Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Wow...AWESOME thread Bluefly. I just complained over in my thread about being told I'm not a "real" Christian...VERY sick of it.
You can definately see the "spirit" behind some of the posters...I'm not perfect, but I don't stoop to questioning other's salvation just because they don't believe the same as I do.
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.
10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them.
11Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.
12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." 16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
~~~~~
Jesus said, "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division." (Luke 12:51)
Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. (John 7:43)
They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." (Romans 9:32)
"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
........"The stone the builders rejected
........has become the capstone," and,
........"A stone that causes men to stumble
........and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message. . . (1 Peter 2:6-8)
~~~~~
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. (Colossians 2:18-19)
~~~~~
You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? (Luke 12:56-57)
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. (1 Corinthians 5:12-13)
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? (1 Corinthians 6:2-5)
~~~~~
Finally, the real reason some don't want to acknowledge the Bible . . .
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:12-13)
~~~~~
Our love feasts will remain blemished because we don't acknowledge the truth of God's Word and we turn a blind eye to pretenders. (Blueberry)
Some of us believe it is important to contend for the faith. The question is: Which Faith? (Blueberry)
Now that's what I'm talking about!! Awesome, awesome post and scriptures BB!!
Your friend and sister in Christ,
DayoftheLord...ooops...I mean Ilene
Location: land of quail, bunnies, and red tail hawks
1,513 posts, read 3,387,379 times
Reputation: 3539
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly
Do you have a Cliff Notes version of all that fire and brimstone, Blueberry?
That was the Cliff Notes!
I find it interesting that you consider the Bible fire and brimstone. I see it as a love letter. And, yes, parts of it are tough love.
The parts I've quoted are simply saying, "Don't believe everything you hear," and "people claiming Christianity aren't always going to agree." Quite honestly, several sides of the debate could use the quoted verses to bolster their argument. It's interesting to see that you don't. (At least, that's how I interpret the fire and brimstone comment.)
Please note. I didn't judge anyone. I simply quoted Scripture and let the chips fall where they may.
I find it interesting that you consider the Bible fire and brimstone. I see it as a love letter. And, yes, parts of it are tough love.
The parts I've quoted are simply saying, "Don't believe everything you hear," and "people claiming Christianity aren't always going to agree." Quite honestly, several sides of the debate could use the quoted verses to bolster their argument. It's interesting to see that you don't. (At least, that's how I interpret the fire and brimstone comment.)
Please note. I didn't judge anyone. I simply quoted Scripture and let the chips fall where they may.
I just didn't really read it. When I see a bunch of Bible verses strung together, I tend to start skimming.
I respect that some people are drawn to it as a tool for connecting with the Holy Spirit, but it's never resonated with me as very pertinent to my particular journey.
I still wonder about the one post that praised God and was deleted because June felt it had no relevance.
It actually quenched the spirit of the thread, and two people said they were brought to tears.
While I agree on its base (I mod on another board, and have others) this particular forum has an intangibility factor like no other - God, and our relationship with Him - which can be and has been manifested in various ways. It's a very personal matter.
idk.
Yeah. Personally, I've been on the recieving end of a post deletion. I was very sad that it was deleted. I've made peace with it. But, still... for me, it was like God had just taken over my fingers on the keyboard...
and then... shortly after.. it was gone.
I do kind of wonder about why posts that are filled with utter love could possibly be deleted. Even if it weren't totally ON TOPIC, still... we could all use a little more love in this world, can't we?
Location: land of quail, bunnies, and red tail hawks
1,513 posts, read 3,387,379 times
Reputation: 3539
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harold Kupp
For our example on how to deal with false teachers we should look to Jesus. Let's see, what did Jesus say...
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in."
"You blind men..."
"...straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!"
"...full of extortion and rapacity."
"...you appear righteous to men but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
"You serpents, you brood of vipers..."
"Blind guides..."
"...how are you to escape being sentenced to hell."
Now, there was a Man with the right attitude! Do you think that Jesus did not have the fruit of the Spirit
HK
Luke 24:25 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
The difference between Jesus and his followers:
1. Jesus is the righteous judge.
2. God is the judge of the non-believing world.
3. Jesus knows man's innermost being. He knew to whom he could make those harsh statements without jeopardizing their eternity.
In our human to human interactions, name calling doesn't win friends and influence enemies. Jesus certainly made enemies with some of his harsh statements. He had the wisdom, though, of knowing the beginning from the end. That's something I can claim in only the vaguest terms, and I certainly don't know any opponents well enough (I don't know the inner man) to condemn them with my words. I certainly don't want a millstone hung about my neck!
I don't know about anyone else, but I want to be very careful with my words. I want them to be seasoned with salt and full of grace so I know how to answer everyone. It's pretty obvious that even the kindest words will act like salt on a wound to a resistant person. How much more deadly can harsh words be? In essence, I want to be wise in the way I act toward outsiders so I can take advantage of every opportunity to share the truth of God's word.
When it comes to professing Christians, whom 1 Corinthians 5:12 says we can judge, I believe it is best to let the Bible speak for itself. Sharing pertinent Scripture is the best action, in my opinion. I certainly don't feel like I can say, "Get behind me Satan," like Jesus did to Peter. Again, I don't know the heart of the person like Jesus knew Peter's. I don't know what will wound it beyond repair. And, of course, there's always the possibility that I'm the person in error, especially when it comes to the more weighty, meaty issues of Scripture. So, let's have a free exchange about the Bible, but let's remember Philippians 2:1, 3-4.
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy . . . let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
By all means, if we are convinced we are right, 1 John 4:4-6 should help us keep things in perspective:
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
1. Jesus is the righteous judge.
2. God is the judge of the non-believing world.
3. Jesus knows man's innermost being. He knew to whom he could make those harsh statements without jeopardizing their eternity.
In our human to human interactions, name calling doesn't win friends and influence enemies. Jesus certainly made enemies with some of his harsh statements. He had the wisdom, though, of knowing the beginning from the end. That's something I can claim in only the vaguest terms, and I certainly don't know any opponents well enough (I don't know the inner man) to condemn them with my words. I certainly don't want a millstone hung about my neck!
I don't know about anyone else, but I want to be very careful with my words. I want them to be seasoned with salt and full of grace so I know how to answer everyone. It's pretty obvious that even the kindest words will act like salt on a wound to a resistant person. How much more deadly can harsh words be? In essence, I want to be wise in the way I act toward outsiders so I can take advantage of every opportunity to share the truth of God's word.
When it comes to professing Christians, whom 1 Corinthians 5:12 says we can judge, I believe it is best to let the Bible speak for itself. Sharing pertinent Scripture is the best action, in my opinion. I certainly don't feel like I can say, "Get behind me Satan," like Jesus did to Peter. Again, I don't know the heart of the person like Jesus knew Peter's. I don't know what will wound it beyond repair. And, of course, there's always the possibility that I'm the person in error, especially when it comes to the more weighty, meaty issues of Scripture. So, let's have a free exchange about the Bible, but let's remember Philippians 2:1, 3-4.
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy . . . let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
By all means, if we are convinced we are right, 1 John 4:4-6 should help us keep things in perspective:
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood
I know I have posted a lot of threads, some of which started some serious debate and name calling. I always try to be mindful of the fact that sometimes people misread what I type, take what I say out of context, and just like to debate for the sake of debating. I try not to ever make it personal but when I stand corrected on something, I remind myself that humility goes a long way, and if I am wrong, then I will be the first to admit it. Name calling, and talking about people isn't the agape love we all should be showing towards each other, even when someone just blatantly disagree with us. God bless, and I love you all who read my posts, threads, even those of you who set me straight, and disagree with me.
I know I have posted a lot of threads, some of which started some serious debate and name calling. I always try to be mindful of the fact that sometimes people misread what I type, take what I say out of context, and just like to debate for the sake of debating. I try not to ever make it personal but when I stand corrected on something, I remind myself that humility goes a long way, and if I am wrong, then I will be the first to admit it. Name calling, and talking about people isn't the agape love we all should be showing towards each other, even when someone just blatantly disagree with us. God bless, and I love you all who read my posts, threads, even those of you who set me straight, and disagree with me.
nice post, antredd.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
nice post, antredd.