What Does it Really Mean to Be a Radical Follower of Jesus?

In Faithlife today is being discussed what it rally means to be "a Radical Follower of Jesus".

Do you feel that your life is pleasing to God—almost? When you hear about pastors, missionaries, and popular speakers, do you feel just a bit second-class, as if your life appears lukewarm and not as radical as theirs?

You’re not alone. A vague sense of guilt is common in the church. We know God’s grace is the key to eternal life, but it’s so much more than that—it’s the key to a joy-filled walk with Him every moment. Josh Kelley shows why you don’t have to give away everything you own to be a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ.


What is Jesus worth to you? It’s easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily . . . but who do you know who lives like that? Do you?

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple—then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a “successful” suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment—a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

Start appreciating life’s small moments

Our obsession with bigger and faster is spinning us out of control. We move through the week breathless and bustling, just trying to keep up while longing to slow down. But real life happens in the small moments, the kind we find on Tuesday, the most ordinary day of the week. Tuesday carries moments we want to hold onto—as well as ones we’d rather leave behind. It hold secrets we can’t see in a hurry–secrets not just for our schedules but for our souls. It offers us a simple bench on which to sit, observe, and share our stories.

For those being pulled under by the strong current of expectation, comparison, and hurry, relief is found more in our small moments than in our fast movements. In Simply Tuesday, Emily P. Freeman helps readers

· stop dreading small beginnings and embrace today’s work
· find contentment in the now–even when the now is frustrating or discouraging
· replace competition with compassion
· learn to breathe in a breathless world

Jesus lived small moments well, slow moments fully, and all moments free. He lives with us still, on all our ordinary days, creating and redeeming the world both in us and through us, one small moment at a time. It’s time to take back Tuesday, to release our obsession with building a life, and believe in the life Christ is building in us—every day.

In the aftermath of the failed coup

Erdogan is continuing to clean up his country, making sure all those who could ever say something against him shall be taken out of the way.

It did not end by 8,800 policemen, 6,000 soldiers, 2,700 judges and prosecutors, dozens of governors, and more than 100 generals – or just under one-third of the general corps. More than 30,000 teacher shall not be there to give classes and educate the citizens about the human rights and to show them what went wrong in the last centuries so that they could avoid such historical missteps again.

Already before the coup several newspapers and blogs were silenced, but now also some 20 news websites critical of the government have also been blocked.

The Turkish government says it is carrying out a legitimate security operation to safeguard the country in the aftermath of a failed coup that came close to toppling the elected president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the early hours of Saturday morning.

For the Turkish government all those who have links to Fethullah Gülen, the US-based Islamic cleric are also responsible for the more than 300 dead at the weekend.

Large swaths of the population back the actions by the president, whom they idolise for boosting Turkey’s economy and representing the country’s lower classes. In Europe we can see daily thousands of enthusiast carrying the Turkish flag and shouting "Erdoğan". But not only in Turkey we see pro-Erdoğan rallies since the weekend. In Belgium several Erdoğan fans made life sour to other minded Turks or to those they think responsible, though they live here in Belgium.

Many Turks consider this present president the father of the re-risen nation, Turkey never having seen this kind of president or prime minister. For many Turks, even those living abroad Erdoğan’s perceived achievements since reaching power in 2003 lifted the country and made a better life for the Turks.

“No other president or prime minister achieved what he has done – in economic terms, in charitable terms, and in patriotic terms. There’s such a difference, a world of difference, in our lifestyle. Healthcare has especially improved. We have opportunities, and we have options.”

 is what we hear a lot.

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Additional reading

1. Bosphorus bloodshed
2. Belgian aftershock from the Turkish coup d’état
3. Editor of Flemish Gülen inspired newspaper threatened
4. State of emergency and respect for human rights

State of emergency and respect for human rights

In France the situation got so bad the president and his entourage thought it advisable to extend the state of emergency.

In the wake of the failed coup of Friday July 15 the Turkish president who took unseen unprecedented measures has also declared a state of emergency.

Turkey’s parliament has approved a three-month state of emergency, on Thursday by 346 votes to 115, which will allow the government to rule by decree, passing bills that have the force of law unless they are overturned by parliament, where the majority of MPs belong to the ruling Justice and Development party.a bill declaring a state of emergency in the wake of last weekend’s coup attempt and informed the Council of Europe of a partial withdrawal from the European convention on human rights.

At the same time we in Europe could be surprised that Erdogan could so quickly know who was behind the coup and had already on the day after so many people arrested we can question if this not was prepared in advance.

A member of the military is arrested in Turkey. EPA

The secretary general of the Council of Europe required Turkey to provide regular updates on the measures taken under the state of emergency, according to the terms of the treaty.
Turkey initially said it had informed the Council of Europe that it would suspend the convention entirely, a more wide-ranging measure likely to have drawn criticism from allies.

“Turkey will derogate the European convention on human rights insofar as it does not conflict with its international obligations,”

the deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmuş, was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency, in a corrected statement.

Kurtulmuş said Turkey would take the step “just like France has done” under article 15 of the convention, which allows signatory states to derogate certain rights, including freedom of movement, expression and association, during times of war or a major public emergency.

But we do have do question  if Turkey is really willing to respect the human rights, because what we could see already on television shows that they have no respect at all for those international laws of defence and human dignity.

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) may be vague about the conditions that constitute an emergency, so in some ways, it’s not clear whether what is happening in Turkey constitutes one.

It is not because Erdogan may be elected in a democratic way that he is keeping to democratic laws and is respecting human laws of freedom. even a democratic elected person can not be above the law. An independent and functioning judiciary is fundamental to this. Erdoğan’s purging of the judiciary in Turkey is deeply worrying, to say the least.


Read also:

France, Turkey and human rights: is a state of emergency the new normal?

'We see him as one of us': why many Turks still back authoritarian Erdoğan

Christadelphian Newsupdates from 2016 July onwards

From this month onwards some changes take place on this platform.

First: You might have noticed that some pages are added.

Second: since 2013/14 not so many news events were announced or messages published on what was until then Christgadelphian World. After the name change we still published about activities about certain Christadelphians and we had always an open door for Christadelphians wanting to notice others of their activities. This still stand.

From now onwards the news messages shall be presented on the Christadelphian Ecclesia site and I 'll present a short review of them her in a two weekly or monthly overview.

I do hope the readers coming along this platform shall click on the links and find the individual articles of interest to read more about it, on the Ecclesia site.

For the month of July we notice that some of us shall be pleased to have brethren and sisters form England joining us to distribute leaflets and to have some nice Biblestudies and breaking of the bread services together in a nice Dutch environment.

The additional preaching we can do when we meet people on the street is a necessary asset in these days. Also the preaching by the leaflets, magazines and dvd's is an important task we do have to take on. For that preaching work on the publication market and on the internet we always can use some extra people, as well in the centres where we do present a Bible exhibition and more information on our faith.

From Guestwriters and Stepping toes can use some extra writers and for the Sunday School magazine of the Christadelphian Sunday School Union (CSSU), The Word an editor would be welcome.

We do not often ask for contributions or money, but to be honest, this is something of the world's evil things we often need and have a shortage of. This time we dare to bring the financial situations of a family and of the organisation who tries to provide answers to those who have many questions, and created the dvd Life's Big Questions.


Our first overview for 2016 brings following notices in the picture:

1. Notification and news feed for Facebook users
2. Life’s Big Questions, distribution and Google Adwords
3. Launch of the new orange Worship Book
4. The Bible Learning Centre in Swansea needs help
5. CSSU – New Editor needed for The Word magazine
6. Nanaimo Ecclesia, Canada
7. July 29-August 5 Netherlands Fellowship / Campaign Week
8. August 1-6 Harper Adams Bible School
9. New Start Study Week
10. The Big Conversation UK 2016
11. Help requested for Tristen Simmons who has endocarditis

Newly added pages to Our World

On July the 24th of 2016 six pages where added to "Our World".

From this month onwards a new policy is taken. I still shall concentrate on what happens in the religious regions of this world. I also shall keep looking at what happens from my Christadelphian point of view or my faith.
Though now I shall give some more space to general news as well and I started to restore the links which originally were created in the previous Multiply platforms but do not work any more.

The restoration of the links and re-edited articles shall be announced on some Facebook Pages. Because from now on I provide also Facebook users to receive notifications. When they shall "Like" the Facebook Page of the Biblestudents Community and indicate they want notifications, they shall receive automatically a message of a new or restored article on this but also on some other sites and news from fellow Bible students.

Therefore I do hope those readers who do not receive any information of a new publication will either join my e-mail list or follow me with Google+ or follow the publications by the Facebook Page of the Biblestudents.

The added pages in English

1. Aims
2. My faith and hope 
3. Stay informed

In Dutch

1. Betrachting
2. Mijn geloof en hoop
3. Blijf geïnformeerd

Wordt verlicht met betrekking tot de betekenis van de tijd waarin we nu leven

English version: Being enlightened concerning the significance of the times in which we are now living

 

In deze wereld van beproeving kijken wij best uit naar diegene die de Weg naar Vrede heeft afgetekend.
Ook al wil een groot deel van de bevolking in het duister blijven vertoeven is het mogelijk om het Licht in de wereld  te zien. Daarom wordt verlicht met betrekking tot de betekenis van de tijd waarin we nu leven.

Christenen, boven alle anderen, moeten worden verlicht met betrekking tot de betekenis van de tijd waarin we nu leven. Dit zijn de antitypische dagen van Noach en Lot.
De Heer Jezus Christus waarschuwde dat het kwaad en de boosheid, die die tijden kenmerkte de samenleving zou onderscheiden in het uur van zijn wederkomst.

Zonde cultiveert negatieve energie

Ik heb uw woord gekoesterd in mijn hart, zodat ik niet tegen U kan zondigen. Psalm 119: 11.

Het probleem met de zonde is dat het negatieve energie cultiveert. Van uit de hersenen (de geest) waar het begint of waar de oorsprong is, kruipt het naar beneden in je hart. Dan ben je in de problemen. Dat is waarom het geen zonde is om te denken aan iets verkeerd of een slechte gedachte te hebben, als je het ze maar weet te ontslaan. Wanneer je er niet naar handelt. Daarom is het geen zonde. Maar als je stil staat bij de verkeerde gedachte, zal zij verder kruipen naar beneden diep in je hart en zal het een deel van je worden. Dus, boven alles, beschermen uw hart.

 > English version / Engelse versie: Sin cultivates negative energy

Living with some type of physical disability in the U.S.A.

About 1-in-5 people in the USA live with some type of physical disability; 10 million people a year experience a serious mental illness; and 1-in-6 Americans struggle with chronic health conditions, leading to roughly 65 million Americans providing care for someone with a disability or chronic illness.

[See Bible Gateway Blog post: Tyndale to Release Beyond Suffering Bible]

Suffering always prompts heart-wrenching questions: if God is good, why would He allow this pain in my life? Is God truly sovereign over accidents and birth anomalies, or does the devil set the world’s agenda? How do I counsel people who are despairing of their condition? What are the right choices when it comes to assisted-suicide and other tough ethical issues? For that matter, where does a person struggling with a life-altering accident or illness find peace of mind and a purpose for living? 

says singer, artist, radio host, and bestselling author Joni Eareckson Tada, one of the the experts at Joni and Friends Christian Institute on Disability which publishes the first Bible with study notes that address the topics of disability and suffering. The new Beyond Suffering Bible (website) will release from Joni and Friends and Tyndale House Publishers this October. It’s a combination of both a study Bible and a devotional Bible, with knowledge and insight gleaned from the Scriptures, as well as encouraging words from a wide array of top Christian experts who are often the “go-to” resources when people are looking for direction or next steps when ministering to individuals with disabilities, pain, addiction, and suffering.

Not enough people who suffer realize that the Bible contains answers for their plight. Lots of people who might know that the answers may be there in that Book of books just don’t know where to look.

This was my story shortly after the 1967 diving accident in which I became paralyzed—even in my despair,

says Joni Eareckson Tada who continues

I knew in a vague way that the Bible held hope for me in its pages. I just didn’t know where to begin. Thankfully, God brought wise Christian friends alongside to help me discover life-transforming precepts in his Word. The Beyond Suffering Bible can be that “wise Christian friend,” helping those affected by disability grasp the goodness of God amidst critical questions about pain and hardship.

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The Beyond Suffering Bible: An Interview with Joni Eareckson Tada

Nieuwe Facebook pagina's ter beschikking tot meditatie

Voor hen die geïnteresseerd zijn in geloof, religie, uitoefening van geloof en opbouw van kerkgemeenschap zijn er nu twee nieuwe Facebook pagina's die de mogelijkheid geven om via Facebook op de hoogte te blijven van gepubliceerde artikelen.

Voorheen waren er al Biblestudents (community) en Christadelphia voor de wereldwijde gemeenschappen van respectievelijk de Bijbelstudenten of Biblestudents en de Broeders in Christus of Christadelphians.

De Belgische Bijbelstudenten voorzien, zo lang als zij het nog kunnen doen, hun eigen Facebook profiel (Bijbelstudenten - Biblestudents) naast hun WordPress blog.

De Belgische Christadelphians, mits zij geen individu zijn, zagen hun Facebook profiel geschorst. Daarom werd nu apart een Facebook Pagina opgericht waar mensen die graag Facebook gebruiken de pagina leuk kunnen vinden en kunnen aangeven om op de hoogte gebracht te worden van nieuwe publicaties. Graag nodigen wij onze lezers uit om de Christadelphians Facebook Page leuk te vinden en zich op te geven om meldingen te ontvangen.

Naast deze pagina voorzien de Christadelphian Bijbelonderzoekers of Biblestudents ook een nieuw Facebook Pagina waarvoor u eveneens wordt op uitgenodigd om zich aan te sluiten.

Mogen wij u op deze pagina's aantreffen? Langs die pagina's kan u ook steeds in contact treden met iemand om op uw vragen een antwoord te geven. Maak er gebruik van.

For Getting to know Jesus

The three new websites are there on the net to bring people closer to the promised one who brings salvation for those who want to accept him and believe that he is the send one from God, the Kristos or Christ, the Messiah long awaited.

Because today there are still lots of people who do not want to accept what Jesus really says and really has done. They keep saying it was impossible for a man to do such thing as Jesus did. By saying so they nullify the act of Jesus and create a position where God could be thought of as a cruel God Who created human beings and imposed on them a Law which He knew they would never be able to keep.

We may not forget what happened in the Garden of Eden and how God provided a plan offering mankind a Redeemer.

On the newly created site "The human Jesus" Xavier Carlos Jimenez writes

 The first we are aware of this is at Genesis 3:15, where we see the seed of the woman, that is a descendant of Eve, is the future Messiah. Jesus Christ is prophesied throughout the OT, but does not come into existence until the NT where his birth was foretold by the angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:26-38).

In the knowledge that God is an eternal Spirit, having no beginning (no birth) and no end (cannot die) much more Christians should wonder who they praise and Who they should worship. We also know from the Biblical account that the Nazarene man Jeshua was going to be called a god, a special some one. though never was it the intention to have him being called the god son.

In Luke 1:32-33 Gabriel says,

“He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever, and his Kingdom will never end” (cp. 1Chron 17:10-14).

Through a biological miracle God procreated Jesus in the womb of Mary, who was a virgin. “For this reason alone”, and no other, Jesus became the Son of God, descendant of King David of the tribe of Judah through Mary (Luke 1.35).

We should remember that it was only some two millennia ago that Jesus became an existing being on this earth. Before that he may have been written down in the books of life and death, but he did not exit yet as a real person. Already before Abraham was born he was in God's head, like Abraham, Isaac but also we are already in God's head and in those books. It was only after the prophet Mica and earlier prophets of the Hebrew writings that the send one from God became a reality in the flesh.

At the time of Joseph and Mary.

This was the moment when Jesus was begotten, that is, brought into existence. There is no pre-existence of Jesus Christ, and it is when we become aware of this fact through our prayerful study of Holy Scripture that we really get to know him as the human being that he was and remains.

Too many who call themselves Christian never read the whole Scripture (Old and New Testament) and often they only read some passages with their doctrinal glasses on.

Let yourself not being carried away by human doctrines but listen to the proper words of the Holy Scriptures. Read what is really written there. when there is written "son of God" do not read "god the son" or do not think "God" but think "Jesus" or just what is written their "son of God".

Knowing the truth about who is Jesus, we begin to see him in a whole new light. The scriptures open up to us more fully and we see how the prophesies in the OT are brought clearly into focus in the NT through the Good News of the Kingdom of God. We see our future as heirs ruling with Jesus in the Kingdom on earth, and we are humbled to think of such a privilege to be with our King. It is when we understand the true nature of Jesus Christ, that he is a man, and not a pre-existent God or part of a trinity, that we can really get to know him as our brother.

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human” (1 Tim 2:5).

- See more at: http://thehumanjesus.org/2016/06/01/getting-to-know-jesus/#sthash.mWP8u96P.dpuf

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Preceding articles:

• New website and forum: the Human Jesus
• Focussing on the man Jesus and the relationship with God