Author: 129008pwpadmin

Traditional Version

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;*
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Ecumenical Version

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

*Traditional use of this creed includes these words: “He descended into hell.”
**universal

These are the versions in the current United Methodist Hymnal.

TItle

Survey Of Christianity

2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea

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The Council of Nicaea, also known as the First Council of Nicaea, was the first ecumenical council in Christian history. Convened in 325 AD by Emperor Constantine, it addressed the Arian controversy, which questioned the divinity of Jesus. The council resulted in the formulation of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that affirmed the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity, and condemned Arianism. 

1 John 5-10

⁵ This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous,so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

1 John 5-10

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Prayer

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PRA’YER, noun In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness.

1. In worship, a solemn address to the Supreme Being, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God’s glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits. A prayer however may consist of a single petition, and it may be extemporaneous, written or printed.

2. A formula of church service, or of worship, public or private.

3. Practice of supplication.

As he is famed for mildness, peace and prayer

4. That part of a memorial or petition to a public body, which specifies the request or thing desired to be done or granted, as distinct from the recital of facts or reasons for the grant. We say, the prayer of the petition is that the petitioner may be discharged from arrest.

Hello World II

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Pray

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PRAY, verb intransitive [Latin precor; proco; this word belongs to the same family as preach and reproach; Heb. to bless, to reproach; rendered in Job 2:9, to curse; properly, to reproach, to rail at or upbraid. In Latin the word precor signifies to supplicate good or evil, and precis signifies a prayer and a curse. See Imprecate.]

1. To ask with earnestness or zeal, as for a favor, or for something desirable; to entreat; to supplicate.

PRAY for them who despitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:44.

2. To petition; to ask, as for a favor; as in application to a legislative body.

3. In worship, to address the Supreme Being with solemnity and reverence, with adoration, confession of sins, supplication for mercy, and thanksgiving for blessings received.

When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:5.

4. I pray that is, I pray you tell me, or let me know, is a common mode of introducing a question.

PRAY, verb transitive To supplicate; to entreat; to urge.

We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20.

1. In worship, to supplicate; to implore; to ask with reverence and humility.

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee.

Acts 8:22.

2. To petition. The plaintiff prays judgment of the court.

He that will have the benefit of this act, must pray a prohibition before a sentence in the ecclesiastical court.

3. To ask or intreat in ceremony or form.

PRAY my colleague Antonius I may speak with him.

[In most instances, this verb is transitive only by ellipsis. To prayGod, is used for to pray to God; to pray a prohibition, is to pray for a prohibition, etc.]

To pray in aid, in law, is to call in for help one who has interest in the cause.

Derision

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DERISION, noun

1. The act of laughing at in contempt.

2. Contempt manifested by laughter; scorn.

I am in derision daily. Jeremiah 20:7.

3. An object of derision or contempt; a laughing-stock.

I was a derision to all my people. Lamentations 3:14.

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Hope

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HOPE, noun [Latin cupio.]

1. A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. hopediffers from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.

The hypocrite’s hope shall perish. Job 8:13.

He wish’ed, but not with hope–

Sweet hope! kind cheat!

He that lives upon hope will die fasting.

2. Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God’s gracious promises; a scriptural sense.

A well founded scriptural hope is, in our religion, the source of ineffable happiness.

3. That which gives hope; he or that which furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good. The hope of Israel is the Messiah.

The Lord will be the hope of his people. Joel 3:16.

4. An opinion or belief not amounting to certainty, but grounded on substantial evidence. The christian indulges a hope that his sins are pardoned.

HOPE, verb intransitive

1. To cherish a desire of good, with some expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable.

HOPE for good success.

Be sober and hope to the end. 1 Peter 1:3.

HOPE humbly then, with trembling pinions soar.

2. To place confidence in; to trust in with confident expectation of good.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God. Psalms 43:5.

HOPE, verb transitive To desire with expectation of good, or a belief that it may be obtained. But as a transitive verb, it is seldom used, and the phrases in which it is so used are elliptical, for being understood.

So stands the Thracian herdsman with his spear, 

Full in the gap, and hopes the hunted bear.

HOPE, noun A sloping plain between ridges of mountains. [Not in use.]

Joy

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JOY, noun

1. The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits.

JOY is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good.

Bring heavenly balm to heal my country’s wounds, 

JOY to my soul and transport to my lay.

2. Gayety; mirth; festivity.

The roofs with joy resound.

3. Happiness; felicity.

Her heavenly form beheld, all wished her joy

4. A glorious and triumphant state.

–Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. Hebrews 12:2.

5. The cause of joy or happiness.

For ye are our glory and joy  1 Thessalonians 2:19.

6. A term of fondness; the cause of you.

JOY, verb intransitive To rejoice; to be glad; to exult.

I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18.

JOY, verb transitive To give joy to; to congratulate; to entertain kindly.

1. To gladden; to exhilarate.

My soul was joyed in vain.

2. To enjoy; to have or possess with pleasure, or to have pleasure in the possession of. [Little Used. See Enjoy.]

Mystic

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MYS’TIC / MYS’TICAL, adjective [Latin mysticus.] Obscure; hid; secret.

1. Sacredly obscure or secret; remote from human comprehension.

God hath revealed a way mystical and supernatural.

2. Involving some secret meaning; allegorical; emblematical; as mystic dance; mystic Babylon.

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Reproach

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REPROACH, verb transitive [Latin prox, in proximus.]

1. To censure in terms of opprobrium or contempt.

Mezentius with his ardor warm’d his fainting friends, reproach’d their shameful flight, repell’d the victors.

2. To charge with a fault in severe language.

That shame there sit not, and reproach us as unclean.

3. To upbraid; to suggest blame for any thing. A man’s conscience will reproach him for a criminal, mean or unworthy action.

4. To treat with scorn or contempt. Luke 6:22.

REPROACH, noun

1. Censure mingled with contempt or derision; contumelious or opprobrious language towards any person; abusive reflections; as foul-mouthed reproach

2. Shame; infamy; disgrace.

Give not thine heritage to reproach  Joel 2:17. Isaiah 4:1.

3. Object of contempt, scorn or derision.

Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may be no more a reproach  Nehemiah 2:17.

4. That which is the cause of shame or disgrace. Genesis 30:23.

Resplendent

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RESPLEN’DENT, adjective [supra.] Very bright; shining with brilliant luster.

With royal arras and resplendent gold.

Righteousness

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RIGHTEOUSNESS, noun ri’chusness.

1. Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. righteousness as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion.

2. Applied to God, the perfection or holiness of his nature; exact rectitude; faithfulness.

3. The active and passive obedience of Christ, by which the law of God is fulfilled. Daniel 9:7.

4. Justice; equity between man and man. Luke 1:75.

5. The cause of our justification.

The Lord our righteousness  Jeremiah 23:6.

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Thanks

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THANKS, noun generally in the plural. Expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment made to express a sense of favor or kindness received. Gratitude is the feeling or sentiment excited by kindness; thanks are the expression of that sentiment. Luke 6:1.

THANKS be to God, who giveth us the victory. 1 Corinthians 15:57.

THANKS be to God for his unspeakable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15.

He took bread and gave thanks to God. Acts 27:35.