MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

Good morning - I have placed our study in this forum, and I will be posting it tonight before I go to bed. In the meantime I am posting information about myself for people to better understand where I am coming from, and who I am. Look forward to having you. Hope this is a beautiful Sunday for you: it is here. God bless.

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

I think it necessary before we start to tell you a bit about my background, because I have studied with ‘many, many, many’ different denominations. I was raised a Catholic and was in a Catholic orphanage for a year. At age 23, I discovered while teaching catechism classes to 5th graders that when they asked me various questions, I was saying (far too frequently), “Well, the Bible says this, but the Church says this.” (That is thanks to my grandfather, as I lived with my grandparents a great portion of my growing up years.)
My answers to these kids were diametrically opposed! I threw up my hands at the end of the year and quit religion altogether.
From 23 to age 30, I studied with several other religions because I wanted God in my life! It included studying with Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, Pentecostals, Baptists, Lutheran, 7th Day Adventists – I ran the whole gambit. And I was totally convinced that nobody had it right!
Well, many years later, a girl across the street whom I was good friends with was constantly asking me to go to church with her. I was seriously ready to stop being polite and just tell her off once and for all, but on one particular day I had an argument over the phone with my husband. I hung up the phone furious with him, and it no sooner disconnected the call then my phone rang again. I angrily answered it, and it was my neighbor friend across the street – and what does she do? She asks me if I would like to join her that evening at church!!!! Oh, I was so ready to really unload on her…but something tapped me on the shoulder and whispered: “Go! And prove her wrong!”
Nothing had ever felt better in my life! I shook my head yes, and literally purred into the receiver, “I would ‘love’ to!” She was flabbergasted because she fully expected my “no” response.
I went! And to my surprise, nobody said, “I think….” “I feel….” Or “I believe….” EVERYTHING was, “The Bible says….” “And the Bible says here….” “And that’s why the Bible says here…” “And the Bible also tells us here….” But I still wasn’t convinced. I had to go back to make sure this wasn’t just a fluke. Well, it was not a fluke, and I seriously began studying, and I became a Christian in the spring of 1975, and have diligently studied God’s word ever since. I don’t have a “religion” I adhere to. I am merely a Christian, and I adhere to the Bible. When people ask me what religion am I, I simply say, “I’m a Christian.” And that is where I am coming from in this forum. If I can’t find it in the Bible, and if it does not correlate with all the other scriptures on that subject, I will not present it! God’s word is God’s word. It needs no tampering, no misaligning, and certainly no ‘interpretation’. We are all grown adults with good heads on our shoulders, able to understand and recognize t***h from fiction. Whether we want to believe that t***h or not is between each of us and our Maker. I am here to present God’s word, and nothing else. This study will bring up subjects a lot of people may have problems with, but this is not a study lesson for disagreement. It is for our edification, and I pray everyone will take it as such.
So I sincerely hope as we begin to delve into Ephesians you will stay with me, search the scriptures daily as the Berean’s did: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 This study is very in depth and very specific on many subjects. Some of them then, as now, were very controversial, and will be here also. I present what the Bible says and simply let the Scripture speak for itself. I am not here to change anybody's mind about anything. The scripture convicts the heart, and if one is looking for t***h, they will find it.
I am most sincerely yours, in Christ.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

"Idle hands are the Devil's workshop." You should keep busy. :mrgreen:

I may be one of the 'plotters'. 8-)

eagleye13 Loc: Fl

It is no surprise to me that you had to leave organized religion, to get closer to the Bible. If you are not fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek; I hope you have good sources (scholars, with the right heart) that are. Without that, a concordance is required to get to the original meanings.
May God/Yahweh bless you for your diligence. May you lead others to Biblical t***h.

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

Thank you, eagleye. If one is seeking the t***h, they will find it. Most of it takes common sense and an open mind, and a sincere love of the t***h. When you see it and/or hear it, you know instinctively that it is true. I do believe God has placed that within us so that no man can say he didn't know. He speaks a lot about the heart in scripture. The one that comes to mind is, Jeramiah 31:33, and Heb. 8:10 and 10:16. His t***h is written there; we either accept it or we reject it, but we have to be looking for it!

Rufus Loc: Deep South

Amen. I completely agree. I was a Baptist Preacher's kid, but I do not belong to any man made denomination. I am simply a Christian. I attend a non denominational Christian church. We are people from many different backgrounds and denominations. I love the Bible. I study God's Word daily. He is my authority. I believe what He says. Period. Thank you so much for sharing this about yourself. I look forward to studying Ephesians. :thumbup:

AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

Well, now we totally understand you, ie. "Preacher's kid"! :lol: ;-) :x

Rufus Loc: Deep South

Yes its true Auntie. All PK's are required to raise hell. :evil:

AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

There are occasions you far exceed the requirements. :lol: :mrgreen: :roll:

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

Thank you - I will be very happy to have you. I am sure you will have a lot more to add and it will be appreciated. Questions are also welcome because that makes us dig farther. I am very much looking forward to this. Yours In Christ!

Rufus Loc: Deep South

:roll: I'm working on it. We cannot all be spiritual giants like Slatten.

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

My intention is for this to be input for discussion, and questions are welcomed. God'w word is simply that - His word and not ours. That is one of the reasons I will be bring in other scriptures that build upon what is being said. In fact, I think my next lesson has reference to All scripture being profitable.... It is intended to reach inside each of us to bring us to a fuller knowledge of the t***h, which strengthens us.

The book of Ephesians: Chapter 1 vs 1-10

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[ Spiritual Blessings in Christ ]

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d]made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.


So much is in the very short introductory. So much to build up the Ephesians, as well as us today. First his introductory is praising the Ephesians for their faithfulness. Telling them that they have been blessed “in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ.” Because we are still physical creatures, what does it mean to be blessed with every spiritual blessing? Can you name some spiritual blessings?

From a personal standpoint, it says to me I am special in his sight. He has given me hope, understanding, patience, forbearance, a greater capacity to love, and much, much more. As Christians we have taken on the form of Christ because Christ resides within us. Rom 1:16 Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith".”

Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So faith has substance in what is hoped for, and it is evidence of things not seen. What are some physical things that we have faith in that we cannot see, but we know are there? The first thing that comes to my mind is air. Oxygen, hydrogen, helium, etc. How about sight? I can see, but I cannot see ‘sight’ itself. Hearing is something we cannot see, but we know if it is there or not. So faith, although we cannot see it or grasp it, and hold it, we inherently know it is there: it is in us as Christians, and it gives us the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of what we do not see. So from a physical, material standpoint we understand faith. How do we understand this from a spiritual aspect? Could it be by obedience to his word? How does this apply to each of us on an individual basis?

He goes on to tell us that we have been ‘chosen’ from BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD! (vs. 4) In Jer. 1:5 God said to Jeremiah “"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." This is an entire discussion in itself. But consider, knowing what this world would become, what mankind would do, it was still God’s "good pleasure" to give us all life. And that love is extended to all mankind. Can you just imagine what that means for you and me?

Matt. 10:30 tells us: “even the hairs of your head have all been counted.” Every human being that has ever been born has been so blessed by God! And yet we see such tragedy in our world; such rejection of God or anything to do with his word. In fact, we see the opposite. We see so called religions doing the most preposterous things in complete contradiction to the will and peace given to us by God. Note that he chose us, and that means everyone in the world vs. 4 “to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

For some that may seem like a burden. After all we do have the sinful nature constantly warring with our spiritual nature. Even Paul found himself constantly pulled in opposite directions. He says, Rom 7:19 “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” We cannot and should not bring ourselves down over the struggles we face and fall short on. We are “chosen” and therefore we can and should forgive ourselves as Christ has and does on a continuous basis because our life is "hidden in him." Christ is “our hope,” as He is “our life,” we are In him, Acts 17:28 says, “for in Him we live and move and have our being,”. Notice that he says that in vs. 4. above also. At the same time, this does not give us license to sin. Col. 3:9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.

From there he makes a t***sition to focus more specifically upon the individual. Vs 9 says “he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure.” But our being set apart does not come without responsibility.

What scriptures stand out to you, and what encouragement do these give you, and would you like to share those here? In God's great and glorious love let us praise his name always.

Please feel free to share your thoughts. I will have the next section up on Thursday, which will give us time to reflect on what we have learned here and expand on it as we delve further into the study. It will also allow time for feedback and discussion one with another. God bless all us in our endeavor, and I remain yours in Christ.

eagleye13 Loc: Fl

The New World Order- Secret Societies and Biblical Prophecy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL6v8nzFiUk&feature=player_detailpage


[quote=MsAtta2d]My intention is for this to be input for discussion, and questions are welcomed. God'w word is simply that - His word and not ours. That is one of the reasons I will be bring in other scriptures that build upon what is being said. In fact, I think my next lesson has reference to All scripture being profitable.... It is intended to reach inside each of us to bring us to a fuller knowledge of the t***h, which strengthens us.

The book of Ephesians: Chapter 1 vs 1-10

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[ Spiritual Blessings in Christ ]

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d]made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.


So much is in the very short introductory. So much to build up the Ephesians, as well as us today. First his introductory is praising the Ephesians for their faithfulness. Telling them that they have been blessed “in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ.” Because we are still physical creatures, what does it mean to be blessed with every spiritual blessing? Can you name some spiritual blessings?

From a personal standpoint, it says to me I am special in his sight. He has given me hope, understanding, patience, forbearance, a greater capacity to love, and much, much more. As Christians we have taken on the form of Christ because Christ resides within us. Rom 1:16 Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith".”

Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So faith has substance in what is hoped for, and it is evidence of things not seen. What are some physical things that we have faith in that we cannot see, but we know are there? The first thing that comes to my mind is air. Oxygen, hydrogen, helium, etc. How about sight? I can see, but I cannot see ‘sight’ itself. Hearing is something we cannot see, but we know if it is there or not. So faith, although we cannot see it or grasp it, and hold it, we inherently know it is there: it is in us as Christians, and it gives us the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of what we do not see. So from a physical, material standpoint we understand faith. How do we understand this from a spiritual aspect? Could it be by obedience to his word? How does this apply to each of us on an individual basis?

He goes on to tell us that we have been ‘chosen’ from BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD! (vs. 4) In Jer. 1:5 God said to Jeremiah “"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." This is an entire discussion in itself. But consider, knowing what this world would become, what mankind would do, it was still God’s "good pleasure" to give us all life. And that love is extended to all mankind. Can you just imagine what that means for you and me?

Matt. 10:30 tells us: “even the hairs of your head have all been counted.” Every human being that has ever been born has been so blessed by God! And yet we see such tragedy in our world; such rejection of God or anything to do with his word. In fact, we see the opposite. We see so called religions doing the most preposterous things in complete contradiction to the will and peace given to us by God. Note that he chose us, and that means everyone in the world vs. 4 “to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

For some that may seem like a burden. After all we do have the sinful nature constantly warring with our spiritual nature. Even Paul found himself constantly pulled in opposite directions. He says, Rom 7:19 “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” We cannot and should not bring ourselves down over the struggles we face and fall short on. We are “chosen” and therefore we can and should forgive ourselves as Christ has and does on a continuous basis because our life is "hidden in him." Christ is “our hope,” as He is “our life,” we are In him, Acts 17:28 says, “for in Him we live and move and have our being,”. Notice that he says that in vs. 4. above also. At the same time, this does not give us license to sin. Col. 3:9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.

From there he makes a t***sition to focus more specifically upon the individual. Vs 9 says “he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure.” But our being set apart does not come without responsibility.

What scriptures stand out to you, and what encouragement do these give you, and would you like to share those here? In God's great and glorious love let us praise his name always.

Please feel free to share your thoughts. I will have the next section up on Thursday, which will give us time to reflect on what we have learned here and expand on it as we delve further into the study. It will also allow time for feedback and discussion one with another. God bless all us in our endeavor, and I remain yours in Christ.[/quote]

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

This is not about biblical prophecy. Nor is it about any other schemes, etc. I am well aware of the NWO, but this study has nothing to do with any of that. We stand apart as Christians, and this book is written by Paul to the Ephesians of his day for their edification and building up of the Church there. Ephesus had a lot of problems, even to the point of being told in Revelation that they had left their first love.
If we take what he told them and make it influential in our lives today, it will keep us on the right path - and that is the lesson throughout the letters to the churches. What is good and righteous in God's site: what is sinful and creates problems, splits, etc. and it brings reinforcement to us to stand firm on HIS word, and His word alone.
So what this is, is a distraction from what we are studying here. Thank you, but it is not something that edifies and builds us up as Christians. On top of that, the NWO has nothing in it to uphold God's teachings.

eagleye13 Loc: Fl

God does not expect His sheep to remain ignorant of the powers coming against His people. This ignorance has allowed His people to be ruled by His enemies. Usurers and usury being the chief enemy. Remember what Jesus did to the money changers in the temple.