjuna to take refuge in God, but also he tells him to
stand up and fight. The two go together. One without the other
is nonsense, producing chaos.

And the winner is…

Who, then, will conquer? “The disciple will gain victory over
the earth and the realm of Yama together with its gods. The true
disciple will indeed find the well-proclaimed Dhammapada, even
as the expert gardener selects the choicest flower.” (Dh. 45)

“Disciple” has a lot of connotations, most of thi negative and
erroneous as applied in the religions that seek to dominate
their adherents. The Venerable Thanissaro Bhikkhu translates it
“learner-on-the-path” which gives a much better idea than mere
“disciple,” for most “disciples” are enslaved sheep, praised for
their dim-witted acceptance and obedience. Buddha advocates no
such any more than he advocates the dominating and commanding
teacher. Rather, it is The Path itself that teaches the worthy
disciple as he applies what he has learned from a worthy teacher.

Seeing true

“Recognizing this corporeal body to be evanescent as foam,
comprehending this worldly nature as a mirage, and having broken
the flower-arrows of Mara, the true aspirant will go beyond the
realm of the Evil One.” (Dh. 45)

What characterizes a learner-on-the-path? Three major traits.

Recognizing this corporeal body to be evanescent as foam.
Older people who have not seen through the world envy the young.
Naturally, the state of health and the prospect of years ahead
in which to attain goals is desirable, but the terrible delusion
and illusions of youth far outweigh that. One of the worst
blindnesses of youth is the heedlessness of death, the baseless
feeling of assured life and well-being in the future. Long ago
the sages of India stated that one of the most amazing things
about human beings is their inability to grasp their own
mortality although they see others dying around thi. This of
course comes from an intuitional grasp of our innate
immortality, but the placient is mistaken. Only the Self is
immortal. The incredible fragility of “life” must be grasped by
those who would learn on the path, not in a pessimistic manner
but in a realism that cannot be clouded by false confidence.
Think of all we accomplish when we realize we have little time
in which to do it. Awareness of the brevity and fragility of
life can be positive if it spurs us on to wisely-directed
action.

Comprehending this worldly nature as a mirage. Life is
not only fragile, it is insubstantial-even illusory. The right
attitude toward the world and its nature, as well as the
“earthly” parts of our own being, is absolutely necessary for
us, and a simplistic view will not suffice-it will get us into
major difficulties.

In India we find two conflicting statients: 1) the world is
real; 2) the world is unreal. And so the wrangle goes on, and
those of us coming from “outside” are supposed to choose which
we think is right. I can help you on this. They are both
wrong and they are both right.

In our modern times we have many advantages over the ancient
philosophers because a great deal of our modern science and
technology actually makes easy the knots they found so hard to
loosen and eliminate. One of our most inspired examples is the
motion picture. It is real and it is not real. The filmmakers
and film students and film historians take motion pictures quite
seriously. Yet, what is a motion picture but a series of images
that do not move and yet appear to move and speak?

It was motion pictures that revealed the unreal nature of
“reality” to me when I was just a child of eight. First I
noticed that at the start of the movie I would hear the sound
coming from speakers at the side, but in just a few minutes I
would “hear” the sound coming from the screen, and not just from
the screen but from the characters that were speaking. This was
obviously an illusion created by my mind, and it disturbed me
somewhat. Next I saw that when spoked wheels (as on a
stagecoach) turned rapidly they appeared to stand still and then
begin to move backwards. Again, an obvious illusion showing that
the senses were not reliable in perceiving reality. The most
amazing thing was my discovery that the perception of passing
time was completely subjective. One evening I liked a motion
picture so much I decided to stay on and watch it a second time.
To my bewilderment the picture seied to take only half the time
it had the first time through. Again, it was all in my head-an
idea I did not like very much, because everything was then seen
as unstable and, as I say, mostly subjective.

By studying our experience of motion pictures (and now
television) we can get some idea of the unreality of “reality,”
understanding that even an illusion is real. Reality is unreal
and unreality is real! No ancient sage of India ever dionstrated
this as clearly as Edison’s Wonder.

Our cooperation/creation of illusion is also shown by motion
pictures. We know it is all illusion, yet we react as though we
were witnessing something real. We respond with a range of
iotions, liking and disliking characters and situations that are
nothing but light patterns on a screen. (And how profound is the
insight that the relationship between picture and screen
perfectly mirrors Purusha and Prakriti, samsara and the atman,
matter and consciousness.) Even stranger, no matter how many
times we see a movie, we still react to it. Although we know
exactly what the outcome will be, we find ourselves
involuntarily feeling tense, even anxious, about “what may
happen.” We laugh as much at a comic situation as we did the
first time-maybe even more- and even jump at a
no-longer-unexpected development. Why? Because it is the nature
of the mind to fool and be fooled. We truly are Dwellers In The
Mirage-and voluntarily. So we not only come to realize that the
world is ultimately a mirage, so is the mind that perceives it.
The capacity of the mind to create a world in dream drives the
point even deeper home. A dream is totally unreal and yet is
real at the same time.

Having broken the flower-arrows of Mara. Cosmic Delusion
hooks us like the gullible fish takes the tasty bait unaware of
the horrible steel beneath. If you have ever seen a fish that
has not just been hooked in the mouth but has completely
swallowed the hook then you have some idea of the consequences
of being struck by the flower-arrows of Mara. How we like being
hit! Poor fools. As the Gita points out, we live “desiring
desires,” (Bhagavad Gita 18:24) or, as Swami Prabhavananda put
it: “under the whip of lust and the will of the ego.” “The man
who stirs up his own lusts can never know peace,” (Gita 2:70)
yet we keep right on. In India they set forth the example of
camels that keep chewing on thorns however much their mouths are
pierced and bleeding. But “He knows peace who has forgotten
desire. He lives without craving: free from ego, free from
pride.” (Gita 2:71)

Buddha does not speak of someone who has learned to evade the
flower-arrows or who has become impervious to thi. Rather he
speaks of those who have broken the arrows. That is, he
has rendered thi not just ineffectual but, practically speaking,
non-existent. He has destroyed thi. For “when a man enters
Reality, he leaves his desires behind him.” (Gita 2:59) Thus-and
only thus-he has gone beyond the realm of Death (Yama). He has
gone “where the King of Death cannot see,” as Thanissaro Bhikkhu
translates it.

“Cravings torment the heart: he renounces cravings….Free from
the things of desire,…the bonds of his flesh are broken.”
(Gita 2:55-57) “When he has no lust, no hatred, a man walks
safely among the things of lust and hatred….Sorrow melts into
that clear peace: his quiet mind is soon established in peace.”
(Gita 2:64,65)

Seeking death

This is a happy picture, but truth is both happy and sad. So
Buddha shows us another view in conclusion, perhaps because it
is the situation of the majority of human beings, and of us if
we are not vigilant. No, he is not being “negative” he is being
truthful. Worthy teachers do not hesitate to tell us or show us
what we may not like, but which must be changed if we would pass
from death unto life. Here are his words:

“The hedonist who seeks only the blossoms of sensual delights,
who indulges only in such pleasures, him the Evil One carries
off, as a flood carries off the inhabitants of a sleeping
village.” (Dh 47) What a horrible truth! We can be carried off
by Death while sleeping and dreaming just the opposite. “It
shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he
eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is ipty: or as when a
thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh,
and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite.” (Isiaiah
29:8) It is worldly life and not religion that is the opium of
the people, though of course worldly religion is part of the
poppy field. There is more:

“The hedonist who seeks only the blossoms of sensual delights,
whose mind is agitated, him the Evil One (Mara) brings under his
sway even before his carnal desires are satiated.” (Dhammapada
48) Now this is the truth! Delusion never really comes through
or pays off. Oh, yes, just like crooked gamblers, for the first
few times the forces of Mara let us “win.” Then, when we are
addicted, the sorrow sets in. All we really end up with is
addiction and the inevitable frustration of that addiction. What
an awful trap, and what an awful willingness to be trapped.

Nevertheless, if we hearken to Buddha’s wisdom and follow it we
shall transcend delusion and death. This is sure.

In looking back on the year that has just endeda year filled with the horrors of war and of natural disasters such as last fall’s hurricanesone would have to be callous not to mention the earthquake and tsunamis. The devastation seems to get worse every hour as new reports, images, and statistics come in. Yet from the moment it happened the day after Christmas, one felt that in spite of the tremendous destruction that was unleashed, God was and is at work, even if his plan has not yet been revealed to us.

The sheer magnitude of this event cannot be comprehended by the human mind. So let us not get caught up in the number of the dead, the injured, the missing and the homeless. We need to become quiet in order to really take in what has happened; we need to ask ourselves, “What is it that God is saying to the whole world?”

The tsunamis show us that we are not in control of our lives, though God is. Death snatched away rich and poor, tourist and native, with no respect for who they were. There was no time for final goodbyes.

Having been in India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysiaall nations that have been hit by the tsunamisthis disaster affects me personally. I have seen the poverty these people live under even in the best of times. What hits hardest is the untold number of children who died. Many of them will never even be found. Picture their parents’ grief!

As tens of thousands of bereaved families mourn the loved ones they have lost, one wonders, “Why does God allow this to happen? Why, if death is his mortal enemy, does he allow it to destroy so many people?” In this life we may never find a satisfactory answer to that question. Yet we must still hang on to our faith that God is Love, and that no dark power can ever overcome him, even though, at a time like this, it looks as if that is the case. We must remember God’s promise that one day, every tear will be dried.

Only time will tell if this disaster is a taste of similar things to come. One cannot but think of the “bowls of the wrath of God on the earth” that are foretold in the Book of Revelation. One thing is certain: we cannot just go on living as usual. Life is too precious, and as this event has shown us, it can be over in an instant.

We do not need to weep for those who have died. They are all with God, as we are told: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord… They will rest from their labors, and their works will follow them.” We need to weep and pray for all those who remain alive, for the millions who are suffering hunger and thirst, and facing diseases such as cholera and malaria. Many will surely suffer excruciating deaths.

Meanwhile, we ought to ask ourselves how much time we are still spending considering the meaning of this disaster and praying about it. Only a week has gone by since it occurred, but many people have already returned to petty pursuits like hunting for post-Christmas bargains at the mall. Even on the news, this event is beginning to fade–it’s back to Janet Jackson.

We care so little about the rest of the human race. Nothing matters as long as it isn’t us. Yet it could be us next time; it is an eleventh-hour warning. So few of us take that to heart.

World leaders have criticized our president for his initial lame pledge of support for the countries stricken by the tsunamis. What would happen if we counteracted their justified concern by pulling all of our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and sending them on to southern Asia to provide disaster relief?

Our supposedly Christian nation pumps billions of dollars into military-related technology and into the war against terror. Yet if we would have spent a fraction of that on a wave warning system, millions of lives could have been saved. In this case, animals were smarter than human beingsthey sensed what was coming and headed to higher ground.

It is true that dozens of relief organizations and national governments are now pouring aid into the affected region. Yet even all that will only be a drop in the bucket. May all of us who live in relative comfort be stirred to action and remember that in God’s eyes, every deed of love to our neighbornear or faris of utmost importance. In light of this disaster, what does that mean? Are we grateful for what we have? Do we and our children thank God every night for a warm house, for food, and work?

A word of comfort to those who have lost loved ones, or are still searching for them: I believe the sky above the Indian Ocean was filled with angels bringing all these souls to God. To me, the fact that this earthquake struck just a day after Christmas is significant. It reminds us that we need to re-learn what it means to bow to the Child in the manger. Herod and the powerful of Jerusalem were so frightened of this little child, that he ordered the slaughter of innocent children.

In light of the current world situation, we could be frightened too. But as we are reminded in these lines from Psalm 46, we have a place to turn:

God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we shall not be afraid, even though the earth be removed;
and though mountains are carried into the midst of the sea… though its waters are troubled and roar; though mountains shake with its swelling; though nations rage, and kingdoms are moved…. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations! The Lord of Hosts is with us forever. The God of Jacob is our refuge.

You may reprint this article free of charge providing you use the following credit box:
Article by Johann Christoph Arnold (http://www.christopharnold.com/). Arnold is senior pastor of the Bruderhof - an international communal movement dedicated to a life of simplicity, service, sharing, and nonviolence. (http://www.bruderhof.com/).

Revelation 8:8-8:9

What will you be doing? How many people have asked the question, what will you be doing at the end of the world? When I was a child, in the hills of Kentucky, I always asked my self this same question every-night before I went to sleep. I remembered the preachers sermon, the Hell fire and brimstone was still in my mind. I would take my time after everyone went to sleep and look out the window at the sky above. For a little kid I thought that everything was so large and big. I looked at the sky and told myself, The world was a clear blue sky with puffy white clouds when it ended. I didn’t know much about scripture then, so I didn’t Know that, when the world ended it would be on fire.

Children are so innocent and trusting, I guess that the reason Jesus said that we had to become as a child to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there really an end of time? Is the Bible really true, is there really a devil or a God, what about a judgment? What do you tell them? This is what I answer. “What will you be doing while the world is on fire?”

Part 1. Lets look at the Book of Revelations for a moment, some say its, the revelation of John, but its actually the revelation to John from Jesus by Gods Angel Rev1:1. Rev 8:7, The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth, and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. Now some parts of the scripture use the allegory of trees and grass to signify men, but not here, remember that. When this takes place, What will you be doing? Going to the nearest church to ask God to forgive you, running to the fire station, crying out that your house is on fire, Screaming that you cant find your Baby, or children or maby a husband or wife who were a christian, running to the fall out shelter? What will you be doing while the world is on fire? Will you be falling on your knees asking Jesus to help you or will you curse the God of Heaven, for the plague that has just hit the earth? Ill tell you. All the above, and more.

The pain the smoke the agony, screaming to find refuge a place to run and hide, searching for family and friends, a terrible time a time you wished you had avoided. God is supream, He’s the everlasting to everlasting, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our God. There is a savior, there is a redeemer, there is a deliver. There is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Is Hell real?, you can bet your soul, there is.

There was a man dyeing, that my family knew real well, he had not been the type of person that most people would want around them. A drunkard, a beater of women, user of every foul language, his marriage ended in divorce, his own son didn’t want anything to do with him. He had been minister to many times, he had heard the word preached and still he refused the calling of the Holy ghost to repent. On his death bed, my brother-in law was speaking to him about Jesus and just before he died he said, I’ve had my chance, I’ve turned Jesus down one too many times. I can feel the heat on my feet, My legs are on fire. And just as he took his last breath he screamed, I can see Hell, and he died. What will you be doing while the world is on fire?

Revelations 8:9, And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood. 8:9 , And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died, and a third part of the ships were destroyed. Where are you going to run, where are you going to hide? Where is there, a place of safety or a shelter from an angry God? The United States has the greatest Navy in the world, second to none, they are going to be destroyed, in a heart beat, in a flash of fire. Gone. Blood shall fill the ocean, fish and men will die, their great battle cruisers, air craft carriers, submarines, will be destroyed, blood and fire mingled with smoke, where will you be? You say, it cant happen, it a fairy tail.

Look at history, look at Psalms, 78:43, How He had wrought His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan. And had turned their rivers, into blood, and their floods, that they could not drink. 78:49, He cast upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending them evil angels among them. Don’t say that it wont happen , don’t say that it cant happen, say when.

These are all part of the trumpet judgments in Revelations, this action takes place after the rapture, the church wont be here. And if you think that the anti-christ will take care of you, your right, he will. If you refuse his mark, 666 you will be killed and if you take it God will destroy you. Its your decision, if you will not harden your heart, today is the day of salvation. Make today the day you give your heart to Jesus, don’t let another day slip by and let some one else ask you, What will you be doing, When the world is on fire? end of part 1.

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

A friend of mine had asked my thoughts on how one should go about reading the Bible. I would first read the New Testament in its entirety in order to keep in the “flow” of it. After that - I would then start with the Old Testament - starting from the very beginning. It’s long. I don’t know how much you can read at a time.

But there are a lot of good things back in the Old Testament. I feel the New Testament is a revelation of who Jesus Christ is and the Old Testament is a revelation of who God the Father is. That is why Christians need to read both books in order to get a handle on who both God and Jesus really are.

The Old Testament will really give you a lot of knowledge about God the Father, His ways and how He operates. A lot of the “battle verses” - on how God will fight battles for you - are all back in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament will give you major insight into God’s personality - what He is really like and how He has reacted to a wide range of situations involving His chosen people the Jews. After you read the Old Testament in it’s entirety - especially if you read it without breaking off into something else so as to keep the “flow” going - you will really get an understanding about who God the Father is and get a grip on what He is really like.

This is how you really get to know God the Father - by learning from what He has done in the past! And this is exactly what the Old Testament gives to you.

There is not another book on this planet that will give you revelation, insight and knowledge about who God the Father is like the Old Testament will! It is the only book that we have that will give you exact quotes from God the Father. These quotes are direct words from God the Father. From these quotes - you get insight and knowledge into what His personality is really like.
It’s obviously the same with Jesus in the New Testament. When you read all of the things Jesus has personally said to all those around Him - you will really get to know Him. Same way with God the Father in the Old Testament.

If you can get both books under your belt - you will have instilled the Bible basics underneath you. It will give you a base, a platform in which God can continue to build your knowledge about Himself, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You will also always continue to learn more about the Three of Them in your own personal journey with Them.

It’s like a one-two punch:

1 - Knowledge about God you get from reading the Bible.
2 - Knowledge about God that you get from what you learn in your own personal adventures and journey with Him.

But the book is long and most Christians won’t take the time to read through all of it. They will read just bits and pieces of it at a time. That is better than nothing at all - but you only get “partial” revelation about who God the Father is when you only feed off of it in small chunks at a time.

Each book has it’s own “flow” to it. That is why I would recommend staying with one book at a time instead of trying to mix it all up. You can do that after you have read both books in their entirety. Once you have both books locked into your “mind” and have developed a good understanding of what both books are trying to teach you - you can then bounce back and forth between the 2 books because you now have the basics instilled in you.

However - trying to read all of the Old Testament is a major undertaking. You would have to commit to it until you complete it. It all depends on how hectic and busy your personal schedule is and how much time you have over the course of a week or two to read.

Some Christians complain that there is no way that they could read the entire Old Testament. They say it’s too long. Yet they could read 3 or 4 long fiction novels back to back. If they took that kind of time and applied it to the reading of the Old Testament - they could literally have read the entire Old Testament during the same amount of time that they had read the 3 or 4 novels.

However - the Old Testament is one book as versus 3 or 4 smaller novels. However - the number of pages is the same. The Old Testament may look “scarier” to try and read all of it - but it is just the same as reading 3 or 4 long novels back to back.
If you decide you want to try and undertake the reading of both books in their entirety - don’t worry about trying to understand everything little thing you read at first. Just get it all “in you” as best as you can. Then the Holy Spirit, over the course of time, will start to “work” the knowledge you have instilled in you.

However - before the Spirit will really start to “work” you in gaining new and deeper knowledge about God and Jesus - you have to give Him something to work with - and that something is the knowledge that the Bible will give you. Knowledge that the Bible gives you is the base, the platform that the Holy Spirit will use in order to build you up in the true knowledge of God.
It’s like building a house. First you build the base - and then you add everything onto the base to complete the house. The Bible and the knowledge it gives you will be your base from which the Holy Spirit can then add on to it.

However - if you don’t build your base from reading the Bible - then the Holy Spirit has nothing in which to work with - which explains why a lot of Christians do not make much spiritual growth over the course of most of their life.

The knowledge you gain from reading the Bible will activate the Holy Spirit to really start “working” your mind and intelligence. He will increase your ability to remember and recall things. He will increase you intellect and your ability to understand things. He will increase your ability to discern truth from error.

This is a supernatural work that the Holy Spirit will do for each and every Christian - but only if they are willing to go into a seeking mode. If you don’t press in and start seeking after the knowledge of God - then the Holy Spirit will not supernaturally start to move to increase your mental abilities.

I cannot tell you the millions of times that the Holy Spirit will “bring up into my mind’s eye” a particular Scripture verse in order to answer a question from someone or to give me personal revelation and knowledge about something that I may be dealing with.

The Bible is literally a treasure chest of knowledge that can answer a lot of questions we all face in this life. If the Bible has been “implanted” into your mind, into your intellect by the reading of it - then the Holy Spirit can bring up for you specific Scripture verses to answer some of your own personal questions when you need them. The reason the Holy Spirit can bring those verses up for you when you need them is because you have spent the time to get the Bible “in you” by reading it.
It’s the Word and the Spirit working together that will cause spiritual growth to occur in your life. The Bible says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. It’s your mind that God is after and the renewing of your mind involves the acquiring of knowledge. The Holy Spirit is the one who really transforms you into the kind of person God wants you to be - but He only works this supernatural transformation into your mind and soul through the acquiring of knowledge.

The reason for that is that God wants you to understand exactly what He is doing in your life and why He is doing it before the transformation process really kicks into full gear into the specific parts and areas of your life that He wants to change.

Once I personally found out that reading the Bible and seeking after the knowledge of God would start to cause supernatural things to start happening in my life with God - I basically went crazy and developed a major hunger to finish reading all of the Bible in it’s complete entirety.

The Bible is an incredible supernatural adventure showing how far God will really go to supernaturally show Himself to those who are committed to fully serving Him. It’s literally one miracle after another.

The Bible will just show you other people’s journeys and all of the supernatural things God and Jesus did for them as He will do for you.

For a complete and clean copy of this article can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com/Bible-Reading.html

Article written by Michael Bradley, author of over 100 articles which can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com

The Question:
Really picture this in your mind…. Someone tells
you that if you ask them for a hundred dollars
they’ll give it to you and all you have to do is believe
it they will- would you ask for it and believe?

God told us in 1John 5:14,15 exactly that. He said
that if we ask Him for anything according to His will
He’d give it to us. He will always do as he said.

God told us in 1John 5:14,15 exactly that. He said
that if we ask Him for anything that He’d give it to
us. He will always do as he said.

We just need to understand a few things before we
can have some of the things we think we want -Like
a two-year old boy who doesn’t understand that the
stove-top gets hot when certain buttons are turned on!

God will teach us and guide our steps if we obey
Him (Psalms 32:8).

The Will of God
It’s not some hidden thing. It’s not hard to
understand. It’s not based on emotions or on what
kind of day God is having!

Humans change all the time as they grow or what
color the sky is in their life that day. God doesn’t.
He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever
(Hebrews 13:8). Everything that He said He’d do
He will do!

How to ask
When you pray, ask believing that you’ll receive and
you will (Mark 11:24). It just sounds too simple
compared to what the world has taught us!

The story we hear daily about doing more and
working harder is really opposite of what God has
told us to do. He said just to believe that He’ll do
as He said would.

Believing
The word ‘believing’ in the original Greek language
actually means having complete trust and having
confidence enough in something to act like it’s so.
It means having the feelings of certainty so that you
do what needs to be done. When God has said
something we’re to know it, trust it, and act on it.

If He were the person who said that He’s give you a
hundred dollars you’d expect it. You’d believe it.
You’d live your life like it was happening. The action
(faith) would be there.

Faith in action
Faith is having enough belief that there is action.

If someone in your neighborhood is baking cookies
or is having a barbeque and says that they will give
you some if you come over, would you do it? Would
you if you’re bored and hungry? Would you if they are
making the kind of food you eat? Would you if your
mouth is watering at the smell of the food? Probably!

Faith works the same way really. You know that you
can have something. You were told what to do to get
it. It’s very simple for you to get it. Someone else is
doing all the work and all you really need to do is ask
and believe.

It Really Is That Simple
God has done so much for us. No matter what
anyone says to the contrary, He has made it very
simple for people to get what He’s said!

Sometimes we have to wait for the food to finish
cooking before we can eat it but we know it’s coming.
We’re to get ready to eat it. God often helps us get
ready to get the desires of our hearts. We have
pleasure in Him and He gives us the desires of our
hearts (Psalms 37:4).

How do we get our pleasure in Him?
Like any relationship you have with anyone you
have to spend time with God to get to know him.
He already knows you. He created you and loves
you!

He’s got much more than a hundred dollars for you!
The more time you spend with God, the more you’ll
love Him. In that love you find yourself having a
great deal of pleasure.

We’ve all too often been taught that our time and
God’s time are different. The simple reality is that
God is a God of now. Repeatedly He showed us
throughout the Bible that it would be done for the
person asking if they were ready in faith (Luke 8:48).

Faith is believing enough in something to take action
Spend the time with God. Read what He has told
you He would do. Spend time thinking about it.
You’ll find yourself growing closer and closer to Him.

You’ll find yourself believing that what He said is
true for you. In that trust, you’ll find yourself acting
more and more upon what He’s told you! You’ll be
receiving what you’ve asked for and more!

Feel free to distribute this article if it is kept as is,
including the Resource Box at the bottom.
Notification of online use is not required but
I would appreciate it. Please contact the author
prior to use in printed media.

Copyright 2005, SeedMinistries

-Michelle Jacobson
www.SeedMinistries.com

About the Author

Michelle Jacobson is the author and webmaster
at SeedMinistries.com where you can get
BibleLearningPlus+ word search puzzle ebooks-
A fun and easy way to really learn the word of God!

Get your free taste of BibleLearningPlus eBooks-
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Interreligious dialogue is a challenging process by which adherents of differing religious traditions encounter each other in order to break down the walls of division that stand at the center of most wars. The objective of interreligious dialogue is peace.

What does interfaith encounter look like? Interreligious dialogue has many faces. Two people can come together and share the aspects of their respective faiths and struggle to understand that which is foreign. Theologians can write papers, publish in journals, and convene to discuss the finer theological issues related to interreligious dialogue (and there are a multitude of theological issues). Perhaps members of one faith tradition can join with members of another religion to improve a neighborhood. Suppose the world’s political leaders met to investigate the other’s most basic assumptions about the world and what human beings are doing here?

Each of the above examples is a form of interreligious dialogue. What is most crucial in any such encounter is that the participants lay aside attempts to evangelize, which is always accompanied by an attitude of exclusive superiority. That is the spoken or unspoken belief that one’s own religion is to “true” way, the only way in the ultimate sense of the terms.
A commitment to openness is deeply difficult. For example, in Christianity, evangelizing and converting others to that faith system is a central tenet that is rooted in the Christian scriptures. Christians generally believe that one must be saved and that salvation is only possible in Christianity. On the other hand, the Hindu tradition maintains (generally speaking) that there are many paths to the Divine and each religion has similar and relative value to the others. These differing cosmologies can be obstacles that cannot be overcome or opportunities for release from enslaving assumptions.

The following are some guidelines for effective interreligious dialogue:

1. Participants in interreligious dialogue cannot use the encounter as opportunities to defend their own traditions.

2. Neither is interreligious dialogue a means to defend religion in general.

3. There is a risk of conversion. Participants may find themselves transformed by the interfaith encounter.

4. Dialogue participants must reveal the beliefs that they hold closest and that define their religious tradition.

5. Interreligious dialogue is not a philosophical, theological or intellectual exercise. It is an expression of the participants’ lived faith lives. Therefore, interfaith encounters form communities of awareness.

The World Council of Churches, various theologians and many other resources provide guidelines for interfaith dialogue. Those listed above are gleaned from different sources. Many items were omitted and others were expanded, according to this author’s interpretation of the dialogical process.
Finally, since peace is the goal of interreligious dialogue, the process must be peaceful. It is important to realize that peace is not easily achieved and maintained. The process may be peaceful, but it is somewhat like climbing Everest. Peace does not occur in a day and there are obstacles as intrepid travelers struggle up the path to heights where the human spirit may soar.

Sandi Fults has a Master’s degree in Systematic Theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. She also attended the graduate Middle Eastern Studies program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her area of specialization is Interreligious Dialogue and the world’s religions, with emphasis on the South Asian Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions.

Behold, the days come.
Amos 8:11-8:12 (NIV, NIRV, TNIV, KJV)

Behold, the days come. Is the unseen now visible, is the unrealized now taking place? Jesus warned that many will come in His name preaching and teaching, but their Heart is far from Him. Money seekers, using the Gospel and the hunger of others as a means of taking things that they have not earned. Preaching healing on one hand and with the other stealing what little the poor have. There are many, countless souls that are crying out for a myrical in their lives, seeking cures for cancer, aids, unknown diseases that cripple the body and mind. And when they hear that a man claims to be abel to deliver their desires, they flock to the miracle worker. They stand in line hour upon hour for a chance for healing but are always by passed and over looked by the myrical workers for some one else that has no signs of illness. They preach that Jesus is coming soon but they ask for more and more money to fill the desires of their hearts. Living lifestyles that put millionaires to shame. And what about the gospel, well the messages are always the same one, give to us, give to us. The people return home the same as they arrived, hungry for the truth, hungry for the Gospel, Hungry for a word from God. The people go to these myrical workers seeking answers and leave with more questions, their pockets empty and their hearts broken. Titus 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. False preachers, false teachers, false doctrine and all in the name of the Lord. These are deceivers, decieveing and themselves being deceived, not knowing God nor His Power, not having the willingness of heart to cure and deliver the truth, because the Truth is not in them. The myrical workers run a service as a carnival show, building up the hopes of the poor for special blessings and healings at the climax of the service but their hopes are dashed to pieces and walked upon by un-feeling men, whose sole purpose is to receive and not to give. Many walk out believing that they are healed but soon after they die of the diseases. Many walk out believing that they are abel to walk but soon you see them in a wheel chair. Where have all the preachers gone, where have all the men of God fled, where is the power the Church used to have? Has the desire to feed the flock turned to self preservation? Or has apathy taken over? Jesus, Paul, James, John and the others layed down their lives for the lost in this world, Jesus stating that His Kingdom was Not of this world. Not wanting a house built by man but of God. Brothers and Sisters Read the word of God, read and understand; Acts 7:49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? No matter how large a building no matter how large an estate, no matter how large a bank account the deceivers have, what house do they think they could ever build for the Lord God Almighty? Many stand behind the pulpit and declair, ”The End is Coming, Jesus is Coming soon!” and then they put burdens on the people to build bigger and bigger monuments of stone. When 15 to 20 people share one Bible and the deceivers spend $120,000 for a sidewalk, that leads know-where, there is something wrong with this picture. There are many that walk mile after mile in difficult weather and harsh conditions, just to hear the Word of God read to them. When the people ask for bread, they receive a stone, when the people ask for meat, they receive a serpent and still, they starve, they hunger, they die, daily for the truth. Thousands wanting a Bible, wanting the truth, wanting some one to tell them about this man called Jesus. 1Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? “what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; ” not for filthy lucre ” If you take all the deceivers out of the churches today that demand money before they preach, many churches would be without a preacher. 1Peter 5:2 is not a suggestion from God its a Commandment from God. Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Amos 8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. Have you ever asked yourself, Why would God do what He says in Amos 8:11-12? Its because of the oversight of the people to hear the truth, to see the truth to understand the truth. Many are seeking teachers with itchy ears, wanting to only hear and see what is pleasing to them. They have eyes and refuse to see, they have ears and refuse to hear and they have hearts that have turned cold to the suffering of others. Why would God allow a famine in the land, its because He knew that many would turn their back on others, turn their back on the suffering, the needs, the wants of their fellow man, as it was in the days of Noah. He knew that there would be many decievers, decieveing the masses and the masses would be flocking to them, seeking myricals, seeking an easy way thru this life, not wanting the responsiablity for the needs of others, but would become willing to be decieved, by false promises. As a man falls so shall he be raised, look at;
Revelations, 22:11, He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. We cannot stop prophecy, its the will of God, but we do not have to be decieved by the decievers. Can myricals be preformed today as when Jesus and the Deciples walked upon this Earth? Yes. Healings, Myricals, deleverence, salvation? Yes to all, but only by the word of God and the truth. ars

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International
www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

II Timothy 3:16, 17 ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF
GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR
CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS: THAT THE MAN OF
GOD MAY BE PERFECT, THROUGHLY FURNISHED UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS.

We will take a closer look at this verse to see what gems the
Word of God can enlighten us with.

Most business decisions are made by executives that worry about
the bottom line or profit. Our lives should get no less
attention. What is profitable what is not? II Tim. 3:16, 17
gives us the foundation and the purpose of the Word of God in
our lives.

Most people are interested in profit and what the Bible declared
is profitable is not always interesting or even liked by Bible
believing people. Doctrine is good and most people that are
spiritual at all enjoy some doctrine, we will call doctrine
right teaching.

Reproof that is a different animal though we may like to reprove
others, but we do not care to be reproved ourselves. The reproof
of the Word of God should be acceptable and be taken with
thankfulness.

The third thing the Bible tells us is profitable is correction.
We can correct our wrong ways by the Word. The hard part is
admitting that one is wrong and that one needs correction.
Practice is how we learn to be corrected gracefully.

Beyond correction is instruction in righteousness. God’s ways
are righteous. We need to know them so we can walk in them and
so be instructed in righteousness.

The object of all profitable work of the Word as declared in
this verse is that the man of God might be perfect, perfectly
moral I think not as so many others think, but perfect in that
he can fulfill the work for which he was created.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL
THINE HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIGHT. AND
THESE WORDS SHALL BE IN THINE HEART: AND THOU SHALT TEACH THEM
DILIGENTLY UNTO THY CHILDREN, AND SHALT TALK OF THEM WHEN THOU
SITTEST IN THINE HOUSE, AND WHEN THOU WALKEST BY THE WAY, AND
WHEN THOU LIEST DOWN, AND WHEN THOU RISEST UP.

Not one person can love another person without actually knowing
that person the same is true with God. No one can truly love God
unless one knows His Word. David said, THY WORD HAVE I HID IN
MINE HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST THEE (Psalms 119: 11).
Evidently David knew this was the counsel of God.

In the Gospels believing is the requirement for resurrection, as
John 3:16 states, it was necessary for those parents who loved
their little ones and wished that they be resurrected, to teach
them the Word as soon as they could talk and grasp it. The Word
of God was to be the main topic of conversation in the home.
Many Hebrew children memorized long passages and some even learn
all the OT from memory. It was only natural that the children
should grow up as believers. This is a profitable lesson for
today too.

Colossians 3:16 LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY IN
ALL WISDOM; TEACHING AND ADMONISHING ONE ANOTHER IN PSALMS AND
HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS, SINGING WITH GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS TO
THE LORD.

2 Timothy 3:16,17 states that all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, no doubt the Apostle Paul had in mind all
Scripture written up to this time. That then would include the
entire Bible as we have it today the exception being Second
Timothy, the book that Paul was writing. II Timothy also is
given by inspiration.

We note in the verse before, Paul writes in vs. 15 and that from
a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus. Timothy up to this point had access to all the Scripture
except this one last epistle, that we being revealed to him via
Paul’s writing.

All Scripture was God-breathed. We are always interested in that
which is profitable, and rightfully so. What can be more
profitable than the Scriptures that speak of the unsearchable
riches of Christ?

The Scriptures are profitable;

* For Doctrine. This refers to teaching. Our teaching
concerning the dispensation of the mystery is found in Ephesians
1-3 especially. Also much doctrine is set forth in Colossians.

* For Reproof. If we have proof, then we should have
conviction. This is the meaning of the word. The Word can only
reprove when it is believed. Reproof then comes from being
convinced of the truth.

* For Correction. This is the only place this word is used. It
means to right up again, set to rights, to restore. A fence post
holds up the fence, if it falls it must be corrected or stood up
right again so as to get the protection of the fence. The same
is with the Word of God.

* For instruction in righteousness. The word here is sometimes
translated discipline also it can mean to teach. The goal of the
instruction or teaching is to go on to righteousness. To the
Biblical Israel the righteousness of God was set forth by the
law. Today God deals with mankind righteously in grace because
of the work of His Son. We have an imputed righteousness, the
righteousness of Christ. There is also righteousness that is to
be put in practice in the daily lives of a Christian.

That the man of God may be perfect, throughly (not thoroughly)
furnished unto all good works. This is the result. It has to do
both with walk and ministering to the believers.

The daily practice of a believer who is a member of the Body of
Christ is outlined in Ephesians chapters 4 to 6. Living a walk
that is worthy of the calling of God.

Perfect in this verse II Tim. 3:17 means to be fitted, furnished
means to be equipped. So one is to be fitted and equipped for
every good work.

To make the message a little bit simpler, join the first part of
the verse and the last part in this fashion, all Scripture is
given by inspiration of God that the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works.