Re: Book of John Part One

Grace be unto you,and peace, from God our Father,and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

John begins his Gospel by speaking about the WORD-but he does not explain at first who or what the WORD is. A word is a unit of speech by which we express ourselves to others. But John is not writing about speech but rather about a Person. That Person is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God has fully expressed Himself to mankind in the Person of the Lord Jesus. By coming into the world, Christ has perfectly revealed to us what God is like. By dying for us on the cross, He has told us how much God loves us.

Chapter One

In the beginning was the Word. He did not have a beginning Himself, but existed from all eternity. As far as the human mind can go back, the Lord Jesus was there.He never was created.He had no beginning, The Word was with God. He had a separate and distinct personality. e was not just an idea, a thought, or some vague kind of example, but a real Person who lived with God. The Word was God.He not only dwelt with God, but He Himself was God. The Bible teaches that there is one God and that there are three Persons in the Godhead-the Father, the Son,and Holy Spirit. All three of these Person are God.

The life was the light of men. The same One who supplied us with life is also the light of men. He provided the guidance and direction necessary for man. It is one thing to exist,but quite another to know how to live, to know the way to heaven.  The same One who gave us life is the One who provides us with light for the pathway we travel. That was the true light. By His coming into the world as the perfect Man, He has shown how imperfect other men are. When a room is in darkness, you do not see the dust on the furniture. But when the light goes on, the room is seen as it actually is. In that same sense, the shinning of true Light reveals man as he actually is.

The next day after the visit of the Pharisee from Jerusalem, John looked up and saw Jesus coming toward him. "Behold! The Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world! The lamb was a sacrificial animal among the Jews. God had taught his chosen people to slay a lamb and to sprinkle its blood as a sacrifice. The lamb was killed as a substitute and its blood shed so that sins might be forgiven, however, the blood of the lamb slain during the Old Testament period did not put away sin. Those lambs were pictures or types, pointing forward to the fact that God would one day provide a Lamb who would actually take away the sin.

God had revealed to John taht the Messiah wa coming and that when He came, the Spirit would  descend upon Him and stay on Him. Therefore, when this happened to Jesus, John realized that this was the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit is a Person, one of the three Person of the Godhead.He is equal with God the Father and God the Son. On the basis of what he saw at the baptism of Jesus,john testified positively to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God who was foretold as coming into the world.

By faithful preaching, John lost two disciples, but he was glad to see them following Jesus. So we should be more anxious for our friends to follow the Lord than to think highly of us. When a person find Jesus, he usually wants his relatives to meet Him too. Salvation is too good to keep to oneself. So Andrew went quickly to his own brother Simon with thrilling news, "We have found the Messiah!" What an astounding announcement this was! For at least four thousand years, men and waited for the promised Christ, God's ANOINTED One.  Andrew brought his brother to the right  place to the right Person.He did not bring him to the church, the creed, or the clergyman. He brought him to Jesus. What an important act that was! Because of Andrew's interest, Simon later became a great fisher of men, and one of the leading apostles of the Lord.

It never was  Christ's way to demand a full-fledge faith for a beginning. it never was his way to hold men back from discipleship on the ground of an incomplete creed. And quite certainly that is not his way today.He puts Himself alongside his brethren. He bids them attach themselves with the faith that they can offer him. He is content with that as a beginning; and from that He leads his friends on, as he led the first group on, step by step, to the inmost secret of who He is and to the full glory of discipleship.

Chapter Two

 The expression 'what does your concern have to do with me occurs several times in the Bible. It means, what have we in common." The answer is nothing. David uses it twice with respect to his cousins, the son of Zeruiah.How impossible it was for them to have anything in common with him in the spiritual life! Elisha uses it in 2 King 3 to express how deep was the gulf between him and Jehoram the son of Ahab. Three times the demons, by using the same expression, reveal how Satan had nothing in common with Christ, or Christ with Satan. And lastly the Lord used it to the Virgin Mary so to show how impassable is the gulf between His sinless Deity and her sinful humanity, and that only One Voice had authority for His ear.

What should be the attitude the attitude of Christians toward wine today? Wine is sometimes prescribed for medicinal purpose, and this is entirely in according with the teaching of the  New Testament. Regarding its use at the table, Christian ought to act prudently in all situations and in all cultures, seeking before all the glory of the Lord and not the selfish gratification of their own desires.Finally the saints should refrain from any behavior that would cause someone else to stumble. Changing water into wine was a sign, that is, a miracle with a meaning. It was a superhuman act with a  spiritual meaning. These miracles also were designed to show that Jesus was indeed the Christ of God. By performing this sign, He manifested His glory. He revealed to men that He was indeed God-manifest in the flesh.

The Son of God cleansed His Father house. In all ages, God has warned His people against using religious services as a means of getting rich. There was nothing cruel or unjust in any of these actions. Rather, they were simply an indication of His holiness and righteousness. We should remember that the Christian's body is the  temple of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Lord Jesus was  anxious that the temple in Jerusalem be kept pure, so we must be careful that our bodies be turned over to the Lord for continual cleansing.

Many profess to believe in Christ. This does not mean that they actually committed their lives to Him in simple trust, rather, they professed to accept Him. It was similar to the condition which we have in the world where many people claim to be Christians who have never truly been born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although many believed in Him, yet Jesus did not believe in them. He did not commit Himself to them. He realized that they were coming to Him out of curiosity. They were looking for something sensational and spectacular. He had full knowledge of what was in man and why man behaved as he did.

Chapter Three
The story of Nicodemus contrasts with what had just gone before. Many of the Jews in Jerusalem professed to believe in the Lord but He knew their thoughts were not genuine. Nicodemus was and exception.  Jesus recognized  an earnest desire to know the truth.

 Nicodemus was recognized as teacher among his people. Perhaps he came to the Lord for instruction,so that he might return to the Jews with this additional learning. The Bible does not say why Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. The most obvious explanation is that he would have been embarrassed to be seen going to Jesus,s ince the Lord had by no means accepted by the majority  of the Jewish people. He was like so many today who say that Jesus was a great man, a wonderful teacher, an outstanding example. All of these statements fall very far short of the truth. Jesus was and is God.

 

The expression born again may also mean "born from above." In other words, Christ's kingdom can only be entered by those whose lives have been changed. Since His reign will be a righteous one, His subjects must be  righteous one also. He could not reign over people who were going on in their sins. Nicodemus insisted on taking everything literally. He could not  understand how a grown-up could be born again. He pondered the physical impossibility of a man entering his mother's womb again in order to be born. In further explanation, Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born of water and the Spirit. Many insist that literal water is intended, and that the Lord Jesus spoke of the necessity of baptism for salvation. Throughout the Word of God we read that salvation is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Baptism is intended for those who have already been saved, but not as a means of salvation.

 

That born of the Spirit is spirit. A spiritual birth takes place when a person trusts in the Lord Jesus When a person is born again through the Spirit, he receives a new nature,and is made fit for the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus then understood the infallibility of His teaching,and yet man's unbelief concerning it. From all eternity. He had known truthfulness of this and had only taught what He knew and had seen. But Nicodemus and most of the Jews of his day refused to believe His testimony. God so loved the world  The world here includes all mankind, God does not love men's sin or the wicked world system, but He loves people and is not willing that any should perish.

 

The extent of His love is shown by the fact that He gave His only begotten Son. God has no other Son like the Lord Jesus. It was an expression of His infinite love that He would be willing to give his unique Son for a race of rebel sinners. This does not mean that everyone is saved. A person must receive what Christ has done for him or her before God will give them eternal life. When the church comes to understand the love with which od loved the world, she will be restless and ill at ease, until all the great empires have been captures, until every coral island and been won.

 

The ministry of John the Baptist. The John referred to in this text is John the Baptist.He was still preaching a message of repentance in the region of Judea and baptizing those Jews with were willing to repent in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. John also was baptizing in Aenon because there was much water there. This does not prove conclusively that he baptized by immersion, but it certainly implies as much, If he baptized by the sprinkling or pouring, there would have been not necessity of having much water. Some of John's disciples became engaged in a dispute with the Jews about purification.What does this mean? Purification here probably refers to baptism. The argument was whether the baptism of John was better than that of Jesus.John reminded his disciples that he had pointed out time an again that he was not the Christ, but was simply sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. The entire object of John's ministry is summarized here: He labored ceaselessly to point men and women to the Lord,and to make them realize His true worth. In doing this, John realized that he must keep himself in the background. For a servant of Christ  to seek to attract attention to himself is really a form of disloyalty.

 

So today.When people accept the message of the gospel, they take sides with God against themselves and against the rest of mankind. They realize that if God has said something, it must be true.  Whoever believes the testimony of Christ acknowledge that God is true. This is just another way of saying that the testimony of God, and to receive the one is to receive the other also. God does not give the Holy Spirit by measure. Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit of God in a way that was not true of any other person. Others have been conscious of the help of Holy Spirit in their ministry, but no one else ever ahd such a Spirit-filled ministry as the Son of GOD.The prophets received a partial revelation from God but the Spirit revealed in and by Christ the very wisdom, the very heart of God to man with all its infinitude of love.If we receive Him, God gives us eternal life as  free gift.If we reject Him, we will never enjoy everlasting life,and not only so, but God's wrath already hanged over us, ready to fall at any moment.

 

Chapter Four

By leaving Judea and journeying to Galilee, Jesus would prevent the pharisees from being successful in their efforts to cause divisions. But there is something else of significance  here.Judea was the headquarters of the Jewish religious establishment, whereas Galilee was known as a heavily Gentile region. Sychar was the Old Testament Shechem. The Samaritains had intermarried with Gentiles during the Assyrian captivity. They acknowledge only the Penteuch as Scripture,and around 400 B.C built a temple. The living water refers to the Holy Spirit.

 

John gives three descriptions of God. He is a Spirit, love,a nd light. God is a spiritual being who is invisible and without a body; He is a divine person who reveals Himself in perfect intellect, emotion,and will; He is the source and personification of all material an spiritual life; He is self-existent; He is eternal in relationship to time; He is the unity of all existence; and He is consistent in His being-that is, He corresponds in actual fact not His nature and attributes as they are revealed to us.

 

Jesus may have pointed to the multitudes who came from Sychar to see Him because of the testimony of the woman at Jacob's well. At first they believed because of the woman's testimony.But to people of this culture, this was not adequat. They would have to hear for themselves, Jesus acceptance of the woman in her new role shows that He did not share this condescending attitude toward woman.

 

From this nobleman learned that it was not necessary for the Lord Jesus to be physically present to work a miracle or answer prayer. This should encourage all Christians in their prayer life. We have a mighty God who hear our request and who is able to work out his purposes in any part o the world at any time. God loves to see families untied in Christ. It is not His will that  to have divided families in heaven. He takes care to record the fact that the whole household believed in His Son.

 

Chapter Five

As chapter five opens, the time had come for one of the Jewish feast. Many believe this was Passover, but it is impossible to be sure. Born into the world as a Jew,and obedient to the laws which God had made for the Jewish people, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the feast.

 

Around the pool there were five porches or large open spaces capable of holding a number of people. Some Bible teachers think that these five porches represent the Law of Moses and speak of its inability to help man out of his deep trouble. Apparently the pool of Bethesda was known as  a place where miracles of healing occurred.  Surrounding the pool were large number of sick people who had come with the hope of being cured. These people, suffering from the effect of sin in their bodies, were  waiting for the moving of the water.

 

They lingered around that uncertain, disappointing water, though the Son of God was present. Surely there is a lesson for us in this. The pool thickly populated, and Jesus by unheeded! What a witness  of man religion! Ordinances, with all their complicated machinery, sought after,and the grace of God slighted.

 

The opposition of the Jews. This incident marks one of the great turning points in the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because He performed this miracle on the Sabbath, He stirred up the anger and hatred of the  Jewish leaders.They began to pursue him and to seek his life. It seems clear that the man sickness had originally come to him as a result of some sin in his life.This is not true of all sickness. Many times illness in  person life has no direct connection with any sin he has committed. Infants, for instance, may be sick before they are old enough to sin knowingly.

 

Jesus defends His claim to be equal with God. Many people claim to worship God, but deny that Jesus Christ is God. They say that He was a good man or more godlike than any other man who ever lived. But this verse puts Him on an absolute equality with God, and requires that men  should give Him the same honor which they give to God the Father. It is useless to claim a love for God if one does not have the same love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

To hear the word of Jesus means not only to listen to it, but also to receive it, to believe it,and obey it. Many people hear the gospel preached, but do nothing about it. he Lord is saying here that a man must accept His teaching as divine, believe that He is indeed the Savior of the world. Everlasting life is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not  only life that will go on forever, but it is higher quality of life. It is the spiritual life received when a man is born again, in contrast to the natural life which he received at his physical birth.

 

 

The lord Your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren.Him you shall hear...I will raise up for them a Prophet and put my words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all I command Him. The Lord allusion is, of course, to the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses-the portion of the Bible that has been more savagely attacked than any other; and, strangely enough, the portion which,so far as our records go, the Master quoted more than any other. As if, long before the attacks began, he would set his own imprimatur upon them.

 

Chapter Six

The expression after these things means that a period of time had elapsed since the events in chapter 5 took place. Just how much time we do not know, but we do know that Jesus had traveled from the area around Jerusalem up to the Sea of Galilee.

 

Great crowd of people followed him, not necessarily because they believed on Him as the Son of God, but  rather because they saw the miracles which HE had some for those who were diseased. A faith founded on miracles is never as pleasing to God as that which is founded on His Word alone. God Word should not require miracles to verify it. Anything that God  says is true.It cannot possibly be false. That should be enough for anyone.

 

The Lord was going to teach Philip a very valuable lesson and test his faith. Jesus Himself knew that He would perform a miracle to fed a great crowd of people. But Philip realize that He was able to do this? Was Philip faith great or small? Andrew was Simon Peter brother. They lived in the vicinity of Bethesda, along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew also decided that it would be difficult to feed such a throng. He noticed a little boy with five barley loaves and two small fish, but he felt that these would be almost useless in attempting to satisfy the hunger of so many.

 

In the bread of life discourse, our lord began with fairly simple teaching. But as He progressed, it was apparent that the Jews were rejecting His words. The more they closed their hearts and  minds to the truth, the more difficult his teaching became.  Finally He talked about eating his flesh and drinking His blood. That was too much! They said, this is  a hard saying; who can understand it? and they quit following him. Rejection of the truth results in judicial blindness. Because they would not see, they came to the place where they could not see.

 

 Chapter Seven

There was a lapse of some months between chapter 6 and 7. Jesus remained in Galilee. He did not want to stay in Judea, which was headquarters for the Jews, because they sought to kill Him.. Feast of Tabernacles: Jesus visit to the feast (Feast of Booth, approximately early October) was debated by his half brothers,about six months prior to the Crucifixion. During this feast, for six consecutive days a procession of priest carried water in golden vessels into the temple area. On the seventh day, the great day, no water was carried.  It was then that Jesus stood and taught of the rivers of living water, an especially significant reference to the Holy Spirit. The advice of Jesus unbelieving half brothers was to go to feast. Mary had other children by Joseph, but they whereas yet unbelievers.

 

Jesus had probably received the normal synagogue training of Jewish boys, when Jesus was 12 years old at the temple. But He had not attended a school for rabbis in Jerusalem, as Paul did under Gamaliel. Jesus claimed that His ability to teach should prove the divine origin of His message. Obedience will help to determine true doctrines. Unfortunately,most people seek to reverse this order. They want to know more than is necessary before they act. There is no question in the minds of His listeners about His claim, which He made clear to them. But their response is confused and divided. There were three very good reasons for accepting His claim the hesitancy of the rulers to stop Him, the miracles He did,and the excellence of His speaking. However, they found three reasons for rejecting His claim : It was commonly believed that the messiah would coe ina spectacular fashion throne of David and therefore must be a Judean from Bethlehem, the city of David, but they thought Jesus was born in Galilee. The Messiah was to be a defender of the law-yet Jesus seemed indifferent to it by healing on the Sabbath.

 

Chapter Eight

Women caught in adultery were not normally brought to Jesus. The scribes and Pharisee were seeking to trick Him to see He would uphold the law- or defend the sinner. The eldest left first, admitting they were sinners. Jesus was the only one who could have condemned her- but He did not, partly because such cases demanded two or more witnesses. Also, He knew repentant, which explains why she did not flee when her accusers left. Jesus did not take her sin lightly; rather He commanded her, sin no more Neither do I  condemn: The prerogatives to  forgive sins is a divine one,so in this instance Jesus demonstrates His Deity. Jesus claimed to be the light of the world but the Pharisees disputed his authority because He witnessed to Himself. Jesus said His own witness agreed with the witness of the Father, satisfying the law requirement of two witnesses.

 

The Jews' spiritual preparation is inadequate. They could not become his disciples because they are of this world they do not believe in Jesus and they do not understand. Jesus identifies the true disciples as those who believe in Him continued in His word, unlike the Jews will be freed from sin  by He truth. They will not be blameless-free from the power of sin. He shows that discipleship depends on having the right Father. They claimed to be sons of Abraham, but Jesus shows this to be false. They are Abraham physical seed, but he is not their spiritual father.  They also claimed to be sons of God, which Jesus shows to be false. When you love the parent, you will not hate the SON .Finally, Jesus says they are sons of the devil, the father of lies, for they were knowingly doing his works.

 

Abraham saw the promise Christ from a distance. This probably refers to the universal scope of the Abraham covenant. This clear statement of deity caused the Jews  to try to stone him. before Abraham was historical, I am: Abraham had a beginning-Jesus is eternal.

 

Chapter Nine

he controversy arose during the Feast of Dedication. There was Jewish belief that all suffering was punishment for sin. But how could a person have sinned before birth? The Jews considered human life to begin at conception. Thus, they thought one could theoretically sin even before birth. Light of the world means as long as I am in the world, When he is no longer in the world, then believers become the light of the world. Faith to go and wash in the pool of Siloam is required before the healing. Once again the issue of healing on the Sabbath arises. Surely Jesus healed on other days as well- but John chooses to record healing that dramatize the conflicts between Jesus and the Jews.

 

The confusion of he Pharisees is shown by  their handling this case in  group,and by heir repeated questions: How did He do it? What do you say of Him? How does he now see? What did He do to you? and Are we blind also? Jesus could not work miracles if He was a sinner as they said. Jesus confirm his deity once again.

 

Chapter Ten

This text is closely linked with the latter part of chapter 9. There the Lord Jesus had been speaking to the Pharisees,who claimed to be rightful shepherds of the people of Israel. It was to them, in particular,that the Lord Jesus referred.

 

Door is the one who stood in the opening of the stone fold. The thieves and robbers were the Pharisees. Sheep knows only their own shepherd' voice. In Near East several flocks belonging to different shepherds any be in one fold a fenced in area.But only a shepherd' own sheep will follow him out of the fold. Cattle can be driven, but sheep must be led. Good shepherd when Jesus uses this terminology, thoughtful Jews remember Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, and even understood Jesus claim to be God. The other sheep are Gentiles who will be saved later. Jesus does more than predicted His crucifixion and resurrection.He also shows hat he has the power to lay down his life and take it up again, once more asserting His deity.

 

The Jews accused Him of making himself God. He does not deny that in so speaking He made Himself God. But does deny that He blasphemed,and this on a ground that might fully justify Him even in claiming the honors of deity; namely that He was the Messiah , the Son of God, Immanuel. That he Jew did not consider Him as in the least withdrawing His lofty claims, is evident from the continued enmity that was manifested. If I do the work of my Father, then though ye may not be convinced by what I say; be convinced by what I do. Though ye resist the evidence of my words, yield to the evidence of my works. In this way learn to know and believe that I and my Father are indeed one, he in me and I in Him, and that in claiming to be His Son, I speak no blasphemy.

 

Chapter Eleven

O love, stronger than death! The grave cannot separate Christ and His friends. Other friends accompany us to the brink of the grave,and then they leave us. Neither life nor death can separate from the love of Christ.

 

This is a marvelous admission. Even our Lord worst enemies confess that our Lord did miracles,and many miracles. Can we doubt that they would  have denied the truth of His miracles, if they cold? But they do not seem to have attempted it. They were many, too public,and too thoroughly witnessed for them to dare to deny them. How, in the face of this fact, modern infidels and skeptics can talk of our Lord  miracles as being impostures and delusions, they would do well to explain! If the Pharisees who lived in our lord time,and who moved heaven and earth to oppose his progress, never dared to dispute the fact that He worked miracles now, absorb to begin denying his miracles now,after eighteen centuries have passed away.

 

Christianity endangers business, undermines profitable but wicked trades, steal way customers from the devils shrines, attacks vested interests,and turns the world upside down. It is a tiresome, annoying, profit-destroying thing. According to Caiaphas,, the chief priests and Pharisees were wrong in thinking that the Jews would die on account of Jesus. Rather, he predicted that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation.He said that it was better that Jesus would die for the people, rather than that the whole nation. Official orders had gone out from the chief priests and the Pharisees for the arrest of Jesus. Anyone who knew of His whereabouts was commanded to notify the authorities so that they might seize him and put Him to death.

 

 

Master of Religion essay

Master of Religion        What I have learned in studying these wonderful courses is that although there are many different religious denominations to be found within the Christian faith, all agree that there is only one true God, that being the Lord Jesus Christ. As children of God, we as Ministers have certain duties to fulfill within our Ministry, one such duty is being a Christian Counselor. Many are in need of receiving guidance and instruction from the teachings of God, and we as Ministers are certainly qualified to do so. Many seek guidance on such subjects as divorce and abortions and know not of what the bible says and of what is moral concerning these things. Divorce is acceptable, we are taught in the word of God, if ones spouse commits adultery. That is of course, to say, if ones spouse cheats on the other. While God wants only the best for us, we are not to do any harm to our body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are not to use illegal drugs or to do anything which may be harmful to ourselves. This would most definitely include suicide as well.      Much like the family of the Holy Trinity, our own family should be regarded as sacred too. Our marriage should be served with reverence to the Lord, for he has commanded us to not only love one another, but to remain true and faithful to our spouse. Out of respect for the Lord, and also as he has commanded it so, we are to pay tithing. In the time of Christ people paid ten percent of their earnings toward the Minister for his services and out of respect for him as well. Tithing is not only a respectful thing to do, but it also shows our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as he has commanded us to do. We are told through the word of a God, that if we tithe, then the Heavens shall rain blessings down upon us for our continued faith in the Lord.      It doesn't matter where we come together to worship the Creator, merely that we are serving him and gathering in his name. Likewise, it matters not how we worship, as he accepts the worship of all, in whichever forms we feel we should worship him.  One of the ways which we pay tribute to a God and serve him is through our services of the Holy Sacraments and the Eucharist, commonly called communion amongst the Protestants. The Lord Jesus Christ set the example during his lifetime, in which how we are to serve him. One of which ways is through baptism, as he himself was baptized by John the baptist. I find this amazing for the Lord Jesus Christ to be so humble as to graciously allow a mere man, a mortal man, to baptize him. Though John the baptist was called by such, he was definitely a Minister by today's standards even though he may not have been referred to as such back then.    Though we have many different titles we give to our Ministers today, they are the Men of God and should be looked upon great respect, as they were chosen by God to not only serve, but to administer the Holy Sacraments to his people as they have need of it. So in conclusion I have found these courses to be tremendously enlightening and inspiring. I would recommend these courses to anyone seeking to further there knowledge of the Christian Faith. Thanks once again for these courses.

Master of Religion Essay by Rev. Jack Anderson

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Chaplaincy Studies Essay by Jack Anderson

Chaplaincy

By Reverend Jack Anderson

 

Spiritual direction: Finding the key to our inner souls

Inside each human person, say pastoral ministers, is a deep desire to connect with what is most beautiful, joyful, peaceful and true about the world and about each person's unique call from God to be of service. But the noise, and trying to meet deadlines, and pressures of contemporary life often leave many people too frazzled to experience God's presence for more than a nano-second here and there.

How do people maintain virtues of hope, joy and love and not be overrun by becoming bitter, despairing or resentful?

Enter the Chaplain--a skilled spiritual person assisting other people of faith to discover God's presence in his/her life, build a vibrant prayer life, learn spiritual tools for discernment and decision-making, and develop a close relationship with God. Christians who are serious about their faith recognize they can't do it alone.

As a Chaplain I will be able to offer a helping relationship to anyone seeking answers to spiritual questions and wanting to develop a spiritual background that supports their call. I can offer advice about solving problems as a pastoral counselor and help a person tap into God's guidance and to sort out God's voice from other pulls or tugs that come from the culture or elsewhere.

As a trained Chaplain I will provide counseling or therapy that is consistent with my skill level. My role will be to help individuals deal with a particular issue where they feel stuck. A Chaplain is using a microscope to help in locating and dissecting the problem for effective remediation..  A Clergyperson asks, Where is God in this particular situation?  That person would be using a telescope to identify that a problem exists.

Many lay people become interested in seeking a Chaplain's guidance when facing life-altering decisions like whether to change careers, move to another city, or choose a marriage partner.

God has given each one of us the key to understand our inner souls. I don't think we were taught to trust that feeling by ourselves but were made to understand with clarification from your clergy.

Choosing the career path of a Chaplain should also be guided by faith. You should meet with other Chaplains and/or clergy to get a sense of the job and then to choose, as time allows, the path you will take.

People are going to ask, 'How will I know this is the right path?' I would then have to respond by saying  'I don't know, but I know you'll know.'

It's already moving out into the world as Chaplains apply their ministry in hospitals, homes for the elderly, prisons or homeless shelters.

Immigrants often lack extended family and trust the church as a place where they can be listened to. Occasionally that is not enough and the Christians will seek the friendliness of the Chaplain as they can counsel at the person's home or living abode. Sometimes the people may choose the atmosphere of the Church setting. The really important thing to me is that the troubled person has someone to talk to and confide in while seeking spiritual and emotional answers.

Students quite often will be an excellent choice for enrolling in the Chaplaincy program as it gives them a real opportunity to see how people of the community may have a multitude of problem both spiritual and being a human in general. A good portion may not have received a "calling" but it is critical for questions to be answered.  Students will come to a sense of their own answers within. Speaking with different clergy men and women gave me a birds-eye view of the profession (calling in general). I would only suggest this program to require you to visit different clergies and not just your own faith.

Students' deepest dreams or desires are planted by God and the students need to sense God's deep love for them. What will bring someone the greatest fulfillment, greatest joy and peace? A student's desire, a dream, if they really listen, is not going to go against who they are and who God has created them to be in their uniqueness.

 

During the early days in the Prison Systems, chaplains were exclusively Christian. Their unabashed objective was to convert everybody to their particular brand of Christianity, and it was either Jesus' way or no way. Though much of this remains the status quo in some places, prison chaplaincy has become increasingly pluralist in the ensuing 117 years, and chaplains find themselves dealing with more contemporary issues.

 

Though Christians still dominate the landscape of prison chaplaincy, diversity is now the order of the day. Proselytizing is still active in many prison facilities, but it is officially prohibited or generally discouraged. Chaplains are still a mainstay of prison operations, but many of their positions are being eliminated. Prison religious programs are still widely available to all inmates. Religion itself is still an integral element of correctional programming, but even it is being redefined by the courts.

 

As a Prison Chaplain I will need to look at each of these issues,

 

Christianity vs. Diversity  As the country's prison population has dramatically increased, so has the religious diversity of inmates. Though more and more minority clergy have been answering the call to prison chaplaincy, they are often excluded by qualifications that are based on Christian type ordination and pastoral education standards. Likewise, prison religious programs are all too frequently limited to Christian modes of practice, whereby inmates of other faiths are often obstructed in fulfilling their religious obligations. The world is made up of much more than just Christians and all faith traditions should be honored and accorded equal treatment in prison environs.

 

Permitting vs. Prohibiting Proselytizing  As inmates are literally a captive and vulnerable audience, proselytizing is rightfully prohibited in most prisons. Yet, inmates are regularly subjected to subtle and active forms of proselytizing by dominant faith groups subtly, by way of heavily focusing on certain faith programs while limiting others, and actively by using outside volunteers and inmate "disciples." This behavior is highly offensive and disrespectful to targeted inmates of other religions. Again, all faith traditions must be honored and adherents of all faiths should be free of proselytizing pressures from others.

 

Professional Chaplains vs. Volunteers  Correctional chaplaincy is a professional discipline, requiring extensive training beyond that of one's own faith group. Staff chaplains must have sufficient working knowledge of divergent faith requirements in order to properly administer the activities of all faith groups. When properly augmented by contract clergy and community resources of other faiths, staff chaplains are highly effective, contributing significantly to the orderly operations of correctional facilities and the rehabilitation of offenders. However, some correctional systems have recently fallen prey to offers of "free" chaplains from religious organizations whose agendas are self-centered. Consequently, religious programs in those places have suffered greatly, and the religious rights of many inmates have been trampled upon. The integrity of religious programs can be best ensured by retaining professional correctional chaplains and fully using their expertise.

 

Open Religious Programs vs. Faith Based Units  In the past few years, prisons have been experimenting with inmate living units that are operated in accordance to faith-based principles a promising development but one that is ripe for abuse. Though most of these programs profess to be open to inmates of various faiths and "interfaith" in nature, many are actually operated out of a single faith contingent's mission and are proselytizing machines. Furthermore, in some systems where these units have been established, they have become the entire focus of religious programming. Fortunately, however, some truly "multi-faith" unit programs are proving themselves to be the preferable alternative because inmate participants are being taught about their faiths by members of their own faiths and proselytizing is discouraged. These multi-faith units should be encouraged, but only so long as they do not detract from religious programs that are available to inmates elsewhere.

 

Religious vs. Civil Law  Recently, the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act was enacted to ensure the religious freedom of all inmates. Likewise, some state and local religious freedom initiatives have been enacted to ensure the religious freedom of all citizens. Some may view this as being burdensome on or intrusive of correctional operations. The alarming development, however, is that civil courts have been ruling that a supposed "sincerely held belief" in a given faith is the proper test for determining an inmate's religious affiliation. This directly conflicts with the standards (i.e., religious laws) by which bona fide members of various faith groups are affirmed and it would also appear to violate proper separation of church and state. It has created a nightmare for prison religious program administrators in that they are essentially being required to accept the faith claims of inmates who are not recognized by the faiths themselves as well as accept some claims that are not even linked to any particular faith tradition. As religious freedom is a hallmark of American life, it should be protected at any cost, even if it requires correctional administrators to step out of their familiar operational box. However, when the courts start making religious decisions, they should be actively challenged. Likewise, correctional systems and personnel should be vigorously defended against inappropriate religion related lawsuits.

 

Though chaplaincy is facing new and old challenges, it is of proven benefit and deserving of the utmost support. As a Chaplain I will be asked to perform a myriad of tasks that encompass a broad knowledge base. If this is to be my career pursuit, I must begin now to enhance myself both intellectually as well as spiritually.

 

I chose the prison chaplaincy as some force brought it into my mind and has continually reminded me that this is the path I need to travel. I have let God control what I need to do and I merely obey and follow to the best of my abilities. ULC has been a huge part in my decision making process. Everything from the seminary styled courses to the weekly messages from Reverend Amy have helped in my decision making process.

Spirit Quest Final Essay

SPIRIT QUEST
By Rev Naunie Maddox


    Spirit Quest was and still is an on going learning journey for me.  There are countless ways in which to use the Spirit Quest information.  This has been an invaluable course for me.

I now find myself grounding myself several times a day. Destroying and recreating grounding cords. I experiment with what they look like and what size they, all the way down to what they look like.  Being grounded has been (past tense) a huge issue for me.  My whole life I have struggled with it.  It comes natural now and my life has improved in many ways.

I even ground my home, job, bank account, and my relationships.  It's wonderful energetic house cleaning.  Being highly empathic, knowing and feeling everyone's thoughts and feelings around me became confusing. Not knowing what was mine and what belonged to someone else can be overwhelming.  I have had to isolate myself from large groups, crowds, public places, and to a large extent isolate myself from friends and family.  With the tools to purge from me what is Not mine has helped immensely.  I am getting out more often and my income has improved. 

I am grateful for the tools to ground male and female energy. Wow, I had no clue that could be done.

The roses are awesome.  It really energetically changes situations, thoughts, and feelings in a positive manner.  Not to mention becoming present and having easy tools to utilize for staying present and grounded is fantastic.

The Golden Sun is an essential in my life now.  I have in the past known about clearing energy but that creates a void or a vacuum.  Filling up my energy with my Golden Sun is a great way to really keep my energy clean and gave me the tools to manifest much more in my life and increase my personal power.  I filled up me and that helps with clarity. 

I enjoyed the information on communicating with spirit and the many ways spirit communicates.  I am a much more effective channel for spirit now and the "rose lie detector" as I call it is helpful tool. 

I had no clue about baby spirits.  That was new information for me.  I have had similar experiences without ever knowing what I was dealing with.  I had been a few days pregnant actually several times and I could feel it. I would end up having a bad feeling about it and just clear my energy of what does not serve my highest and greatest good and the pregnancies would then terminate.  I am glad to know about them now.  Thank you!!!

I have learned a lot about my own soul and my incarnations through this course.  I have gained much clarity and understanding.

My journey through this course has been enjoyable and quite a learning experience.  I have been able to change my thought patterns and open my consciousness much more.

Blessings and Thank you
Rev Naunie Maddox

Y. Smith- Final Essay - Spiritual Development

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to learn and take this course with ULC I just completed  

Dr. of SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT by Dr. David Crouch

Throughout the 22 weeks I continued to grow  and what begun with was a course that I was hoping to help others with their spiritual development it helped me first. As I took each homework assignment seriously, turned in weekly short essays to the forum, corresponded with others and reading books to support the new knowledge I was absorbing. The 22 week course started off a powerful first five lessons: Lessons 1-5 Life with Clarity and Purpose, Direction, Clarifying the way by starting at the end first, Identifying and modifying the limitations that inhibit openness for change, Faith and Learning. Those first five lessons opened a new door into my mind! Life with Clarity and purpose, identifying and modifying my behavior and my emotions and how I thought of situations and how I reacted in negative situations. It taught me to mainly recognize what was going on, where do I need to be open (minded), how can I change my own thought pattern. 

At this point early on I was focused on what to focus on, and how and how to recognize/identify. Christmas came and went in my household and and I thought about this how I have the power of my mind and all I have to do it to get organized how to clarify, what is my focus? My focus was and still is, to help others. To be a spiritual advisor, counselor, to help them with their emotional issues, to physical. I studied Reiki and became Reiki II certified and even took reflexology course so that I can understand what was happening to people on a physical level and how I therefore can direct the Reiki healing. Although the most important is how to communicate with others when in need. How to console how to help them with the right direction and tools to guide them, their brains into a  positive frame of ind and positive way of thinking and living. 

After Christmas I went back to studying and this time with an armful of books to help strengthen what I was newly learning. I read books on Astral Travel, Projection, self hypnosis. As the next Lessons came in: Lessons 6-11-A Review/Magik, Review/Nature of Natural Magik, part 3, Experiential Filter and the Power of choice, Master sorting, Thoughts and Growth. At this point I created a sacred space in my home, was doing self-hypnosis with the help of homework assignments and suggestions by the writer of the course I was practicing  meditation and contacting my spirit guides and really to see if I could reach this level. I was sorting, filtering negative, seeing how a bad habit turns into a bad thought and thought leads to action and that action not favorable. How anger and how I control my emotions not the situation controlling me. I was beginning to learn that its okay to say No, its okay to cry when I need to and okay to not cry when everyone else is. 

After Lesson 12,  I opened a Reiki Healing Center and started to take clients, yes early I know but I was so excited and so ready to jump in and help anyone who needed it. I did many clients as charity and for free because they needed it and I was not concerned with money. I now currently take paying clients and teach Reiki but still volunteer 10 hours a week at the local County hospital doing hands on healing for patients who will allow me. That has been healing to my soul as well. I plan on making a trip to New Orleans this summer and volunteering spiritual healing and development classes for those in need. Upwards and on wards! 

Lessons 12-17 were probably the most intense learning I received the chapters were: Unconsciousness Altered States, Changing your history and future from your mind out, Future Pacing, I love the Internet, Acceptance, Ways to gain clarity. Learning how to do self hypnosis, meditate and how to hypnotize others was what I was doing at first and past life regressions, I was hoping to fix things in the past so that way the present was better for myself and others. I always practiced on myself first, I look within and when I saw things I didn't like I changed them. Slowly but surely. I feel if I cannot understand myself or my actions how on earth can I be help of any kind to others? Acceptance and forgiveness came into play and I forgave and when I did that it lifted me to a higher spiritual level. I have no grudges on anyone I do not get angry like I used to, am I perfect enlightened Buddha? Of course not but I can honestly say I am much better in my mind, much stronger and have a purpose,goal and future pace. I plan the future and do not dwell on the past.  At the end of these lessons I had finished most of my extra reading and was focused.

 This course taught me how to focus. The secret is? Be organized in your kind, know that you have the power of your mind to make good and bad choices. You have power of your emotions and just like in life if you are all over the place, a mess, can't find your keys, don't know directions to a grocery store, go to the counter and forget your wallet all this scatterbrain activity is the same way your brain is filtering experiences and memories. Your all over the place! Get a notebook, a workbook, a journal take notes, remember your dreams, record them, when you stat fading into thoughts of WHY did this terrible thing happen to me, STOP that thinking! You may never know the "why" move on and look forward and accept what had happened happened. Period. Learn from that mistake and don't do it again. That's all we can do. But if over and over and over your making the same mistakes, always losing your keys, always getting lost, remaining scatterbrained you will not be able to focus on your spiritual growth. Your connection with your spirit guides or ancestors, angels or spirits. ((You can call them what you like)) Through hypnosis, astral projection the techniques taught from focus, goals. I learned to keep my brain on track and its a powerful feeling!

 Now all I got to do it help others. Not as easy as I had hoped. Everyone needs a different script and everyone individual and each session requires me to understand and be empathetic to their experience and I custom create solutions, or prescriptions. Some just need to know they are doing a great job, others must know they are doing the best they can. Some are faster then others, as I learned I thought everyone would grow as I did and I found others to be much slower or much faster ((to my surprise!))

 Receiving my last group of Lessons 18-22: Creating, Manifesting and the Power of Now, Creating Clarity and Meta-Modeling, Tapping into the Collective Unconsciousness, Shamanism, Collapsing Timelines and Enhancing the Expression of Our Spiritual Selves.

To bring it to a very condensed version and how I can remember is this:

The 6 step reframe for Spiritual Development

1. Identify the behavior (recognize)
2. Establish communication with with the unconscious 
3. Separate the positive intent behind the behavior from the behavior itself.
4. Find an alternative behavior (replace the behavior with a positive one)
5. Get the buy in! Buy the cow and believe what you your voice in your head is saying (the new positive thoughts replacing negative patterns)
6. FuturePace imagine yourself in an old negative behavior and see what went wrong and change it. It starts with you working it through in your brain and then its easier to do in the future when that old patterns returned. 

This course has helped my new frame of mind, my spiritual thoughts, how to find a replacement or alternative choice to a bad behavior for myself and for my clients, it has helped my spiritual connections through readings and divination's, it has helped me be more understanding as to how and why folks behave the way they do. I am very much looking forward to taking two more course through ULC, Comparative Religion and Shamanism. I believe all these courses work together with Spiritual Development and without spiritual development all other knowledge gets cluttered in your brain and lost in your busy life . I learned how to take it easy, pace myself, set goals, focus with clarity on my goals and when a roadblock came to pass I recognize it and replace it with a new action and climb right over any obstacle and now I and really plan for my future. From business to personal. 

Rev. Yvette Smith "Mambo Asogwe LaReina"
ULC Ordained Minister,Spiritual Advisor and Medicine Woman 

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