Results 3061 - 3080 of 3692
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Results from: Notes Author: Makarios Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
3061 | Membership Only! | Eph 1:1 | Makarios | 105477 | ||
Greetings WilBo, You know, anyone who does not wish to have his heresies condemned or his sins exposed usually counters his would-be opposition with these words of Christ, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1, KJV). These words, however, cannot legitimately be construed to be a sacred defense behind which all manner of evil can operate without fear of rebuke. Christ does not prohibit forming opinions about others, and in this same chapter He instructs His disciples to discern between false and true teachers, saying, "By their fruit you shall know them" (Matthew 7:15-20). The products of one's life are a criterion for discerning whether he is a false teacher to be shunned or a Biblical teacher to be followed. Furthermore, Jesus Christ taught in Jerusalem's temple, "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). He not only told the assembly to make distinctions, but He also gave them a basis for the distinctions- righteousness. In fact, the Christian who does not make Biblical distinctions between righteousness and evil leaves himself vulnerable to Satan's intrigue. For this reason, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). The person who refuses to test his life in this manner, preferring instead a 'laissez-faire' ethic, robs himself of the abundant life that Christ promises. Therefore, we stand completely justified in the judgment according to righteousness that becomes a necessity to make in regards to many aspects of society. But in regards to the woman in your church, if attendance is the only issue that is presented as being an offense to the rest of the congregation, then yes, she would be at fault if there were no legitimate reason for her absence, depending upon the length of her absence. But I do not believe that the issue of attendance alone would be able, in and of itself, to strip a church member of their abilities to function within the church, unless there was no advance notice given of her absence, and no advance notice given of her return. In that case, if there was no notice given, then I can see where the Board and the Pastor would be entirely justified in asking her, "Where have you been all this time?" in regards to her membership status, expecting to receive an answer from her that would justify the complaint. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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3062 | Membership Only! | Eph 1:1 | Makarios | 105479 | ||
Just a Note: All Scripture references in the above post where quoted from the Thomas Nelson Signature Series, Nelson Study Bible, 2003, Thomas Nelson Publishers. - Makarios |
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3063 | Predestination? gifts w/o fruits? | Eph 1:5 | Makarios | 105925 | ||
Greetings Steve, I like your answer! You know, if we truly believe that God is God, then let us let Him be God! We shouldn't worry ourselves about all of these things that God is already and has always been in control of. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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3064 | Do we "use" the Spirit as we shoul? | Eph 1:13 | Makarios | 27381 | ||
I disagree... "use" means that He uses His power in and through us, being unworthy vessels.. - Nolan |
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3065 | Automatic Holy Spirit? | Eph 1:13 | Makarios | 27387 | ||
Greetings charis! Thank you for reciting that hymn! That was exactly what I was thinking when I wrote my former post! :-) As for your original question, I would cite Acts chapter 2, which is heralded by the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.. Verse 37 states that they were "pierced to the heart".. Now just what did "pierced to the heart" mean? I believe that this reflects a regret over their former rejection of Jesus and it reflects a new belief in Jesus! In other words, when they were "pierced to the heart", the people were "pierced" by the presence of the Holy Spirit.. And what other "agent" or 'force' could cause the people to be "pierced to the heart" other than the Holy Spirit? Of course, Peter did preach a good sermon that day.. :-) But it was the power and influence of the Holy Spirit behind that sermon that had such a great effect on the people! And when those people where truly brought to repentence because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, then they were saved! And they willingly repented of all their sins, and then underwent water baptism, (v. 41) after they had received this awesome presence of the Holy Spirit, convicting them of their sins and leading them into repentence and salvation. When the Holy Spirit came, He was able to lead others to salvation through power and conviction! And by seeing the Holy Spirit work all throughout the book of Acts and the NT, we can see that the Holy Spirit is the "persuader" that God uses to draw men to Himself, by "piercing" people to the heart through another Christian, a sermon that is preached, a Bible tract, etc, etc, and "breaking" people, making them willing to come to repentance by His presence, and thus planting a seed in an unsaved person forever that they now make the choice to be truly saved and follow Him! So, in short, I would use Acts 2 and the coming of the Holy Spirit as "evidence" of the Bible making it clear that the indwelling or baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at salvation. Blessings to you, Nolan |
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3066 | Automatic Holy Spirit? | Eph 1:13 | Makarios | 27400 | ||
Thank you again, my friend! We must have "great minds" or something like that... :-) (joking, of course..) - Nolan! | ||||||
3067 | Do we "use" the Spirit as we shoul? | Eph 1:13 | Makarios | 27437 | ||
Yes, but He does all of the "using", not us.. :-) - Nolan |
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3068 | HS manifestation needed for salvation? | Eph 1:13 | Makarios | 27709 | ||
Greetings Haggisheid from Scotland! Welcome to the Forum! The verse that speaks of the seal of the Holy Spirit is in Ephesians 4:30.. You have a good answer, my friend! Blessings to you from Indiana (United States!), and we are responding to 'Charis' in Yokahama, Japan! :-) Nolan |
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3069 | HS manifestation needed for salvation? | Eph 1:13 | Makarios | 27847 | ||
Greetings Haggisheid! Yes, Gary, Indiana is not very far from where I live.. Merry Christmas to you as well! Nolan |
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3070 | Church "Covenant" unbiblical? | Eph 1:23 | Makarios | 32296 | ||
Thank you for responding, Norrie! I agree, it does sound a bit "legalistic." Blessings to you, Makarios |
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3071 | Church "Covenant" unbiblical? | Eph 1:23 | Makarios | 32352 | ||
Thank you Hank and Norrie! I sincerely appreciate your input and I will continue to see just where the Lord continues to lead me. I have felt lately that the Lord is leading me again, but this time towards a more "broader perspective", rather than that "leading" of last year, which was towards "holiness." I will not immediately change the attendance of which church that I go to, but I will keep in mind where the Lord is leading me. Up to this point, I have obtained a good standing and excellent report with the Anabaptist/Conservative Mennonite congregation, and they all like me! :-) But again, it was the Lord's leading that brought me to them, and I feel as if the Lord may be leading me elsewhere now.. But I never do these kind of things in haste! I will continue to dwell upon the Scriptures and seek the Lord's counsel. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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3072 | Church "Covenant" unbiblical? | Eph 1:23 | Makarios | 32362 | ||
Greetings, my friend! Please rest assured that my zeal remains intact! :-) You have been both a source of wisdom and encouragement to me, my friend, and you have said nothing that dampens my zeal. Blessings to you! Makarios |
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3073 | Church "Covenant" unbiblical? | Eph 1:23 | Makarios | 32488 | ||
Greetings, Steve! I agree, that should be the case anyway (understanding the responsibility of being a saint). Perhaps "church membership" should be 'renamed' as "a ritual that reminds us of our saintly responsibility".. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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3074 | unregenerate souls are dead | Eph 2:1 | Makarios | 35340 | ||
unregenerate souls are dead | ||||||
3075 | Storing Up Treasure | Eph 2:1 | Makarios | 105742 | ||
Greetings Indy! (as I start my John Rhys-Davies impersonation) Actually, I was referring to the "narrow theological sense" of the word 'redeeming' when I said that an unsaved person has no redeeming qualities. But as for the "virtuous" or "worthwhile" sense, there are some people that you run into that you wouldn't believe it if they told you that they were not Christians, and others who you wouldn't believe were Christians even if they told that they were. :-) However, if you don't know Christ, then it doesn't matter how many times you are caught smiling on camera: a person who doesn't know Christ as Savior is a lost person, and will not see heaven. Blessings to you my friend, Makarios |
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3076 | Storing Up Treasure | Eph 2:1 | Makarios | 105758 | ||
Mommapbs, excellent thoughts regarding storing up treasure! Quite right, quite right! :-) Makarios |
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3077 | Storing Up Treasure | Eph 2:1 | Makarios | 105804 | ||
I will keep you and your friends in my prayers! Your Brother in Christ, Makarios |
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3078 | Storing Up Treasure | Eph 2:1 | Makarios | 106086 | ||
Thank you Mommapbs for sharing that charming and enlightening testimony! I pray that the Lord continues to work in you and your daughter's lives! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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3079 | Is the Potter free to do as He pleases? | Eph 2:3 | Makarios | 99363 | ||
Greetings my friend, As I have always said, those seemingly restrictive references, as offered by Calvinists, can be logically fit into an unlimited scenario of atonement much more easily than universal references can be made (or "forced") to fit into a limited atonement scenario. As we know, the Bible does not contradict itself. So what are we to do? We do the same thing that we do when confronted with these type of things on any other issue- we look at what the whole of Scripture says, and come to a conclusion that supports the WHOLE of Scripture. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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3080 | "FAITH is the first gift of GOD" | Eph 2:8 | Makarios | 12033 | ||
Amen Kingsknight! Knight to King's Rook 4.. :) Yes, we must have faith, for how can anyone please God without first believing that He is God and exists? (Hebrews 11:1-6) Check! Nolan |
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