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Written by Oscar Griffioen
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Let’s talk….
“….if…why…where…? Judges 6:13
When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said that the Lord was with him and that he was a mighty warrior, Gideon asked: “ If the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us ? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us?” Good questions, although maybe a bit naïve. Naïve, because the misfortunes were because the people did not want to be involved with God himself. They had chosen their own way and preferred to do what they wanted to do themselves. They, not God, had acted against God’s covenant. Nevertheless the questions are good: He was anyway not indifferent about the miracles that God had done and of which he was convinced that the Lord could still do them! You must be able to ask this question if an Angel all of a sudden appears to you….Then you really have to be full of this question and these thoughts, to have it come out so spontaneously.
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Written by Oscar Griffioen
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Let’s talk….
“We have been buried with Him by baptism into death (….) so that we should walk in newness of life” Rom.6:4
All of chapter 6 is the core of Paul’s “slogan” in 2 Cor. 5 “old things are passed away; behold all things e become new”. Watchman Nee took a lot of time to explain this sixth chapter of Romans in his famous book “The normal Christian life”.
If you for example have sin in your life that you apparently cannot have victory over, then this is the chapter to read over a period of time each day , to think about it, to believe it and to confess…and then to experience it with the help of the Holy Spirit!
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Written by Oscar Griffioen
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Let’s talk….
“…They that are whole have no need of a physician …” Mark 2:16-17
Earlier I have expressed my opinion that Jesus either had fans , or people that did not understand Hem and were offended by Him (annoyed). A specific group of people that were annoyed by Him were the Pharisees and the scribes. They were annoyed by the fact that He behaved as a teacher and fellowshipped with sinners. He ate with them and went along with them. Eating together in the Jewish culture was a sign of interest in each other and friendship . Jesus was (and is!) a friend of sinners. The Pharisees did not like it. It would be better for Him to keep distance from these people and to go along with the them, the Pharisees. But Jesus’ reaction is clear: I did not come for those who are righteous and who see themselves as righteous but for those who are lost. Just like a doctor does not come to see how healthy you are, but visits the sick, so do I. |
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Written by Oscar Griffioen
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Let’s talk…
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
This statement of Jesus is powerful and violent. I just call it that. Jesus was not so much the “sweet Jesus” from the Sunday school flannel board in the “past”. He was radical. Not fanatical, but radical. You could not just go around him. You were a fan of His or you were offended by Him. I believe that not many people were “indifferent ”to Him in the time that He walked on earth.
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Written by Oscar Griffioen
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Let’s talk… March 18, 2012
“… ought always to pray, and not to faint…” Luke 18:1
Finney is supposed to have said that God does nothing except as a answer to (a) prayer. All the men and women that have had an important “influence” in the history of the church, were involved in prayer. They were prayer warriors. We have a man that was called praying Hyde. He had also the nickname “camel’s knees” just as the apostle James, because he was known to always be found praying on his knees. From all that praying on your knees you get “camel’s knees” There are many people that have taken the words of Jesus seriously that we must always pray and must not faint/ give up.
We stop praying because something in our heart – maybe unconsciously – gives up. Unbelief causes us to give up.
Doubt causes us to give up. No longer being impressed by Jesus Christ’s actual reigning/ruling causes us to give up.
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