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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | 'Practical' service? | Mark 9:35 | charis | 29639 | ||
Dear Mike, Greetings in the name of Jesus! Trust me, my friend, I was not seeking philosophical answers. Nothing could be farther from my intent! I was actually asking for things a lot simpler that you answered. :-) In 1) you came very close when you said the word 'church.' I was indeed asking about our attitude of service to and in the local church, to our leaders and our fellows. 2) What about commitment, responsibility, and orderliness? 3) Do we not also serve God by serving His church, His body? Our portrayal of the Gospel to lost and to the saints is a form of service, too. Please be patient with me! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |
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2 | 'Practical' service? | Mark 9:35 | yokefellow | 29645 | ||
Dear Charis, Thanks again for your kind response! I'm sorry if I sounded too abrupt in my previous posting but there are people (as you well know) who have a hidden "agenda". They are not sincerely seeking answers from God's Word but live simply to stir up strife and contention. These are folks who already have an answer in their minds before they ask their question but want you to support their answer whether or not it is supported or authorized by God's Word or not. Then they get angry at you for not supporting it! The Pharisees that Jesus dealt with were of like character. These folks have "closed" minds - not "open" minds as we must have in order to attain the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:1-4). I now realize that you are not one of those types of people and I appreciate your honesty and sincerity. 1) Let me now address your question concerning commitment, responsibility, and orderliness. These Christian characteristics can all be summed up in one word - "faithfulness". As you well know, if God demands anything, it is "faithful" service (Matt. 25:21; Luke 12:42; 16:10; 19:17; Acts 16:15; 1 Cor. 4:2; 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:12) even in the face of death (Rev. 2:10). The word, "faithful", is mentioned 82 times in 78 verses in the Bible. Anything repeated more than once in God's Word is VERY important and needs to be heeded by God's people. Faithfulness must therefore be important to God. We cannot adequately serve God without being "faithful" to Him and His Word. In fact, if you turn that word around, it simply means "full of faith". We know that faith comes from hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17) and that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6). 2) You asked, "Do we not also serve God by serving His church, His body?". The answer of course is YES because that's exactly what the scriptures teach. I will also agree with your statement, "Our portrayal of the Gospel to the lost and to the saints is a form of service, too" because that is what the scriptures teach. Patience is not one of my greatest virtues but I'm working on it! I sincerely appreciate your patience with me! May the Lord continue to bless us as we study and make application of His Word. Mike |
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3 | 'Practical' service? | Mark 9:35 | charis | 29647 | ||
Dear Mike, Greetings from Yokohama in the name of Jesus! Friend, don't I know it about 'hidden agendas!' ;-) I assure you my agenda is bound on my hand and as a frontal on my forehead, all in plain view! I am a minister of the gospel called to shepherd a local church. I attempt to do so by the leading of the Holy Spirit, and in accord with the Bible, making good use of the bountiful gifts and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. As I am far away from 'mainstream American Christianity,' my posts may seem a bit dated or unorthodox. In addition, my personality is a bit warped from an appreciation for the irony of human hypocrisy, arrogance and bigotry (a.k.a. humor). Finally, I live in an environment that is decidedly hostile to Christianity and does not have a lot of tolerance (or appreciation) for 'spiritual' talk, so I tend to have more interest in the 'practical' side of faith in the Lord Jesus. That said, your answers were very good. Thank you! I agree with your comments on faithfulness. Sadly, this attribute seems to be on the wane in the church today. We could ALL use more patience, yes? :-) Blessings and love in Christ Jesus, charis |
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