just one good thread.......

Greetings Neil
I am sorry brother that some of the thread have
taken away some of your joy. I know my own
heart has been heavy due to some family
matters. I think that many do come and ask
questions or share burdens here because
there are not many places for them to find
fellowship with those who love the Lord deeply.
I do know that there are times when I can be to
focused on things and it is good to be
reminded that in Him there is much joy
and reason for rejoicing!

God bless
mj

just one good thread.......

Brother Neil,

It is discouraging at times to see an hear the issues brought here, but I am blessed by those that stand behind the truth and declare it. Many sheep are confused and wondering and being decieved so they visit forums because they are invisible in these "congregations". I can't believe some of the things they are taught and accept and as Alive-to-God wrote, there are those here burdened for them.

My time alone in scripture and prayer is altogether separate and truly ( I LOVE I John!) so blessed, but many don't even know the great importance of even searching the scripture, let alone prayer. Once they begin to, they also begin to see error where they attend but are quickly rebuked when questions are asked. I have both seen and heard this myself.

Please be encouraged and not grieved brother. There will always be those that will want to stir up strife here, but there is a purpose as well. Many churches in the very near future will fall face down and the Lord is removing his people right now.

May those that love Him recieve good counsel here and may they learn to love the Word too!

sometimes i have felt what you share brother neil, what i usually do in such times is go down in archives find a thread that blessed me and most often it has three or four replies and then is forgotten about, but most often is those threads that has spoken a word from God and touched my soul, much more those forgotten threads then most of the ones with hundreds of replies.

I would encourage others to do the same if you find it to be any good and have time to dig a bit. There lies so much beneath the surface that is precious. May we lift forward that which brings life, although i agree on there is a need for "discernment" and coming against that which is false, but when that is all there is, then we have nothing.

Either we can join in on what is happening and most is occupied with for the time being, sometimes it has been cal vs arm, other times a new false prophet or doubtful ministry has become popular etc. So many jump head first into it. Those times we need those who not dive in and straighten out everything but can continue to share the uplifting, the up building, the encouraging. The fragrance you speak of.

May God help us to bring his aroma with us where ever we enter, in houses, homes, churches, forums.

God bless you

Christian

Hello brother,

When I first came here and saw the threads, I was quite refreshed by it, probably because I've never heard preaching and writing like I've found here. Most everything has been soft tissue until now.

I grew up in a Charismatic environment (in some ways I'm still there), and many of the endorsed teachers in the movement, all it takes is a little Scripture searching to find that these movements are in error. Now there are right ways and wrong ways to address error, but the general atmosphere has been that you do not correct error; and if you do, you have a religious or rebellious spirit.

I know that it's possible to take discernment too far and use theological issues as unnecessary dividing points, but much of the church is living in the opposite extreme too. The Bible is thrown aside altogether for the eloquent speaker and the crusading miracle man, not even questioned. When the Lakeland Revival hit, few listened when the warnings were sounded. People sound those warnings though because they love God and love the people. The harsh thing is that many walks will be disabled because of lies such as these.

That being said, it is possible for us to lose the sense of joy that we are supposed to get from the Gospel. Matter of fact, a few weeks ago I came to that realization about myself. Where was the joy of my salvation? Where was my longing for satisfaction in the simple knowing of Christ? I had to stop and think, "Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so why don't I have it?" It's sound advice for us to sometimes back away from the issues in the church and just be with God, thank Him for what He's done, and know that in all things, this present evil age has never slipped out of His control.

Thank you for this reminder Nathan. I do need a restoration of the simple joy of Christ in my life.

Niel,

Most of us are being brought to the end of ourselves, and are hanging by a thread psycologically. Disagreement threatens our fragility. This is (edit: at least one reason) why we fight.

Edit:

Blessings,

MC

Dear brethren,

I've spoken about this sort of thing on SermonIndex for some time now, this degeneration of the sweetness, meekness, humility and fragrance of Christ being replaced by an incessant judging, anathematizing, watchdogging and rebuking. It can only go on for so long before a necrosis in the local body begins to spread, like scurvy among vitamin C-deficient sailors.

Have you noticed any recent outbreaks?

Most everything has been soft tissue until now.

Like Naaman, these are called to dip themselves in a freshly flowing river to be cured of their disease. The river is a humility which is gained by looking unto Jesus. When we look unto Jesus, we become like Him in all the divine aspects of His virture: in His humility; in His patience; in His love; in His meekness. And when we are moved by divine zeal (yes, another virtue we gather) to take a whip to the moneychangers, we'll do it not without tears and authority. The problem nowadays is that moneychangers are being hunted down and whipped [i]outside[/i] the temple, in the worldy marketplaces where they have a legal right to be. We have no jurisdiction there...and thus, no authority. That is why so many current event threads in this forum are not life-giving.

The instances where moneychangers are whipped [i]inside[/i] the temple here are often just as spiritually necrotic, for the whippers have not been deputized by the Lord to undertake the task. Like Peter, they act out of their own zeal in severing ears, and like James and John in calling down fire. The litmus test in all of this is [i]do the exhortions, rebukings, castigations bring life to the body?[/i] If not, they are merely spectacles and feats of the flesh and of an inflamed spiritual pride. We need to turn away from this behaviour if it is all we are accustomed to doing. If we have been thriving off debate and anathematizing other believers and ministries for years in our posts on SermonIndex, and all we have to show for it is how many enemies we've made and people we've rubbed the wrong way, then I believe we are in desperate need of a spiritual biopsy. And the bioposy should not be a self-diagnosis, but a [i]real biopsy[/i] done by the Great Physician. He will give us an accurate reading, and if we allow Him, take His scalpel and remove the cancerous tumor and replace the death with living fruit!

Brother Paul

The Lord bless you, brother. Thank you for your post. I've seen myself go there far too many times.

i wanted to write a post testifying to some of the fruit that i garnered from this Epistle

Please share the fruit...

In Christ,

Ron

Thank you Paul for your words of wisdom.

Thank you Neil for the thread. I echo Ron's reply:

"Please share the fruit..."
REJOICE! =)
Mary

Brother Neil,

I was good to hear from you - had been wondering what you were up to. Now we know. :-)

Life gets hard, the enemy is working overtime to deceive the elect, if it were possible, and it causes people a lot of distress. And this is not something new, either. May I suggest that after you finish reading 1 John go read 1 Corinthians, the entire book. Remember this was written to a church in Corinth, a church beset by many problems - actually, it sounds like a modern day church! Then read 2 Corinthians and then Ephesians. Seems to me this should give you some God-like perspective on life and some encouragement.

God bless,
ginnyrose