Dr Paul Allen

By Clint Archer Detecting fake wine is a specialized business. When collectors purchase wines with historic value, they never open them. As long as the bottle remains sealed, you can claim the wine is good. Opening it reveals if it’s turned sour. So, wine forgery is all about the bottles, the labels, and the corks. Forgers who get their hands on old bottles will carefully distress a cork, color a label, and then offer the product at an inflated price. The most infamous example was the Jefferson Wines. In the late 1980s billionaire, William Koch bought four bottles of wine from the collector, Hardy Rodenstock, for a total of $500,000. Rodenstock claimed to have unearthed the wines from a bricked-up cellar in Paris and said they dated back to 1787 and belonged to the 3rd US president, Thomas Jefferson. The bottles were engraved with the initials, ThJ, like others in Jefferson’s collection. Jefferson was well-known as an oenophile, having imported much French wine from his days as Ambassa

In John 15:1-17 , which is the well-known passage about the vine and the branches. The meaning of this passage is mostly straightforward and uncontroversial until you get to these words of Jesus: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Is this a blanket prayer that God will give us whatever we wish? At first glance, it does seem to be saying this. Many preachers have drawn entire theologies from this passage alone. As desirable as it might be to think that God is a genie who offers Christians whatever they want, it is critical we consider this passage in context. In other words, what was Jesus communicating to his original audience and what does this mean for us today? Upon closer analysis (which involves reading the verses before and after), it is clear that this passage is about true disciples living in obedience to Christ, and as a result, bearing fruit. To “abide in Christ” is to keep His commandments. With this in

Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator), a 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai. NB - slightly cut down - for full size see here (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." ( John 15:4 ) The Lord Jesus has told us to be careful always to “abide" in Him. The Greek word means “remain," “endure," “continue," or “dwell." He is to be our motivation, our standard, our home, our everything. When we do abide thus in Him, the Scriptures indicate that it will make a great difference in our lives right now, as well as in the life to come. For example, “he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" ( 1 John 2:6 ). Furthermore, “whosoever abideth in him sinneth not" ( 1 John 3:6 ). Love for our Christian brethren will be evident, for “he that loveth his broth

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." ( John 15:4-5 ) As recorded in John 14 -16, many of Christ 's last words to His disciples as He was about to leave them regarded abiding. The word meno occurs 18 times in this discourse and is translated not only "abide," but also "remain," "dwell," "continue," and "be present." Let us look at what He told them about abiding while He was "yet present" ( 14:25 ) with them. First, "the Father . . . dwelleth in me" ( 14:10 ), "I am in the Father, and the Father in me" ( v. 11 ). That is, they are one and the same, inseparably abiding together, giving gre