In our discussions on the forums and our posts;
are we building up one another in the most holy
faith; are we encouraging one another with hope
as the Day of the LORD approaches; are we
speaking the truth with grace and in love??
IF NOT, THEN WHY NOT ??
It's hard not to notice the tone of what is taking place.
We need to pray, and change.
It's hard not to notice the tone of what is taking place. We need to pray, and change.
_________
I am always for prayer and growing in the Lord.
in Him
ellie
Praise God!
He is coming back soon, so lets be prepared for our soon coming king.
Let's anxiously prepare ourselves like a bride in waiting, for her groom to come take her like a thief in the night.
So if the spirit of God is telling any of us that we are not ready, please let's make ready, fill our lamps with oil, lets make sure we have on our wedding garment.
Let's make sure we are cloathed in His garments and adorned with His jewels.
Let's humble ourselves before the Lord and seek his will for our lives and ministry for the sake of His kingdom.
Pray for our family's, our neighbors, and coworkers.
God bless you guys on this forum, your such a blessing and an encouragement to all of us.
I know when im hurting im not as upbeat as I should be, but praise God he is the victor and our hope.
God bless.
Hi poet
Thanks for such an encouraging and timely reminder to be about His Kingdom.
I like this quote from a teaching I read a long time ago:
"We help each other to know Jesus better by helping each other put away sin, love one another more, and care for others’ needs more than we care for our own. These are the teachings of Jesus. This is how He lived His life for us, and now He has called us to live this way for one another. This is how the Bride is made ready for the return of her Groom, Jesus."
much love to you all here
in Him
ellie
In our discussions on the forums and our posts; are we building up one another in the most holy faith; are we encouraging one another with hope as the Day of the LORD approaches; are we speaking the truth with grace and in love??
All good and valid questions.
If we had any of and all of the above working in us, we wouldn't be praying for revival, we'd be living it. Therefore, if while we are not doing some or all of these, we can be sure that we are very much asleep and it is high time we awake.
We have the power to wake up, but it's easy to chat and text then it is to stir up the soul and spirit. Thus because we do not put on the mind of Christ, we have spiritually worded postings that are very carnal. The carnal mind is a mind that thinks it's spiritual, it really believes it knows the mind of God but is so far from God that it is an enemy. We have thousands of people in the Churches that have this mind. It really believes that it's walking in the knowledge of God, but has not the mind of Christ. And we ourselves can be like this, thus we have these postings that appear to be spiritual, but in reality is tearing down instead of building up.
This is a very good question. Why not?
It would seem that for some debate is their intertainment. They like nothing better than a free-for-all. Is that not vain disputings?
If it doesn't bring peace, life and love why do we do it?
It would seem some argue until the cows come in and still have their own opinions unchanged, trouble is, they have not brought life and encouragemant to each other. That is sad. It isn't love.
Good question!
If we had any of and all of the above working in us, we wouldn't be praying for revival, we'd be living it. Therefore, if while we are not doing some or all of these, we can be sure that we are very much asleep and it is high time we awake. We have the power to wake up, but it's easy to chat and text then it is to stir up the soul and spirit. Thus because we do not put on the mind of Christ, we have spiritually worded postings that are very carnal. The carnal mind is a mind that thinks it's spiritual, it really believes it knows the mind of God but is so far from God that it is an enemy. We have thousands of people in the Churches that have this mind. It really believes that it's walking in the knowledge of God, but has not the mind of Christ. And we ourselves can be like this, thus we have these postings that appear to be spiritual, but in reality is tearing down instead of building up.
What can I say except that this is too true? Well, brothers, what should we do about these things?
What can I say except that this is too true? Well, brothers, what should we do about these things?
If we cannot grow in humility toward one another on a forum where you have total control over your tongue because you have as long as you need to think over what you are saying, then it stands to reason that when we do not have the time to think carefully about what we are saying that we cannot express ourselves through humility in reality. Philippians chapter 2 is essential for how we interact.
This is a great word Sojourner. I pray I can apply it. And pray we all can as well.
I for one am greatly appreciative for a place where I at least know there are a lot of believers whom seem to take the Lord seriously and not as if he is a game. Even though there are a lot of threads I purposely stay out of because of the arguing, it is totally worth having a place to interact with others longing for revival, but it is worth remembering what the intention of this website is, which certainly does not seem to be a doctrinal think tank.
Amen to what snuffalupagus said as well. We so need the mind of Christ. What a thing to pray for, long for, apprehend in reality.
I might say that there is nothing more passionate prejudiced, bigoted and opinionated than the discussion of religion. It is after all, the most important, at least to get it right, in the forever and forever part of the book. Burn, or rejoice in Paradise....
Yes, this is a Revival site, and I am most grateful for SI, and for Greg for creating it, pastoring it, and the moderator's skills and patience. Yet, let us remember that revival is not a temporary experience, at least in the intent of God. It is the impartation of His nature to men; holiness.
Revival takes it's intentions in the LIFETIME of the people exposed to it.
Matthew 13:21-22 (New King James Version)
21.......... yet he has no root in himself, but ENDURES only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
and: Matthew 24:12-14 (New King James Version)
12. "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13 But he who ENDURES to the END shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Also let us consider that REVIVAL was booming in the church from Pentecost on, and certainly everywhere that Paul the Apostle set his foot. There was also apostasy, backsliding, and deceivers devouring the church from day one; Revival, and disintegration hand in hand. This is the nature of the gospel. It is continual war; like a good gardener battling with the weeds...every day.
This is also the nature of much of the forums. Often there is passion in the working out of our theological faith, and it IS very important. Often we see revival in a light when everything will be OK, our worries behind us, and glory billows until Jesus returns.
When true revival comes, the war intensifies. The pressure increases; Satan is all the more enraged. He does not like to be dethroned, and he will fight tooth and nail as he sees it happening. He often will not expose himself head on, but will move to dilute it" to poison it with drops of error, rather than a flood of paganism.
No, revival is no where that I see, but I do see a LOT of people that want Jesus's heart, and magnify His Word above their own lives. Look at SI forums in that light. We must confront, in love, and that confrontation is just a necessary for the truth's sake, as more obvious edification and blessedness.
Tozer said something like this..[ you get the idea]
"The war that we fight is not about the gospel in itself. It is about the purity of the gospel."
Also everyone has a voice here; everyone. This is wonderful, but does that mean that everyone ministers or thinks with the unity of the Spirit, or expresses as truth the pure truth?..[ I don't, but try...=]...
We search for the mind of Christ, yes...but do we recall the dividing and confrontational mind of Christ, that He expressed to the Pharisees and the wicked!
That is why there IS holy doctrine. A revival only remains a revival if it is kept in HIS MIND; stewarded. It would not last one day, as a true holy apostolic revival without it.It is intended to last a lifetime, and another, and another following.
Dear TOM;
The only way we are going to make it through
adversities, hardships, trials to come is to
build up one another, encourage one another,
help one another, strengthen one another!!
Of course I agree with you Sojourner, but it is ONE of the ways we overcome. We must also be our brothers keeper, if we really love Him, to assure that they are built up in the faith of the apostles, not a counterfeit or watered down version;.....this means protecting and feeding.
.....by sojourner7
...............................
Dear TOM;
The only way we are going to make it through
adversities, hardships, trials to come is to
build up one another, encourage one another,
help one another, strengthen one another!"
..................................................
This is laying our lives down for one another , and if we do not do this, we do not know Him!
Revelation 12:4
And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
Revelation 12: 10-11
And war broke out in heaven.....“Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."
So we see that the war in Heaven transplanted on Earth. War and revival go hand in hand.
This faith is intensely personal. You cannot appropriate the blood of the Lamb for another. It must be counted with OUR faith, in our hearts, and it is our Word of OUR testimony, and it is certainly our lives that we must not love, and deny..[ "pick up your cross!"].
Sometimes laying our lives down for our brother will involve disagreement and confrontation; that all. It is certainly to be done in love.
I've been thinking of this for a while myself. I have noticed more of an air of religiosity and a spirit of anger and pride of late. Instead of the conversation going like this, "Well I believe this way because of A,B & C", it sounds more like "You're wrong, and I wonder if you're really a christian".
I read something the other day that said we can see God's personality, what it is that He delights in, in creation. I think we often forget that God's wisdom is multi-faceted. We have quirks and strange ways of processing information because God likes that. We all see things differently, due to life experience, spiritual maturity, and a myriad of different reasons. I think what we soon forget as Christians is that love doesn't mean we have to point out every flaw in an argument and split hairs because we are "concerned" for someones soul. No, we do that because we're mean. As was stated earlier, we have as much time to pray and reason our response as we need so that we are not being hateful or overly zealous.
Love...It means so much more than just speaking plainly to people. It means that you also like them. My wife recently lost her grandmother, "Gram". It was a tragically beautiful time for the family. We all hated to see Gram go see Jesus, but we all knew it was time. What was fascinating to watch were the relationships that are typically strained becoming loving again. Wayward family members came back, and there was repentance and forgiveness. It was beautiful. So many reassuring hugs, pats on the back, encouraging words, and just general kindness. I've been thinking of this in light of the above thoughts on God's personality and how He designed us. It took a death for us to realize some in the family are just quirky.
I'm sure most have been through similar circumstances. A tragedy begets union. "And they were all together in one accord". We as Christians have all had a death in the family. We all serve the same Jesus who sacrificed Himself so that we might have life. Those days of "whatever you need" after a funeral are what the early church lived, because Jesus sacrificed His body for them. Well, His body is gone but the Holy Spirit is with us empowering us with love. And love also means to "like". Just my thoughts.
We as Christians have all had a death in the family. We all serve the same Jesus who sacrificed Himself so that we might have life. Those days of "whatever you need" after a funeral are what the early church lived, because Jesus sacrificed His body for them.
WOW!!! Amen. What a thought hoohoou! I often pray that the Lord would bring his church back to that newness of life, or raise up a remnant with the same newness, the same fresh wine as the early church...Lord help us please.
I hope this is considered encouraging, for it spoke to me.
Luke 1v35, '...the Holy Spirit will come upon you...'
The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and she conceived and gave birth to Christ.
If only the Holy Spirit were at work in us, we would give birth to souls.
Isn't that what God desires?
Just something to ponder.
One must be ever so careful lest we become like the people the prophet speaks of in Isaiah 30:10:
"Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions." NASB
KJV: "Which say to the seers, See not;and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:"
I find this mentality absolutely scary.
ginnyrose
Isaiah 30:10 After a while of hearing judgments, doom and gloom, one would like to hear a good word. When Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel would come into a town, I can just a imagine people trembling in the streets. Someone is running to tell the king that the prophet had come. I can almost hear their words saying, "What now, more words of destruction upon our land". "Why do we put up with this guy?". "I can't bear to hear another message of doom", "I hope he has something good to say".
In this day and age of "The End", we hear so much of this. And yes, it can be deafening, but after years of hearing this, and having run through a troop and hitting the wall (still trying to leap) and bad luck on everything I put my hand to, and multiple sighs, I would still prefer to hear the truth even if it's bad news.
I would still prefer to hear the truth even if it's bad news.
AMEN! and AMEN!
The untruth will eventually put you in a much greater bind then truth does which liberates if one allows it to do its work. And therein lies the rub: pride will prevent one from humbling him/herself to submit to a greater authority then him/herself.
ginnyrose
"In our discussions on the forums and our posts;
are we building up one another in the most holy
faith; are we encouraging one another with hope
as the Day of the LORD approaches; are we
speaking the truth with grace and in love??
IF NOT, THEN WHY NOT ??"...THREAD TOPIC..
"Something to consider"
Matthew 10:34-39
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."..Jesus of Nazareth
If we are speaking the truth in love, or submitting to the truth in love, there will ALWAYS be division, even in "our own house." Jesus went so far to say that that is the reason He came to EARTH, to "bring division". We see that loving the Truth is the issue, and intrinsically tied into the nature of Agape Love.
As I see it, we are all, who are serious about obtaining salvation, are in the process of working it out' learning to love Truth; Jesus first and our family. We are all in the process.
"The untruth will eventually put you in a much greater bind than truth does which liberates if one allows it to do its work." GINNYROSE
This is the nature of Godly patience, ENDURANCE.
When our ideas are challenged, do we become angry? Even if we do, it doesn't mean that you must become angry back. A lot of patience is required to love. Anyone have kids? Teenagers?
We try. We want to be edifying, but if conflict arises for truth's sake, how far to we take it? When to we say uncle, and move on? That has been my problem a lot.
How serious do we take ourselves? Should we take a BIG God seriously, and count ourselves as possibly a little lower? Again, I face my own pride often that demands that I take up my own rights because after all, I'm just right!
"And he who does not take up his cross...[ DEATH ] and follow after Me, "Is not worthy of ME!"
Learning how to love; [failing much..]Tom
May God bless you for that authentic confession, transparent and vunerable. Humble.
I am not unlike you, and the brother or sister, who writes such a penintent confession is not far behind us.
The division that Jesus came down from Heaven to bring is with us this very day, and as the Spirit testifies to me, this division is why we have so many denominations,,and it grieves me no end, because my spirit leaps for joy everytime i read John 17, the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.
Would to God we all take that to heart...as my failings are too many to ennumerate.
I came onboard this morning before i did ANYTHING else today, because i had to (unexpectantly) write this post, and another that is in my heart.
May God give you the peace that transcends all understanding today, may Jesus fill you with His Love TODAY, may he make your soul a large mustard plant, that small seed of Faith, that Gift, imperishable, forever and in Jesus' love, neil
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