Results 181 - 200 of 281
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Results from: Notes Author: Parable Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
181 | The definition of porneia | 1 Thess 4:3 | Parable | 77412 | ||
no further clarification seems needed. what are you asking for? |
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182 | Apostles | Rom 10:15 | Parable | 77397 | ||
As one who has surely irritated my share of forum members, I am imspired to say that "Mommapbs" has always been most gracious to me. Yet, I can see how you could have interpreted her remarks as sarcasm, but for what its worth, I sincerely believe this was not her intent. Regarding any hostility you may encounter, I believe some of it flows from the intensity of conviction that members sometimes feel. Even so, we are called to speak the truth in love, with gentlenss and respect, for edification and encouragement. Regarding Apostles, I am reminded that all of us are called to be saints. Why not as apostles as well? To push it further, Jesus calls us to become like Him. Yet, only He knows who has responded to His call. |
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183 | persecution, suffering, charity | 1 Peter | Parable | 76713 | ||
1 Peter 4:12 "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." No one should expect to be free from suffering, and this experience will bring great joy at the glory of Christ's return. For us in the United States, we are being persecuted by the very nature of our secular culture, in subtle ways we may not even notice, which can be even more dangerous to us spiritually than physical violence. Along those lines, I feel that one way we in the US suffer is by witnessing the persecution of others from our very safe vantage point, yet short of military intervention, we are not able to stop it directly. Our suffering is made worse by our belief we should do more, yet we don't. Perhaps we feel we are weak or are afraid to make the necessary sacrifices, as if we in fact knew what those were. Perhaps worse, this fear keeps us from trying to find out what we can do to help, even in small ways. Finally, it would be perverse for us to think that, because God can provide a blessing to us through our suffering, we should accept or condone the persecution of others because we think it is how God may be blessing them directly and/or us indirectly. In any case, Peter's instructions are clear, we should rejoice in our participation in the sufferings of the Body of Christ so that we may fully appreciate his return. This is good for us, but what about our responsibilities to others? Hebrews 13:3 "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." We should not expect everyone to be in prison or under severe persecution. Those who are not in prison or being mistreated are instructed "to remember" those who are as if we were in their place. Given that we do remember them, what next? Hebrews 13:2, just before the prison verse, says "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it". We are to be charitable to strangers. Combining this with the prison verse,13:3, I infer we should be charitable to those in prison or under persecution. This seems quite practical because even though we may not be able to stop their persecution, there is almost certainly some way we can be charitable to them, however modest that may be. |
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184 | love's sacrifice, God's grace to us | 1 John | Parable | 76712 | ||
1 John 3:16-23 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." This is a hard saying not because we don't understand it, but rather because we understand it all too well. John understands our situation. He goes on to provide for us, knowing that all but a few will fall short of Christ's example and will not become martyrs. We are aware of the persecution of others, yet seldom sacrifice ourselves for their sake. We don't proactively seek/create opportunity to do so, and more usually, we withdraw to avoid those opportunities we could engage. What does John suggest? 1 John 3:17-18 "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." From the reference to material possessions and pity on others in need, I infer John calls us to give our material possessions freely to others in need. He continues... 1 John 3:19 "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." From this I infer that when we feel we are not loving enough, because we don't willingly die for others, we can be assured that God accepts our sincere charity as righteous, for He knows our limitations and by grace forgives us for falling short. More importantly, this acceptance and forgiveness brings us closer to him, as John explains... 1 John 3:21-23 "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." As we continue to grow in Him, we become more Christ-like and thus better able to obey His command to love others as He loves us. |
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185 | Searching for the truth | Matt 28:19 | Parable | 76633 | ||
Of course, the needs of each congregation vary. At my church, we have about 30 min of praise and worship, i.e. music and song to get people to open up to the Lord, then 45 to 60 minutes for the message and any drama or dance that support the message. Also, the words to the songs and any scripture verses presented are shown on a projection screen to facilitate easy following. Finally, the message follows a handout that has blanks for the congregation to fill in at the right time. This fill-in sheet requires prior preparation and serves as a way for the pastor to stay on track, then provides something for the members to take with them, talk about at home, build their own knowledge base, etc. You might also consider an alternative experience for people who don't like the traditional sunday morning service, either on Sat night or Sun eve. Taize prayer (chanting verses) during the week is yet another way to reach people. |
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186 | Searching for the truth | Eph 5:21 | Parable | 76628 | ||
I believe the following will serve well: extreme professionalism, competence through extensive preparation, documented policies and procedures, opportunities for continuing education, consensus building, creative progressive leadership, transparent organization, striving for quality in everything, focus on biblical truth, tolerance of different Christian traditions, unconditional love for all sinners, invited speakers from other churches, community outreach, support for missions, always have a project for people to work on, celebrations for little successes, thoughtful challenges to spiritual pride, formulate a well-articulated statement of purpose, summarize the foundational truths, and finally, the pastor needs to cultivate friendships and a life that don't depend on him being a pastor. |
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187 | Plants were created, and then stars? | Gen 1:14 | Parable | 73659 | ||
Yes, Lionstrong, I also enjoy sharing on this forum with you. I have learned much from your many postings and this one is no exception; your reply about the duration of creation events is cogent. However, I'd like to clarify a point. I said: "Our scientific understanding of nature is consistent with what the bible teaches, if the Genesis texts are understood from the perspective of an observer on earth at a time after the planet had formed. Ross suggests there is nothing in scripture that precludes this "observer perspective" and "system initial condition". In your reply, you said: "Positively let me start by saying that it is false that nowhere in the text are we given information that refutes or supports either a six-day creation or a many-years creation. The plain reading of the text supports a six-day creation." The point of the original question for this thread is about the order of events, not how long they may have taken. Ross' contribution is his explanation of how the order of creation events, as suggested by planetary geology, are the same as the order given in Genesis, if one adopts the perspective and initial conditions he describes, which to me are not unreasonable. In your conclusion, you said it well "we must honestly deal with the Scripture even though it may seem to go against the prevailing doctrines of our day." In this matter of creation sequence, Ross' exposition clearly demonstrates that God's word is indeed true. To me, it is a simple question of what is meant by "plain reading". I submit that Ross' reading is plain, but it just has a different perspective and initial condition than what most people impose on the text. Peace, Parable |
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188 | Plants were created, and then stars? | Gen 1:14 | Parable | 73415 | ||
Not exactly. I concur with Dr. Ross that there is nothing in scripture that refutes our scientific understanding that the earth is very old and indeed, what scripture describes agrees with what nature itself has revealed to us through science. His argument is this: Our scientific understanding of nature is consistent with what the bible teaches, if the Genesis texts are understood from the perspective of an observer on earth at a time after the planet had formed. Ross suggests there is nothing in scripture that precludes this "observer perspective" and "system initial condition". I agree with him that this is a not a "non-biblical imposition" on the text. I say this because I believe this perspective is just as valid as the conventional interpretion unknowingly imposed by modern readers that the text was written from the perspective of a detached observer somewhere in the cosmos at or before the beginning of universal space-time. Nowhere in the text are we given information that refutes or supports either of these positions, so Ross' approach could be valid. A fellow committed Christian and PhD physicist with many years in advanced research once told me this: "If your television works, the earth is old." By this he means that the science that produces such demanding technology is the exactly same science that suggests an ancient earth, for both are derived from the same observations and reasoning. Regarding the many scientific dating methods, I agree that this forum is not an appropriate venue to dispel the fallacious arguments that have been put forth to discredit them. As far as I am concerned, they are as sound as any other scientific technique we use. Any errors in results are due to sample conditions that do not meet the requirements of the technique rather than any flaw in the method. For example, we cannot date a mineral that has melted after its original formation because the process of re-melting re-sets the ratio of isotopes that is used to mark time zero. Hence, we can only date the most recent melting. Peace, Parable |
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189 | Plants were created, and then stars? | Gen 1:14 | Parable | 73379 | ||
Greetings Lionstrong, It has been some time since I have posted to this forum. Since then, I have been exploring your question. I can't speak for Dr. Ross, but I think the following are true and speak to your question: 1) God created Adam. Gen 2:7 God planted the Garden of Eden. Gen 2:8 Scripture does not say how long it was between the time of Adam's creation and his arrival in the Garden. 2) God created Eve in the Garden. Gen 2:22 Scripture does not say how long Adam lived before God created Eve. 3) Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Gen 3:6 Scripture does not say how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden before they disobeyed God. 4) God walked in the Garden and Adam and Eve hid themselves from him. Gen 3:8-9 Scripture does not say how long it was after eating the apple that Adam and Eve hid themselves from God. 5) Because of the serpent's role and the disobedience of Adam and Eve, the world was cursed by God. Gen 3:14-19 The curse brought humanity: conflict with the serpent (Gen 3:15), pain (Gen 3:16), dominance of the husband over the wife (Gen 3:16), surviving on the meager fruits of painful toil (Gen 3:17), and death and decay (Gen 3:19). 6) The curse is contrasted sharply with the Garden, implying life in the Garden had none of the troubles of the Fallen world, most notably death and decay. As these are how we measure time, in both the cosmic and personal sense, our Fallen understanding of time is wholly inadequate to understand time in the Garden, before the Fall. Peter alludes to God's view of time in 2Peter3:8b "... with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." 7) Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden and entry was barred by cherubim and a flaming sword. Gen 3:23-24. 8) We are the decendents of Adam and Eve, Gen 3:20. We live in that same Fallen world and likewise cannot access the Garden in ANY way, including through the use of logic to infer anything about the timing of Creation or the nature of the Garden, as might be extrapolated by science after examination of the Fallen world. I conclude: Science is constrained to reveal the nature of the Fallen world only and cannot address it before the Fall in any way whatsoever. If the Fallen world appears by all scientific measures to be very old, that fact has no bearing on when Creation was established nor the nature of the Garden before the Fall. Peace and Blessings, Parable |
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190 | big-bang theory | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 66791 | ||
Greetings Lionstrong, The thesis of Dr. Morris' article is "the Big Bang model for the origin of the universe certainly does not come from Scripture." On this point I certainly agree with Dr. Morris. My response was to a different question, "is the big-bang theory even remotely realistic?" According to science, it is. I am not surprized that Dr. Morris sees things differently. After all, he is a Professor of Geology at the Institute for Creation Research, an organization that, to my knowledge, has yet to publish a peer-reviewed article in a reputable scientific journal. For a critical review of the ICR, especially its reputation in the science community at large, see "Tower of Babel" by Robert T. Pennock. Blessings, Parable |
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191 | Who is God using? | John 3:16 | Parable | 55894 | ||
I agree that we must act knowing the Lord will return at any time. This inspires us to be bold. Yet, there is another equally important attitude we must hold if we are to be loyal servants. That is, we must act not knowing when He will return. This inspires us to be patient. Each attitude is needed for each task the Lord calls us to do, i.e. to reap and to sow. Yes, we are called to preach the gospel and make disciples, yet we are also called to be in the world but not of it. To me, this means that while we do not endorse worldly values, we cannot do our appointed tasks if we are in a hurry to leave. If there are to be effective harvesters, there must also be those who do the hard work of cultivating and sowing, and this work can only be done with an attitude that the labor may not bear fruit for a season, a year or even a generation. Yet, sowers work in the knowledge the harvesters will indeed come. There is an excellent discussion of the balance between sowing and harvesting in "Finding Common Ground -- How to communicate with those outside the Christian community...while we still can", by Tim Downs. Grace and Peace, Parable |
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192 | what is your point? | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 55568 | ||
May your recovery glorify God and serve His Will in the lives of all you meet! Amen. |
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193 | what is your point? | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 55561 | ||
I can understand your distaste for "new age funk". It sounds like the NA group has departed significantly from the original 12-step design of AA, which is faith oriented, but does not adopt any particular belief system so as to avoid keeping people away. There are some who interpret the 12-step approach as incompatible with Christianity, but according to a friend of mine, who is a mature sponsor and very faithful Christian, this is an unfortunate misperception and does not acknoweldge the many lives that have been saved and many addicts who have become born again. Overcomers sounds good, being Christian, yet my recommendation to enlist the services of a qualified substance abuse professional still stands. Finally, sin IS slippery, but don't dismiss secular counselors entirely. I'm all for Christian fellowship and pastoral care, but a there are non-religious issues that a well qualified professional counselor is well suited to address. |
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194 | what is your point? | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 55177 | ||
Yes, support from others is a good thing. However, your wife and friends are not professionals qualified to help you confront your deeper issues in a meaningful way. This takes special training. I've read some of your other posts and from what you describe, you are in deep and long. Don't be offended at what I'm about to say, but in all probability, your wife may be enabling your addiction and she may need counseling to understand how this could be possible. NA is good, if you sincerely work the program with a mature sponsor and don't just attend meetings and listen. But more importantly, you really need to have your program under the supervision of a qualified professional substance abuse counselor that you meet with in addition to your sponsor. Once you have completed the program, then you will be ready to be salt and light for others, perhaps by being a sponsor to them. Stop putting it off. Make an appointment. Go. Maybe even take your wife. How many reasons can you list not to do this? If you're like most addicts, you can find lots of reasons not to. This is the one reason you must. Its clear you have submitted yourself to Christ, now submit yourself to another person who can hold you accountable and help you constructively overcome what you have not yet dealt with. Clearly, you are highly intelligent, but this can be a stumbling block. There is such a thing as being too smart for your own good. I'm a good example :) Parable |
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195 | what is your point? | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 55090 | ||
I meant no disrespect, but rather to speak the truth in love and sometimes, the truth is not always "uplifting" nor "attractive". What I said applies to one degree or another, regardless your circumstances. The dynamics of drug abuse are well understood; they don't change much from person to person, although they do vary in intensity and consequences. The point is, your chances of conquering this on your own are slim and worse if you remain around those who are content to continue with pot. There is a reason good people spend years in graduate school to learn how to help others deal with problems like this. If you think you can make it alone, you have not reached even the first step in your recovery, i.e. humble acceptance that you are not in control. | ||||||
196 | what is your point? | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 55086 | ||
No, you can only quit once. Temporarily not using is not the same thing as quitting. Your inablility to quit shows that you are exactly the personality that cannot do it on your own, which is everyone. Your pridefullness is showing that you have not yet admitted you are powerless over your addiction and realized that the only way to be free of it is to give it and yourself over to God. That you become legalistic and judgemental shows you are still looking outward instead of at yourself and that you do not yet understand the dynamics of this spiritual illness. You are correct that you must leave behind your old life, especially your party friends, not because of your harsh judgement of that lifestyle and those you share it with, but rather because you see that you cannot survive their company nor withstand the forces that drive their using. You must not think that you can help them while you are still in bondage to this. Yes, we are salt and light, but don't deceive yourself into believing you are either until the Lord delivers you from this. Many have fallen because they underestimated how deeply the hook is set. Parable |
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197 | what is your point? | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 55029 | ||
OK. Praise God that you have made this decision. Believe it or not, this is probably the easiest part. I suggest you get started by getting substance abuse education in concert with group fellowship for life recovery. There's a lot going on with getting away from pot, don't underestimate how hard it's going to be and don't beat yourself up if you can't make a clean break on your own, which is usually not how it works. Stay in touch, I'm interested to know how things go and to support you. Parable |
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198 | question to smoke pot or not | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 54955 | ||
The summary of Christian liberty you cite is reasonable, yet I question its application in this case. Consider the potential consequences of using liberty in Christ to justify our actions, thereby setting an example for others to follow: Matt 18:6 "but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." Of course, the problem comes only if the actions are sinful. I understand that this is precisely the question you're asking in regard to smoking pot, and my point is that experience shows time after time that drug abuse interferes with one's relationship with God, even to the point of getting the person to think they are immune from such influence. It reminds me of a line from the movie "The Usual Suspects", when Kevin Spacey's character says "The best trick the devil ever pulled was getting people to believe he didn't exist." (my paraphrase) Also, consider Paul's admonition about our liberty in Christ: Romans 6:15 "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" Again, the problem comes when the actions are sinful. Of course, the final authority for such personal decisions is the Holy Spirit, yet He does not force anyone to follow or even to hear. While He has given His Word in Scripture, He also leads us in our daily lives, when we attempt to apply His Word to specific circumstances unique to our times. A person who is spiritually lost must recognize that fact and then sincerely admit the need for guidance. Then, when He speaks, to listen and obey. But you already knew this. As a follower of Christ, you stand ready to do or not do as He commands. So rather than attempt to validate your decision by intricate debate, ask Him his will in this. But don't ask until you are as ready to stop smoking pot as you are to continue. Until you are ready to obey, asking is not meaningful and no amount of logical analysis will persuade you to abandon your selfish desires. Parable. p.s. in an earlier note, you said that you have access and don't support the illegal drug trade. I presume this is because you are smoking your father's pot that was prescribed to him by a doctor. Offering prescribed medications to others and taking another person's prescription are violations of federal law. So, for you to smoke pot in this way implies that you and possibly your father are committing a crime. In this specific case, scripture is clear that you must stop. Forget the idealistic arguement about what it would mean if this were not the case. The fact is, this is the case and this is the situation in which you are called to apply scripture. Hypothetical situations, by definition, do not exist. |
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199 | question to smoke pot or not | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 54872 | ||
The big picture is a mosaic made from our individual lives and what affects us individually affects the big picture. You said "I will smoke it whether or not it is illegal" then said the point is "what is the motivation?" For Christians, our motivation is for everything we think, say, do and become to reflect the life of Jesus Christ in us and through us. You have said "there remains a choice". I agree, but the choice is not between smoking pot or not smoking pot. It's about choosing between life and death, i.e. continuing in sin or dying to your old nature and being raised in Christ. The pot question is just a distraction, an indirect attack on your spirit. Drug abuse is a sign of a spiritual illness. The answer you want lies in recognizing and accepting your guilt before God, i.e. conviction by the Spirit, and by accepting His forgiveness and grace through what Jesus did for you on the cross. |
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200 | question to smoke pot or not | Gen 1:12 | Parable | 54819 | ||
I agree that our policies regarding the dispensation of illegal drug users should balance justice and love. I agree that we can and should disable the lucrative economic forces that drive illicit drug production and distribution. I agree that we are not to judge others. I agree that the marijuana plant has many legitimate uses, including legitimate medical treatment supervised by a doctor. I agree that tobacco and alcohol can be equally problematic. I agree that there has been and still is much misunderstanding concerning marijuana, yet there is also now well established scientific evidence that marijuana is exceedingly harmful when smoked. Not just because of the active drug THC, which affects brain chemistry via modification of chemical receptors in the neural synapse, but also because of the plethora of other partially combusted and highly reactive toxic substances in the smoke. Perhaps more significantly, smoke comprises sub-micron particulates that are delivered into the smallest alveoli of the lungs and cannot be easily elimated through expectoration, causing chronic inflammation at the blood-gas interface, thus creating a persistent demand on the local immune system. I agree that eating the plant or drinking the tea is probably less harmful than smoking, but the significant impact of THC on brain chemistry remains, as evidenced by the high achieved via these routes of ingestion. Your commentaries are not without merit, but to be honest, it seems you are trying to find a biblical way to justify marijuana use, or at least that the bible does not prohibit it. Is this a case of the ends justifying the means? Finally, I agree that chocolate, like anything, can become an object of idolatry. If this is true for chocolate, how much more true is it for marijuana? Peace and Clarity, Parable |
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