Results 221 - 240 of 495
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Results from: Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
221 | I'm skeptical | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101307 | ||
Seeker, I think you are saved. I think that the church failed in not discipling you. I believe that there are still many things (divisions, contentions, bad attitues within and among Christians; it's "the old man", I think) that are still hindering you. I trust that you will find a good church and that this forum will be of help to you. | ||||||
222 | George, do you believe? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101399 | ||
Please, Brother George, go easy. The servant of the Lord must be gentle unto all, patient, in meekness instructing those that ask questions. | ||||||
223 | George, do you believe? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101400 | ||
Easy, Brother George. Pleae go easy. The servant of the Lord must be gentle unto all, patient, in meekness instructing those that ask questions. | ||||||
224 | True Disciples - eternal importance | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101401 | ||
Good points indeed. Here’s an explanation. Because Seeker is new to the forum and has not filed a profile, it has been difficult to determine the real need. We gave priority to the issue of salvation because, frankly, it is the most important, and Seeker seemed to be in doubt of it. But it is clear that his questions are good and should be addressed, and I hope we can do so presently. See a first attempt at the Mark 16 question below. Seeker seems to have one overarching question and several underlying questions. It might be good if he can pose them separately. But again, you make a good point. Those are good questions and they should be answered. I also agree that they should be answered here and not privately. These are not private questions. The answers to each of them can benefit many. |
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225 | Christ and Christians? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101470 | ||
A new thread is a good idea. What I suggest is that we discuss one topic or one passage at a time. Micah 6:8 might be a good verse for us to discuss: What does the Lord require of us? I also thought we might discuss Jesus' evaluation of one of the churches in Asia, from his messages to them in Revelation 2 and 3. To do that I will go back to the beginning of this program and enter the verse to see what has been done on it in the past. You might do the same with one of your key verses. If you get there before I do, I will see you there. You bring a lot to this forum, Seeker. Your knowledge of the word is apparent. As for etiquette, your patience, courtesy and responsiveness are like what most people around here have exhibited. I think you will fit in well. But you bring an emphasis on the practical that challenges us, and we have needed that. I hope you will be around for a long time. |
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226 | True Disciples - eternal importance | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101472 | ||
Dear Jim: I use many translations and I usually take them as a whole and do not focus on the differences among them. (I like the NLT best and have noticed very few problems with it. I suppose I should say here that I also appreciate the NASB for its renowned accuracy and the Amplified for its shades of meaning). Somewhere on this forum I think we have discussed the importance of missing passages and of variations among the ancient manuscripts. I just thank God we have them all, and I use them all (1 Cor 3:22). We have also considered the apparent fact that signs and miracles and wonders were for those early disciples and their audiences. We have considered it a possibility that they are being used of God today in virgin territory, where the Gospel is being preached for the first time. You might want to review those discussions by searching on the relevant words. |
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227 | True Disciples - eternal importance | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101520 | ||
Dear Seeker: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brother, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish even us. It is good to see that you are also open to receiving help. It will be easy for you to check and see that is was “a certain man” who said “Help mine unbelief”. Thomas was the one who wanted proof. Jesus said to him, “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”. And believe me Seeker, you do not want to see. Many saw and did not believe. You, on the other hand, you want to see your faith increase. And faith is the evidence of things not seen. It would not be good to turn this into a therapy session, I suppose, but I think it would be good for you to sort out in your own mind what you are seeking. You have believed in Jesus, and you know you have to trust him for your eternal security. Whom else can you trust? There is no other Savior. You trust that Jesus is telling the truth. You know he said he is the truth. You do not think he is lying. You want a clearer understanding of what he is requiring. You are hindered by the fact there are others who believe on, or say they do, and do not seem to be following his teachings. You find it hard to walk alone with him. And you do not have to. There are many who have not bowed the knee to Baal. But you have to be willing to walk alone. Then the Lord will show you company. There are some things Jesus taught, that people have come to regard as dark sayings. It is interesting that they are not the ones that seem to be troubling you. You do not seem to be bothered even by the ones that his contemporaries called a “hard saying”. I take it you do not find it difficult to eat his flesh and drink his blood. And yet, to “hate” father and mother seems to be a difficult thing for you to accept. It is my sense that you have a deep longing to see the teachings of Jesus in action, in your own life, and in the church. Unfortunately, it is not happening. People do pick and choose what they will obey and/or disobey and/or ignore. Culture and tradition seem to have such a large effect. And yet, this is what you are seeking, the kind of company and reinforcement that the community can provide. It is my hope that this community, this forum, can provide some of that. But sometimes we do have to walk alone with him. I hope you find what you are seeking, and it is, I believe, wholehearted trust in the Savior that you need. Not a “because faith”, but an “in spite of” faith. After all, you do not want to be trusting in your intellect, but in him. He that comes to God must first believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. I say “in spite of” in relation to what people around you do. Faith in God is not unreasonable for any other reason. It seems to me, Seeker, that we have to take everything from God by faith. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. We cannot reason that out, but it is not beyond reason. We can accept it. It is by faith that we understand. The things which we see were made from things we cannot see. And yet Noah and Abraham and Moses were able to believe even when they knew nothing about atoms or molecules. There is enough, the heavens and the firmament, to cause us to believe. God is speaking to us through these, through our consciences, through his word and through his Son. And faith is believing God. It is clear to me that you believe in God. So what’s next? Jesus said, “You believe in God. Believe also in me.” Let us trust him. If he says we must hate father and mother, let us take the step of faith to do it, and he will lead us. I am afraid that if we demur, he will say you cannot be his disciple. But if you seek to obey, I think you will understand. Hate your mother the way Jesus hated his mother. After all, you are following him! You may find yourself saying, “Woman, what have I to do with you” and still be putting some wine into her life. You may find yourself doing God’s will for her and not her own will. If she accepts it, as Mary did, then there should be no problem. If she rejects God’s will, then your choice is clear. You may find yourself asking, “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? ”, and saying, “whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother”. You can trust Jesus, and if you do you will accept his teaching. The way is not dark, because we have the light of his word, and the fire of the Holy Spirit keeps us going. The way is narrow, my brother, and few there be that find it. But this is the way. Walk in it. |
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228 | Christ and Christians? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101615 | ||
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. |
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229 | What comes after I'm saved? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101620 | ||
That is true. There is so much more to discipleship than assurance of salvation. Much of it may have to be done in person with a mentor and a fellowship that one can worship with and serve with. Some of it can be done here. But already this thread is too long for newcomers to get the flavor of it. We may have to take up the other matters in other threads. |
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230 | Did Jesus teach hate? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101656 | ||
Amen. And doesn't he deserve it?!? Jesus is God, and one of his attributes is that he is inscrutable. Can we understand how he can be everywhere, know everything, do anything? Can we understand how he can walk through walls and how before Abraham was, he is? No man ever spoke like that man. No man could do what he could do because, as you said, he is the God-man. Ever facet of his life, and every statement that he made requires reflection, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to get the gist of it. Sometimes we wonder whether we will ever plumb the depths of it. When we get deep we tend to get overwhelmed, and that's when our knees get weak enough to bow and our spirits are lifted into worship. But all of his words are true, and everything the prophets wrote of him is true. He is the Prince of Peace. That's what Isaiah said. He is in charge of it and he alone can say, “My peace I give unto you”. Some other people say “Peace. Peace” just before destruction. But he gives a peace that no one can take away. He also brings a sword, and when you reflect on it you will see that there is no confusion there. He gives us peace, peace beyond comprehension, and yet so real to experience. It is a personal peace. And strangely enough, that is the very reason some people will turn against us, even hate us. That sometimes might include even members of our families. The sword means that people will be against us even to the point of killing us. But our experience is that we have peace in the midst of all that. If you can differentiate between inner, personal peace, and interpersonal peace, then I think you’ve got it. |
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231 | What about "The Passion of the Christ"? | Luke 24:14 | Aixen7z4 | 114138 | ||
I was not aware that a discussion had been started on this subject. A search on the words “passion” and “Christ” did not show the topic on the first few pages of results. I wonder if this was supposed to happen. Some things seem to happen by God’s will, that we do not understand. In the same vein: Is it not interesting that a movie like this would have been made by people who do not claim to be saved? (Or do they?) The purpose was not to evangelize. (Or was it?) But it may result in the salvation of many souls. Joseph’s brothers had no idea how the Lord would use their actions. Indeed, “As for them, they thought evil against him; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is that day, to save much people alive”. Likewise, those who crucified Jesus did not think they were helping to make our salvation possible. But they were fulfilling the determinate counsel of God. Had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But then, how would we be saved? That is one reason, I suppose, why blindness was imparted to them. “Because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him”. There are those who would impugn the motives of the film makers. But God is able to accomplish his will through them. As he told it, there is just one reason why the Christ had to suffer and die. It was so that repentance and remission of sins might be preached in his name among all nations. Whether or not these people are aware of it, they are contributing to the cause. |
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232 | What about "The Passion of the Christ"? | Luke 24:14 | Aixen7z4 | 114154 | ||
I had begun a response that said, “That is good news”. Then I decided (That is my intellectual bent) to do some research on the professions of faith made by Mel Gibson and James Caviezel. To report them here may lead to a discussion of the nature of salvation, and that may be a good thing. I had read that Jim was a believer, a saved man. What I had heard about Mel was that he was a Catholic. Jim had said of Jesus, “I love him more than I ever knew possible. I love him more than my wife, my family”. After making the movie he said, “I connected to a place I could have never, ever gone. I don't want people to see me. All I want them to see is Jesus Christ”. See http://king-of-fools.com/archives/000623.php. Gibson, interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, was asked if Protestants are denied eternal salvation. "There is no salvation for those outside the (Catholic) church," Gibson replied. "I believe it."' See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4224452/ He elaborated: “Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.” Those statements seem to portray a loyal Roman Catholic. They did not tell me much about his personal faith in Christ. What was his motivation in making the film? ‘Gibson also said in the interview that he was nearly suicidal before he made his controversial film. “I got to a very desperate place. Very desperate. Kind of jump-out-of-a-window kind of desperate,” he said in the interview. “And I didn’t want to hang around here, but I didn’t want to check out. The other side was kind of scary. And I don’t like heights, anyway. But when you get to that point where you don’t want to live, and you don’t want to die, it’s a desperate, horrible place to be. And I just hit my knees. And I had to use ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to heal my wounds.”’ From all I have heard (I have not seen the film) the screenplay is faithful to the Scriptures. As such it would not detract from the message the that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. It would not hide the fact that God puts forward repentance and faith as the requisites for salvation. We are not called upon to judged a man’s salvation or his motives. But from what I have read it seems that Mr. Gibson took to the project as therapy for his psychological ailment rather than as an evangelical project. As I said before, that may be God’s way. This movie probably had to be made in Hollywood rather than by the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. It is likely within God’s design that everything happened the way it did. I trust him to use it for the salvation of souls, and for his glory. |
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233 | He was a prophet. Can we add to that? | Luke 24:19 | Aixen7z4 | 120628 | ||
Jesus is unique. He is more than any other figure in religion or history. In addition to being a prophet, he is a fulfiller of prophecies. He fulfilled all that the Old Testament prophecies had written about the Messiah. Then he made prophecies about his own life and death and resurrection. And he fulfilled them. He was also a prophet in that he came with a message from God. But then, he did what God said would be done. For example, he said that God was giving his Son for the salvation of the world. As that Son, he gave his life to save us. He often spoke about himself in parables; for example, He is the Shepherd who left the sheep in the wilderness to save the one that had gone astray (Luke 15). He is the householder’s Son that the husbandmen would reject and kill (Matthew 21). He is not only a priest, he is the sacrifice. Unlike other priests who offered a lamb, he offered himself, for he was the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. He not only laid down his life, he took it up again. Whereas we needed salvation, He, the great Creator, became our Savior. He is a king. But he is not a king among kings. He is King of kings. Anyone who tries to match his prophet against the Lord Jesus Christ would find himself at a serious disadvantage. He is above all. No one dares to call him a false prophet, because he backed up all his claims with action. He was a prophet mighty in word and deed. It would do us good, I think, to review his words and his deeds, for he is all that we have said about him here, and more. |
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234 | He was a prophet. Can we add to that? | Luke 24:19 | Aixen7z4 | 120631 | ||
This is good. We search the Scriptures, an in all of these ways, they testify of him. I do not know if this list is exhaustive, but I will meditate on each item. I have an idea that even if they are all the Scriptures that talk about him, they still do not tell us all about him. "There are also many other things which Jesus did, (and is) the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the volumes that should be written. But we can meditate on each of them. He is indeed more than a prophet. | ||||||
235 | Are you onced saved always saved? | John | Aixen7z4 | 102480 | ||
You may be right, Hank. You are the better judge because you have been here longer than I have and you have read all those posts. I don't mind them being buried if we knew where to find them. I do not doubt that you have put in some good time and effort to answer these questions. The new questioner may be sincere. But where does he find the answer? If he is not sincere, we should not let him pull our leg. WWJD? |
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236 | Can we not ask God to forgive another? | John | Aixen7z4 | 150950 | ||
Hi: I agree that forgiveness is an accomplished fact (Colossians 2:13, etc.). Yet, strangely, God speaks of forgiveness as something he will do, or not do, depending on whether we meet certain conditions (Matthew 6:15; 1 John 1:9, etc.). It seems there is some appropriation to be done, somehow. All sin has been forgiven, and yet forgiveness is a part of salvation. And we do not believe in universal salvation, do we? It may be a matter of sanctification as well. We have been forgiven for all our sins, but we need forgiveness for our daily sins. We have been bathed, but we need our feet washed (John 13). I agree too, that we are to pray the offender recognizes his offense and chooses to respond with repentance. I suppose that is what we are really praying for when we ask God to forgive them. We tell him the results we would like, but that is his way of bringing it about. I agree as well, that it is good and necessary that the offender be confronted with his offence. But overall, there is too little information, too few facts about this case. We do not know what either person has done. Nor do we know what the capability of each one is. That is why I suppose we would want to put this in God’s hand. It does seem that these people may need professional counseling, but even if they do, the wise counselor will know the need to put it, and them, in God’s hand. |
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237 | Can we not ask God to forgive another? | John | Aixen7z4 | 150963 | ||
When I sin against my brother or sister, I am at the same time sinning against God. Thus David, having done some considerable wickedness to Bathsheba and Uriah said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned (Psalm 51). And Jesus said to Saul, as he was persecuting the church, “Why are you persecuting me?” Saul asked, "Who are you?" The Lord replied, "I'm Jesus, the one you're persecuting. Think of that. When I think that someone has offended me, it is useful to think that they have actually offended God. God is the one who says, “Love one another” and when we break that rule, we are offending God. God sometimes says that I am the apple of his eye. Did you hear that? I am the apple of his eye. So when you stab me, you are poking God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8). God sometimes says, “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm“ Psalm 105). It sounds like a warning to me. And we have to cross God to get to our brother. All in all, then, I am not so sure the two things are entirely separate. In fact, it seems there only limited circumstances where we can sin against God without having harmed a person. A person can sin against his own body (1 Corinthians 6) and there are sins directly against God (It seems good not to mention them). But most sins involve harm to other people. When we hurt people, and especially our brethren, we are at the same time, and in the process, and in many ways, offending God. It seems to me that we are not able to forgive someone who has not repented. God also cannot forgive someone who has not repented. By definition, forgiveness implies repentance. But also, when we have forgiven someone, we must realize that, although they must seek it themselves, they also need forgiveness from God. |
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238 | Can we not ask God to forgive another? | John | Aixen7z4 | 150971 | ||
It seems to me that Jesus is saying (in Luke 17:4, which has been referenced already in this conversation) "If he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him". Jesus is not teaching falsely when he says, “After this manner pray ye … ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" or “If you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." We are to assume he is being consistent, and that what he said to Peter in Luke 17, he is saying to us all, that forgiveness presupposes repentance. I sincerely regret giving the impression that the conditions for forgiveness are my idea. It seems to be they are Jesus', and I got that impression from reading Ezekiel 33, Luke 13, Luke 17, Luke 24, Acts 17, 2 Peret 3, Revelation 2, etc. I do not assume that everyone is familiar with all of those passages, but I thought they might have read my previous posts within the thread and seen some of them before coming to that impression. |
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239 | Can we not ask God to forgive another? | John | Aixen7z4 | 150982 | ||
That is a wonderful statement, but it seems to me that, important as it is, it is not related to the need for repentance on the part of the one needing forgiveness. Above, when someone asked what happens to the person we refuse to forgive, we might have mentioned this. Jesus says, “It is impossible but that offences will come” (Luke 17) and James says, “In many things we offend all“ (James 3). “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man“. The Lord knows we are human (Psalm 103:14), that we make mistakes. We may offend one person as many as seven times in one day. The antidote is forgiveness, and if that antidote is not applied, then a poison remains. With it, a root of bitterness may spring up and defile us (Hebrews 12). We are to follow peace with all men, but God knows that we often fail to do that, and we need forgiveness for that as well. I must be willing to repent, and when I do, I must tell you so that you can forgive me. If you refuse to forgive your brother, then he is not forgiven, and he can be overwhelmed with sorrow (2 Corinthians 2). It would be nice if we could link this with what has been said already about the fact an offence against your brother is an offense against God. God cares about all of us and he does not want any of us to be overwhelmed with sorrow. In fact, he says that he only sends us sorrow in order to lead us to repentance. That repentance, (Do we need to repeat it?) it prepares us to receive forgiveness, and beyond that, restoration of fellowship, and restoration of joy. It is God’s desire that we have good ongoing open fellowship with him and with each other. Let us make it simple and say that for that, we need forgiveness from each other and from him. |
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240 | Can we not ask God to forgive another? | John | Aixen7z4 | 150985 | ||
Doc: I hate to say it this way, but I think you are perfectly correct. Your analysis is borne out by the order of events in the story of the king and the two servants in Matthew 18. The question is: “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellowservant, even as I had pity on you?” (Verse 33). As to the Jonathan Edwards quote, what can we say? It is a sad fact of human nature that we hate those we are supposed to love more than we would a stranger. Men kill their wives, etc. But a person who is saved should stop and think. Since God has forgiven me all my wickedness, all my stupidity, all my ignorance, and the mistake I made in resisting him, then I should be willing to forgive anyone anything. God has commanded us to love one another, as brethren, and we should be wary of any sign in us that we would do the opposite. We should be wary of any tendency to withhold forgiveness, because that causes our brother to suffer. One difficulty, as I see it still, is that we want the other person to change (1 John 5:16). We want to see him repent and change direction, so that any future offence is an anomalous mistake and not deliberate annoying act. We really want that, I think, for ourselves and for him. The mistake we make is in thinking that in rejecting him we are purifying the church or ourselves. God’s desire is always restoration (Compare 1 Corinthians 5 with 2 Corinthians 2). I am thinking of the havoc wrought by an unforgiving spirit, but we should not get into that. I should not in any way diminish or becloud the point you have made, that we should appreciate how much God has forgiven us and be willing to forgive our brother. |
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