Selah7 Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Royal Member Followers: 11 Topic Count: 56 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 2,610 Content Per Day: 2.44 Reputation: 3,182 Days Won: 11 Joined: 05/25/2021 Status: Offline Share Posted October 29, 2022 The Christian life is Christ Himself living His own life through us. - Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I may never be able to live a perfect life in the flesh, but I will live by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who gave His life on the cross for me. Accepting Him into my heart was the most wonderful thing I have ever done in my life. Thank You, Jesus. -Selah 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah7 Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Royal Member Followers: 11 Topic Count: 56 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 2,610 Content Per Day: 2.44 Reputation: 3,182 Days Won: 11 Joined: 05/25/2021 Status: Offline Share Posted October 29, 2022 6 hours ago, missmuffet said: What is the prize? Eternal life! -Selah 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdHoc Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 4 Topic Count: 10 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,035 Content Per Day: 3.33 Reputation: 1,452 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/29/2021 Status: Offline Share Posted October 29, 2022 15 hours ago, Starise said: Very masterful wording on this and much appreciated. I see the Christian life much like a series of stages. The 1st stage we are new believers and think suddenly in the magic of our conversion we will be good to go from now on. 2nd stage is when we begin to be attacked while also realizing we have that old flesh still. Maybe we thought becoming a new creature would mean we didn't have any more temptations. Boy were we wrong. My 3rd stage was in trying to align myself with what I knew was right while failing miserable often. I could not attain that standard on my own. Lastly I decided, like Paul, to press on and trust the Lord with the work, yet sometimes even now I am back in kindergarten so far as my advancement goes. I get back up and dust myself off praying for a better day tomorrow and asking forgiveness for yet another failure. I like to tell myself it doesn't happen very often but the failures probably happen far more often than I like to admit. This might be where some believers begin to question their faith. Like the parable of the seed, if our root is truly planted well we won't stop growing, however if we were never planted we will wither under the stress of it. One might ask themselves, " If this Christian thing is real then it should be effective" I have said that very thing to myself. Why isn't this working better? Why is it taking so long to reach complete holiness? Never once have I entertained it wasn't real, that I didn't have a valid faith. I have only wondered why it was taking so long. I want to be free of all of the baggage now. I more or less identify myself with you. In the middle years I was very frustrated and wanted to be a"holy" person. I underestimated two things. (i) The extent which Adam's life and nature is corrupted, and (ii) that if God did what He had to do quickly, it would kill me. But this too is an exercise of faith, for we have to believe that God is balancing refining with not harming us. He is a Master Goldsmith and the Master Goldsmith never makes the gold too hot for refining lest He damage the gold. I too, like you, have left it over to His Masterful hand, but without forgetting that I too have a part to play. 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Phil.1:6) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdHoc Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 4 Topic Count: 10 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,035 Content Per Day: 3.33 Reputation: 1,452 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/29/2021 Status: Offline Share Posted October 29, 2022 14 hours ago, Dennis1209 said: Yes, I need no convincing; the Christian walk is a constant struggle with the flesh. Romans 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. Paraphrasing Paul, the spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak. Paul suffered more in the flesh than probably all the other apostles combined. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Paul had a great advantage being personally taught the Gospel by the Lord Himself, as were the other apostles. This is not directly recorded in the Bible, but there is enough evidence to assume it. By any biblical definition, did the apostles qualify as having faith? Seeing the miracles of Jesus, Him in His resurrected body, giving gifts of the tongue, moving mountains, raising the dead, etc. Everyone struggled with acceptance and faith until after the resurrection, even His disciples and siblings. Correct me if I am wrong from memory, but only Jesus’s inner circle of disciples (Peter, James, and John) witnessed the miracles of Jesus raising the dead and His transfiguration. Perhaps someone can give their thoughts on why an inner circle of “three” and why the other disciples were excluded. Another thing that the Bible is silent on is the mother of Jesus, Mary. During the three days after the crucifixion, we have an account of what the disciples were thinking and saying. What were Mary’s thoughts and feelings? Evidently, by this time, Joseph must have died. Has anyone ever wondered if Mary & Joseph told their other children that Jesus is the “Son of God” and the story? I suspect not because of the unbelief until after the resurrection. Can anyone imagine what it must have been like growing up with a half-brother who never did anything wrong, never punished for misbehavior? Was there any envy, spite, or jealousy? Speculating is useless, but I always wondered what the thorn in Paul’s flesh was and with what he struggled. So severe, he prayed three times for the Lord to remove it. For Paul and us, the answer is that God’s Grace is sufficient to overcome it. The devil wanted to sift Peter and the other disciples like wheat; Paul would be no exception. I don’t know how often I’ve sinned, said, or done something I didn’t want to say or do, and it was after the fact that it hit me. Sometimes I still get the “feeling” I may not be saved, always missing the mark. Of course, I constantly strive to become more perfect (mature) in the Lord Jesus. Constant failure and not achieving who I desire to become are sometimes depressing. Fortunately, Salvation is not a misleading “feeling,” otherwise I would really be questioning my status. I’d say I fall and get up again to pick one of your examples. I gots me way off track and topic, sorry 😊 Just to let you know; I have the same questions. The only one i would venture an answer is your first one. Did the Apostles have an unfair advantage by seeing the miracles? The answer I gather is NO! Israel, from the time Moses approached Pharaoh, witnessed manifold miracles including the parting of the Red Sea. And yet, the did not believe IN God nor Believed what He said. And it was not as if they did not believe in any god. Stephen, in Acts 7, accuses them of carrying their gods and their tabernacles alongside God's tabernacle for 40 years! They believed the nothing gods of Egypt and disregarded the God Who they saw in action before their eyes. Truly, FAITH is a gift of God and Jesus "the Author and Finisher of our FAITH" - and truly, man is devoid of anything praiseworthy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space_Karen Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 20 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 206 Content Per Day: 0.36 Reputation: 99 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/02/2022 Status: Offline Share Posted October 29, 2022 On 10/28/2022 at 2:33 AM, Starise said: If we have pride, what can we take pride in? How to interpret the following verses. Quote Do not conform to the pattern of this world -Romans 12:2 Quote Take heart; I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 What is the "pattern of the world"? How can someone overcome it. This is how I interpret it. Throughout the bible, people are deceived by the father of lies. They turn their backs on God to end up suffering and miserable due to inaccurate choices they made based on misinformation and lies. They beg God to save them from their own bad decisions. So that they can learn nothing and return to making more poor life choices. And the negative vicious cycle repeats. This is the way of the world. One aspect of overcoming the world is to not be deceived by trickery and ploys. Being literate enough in finance and politics to support the right people and right things. This implies having a relationship with Jesus. What is Jesus? Quote “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. -John 14:6 This implies to have a relationship with Jesus, we must develop a relationship with truth. As truth is defense against the father of lies. We must become truth seekers who make an effort to educate ourselves and gain knowledge about the world. So that we can better understand and have a closer relationship with God. This is the path for not conforming to the way of the world. And to eventually overcoming it. To those who live this reality, they can be somewhat proud of themselves for being responsible for a degree of progress in society. Not contributing towards the negative pattern of the world, we have to some extent, overcome it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mclees Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 158 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 1,915 Content Per Day: 0.80 Reputation: 910 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/15/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted October 29, 2022 (edited) It is the spirit of Christ in our life that we reflect before and apathetic world Some of you may know it. It's called "The Streets of London" U Tube However it's not just about London but about the grief, loneliness and the starving of our world. Jesus told it about an uncaring rich man and a homeless Beger who laid starving at the gate of the rich man's home who despised him. You can type it in at You Tube of coarse its not just about London but an uncaring church. So how should we pray ? Should we have to ask? The posted pictures says it all. God Bless Edited October 29, 2022 by Mike Mclees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmuffet Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Royal Member Followers: 34 Topic Count: 1,991 Topics Per Day: 0.48 Content Count: 48,689 Content Per Day: 11.81 Reputation: 30,343 Days Won: 226 Joined: 01/11/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted October 29, 2022 8 hours ago, Selah7 said: Eternal life! -Selah Great prize 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alive Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 22 Topic Count: 194 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 11,053 Content Per Day: 6.54 Reputation: 9,015 Days Won: 36 Joined: 09/12/2019 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/09/1956 Share Posted October 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Mike Mclees said: It is the spirit of Christ in our life that we reflect before and apathetic world Some of you may know it. It's called "The Streets of London" U Tube However it's not just about London but about the grief, loneliness and the starving of our world. Jesus told it about an uncaring rich man and a homeless Beger who laid starving at the gate of the rich man's home who despised him. You can type it in at You Tube of coarse its not just about London but an uncaring church. So how should we pray ? Should we have to ask? The posted pictures says it all. God Bless Ha! I play and sing that song. STREETS OF LONDON Ralph McTell capo: 2nd fret C Have you seen the old man, in the closed-down market picking up the papers, with his worn-out shoes? In his eyes you see no pride, and held loosely by his side yesterday's papers, telling yesterday's news CHORUS: F So how can you tell me, you're lo-ne-ly and say for you that the sun don't shine? Let me take you by the hand, and lead you through the streets of London I'll show you something, to make you change your mind Have you seen the old gal, who walks the streets of London dirt in her hair, and her clothes in rags? She's no time for talking, she just keeps right on walking Carrying her home, in two carrier bags Repeat Chorus And in the all-night cafe, at a quarter past eleven some old man sitting there, all on his own Looking at the world, over the rim of his tea-cup Each cup lasts an hour, then he wanders home alone Repeat Chorus And have you seen the old man, outside the seaman's mission? His memory's fading, with those medal ribbons that he wears And in our winter city, the rain cries little pity For one more forgotten hero, and a world that doesn't care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alive Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 22 Topic Count: 194 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 11,053 Content Per Day: 6.54 Reputation: 9,015 Days Won: 36 Joined: 09/12/2019 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/09/1956 Share Posted October 29, 2022 I highly recommend Watchman Nees book titled, "The Normal Christian Life". If you cannot afford to buy it, PM me an address and I will get a copy to you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vine Abider Posted October 29, 2022 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 6 Topic Count: 201 Topics Per Day: 0.37 Content Count: 3,427 Content Per Day: 6.23 Reputation: 2,283 Days Won: 3 Joined: 10/25/2022 Status: Online Birthday: 04/01/2024 Share Posted October 29, 2022 On 10/28/2022 at 5:33 AM, Starise said: Do you see your life as getting progressively better based on what you see as spiritual advancements, or do you see it more akin to falling and getting up again? In relating to Paul's words on his daily struggles he said that he did what he didn't want to do. For me often the Christian life is living with this reality. Then we might ask ourselves how a person could be such a dedicated believer yet STILL possess these non believer types of things we know to be bad things. Or maybe you feel you have arrived as a believer and no longer have any struggles. I believe some of this changes with maturity in the Lord. In the very beginning I questioned my very salvation based on what I seen myself doing. I didn't "feel" saved and I felt the need to constantly repent, still do. I see from scripture that we always have the flesh in this life, wherein nothing good dwells. (Rom 7:17) I also see that our new identity is in Christ and that we are not in flesh, but in spirit since His Spirit dwells in us. (Rom 8:9) Struggles? That's just part of the experience in this life, as long as we have this body. In the end, they are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed to us! (2 Cor 4:17) So we are encouraged not to loose heart, but there is always the daily struggle of flesh trying to get us to be who we once were, and who we really are now in Him. So daily we turn our heart to Him, who is the Author & Perfecter of our faith - He is the able One in us, and we must let Him live in and through us to overcome. Christ in you, is your only hope of glory! (Col 1:27) So fall? Yes, but then we get back up with no condemnation - looking away to, and calling on the name of Jesus! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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