A
Anonymous
Guest
nicola said:
What the heck are "Light Sparks" ???
Blessings,
Fairlight
-
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How should I go about this?
- Thread starter Romantic_Rebel
- Start date
What the heck are "Light Sparks" ???
Blessings,
Fairlight
A
Anonymous
Guest
John Whitten said:
Well said and thank you!
Blessings,
Fairlight
A
Anonymous
Guest
He said "THE TRUTH", not a truth. Jesus is the embodiment of Truth. He spoke the world into being, He died on the cross and rose from the dead and does not share His glory with any other diety. No other religious system honors Him as God the Son and the Son of God, not Judiaism nor Islam. Modern Judiaism is not Israel of the Bible. We may not pick and choose little bits from one faith or the other to construct our little composite. I will admit that the Torah is truth, gladly, but I will not say the same for the Talmud. I will deny conclusively that the Koran has any Truth about the God of Heaven.
Nikismom
Member
I am not a scholar, nor have I read the Koran... However I have been in close study with many other worldly "religions" and I will say this.....
He who is brave enough to tread on darkened path better have a HUGE light in their pocket!
JESUS is the ONLY light...
I want to agree with what has previously been stated CHRIST is the Light.. CHRIST whom is the ENTIRE reason for the CHRISTian faith, is not present in ANY other worldly "religion".
nuff said..
He who is brave enough to tread on darkened path better have a HUGE light in their pocket!
JESUS is the ONLY light...
DaPastor said:
I want to agree with what has previously been stated CHRIST is the Light.. CHRIST whom is the ENTIRE reason for the CHRISTian faith, is not present in ANY other worldly "religion".
John Whitten said:
nuff said..
Romantic_Rebel
New Member
Thanks for the thoughtfulness of wanting to start the group. I can agree it would be difficult. Even with everything I know there is still much more I need to learn. One group can start battle royal in seconds. I can brush up online and see if others have already tried to work together as groups. I would imagine so! A while back I was checking out a interesting site for Jewish teaching; there was a paragraph about the famous Jewish philosopher.
"Maimonides states that the popularity of Christianity and Islam are part of God’s plan to spread the ideals of Torah throughout the world. This moves society closer to a perfected state of morality and toward a greater understanding of God. All of this is in preparation for the Messianic age." If we can try to promote positive influence for the three and pray together I believe I can break the ice!
"Maimonides states that the popularity of Christianity and Islam are part of God’s plan to spread the ideals of Torah throughout the world. This moves society closer to a perfected state of morality and toward a greater understanding of God. All of this is in preparation for the Messianic age." If we can try to promote positive influence for the three and pray together I believe I can break the ice!
A
Anonymous
Guest
Romantic_Rebel said:
There isn't a single Biblical text that supports Maimonides' claim. In fact, there are multiple Biblical texts that state otherwise.
It is impossible to come to God through Muhammad or any person other than Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Fairlight
You must understand there is a difference between Islamic culture, Islamic Religion and the Quran.
Muslims tell me many things about "Allah" that directly contradict the Quran. This Muslim Religion (that does not agree with the Quran) flat out contradicts the old and new testament and secular historical accounts. There is no harmony between the common Muslim interpretation of the Quran and the Muslim Religion with the old and new testament.
But many of the details of Muslim culture are closer to what the new and old testament teaches than what American Christians practice. Muslim culture respects women by having them cover their body modestly, handed down the teaching of polygyny when the "Christian" Church and "Jewish" synagogues denied it, probably has few if any strip clubs, is against gambling and and so on and so forth, all these things are generally positive values.
Christians and Jews share the same old testament overall, although there is some variety for both Christians and Jews.
But the Old testament clearly teaches that God can be called a Father has at least one Son and has a Holy Spirit or Spirits or is a Spirit or Spirits. The old testament clearly teaches that God can communicate with people by manifesting in bodily form such as in Genesis 18. It also clearly teaches some human being famous worldwide and being a sacrifice for forgiveness, being buried in a rich man's tomb and coming to life again (Isaiah 52 and 53)
Most Jews I have met have never even read the old testament in translation or Hebrew even one time. They just follow a bunch of man-made rules that often are obviously and undeniably different than the old testament. Even if I were to try to follow all the OT rules and pretend they never changed since Moses I would have to do it totally different than the way most Jews do.
Since Jews are generally ignorant of the old testament at least the ones I know, I would suggest reading the old testament starting with Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in that order then if you complete all those books I can later advise you what to do next. Muslims claim to believe in Moses and so on so they should not object. And eventually read through the whole OT and the Quran over several years. That would be my suggestions. If you do not have enough time to go through the whole OT and only have a few months just go through the passages that seem most important within those books and try to get an overview of the OT.
There are some Jews that have read the OT I am just talking about the majority of the ones I know.
Read the Jewish Publication Society? translation of the old testament perhaps then the Jews cannot accuse you of having a biased Christian translation. I have some Jewish translation I think by the Jewish Publication Society with Hebrew and English and all the OT passages that Jews do not like Christians quoting have the same meaning as far as I have seen, i.e. God dwelling in bodily form, having a holy spirit, etc. still occurs in Jewish translations and is not a Christian modification.
Try to stay away from reading the opinion of Rabbis instead of the OT this is their excuse to avoid reading the OT.
Muslims tell me many things about "Allah" that directly contradict the Quran. This Muslim Religion (that does not agree with the Quran) flat out contradicts the old and new testament and secular historical accounts. There is no harmony between the common Muslim interpretation of the Quran and the Muslim Religion with the old and new testament.
But many of the details of Muslim culture are closer to what the new and old testament teaches than what American Christians practice. Muslim culture respects women by having them cover their body modestly, handed down the teaching of polygyny when the "Christian" Church and "Jewish" synagogues denied it, probably has few if any strip clubs, is against gambling and and so on and so forth, all these things are generally positive values.
Christians and Jews share the same old testament overall, although there is some variety for both Christians and Jews.
But the Old testament clearly teaches that God can be called a Father has at least one Son and has a Holy Spirit or Spirits or is a Spirit or Spirits. The old testament clearly teaches that God can communicate with people by manifesting in bodily form such as in Genesis 18. It also clearly teaches some human being famous worldwide and being a sacrifice for forgiveness, being buried in a rich man's tomb and coming to life again (Isaiah 52 and 53)
Most Jews I have met have never even read the old testament in translation or Hebrew even one time. They just follow a bunch of man-made rules that often are obviously and undeniably different than the old testament. Even if I were to try to follow all the OT rules and pretend they never changed since Moses I would have to do it totally different than the way most Jews do.
Since Jews are generally ignorant of the old testament at least the ones I know, I would suggest reading the old testament starting with Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in that order then if you complete all those books I can later advise you what to do next. Muslims claim to believe in Moses and so on so they should not object. And eventually read through the whole OT and the Quran over several years. That would be my suggestions. If you do not have enough time to go through the whole OT and only have a few months just go through the passages that seem most important within those books and try to get an overview of the OT.
There are some Jews that have read the OT I am just talking about the majority of the ones I know.
Read the Jewish Publication Society? translation of the old testament perhaps then the Jews cannot accuse you of having a biased Christian translation. I have some Jewish translation I think by the Jewish Publication Society with Hebrew and English and all the OT passages that Jews do not like Christians quoting have the same meaning as far as I have seen, i.e. God dwelling in bodily form, having a holy spirit, etc. still occurs in Jewish translations and is not a Christian modification.
Try to stay away from reading the opinion of Rabbis instead of the OT this is their excuse to avoid reading the OT.
Romantic_Rebel
New Member
Now I'm starting to see how people view religious text and their beliefs differently. I have a good amount of friends of different beliefs. But they are more moderate and it is easy to talk to them.
Romantic_Rebel said:
I did say you would have a better chance in the more liberal and moderate communities, fundamentalists of any faith have no desire to communicate, they just want others to listen to them, which is, of course, self destructive.
I have seen some interfaith groups do wondrous things in the community, including bringing non religious people back into religion when they have seen the good being done, instead of hatred and separatism. Trust me, that 'we won't speak to them' attitude is a HUGE turn off for most people who don't follow any of those religions. It seems to belie the word 'Peace' and, as such, means we would rather steer clear of it all.
You want people to listen, speak of peace and let your actions guide you.
For words are cheap.
B
Romantic_Rebel
New Member
Thanks for the reply Isabella. I would like to mention I was just reading about Buddha and there was this quote that reminds me of last sentence.
"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."
Buddha
I would see what I can do with finding out with more Liberal and moderate groups around my area. See if I can join one.
"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."
Buddha
I would see what I can do with finding out with more Liberal and moderate groups around my area. See if I can join one.
I would echo the remarks of the ‘fundamentalists’ here and advise NOT to go down this path, because you do not have enough understanding of the Word of God or the wisdom of God to be able to accomplish the task that you as a human want to do, quite apart from what Jesus commanded us.
Mark 16:15-16 -
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. End of story. We are commanded in this scripture to preach this gospel. If you want to start a group, then this is your objective and command from the Most High God. Anything else is NOT of God. There is no light in the religions of Islam and very little in modern Judaism.
A principle that is lacking in the church at large and in this idea in specific is Godly wisdom. There are two types of wisdom that operate in the world, one from God and one from the devil, James 3:13-18. The first and most important characteristic of the wisdom from above is that it is PURE. Anything else comes from the devil by definition, (v 15).
Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God and came in the flesh is operating by the antichrist spirit, regardless of what people think, this is the truth.
I John 4:1-6 –
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
According to these scriptures, if someone claims that there is truth or light in all religions, they are not speaking by the Spirit of God. Therefore, I recommend that you follow the command of Christ and preach the gospel to these people and show them Jesus in your life. God will decide if they are going to be saved or not.
John 6:44 –
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is our job to preach the gospel and God's job to draw people to Christ.
Blessings,
Dr. Ray
(All scriptures from NKJV.)
Mark 16:15-16 -
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. End of story. We are commanded in this scripture to preach this gospel. If you want to start a group, then this is your objective and command from the Most High God. Anything else is NOT of God. There is no light in the religions of Islam and very little in modern Judaism.
A principle that is lacking in the church at large and in this idea in specific is Godly wisdom. There are two types of wisdom that operate in the world, one from God and one from the devil, James 3:13-18. The first and most important characteristic of the wisdom from above is that it is PURE. Anything else comes from the devil by definition, (v 15).
Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God and came in the flesh is operating by the antichrist spirit, regardless of what people think, this is the truth.
I John 4:1-6 –
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
According to these scriptures, if someone claims that there is truth or light in all religions, they are not speaking by the Spirit of God. Therefore, I recommend that you follow the command of Christ and preach the gospel to these people and show them Jesus in your life. God will decide if they are going to be saved or not.
John 6:44 –
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is our job to preach the gospel and God's job to draw people to Christ.
Blessings,
Dr. Ray
(All scriptures from NKJV.)
Romantic_Rebel said:
You're welcome!
I would also offer up a thought, when you think of a list of history's most influential people in recent years we think little about the fundamentalists, terrorists or people who hate, history soon forgets them, often, what they say about religion gets lost in the quagmire of their intolerance.
We think towards those religious people who spread the word of peace.
In 200 years, no one will know the name Terry Jones but people will still talk of MLK and Gandhi.
B
One of my favorite Christian artists has always been Keith Green. He wrote an article that, at least in a small measure (Ecumenicalism), applies to this thread:
UNITY...AT WHAT PRICE? by Keith Green
Today there is much talk among Christians about the need for unity. Wherever Christians gather you can hear someone saying, "If only all the believers could get together and agree, then the world would sit up and take notice! THEN the devil would be running scared! Then there would be real revival!!" The whole ecumenical movement is based on such a conclusion. I must admit the thought sounds wonderful - to have all those different denominations (and "non"-denominations) in love and fellowship with one another - that would be something, wouldn't it! Ah...but don't hold your breath...IT CAN'T HAPPEN. There'll always be a couple of real Christians around to spoil it! "What?!" You say, "How could REAL Christians spoil it? Wouldn't THEY be the very ones who would be the most loving and ready to unite?" Oh yes! True belivers are full of love - love for God, love for their brothers and sisters, love for souls - in fact, love would be the VERY THING that would make them oppose a mass move of unity. "What?!" You say again, "Why that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard! How could love keep them from wanting to get together with everyone else who cofesses to love God? You're not going to get me to believe that people with such deep love wouldn't just LOVE to see all the churches and professing Christians come together in unity? Why, what could they love more than that??" Well, they love THE TRUTH! Yep, they're pretty attached to it - those true believers can even seem right stubborn and ornery at times - the way they stick to the truth.
UNITY - MAN'S WAY
Some people have the craziest ideas! They want to try and do what only God can do. "Let's play Holy Spirit!" That's what they seem to be saying. They think that if they can just get everyone to quit arguing about their different doctrinal beliefs, then unity is right around the corner. "Let's just all try and fellowship and talk about those things in the Bible we all can agree on." There's only one problem with that kind of thinking...isn't the Bible ALL true? How can we just find the lowest common denominator to which all Christians can agree to, and label the rest of the Bible (God's Holy Word) "unessential for unity." In his book, Today's Gospel - Authentic or Synthetic?, Walter Chantry looks into the reasons for the failures of modern evangelism and foreign missions. In the introduction Mr. Chantry writes: "Having accepted the theory that unity is all-important for world evangelism, both the Church and the individual must lower their estimate of the value of truth. In a large congress on evanelism we could not insist on a truth of God's Word that would offend any brother evengelical. After all, unity (among Christians) is more essential than doctrinal preciseness. "It is for just this reason that the mission boards are hesitant to answer the question, 'What is the gospel?' Thoroughly to answer that would destroy the mission society, which is a federation of churches who have differing answers to that question. To adopt the position of one church would be to lose the support of five others. The whole system built on unity and generality would crumble."
UNITY - GOD'S WAY (Jesus' prayer in John 17)
Many base their quest for true godly unity on an important passage in the gospel of John. Here in chapter 17, Jesus is praying for His disciples "that they all may be one..." (v.21). This verse certainly shows that the Lord desires His followers to have unity and truly "be one". but in the very next verse (v.22), we see some key words "...that they may be one EVEN AS WE ARE ONE." How are the Father and Son one? In every way! They have no doctrinal disputes. They have no differing theologies. They do not argue over the rapture. They completely agree...on EVERYTHING! But you might ask, "How can every Christian agree on doctrine? If we wait for that, we'll NEVER have unity!" You're missing the point. It's not knowing "doctrine" that's important, it's knowing God. Only through entering into an intimate, personal relationship with the living God and leaving behind the doctrines and theologies created by men and church tradition, can we ever hope to find the unity Jesus prayed for: "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one...Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory..." (John 17:23-24). What does the word "theology" mean anyway? It means "the study of God". Today, theological students do not study God, they study about God. At best, they study the writings of men who themselves have studied God. Why, they really ought to change the word theology to theology-ology or "the study of the study of God!"
TRUE AND FALSE DIVISION
How many times have you heard that somebody was "causing division in the church?" Well, maybe they were supposed to! After all, there are two things that cause division according to the Bible: truth and error. (I can just see now all the eyebrows raising.) Haven't you heard the scripture, "Do you suppose I cam to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, rather division!" That's right! Jesus said that "from now on five members in one household will be divided three against two, and two against three" (Luke 12:51-52). He said that whole families would be divided over Him. And there are many occasions in the New Testament when whole assemblies of people were divided because of Jesus (John 7:43, 9:16, 10:19, Acts 23:6-7). You must remember people who love the truth will divide from people who love lies. Now the Bible does warn us about those who would enter into our midst and cause divisions and factions (Matt. 12:25, Rom. 16:17, 1Tim. 6:3-5, 2Tim. 2:14, 2John 10). And yes, it has always been the devil's strategy to "divide and conquer." But these divisions are obviously based on error, lies, and usually come from bitter and evil motives (Titus 3:10). Division that comes from the proclaiming of the truth will usually include some intense reaction and opposition, but it will also produce good fruit and the advancement of God's kingdom (not to mention the conversion of souls.) What bible story is there, Old Testament or New, where the doing of righteousness or the preaching of the gospel does not divide men and separate them into two very distinct categories: those who are willing to turn and obey God, and those who actually turn on the messenger, because he violently disturbs their false (and usually religious) peace? And today, when there are so many who are professing religion, is it any wonder that some of the deepest truths in the Bible - repentance, faith, holiness, etc. - are also some of the greatest objects of debate in the Church. It must be said that those who truly want to know God's views on these great pillars of Christian doctrine, will appear to be divisive - and rightly so, in an age when the great gospel message of salvation can be reduced to such a sugar-coated, bakery-item as, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!"
WHAT THE SCRITPTURES SAY
Those who believe that Christians should stop bickering about their "pet doctrines" are right. Christians should not be argumentative, "...and the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome..." (2Tim. 2:24). How many times have you heard stupid arguments about prophecy? "But I just KNOW the 10th head on the dragon in Revelation is Tahiti!" This kind of "division" is for the birds. Yet there ARE scriptural commands to defend the truth. "Study to show thyself approved.
UNITY...AT WHAT PRICE? by Keith Green
Today there is much talk among Christians about the need for unity. Wherever Christians gather you can hear someone saying, "If only all the believers could get together and agree, then the world would sit up and take notice! THEN the devil would be running scared! Then there would be real revival!!" The whole ecumenical movement is based on such a conclusion. I must admit the thought sounds wonderful - to have all those different denominations (and "non"-denominations) in love and fellowship with one another - that would be something, wouldn't it! Ah...but don't hold your breath...IT CAN'T HAPPEN. There'll always be a couple of real Christians around to spoil it! "What?!" You say, "How could REAL Christians spoil it? Wouldn't THEY be the very ones who would be the most loving and ready to unite?" Oh yes! True belivers are full of love - love for God, love for their brothers and sisters, love for souls - in fact, love would be the VERY THING that would make them oppose a mass move of unity. "What?!" You say again, "Why that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard! How could love keep them from wanting to get together with everyone else who cofesses to love God? You're not going to get me to believe that people with such deep love wouldn't just LOVE to see all the churches and professing Christians come together in unity? Why, what could they love more than that??" Well, they love THE TRUTH! Yep, they're pretty attached to it - those true believers can even seem right stubborn and ornery at times - the way they stick to the truth.
UNITY - MAN'S WAY
Some people have the craziest ideas! They want to try and do what only God can do. "Let's play Holy Spirit!" That's what they seem to be saying. They think that if they can just get everyone to quit arguing about their different doctrinal beliefs, then unity is right around the corner. "Let's just all try and fellowship and talk about those things in the Bible we all can agree on." There's only one problem with that kind of thinking...isn't the Bible ALL true? How can we just find the lowest common denominator to which all Christians can agree to, and label the rest of the Bible (God's Holy Word) "unessential for unity." In his book, Today's Gospel - Authentic or Synthetic?, Walter Chantry looks into the reasons for the failures of modern evangelism and foreign missions. In the introduction Mr. Chantry writes: "Having accepted the theory that unity is all-important for world evangelism, both the Church and the individual must lower their estimate of the value of truth. In a large congress on evanelism we could not insist on a truth of God's Word that would offend any brother evengelical. After all, unity (among Christians) is more essential than doctrinal preciseness. "It is for just this reason that the mission boards are hesitant to answer the question, 'What is the gospel?' Thoroughly to answer that would destroy the mission society, which is a federation of churches who have differing answers to that question. To adopt the position of one church would be to lose the support of five others. The whole system built on unity and generality would crumble."
UNITY - GOD'S WAY (Jesus' prayer in John 17)
Many base their quest for true godly unity on an important passage in the gospel of John. Here in chapter 17, Jesus is praying for His disciples "that they all may be one..." (v.21). This verse certainly shows that the Lord desires His followers to have unity and truly "be one". but in the very next verse (v.22), we see some key words "...that they may be one EVEN AS WE ARE ONE." How are the Father and Son one? In every way! They have no doctrinal disputes. They have no differing theologies. They do not argue over the rapture. They completely agree...on EVERYTHING! But you might ask, "How can every Christian agree on doctrine? If we wait for that, we'll NEVER have unity!" You're missing the point. It's not knowing "doctrine" that's important, it's knowing God. Only through entering into an intimate, personal relationship with the living God and leaving behind the doctrines and theologies created by men and church tradition, can we ever hope to find the unity Jesus prayed for: "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one...Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory..." (John 17:23-24). What does the word "theology" mean anyway? It means "the study of God". Today, theological students do not study God, they study about God. At best, they study the writings of men who themselves have studied God. Why, they really ought to change the word theology to theology-ology or "the study of the study of God!"
TRUE AND FALSE DIVISION
How many times have you heard that somebody was "causing division in the church?" Well, maybe they were supposed to! After all, there are two things that cause division according to the Bible: truth and error. (I can just see now all the eyebrows raising.) Haven't you heard the scripture, "Do you suppose I cam to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, rather division!" That's right! Jesus said that "from now on five members in one household will be divided three against two, and two against three" (Luke 12:51-52). He said that whole families would be divided over Him. And there are many occasions in the New Testament when whole assemblies of people were divided because of Jesus (John 7:43, 9:16, 10:19, Acts 23:6-7). You must remember people who love the truth will divide from people who love lies. Now the Bible does warn us about those who would enter into our midst and cause divisions and factions (Matt. 12:25, Rom. 16:17, 1Tim. 6:3-5, 2Tim. 2:14, 2John 10). And yes, it has always been the devil's strategy to "divide and conquer." But these divisions are obviously based on error, lies, and usually come from bitter and evil motives (Titus 3:10). Division that comes from the proclaiming of the truth will usually include some intense reaction and opposition, but it will also produce good fruit and the advancement of God's kingdom (not to mention the conversion of souls.) What bible story is there, Old Testament or New, where the doing of righteousness or the preaching of the gospel does not divide men and separate them into two very distinct categories: those who are willing to turn and obey God, and those who actually turn on the messenger, because he violently disturbs their false (and usually religious) peace? And today, when there are so many who are professing religion, is it any wonder that some of the deepest truths in the Bible - repentance, faith, holiness, etc. - are also some of the greatest objects of debate in the Church. It must be said that those who truly want to know God's views on these great pillars of Christian doctrine, will appear to be divisive - and rightly so, in an age when the great gospel message of salvation can be reduced to such a sugar-coated, bakery-item as, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!"
WHAT THE SCRITPTURES SAY
Those who believe that Christians should stop bickering about their "pet doctrines" are right. Christians should not be argumentative, "...and the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome..." (2Tim. 2:24). How many times have you heard stupid arguments about prophecy? "But I just KNOW the 10th head on the dragon in Revelation is Tahiti!" This kind of "division" is for the birds. Yet there ARE scriptural commands to defend the truth. "Study to show thyself approved.
DaPastor:
Amen, Brother!
Amen, Brother!
A
Anonymous
Guest
The article by Keith Green says it so well. We are not being hateful by loving the truth. I do not advocate isolationism from people of other persuasions, but rather a loving ministry of the gospel to them, however, never in any circumstances compromise or fellowship of a close spiritual nature.
Thank you for posting the Keith Green article and I join PolyDoc in saying, AMEN!!!
Thank you for posting the Keith Green article and I join PolyDoc in saying, AMEN!!!
Wow! This is just too much! Romantic_Rebel I am one believer in the Christ and the Word of God, that believes that you have heard from God about starting a group.
Yes, not everyone view the Scriptures the same. I will be praying for you to receive much insight and wisdom on how to establish this group! Be blessed and the LIGHT to shine!
I always try to tell people to start with 1John, it helps the babes in Christ understand how to operate in this new life. It states that "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God" 1 John 4:1
TO ALL please know that "the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." 1John 2:27 We get so caught up in what this minister has said or what our parents have did when they went to church or what they didn't do, but we forget that we have all been given Christ and the Comforter, ASK questions. Then, listen to the "still small voice" 1 King 19:12. It's there to teach us ALL things!
Romantic_Rebel said:
Yes, not everyone view the Scriptures the same. I will be praying for you to receive much insight and wisdom on how to establish this group! Be blessed and the LIGHT to shine!
All I'm saying is that truth can be found in a number of places. Just because you read a book from another religion and find truth, does not mean you are of that sector. You can either, believe the truth that you have found or leave it, but know that "the truth shall make you free". John 8:32DaPastor said:
sweetlissa said:
I always try to tell people to start with 1John, it helps the babes in Christ understand how to operate in this new life. It states that "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God" 1 John 4:1
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17 God is LIGHT and if you are a believer you are LIGHT to! A spark is one thrown off from a burning substance (i.e. light).Fairlight said:nicola said:
What the heck are "Light Sparks" ???
John come on now, you know ALL TRUTH is of Christ. That means anything you come across that speaks truth, Christ is there in the midst. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13John Whitten said:
You may want to think about that because the Christian faith includes Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, and the vast majority of Protestantism. Do you really think that the Roman Catholic church was founded on the principles of Christ. Are you sure that all denominations of the Christian faith believe in Christ? I have seen many Christians slaughter men and women in the name of Christ, that's not very Christ like. Christ is everywhere just ask Him to begin to reveal himself to you. Ask Him to not hold anything back!Nikismom said:
I'm sorry, but you are contradicting yourself, the first scripture you quoted from 1 John, clearly state "test", in the KJV "try". Have you asked God about the faiths of other religions, or what may be some of the truths that you have not come across yet, because you may be closed to others, when our God is an open-ended entity. All I want everyone to know is GOD is EVERYWHERE!DrRay777 said:
Thank you for bringing this up, just as Christ, Gandhi and MLK were fluent in ALL organized religions!Isabella said:
TO ALL please know that "the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." 1John 2:27 We get so caught up in what this minister has said or what our parents have did when they went to church or what they didn't do, but we forget that we have all been given Christ and the Comforter, ASK questions. Then, listen to the "still small voice" 1 King 19:12. It's there to teach us ALL things!
Well there went all the romance and the rebellion part would be apropos as well if such a group were to form because if one does not see Christ as God in the flesh you cannot have fellowship with that person for the work of the Lord. Either Christ Jesus is God and thus the HEAD of the mission or he is not the head and focus. A spiritual mission cannot serve two or more masters. Either Christ truly is the Master and Head or he is not.
The heart cry of all born again believers is that Jesus Christ is God who has come in the flesh. This was John's point in 1 John 4:1-3 where the Bible says, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every Spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the anti-christ, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
Jesus is his human name and Christ is his divine name. He, as the God-Man, (100% God and 100% Man) has entered into the world and it is why about 147 times in the NT we have the phrase that he is Lord (God; Master; Supreme Ruler) and Savior (deliverer). There is an exclusivity to the Christian faith (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Thus Jews and Muslims who do not see Christ as truly God in the flesh are part of the antichrist spirit. That spirit rejects Christ as being the God-Man and it will not merge together with the Spirit of Christ in a spiritual mission.
Can we be civil with them and they with us? Yes! Can we work with them and they with us in humanitarian projects for the common good of society (help to the poor, funding for better medical research, etc. etc)? Absolutely! Can we be common friends and good neighbors together? Yes!
But can we unite with them for a spiritual mission with an eternal cause? Not if we claim Christ as Lord we cannot. There is a grand difference as wide as the Grand Canyon in regards to eternal life and who truly is God. The god they worship is not Jesus Christ. The God we worship is Jesus Christ. The two are worlds apart.
One road leads to eternal life. The other roads lead elsewhere and are the broad road unto destruction that Christ spoke about in his teachings.
Dr. Allen
The heart cry of all born again believers is that Jesus Christ is God who has come in the flesh. This was John's point in 1 John 4:1-3 where the Bible says, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every Spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the anti-christ, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
Jesus is his human name and Christ is his divine name. He, as the God-Man, (100% God and 100% Man) has entered into the world and it is why about 147 times in the NT we have the phrase that he is Lord (God; Master; Supreme Ruler) and Savior (deliverer). There is an exclusivity to the Christian faith (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Thus Jews and Muslims who do not see Christ as truly God in the flesh are part of the antichrist spirit. That spirit rejects Christ as being the God-Man and it will not merge together with the Spirit of Christ in a spiritual mission.
Can we be civil with them and they with us? Yes! Can we work with them and they with us in humanitarian projects for the common good of society (help to the poor, funding for better medical research, etc. etc)? Absolutely! Can we be common friends and good neighbors together? Yes!
But can we unite with them for a spiritual mission with an eternal cause? Not if we claim Christ as Lord we cannot. There is a grand difference as wide as the Grand Canyon in regards to eternal life and who truly is God. The god they worship is not Jesus Christ. The God we worship is Jesus Christ. The two are worlds apart.
One road leads to eternal life. The other roads lead elsewhere and are the broad road unto destruction that Christ spoke about in his teachings.
Dr. Allen
Nicola said, in reply to Pastor John Whitten's post,
There is no need to ask God something that He has already told us!!!! And do not confuse God's Omnipresence with His approval of all that is said in some book or other that invokes His name.
"God is an open-ended entity." ??? That sounds a lot like pantheism - all is God, God is all, equating the Creator with His creation.
Isabella wrote:
I believe that MLK did acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, as much as one human can know that of another on this Earth.
So what if Ghandi and MLK were "fluent in ALL organized religions!"? As James said,
But to place any human (other than Jesus of Nazareth) in the same category as the Creator of the Universe borders on blasphemy. And to say that the demon-inspired Koran is inspired by God definitely would be blasphemy. Please be careful, Nicola and Isabella! I will not say you are guilty of that sin, because I do not know your hearts. Only God does. I am only judging your words, and they are closer to blasphemy than anything I would dare to speak. Maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I am, but it seems to me that you both place Jesus in the same category as does the Koran, which says that He was a prophet, nothing more.
But I believe what He said:
If you TEST and TRY (I'm yelling on purpose) you will find that the spirit or spirits responsible for the Koran are NOT OF GOD. They fail the test of 1 John 4:1-3 miserably, denying that Jesus of Nazareth is anything other than a prophet, when in fact He is the God come in the Flesh. It matters not what else is in the "holy" book. As has been said elsewhere in this thread, false doctrines and beliefs almost always have some element of truth mixed in.
There is no need to ask God something that He has already told us!!!! And do not confuse God's Omnipresence with His approval of all that is said in some book or other that invokes His name.
"God is an open-ended entity." ??? That sounds a lot like pantheism - all is God, God is all, equating the Creator with His creation.
Isabella wrote:
To which Nicola responded:
Ghandi rejected Jesus. If he did not repent and accept Him before dying, Ghandi is in hell, not Heaven. He led his followers AWAY from the Truth and the Life.
I believe that MLK did acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, as much as one human can know that of another on this Earth.
So what if Ghandi and MLK were "fluent in ALL organized religions!"? As James said,
MLK not only was "fluent" in many organized religions (by which I assume you mean he knew a lot about them), he also accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, unlike Ghandi. MLK did not practice "religion" as such; like most of us on this forum, he had a personal relationship with his Creator. That is what Christianity is all about.
But to place any human (other than Jesus of Nazareth) in the same category as the Creator of the Universe borders on blasphemy. And to say that the demon-inspired Koran is inspired by God definitely would be blasphemy. Please be careful, Nicola and Isabella! I will not say you are guilty of that sin, because I do not know your hearts. Only God does. I am only judging your words, and they are closer to blasphemy than anything I would dare to speak. Maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I am, but it seems to me that you both place Jesus in the same category as does the Koran, which says that He was a prophet, nothing more.
But I believe what He said:
The plain teaching of Scripture is that those who have the Spirit of Christ in them will confess Christ to be God, Lord. Those who are not born again and do not have the Spirit of Christ in them will not see and understand that Jesus Christ truly is God, i.e. Lord. Their minds in the natural state cannot figure it out and they cannot see this supernatural truth because they do not have the supernatural mind of Christ in them as 1 Cor. 2:14 says. The natural mind gets confused, distorted, and fuzzy when contemplating who is Christ Jesus unless the Spirit reveals it to the person and their heart is opened. It is one of the clearest tests and signs as to whether or not someone is or is not truly of God. Those who confess Christ to be Lord are walking in step with the Spirit of Christ. Those who do not are of the antichrist spirt, i.e. they are anti or opposed to Christ because he claimed to be God and yet they claim he is not. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says: "Therefore, I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus be cursed,' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit."
Test the the spirits? Yes!
Take the test here. Do you confess Jesus Christ is truly God in the flesh? If so you believe this because the Spirit of Christ has moved you to this this confession.