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No, CantWait2Leave. That is why Jesus had to come in the FLESH to show humans just who his Father was! You will KNOW them BY THEIR FRUIT! The Old Testament guys had no CLUE! And neither does Christianity!
He HATED what the Pharisees did to the people under them. They terrified everybody into following God and they put burdens that killed men's souls! He was VERY angry with the religious. He told them they were going to Gehenna (hell), which they did in 70 A.D. Their centuries-old kingdom crumbled.
The religion of today is NO different. In fact it has gotten worse........
But you do? Jesus was mad at the Pharisees for being self righteous. If only I was as smart as you guys....
But you do? Jesus was mad at the Pharisees for being self righteous. If only I was as smart as you guys....
Jesus was mad about way more than just self-righteousness, CantWait2Leave. I can speak about just WHAT he was mad about if you want.
Anyhow, Christianity has been full of Crusades, wars, and people that prop up the most UN-Christ like political systems. I am not saying that the people within this religion aren't good people, necessarily. Only, perhaps a bit blind.
And it's not about intelligence, here. It's about testing the spirits.
Back to the topic. I hope many out there will especially prayerfully pay attention to the below quote from the article herefornow posted. May the following bless you in a profound way. Father, I ask that you open up some eyes this beautiful evening and give someone out there the hope they are looking for. Father, I humbly ask that you use this brother's words to speak to one or more of your beautiful children out there who may be right where you want them to be, their hearts open to receive. :
QUOTE:
Would you like to know the heart of God as Jesus prayed and as Paul desired? Study to show yourself approved!
Secondly, God has called us to be overcomers in this world. But how are we to do this? The philosophy of the world is to overcome by strength and might—do whatever it takes to get ahead—look out for number one, and if that means hurting people climbing up the ladder of success, then so be it. But is this to be our way? Do Christians overcome by strength and shrewdness? Paul said,
If your enemy is hungry, give him food; if he is thirsty, quench his thirst. For by doing this you will be heaping burning coals upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome the evil with goodness.(Rom 13:20, 21)
We are to overcome our enemies by love and goodness. Isn’t this exactly how God dealt with us?
Or is it that you think slightingly of His infinite goodness, forbearance and patience, unaware that the goodness of God is gently drawing you to repentance? (Rom 2:4) Doesn’t God make his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust? (Matt 5:45) Why does God do this? Why does He return evil with good? He does so because He loves us and wants to bring us to repentance.
The perfect example in Scripture of overcoming evil with good is the Cross. This is God’s way. Paul said the Cross is foolishness to the world because it’s a symbol of weakness and lowliness (1 Cor. 1). Instead of conquering the world and all its evil through power and vengeance, the Lord chose the most humiliating means anyone could ever imagine. The Cross is the perfect picture of love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…. This was God’s choice for how He would overcome evil. It would not be through the strong arm of vengeance, but through the goodness and love of the Cross. And it is this same path of humiliation that our Lord commands us to trod. We will overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil through the Cross—the perfect expression of God’s goodness.
John Milton said, “He who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe.” No one doubts that God can subdue the world by force. Anyone who can speak this world into existence with just a word can certainly wipe out all His enemies with the same. And at the same time, anyone who is powerful enough to turn the hearts of kings and use entire nations to accomplish His will, is also powerful enough to win His entire creation by love. But by which way is God going to reconcile the world? (Col. 1:20; Phil 2:10, 11) Will He accomplish it by force or love? At the end of the day, when all has been reconciled to God, what will we be able to say about the Creator; that He, with great force and vengeance, suffered most of His creation to endless torments, or that He overcame all that was evil in the world with eternal goodness, kindness, and love? Which do you think is the greater work for an all-powerful, sovereign God: forcing most of the world to bow in submission and then tormenting them forever, or through the love of the Cross, win all His lost and wayward children back to Himself again? Which do you think brings more glory to God?
And what does that say about how we are to live on this earth? If our God can’t overcome evil with good, how can He expect us to do the same? When we are faced with adversity, why should we respond in love, when our God, in the end, fails to do the same? Why should we forgive seventy times seven when there will come a time when God will not forgive most of those He created for ever and ever? Why should we turn the other cheek and not render evil for evil, when God, who is supposed to be good, renders evil with evil?
Jesus was mad about way more than just self-righteousness, CantWait2Leave. I can speak about just WHAT he was mad about if you want.
Anyhow, Christianity has been full of Crusades, wars, and people that prop up the most UN-Christ like political systems. I am not saying that the people within this religion aren't good people, necessarily. Only, perhaps a bit blind.
And it's not about intelligence, here. It's about testing the spirits.
Yes, I know He was mad at them for more than that. I just brought it up because that's how you are coming across IMO.
Yes, I know He was mad at them for more than that. I just brought it up because that's how you are coming across IMO.
Oh....
Hmm.....
I was just posting some snippets from a website and, poof, I was attacked.
I'm trying to understand why the Catholic church and then the Protestant church went the wrong direction. They did not show the love that Jesus was trying to show the world through their Crusades and wars, did they?
Do they?
I'm trying to figure out how far this departure from the faith went and what impact it had on the dark ages and how it affects the people in our country now.
This goes back a lot farther than I realized, I guess.
Not at all, Betsey. I wanted to STOP everything I was doing BECAUSE of the LOVE OF GOD! He exploded in my heart! I NEVER want to go back into the darkness!! I never want to back into the world and it's systems! I don't even struggle anymore! It's awesome!
I want to KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM! I can go BOLDLY to the throne of grace!
Why would I want to give up the greatest love in the universe?????????
Paul tells us in 1 Tim. 4:10 that Christ is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe. He told us to PREACH JUST THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When was the last time you heard an evangelist tell unbelievers that Jesus Christ is their Savior and that God has conciliated them to Himself, and is not charging their sins to their account? When?
The GREATEST LIE EVER TOLD.........sadly, is the SAME one being told TODAY! And the serpent said to the woman, Ye will not surely die: For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:4-5)
So therefore: But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
What you're doing TODAY...is no different! As the serpent said: Ye shall not surely die-He proceeded, not only to assure her of perfect impunity, but to promise great benefits from partaking of it.
The benefit according to UR: Live TODAY as you choose, to your own liking, do nothing different...for God's "got you" in the end! Yes, truly indeed the GREATEST LIE EVER TOLD!! Not only the GREATEST, but the LONGEST!!
Amen..... Betsey !!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike555
That is so very true Betsey. These who promote universal salvation have bought into the counterfeit Gospel of Satan which seeks to obscure the true Gospel of Christ. Many of the people who have been sucked into this false doctrine have shown utter contempt for the truth. They are hostile to that truth. They ridicule it. Mock it. They do everything they can to try to discredit the truth. But God cannot be mocked. And God sits on the bench of the supreme court of Heaven.
Yes, it is so sad to know that one day those who are doing this mocking, ridiculing and definitely showing such contempt to the truth of the written word of God and His people will truly be with great sorrow for not repenting of their unbelief (sin) of God's truth and treating His people in such ways !!!
With those who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, even though they once knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Their professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man."
For they bowed to their fleshly desires and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. They know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. Always with a big thumbs up to each other.....
And one day they will stand before the bench in the supreme court of God's kingdom and it will not be a pretty sight because they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, but their sensual flesh !!!
Until that appointed time for each one in God's supreme court, God has given them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful, all the fleshly desires !!!
The day is very near that the wrath of God will be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and those who continue in their unbelief, unrepentant heart, will hear the words of God's judgment..... ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity!!!'
Back to the topic. I hope many out there will especially prayerfully pay attention to the below quote from the article herefornow posted. May the following bless you in a profound way. Father, I ask that you open up some eyes this beautiful evening and give someone out there the hope they are looking for. Father, I humbly ask that you use this brother's words to speak to one or more of your beautiful children out there who may be right where you want them to be, their hearts open to receive. :
QUOTE:
Would you like to know the heart of God as Jesus prayed and as Paul desired? Study to show yourself approved!
Secondly, God has called us to be overcomers in this world. But how are we to do this? The philosophy of the world is to overcome by strength and might—do whatever it takes to get ahead—look out for number one, and if that means hurting people climbing up the ladder of success, then so be it. But is this to be our way? Do Christians overcome by strength and shrewdness? Paul said,
If your enemy is hungry, give him food; if he is thirsty, quench his thirst. For by doing this you will be heaping burning coals upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome the evil with goodness.(Rom 13:20, 21)
We are to overcome our enemies by love and goodness. Isn’t this exactly how God dealt with us?
Or is it that you think slightingly of His infinite goodness, forbearance and patience, unaware that the goodness of God is gently drawing you to repentance? (Rom 2:4) Doesn’t God make his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust? (Matt 5:45) Why does God do this? Why does He return evil with good? He does so because He loves us and wants to bring us to repentance.
The perfect example in Scripture of overcoming evil with good is the Cross. This is God’s way. Paul said the Cross is foolishness to the world because it’s a symbol of weakness and lowliness (1 Cor. 1). Instead of conquering the world and all its evil through power and vengeance, the Lord chose the most humiliating means anyone could ever imagine. The Cross is the perfect picture of love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…. This was God’s choice for how He would overcome evil. It would not be through the strong arm of vengeance, but through the goodness and love of the Cross. And it is this same path of humiliation that our Lord commands us to trod. We will overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil through the Cross—the perfect expression of God’s goodness.
John Milton said, “He who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe.” No one doubts that God can subdue the world by force. Anyone who can speak this world into existence with just a word can certainly wipe out all His enemies with the same. And at the same time, anyone who is powerful enough to turn the hearts of kings and use entire nations to accomplish His will, is also powerful enough to win His entire creation by love. But by which way is God going to reconcile the world? (Col. 1:20; Phil 2:10, 11) Will He accomplish it by force or love? At the end of the day, when all has been reconciled to God, what will we be able to say about the Creator; that He, with great force and vengeance, suffered most of His creation to endless torments, or that He overcame all that was evil in the world with eternal goodness, kindness, and love? Which do you think is the greater work for an all-powerful, sovereign God: forcing most of the world to bow in submission and then tormenting them forever, or through the love of the Cross, win all His lost and wayward children back to Himself again? Which do you think brings more glory to God?
And what does that say about how we are to live on this earth? If our God can’t overcome evil with good, how can He expect us to do the same? When we are faced with adversity, why should we respond in love, when our God, in the end, fails to do the same? Why should we forgive seventy times seven when there will come a time when God will not forgive most of those He created for ever and ever? Why should we turn the other cheek and not render evil for evil, when God, who is supposed to be good, renders evil with evil?
No one doubts that God can subdue the world by force. Anyone who can speak this world into existence with just a word can certainly wipe out all His enemies with the same.
And at the same time, anyone who is powerful enough to turn the hearts of kings and use entire nations to accomplish His will, is also powerful enough to win His entire creation by love. But by which way is God going to reconcile the world? (Col. 1:20; Phil 2:10, 11)
Will He accomplish it by force or love? At the end of the day, when all has been reconciled to God, what will we be able to say about the Creator; that He, with great force and vengeance, suffered most of His creation to endless torments, or that He overcame all that was evil in the world with eternal goodness, kindness, and love?
I know dear saints who’ve had nervous breakdowns because they were honest enough to really think through what the Church teaches on this issue. The rest of us (myself included) have simply accepted this “tradition of men” as truth. It was Adolph Hitler (quoting Goebbels) who said, “Tell a lie long enough, loud enough, and often enough and people will start to believe you.”
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Christ is all I care about now. 
