Daily text, Saturday, August 27. 2016

[Queen Esther]

Symeon [Peter] has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name.—Acts 15:14.

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dt/r1/lp-e/2016/8/27

At a meeting of the governing body of first-century Christians held in 49 C.E., the disciple James stated the above. This new people bearing Jehovah’s name would include both Jewish and non-Jewish believers. (Rom. 11:25, 26a) Later, Peter wrote: “You were once not a people, but now you are God’s people.” Peter outlined their mission by stating: “You are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies’ of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pet. 2:9, 10) They were to sound forth the praises of the One they represented and publicly glorify his name. They were to be courageous witnesses for Jehovah, the Universal Sovereign, “to the most distant part of the earth.”—Acts 1:8; Col. 1:23. w14 11/15 5:6, 7

[Witness]

This holy priesthood is, of course, the Body of Christ made up of all anointed ones.  Both Acts 1:8 and Col. 1:23 show how each one is to use the power of Holy Spirit given them to preach the message of Jesus Christ, continuing in the faith of Jesus Christ, thus being “grounded and steadfast, not moved away from the gospel which you heard”, said the apostle Paul. 

Is this true in the organization?  Are they able to use their availability to the Holy Spirit and at the same time obey the GB?

“They (the anointed ones) know that Jehovah does not necessarily give anointed ones more holy spirit than he gives his other servants. And they do not feel that they can understand Bible truths more deeply than anyone else.” Wt 1/2016 

I would like to know what an anointed one thinks of this statement – a chosen one by God who received an anointing of Holy Spirit at a particular time; a physical and spiritual event unlike any other that this one has experienced.  The apostles felt it, all that were anointed at the time felt the power of Holy Spirit, and down through the ages.  Is it any different today?  No!  

 Mal 2:7 - “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”  John 14:25,26

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ^that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”  Col 1:9,10

What is different, is that an evil slave has decided to “beat” his fellow slaves, God’s chosen ones in Christ, by demanding silence through teaching only what is written, and demanding that changed doctrine be swallowed down without complaint. 

Why does this evil slave turn on his brothers?  Because he says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ What other group of anointed ones but the GB has continually changed the date of Christ’s coming?

He “begins to eat with drunkards”.  God explains:

But they also have erred through wine,
And through intoxicating drink are out of the way;
The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink,
They are swallowed up by wine,
They are out of the way through intoxicating drink;
They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

For all tables are full of vomit and filth;
No place is clean. Isa 28:7,8

“In the past, we thought that the great tribulation began in 1914 when World War I started. We thought that Jehovah “cut short” those days in 1918 when the war ended so that the remaining anointed ones on earth could preach the good news to all nations. (Matthew 24:21, 22) After that preaching work would be completed, we expected that Satan’s world would be destroyed. So we thought that there were three parts to the great tribulation. It would begin in 1914, it would be interrupted in 1918, and it would finish at Armageddon.”  “Tell Us, When Will These Things Be” ws13 7/15 pp. 3-8 

Yet still, God’s chosen ones and all sheep must obey what is taught - what is thought as right in the space of time.

“Whom will he teach knowledge?
And whom will he make to understand the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?

 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little, That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught.”  Isa 28:9,10

What are we to obey, but God’s laws as outlined by Christ?

In the NKJV, this word for precept means - “command, ordinance, oracle (meaning dubious)”, while the Hebrew word translated precept in Ps 119:4 means “properly, appointed, i.e. a mandate (of God; plural only, collectively, for the Law):—commandment, precept, statute.”  Clearly, the GB burden the sheep with their own precepts instead of those from God’s, as erring ones of the past did also.

Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment,
Because he willingly walked by human precept.  Hos 5:11

Are such changed teachings evidence of the power of Holy Spirit within these men?  Are they grounded and steadfast in the gospel?  If they were, would there be any reason to rethink set dates surrounding a set belief in 1914, the supposed arrival of Christ?

“Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, (New Jerusalem, spiritual “Jews”)
 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we are in agreement.
When the overflowing scourge passes through,
It will not come to us,
For we have made lies our refuge,
And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”

 

 

 

 

 

[Queen Esther]

Please,  put  your  questions  to  the  special  area...  but  not  here,  under  the  Daily  text  -  thank  you  very  much  *Brother  Witness*.... 

[Witness]

Hello Queen Esther,

You may have misunderstood my comment (of which I believe is an option under the daily text) as just that, and not a question. 

These words, “They were to sound forth the praises of the One they represented and publicly glorify his name. They were to be courageous witnesses for Jehovah, the Universal Sovereign, “to the most distant part of the earth” are misleading. 

If we are to glorify the name of God, we do so by glorifying his Son.  God’s priesthood is unable to fulfill this assignment given them, which is, as pointed out in the above text, –

“that you should declare abroad the excellencies’ of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

The “One” who called us out of darkness is Jesus Christ, under direction from the Father!  Is there any mention of this in the daily text?  No, but the scriptures clarify it prior to 1 Pet 2:9,10

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame”^]

 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,

“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone, and “A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.  1 Pet 2:4-8

“He is precious” – “valued (figuratively):—dear, more honourable, precious, in reputation.”  If the organization acknowledges this, why is he not even given an “honorable mention”?

They were to be courageous witnesses for Jehovah, the Universal Sovereign, “to the most distant part of the earth.Acts 1:8

 

What does Acts 1:8 really say?

 

Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me (Jesus) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:32 – “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses”.

John 5:32 -  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 

Could Jesus be a “stone of stumbling” in the organization? If his name is not mentioned, then yes, he is.   God’s priesthood stumbles through their own disobedience to God’s word, a stumbling through their choice to follow men and not Christ.  These actions despise God’s name, nor do they give praise to His Son by following man’s precepts. 

“A son honors his father,
And a servant his master.
If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the Lord of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’

“You offer defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’

It is not good enough to accept God’s guidance – his precepts; instead men have elbowed in to demand obedience to their precepts, of which change continually.

And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?

By closing the spiritual eyes of those who are to offer spiritual sacrifices of praise in truth through Christ, through the suppression of the Body by the continual demand for obedience, what is offered is unacceptable to the Father.

Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.

The fruit to come from the lips representing Christ is to be pure, not moldy or blemished.  Heb 13:15,16; Col 1:10; Eph 5:9; James 3:17 But as we can see through the Watchtower quote above, it certainly is blemished.  If an apple is wormy, blighted or bruised, can we change it to be perfect and edible? No, we toss it out before eating it.   Matt 7:15-20 To force one into eating blemished teachings is men placing a burden on the shoulders of the listeners. Matt 23:4  Christ never taught in this way; but admonished each one of us to search for the pure and good fruit.  His burden is light, never changing and by it,  what we learn from him we consistently build upon.  Matt 11:27-30

God’s name will be sanctified, but not through the organization. 

For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

“But you profane it,
In that you say,
‘The table of the Lord is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
¹³ You also say,
‘Oh, what a weariness!’
And you sneer at it,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

The organization has set in place their own precepts to be followed instead of God’s – such a weariness it seems, to follow Christ as the source of good fruit.  It has become too difficult for his “priests” to exert themselves for their Master, but so easy to follow men and to continually gulp down unacceptable fruit from a handful who claim to be uninspired one year, then inspired the next.

“And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick;
Thus you bring an offering!
Should I accept this from your hand?”
Says the Lord.
“But cursed be the deceiver
Who has in his flock a male,
And takes a vow, ( a vow through baptismal questions,including dedicating oneself to the organization in name and actions, thus....)
But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—

For I am a great King,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“And My name is to be feared among the nations.”

All scriptures above are from Malachi 1. 

Those in the organization are kept busy serving up blemished dishes to others.  Although it truly is a busy work, the real direction of exerting oneself through the narrow gate has been removed. Matt 7:13,14  This gate is Christ (John 10:9); to get through it, one’s reliance must be focused solidly on Christ and the Father only.  This is when the authentic and valuable work begins. Mal 3:2,3

“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

 But you have departed from the way;
You have caused many to stumble at the law.
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown partiality in the law.”  Mal 2:7-9  John 14:6; Rom 8:1,2; 1 Pet 2:8

Each priest and all sheep will be judged for their individual actions toward Christ, not toward a group of men who have exalted themselves before Christ has arrived.  Mal 3:13-15; 2:17

“And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”  1 John 3:3

Where do those in the organization put their hope - in men and the organization, or in Jesus Christ?

We also love the organization that Jehovah uses to teach us wonderful truths.... It was Jehovah’s organization that taught us about Jehovah’s name and what it means, his purpose for the earth, what happens to us when we die, and the hope of the resurrection. W 11/7/15

It makes me want to share our hope with them, for I’m sure it’s only because of Jehovah and his organization that we’ve come through this dark time as well as we have, knowing that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. G 8/10

“But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
³ He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.

⁴ “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be pleasant to the Lord,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.
⁵ And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
Against perjurers,
Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—

Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

⁶ “For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
⁷ Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“But you said,
‘In what way shall we return?’  Mal 3:2-7

The way is through Christ, who is the refiner.

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.²¹ To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”  Rev 3:18-21

http://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/04/keep-awake.html?m=1