The beginning of persecution in America?

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on July 20, 2012 at 3:58am

Mischelle,

Being an agnostic is a statement of denial. Regardless of the changes in the body of Christ, your bus driver won't go to church. His pride won't allow it.

True humility is believing in Christ only. It is a God to man relationship. When we worry about what others are doing, and reacting to their actions, instead of reacting to God and His presence, that is pride speaking out. That is putting someone else ahead of God. Our thoughts aren't of God, they are all about what the other guy is doing.

If the man in your original article had been thinking of God, he wouldn't have needed to lie. He would have relied on God to see him through the establishment of his church. Instead, he rejected God and His methods for something he wanted to do.

Amanda,

God gives us an knowledge of right and wrong. We are born with that knowledge. Rahab had that knowledge, and knew that her countrymen were wrong in their actions. She sided with what her knowledge of what was right prevailed.

You are correct in saying this man is in need of our prayers. He will eventually get his actions to coincide with what God's will for us is, but only after prayers and study. He needs to strive to know Who God is. His actions in this particular thing are wrong. He is establishing a church through wrong motives. In fact, the entire body of  Christ needs to study God's Will for our lives....a knowledge that will come with the study of God's Word.

Blessings to both of you in joy unspeakable, little sisters....

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on July 20, 2012 at 10:10am

I agree Mischelle. Awesome testimony of this youth leader.  I think Rahab & this man are definitely bipolar opposite situations. 

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on July 20, 2012 at 2:47pm

Amen

Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on July 21, 2012 at 3:27am

Mischelle,

I have pondered your post since yesterday afternoon and truthfully, I don't know how to respond to what you believe.

Rahab acted on her faith in the God of the Israelites.

Her conversation with the two Israelites went like this “I know that the Lord has given you the land, ^band that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land ^cmelt away before you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord ^ddried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and ^ewhat you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to ^fSihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.^{3 11} And ^gas soon as we heard it, ^hour hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for ⁱthe Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

She acted on the faith she acquired by what she had heard that *the Lord your God* had done for the Israelites had. However, she also had an understanding of what was right and what was wrong in order to accept this knowledge of truth in what God did for them.

I also said that the preacher in the video should have trusted God.

I also said that the entire body of Christ needs to study God's Will or our lives...a knowledge that will come with the study of God's Word. When I say this, I am including all of the body of Christ. The knowledge that I have, I received from the Word and with prayer. I am trying to impart the understanding I have to you. I have not forgotten to share what I am learning with others. I do not look down on others. I have no reason to because if the people of the Body of Christ are hypocrites, I am a member and I am one of those hypocrites.

When I wrote of the agnostic... I said he wouldn't go to church because his pride wouldn't let him. Jesus said that the person that is well didn't need a doctor. I consider my fellow members who attend church realize along with myself, that we need a Doctor, Dr. Jesus Christ to be specific.

So, in truth, I don't know what you are referring to. I'm not sure where my

offense lies.

BTW, hypocrite means, according to Merriam-Webster 

: one who pretends to be what he is not or to have principles or beliefs that he does not have; especially : one who falsely assumes an appearance of virtue or religion

A person who calls another a hypocrite, especially when they attend church, is in gross error for the most part. There are people that attend church to see and be seen. That isn't why I go. Is that why you go? I don''t think so. To an agnostic, who will never go to church, he will never be able to seen the body of Christ for what we are which is trying to learn more about God.

Continued blessings to you....

Rita

 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by dean burrows on July 21, 2012 at 10:16pm

Thanks Mischelle.  It is the actions of many that kept me away. Then the love of a few and non-judgement made me curious. Had to understand what it is they had.

 and oh yes The Lord was tugging all the while

 

   Praise The Lord.

 

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 20, 2012 at 11:00am

Rita, I think you are missing the whole point of my reference to Rahab. Here are some questions we can ask oursleves as we study Rahab?

Was her lying justified?

Does her faith surprise me?

Did she recognize God's power?

Was she rescued from the Jericho battle?

Is she a good example of faith?

Joshua 2:4-21;6:22-23; Hebrews 11:31

Can we ever justify a sin?

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on July 20, 2012 at 2:48pm

Deep questions Amanda

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 20, 2012 at 5:23pm

They are from an old Bible study I did long, long ago. I have them written on a piece of paper tucked inside my Bible at Joshua 2.

There are several ways that her lie has been explained but the bible itself does not speak about her lie. There are many other questions that can be asked. Is it OK to deceive the enemy? Since Rahab was not Jewish was she responsible for keeping God's law as given to Moses? Thou shalt not lie. Is it OK to break a lesser principle, such as telling the truth, in order to uphold a higher principle, such as protecting God's people?

Basically, a sin is a sin. We can always try to explain why we sinned but sin is never right. I only mentioned Rahab because in the Bible we can see and know her motive and see and know it was a right motive but we can only know it because the Bible tells us why she said what she said. I don't have the ability to read minds or know hearts. I will leave that in God's hands. We should always do the best we know how. The man's motives in this video seem questionable. I am sure there might have been another way to save the lives of the spies. We make bad choices. Fortunately God is merciful. That doesn't mean we are always let off the hook -- there is usually consequences.  I speculate that this man is suffering consequences and not unjustly.  

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on July 20, 2012 at 5:31pm

I think I'm going to jot those down as well. Thanks

Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on July 21, 2012 at 3:38am

Amanda,

James says it this way....

²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ^{21 v}Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^wfaith was active along with his works, and faith was completed ^xby his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^y“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a ^zfriend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also ^aRahab the prostitute justified by works ^bwhen she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

 

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. Jas 2:26

 

Both Abraham and Rahab were justified by faith and works.

 

God justified her lie when she had faith in Him and acted upon that faith.(Works)

 

Joshua 2.

 

Blessings to you.....

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 21, 2012 at 4:32pm

So then any sin is justified by faith and works as long as we are acting upon our faith while committing the sin? In that case, the man in the video is justified, as long as he was only acting upon his faith regardless of what sins he committed in the process. Unless I am misunderstanding what you have stated, Rita.   

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Permalink Reply by dean burrows on July 21, 2012 at 10:26pm

I do not believe anyone who follows Christ would believe such a thing. The man in the video if what I understand to be correct was not following God he was following his own desires.

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