Results 41 - 60 of 72
|
||||||
Results from: Notes Author: prazn Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | Active Homosexuals: Truly Christian? | Rom 1:21 | prazn | 87414 | ||
In Mark 12:42 our Lord observed a poor widow deposit two (2) copper coins into the treasury of the synagogue. Why was Jesus so concerned about the money that was deposited into the treasury of the synagogue? He certainly didn't take heed to the payment of government taxes (see Mark 12:17), except to tell us to pay them. Perhaps, a better example of a sinful action that is committed out of ignorance is gossip. Most Christians don't believe that they are behaving in a sinful manner when they gossip, however, our Lord tells us what things constitute "evil" (i.e., sinfulness), in Mark 7:20-22: Mark 7:20 And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, Mark 7:22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. Mark 7:23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." My point is, "sin" is a heart-condition, NOT an action. Sinful actions results when we worship "self" more than we worship "God". Since I haven't met a perfect believer, yet, that leads me to conclude that there are a lot of folks out there who are either willfully disobedient or simply ignorant of what sin really is. Blessings! |
||||||
42 | Can someone help me get to God? | Rom 10:9 | prazn | 122565 | ||
You forgot to mention the most important statistic regarding each of the ministries that you listed: the millions of souls that have been brought into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ and the millions of born-again believers who are fed the Word continually through each of their ministries... But, the combined wealth of all of the aforementioned TV preachers is only a fraction of the wealth that the Catholic church has. love in Christ! prazn |
||||||
43 | Can someone help me get to God? | Rom 10:9 | prazn | 122586 | ||
Hank, If you believe that the teachings of TV preachers are not scriptural you're entitled to your opinion. With regard to the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church, it is as relevant as the delineation of the income/wealth of the ministries of the popular TV preachers cited in the post that I responded to. peace, prazn |
||||||
44 | Can someone help me get to God? | Rom 10:9 | prazn | 122593 | ||
In Mark 10:15, Jesus says, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Little children don't know a whole lot, do they? But, they trust their fathers because they know more than the children do. At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants." - Matt 11:25 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;..." John 16:13 Glory to God! prazn peace, prazn |
||||||
45 | Can someone help me get to God? | Rom 10:9 | prazn | 122596 | ||
Hank, I don't know anything about the Word of Faith movement; so, I couldn't begin to defend them even if I wanted to. I only listen to one of the ministers mentioned in the post that began this debate and I don't always agree with what that minister preaches. However, I am aware that there are many people in the body of Christ who do receive spiritual sustenance from these ministers. I praise the Lord for their ministries, because these believers are at least seeking to know more about the Word of God. Please hear me! I don't think that anyone should "hang their spiritual hat" on any individual minister's teachings. So, I'm encouraged that the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit "will guide us into all truth". And, that "He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it". So, regardless of where each of the members of the body are "at" (spiritually), we are ever growing, ever changing ("from glory to glory"), and are (prayerfully) being transformed into the image of our Lord and Savior. I agree with you! Earthly wealth is not relevant!!! peace, prazn |
||||||
46 | Can someone help me get to God? | Rom 10:9 | prazn | 122607 | ||
The Scriptures speak for themselves: 1 Cor 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 1 Cor 3:2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 1 Cor 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 1 Cor 3:4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men? 1 Cor 3:5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 1 Cor 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 1 Cor 3:7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. peace, prazn |
||||||
47 | why is sacrifice the means to salvation? | 2 Cor 5:21 | prazn | 91434 | ||
Parable, Sorry that my response didn't answer your question. Since God is the only Being who can absolve a person of their sins, I would have thought that His words, declaring that there can be no remission of sin, without the shedding of blood, would be enough. You may be familiar with the saying, "God said it, I believe it and that settles it!" Perfect understanding of the "whys" of Gods ways is a noble endeavor. However, we mustn't forget that God's ways are higher than our ways, as are His thoughts. I pray that you get the answer that you're seeking. Peace, prazn |
||||||
48 | Starve the flesh, feed the Spirit | Gal 2:20 | prazn | 87417 | ||
All Christians have two natures: the self-nature (flesh) and the divine nature (spirit). Our spirit is made alive when we first believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, rose again, and reigns in our hearts. The less mature you are in the Lord, the more difficult it is to crucify the "flesh". This is where belief in the cross of Christ comes in. We cannot, in our own strength, overcome the "flesh". All that we can do, and MUST do, is to submit ungodly desires/actions to the Lord. We do this by confessing our desires/actions to the Lord, daily, and by relying upon His power to overcome whatever we are struggling with. For example, suppose that you are a gossip. But, you desperately want the spiritual fruit of love to be manifested within you. Simply go to the Lord in prayer and tell him all about your struggle; be specific. For example, tell the Lord: "I gossip about so-and-so because I envy her" or "I gossip about so-and-so because I'm jealous of him". Tell the Lord that you don't want to be a gossip any longer and confess that you need His help to fulfill His command to love others as ourselves. Then allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you. Look up and meditate on scripture that speaks to loving others (e.g., 1 Cor 13); you're now feeding the spirit. Then commit to demonstrating godly love, as defined by scripture, in ways that are specific and measurable. We cannot merely be hearers of the Word, but doers; so we must commit to specific actions, enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit. At first, it may seem that you are fighting the battle alone. But, our Lord is faithful and He will not tarry to cleanse you of your unrighteousness, nor to relieve you of your burden. This act of confession and repentance to the Lord (i.e., cleansing) should be continual. Everytime that the urge to gossip comes upon you, go through the process again. As long as we live in these earthen vessels, we will have struggles with the "flesh". However, as we learn to rely upon the Lord, we will find ourselves walking more according to the spirit, rather than the flesh. Blessings! |
||||||
49 | sheila, why pray for a lesser gift? | Gal 3:28 | prazn | 122454 | ||
Sheila, 1 Cor 14:2 states, "For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries." If tongues are intended to be spoken solely among unbelievers so that they may understand the mysteries of God in their own language, why does Paul say, in the verse quoted above, that tongues are not spoken to men, but to God? peace, prazn |
||||||
50 | ye are gods? ps 82:6 | Gal 4:1 | prazn | 122479 | ||
Amen!!! Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world! blessings, prazn |
||||||
51 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87443 | ||
Based upon my own experience, there are many Christians who do not understand the struggles of those who were not raised in the church. When a Christian has been in the world most of his or her life, the struggle between the spirit and the flesh is much more pronounced, even though we have the Holy Spirit living within us. The Christians that profess to be mature in the Lord seem to be the very ones who least exhibit the character and nature (i.e., spirit) of Christ. Christ told us not to judge. Christ told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Yet, the supposedly mature believers, that I have encountered, are more unloving and intolerant than non-believers. It takes time for the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Christ. The very fact that there are no perfect Christians on this planet, as far as I know, is proof of that. God bless you! |
||||||
52 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87471 | ||
Hi EdB, Thanks for your comments. I'm wondering, who on earth, after having an encounter with our Risen Lord, and confessing they need Him to save them, would want to continue to live like a demon? If a follower of Christ wanted to live like a demon, they would never admit their need for Jesus in the first place, they could just keep on the path of destruction laid by the enemy; am I right?!? Concerning our Lord's admonition about judging others, check out the following words, which Jesus Himself spoke: Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned." Respectfully, prazn |
||||||
53 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87490 | ||
John, You know... you're right. There are probably lots of people who call themselves Christians (i.e., born again and bought by the Lamb) who really aren't (hence the reason for our Lord's parable about the "wheat" and the "tares"): Matt 13:24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. Matt 13:25 "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. Matt 13:26 "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. Matt 13:27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' Matt 13:28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves *said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' Matt 13:29 "But he *said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Matt 13:30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.""' Almighty God is the only One who knows who His children are. I think that, when we get to heaven, we'll be amazed at who ain't there and equally amazed by who is!!! God bless you! prazn |
||||||
54 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87493 | ||
By the way, Jesus Himself used the same "seeker sensitive programs" when He walked on this earth. Think of every encounter that He had with those seeking healing for their minds (e.g., the demoniac), for their bodies (e.g., the man at the pool of Bethesda), and for their emotions (e.g., the Samaritan woman at the well). He also ministered to those who simply wanted a free lunch (e.g., the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000). Jesus' message was not one of repentance (with the exception of the scribes and pharisees; who though religious refused to believe that Jesus was their Messiah). The Lord draws His people with lovingkindness to His cross. A person may join a church, initially, for the wrong reasons; but, Jesus makes Himself known to those whom He so chooses, as He chooses. So, the "seeker" may come in looking for child care on Sunday mornings, but given enough exposure to the spirit of the living God; and by the power of Almighty God, that same seeker will come to the realization that they are not their own...they were purchased by the blood of the Lamb. Oh happy day! "For God so loved the WORLD...", my friend. Not just Betty and Joe in Tulsa, OK. He loves the world (the muslims, the hindus, the budhists, the Catholics, the Protestants, the backsliders, and...dare I say it...SINNERS). It is not His will that ANY should perish! Peace! prazn |
||||||
55 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87500 | ||
Thanks for the correction, RM2! Your diligence in rightly dividing the Word is to be commended! What I am trying to say is that Jesus never wagged His finger in the face of anyone who had a need, and demand that they "repent" before He ministered to them. Did our Lord demand that the adulteress repent before showing her mercy? Did He call back the nine cleansed lepers, who didn't even bother to say "thanks", and demand that they "repent"? Did He refuse to feed the 5,000 until they repented? Our Lord says in Jer 31:3, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." |
||||||
56 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87523 | ||
Hi EdB, Granted, there are some in the body of Christ who have been given the gift of discernment. My question is, what do we do with those "tares" that we find in our midsts? Shall we stone them? By the way, there are people in the body of Christ who claim to have the gift of discernment in order to legitimize their own wicked activities. Mercifully, the Lord did not grant me that gift of the spirit, so I am left to follow our Lord's example, instead. Though Jesus knew that Judas was "a devil", He still taught him along with the other disciples and even washed his feet. Heaven only knows how many "devils" the Lord blesses through our obedience to His will. Jesus did not come into the world, the first time, to judge anyone (John 3:17). However, when He returns it will be to judge (and the saints with Him) in complete fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (see Isaiah 61). For now obedience to the Lord's command to "love your neighbors as yourself" is a daunting enough task, all by itself. But, glory to God, we don't have to do that in our own strength. love in Christ! prazn |
||||||
57 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87525 | ||
Hi Curtman, To expand upon John R.'s post, we cannot do anything that the Lord requires of us in our own strength; that's why we need the Savior. His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9) and when we are weak, He is strong (2 Cor 12:10). But, we must confess our weakness to receive His strength. Rom 7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Blessings! prazn |
||||||
58 | Justification for non-Christian Living?? | Gal 5:24 | prazn | 87550 | ||
Hi EdB, Nope, you never said that Christians should take action against "tares". That's why I asked for your thoughts about what we should do with them once we've discovered who they are. I agree wholeheartedly with your conclusion that vengeance belongs to our Lord! Peace! prazn |
||||||
59 | Can you live with alcoholism? | Eph 5:22 | prazn | 87680 | ||
Jim, Sorry! I got you mixed-up with John. I've been reading too many posts!! Also, I notice that you mentioned, in one of your posts, that your spouse is not a Christian. With that in mind, may I encourage you once again to pray for her, in earnest. Then share the "good news" of salvation with her, as the Lord leads. Do you go to church? If she does not go with you, perhaps you should ask her to join you. Get your clergy involved (that's why they're there). Sorry about the mix-ups, it's easy for me to get into a topic that seems "new" (because of the question), but is actually the continuation of a rather lengthy strand of posts about the same topic. God bless you and your wife! prazn |
||||||
60 | Scriptures about striving to grow? | Phil 2:12 | prazn | 85679 | ||
I couldn't fit this one in the previous note because of the limit on the number of characters each response may contain: Col 3:1-17 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him 11--a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. 12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. NAS |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 1 2 3 4 ] Next > Last [4] >> |