Wakeup Church

[Guest yod]

Still, you need to have the knowledge before you can put it into action.

Yes, knowledge without action is not much good as is action apart from knowledge. The two go hand in hand. We have to know the truth, but in order for it to set us free, it must be at work within us and lived out through us. I think that is what it means to be sanctified by the truth, plus there is also the meaning of Jesus being "the truth" so it is him at work within us that results in our sancification. And, he is also "the Word."

Knowledge is not sanctification and, in fact, is not even necessary for sanctification.

Rav Shaul speaks in Romans about how the gentiles of the assembly at Rome were sanctified apart from a knowledge of the law, for instance....and one can be wise without a lot of knowledge.

I'm not saying that knowledge has no value, of course. We should always seek more knowledge

I'm just trying to point out that in John 17, Yeshua is not saying we are sanctified by knowledge when the phrase "sanctified in truth" appears. He is praying that we are truly sanctified. He is praying that we will do the things that truly sanctified people do.

This might seem like semantics or nit-picking to you but I assure you that far too many saints think that we are sanctified by a knowledge of the truth and that is why we have "fat" christians whose love has waxed cold.

Too many saints (and pastors) think that discipleship is church attendance and listening to sermons.

No...that is education. That is knowledge.

Sanctification is more closely equal to discipleship. It is something you "do". There are saints who are santified by "doing righteousness" even though they themselves might not know the doctrines of the faith.

I wonder how many pastors have even been discipled? They go to seminary and get knowledge but, again, that is not discipleship.

[MeCajunboy]

Wake Up Church!

What I have written below may be considered by some to be extreme or provocative. If you are offended I ask your forgiveness but I feel that the time is short - that we must decide very soon whom we will serve - The Lord God or Baal.

I am requesting that you give your church leaders a copy of this. I pray that the Lord will have mercy on us and provide a window of opportunity!

Please do not be offended. As I sit here I feel so strongly that we who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ have been playing games for to long inside the walls of our comfortable churches. We are commanded by scripture to be light and salt to the world - yet all around us perversion is happening (homosexuality, gambling, abortion, indoctrination of our youth, violence, child abuse, etc) and we seem to be silent and non committal (like an ostrich with its head in the sand) - are we afraid of losing our IRS status or how others may react? Are we so concerned with our "religion and our own earthly welfare and our denominations and our "church building" and with pleasing of man and our own selfish ambition that we have come to the place where we are no longer effective as light and salt. Are we serving God or man? Body of Christ wake up! Casino gambling and the lottery is about to take over our country, Christian Schools are struggling to survive, drugs are all around us, homosexuality is rampant, child abuse, abortion and pornography are everywhere. We need to preach the gospel of salvation and repentance with the love of Christ to the LOST - we will not be judged for whether or not they listen and we have not been called to force anyone - but we must SHOUT the message and warn them! Yet, to my knowledge, very few in the Body of Christ seem to care - no letters to the editor, no ads, no unity to combat evil - Brothers and sisters, WE ARE IT! WE HAVE BEEN CALLED! WE ARE TO BE THE LIGHT AND THE SALT! WE ARE THE "ROYAL PRIESTHOOD"! HIS WITNESSES! THE PEOPLE CALLED BY HIS NAME! I have been studying Jeremiah - take a look at Chapter 1 and 7 and ask yourself - has God changed - will He somehow wink His eye as we play church? I fear that we will be held responsible - for we are the called out ones! I sense so urgently that it is imperative that we stand up for righteousness NOW or we and all around us will "weep what we have sown!" If any of you have the same feelings please let me know. Perhaps we can become part of John 17:23! If not us who? If not now when?

Jesus did not start a denomination or a church

[Guest]

....But, In God's most HOLY NAME.....DO SOMETHING....PLEASE????

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." (John 15:4)

"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."

"But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." (John 15:20-21)

[PBob]

YUP - NO DOUBT GOD IS LOVE I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND A FANTASTIC BOOK - THE BIBLE - TO FIND OUT WHAT THAT LOVE OF GOD REALLY REALLY REALLY MEANS. ALSO, I LEARNED A LOT FROM The Attributes of God BY

Arthur W. Pink

I ALSO JUST GOOGLED "ATTRIBUTES OF GOD" FOUND SOME GREAT STUFF.

NUF SED

[PBob]

YUP - NO DOUBT GOD IS LOVE I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND A FANTASTIC BOOK - THE BIBLE - TO FIND OUT WHAT THAT LOVE OF GOD REALLY REALLY REALLY MEANS. ALSO, I LEARNED A LOT FROM The Attributes of God BY

Arthur W. Pink

I ALSO JUST GOOGLED "ATTRIBUTES OF GOD" FOUND SOME GREAT STUFF.

NUF SED

a "christian" actually reading the whole bible...?

hmmm... now there's a novel aproach.

whodathunkit?

IT'S GREAT FOR EACH OF US TO HAVE OUR OWN OPINIONS - BELIEVE ME I AM GUILTY! HOWEVER, IF THE BIBLE IS TRUELY THE REVELATION OF GOD TO MAN PERHAPS WE SHOULD GET SERIOUS ABOUT APPLYING ITS PRINCIPLES. I THINK THIS CAN ONLY REALLY HAPPEN WHEN WE CAN SAY WITH PAUL,"I NO LONGER LIVE BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME."

I HAD PASTOR OF A CHURCH ONCE SAY TO ME, "THE BIBLE IS NOT THE WORD OF GOD - IT CONTAINS THE WORD OF GOD." I PUSHED A BIBLE ACROSS THE TABLE TO HIM AND SAID, "YOU TELL ME WHICH ARE GOD'S WORDS AND WHICH ARE NOT - I DON'T THINK YOU CAN. EITHER YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE IN ITS ENTIRETY OR PERHAPS YOU SHOULD STOP BEING A PASTOR." NOT NICE - I GUESS BUT "WHAT IF THE BIBLE IS IN FACT (I BELIEVE IT IS) THE INSPIRED, AUTHORITATIVE, INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD - THE REVELATION OF GOD TO MAN THAT WE MIGHT PLEASE HIM?????