How do you stand

[Guest Jesse]

Are you a member of a church, and do you have a prophetic elder/mentor whom you are accountable to?

The church cannot have people who are roaming around willy-nilly claiming prophetic words for people.

It can be dangerous to the church, and highly dangerous to the recipient of the 'prophetic word of God'

There needs to be structure and accountability.

Elijah walked alone;John the baptist walked alone?

I say its the other way. Churches have become a stumbling block to the sheep.

This is the reason why there are 3--4000 of them. Hold on to the scriptures.

 

Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

jesse.

[He giveth more grace]

Elijah walked alone;John the baptist walked alone?

You are not a OT Prophet like Elijah and John were.

[stormy612]

No. I don't have a church, and no, I don't have a mentor.  It's not for lack of trying though or desire. I've never had a teacher of any kind. If I wanted to know anything, I had to teach myself.  God seems to want it that way for me, too. 

 

I studied with Him and just Him for two years, reading only the bible and letting His Holy Spirit interpret it. I'm now pushed away by other Christians at church, and in my daily life, because, and I quote, "you know more of the bible than I do." Except I don't. I can't quote any verse perfectly, I can't remember where anything is in the bible, I can't keep my prophets straight or the Kings, and I can never remember which disciple said what or in what book. I just read it, eat it, and let the Holy Spirit do His work. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would give us the words when we needed them, and in me, He's doing just that.  I'd actually like to team up with a bible scholar so they can keep me from misquoting His word and can tell me instantly where to find what I'm talking about. 

 

I'm a loner and always have been. I don't know who or what I am in Christ, but God does.  He's the only one I ask anymore.  I've asked Him about joining and belonging.  He told me I just need to be where He needs me to be when He needs me to be there.  I asked Him about going to church and He told me I wasn't there to get fed, but to feed others. In other words, I'm HIS servant. HE is my Shepard.

 

I don't run around claiming prophetic words for people. God is hard pressed to get me to open my mouth at all. I'd prefer to be liked by people, not looked at strangely or treated as a mental patient. I'd rather sit in the back listening to sermons, thinking deep thoughts, or have a rousing theological research and discussion session. I'd rather be invited to bible studies instead of being made to feel unwelcome at them. And I'd rather be comforting people with God's word instead of rousing up suspicion, envy or mockery.

 

There's also what Isaiah said:

Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

 

I can't say anything as God reveals it to me. Messages get lost in the translation. I'd rather God tell them Himself.

 

Add to that this:

Matthew 18:6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Mark 9:42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

Luke 17:2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

 

Who'd want anyone to stumble in their faith?

 

And finally there's what God said He'd do to the false teachers and false prophets. There are far too many verses to list here, but everyone of them tempers my tongue.

 

I'm a loner, but Jesus doesn't leave me alone.

Edited August 22, 2014 by stormy612

[other one]

Phil 2:12-13

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

KJV

 

We are to work out our own salvation..... 

 

The first century church did not have the Bible so they needed people who were familiar with what ended up in the Bible.  Today what we need is a good handle on the English Language and to take the time to read what those mentors of the first century wrote down.

 

You don't need anyone to tell you what the Bible says, if you just read it and let it speak to you in context and not look to have it validate some preconceived idea.....    which happens here a lot in the past three or four weeks.

[Guest Jesse]

Let the Holy Spirit be your teaher; He you can trust.

 

jesse.

[justfaith]

Well Ezekiel ran around naked and barefoot for three years to get people's attention....

Isaiah 20 King James Version (KJV)

 

1 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;

 

2 At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

 

3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

 

4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

[Salty]

 How do I get people to stop seeing me and hear Christ instead?

 

You won't, unless God allows it. It was the same way with His OT prophets, the majority didn't listen then either. It was the same with our Lord Jesus at His 1st coming, the majority didn't listen, but because of the miracles they feared Him.

 

If God is using you by The Holy Spirit, you will always find a back up in His Word. If not, then it's not from Him. And you must have 2 or more Scripture witnesses for a matter.

 

The full Wine of God's Word will never be popular with the majority during this world though, so don't go expecting it will be. What is popular is the 'milk' of God's Word, not the "strong meat" (Heb.5). If you are given to witness for Christ, then He will choose whom to and when and how. Rely on that by The Holy Spirit, and not on your own.

[other one]

 

 How do I get people to stop seeing me and hear Christ instead?

 

You won't, unless God allows it. It was the same way with His OT prophets, the majority didn't listen then either. It was the same with our Lord Jesus at His 1st coming, the majority didn't listen, but because of the miracles they feared Him.

 

If God is using you by The Holy Spirit, you will always find a back up in His Word. If not, then it's not from Him. And you must have 2 or more Scripture witnesses for a matter.

 

The full Wine of God's Word will never be popular with the majority during this world though, so don't go expecting it will be. What is popular is the 'milk' of God's Word, not the "strong meat" (Heb.5). If you are given to witness for Christ, then He will choose whom to and when and how. Rely on that by The Holy Spirit, and not on your own.

 

I agree with that Salty....   good thinking.

[MorningGlory]

Well Ezekiel ran around naked and barefoot for three years to get people's attention....

 

 

Did that work?  I can't remember what happened, for some reason.   

[other one]

 

Well Ezekiel ran around naked and barefoot for three years to get people's attention....

 

 

Did that work?  I can't remember what happened, for some reason.   

 

Well, I had to look it up and it was not Ezekiel, it was Isiah...

 

Isa 20

20:1 In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, 2 at that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips, and take your shoes off your feet." And he did so, going naked and barefoot . 3 And the LORD said, "Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and token against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 "Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast. 6 "So the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, 'Behold, such is our hope, where we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and we, how shall we escape?'"

NASB

 

It seems that because he went three years naked and barefoot, the king of Assyria led the captives barefoot with their buttocks uncovered to put them to shame....

 

I'll probably have nightmares tonight from looking this up......     God telling me to strip off and go tell the Muslims that Allah is really the devil.   That's a vision I don't think I can deal with.....