Absolutely, the Vineyard is God’s and God’s alone. God’s only begotten Son is the heir and we are told by that heir exactly what it takes to be reunited in a full relationship with His Father. We are free to listen to Him and believe Him, or not. Once the Son came to tend the vineyard, He dictated exactly what would happen when He would be killed (and raised again), and what that means. Again, there is only One Name by which we must (must) be saved. There is one Way, and that Way is straight and narrow, and few there be that find it.
Kliska,
. My friend, I am fully aware of what you are saying, and the interpretations that you give, having been raised with the same understanding, appreciating it fully.
. There is something else, though, which drew me over the years, away from the traditional church in which I was raised, for it became a kind of echo chamber where things were recited by rote. Meanwhile, the Indians across town were poor as dirt, freezing in the minus forty degree shacks, and left to chew on what tidbits were left after all their fifty million or so buffalo had been slaughtered and they were forced to live on little slivers of unproductive land. Meanwhile, anyone who resisted the Great White Father was butchered along with the buffalo and their offspring were rounded up and put into little boxes until they learned to say such and such and nod their heads and say I believe this and not that!
. Well some of us, dear friend, still have a pulse in our own hearts and yet see things a little differently. No offense, but the Great Spirit is not confined to a little white box of understanding. He’s bigger than a word or phrase and somehow comes to us from time to time, and there is no contradiction in that. Its kind of like the campfire, if you can’t see it, you can smell it, and its coming from over that hill cause the wind is blowin’ the smoke my way, don’t ya know.
. Now the fella all fat and content sittin’ up there on the hill might say to the little Indian, “Come here, boy, and repeat after me, and I’ll let you into white man’s heaven where you can have a seat next to me” and some of those little hungry runts are gonna run over and lap up the crumbs, while others are gonna keep followin’ their nose, don’t cha know, until they get to the fire.
. Well, this little fella followed his nose, don’t cha know, and is here to tell ya that there ‘s a great big fire burnin’ nowadays, at its the same fire that burned a long time ago, and has left many a little campfire in its trail. You may wish to say there’s no campfire in existence in all the vast prairie but the one I’m cookin’ on, but I’m gonna tell you, “By Golly, Ms Molly, my beans are plumb warm and its cause o’ this campfire over here…”
. and I’ll invite you over to my campfire (its not mine anyway, don’t cha know), and you can eat some of my beans and see if they’re warm, and do they taste good, and so forth, or you can stay where you’re toes are toasty, and all is well and good…
. but ya see, dear, I’ve toasted my toes around many a campfire, and have figured out which ones are hot and which ones are not. The hot ones all have something in common, don’t cha know. Dry wood… and I’ve found plenty of dry wood around the world, tested it out with my own matches, don’t cha know, and et many a plate o’ beans
. God bless, ya’ll
.
] ** And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. [means Christ gives HIMSELF as PERSONAL warranty of ALL Teachings on Faith & Morals] ** And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me;**
uch:
