Salome Ross

THIS IS A WONDERFUL QUESTION AND READING THE REPLIES OF OTHERS, I SEE THINGS I TOO FEEL. MY HEART FEELS FULL WITH LOVE WHEN I THINK OF WHAT I CAN REPLY. I GREW UP IN A CHURCH THAT PREACHED HELLFIRE AND BRIMSTONE - NOT LOVE. OH I DID HEAR THAT JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS, BUT THERE WAS NEVER REALLY ANY LOVE WITH THAT. IT WAS: "IF YOU DONT DO THIS AND YOU DO THIS YOU WILL GO TO hell!" AS A CHILD I ALSO ALWAYS SANG JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW AND I ALSO WANTED TO BE A LITTLE STAR AND PEARL FOR HIM. AS I GREW UP NOTHING MADE ANY SENSE TO ME IN THIS CHURCH AND WANTED TO FIND A GOD THAT IS LOVE. I STARTED SEARCHING AND A FRIEND FOUND THE LORD THROUGH LOSING TWO LITTLE GIRLS AND THROUGH THE DEATH OF THESE TWO LITTLE ONES SO MANY FOUND THE LOVE OF JESUS/YESHUA. I NEVER REALIZED HOW MUCH THE LORD LOVED ME AND IF I WAS THE ONLY ONE ON THIS WORLD HE WOULD HAVE DIED FOR ME. I CAN TRULY SAY I WAS LOST AND NOW I AM FOUND AND WASHED CLEAN BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. I HAVE CHANGED A LOT AND THE LORD IS STILL CHANGING ME. THE ONE THING THAT SEEMS TO BE VERY DIFFICULT IS NOT TO SAY "WHY DO THEY DO THAT?" I WANT TO SAY AND REALLY MEAN IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART "THERE BUT BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD GO I." SO THAT IS A LESSON I AM DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW. HOPEFULLY I WILL LEARN IT QUICKLY AND NOT FORGET IT SO THAT I WONT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS LESSON AGAIN AT A LATER STAGE. THANK YOU FATHER FOR LOVING ME AND SENDING YOUR SON TO DIE FOR MY SINS! NO OTHER WAY COULD I EVER HAVE MADE IT! I LOVE YOU LORD AND PLEASE PUT THE LOVE IN ME THAT I NEED TO LOVE OTHERS AS YOU LOVE ME!

EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SAID AND MY HEART AND CUP IS JUST FLOWING OVER, READING ALL THESE UNBELIEVABLE ANSWERS. ALL I CAN ADD IS THANKS TO THE APOSTLE, ALSO THOSE THAT BROUGHT THE WORD OF GOD TO US AND THE LEADERS OF OUR CHURCHES THAT BRING US THE TRUE WORD OF GOD AND MOST OF ALL - THANK YOU LORD JESUS MY PRECIOUS SAVIOR THAT I MAY DRINK THE CUP OF LOVE OF YOUR COVENANT!

THERE ARE SOME BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME ANSWERS ABOVE. HOWEVER TO PUT IT SIMPLY I THINK THE OLD COVENANT MEANT WE SHOULD LIVE ACCORDING TO THE 10 COMMANDMENTS. IF WE SINNED WE HAD TO MAKE A SACRIFICE TO SHED BLOOD. WHICH MEANS SIN COSTS A LOT AND WE CAN NOT CLEANSE OURSELVES. IT TOOK BLOOD, OVER AND OVER TO GET FORGIVENESS FOR SINS IN THOSE DAYS. ALSO THEY WERE NOT SURE EVEN IF THEY DID THAT, THAT WE WOULD HAVE A PLACE IN HEAVEN. WITH THE NEW COVENANT ALL OF US WHO ACCEPTS JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR AND ASKS HIM TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND CLEANSE US, WILL BE IN HEAVEN WITH HIM ONE DAY. HE WAS THE SIN OFFERING FOR US, THEREFORE WE NO LONGER NEED TO SHED BLOOD. HIS BLOOD WAS SHED FOR OUR SIN! NOTHING MORE IS NEEDED. GOD PROMISED THAT WE WILL BE HIS CHILD AND WE NOW CAN CALL HIM FATHER IF WE LOVE AND ACCEPT HIS SON AND WE WILL BE WITH HIM ONE DAY. NOT BECAUSE OF THE SIN OFFERINGS WE MADE BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT HIS SON DID FOR US. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS AND OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES. THAT IS THE DIFFICULT PART, BECAUSE MOST OF US DO NOT REALLY LOVE OURSELVES, SO IT IS DIFFICULT TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS THE WAY WE SHOULD. IF WE COULD DO THAT IT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL WORLD TO LIVE IN.

I agree with the answers already given and would like to add: I never knew that Moses and those people ate with God! How awesome! How wonderful that Adam and Eve walked with the Lord, and spoke to Him! How wonderful that Moses and those people could see, talk and eat with the Our Heavenly Father! How could you ever be the same after that and how can one still sin after that? We find the Savior and yet we sometimes still go on sinning and He still LOVES US! We get out under the Rock and do our own thing. How it must hurt Him and yet He still Loves Us! Sprinkling of blood is now replaced by the wine we take at communion. The eating of the meat, replaced by the bread. The Lamb without Spot or Blemish died on the Cross and we take bread and wine as remembrance of our Savior. That is why we no longer can sacrifice any animals, because the Ultimate Sacrifice is done! Our Heavenly Father placed His Laws in our hearts when we accepted His Son as our Savior. How much MORE we have than what they received back in the old testament. How can we even try to understand His Love for us. Lord Please Help me to be all that you want me to be and be less like me.

READING THE OTHER ANSWERS, MAKES ME FEEL LIKE CRYING. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HOW HAPPY THE LORD MUST BE WHEN WE DRAW NEAR TO HIM AND LOVE HIM SO MUCH. IT IS A HEART THING. MUCH FORGIVEN, MUCH LOVE FOR GOD. IT THEN MUST NOT BECOME MUNDANE AND LOSE ITS MEANING. I DO FEEL THAT WE PROCLAIM THE LORDS DEATH AND RESURRECTION BY TAKING COMMUNION AND OH WHAT IT MEANS TO THOSE OF US WHO ARE FORGIVEN AND WASHED BY HIS BLOOD I AM SO HAPPY TO BE DOING THIS STUDY AS I DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH AND FEEL THIS WILL JUST DRAW ME CLOSER TO OUR PRECIOUS LORD AND SAVIOR.

SITTING HERE THINKING OF THE LORDS SUPPER SO MANY EMOTIONS AND PEACE COME OVER ME. PSALM 23 COMES TO MIND "HE LEADETH ME BESIDE STILL WATERS AND PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME AND ANOINTEST MY HEAD WITH OIL, MY CUP RUNNETH OVER." AS JOSE SAID "CHRISTS DEATH IS THE BEGINNING OF LIFE FOR THOSE WHO ACCEPT HIM AND TO THINK CHRIST SAID IN LUKE 22:30 THAT YE MAY EAT AND DRINK AT MY TABLE IN MY KINGDOM. IT DOES NOT END HERE WITH COMMUNION. ME, REALLY EATING WITH THE LION OF JUDAH, MY LORD AND MY SAVIOR? WORDS FAIL ME! WHAT IS THE GREATEST PART OF COMMUNION IS DIFFICULT TO SAY. JESUS/YASHUA SAID IN VERSE 27 FOR WHICH IS GREATER, HE THAT DINETH, OR HE THAT SERVETH? IS NOT HE THAT DINETH? BUT I AM AMONG YOU AS HE THAT SERVETH. THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR BLOOD, LOVE AND SERVING ME! JUST TOO BIG FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND.

I THINK EVERYTHING IS SAID EXCEPT ONE WORD THAT COMES TO MIND AND THAT IS LOVE! AND JOHN 3:16 GOES WITH THAT.

I am not sure if it is extreme symbolic interpretation or not knowing The Lord thatcauses us to have too little respect for The Lord's Supper. When I took Communion I really did not understand it. I belonged to the church and knew the Savior died, but did not know Him with my heart. So the Lords Supper was a ritual and not an experience. When I realized He loved me and died for me, the meaning changed. It no longer was the Passover and Old Covenant for me, but a Communion Feast. The Lords Supper then to me was celebrating His Blood, Body, a New Covenant and repentance that brought me to the Lord. Now I know Him with my heart and not just with my head. To me His Supper is beautiful no matter where and no matter how! I belive He is there with us when we remember Him and partake of His Blood and Body. I hope that I will learn more about our Precious Savior and grow closer to Him through this course. Thank You Pastor Ralph. I do believe it will happen.

To me the Lords body, the bread is His BROKEN body and for remembrance of what He did dying on the cross for me! I partake of the bread for nourishment and health, which I feel I get when I partake of His body the bread. When you have a blood transfusion you are meant to get life and health from that blood. The Lords blood, the wine is a way for me to remember that we get health, life, love, peace and joy through Him. The most wonderful thing is that He poured out His blood as a covenant for the forgiveness of my sins. GLORY TO GOD OUR FATHER AND JESUS/YASHUA OUR SAVIOR! I do not really care if people think the body and blood of the Lord is the symbol that I grew up believing and still believe or if it becomes His body. To me it is a remembrance of what He did and that is beautiful and Oh so wonderful!

In the old testeament several times we see the analogy of God as the husband and Israel as the wife who strays and is unfaithful. "For your maker is your husband ... Isaiah 54.5a "Return, faithless people, declares the LORD, for I am your husband Jer. 3:14 Blessed are they (we) who are called unto the marriage supper of the lamb Rev 19:9 As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you Isaiah 62:5 Not putting God first in everything - causes God jealousy. He wants us to love Him with our whole being! He is and must be the beginning and the end in our lives.

I can not answer the questions any better than the 4 above - beautifully put! The way I see it and not sure if this is correct, Jesus and the Father are one in the sense that we are three also, spirit, soul and body. Jesus was distinct from the Father as He actually gave up His place in heaven to come down to earth to die for our sins - Thank You Jesus/Yashua my Messiah! Yes I do believe that Jesus is God in the sense that the Father is God!

The concept FATHER in the O.T. teach us that He is referred to as FATHER in the creative (note exactly biologically begetting) sense only twice. Is He not your father, your creator, who made you and formed you? Deut 32:6 Yet, O Lord you are our Father, we are the clay, you are the Potter, we are the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 As Otfried puts it: On the one hand, the father rules as head of the household and the person to whom most respect is due, having absolute authority over His family. He also has the responsiblilty of guarding, supporting and helping the other members. Both these charactereistics are present with God as FATHER. The understanding of father should affect our behaviour that we never turn away from following Him Jer, 3:19B I read this recently and think it is worth adding about our FATHER"S correction - My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction. Prov 3:11 If we are not willing to confront our own sin, or be confronted by others, we are not yet as spiritually mature as we should be. God may correct us through a friend, a boss, a coach, a pastor - or He may put the need for self-correction in our own heart.

Jesus certainly showed us that we could aproach God when He taught us we could say OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN! He was no longer just our AWESOME GOD but also our AWESOME FATHER! I do believe just as I can hear in the voices of my children on the phone, when they say Hallo, what the situation is in their lives - so our Heavenly Fathers attention is there when He hears when we really need Him. I have had prayers answered almost in an instant and knew that I knew the Holy Spirit/Abba Father knew that I needed Him right then! Thank you Father for caring so for me! Even if I was the only one on this earth Jesus/Yashua would have died for my sins! How awesome that is, that you loved a sinner like me, your child!!!

I want to dance for joy, knowing God is a spring of living water for me! As a tree standing next to the river I will never thirst again. There will never be a drought in my life again as long as my roots are in Him!

I don't want to go to the Lord with everything. I feel I should try and sort out my problems first and if I do not succeed, then to go to Him. Not always because of pride, but I do not want to be a pest and we should try and do things ourself as well. We have to relinquish our all to Him and to praise and thank Him in all things - good and bad. I loved how Pickledilly put it, I could not have said it any better!