Is God Interested in Me?

[thomas t]

19 minutes ago, TomatoHorse said:

and so I try not to take things allegorically when they are not intended.

amen,

so let me try some other point...

in one of the last threads you didn't seem to have any probems with the wish as presented by someone wanting to have the special encounter from God - same wish as yours maybe. But this someone also wrote:

"I have studied the bible for 20 years myself and find it to be illogical, contradicting and in many places immoral."  

And you didn't seem to have any objections to him having this same wish. ? Don't you think it is contradictory wanting to have more presence from God and yet calling his word "contradicting and immoral" sometimes?

Please don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against this person on the personal level as he was getting insulted heavily.

So, just consider, God would do this with you...

19 minutes ago, TomatoHorse said:

correct their misunderstanding by speaking or appearing to them in other ways,

... indeed,

can God be sure not to be hearing from you that same sentence like "your word is so incorrect?".

Look, I play the piano. Today at church, for example. I'm just imagening someone not having the slightest clue about music wanting to correct me in detail indicating that I didn't play music... I wouldn't like it very much.

 

Edited March 10, 2019 by thomas t
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[Joulre2abba]

10 hours ago, thomas t said:

On 3/9/2019 at 2:18 PM, Joulre2abba said:

God individually talking to us is done through His word and our prayers.

?

I mean things like this one (Acts 22:6-8):

And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

 

I mean this sort of encounters, when God is talking individually to someone.

However, the apostle Paul didn't have any such encounter again.. because he relied on communicating with God through God's word and prayer.

That encounter on the road to Damascus occurred while Saul (as he was called then) was on his way to persecute believers in Jesus, and put them in jail without hope of getting out. .. so Jesus appeared as the Lord Advocate General of the Church.. He appeared as the Great Shepherd of the sheep in the way that shepherd David encountered wolves, ready to do what he must to protect the sheep that he was in charge of.

So it's best not to pray to have an encounter like Saul did on the road to Damascus. Our encounters, as sheep of the Shepherd is to be as Jesus described.. "My sheep hear My voice." That was the case when Paul said that God spoke to him saying "My grace is sufficient for you, My strength is made perfect in your weakness."

When you hear from inside, it is the same that Jesus experienced. He said "As I hear (of the Father) so I speak and so I do." That way is a far  more intimate experience than what Saul experienced.

[Who me]

15 hours ago, thomas t said:

But I take it as a fact that God is doing the very extra special thing all the time according to numerous accounts.

Whether God is or is not doing anything anywhere is irrelevent.

 

The point is there is only evidence fot God all arround us. There is no reasononable explaination for atheism. So there is no grounds for expecting extra evidence for God, only reasons for investigating the evidence.

 

 

[thomas t]

2 hours ago, Who me said:

The point is there is only evidence fot God all arround us. There is no reasononable explaination for atheism.

Hi Who me,

personally, I would also say that God left evidence behind. But when you come to talk about atheists... remember they can't post, as it seems. I suppose they are banned from posting altogether, as they don't post as it used to be.

Of course we can do great rebuttals. But doing apologetics without the other side is like playing soccer without the other team present on the pitch. It's like scoring great goals... when you're playing on the same goal with some mates. It can be nice, but this is not the game... (my opinion).

Don't get me wrong, Worthy is a great board. But when it comes to apologetics, it's a training session we're having right now, it seems.

Regards,

Thomas

[TomatoHorse]

 

On 3/10/2019 at 10:44 PM, Joulre2abba said:

However, the apostle Paul didn't have any such encounter again.. because he relied on communicating with God through God's word and prayer.

That encounter on the road to Damascus occurred while Saul (as he was called then) was on his way to persecute believers in Jesus, and put them in jail without hope of getting out. .. so Jesus appeared as the Lord Advocate General of the Church.. He appeared as the Great Shepherd of the sheep in the way that shepherd David encountered wolves, ready to do what he must to protect the sheep that he was in charge of.

So it's best not to pray to have an encounter like Saul did on the road to Damascus. Our encounters, as sheep of the Shepherd is to be as Jesus described.. "My sheep hear My voice." That was the case when Paul said that God spoke to him saying "My grace is sufficient for you, My strength is made perfect in your weakness."

When you hear from inside, it is the same that Jesus experienced. He said "As I hear (of the Father) so I speak and so I do." That way is a far  more intimate experience than what Saul experienced.

Have you read 2 Cor 12?

[Joulre2abba]

8 minutes ago, TomatoHorse said:

 

Have you read 2 Cor 12?

I've read it a number of times since I got saved. What part of it do you refer to? And what connection does it have with my post that you responded to?

[TomatoHorse]

Paul had a pretty intense and personal experience of the risen Christ, after his Damascus road experience. 

[Joulre2abba]

50 minutes ago, TomatoHorse said:

Paul had a pretty intense and personal experience of the risen Christ, after his Damascus road experience. 

Paul's "out of body experience" (which he does not even speak as happening to him) in going up to the third heaven, happened most likely or more likely when he'd been beat up and left for dead.

That is a different occasion than when he got saved while on the road to Damascus. In both text verses [salvation] and [out of body] they are not mentioned in connection with the other.

[Tzephanyahu]

On 3/11/2019 at 10:55 AM, thomas t said:

But when you come to talk about atheists... remember they can't post, as it seems.

Shalom brother,

Great news. I spoke with one of the moderators and he confirmed that atheists are allowed to join and post, thankfully.  I guess their numbers have diminished for other reasons.

On 3/11/2019 at 10:55 AM, thomas t said:

But when it comes to apologetics, it's a training session we're having right now, it seems.

True. Apologetics is a skill in itself and maybe this forum is in training, before a sudden influx of Atheists one day.  One needs to have a lot of patience, kindness, be relatable on all levels, approachable and only use Scripture as proof very sparingly.  Some might not agree with that statement, but let's see how they do without these qualities.   

Thomas, it seems that you have a passion/interest in apologetics. Have you ever thought that it may be your calling? Does it seem to be natural, logical and clear to you?  It may be your Gift from the Spirit. Just a thought...

Love& Shalom

[thomas t]

Hi Tzephanyahu,

thank you very much for your very intelligent words (well, I think they were).

This promts a few thoughts on my part:

21 hours ago, Tzephanyahu said:

Scripture as proof very sparingly. 

I think there is a biblical safety zone: the Bible mentions extra-bibical proof for God once only (my interpretation. I'm only counting proof as found in nature). Romans 1:20. In my reading this is nature as a whole.

When you say there is more, then you leave what Bible counts as evidence. Doesn't mean the evidence is bound to be flawed. I just don't have any calling to lead a discussion with non-believers that started off by believers telling there's evidence for the flood or creation (as opposed to evolution) or whatever. Bible says there's proof for God in nature. And that's where the presentation of proof in the Bible ended according to my interpretation.

So if a discussion starts off with AnswersInGenesis or any related resource pages, I'm out. That doesn't mean that I think it's bound to be wrong what they say. No, AnswersInGenesis - or any similar ones - is simply not Bible. So even if this kind of discussions go wrong for the Christian side, I won't try to sort that out. I want to stay in what I would call the biblical comfort zone for discussion.

 

21 hours ago, Tzephanyahu said:

atheists are allowed to join and post

one atheist currently can't post, she said, I sent her a PM.

Regards,

Thomas

Edited March 16, 2019 by thomas t
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