Hello Paula
I am going to answer your comment :
I'm sorry but now I am a little confused. Could you elaborate on this in congruency with what you said above?When I was young Paula, my parents sent me to art school. The first thing that my art teacher taught me was to go and look at the sky. I had to sit outside during my first lesson and simply look at the sky. The lesson was to notice the sky and see what was in it and the colours that were displayed. At first glance I saw the sky alright but did not notice it. My art teacher asked me what I saw and then showed me that I was actually not seeing the sky as I should because it held so much more than a first surface glance could perceive. After some training and practise required to adapt and fully receive the skill of noticing rather than just seeing the sky, I realized that before my training I only saw the sky as blue with clouds but with training now I could discern the sky as blue with a hint of turquoise to the top of the sky and a haze of purple at the line where the earth met the sky on that particular day. I saw the gold and pink in otherwise just white clouds. I began to notice the transparency of some clouds and the thick density of others. I saw and noticed the sky because I was being trained in the art of seeing and interpreting the sky onto canvas. Now if the canvas is the mind and the Scripture is the sky we have to know, understand and disern the words. My personal expereince and disclosure that I went to art school and found out how to see, has some bearing on the way I am approaching answering your comment :
So are you saying that while fellowship is good we shouldn't stay there- that debate and argument has it's purpose being salt? Kat has shared that Ray often says, "
notice the words." You may have also come across some of Ray’s e-mail responses wherein he points out that many times he receives e-mails that accuse or assume that he has said something he has neither written or meant or would even teach or think yet it is assumed that he has said or taught something he has
not meant or said or taught.
I believe this is a wide spread occurrence in people who hear one thing and assume that it means something that
they assume or think it means.
So here are a few simple comments for you to illustrate this point. I did not say that while fellowship is good we shouldn’t stay there. I did not say that debate and argument has it’s purpose being salt.
Look again my words……
Debate is futile and argument is pointless.... Why then would you assume that my meaning was not what I was saying? Why then did you assume that I meant that debate and argument has a
purpose being salt? I could ask myself the same question in art school. Why did I think the sky was blue with white clouds when it was not blue with white clouds but it was grey, turquoise, lilac and contrasted with opaque and thick and wispy cloud formations that were skyscraper high and held the grey colour of rain coming and the sun lit up the back ground to show gentle depths of pink and gold etc etc…..Assumtions can lead to error. Revelation leads to comprehension and understanding. So lets look at this again and let us reason together……
Look again and see what I wrote about salt. I wrote that salt stings, purifies and is anything but luke warm. So why did you think that debate, which I wrote is futile and argument is pointless, meant that debate and argument has its purpose being salt? Have you perhaps made the assumption that salt is debate and argument and in placing the question mark at the end of your observation you I believe you express uncertainty with your conclusion and you invite clarification. Okay so in responce for clarification..... Compare Rays paper on You Fools! You Hypocrites! You Snakes! Then
ompare what Paul says by noticing his words in 2 Cor 10 : 5
Inasmuch as we refute arguments and theories and reasoning’s and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God, and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ. Lets read that again
……Inasmuch as we REFUTE…….Oh! refute….
REFUTE…. What does refute mean? And what is Paul refuting? Lets look again.....is not Paul refuting arguments, theories and reasoning’s (debate)? Do you believe as I do that argument, debate and disputing originate out of a un-teachable prideful spirit that sets
itself up not Christ up as the true knowledge of God? What does Pauls example teach and show us all. Paul leads all debate, arguments and lofty things that set themselves up against Christ , Paul leads captive into the obedience of Christ. How? How does Paul do this? He
refutes arguments, debates and the pride filled spirit that sets itself up as its own authority.
In order to grasp how and what Paul means I need to understand the
words Paul uses, just one word, REFUTE. I have to know what that word means or I will be left to my own understanding and to lean on my own understanding is not a wise place to lean on! Refute is not deny.
Deny is like you say it is black and I say it is white and so we argue, disagree and debate and we bring in discord, disharmony and division. Ego enters and the fruite of Christs Sprit leaves while you say I say, you are right I am wrong issues take up centre stage. Paul refuted arguements. The word Paul uses is REFUTE. There is a BIG DIFFERENCE. Deny is simply luke warm but refute, now that is real salt!
Refute is often used incorrectly as a synonym of deny. In careful usage, however, to deny something is to state that it is untrue; to refute something is to assemble evidence in order to prove it untrue: all he could do was deny the allegations since he was unable to refute them. (Collins English Dictionary)
Refute is with evidence and proof. Deny is without evidence or proof. Refute is salt relatively speaking. ...with evidence. Argument and debate is not evidence. Evolution has not evidence but much theories and debates and arguments!
The reason why I wrote debate is futile and argument is pointless is because it is rooted in denial, idolitary, false teachings, half truths for which there is no evidence or proof of truth. Jesus said to His detractors that they neither knew the Scriptures nor the power of God. He was speaking to the hightly educated Pharisees! He told them that they were children of Satan. There is no teachable spirit present in debate and argument and what Jesus said was the truth. The Pharasees wanted to be right and have a floowing and they went far and wide to get it. When the self or the ego is dictating and going after a need to agree or be right which is the idol of the heart that raises itself up against true knowledge of God, then peace is not persued, bonds of peace and fellowship in like mindedness are not cultivated and neither is Christ considered. Non of us are good. Non of us are right. Non but God and Christ are good and in right standing. We are imitations in the process of Gods work in us which is bringing us into closer replica of the image of Christ Spirit within us that is Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness,Goodness, Patience, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Long Suffering.
Paul, like Christ refuted with evidence such idolatry argumentative debating God haters who hate the truth and prefer approval for error. Look what Paul wrote to the Galatians Chapter 3. O
you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians’! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you……and then Paul continued to lead the Galatians captive to Christ by teaching that Christ supplies and works powerfully and miraculously among them as He is doing among us too in this Forum. Christ purchased our freedom as He has done for us too making us free from the Law for those who now believe who now adhere to and now trust in and rely on HIM. Paul used salt to expose and show up as in error his detractors. He corrected, exhorted with evidence of the truth and those who were correctable, teachable were indeed convicted. Those who preferred their idols and who turned away from sound doctrine, preferring the easy sounding ear stroking teachings of demons, were not convinced and they turned away neither having ears to hear or eyes to see. Many are called and few are chosen.
So how will this post be recieved do you think Paula? Will what I have written here fall on hard ground, stony or thorny ground or on soft ground? Are these words tares or wheat seeds? Are these words as a sweet fragrance or are they a smell of doom?
Some students go to art school to learn art and they are teachable and others are not. I am here in this Forum to hear and see and learn Christ. I hope that what I have painted in this dialogue of words shows HIM up more than me for HE is our beloved teacher. In this we share and I hope that you have grasped a useful technique I have learnt that has blessed me which I have learnt and received only from the Master our Lord. Look at the words.
Peace to you
Arcturus