Write a Response.

[creativemechanic]

 Let's play Right a Response. The following comic actually happened when I was preaching at  one of our churchs youth week services. The sermon was on-Christian Separation  with refernce to the story of Lot. What would be the best  responze. Most creative comeback wins.

 And yes I know the pulpit  isn't appropriate for a comeback to people in the congregation.  And  i wouldn't. But lets pretend  we could. 

[creativemechanic]

Lol typo. I just noticed that. Thanks 

2 hours ago, Yowm said:

Not a comeback, but why is the way to be separate is to be 'unequally' yoked and not 'equally' yoked?

 

[Neighbor]

8 hours ago, creativemechanic said:

 Let's play Right a Response. The following comic actually happened when I was preaching at  one of our churchs youth week services. The sermon was on-Christian Separation  with refernce to the story of Lot. What would be the best  responze. Most creative comeback wins.

 And yes I know the pulpit  isn't appropriate for a comeback to people in the congregation.  And  i wouldn't. But lets pretend  we could. 

  May I suggest that a shouted out  comeback may not be   really worthy pursuit, even if  we can- we do better to sit on them- they appeal to the worst of our instincts that of debasing another person. As such  it may not be a good thing to make into a general game.

As to the two panel cartoon -unequally yoking oneself; I do not think Paul would have been addressing the church at Corinth about the dating habits of it's members or family's kids.

I think they did not date. They had arranged marriages, often arranged from even before the birth of a person, and not all were arranged within the same culture or faith.  

So what might be a more likely application for the instruction? It could not be to  separate from the world, for he had already addresssed that elsewhere  to the church at Corinth declaring they are in the world. What could it be then? I think  it is necessary to know more about the culture of the church at Corinth before strongly declaring a more general understanding that may be applied.

Though-I personally think  there is reason to think it is a caution  to not willingly  and actively engage in doing things in a manner that does not honor God using  partnership with non believers in Christ jesus as excuse. Whether that be business transaction payment of debt charging  of goods nd services, whatever. One cannot use their employer, by example, as reason to go against God's instruction in how to do business.

 I do not think it  could have  had anything to do with dating, that is an application made by man in  cultures that have dating. They have forced a fit in order to justify their  instinct their feelings and frankly to administer their control over people.

 

 But I am open to correction and  guidance on this one. I just hang my hat on the singular idea that Paul would not be  writing  to the Church at Corinth about his concerns  over dating for what dating would he be addressing? I don't think there was any. 

Edited May 26, 2017 by Neighbor

[LadyKay]

8 hours ago, creativemechanic said:

 Let's play Right a Response. The following comic actually happened when I was preaching at  one of our churchs youth week services. The sermon was on-Christian Separation  with refernce to the story of Lot. What would be the best  responze. Most creative comeback wins.

 And yes I know the pulpit  isn't appropriate for a comeback to people in the congregation.  And  i wouldn't. But lets pretend  we could. 

I posted a topic in here about how we are told we are not suppose to question a person's salvation. I'm sure this fits in there somewhere. 

Oh I just thought of it. I have to tell a story about it though. When I was in 7th grade I went to church camp for the summer. This whole thing about dating unsaved people was talk about a lot by the youth pastors there.  Like a lot. Well on the last night of church camp, it was Friday Night Pizza Date Night.  All the teens would hook up with someone for this Friday night church camp date night where they all would hold hands and eat pizza together.  All over the place you would hear a girl or boy asking each to this Friday night pizza date and the question that always came after someone asking someone to  Friday pizza date night was "Are you a Christian?" To which anyone who wants to have a date for church camp Friday night pizza  would answer "yes."  So I wanting to be the best Christian as I could be at the time. I was new to all of it and I didn't even have a boyfriend nor have I ever been on a date.  So I asked the youth pastor"how am I to know that someone I am dating is a Christian? If I ask them they are just going to say  that they are a Christian."  Okay so this is where my topic I posted on here a while back comes in. The youth pastor told me that I would know that someone is a Christian by how they act and the things they do.  

Well I don't know how it all really fits in with this topic but I think it was a nice story.  Oh and I did find me a date for Friday night pizza night and then we broke up a few days later after I went home and never saw each other again. 

 

[creativemechanic]

1. Yes indeed a shouted out response would never be appropropriate thats y I said so in the op.  However,I did take the time to explain why it is inappropriate ro the last. It's best to do that politely rather than let her statement hang in the air unconfronted.

2. I dontvwant yoybtovthibk in accusing you of anything  but be careful of adding complications and variables  to  straight forward principles.ie the arragned marriage,not dating done then etc. If God tells us not to do it then don't do it. Im not accusing you of this but  people will do that so as to justify dlsobeying  direct scripture 

 

 Being unequally  yoked with unbelievers is simply forming close relationships  with the unsaved  whether romantic  or business etc. Ideally the Christian is led by the holy spirit and seeks  to honour God. The unsaved person doesn't have the spirit and thus won't even if they are religious it won't be the same. Thus their spirits and ours won't be one the same level and will eventually conflict.

The bible says make no provision  for the flesh and that's what dating an unsaved person sets up. You're creating a situation that would lead you to sin and trust me. My church has suffered alot because of these relationships.  Scores of young ladies with potential  ended up pregnant and out of service due to said relationships and few of any return.

[creativemechanic]

2 hours ago, LadyKay said:

I posted a topic in here about how we are told we are not suppose to question a person's salvation. I'm sure this fits in there somewhere. 

Oh I just thought of it. I have to tell a story about it though. When I was in 7th grade I went to church camp for the summer. This whole thing about dating unsaved people was talk about a lot by the youth pastors there.  Like a lot. Well on the last night of church camp, it was Friday Night Pizza Date Night.  All the teens would hook up with someone for this Friday night church camp date night where they all would hold hands and eat pizza together.  All over the place you would hear a girl or boy asking each to this Friday night pizza date and the question that always came after someone asking someone to  Friday pizza date night was "Are you a Christian?" To which anyone who wants to have a date for church camp Friday night pizza  would answer "yes."  So I wanting to be the best Christian as I could be at the time. I was new to all of it and I didn't even have a boyfriend nor have I ever been on a date.  So I asked the youth pastor"how am I to know that someone I am dating is a Christian? If I ask them they are just going to say  that they are a Christian."  Okay so this is where my topic I posted on here a while back comes in. The youth pastor told me that I would know that someone is a Christian by how they act and the things they do.  

Well I don't know how it all really fits in with this topic but I think it was a nice story.  Oh and I did find me a date for Friday night pizza night and then we broke up a few days later after I went home and never saw each other again. 

 

the bible says by your fruits will you know them. Vasically theee should be something noticeable in our lives which sets us apart either what we do or dont do or our attitudes to issues. As a book i read said. You could also pray for God to reveal it or anything hidden to you  and then commute youself to followibgvwhat God reveals 

[bryan]

Response: "Exactly.  Marrying someone who isn't yet a Christian can be fine but needs to be considered carefully.  Is your future spouse basically living like a Christian but hasn't been saved yet?  Can your example as a Christian spouse likely convince them to become saved?  If you think so, then your wedding will be blessed"

[missmuffet]

It is not Biblical for a born again Christian to be in an unequally yoked relationship or marriage 2 Corinthians 6:14.

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, missmuffet said:

It is not Biblical for a born again Christian to be in an unequally yoked relationship or marriage 2 Corinthians 6:14.

 A fuller reading larger than just an isolated verse or even a passage  might lend better light to the meaning and applcation of the instruction. reading at least 1 Corinthians 6 and 7 should indicate that Paul isn't talking about dating nor even marriage. He has already given permission for and guidance about the relationships involving individuals of different faith.

 From John Gills  exposition of the Bible: 2 Corinthians 6:14

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers
This seems to be an allusion to the law in ( Deuteronomy 22:10 ) and to be a mystical explanation of it; and is to be understood not as forbidding civil society and converse with unbelievers; for this is impracticable, then must believers needs go out of the world; this the many natural and civil relations subsisting among men make absolutely necessary; and in many cases is both lawful and laudable, especially when there is any opportunity or likelihood of doing them any service in a spiritual way: nor is it to be understood as dehorting from entering into marriage contracts with such persons; for such marriages the apostle, in his former epistle, had allowed to be lawful, and what ought to be abode by; though believers would do well carefully to avoid such an unequal yoke, since oftentimes they are hereby exposed to many snares, temptations, distresses, and sorrows, which generally more or less follow hereon: but there is nothing in the text or context that lead to such an interpretation; rather, if any particular thing is referred to, it is to joining with unbelievers in acts of idolatry; since one of the apostle's arguments to dissuade from being unequally yoked with unbelievers is, "what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" and from the foregoing epistle it looks as if some in this church had joined with them in such practices; see ( 1 Corinthians 10:14  1 Corinthians 10:20-22 ) . But I rather think that these words are a dissuasive in general, from having any fellowship with unbelievers in anything sinful and criminal, whether in worship or in conversation:

for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
This, with what is said in the following verse, and in the beginning of the next to that, contain reasons or arguments engaging believers to attend to the exhortation given not to keep company with unbelievers. By "righteousness" is meant righteous persons, who are made the righteousness of God in Christ, to whom Christ is made righteousness, or to whom the righteousness of Christ is imputed for justification; and who also have principles of grace and holiness in their hearts, or have the kingdom of God in them, which consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost; and who being made free from the dominion of sin, are become servants of righteousness: and by unrighteousness is designed unrighteous persons, who are destitute of a justifying righteousness, are filled with all unrighteousness, and are, as it were, a mass and lump of iniquity; now, what fellowship can there be between persons of such distant characters?

And what communion hath light with darkness?
regenerate men are made light in the Lord; they are enlightened into their state and condition by nature, to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, to behold the glory, beauty, fulness, and suitableness of Christ, so as to be sensible of their need of him, and to be able to look unto him for life and salvation; they are enlightened more or less into the doctrines of the Gospel, and the duties of religion; and their path is a shining light, shining more and more unto the perfect day. Unregenerate persons are "darkness" itself; they are dark and ignorant of God in Christ, of the way of salvation by Christ, of the work of the Spirit of God upon the heart, and of the mysteries of grace; they know not themselves, nor the sad estate they are in; they are born, and brought up in darkness worse than Egyptian darkness; they go on in it, and if grace prevent not, will be cast into utter and eternal darkness. Now, what "communion" can there be between persons so different one from another? for what is more so than light and darkness? these the God of nature has divided from each other; and they are in nature irreconcilable to one another, and so they are in grace.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Neighbor

[bryan]

Those are insightful points, Neighbor.  Thank you for providing them.