THE GLIDE SLOPE

3Jn 1:1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius (put your name here, as though this word is from me to you) , whom I love in the truth.
3Jn 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
That is my prayer for you, the few. Those who love and follow TRUTH.
One of the most well known, and most perverted texts in the whole bible. John loves this man Gaius because his love was rooted in truth. So is mine for you.
The emphasis is not on those things needed for physical living, but that Gaius had a heart rooted in TRUTH. TRUTH that is a path for his feet to follow day by day. John is hoping that his material needs abounded as much as his heart and soul. And this is my prayer for you. The riches of prosperity deep within has no equal or comparison in the earthly realm.
Most churchies, when they read this, they think of mansions, expensive cars, swimming pools and caviar. They rarely if ever think that folks who "own" such things are some of the most miserable people in the world, deep inside their hearts. Many are so miserable that they willfully take their own life. This is not at all the image of what the Apostle has in mind when he speaks of his beloved brother in CHRIST. Read on and this becomes crystal clear.....
3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
This is the ultimate in prosperity. The devil has no weapon to form against such a defense as this. In fact, TRUTH is an offensive weapon we use, to bring down strongholds. Strongholds of deception and traditional idolatries. Any and everything that exalts itself, or attempts too, above the word of the MOST HIGH. These words of spiritual toxins find no comparison to TRUTH. They simply cannot find a way to infect the spirit, because the spirit is FORTIFIED with TRUTH.
3Jn 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
The ultimate of great health. One who walks in the TRUTH! One who walks as HE walked. One who has lost or surrendered all fascination with this world and all it offers to appease the lusts of the flesh. A man/woman who walks in TRUTH, is aligned on the narrow way.
He/she is like the modern airliner. Have you ever thought how narrow the way, down through the clouds only to see land 200' off the ground and the runway lights directly in front of the aircraft, for a safe landing. What a narrow beam it is. The plane follows a specialize antenna array, that is aligned with the runway. There is one horizontal beam of radio waves, and one vertical. The plane has instruments that detect these two beams that radiate up into the air on what is called a glide slope. If the pilot carefully follows the instruments in front of him, they indicate that her/his plane is on the glide slope aligned with the runway. He can't see the runway. But he trusts his instruments, no matter what. The instruments can tell him if the plane is above or below the glide slope, or to the left or right of it. The pilot is so trained to TRUST the instruments that he/she is quite at ease that the plane is on the narrow way that leads right down to the runway for landing, even though they can't see a thing outside the aircraft.
Our BIBLES, it's TRUTH, is our "guide" along the narrow way. TRUTH aligns us with the will of HAYAH (I AM). If we are to entertain ourselves with the hope of landing in the right place when we meet eternity head on, we must follow the certainty of TRUTH. TRUTH lets us know if we should drift to one side or the other, or too high or too low, of our final and hoped for destination.
Passengers on an airplane feel secure also. Those who sit in the passenger seats are so confident with the certification process for pilots , that they know these folks are highly trained and well qualified to sit in the pilot's seat, and make choices about the aircraft's direction, that affects all of their personal safety.
That was once the case in the spiritual realm. When congregations were guide by old time preachers who followed the HOLY SPIRT as spiritual direction is illuminated and directions of Biblical guidance followed. No Compromise.
But not any more. Those who sit in the pews all want to be the pastor. They want their opinions to guide the church. What if planes were like that? Would you fly on one? The plane is loaded and a voice comes on and says, "ladies and gentleman". The cabin crew is going about the isles, passing out a form for you to fill out. Please enter the course you think we should fly today, the altitude, and where you think the landing spot will be. Then when you get a consensus, we can set our course and take off. That is if someone in the passenger section will step up and actually fly the plane according to the most popular opinions. Thank you".
Huh? Would you be content to fly on this kind of airline? I hope not. I know I would not get on such a flight. Destruction is all but guaranteed. IT IS NO DIFFERENT with congregations today. The person sitting in the pastor's seat, is seated there by popular vote. Passenger safety is not a concern. He only cares about how many passengers are on board. It's all about enjoying the ride. Or so they think. Why is there no alarm? Why aren't you terrified?
"Oh our captain has never crashed a plane in his life". Small wonder. He has never gotten off the ground. Pastors today are no better. They don't know what it means to fly by faith and not by sight. We see the wisdom of qualifications and experience. But when it comes to pastors, if they sound like they can walk by faith and not by sight, then they must be a good person. DO YOU WANT TO RISK YOUR ETERNAL DESITINATION with this kind of person guiding your spiritual life along the narrow way? Huh? Where is your sanity?
Small wonder the Apostle says "come out from among them". Their opinions do not follow SOUND DOCTRINE. Even if they manage to get off the ground, they have no idea about the right direction or how to land safely at the promised destination. Can you see the danger? Why would you want to risk your eternal destination, by following someone who does not know how to follow the navigation guide into eternal life.
So when the apostle is rejoicing and celebrating the TRUTH in the life of his friend Gaius, he's celebrating Gaius has the TRUTH, and he is using the same to guide his way down the narrow way.
Question is,......... are you? Should I celebrate or grieve, when I think of you?

All the while, you're not part of any local congregation anywhere, where, as you make your contributions for the edification of the body and give your words you are under oversight and the judgment of others as to the validity of your words. Right? Plus, you maintain your anti-Trinitarian views while always barking at the rest of the body. How very stale it is, and, in my opinion, not born of the Holy Spirit.

Is that correct, Lahry? Do you deny the Trinity as being doctrinally sound? I would like to hear it from you, and not another, if this is your tenet. 1 John 5:7 tells us, "For there are three that bear record in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three agree in one."

As for no church fellowship, is that true, Lahry? I know that you were once a missionary in India.

Chris, I personally believe 1 John 5:7, and I think that it was removed from some ancient manuscripts, not added later, as some textual critics say. I think it was indeed in John's original letter.

I think it would be advantageous, though, in building a scriptural case for the Trinity (which is easy to do, in my opinion), to use other texts, so as to take any "gotcha" arguments away from heretics (I don't believe anyone can be a christian and not a Trinitarian.) I'm not saying that babes in Christ must know the finer points of systematic theology to be saved; rather it is a case of revelation of God's person to the individual believer.

If people hold to heretical views on essentials even after repeated remonstration, it is evident to me they are not born of the Spirit of God. If the case is truly so with Lahry, we must faithfully warn him to repent and put his trust in the real Jesus of Nazareth, not a fake, plastic one that can't save him.

My opinion is not the one that all things revolve around. Yet I've found that time and time again Onesimus' posts usually consist of heavy gauge broadsides against the church and all it is supposedly doing wrong without ever mentioning any of the good things the church has and is doing. Plus, it seems he is not part of any local fellowship anywhere but has carved out a solitary niche of sorts for himself. If I'm wrong about that I stand corrected. In the past he has said things that seemed to indicate he is not a believer in the Trinity the way that orthodox Christian doctrine has presented this issue. Yet he has always been quick to accuse the church of abusing doctrine and getting things wrong and even heresy. SO, I admit that it bothers me to see a "lone ranger" more than likely involved inn heresy himself as regards the Trinity to always be pounding everyone's chops and denigrating the church at almost every turn. When questioned about his Trintarian views, if my memory serves me correctly, he always has refused to answer. If questioned now, it is a very simple thing to just say yes or nor in regard to the Trinity. I predict if he is asked now, it will result in another another non answer. So, if he fellowships nowhere because he sees the people he would be fellowshipping with as beneath his spiritual status, and if he does hold anti-Trinitarian views, then my thinking, whether for right or wrong, is that the way and manner in which he posts here should not remain unchallenged. I am willing to subject my thinking to the discernment and input of others here. No man is an island unto itself in the body of Christ and certainly not me.

Did I miss something??
This post is addressing sheep following other sheep, not the shepherd and the inevitable misguidance that occurs from not "loving the truth”…
I’ve read it twice and don’t find any reference to the trinity ??

As far as the criticism of the church goes,… aren’t we supposed to watch over it jealously??

TBH, the modern church needs something dramatic to wake up its members from their self induced coma … I serve clients from "church” daily and this post is reflective of what I find in my experience… the overwhelming majority of "church goers” are spiritually undeveloped, immature, grossly ill equipped and in most every way lacking vision/discernment 🤷🏽”â™‚️ As such the majority will fall prey to the current deception and the demonic schemes currently underway-
The "church” has remained silent and paralyzed regarding the fleecing of the flock and has demonstrated itself powerless to do anything about it …. Look around and ask the Lord yourself if He is pleased with it 🙏🏻

Hi Fletcher- Lahry is a poster and runner- he rarely responds to questions about his posts.

Docs post below is referencing many many prior posts of his, not just this one.

We’ll see if he responds to the question about his belief(or not) in the Trinity.

Lahry is very active on Facebook. Lots of posts, photos, etc. That may be why he hasn't answered here:

https://www.facebook.com/lahry.sibley

Why not play the ball and not the man…?
Are we now going to pursue individuals here on SI across threads and now to other platforms??

Can someone site a biblical precedent for this action?

Online forums are not the same as a local/physical fellowship and as such can’t be treated the same…

This is not an accusation nor endorsement, rather a call to be sober and disciplined in our approach to correction 🙏🏻

All I'm saying is that on his FB page he cites, besides the Scriptures, godly men like Spurgeon and Tozer. Photos of past missionary work in India and Uganda are there as well. Nothing anti-Trinitarian that I see.

Sir you have responded to many of my posts, seemingly with one vendetta. My character assassination, using the same unrelated questions.
FYI, I am an active part in a church here in Brownsville, where I attend services 4 times each week. Any questions?

Secondly, I answer to my LORD who inspires me, and HE holds me personally accountable. HE is the head of HIS body, and HE is my head also. If you have seen HIM, you see the FATHER also. It is obvious to me and anyone capable of reading plain English, that YEHOVAH has chosen to interface with man as what we call "the FATHER". HE has manifested HIS presence physically, in what we call "the SON". And HE ever leads and guides us by HIS HOLY SPIRIT. That's the way HE chose to deal with man. Who am I to even discuss this. But there is only one ELOHIM. HE is the ELOHIM of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel. Both the old and new testament declare HIM to be ONE GOD.
Do I understand it? Not hardly.
I am not a scholar, or a linguist. But I have been studying HIS word, for over 50 years. I still see through a glass darkly, as we all do. In the last 25 years, I have written and published only almost every day, so many days more than one piece. Plus I have responded to what others have written. So what? I'm not any different than anyone else. I have a living personal relationship with my LORD in the SPIRIT as well as HIS TRUTH. I never set out to be a writer. But things just kept running through my mind and spirit and I began to write them down, then share them with others.
I have no control over who reads them. I have so much feedback on who responds to them, and lives who have changed their eternal destination as fruit to what I write.
I am no edified by your senseless feedback, sir. If you were truly wise, perhaps you would think twice before making accusations. Slander is a terrible sin.
I will not be deterred by your comments. But I'm not edified by them either. And yes, I'm too busy with my walk with HIM to respond to the likes of you. I forgive you. But I don't have to listen to you.

For the rest of you, I apologize for not responding more. I love quality fellowship, where there is no scoffer in the midst. Perhaps Mr Winter may one day find a new place to play elsewhere.

To my dearly beloved brother in CHRIST, Greg Gordon, Warm greetings and much love dear sir. If I have marred your forum here, I apologize. But I will not apologize for preaching/teaching HIS word, HIS TRUTH. People can ban me from their pages, but you cannot ban me from HIS kingdom. My inheritance is sealed in HIS shed blood. To HIM alone be the glory, honor, and praise. Thank you.

I have based my questions and comments regarding Onesimus and the Trinity on things I have read in the past posted on this forum. I was fortunate enough to be able to find these posts in Scriptures and Doctrine when I searched for them. The history is:

On 5/7/2022, Dave 123 posted a very good post titled, "What is the Significance of the Local Church." In this post he stated:

"This was approached first by the apostle because once there is a division in the city everything else doesn’t matter. If they had divided into their four preferences in that city the testimony of the oneness of the Triune God in his Body would be lost."

On 7/24/2022, Onesimus4God responded with 2 posts. In one he deservingly congragulated Dave on a good post and then added another post in which he stated:

"There is one concern I have. You mention the "triune God". Really? My Bible says YEHOVAH our ELOHIM is ONE ELOMIM. Agreed, for HIS own choosing and purposes, HE has chosen to interface with man as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. HE is all of these, as one. Not 3. Surely HE has done all for our benefit to help us understand that HE is all in all and so much more. But three persons? That to me is a stretch I cannot reach. And I was raised the catholic, who originated this teaching. But then they also originated many other heresies supported by the protestant divisions. There is only ONE, and ONE BODY. HIS body."

"Rom_16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."

"That's a tough assignment, but an assignment none the less." (END)

On 7/25/2022, the next day, BranchinVine posted to Onesimus and said he was trying to understand what Onesimus/Lahry meant and presented a scholarly well written article regarding the Trinty consisting of three persons etc. He asked Onesimus if he thought the Christian doctrine of the Trinity as presented in the article was "heresy." To which no satisfactory answer was ever given.

I (docs) also replied on 7/25/2022 that it sounded to me like Onesimus was advocating modalism which is the doctrine that the persons of the Trinity represent only three modes or aspects of the divine revelation, not distinct and coexisting persons in the divine nature. Or, the theological doctrine that the members of the Trinity are not three distinct persons but rather three modes or forms of activity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) under which God manifests himself. (Definitions copied from elsewhere).

Lahry has finally given an explanation of sorts regarding his view of how God relates to mankind. But all I have had to go on is what I have read on this forum as posted above (7/24/22), which, in my opinion, is a belief in modalism which at its foundation is a denial of the Trinity. If I'm wrong, I stand corrected.

I apologize for mentioning the names of others in that thread, but I was trying to provide context.

If one presents himself time and time again as a major critic of the church with diatribe after diatribe against the church, it only seems logical and fair that they themselves should be walking in sound doctrine, especially in relation to such an all-important pivotal doctrine as the Trinity. If I misinterpreted Onesimus' words ("But three persons? That to me is a stretch I cannot reach." etc.) as being anti-Trintarian, show me how I may have misinterpreted them. I have been taught almost from day one that how one sees the Godhead and the triune nature of God is of monumental importance in regards to walking in sound doctrine and a true knowledge of God. That's all I am saying.

Mr Winter,

Modalism - the doctrine that the persons of the Trinity represent only three modes or aspects of the divine revelation, not distinct and coexisting persons in the divine nature.

You are correct, sir. That is exactly what I think the Bible clearly teaches. Hear oh Israel, the LORD our ELOHIM (PLURAL) is ONE ELOHIM.

Sir if it were not mystery of how can this be, then we all would understand just how that is. YEHOVAH is HAYAH. YESHUA is Salvation. HE promised that HE would send HIS HOLY SPIRIT. Acts 2. Promise kept. I believe it all. you deal with the labels, for whatever gratification becomes you. I will worship the LORD of all.

It’s fascinating how relentless you have been in calling out Lahry, brother David, but alas, he replied! Your perseverance paid off brother!

I must say I’m surprised and encouraged that you replied here Lahry! Praise the Lord and thank you brother! 🙌

In my mind I imagine how different the interaction would be if you two brothers met in person over coffee or something.

Posts on an online forum can be so challenging to convey ones heart and spirit behind the words.

My sense is that both of you brothers have tremendous gifts from God that the body desperately need in these times. May these online exchanges lead to mutual edification in spirit and truth to that end!

Much love in Christ to you both!

Well Caleb, Lahry has admitted to being a modalist. The question you must resolve for yourself is whether this view is heretical. In my opinion, it is because it denies the true nature of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Modalism is a serious misunderstanding of God, and has been condemned as heresy for virtually all of church history. It isn't a non essential in our creed and understanding. It is on the same level as Jehovah's Witnesses (for example) saying that Jesus isn't God, or denying the virgin birth, or denying the resurrection.

A. W. Tozer said in one of his books that anyone who has made any impact in God's kingdom has been a Trinitarian. That's worth pondering.

Even in the Old Testament, in the very first book of the Bible, the Trinity is alluded to: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Genesis 1:26. Some scholars erroneously say that God was talking to the angels when He said this. There are multiple problems with this. One is that angels cannot create. "Let US make man..." God can't be talking to the angels, unless they had a hand in creating Adam (which is impossible because only God can create anything.) Another problem is that we don't have the nature of angels: "For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:16.

Or consider the first martyr of the church era, Stephen, what he said when he was stoned: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." Acts 7:56. The Son of man standing on the right side of Himself? It makes no sense.

What I’m asking is, are we now going to reject everything someone whom we disagree with on a separate specific says ??
ie; the OP has little to anything directly relating to the trinity and yet the responses are almost exclusively about what the poster believes on an unrelated point…

Again this is an online forum not a physical assembly, the rules of engagement are different, no?

For example, I personally get railed up when someone excuses themselves, essentially abdicating any responsibility/authority to a thing while saying, "God is in control” which the scriptures are clear (to me) that is simply not the case-
So am I to follow the example put forth here and pursue this person every time they post something, taking them to task because we disagree on the issue of sovereign authority vs sovereign control??

Tough call Fletcher. There can be disagreements over doctrine and fellowship still is possible. But when someone believes in a different Jesus, it may cross the line.

I may believe that Jesus won’t do certain things that others have no problem with Him doing. But we still believe in the same Jesus from a trinity standpoint.

I don't agree with everything Lahry writes and I not even read every sentence he writes.
But why pick on him ?

Yes we need a lot of discernment.
But Jesus' main warning was that "false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible" Matth 24:24
Paul warned many times about false Gospels.
I have seen a lot of such false teachings on this site and most people are not even realising it or are just ignoring it.

Edit: deleted the clip

Lahry's posts tend to rail at the sheep in a harsh, condemning way. I see a lot more humanity on his FB page. Here he just posts his polemics and very, very seldom replies. I once told him he was wasting his time here with the diatribes. In-person teaching, evangelism, fellowship, etc. are so much more effective.

He must have been writing in a modalist fashion before I joined the forum, but Docs certainly saw it.

I'm not against Lahry. I still smile when I think of that FB video of his wherein he ran up and down a large, outdoor staircase, and wasn't even winded. :)