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Rey Reynoso's Blog (142)

Abraham: The Hinge Point of Genesis

In Genesis, the author has not only repeatedly used specific terms (favor, blessing, cursing, etc.) but he uses them all in such a way that they interconnect across the entire book. I want to show that in this post but I know that this will be difficult without charts—but I'm going to have to make do without them because sometimes folk fall into reading the chart instead of following the argument.

Now, the argument I'm making isn't a deductive argument (e.g. If p then q. p. Th

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Added by Rey Reynoso on December 1, 2009 at 7:30am — 1 Comment

Thematic Patterns in Genesis

How would you write a history of the world? Most of us would spend hours researching Liby , Herodotus, some Ibn al-Tiqtaqā’s, the Mayans and the Aztecs, plus some Jedi Holocron over in the rediscovered Jedi Temple and then compile something in chronological order (starting a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away). Some of us would delve into Josephus and Eusebius to spice it all up with some Church History. We’d make a timeline, group it by geographical area and then tick off major events wit… Continue

Added by Rey Reynoso on November 24, 2009 at 1:38pm — 6 Comments

My Top 9 Get-Up-And-Applaud Movie Scenes

There are times in a movie theater, or on a dvd, that I'll actually applaud; be it with the characters on screen, with the people next to me, or just for my own one man audience. Scenes that are so good that not only are they eternally etched in my mind—I will (well, except for one) still stick around just to see that scene whenever it's on. Here are my Top 10 bloody awesome and crazy memorable actiony movie scenes in no particular order. Saving Private Ryan Beach of Normandy: How craz… Continue

Added by Rey Reynoso on November 18, 2009 at 8:53am — 19 Comments

Prayer Monday--Forgiveness

Barring my faulty memory, and if I'm not lazy, I want to post prayers on Monday from all over Church History and then throughout the modern day, and then my own. Here, I skipped through all of that and went for one of my own.

Father God, we are a people who understand your promises, who rely on your witness in time, and who live on this side of the incarnation of your Son. We are a people who eagerly await His return while trying to fulfill the mission that has been conveyed to al

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Added by Rey Reynoso on November 16, 2009 at 9:19am — No Comments

Philosophy Fridays: Is God Timeless?

Every now and then, on a Friday, I'll step into the deep waters of Philosophy, ramble on some idea and maybe even interact with something I might be reading. Most of the time, a real philosopher could probably read my drivel and speak into it offering a corrective—but for now I'll speak from ignorance. After all, it is Friday; what better way to have fun than with philosophy. In this post I'll answer the question "Is God Timeless?" in under 700 words. Heh.

Is God Timeless? A whole

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Added by Rey Reynoso on November 13, 2009 at 7:30am — 10 Comments

Words and Romans

Way back I noted that words are important but especially within their context; they are intended to communicate immediate meaning to the reader. Literary methods are also used as vehicles for this meaning: markers that unite ideas (structure) are accentuated with repetition (patterns) and are all used for carrying through the overall idea (the flow of thought).

We realized that these things are discovered

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Added by Rey Reynoso on November 12, 2009 at 7:30am — 4 Comments

A Word From God

Last night I received a Word from God: He told me to test the spirits because they might be flashy, but they can still be wrong. No, I didn't hear an audible voice telling me this. No, I didn't see this in a dream. I sat in a service while the preacher gave me a Word From God. Let me explain.

The invitation was a surprise—just like all the other times I went to these sort of things. The lot was filled, just like always. The small, family filled chapel was packed—still unsurprising

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Added by Rey Reynoso on November 10, 2009 at 9:23am — 20 Comments

Prayer Monday--Optima Elders

Barring my faulty memory, and if I'm not lazy, I want to post prayers on Monday from all over Church History and then throughout the modern day, and then my own. This one comes, via submission (Seraphim), from the Optima Elders.

Grant unto me, O Lord, that with peace of mind I may face all that this new day is to bring.

Grant unto me to dedicate myself completely to Thy Holy Will.

For every hour of this

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Added by Rey Reynoso on November 9, 2009 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

Why I L-O-V-E Being Evangelical

This branch is named after our foundation (The Gospel of God). It's even better when you add Christianity to it! (1 Corinthians 1:17; Acts 4:12)
I have a theology that says that I am saved, right now, by grace through faith. No wishful thinking; just the sure hope of the glorious expectation (Mark 16:16; Acts 16:31; John 3; Romans 10:9; Heb 10:39).
I've got real power in my corner (2 Corinthians 4:6-8; Ephesians 6:10; 2 Timothy 1:7)
I'm allowed tounde

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Added by Rey Reynoso on November 5, 2009 at 7:30am — 11 Comments

Should One Interpret Scripture?

Anytime I'm in a discussion with just about any Christian outside of my corner of Protestantism, the proof text of 2 Peter 1:20 comes up. The person, hearing my explanation of a passage, claims that my interpretation of the text is not valid by itself—I need the authority of the Magisterium or the Early Fathers or Something. But is that what the verse is teaching—that any interpretation of the text is dependent on the totality of the Church (be it the historical Church or the body of teaching

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Added by Rey Reynoso on November 3, 2009 at 7:00am — 15 Comments

Against the Divine 'Attaboy

Here's the expectation: Christ suffered; don't expect better. Here's the expectation: Christ came to save His own and His own knew Him not; don't expect better. I can say it but I don't think we really believe it. We live in a place where we go to school to be guaranteed a job. We go to doctors to be guaranteed good health. We invest in our 401K to be ensured with a retirement fund.

All these things that we do with an expectation of a return; we do it just right, we get a cosmic ‘

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 29, 2009 at 7:30am — 7 Comments

Shadows and Not Typology In Colossians 2:17

Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Col 2:16-17 // NASB95)

I've seen this passage used quite a number of times to support several conclusions: (1) that the ceremonial portion of the Law were a type that pointed to Christ (the anti-type) and therefore should

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 27, 2009 at 7:30am — 12 Comments

Prayer Monday--Divine Liturgy of James

Barring my faulty memory (and if I’m not lazy) I want to post prayers on Monday from all over Church History and then throughout the modern day, and then my own. This one comes from the Anaphora, the divine liturgy of James.

The Priest prays: God and Father of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, the glorious Lord, the blessed essence, the bounteous goodness, the God and Sovereign of all, who art blessed to all eternity, who sittest upon the cherubim, and art glo

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 26, 2009 at 11:25am — No Comments

Easy To Hate

I have a confession. I am a loudmouthed, obnoxious and opinionated jerk who knows that, more often than not, I'm right. The few times I'm wrong, I know I'm wrong and then I am right again. I see Mary Poppins being practically perfect in every way and laugh—she's such a hack. But that's all introduction to my very real problem: I find it easy to hate.

Yeah, I can really and easily go from annoyance to hatred. I'm a walking example of a person that Jesus speaks about that a person w

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 25, 2009 at 7:00am — 9 Comments

Categorizing Colossians By Theological Buzzwords

While studying Colossians, I had noticed the constant interplay of language which allowed someone who reads into the text to apply specific labels to the passages as they see fit. I decided to do that with the following definitions:

When I refer to Corporate Solidarity, I am referring to the self-identification of a person with the group because of the group’s head.
When I refer to Mystical Union, I am referring to the identification of

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 23, 2009 at 7:00am — 3 Comments

Covenant of Works?

I keep hearing about this Covenant of Works that Adam failed in. It was part of the reason why I started writing about our relationship to Adam (here, here and here--some at

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 20, 2009 at 2:30pm — 5 Comments

Prayer Monday--Licinius

Barring my faulty memory (and if I'm not lazy) I want to post prayers on Monday from all over Church History and then throughout the modern day, and then my own. This one comes from Licinius via Lactantius.

Supreme God, we beseech Thee; Holy God, we beseech Thee; unto Thee we commend all right; unto Thee we commend our safety; unto Thee we commend our empire.

By Thee we live, by Thee we are victorious and happy. Supreme Holy God, hear our prayers; to Thee we stretch forth our ar

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 19, 2009 at 9:11am — 2 Comments

Analysis of A Lie

I had posted a version of this a while back as part of my Genesis series, but I wanted to re-post it here (since it comes up often enough) just from the view to examining Satan's lies. I personally don't think the Devil can read our thoughts, but I think he's subtle enough that he doesn't ha

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 16, 2009 at 10:00pm — 5 Comments

Prayer Monday--Anselm

Barring my faulty memory (and if I'm not lazy) I want to post prayers on Monday from all over Church History and then throughout the modern day, and then my own. This one comes from Anselm. Lord, because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you my whole being. Moreover, I owe you as much more love than myself as you are greater than I, for whom you gave yourself and to whom you pr… Continue

Added by Rey Reynoso on October 12, 2009 at 9:39am — No Comments

...But Christians Are Something New

This is long. I could have extended this as part of a series but the thought flow necessitated one long post, so I apologize. Three thousand, eight hundred words longer than any other post I write but I figured that since no one is reading, I figure I could just put this all out there with my thought flow in place. Those who do actually read this are to be commended.

Moses and God's Message
When God wanted to reveal Himself to the Israelites (Exodus 3), He bo

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Added by Rey Reynoso on October 8, 2009 at 10:00am — 27 Comments