Irmela

If we use the preservation analogy we can say that as Christians we preserve society (the world) and hold back God's wrath against it. Examples we find for example Moses pleading for the Israelites, Abraham pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah, which would have been spared if 10 righteous people would have been found there etc. To be good seasoning means that our lives are to be exemplary, our conversation is to be wholesome, even if 'tangy' (certainly not insipid / compromising / luke-warm). Our lives are to affect others around us in such a way that they too seek God and become Christians.

If you are not aware of any lack, you do not recognize a need. Once you are aware of your spiritual poverty you will seek a means to fill that or to change the situation and are then ready to change your spiritual situation, i.e. hopefully becoming a Christian and not turning elsewhere to try and fill the emptiness. Mourning for your lost state. Mourning for (feeling sorry about) the sins you have committed or put plainly, for the lifestyle you are living in. Our mourning should not be without hope. We should indeed mourn for the sins we commit and be full of hope, knowing we can come to Christ for forgiveness. We should also mourn for the atrosities committed in the world at large (eg. the abortions) also for those who are lost and without hope of a Saviour. Our praying for their deliverance should be filled with hope for a positive answer and a change of lifestyle for them also.

The world's ideal is to strive for promotion, to strive for more, come what may. There is no satisfaction. The "more" is so often gotten by "standing" on others as it were. Pushing onward nevermind who is trodden on. Christ's ideal is being gentle (pleasantly cam, kind, patient) and long- suffering, not at all bombastic. He served. Humility is very important to Christlikeness, in that people are sooner drawn to calmness and kindness than bombastic reactions. Christ portrayed strength and power in His being humble.

Righteousness is defined by being morally good, religeous and praiseworthy. The world frowns upon this kind of lifestyle. It takes it to be an old-fashioned lifestyle. It is not the lifestyle of the Pharisees, for they looked down on humanity that was not part of them. Looking down on others is definately not part of being righteous. I guess humbleness is included in that lifestyle. The world sees this as being weak. The world wants strength and power. I think the righteousness that Jesus was talking about, included humility and looking out for your fellow- man, not being selfish. Being just We will be filled, we will be satisfied

Generally when one experiences persecution it is because one is doing or believing something right and whoever is administering the persecution is not wanting to acknowledge it. This is of course if you take the definition of persecution to be, being treated cruelly and unfairly because your beliefs are not being approved of. It is not necessarily finding pleasure in the pain but rather an enduring of the pain than a letting go of your beliefs. The blessing is appropriate because one is already experiencing "hell" here on earth and the "hell/persecution" is being experienced because one is clinging to believing in Christ.

Pure means not to be mixed with something. Not to be defiled or contaminated. As we are naturally not pure, this in itself, in our own strength would never be possible. We are tainted by sin. This makes it that as "chronic" sinners ( filled with ****, greed and other forms of unrighteousness) we cannot see God. Christ has made it possible by taking our sin upon Him on the cross. If we come to Him and confess our sin He promises to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then we can come before God and "feel, sense and know Him". So the clean and pure heart, we are then able to obtain by putting ourselves before Him, by taking on His righteousness and putting off our filthy rags

Each beatitude consists of two parts. What are these parts? *The recipients of God's blessing *What the recipients are being blessed with. Why do you think Jesus made each Beatitude a paradox? *In those times 'wisdom' sayings were often said in paradoxes or riddles. Jesus used this form to speak to the multitudes. I think it was possibly easier to understand the "picture being painted" and these pictures would also cause questions to be asked or make people search themselves to see where they stand in relation to what He was talking about. What is the relationship of the Beatitudes to the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23 *The recipients of God's blessing are the ones that will display the Fruit of the Spirit.