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My first discussion...

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aqrinc:

Hi Beth,

During training is where you get to measure how far you have come, and how much farther there still is to go. We know what the outcome will be so keep on studying and learning, when you are ready, Jesus Christ Will Have the perfect place for you.

Isa 32: 1-8 (BBE)
1  See, a king will be ruling in righteousness, and chiefs will give right decisions.
2  And a man will be as a safe place from the wind, and a cover from the storm; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a waste land.

3  And the eyes of those who see will not be shut, and those who have hearing will give ear to the word.
4  The man of sudden impulses will become wise in heart, and he whose tongue is slow will get the power of talking clearly.

Isa 32: 4 (MKJV)   (Different translation of V4)
And the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of those who stutter shall be ready to speak plainly.

5  The foolish man will no longer be named noble, and they will not say of the false man that he is a man of honour.
6  For the foolish man will say foolish things, having evil thoughts in his heart, working what is unclean, and talking falsely about the Lord, to keep food from him who is in need of it, and water from him whose soul is desiring it.

7  The designs of the false are evil, purposing the destruction of the poor man by false words, even when he is in the right.
8  But the noble-hearted man has noble purposes, and by these he will be guided.

So until that day your duty is to:

2Timothy 2: 15-16 (MKJV)
15  Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
16  But shun profane, vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

george :).

bambam:
Thank you all SO much! I could hug you all! ;D  I just felt so disheartened today.  But I know that "Rome wasn't built in a day"  and I just need to keep studying!!  My biggest prayer is for the ability to begin discussion with my husband-even in little tidbits here or there.  I can tell you that being here has been a great encouragement to me.  I know I am not alone.  And God is Love and I am so in awe of who he is and what he has done and is doing.  The gospel truly IS glorious to me now!!  I can't get enough of the scriptures either.  Thanks again for the loving, and kind words the have helped calm my heart! :)

Peace to you all!
Beth

tinknocker:
Hi Beth

I have also experienced what you described in your post. I felt I had fail God. In the last several years  I've come to learn these encounters God has set up for us are for our self judgement to measure where we are still lacking and to encourage us to stay in His word correctly learning the word of God. You cannot correctly teach without learning it first. All these encounters are measuring sticks for our benefit. I came across this verse some time ago that gave me encouragement.

1 Peter 2 : 20
After all what kind of glory is there in it if, when you do wrong and are punished for it, you take it patiently? BUT if you bear patiently with suffering which results when you DO RIGHT and that is undeserved, it is acceptable and PLEASING TO GOD.

I came to realize when we are chastized for telling the truth about God's love wither it is accepted or understood by those hearing it, is pleasing to God.

Be strong in your stance by knowing the truth,

Tom

Terry:
Hello BamBam,
The same thing happened to me and after studing Ray's paper

Twelve Truths to Understanding His Word
It really helped me to start to understand, as i look back i think it was the foundation of my believing the Scriptures

[A] "All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in PARABLES; and without a parable spoke He not unto them" (Matt. 13:34).
"But without a PARABLE spoke He not unto them…" (Mark 4:34).
[C] "This PARABLE spoke Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which He spoke unto them" (John 10:6).

Jesus taught in parables only, and no one understood His parables, hence Jesus taught in a way that He knew no one would understand His message. This truth of Scripture is so revolutionary to the minds of most Christians that many will think it blasphemy, and yet the Scriptures abound with statements that fully support it.

I was telling my uncle back in Dec. about Lazarus and the Rich Man and that it wasn’t literal and that it was a parable and he asked how could I be sure it was a parable and I showed him Matt. 13:34

All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in PARABLES; and without a parable spoke He not unto them" (Matt. 13:34).

After reading that he asked me well what about the five brothers and i told him refer to Matt.13:34 and so he says to me I don’t get it I just don’t see it, so the thing is until he and everyone else does see it and believes it they will never understand.

So the Thing of it comes down to who was teaching  Lazarus and the Rich man,( answer Jesus)so it can be no mistake This is a Parable.

When I first started to see these things (as few as they are) I thought I had to share with everyone I knew, especially my family who are Christians, well it didn’t take long to see this wasn’t going anywhere,so far of all i've shared these wonderful truths with only my wife see's it,and that is huge for me, until God wants us to see his truths we will not understand the Scriptures . 

God Bless
Terry

Nelson:
Hi Beth,


--- Quote from: bambam on July 08, 2009, 08:26:25 PM ---I wish I could do what Jesus did when he opened up people's understanding.  But I cannot.  This is hard.  And these were two of my closest friends.  I can honestly say that My Bible makes SO much more sense now than it did before.  I cannot go back to the old ways of thinking.  But I can say that I was shaken today-I didn't like the feeling-at all.  But God did it for a reason-I know. 

--- End quote ---

You've answered your own question, you simply CANNOT do what Jesus did, only He can do it,


* "Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures" (Lu 24:44, 45)
A few days after Paul was converted he went to the synagogue & reasoned with the Jews that Jesus is the Christ,


* "Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?" But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ" (Act 9:20-22)
How many of those to whom he 'proved' that Jesus is the Christ repented and converted? How many put their faith in Christ as a result of Paul's preaching?


* "Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him" (Ac 9:23)
Paul now makes his way to Jerusalem and starts disputing with the Greeks,


* "And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus" (Ac 9:29, 30)
Why was this all happening? After a supernatural conversion Paul's preaching work was amounting to nothing and now both the Jews and the Greeks wanted him dead. The problem - Paul was still using his own ability and knowledge to preach Christ, and he was even able to prove that Jesus was the Christ but it made no difference. He had to 1) Lose all traces of religion from himself and 2) recognise that it is Christ, not Him, that is doing the work. So, the disciples sent him away for his own good and he remained away for a further 14 years,


* "Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain" (Gal 2:1, 2)
Paul learned very valuable lessons. He learned that he cannot do anything without Christ, and so recognised that it was a waste of time trying to convert people himself. He also learned patience, waiting on the Lord to do His work. Let's take a look at the 'new' Paul,


* "Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus" (Ac 13:1-4)
I'm sure you don't need me to remind you of the powerful work that Paul did in Christ's name from this point forward. There's nothing in scripture to show that he managed to convert even one person himself. But the Lord IN HIM planted several congregations throughout the Roman empire. The Lord still had to work on Paul before he could become a useful vessel in His hands, and boy what a vessel he was when he could say,


* "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20)
Dearest Beth, we're all like Paul. We want to preach Christ from the rooftops, in the valleys and on the street corners, but any work that is of ourselves will amount to nothing. However, take courage as the Lord is working in each one of us to make us into vessels of honour, shaping and molding each one of us until we are ready for the work for which we were chosen, and THEN, the Holy spirit will send us forth. Never underestimate the difference between going out ourselves and being sent forth. Those sent forth do the Lord's work, otherwise it's our own work.

Be patient and humble. Don't worry about whether you can argue with the theologians or prove that Jesus is the Christ, that all mankind will be saved and there is no hell, for those who are not the Lord's cannot hear such words, but the Lord's sheep know HIS voice and will always follow Him. So, like Paul, live by the faith in the Son of God and He will bear fruitage to God in you in due season.

Don't worry about the work of the Lord, instead focus on the Lord of the work and HE will complete that for which He was sent through you.


* "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them" (Ac 16:9, 10)

* "Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them" (Ac 18:9-11)

* "But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome" (Ac 23:11)

* "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Cor 2:3, 4)
May the Lord give of His grace and truth to you to see His mighty hand at work in you, to His own magnificence and glory.

Grace and peace to you and yours

Nelson

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