mikehev

God is great all the time and in every way. The blood of Christ is sufficient for all, but only efficient for the elect. MH

God is great all the time and in every way. If he sent 2 missionaries to the base of the amazon, I'm sure he would work it out. Our hearts are by nature heretical. So then truth is all about revelation from God that coresponds with His Word and character. He will never contradict himself. He is not the author of confusion. God would make it work.

God is great all the time and in every way. Well, it sounds like it would be sort of like the life Adam and Eve would have had, just OUTSIDE the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were the most God fearing people on earth, they had seen, talked and walked with Him. Yet they still rejected His truth for a lie and were ejected from their sin free Haven. Then along came their first two sons. No television. No video games. No gang members. No piers. No influence except for their parents and now Satan. Able obeyed God with a greatful heart, Cain did not. Cain became so enraged that he killed his brother. Since we are born into sin, there is no way that we can live in a sin free environment. We would bring it with us. The sin is IN us. It's a nice idea, but the only place we will ever be sin free is Heaven. The only way to get there is through belief in Jesus Christ. He covered our sins with His blood on the cross. Good call Biblicist The fall is paid for...but not obliterated in us until we see Christ face to face. "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." - Romans 7:24-25

God is great all the time and in every way. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people- not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. - I Corinthians 5:9-10 God put us where he put us for a reason. He knows we will fall into sin daily. He permits this because he elects to use us for his purposes. Otherwise, I firmly believe that we would be taken straight to heaven upon belief. He promises to conform us into the image of His Son. This involves sanctification and a learning process. God is so awesome that he will use everything in our lives to do this. Even our failures. Even this corrupt world around us. He really is great all the time and in every way. Praise God!!!!!

God is great all the time and in every way. You could always become Amish... I see what you are saying. Probably alot of what the Pilgrims were thinking. That would be nice, to not have to worry about all the influences. Take heart, though. God is in control. Complete control. He put us all right where he wants us to be and in the time he wanted us to be in. I hear what you are saying though....would be nice. Heaven is going to be great. All of the elect, together with Christ the Lord. Awesome.

God is great all the time and in every way. Marriage is a Covenant

God is great all the time and in every way. One quick point about the idea of God foreordaining every thing that happened/happens. It can be summed up this way. Everything that takes place, has taken place, and will take place is either decreed by or permitted by God. Thus, he has indeed foreordained all things. One more thought: Man's freedom will never impose on God's sovereignty.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:29-30 "Those" and "Whom" are specific terms. He knew us(believers) intimately, and thought of us individually before we were ever born. This idea of individuals being dealt with is echoed throughout the rest of the passage. We are glorified individually and justified individually. No one will argue with that. It only makes sense that taken in context we are also predestined individually and foreknown individually.

I'm a sinner just like you. The great news is that the FREE GIFT of salvation is only for sinners!!!! 2 words LORD Jesus trust in him. He has done all the work! You aren't seeking him. He is seeking you!

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:15-25 In our hearts we should forgive men always, just as Christ has forgiven us. Settle it in your heart that a person who has wronged you is forgiven. At the same time, if he refuses to admit fault, even though he is forgiven in your heart, you have no responsibilty to maintain fellowship with that person. Take a look at the verses above: 1. tell the person what they are doing wrong 2. tell the person with 1 or 2 witnesses 3. tell the church 4. if he refuses to hear the church treat him as a heathen, and a publican (break fellowship) You have forgiven Him in your heart, but you will not resume fellowship with him until the behavior is changed. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew 18:23-35 So I would say that the important thing is to settle it in your heart that the person is forgiven, regardless of his response. After you have done all you can to reconcile the person(in accordance to what Christ mandated), if he or she is not willing to admit fault and continues in behavior that is out of order...he remains forgiven in your heart, but you don't need to associate with this person until he or she recognizes his or her error. Pray for this person, never give up on them, and the minute they return and ask for the forgiveness available to them, restore them as a brother.

"Important as it is that we recognize God working in us, I would yet warn against an over preoccupation with the thought. It is a sure road to sterile passivity. God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say,

Yes we sin because we are drawn away and tempted, and make a bad decision to succomb to that temptation whatever it may be. We also have a sinful nature: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Romans 7:18-25 And it was passed from Adam to us: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:12-21 There are verses all through Leviticus (check out Leviticus 4) that speaks of mandates for individual souls, leaders, and the people that sin through ignorance. The reality is that whether sin is done as an act of wilful disobedience to God, or it is done in ignorance, sin is sin: "All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death." 1 John 5:17 And all sin must be dealt with. God doesn't simply put a bandaide on our sin and tell us everything is OK. He dealt with our sins with a cross. And is alive forever and ever, willing to give eternal life to all that come to Him! Amen and Amen. It is free for us, but it cost Him everything.

Heaven is Heaven because Jesus is there and we will be with Him. I was deployed to Iraq back in 04 and am there again now(please keep my fiance and I in your prayers). When I came back to my home town, Jacksonville Florida...it was a literal city. The airport there was nicer than the airport in Iraq. The people were nicer....there was air conditioning, carpeted floors, better weather, nice buildings and structures in comparison to where I had been....but none of this was on my mind. All I cared about was seeing my family. The important thing was not that Jacksonville was nicer than Iraq....the important thing was that I was with my Dad and Mom again. I think Heaven is the same way. It is a literal place that is alot nicer than this place. The important thing is not the place though....The important thing is that we will be by the Lord Jesus' side.

If God can take pagan people and change them in such a way that they glorify Him...I'm sure it is no trouble for Him to take a pagan holiday that used to be an excuse for drunken revelries and turn it upside down. Think about it...December 25th used to mean a celebration in excess... Now December 25th calls us to remember the birth of the Savior. Regardless of the origins, it is up to us to make it all that it can be....and to glorify God through it.

God is good. It is wonderful that you want to share your testimony with people. I'd like to point you to when Christ casted the legion of demons out of a man in Luke 8:26-39. This man wanted to come with Jesus after the ordeal, but Jesus stopped him and told him to "Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee." He went his way and published how great things Jesus had done unto him. When Jesus came back to this same place later, there were thousands waiting to hear him. I'm sure God used this person's testimony to encourage these thousands to come to Christ. We can assume that this person had little to no theological training, and he didn't get much guidance as to "how to" shew how great things God had done unto him. He just got guidance to do it. I'm sure if you just tell the great things God has done for you....He will take care of the "how to" part. Hope this helps.