Results 461 - 480 of 729
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Results from: Notes Author: charis Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
461 | The Forum -- Your Opinion? | Romans | charis | 30630 | ||
Dear Hank, Greetings in the name of Jesus! Brother, I vote that we double your salary! No, triple! We can't afford to lose you! :-) Keep up the good work. I'll make sure and put in a good word for you to the 'Boss.' In Christ Jesus, charis |
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462 | The Forum -- Your Opinion? | Romans | charis | 30714 | ||
Dear Mike, Greetings in the name of Jesus! Friend, I do know what you are saying, but if you agree with my point that leopards don't easily change their spots, then you will know why I am not too worried about our accountability as teachers. Frankly, I don't think that many forum readers are going to *receive* bad teaching here. They will just ignore it! In fact, most ignore good teaching, too! :-( I do agree that those who teach have a greater responsibility, but I remain convinced that few will be much influenced by the ongoings at an internet forum. Surely there may be SOME influence, but little in comparison to the influence we receive in our 'real' lives. In addition, being an optimist, I will trust that the great majority of influence exerted here is good influence. Any bad influence will fall mostly in the category of disgust, not false teachings. :-) And many blessings to you in Christ Jesus, charis |
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463 | Christ dying only for elect? | Rom 5:6 | charis | 6433 | ||
Dear Percival, I have been sleeping well! By staying out of this endless bickering :-) Contrary to the opinion of some, I don't believe that God is a Calvinist or an Arminist. (I am equally certain that He is not a Baptist, a Catholic, a Charismatic, or a Presbyterian :-) When said fellows become Christians first and foremost, maybe they can have a mature discussion. (I learned that from my own mistakes) Indeed, "Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;" Romans 14:16 NASB. We are responsible for our words and our attitudes. In Christ Jesus, charis |
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464 | Accusations obligatory? | Rom 5:6 | charis | 6582 | ||
Dear orthodoxy, Dogma, when presented as the one and only truth, claiming Divine knowledge, and condemning others, is bigotry and spiritual arrogance. Though the Old Testament may indeed have a fair share of curses, the New Testament contains much more love and grace than rancor and slander. This particular situation does not require your degrading comments, and I take offense at your calling this a forum of 'pop psychobabble.' Please do remove yourself if you don't like this fellowship. It is possible to disagree and still be a gentleman. In Christ Jesus, charis |
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465 | The Spirit and the Word: How Related? | Rom 8:11 | charis | 30889 | ||
Dear Eagle One, Greetings in the name of Jesus! Maybe I'm just not one to wax poetic, but... Jesus is the Word. Sometimes people (like me) write Word or Scripture to mean the Bible. There are many names that describe God and His relationship with us in the Bible, but there are but three distinct Persons of the Godhead: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Any reference of the Word in the Bible is talking about Jesus, IMHO. In Christ Jesus, charis |
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466 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | charis | 68102 | ||
Dear inmyheart, Greetings in the name of Jesus! As with most Christian methods or systems, it is not the teaching (in an absolute sense) that is dangerous, but the application. I say this because most teachings are based on the Bible, and desire to glorify God. Some methods invite abuse more than others, my friend. I am guessing that you have had relatively few sick days, and overcome many obstacles in your Christian walk. I, too, enjoy such favor with God. I have witnessed the miraculous healing of my wife from cervical cancer, and now have two beautiful daughters to prove it. I have overcome many addictions and afflictions, and by grace have been delivered many times from danger and perhaps even death. Glory be to God through His Son, Jesus Christ! We have been 'fortunate' or blessed. But what about those with a 'less-favorable' testimony? I have seen what the 'name-it-and-claim-it' people and 'faith-healing' crowd does with those that are not instantaneously victorious! They 'lack faith' or 'have hidden sin in their lives.' They 'harbor demons' or need to 'throw up the devil.' They are lower than pond scum, and don't deserve God's grace or even pity. Perhaps the group you associate with never does such things (?), but it is rampant! Another thing that is common is the constant NEED of deliverance. Like every week. Or every day! You need healing during the meetings, in the hallway, at the prayer meeting, on the telephone, and even in the mirror! Demons galore! And never enough possessions. If you are of humble means, there is something 'wrong' with you! Inmyheart, this is nothing less than performance-based salvation. You are not the only one who believes in all the promises of God. Most Christians do, but on a more God-based measure and timetable. My fellow forumer, you may have never been involved with such abuses. Bless you if this is true. But many of this group HAVE, and many have been hurt by it. You are guilty by association. By the way, I am an eye-witness to such tomfoolery. Please don't say, "It's not like that!" It IS! Peace and Joy in Christ Jesus, charis |
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467 | Alter Calls? | Rom 10:9 | charis | 25156 | ||
My dear Hank, Blessings in the name of Jesus! "Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few." Ecclesiastes 5:2 NASB. Yes, I know our confession, even public confession is important. Nor can I deny the importance of preachers and teachers. :-) But, there will be many that cry, "Lord, Lord!" yet they are not known by Him. Ideally, we will ALL confess Christ EACH DAY, publicly AND in our hearts! Love to all in Christ Jesus, charis |
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468 | Alter Calls? | Rom 10:9 | charis | 25349 | ||
Dear EdB, Greetings in the name of Jesus! Brother, your deodorant is still 'active,' and your shoes are clean! (anyway, we take off our shoes before entering a house in my part of the woods :-)) I hope that my church members are willing to tell others their pastor's name! (any P.R. is OK as long as you spell it right! :-)) One of my favorite songs is (with Hank) "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart" which is sung, 'Iesu wo Shinzeshi Yori' in Japanese. This means 'from the time I believed in Jesus.' The translators knew what was meant by the words of the song without deep theological study! Blessings to you, my friend, in Christ Jesus, charis |
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469 | heaping coals | Rom 12:19 | charis | 21604 | ||
Dear j.smart, Greetings in Jesus' name! Good answer! If I may add, never think that you can 'heap coals of fire' on an enemy by blessing them! :-) I have heard this quite a few times, and it just doesn't work this way. If you don't cleanse yourself from a heart of vengeance, the coals may be heaped in your direction! In Christ Jesus, charis |
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470 | Is it primary...? | Rom 15:5 | charis | 6760 | ||
Dear Ray, In MY sentence, definitely capitalized! :-) I agree with your dilemma concerning 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Timothy 3:17. Your perception of 1-yes and 2-no sounds good. This is certainly the same problem that many translators met with, and for the sake of consistency chose to not capitalize truth in the Bible. Ray, is this trivial? Maybe...but at least it is not philosophical :-) BTW, you wrote God is great. In order to be consistent in capitalizing words that describe the Lord, then wouldn't it be 'God is Great'? (Alexander was...) In Jesus' name, charis |
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471 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34010 | ||
Dear Hank, Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus! I just woke up this fine Sunday morning (weather-wise a bit cold and dreary, but the day of assembly before God!) to 7 (count 'em!) answers to my question! As you are the first to ask 'the question' you will be the first to receive 'the answer.' (I wonder how long I can stretch this out without making someone upset?) Now, the problem is that if my answer is not sufficiently profound, I might get 'booed!' ...where was I?... :-) Actually, the main reason asked was because I was curious, as stated. It has to do with a 'theory' that has been formulating in my heart (brain?) about the state of the church in this present age. I have sensed a bipolar movement of relationship to the local church of either 1) allegience to a 'religious entity,' often part of a larger denomination, or 2) little or no allegience to anything but whim, circumstance, job, and a personal understanding of 'God's will.' The first, I do not find to be 'wrong,' except that some (not all!) of this type do tend to be a little 'xenophobic' and judgemental toward 'other' Christians, especially those of different creeds. Another type of person in this category can be guilty of worshipping their leaders(s) or their 'creed' to the exclusion of any other assembly, and sometimes to the point of not loving (or denying) their fellow Christian. These extremes do not lead anybody to the 'unity of the faith.' The second type is a bit scary, where each man 'walks his own path.' Many of these are disenchanted members of the first category, but because of one situation or another have done a 'radical pendulum-swing' against the authority and blessing of the local church assembly. (makes you wonder what kind of 'weight' was on their pendulum or plum-bob!?) Some churches even cater to this kind of behavior (marketing?) and have made a way to get plenty of money with no strings attached, i.e. responsibility. In any case, my friend, I completely agree that the church needs faithful, committed sheep, and sheep need a faithful, committed church, complete with a conscientious, holy leadership! My 'poll' was no reflection on any particular member of our forum fellowship, but I do think that this past year of 30K plus postings show some of this attitude in the church. Of course, most of those that are 'committed' here, are (or should be!) committed to a local assembly. Many blessings to all, and thank you for your patience with me this past year! In Christ Jesus, charis |
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472 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34017 | ||
Dear Hank, (and I guess this will have to do for all the others that replied, because our Sunday morning service will start in an hour :-)) Greetings in Jesus' name! I realized that I did not make any comment about why (or why not) we might visit other churches. I am in favor of visiting other churches once in a while. In fact, in the summer months we do not have evening services, and I encourage our fellowship to visit a variety of other churches in our neighborhood. Of course, here in Japan there are few other churches. :-( My belief is that we should see how others worship and fellowship in order to broaden our own relationship with God. Though I am far from 'loose' in my doctrine, I do believe that it is difficult to practice the 'tolerance' and 'patience' toward the brethren encouraged in the Bible if we only go by heresay and bigotry. Another reason is the 'competition for souls' I see in this day of seeking bigger and bigger congregations. There is a spirit of 'vying' I see that reminds me of K-mart and Wal-mart. Sadly, I do not see the remaining contender as the victor! One other thing I have seen that shocks me is that when someone goes on vacation, they don't go to church. I hear many reasons for this, but none seem very faithful. (to me) Please note that I don't think any of the above (or other post) is an excuse for not being a faithful, committed member of a local church. The 'extra-curricular forays' I am talking about are for the benefit of Jesus' church! When we visit another assembly, it should not be to measure, judge, or 'prove our ideas.' We should go with an attitude of humility, blessing them, thereby enhancing our knowledge of God and His people. In a way, this forum has done so to me! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |
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473 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34118 | ||
Dear John, Greetings in Jesus' name! Sorry, I was a bit busy (Sunday comes a bit earlier here than the US) I wrote to Hank (twice) to explain the reason behind my question. Please take a look at 'Dear Hank' February 9. A quick personal reply would be that I see a trend in the universal church toward two poles. Mind you, this is not every church, every Christian! But there seems (to me) to be those who are a bit 'xenophobic,' and those who are quite 'loose' in their commitment to a local church. I find both categories to be distant from the relationship of God's people to His church as described in the Bible. I see from your answer that you have not fellowshipped in another church for some time. Please answer honestly: Do you feel you have a healthy respect for the faith and actions of other Christians? Are you knowledgeable of other practices without judging them? From where do you get your information about other styles of worship? Do you feel you have a certain amount of (Biblical) tolerance toward others? Friend, none of my questions are veiled personal accusations. I am truly interested to know what motivates the bi-polar trend I see. I have been part of a church that was very well-informed AND open-minded toward other faiths, but over a period of 10 years became very legalistic and xenophobic in their outlook. I became a casualty of their fear of outsiders after serving faithfully in the mission field, finding myself (quite literally!) excommunicated! On the other hand, I look toward the 'opposite-lock' of (dare I say it?) Charismatic and Para-church Christianity, and am very uncomfortable there. I see that there is a great amount of emnity toward one another from both of these camps. Is this God's will? I doubt it! Wasn't that short! :-) Many blessings in Christ Jesus, charis |
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474 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34120 | ||
Dear CDBJ, Greetings in Jesus' name! Soapbox?!?! This IS a forum! :-) We are ALL soapboxers. No apologies necessary. Do you mean that there are churches full of people that carry their Bibles to church? To be perfectly honest, I have not seen that phenomenon very much! To be fair, most of my travels are to the West Coast and Hawaii. :-) One shocker was when in Northern Georgia visiting my big brother. I went to this little Catholic church and most people were carrying Bibles! And we opened It, too! You could have knocked me and my bigotries over with a feather! :-) (my apologies to our Catholic brethren, but you have to admit that it IS a bit rare!) Brother, I agree that there are many churches that are focused on their own agenda more than the Word. I find this so in both categories that I described to Hank and John Reformed. God cannot be pleased! Trust that if you visit Yokohama, there is a church that YOU can enter! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |
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475 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34121 | ||
Dear Debbie, Greetings and blessings in the name of the Lord Jesus! My apologies for not getting back to you before I tried your patience! :-) Thank you for your reply. Do you feel that the church you now attend is one that you could commit yourself to, and that they would be committed to you? I really think this is God's will for all His sheep. In the local church His Word and His Spirit (should) give abundant life! By the way, I have since answered some of the other forumers. Take a peek and tell me what you think? In Christ Jesus, charis |
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476 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34122 | ||
Dear heisthe1, Greetings in Jesus' name! What you said is true of the universal church! Do you think that we should be committed to a local church? I have posted answers to several others that have answered my question. If you get a chance, browse through them and tell me what you think? Blessings in Christ Jesus, charis |
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477 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34124 | ||
Dear EdB, Greetings in the name of Jesus! I have had similar experiences, and must add one more: If I sign is as a minister, they don't consider me 'potential member,' and often ignore me. Worse, though, is the looks of fear that I am a 'wolf' on a 'sheep-stealing' foray! :-) There is so much suspicion among churches, how sad. :-( I, too, find good in many other fellowships. (Please everyone, my middle name is NOT Pollyanna!) On the whole, I have come to the conclusion that this attitude is better that the common alternative, fear and loathing! Peace and joy in Christ Jesus, charis |
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478 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34125 | ||
Dear Searcher, Greetings in Jesus' name! I am always glad to hear the word 'committed!' I don't hear it very often these days. In your last paragraph you stated that "One should be able to move on..." Do you believe that your pastor should be included in this decision-making process? The reason I ask is that I have seen an attitude of: "We" make our decisions for "us" with little or no input from our shepherd. This is a bit scary to me! Let me know what you think about this? In Christ Jesus, charis |
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479 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34126 | ||
Dear Emmaus, Greetings in Jesus' name! Thank you for your reply. I can see that your 'outreach' ministry is pretty courageous! I have explained the reasons for this question (poll) to some of the others. I'm very sorry, but because I am running out of time I will just humbly ask you to peruse this thread and let me know what you think about my thoughts on this issue and the results. Blessings in Christ Jesus, charis |
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480 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34127 | ||
Dear Makarios, Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus! Thank you for your reply and testimonial of commitment! I pray that the result glorifies God! I have been trying to answer some of the (very good!) replies I received, but cannot explain everything to everyone. Please accept my apologies. If you get an opportunity, browse through my 'raison d'etre' for this thread and the resulting comments and let me know how you feel? In Christ Jesus, charis |
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