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~1tdjl1l1lll~tn19 ~1f»ant ~f nfi~t qeiforni11ls t u4iahlsu,talfol liaiaij vol xliv sj mi-monthly no anno mundi 6051 january i 1923 contents ouirlook for kineteen·t~·fjnty l jtp.e1 l · ···· 3 world conditions church and iim ·est our duty year text divine attributes text for first week text for second wcek 3 1 .l 7 r !l 10 11 11 i 1:2 1 14 ~h l jesus healino on the sabbath ······ corruption of kingdom troths danger of being shut out jesus teaching humility god s sahbath-day work lifissing opportunitics letteils from afield 011 the power and ?rtll 1ratth 1 will stand iipon my .catch and ill set my foot to f e 1chat h fd411 hatl make to them upon the es}th distress or nat1gta wit i perplexity the sea and the t 3~ts the re.stj~ss ltl conttntni roaring men s ,eurl f.d lil them fur fear and for loohlll to uii iblnp coming upon tbe e.llh society tor lbe i/difon of the bea··1is ecc1eslaat.icl,m ,ball be sb.ken .· l llen ye see these thing begm to cume to p n know lbal the killidom of god is al b.ud look up lui up lour 1ltadi rejoice tor lour redempuon drawelb niib m.tt 2 33 m.rk 13 29 luke 21 26·111.
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t bis ;journal is one of the prime factors or instruments in the system of bible instruction or seminary extension now beln preseuted in all parts of the ciyilized world by the watch tower bible tract society chartered a d 1~4 f or the promotion of christian knowledge it not only serves as a class room where bible students may meet in the study of tj1p didne word but also as a channel of communication throu h which tlipy may be reached with announcement of the society s codventions and of the coming of its traveling repre entatives strled pilgrims and refreshed with reports of its conventions our berean lessons are topical rehearsals or reyiews of our societ s publisht d studies most entt rtainingly arranged and very helpful to all who would merit the only honorary degree which the society accords viz r bi dei .11 wimer v d .11 which translated into english is .minister of fod s word our trcatment of the international sunday school lcssons is specially for thc older bible students and teachers by some this feature is consiuercd indispensabie this journal stands firmly for the defcnsc of the only true foundation of the christian s hope now being so generally repudiated -redemption through the prec10ur blood of ·the man chl ixt jpf;u8 who gave himse-lf a f an,wm [a orrt jlondlni priee a i hlhstll ute for all {i peter 1 if 1 r:rifilothy 2 g building up on this ~ure fouwlatlon the gold hiher antl jh l l loli ~tolll d 1 ol·:1:t i · 3 11 15 2 peter 1 5-11 of the ynrd of god its further mi sion is to make all see what is the felln llip of the m~stery h1 1i .ha been hid in god ··· to the intent that now mi ht be millie kllo ii by the church the manifold wisdom of god which in other ages was not made lmown unto the sons of mea as it is now re t l1ed ephesians 3 5-9 10 lt stands free from all partics sects anr creeds of men h;re it seeks more and morc to hrin its eyery utterance into fullest subjection to the will of god in christ as expressed in the lloly icriptures it is thus free to dt dare hol liy hatsoc er the lore hath spoken-according to the divine wisdol granted unto us to understand his utteratwes its atlll1l<1 is not do~iii:ltlc hut conliiknt for we know whereof we affirm treading with implieit faith upon the sure promhes of cod it i hud ,i a irust to bc u ed only 11l his service hence our deci ions relative to what may and what may not appear in lts column mu i be oj onhng to our judgment of his good pleasnre the teaching of his vord for the uphuild~ng this journal and its sacred mission of his people in ~r3 e &nd l~tlo lf ke and l llot only 1.11 itt but urge ou rea 1ers to prove all its utterances by the infallible ord to which reference is constantly made to facllaate uch te>ling to us the scriptures clearly teach that the church is the temple of the living god peculiarly his workmanship that its construction has been in pro ress throuthout the gospel a c-e er sinee christ became the woi jd s h deemer and the chief cornt r stone of his temple thro ll lll h · hen finished god s bles,in shall come to all pcople and they find access to him l corll1thians 3 16 1 i:pcle,ians 2 20-22 genesis 2<1 14 galatians 3 29 that meantime the chiseling shaping and polishing of consecrated beec prs in christ s atonement for in progrc es and when the last of tlle e hying ~toll s elect and precious ~ltall ha e bl cll illude reauy the gn lt i t r yoj km:ln 11 lring all togpther in the fir,t resurrpdion and the temple shall be filled with his glory and be the meeting 1,1 between god and men throughout the l llllenniull1 re plation 15 j-s ~hat the basis of hope for the church and the world lies in the fact that lesus christ by the raep of god ta ted death for every nlan u a ran&otn for all and will be the true light which ll~htl th every man that cometh 1hto the worla in due ume hebrews 2 9 john l 1 tilllolh 2 0 6 ~hat the hope of the church is that she l,lay be like her lord see him as he is be partaker of the divine nature and share his glory as bis joillt-helr l john 3.2 john 17 1 romans j i peter 1 4 that the pre nt mi ion of the church is the perfectinl of the saints for the future work of s n ice to deyelop in herself every grace to be gou s witne s to the wol ld and to jrepare to be kln s and jlnests 111 the neat age lpht sians 12 iatthew 24 14 he elation 1 ti 20 6 that thc hope for the world lies in til blessinl s of knowledl e and opportui1lty to be broudlt to all by christ s liii1lennial hingdom the restitutlou of all that as lost iu adam to all the wiillm and obedient at the hanus ot their hedeemer and his glol lfied church when all tbe wilfully w!eked will be ueotroyed acts 3 19-23 h:uah 35 pui3i-isheo by tii studies in the scriptures s i l ti l :ii 1 ~·t olllll1p!h!pd to tlldpllt as yel itnhle tiihle watch tower bible tract societ 18 concord street 0 0 brooklyn n.y u·sa· i oreign offices british 34 erayen terrace lancaster gate london v 2 canadian ~70 dunda ~i v toronto ontario australasian 4!l5 collins st ielhournp australia so th african 123 plein st capc town south africa please address the iociety in evei y case learly subscription price r~ite itates $1.00 c nada and 1i!iscei.li eous forell $150 ne j brit 1 al stralasta and soutu africa 8 a menean remittance hould he nlude by e~lll ers or postal liioney orilt rs or by flank draft anadian british south african and australa ian remittances hould be made to branch offices only remittanl p from scatterni foreign territory lilay be made to the brookl n ffice but by international postal l 1oney orders only foreign translations of this ;ollrllal appear in several languages kcys
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&1e vol xliv and hejrald of christs ja uary j tch tovve presence 1 id~3 l o 1 outlook for nineteen-twenty-three world coxditioxs-the chc ch axd the haryest-ocr duty-yeah text tve all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the lord are chanped into the same image from glory to glory cem as by the spirit of the lord 2 corinthians 3 18 ntering upon the dutil s of another year e do well to view the ~ltuati jll bef ii as hrj~tians our faith i bping }jut to the t t ome will doubtless be oyerreaehed by thp ~ednch e ill1l1lencps of this world yell though it is lj
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· cfhewatch tower brooklyn n y was waking .5uch a journey a woman missed her pocketbook a lad sitting nparby 1 as accusrl of taking it a comt was at once col1stitutpd on top of til moving train this olll t went through a mock trial and convicted the boy al1d a hig burly soldier in the party twisted off his head ajhl threw the body hetween the moving l:ars ithin a 8h01 t timc the woman found her pocketbook rill ~anll conrt tricd her awl shr met a like fate thch hordes of n111leontents are knocking at tlw door l of all the nations of europ while their propagalll tl agrnh are actively promulgating their theories xrcessarily all europe is disturhl l with this condition a wrikr in the p1etro]jolitan press recrntly said the barbarians of the 01 1 ii wllo on ltall and clpstl o the olllan eivilizatioll iia p rplnrnpd to thpir all ient hanllts alld inl lpll 1 1 hun pl al a 11 11 fol ]llul i r they arp ngain sur~ill n ulil t tijp hilitip1 illlpo pd bp1 cp11 them and the sun-kiss allp s of tli ~i irl itanpall frolll thc scriptural ~tandp il t l al ill i the ]joint from i h ieh dircd ions arc llajl1pd lwi1 p tlw 1101 1 h c011111i y would ilp that of l{us~ia i h,· proplwt .ji rpllliah forptold the eolldltion now o!jsp ed in t:lis~ia ut of the jlorth an evil ~ha hrpak forth upoil a til illhahita lts o the land jeremiah 1 :14 for i i ill hrill evil 1 j oi1l thp north a11l a g l l nt destructioll tpremiah 4 ii rrj1j fit as uspll in th scri ptures ls a hpe of the world i lll sanw prophet says eg-ypt i likp a 1 fail lll il i hut dp~trndion comdh it collleth out of the nortli the daughter of egypt shall hp l ollfound ll 81w slinll ill lpli 1 ll into the hand of til ]1pople of the nort ii tel pmiah g 20 2-1 atprs are a symhol of pcoplp bl i datloll 1 1 j in cymbolic phrase the proplll i 1 1 ills to l der to condihons now beginning wl hlls aith the lord behold waters risc up ont of the 1101 1 h and shall he an ovrrilol ing flood and shall overflow thr land and all that is therein the city and them that ibh,ll tlll rein then the nwn shall cry and itll the ijlhabitants of the land shall holrl jer 17 2 j l s prophecies seem to refer to a 11101 ement dc~tru<·tivl· ill its natur,r that begins in the north c01f,ntry while christians mnst not participate in this or any othc r tronhle it hecomrs illl duty of the child of the lord to all the people s attention to these t j rible thi ngs its a fn lfillmpnt of diyine prophecy evidpnclilg where we an on the str am of timp oda elll opr is lilhl,prgoing its greatest crisis since till hl g iii n ing of tll orld ar france is on the rgc of a iiil,lij ial collapsl· she facps a grrat leftcit with no n soll 1 ps of r e1111p in sight jip people arc re~ill ss !tah s on~titutiollal g ernnwllt has fallpll and hah is jio l ill the haulls of a clidator whieh g-owrnm nt may prl ail for a while hut will be of brief duration coml it ions in poland are far l orse than those descriherl b thp pllhlic pre s practically everyone has turnerl profitl,pr under their law the owner of propprty has nothmg to say as to who shall occupy it ami the amount of 1 111 10 1h pajll this is ddrrminrd bv the state li.uthol ib s the tenant however placed in the property may put somebody else in and charge a large sum therefor of which the landlord gets not a p.enny and whib this is a technical violation of the la i the law officers wink at it property owners arc diseouraged the people are in distress many of them are staning the sajlle property conditions prevail in germany and a,ustna au~tl ia ~e thing with unrest is on the verge of anothrl olutiou lier finances are a neck her hnsij1 ss is practically goll0 in l l mam t ppoplp a i e in dpspa i r caus of their economic and rood eoihlltiolls a eolll rinter is on with stanatiou stll lug milllolis in til 1 a l eligiand has rl c pn1 had a chuliw of g o emmpnt i~hil h 11 1 llothlllg sholt of a relolution ami till 1ll
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ialfuabr 1 1921 newatch tower · vision to extend beyond the borders of the united states some will be inclined to think that our calculations with reference to what may transpire within the next few years are enti pl wrong and that we had better slow ulj 111 our proclamution o.f tlte lllesbuge or the lord s kingdom ehis will be a great mistake let us see to it that we do not permit andhing to prevent us from proclaiming the llll age 01 the presence of our lord and the kingdom at hand the church and the harvest looking over the field from the stano point of the collspcrated chridiall we hn rc every reason to bc gl atcful alld to rejoice the chul h generally is in gool con dition while thcre is a tcndrncy amongst some to be overreached by till conditions of this world and to have their ardor for thc lord s kingdom somewhat dampcnrd such is the exc pi ion and not the rule generally spcaking the collsp l atni e erywhere are alert anl acb in the proclamatioll of the kingdom thcy realize that the king is here that hi kingdom has begun in thr couilhirs mffering the g utc r amount of trouble hwrc is greater aetivit.v on the part of the truly comecl ah·1 in germany during the l,a t year there has heen a tn·mendous witness of the truth awl the peoples whos,e h luts are sad and who ipw nnsatisfaetory cojllitions are inquiring the rea soil w11,i and many have turned their minds to l l ading god s on the cedar point psolution calling attention to the fact that the rrmrr for tll ills of the present orrler is the mcssianic kingdom and bearing a mes-age of ,g oo.l tidillg peacr sahation ami hope to the peoplp ha hall a wide circulation and as the people stud,r the cojllitioils in the hght of hat is there set forth many more tum to the lord s onl for consolation i n austria the truth is having a wider circulation than ever it as report d in these columns ,orjlr months ago how an attempt was made to break up a illl rting in vienna which in part succ,eeded after the lecture was well-liigh fini~lh cl our readrrs will be interested to know that a 1i0tice published in the paper the next day to the effect that the cause for such disturbances is set forth in the worcl of god and explained in our litcrature resnltrd in more than five thousand orders for the iillions book iu ips than three weeks and now the socic,ty s represplltati e in central europe reports that a elass of bible studl nb attcnding regularly the mrrting s in vienna numbers more than two hundrell and that thil ty-s n have recently consecrated and symholized their col1srcnil iou rhus the lord makrs the hath of man to prai~e him owrruling ~atan s interference from scandina ia comes the report of an incl eascd interest in the truth there and greater acth itv on the part of the brethrr·n und this is gratifying indeed the million or more copies of books contracted for by the society for continental europe during the past y nr ha r heen completed and are going rapidly into the hands of the people from switzerland come reports of an increased interest in the truth and greater zeal on the art of the brrthren in publishing the message of glad tidings hrccntly glasgow scotland had a general convrntion a report from the chairman of that convention amongst other things says ·this was not only the best conh ntion but the largest we ha e had here yet we do not know exndh rlwt cellar point as but if it was hetter than the clasgo 1 conwnt ion it must hare been more than bu blime the coud ition of the church in great hritaiu has 11 1 rcn better and the hrrthrrn are zr aioll and al ll t ill the ]lrodamation of thc inpssage from hrother gpol ge youug ho for the past year ha kcll ill i 11 est iudh s and british and dutch l,uiana eoil i hi j l pol t of a greatly incl paseu interest in the truth ill that ~cdloll of the world a larger attrndallc at all 111 jlu llc mreting ith houses packed out anl nth a orr,ri polilling increase of zeal and uevotion on thc part of the hrethren from canada thc ol icty s representative likewise report inc a ll illtp st and zeal in the proclamation of th n me il l from ii ti hija conll s the report from brother w w jdlljstoil of a gn atl increased interest in the work th l e ajili of a oj l l sjjolh!mg zeal manifrsted on the pari of thr brpihrl 1l and a growth in grace i ii t hc 11 ih l stutf s the classes generally are in splc lldid colldltion and while here and there some may he iolilld irhoh i alth g rm s weak this is not the rule ocl u,iol1l1lly a c l i found that says why should we colltinue to l p 1·h ·milllolis now liying ill never die why all e ilot hu something else these shoull ha e in min
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8 fhewatch tower brooklyn n y new order coming in seeing then that all thc~e thing shall be di olved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness 2 pder 3 11 rhere arc two primary thlllgs we can now do and which j vohe upon us to do 1 to faithfully it lll s to the truth as opportunity offers ami 2 to ht ,0 1 i d hy t l~e experic npc s that col1ll to lis that lye lolly drv ol charaett r plea iil1g to the fatlh r 11m a ll llg cur vi dory and ilw rilllling of tit pi jz j llcsl t io things are so clasply allied that tlwy arc llls parahle as ambm;sadors of the king of killg llild lord of lords h must now be faithful to 0111 eowllant am to do so ii e must continue faithfully to testify the ll anin of tlw things that ,ue seen by all ami to point tlw v jlle to the better thing that are soon to collll our rffljrt rill be misundentood by some whil oth rs under thr illiluence of the ad ersary w]ll klih atdy mbrepresent ns they will even accuse us oi h,ing ill league ii ith the radical element seeking to oyc rthrow the gowrmneut l he lord himself was likewise falsely aeeus 1 as hri~iians w,e have no part in the twuhles that afliid mankind our part is to stanl aloof from all taking sides with none and pointing out to other thnt the hope and salyation of the world 1j not in intel llatiollul conferences or polit al lt~l ii oj schejlles hnt that the onlv hope is the }r iillll kil1 rl.om ~ome will nuo,umler,tulid us here and ~a that ire are alhoeating a rule by the jews meanillg the lmfij l illg .1ew of course we haye no such thought ill mimi hat we do hold and teach is that the lord ill take charge of the government and will run it in righteousness and t at his repr,esentatiyes will be the faithful jll n of old ahraham isaac jarob and other of the approyed ones of od resurrected to perfl cted human condition it i a blessed priyilege we have thus to te~tify to the sin-sick and oppr,essed world showing the p ople that a beet h day is at hand as christians yc are lot pessimi t we are anything but pessimist l are reall:v the only optimists on earth for we view tl present sitk.c,ull ]jl culmnesb hnowmg that the lord will hring it out on the right side and that soon he will establish a condition of righteousness and lasting peace in the earth year text the text for the year 1923 rl lates to the transformation of the christian into the likeness of our lonl and master christ jesus the complete transformation into his character likeness is the earnest desire of everyone of his faithful followers it should be thl ir daily effort to accomplish this insofar as it lies within them ,rhile we are giving testimony concerning the presence of the king and his kingdom this must be prompted by one motive namely love for god and the lord jesus and a love for the betterment of our fellow creatures and we must strive to be so exercised by the experiences which come to us that they will develop in us the character liliene8 of our lord st paul declares whom he l god did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his ~oll homans 8 29 again he ,ays yotk ant your o yn sahatian with feal a cl tl t lll1jll~lg for it is c;d who worhth in you botjl to will and to do of ill good pll>lh1l1 e philippian 2 :12.1 l he body mcmkr 111 1 t he made like unto tl i l11 and tl;e bod 1 1ljlel ll111st be coworker to d r ith god to acc0 lpli~h this end 81 i 1/2 then that lye are euteri i1g 11 pall another year ih llci n i ar l]can r the cons 1]lllltatlon of our hop.es how alpr pl iat the year text i all with open face h ho]ding a in a la the glory of the lord are changed 1l,to the ljl ima e from glory to glory even as by the pirit of the lord ii e all means all the members of the body of christ thi side till uj 1 all who in fact are in the race for the ll 1z of the lugh ailing must be included in this clas fur tho to hom the t t does not apply could not be of the c in t1:at is being transformed the text dq not m to admit of any exception 11 ith pen face mean those who have their vision illuminated by reason of the begetting and anointing of till hoi spint those who hayc put away prejudice super,tition and fear and who are trusting implicitly in in the yon of god .it means those who have but a sijlgl purpose and that i,urpose to know and to do thc nll of goll to this end such arc applying their minds to a~cl rtain the good and acceptable and perfed ill of god it means those who arc holl!ug to the truth for the 10l e of the truth and not holding to it or abandoning it bl eause some orw els,e is doing lj1 wise it means one rhose heart is set fully upon the lord with a determination to lw faithful regardless of ho else mayor mny llot hi faithful n h ldiiiu as in a mirror means those who are fixing tlll ir mind upoll the word of cod anl rdying upon his prom i t ,ylll n we look into a mirror we see the reflection of 0111 ountenam allli eyidl ll i of character or lack of charad r arc ii rittl n ul m that countenance 1 111 minor 1 ithin the nh aning of thi text however is the yun of goll w111l h reiled til character of the fath r and of his belo ed soil olll ayior the spirit of tl11 lord is in his iyord and t:lo 1 ho haye his spirit are specially attracted to his won1 fixing the mind upon the ,yard of god stuhing it and meditating upon it 011 there beholds rf 11eded the attributes of the divine character to it isdom justice 10 e and power the transformation 1 hich guarantees one s abundant entrance into the kingdojll will not be accomplished by vic ing the dl f t in others nor by meditating upon one s own defect nor rill it be accomplished by finding fault ith the ehorts of others in the proclamation of gol s word a n1 re imowlelge of the word of the lord will not prepare one for the kingdom it is not sufficient that in nh rdy understand the divine plan and rejoice in the fact that god has made gracious provisions for mankind we must do something more we must
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fanuary 1 1923 he watch to 7er i de jth joy the wo]1i 1 lll character of our father 111 1 oll lord and shive da ily to copy that character we nlll t with gladlle of iii art tell the mes,a~e to otl r and if in n ally loy the lord we cannot refrain {rom tplli11g it upul l l sec that the two things eeryice prol11jjl u hy love and an honp,t effort to grow ill the likl ne of the loru are s el1tial to e ery one ivho woulu gain the prize prom [ilory to glory am as by the spirit of the 0 11 glory means a 1m,ition of hollor ill the vrp,pl1ce or till lord the lord is 11011 ]jl p lit each one of hi lijllha a,1or hold an honorilhll l 0 tio11 beeause of preh jlt illg the lord the tr tl~rlll 1 i polrer alld influencl is the spirit of tlw lol d mid a one is prompted by the lord s spirit i alihfllll io perform his cowllant in the ]joi,itiojl h no 1 oltllpil tlll re i il gra
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i the watch tower members of the body this
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january 1 1923 frcundatrd waters or rendrrrd them fruitful prolifie similarly holy men of old ,pokt alld rote a they w re ii1ol nl hy the holy sphlt the hol 11l1lupl1cl or power of god f undatrd their millk iii~lllg tl m to bring forth thoughts such as god iyi,lll d to h:1 e expressl d 2 peter 1 21 similarly the ,1 il1l d lorkml n whom moses selected to prepan til parap!1 l i~ala of trw l al rnacle were brought u11der the 1ii1111ellce of the divine power to the enrrglzing 01 qlllck llillg of their natural faelllth s without affectmg thrill ill any 1i10ral sense rven as the ivatrrs of the gn at d p were not af ded in a moral sense llkl i i,r we an infornwd that .tehovah god put u po i jlo,l ni l till ell1ers of israrl h·is spirit with i p l ia poly i for jlldp;illg in israel s afiairs prrsenillg oi d r d -e1 l 1~g our ,tudy thi l ar hol i d l l jth thl new crratloll of lil l jr,u ii the ii ad ow flr~tllorf1 hi is thr hr dlllll11g the fir thorn i rom ilw dea<1 tl at in all thi ilgs 11 illig i:t have the ]1n i m iih 11c 105sian 1 :1s the logu was the h0gi11ning of all god s c ation the l ipturl s then introdllc0 us to a 1lrw cr atioll of th <1il ine natme 2 pd r 1 4 a cr0atioll far ahoyc other ]1o vers and prill 1 palltil s of l 1l1eh c hrii t .tl lls i the prrrl~lii1 llt h ad oycr all philipjlul11s 2 9-11 in preparing thi 1lely i ution ii hieh rill harr pn i lliinl i1ce abore all oth rs gol follo red the ru]0 of fir t plitt i!lg the n1 mhers through tr,rillg penencei olll nl ling thrill an opportullit to prove tl ir joynltr anll l]l rotion to the cr ator awl his principll i of l 1 ht li~il ss christ jei ll the hl aa of this new ation though he were a son yet learned he oh di 11ce by the 1hings which he suffered for it iycan him for l ilom are all things ana by whom are all things in hrill ing many sons unto glory to make the captain of th ir sahation perfect through suffering h hreiys 5 8 2 :10 it is tl i pirit of god his imii ihle powrr sent forth that j ult in all of his cr0atj0l1i inclurling the new cj ation each of these must be erejoped in the school provid d for that purpose it will hi profitahle tl1en for ach one of us in the school of christ dming this year to lll hold in thr mirror of god his character likenes and that of the head of the new er0ation that we may be by his spirit transformed into the likrness of our lord am king second week iii hath lief/offell 11s fa a lio/ie of life 11 et t 1 3 jesus the hea of the nell c atlon i as begotten to the divine natme at the .lordan h gdtillg means beginning hrnce this was the begilllling of the new crea tion fat thr,cc and a half years he taught his disciples they rrre fully consecratpl follolrers ipal l1ing of the lord bl fo 1 hoii l l er the conld br i gott n to the divi1 natur0 tjl grrat ransom price iilust be prescnted to dil111e j lli tiee as a sin-offering when j eslls ascended on high this was thlis pr0sl nted and rriaence of this iras gl rn wjj 1l at p nt~t t the holy spll it was manifl ted ii poll tl diseip!ps in the form of tongucs of fire bpi o th1t time thry wrre consrcratrd but now they were ju~t died atl pted as a part of thc sacrifiee of our lord awl b goit 1l to the divine nature hencc it was their j ginning this hegdting is likened unto a contract a contract requires t yo partici whosc minds must meet l 1h~re mll~t 1 hlm iijing done on each side when wi come to tl lord and fully i liitl ii er ollr,phes in colisl ration tbt ad is eqllil dlpnt to agreeing that the lord ~hall takl u and nsl us in whatsoe er manner he sl pi hest m:d ,grant unto us just such bl0i i ings as his lo aml h klll didat0 1t is a promise to do the will of od the lord .10su thrn imputing his merit 1 1 1it ,1 h an one to u l al il]y 1 atl r it is god that jll tifidh bl·illg jllditkd ll hal fjeaee with cod thl hi h onr lord and h ior ,1 ii hl i~t and nl e thu 111
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jesus healing on the sabbath january of kingdom trltlis th 7-luke 1 3 fho~l 8atan tries to make jesus afraid-thb s bb th a time for restitution-jesus inihgxant at hypoci:lsy-coriu l tion danger of being shl t oct tue l st service ,cit is !a it ul to do good on the sabbath day matthew 12 :12 t sr k ls certain that the events nal l a il d in the thirtppnth l hapter of luke s gospel took plal p hpli our lord was uillking his last journey from galike to jpl usalern he travektl ou the past sitle of j onlan iu the llist 1 1 t known as pel ea thus avoilliug the road throngh ~allial ia a iii i visiting ome districts where he had not prpyiously millj tpred lulu tells us that at this time tl1 i l wpl l sollle ho ame to .h sus to tell him of a teniblp thilll doiil by pilate that cruel i lllll s mall had slain sollie alil alls 110 n n yi iting rue .em and who prohahly n l o slliping in the tempi rts alld to show his utter olllt lilpt for the .tpwish worship aud sacrifkes 11 hall lliinl:i d tlll il hlood with that of the sacrific s they off ,i lllk does not state wjly til 8 opll tolll .tl sus of this but the way in whkh he narrat l the illeld 1l1 illdil al ihat .tesus did not receive them as friel1ds l ut l alll l as pnelll1 s in all prolmhility their ob,lect was to friglllpn thp lord for lxcellt .tutlas who uetrayed him he alld lib l oiilp,lll yere all galileans perhads they thought thal the lord would hesitate and not continue his joumey to .t i is,ii lll hat vel theil motive without doubt it wa al lll i ll prolllpted lheir goillg to thc iaster he had triell to st dw our lord from the narrow pathwn by lil,tking hinl ~ilt l lal ollers of 1dvancement in the yorld he had tl i l hilll 1ll1 jill:h l ter s loving s illpathy when peter said about .r us dpath lord let it not be pity th s lf 1 iatthew 1 nihi gill and now he was making all attempt to tui ll t h lord aside through fear of consequences to hilll und hi jilt k eompany he faill ll the lord refused to be intimhlat ll satan tries to make jesus afraid ulle:qh eellly he qupstioned them up o p l he said thut thpse ajilpans were sinners aun all tl,l cajilean i becau5e tht y urtpred such things tllt ll all n riug hi own qu stion ill said i tell oii ~ay hut exee pt e rt pent e shall all likewise perish th p uml d that tlll p men were not under the care o god as othpr were cl~p pilat woulll not have been lllil 10 ~iay them alhi there was all u nmption that galll alis werp sinners more than others .tesus also remindpd tlll lll tha t some time lj fure the tower of siloam in .t rusal lll innl fallen ami sjain eip;htepll persons jesus said think e that thpse were sinll i s above all othpl illen lhat ilwelt ill jenl~a lelll by putting these questiolls to tlwill he siiowni that al ll nts could happen to those of jerushll nl a i 11 as alalllitips to sillill i s of galilee the way he put the qu tioll shows uult to him all the ml n of jeru alem as wpli a i all in galill f wel p sinners said jesus cllless ye rpp ll i ye shall all ii kl yise peri lh hl ther 01 not tlw were pharisees who l ame to 11 iiii we do not kno but the loru shows that they a1ld 1he oili s ho llipil as pll h i all others of jerusalem and galilee -ill otlll r words all the house of israpl ypre sinners in till ~i ht nl 011 anti unlps i th y rl lwnled and ackllowlell ll 1 111 ;is the one sent of the father thp,y woujd all peri h as th s lllifortunf es had done to elllpha izl his ull alllllg onl lord spokl the parable of the fig-tn planted in a yillp a i ll i r told lhat the owl1cr eallle to tind fruit for thn pars and foulld none and then tolll the ville-llt psser to l ut it down hying yhy eullluereth it the ground tiip yille-llresser pjeaded that it shoull have one more yeal trial ill said lord ll t it alolh this year also till i ~hall dig about it and dung it and if it ul ar fruit we ll and if not then after that thou shalt cut it down luke 13 8 9 i it is clear thut the fig-tree reprpsents tllp ,i ewish p ople and the 0 ner of the yillp ard .tehoyuh t hd i od the three eal s repn spnt the labor of jesus alr udy past alt.1 without show of fruit god eoulll yery p ulwrly haye onelmlpll the 01 1 of ,j psus at that time for all cla sl of people had n jpl ted him uut in his ill cy they 1 1 1 ~till to imy till ful t ill l ppl ioli of trial until the tull i iule o jesus iilillisll hould imye expiretl ~ix mollth la l 1 iw was l rlkiti d al the hands of that fi kle erul peop so full or p o:t ion of jo alty to god but so elllpty of d yotioll t tl l l ent os lilauy of them n pe ntpl alld turtll d to till lord ami enll re,l into the blessillg whi h god th n had for iiis pl oph uut as a people tlip r jpl tl l hull a!hl yl rl r jl l l ll by hilll alld passed 011 10 their jlllni iili 1l1 as a nation tho w i i h ll as a people they entl pd illio th lirpst trouble tliat an people has eyer had inlli t d upon thelll b the pro idm e of god the time of t1 oulilp now on the world eorre~polllis to that which came upon the .tews after they hall n jll tl l the loi in thp pj pnl nrl,l tl~luble some l1[1tion 1
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1anuary i 1923 cfhe watch tower 11 jesus indignant at hypocrisy the ruler of the synagogue was indignant and voiced his anger that .tpsus should heal on the sabbath day he said to the congr0gation there are six days in which men ought to work f this was a rebuke to the lorel in 1hem thel efore onle anl be healed allli not 011 the sabbath clay this was a rphllkp to 11w people this atl itud and the han]lwss of h al·t ill disl ospd causpd our lord to turn upon him illlnlplliatel ll,qlol i ite ill saiel doth 110 pa h one of ou oil the sahbath loose his ox or his ass frolll the stall and i ad hiln mnl to wntprin awl ought not this wonlllll hpill a
joicpd in ,ill th lt was doli !j him tbp nsp of this woman sppil1s to hp of a spmi lplllollial al trouhl0 luk0 who i as a physil ian says slw was houil by a spirit of infirmity as if she were possl sspd by a spirit which l uused hpr to belie e that she could not straighten hf rself the tou h of the lord healpd her eaused her to exprt iipr will gi ing her permanent cure hprl is an exampip for tllp om;ecrated they are sons of abraham holl!ers of th promises galatians 3 :29 and it is their pri ileg when0 er hrought face to face with those boulld or the dp i at !p:lst to tell out tile gl ll ious message which if rpcei ed will loosen every bond of satan corruption of kingdom truths luke thpn tells us that our lord spoke two parables-that of the mustard seed and that of the lem en the mustard seed which we are told is the smallest of all seeds grew illto a great tree and the fowls of the air lodged in its brallelles the leaven hidden in thrpe measures f meal workl l its i ay into the mass until the whole was leavened jesus iik ns the kingdom of heaven to both these growths what is the point of the illustration lye know tlw common intpl1 etation-that the truth as proclaimed by j0sus sown by hilll as a small sped would grow ulltil it woulr be a tre that ould sbplter the nations and that thl iittlt leal c ll of truth whieh he placpd woulll work its way inlo thp mass of humanity until all mankind shall be pernwated iy ill i it ive do not acc0pt these illtprpretations hmyl h r probably our lord had in min that whleh had alj 0ady happened in israel god had given them the law ani commandments at sinai but false professors had enlarged upon the law with th ir own vain suggestions and as jesus sain had by their traditions made the word of god of none effect our lord indicates that much the same thing would happen to his teaching there would be those who would lay hold upon it and fasten upon it vain traditions of men making it of noue el1 ect it is a clear matter of history that the church of god so i nllp 11l grown into a iluge establishment of an entirel abuormal growth has been fosterr tl by kings po;pntatp and politicians ha» b en enri lled by merchants anll hy tllo~e who haye exploited ilipu 011 he half of organi7.ed pligioll alld that the great tree of uii tianit lias had alld t ill lias its llranehes full of bil ds of the air tltp :1g pllt of iiip p il olle later iu hen latloll ls 2 ou lo d su t liu t bu 11 lou has become the liold of every hatplul wid lllj pall hinl hi i l tin til otltel jig-uri leaven we know that leaven is a h i i,wd ill j iptui e as a s lllbol of evil or corruption tilt ioijlall t ilp 1al iiui ii unfaithful to god has placed ipan li illto that wiill 1t ias tile true food of lhe church of god alld t lie corruption workp until truth oult hardly be founll i p tllank od that oie lord in thesp days of his ii e~pill i lia olll :lg ain giveu his people c1 1il food free from detijc>ment tile eorruption of leaven of satau s lies of tip t ou ilts of evil !uen aud of the doctrines of df nlolls danger of being shut out 1 l lliarks of our lord caused one to raisp tll lluestion lord are thne few that be saved the lonl 10ld hilll the lliaill questiou was the personal one he suid strin to lit r in at the strait gate for many i say unto you iii k to enter in and shall not be able the point of illl!jortall e is not knowledge as to how many will be su ed but am i g tting inside the door of the house personal rp l onsibillty is involved and must be accounted for tile lonl speal,s of the time when the door will be dosed lt i as if he had referred to his ministry then coutinued ilion tllan three years in israel and was makin re1 pi llee to the fpw who had listened to him perhaps our lon mp lilt to tell tile speaker that there was a time coming vel qukkjy when the house of israel would find the door of god s favor shut but the scripture certainly has reference to the end of the gospel age that is to our own day the lon says plainly that then will be a time whpn the lita tpf t1w hou p wiii l l~e ui alld sll1~t the door illrl he iudil ates lhat till i e will bc sollie who will then knoe k quite expec liilg the lonl to 0!jt 1i it to them they speak to him familiarly lord lonl o]j n unto us then the lord dec1afp l that he will say tilat he dol s not know th m or frolu whlmce tht y are hut ~ay they we have eaten and dr1lllk in thy prespill p alld tlwu hast taught in our streets but the lord ill say i ,i ll oll i know not whence ye are depart from me all ye workers of iniquity these should have knowil the lord s ill and they would not hav misused their opporl unity tltey are bidden to depgrt from him and :1r jilp
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12 cfhewatch tower baooklyn n y to tlav been find themselves outside the privileges of service ther want to do something lut t!le.l kl e 110 guidance from the lord the leaders ask those who are led whl re they should lead them next the shppherds ask thp shepp for dirp tion they are surprised about thi they tell the lord that they have worked and eatpll with him but he rl fuses to have any relationship 1 it h them they must take their place with all other oppo~prs of the kingdom-in the trouble and distress of the outer darkness in which christendom is invol ed as our lord yas sllf aking some pharis s came to tell him to get out of the country bpc ause iiprod intended to kill him this was anothl r attempt on the part of tllp enpmy to ,c:et our lord to turn back to allow himself to hp intimillatp1 lmt neither those who tow him ahout th galilpan nor thp~e pllllriseps nor the lpyil himsplf could iluitill a spirit of fpar into our lord on a fol mer o pasion in thp pxpn i~e of his judgment whpn he hpard that hp o1 had killpd .john the baptist j us hull ipft tllp southem pal t of thp ountl y to go north hut whpn thp t if ill llih tllat ill should turn his facp towants .1l l 1i~alplil 1i0thill vouhl detpl llim from his jlurp,ls of cal l yl:l out his father s vill h1hi hp hat no h sitatioll in ,p jkill plain words to thosp ho callie to hilli 0 c and tl li that fox behohl i cast out de ils and i 110 ur s 1 la alll tomorrow and the third day i shall be ijpl f lp,i our lord thpn intimated that he expected to complete his work in jprusalem and there and in the same wa to shari with the many servants of god who had omplpted tlwir ~pl viee slain by thosp to whom tllpy iilhl soll~ltt to oil y tltp ol d of go1 thp pl oplwt of go,l are ~till ~lain or 1i1l1rdpl ou~ly att kpd h thosp who are the resjlon~ilil ipadpl of chl istelldolll nihllk hl to god eyen tllpse shall et see the truth ill the killgdolll and will say h1essp1 be he that cometh in the name of the lord berem ql estioxs wh did .te t r:lhi on n1 o t ,hlp of jordan ill yhat oil.wel hatl 1 1 1:1i1l indl i nal who illet him 2 yhat jf ll lll l nlllc :tt ldpllt dill jp l1 if hh 1 h iith i i l jlplltant l ih t ji y til i1 ihp 1i tl pp ll pd to li l 11 ol d l to he dypd l a 1 011· i iif l liow b tlip ih t pllt tl ol11jlt 11l 11 1ed iii bl ael eonditlon yhat dill brat i saliba til 1 1 tlll e if 7 illl did ,1 11 hplp the infil iii woman s i 6 yllnf attitwle ltl l .jt ··ql 11 to nrd tlie ruler of the ynae;oglle liat 11 on ith the j lilp of ortholoxy 10 hl jill ~at;j1i 11 111 till j l
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la itaiiy 1 1023 cfhewatch tower lord here intimates that those who are kindly disposed towards the poor have something to come to them from god in the day of judgment th re will surely be a reward for all those noble-hearted men and women who often at great cost to themselves ha e geuuinely labored for the poor of the world seeking to ameliorate their hard eoudition i here is nothillg here spoken against sod ll gatllpring-s of 1 ri uds but on against sct alld ostentatious gatllpriul!s to show ott or to get some favors iu return danger lurks in sueh fpasts let the lon s p ople r jljemhpr that true recompenee comes from god in his own time missing opportunities gue wl10 at at llll at with hiul aili in a suddpn hurst of feeliug blt sspd is ill that shall at hread in the kingllom of ol 1 it pharisel s l tailll t pel tt d to be inyitpf to an f ast od should ih pl.lrt thpn ps1ls gaye the parable of th man i ho iliad a gn l1 ~upjlpr-llis ilu pos bl ing to show ihal thesp er pt o l 10 llom ill was speaking were till u ht iug ill ilpd hy ltiul to a past tllat god had spread and that thl in l i rpfu iu the invltatiou how a it is for till iiiiiiiall milld filled with its own lliought 1o illiss the thiu ilwt od is speaking by means oil till n ry l il cliins!nn p of thp o i a>iion .jesus told that a mau madl a great upper allll iuvited his friends and that 1111 1 all with one cousput iwgajl to make excuses that iht u thl iuyitatioll as s ut out to others and that still n i r fu d that it was still further ent out into the hi~ii s alll hed p aud that it was ouly in this way that th spats at rllp a t w p lit/i d with guests out lorf ill tills w i lold rhph l ii:ll i ph aud lawyers that they had hp 11 tn al l hy i;od as ltis ripillls alld that he jesus llal hl oug-hl ihpm 1i1 ill ilatiou 10 a fpast prepared but thn i 1 ith ou ousput tlll out lilpl iiously spurned the meshag ii ila yill solue cx usp to make as to why he should nol a jll thpil l i u plpasurps aul interests were more to 1111 111 th 1 t ill pleasure of sittiug down at meat at god s tabll or tl llth p e how the ljiessa of love which received into !l 10 a i 101 iii iipart yould tl jllsl orlll one into the likeness of lirisl yah ~j1111 1l 1 hy hl f i allll was then carried into till plltil iol ld h tllp aiji8:il and the early chureh it 1 8l l 011 illto cliri tplldolll hut comparatively only few or tllat tpat l it liped d tllp iuvitation to walk in the foolst p of sils 0111,1 a fl y i l ally cared for the truth ~ill t rllt i l ioil of iji istl lldolil in ]881 the ll1 ssage of lon lia ~oll illto the higllways anll byways and its g-ral iollsll 1 1 ollljlellpd ijjail 10 olllp ill to the feast here ill h 110 1111 0 ii 11t 1l the lord sits down with his gilp~ls tilt lord iplis wl lt is to happen to those who ~lllll u tllp hpa l ili ill ·itation ;i£atthe v s account t lis u th lonl s id that til dty wollld be dpstroyed and this was ii ll holh of ihe je ish peop]p and of the great city of christplll!om-ol g-anizel i pligioll the lord will not permit llis illyitatioll to 1 · sijii iip,1 without taking notice of th rt hl llioll of heart whieh tliltlt i ies the rejection cost of discipleship ft r lll1s j 8i1 w llt 011 his joui llp makin his ·a · to j rll i il1 alld lihl!i fnllow l llim ifp llot tra plill hurrit ii !lilt fl oill yillag-e to vll i alld the people i o nl l around him some were so attradpd by his teaellillg as to want to follow him but the lord told them iha t no lila ii ould he his dis ip who was uot willing to g l up pypl ythillg ordinarily ollsiler d precious in life all human t i s iilil~t be snapped yea a man must hate his owu life lliust coullt all natural self de lrp as his llejliy if h yould be ,tl ii li ipl so he sau oullt the cost do a a mall dol 1 11 thinking to build a tower or as a k1l1g doee and he brought back to that mental and moral image of god in which he was originally created necessity of humility after this incident the lord might very properly have left the eompany but he stayed on as he marked how those that we e bidden chose out the chit f places he took the opportunity to eontinue his instruction they required lessoils in ordillnry 1it ·t 1i1 y ami lie spoih plaiuly to them in the form of a p l ahle he showed them the loolblmcss of ehoosing the chicf rooms when hilllen to a house or of ehoosing the chief seats when billh n to a wpddiug feast the desire fo honor eansl d them to lost sight of tht simple rult s of condnd so that wlwn the w re ill ited to eadl olll r s house tlll i d uot the ordillary dc elley to wait iii iiil tlll n pla d y thl il ho i 1101 lilt ihlrtesy to in p[lf ll other thl prl f reuee but took for ihcmst hes the iuost honoraille spats and eyeu thou iio ,lilll again one had to be put hal k to a lo er plaee this did 1i0t teach them tllp ill p sar 1l ssoil jesu jurl t r saill hosoev r t alktll hilllst lf shall be ah,i d alll t that 1i11111hlpth himself hall be exalted h lifts this matter froll the ordillary aftail s of life alll de lares it to be a j i iil i pit upoil wltidl god :ids so that t,tldllg a seat at a host s table nhl 1i1l lii soluelhiug whi h ailcds olle s ete1 llal d till llumilil is 1i0t statell to he 011 of the gra ps of til sl rit but ii is a vpry lie l a 1 ollliition of heart god giyes taee to tl huiii le 1 pctl r ~i ~» a 111 no 01 11 l t to lilak progl ss in the ill a ellly wa or to will thp pl ize of the hi~h allillg of god in c!jri t jesus who dol s 1i0t put 011 tilp arllll lit of !il11l1i1it~· humilit~· is of tile ilpal t 1111 the g-arllh 1i1 or illl1l1ilily should hp worl1 near it as wi ulldpr-gal lil t rallll i tl lll all on i · garlllelll eyidently ihe loi l has al l all l it we must huwhi oul splves and prtalilly lids is a mudl plpa~allt 1 way tllan h al iiing humility b being llulllljipd till lol d s lh opl lilust be areful 10 gpt the jjrop i all· jll~t1llpllt in this ilia i iei ostpntatiouo ly takill a kid s al nlh i eypal as mul ll prille as seekillg a pi olllllll lit ollp alhi th l p lljay he as much pride ill the h 1 of a ol kill ih:l1i 01 woman as ill that of a prille hullii ii 1 i of 11ll !jparr aihl that mellll r illiist hl kepi ill 1 ·lillp~s iii 0111 r l for the lord wp shollld 1l0t spel jlla iil n lll all shille in tlip si ht of olh l s 01 filld splr·s l i tioll but rather do that hil h !it s al oui ]l;llll :l1il hkh ill the pr ill nee of oll in n i y jll ohahly jusl illl ri ht s r l both 1 01 the aus all1 1 01 our ll p!oplllpllt if ye fiwl ollj· i c nt llin,t to pt ih ill ollr p · p 1;iiiil lilt p e of olliprs 01 all hillg 1 01 0111 positioll or ill a 11 yay thl ust:onnll d yt art !lot hulll1jiltl 0111 · · 1 · hur are alilel 0111 1 fp liill 111 our pride awl yp al i i:lill to hul t will not e solllp thln pj j l p lll 1 tlh jjn cpi to lh 111i111 · tih t u ually d plop a ~jjirit of cnll 1 1i1 alll ,illll~iiil 111 or ill othl l wonh or prilli i rue ll11l1ili1 el y s ill ljlill lliphs of spil it alll likp uoll s peace it ih ahnlys tiyp iii ils 01 ii hil ut i~· .11 110 olltilllll d ii is 1 oils ill hulililil j1paklllg about allollll 1 u toi!l or till 1 lal i l o 110 1 !1l 1i 111l jli:ldp a 1 1 1 tll l 1!lpir fri·lid 11il tllo 1 1>111 idlo l 111 wig!jt l· p t somptltillg ill 1 1 1111 11 hp s,ti 11l 1i tllou 11 lke t a lilll r 01 a supppi all not ihy fl il iil1 1101 ill jon tlll en iipirltl r tll kinsjljc ii nor tlly rkh 1 i~iijoo1lr t till al~o lid thee again and a reeolllpence he iiladl tlll l bllt whell thou makest a fea~t call the poor lhp uwiuic<1 thp lame the hliml and thou llalt be hlc p for thl allliot lllpeu~e thee fo]· thou hllalt h re olllpt ll d al lilt l p i i l tioll of the ju t urely 111 se wor<1s 1 ti to lis oiilptllillc of od s gmciou iii s ve kuo that ill is llpe!ally watehf1l1 towanls his o m nnd that those ho c:iyl a cup of cold water to a disciple are to be rewarded by him but our
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cfhe v!itch to v er brooklyn n y when he thinks to make war if the cost is not counted a illan cannot complete his work and pc ople mock him or if a king has not a suffichmt army to overcome his enemy whom he attacks instead of gain he himself is taken captive his army is lost and all his posspssions are gone no man can enter into tllf life of consecration and retain what he has if one will lu all for christ s akp he gains all that ehri t has to giye hut if his consecnttion is not true he still loses all but gains nothing jesus then uscs a strange expression salt is good but i the salt has lost its savor wllprewith shall it he seasoned i t is iwither fit for the lan,l nor yet for the dunghill but men cast it out he that hath cars to hear let him hear l uch of the salt of the east is inorganic matter impregnated with saltness and under certain conditions it lost s its savor when it does so it is absolutl ly worthlpss and being hurtful to ypgelation it can ouly be cast out upon the roadway to be trampled ulhlcr foot the thought is this a man who has bepn led to the lord by grace divine who has rp·dyed tlhll grace and been qnickenpd of the spirit has s.llt within himself l iark u 50 but if he dol s not usc wlla t he ims in cont inuance of his consecration he loses the saltness which makes him of value to the lord ill becomes like the eastern salt which has lost its savor and will be cast out here arc lessons for us concerning our collsecration and our usefulnpss to the lord tilere is only one thing for us after we have 1 f 11 brought into rl lationsllip with jesus and that is to iwpd on the way to make stntigllt paths for our feet to watch oui lwart and our life tilat n grow in the knowledg-e and the grace of thp lord .tl sus christ he grace of humility is a great pl l sel ypr of that saltnt ss which the follower of jesus must haye ye are the salt of the earth j 1atthew 5 lb berean questions what question did jerus propouml to t1w phari s j 1 why did the pharis seek to entrap the lonl f 2 why did the pharisees refuse to an wci thp ol l 111c stion j 3 why did the jewish if a<1ers o pllook the spint o thc law r 4 how did jesus picture the vhat simple rules of conduct ,ii
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