Oh how I wish that those who hate God's word and truth would go away from churches and do their own thing. There sometimes are those individuals who come in cursing and swearing and causing problems (as was the case in a former church I attended with someone mentally ill and or possessed). There are others who try to justify sins or aren't serious about God. But taking God's word and cherry picking; or denying obvious meanings of things that are unpalatable rather than just leaving the faith altogether is a whole other animal. It seems strange that we have two words such as "deconstructionism" and "detransitionism" that sound so similar but have different outcomes. The first involves trying to change something that is involable to our own standard; the second involves realizing that changing what God made a certain way is foolishness and is to be commended.
Thankfully; some do wake up and come back to Christ realizing they were either decieved or hadn't truly been Born Again after a season of rebellion. His sheep hear His voice and cannot ultimately be lost; however the opposite is true; the goats will fall away; as all mankind does who are not enlightened by the Holy Ghost.
You can tell a man until blue in the face (or he punches you out) that man is inherantly bad but the atttraction of humanism will find it's tentacles whether with out and out Satanism or some sort of utopian concept that we can all follow Christ's beatitudes in our own power and thus make the world a paradise on earth. Such explains Christ's parables as things were hidden particularly to the "religious" experts the Pharisees. Just as they put the law above weightier matters such as grace; there is a danger of putting a human perception of what is God's love with our own moral code thus attempting to create a god in our own image.
We are saved by grace not our own works but on the other hand shouldn't live like those going to hell.
Yes, Richard, we should live like we love what is good (as we should) and have a deep desire to live godly lives privately and before others. We should care about whether our witness professes the value of Christ's complete sinless, righteousness and how His work of redemption brings us holiness in our lives. I know that some people are very entrenched in a sinful habit when they come to Christ and it may take some time before they can learn to utilize the power of the Holy Spirit to resist and overcome such habits, but anyone who has walked long with the Lord should live an exemplary life like Paul did. He even exhorted the believers in the churches he planted to imitate him as well as Jesus. So, should our life be, one that others can imitate towards Christlikeness.
I wouldn't go so far as you indicate and try to assess who is truly a Christian or not. I know that God is the only one who truly knows. We should always pray for others, especially those who are caught in sinful habits and yet profess to be in Christ. And we should always wish to engage others who profess to know Christ in meaningful spiritual and doctrinal conversations in the hopes of leading them to better understanding and embracing of what is true.
There are those on this site who I believe to be in serious error. Some may think that I am. But I still desire to engage with everyone the Lord leads me to do so. We never can know what the Holy Spirit may do with what we say here. I trust that, just as I was lead out of errors at different times in my life due to the work of the Holy Spirit, so will this occur with others, whether on this site, in our circle of brethren, or in our congregations.
This is where charity, patience, and forbearance come into play. We desire for the best benefit to others from our interactions and stay humble, knowing that we can fall into error, too if we do not keep our guard up in the Spirit. But we should sincerely desire to lead others along the path of truth.
Reminds me of Galatians 6:1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
We all came to Christ by his mercy and grace. No one is perfect, we are to bestow the same Love, Longsuffering, and mercy on others as Christ bestowed on us.
However if someone comes with another Gospel "Which there is no other" We are not to give him God speed. But if someone is zealous in a area that you are not that shouldn't cause division. God may have prepared a different role for him.
This topic has been on my mind this past week or so and I have been seeking God's guidance on how we are to behave among the brethren and with those who are not. But love is always the over-riding prerequisite for us to employ before and during all of our interactions, thoughts, words, and motives towards others. Cultivating this love is a lie-long work and journey. We have Christ ant the moral teachings of the commandments to help us to know how love looks in actions in our lives. But as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, it is not just our outward actions that show sin or godliness, it is the interior condition of our souls, minds, hearts, and will that guides our outward actions. Even when. like the Pharisees, we can live outwardly godly lives, we still have the sin nature within that often brings us into secret sin in our hearts, minds, souls, and motives.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God" really should be our constant prayer and also be willing to go through the process He chooses to purify us. One time when I deeply desired this and prayed for a heart that is tested, true and pure, I got a lot of challenges, trials, and tests, to bring this more into a reality for me. At one time about four months into this deep desire I had an "awake dream" while in prayer and saw a heart that was all blackened as if charred by fire. I asked, Lord, what does this mean." He spoke to my heart saying, "This is what a pure heart looks like. Look closer" and it was as if a magnifying glass was over the heart and I was able to see thumbprints all over the heat. Then the Lord spoke again to my heart saying, "See those thumbprints? Those are where I pressed on this part of your life and said, can I take this? Can I purge this area? And then I burned my thumbprint into that area of your heart as I purified that area of your life that you were withholding from me."
I just knelt down and was silent for some time, and said, Do all of me Lord!
Your welcome, S. Spencer. I usually do not share about his because I believe it was a specific interaction between the Lord and myself and definitely personal, but I thought it may bless someone to hear it here. It definitely changed me in a big way and encouraged me to endure hardship, heartache, and chastisement from the Lord in the months and years after as I knew that He was creating in me a new heart that was much more submitted to Him. And, although I do think that the Lord does bring comfort, direction, and teaching from His word through dreams and visions, I am not one to run after these things seeking them. I have heard far too many "revelations" that are supposed to come from the Lord that are very suspect and filled with doctrinal/Scriptural error that I cannot accept them. I would expect anyone reading my post to do so prayerfully and test it like any other spiritual experience for authenticity.
I hope you are doing well this week. I had a breast biopsy yesterday and waiting for the results to come in early next week. Praying that all is really ok and there is no treatment needed because my cells are healthy! Finally getting over the respiratory problems I had for a month. Feels so good to have energy and be able to breathe well and have the coughing gone! I am thankful that the Lord is merciful to me and in all of this is with me and for me. He will always do what is best for me.
Oh how I wish that those who hate God's word and truth would go away from churches and do their own thing. There sometimes are those individuals who come in cursing and swearing and causing problems (as was the case in a former church I attended with someone mentally ill and or possessed). There are others who try to justify sins or aren't serious about God. But taking God's word and cherry picking; or denying obvious meanings of things that are unpalatable rather than just leaving the faith altogether is a whole other animal. It seems strange that we have two words such as "deconstructionism" and "detransitionism" that sound so similar but have different outcomes. The first involves trying to change something that is involable to our own standard; the second involves realizing that changing what God made a certain way is foolishness and is to be commended.
Thankfully; some do wake up and come back to Christ realizing they were either decieved or hadn't truly been Born Again after a season of rebellion. His sheep hear His voice and cannot ultimately be lost; however the opposite is true; the goats will fall away; as all mankind does who are not enlightened by the Holy Ghost.
You can tell a man until blue in the face (or he punches you out) that man is inherantly bad but the atttraction of humanism will find it's tentacles whether with out and out Satanism or some sort of utopian concept that we can all follow Christ's beatitudes in our own power and thus make the world a paradise on earth. Such explains Christ's parables as things were hidden particularly to the "religious" experts the Pharisees. Just as they put the law above weightier matters such as grace; there is a danger of putting a human perception of what is God's love with our own moral code thus attempting to create a god in our own image.
We are saved by grace not our own works but on the other hand shouldn't live like those going to hell.
I wouldn't go so far as you indicate and try to assess who is truly a Christian or not. I know that God is the only one who truly knows. We should always pray for others, especially those who are caught in sinful habits and yet profess to be in Christ. And we should always wish to engage others who profess to know Christ in meaningful spiritual and doctrinal conversations in the hopes of leading them to better understanding and embracing of what is true.
There are those on this site who I believe to be in serious error. Some may think that I am. But I still desire to engage with everyone the Lord leads me to do so. We never can know what the Holy Spirit may do with what we say here. I trust that, just as I was lead out of errors at different times in my life due to the work of the Holy Spirit, so will this occur with others, whether on this site, in our circle of brethren, or in our congregations.
This is where charity, patience, and forbearance come into play. We desire for the best benefit to others from our interactions and stay humble, knowing that we can fall into error, too if we do not keep our guard up in the Spirit. But we should sincerely desire to lead others along the path of truth.
That was beautifully said.
Reminds me of Galatians 6:1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
We all came to Christ by his mercy and grace. No one is perfect, we are to bestow the same Love, Longsuffering, and mercy on others as Christ bestowed on us.
However if someone comes with another Gospel "Which there is no other" We are not to give him God speed. But if someone is zealous in a area that you are not that shouldn't cause division. God may have prepared a different role for him.
Amen and God bless.
This topic has been on my mind this past week or so and I have been seeking God's guidance on how we are to behave among the brethren and with those who are not. But love is always the over-riding prerequisite for us to employ before and during all of our interactions, thoughts, words, and motives towards others. Cultivating this love is a lie-long work and journey. We have Christ ant the moral teachings of the commandments to help us to know how love looks in actions in our lives. But as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, it is not just our outward actions that show sin or godliness, it is the interior condition of our souls, minds, hearts, and will that guides our outward actions. Even when. like the Pharisees, we can live outwardly godly lives, we still have the sin nature within that often brings us into secret sin in our hearts, minds, souls, and motives.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God" really should be our constant prayer and also be willing to go through the process He chooses to purify us. One time when I deeply desired this and prayed for a heart that is tested, true and pure, I got a lot of challenges, trials, and tests, to bring this more into a reality for me. At one time about four months into this deep desire I had an "awake dream" while in prayer and saw a heart that was all blackened as if charred by fire. I asked, Lord, what does this mean." He spoke to my heart saying, "This is what a pure heart looks like. Look closer" and it was as if a magnifying glass was over the heart and I was able to see thumbprints all over the heat. Then the Lord spoke again to my heart saying, "See those thumbprints? Those are where I pressed on this part of your life and said, can I take this? Can I purge this area? And then I burned my thumbprint into that area of your heart as I purified that area of your life that you were withholding from me."
I just knelt down and was silent for some time, and said, Do all of me Lord!
Great testimony.
God bless you.
I hope you are doing well this week. I had a breast biopsy yesterday and waiting for the results to come in early next week. Praying that all is really ok and there is no treatment needed because my cells are healthy! Finally getting over the respiratory problems I had for a month. Feels so good to have energy and be able to breathe well and have the coughing gone! I am thankful that the Lord is merciful to me and in all of this is with me and for me. He will always do what is best for me.
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