Results 481 - 500 of 729
|
||||||
Results from: Notes Author: charis Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
481 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34129 | ||
Dear Brian, Greetings in the name of Jesus! Friend, it sounds like a good thing you do! Especially the part about being with someone that can answer questions. Questions are good, IMHO. Re: Just for the record: 1. Amen! (except for one or two instances, in my case) 2. Great! 3. Please don't! (at least, not on MY account! :-)) It DOES help! If you would, please browse through the recent additions to this thread to find my reasons for asking and some good answers and comments. Let me know what you think? In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
482 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34130 | ||
Dear mark4jesus, Greetings in the name of Jesus! My friend, it sounds like you are satisfied in the local church God has provided for you! I think that is wonderful! I hope not to be rude, but I must sign off now. I did want to answer all of you that so kindly answered this question! I have written the 'reason' for my question to Hank and others. If you can, browse through them and let me know how you feel in the light of the various comments. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
483 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34131 | ||
Dear CDBJ, But YOUR Bible would be 'backwards!' :-) (but not upside down) In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
484 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34142 | ||
Dear CDBJ, Not only does a Japanese Bible read right-to-left, but up-to-down first. Thus a 'center column' Bible has the 'column' running right-to-left in the horizontal center of the page! If you think this is confusing, the Japanese language is also commonly read left-to-right first, then up-to-down. Sometimes it is right-to-left first, then up-to-down. But NEVER down-to-up! (I can't explain the 'inconsistency' :-)) If you see a taxi with "TAXI" (ta-ku-shi) written on the side, it will be written front to back, so left-to-right on the left side, and right-to-left on the right side. Did you get that? I could go over it again if you like. :-) Did I tell you there are three types of characters? One type is Kanji, similar to Chinese writing. But fortunately, unlike Chinese, there are only about 2,000 in common usage (Chinese has over 7,000). Then there are two 'alphabets,' one used for Japanese words, mostly grammar and verb endings, including tense and dialect. The other is mostly used for foreign words, and sometimes for accent. The problem is that they are not true alphabets, because there are 5 vowels, and then 41 'combined sounds' similar to a syllable. All this plus two 'modifiers' makes for entertaining pronunciation. Bible equals Ba-i-bu-ru in English, Sei-sho (holy book) in Japanese. Christ is Ki-ri-su-to. Jesus is I-e-su. First lesson FREE! In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
485 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34224 | ||
Dear Joe! Greetings, my friend, in the name of Jesus! Never too late for you, Joe! Did you go through some of the comments, and read my 'reason' for asking? What do you think about the 'bipolar attitude' that I sense? Without naming names or pin-pointing particular groups, I think that my observations could be true. The interesting thing, IMHO, is that BOTH group's fundamental motivation seems to be selfishness. The 'liberal-minded' consider themselves to be 'free-spirits,' in tune with the Jesus who 'sets us free!' Their view of the 'other-side' is rigid, robotic, sterile faith, not knowing the love of Jesus. On the other hand, the 'conservative-minded' see themselves as orderly servants, victors with a plan! Their view os the 'other side' is chaotic nitwits, apostate and possibly unsaved. To be honest, I think that BOTH SIDES have a point! (except the part about the negative salvation prospects of the 'other side' :-)) Is it possible that both poles are saved, but equally wrong in their 'extremism?' Joe!, I know I am speaking about the more radical members of each camp. But my point is the 'anthropology' of faith as shown by the evidence. Well, I gotta go! Blessings to you in Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
486 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34236 | ||
De-i-a Ha-n-ku, Gu-ri-i-te-i-n-gu-su i-n za ne-e-mu o-bu Ji-i-za-su! A-i ku-u-do no-t-to a-n-da-a-su-ta-n-do yu-a-a po-su-to. Wa-zu za-t-to I-n-gu-ri-s-shu? A-i ho-o-pu za-t-to u-i-i ka-n ko-myu-ni-ke-e-to a-u-a-a fe-e-su, bi-ka-a-zu ra-n-gu-e-e-ji i-zu a pu-ro-bu-re-mu! (Dear Hank, Greetings in the name of Jesus! I could not understand your post. Was that English? I hope that we can communicate our faith, because language is a problem!) Friend (and friends), this part of the thread has become a little silly (but fun!), but I do hope that it illustrates the differences that language, education and location make in our fellowship. I pray only that our fellowship is of faith in the Lord Jesus! "Penny Cost!" "Babtist!" "Exoducks and Axe!" LOL, ROFL! Bubba Hank, bless you!!! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
487 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34242 | ||
Dear Joe! Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus! My friend, with all due respect (truly! a GREAT amount of resect!) could the bias in your last statement be linked to your 'personal style,' and not solely to truth as perceived by Jesus? Honestly, Joe!, I do see (very clearly!) the extreme of anti-denominationalism, and admit that my own roots could influence my 'sight' in this issue. But I also see a 'we-are-righteous, they-are-not' attitude on BOTH sides, and frankly, just about equally! In my humble opinion (well, may not always! :-)), the main difference between the two poles seems only to be in where they found their arrogance. The denominational (traditional, conservative, mainline, etc.) place their focus on the Word, and their (supposed) inerrant understanding of It. The (non-, anti-, or non-mainline-) denominational, which would tend to be considered the Charismatic/Pentacostal camp, place their focus on the Spirit, and their (supposed) inerrant understanding of Him. (I'm sorry for the generalities, but I AM speaking of trends, so...) Is one *right* and the other *wrong?* I have my doubts! If one is *right* and the other *wrong,* it could very well be a salvific issue! I cannot see that either *other side* is not saved because of their focus or bias. Both sides (equally) have their extremists and bigots. Both sides (equally) claim superior understanding of God. Joe!, I see your 'pet peeve.' But I can just as clearly see 'theirs.' :-) In fact, I think that this forum is proof of my theory! Overall, I lean toward the 'orderly' side of things, but having fellowship with 'less-orderly' saints has allowed me to see their faith in the Lord Jesus. This is why I was asking about visiting other churches, perhaps even very different churches from our norm. Of course, I may just be 'another liberal, un-Biblical nut!' :-) Thank you for your reply, my friend! In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
488 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34418 | ||
Dear Joe! Greetings in the name of Jesus! Friend, I must say that just about everything you wrote supports, yea exemplifies, my anthropological hypothesy. :-) Not every Type 2 (I'll use this for brevity) pastor wears a mustard-yellow jacket! I, for instance, sometimes wear a rather subdued Salmon jacket from Penney's Stafford Collection! (VERY appropriate!) :-) In addition, wearing a 'less conservative' jacket does not make one Type 2. This is exactly the kind of bias (bigotry) that encourages the centrifugal trend I am theorizing. Type 1s are becoming more entrenched in their Type 1-ness, and Type 2s are doing likewise. The Type 2 camp may have the more 'outrageous' examples of extremism, like the tomfoolery you spoke of, but the Type 1 camp has their fair share of 'anti-Type 2' propaganda! My point is that, overall, the Type 1 pole is just as far from the center as the Type 2 pole. One thing is certain; both claim to BE the center, with the other the 'fringe.' Truly, Joe!, the Word and the Spirit SHOULD be in conjunction. This ideal is clearly written in the Bible, and the Spirit certainly speaks to my heart that this should be so! But the church is not bearing this out, which is exactly my concern. I see that one side claims the Spirit in the Word, and the other claims the Word in the Spirit. But I do not see either with a monopoly on truth. Friend, I am not trying to convince you, or tell you your error. I am speaking of trends, and you DO kind of fit in! :-) One of the reasons I visit other churches is to corroborate or refute the (biased) claims I have heard over the years. One of them is, "Type 2 preachers do not know the Word, and do not preach the Bible." Thought there might be a certain amount of truth in this (like Cretans!) it is not any more true that to say that Type 1 churches are full of intelligent, orderly people. Certainly Type 2 ministers do not own greed and lust, with Type 1 ministers free from such sin! Some amount of 'cross-fellowship' may actually be productive, though 'uncomfortable.' :-) Anyway, my good friend, and worthy colleague, I will rest may case with this. Much more, and 'centrifugal force' might strain our fellowship! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
489 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 34602 | ||
Dear Joe! Greetings to you in Jesus' name! Brother, I do not condone the actions that you describe in your 'autobiographical sketch.' Nor do I engage in such actions. I think they are scandalous. But... I see scandal in every type of church. If I may quote Joe!: What makes a church or denomination a Christian one? (a) Belief that the Bible alone is the sole authority of faith and practice; (b) belief that we are saved from our sinfulness against a holy God by God's grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Chirst's sinless life and subsitutionary death and resurrection ALONE. (end quote) I agree with the above. I think that most Christians do, too. What you are saying is that the (a) part, specifically the 'faith and practice' part must be in line with 'approved' methods in order to be real. But part (b) is the clincher, right? Why anyone would subject themselves to such charlatans, and foolish behavior is beyond my understanding. But they do, willingly! And, many are those were in a structured church, and didn't like it. Go figure! Joe!, God's people go to these type of churches and are blessed and satisfied. Some have little or no education, some are intimidated by order, some are outcasts, some are rebels, some are terminally liberal, but most go because they chose to. If they are saved by grace through faith, then...? As to bringing 'false ministers' to justice, I don't know how to do it. If you think that by 'educating the masses' we can stop them, think again. Most are not there because they are duped, but know about 'orderly' churches and chose the 'disorderly.' Joe, you are 'preaching to the choir' here! I agree with much of your stance, but my observations hold! Much of each side's actions are reactions to the other side. Your view of the Type 1 church is the *ideal,* and your particular church may be very close to this *ideal,* But reality is often not what we want it to be. The reality is that many Type 1 churches are un-Biblically rigid and judgmental, and make no room for Christians that do not fit their mold, often sending these saints to Type 2 churches. This (also!) is not pleasing to God. Anyway, I promised to stop, didn't I? :-) I love you, brother, and enjoy your posts very much. We shall meet again! In Christ Jesus, charis (Randy) |
||||||
490 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | charis | 43986 | ||
Dear tomn, Greetings in the name of Jesus! ID# 34017 Also, if you have the time to go through the tree, you will see that I answered almost everyone's comment. Please (then) answer the question! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
491 | End justifies means? | 1 Cor 1:21 | charis | 45415 | ||
Dear Searcher, Greetings in the name of Jesus! I am sorry, I seem to have misunderstood this portion of Scripture as meaning the simplicity of the message of the Gospel as being enough, while many want to bring others to Christ by 'baiting' them with perquisite and personal profit. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
492 | Are there (then) no mysteries? | 1 Cor 4:1 | charis | 2136 | ||
Dear Xapis, Time to go to church. Without being flippant, I must say that it seems that you have the 'answers.' My point is that, though we may have faith to know Christ, we don't have the 'answers' until we meet Him in heaven, or 'in the air.' Maybe I'm just dense, or maybe I'm just honest :-) I don't know about you, but after 21 years of marriage, I still don't have the 'answers.' It continues to be a mystery to me how the Lord bound us together in the first place, and how He causes me to love my beloved wife more each day. It is my experience that those who claim 'knowledge' are shocked when their ignorance is made evident. I am convinced that this is so in the Lord, as in everything else. Yes, Christ is revealed! But we are far from 'complete' knowledge, as evidenced by the splintered Church. Love in Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
493 | Are there (then) no mysteries? | 1 Cor 4:1 | charis | 2148 | ||
Dear Xapis, Please, my friend and colleague, do not misunderstand me. I no way do I consider you arrogant. Truly. I write in my manner only to address the 'whole of us' involved in this forum of ideas and fellowship. I only write 'Dear Xapis,' in order to clarify that I read your comment, and then continue on to address the forum. (Sounds like ancient Rome. I begin to understand how Julius felt :-) I fear that I am often misunderstood in this way, and I am sorry. The only way I know to alleviate this is to write to my Hotmail address in my user profile. I am certain that if you get to know me, I am not (quite) as obnoxious as some may think. I am afraid that I am a preacher by nature, please forgive. Many blessings to you, Xapis, and to all the saints in the Forum. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
494 | Just as if I had never sinned? | 1 Cor 6:11 | charis | 304 | ||
Though I concur with JVH0212 that Jesus has declared the believer righteous, I must add that this 'point of salvation' sinlessness is academic. We are not free from self, sin, temptation or the 'spirit of the age' until the Lord returns and restores us to a pre-Adam state through resurrection. You might say that we have won the (eternal) war, but the (present) battles rage on daily. Except Jesus, no one I am aware of is without sin. Even the patriarchs and the apostles had their failures. We are to pursue righeousness, and hope in it, not claim it falsely. If the church were truly made up of sinless people, there would be no divisions, no 'backsliders,' no problems at all. If we say, "Those troublemakers are not counted as righteous, they are hell-bound," there wouldn't be anybody in the church at all. I know that I won't 'cast the first stone.' This said, I stand by my first answer. For the present time, there is no sinlessness. Anyone who lays claim to present perfection is living in denial. | ||||||
495 | Just as if I had never sinned? | 1 Cor 6:11 | charis | 357 | ||
Dear brother or sister JVH0212, I well understand the point of your answer. However, I am not sure if that was the question. I have asked load to clarify if he or she was asking about the future or the present. I am aware that Balaam could not curse Israel because they were righteous in God's sight. However, God Himself spoke through the prophets of Israel's constant sin and faithlessness. Perhaps if we call sin sin, we can be more effective in battling against it. As one saved by grace through faith, I hope fervently for His coming to complete salvation and resurrection. In the meantime, I will continue to run the race, embracing the ongoing grace to repent and the everyday cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. | ||||||
496 | Just as if I had never sinned? | 1 Cor 6:11 | charis | 365 | ||
Dear JVH0212, No misunderstanding. I was also referring to righteousness meaning no sin. The OT is our teacher, and Balaam was told by God that Israel was blameless, even though the other prophets proclaimed Israel's guilt. We of the NT can claim righteousness as an eternal reward of our faith, but in practice we have not yet achieved it. Please look at the note that I posted to the original questioner, 'load.' | ||||||
497 | Just as if I had never sinned? | 1 Cor 6:11 | charis | 377 | ||
Dear JVH0212, My, I can feel the heat! I do not mean in any way that I have earned my reward. By reward I do not mean payment. I understand imputation. Your 8 points are correct. However, I note that you do not address the issue of real sin in the church today. My friend, I really do understand that God sees us as righteous, just as Balaam blessed Israel because he was shown Israel as God sees them in the eternal sense. But today, now, we must continually pursue that righteousness, and as James so aptly spoke, "You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;" JAM 2:22. Frankly, I find this to be a matter of semantics. I think that 'load' was asking if we are suddenly perfect after we accept Jesus, that we are no longer affected by sin. My answer to him (or her) was that we are still affected and often swayed by sin even after salvation. Is it not true that even the 'converted' can sin? Peace unto you, in Jesus' name. |
||||||
498 | Can a divorced person remarry? | 1 Cor 7:15 | charis | 7219 | ||
Dear Louder, Excuse me for butting in, but this is a forum :-) Friend, God does not condone any sin, nor is He impressed by the social 'norms' of any age. However, the Bible clearly states that there is divorce. Though God is not in favor of it, and does not condone it, it can be forgiven, thus not condemned, in accordance with the grace He so abundantly pours forth. This issue is a 'case-by-case' thing in God's able hands. If you 'decide' that God's grace does not apply in this situation or that, then you have created a 'New Law.' God does not 'condone' a lot of things in your life (and in mine), but if we were to be condemned or disqualified for every infraction of this 'New Law,' there would be no church. How is it that ministers can be pedantic snobs, bigots, and even forgiven for many kinds of impropriety, but never be divorced or widowed? Grace for repentence an subsequent forgiveness is a gift given to us that we may be whole. The 'Old' Law never made (legal) room for this gift. Praise God that we have freedom in Christ Jesus to be known by God as individuals, and He doesn't make us to judge one another in the severity of man. Allow the Lord to make these decisions, and you will partake of grace when it becomes necessary. "And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it shall be measured to you; and more shall be given you besides." Mark 4:24 NASB. Few Christians plan on a divorce ot the death of a spouse. Shouldn't we leave the judgment of each case in God's hands, rather than creating an organization that supercedes grace? In Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
499 | Communion, how often? | 1 Cor 11:25 | charis | 4245 | ||
Dear JonnyRay, A great answer! I agree about the exclusion of unbelievers and children. I understand not wanting to offend people, but it is ludicrous to share that which is holy with a nonbeliever. Also, wanting to 'bless' kids is one thing, but often these kids grow up with no respect for communion because of familiarity. Thank you for your reply. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
500 | Weekly Communion? | 1 Cor 11:25 | charis | 4321 | ||
Dear Bren, May it never be! No, as we are not told how often, or what exact ingredients to use, there cannot be any judgment in these things. In any case, this was not my (sly) intent. I seek encouragement and fellowship from saints besides my own church, hoping also to encourage others. The problem lies in the heart, as with most things. The heart can be affected by the manner in which something is done. Peace upon you in Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 ] Next > Last [37] >> |