1Co 1:11 For concerning you, my brothers, it was shown to me by those of Chloe that there are strifes among you.
1Co 1:12 But I say this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.
1Co 1:13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
1Co 1:14 I give thanks to God that I did not baptize any one of you, except Crispus and Gaius,
1Co 1:15 that not anyone should say that you were baptized in my name.
1Co 1:16 And I also baptized the house of Stephanas. For the rest, I do not know if I baptized any other.
1Co 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to announce the gospel, not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be made of no effect.
1Co 1:18 For the Word of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19 For it has been written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the understanding ones." Isa. 29:14
Remember that we are not of BT, we are not of universalism.
We are of Christ, and the Spirit uses us as tools.(I dont know , but this is what 'Feat' might have meant by healthy skepticism;
not following any person or persons.
it took BT (through the Spirit) to open my eyes.
this statement(to me) says BT is using the Spirit to open my eyes.
I say the Spirit uses BT to open my eyes.
(It is a big difference, because in Word or deed we put the Spirit/Christ first.)
I dont think Joe believes that BT is the first in order but all we have are words that are written to go by.(and others might misunderstand)
And sometimes you can tell what a person believes by what they write.
When I first came to Rays site I received confirmation of many things that I was already believing and wondered if there was anybody else who believed the same.
It was the Spirit who stripped me of prior beliefs and the Spirit who led me to BT. BT was another tool and a good one.
If I believe BT is what changed me, then I have become a "follower of BT"
I hope this comes across the way I intend it, (not harsh) and it makes sense to some, because I see many posts of the, "I am of BT" "I am of universalist" type.
Hello Dan,
It is understandable how you or someone else might interpret what I wrote as me proclaiming my allegiance to BT, and that it was BT which opened my eyes to spiritual things.
No, when I wrote "it took BT (through the Spirit) to open my eyes," I had hoped it would be understood that through the Spirit leading me to BT my spiritual eyes were opened.
I have read many people say that Ray had confirmed what they already knew through personal study but I cannot say that myself, far from it. My personal journey (documented in the Testimony section of the forum) had me going through a few churches, reading scores of "christian" books and studying the bible on my own, weeks, months, sometimes years lapsed in between attempts to gain understanding. I was looking outward, searching for "signs and wonders" becoming only confused in the process.
I had first prayed for understanding of God's purpose for me and for the world at the age of 17 after a series of devestating experiences in my young life. He certainly put me on an incredible journey, through the next 34 years, good jobs, bad jobs, huge losses unbelievable gains, living inside and outside the law, being shot at, best friend shot and killed, being an unbending strong willed "cowboy" who would do most anything for a buck and a thrill. Being blessed with a big strong body enhanced by lifting weights even when everything else I did (drinking,drugs, etc.) was very unhealthy, especially spiritually and mentally. I was a bully an enforcer bulldozing my way through life until my mid thirties when the Lord busted this boy down to dust. I had to start all over, humbled, broken and yet optimistic that good things were on the horizen, why was I optimistic? I did not know then but the optimism was the Spirit beginning His work in me.
He has lead me from menial work (the only job anyone was willing to chance with me at the time) to a position I never dreamt possible. I went from mutually bad relationships & marriage to a loving, loyal wife, and we have been blessed beyond belief, it is only through retrospect that I am able to see the steps He guided me through to get to where I am now.
With my personal and professional life better than I ever thought possible there was still something missing, there was a big hole in my spirit a void I could not pinpoint, I KNEW there was more to this life than "things" and I would become frustrated because I could not seem to get whole, to fill the void.
The night I found BT is a night I will never forget, my wife thought I was losing my mind with all the noise coming from my upstairs home office, the shouts of YES! AMAZING! UNBELIEVABLE! AMEN! were coming out with regularity the next 8 hours as I digested verses and spiritual truths like never before, I learned more in 8 hours than in the previous 34 years. Yes, I was familiar with many verses and chapters some committed to memory but never had it become so crystal clear.
In the following months I have continued to learn incredible things and my family and friends have seen remarkable differences in me, my disposition and patience. The biggest thing I can say I learned from Ray and Mike's papers is the Lord working in me and how He is, was & will be with all mankind.
Dan, I did not mean for this to become such a long piece but I wanted to fill in a few gaps in my testimony and I wanted to underscore how I know the Spirit was working in me taking me through the wilderness, holding my hand through some incredible circumstances for decades before I had a clue as to where it was all leading.
So unlike many of you who were devoted church members until your personal study convinced you to come out of her, when I left the church totally disillusioned at around 20 years old and I went into the underbelly of the world looking for thrills and "easy money" not realizing at all that this was my path to Him.
Hopefully this may have cleared up where I am coming from and I apologize for using so many words to do it.
Joe