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Matthew Chapter 6


green_dude777

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Matthew Chapter 6

Question for all the Tim Tebows, Billy Grahams, Al Sharptons, Pat Robertsons, Jessie Jacksons and the like.

What do you all say about this chapter that contains the 'Our Father' prayer? I especially like verse 24 in that chapter.

How do these people and those like them reconcile these with their own lives?

Making donations public? Trumpeting their faith? Public prayer? Having wealth? To reinforce the wealth complaint, Matthew 19:24 and Mark 10:25 make it as clear as a sunny day.

I'll actually be shocked if someone who calls themselves a Christian can honestly say they know what this chapter is about without looking it up. I often doubt I've ever even seen a true Christian.

JC calls them hypocrites in those very same verses. You should check out what JC thinks of hypocrites http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?q=hypocrites&bsec=N&order=

Since I, a plain man, can see better than I hear, I have to assume someone who is a savior can see better than myself.

Or is everything justified because "we are sinners, and the Lord gives us salvation through forgiveness"?

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I would imagine, they see what they are doing as their way of evangelising, and showing their faith.

The scripture you're hinting at isn't saying "don't let people know about your ****"

it's saying "make sure you're doing this **** for the right reasons."

I would also argue that the way you're judging these guys is also against his teachings

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I always kinda liked, "The meek will inherit the earth." Of course if the earth is to be destroyed at the end of time that isn't much of an inheritance.

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I would also argue that the way you're judging these guys is also against his teachings

I don't see why such hypocrisy should not be pointed out. I think perhaps Jesus went too far here though, and criticized thing people really need to do sometimes.
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The judging thing?

I've always took it to mean "you don't know what people are dealing with in their hearts, don't look down on them as people, but recognize if they are doing wrong and help if you feel lead to. Because you could be in the same place tomorrow."

.....I wind up defending christianity an awful lot for a skeptic....

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Most religious founders, except Mohamed and Paul, told their followers to avoid judging others. The Buddhist idea is to be aware (wise) of the personality traits and behavior of others but not to categorize them in the good/bad spectrum.

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Yeah, as much as Paul had his good stuff, some of his aspects never seemed to me to ring quite right w/ the teachings of Jesus...then again, this is going by things thousands of years old w/ translations that are little more than best glances.

*comment removed*

Edited by Paranoid Android
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Frank Merton,

Your right, this world will be destroyed. But goodthing there will be a new world made.

Revelation 21:1-2 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:10-11 "And he (an angel) carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountian, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."

Revelation 21:22-24a "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:..."

Revelation 21:25 "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there."

Revelation 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Edited by Ogbin
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Most religious founders, except Mohamed and Paul, told their followers to avoid judging others.

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumblng block or oobstaclein the way of a brother or sister.

~ Romans 14:13

You were saying?

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Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumblng block or oobstaclein the way of a brother or sister.

~ Romans 14:13

You were saying?

You can't see how judgmental Paul was in spite of his words???
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To the OP, you seem to have a very low opinion of Christians so I'm not sure any meaningful dialogue between us can ever be reached. It's hard to talk on en equal footing when you place us so far below you.

The text comprising Matthew 6 is the middle chapter of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). How you would think no Christian knows its content without first googling is, to be frank, highly arrogant of you. But that seems to be who you are. So in saying that, Matthew 6 constantly refers back to themes of the heart, doing things just to be seen doing then, our doing them because you're serving God. If you're acting high and mighty just so people can look at you and say, "wow, you are so good and faithful" then you're not doing it selflessly. His comments in chapter 6 are not blanket statements forbidding public prayer or having wealth or any such. Having money isn't wrong. Serving money (making it your master) is. Praying in church is not wrong, posting in church just to be seen praying, is - and I've listened to some who pay during church and I think that they may doing it just so their friends can say "great prayer, you're so faithful to God" (though I may be wrong, I can't see theirhearts, only God can truly know).

So on to the examples you provided. As a general rule I don't like tele-evangelists, and you've just listed some of my least favourite. I can speculate on their motives and faithfulness to God, and it probably won't flatter them, but again God knows their heart. I can't comment on Tim Tebow since I'm not American and all I know about him is that he writes Bible verses on his face before games. But again, why he does it is a matter of the heart, something God knows more about than I.

Your final paragraph is accurate to a point -yes, no one is perfect, and sometimes we screw up or do something with selfish motives. In my early days as a Christian, I remember during an open prayer session standing up and praying because I'd never done it before and wanted people to know that I was now strong enough in my conviction topray aloud. That attitude is no longer part of me as I grew and learned what God wanted was not my mouth but my heart. And so the strength of that statement is true only as long as the person is attempting to remove sin from their lives and live by faith - the person who prays just to be seen and has no desire to change because he has a good image to uphold, well the word "hypocrite" comes to mind (as indeed Jesus used that exact word in Matthew 6).

Anyway, I hope this answer is useful :tu:

~ Regards,

Edited by Paranoid Android
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You can't see how judgmental Paul was in spite of his words???

I see that he was against sin, and condemned it soundly. But he did not condemn people, but left that up to God. Just like Jesus condemned sin and left Judgement to God (the Father). I see no contradictions in the teachings of Jesus and Paul!
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I see that he was against sin, and condemned it soundly. But he did not condemn people, but left that up to God. Just like Jesus condemned sin and left Judgement to God (the Father). I see no contradictions in the teachings of Jesus and Paul!

Well, I guess you can't or won't see it.
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Well, I guess you can't or won't see it.

I could just as easily say that you can't or won't see the harmony between Jesus and Paul. Why must it be me who is deficient in understanding?
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I could just as easily say that you can't or won't see the harmony between Jesus and Paul. Why must it be me who is deficient in understanding?

Of course you can. Been there, done that, and saw through it. Its all rationalization and explaining away.
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Of course you can. Been there, done that, and saw through it. Its all rationalization and explaining away.

So did I. Remember I wasn't always Christian. So why is it I who rationalising and explaining away, and not the other way around? Edited by Paranoid Android
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So did I. Remember I wasn't always Christian. So why is it I who rationalising and explaining away, and not the other way around?

You've told us that many times.
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Oh I just love scripture...

Thank you op for pointing out the desire of christ to do and say whatever he did in those texts, im sure it was wonderful and great! Im glad you said not to look it up because I am being lazy now but I will argue with you none the less. 1. A christian does not need to have every scripture memorized by verse in order to be a christian. 2. Christians do recognize christs teachings and honor them, thats what make them christian. You say no christian follows christs teaching.. thats just not true.

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Oh I just love scripture...

Thank you op for pointing out the desire of christ to do and say whatever he did in those texts, im sure it was wonderful and great! Im glad you said not to look it up because I am being lazy now but I will argue with you none the less. 1. A christian does not need to have every scripture memorized by verse in order to be a christian. 2. Christians do recognize christs teachings and honor them, thats what make them christian. You say no christian follows christs teaching.. thats just not true.

Nobody is perfect, and that includes Christians. Chapter six is a collection of sayings put in Jesus' mouth that were common currency in the Greek world of the day, so they are all rather airy and impossible to expect people to follow.
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You've told us that many times.

My point was that "been there, done that" applies to both of us, so why is it me who is rationalising, and not you? The answer is simple - belief (or opinion, if you want to avoid the dreaded B-word). The difference is I'm not telling you every second post that you're blinded by indoctrination.
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