Clearing up the parable challenge and Christanity and autism

[Rachie]

(Parable of the Sower)

Well, I think any sensible Christian would want their seeds to be sown to fall on good ground to harvest and avoid the pitfalls like the stony ground and produce fruitful results. Obviously this is Kingdom work right here. I don’t know the first thing about anyone on this forum, except many have said they have autism. I do know that as human beings we all have different capabilities. One may find that they are attempting to serve God in any way with a limited condition that they may have to take a different course to achieve their goal through it. I think people should not really reveal their deepest aims to anyone but God. We can though look at this more generally for sure.

Really as well we have to do our offering to God in the best way that we can with the gifts that we have an involve Jesus at the centre of it. Really as well God is only to judge how ones offering and effort has impacted them in their life. Something not outwardly looking difficult may have caused that person consequences and suffering in some way as well.

Now if I choose to set about to do anything to serve my faith I immediately offer it up to God and don’t claim anything for it wasn’t me who gave it to me and it was just my hands that performed it the free gift given to me. There is nowt about me and everything great about God. For isn’t it God that gave it to me. My for now my written work is complete as are my objectives I had for my faith before this. Wish I could find one book though I wanted to highlight, so good that I read it in 1990 and cannot remember the name. Notice in libraries they have thrown out some classic books to return with not of the same kind.

I will tell you a bit from my personal life. I myself don’t get me wrong on here I have communication, social interactions and extremly sensory and many Level 2 areas of autism and other conditions. In my offering to God I wrote about and reached the area I have been called to do. I am not a street preacher or minister. I am under God’s protection myself which I am dependent on.

I have had said with though like with my waterfall project on Youtube. I do not allow personal comments for the roaming trolls and I do not have the time or mind to be parked on Youtube all day replying to comments. Someone caught me though on one I never turned the comments off on and they said they were glad they stumbled on my video as it was good for their depression. In all the many videos I had that was the first comment. I looked and said ok I was taken and if just one person has appreciated this then it is worth for me and was blown over and it rolled it back to private and this extends to more in my life, I end on that note.

I think if someone was inclined to want to do something for their faith, pray about it and go for it. Even a sharing of a link to someone can be helpful. My witness testimony has been written. My checklist has been complete. I turned my witness testimony into a free ebook and I cannot see where it has reached and even how many have downloaded it. I also reached my church with via business cards with the link to witness testimony to read. I also did a covering video and a couple of more. My story was given to me and it was my pleasure, but I think we all have our strengths and need to arrive how we can utilise them best. I have activities in other places I like to get on with.
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[Rachie]

I will say this there is some beautiful scripture in the New Testament that is not recognised as a parable however to me I am not sure of the actual word for it so it I recognise it as a parable. A challenge more to understand. Like being in members in one body etc and then moves to more, and the Vine and branches and some sources write these are parables and most do not list them as.

So we covered the Vine and branches
We also covered Body of Christ
Temple of the Holy Spirit
We also covered about the Sower
With a geist and couple of lines I mentioned Prodigical son and the Lost Sheep.
The Parable of the Lamp Stand has often moved me.
The Wheat from the Chaff has moved me at times as well, The art attached reminds me from it as well.

 

[Rachie]

Ok for me for it has as been established that there is clear evidence for getting together to worship as followers of Christ.
I have to write from my perspective, but of course I am well of other Christian bodies called Assemblies and such that do not use the word church. Still, that meeting point takes places together.

I will remain old school in my heart, we had the Tabernacle, then Temple where they used to wash their hands and their feet before they entered. In earlier times also they would have their once a week wash before they entered as well. Some of the Temple life would be too much for me today regards animals and we had the Synagogue and the early Church which moved from home houses to a place where we got together to have Communion.

Of course Jesus knew there would be many church's and people may dispute about which is one is better than the other, so made it known they are all equal. That makeshift room with moveable chairs say in Cambodia can just be as acceptable as the biggest monastries in the world. To me it doesn't matter where you worship if you decide to go to a church. The Holy Spirit can visit any church that worships appropriately. You have to decide for yourself on what you hold true and see if you can get a match in a church that you may be able to go.

This now this is the real reason why I am posting. This is someones personal opinion. To some people places of worship are just buildings. I don't prescribe to that as such. For I know a makeshift room is set aside for worship I will respect it as a Holy place if I worshipped there. Places like the Vatican, a Catholic/Anglican/Methodist, Baptist church etc etc to me these are holy places to be marked with respect. Yes, the congreation will bring many of God gifts as well, however I love a set aside place of worship and they serve as a good place for me to be in as well away at times as well from the modern world and what they entail.

 

[Rachie]

I didn't really wish to come back and just post one, but too late to edit above.

Some I will remember from childhood. This is one of them that is a good guide for life for sure.

Parable of the speck and the log- Do not go around judging another ones one. Do not go go around judging people’s problems, them or their situation, for you yourself may have bigger and more worthy issues of being pulled up on for correction. You have got to be perfect before you go around judging another. The problems found in your eye if we look close enough is the bigger thing -plank/beam/log etc that will be in your eye when we look close enough and lets us not judge you by yours...At that point you going go running and not say a word..most would.

You can disagree with an action say someone going into a bad temper, but try not judge the person.

 

[Rachie]

I posted in the Christian art thread yesterday a picture that was in a workshop that we used to wortk with. The picture was based on (John 4) a Samarian and Jesus at Jacob's well and she was given the gift of Everlasting water. She was given more than what she asked for. She didn't ask for anything and didn't see herself being a Samaritian as worthy compared to a Jew to be being even asked of this.
This morning at church I asked the rector about who this attended yesterday and first of all I said is this a parable and they said no as it actually happened. So the parables are in a category of not actually happened. So although there may be things that may be for some a bit harder to understand they are not parables.

I was just checking about the true understanding of this event and to make sure of it, why do you think the Samarian woman was given more than she even dreamed of with a gift of everlasting water and the meaning of it to you?

Also, some of the parables are repeated in different Gospels so something in Mark may be explained more simply in Luke and with less need for an imagination.

 

[Rachie]

I went around lunchtime to a group with other church members. I put the question about the Samarian woman given everlasting water when she never asked for it. I had some ideas about this but I needed to ask more people their thoughts or let others on here give their accounts which they may have arrived at as well and settled at.

Ok-here are the thoughts . There is no answer given to that and we do not have to look for an answer or understanding to everything and this is an event and not a parable.

I could see that as well but got the thought that it may mean different things to different people. So to me it meant that God was kind and all ethnicities are capable of being provided by God here and hereafter in eternity.

Now another Christian said this. They was given a cup of everlasting water because Jesus wanted them to believe in them. This holds true for me as well. She did a good action me saying this now and she was given back freely without limits.

 

[Rachie]

I think after this parable I do not have any more to go through. This is the Parable of the Lampstand. This appears in the Gospels in Matthew 5-14, Mark 4:21-25 and Luke 19:11-27. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is also mentioned as well.

I mentioned this earlier and for some reason I do particularly like it as well. I did ask my dad his take on the Parable of the Talents as well. I wanted to hear his take on the difference between the Parable of the Lampstand and the Parable of the Talents and my dad pulled this into a crystal clear understanding for me.

The meaning of the lampstand for me is quite clear and it says to me, if you have a natural talent or spiritual gift try and harness it and use them as well to bring light to the world.

If you wanted to there are different ways to bring light to the world such as writing your account of your faith and storing it permanently online like on a blog or other ways you may come up with yourself. We all are very unique. If you are not able to do so God surely knows as well what are able to do and not able to do as well.

If though you are a writer I would advise do as what was said to me at 17 note down my experiences with my faith as I am going through it and I am glad I did that as a writer memory can become lost in time. Writing my account of my faith journey gave me the best feeling and I was only able to explore this after leaving intense NHS treatment for my co condition, where if you were to talk about these things they wouldn’t get it and it wasn’t the time or the place. It was nice to see this non verbal autistic child using their gifts and talents to write using the iPad. https://the-art-of-autism.com/how-josiah-a-non-speaking-autistic-child-conveys-spiritual-truths/

If you are given a gift of the Holy Spirit, there many ways to attempt to bring light to world as well. You will know if you feel called to do so as well.

It is sad state affairs to me that many may even get to adulthood and have no idea of what their natural talents are and it may be even a luxury for them to even think about it as well. For me I grew up with for example very aspiring parents when I was not that way and was more arty and had challenges and I was not encouraged to develop my natural talents fully in childhood so unpicking them later can be challenging.

A natural talent can be like being a gifted musician so may be engaging in your gift and sharing your talent with others on Facebook for etc can be one way of sharing with others as someone I know is a gifted pianist and they share on Facebook and play music at their church on a Sunday bringing light to everyone. Even some with severe autism can write the most beautiful profound poetry and they share their gift of writing with the world as well.

Getting back to the scripture. I think scripture on this is easy to understand, but it appears three times in the Gospels the Parable of the Lampstand. I have quoted one and referenced the other two entries. Then the Parable of the Talents also appears to support the Parable of the Lampstand. I said to my dad yesterday, dad if you are say happy with what you have in your life already why do you have to go and collect a lot more talents just for the purposes sakes, when you are happy with what you have and working with it well. My dad reminded me as well, that there was in fact the talent of five but also of one as well, which however though went unsued and Jesus was not happy as the person had the ability to do more. There may be cases were you cannot do more and simply loving God is your limits and God knows this. However, the moral of The Parable of the Talents is that with your at least one talent if you are able to, try and use it in life if you can.

Matthew 5-14

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
....

I will end this with a bit of me, what I like to listen to wake me up a bit and give me a jolt at times. Let me just listen to that now lol. I wish you well. The song is called This little light of mine and it is about using the gifts that have been given to you and you sharing them with the world.

 

[Rachie]

I was thinking about this, God is at mercy to do what he wants with his children when he likes.

There is Biblical scripture and I wrote based on the scripture the Bible closely links Baptism to the Holy Spirit and this is an accepted norm in probably most Western countries that you go through a church at least to recieve Baptism into the Body of Christ in your life as a Christian.

I am going to use this thread for the source you see here in 1 Coritninans 12 -13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized

These are also the thoughts of an acting minister in my country who are scriptural.

I will say this as well, God can do exceptions for reasons to his own knowing and is answerable to none. I will base this on the cases I know of. I have not read of her story but Gulshan Esther in Pakistan who converted from Islam receieved a miracle and then later in her journey became baptised. God didn't wait until she was baptised to begin her journey with Christ. Looking around her story online it seems to read that way to me, but I have though not read her actual story myself. I do know of cases, even my own who didn't fit traditional roles for serving a long duration in the church with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit but they was given to uphold their lives as well purposes knowing only to God.
Some may also serve in the church at some points, but God may have had different plans for them as well. It wouldn't surprise me if their was some very profoundly disabled Christians who may be have not able to have a relationship with the church that were very gifted with Gifts of the Holy Spirit. God is answerable to nobody and acts as a righteous father.

I think I read a book similar to Gulshen's story at 17, the woman I cannot remember reading that she was Baptised at that point recieved a miracle with the clear intervention of the Holy Spirit and I wish I could find that book today and I've been searching for it but I cannot find it. Some countries a church will be few and far between and may even risk life at times to attend. I find some of these journies the most interesting.

You can read on this forum even stories of people who have recieved the Holy Spirit. Of course some immersions do happen outside. Whether those were solo journies without the involvement of any church I myself do not know, but those are interesting as well.

However, it remains the norm, the expected to recieve the Gifts of the Holy Spirit through a church today.

This begins another topic which I won't explore here, but leave this as food for thought.

 

[Rachie]

I kid you not, we can have some ups on downs on forums but you can have some golden moments as well.
The post on the talents left me with some questions of my own. My own talents and what did I want to do with mine. Some of mine were cut off during COVID. I was left with my own questions again. I also posted a thread in the visual arts section on COVID photos and commented about changes post COVID in the field that I was interested in. Another interaction on the forum helped me to line things up as well.

Some processing and nudging out of nowhere leading up to it there I was again searching out an area I kind of written off for the time being. Hospital Chapilancy volunteering. So I searched one as working in this job is what I really wanted for a while. Bingo, I found one local that I had not discovered and have spoken to someone and have an interview close to the end of the month and it is close to me as well.