Great Religious Leaders

[Blood Bought 1953]

1 hour ago, Willa said:

 2Co 7:10  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

 

 

This was exactly the experience I underwent to be saved...... “ Godly Grief” is the grief I experienced when the  Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the Truth that I was a Hell- Deserving Wretch whose every sin was aimed directly at God in one form or another. “ No man comes to God lest the Spirit draw him”. The Holy Spirit draws men by the Conviction of Sin.Realizing my deserved guilt and hopelessness in saving myself by the impossibility of trying to be “ good enough”......I had a “ mind change” ( metanoia, Repent ) that split my life into two halves. Before my eyes were opened, before my conviction , I was one among billions that lived in Satan’s Fool’s Paradise—- thinking, “ Well , I ain’t perfect, but at least I ain’t as bad as that guy sitting out there at the prison— l’m “ good enough”— God will accept me!”

That, my friends, is self- righteousness— the common sin of all Mankind that must be repented Of Before one can be saved.Its by- passing God’s Way ( the Gospel Of Jesus-1cor15:1-4 That Jesus GAURANTEES  will save, if only believed and not added to with Dead Works)

Anyway, back to my personal experience— after seeing for the first time that I was a sinner that needed a Savior.....I TURNED to God with my new Contrite Heart and I was knocked down to my knees— all I could say was... “God , have mercy on me , a sinner.....please , please forgive me”. I fell asleep eventually.

The next morning , I awoke with a peace in my mind and heart that was “ other-worldly”.Proof that God had responded to my anguish with forgiveness.God keeps His Promises “ Turn to Me and I will turn to you”. That’s all I ever did. No deal- making as in “ Save me God and I promise I will give up my drinking, cussing, smoking, skirt chasing , etc etc etc........I will start living “ the Christian life”. I did NOTHING . I never made any attempt to “ give up sinning”. All I did was “Turn To Him”—- He did the rest—- He put  His Spirit in me and changed my “ wants”, from the inside out.

All Of these words —-Repent....Conviction...Salvation....Conversion....Remorse....reform......They seem to be so fluid, intertwining and everybody seems to define then differently, depending mainly on how they were raised.....we could argue and debate all them all day.In the end the words do not matter.Call the process of Salvation whatever you will...THE ONLY THING that matters is that one Believes the Gospel—- Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead three days later......believe that and God will put His Spirit in you and He will “Finish the Work that He started”. Your only part in all of this is to TRUST.... “ The man who finds life will find it by Trusting God......”

 

[ReneeIW]

3 hours ago, Blood Bought 1953 said:

I did NOTHING . I never made any attempt to “ give up sinning”. All I did was “Turn To Him”—- He did the rest—- He put  His Spirit in me and changed my “ wants”, from the inside out.

 

We all come in different ways and for  different reasons. The prodigal son returned home because he was hungry. The father was just happy to have him back. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by ReneeIW

[Neighbor]

11 hours ago, BeauJangles said:

Or continue thinking what a great religious leader his is

Hi, I guess I have not been clear let me state I do not think he is  "great" anything.  I do recognize that he has a huge following.  I have already read of him have listened to some presentations by him, but really had much difficulty  staying on board long enough to listen through an entire session. None the less I did not really find blatant heresies as I hear when some others speak. Ken Copeland as example.

You expressed being convinced Osteen could never become great as a religious leader.  I wonder why you think God  will not do that. Seems to me as I read I find  God historically has used  some of the most unlikely  of us to be His very spokesmen. 

Anyway, I thought you had some personal experience and or insight that would be of interest and use. if you were just expressing emotion and being emphatic I guess there is not any specific insight to share. Thanks anyway.

 I get very interested because of the huge audience there is for many  so called leaders that end up on tv. Many o fius do en dup watching them and I have found personally that God uses it all  to lead some of us to the gospel of Jesus and then does via God the Holy Spirit turn us about to our own personal repentance.

My own trail includes a hotel Gideon Bible and one of those what I called the puffy haired preachers on tv. I was slowly led to Mean Gene Scott God's angry man,  to Jim and Tammy ( I loved  to watch them weave their sales presentation  for their never-never land resort);  to an intervention by an angel that challenged me to decide now and no other time, now! I decided  on Jesus right then and there and was quickly led to Rev. Frederick Price's show and by that  to a tour by David Manse of Canada. His people sent me to an independent Baptist church of all places, and I eventually became a KJV only baptist. - Till they had Rev. E.V. Hill come speak to put some life into us as a body. God moved me  clean across country to a very specific Covenant Church (Church of Sweden offshoot) and there to a short lived missionary project with  Dr.E.V.Hill.  of Mt Zion Mission Baptist Church. Then God moved me again clean across country to a Community Church heavily influenced by John MacArthur, and now in addition also, to two really energetic church bodies one of  Chuck Smith affiliation and the other , well I can only say it is Charles Spurgeon like.

All that tells me God can and does use a most unlikely combination of peoples to get some of us better acquainted with what He wills of some of us.   I credit God as being able to move any and all those listening  to most any speaker including Joel Osteen. What I was hoping to learn about  is some specific presentation some specific thing that you personally heard or saw that has influenced you to state that he could never become a great religious leader. Seems to me that  under God's direction all things are possible.

 I am not particularly swayed by reading accounts written by professional writers of opinions, unless they are going to give me some specific encounter or presentation information and why they personally  had a reaction. I do not trust groups that write by committee their opinions and then do not sign their names to the committee opinion. That is too much like a newspaper editorial board to me. That's why I do not at all like what I call the Cliffnotes of the Bible.  

 

Thanks anyway!

 

[ReneeIW]

6 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

 

My own trail includes a hotel Gideon Bible and one of those what I called the puffy haired preachers on tv. I was slowly led to Mean Gene Scott God's angry man,  to Jim and Tammy ( I loved  to watch them weave their sales presentation  for their never-never land resort);  to an intervention by an angel that challenged me to decide now and no other time, now! I decided  on Jesus right then and there and was quickly led to Rev. Frederick Price's show and by that  to a tour by David Manse of Canada. His people sent me to an independent Baptist church of all places, and I eventually became a KJV only baptist. - Till they had Rev. E.V. Hill come speak to put some life into us as a body. God moved me  clean across country to a very specific Covenant Church (Church of Sweden offshoot) and there to a short lived missionary project with  Dr.E.V.Hill.  of Mt Zion Mission Baptist Church. Then God moved me again clean across country to a Community Church heavily influenced by John MacArthur, and now in addition also, to two really energetic church bodies one of  Chuck Smith affiliation and the other , well I can only say it is Charles Spurgeon like.

Ephesians 4:14-16 King James Version (KJV)

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

[BeauJangles]

10 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Thanks anyway!

You wanted my opinion, and I gave it. Osteen is a self-acclaimed unordained minister of the Gospel of Glad. I tuned in yesterday just to see he has little redeeming value outside of surface Christianity. You think he's no charlatan or phony? Enjoy watching him and also become one of millions who are aurally tickled. You're much deeper than that, but my guest. I'm done. 

[Neighbor]

21 minutes ago, BeauJangles said:

You think he's no charlatan or phony?

I guess I am unable to make myself clear to you.  Perhaps I will have better communication with you on other threads. Thanks anyway.

[BeauJangles]

49 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Thanks anyway!

 

6 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Thanks anyway.

You're welcome. 

[Alive]

I am pretty sure that our Lord measures 'greatness' very differently than most men.

The minds of men see things in terms of comparisons. You know, comparing this with that as a way of deciding whether or not a thing rises above another thing. The principle, it seems to me, behind this is competition. The principle, mind you. I don't mean necessarily competition between aspiring individuals, but a 'principle' that is very different than that found in the 'Kingdom of God'.

There is only One that is Great...we are His servants. That is the only metric blessed of the Lord. When we serve others, we serve Him.

Paul was a fanatic. Much can be learned from him in this regard. Not the doctrine, but the life and behavior.

IMO.