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USER COMMENTS BY MICHAEL |
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Page 1 | Page 6 · Found: 500 user comments posted recently. |
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12/8/06 2:38 PM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Alan from SC, You are absolute right this survey topic is about church government.Allow me to make this observation: No matter what form of church government that you decide upon between you and God to the best of your ability in understanding what He Himself shows us in Scripture Church Leadership can point out the Universe itself is NOT A SILENT witness to the reality that God is. They can point to the human conscience that our Creator is moral and has moral absolutes They can point to Israel and how their survival and existence confirm that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob They can point to the Bible, which alone out of all the Books ever written on earth is the Written Word of God AND THAT IT IS TRUTH, and that in it God Himself reveals who He is, who Christ is, where men stand with Him and why and what God rightfully expects of them and how only through Jesus Christ can sinners be saved from be born again of the Holy Spirit and know in Him the gift of eternal life. And Church Leadership can point to Jesus Christ the Faithful and True Witness, the Only Name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved. And Church Leadership can point people to prayer and how the True and Living God does hear and answer prayer. And so much more |
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12/8/06 11:40 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Yamil Luciano, With all this talk about grace perhaps it might help to stop a moment and define grace.Please understand I am still learning but I believe a good or a useful definition of grace is this: Grace is God's provision for our salvation and in other terms Grace is God's provision for our need. Do you have a better definition or is this one we can work with? Now for our friends the 'Calvinists' do you all have a different definition of grace? Also a missunderstanding can come about if one does not have a correct understanding what he needs salvaiton from and what ones needs salvation to. |
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12/8/06 11:29 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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FYI, I believe God grants repentance, He can also harden the hearts of those who hearten their hearts against Him such as Pharoah in Exodus.But I believe that when God grants repentance it is still that we must repent. I do not believe God will repent of ours sins, transgressions, iniquities for us. Now as to how God grants or brings a person to repentance before they are born again or even afterwards in the case of disobedience of His children, I have to believe it is by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and His Word. Is this clear enough to let you know where I am coming from? Editing my comment - Some under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the preach of the Word of God do not humble themelves in broken hearted godly sorrow for thier inexcuseable sin against God but become enraged such as happen with Stephan a man full of the Holy Spirit when they put him on trial before they stoned him. |
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12/8/06 11:07 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Chilame from Todinect,Don't lie and attribute words to me that I didn't say. Quote Translated = "Arminianism is right" (Human power is superior) End of Quote What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: again For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; and yet again If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If you want to say something like Calivinism is right, anything not Calvinistic is Arminian and in your opinion anything Arminian is heretical knock yourself out but do speak for yourself. And by the way I will not debate you on Calvinism vs Arminianism as despite what you might like to foist on a non-Calvinist I do not begin to claim to be an Arminian. And I certainly do not believe that 'Calvinism' has given us the Scriptures and are the 'authorized sole interpreters of Scripture either.' Why that would make them like God. But isn't that kind of thing Satan tempted Eve with in the garden that she could become like God? Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven |
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12/8/06 8:03 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Sadly even the beloved C.H. Spurgeon can be wrong.Preachers of Grace and Truth writes quoting Spurgeon ""....that there is no such a thing as preaching Christ and him crucified unless you preach what is now-a-days called Calvinism."" Somehow these "Calvinists" presume themselves to be the 'Only True Christianity' reminds me of the attitude of Roman Catholics. Excuse me but didn't Jesus, who is the Way, and the Truth and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him say that if anyone "climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." You just aint gona climb up to God through 5 Point TULIP supposedly born again before faith (not to mention repentance) Calvinism. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." You don't have to be a "Calvinist" to believe this now do you. And you don't have to be a Calvinist to hear the Word of God, to be convicted of your sins by the Holy Spirit, to have godly sorrow and repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins to be born again of the Holy Spirit and be one of His sheep, a true follower of Christ, either do you. |
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12/8/06 7:15 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Good Morning You All, Just a brief comment before I go play (shovel a little) in the snow.Cindy mentions "extremes" and I would think the theology that teaches you must be regenerated/born again before faith is one. It reminds me of Catholicism teaching an infant is born again at baptism. With both these false beliefs they hinder (brainwash) people from seeing their need of actually being born again of the Holy Spirit. Satan further reinforces this blindness with RELIGION since they are religious or consider themselves part of "true Christianity" and do good things or religious things the stage is set to presume they must be right and other people are wrong or just don't have their "enlightenment". But hey if you are dogmatically wrong on being Born Again there is absolutely no way you will ever have 'balance', except God Himself intervenes and grants you repentance. Make your calling and election sure! If you claim to be 'born again' make certain the spirit you received was not merely a religious spirit pretending to be the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice and I KNOW THEM and they FOLLOW Me. Pathfinder |
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12/7/06 8:53 PM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Mike from NY, Let's never forget the Mercyseat?In the Tabernacle inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant. In the Ark of the Covenant was the 10 Commandments written by God Himself in tablets of stone. I would take it that to the LORD His Commandments, His Law is extremely important. Yet on top of the Ark was the Mercyseat! I really don't know how to spell it out better - God is Holy, the breaking of His Commandments is sin and sin is the source of all evil, suffering, misery and death - things that God who is Love must hate and things that God who is Holy cannot leave unpunished. But the mercyseat is where (my wording will be poorly) the LORD could be both Just and Justifier of the one whose sin was covered with the Blood of an innocent sacrifice. Therefore God who is love is quite justified to forgive and change and save from sin forever those who believe in Jesus Christ and likewise the wrath of God abides on them who reject Christ - they will have no excuse for rejecting Him and the great love He demonstrated for them. His shed blood is quite powerful! "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" |
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12/7/06 10:23 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Smith-Kerr, How dare you!The gift God gave is His Son Jesus Christ. He sent Him in His Sovereignity to died for our sins! And you would find fault with us that we would appreciate that as wretched and undeserving and fully guilty deserving nothing but the wrath of God would belive in Him to save us from our sins and love Him? Yes! God is quite Sovereign, thank you! (maybe not like some define Sovereignity) But which do you think God Himself puts more emphasis on in Scripture that He is Sovereign or that Jesus Christ died for sinners? And you somehow imagine we give God permission to save us? Would you seek to despoil us of appreciating the gift of everlasting life God has given to us as a free gift in Christ (at great cost to Himself) or take away from terms of the gospel of repentance and faith, how one receives Christ? |
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12/7/06 9:25 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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JD, Cult? A Counterfeit disguised to look like it is Biblical Christianity? The fervent holders of TULIP sure make it seem that way.Their excuse? Continually redefining Biblical terms into meaning that God does not give. Example "the world" in John 3:16 has to mean "the elect" or you are an Arminian Heretic, etc. etc. They do react quite a bit when their false beliefs are questioned, let alone exposed. By observation Jesus made a statement to the Jews that gives light on this "cult of Calvin". John 5:43 I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How does one receive Jesus Christ? A communion waffer? No Something God does in your life before you understand anything about it? No How about - Repentance and Faith the terms God Himself gives of the Gospel? Yes! So would that mean those who harden their hearts because they do not want to be responsible to the authority of Christ to rule as God in every part of thier life and depend upon Him personally to save them from their sins do not receive Him but will receive another, "John Calvin"? Kind of tears ones heart out. The Pharisees who hated Christ claimed to be Moses disciples and today is it "Calvin's Disciples"? |
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12/7/06 7:07 AM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Good Morning, You all, Discussions can be a most interesting thing.Reminds me of a Roman Catholic I knew in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was assigned to read short passages from the Bible in the Catholic Mass so to prepare for his brief public speaking he set himself to reading the Bible for himself. A most deadly thing to do (let the read understand) which led to him asking his priest questions such as if the Bible says the bishops is to be the husband of one wife why weren't there bishops married? This of course enraged the priest (some discussion) which over time led this man to thorough reexamine his Catholicism and thorough this God led him to salvation and he became a born again believer and from what I hear is now a Baptist Evangelist. This reminds me of our discussions of why do some claim the atonement is limited delibrately withheld for only a "elect" few when John 3:16 says "the world" and wouldn't that mean every single man, woman, girl and boy who has ever lived or ever will in all of history? Especially since Jesus told us the Scripture cannot be broken, that heaven and earth shall pass away but My word shall never pass away. |
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12/6/06 4:40 PM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Yamil, Do you all have a Wednesday evening service out there in Las Vegas? If you do I want to wish you a wonderful time together in the Lord for you and the other believers there.We will be off to the Wednesday activities we attend. Anyway since so many of our friends like to bring up the Roman Catholic Religion, do they subconsciencously want to go back to Rome? The way they bring it up I wonder?????? They have reminded me that the Catholics never taught me that anyone could simply read the Bible expecting that God was quite capable to mean what He says and that He says what He means. Catholics and our 5 Point 'Friends' both seem to like to say ...."it doesn't really mean that." John 3:16 still means what it says! Pathfinder |
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12/6/06 4:21 PM |
Michael | | Endicott, NY | | | |
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Joe Calgary Alberta, No Dinsmore seems to have accused me of faith plus works. The "allow" Him to give was not meant our repentance and faith allows Him to do anything but that to be Just, or better said allowing Him, as He planned salvation this way on these terms to be just and freely give to those who meet His terms eternal life.Said another way it would be quite unjust to Jesus Christ who died for sinners to One - save anyone who continues unrepentant in their sins Two - condemn even the most vile offender who repents and believes (abandons themself in trust that Jesus died for them, which He willingly did, when they know they didn't deserve it) Perhaps I'm just not educated enough to speak the language of 'Calvinism' |
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