Religious Notes and Thoughts on Sundry Topics Vol. 2

By Kingsley C. Nurse

This book is the second in a series of notes and thoughts the author maintains on various and sundry religious and Christian-based topics. It is, once again, a small and humble work, and one I believe you will enjoy if you take the time to read it. If after reading this work, you do not like the premise due to the writer's sense of perspective, perhaps you will enjoy his exposition of difficult religious precepts, explaining religious concepts in theological common sense that all readers can understand and relate to. This book, along with the first volume, is part of the author's ongoing and personal dedication to the love of God, and the spreading of His word in plain and simple conversational language. This second volume continues from the first.

 

I truly hope you enjoy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Short Sweet and Subtle Books
• Release date: Mar 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223343783

Book preview

Religious Notes

and

Thoughts on

Sundry Topics

Vol. 2

Religious Notes and Thoughts on Sundry Topics Vol. 2

Copyright© 2023, Kingsley C. Nurse.

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, this fully including photocopying, recording, or any other electronic or mechanical methods, without express verbal or written consent given by the author and publisher in full remonstrance of legality as defined by copyright law. However, upon receiving permission, you may utilize this work with the sole provision of free and open use allowing, that the author must henceforth be cited as the original owner and originator of this or any part of this complete work, with simple credit given upon its usage or utility.

Short Sweet and Subtle Books

Stamford, CT 06902

Digitally prepared in the United States of America, and published in format for e-Books and e-Readers.

First Edition, 2023

eBook Edition, 2023

(Referenced: The Holy Bible, and various concepts from Ellen G. White’s Published Works.)

Once again, my dear reader and friend, I ask that you please be cognizant of the fact, that the thoughts and notes I portray in this work, consist only of my personal faith-based perspectives and opinions. I have studied and have been taught a great amount of things pertaining to religious topics and theological affairs, and I simply wish to share what I know back to the world in my own unique way; using my talents and gifts for Jesus, and using life and wisdom from personal experiences to guide my exposition.

Nevertheless, in the interest of complete openness, I wish to state that I do not currently possess a theological or seminary degree, and I am neither a Pastor or Prelate, yet it remains my goal to expound upon Biblical principles and faith-related matters with the same zeal and propensity as one possessing such knowledge. God works in all who seek His Spirit and Truth. You do not have to be seminarily trained to expound on the Word of God. All you truly need is the Holy Spirit to guide you in truth.

Hence I encourage you to sympathize with my noble vocation, with the meaningful jist and premise behind this being, that you understand that I do not speak for the entirety of any church or religion, nor can I speak in aggregate for any side or position, despite my obvious or clear alignment with specific religious precepts. In addition to this, I do not profess to be an authority on anything, save my own personal reflections. I am and will continue to be, a practicing and believing Seventh-Day Adventist, and I ask that you please ensure that you only accept anything I say or stipulate as in accordance with the Express Word of God; that is, The Holy Bible, and The Holy Bible only. No higher spiritual expositional authority exists.

Therefore, you must read and study the Word of God for yourself. There is simply no other way. God promises that He will give you wonderful discernment and understanding of His Word with prayer and an open heart through His Spirit. God is waiting to give you this for yourself. I implore you, in deep fervence, that you must never take the words of anyone, including this or any other religious work as fact without first verifying it against the Word of God, our sole authority, present truth and spiritual guide. Test every opinion and spirit, praying to Jesus alone to guide your heart in deciding if what you read is right and true. I thank you my dear friend, from the bottom of my heart for reading this in its entirety.

Table of Contents

Foreword and Purpose of This Work

Notes on Christian Media, and its Influence on the World

Notes on Living Religiously and Why the World Focuses Heavily on our Mistakes

Notes on Money, Success and the Wealthy Christian

Notes on Police and your Rights, The Justice System and Leveraging the Law as a Recourse for Christians

Notes on Men and their Peculiar Calling

Notes on Focus, Achievement and Setting Lofty Goals

Notes on Giving Thanks in Everything

Notes on Prayer, What it Really is, and why we both Spiritually and Physically need to Pray

Notes on Answering the Question as to Why We are Forgiven, and Why Fallen Angels are Not

Notes on The Symbolism of Baptism and Our Exclusive Views Regarding Organizational Church Membership I

Notes on The Symbolism of Baptism and Our Exclusive Views Regarding Organizational Church Membership II

Notes on Bible Interpretation and its Defense, and the Dangers of Harboring Doctrinal Error

Notes on Ellen G. White and a Plain Intellectual Defense of Her Authority

Notes on Atheism, Agnosticism and Persistent Non-Belief

Notes on Jesus as God, and the Beyond Infinite Sacrifice

Epilogue

Foreword and Purpose of This Work

My Dearest Reader,

I simply cannot convey to you in language or in words, how immensely overjoyed I am to be with you again. You have once again given me the highest honor and the best gift a writer can ever receive; for you have chosen to spend just a little more of your precious time with me, and for that, I offer you my deepest thanks, gratefulness and gratitude.

If you have just finished reading my first volume of thoughts and notes in this series, (and haven’t yet banished me from your reading fauna) you may have no doubt come across my prior statements, stating that I only seek to use this wonderful medium to spread the love of God through the knowledge I have been taught and learned, using this method as a witnessing mechanism to reach those of whom we may not get a chance to sit and talk to on a regular basis.

But why? Why write another volume? What more can a person possibly say regarding these sundry topics? Perhaps some might say that I simply talk or prattle too much. But my dear friends, I don’t see it this way. I can only in faith and hope purport, that I simply wish to share my unique perspective to someone; a person who may not have seen things in the same way, or in the course of Biblical exposition, clarify and supplement some hard to understand concept or passage through the understanding and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Is this not a duty all Christians share in? Should this not be seen as a most noble endeavor and a most sacred charge? To open up ourselves to becoming unique vessels that spread the light of the knowledge of these things to those who are not so fortunately blessed?

Indeed, we do ourselves and many others eternal harm by holding our knowledge to ourselves, only utilizing it during church and religious proceedings whereby we only truly benefit ourselves. This I feel is not the best way. I firmly believe that God will require of me an answer as to how I used the knowledge and talents He gave me. Thus I happily write, with both expediency and gladness, for I take no greater pleasure than to write, disseminating to the world whatsoever could be given as beneficial for my fellow man.

Not only in this is my vision clear, I am also without doubt, or held back by the confines of fear. I am continually encouraged in heart, that someone, somewhere at someplace away from me, will read these words and be blessed and strengthened in Jesus name. This is what reinvigorates my pen, and daily renews my devotion to writing, knowing that not a single word authored within this wonderful premise will be written in vain; and I know that I will play a part in the salvation of souls.

Therefore I once again reiterate, that I do not write just to write for writing sake. I sincerely wish to play my part in spreading the gospel, knowing that perhaps if God sees fit, I might assert an infinitely tiny modicum of space preserved in the celestial record which shall be maintained for human reference for all eternity. Such a joy and privilege I would happily and gladly pour my efforts, energies and heart into.

And so with this, please keep in mind that I do not wish to make money or profit off of this or any other religious work I have ever published; save for the spiritual benefits I have received from writing, and the blessings to myself from God for using His talents in the way He wishes me to.

If you should thus wonder what type of person I am or was, or perhaps you wish to picture the mindset I possess, please know that my heart and mind is with all those who wish to delve deeper into the light God has revealed to us, applying the concepts of spiritual knowledge to our lives with a common-sense approach, providing practicality and open-mindedness to religious reasoning and thinking in line with biblical study and the example of Jesus; guided solely by prayer and fully subdued by the Holy Spirit.

Hence in closing, I declare that this second volume is in full measure, a work of giving and love. I wish only to spread the knowledge that I possess, and my goal is to garner a different perspective and point of view from which to allow you the chance to contemplate. This small volume is a continuation of the original theme of scripts and notes I penned pertaining to various topics and concepts related to religion and spiritual belief; and all of it remains rooted in my personal perspectives and faith-based opinions.

I am also most certain, that long after I have passed, my work shall remain after me, and I know that this work shall indeed reach someone far yet into the future, and I have faith that it will indeed help them along their Christ-centered journey in Jesus name. I truly hope that upon your reading, you may find or discover a topic or concept of interest, assessing my exposition with a fervent empathy and alignment that helps you better appreciate the sacred principles of holy writ as outlined in the Bible, our one truth, path and light.

And so, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that our faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Notes on Christian Media, and its Influence on the World

I

f you look closely, you will notice that Christian-themed films and tv shows are starting to make a renewed rise on the proverbial stage of broadcast outlets and media. In past years, biblically themed movies were all the rage, and studios often funneled large sums of money into full production of these types of movies, giving the world some of the most well-loved and remembered films, such as The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, starring the late Charlton Heston.

I myself, growing up in a Christian household, saw and viewed these movies many times over, with my entire family loving Heston, who played Moses; and disliking the Pharaoh, who was played by the amazing Russian actor, Yul Brynner. We watched these movies so much so, that as children, we began to believe that the actors were indeed Moses and the Pharaoh, with time and maturity being the concepts that broke this child-like reasoning.

From time to time since then, several memorable religiously themed movies and shows have come along that have arrested the attention of the public and garnered many fans across the world. From my early childhood in the 80’s to even now, there have been many movies about biblical characters including Jesus, along with popular shows about angels and even animated versions of these same movies all meant for box-office production and world-wide distribution.

I remember way back in 2004, when Mel Gibson burst on the scene with his depiction of Jesus