PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Dec 14, 2018 16:45:25 GMT -5
James was before the cross? What planet do these people live on?
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Post by frienduff on Dec 14, 2018 16:52:21 GMT -5
James was before the cross? What planet do these people live on?
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Post by frienduff on Dec 14, 2018 16:53:44 GMT -5
OH they live on earth , but their doctrine sounds like it came from a planet commonly called Uranus .
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Post by Abby-Joy on Dec 14, 2018 17:12:12 GMT -5
Yes, I remember the date, the event, the location, and how it felt... the tears... the change in my heart... I immediately went home and witnessed to my dad and was filled with love where there had been hate. January 12, 1986!
Speaking of repentance... someone recently said to me that "not everyone has that experience... it doesn't mean they're not saved."
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Post by Abby-Joy on Dec 14, 2018 17:16:30 GMT -5
OH they live on earth , but their doctrine sounds like it came from a planet commonly called Uranus .
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Post by Abdicate on Dec 14, 2018 20:23:38 GMT -5
This is not an offshoot of any other thread, but it something I have felt the need to discuss. Most of us remember the day we accepted Christ and got saved. We may not know the calendar date, but we remember the event. I have been encountering professing Christians that can't do that, and never invited Jesus to come into their heart and save them. They will claim they are saved because they have believed in the Lord from their youth. Is it possible a person like that is really saved?
Ah Christians inheritance. Well, no, I do not believe they're Christians. Charles Finney was an ordained minister before he realized the truth and got saved many years later! Being in a Christian home makes you a Christian no more than standing in a garage makes you a car. There is great influence for sure, but it's a willful act to call upon the Lord Jesus to save us. It's not an inherited event, nor is it a formulaic event, nor is it without repentance. That's just what I believe for whatever its worth.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2018 11:08:47 GMT -5
This is not an offshoot of any other thread, but it something I have felt the need to discuss. Most of us remember the day we accepted Christ and got saved. We may not know the calendar date, but we remember the event. I have been encountering professing Christians that can't do that, and never invited Jesus to come into their heart and save them. They will claim they are saved because they have believed in the Lord from their youth. Is it possible a person like that is really saved?
Brother, one thing that comes to mind is where Jesus said to let the little children come to Him and hinder them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. I think we should generally believe someone's confession of faith, and judge by their fruits alone, rather than by their experience. I don't really know what it is like for a child to be saved, they are more innocent than an adult or teenager so might not notice or remember as much of a dramatic change as an older person, just a possibility on that. But if they believe in Jesus and confess Him with their mouth and are following in His ways, and growing in Him, then perhaps they can be accepted on that basis, the basis of those kinds of fruits.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Dec 15, 2018 11:39:54 GMT -5
Brother, one thing that comes to mind is where Jesus said to let the little children come to Him and hinder them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. I think we should generally believe someone's confession of faith, and judge by their fruits alone, rather than by their experience. I don't really know what it is like for a child to be saved, they are more innocent than an adult or teenager so might not notice or remember as much of a dramatic change as an older person, just a possibility on that. But if they believe in Jesus and confess Him with their mouth and are following in His ways, and growing in Him, then perhaps they can be accepted on that basis, the basis of those kinds of fruits. We are dealing with two different scenarios here. Scenario A: God moved on my heart when I was very young. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I know He drew me to conviction. No one can be saved otherwise. Scenario B: There’s never been a time when I didn’t love Jesus, so I’ve never had a sinful life to repent of. Jesus and I have always had an understanding. One of those things is not like the other.
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Post by Abby-Joy on Dec 15, 2018 13:32:27 GMT -5
This is not an offshoot of any other thread, but it something I have felt the need to discuss. Most of us remember the day we accepted Christ and got saved. We may not know the calendar date, but we remember the event. I have been encountering professing Christians that can't do that, and never invited Jesus to come into their heart and save them. They will claim they are saved because they have believed in the Lord from their youth. Is it possible a person like that is really saved?
Brother, one thing that comes to mind is where Jesus said to let the little children come to Him and hinder them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. I think we should generally believe someone's confession of faith, and judge by their fruits alone, rather than by their experience. I don't really know what it is like for a child to be saved, they are more innocent than an adult or teenager so might not notice or remember as much of a dramatic change as an older person, just a possibility on that. But if they believe in Jesus and confess Him with their mouth and are following in His ways, and growing in Him, then perhaps they can be accepted on that basis, the basis of those kinds of fruits. Yes, the above in bold is really key ... there will be a moment when they believed, and confessed Jesus Christ, and made a choice to follow Him... with "fruits meet for repentance." If they have no fruits, there was never a choice to follow Christ. But such a life changing event would be very difficult to just blur into the background of one's life! If it was vague, then it wasn't noteworthy enough for them to record it in their conscious memory... I can hardly think that that life would bear much godly fruit.
I've heard testimonies of people who came to Christ at a young age (ages 3, 4, 5), who remembered their experience well. They usually testify how that even at that age, it was the message of the cross and how that Jesus died for their sins, that drew them, and they report a sorrow for their sins (even at that age). At those ages, they are still under the influence of their parents and being "trained up." Even then, they usually have an experience as they grow older of making it more personal and not just an extension of their parents' relationships with God.
Even I, having been born into the occult... remember at age 6, being taught a single Bible verse (Revelation 3:20), and how that it was a seed God used to bring me to Himself. From age 10, I heard the voice of the Lord Jesus calling me and drawing me, and teaching my heart about Himself .... until I finally made a choice to surrender at age 13. A child remembers events like that, that involve God.
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Post by Abby-Joy on Dec 15, 2018 13:35:16 GMT -5
OH they live on earth , but their doctrine sounds like it came from a planet commonly called Uranus . Just a little humor there, y'all ... frienduff's post struck me funny! (Okay, moving right along..... )
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Cletus
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Post by Cletus on Dec 15, 2018 14:13:31 GMT -5
you ever been conversing with God and He asks you a question, and the only honest answer is I dont know... and then He stops talking. He will let you go a long time with silence before you answer correctly and he responds or lets you know thats right. He dictates the topic. He dont compromise his ways. He dont just chit chat about whatever. I have heard peoples testimonies where they had conversation with God but they tip toed all around repentance, and something to say Gods Spirit went into them, or a weight was lifted. nothing to say for sure they are born again. and then you listen to their words. they grossly misquote and use scripture. they have skewed views on biblical topics. and on certain christian forums they have a title something like... non-conformist theology. they even believe they are saved because God spoke to them, they met Him. even in the case of little children, they remember a time when God saved them. I knew a woman once who was saved young and turned from God, but she remembered being saved. when people say things like well i grew up in church and i have always been a christian, or i grew up in a christian family or in the church they are not saved by that. they may think they are, but being born again isnt something someone forgets. When A Spirit comes into you that changes who you are, one that will never leave of forsake you, you cant forget that. I dont see how anyone can Grow in Him if they are not In Christ, or rather, have Christ in them. you got to have the Spirit before you can have fruit. even Jesus said this in John 15... Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. We cant walk in Spirit if we have not The Spirit. We cant have eternal life if we dont have The One living in us that defeated death and the grave. and if we are not led by the Spirit, we are under the law... and the law can not justify us only condemn us. The only way to be free of the law is to be In Christ. Jesus is the Gate. Jesus is the door. Jesus is the way, the only way.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Dec 15, 2018 15:00:36 GMT -5
I wasn’t excited about accepting Jesus because I knew what it entailed... I’d been wrong about everything, I’d chased after lies, and I’d done many wicked, dangerous, stupid things that violated God’s standards. There was no way around it; I was a lost, lost sinner. It doesn’t feel good to admit that. It isn’t fun and games. The gospel is a lifeline for a drowning person, not a philosophical meeting of the minds.
But I will say, for me salvation was a two-step process. First was when I dropped my guard enough to pray. I told Jesus that if He was real I would do whatever He said. After He showed up and proved Himself, I was left with no choice but to believe Him. My belief in Him removed the veil so I saw the wicked condition of the world. When I saw how much of the world was in me, and how depraved I was, I started repenting all over the place. This process took about a day.
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Post by frienduff on Dec 15, 2018 17:25:49 GMT -5
you ever been conversing with God and He asks you a question, and the only honest answer is I dont know... and then He stops talking. He will let you go a long time with silence before you answer correctly and he responds or lets you know thats right. He dictates the topic. He dont compromise his ways. He dont just chit chat about whatever. I have heard peoples testimonies where they had conversation with God but they tip toed all around repentance, and something to say Gods Spirit went into them, or a weight was lifted. nothing to say for sure they are born again. and then you listen to their words. they grossly misquote and use scripture. they have skewed views on biblical topics. and on certain christian forums they have a title something like... non-conformist theology. they even believe they are saved because God spoke to them, they met Him. even in the case of little children, they remember a time when God saved them. I knew a woman once who was saved young and turned from God, but she remembered being saved. when people say things like well i grew up in church and i have always been a christian, or i grew up in a christian family or in the church they are not saved by that. they may think they are, but being born again isnt something someone forgets. When A Spirit comes into you that changes who you are, one that will never leave of forsake you, you cant forget that. I dont see how anyone can Grow in Him if they are not In Christ, or rather, have Christ in them. you got to have the Spirit before you can have fruit. even Jesus said this in John 15... Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. We cant walk in Spirit if we have not The Spirit. We cant have eternal life if we dont have The One living in us that defeated death and the grave. and if we are not led by the Spirit, we are under the law... and the law can not justify us only condemn us. The only way to be free of the law is to be In Christ. Jesus is the Gate. Jesus is the door. Jesus is the way, the only way. ANY TRUE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER , ANY , will never say , oh well I go to church or this or that . THEY GONNA POINT RIGHT TO JESUS and say THAT IS WHY I AM SAVED . now false ones can do this too . But any true one cannot say any other thing , BUT OH THIS FILTHY THING was saved BY GRACE ALONE , by FAITH IN CHRIST . HECK they will even go on to say THE ONLY GOOD In me , IS HIM . THEY WONT POINT TO A THING , OTHER THAN JESUS . AND THAT IS A FACT . THEY KNOW . IF THEY BORN AGAIN , THEY KNOW and I mean , K N O W. it had nothing to do with self or religion , BUT ONLY CHRIST > THEY KNOW IT better than their own hand . THEY KNOW IT . Now false ones can say this too, BUT FRUITS ALWAYS SHOW WHAT TREE ONE IS TRULY OF .
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Post by frienduff on Dec 15, 2018 17:28:50 GMT -5
SO , how do we discern the true from the false . Even the false wont point to JESUS , WELLL AT LEAST NOT HIS SAYINGS . THAT IS HOW WE KNOW . They will say OH JESUS SAVED ME , OH I was but filth , BUT WHOSE SAYINGS DO THEY KEEP AND DO . THAT RIGHT THIER shows WHO ONE LOVES . I triple dare anyone to lie and say otherwise . NO TRUE BELEIVER WOULD .
You know what I love about narrow way . NOT a one here would argue and say otherwise . The lambs LOVE JESUS SAYINGS . THEY LOVE THEM .
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Post by frienduff on Dec 15, 2018 17:30:44 GMT -5
Just a little humor there, y'all ... frienduff 's post struck me funny! (Okay, moving right along..... ) I see our loved sister got tickled . Well I could have said Saturn or Neptune , BUT FOR SOME REASON URANUS just seemed to fit the bill well.
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