Churche

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The original word Churche is not derived from the Greek goddess Circe nor the term for Pagan temples. It is more likely from the Celtic word for circle. The "companies" that Christ commanded his disciples to organize in a network of sharing gathered in circles of Tens. "Because the congregations were gathered in circles" of tens and ranks of one hundred which was the predominant form of government of free society throughout history as voluntary systems it should be obvious why modern doctrines avoid and distract the people from how the early Church was organizing and what it was doing.

Churche

Some say John Wycliffe took “churche” from the old English “kirke” which is often attributed to a pagan temple in earlier times. It is true that there is the word KIRKE (Circe) which was a goddess of sorcery (pharmakeia) who was skilled in the magic of transmutation, illusion, and necromancy. She lived on the mythical island of Aiaia (Aeaea) with her nymph companions.[1] But are these words really the source of the word Church we see in the text today?

Wycliffe always translated ekklesia “churche” even when it was used to describe a governmental assembly in Ephesus or the called out Levites in the wilderness.

In 1526 William Tyndale, and in 1535 Myles Coverdale translated ekklesia as “congregation”. Tyndale only used the word church in Acts 19:37 in reference to that pagan Temple of Diana when he was translating the word hierosulos, robbers of churches. [2]

To understand what a Church is and is not it might be useful to understand that the Temple of Diana was also a Church, one of many Temples that provided a means for the practice of Public religion instead of Pure Religion, and it was a bank?

But even more important why were Christians accused of robbing that temple while many other Romans and Greeks were Investing in Diana?

Christ was preaching one form of government as ancient as Moses and Abraham. He commanded his disciples to make the people sit down in "companies". We see the word "symposium" in the Greek text which was a small gathering of about ten friends. But they were also to connect each circle of friends by ranks of fifty and ranks of one-hundred. The first time Christ is seen commanding this network pattern in Mark 6 there were 5000 people gathered to share loaves and fishes.

The etymology of the word "church" or "churche" is commonly assumed to be from the Greek, kurios as we see in "kurios oikos" (house of the Lord). Or from the name of the Greek goddess Circe. These explanations might be true if it was not for the fact that the word existed in all the Celtic dialects long before the introduction of the Greek. Places of worship among the German and Celtic nations were always associated with a circular gathering from Stone Henge to King Arthur's round table. [3]

Anglo-Saxon 'circe' which came to mean a small church, has its origins in the word 'circol', a circle. It was these celtic words "Kirche" and "Circe" we see in most English versions as a rendering of the Greek word ekklesia.

Religious gatherings were often forming circles. The Druids, Celts, and Saxons all met in circles and often marked those areas with a circle of stones. Before Temples were buildings they were areas to safely meet which included sanctuary. At least twenty-eight of these ancient circles can be found in the area of Yorkshire alone. Many of the early Churches were built from some of the stones which had previously marked those sacred circles. Many people still called these buildings circe in Old English or kirk in Scottish when Wycliffe was translating the scriptures from the Greek into English.

  • "the derivation of the word 'church' is uncertain. It is found in the Teutonic and Slavonic languages and answers to the derivatives of ekklesia, which are naturally found in the romance languages and by foreign importation elsewhere. The word is generally said to be derived from the Greek kyriakos, meaning the lord's house. But the derivation has been too hastily assumed. It is probably associated with the Scottish kirk, the Latin circus/circulous, the Greek klukos, because the congregations were gathered in circles."[4]


One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.[5]

The Church established by Jesus Christ did not exercise authority one over the other nor did t exercise authority over the people who gathered in free assemblies of faith and love. When Christ commanded his disciples to organize the people in companies of ten and ranks of one-hundred they were not circles of power but of charity and service. God has always desired to set the people free from sin like the covetous practices which makes the people merchandise to the Fathers of the earth like Cain, Nimrod, Pharaoh, and Caesar.

Their offer of benefits and Free bread like Food Stamps, Social Security and welfare all provided through forced contributions not only makes the word of God to no effect they also are a snare and a trap.

  • Psalms 69:22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
  • Romans 11:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

Our desire to rule over our neighbor, to live at the expense of our neighbor, to extract security and benefits from others at the point of the sword brings us under the sword. If we are willing to bite one another we will be devoured.

The Modern Christian's imagination is often steeped in a distorted view of the Early Church. They have many ideas about Religion but none of them include "Pure Religion unspotted by the world". They have essentially made Christianity something it was never meant to be. They claim they want to get back to the roots of the early Christians but they hesitate to find out what the early Church was actually doing.


The term ekklesia was never used to describe a vague or general gathering of people. The Ekklesia for centuries all over the world of the Greek city-states had particular functions and duties within the governments of those states. The list of those duties varied based on the nature of those governments.
Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus and the early Church advocated a Daily ministration that provided all the social welfare of the people which was a part of the duties of the practice of pure Religion. But the performance of that duty was dependent on Charity alone which is love. The called out served the people in "companies" of Tens who gathered "in ranks of one hundred" as Christ Commanded.
The early Church formed a temple of living stones through love that was not like the temples of world nor the system of Corban of the Pharisees and Rome who forced the contributions of the people.
Jesus said he would take the kingdom from those who did not know Moses and what he was instructing the people to do and appoint the kingdom to others who would be doers of the word and produce fruit.
Jesus as the Christ appointed His little flock and "commanded" His disciples, His called out, to "make" the people "sit down" it that pattern of tens before they could receive His benefits.

The Church is the ekklesia

It has been known from the beginning of the English Bible that the word 'church' found in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word 'ekklesia'[6] which actually comes from two Greek words 'ek' meaning 'out' and 'kaleo' meaning to 'call'. An ekklesia or 'calling out' was not just an assembly.

In fact the Greek words "agora"[7] and "paneguris"[8] as well as "heorte"[9], "koinos"[10], "sunago"[11], "thiasos"[12] can all mean an assembly.

There are other words in the Greek that can mean a small assembly or group of people like "sumposion" [13] used in Mark 6:39 when Christ commanded the people be assembled in familiar patterns and ranks of tens. The Greek words sunagoge[14] and sunago[15] or even sunalizo a verb that means "to gather together, assemble" [16] all contain the root of the word synagogue but none of these common Greek words mean the same as the Greek word "ekklesia"[6].

Called out

While you may assemble those who are called out by Moses or Jesus were appointed for a purpose of service. We should see clearly that the word ekklesia does not mean just an assembly but specifically means "called out" for a purpose.

The Aramaic words edah[17] ’esah[18] , qahal,[19] za‘aq[20] or yahad[21] all are forms of an assembly. Which one should be translated Church in the sense of an ekklesia.

  • edah[17] Generally meant a congregation or smaller group that may gather with other groups.
  • ’esah' [18],
  • qahal[19] often is said to be another word for congregation but the Masoretic Text uses the term qahal, the Septuagint usually uses the Koine Greek term ekklesia, ἐκκλησία, which means "summoned group" (literally, "they who are called out").
  • za‘aq[20] could be translated into the Greek word ekklesia which we translate into Church if we assume that word just means "assembly". The Greek word ekklesia meaning the “called out” specifically includes the idea of separation as we see with the Levites, who were "called out in the wilderness" by Moses. Even the Essenes at the time of Christ separated themselves.
  • yahad[21]

Separation

“They shall be separated from the midst of the gatherings of the men of wrongs to go to the wilderness to prepare there the way of the Lord, as it is written: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord ...” Dead Sea Scrolls.[22]

The emphasis on separation is clear in Jesus’ statements about being in the world but not of it.[23] The Levites were also to be separate.[24]

The Church was designed to maintain an entrance[25] to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth where every man might be returned to his possession and restored to his family.[26] The kingdom of God meant the right to be ruled by God rather than men and is sought by seeking righteousness.

The Levites were also “called out” by Moses, just as Jesus called out His disciples to be His Church. They were the ministers of the common welfare of the people seeking the Kingdom of God. They taught the ways of God’s kingdom and kept the people free, together and strong by a well-organized system of charity and hope.

The Apostles along with the 70 appointed by Christ and the 120 in the upper room were all ministers in one accord, calling themselves servants, appointing men chosen by the people to tend to daily ministration, providing common welfare through charity and love rather than force and fealty.

Moses and Jesus did it that way so as to not bind the people through their covetous practices and the men who call themselves benefactors but who exercise authority one over the other. These ministers appointed and regulated by Christ's words were to rightly divide the bread of His welfare from house to house[27] and work daily in a living temple made of lively stones.[28]

The transition of society from bond to free requires ministers who are separate from the system of the world in which the people are already in bondage. Those ministers must belong to a sovereign power whose kingdom or government is not a part of the world.

Public Assembly

The word ekklesia was clearly a political term in the Greek language of the time, and not a general term for an assembly or specifically a religious term. If we accept that Jesus, as the Christ and Messiah, was the King of the Kingdom of God at hand then the authors of the Bible used the term ekklesia for a specific and good reason.

In classical Greek "ekklesia" meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly."[29]

The early Roman Senate had no power to make law for the freeman. They were only titular leaders for the most part but their power would grow as the people became dependent upon the government benefits, the free bread. The Romans originally provided for their needs through voluntary practices of the community-funded social welfare. When the wealthy men of power and governments supported the temples through the tribute they collected their religion became public religion.

Citizens summoned

There is no doubt the early Christians gathered in homes and small intimate groups. But it is also clear these small assemblies formed a vast network of these home assemblies which provide a daily ministration for widows and orphans as well as international aid and relief all over the "world". A "world" they were "in" but not "of".

There is no reason to imagine nor tell people that the term "ekklesia" was "vague" or just meant an "assembly".

While that may fit a desired narrative it is simply inaccurate, misleading, and false.

The Greek Ekklēsia, was specifically a term that was commonly used to describe a “gathering of those summoned”. It was well known that in ancient Greece the term was used in reference to a summoned assembly of citizens in a city-state.

Its roots may lie in the meaning of the Homeric agora, the meeting of the people.

An "agora", in ancient Greek cities states was an open space that served as a meeting ground for various activities of the citizens. Like the term for temples it was an area with no buildings.

The word as the name of an assembly is first observed in the works of Homer and could refer to both the assembly of the people as well as the physical location.

This is how language evolves but in reading ancient script you need to know the meaning the author intended at the time, certainly not what you may want it to mean today.

The Hebrew equivalent of the Greek term "agora" has been considered to be "haqhel" (HeyKafHeyLamed)[30] from the root "qahal"[31] according to the Septuagint.

But the term "ekklesia"[6] was not the whole of the assembly of the people but represented a smaller group summoned to serve the "agora", the people.

Draconian ekklesia

"The Athenian Ecclesia, for which exists the most detailed record, was already functioning in Draco's[32] day. ( c. 621 bc )."

The reforms instituted in the year 507 B.C. by the Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a system he called demokratia, the “rule by the people.”

The demokratiasystem was made up of three separate institutions:

  1. the ekklesia, a governing body that wrote laws;
  2. the boule, a council of representatives from the ten Athenian tribes
  3. the dikasteria, the popular courts in which citizens argued cases before a group of lottery-selected jurors.

The ekklesia was a sovereign governing body of Athens attend meetings were held 40 times per year in a hillside auditorium west of the Acropolis called the Pnyx. The ekklesia of Athens for centuries was not just a vague gathering but was functioning as government agency and responsible for "declaring war, military strategy and electing the strategoi[33] and other officials". It was also responsible for nominating and "electing magistrates (árchontes), thus indirectly electing the members of the Areopagus."

The Areopagus literally meant the rock of Ares in the city and was a center of temples, cultural facilities, and a high court which dealt with capital cases.

What system did the people have prior to this ekklesia and how, or more important, why did its power increase to draconian levels?

In 507 B.C., the Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a system of "demokratia", or “rule by the people.” This system included three separate institutions:

  1. the ekklesia, a governing body that wrote laws;
  2. the boule, a council of representatives

from the ten Athenian tribes; and

  1. the dikasteria, the popular courts in which citizens argued cases.

A new system of democracy (demokratia) hoped to open political control up to the middle and working-class people who made up the army and navy. However, this privilege was still limited to a small part of the Athenian population. For example, in Athens in the middle of the 4th century there were about 100,000 citizens, about 10,000 "resident foreigners" and 150,000 slaves. Out of all those people, only male citizens who were older than 18 were a part of the demos, meaning only about 40,000 people could participate in the democratic process.

The Levites were the "church in the wilderness" called out by Moses, to be separate from the people, while serving the congregations of the people. They did this like the early church by rightly dividing the freewill offerings of the people, their sacrifices, from house to house. They were also establishing the cities of refuge which were a critical part of early Israel's appeals court system.

Moses and Jesus were in agreement with each other but neither were in agreement with the Pharisees nor their Corban. Many modern Christians follow similar patterns of error in their private interpretation of words and phrases to promote their own agenda.

Banking on false interpretation

When Robert Banks states "the first century wouldn’t have thought of it as a religious word." He is correct because it was specifically political for hundreds of years. But when Banks goes on to say "To them it simply meant “a gathering” or “an assembly,”" he is incorrect and makes assumptions that are not consistent with its use at the time nor in the context of scripture.

Robert Banks[34] is correct when he states, "In every New Testament usage, while ekklesia can mean more than a gathering, it never means something unrelated to a gathering."

But we also know by the choice of this Greek word the term is specifically referring to a gathered group that is "called out" and not just assembled.

As the essay "Ekklesia" shows Greek words like "agora" and "paneguris" as well as "heorte", "koinon", "thiasos" can all mean an assembly. There are other words that were common in the Greek that can also mean a "small assembly" or group of people like "sumposion" used by Jesus in Mark 6:39 where He specifically "commanded" His disciples to "make" the people assemble themselves in those small groups connected in a large network.

In the case of Jesus assembling His disciples they were summoned or "called" to be out of the "world". The Greek term for "world" in those quotes was specifically related to calling His disciple out, much as Moses called out the Levites.

His disciples, meaning students, were learning to be ministers of His kingdom. They were not to be "of the world", meaning of the "constitutional order or government of Herod nor Rome. They could be "in" the "world" but not "of" it.

http://preparingyou.com/wiki/World

An ekklesia or 'calling out' was not just an assembly. Historically it was citizens summoned to provide service to the people. In fact the Greek words "agora" and "paneguris" as well as "heorte", "koinon", "thiasos" can all mean an assembly. There are other words in the Greek that can mean a small assembly or group of people like "sumposion" used in Mark 6:39 where Jesus commanded the disciples to make the people assemble themselves in small groups connected in a network.

There is no doubt the early Christians gathered in homes and small intimate groups. But it is also clear these small assemblies formed a vast network of these home assemblies which provide a daily ministration for widows and orphans and needy of society through charity. The world offered similar assistance through "legal charity" of governments which is the dainties of rulers we were not to desire or have an appetite for because as deceitful meats they were a snare which was the wages of unrighteousness. We clearly see the early Church providing a table of welfare through charity as well as international aid and relief all over the "world".

The Church in the wilderness

There was a Church in the wilderness, too. Israel was a government which was different than the governments of the world. Over time it had become corrupted by false or incomplete doctrines just like the prophets warned concerning the Church appointed by Christ would also become corrupted and even become workers of iniquity.

In Israel the government assembly was similar. Jesus who was the Christ took the government from those who sat in the seat of Moses because he was both high priest and king. He appointed His own seventy,[35] His own Sanhedrin, and appointed the kingdom to His called out Little flock, His disciples who became the Apostles known as the Ekklesia of "called out", or His Holy Church.[36]

The congregations of the people were originally composed of the elders of each family group through a network of electors which chose titular representatives in patterns of tens. These elected representatives did not make law either. There were no kings in Israel because it was a "government of the people, for the people, and by the people"[37]. If God was in the people's hearts and minds and the Church in the wilderness followed the leading of the Holy Spirit as they complied with the commands and directives of Moses they would be together a successful and free nation.

But there was another group that was called out to be separate yet provide some of the service needed in every society. This was the Levites and their services were religious. But the religious services they provided was not what people think of when you mention religion today.

The liturgy of their religion was "public service" through charity or what is called freewill offerings in the Old Testament. They provided welfare for the tents of the congregations by way of freewill offerings through living altars instead of force like the leaders of other nations who called themselves benefactors but who exercised authority one over the other.

Through service the Levites helped facilitate unity for an entire nation but prevented consolidation of power and influence. Moses devised this system by the inspiration of God at the time of the Golden calf. The Levites were the called out too and were called the Church in the wilderness.

Ekklesia in the Greek LXX

The Septuagint was widely used at the time of Christ.

According to "The Use of the Word Ekklesia in the Greek Old Testament" by Kyle Pope

Serve not Rule

By the time of Christ both, the Senate of Rome and the Sanhedrin of Judea had become bodies of legislative rulers exercising authority over the people. Their sacrifice or Corban was no longer funded by freewill offerings. They had become a corporate body of "lawmakers" ruling the people through vast bureaucratic systems under a central ruling office of executive power. When these institutions of men began forcing the contributions of the people through a system of compelled sacrifice to fill their treasuries or Corban they began making the word of God to none effect. This alteration in the way of a society will alter the character of the people until they become "perfect savages".

When the people return to the pagan ways of the Golden calf Moses "called out" the faithful who were mostly of the tribe of the Levites. He appointed them to serve the "tents of the people" as the Church in the wilderness.

While in the Kingdom of God the people were at liberty to seek the righteousness of God and had No Kings over them being kings and priests in their own home, the Levites were the firstborn priests of the nation.

Many limitations, restrictions, and duties were resting on their shoulders as the called out of Moses. Once we fully understand the true nature of the role of the "Levites" and see the limitations, restrictions, and duties placed on them by Moses we may come to a better understanding of why Christ directed similar limitations, restrictions, and duties for His disciples and ministers whom he "called out".[38]

The King of the Church

Jesus, as the Christ, the Messiah, the highest son of David, was both High priest and King according to the order of Melchisedec. He would call out another group to replace the Levites, another Church.

Since the authority of the State in Israel was originally in the hands of the elders of each family, the people did not usually gather together to overthrow the corruption of government, since the people had learned to govern themselves. The heads of every household were the princes of Israel. The heads of each family group, which was a true government of the people, for the people, and by the people, under the God of Heaven were free as long as they remained faithful to God's law.

There was, at first, no Kings in Israel and the original Sanhedrin mentioned in Numbers 11:16 was to stand as a sort of overseer of truth serving the will of God by serving the congregation of the people in righteousness. They were truly titular leaders who served the public and God under the foundational laws of the government, the Ten Commandments. But, eventually, the voice of the people sought a ruler who could exercise authority and who appointed officers over the people from the top-down making new laws of control and oppression. The need for an ekklesia steadily grew again as the people and their governments became more corrupt.

When the Greek city-states found their governments had become too corrupt and oppressive, they would call for an ekklesia, an assembly outside the civil authority of the city. If enough people came out and refused to accept the existing centralized civil authority, that government would collapse. Non-participation has been a successful and peaceful means to free mankind from oppressive civil authority throughout history.

Like the walkout strikes instituted by Gandhi in hope of freeing his people from the oppression of colonization, the act of calling the people out could be a very effective method of obtaining freedom through nonviolence. Gandhi did not only encourage worker strikes, but also practical methods to free society from the need of the corporate benefits and its resulting oppressive civil state. Moses had done the same in Egypt when he taught the people how to live without the exercising authority and benefits of the Pharaoh while still maintaining a viable, cohesive and productive society.

Jesus' procession into Jerusalem was a call for the people to stand against a corrupt oppressive government by offering them a legitimate government that operated differently than Herod the Great. John the Baptist had preached the kingdom of heaven at hand,[39] which was nothing less than a government operating by freewill offerings,[40] voluntary charitable participation[41] and the perfect law of liberty.[42] Jesus preached the same method of self-government and proclaimed that right for all who would remain faithful to Him. It was a powerful and non-violent movement of the people, by the people, and for the people to change the course of history by changing the hearts and minds of men, by altering their relationship with governments of the Gentiles with their leaders who called themselves benefactors but who exercised authority.[43]

The Church and the congregation of the people

The use of the word Church was possibly a poor choice in place of the Greek ekklesia meaning a called out assembly but what men often mean unto evil God turns to good. That word Church has its origin in the meaning of lordship which may be accurate from a certain point of view. The called out must make their Lord truly their Lord by doing what he said. They are to be separate and not be a part of the "world" nor apply or pray for the gifts, gratuities and, benefits of the world while serving the people in a communion of righteous worship.

The ekklesia or Church was founded and established by Jesus Christ, Yahshua, almost 2000 years ago. It was a government established by the anointed King and appointed to His "little flock" to look after His Kingdom. Jesus was the rightful king, the highest son of David, proclaimed by many of the people as the Anointed. The trial before the Sanhedrin was an attempt to impeach Him and therefore end His appointed government. The Pharisees had given the ultimate right to choose who should be king of God's kingdom to the Romans back in the days of Pompey.

Luke 22:29 "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;"

Jesus was recognized as the king by the existing world government when Pontius Pilate nailed his official proclamation of Christ's kingdom to the cross, which was sealed for all time in the blood of an innocent man. Jesus and His little flock of followers, the called out [ekklesia], were persecuted by the apostate church of that day who abandoned the house of David proclaiming they had no king but Caesar.

At Pentecost thousands of Jews, citizens of Judea, and others were baptized into that government by the appointed followers of the proclaimed and recognized king. All who became members of that kingdom of Heaven were put out[44] of the existing system of benefits offered through the Corban of the Pharisees and began to live a new life according to the precepts of God's government, by faith, hope and charity, and the perfect law of liberty.

God is the same, man is the same, sin is the same. Abraham was called out and eventually brought out many souls. Moses was called back to Egypt, assisted the people through the famines, teaching them the ways of God. He and Israel were cast out of Egypt but had to learn the ways of liberty under God. The people returned to sin with their golden calf and the Levites were called out to become the church in the wilderness.

Are we turning away from God's ways and back to the sin of Cain, Nimrod and the Nicolaitans?

The good news of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth has been shared with the world. His ekklesia was persecuted. Its chief executive officer is the Holy Spirit, its King is Jesus and its Ruling Judge is YHWH, God the Father. YaHWeH has given all power and authority to Jesus, Yahshua, who in turn has sent us the Holy Spirit to comfort us in our journey toward the Kingdom of God.

Salvation is returning to the Character of the Father like the Son. It is self-sacrifice, service and obedience that we must get right.

What the CHURCH is not

There are a lot of things the Church is not but at least:

And what it is

Who can define His Holy Church?

CHURCH "In its most general sense, the religious society founded and established by Jesus Christ, to receive, preserve, and propagate his doctrines and ordinances."
"A body or community of Christians, united under one form of government by the profession of one faith, and the observance of the same rituals and ceremonies." Black's Law Dictionary 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th eds.

How do we get into this government of Jesus Christ, this kingdom of Heaven on Earth?

Must we die to get into the Kingdom of Heaven?

"He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err." (Mark 12:27)

What and where is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven?

"And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my ekklesia (make my coming out); and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:17-19)

What is the form of His government?

How does Heaven run its government, it's ekklesia, here on earth?

"But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28)

Are you in a government which exercises dominion over you?

If you are, then you are not in a government established by Jesus the Christ and the form of your government is not Christian.

Let every man remain subject to his superior authority; but should you go under authority in exchange for benefits and gratuities?

"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body [is] not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make [them] the members of an harlot? God forbid." (1 Corinthians 6:12-14)

Have you sold the sweat of your brow <http://www.hisholychurch.org/study/gods/cog4eve.php> and gone under the authority and power of another?

Have you sold your land in exchange for gifts and benefits?

"Behold, we [are] servants this day, and [for] the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we [are] servants in it:" Nehemiah 9:36

" And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it. Nehemiah 9:38

Will you follow?

Is your Church attending to the Weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith which include caring for the needs of our neighbors and the widows and orphans of our society through Pure Religion in matters of health, education, and welfare. We are NOT to provide for the needy of society through the Covetous Practices and the men who call themselves benefactors but who exercise authority one over the other like the socialists do.

The Way of Christ was like neither the way of the world of Rome nor the governments of the gentiles who depend on those fathers of the earth through force, fear and fealty who deliver the people back in bondage again like they were in Egypt. Christ's ministers and true Christians do not depend upon systems of social welfare that force the contributions of the people like the corban of the Pharisees which made the word of God to none effect. Many people have been deceived to go the way of Balaam and the Nicolaitan and out of The Way of Christ and have become workers of iniquity.

The Christian conflict with Rome in the first century Church appointed by Christ was because they would not apply to the fathers of the earth for their free bread but instead relied upon a voluntary network providing a daily ministration to the needy of society through Faith, Hope, and Charity by way of freewill offerings of the people, for the people, and by the people through the perfect law of liberty in Free Assemblies according to the ancient pattern of Tuns or Tens as He commanded.

The modern Christians are in need of repentance.


"Follow me!" —Jesus the Christ.




Seeking Liberty under God

Seeking is a process often pursued by the wise. But the path of the foolish finds no fruit.[46]

We have been told to "seek the kingdom of God" which is a righteous form of government that sets the captive free. By its nature it was a pure Republic not merely as a representative form of self government but in the tradition of the Libera Res Publica where Citizens were "free from things public which Tacitus thought could "not exist",[47] but Moses and Jesus did.

According to John Wyclyff the Bible was about "the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People."[48]

That government had daily ministration through a network of faith, hope, and charity. It formed a living temple made without hands that required a daily sacrifice of Pure Religion.

There was no Dogma but the Doctrine of Jesus which was the Sound Doctrine of love of God and neighbor as yourself.

Their gathering in the network of Tens as Christ commanded was a labor of caring and thanksgiving of love that is sweet.[49] The formed thesocial bonds of a free society that had degenerates at the tables of rulers who exercise authority one over the other.

The kingdom of the world or governments of the world gain their power over the people by the covetousness and sloth of people. Those governments of the world bind people by consent because the people seek the gifts, gratuities and benefits available by application through contract and debt. Additionally, things provided by borrowing money make the recipient a surety for the debt incurred. The Benefactors of those benefits will then legally have a right to force the surety to comply with their will.

This is why the covetous practices of desiring benefits at the expense of your neighbors will make all the people Merchandise and curse their children. By applying to the governments of the world, you effectively take something from your neighbor to gain a share for yourself. With this action, you literally bite one another. This common practice of members of society who are willing to gain benefits for themselves at the expense of others. This process legitimatizes the power they, or their parents, have bestowed upon the governments via their social compact and their own covetous practices.

Does the Bible warn us about a return to Bondage?
Are there warnings about people claiming they believe[50]. but being entangled in the elements of the world and a yoke of bondage?
Christ died that we might be saved so the Redemption of Christ must be conditional?
The welfare state is the path of the foolish. It is the "covetous practice" which is a "snare"[51] and Stumblingblock. It is the antithesis of the The Way and turning away from the "doctrine of Jesus", Moses, Abraham and all the prophets. But the fool cannot or will not see[52] the truth. Unless fool chooses to repent and seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness there is no hope of redemption.

We see this in history from Cain to Nimrod, from Pharaoh to Caesar. 1 Samuel 8 tells us what to expect when we give power to others to that which we should do for ourselves. If we desire God to hear our prayers we must return to the way of love and sacrifice. We must seek The Way of Christ, and the prophets like John the Baptist who also told us to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are called to repent of those covetous practices like the Corban of the Pharisees which made the word of God to none effect and the slothful practices that bring us under Tribute.

What does it mean to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? Modern Christians are often not told what that kingdom looks like, nor even what it means to repent.

Seeking the kingdom of God, the government of God, is not an act of personal will where we change the world. It is the submission to the will of a righteous God who sent His son to serve others and sacrifice himself, and even lay down his life for others. To come in the name of Christ is to come together to serve others in righteousness. To gather in the Name of Christ is to gather to serve others, to save others. We do not gather for fellowship and joy although those things are a common byproduct of The Way of Christ.

The Kingdom of God or Heaven is a voluntary government operated by people freely coming together and caring about one another as much as they care about their own rights, life and liberties, those of their children, and even their neighbor's children and grandchildren. They do this in common service, one to another. They lay down their life daily and they freely give of themselves to set others free in love as Yeshua, A.K.A. Jesus the Christ, did. They take care of each other through love and charity.

This is not what the modern American or European or almost every nation is doing today, whether we call ourselves Christian or Jew, Buddhist or Muslim, Sikh or Hindu. Instead, in almost every country of the world, the people look to their government to take a portion from one class of citizen to provide for another.

Taking care of each other was the purpose of religions, and it was even part of the definition of Religion at one time in history. The Bible defines Pure Religion as the caring for the widows and orphans and needy of society without the aid from or application to the Benefactors of the world and the Fathers of the earth.

To freely congregate in faith, hope and charity by way of the perfect law of liberty is the only way to salvation. This is to be done in spirit and in truth.

The purpose of these email Networks is to create a living network of CORE groups, as was done, in the early Church established by Christ. When the unrighteous Mammon fails you will be ready for more righteous habitations. When Rome began to decline, Christians were just getting started. The failing of the Imperial Cult of Rome as a system of social welfare was supplanted by true Christians who would repent and seek that government of God and the righteousness of that God of love.

There are many tools of the Church; the people are to form a functioning network that survives, and it can serve Christ's purpose when the unrighteous Mammon and the entire banking system fails.

Everyone sees disaster coming, and Christ had the solution. That solution and the blessed strategy of God was salvation for the followers of Christ. That salvation does not come without Forgiveness and Sacrifice. This is done through repentance - changing the way you think, act and govern yourselves.

This is why Christ appointed His Apostles who organized thousands of people at the major feast of Pentecost. They let the people choose men of Good report to assist in the Daily ministration and the Church. Those appointed ministers of Christ were to be in the World but not of it. These men had to come into one accord and meet the qualifications of Christ in order to became the Benefactors who did not exercise authority but instead Fervent Charity.

The World and False religion has delivered us into Bondage in the spirit and truth of our Covetous Practices and Sloth.

The Network of the Kingdom of God allows us to begin a Repentant life of Charitable Practices which will set us free, rather than continue bondage in those Covetous Practices that have made us Merchandise and cursed our children.

By forming Congregations of Record rooted in a desire to serve in love for one another, you may begin to reverse the spiritual process that brought you into Bondage in Spirit and Truth.

A natural pattern may form by the ancient mechanics of choosing Ministers of Tens. Such gatherings of ministers and their congregations allow spiritual conduits to form in these living Altars of clay and stone.

We have been going in, and following, what can only be called wicked ways. It not only has brought us into bondage as a people but on many levels, it is causing disturbances in the world we live. A storm is coming that will bring great destruction, but it may also stir an awakening in people; this is not to make you afraid, but to teach you to care. We have not lived by faith, but by force. We need to live by faith and love.[53] We are seeking those who will repent and step out in faith to save others, instead of seeking to save themselves first.

This is the name of Christ.


If we will seek the face of God and the name of Christ and come to serve rather than be served, God will calm the storm and heal our land.[54]

If the Ministers will also begin to gather as true Congregations of Ministers in a spirit of righteous sacrifice, like Christ who demonstrated His love for us by His personal sacrifice, we will continue the formation of the pattern called the Kingdom of God. Service in love and dedication in charity is the fuel that powers society and allows the flow of God's grace and power.

If any will survive from this world to the next, they must be seeking to form together a living network of 10's, 100's, 1000's through the righteousness of God.

If you strive to do this with a repenting heart, you may continue to form a more righteous habitation. Your repentance draws the Holy Spirit, and it prepares a place for that spirit in each and all of us bound by love.

That is seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

We recommend:

  • People examine the material at His Holy Church
  • Join or form a Congregation of record.
  • Ask questions and share your thoughts on the network or with your ministers so that we may all be in one accord.

Footnotes

  1. Before that Circe was a goddess of sorcery (pharmakeia) who was skilled in the magic of transmutation, illusion, and necromancy. And her name is derived from the Greek verb kirkoô meaning "to secure with rings" or "hoop around"--a reference to the binding power of magic.
  2. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, ...Acts 19:37
  3. "The etymology of this word is generally assumed to be from the Greek, Kuriou oikos (house of God); but this is most improbable, as the word existed in all the Celtic dialects long before the introduction of Greek. No doubt the word means "a circle." The places of worship among the German and Celtic nations were always circular. (Welsh, cyrch, French, cirque; Scotch, kirk; Greek, kirk-os, etc.) Compare Anglo-Saxon circe, a church, with circol, a circle." Ebenezer Cobham Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable of 1898.
  4. Smith's Bible Dictionary from 1884, page 452.
  5. J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954–55)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklesia [ek-klay-see’-ah] from a compound of 1537 and a derivative of 2564 call or 2753 to command; n f; TDNT- 3:501,394; [{See TDNT 352 }] AV-church 115, assembly 3; 118
    1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
    1a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating
    1b) the assembly of the Israelites
    1c) any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
    1d) in a Christian sense
    1d1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
    1d2) a company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake
    1d3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
    1d4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
    1d5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven
    For Synonyms see entry 5897
    • Ekklesia "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly." [R. Scott, and H.G. Liddell, A Greek-English Lexicon, p. 206.]
    • "The assembly of the people, which in Greek cities had the power of final decision in public affairs" [ A German classical philologist, Oskar Seyffert, A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, pp. 202-203].
  7. 58 ~ἀγορά~ agora \@ag-or-ah’\@ from ageiro (to gather, probably akin to 1453); ; n f AV-market 6, marketplace 4, street 1; 11
    1) any collection of men, congregation, or assembly, especially of the people
    2) the place of assembly
    2a) for public debating,
    2b) for elections
    2c) for trials {#Ac 16:19}
    2d) for buying and selling {#Mr 7:4}
    2e) for all kinds of business
    3) market place, street {#Mt 11:16 20:3}
  8. 3831 ~πανήγυρις~ paneguris \@pan-ay’-goo-ris\@ from 3956 and a derivative of 58; n f AV-general assembly 1; 1
    1) a festal gathering of the whole people to celebrate public games or other solemnities
    2) a public festal assembly
  9. 1859 ἑορτή heorte [heh-or-tay’] of uncertain affinity; n f; AV-feast 26, holy day 1; 27
    1) a feast day, festival
  10. 2839 ~κοινός~ koinos \@koy-nos’\@ probably from 4862; TDNT-3:789,447; {See TDNT 395} adj AV-common 7, unclean 3, defiled 1, unholy 1; 12
    1) common
    2) common i.e. ordinary, belonging to generality
    2a) by the Jews, unhallowed, profane, Levitically unclean
    It primarily meant "common, mutual, shared, joint".
  11. 4863 ~συνάγω~ sunago \@soon-ag’-o\@ from 4862 (with) and 71 (bring); ; v AV-gather 15, be gathered together 12, gather together 9, come together 6, be gathered 4, be assembled 3, take in 3, misc 10; 62
    1) to gather together, to gather
    1a) to draw together, collect
    1a1) of fishes
    1a2) of a net in which they are caught
    2) to bring together, assemble, collect
    2a) to join together, join in one (those previously separated)
    2b) to gather together by convoking
    2c) to be gathered i.e. come together, gather, meet
    3) to lead with one’s self
    3a) into one’s home, i.e. to receive hospitably, to entertain
  12. A thiasos may be a form of a procession, often revelers. In historical Greek society, thiasoi (plural; Greek: θίασοι) were religious organizations whose existence was protected by law.
  13. 4849 ~συμπόσιον~ sumposion \@soom-pos’-ee-on\@ from a derivative of the alternate of 4844; ; n n AV-company 1, not tr. 1; Repeated twice in Mark 6:39
    1) a drinking party, entertainment
    1a) of the party itself, the guests
    1b) rows of guests
    "The symposium (or symposion) was an important part of ancient Greek culture from the 7th century BCE and was a party held in a private home where Greek males gathered to drink, eat and sing together. Various topics were also discussed such as philosophy, politics, poetry and the issues of the day."
    " The equivalent of a Greek symposium in Roman society is the Latin convivium."
    A Roman convivium according to Marcus Tullius Cicero for the republican period and Seneca suggest that ten to twelve was the maximum number.
    Plato in his "Laws" endorses the benefits of the symposium as a means to test and promote virtue in citizens.
  14. 4864 ~συναγωγή~ sunagoge \@soon-ag-o-gay’\@ from (the reduplicated form of) 4863; TDNT-7:798,1107; {See TDNT 764} n f AV-synagogue 55, congregation 1, assembly 1; 57
    1) a bringing together, gathering (as of fruits), a contracting
    2) in the NT, an assembling together of men, an assembly of men
    3) a synagogue
    3a) an assembly of Jews formally gathered together to offer prayers and listen to the reading and expositions of the scriptures; assemblies of that sort were held every sabbath and feast day, afterwards also on the second and fifth days of every week; name transferred to an assembly of Christians formally gathered together for religious purposes
    3b) the buildings where those solemn Jewish assemblies are held. Synagogues seem to date their origin from the Babylonian exile. In the times of Jesus and the apostles every town, not only in Palestine, but also among the Gentiles if it contained a considerable number of Jewish inhabitants, had at least one synagogue, the larger towns several or even many. These were also used for trials and inflicting punishment.
    • For Synonyms see entry 5897
  15. 4863 ~συνάγω~ sunago \@soon-ag’-o\@ from 4862 (with) and 71 (bring); ; v AV-gather 15, be gathered together 12, gather together 9, come together 6, be gathered 4, be assembled 3, take in 3, misc 10; 62
    1) to gather together, to gather
    1a) to draw together, collect
    1a1) of fishes
    1a2) of a net in which they are caught
    2) to bring together, assemble, collect
    2a) to join together, join in one (those previously separated)
    2b) to gather together by convoking
    2c) to be gathered i.e. come together, gather, meet
    3) to lead with one’s self
    3a) into one’s home, i.e. to receive hospitably, to entertain
  16. 4871 ~συναλίζω~ sunalizo \@soon-al-id’-zo\@ from 4862 and halizo (to throng); ; v AV-assemble together 1; 1
    1) to gather together, assemble
    2) to be assembled, meet with
  17. 17.0 17.1 05712 ^הדע^ ‘edah \@ay-daw’\@ from 05707 meaning witness in the original sense of fixture; n f; AV-congregation 124, company 13, assembly 9, multitude 1, people 1, swarm 1; 149
    1) congregation, gathering
    • ע Ayin also U. Divine Providence "eye" or "fountain" of five states of kindness or severity. AlefYodNun or nothingness as opposed to AlefShin something [eye, watch] (Numeric value: 70)
    • ד Dalet Selflessness – Charity, back and forth or through a door or pathway, to enter like a fish (Numeric value: 4)
    • ה Hey Expression--Thought, Speech, Action. Manifest seeds of thought and life. [Emphasize, jubilation, window, fence] (Numeric value: 5)
  18. 18.0 18.1 “Esah (pronounced: E-saw) עשה Ayin Shin Hey,” and it means: to make, to do, to accomplish, to perform, to execute, to furnish or equip, to prepare, provide, to use, or put to use. A council
  19. 19.0 19.1 06951 ^להק^ qahal \@kaw-hawl’\@ from 06950; n m; AV-congregation 86, assembly 17, company 17, multitude 3; 123
    1) assembly, company, congregation, convocation
    1a) assembly
    1a1) for evil counsel, war or invasion, religious purposes
    1b) company (of returning exiles)
    1c) congregation
    1c1) as organised body
  20. 20.0 20.1 02199 ^קעז^ za‘aq \@zaw-ak’\@ a primitive root; v; AV-cry 50, cry out 11, assemble 3, called 3, gathered together 2, gathered 2, company 1, proclaimed 1; 73
    1) to cry, cry out, call, call for help
    1a) (Qal)
    1a1) to call (to one’s aid)
    1a2) to cry, cry out (in need)
    1b) (Niphal) to be assembled, be called together, be joined together
    1c) (Hiphil)
    1c1) to call, call out, call together, summon
    1c2) to make a crying, proclaim
    1c3) to have a proclamation made
    1c4) to call out to, call out at
  21. 21.0 21.1 03054 יָהַד‎ yahad [yaw-had’] denominative from a form corresponding to 03061; v; [BDB-397b] [{See TWOT on 850 }] AV-became Jews 1; 1
    1) (Hithpael) to become a Jew (in fact or in fraud), become Judaised
  22. The Community Rule from (1QS) the Dead Sea Scrolls were recorded by a community of separatist .
  23. John 17:6-16, John 15:18-20; Luke 12:30, 6:22; Romans 1:1; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Hebrews 7:26.
  24. Numbers 3:12, 45, 8:14; Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 10:28; Acts 4:36...
  25. 2 Peter 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
  26. Leviticus 25:10 “...return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.” Leviticus 25:41 “... return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return."
  27. Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
    Acts 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
    1 Timothy 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
  28. Acts 2:46; Acts 5:42; Acts 3:2...; Acts 6; 2 Timothy 2:15
  29. Liddell and Scott define ekklesia as "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly." [R. Scott, and H.G. Liddell, A Greek-English Lexicon, p. 206.]
    • Thayer's lexicon says, "an assembly of the people convened at the public place of council for the purpose of deliberating" [J. H. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 196].
    • Trench gives the meaning as "the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all those possessed of the rights of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs. That they were summoned is expressed in the latter part of the word; that they were summoned out of the whole population, a select portion of it, including neither the populace, nor yet strangers nor those who had forfeited their civic rights--- this is expressed in the first. Both calling and calling out, are moments to be remembered, when the word is assumed into a higher Christian sense, for in them the chief part of its peculiar adaptation to its auguster uses lies." [Dean Richard Chenevix Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, 7th ed., pp. 1-7].
    • Seyffert's dictionary states, "The assembly of the people, which in Greek cities had the power of final decision in public affairs" [A German classical philologist, Oskar Seyffert, A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, pp. 202-203].
  30. 06950 ^להק^ qahal \@’ kaw-hal’\@ a primitive root; v; AV-(gather, assemble) together 14, gather 16, assembled 9; 39
    1) to assemble, gather
    1a) (Niphal) to assemble
    1a1) for religious reasons
    1a2) for political reasons
    1b) (Hiphil) to summon an assembly
    1b1) for war, judgment
    1b2) for religious purposes
    https://biblehub.com/hebrew/hakhel_6950.htm
  31. 06951 ^להק^ qahal \@kaw-hawl’\@ from 06950; n m; AV-congregation 86, assembly 17, company 17, multitude 3; 123
    1) assembly, company, congregation, convocation
    1a) assembly
    1a1) for evil counsel, war or invasion, religious purposes
    1b) company (of returning exiles)
    1c) congregation
    1c1) as organised body
  32. Draco, also spelled Dracon, (flourished 7th century bc), Athenian lawgiver whose harsh legal code punished both trivial and serious crimes in Athens with death—hence the continued use of the word draconian to describe repressive legal measures. The six junior archons (thesmotetai), or magistrates, are said by Aristotle to have been instituted in Athens after 683 bc to record the laws.
  33. STRATEGUS is a leader of an ancient and especially an ancient Greek army.
  34. Julia Banks and her husband Robert have been involved with home churches for over twenty-five years. Together they have led seminars and assisted congregations in developing this style of gathering in many parts of the world. Julia coordinated the community house in which she and Robert live with a group of students. Church Comes Home: Banks, Robert, Banks, Julia:
  35. Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come... 17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
  36. There were many requirements and directives for these called out and appointed men which we list in the Free Church Report.
  37. General Prologue to the John Wycliffe Bible translation of 1384.
  38. Numbers 3:41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.
    Numbers 3:45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
    Numbers 3:46 And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;
    Numbers 8:18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
    Nehemiah 10:36 Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as [it is] written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God:
    Matthew 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
    Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
    Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
    Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
    Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
    Hebrews 11:28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
    Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.
  39. Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
  40. Exodus 35:29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
  41. Luke 3:11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
  42. James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
  43. Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. Mark 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. Luke 22:25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
  44. John 9:22 These [words] spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
  45. Matthew 20:25-26 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
    Mark 10:42-43 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
    Luke 22:25-26 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
  46. The wise and the fool
    Proverbs 13:20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."
    Proverbs 14:16 "A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident."
    Proverbs 15:2 "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness."
    Proverbs 17:10 "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool."
    Romans 1:21 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"
    Matthew 25:2 "And five of them were wise, and five were foolish."
  47. “Tacitus repeatedly contrasts the res publica under the emperors with the pre-Augustus libera res publica; and in the Germania 37, encountering the disasters which Germans inflicted upon the res publica Romanorum, he distinguishes between the old res publica, which he calls the populus Romanus, and the new res publica, which he calls “Caesar.” The old res publica hardly had the mixed constitution which dreamers assigned it and which actually never can exist, but it was something greater and majestic which lives on as a glorious memory in a mean age.” The Ruling Power: A Study Of The Roman Empire In The Second Century After Christ Through The Roman Oration Of Aelius Aristides, James H. Oliver, Kessinger Publishing, July 25, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-1428659315.
  48. Is the Bible about religion which it seldom mentions only once in a good way as Pure Religion or is it about governments and law including Natural Law? "This Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People." is attributed to the General Prologue to the John Wycliffe Bible translation of 1384, as Lincoln quoted at Gettysburg.
  49. Ecclesiastes 5:12 "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt."
  50. Many deceived
    Matthew 24:5 "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many... 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
    Mark 13:6 "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."
    Luke 21:8 "And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them."
    2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
    2 Peter 2:2 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."
  51. Table as a snare
    “Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake."” Psalms 69:22-23
    “And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:” Romans 11:9
    Proverbs 23:1 "When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat."
    Exodus 23:32 "Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee."
    Exodus 34:12 "Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:"
    "And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: [[neither shalt thou serve their gods]]; for that [will be] a snare unto thee." Deuteronomy 7:16
    "And ye shall make no league [covenant] with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?" Judges 2:2
    "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." Proverbs 1:10
    “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.” Proverbs 6:2
    Luke 21:34 "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth."
    1 Timothy 6:9 "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
  52. False prophets and Guru theories
    Isaiah 42:16 "And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye [are] our gods. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see."
    Isaiah 30:20 And [though] the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. 23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed,..."
    Matthew 13:13 "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."
    Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
    Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recoveing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
    John 9:39 ¶ And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
    Luke 6:39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
    Acts 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
  53. Mark 4:37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
  54. 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."