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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Lessons in Communicating With God: Lesson 2, part 2: ‘Faith’ according to the Bible (Luke 11:1-13)

Prayer is one of the ways we communicate with God and this communication is a two-way street. We check what we hear from God and what we say to God via what He’s already said to us through His recorded words in Scripture.

In the secular world, when we send emails to each other, the servers that route these messages around the world have error-checking methods to make sure that the pieces of information received make up the same message that was sent.

On other hand, we are to be persistent in humility, asking the Lord to give us good things and not treating Him like a safe with a stubborn lock to be picked.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Luke 7:1-27: Newfound trust in God vs. aging faith

Deep trust in the God of Israel by those new to that trust and separated from God by their former lives is the thread weaved through the accounts of the healing of the Capernaum centurion’s servant, the raising of the Nain widow’s only son, Yokhanan’s message of repentance and the woman who anointed Yeshua with her tears and expensive ointment.

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Discussions Torah Trumpets

Numbers 10-11: Two silver trumpets; curse of craving quail; distributing the Spirit from Moshe

In chapter 10, use of two silver trumpets is explained, such as calling together the people to celebrate the New Moon and other appointed times. In chapter 11, the people of Israel call out for more than meat and manna, and God curses the cravers with copious quail followed by a plague.

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Discussions Torah

Journey to the 10 — Exodus 15:1-17 — the Song of Moses and bitterness at Marah

Moses takes the time to sing God’s praises after they all went through the Red Sea in safety. They also faced their first test at Marah: Would Israel trust God completely or be bitter toward Him?

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Acts 15 — to circumcise new believers or not to circumcise, to hassle them on Torah or not to hassle

Acts 15 recounts a “watershed” moment among believers in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) — should believers among the nations be allowed into the assembly of Israel and how. These events didn’t happen in a vacuum. Events from Acts 1–14 — Peter’s encounter with Cornelius and Paul’s first tour of Asia Minor — led to this momentous ruling by the elders. The passage from Amos 9 of restoration of a tabernacle for all believers is important. The Yerushalayim council ruled that we mustn’t “trouble” new believers as they learn Torah.

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 15 — Abram’s strange vision of animals cut in half & God as an oven & torch

An important part of the everlasting, single-side, faith-based contract God made with Abram involved this strange and graphic “vision” of animals cut in pieces, scavengers, darkness and God appearing as a smoking oven and a torch. Many scholars explain this away as a common form of ancient deal-making.

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 12 — the first promise to Abram

In Genesis 12 we hear God’s great command to Abram “go forth from your country” to establish God’s ambassadorial nation, Israel. We also see the great man of faith, Abram, needed to mature in his faith, as we do.