...11/24/13 Holy Mass for the conclusion of the Year of Faith on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, 24 November 2013 HOLY MASS FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THE YEAR OF FAITH ON THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS Saint Peter's Square Sunday, 24 November 2013 Video Today’s solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, also marks the conclusion of the Year of Faith opened by Pope Benedict XVI, to whom our thoughts now turn with affection and gratitude for this gift which he has given us. By this providential initiative, he gave us an opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our Baptism, which made us children of God and brothers and sisters in the Church. A journey which has as its ultimate end our full encounter with God, and throughout which the Holy Spirit purifies us, lifts us up and sanctifies us, so that we may enter into the happiness for which our hearts long. I offer a cordial and fraternal greeting to the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches present. The exchange of peace which I will share with them is above all a sign of the appreciation of the Bishop of Rome for these communities which have confessed the name of Christ with exemplary faithfulness, often at a high price. With this gesture, through them, I would like to reach all those Christians living in the Holy Land, in Syria...
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...believers, and ethics. Ultimately, the aforementioned characteristics strive to form and continually validate answers to the enduring questions of life through a process of change, which simultaneously highlights Christianity as a living tradition. Sacred texts and writings are materials that are held significant by a religion as they contain key information that explains how people are connected to the supernatural dimension (Coleman, 2006). The significance of the sacred texts of Christianity is necessarily their ability to timelessly connect the adherent to the divinity of Christ, through which enduring life questions are answered allowing their contents to be expressed and lived differently (Our Lady of Mercy College, 2014). The Bible is given fundamental centrality in Christianity, as the supreme scared text, and it is an essential guide for the Christian adherent to model their life on the ministry of Christ. Christ’s golden commandment, embodied within the verse, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40) instruct the adherent to adjust positively in the face of controversy. In fulfilment of the Kingdom of God on earth, with fidelity to the verse, ‘seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33), the adherent is able to understand an enduring question of life, ‘what...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY Writing Assignment 1 – Christ in Discipleship Submitted to Dr. Gary Waller in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of DSMN 500 – B03 Discipleship Ministries by David J. Miller May 29, 2016 Centrality of Christ in Christian discipleship Christian discipleship is to follow Jesus, to be his disciple, doesn’t mean community involvement and the veneer of tolerance. It means, mainly, first and central, to worship him — with joy at the heart. Making disciples of Jesus means gathering his worshipers. Discipleship starts with the heart, it is to have Christ at the center, to have His love, His Holy Spirit fill you, and guide you. To have Christ as the centrality of Christian Discipleship is the most important thing. The Apostle Paul describes it best in Colossians 3:1-11. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath...
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... | | | |The character and |Paul’s Authority and the | | | | |reputation of the church in|Church’s Place with the | | | | |Thessalonica |Gospel as Center | | | | | | |1:1–5:28 | | | | | |Remembering the Centrality of | | | | | |the...
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...Introduction Since the early days of the twentieth century, many Christian believers have taught and received a spiritual experience they call the baptism in the Holy Spirit. At the present time, hundreds of millions of believers identify themselves with the movement that teaches and encourages the reception of that experience. The global expansion of that movement demonstrates the words of Jesus Christ to His disciples that when the promised Holy Spirit came upon them, they would receive power to be His witnesses to all the world (Acts 1:5,8). The New Testament emphasizes the centrality of the Holy Spirit's role in the ministry of Jesus and the continuation of that role in the Early Church. Jesus’ public ministry was launched by the Holy Spirit coming upon Him (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). The Book of Acts presents an extension of that ministry through the disciples by means of the empowering Holy Spirit. The most distinguishing features of the baptism in the Holy Spirit are that: (1) it is theologically and experientially distinguishable from and subsequent to the new birth, (2) it is accompanied by speaking in tongues, and (3) it is distinct in purpose from the Spirit’s work of regenerating the heart and life of a repentant sinner. Baptism in the Holy Spirit The term “baptism in the Holy Spirit” does not occur in Scripture. It is a convenient designation for the experience predicted by John the Baptist...
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...INTRODUCTION My thesis is to establish how Psalm chapter 1 embodies the Spirit/human working together within the context of the law. In Psalm 1:2-3, believers are expected to participate in the fruit-bearing ethical activity of the Spirit in their lives by likewise sowing to the Spirit as their human response. For the obedience required of believers to be effective, they must pay attention to the leading of the Spirit by living in close partnership with the Spirit in all aspects of their daily lives. The danger of being free in Christ is that we might turn our freedom to indulge in fleshly desires. Christians are on the winning side because Christ has rescued them from the present evil age (Galatians 1:4), and they have all the potential to...
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...Liberty University Theological Seminary A THEOLOGICAL BOOK CRITIQUE: GOD IN THE WASTELAND A Theological Book Critique Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course Systematic Theology I - THEO 525 By Chad Stafford ID# 22235852 28 September 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Brief Summary Capitulation Keys to reformation Critical Interaction Jesus and McGuire Modernization Displacement of God Loss of God’s transcendence and holiness Loss of God’s authority Moral Irrelevance Regaining our voice Conclusion 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 5 6 7 9 9 10 ii. Introduction God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams is authored by David F. Wells, a distinguished seminary professor and theologian at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. No Place for Truth was his first significant treatise on the subject of evangelicalism’s theological corruption which grabbed the attention of the evangelical community. God in the Wasteland is a continuation and his second treatment of the subject, in a four-volume series, where the author seeks to further define the origins and problems of evangelicalism’s theological compromise while proposing solutions like radical resistance to modernity and restoration of God-centeredness as central to regaining ground that has been lost to modernity within the church. In this critique I will seek to primarily interact with Wells assessment of evangelicalism’s compromised condition, and secondarily...
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...At the point when a Christian counselor solely depends on their own words just to handle an issue for a client, the Christian counselor gets to be powerless and of little help. A few counselors seem to appreciate listening to the sound of their own voice and don't listen to what the client needs to say. It is important for a counselor to be attentive to their client during their sessions and advise according to the desire of God. It is found that, “the best Christian cognitive therapist have incorporated Christ and the centrality of Christian maturity in the counseling goal and process” (Clinton, 49). Changing a state of mind is a long way from enough, one must likewise change the heart. The genuine Christian has God in his heart and uses his heart, his mind and his educating to not simply reach a productive conclusion for the individual he is counseling, moreover touching that client's heart. It is the artfulness of God that permits one individual to speak with the other, and in doing as such it allows one to seek the counsel and advise the client as to what is needed and permitted by the will of God. I believe that God wants us to use counseling as tool to help others through His healing power, for we cannot heal anyone ourselves. We discover Timothy3:17," 16 all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good...
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...believers, and ethics. Ultimately, the aforementioned characteristics strive to form and continually validate answers to the enduring questions of life through a process of change, which simultaneously highlights Christianity as a living tradition. Sacred texts and writings are materials that are held significant by a religion as they contain key information that explains how people are connected to the supernatural dimension (Coleman, 2006). The significance of the sacred texts of Christianity is necessarily their ability to timelessly connect the adherent to the divinity of Christ, through which enduring life questions are answered allowing their contents to be expressed and lived differently (Our Lady of Mercy College, 2014). The Bible is given fundamental centrality in Christianity, as the supreme scared text, and it is an essential guide for the Christian adherent to model their life on the ministry of Christ. Christ’s golden commandment, embodied within the verse, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40) instruct the adherent to adjust positively in the face of controversy. In fulfilment of the Kingdom of God on earth, with fidelity to the verse, ‘seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33), the adherent is able to understand an enduring question of life, ‘what happens after...
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...Introduction In this paper I will identify the five stages of discipleship according to the growth process described in the book DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church To Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. These five stages are spiritually dead, spiritual infant, spiritual child, young adult, and parent. In addition I will also discuss what is called the Four Spheres of discipleship. Spiritually Dead The Apostle Paul described in Ephesians 2: 1-5 those who were dead in their sins and transgressions. These are people who have not accepted Christ as Savior, instead reject His sacrifice on the Cross. They sometimes claim to seek a God or Higher Power but there is no evidence of any relationship with God whatsoever. These people are what the authors call Spiritually Dead. In fact the author compares these people to dead men in a casket just waiting to decompose. When speaking to the “walking dead” the authors teach how to identify the common “phrase from the stage” in order to assess where a person is in their walk with God. These typical phrases are usually: * I don’t believe in God. * The bible is just a myth. * Religion is a crutch for the weak. * Christians are intolerant and homophobic. * There are many paths to God. (Oprah Winfrey & Joel Olsteen) * I don’t believe in hell. Or hell is on Earth. * My good deeds will save me from hell. * There is no right or wrong, ‘do what thou will’ Once a person is identified as spiritually...
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...Reflection Paper Shannon B. Payton Liberty University Introduction This paper is about reflecting on what was covered in Theology 104. There are many Christians who understand that God loves us and wants the best for His children. There are many subjects, videos, and extracted material that has been read or discussed over the span of four weeks which has given me a better understanding of the Bible and Christianity. My reflection for this paper I have chosen two topics that I have chosen to address for this paper. First, topic I have chosen will be Grace and secondly I will be focusing on Love. Grace Theological definition of “grace” as many scholar s of the bible will define this word as the unmerited favor of God toward man. Grace can also be defined as like forgiveness, repentance, regeneration and salvation to mean something as broad as describing the whole of God’s activity towards man or as narrow as describing one segment of activity (Baker’s Evangelical Bible Dictionary). Often times many would attribute grace toward s how women carry themselves and even in the bible grace can be defined through many scripture as action of one who are in high position. Biblical Foundation The first time Grace has been in mentioned was in Genesis chapter 8 because of Noah obedience to God and God was tired or as the bible scholar would state grieved by man’s wickedness and caused God to erase mankind. In all this, Noah found favor with God. Here the word favor and grace...
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...Midterm Name School QUESTION 1 Bonhoeffer seemed to ditch Christian ethics against other ethics because he tried to undermine the Christian ethical reflections when he stated that Christians were supposed to invalidate the knowledge of good and evil (Bonhoeffer, 21). This is because the knowledge of good and evil is the aim of ethical reflections. Bonhoeffer quoted this because he strongly believed that the tasks concerned with Christian ethics were not discerning the good and evil in the universal principles but the main goal of these Christian ethics being towards the restoration of the human desires to their original focus, God. The Christian ethics task did not show a good judgment between what was right and what was wrong and the Christians only get to know what is good through their conversions of their human desires towards God. This according to Bonhoeffer was that there was nothing like the existence of christian ethics because he never believed that Christianity really existed. Bonhoeffer further claimed that the Christian ethics differed greatly from the other types of ethics. The Christian ethics positions alone making it questionable as to whether it really exists or does not exist at all. Man only knows God and it is through the unity of the knowledge that he knows of the existence of God that he knows about other things, men, and also himself. This shows that man only knows about the existence of things in God. This knowledge of good and evil clearly shows...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Book Review: The Great Commission to Worship Submitted to Dr. Austin Tucker / Instructor of Practical Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of EVAN525 – D20 Contemporary Evangelism by Richard Dennis November 17, 2014 In their book The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism, authors David Wheeler and Vernon Whaley contribute their respective expertise in evangelism and worship in an attempt to synthesize the two categories by showing each fundamental imperative of the Christian disciple to be integral to and an outflow of the other. The impetus for evangelism par excellence is the “great commission” found in Matt 28:19-20, while the “greatest commandment” is described as providing the fundamental basis of the nature of and motivation to worship: “‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’” (Matt 22:37-40, ASV) The authors argue that evangelism is a natural outflow of fulfilling the second part of Jesus’ instructions: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…’” God is love and desires relationship with and flourishing growth for his children of “all the nations.” Therefore, we can never rightly see worship as merely something else we do. once a week. Wheeler emphatically asserts that worship is obedience in all aspects of life and part of being obedient is fulfilling God’s will that...
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...action – whenever, wherever, however and through whomever He wants (hence, even in those who do not [yet] believe), the specificity of Christian charity does not lie so much on the phenomenological level of the apparent gesture, as in the action itself, in the interior thrust that gives it impulse and in the criterion that guides it, that is, to the extent of the hope that it bears. This means that charity is recognized as such when the action opens up to faith and to the contents of faith, not as a tiring superposition or awkward obligation, but as the truth of love itself. In this way, even the many people who work in our organizations, who do not yet feel fully in the faith, will, through charitable actions, reach its source, which is Christ. In any case, charitable practice, structured in a Christian and ecclesial manner, takes on the traits of a “sermon without words”, that is, an act that presents itself full of meaning and therefore in need of being comprehended by the intelligence and consciousness. It is this dimension - which we can call 'prophetic' – that is capable of correcting the one-sidedness of a leveling of charity on substitutes of instances of civil society, because it develops projects and actions well beyond the immediate needs, going so far as to create awareness and the conditions for other models of society and of life, possible by virtue of faith and redemption. As it is an action of God, charity is genetically linked to hope: therefore, its action can...
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...Creating Conceptual Art Vincent Van Gogh is a standout amongst the most renowned neo-impressionistic painters known worldwide with his showstoppers including Starry Night, Sunflowers, and Starry Night over Rhone, Irises Saint-Remy, as well as Undergrowth with Two Figures. In 1888 Vincent van Gogh painted an alternate stunning bit of workmanship to add to his accumulation of 21,000 aggregate made works titled The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum. He utilized a cluster of vivid colors like orange, blue, yellow, green, and white with oil paints that appears to move over the canvas to make this delightful magnum opus. Light and religion put a crucial part in this piece, which to Van Gogh can mean the same thing. A wellspring of light in The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum is originating from the windows on the building to the right of the painting. In 1860 English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan imagined an electric globule and by 1878 the new electric lights were seen in England (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). Furthermore, the accompanying year Thomas Edison took the configuration and modified it to permit the knob to smolder 1500 hours or more from the 40 hours of the first electric globule. By 1888 urban communities everywhere throughout the world were lit up with luminescent electric lights. In Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, structures to the right are adorned with windows transmitting light brighter than what basic oil lights and candles could...
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