Results 381 - 400 of 1003
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Rowdy Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
381 | biblical authority | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 120594 | ||
I have to agree with Searcher56. Although the Bible isn't ideally specific with this guidance as it seems to allow some leeway for our better judgment, it is better to serve and assemble with one congregation. I know...I've been a member of one congregation while visiting another one just a few miles away for the express purpose of finding a congregation more suitable to the needs and personality of both my wife and myself. I like to use the ole phrase of "Growing where God plants you." However, there's nothing wrong with transplanting oneself to another group but I do think expects us to make up our mind and become a solid asset to one group and become truly productive. You can't really do that if you're splitting up your time, effort and loyalties to more than one. Again, I must admit there's not a whole of scripture to guide us here, just some wisdom from those of us, "long in the tooth." Hope this helps and God bless. --Rowdy |
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382 | Holy Bible makes reference to America | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 120587 | ||
Yeah, I heard of that place. That's where Bildad, the shortest man in the Bible lived. Surely, you've heard of him. A great friend of Job...he was Shuhite. God bless. --Rowdy |
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383 | The Seventh Day | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 120535 | ||
Generally throughout the Restoration, it is well recognized by many history books of that Restoration that there are 3 dinstinct categories of commands. I'll reproduce them here as best I can remember as I've studied this subject many times. 1) Imperatives directly from God's Word. I infer from your comment this is only category that you would accept but I'm afraid most christians would insist on a few more if they're forced to think about it logically. Examples here would be anything from the steps of salvation to the elements of modern worship, but there is so much more. 2) Commands by Examples. Here I'm talking about actions performed mostly by Apostles or at least by christians that were clearly endorsed by the Holy Spirit. Items that should be avoided in possible misinterpretation would be those like foot washing, anoiting of oil or exchange of holy kiss. These acts appear obviously as customs of their time and place, like our shaking hands. Examples of commands would be the day of worship and the appointment of elders and deacons. 3) Commands of inference. These are commands necessitated by common sense to carry out the other two above. I would stress these should be held to the minimum and must be considered necessary or the command being supported cannot be executed. An example here would be an accounting report in regular intervals to the elders so they can make wise decisions with the Lord's resources. Apparently, you would encourage me to expand on the 2nd command of example. It is perfectly logical for this kind of command to be inferred from God's Word. As I've been emphasizing in other previous posts, God expects us to grow in our spiritual development as well as our knowledge and handling of His Word. Toward this end, God set up the custom throughout the OT, of setting a pattern (example if you will). He had Noah build His ark to very exacting specifications as He did with Solomon and his building the Temple. Both of these were a foreshadow of things to come in the future. The ark as a perfect model of the church saving its occupants from a world of sin and the Temple as a perfect model of our own bodies as a modern dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Another endorsement of the practicality of taking commands from the Apostles as examples is our own parenting of our kids. Maybe you're not a parent quite yet but believe me, when and if you become one, you'll appreciate the value of "commands by example." You may even now experience that appreciation from your own relationship with your parents. Neither God or any parent wants to dictate every little detail in the upbringing and training of their child(ren). In the same way, the Lord and His Apostles expect us to use our intellect, our common sense and infer certain commands from their activities, especially when those acts are done repeatedly and with some obvious purpose. In this case with the first day of the week being the day of worship in the abscence of their doing so on the Sabbath in the NT, the command is rather simple and easily inferred. This pattern of worshiping of Sunday is in stark contrast with the thousands of years of worship in the Temple with the OT. So you may begin to see why I issued this initial statement so matter-of-factly with no scripture in support. I thought this was a well recognized and very basic principle of Christianity. You know how we humans err with assumptions. I do hope this helps to clarify the issue and God bless. --Rowdy |
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384 | The Seventh Day | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 120477 | ||
You're right of course. I should have said Sunday is the only day that's commanded by the Lord through his Apostles. There are numerous scriptures throughout the NT. One only has to insert "first day week" into the Search field and come up with several. As for other days of worship, of course it's perfectly OK to worship God 7 days a week, 365 days a year but Sunday is the only day commanded. Thank you for the reminder. God bless. --Rowdy |
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385 | The Seventh Day | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 120466 | ||
Just to give this thread some balance, I have to throw in this little tidbit. I understand from several Jewish friends who are also christians, that they still get together on Saturdays and celebrate their Jewish heritage with no religious connotations. They assemble together on Sundays with their whole congregation for worship in accordance with God's Word. But they also enjoy the common Jewish heritage with their Jewish families and I for one don't have a problem with that. This could be compared to any family or national heritage celebrated on any day of the week across the world. As long as this celebration doesn't include violations to God's Word, like eating blood, or some other strange rituals, there's no problem. The only caution is that Sunday is the only day of worship to the one and only God of this universe. Nothing else can get between a christian and His God on that day. Hope this helps and God bless. --Rowdy |
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386 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | Rowdy | 120463 | ||
Cited for context: John 13:12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I'm not exactly certain what you're driving at or your point by asking this question AND linking it to this thread of discussion but I'll take a shot. The passage above depicts one of the most amazing demonstrations of humility in the entire Bible, in my opinion. Here the Lord Jesus Christ, fellow Creator at the beginning of creation with God, His Father. He's about to offer His sinless life on a cross for the whole world of sinners for all time, past, present and future and what does He do? He takes time to fill a bowl with water and washes the feet of His own disciples, including the one who betrays him. He even dries their feet with the very same towel He's wearing around His own waist. Can you imagine a more powerful contrast: the Savior of the whole world performing the duties of the lowest slave/servant? And doing so with absolutely no ulterior motives. Now I'm guessing but I suppose this question on verse 16 could only be related to the previous thread of discussion because of BStudent's comment about the inferior nature of Christ to His Father as God. I can only say that the Greek word "greater" here didn't mean the same thing as you and I understand it. A better translation would be senior vs. junior denoting their functions in their relationship, similar to the same relationship by a man and woman in a marriage. In God's world, man gets the higher functional responsibilities compared to the woman because that's how He created this world. Why God is senior to Jesus, I have no idea and can't even speculate. How about you? What does this verse say to you? God bless. --Rowdy |
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387 | Why would we be undone? | 1 Cor 11:30 | Rowdy | 120423 | ||
Hank, I must admit I thought you were the biggest proponent of sticking to the Bible and quote Bible scriptures whenever possible. But I keep on getting messages from you and seeing your other statements throughout the Forum, several of which don't have a hint of any scripture but instead talk of terms I've never seen. Please define this new word "soteriology" as it certainly isn't in the Bible. And please cite scriptures in support of this concept. Please do one more favor for me and respond to the points I've made with scriptures in my Post Nos 120368 and 120278. You and BradK seem to be dodging these points and the scriptures related to them. I was hoping to have gained more ground in this thread of discussion by now. It seems we're not getting anywhere off the ground at all. I'll try one more time. Please believe me when I say I don't understand the actual mechanics of how God makes Grace in His plan blend in with the concept of works as defined by James and by Jesus in Matt 25 or the fruit that He DEMANDS in John 15. All I know is that we WILL most definitely be judged by all the words of the NT as they've all been blessed by the Lord Jesus Christ as Sovreign of this dispensation. That means yes, very definitely Grace will be extended to all of God's children BUT we must prove we have that faith when we get to Heaven. We can't just say "Lord, Lord, I became a christian and went to worship every Sunday of my christian life," and hope that will get us through the Pearly Gates. So in this scenario, works is just confirmation (proof) of the Spirit from within us. Otherwise, the most evil person in the world could just before he dies, lay claim to the name Jesus and expect to go to Heaven. If he lays claim to that same gift of Grace as you and I, how's our Lord going to know other than looking for evidence of true repentance, acts of obedience throughout his life, etc. Do you have specific verses to address these concerns and reconcile these points? I anxiously await your reply and God bless. --Rowdy |
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388 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120392 | ||
Please tell me how do you reconcile this interpretation of Grace with all the other points and scriptures on my posts, 120368 and 120278. Do you honestly think God is going to admit such a person into Heaven who becomes a christian but does nothing and goes to Judgment Day, crying "Lord, Lord, I obeyed you and became a christian?" Please explain this to me. God bless. --Rowdy |
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389 | Why would we be undone? | 1 Cor 11:30 | Rowdy | 120390 | ||
Sorry, I just now noticed your other question, apparently quoting from my previous post. Surely, you're not thinking of defending the idea of being able to retire from the Lord's Army and put our cross in a corner somewhere. The Lord gives us all a cross to bear and we must bear it until death, just like marriage. (Rev 2:10) Either it's to the death or a person might as well throw it down and should never have picked up that cross. Please tell me, you're not of that opinion. God bless. --Rowdy |
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390 | Why would we be undone? | 1 Cor 11:30 | Rowdy | 120388 | ||
In my mind, the things I would be afraid of would be "Am I truly in God's family?" and "Are there any on-going sins in my life for which I have failed to repent?" Would you be completely ready if you knew the Lord would be coming in the next hour? I must admit when I'm doing my thing on this Forum or I'm sitting in church, I don't have any fear. It's when I doing other things in my life like arguing with my wife or my kids, or my other friends and neighbors. How about you? I appreciate your up fron honesty in your posts to this Forum. God bless. --Rowdy |
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391 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120387 | ||
It's only a done deal if we're actually drawing nearer to God as He draws us nearer to Him. Remember the guidance from 1 John; we must maintain that fellowship in God's light AND our fellow brethren in God's family. Also, we must die or meet the Lord's return with a completely guilt free conscience. If we're in prayer constantly or as much as humanly possible and repent of our shortcomings as much as possible, then of course God's Grace will cover us. I hope this helps and God bless. --Rowdy PS: Do you have a response to the other points in my recent posts? Nos 120368 and 120278 |
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392 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | Rowdy | 120383 | ||
I do hope, dear friend, you're NOT suggesting that Jesus is inferior to God. Tell me it's not so. God the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit most certainly do form the Perfect Godhead, in complete harmony with one another, and yet distinct with their very own distinctive role/function in God's Universe. God created the whole universe with the assistance of the other two as He created you and me in THEIR image. His Son, Jesus came to this world for the express purpose of being the Perfect Sacrifice and saving us from our sins IF we'll accept that gift. And now the Holy Spirit completed God's plan and brought about the establishment of the church on that fateful day of Pentacost. And in this modern age, the Holy Spirit lives on in us and in God's Word, reminding us of that image of God we have within us, tugging at our conscience when we do wrong. A person could compare this order of God's world to that here on earth. Women are NOT inferior to us men. Men and women each have their distinctive role/function in the Lord's church. That's just the design with which God created this world. It's a functional thing. It's not a question of superior or inferior. I hope this helps and God bless. --Rowdy |
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393 | The unproductive vine? | 1 Cor 11:30 | Rowdy | 120382 | ||
Your suggestion sounds very plausible but not all inclusive. For instance there are those who start out as good, productive christians but then reach a point in their lives where they think they can retire. There is no such thing as retirement from this vineyard except in the grave. Now, true enough once a person reaches a certain level of maturity, he/she should feel free to be more of an encourager like Barnabas than a worker bee and preach and teach like someone much younger. But we must never think we can retire from following our Lord and Master, for during that timeframe, we might die or the Lord might return for Judgment Day, then we'd be undone. Hope this helps and God bless. --Rowdy |
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394 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120381 | ||
I think I can say Amen to everything you've said here. I'd just like to reiterate verse 6 is a very, very important part of this whole concept Jn 15:6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. Hopefully, this should motivate all those who truly are seeking after the Lord, like a live plant seeking after sunlight. IF that portion (person) of the vine is NOT seeking after God's light, then he/she is cut off (at Judgment Day) and cast into the fire. This is very plain and clear? Is it not? God bless. --Rowdy |
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395 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120377 | ||
Amen, dear friend. Preach on! God bless. --Rowdy | ||||||
396 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120376 | ||
I'm all for active listening and confirmation of understanding whenever possible. Let's reverse the scenario for a moment. Say, I or anyone else does a self-inspection (soul searching) and concludes he/she isn't doing quite enough in response to our God's love which really should happen almost every day above ground. If we determine that our talents are not being utilized to the fullest potential, we should do some shopping and try something else. Read God's Word with special emphasis in this area, i.e. fruits of the spirit, James or Matt 25 and other key areas of the Bible for "inspiration" or ideas. Basically we should be compelled to do everything we can to fulfill our part of that vineyard. We should make certain our heart and mind are completely humble and submissive to God's Will. We could always ask the senior members in our congregation, like the elders and deacons what areas of the Lord's church in their opinion could use another warm body and see if our talents and interests lie in that particular branch of the vine. As long as we ARE in fact doing everything we can to be productive and fruitful for the Lord, then His Grace will cover the rest. One of the most neglected areas I like to try to tackle is that ministry of Barnabas, referred to as encouraging christians in their trials and tribulations. Yes, again, I say Amen! Our salvation is NOT based on ANY thing we can do. Our Lord does it all BUT like I said, IF we look back on our lives and don't see some fruit of His Godliness in our lives, how can we expect Him to see it on Judgment Day? I'm thinking maybe this whole controversy with Hank, BradK and everyone else dealing with this subject is based on the word "works." Maybe it's a translation thing, I'm not sure. But I'm convinced like you that we can't possibly earn our way to Heaven but I'm also convinced we can't go to Heaven unless we've done everything in our power and truly gave it our best effort to be fruitful and productive in the Lord's vineyard, His church here on earth. So again, I guess it boils down to our attitude. Does this clear up the questions you had? I hope so. God bless. --Rowdy |
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397 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120368 | ||
Hank and BradK, I just posted this note to Tim and Emmanus. Just wanted to make sure you saw it. I thought of a few more scriptures that seem to emphasize my and Tim's point, from Jesus Himself: John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. If you remember this illustration, God's depicting us, His children as His vineyard is a very constant, recurring theme throughout the prophets in the OT. Here our Lord makes it very clear, if we're not a part of an active, living and productive portion of God's vineyard producing fruit of Godliness in our lives, we'll be rejected. I don't see how anyone or the Bible could be any clearer on this subject. I'm going to copy this message to Hank and BradK and get their response. And yes, I think Tim is right on target about the equation as he puts it. However, I also think it's very important that we accept God's offer of salvation on His terms, but I guess that's another subject we can tackle at a later date. God bless. --Rowdy |
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398 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120367 | ||
Tim and Emmanus, I thought of a few more scriptures that seem to emphasize my and Tim's point, from Jesus Himself: John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. If you remember this illustration, God's depicting us, His children as His vineyard is a very constant, recurring theme throughout the prophets in the OT. Here our Lord makes it very clear, if we're not a part of an active, living and productive portion of God's vineyard producing fruit of Godliness in our lives, we'll be rejected. I don't see how anyone or the Bible could be any clearer on this subject. I'm going to copy this message to Hank and BradK and get their response. And yes, I think Tim is right on target about the equation as he puts it. However, I also think it's very important that we accept God's offer of salvation on His terms, but I guess that's another subject we can tackle at a later date. God bless. --Rowdy |
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399 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120340 | ||
Thank you, dear friend. I couldn't agree with you more. Amen, Amen, more power to you. Yes, that's exactly what I've been saying all along. Yes, indeed, Grace and ONLY Grace can possibly save us from our sins for we've all sinned and can't possibly do a thing about that. Now we can accept God's saving Grace, by following the plan of salvation as has been discussed before. Thus we clothe ourselves with Christ, covering ourselves with our sinful ways and approach God in prayer. And after receiving that gift of the Holy Spirit, the saving of our souls, we should feel so endebted to our Lord that we should shout His Name from the mountain tops. But He settles for our being kind to the poor, the widows, the orphans, forgiving our neighbors, our enemies and other acts of kindness as we see demonstrated by His Son and the Apostles throughout our Bible. Yes, these acts of kindness (and our attempts to kick sin out of our lives) proves we are His children thus we receive the seal of approval and enter into our Father's eternal rest in Heaven. I'm so glad you agree. God bless you. --Rowdy |
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400 | Grace AND? | Matt 6:20 | Rowdy | 120334 | ||
I appreciate your open hearted and honest response to Point 1 from James 2. Do you have or are you working on your reply to Point 2 from Matt 25. Good discussion as I forecasted. Anyone else? God bless you all. --Rowdy |
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