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ALL SCRIPTURE IS FOR OUR ADMONITION

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Deborah-Leigh:

--- Quote ---That high calling drags us out of the illusion of having free will. It drags us away from thinking we are better than anyone else. It drags us away from dead works that are centered in our own self righteousness. We see that our righteousness is filthy rags and seek the one who will clothe us in his righteousness.
--- End quote ---


Well articulated MG. AMEN! :)

hillsbororiver:

--- Quote from: M.G. on January 13, 2008, 01:55:23 PM ---
Ecclesiastes 3 

14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.


--- End quote ---

Powerful scripture M.G. in just these 4 verses we can see no free will and that everything is under God's control, that there is a road all must travel through religiousity and our own works of justification.

Until the Spirit of Christ reigns supreme in our hearts we are all yet beasts.

His Peace to you,

Joe 

hillsbororiver:
THE BEAST WITHIN / THE MAN OF SIN / THE SON OF PERDITION

I showed from the Scriptures in our last installment that we only become aware of the beast when we are standing on the "sand of the sea." AFTER our spiritual house built upon spiritual sand FALLS DOWN, and WE fall down. And this is precisely why Paul tells us that the

"…day of Christ… shall not come [to US] except there come a FALLING AWAY FIRST…" (II Thes. 2:1-2).

This "fall" by the way is not a little slip or a little stumble. It is a complete and total SPIRITUAL FALL! We all come to Christ with a simple childlike innocence. But … BUT, once we are in "the church of our choice," we start to get educated in the ways of Christendom. We learn of many rules based on the unscriptural traditions of men. We delight in many of these rules and traditions (sometimes not all of them), and before we know it, our new religion sooner or later TAKES US RIGHT BACK INTO THE WORLD that we thought we came out of.

 

IF YE BE CIRCUMCISED, CHRIST SHALL PROFIT YOU NOTHING

To me it is a thing of overwhelming amazement that what most Christians around the world aspire to BE and ACCOMPLISH in their spiritual walk with God, is the very thing that our Apostle Paul called: "DUNG"!

Christians claim that their bondage to physical commandments and traditions of men, are really spiritual.

Some make an idol of the heart out of keeping the Saturday Sabbath;

others make an idol of the heart out of claiming they are "tithing" when they give money to the church;

others make an idol of the heart out of physical circumcision;

others make an idol of the heart out of being baptized in the name of Jesus ONLY;

others make an idol of the heart out of believing in the unscriptural teaching of a trinity or rapture,

others make an idol of the heart out of demonic gibberish and tongues speaking;

others make an idol of the heart out of drinking poison and handling poisonous snakes;

others make an idol of the heart out of Christian Politics;

others make an idol of the heart out of their own church affiliation or pastor or choir or a plethora of church activities;

others (many) make an idol of the heart out of some pet, little-understood and little-believed Bible prophecy, which only they understand;

others make an idol of the heart out of much speaking using spiritually-sounding words and phrases (of which they understand little or nothing);

others make an idol of the heart out of joyfully condemning all those who do not subscribe to their brand of Christianity, to an eternal torture in hell fire (I am the brunt of a lot of these);

and others just flat out worship themselves.

What does Paul have to teach us regarding these many barriers to truly understanding the excellency of Jesus Christ?

"Circumcised the eight day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church [Paul counted persecuting the true believers as something of which to be proud]; touching the righteousness which is in the law, BLAMELESS [irreproachable, faultless].

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered loss of all things, and do count them but DUNG, that I might win Christ. (Phil. 3:5-8).

Now then, notice what Paul also says in Gal. 5:1-4:

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled gain with the yoked of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, [sounds important…] that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you NOTHING. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do THE WHOLE LAW [Abraham was circumcised, but Moses taught it AS A LAW that HAD to be obeyed]. Christ is become of NO EFFECT unto you, whosoever of you are [Gk: ‘are’ should be‘attempt to be’] justified by LAW; ye [‘ALL of you’] are FALLEN FROM GRACE."

We learned that leaving one’s first love is falling from love. But there’s more. Whatever one puts in place of true worship not only displaces us from our first love, but it also causes us to FALL FROM GRACE!

Listen, as long as we obey the beast within, we are not aware of just how evil this beast really is. As long as we obey our carnal mind, we are not aware of just how evil our carnal mind is. MOST Christians are carnal. And how can I say that with certainty seeing that I cannot read the hearts of most men? Because the Bible tells me so: "MANY are called, but FEW are chosen." The carnal minded are called, but the carnal-minded are not as yet chosen:

"And I [Paul], brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

"For ye ARE yet CARNAL: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not CARNAL, and walk as men [Gk: ‘according to man’]?

"For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos [and another, I am Church of Christ, I am a follower of Billy Graham, or John Hagee, or Benny Hinn, or Paul Crouch, or T.J. Jakes, or Joyce Myers, etc.]; are ye [ALL] not CARNAL?"

Through the years I have had many people say to me that they are followers of this or that religious personality, or that so and so, is "My Man." Well let me inform you that you cannot fight a spiritual warfare by standing behind a carnal man.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood [carnal enemies], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).

Can we fight these spiritual enemies with carnal weapons or the teachings of carnal men?

"For the weapons of our warfare are not CARNAL, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (II Cor. 10:4).

http://bible-truths.com/lake14.html

rjsurfs:

Arc

--- Quote ---All our knowledge serves as nought under the power of Christ reducing our attachments, life lines and false beliefs into powder.
--- End quote ---

This has been in my thoughts since I saw you post this yesterday.  Good stuff here and much of this I am experiencing... and I ask rhetorically what are our attachments, life lines, and false beliefs... because I know they're still there... this just keeps getting deeper and deeper the further we go along this journey.

Incidentally I had just finished watching a PBS documentary on the Amish... I know that the way they live is to them a part of their religious beliefs... but I was quite impressed with their level of humility, their awareness and scruples to vanity, and the unity they display within their community.  This was the positives I took from the film.  (I am not trying to discuss the Amish otherwise.)

This is on my mind a lot lately... how to be rid of the attachments without becoming legalistic... how to let go of the life-lines and still be a brother or sister to others... to have your false beliefs exposed, so that in seeing they are false, repent and seek to live truth.

These are the deeper things that I am after... and getting to these involve the same things that have gotten me this far.  That being God gracing me... through prayer, study, and his discipline I am sure he will continue to show me these things and much more. 

I just thought that was a powerful little quote within Arcturus's post... there is always so much here to meditate on.

Bobby

Deborah-Leigh:
Thank you for that excerpt Joe. It is as Ray says quote : Listen, as long as we obey the beast within, we are not aware of just how evil this beast really is. As long as we obey our carnal mind, we are not aware of just how evil our carnal mind is.

This is what makes our journey so difficult. This side of life, can Christ reign completely supreme in any heart until He returns bringing with Him FULL SALVATION?  I believe the best we can experience this side of life before Christ returns is that sin does not have dominion over us as it used to because we begin to realise that we are weak, we fail and we are liable to temptation until Christ delivers us completely into FULL salvation or into full re-birth. 8) We know that flesh and blood do not inherit His Kingdom.

Heb 9 : 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time, not to carry any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to bring to full salvation those who are waiting for and expecting Him.

So perhaps this scripture means too that those who are starting to experience and see the Beast as self, begin also along the road to waiting for Christ and to them He will appear. To those who are carnal, He does not appear because the carnal mind sees only itself? This is not to assume that Christ will not return to the world on the day of Judgement but perhaps when He does, the world will still know Him not and their LOF will be unrecognisable as being the consuming fire of God. This would also tie in with the difference between Judgment NOW on the House of God and the final Judgement reserved for those who are to stand before the White Throne Judgment. It also links to our trials and tribulations NOW compared to the WRATH of God that is to come that God's Elect will NOT have to suffer.

Bobby,

Here is South Africa there is a recent plan to switch off the lights of the cities to save on electricity. The lights go out periodically throughout the day. Last month we lost our computer due to a lightening striking down the mother board and so now we use the lap top! These circumstances are of GOD.  ;D

Why I tell you this is because the Amish have a society that is removed as far away as possible to the dependence on State. In that respect they have grouped together to survive. Their theology is still up the creek without a paddle though! ;D

We will each be salted by fire. No comunity will be able to bypass the salting either. As Ray quotes from Luke :

Whomsoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever It shall fall, It will GRIND HIM TO POWDER."

This shows me that many fall upon Christ and know of Him and will be broken. Those who are ground to powder will be those who Christ has chosen. Upon the chosen the Judgment is NOW.  ;D

Peace be to you brothers.

Arcturus :)

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