You cannot preach unless your heart is FULL OF CHRIST.
American preachers whose hearts are on their game of golf, or watching football on TV, or eating with friends at a restaurant - whose hearts are on sports and entertainment - cannot PREACH!
Colossians 2:11-15 NLT - "When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
Colossians 2:11-15 NLT - "When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
Right. Christ has performed a spiritual circumcision, which we acknowledge by our full immersion baptism in water.
But our body is not redeemed yet. We are regenerated in spirit, and what is now taking place in us is the renewal of our minds (salvation of the soul; sanctification as a process). But the flesh is there in the body. By the Holy Spirit, you put to death (mortify) the (sinful) deeds of the body; that is Your Responsibility!
Our salvation is assured (eternal) the moment we are truly born again. But there is the ‘prize’ (the throne, the crowns, the reward, the first resurrection).
Our body will be redeemed gloriously when Christ returns (Rapture, Second Coming).
References: Rev 21:5, Phil 3:11, 2 Tim 4:8; 1 Cor 9:27. Plus other texts too numerous to mention!
Right. Christ has performed a spiritual circumcision, which we acknowledge by our full immersion baptism in water.
But our body is not redeemed yet. We are regenerated in spirit, and what is now taking place in us is the renewal of our minds (salvation of the soul; sanctification as a process). But the flesh is there in the body. By the Holy Spirit, you put to death (mortify) the (sinful) deeds of the body; that is Your Responsibility!
Our salvation is assured (eternal) the moment we are truly born again. But there is the ‘prize’ (the throne, the crowns, the reward, the first resurrection).
Our body will be redeemed gloriously when Christ returns (Rapture, Second Coming).
References: Rev 21:5, Phil 3:11, 2 Tim 4:8; 1 Cor 9:27. Plus other texts too numerous to mention!
I hope I am not offending anyone by my pics or posts. But sadly, I am ruffling a few feathers because of my uncompromising stance on the truth of God's Word.
Arg . . . I know that it can be frustrating. I could write much about this, but I'll keep my thoughts at a minimum for now. (Pft . . . just watch. I'll probably ramble on and on. haha)
For me, I guess the situation is pretty simple, and it's this: I thoroughly believe what I believe, but that knowledge isn't whole, full, or complete. I am no prophet, nor do I ever hear the voice of God . . . which explains why I have been horribly wrong in the past. I've been heavily humbled, perhaps five or six months ago. I was so certain of a specific teaching, that I sweat cold sweat in thinking of how many people received my false truth.
Since that day, I am much more open to the thoughts and ideas of others. I don't know everything, but I wish that I did. And if I am going to learn more, then I have to be open to what others are saying. And that isn't hard for me, but it is something I yearn to do. But what turns off my soul to another, is an aggressive, sarcastic, slandering, name-calling kind of a person. The thing is . . . they may have the Truth, but because of their attitude, my ears are turned off.
These people do not have a Heart to listen, and because this is so easy to determine, I find it extremely simple to walk away without expecting to ever speak to them again. It may seem rude, but it isn't. The Truth is, is that there are more people to reach, and I'm not going to be bothered by someone that is not willing to at least consider other ideas. I'm not interested in battles; I just don't have the time for it. So . . . I have no problem with leaving these folks alone.
Also, you must believe in yourself, that you are a good person. It is one thing to question yourself, but do not doubt. Never doubt yourself, unless you believe you Truly have good reason to. I don't doubt myself any longer, and much of that is directly related to the idea that I see the "picture" of the entire Bible. For some reason, this brings incredible Peace and Spiritual Strength. The Bible was always so elusive to me; I was sure that I understood it, but it was . . . somehow . . . still very confusing. For example, I Truly believed that I was a sort of "Master" at the New Testament when it came to Eternal Security. The Truth? I hadn't a clue as to its workings . . . its backbone. I was lost.
Now that I see the Holy Story of the Bible . . . I feel like I have my feet on the ground in this respect. So in this way, I hope that what I believe is right. It better be, otherwise, I'm in trouble.
Yep, I'm rambling. One last thing . . . you have to be willing to let people walk away without the Holy Truth. You just can't let it bother you too much (I don't know if it is; sorry), this idea that people will die without the Truth. God will save who He's going to save . . . and we have nothing to do with that. So, I've learned that God is in total control and that He will grant His Grace, Compassion, and Mercy to whoever He so chooses . . . and not once has He ever consulted me.
I could have done a much better job . . . sorry. I'm feeling a bit stale today.
Thank you, Timothy. I appreciate your response. I value your wise and good advice, and I am remembering you in my prayers. Being from a different world altogether (Asia), I may be treading on a few toes by my manner of speech. I appreciate all that you have written, and I will tread cautiously in future.
Blessings to you and your family. In Christ, Our Saviour and Lord! CH
Thank you, Timothy. I appreciate your response. I value your wise and good advice, and I am remembering you in my prayers. Being from a different world altogether (Asia), I may be treading on a few toes by my manner of speech. I appreciate all that you have written, and I will tread cautiously in future.
Blessings to you and your family. In Christ, Our Saviour and Lord! CH
Treading cautiously is a grand idea . . . and one that I need to be reminded of. I want to do a better job at this myself.
One thing I wanted to say in the last message was that, and I think I mentioned this before, the Lord does not require me. Just after regaining control over my body after the Spirit of God indwelt me, I did not hear any voices, but the Lord 100% planted it into my mind and soul, again, that He does not require me. Wow . . . isn't that something! The Lord grants me this most incredible experience, yet He doesn't require me? It was an incredible message to receive, and I deal with His idea even to this very day. You see, if God doesn't require me (for anything at all), then neither does anyone else. This world will be just fine without me and any of the good, right, and noble things that have ever come out of my mouth.
You might relate to this: I feel like God wants me to literally SHUT UP! No more than a handful of people have ever grasped the concept of the Bible that I feel the Lord has shown me, and even then, only one relationship has come of it. The Lord has granted me the most amazing friendship with a man, his wife, and daughter from India. I cannot believe how lucky I am to know these amazing people; True Missionaries within their own country. So why keep rambling on, and having people seemingly implode all over me on a regular basis? Are you and I supposed to shut up or Endure?
A part of me really believes that God just wants me to Trust Him . . . to shut up for a while and perhaps gather myself. Can I do it? Or, do I need to be heard far more than I realized? I don't know, but my Heart does speak, to me, that I need to just shut my flipping mouth. Part of the justifying reason for this is that we are dealing with this thing called a "Remnant," and that seems to indicate that very few will understand anyway. Even Paul, i 2nd Timothy, stated that all in the Province of Asia had abandoned him. That is just unbelievable! It's an uphill battle my friend. So the way that I ease my mind in this battle, is by telling myself that there is only about 1 out of every 10,000 that are actual, True Christians. That means that the person sitting next to you in church is in trouble. When I think this way, and I know that this number is wrong but a number nonetheless, it takes the sting off of the constant rejection and hostility.
My former wife was Japanese . . . so I have an appreciation for all cultures. Where are you from? What country? I thought that you were True American because of your writing. You're amazing!
"He does not require me. Wow!"
God is self-sufficient. He does not require anyone or anything. But He created man with a great purpose, and I believe that I should cooperate with Him (submit to Him) in the fulfilment of His purpose!
'This world will be just fine without me and any of the good, right, and noble things that have ever come out of my mouth.'
Again, since God is self-sufficient, He will be just fine without you, me or anybody else. But in His great purpose, out of His great love, He created you and me to have 'fellowship with'. (Instead of 'the world', I would say 'God'. But since God created me, I am valuable to Him...and therefore I must seek to know Him in a deeper way! My heart must reach out to Him...not to the things of this world.)
"God just wants me to Trust Him'" That is absolutely true. Trusting Him involves waiting patiently, yes, enduring. Sadly, when our faith is tested, we sometimes break down. (But there is a 'part' inside us, deep inside, that keeps holding on to Him!)
There is a Remnant. I strongly believe that. But, as I come to know more about God's GRACE, I realize the weakest and apparently most insignificant person in our sight is actually most precious in God's sight! Rom 14.4
Sad, you used the word 'former' regarding your Japanese wife. My marriage is very strong...and that's only God's grace!
Timothy, kindly look into the thread 'The Wealthy Lady and Her Serving Maid'. I am sure you will like it! It continues a very sobering thought, though the story itself appears to be quite humorous.
