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Author Topic: Christ's Ways  (Read 10750 times)

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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #221 on: September 03, 2019, 08:14:41 am »
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Phil 3:17 . . Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before, and now say, again even with tears: many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their appetites, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

I'm pretty sure that passage can be said to be speaking of the tares that Christ spoke of in Matt 13:24-30 and Matt 13:36-43. The law of averages, combined with Satan's machinery, insures that every church has a percentage of tares on the roles.

The tare is an interesting plant. In it's early stages, only a well-trained eye can tell the difference between it and wheat or barley. Plus the tare's root system so intertwines with the roots of good plants that they can't be pulled up without destroying both.

It's all saying that churches are pretty much stuck with tares once they've become an integral part of operations; so we just have to learn to live with them; sort of like backpackers learning to live with snow and ice, wind, heat, cold, soggy, and snakes, bears, cougars, and insects. Just as it's futile for backpackers to try and eliminate nature from their backpacking world; so it's futile for churches to try and weed tares out of their midst. But churches can, at least, take steps to protect themselves once the tares become apparent.

Tares are somewhat different than heretics. Tares are sort of like Esau. Though Isaac's eldest son was irreverent; he was content at home and made no attempt to reform his family's spiritual values.

Tares hinder a church's spiritual growth, and are quite useless for the Lord's purposes; but they're usually content to co-exist with the conscientious Christians in church. Though tares are more or less worldly, I wouldn't go so far as to say they're a serious threat to unity.

Tares are a curious lot. Though they go Sunday after Sunday in church and Bible class listening to hours and hours of preaching and teaching, nothing they hear ever seems to sink in. It all bounces off like bananas thrown at a Russian tank.

Heretics, on the other hand, are typically reverent; maybe even religious from their toes to their fingertips. They love Bible study and likely attend prayer meetings too. But they're detrimental to unity because of their activism. They not only push to reform their church's spiritual values; but worse: steer it off in another direction. Heretics are far more than just enemies of the cross; they're a disease; and though tares are to be pitied, heretics deserve to be cursed.

"Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." (Titus 3:10-11)
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #222 on: September 04, 2019, 09:41:17 am »
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Phil 4:4 . . Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again: Rejoice!

Words and grammar in the Bible convey information; otherwise language serves no useful purpose. When The Lord says "always" he means always or he wouldn't say always. So then, part-time rejoicers in the Lord are failing to comply with God's wishes.

There is a joy available from Christ that's able to overcome all the sadness this world can possibly throw at you.

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your own joy might be full." (John 15:11)

The koiné Greek word for "joy" in that verse is chara (khar-ah') which doesn't mean ecstasy; but rather: cheerfulness; viz: calm delight and/or gladness; in other words: pacific. This doesn't mean believers should be bubbling over all the time; but it sure does mean they shouldn't be overwhelmed with feelings of despair and melancholy sadness all the time; or even some of the time. Paul says to rejoice "always" which of course is beyond human capability; but not beyond the power of God.

"The fruit of the Spirit is joy." (Gal 5:22)
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #223 on: September 05, 2019, 08:19:33 am »
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Phil 4:5 . . Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The  koiné  Greek word for "gentleness" is epieikes (ep-ee-i-kace') which essentially means: mild.

Webster's defines "mild" as gentle in nature or behavior, moderate in action or effect; not sharp or bitter, i.e. just the opposite of fierce, harsh, rough, scathing, mean, abrasive, stormy, intemperate, strict, and/or severe.

Though a mild person is affable, they aren't necessarily a wimp; no, they're just not easy to provoke. The quite opposite would be a thin skinned, reactive, defensive personality that goes to war at the drop of a hat.

Mild people don't threaten, nor come at you with bared teeth and narrowed eyes. They're reasonable and rational, rather than emotional and reactive. Assertive, confrontational people have no clue what it is to be mild; and those are the very ones losing sleep with evil thoughts as they obsessively re-wind and re-play a conflict with somebody in their heads over, and over, and over again rehearsing things they should've said, and would've said, had they thought of them.

"Blessed are the meek." (Matt 5:5)

Moses was meek (Num 12:3) and Christ was meek (Matt 11:29, Matt 21:5). Personally I wouldn't categorize either of those two men as meek. So then, what really is meekness?

Primarily, to be meek, in the Biblical sense of the word, is to be temperate. A temperate person isn't eo ipso a cowering milk toast. Anybody who's studied the life of Moses and Jesus can easily testify that neither of those men were timid; no, they walked softly but carried a big stick, so to speak. Never mistake true meekness for a yellow streak.

Jacob and his dad Isaac were temperate men; but could be very strong when the situation called for it. Temperate people pick their battles carefully, and never waste anger and energy on trifles.

There are Christians in this world who're simply implacable. They just cannot live and let live. Turning the other cheek is to them a worn-out cliché that no one takes seriously anymore. For them rivalry, conflict, revenge, competition, retaliation, recriminations, and grudging are a way of life: every disagreement is an act of war-- they're peevish, emotional, bitter, harsh, unloving, cruel, thoughtless, and reactive; and they thrive on complaining, criticizing, chafing, carping, finding fault, tattling, bickering, retort upon retort, rejoinder upon rejoinder, sarcasm, endless debate, dredging up old unresolved conflicts, gainsaying, and getting in people's faces and giving them a piece of their mind.

It seems like those people are always getting indignant about some petty outrage or another. Well; those kinds of Christians are definitely not in the "gentle" category. They're hellish, toxic demons who relish letting their wrath be evident to all instead of gentleness because when they're upset; they want everybody to know it.
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #224 on: September 06, 2019, 07:59:46 am »
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Phil 4:6 . . Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Webster's defines "anxiety" as: characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind, or brooding fear about some contingency; viz: worry-- which implies an incessant goading, or attacking, that drives one to desperation.

If believers were never to be anxious then there would be little, if any, need to pray and share one's concerns with their father in Heaven. The point here, is to avoid desperation. When people get desperate, they start making mistakes; and some of those mistakes can be life-changing; and cause permanent damage.

Tuesday, Aug 04, 2009 a deranged man named George Sodini walked into an LA Fitness gym in Philadelphia and gunned down twelve women in an exercise class. His impetus? According to information police later found on his blog, the 48 year-old man was in a mental state brought on by his long-held personal conviction that not one woman in the whole world could possibly love him. In his mind; women were a threat to his survival-- cruel, venomous sirens whose mission in life is to torment males and make them unhappy. No doubt in Sodini's thinking, murdering those women was justifiable homicide for ruining his life, viz: they had it coming.

His case is extreme, yes, but it serves to illustrate what happens to people when they let desperation gnaw at their feelings for too long a time. Pretty soon they crack and do something irrational.

C.S. Lewis, famed author of The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia; once remarked that he prayed, not because he expected results but, because it made him feel better.

Well, if prayer makes you feel better, then more power to you-- in point of fact, I highly recommend conversational prayer because talking things out with somebody, even an imaginary playmate, is far and away better than talking things out with nobody.

There are instances in the Old Testament where God actually sent His people troubles just to get their attention and start them talking to Him again. Sort of like a little boy in third grade spitting on the hair of a girl sitting in front of him so she'll notice him. (chuckle) Well, if God spits on your hair, so to speak, then maybe it's time you and He had a fireside chat.

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:7)
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« Last Edit: September 06, 2019, 11:39:23 am by Olde Tymer »

Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #225 on: September 07, 2019, 09:56:30 am »
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Phil 4:8 . . Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --think about such things.

The Greek word for "think about" is logizomai (log-id'-zom-ahee) which basically means to take an inventory, defined by Webster's as to list and/or to catalogue

That is a very, very exciting word in the overall plan of salvation. Here's why:

"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them." (2Cor 5:19)

"counting" is from logizomai.

In other words: due to Christ satisfying justice for people's sins on the cross, God is now in a position to stop recording their sins as criminal offenses.


FAQ: So; when you believed in Christ, God forgave you up to that point. What about the sins you'll commit in the future?

A: Well; according to Jer 31:31-34, Heb 8:7-12, and of course 2Cor 5:19; God is no longer compiling an indictment to hold against me! In other words: He forgets my sins, so to speak, i.e. were I to inquire if my sins were in any way placing me in danger of the sum of all fears, God would reply-- in so many words --fuggedaboutit. That's very, very comforting.

So, we may take Phil 4:8 to mean just the opposite, i.e. that Christ's followers should make an effort to remember the Bible's values and its principles, and not forget them, i.e. not let them go in one ear and out the other.
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« Last Edit: September 07, 2019, 10:17:09 am by Olde Tymer »

Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #226 on: September 08, 2019, 07:51:49 am »
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Phil 4:9 . . Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I think Paul often spoke from experience. In other words; he didn't just believe what he taught, but he knew what he talking about as someone who tasted the goods.

You know, sometimes I think that too many Christians are somehow under the impression that the New Testament's epistles are not all that important in matters related to faith and practice. They've made the Sermon On The Mount their religion and they think that's all they need. But if they want the God of peace to be with them instead of off in the distance; then they are simply going to have to revise their estimate. Compliance with the epistles is not optional; no, it's essential.

"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of The Lord." (1Cor 14:37)

"We beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by The Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by The Lord Jesus." (1Thess 4:1-2)

"And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law-- the law that sets you free --and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (Jas 1:22-25)
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #227 on: September 09, 2019, 08:35:09 am »
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Col 2:6-7 . . So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

That directive, of course, is restricted to the faith as you were taught by Paul and his contemporaries. He and they taught only one faith rather than a buffet of faiths to choose from.

"There is one faith" (Eph 4:4-5)

It's neither wise nor humane to encourage somebody rooted and built up in Christian cults to continue in those faiths: e.g. Moonies, Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventism, Herbert W. Armstrong, Mormonism, and/or the Watchtower Society, et al.

Paul emphasized receiving Christ Jesus as "lord". The koiné Greek word is kurios (koo'-ree-os) which means: supreme in authority. Curiously there are a number of Christians out there who regard Jesus' authority no different than they regard the authority of the prophets. But when the Old Testament seems to oppose Christ's teachings; Christians have to go with Christ.

"I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

And besides: Christ comes highly recommended.

"Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and a voice out of the cloud, saying: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to him." (Matt 17:5)
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #228 on: September 10, 2019, 09:42:13 am »
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Col 2:8 . . See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

What he's talking about there are humanistic versions of Christianity; especially those built upon proprietary traditions rather than "the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us" (2Thess 2:15). Those kinds of Christianity are insidious because they're typically a subtle blend of truth and error. Paul wasn't just being rhetorical; no, the time is now when pew warmers are buying into humanistic versions of Christianity.

"Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when they will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and seek teachers who will tell them what it is they wish to hear. They will reject the truth and heed fantasies." (2Tim 4:2-4)

The reason that they will heed what Paul calls "fantasies" is because anything but the truth is far and away more appealing to the human mind. Take for example Stephen Hawking's theory that a cosmos can come into existence sans intelligent design; in other words: sans a creator. Stephen's arguments are clever, sophisticated, and scientific; viz: they make sense; and they are widely accepted by his admirers.

Christians are privy to the origin of the cosmos-- in all its forms of life, matter, and energy --not by science, but by revelation; which of course die-hard scientists cannot accept due to revelation's lack of so-called empirical evidence; though there's circumstantial evidence aplenty all around in nature and indeed the very heavens in which men like Hawkings are so absorbed.
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #229 on: September 11, 2019, 08:23:39 am »
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Col 2:16-17 . .Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

Some humanistic versions of Christianity incorporate diets, rituals, rites, and holy days of obligation. According to the principles stipulated in the 14th chapter of Romans, those things are optional rather than mandatory. To insist otherwise is to play God and to usurp Christ's sovereign right to make the rules for his own church.
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #230 on: September 12, 2019, 07:51:20 am »
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Col 2:18a . . Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial.

Now we're getting into the sphere of asceticism; which Christ has never approved. Asceticism describes a life-style characterized by abstinence from materialism and various sorts of worldly pleasures (e.g. sex, cosmetics, movies, dancing, alcohol, romance novels, soaps, gambling, and the accumulation of material wealth) often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals. Ascetics, by the very nature of their philosophy, insinuate that Christ was wrong to consume wine and/or provide it for a wedding.

Ascetics think themselves to possess a superior spirituality over and above regular Christians; but Paul popped that bubble soundly.

"These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them conceited. They are not connected to Christ, the head of the body." (Col 2:18c-19)

(chuckle) Paul depicted ascetics as kind of like the headless horseman in the Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.
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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #231 on: September 12, 2019, 09:37:31 pm »
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Col 2:18a . . Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial.

Now we're getting into the sphere of asceticism; which Christ has never approved. Asceticism describes a life-style characterized by abstinence from materialism and various sorts of worldly pleasures (e.g. sex, cosmetics, movies, dancing, alcohol, romance novels, soaps, gambling, and the accumulation of material wealth) often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals. Ascetics, by the very nature of their philosophy, insinuate that Christ was wrong to consume wine and/or provide it for a wedding.

Ascetics think themselves to possess a superior spirituality over and above regular Christians; but Paul popped that bubble soundly.

"These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them conceited. They are not connected to Christ, the head of the body." (Col 2:18c-19)

(chuckle) Paul depicted ascetics as kind of like the headless horseman in the Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.
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hanging in there

Blade

Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #232 on: September 13, 2019, 09:04:44 am »
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hanging in there

Almost half-way done. Only 270 posts ± left to go.
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Olde Tymer

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Re: Christ's Ways
« Reply #233 on: September 13, 2019, 09:06:36 am »
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Col 2:18b . . And don't let anyone say you must worship angels, even though they say they have had visions about this.

I have actually encountered Christians who claim to have patron ghosts: spirits with whom they communicate and that help them in daily life. I do not dispute their claim seeing as how the existence of familiar spirits is validated by Lev 20:6 et al; but Christ rules against letting them influence your thinking; even as Jehovah condemns to death any among His people who dabble in that sort of thing.

Apparitions are very effective. Just look at the number of Christians whose religious beliefs are influenced by  appearances like Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Tilma (Our Lady of Guadalupe). That only goes to show how true it is that people tend to believe only what they can see with their own two eyes. In the end, that "show me" attitude will result in humanity's ruin as they watch a statue come to life and start giving orders to execute people who refuse to worship it. (Rev 13:13-15)

Heed what Rev 13:13-15 says; and be warned. Its lesson is obvious: miracles and/or apparitions cannot be trusted to validate one's religious beliefs. In point of fact; numbers of people passing themselves off as Christians are going to Hell and eternal suffering in spite of their ability to perform miracles. (Matt 7:22-23)

Paul said he would never listen to even a real live genuine holy angel of God from Heaven unless the angel preaches the very same message as the one he himself preached (Gal 1:6-9). As anyone familiar with Virgin sightings knows, they never preach the same message as Paul's; no they preach things like world peace, devotion to Jesus' mom, and rosaries.
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