Making Preparations
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- Last Updated on Monday, 28 May 2012 07:25
- Published on Monday, 28 May 2012 00:00
- Written by Patrick Swayne
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If you were told that the Prime Minister of Australia was coming over to your house for dinner, what preparations might you make? Would you go out and buy the best meal you could afford and gather together all your family and friends to help you in cleaning and making preparations? There is no telling the lengths to which some individuals would go if they were given such an honour. How much greater of an honour then would it be if you had to prepare for the Prince of Peace, the Savior of all the earth? Jesus Christ’s coming was of an infinitely greater importance than the arrival of any earthly prime minister, president, prince, or potentate, and yet the preparation for His arrival was rather simple. It involved a simple man, taking a simple stand, preaching a simple plan.
Launch Out Into The Deep
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- Last Updated on Monday, 14 May 2012 07:36
- Published on Monday, 14 May 2012 00:00
- Written by Patrick Swayne
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Though I have not had the opportunity to go in some time, I do enjoy going fishing – but maybe not for the reasons that others enjoy it. Though there is a lot of excitement in reeling in a big fish, I think one of the main reasons that fishing is attractive to me is simply how relaxing it is. Out there in the middle of the water there are not many things can bother you – the distractions of man become a distant memory. Nothing is more tranquil than nature, and nothing is more beautiful than God’s creation. Even if an amateur fisherman does not catch a single fish after a day on the lake, he might still find it a wonderful and profitable day.
Q&A: Is Capital Punishment (The Death Sentence) Murder In God’s Eyes?
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- Last Updated on Monday, 30 April 2012 07:28
- Published on Monday, 07 May 2012 00:00
- Written by Patrick Swayne
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While this question is not as hotly debated in Australia (where the death penalty was abolished in 1973) as in the United States (where the death penalty is still in force in some states), the question can still arise in the minds of Christians: Does human government have the right to take the life of criminals? Such action by government seems contrary to longstanding Bible practice: “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). However, a closer examination of both Biblical context and New Testament implication seem to reveal a different story.
Read more: Q&A: Is Capital Punishment (The Death Sentence) Murder In God’s Eyes?
Lift Up Your Eyes... The Fields... Are White Already To Harvest
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- Last Updated on Monday, 14 May 2012 07:39
- Published on Monday, 14 May 2012 00:00
- Written by Patrick Swayne
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That statement, recorded for us in John 4:35, was made by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ nearly 2000 years ago. In the context surrounding this statement, Christ’s disciples are concerned that their Master has not eaten physical bread. Christ uses their concern to teach them an important lesson about man’s true needs. While the physical body indeed needs and is sustained by physical bread (food), the immortal soul which dwells in the body needs only one thing – to obey God. In that sense, man’s true bread is to do the work of God, and when it comes to doing that work, Christ’s point is abundantly clear – the fields are white and ready for harvest. His statement can best be paraphrased by a lyric from a hymn: “There is much to do, there’s work on every hand.”
Read more: Lift Up Your Eyes... The Fields... Are White Already To Harvest
Is Mary Full of Grace?
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- Last Updated on Monday, 07 May 2012 00:00
- Published on Monday, 07 May 2012 00:00
- Written by Patrick Swayne
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When the linguist Jerome set about to create a Latin version of the Bible in the late fourth century A.D., it was the case that the main body of individuals claiming to be Christians were already well on their way towards forming the Roman Catholic Church as we know it. When complete, Jerome’s translation would become the authoritative text for this newly developing church, and its language – Latin – the authoritative language for the church’s publications and worship services. Though Jerome’s work in many ways represents a monumental scholarly achievement, it is not without its mistakes. It is unfortunate that it was so widely adopted by the Catholics for one reason in particular – its translation of a simple phrase found in Luke 1:28.