Matthew 16:21-23

Jesus Predicts His Death

21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Jesus knew what his assignment was, and He already was close to the mindset of asking God to take it away from Him, if it was possible (in the garden, a bit later). The last thing He needed was one of the men who was part of his inner circle telling him not to let it happen; that he would stop it from happening. 

"sacred"

What does the word "sacred" mean to you? 

What is sacred in your life? 

I recently learned what "dogma" is, and that reminds me of sacred things. Since dogma is the unchanging backbone laws of belief (the core pieces of doctrine), then dogma is sacred. 

And being dogmatic means  "to follow doctrine relating to morals and faith, a set of beliefs that is passed down and never questioned." Unfortunately people who are dogmatic often come across as arrogant and opinionated because they have found certain things that they will not budge on. I don't believe that this is a bad thing, since there should be something in our lives that we believe enough at our core to not budge on. But this is also taken as "based on unproven throes or even despite facts". So being unwavering and incapable of listening to and/or being a teachable person. 

(some of this came from a website outside of this blog, I just forget where it was.)

So yes, to sum up, something sacred is something that is held as core importance, unchanging, like a rock. 

If something is sacred to you, you protect it at all costs. 

That doesn't make that person closed minded, that makes them someone who holds to what they cherish. 

A virtue that many people lack. 

Valid vs truth vs fact

Validity: valid:

sounds - just - well founded - effective

Truth: the truth or the actual state of a matter. 

verified or indisputable fact.

accurate

Fact: something that actually exists, reality, truth.

a truth known by actual experience or observation.

something supposed to have happened.

law. 

Fact is based on truth, truth is objective and indisputable. 

Validity has no attachment to truth, it is completely separate, and yet people think that being valid means you have your own truth and your own facts. 

Nope. 

They are not the same. 

They are not co-existant. 

One is not the other. 

There is only one ultimate truth.

love =/= love

true/original love = selfless, truth, honesty

secular love = tolerance, selfish, what I want, what I let you get away with

basically a twisted reality is being created, where love means being happy, and happiness is all that matters. too many people don't allow things to change them on the inside, so much is shallow and meaningless.

basically we are re-defining love based on what we want and ignoring the original definition and reason for it. 

love DOES NOT EQUAL love

love IS NOT love

what are hermeneutics? (such a weird word)

definition: it's a branch of knowledge that deals with interpreting things, especially Bible or literary texts. it's a method or a theory of interpretation. 

apparently there are different types of hermen.. new.. ticks :P 

oh boy

this could get long and deep 

(deep and wide.. there's a fountain.. sorry.. back on track *ahem)

literal- a biblical text is to be interpreted according to the “plain meaning” conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context.

moral- seeks to establish exegetical principles by which ethical lessons may be drawn from the various parts of the Bible.

allegorical- looks for a deeper, spiritual meaning within the text.

anagogical- a method of mystical or spiritual interpretation of statements or events, especially scriptural exegesis, that detects allusions to the afterlife.

........

I think my mind is about to explode. 

I'll let the scholars do this stuff, and stick to what I'm good at. 

What is preaching?

definition:

1 : to deliver a sermon. 

2 : to urge acceptance or abandonment of an idea or course of action specifically : to exhort in an officious or tiresome manner.

preacher vs. pastor

The difference between preacher and pastor is that a preacher is someone who spreads the word of God and does not perform any formal duties for the congregation. But a pastor on the other hand is someone who has a more formal role and is said to oversee the congregation and guide it towards salvation. (askanydifference.com)

On the other hand, “reverend” refers to a title or an initial for anyone who is a member of the clergy. (differencebetween.net)

who is a preacher?

anyone can preach, but not everyone can teach

do you have to be a preacher to preach? 

a pastor is the teacher of the church

penal substi.. what?

Penal substitutionary atonement theory

what on earth is that? 

Penal substitutionary atonement refers to the doctrine that Christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners. God imputed the guilt of our sins to Christ, and he, in our place, bore the punishment that we deserve. This was a full payment for sins, which satisfied both the wrath and the righteousness of God, so that He could forgive sinners without compromising His own holy standard. (theopedia.com) 

Penal = (of an act or offense) punishable by law.

substitutionary = the action of replacing someone or something with another person or thing

atonement = reparation or expiation (the act of making amends for wrong doing) for sin.