A model of Christian Charity

[Avatar4321]

http://www.historyteacher.net/AHAP/Readings/DOC-Winthrop-ModelOfChristianCharity.pdf

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, it is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of other's necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience, and liberality. We must delight in each other; make other's condition our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as his own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways. So that we shall see much more of his wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when he shall make us a praise and a glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ‘The Lord make it likely that of New England.' For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. Soe that if we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God's sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.

I shall shut this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel (Deut. 30). Beloved, there is now set before us life and good, Death and evil, in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Ordinance and his Lawes, and the articles of our Covenant with him, that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it. But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship and serve other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it; Therefore let us choose life that we, and our seed may live, by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity."

I was reading this, there is more at the link. This is what we need to do. "For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill." We must do as Micah counseled: Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. If we do this, there will be no power that can stop us. If we do this, we will find happiness and truth.

This is what it means to be a Christian, IMHO. And what it can mean to be American if we choose to let it.

 

[onecut39]

http://www.historyteacher.net/AHAP/Readings/DOC-Winthrop-ModelOfChristianCharity.pdf

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, it is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of other's necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience, and liberality. We must delight in each other; make other's condition our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as his own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways. So that we shall see much more of his wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when he shall make us a praise and a glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ‘The Lord make it likely that of New England.' For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. Soe that if we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God's sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.

I shall shut this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel (Deut. 30). Beloved, there is now set before us life and good, Death and evil, in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Ordinance and his Lawes, and the articles of our Covenant with him, that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it. But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship and serve other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it; Therefore let us choose life that we, and our seed may live, by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity."

I was reading this, there is more at the link. This is what we need to do. "For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill." We must do as Micah counseled: Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. If we do this, there will be no power that can stop us. If we do this, we will find happiness and truth.

This is what it means to be a Christian, IMHO. And what it can mean to be American if we choose to let it.

If you had read a bit more carefully you would have realied this was a declaration of socialism.

That hardly squares with your tagline.

 

[Avatar4321]

If you had read a bit more carefully you would have realied this was a declaration of socialism.

That hardly squares with your tagline.

No. It's a declaration to live the Gospel. Something that is the exact opposite of socialism.

 

[Mr. H.]

The other day I paid for a full tank of gas for a total stranger.

I never understood why the Bible and all those other Godly books take 20 pages to say what can be surmised in a simple action. Can't we just boil down the bullshit and be nice to each other?

 

[Avatar4321]

The other day I paid for a full tank of gas for a total stranger.

I never understood why the Bible and all those other Godly books take 20 pages to say what can be surmised in a simple action. Can't we just boil down the bullshit and be nice to each other?

The Bible isn't just about teaching us good lessons. It's showing people how to do good. It shows how God has communicated with people in the past. It shows how we can communicate with God now and Enter into His presence.

 

[Mr. H.]

"...abridge ourselves of our superfluities".

What the fuck is that all about? Can't anyone translate this shit?

As in "don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you"?

Yeah I say unto thee, lest ye transgress my domicile I shall pop yon cap in yo ass.

Give me a fuckin break.

 

[Mr. H.]

God showed self to me through the Mary mother. It was a miracle and an irrefutable one at that.

It didn't involve pages and paragraphs of convoluted text. It was an instance of timeless horror.
Yet the beauty of it was indescribable. A flash, a commitment, and then a resolution.

I gave myself for dead.

And it had nothing to do with convoluted text.

 

[Barb]

The other day I paid for a full tank of gas for a total stranger.

I never understood why the Bible and all those other Godly books take 20 pages to say what can be surmised in a simple action. Can't we just boil down the bullshit and be nice to each other?

The Bible isn't just about teaching us good lessons. It's showing people how to do good. It shows how God has communicated with people in the past. It shows how we can communicate with God now and Enter into His presence.

And then there's these types from the same fan club, and what they take from the "word."

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCVSJYInNTo&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCVSJYInNTo&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

“And if your ass get to going out there like you said, guess what?” a second protester adds. “You get raped. And that’s what’s going to happen to you. … Keep your pussy clean, that’s all you need to do. Do you understand?”

After one man claims, “the Lord said that,” the woman challenges him to find the corresponding Bible verse.

He responds with Isaiah 13: “Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.”

“What does ‘ravished’ mean? It means, we going to rape your ass,” the protester explains. “And I’m going to have fun doing that shit. And you going to like that. I promise you.”

After briefly arguing that he is misinterpreting the Bible, the woman observes, “Anything I say, you say it doesn’t matter.”

“It’s going to matter right now,” the man shoots back. “It’s going to matter when your clothes off and I’m going inside of you repeatedly. That’s when it’s going to matter. Because you going to enjoy yourself.”

The woman in the video told WWMT that the men also recited her boyfriend’s license plate number and promised to find and kill him. She said she called 911, but the Grand Rapids Police Department officer told her that there was nothing he could do.

 

[Mr. H.]

Booze makes me loopy.
Hangovers... no fun LOL.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Churches becoming 503c Non Profit Status effectively puts muzzles on them so they can't speak ill of the gubmint.

In reality it was the Churches that railed against the King in Revolutionary times, they should get back to doing that.

 

[whitehall]

Oh man, Is the tax exempt Media Matters going to cherry pick 2,000 year old Bible quotations now? It must be nice to run as a member of the party of no family or moral values. Being a democrat means never having to say you are sorry.

 

[Katzndogz]

The Bible teaches charity as an individual concern to be exercised voluntarily. Socialism teaches that it is a function of government and achieved through force.