Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem(6/20/23)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 6/20/23 | left that other site

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Luke 15

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

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New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Almighty Father,
Blessed Be Your Holy Name Forever!
Blessed Are You,
Oh LORD, 
Our God, King Of The Universe,
Who Has given us this Day,
This Moment,
And Has Brought us Together for Your Purpose.
We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the House of The LORD,
For You Alone Are Worthy,
You Alone Are LORD,
You Alone Are The One True God.
If the people will not sing Your Praises,
The very rocks of the earth would break forth in song to Praise You,
Oh Father,
Creator,
LORD of All!

Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Luke 15

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

_______________________________________________________

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Story of the Lost Sheep has been beloved by Christians for Millennia. As I often say, the context of a Biblical Passage is very important. In the case of these Parables, the context is in the midst of a group of Pharisees muttering among themselves against Jesus. Their primary "concern" is that Jesus not only associates with sinners, but actually EATS with them. This, in their eyes, is unacceptable behavior for somebody who is supposed to be a Righteous Teacher.

In my search for images today, I came across something I wrote in 2019, when I was commenting upon David's learning of Saul's death from a "Virtue Signaling" Amalikite. Two totally different stories, but a common theme:

Oh how my little brother and I loved the new comedian! We eagerly bought his record albums, and howled with laughter as he told his stories about growing up in the ghetto of Philadelphia. Even though we came from a different ethnic and socioeconomic background, the man's childhood impressions crossed all racial and cultural barriers, and we had no trouble appreciating his humor. Since Dad had "The-Best-Stereo-System-On-The-Planet", we weren't the only ones enjoying the comic's routines. On a hot summer night, with the windows open, we could enjoy "Fat Albert" and "Old Weird Harold" even as we played outside under the street lights.

What we could NOT figure out was why Mom hated the comic, and cringed when we played the records. This puzzled us, as she grew up in the same era as the comic, and growing up in the inner city of Boston during the Great Depression couldn't have been that much different than Philadelphia. When asked about it, Mom replied, "I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. I just think he is a phony."

Mom continued in her distrust of the comic even as he rose in favor with the public. She did not like his character in "I SPY", even though she liked the show. She despised the man's own series which came later, for its sanctimonious, holier-than-thou approach to depicting African-American family life. She could not understand how ANY African-American family could like the program, or not see through its hypocrisy.

Nevertheless, the comic prospered, and everyone else thought he was WONDERFUL. At one point, it seemed like mom was the only person in the world who DIDN'T like him!

The the comic got himself into hot water with his community for saying that Black Men should take responsibility for their lives and their children's lives. This was brought to Mom's attention, as it echoed her values as well. "I still don't trust him!" she said. "He thinks he's better than everyone else. I think he's HIDING something."

Well, my Mom passed away in 2015, and was not exposed to the horrible allegations and subsequent conviction of Bill Cosby. She had been right all along...for over a half-century.

Mom was not familiar with the term "Virtue Signaling", but she knew it when she witnessed it. The loud pronouncements of opinions and actions that are designed to exact admiration from people are usually a cover-up for something deeper and darker. And...it often backfires, as the Amalikite and Bill Cosby will both attest.

There will always be Pharisees among us, who criticize ministries, murmur and complain about adherence to the rules, and nit-pick about every little thing. Meanwhile, they are quite comfortable in their own sense of righteousness. This type of behavior has been around forever, but it has a new term to describe it, called "Virtue Signaling".

As Today's Chapter shows, it was in the context of the Pharisees' Virtue Signaling that we now have three of the the most BELOVED Parables of Jesus: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Prodigal Son.

In Today's Story, the 99 are left to fend for themselves as the Shepherd searches for the Lost Sheep.

In Real Life, the Shepherd would have at least left the 99 in the care of a Border Collie, but, evidently these 99 seem to be so secure that the Shepherd isn't worried about them. Could it be that these 99 are so secure in their own delusion of righteousness that they think they don't NEED a Shepherd? Do the 99 rush to greet the Shepherd when he returns with the Lost Sheep? The Story indicates that they did NOT, as the Shepherd has to exhort the rest of the flock to rejoice.

As I have always promised you, I will label my speculations as such. These are just thoughts based upon the context of the parable. What do you think?

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[etabeta]

Joining in prayer. God bless.

(I agree with your thoughts)

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[redryder_90]

Amen

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, redryder_90, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[TianaHighrider]

Thank you.
And prayers up.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, TianaHighrider, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[NEWwoman]

Amen, left that other site

Good for your mom! The Spirit was speaking to her. I had feelings for coworkers that disturbed me to the bone, while everyone else sung there praises. Years later, their true character came out and I felt vindicated.

Those parables you mentioned—The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Prodigal Son—one take is the eternal security of the believer.

My 2 cents:

Christ starts with 100, He ends up with 100. Doesn’t lose a one of His. Starts with 10 coins, ends with 10. Not lost a one. And once a son, always a son, even the pig pen and the son will come back home.

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

[left that other site]

Goof Points!

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, NEWwoman, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[DarthVader]

Amen !!! <><

Psalm 3

A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.

1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me,
‘There is no help for you* in God.’
Selah

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
Selah

5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of tens of thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Rise up, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
may your blessing be on your people!
Selah

[Pajamajan]

Amen.🙏

[Jeanbl]

Amen, joining together in prayer.

[Jeanbl]

AMEN!

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, DarthVader, For Your Prayers and Wonderful Psalm For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Sorry. I meant GOOD Points! :-)

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Pajamajan, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Jeanbl, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[NEWwoman]

Blame auto-correct ;)