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#Illuminare - ON FAITH PART 10: NINETY-NINE PLUS ONE

Begins now 👇

 1. In the last few weeks, we’ve been treating the subject of faith. There are many dimensions to faith. In this article, we’re going to be looking at faith for venture and innovation. Happy reading. #Illuminare
2. The Jewish society in the day of Jesus wasn’t much different from our society today. The elites were segmented. #Illuminare
3. The first segment was the political class. In the main, this consisted of the two major parties – the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. #Illuminare
4. The liberals were the Pharisees. The party was populist and largely made up of middleclass businessmen and leaders of the synagogue. #Illuminare
5. Quasi-religious, they gave oral tradition equal authority as the written word of God. This gave room for creative interpretation of scriptures and often resulted in ridiculous interpretation of the law. #Illuminare
6. A faction of the party hated anything Roman, and that includes taxation. Tax collectors were, therefore, persona non grata. #Illuminare
7. The conservative party was the party of the Sadducees. The Sadducees were rationalists. They didn’t believe in the afterlife, the coming of the Messiah, the existence of the spiritual world, or angels and demons. #Illuminare
8. They were wealthy aristocrats and they held powerful positions. They controlled the temple and dominated the 70-seat Jewish council known as the Sanhedrin. #Illuminare
9. There were one or two smaller parties. One of them was a fringe party, the party of the Essenes. They didn’t believe in immersing themselves in public life. Call them puritanical. #Illuminare
10. Then there was the Herodian Party. They were supporters of the dynasty of Herod. For political expediency, they surrendered to Rome. They were, therefore, opposed to the Pharisees but that didn’t stop them from teaming up with the Pharisees to eliminate Jesus. #Illuminare
11. From their standpoint, Jesus had to be assassinated because he was drawing the unwarranted attention of Rome. #Illuminare
12. And then there was the nouveau-riche group – the tax collectors. They were viewed as turncoats who enriched themselves at the expense of their fellow Jews. They were despised all round. Not generally welcomed in Country Club therefore, they formed their own clique.
13. If you recall, Matthew was a tax collector. When he got converted, he threw a party to introduce his clique of friends to Jesus. This didn’t go down well with the political class. #Illuminare
14. To the Pharisees, tax collectors were a special breed of sinners. How could Jesus who claimed to be holy be hobnobbing with sinners? “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Luke 15:2 MSG. #Illuminare
15. But the tax collectors wanted to hear the gospel. This was what led to the famous parable of the lost sheep: “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? - #Illuminare
16. - When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home, call in your friends and neighbors saying: ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!' - #Illuminare
17. - There’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.” Luke 15:4-7 MSG. #Illuminare
18. Jesus was being sarcastic, of course. The Pharisees were the ninety-nine “good people.” But who doesn’t need rescue! Implicit in what Jesus was saying was, the man that will be rescued is the man who admits he needs rescue. #Illuminare
19. Unfortunately, religious and moralistic people never imagine they need rescue. And it gets worse. They grade the sins of others. #Illuminare
20. But WHAT do the ninety-nine sheep represent? They represent groupthink, custom and tradition. Their philosophy says the rightness or wrongness of a course of action is determined by the number of subscribers. #Illuminare
21. How did that hundredth sheep get lost? Who knows! It may be due to a number of factors – a sense of adventure, a lack of focus, inattentiveness, the questioning of status quo, the search for personal answers, the independent pursuit of fodder, - #Illuminare
22. - rebellion, inquisitiveness, disagreement with groupthink, determination to buck tradition, independent mindedness, boldness… The list is endless. #Illuminare
23. But what is interesting is that the Lord goes after that lone individual, and then celebrates him when he’s found. The parable may be about lost sinners, but there’s something to be said about the Lord cherishing the independent-minded adventurer. #Illuminare
24. Society condemns independent-mindedness but the Lord celebrates it. He never condemned the bloke. Note that the Lord recognizes adventure doesn’t always turn out okay, that one can be lost in the pursuit of fresh paths, fresh ideas and new explorations of thought. #Illuminare
25. It’s not about the outcome, it’s about the journey. The ones who find new paths are the ones that are daring. #Illuminare
26. It’s how the human race got into space. If the Lord in principle had condemned that lost sheep, humanity was condemned to the status quo. There will be no progress. Everything will remain the same. #Illuminare
27. We got into space because someone dared to dream. Someone challenged convention, refused to buy into the collective resignation of the human race to Planet Earth. Someone thought of possibilities. When last did you think of possibilities? #Illuminare
28. We tend to want to conform. We’re afraid of standing out, afraid of bucking the trend. We’re afraid of being different, having independent thought. We will rather blend with the sameness of humanity. But then we repudiate our grace and rubbish our potentiation. #Illuminare
29. We were born unique. We were created differently. Why do we strive to spend the rest of our lives trying to be like everyone else? Dare to be yourself. Dare to be different. The Lord celebrates the different. #Illuminare
30. You were that awkward nerd in school, the one everyone called strange. But that’s because you saw life in bits and bytes. #Illuminare
31. You’re the one who dressed differently, combined the unusual like a fashion magazine editorial. But that’s because you saw beauty in the combination of the ordinary. #Illuminare
32. Everyone in your family read Medicine but you just want to be an actor. It’s okay. #Illuminare
33. All your brothers married from your tribe but you fell in love with a wonderful soul from another tribe. It’s beautiful. #Illuminare
34. While everyone was studying Law textbooks in Law School, you just wanted to draw. You constantly imagined a different approach to advertising. It will turn out okay. These are all dimensions of difference. Difference is a lonely journey. #Illuminare
35. Independence of thought can mean ostracization. Venturing beyond established norm and pattern might induce fear – in you, and in the other sheep. #Illuminare
36. But the worst thing that can happen is to live your life seeking to conform to other people's vision of themselves. One day, you’re going to wonder about what could have been, in regret. #Illuminare
37. If you choose to dare, you have to have implicit faith the Lord has got your back, that He will come looking for you if you get lost. He’s got a tracker on you. What you deem failure will be celebrated by the Lord. At least, you dared. #Illuminare
38. God has not given us the spirit of timidity. We have a daring spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT, MSG. Conformists are never celebrated. The ones that are celebrated are those who dare to dare. #Illuminare
39. We’re all gifted with different capacities. Our roads in life don’t always converge. Many times, they diverge. Our paths are not always the beaten path. Some were born to pioneer. Pioneering is not easy. #Illuminare
40. It’s going to get fearful, even perplexing at times. You’re going to feel lost. You won’t always know if you’re on the right path. There are no coordinates for pioneers. They create their own coordinates. It is emotionally lonesome. #Illuminare
41. But history tells us those who dared were the ones who gave us the light bulb, gave us the motor car, gave us the airplane, gave us space travel, gave us internet, gave us Google, gave us iPhone, gave us Tesla, - #Illuminare
42. - gave us afrobeat, gave us Zoom, gave us Amazon…They thought different. They were able to imagine horsepower beyond the horse. They abstracted principles, and then applied them to given scenarios. They imagined the impossible, pursued the unimaginable. #Illuminare
43. If you ever want life to reckon with you, you’ve got to dare. #Illuminare
44. Two thousand years ago, the God-man underwent a risky experiment. He imagined the problem of sin could be solved through death and resurrection. He imagined death can be conquered, that humanity can be transitioned to eternal life. #Illuminare
45. In pursuit of that goal, he shed the toga of divinity and dwelt among men. He went off the beaten track and found himself at Golgotha. It was lonely on that skull shaped hill. His God forsook him. If God had not resurrected him, he was condemned to mortality. #Illuminare
46. But on the third day, he rose from the dead, just as the prophecies foretold. God came looking for him in the depths of hell. Just as he went looking for that sheep. #Illuminare
47. And now the world celebrates him. He’s the good shepherd in that parable. He’s been looking for you. Will you accept him today as your lord and saviour? #Illuminare
48. Please, pray this prayer: “Father I come to you in the name of Jesus. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. I am saved. Amen.” #Illuminare
49. To read “On Faith Part 10: Ninety-Nine Plus One”, go to https://t.co/zcMRLBu00R #Illuminare
50. To understand the Christian walk from a contemporary perspective, read my book, "Conversations of a 21st Century Saint". Order at https://t.co/AqMO38sntS. #Illuminare
51. © Leke Alder | [email protected]. #Illuminare

More from Leke Alder

Leke Alder
Leke Alder
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1. I’m always perplexed and even get dumbfounded every time I receive a mail from a reader of Illuminare and the content reveals he or she is unfamiliar with the byproducts of the atonement of Jesus – what we call New Testament realities. #Illuminare

2. These are our rights in Christ Jesus. Satan of course capitalizes on such ignorance with demonic oppression. And yet the Bible says you will not experience oppression. Isaiah 54:14 NET. If you don’t know your rights Satan will oppress you. #Illuminare

3. To some, all Jesus died for is forgiveness of sin, and even that is contested. There are those who want to work for their salvation. But if that is the case what’s the point of Jesus dying! #Illuminare

4. In the Bible the Greek word translated “salvation” is Sozo. It’s a multifaceted word. It incorporates forgiveness of sin, the healing of our body, material prosperity, as well as deliverance form demonic forces. #Illuminare

5. Therefore, salvation from damnation is a quarter gospel not the full gospel. The benefit of salvation is not just at the expiration of life, it has very real and tangible benefits here on earth. Salvation is a highly pragmatic program. #Illuminare
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Leke Alder
Leke Alder
@LekeAlder
1. It’s virtually impossible to appreciate the full ramification of the New Testament without recourse to the legal construct undergirding it. The New Testament is resolutely mounted on a tripod of commercial law, criminal law and constitutional law. #Illuminare

2. There are other legal dimensions but those are the major three. Without those legal authorities the New Testament will not be efficacious in heaven, on earth or under the earth. It will just be history. #Illuminare

3. That’s not to say only lawyers can appreciate the New Testament. It’s the Holy Spirit that unveils the word. But there’s a way and manner a Paul would read the scriptures that Peter can’t. #Illuminare

4. Paul had formal training in Mosaic law. His dean was Gamaliel. Acts 22:3. Peter on the other hand was an ordinary fisherman, and you can see the difference in their writings. #Illuminare

5. It’s like those first few verses in the book of Genesis. A cosmologist or quantum physicist would salivate over them. He has a technical grasp of the issues. #Illuminare
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Leke Alder
Leke Alder
@LekeAlder
ON FAITH PART 8: HEALTH AND WEALTH

Begins now 👇

#Illuminare

1. The Bible says to visit the house of mourning if you want cogitative wisdom. Ecclesiastes 7:2-4. The house of mourning is not necessarily a funeral parlor. A hospital qualifies as house of mourning. #Illuminare

2. You become sober when you visit a hospital. It’s the opposite of a house of mirth – a night club or beer parlor. What is alarming is the continual supply of patients. The flow just never stops. #Illuminare

3. There is a political dimension to disease. Disease has an ideological posture. By nature, it is an oppressor. The oppression is so powerful there’s collegiate resignation by the afflicted. They simply bow powerless. Sickness is hell bent on subjugating the human soul.

4. The affliction of a disease like cancer induces unimaginable terror. The Bible acknowledges the political ideology of disease. It also identifies the personage behind the oppression. We’re told Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were OPPRESSED - #Illuminare
HEALTH
Leke Alder
Leke Alder
@LekeAlder
1. For some reason Jesus decided to come to earth and bifurcate human history at a time medical science was rather primitive. Society was technologically backward. #Illuminare

2. There were no cars, donkeys were the primary means of transportation. There was no air travel either. Astronomy was tied to astrology. Why did he choose that point in time? Why not now for example, or the turn of the century? #Illuminare

3. There are two portraits of Jesus revealed in scriptures, and they’re manifestation denominated. There’s the cerebral, intellectual Jesus Paul wrote about to the Colossians. #Illuminare

4. We’re told all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are domiciled in him - be it quantum physics, chemistry, or genetics. Colossians 2:3. He’s the brain behind creation science, the guy doing all the exciting stuff in the book of Genesis. #Illuminare

5. In this rational capacity he was designated the Logos - “For by him were all things created in heaven and on earth, things visible and invisible…” Colossians 1:16. #Illuminare
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Leke Alder
Leke Alder
@LekeAlder
#Illuminare - ON FAITH PART 9: HOW FAITH WORKS

Begins now 👇

1. So, here’s how the faith thing works. It’s like a machine. Think of a car engine with three gears or cogs that are all held together by a fan belt. That’s what the machinery looks like. #Illuminare

2. The first gear is the provisions made by God. The Bible says God has blessed us with EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:3 KJV. #Illuminare

3. Everything you’ll ever need in life - every joy, every piece of peace, every deliverance from evil, every healing, every forgiveness of sin, every promotion, every success, every item of prosperity - #Illuminare

4. – your car, your house, your kids, everything has been provided through the sacrifice of Jesus. No blessing is left out. But here’s the challenge: the blessings are located in heavenly vaults, not on earth, and for good reason. #Illuminare
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❤✈️🌎 2 years ago today @JamesIvings and I sold all our belongings and left the UK to travel for a year. We've never been happier and we have no plans to ever return there 🙂

Thread 👇

Since then we've started a remote web dev company @SquarecatWebDev and been lucky enough to have completed several freelance projects 💻 that have kept us on the road.

In the last few months we've become a huge part of this amazing new Maker community and have found so many new friends from @makerskitchen, @women_make_ and several others! 🥰

We love travelling together (even if I'm only a glorified laptop watcher 😒) but we're both much happier being able to share our ideas outside of our own little bubble and our products have benefitted too!

Here's to another year of nomading with my favourite person and to the Maker community continuing to grow with our help! Maybe one day we'll all get to meet each other ✌️ 💛
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1) I was 30 years old. And in what many would consider a dream job. But I was pretty miserable. Because I knew I was letting my real dream--to become a screenwriter/filmmaker--die.

2) Sitting in my office one night, it hit me, if I did let the dream die, I would become toxic, because that's what death does, and that toxicity would ooze out of me, onto those I loved.

3)In that instant, I decided to make a shift, to find a way to finally, after years of denying it, do the thing. Try, at least. So I went to my best friend, @DavidLevien, who was already writing, and asked him for help.

4) David gave me The Artist's Way and said that when we had the right idea, he and I would write a screenplay together.

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This month I’m turning 22.

To celebrate, here are the 22 best threads I’ve found on Twitter this year.

Mostly about:

•Life/purpose
•Startups
•Entrepreneurs
•Writing
•Clarity of thought

If I see more interesting threads, I will add to this list.

Enjoy!

1. @ryanstephens: Need tips on growing a newsletter, mastering Twitter, writing online?

@ryanstephens breaks down a podcast discussion between @davidperell and @nathanbarry

Here’s what you can


2. @jackbutcher: How to separate your time from your income

•Explore the market
•Build equity
•Build products and services
•Scale your reputation
•Break the matrix

A fantastic thread complete with helpful


3. @AlexAndBooks_: I love to read.

Here is a great thread on 10 fantastic books.

Includes a short summary of each.

Don’t just take it from me, this is straight from the legend: @AlexAndBooks_


4. @m_franceschetti My biggest revelation in 2020 was the importance of sleep.

Here, @m_franceschetti founder of @eightsleep gives us his eight sleep hacks to improve sleep for 2021.

Do these and your productivity will
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How to Build Wealth

10-Step Formula to Riches

// Thread //

1. Live like an Undercover Millionaire

Income ≠ Wealth

How to live like an undercover millionaire:

- Spend less than you earn
- Avoid buying fancy clothes
- Avoid buying new & fancy cars

To feel rich, count the things in your life that money can't buy.

2. Always Look Ahead

To build a strong financial future, break down your goals into 3 categories:

- Short term goals (1 to 5 years)
- Mid term goals (5 to 10 years)
- Long term goals (10+ years)

Understand your goals and build a plan of action.

Make your goals a reality.

3. Become the Household CFO

Assign a purpose to every dollar.

How the wealthy budget:

- 529 plans
- Business accounts
- Retirement accounts
- Emergency savings fund
- Joint / Individual accounts

Want to budget stress free?

Automate the process.

4. Pay Yourself First

You might catch the famous Warren Buffet mentioning this phrase during his investment talks.

This means:

- You save/invest
- You pay your bills
- You spend the money that’s leftover

Save and invest first, before you spend money.

It's that easy.
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Hinduism is a minority religion in Punjab.

During the Khalistan movement, the minority Hindus and Jains were subjected to several attacks. Hindu and Jain temples were frequently vandalized and desecrated. This thread documents a few instances.

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Durgiana Mandir is one of the oldest temples of Amritsar. According to the regional Hindu tradition, the temple was built on the spot where Lava and Kusha bound Hanuman. The temple annually attracts millions of Hindus from all over the country.


Amristsar has a very ancient Hindu history.

According to the regional Hindu tradition recorded in the "Survey of Amritsar", Amritsar got its name from Amrit immersed by Lava and Kusha in a pond.


Durgiana Mandir was rebuilt in 1921.

It was used to house the Murtis of Vishnu and Durga which were thrown out from the Parikrama of Harmandir Sahib in 1905.

Because of its presence in Amritsar, it became a frequent target of radicals during the Khalistan movement.


In 1982, in what was a completely unprovoked attack, the Dal Khalsa "activists" threw a severed cow head inside Durgiana temple.
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1/OK, data mystery time.

This New York Times feature shows China with a Gini Index of less than 30, which would make it more equal than Canada, France, or the Netherlands. https://t.co/g3Sv6DZTDE

That's weird. Income inequality in China is legendary.

Let's check this number.

2/The New York Times cites the World Bank's recent report, "Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations Around the World".

The report is available here:

3/The World Bank report has a graph in which it appears to show the same value for China's Gini - under 0.3.

The graph cites the World Development Indicators as its source for the income inequality data.


4/The World Development Indicators are available at the World Bank's website.

Here's the Gini index: https://t.co/MvylQzpX6A

It looks as if the latest estimate for China's Gini is 42.2.

That estimate is from 2012.

5/A Gini of 42.2 would put China in the same neighborhood as the U.S., whose Gini was estimated at 41 in 2013.

I can't find the <30 number anywhere. The only other estimate in the tables for China is from 2008, when it was estimated at 42.8.
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CAPTAIN AMERICA - tells Falcon, "I fought Nazis once before. They're extremely dangerous." They then see the guy scaling the Capitol wall fall into the shrubs. Falcon: "You sure these are the same Nazis?"

IRON MAN - lands by the guy carrying the podium. Says, "Mind if I borrow this?" then tosses it to Hulk, who swings it like a bat at the mob. Guy: "Hey, that's MY podium!" Iron Man: "Actually it's the Speaker's. And technically, it's a lectern." Then punches him through a wall.

BLACK WIDOW - enters hotel room where Jack Dorsey is tied up. Rips duct tape off his mouth. Jack: "I'll do anything you want!" BW: "Disable POTUS's Twitter. NOW!" Jack fumbles with his phone. "Done. Anything else?" BW: "Yeah. Trim your beard for God's sake." *tosses him clippers*

HULK - grabs a selfie stick from one of the guys and beats him over the head with it. Deeming it too small, he grabs another guy's Confederate flag and takes out a whole swath of rioters. He then tosses the flag to Cap, who uses it as a javelin to impale a fleeing Ted Cruz.

HAWKEYE - hears Iron Man in his earpiece say, "Looks like Orange Julius is tweeting from another account." Hawkeye: "On it." He locks in on Trump through the White House window and fires an arrow, knocking the phone out of Trump's hands. Hawkeye: "Damn that felt good."
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"How the Avengers would respond to the Capitol riot" (a thread)

CAPTAIN AMERICA - tells Falcon, "I fought Nazis once before. They're extremely dangerous." They then see the guy scaling the Capitol wall fall into the shrubs. Falcon: "You sure these are the same Nazis?"

IRON MAN - lands by the guy carrying the podium. Says, "Mind if I borrow this?" then tosses it to Hulk, who swings it like a bat at the mob. Guy: "Hey, that's MY podium!" Iron Man: "Actually it's the Speaker's. And technically, it's a lectern." Then punches him through a wall.

BLACK WIDOW - enters hotel room where Jack Dorsey is tied up. Rips duct tape off his mouth. Jack: "I'll do anything you want!" BW: "Disable POTUS's Twitter. NOW!" Jack fumbles with his phone. "Done. Anything else?" BW: "Yeah. Trim your beard for God's sake." *tosses him clippers*

HULK - grabs a selfie stick from one of the guys and beats him over the head with it. Deeming it too small, he grabs another guy's Confederate flag and takes out a whole swath of rioters. He then tosses the flag to Cap, who uses it as a javelin to impale a fleeing Ted Cruz.

HAWKEYE - hears Iron Man in his earpiece say, "Looks like Orange Julius is tweeting from another account." Hawkeye: "On it." He locks in on Trump through the White House window and fires an arrow, knocking the phone out of Trump's hands. Hawkeye: "Damn that felt good."
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