"What if Jesus meant..."

Dean Taylor's series on Biblical Non-Resistance is promoted here in the heading. I would urge all to give it a listen.

Dean and his wife were both military when the Holy Spirit started convicting them.. He started with a question, "what if Jesus meant what he said?"

And...you know what? What if God means everything he is asking of us? What if?

"What if Jesus meant everything he said?"

Good question.

Sandra

The OP says,

"And...you know what? What if God means everything he is asking of us? What if?"

"What if Jesus meant everything he said?"

"Good question."

___________________

No person who has been born of God's Spirit from above, has any doubt that, "God means everything he is asking of us", or that, "Jesus meant everything he said."

So I would not say it is a 'good question' to true believers. It may be a good question to unbelievers or even mere church-goers.

You see, it's like asking a mathematician if 2+2=4.

It would be best to ask the question, "what did Jesus mean?" And of course, context is never to be left out.

Here is a good question for those willing to consider it;

Is it a spiritually healthy environment to move my family (wife and several children) to a Hutterite colony, to live within the colony as members?

Do you know Hutterisch?

I do not speak that language.

What significance does your question have to this thread Todd?

I thought that’s the language a lot of Hutterites use.

Ginny,

I think it is a good question.

Savannah,

We live in a culture where--even men and women who have been walking with the Lord for many years--are constantly bombarded with "did God REALLY say...." There are so many "sacred truths" that children and adults alike are taught, that are unsupported by scripture, that believers do find themselves asking "Did Jesus really mean what He said when He said..."

I don't think the answer to that question is contingent on whether someone is born again. I think that any time our lives and the scriptures do not perceivably match up that we need to ask ourselves, "What does this mean?". And really, I think that's the root of it. We might start out asking, "Did Jesus REALLY mean..." but we'll always end up on, "WHAT did Jesus mean..." if that makes sense.

I do want to comment on what I think regarding non-resistance, but I would like to listen to the sermon first lol. Which, I will once I figure out how to download it on an ipad.

Savannah,

In my walk with the LORD - and I assume this happens all the time - one can read something in the Word and for some reason it does not resonate with us, or one just does not comprehend its meaning. Then one day - in God's timing - the Holy Spirit is removing the blinders from ones eyes and you are comprehending something that heretofore was not undersood or observed. This is what happened to Dean Taylor and his wife.

This series has a lot of powerful lessons one does well to take note of and....you may find yourself asking this question, too, about an issue you have been ignoring - happens to growing Believers all the time.

God bless...

Sandra

There is no doubt Jesus meant what he said when he said it. He meant it for the people he spoke to in the context in which he spoke. Obviously many of the things he said were meant to apply to all persons for all time in all situations. Other things he said perhaps require a little discernment to determine how his words should be applied.

I for one haven't ignored this. That's the first thing I want to say.

Secondly, the question I asked about a Hutterite colony has nothing to do with being a calvinist or reformed.

Thirdly, I was not for a moment considering any move with my own family to any colony.

Lastly, the question was asked generally to any here on SI if they thought it would be spiritually healthy to do so.

Because, indeed, that's the very move Dean made, and presently lives in such a colony. And one of his children married one of the Hutterite colony members recently.

I myself have met Dean, and I have heard him preach in person.