I agree (and maybe it's just me) but I have to admit I don't like it when I see people now show up in total football jerseys and hats. What happened to taking your hat off in church? I understand this is maybe an age thing but I also think it shows a lack of respect. It's clearly not a poor person issue, it's something else. Sorry, got off topic.

On the hair thing, maybe he was talking about the scripture about men not dressing like women and vise versa? It's a stretch, but maybe???

Well laid out Warrior.
Chancey, if we track along with the biblical narrative. In the beginning was God, to the Garden with Adam and Eve and God, to the Fall, to the deliverance of a divinely chosen people of Israel delivered out of Egypt and Pharaoh, and this chosen nation called by God "Israel" - the 12 tribes of Jacob, from Isaac, from Abraham....who was supposed to be God's representative on earth (as Adam and Eve were supposed to be initially) and bring the message of God to the pagans (Gentiles).... but they didn't, so God brings into play Judges - still no go on the repent and spread the message of God to the Gentiles. Ok then, Kings! Still the sons of Israel sin and turn from God. All right then... Prophets are called by God to call the nation of Israel, brought out of exile by God and nothing they did themselves to
repent and return to the Lord their God and GO THEREFORE and tell the pagans about the Lord your God. But, the Israelites (we know as we read along in Scripture) refused and mostly killed all the prophets who were called by God.

And so Jesus, Son of God, comes to earth and dwells among them. Who is them? Mostly sons of Abraham. Israelites in and around the region of Judea. And we track along the biblical narrative (the Bible is a story) and see that the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are written as testimony to who? The Jewish. Only 50 some days in the life of Jesus are recorded in the Gospel accounts, but they testify to Jesus coming to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Who would know about the Law and what the Prophets say/said? Jews. So the sons of Israel are once again called by God Himself to repent and return to the God who delivered them out of Egypt 1500 years earlier and.... they kill Jesus. But not before, we read, Jesus commissions His 12 Apostles (to send out) to spread the Gospel to the Jews and the world and Jesus tells Peter he's the rock structure of all of it, with Christ as the cornerstone of it.

But it is Paul, struck down on his way to kill more Christians, by Christ Himself, that will become the missionary to the Gentiles. Half of the 27 canonical books in the NT are from Paul and God doesn't deal in coincidence. If the spread of the Gospel from the Israelites (Apostles) to Judea, Samaria and the rest of the world was progressing nicely, why was Paul anointed by Christ to bring Christ's testimony to the Gentiles?

The rest, as the story tells us, will be history...

Acts 9:10-17;
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,
and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;
and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Israel has never been the proper testimony God called them to be to the Gentiles, even with a Jew (Jesus) walking among them teaching and preaching them (again) how to do so....
Why? Same reason that's in us. Sinfulness.
We read in Revelation that Israel is restored in the end of the story, but Paul was the main guy to bring the Gospel to us Gentiles! He even rebuked Peter when even Peter was not living out the Gospel message he received as Jesus' disciple. We read Paul was always being beaten and arrested and flogged.... but Paul's 13/14 books in the NT are no accident, and though Paul would be killed as a martyr, it wasn't before God enabled his teaching in Ephesus (2nd biggest city) and Rome itself (the epicenter of the pagans). You can't stop someone who's seen another person who's been raised from the grave.
It's known as 1st hand account and today we read that 1st hand account as the letters Paul wrote to various churches and people and we humbly realize what a life Paul led at the height of the Romans Empire.

Gentiles like me pray to someday by grace see Paul and give him a big old hug and a loving thank you!!!!!!
If Jesus says he's the guy..... he's the guy.

Blessings,
Mark

1 Corinthians 11 as stated above, but Jesus didn't have long hair. The Bible God cannot lie, and we know that everything God does is righteous. Jesus was from Nazareth which is why he was called a Nazarene. But Jesus was not a Nazarite which is what Samson was who was forced to be separate from alcohol and having his haircut from birth. It was like a way for parents to give their children to God, not in a negative way where they would kill him and let their blood out like some did to Molech. It was a way for men to stay pure of the world to be set apart for God.

People from Nazareth are not equal to people who were Nazarites

The images you see in modern times of a man that we believe looks like Jesus are actually the images of Cesare Borgia a Catholic Cardinal and the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI. Look it up there are entry of books documenting the history.

Jesus never sinned one time. Therefore Jesus never did anything that the Bible teaches is sin. He never wore a dress, or had long hair, he wasn't effeminate as the world would love to make you think. He was the adopted son of a carpenter in a time with no power tools. He was not a comely man or anything striking to look at. He was harder than any of us, and dressed the part of a man because he was all man, and all God. Jesus never sinned. And being from Nazareth did not make him a Nazarite, it would have made him a Nazarene. Two very different things.

Do a word search and see it to be so.

The key question may be how do we live out the grace given us as a gift?

We recently had a young man come to church who hadn't been to church (he said) in quite some time. One of the senior folks in our church approached me and said, "Pastor, could you ask that young man to please take off his hat in church? It's a respect thing to me. Thank you." I didn't hitch for a sec as I assured this older saint that "You know, how wonderful God brought him to church to be with us today. Hat or no hat." The old fart smiled and knew that is the proper response.

Legalism still exists and it can exist in all of us. So we help each other as the body of Christ remember the things most important. Hair length? Probably so far down the list of righteousness, who would know where to find it?

Blessings,
Mark

And to respond to Mark's most previous comment, 2 comments up I'll just post a few verses.

Ephesians 2:11-13 KJV
Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; [12] That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

But are made nigh by the blood of Christ

Romans 11:7 KJV
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

The children of Israel did not obtain but the election meaning those who are saved have obtained.
Paul taught throughout the New testament how there is zero separation between the children of Israel and the saved followers of Jesus Christ. 0

Hebrews 8:6-13 KJV
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. [7] For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. [8] For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: [9] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. [10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: [11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. [12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. [13] In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

He teaches this very clearly in the book of Hebrews and in the book of Romans, and we see that the New testament represents a new covenant with everyone who chooses to believe and only those who choose to believe.

Romans 9:3-7 KJV
For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: [4] Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; [5] Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. [6] Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: [7] Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

In Romans 9 we see Paul teach everyone that his kinsman according to the flesh, meaning the children of Israel are not all Israel which are from Israel. Because they must first believe. Remember Jesus came unto his own and his own believed him not.


Galatians 3:16 KJV
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

In Galatians we understand that the promises were made to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ. Meaning you cannot be part of the promise if you do not believe on Christ.

It's really that simple I could go through hundreds of verses to prove that this is not the case. I can show you the times where Jesus dams the Pharisees and the Jews and the Israelites to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) for their unbelief.
But don't take what Jesus says as fact. I'm sure there's some dispensationalist doctrine somewhere that proves Jesus wrong.

Ken, some of us believe that the true meaning of the OT was not hidden prior to the coming of Christ, but that the NT is a continuum of the Old. And that Israel is separate from the Church and began as Acts 2 lays out. Not everyone holds that view but it's not a minority view by any measure.

It's a wonderful thing to examine Scripture together, realizing there's a massive amount of historical theology that predates all of us.
We're not the first to examine the texts and it's always fruitful to see what others came up with before us.

Blessings,
Mark

Thank you Mark and Warrior for your explanations of Paul's story of grace to the Gentiles.

I agree with you on this issue. Thank you, Mark June!

I have started my journey back to God recently an as i question an try to find reason it's fake or not real it turns me more Into a believer that this not all just a coincidence God is real so much factual historic evendince tied with the Bible that just shoots down all my questions really ...I have a friend at work that's really good at explaining the Bible an religion really interesting his dad was a pastor his whole life which explained alot once I found thaf out ha

Same here. He's a man of God.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were completely naked. And we're not ashamed. It wasn't until sin entered their hearts they felt shame to be naked with God.

If God's willing to be with somebody to that level of Intimacy, I don't think he cares if you have a man bun.

I think trup needs a man bun.

And so does Trump

That's an interesting point. The 10 commandments are actually Jewish wedding vows . God wants us to draw close to him. Great thread that actually is getting better.