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Which Teachings Of Jesus?


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October's Autumn: Thanks for your reply. Do you have time to elaborate on why the others do not apply to you? I have struggled with some of these (like don't worry) and have had to try to figure out how to reconcile the Bible teaching with my understanding of God. Do you think the ones you deleted are not true teachings of Jesus or are ones that do not point you to God?

 

If I do not get other answers I will repost in a different section. Good idea!

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:) Even though I'm responding here I think you still might be better off re-posting this somewhere above...some people may not be seeing that this thread is active again :)

 

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength

 

Love your neighbor as yourself

 

Do unto others as you would have them do to you

 

Followers need to have right attitudes in their hearts; not just on the outside – specific

examples include alms giving, prayer, and fasting

 

Become like little children(humble) – the last will be the first -> I agree with OA's interpretation more, but in any case I like this passage

 

Reconcile quickly with those who anger you

 

Do not retaliate; non-violence modeled by Jesus even in death

 

Love your enemies and forgive,forgive,forgive!

 

Give to everyone who asks

 

Do not store up treasures for yourself on earth – you can’t serve God and wealth

 

Seek to please God; self-denial; how you live this life DOES make a difference.

 

Don’t judge others – focus on making yourself righteous – don’t cast stones unless your

are sinless.

 

Jesus came to seek the “lost”, not throw out the law – he ate with “sinners” and outcasts

 

There is a special place in God’s heart for the underdog in life

 

Need to be hearers AND doers of Jesus’ teachings – followers will be known by their

actions. Let your light shine before others and keep your zest for life.

 

Don’t squander your gifts/talents

 

Don’t be too busy when God calls you

 

Serving God is not always the easy path, and not everyone chooses that path, but it leads

to life!

 

Don’t worry, and always pray for what you need -> I could potentially have problems with this passage due to my understanding of prayer...but that understanding is evolving anyway :)

 

Don’t be a stumbling block for others’ faith

 

Jesus had the power to forgive people for their sins, and faith in Him relieved their

sufferings -> Not so sure about the power to forgive people; I'd be more likely to say he became a conduit through which people felt God's forgiveness.

 

God loves all of us, and giving us Jesus is a great expression of that love!

 

Don't let your religion get in the way of your relationship with God and with other

people.

 

If there's no note it means I agree :lol:

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:) Even though I'm responding here I think you still might be better off re-posting this somewhere above...some people may not be seeing that this thread is active again :)

If there's no note it means I agree :lol:

 

Thank you SO much! I will repost it! This is getting a LOT better with your insights. I completely agree with your post. I have problems with the Don't worry - pray for what you need, thing, too. I think it is easier to have abundant life if we do not worry as much, but there are some things we do have to worry about - like paying the bills, etc. It's hard to compare myself to birds or lilies and get a lot of meaning out of it. However, I do believe it is important to keep the things that you "need" on your heart and mind and allow God to be part of that. It is one way of staying connected and seeing connections. Most of my problems are caused by language and its inability to capture meanings completely.

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October's Autumn: Thanks for your reply. Do you have time to elaborate on why the others do not apply to you? I have struggled with some of these (like don't worry) and have had to try to figure out how to reconcile the Bible teaching with my understanding of God. Do you think the ones you deleted are not true teachings of Jesus or are ones that do not point you to God?

 

If I do not get other answers I will repost in a different section. Good idea!

 

 

Because they aren't true.

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Thanks, OA. Some of the other teachings you have deleted have actually helped my perspective on life's issues and they have helped me preserve some relationships I would have otherwise discarded, but I am just one person. Do you think the writers of the Bible were following a particular agenda when they wrote those sayings, or that they were just from a different worldview? I appreciate your feedback -- at the meeting last Wednesday we talked about how nice it is that the Methodist church is not a creedal church, and the group was concerned about affiliating with TCPC, because it almost sounds like we'd be creating a liberal creed for our church. We decided we need to come up with a message that is reconciling, knowing how many have felt excluded and hurt by Christianity, but that we also need to communicate and celebrate the diversity of belief at our church. Even when we don't see eye to eye, we see heart to heart...

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  • 2 weeks later...
Here's my start at "Which Teachings of Jesus" I find God in...

Your thoughts? Anyone?

-------------------------

 

Jesus here. As you may know, AllInTheName, I sometimes channel through Jen. And since you're asking what I taught, I couldn't resist answering.

 

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. A must have.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Also a must have. But understanding what I meant when I emphasized this old passage from Leviticus is a true test of discipleship.

Do unto others as you would have them do to you. I didn't actually say this. Sometimes it means the same thing as "love your neighbour and your God." Sometimes it doesn't.

Followers need to have right attitudes in their hearts; not just on the outside – specific

examples include alms giving, prayer, and fasting. Agreement in principle. Please don't use fasting as an example, though -- fasting damages the human brain, and I don't condone it. If you're interested, though, I was a practising vegetarian.

Become like little children(humble) – the last will be the first. Yes, with emphasis on the emotional vulnerability and genuine humbleness of young children.

Reconcile quickly with those who anger you. Not so much -- depends on whether the other person harmed you accidentally or intentionally. Be cautious when dealing with people who repeatedly harm others on purpose.

Do not retaliate; Correct. Non-violence modeled by Jesus even in death Self defence is okay.

Love your enemies Love their souls, be cautious around intentional choices that harm -- otherwise you'll become an enabler and forgive,forgive,forgive! Yes!

Give to everyone who asks Don't do this -- it will eat you alive. Ask God for guidance when you're deciding whether or not to give.

Do not store up treasures for yourself on earth You can't survive without some assets -- the key is balance. – you can’t serve God and wealth I prefer to say 'you can't serve God and Status Anxiety at the same time.

Seek to please God Yes.; self-denial Partially true, but don't fall into asceticism. Better to go for self-discipline, which isn't always the same as self-denial; how you live this life DOES make a difference Couldn't say it any better.

Don’t judge others Forgive harm without condoning harm– focus on making yourself righteous Yes – don’t cast stones unless you are sinless Sinless? A slippery word -- try to avoid it.

Jesus came to seek the “lost”, not throw out the law Some of the Law was not worth keeping – he ate with “sinners” and outcasts That was part of the Law not worth keeping.

There is a special place in God’s heart for the underdog in life. Yes!

Need to be hearers AND doers of Jesus’ teachings – followers will be known by their

actions. Let your light shine before others and keep your zest for life. Yes.

Don’t squander your gifts/talents Yes.

Don’t be too busy when God calls you Yes. This is where most Christians fall off the Way.

Serving God is not always the easy path, and not everyone chooses that path, but it leads

to life! Yes.

Don’t worry No - there's plenty to worry about, and always pray for what you need No - God knows what you need, even if you don't ask. In any event, what you need often isn't what you pray for.

Don’t be a stumbling block for others’ faith. True.

Jesus had the power to forgive people for their sins As do you, and faith in Him God relieved their

sufferings

God loves all of us Yes, and giving us Jesus the Truth about Divine Loveis a great expression of that love!

Don't let your religion get in the way of your relationship with God and with other

people Slippery -- what do you mean by religion?.

 

 

Excellent questions, AllInTheName. Look around you for answers from God and God's angels. They are with you.

 

Blessings to you all,

Jesus

May 15, 2008

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Don't let your religion get in the way of your relationship with God and with other

people Slippery -- what do you mean by religion?.

Excellent questions, AllInTheName. Look around you for answers from God and God's angels. They are with you.

 

Blessings to you all,

Jesus

May 15, 2008

 

Thank you, Jesus (through canajan, eh?) I loved the insights. You asked the question "What do you mean by religion?" I am referring to Jesus' teachings about gathering grain on the Sabbath, etc, that were contrary to religious principles of the day.

 

I believe some of the teachings I had highlighted, like "reconcile quickly with those who anger you." and "give to everyone who asks" and "do not worry" are not moral absolutes, but are opposite to human nature, and take effort -- they help us to "love our neighbor as ourself."

 

You don't believe there is value in asking God for what you need? At least for self-awareness' sake?

 

Why did you change "faith in Jesus" to "faith in God" in terms of relieving people's suffering, and why did you change "Jesus" to "Truth about Divine Love?"

 

Thanks for taking the time. I appreciate it!

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You don't believe there is value in asking God for what you need? At least for self-awareness' sake?

 

Jesus, here, AllInTheName. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to elaborate on the important point you've raised about prayer. From my point of view as one of God's angels, the use and abuse of prayer is one of the most troublesome aspects of most people's relationship with God. When I say "abuse of prayer," I am thinking of the millions of individuals who have been taught by the Bible and by their church leaders to pray for everything they "need." There are many people outside Christianity -- for example, those with New Age beliefs -- who also believe that if you set your intent "with the right attitude," the universe must respond with a gift package for you. I'm not suggesting this is your understanding of prayer, AllInTheName, but it's the understanding of many, many others. Part of my responsibility as an angelic mentor is to make sure nobody gets the impression that I, Jesus, am endorsing the kind of abusive prayer that boils down to "God-is-a-gumball-machine-who-is-required-to-give-me-what-I-want."

 

On the other hand, it is vitally important to have a relationship with God, to talk daily to your Divine Parents about what is troubling you, about what is bringing you joy. An important part of Christian praxis should be self-examination, self-questioning, and self-honouring. When you share this practice with God, it is not so much prayer as communication (although there are certainly some spiritual teachers who would ureservedly classify this form of communication as the true essence of prayer). It would be fair to say that, for you and most others on Planet Earth, God knows you better than you know yourself. So you never need to be afraid that God won't know what's troubling you if you forget to bring your concerns to God through communicative prayer. But you're quite right, AllInTheName, when you talk about prayer for self-awareness' sake. It is when you're willing to openly share your vulnerable feelings with God that you gradually start to gain insight into what your feelings actually are. God is there in relationship with you to help you better understand the loving being you are.

 

Blessings to you, now and always.

 

Love Jesus

May 22, 2008

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I wholeheartedly agree with the above post.

 

I had another question, if you have time and the inclination to explain further...

 

Why did you change "faith in Jesus" to "faith in God" in terms of relieving people's suffering, and why did you change "Jesus" to "Truth about Divine Love?"

 

Thanks!

 

Jesus here, AllInTheName. With your question, you're going right to the core of all the disputes that have been going on since the day I walked out of the tomb. Let me say this: as a man, and as a child of God (in the same way that you are a child of God), I was trying to teach others how to have a relationship with God the Mother and God the Father, our eternally loving Divine Parents. I was not -- I repeat, I was not -- trying to set up a religion to myself. Contrary to what John and Paul say, God did not "send" me to "fix" you or anybody else. God did, however, ask me if I would be willing to teach others the Truth about Divine Love. This request did not come until I was a grown man, and it came to me because, like it or not, I was a channeller. You might call me a prophet. However, not all prophets are true channellers. Many prophets are charlatans.

 

The message that gives people hope is the message that God loves them and forgives them. Regardless of whether or not I, Jesus, ever lived, God's love has always been present, and always will be present. I did not bring the love into the world. It was already here. However, I did help other people recognize the love that existed all around them. I helped them understand at a conscious level what they already knew at a deep intuitive level.

 

I say somewhat shyly that I was a role model for others. The way in which I loved God was different from the way in which other people understood God. I did not fear God. I loved God, and wept tears of joy and sadness for the way God loves us. I wept these tears in front of other people. Most of the men didn't "get it" (sorry guys, but real men do cry). The women got it, though, as did the outcasts I treated like full human beings regardless of their gender, disability, or race.

 

Love Jesus

May 23, 2008

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QUOTE(October @ May 6 2008, 10:34 PM)

Excellent. I hate the Sunday School curriculum my UCC church uses for the children's Sunday School! There has got to be better stuff!

 

 

If I were writing Sunday School curriculum, I would start with the teachings of Jesus I had listed on the "Which Teachings" forum. OA, would you sometime take time to explain why you believe the teachings you deleted are untrue, so I can understand? For me, the Sunday School should also address pluralism by having some lessons on how other faith traditions see the world. This would be extremely helpful for kids grades 3-6 I believe.

 

We recently changed to a rotational Sunday School model with some materials from Abingdon Press, which I believe is our Methodist publishing house. It spends 6 weeks on TOO little information for the kids to really learn anything, but it's fun!

 

Hi, AllInTheNameOfProgress. I saw this post of yours on another thread in Progressive Christianity, and thought I would comment on it here so as not to take the other thread off track.

 

In the church I attend, the Sunday School teacher for kids grades 3-6 has put together just the kind of program you're suggesting. A few weeks ago, the class (accompanied by parents and interested adult parishioners) visited a nearby synagogue and met with the Rabbi there. Today the class is visiting the Islamic Centre (there is no official mosque in the city we live in). Two weeks ago, the class welcomed two Buddhist teachers to their class. There is also a plan to invite a Native Canadian speaker to talk with the children.

 

Last month, the church as a whole stayed after the Sunday service to share a potluck meal and listen to a speaker from Amnesty International. Many of the children attended this lecture. So they're getting introduced to pluralism and to social justice issues not just through books, but through real people.

 

Jen

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We did a little of this once when I was teaching our confirmation class (10th graders). We visited the local Jewish temple, the Catholic mass, the AME church, and the Buddhist temple. It was interesting for the adults involved, too.

 

I recently purchased the book "So You Think You're Not Religious" and the accompanying 6 week class study guide.

 

I wonder if there is interest in working together to turn the modified "Which Teachings of Jesus" list into a discussion plan? It would be useful for people to gather and talk about how the teachings have been/could be useful and inspire changes in their daily living. Maybe something adults and older children (middle school and up) could discuss together?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Do you think the writers of the Bible were following a particular agenda when they wrote those sayings, or that they were just from a different worldview?

 

I think different writers had different agendas. I don't know if that really answers your question, though. There is a lot I don't know.

 

I appreciate your feedback -- at the meeting last Wednesday we talked about how nice it is that the Methodist church is not a creedal church, and the group was concerned about affiliating with TCPC, because it almost sounds like we'd be creating a liberal creed for our church.
If you are open (as you are in the mission statement you came up with) you are by definition liberal/progressive.

 

We decided we need to come up with a message that is reconciling, knowing how many have felt excluded and hurt by Christianity, but that we also need to communicate and celebrate the diversity of belief at our church. Even when we don't see eye to eye, we see heart to heart...

 

 

Be careful. There are those who will try and come in and "fix" those who don't have an orthodox view point. I look at it like this. There are plenty of conservative churches out there. If one wants a conservative creed/doctrine they have plenty to choose from! There are very few truly liberal/progressive churches so let those of us w/o orthodox view points have our space, it is small as it is!

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