Goodness, Gracious

Well... after reading this question I realize how much like Jonah I am, or at least how I am in the same position as him. There have been so many times in my life where I have had a chance to talk to someone about Christ or invite someone to experience Him. What is sad is that I was and am selfish and prideful about my faith and cared little about that person because he or she bugged me. Well, Jonah had it worse. The people in the city of Nineveh were horrible and their armies had destroyed the Northern tribes. Jonah didn't like them at all, he didn't want them to be saved from God's wrath. So when God told him to tell the people of Nineveh to repent Jonah ran away, not because he was afraid, but because he hated them. But eventually Jonah reluctantly went into the city and the people repented.
Once a someone came up to me and asked me about a retreat that I went on, he also wanted to go. I didn't like this person and I thought he was wanting to be apart of something that was rightfully mine. Of course the experience of God is for me, but it is also for everyone else. I told this kid that he didn't belong with us and that it wasn't for him because I didn't want him steppin on my grill yo. So he didn't go. I was an idiot and God was probably very upset. That was a long time ago, but there are still times today that I don't invite people to be apart of the Body of Christ. It is a horrible thing to do. So yeah... I QUIT!!!!

page 238
question 3

God's Plan for His People

Throughout time, since the dawn of man, God has grown humanity. But also since the fall man has been broken. Humanity continued to be broken into two groups, the followers of God and those who didn't. God generally kept His early followers at a distance from other nations and people who would drag them to sin. We know however that Jesus came for all nations, the whole world. This included the Gentiles. This is why it is significant that the Temple that was planned under David's rule and built under Solomon's was actually built by another nation before Jesus had come to save the world. The fact that they did build the Temple is a foreshadowing that they will be excepted into the new Temple, the Heavenly Kingdom, Heaven.

pg. 220 question 2

The Ark and the Tabernacle

The Ark of the covenant carried the ten commandments, the staff of Arron, and I think manna, but I am not sure. Anyway the Israelites carried the Ark around in the desert. The Ark was a symbol of God's throne over the earth. The Ark had very strict rules and laws made by God on how it was to be made and carried, it wasn't even allowed to be touched! Once a man reached out to steady the Ark on a long journey to Jerusalem and he was struck down dead by God.
God has given us something just as special, if not more special, than the Ark. It is the Eucharist. And we hold the Eucharist in something much like the Ark called a tabernacle. Actually, as I was searching for an image to use on my blog I typed in "Tabernacle" and a ton of Ark pictures showed up. I think that they mean the same thing, maybe they mean "throne" or something. Anyway if the Israelites were suppose to respect the Ark then we better really respect the Eucharist. Because every time we receive the Eucharist we are receiving Christ. We are casting judgment upon ourselves by receiving the Eucharist. Therefore, if we are not prepare to receive the Eucharist and we do the consequences will be worse than the spiritual death that one of the Israelites received, it will be a spiritual death for us. Hell.


Practical Exercises #1, page 206.