Worthy Christians - What Does It Mean

[nebula]

Hi, Dani -

I will be the first to admit that we have a tendency to handle atheists as enemies and throw up a lot of defenses against them rather than challenging them with love. This is one reason I've been staying away from the Outer Court mostly; the nature of the debates we get into provoke dissension, and until I figure out how to discuss controversial issues without taking it personal, it's best I leave them alone.

But as for the guys who came over here - they weren't victims by any means. While Hughsie was polite, he still mocked us and invited mocking with his buddies. He started the homosexuality thread just to get our goat. From his own words, that was his intention.

Lucradis (Sidarcul) has I-am-an-angry-person written all over him. He deceived us by talking as if he was a believer (well, as he thought a believer was anyway; his words in here were on the spiteful side), and for that deserved his ban. But indications are that he came here already filled with hatred towards us, and from what I can tell everything he said about us came from his pre-judgement rather than an open, honest, and fair evaluation.

Then you have a person like Kingschosen, a Christian who threw in his lot with the unbelievers against the Brethren. I have no idea how coddling unbelievers in their hatred against Christians is supposed to win them to the faith, but that's what he apparently believes.

And I'm sure if they are reading this, they will respond by cussing me out and proving how much more loving they are than I am because I'm judgmental and they aren't...all the while they are pointing fingers...funny how judgement works that way - anytime you point a finger at someone you have three pointing back at you. Few people realize that. And what I said about them has a lot more grace than what they said about Candice, Luftwaffle, and a few others here.

By the way, did any of them while over here politely ask why there was a division between "the Outer Court" and the "Inner Court"? Did any of them ask us where the "Worthy" name came from and who came up with it? (There's probably only about 5 of us left who have heard the history behind the board, BTW). And have you considered asking them why they would judge every person on this Board for the name of the Board and how the Board is moderated?

The reason I am saying this in response to your concern is because while we do need to keep ourselves accountable and critically analyze our behavior, please also critically analyze their behavior in their judgments. And becoming "friends with the world" and their ways doesn't lead you or them to God's holiness.

To be holy means to be separate. While you can be friends with non-Christians, approving of their their own anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech (Col 3:8), immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21) will only serve to pull you down rather than lift them up. No, you don't harp on their sin, but you most certainly should never approve, coddle, support, and especially not join in such behavior. (I'm not saying you do this or will or might do this...just making a generalized statement.) And no, Christians should seriously avoid behaving in these way with each other as well. It would be more beneficial to point out how any of these traits came out in ouri behavior rather than the cultural terms "intolerant" and "high horse" and the like.

So, the next time you see someone posting with malice, slander, abusive speech, strife, anger, etc. please do call it out as such. We all need to guard ourselves against such.

[Guest]

.... 5. But they segregate the population. (Quoted Ludacris)....

Fellowship

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Luke 4:4

And Operation Rescue

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Acts 2:47

Yet Some Come A Winking And A Blinking

Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? Job 15:12-13

And A Mocking And A Jeering, Who Would've Thought It

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalms 12:1-2

~

Believe

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

And Be Blessed Beloved

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24-27

Love, Joe

[nebula]

- Which, come to think of it, might explain why I got so emotional about the things they're saying about us over at TTA. I've always been one to feel defensive when I feel my "family" is being unfairly judged or mistreated in some way. I'm the one who jumps in to play champion for those I feel are being ganged up on or otherwise treated poorly. I've done it for as long as I can remember. It's just my nature.

Huh, hadn't thought of that until just now. So, I DID learn something about myself from the situation with TTA!

Your name "bulldog" is a lot more appropriate than you realize.

[nebula]

Dani, as for explanations to things - well, we need to update these, but here are some explanations:

It's 5 rather than 10 now. But this restriction was integrated in order to guard against spammers - of which we've had a lot come in through here.

Oh, that is explained here

As for Controversial Issues, the 100 posts restriction was to prevent Conspiracy Theorists and the like who would join the board just to engage in the Conspiracy debates. It really was creating a mess.

As was mentioned by other members, Worthy is meant to be a place for Christians to gather and share. When people come in here to use the place as a soundboard for themselves, it does nothing to build up the body.

The Terms of Service (TOS)

Note: "The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of this bulletin board. Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact us immediately by email. We have the ability to remove objectionable messages and we will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary." (Actually, it's easiest to simply click the "Report" button at the bottom of the post.)

As for the name "Worthy" - George name the entire ministry Worthy Ministries, and everything associated with this ministry is by default given the name "Worthy." He took the name from a Scripture, but I forget which it was. But it is a reflection of what was in his heart for the purpose of the ministry.

I hope this helps clarify things.

[AnotherSinner]

We divide this ministry so His work can be done without being interrupted by statements that will sidetrack the very ones we are trying to help. When we are answering serious questions, like some you have been asking, and all of a sudden someone states there is no God, or Jesus is a lie, or the bible is a fairytale, it is Satan who is trying to interfere. I am sadden that you feel we are ignoring those who we should be helping when we have dedicated a place where they can speak freely, but with respect.

That does make sense. Even I though felt a bit limited with the restrictions though and my intent was not to spam or promote other faiths. Seeing as various ages are accepted here, which is something...I failed to take into consideration, I admit to being in error here. The rankings though here are a bit of a bother...at least in terms of label if one is a believer or not. As I asked before.... do any of us....really ask upon meeting someone that we find we are liking if they are a Christian or not?

Their thread was not created to help us see our mistakes, though we can see what these few think of us. As I stated, my attempt to get others to search their heart may seem to of failed, but some have ensured me that they did get the message. yet, I now fear that I have opened the gates to those who are easily moved by half truths. I have much concern to how much of their twisted truth you are swallowing. Not everyone is what they say we are. Some are guilty of this, others of that, but they look at us all in the same light, if you really understand what they are saying.

All I am swallowing is sadly what I have seen here. When the request was made to seek their hearts....that is what I did and am still doing. That is also why I went to seek what was in the hearts of the members of thethinkingatheist hoping perhaps to gain some knowledge. Their intentions may not have been good, but what are we taught to do when others mock us?

Learn to check you heart to see if it is following the leading of the Holy Spirit and do not believe all that His enemies say about you or anyone else. Remember, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." We are to wear the full armor of God, but first we must be mature enough to fit into it. This takes time to be fit enough for this type of battle. We must first grow in Him so the armor can fit properly and be effective. In other words, how much peace do we walk in; how strong is our shield of faith; does our helmet of salvation fit firmly on our head; do we have a sharp enough sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; and lastly, are we prayed up? These are questions we all need to ask ourselves. We become statistics when we enter the battlefield unprepared.

I understand one must be prepared. What I do not understand is why again and again because I harbor sympathy for those who either do not know God or choose not to, that I am being niave. This thread was made....hoping that perhaps we could all reflect, myself included, and learn from this recent mishap with those who sought to test us. Our views here or understanding seems to differ a great deal, but I respect you and have no desire to argue with you. You are entitled to your thoughts of them, me, and the overall situation.

May God Bless You

Dani

[winsomebulldog]

- Which, come to think of it, might explain why I got so emotional about the things they're saying about us over at TTA. I've always been one to feel defensive when I feel my "family" is being unfairly judged or mistreated in some way. I'm the one who jumps in to play champion for those I feel are being ganged up on or otherwise treated poorly. I've done it for as long as I can remember. It's just my nature.

Huh, hadn't thought of that until just now. So, I DID learn something about myself from the situation with TTA!

Your name "bulldog" is a lot more appropriate than you realize.

You may be right, Neb.

[winsomebulldog]

I understand one must be prepared. What I do not understand is why again and again because I harbor sympathy for those who either do not know God or choose not to, that I am being niave. This thread was made....hoping that perhaps we could all reflect, myself included, and learn from this recent mishap with those who sought to test us. Our views here or understanding seems to differ a great deal, but I respect you and have no desire to argue with you. You are entitled to your thoughts of them, me, and the overall situation.

May God Bless You

Dani

Like I said earlier, Dani, I don't necessarily think you're being naive, I just think God has given you a particularly soft and empathetic heart. And I believe that's a good thing. I have a very strong empathetic side as well, though perhaps not quite as soft a heart as you. I remember discussing with a close Christian friend once about how I believed in going into every new relationship with an open heart and an open mind. And, that as a general rule, I gave pretty much everyone the benefit of the doubt. Meaning, I try (don't always succeed) to not overreact to things that are said, or not said, to me that hurt me in some way. Basically, I assume that most of the time, the hurt is born of me misunderstanding what was said, or because I happened to be having a bad day, with my emotions already on edge so that I took offense when none was intended. The response I got was that I was opening myself up to getting hurt. But I'd much rather be a person who gives others the benefit of the doubt, assuming that they aren't deliberately trying to insult or hurt me, than to throw up a wall around myself and never let anyone close. Or worse, to treat others with suspicion just because of one or even more bad experiences from my past.

My only point of true disagreement with you is in the motivation behind the recent events. I don't think they came here to test us. I think they came here to mock us and reading the vast majority of their posts over on TTA only serves to confirm that in my mind. But, as you have said, that is merely my personal opinion and neither you, nor they, are obligated to share or agree with it. If we all agreed on every little issue, the world would be a mighty dull place.

[AnotherSinner]

I understand one must be prepared. What I do not understand is why again and again because I harbor sympathy for those who either do not know God or choose not to, that I am being niave. This thread was made....hoping that perhaps we could all reflect, myself included, and learn from this recent mishap with those who sought to test us. Our views here or understanding seems to differ a great deal, but I respect you and have no desire to argue with you. You are entitled to your thoughts of them, me, and the overall situation.

May God Bless You

Dani

Like I said earlier, Dani, I don't necessarily think you're being naive, I just think God has given you a particularly soft and empathetic heart. And I believe that's a good thing. I have a very strong empathetic side as well, though perhaps not quite as soft a heart as you. I remember discussing with a close Christian friend once about how I believed in going into every new relationship with an open heart and an open mind. And, that as a general rule, I gave pretty much everyone the benefit of the doubt. Meaning, I try (don't always succeed) to not overreact to things that are said, or not said, to me that hurt me in some way. Basically, I assume that most of the time, the hurt is born of me misunderstanding what was said, or because I happened to be having a bad day, with my emotions already on edge so that I took offense when none was intended. The response I got was that I was opening myself up to getting hurt. But I'd much rather be a person who gives others the benefit of the doubt, assuming that they aren't deliberately trying to insult or hurt me, than to throw up a wall around myself and never let anyone close. Or worse, to treat others with suspicion just because of one or even more bad experiences from my past.

My only point of true disagreement with you is in the motivation behind the recent events. I don't think they came here to test us. I think they came here to mock us and reading the vast majority of their posts over on TTA only serves to confirm that in my mind. But, as you have said, that is merely my personal opinion and neither you, nor they, are obligated to share or agree with it. If we all agreed on every little issue, the world would be a mighty dull place.

To mock or make fun of is what? Simply my brother, a test in faith to me.

[OneLight]

We divide this ministry so His work can be done without being interrupted by statements that will sidetrack the very ones we are trying to help. When we are answering serious questions, like some you have been asking, and all of a sudden someone states there is no God, or Jesus is a lie, or the bible is a fairytale, it is Satan who is trying to interfere. I am sadden that you feel we are ignoring those who we should be helping when we have dedicated a place where they can speak freely, but with respect.

That does make sense. Even I though felt a bit limited with the restrictions though and my intent was not to spam or promote other faiths. Seeing as various ages are accepted here, which is something...I failed to take into consideration, I admit to being in error here. The rankings though here are a bit of a bother...at least in terms of label if one is a believer or not. As I asked before.... do any of us....really ask upon meeting someone that we find we are liking if they are a Christian or not?

That is a fair question. Do we ask? I don't believe we need to come right out and ask because we will know them by their fruits. If someone is swearing like a drunk sailor, they are not following God. If they are talking smut about the opposite sex, they are not following God. There are many times when we know without asking, but I have asked those who seem to be a Christian if they are. Some say yes and others say they follow another religion. In the end, we know if they are brothers and sisters.

Their thread was not created to help us see our mistakes, though we can see what these few think of us. As I stated, my attempt to get others to search their heart may seem to of failed, but some have ensured me that they did get the message. yet, I now fear that I have opened the gates to those who are easily moved by half truths. I have much concern to how much of their twisted truth you are swallowing. Not everyone is what they say we are. Some are guilty of this, others of that, but they look at us all in the same light, if you really understand what they are saying.

All I am swallowing is sadly what I have seen here. When the request was made to seek their hearts....that is what I did and am still doing. That is also why I went to seek what was in the hearts of the members of thethinkingatheist hoping perhaps to gain some knowledge. Their intentions may not have been good, but what are we taught to do when others mock us?

Learn to check you heart to see if it is following the leading of the Holy Spirit and do not believe all that His enemies say about you or anyone else. Remember, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." We are to wear the full armor of God, but first we must be mature enough to fit into it. This takes time to be fit enough for this type of battle. We must first grow in Him so the armor can fit properly and be effective. In other words, how much peace do we walk in; how strong is our shield of faith; does our helmet of salvation fit firmly on our head; do we have a sharp enough sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; and lastly, are we prayed up? These are questions we all need to ask ourselves. We become statistics when we enter the battlefield unprepared.

I understand one must be prepared. What I do not understand is why again and again because I harbor sympathy for those who either do not know God or choose not to, that I am being niave. This thread was made....hoping that perhaps we could all reflect, myself included, and learn from this recent mishap with those who sought to test us. Our views here or understanding seems to differ a great deal, but I respect you and have no desire to argue with you. You are entitled to your thoughts of them, me, and the overall situation.

May God Bless You

Dani

I am not reading where anyone is calling anyone naive. In my work, I have to redirect people to what is being said instead of what they think is being said. It is very common to read something into a statement that is not there. We all need to check ourselves to see if what we are telling ourselves is really what is being said. Often times, when we start to read into a statement, we come out with a lie. We start to inject our thoughts into another person words, changing the meaning and making an argument that is not there.

I suggest that what you see may be what they want you to see and not the truth. Eve saw that she did not die when she ate the fruit, but the truth is that she did die. How did she take this challenge? By listening to a well versed lie, a twisted truth. She saw exactly what Satan wanted her to see. Because she took him at his word and did not look beyond what was said, history was made for us all. Do not believe what the enemy tells you. Benjamin Franklin said. "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see." We were told this in the service as we were being trained. We can, by nature, be deceived easily when we let our guard down.

I am highly suggestion to everyone, including myself, to ensure that we are called to the battle or not. God will not send someone unprepared into battle. When we enter a battle unprepared, we do so out of the flesh. It is our pride and arrogance telling us that we are strong enough and knowledgeable enough to win the fight. Because it is done in the flesh, we become wounded and not victorious. This is a spiritual battle, as I brought the scripture to you to show you

[nebula]

That does make sense. Even I though felt a bit limited with the restrictions though and my intent was not to spam or promote other faiths.

Understandable. Unfortunately, everyone has to go through the initial filter. Imagine the job the moderators had before the filter was put into place, though. It was really bad when the spammers linked to porn sites. That's one of the reasons we don't have avatars visible on the profiles next to our posts.

I was around when the restrictions were established; as such I know what led to the necessity of the restrictions. Things really were becoming a crazy mess, and some order was necessary.

All I am swallowing is sadly what I have seen here. When the request was made to seek their hearts....that is what I did and am still doing. That is also why I went to seek what was in the hearts of the members of thethinkingatheist hoping perhaps to gain some knowledge. Their intentions may not have been good, but what are we taught to do when others mock us?

It is true that there are members here who have a tendency to post without grace. And yes, this does need to be worked on.

However, we need to clarify which grievances are individual posts vs. moderator actions and board policies.

Which is concerning you?