Faith

Knights of Christ – Godliness

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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (KJV)

Knights of Christ Book has a Website

Daniel Biddle, the author of Knights of Christ: Living With the Virtues of Ancient Knighthood, has a website. Not only that, Mr. Biddle has essentially placed all of the material inside the book online. If you didn’t want to pay for the book, you could read all the material for free.

Pay for the book.

Virtue 1 Godliness

1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Ephesians 5:1-2 (KJV)

Mr. Biddle opens this chapter with, “Being godly means imitating God in your daily life.” What does that mean? He very quickly quotes I Timothy.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
1 Timothy 6:11 (KJV)

The questions he asks at the end of the chapter are poignant to building a life that is “godly,” but especially number five.

“What does a godly life look like?”

Well, what does it look like? The point of that question isn’t to go looking for other people who are living a godly life. The point of that question is to look in the mirror and decide if that life looks like a godly life. If it doesn’t, what needs to change to make it look closer to a life that someone else would look at and consider godly?

Someone who ascribes to be elevated to the title “Knight” shouldn’t be trying to figure out how to massage scripture so that what is being done now is “approved.” The lives we modern humans live are many things, but “approved of by God” is not one of them. That is a harsh statement, but it is true.

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 3:23-26 (KJV)

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” All. Not some, not a few, not most. All. So, what does that mean for someone who wishes to carry the title Knight? It means hard, convicting introspection to identify and scour away those things that keep us “…short of the glory of God.” How do we do that? Study. Relentless, persistent, focused study on the Bible and where we find differences between our lives reflected in the mirror and what is written on the page, effort to change. It won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. It will be worth it.

23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Matthew 25:23 (KJV)

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Please Welcome Stan StClair

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Stan StClair Writing for Templar Banner News

Please welcome Stan StClair to the Templar Banner News. Stan has a long career in print publication with both news and traditional. What follows is Stan’s introduction. Mark Malcolm

 

I have been a Templar Knight since 2003 with SMOTJ, but much of the time I was inactive. I am humbled and grateful to have had my knighthood transferred to OSMTJ-KTOA, Priory of the Risen King, Commandery of St. Francis. I elected to take courses with the Templar Academy to familiarize myself with the practices of this most holy Order. I am the author of a series books about proverb and phrase origins, and have been asked by Grand Prior Jones to write for the Templar Banner. This also is a great privilege. Our Grand Prior has granted me the honor of using my ten years of research to publish some of my findings here which have spiritual applications.

The thought of “The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing”  originates in the Bible, in Matthew 6:3; in Jesus’ much vaunted Sermon on the Mount:

“But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” (KJV)

Here, the purpose was the idea that gifts of charity should not be done so that others would see and give glory to the giver.

That view of selfless giving was reiterated by Henry David Thoreau in Walden; or life in the woods, published in 1854:

“If you should ever be betrayed into any of these philanthropies, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does, for it is not worth knowing.”

Through the passage of time, the current cliché was developed, meaning that one member of an organization or a family wasn’t aware of the actions of another.

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Christ
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7687528849¿¿Meeting ID: 768 752 8849

OSMTJ Int. Invites you to Easter Sunday Service

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https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7687528849¿¿Meeting ID: 768 752 8849

The Knights Templar invite anyone with a phone and or computer to join them on 12 April 2020 for an international Easter Sunday service. Grand Master General Ronald Mangum, Grand Chancellor Bryant Jones, and Grand Secretary General Daithi O’Brien extend a cordial invitation to one and all for an Easter Sunday service via Zoom. During this time of social distancing and sheltering in place we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ through a service that will be hosted by the Chaplain’s Corps of the OSMTJ International lead by Grand Chaplain Father Caesar Johnson. 20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 (KJV)

Come and let us gather, two, three or more of us virtually to worship the risen Lord.

Children

I Remember

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Memories of God and Growing Up

The warmest of my early memories and the best of those memories were the coldest of days. Snow piled deep, I remember a time when the electric pole came down blocking the road, we didn’t have electric. Our oil heaters were gravity fed so we had heat. Refrigerated items went out and into the 4 foot of snow with a piece of plywood placed over top to protect it from critters. I remember my mother in her broken English teaching me my bedtime prayers in Italian.

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Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe

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Ingredients

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar2 Tbsp olive oil (or oil of
choice)½ cup non-fat greek yogurt1 tsp onion powder (or onion salt.
Omit extra salt if you use onion salt)½ tsp salt¼ tsp pepper4 packets stevia (or 1-2 Tbsp
honey or agave. Nutrition will change)2 tsp poppy seeds

Instructions

Mix together all the ingredients
(except poppy seeds) in a blender (I used my Blendtec).Once combined, stir in poppy
seeds.Can be served immediately, or
chill for best result.  Store in an airtight container. Not sure of
the shelf life, but I would assume you’d want to consume it within approx
5 days. Nutrition

Serving
size: 2 Tbsp Calories: 39 Fat: 2.7 g Carbs: 2.1 g
Sugar: 0.8 g Sodium: 242 mg Fiber: 0 g Protein: 2.4 g

Blood of the Lamb

Prayer for Chevalier Fideles News Paper

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Father, I enter your gates with thanksgiving and present an
offering of thanks.  I enter into your courts with praise!  I am
thankful and delight in saying so, I bless and affectionately praise your
Name.  For You are good and Your mercy and loving-kindness are
everlasting. Your faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.  It is
a good and delightful thing to give thanks to You Oh Most High. 

Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, perfect the fruit of my
lips.  Help me draw thanksgiving forth from my inner most resources; reach
down into the most secret places of my heart that I might offer a significant
thanksgiving, to you Father.  Father, I come to You in the name of
Jesus.  With the help of the Holy Spirit and by Your grace, I join with
the heavenly hosts making a joyful noise to You and serving You with
gladness.  Lord I know, recognize and understand, that You are God. It is
You who made us and not we ourselves.  For we are Your people and the
sheep of Your pasture. 

I’m grateful for the victories and achievements I have
experienced, in spite of my hurts. You use them for good even though Satan
intended them for my destruction. Thank You for life-life in all its
abundance.  It is You who gave me a desire to pray, and I am grateful for
the prayer closet where we meet, and I thank You for Your Word.  Life is
exciting, and I am grateful that I am alive for such a time as this. 

Thank you for past and present relationships.  I
learned from those who oppose me and those who are for me.