3916	Forums / Theology Forum / Prayers	on: February 09, 2010, 03:28:58 PM
Father we thank You that You are our King. In Your rule as your children we are completely safe. Because we share in the comfort of your Spirit as your children as ministers of this new covenant. Father we bless one another knowing that you are blessing us to bless our brothers. May we have a greater measure of your Spirit so that we might have the greatest communication in our encouragement for one another. For we are all the glorious ones in your Church. We pray that you will extend all good things to our brothers. Father we pray that you will open the heavens and fill our barns to overflowing! Do not let us be overburdened with the griefs and the worries of this world. Our eternal and faithful God.. who knows us more than we know ourselves. Your salvation extends to the ends of the earth so that we are caused to long for all the good things that you have promised us ... that our desires extend from the ends of the earth. Oh Father  help us experience the rule and reign of your only worthy Man! We are caused to ask you because you have revived us to call on your name. Our heads are made to look up to you as a watchmen looks for the morning. We are made to praise you because we know that you have taken our burdens and lightened our load so that we might have a spirit of supplication and prayer. Father we pray that you will cause us to rejoice in this revived unity since your Spirit has no boundaries. For Father we have all been given this unction and Your Spirit has made our paths straight. We will wait and be caused to rejoice in you when you have poured forth your blessing to us!
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3917  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Hope on: February 09, 2010, 12:47:29 PM The reality of this life is determined by how one stands in relation to salvation. Everyone is intimately acquainted with God before they are born... i mean... in the birthing process. I think salvation is determined by God in His counsel from all eternity. And in a sense God seeing us ... or intimately ordering the way we are formed it that by which the reality of our salvation is set as an eternal reality to us. Because before we receive salvation God knows our ways as determinate all the way back into the secret place. For all of His children that have been saved we go back to that secret place as a matter of being born again. We are viewed by God before we were born as being His children. So that we might have confidence in our identity in Christ. We are connected to the Father in His redemptive seeing.Our past sins have no hold on our identity as the apostle says who... terrorized the church... "I do not have the blood of men on my hands." In other words it is in that secret place as a matter of identity.  So that we need to see that our identity is secure even tho we lived a life of sin and depravity. I mean...when we first came to Christ we enjoyed a real release from the power of sin and we enjoyed a pleasure in our rejoicing over that new spiritual transformation and salvation. But we needed to have an understanding about it being in God alone. Well.. in those early days we were waking up and testing that sense that was created from the bottom of our hearts... i mean.. we experienced the power of the gospel. We were wondering whether that experience would lessen over time and we would then begin to fall back to the former experience. But we would wake up and there would be a new day... a new experience as our hope. We had a profound attachment to the work of the Spirit in that regeneration experience. Brothers the simplicity of that experience was exactly what the apostle was warning us to guard! Why have you so quickly wandered from that work of the Spirit? There are a few very simple propositions that we need to get back in touch with. Salvation is a spoken proposition because the universe we live in is really an impersonal or personal relationship to the universe of spoken identity. Let me explain. The opposition that we have is a voice of irrationally that we must identify in our ongoing way of thinking. We are dealing in a personal way against the devil through propositions that He knows will form an identity that is irrational. His voice... i mean.. the most ferocious attack will be directed at our trust. Because our trust is a proposition that we have confessed Christ. He will say" if God is real then let Him save you....let Him deliver you." In other words we are influenced by this general proposition that is a daily occurrence that comes in our world. The truth is that we have very little power of proposition to form our identity in our own finite view of this world. This world is filled with a multitude of devils... propositions that make us a different identity than we are. We are dealing with an attack on the mind first and then we experience a deep level of struggling in our proposed identity. This really is a world where Christ rules as a matter of absoluteness and we sort of do flounder in focusing on some proposition that is not entirely correct. I think i am focusing on "My Sheep hear my voice and they follow me." Clear propositions. We must see that our Father spoke our salvation from eternity past. A much bigger identity than any other one that  can be proposed to us that will have more power. We live in a world where we face this opposition to create another man ... idol.. that proposes to us an identity that we find a certain satisfaction. But this is clear to us that its a world where men use these different half truths as that by which we experience the world filled with devils. This is why God says the tongue is a world of evil..it sets the course of a mans life. Not because we are susceptible to fall under the spell of another man and depart from the voice of our Shepherd but because in opposing the propositions of the Pharisee and the reprobate we are experiencing a war of propositions. In order for us to have a hope that cannot be moved we must have a connection to the power of the Shepherds warnings and encouraging so that we might identify those words that we have no control over to change the course of our world. For men can destroy another man in a temporary sense with a few words.      Remove Reply Quote Notify

3918  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Hope on: February 09, 2010, 11:08:11 AM We live in a society of the hero. A society that creates a functional pathway to be successful. We have the most free society that has ever been developed on the face of the earth. Here we develop a disconnect between what is in the heart and what our view of reality is as to its focus. This disconnect eats away at our inner reality of real personal hope. The bible terms this as developing a callous heart. How we view ourselves is that by which we think feel and act as it relates to our culture. The truth is there is danger in both of the extremes of life.  The first thing that we need to understand is that people go in a direction in there view of life in a totally disconnected way. We have a tendency in this secularist fashion , to project our influence of success in a way that has no relation to the real view of the social unity. In other words our own view as our image of ourselves is very deceptive. I mean.. most of our problems come from both directions. On the one hand when we project our own importance more than it is then we judge the direction others take in our view of their actions as our understanding the reasons why they go in that direction. Our view of this world and the things that transpire are only in our understanding as we are able to see, hear and touch our present circumstances. If we are to view this life in a way that we determine events by the conclusions we have as to the direction people take ...in that judgment we are placing a burden on ourselves that will in the end settle on our personal hopes as the trade off for our projecting our own importance in our influence. I think we have a very hard time as sinners as accepting that people go in a certain course in this life as something that is imaginative and we may think we understand why and what needs to be done but the reality is we are not omniscient nor omnipresent. People go in directions in this life that are grievous and sort of settle over their personal attributes. Solomon went in that direction and then wrote the book of Ecclesiastes as a book showing the grief of that direction as he was looking back over his life. So we need to see that we are quick to judge another person about things we have no knowledge about that person because we have been influenced ourselves in the same way that person we are judging was taught to reason. We are ... therefore we lead. This is why there is no neutral ground in the christian life. We are all touched by the disease of being the Pharisee or falling under some kind of disposition of sickness in having the weight of sin and grief settle over us. So we find a very simple syndrome of the problems that Christians have about their view of themselves. Most of our problems are due to the weight of something that we have held onto for reasons that we have not considered in the simplicity of the gospel. There is one thing about saying that Christ died for all the sins of His people... there is another thing to bring that identity into our souls as that by which we unburden our own hearts. We have a fail safe way of going in the rite direction. Because we reason that there is a healthy impersonal relationship to our view of this world in how Christ has dealt with us in our salvation. In salvation we begin to understand that we have a Shepherd who actually takes our burdens and teaches us to walk in a pathway that is peaceful.    Remove Reply Quote Notify

3919  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: St. Augustine on: February 09, 2010, 10:28:32 AM 13. For thus doth pride imitate high estate, whereas Thou alone art God, high above all. And what does ambition seek but honours and renown, whereas Thou alone art to be honoured above all, and renowned for evermore? The cruelty of the powerful wishes to be feared; but who is to be feared but God only,206206    Ps. lxxvi. 7. out of whose power what can be forced away or withdrawn—when, or where, or whither, or by whom? The enticements of the wanton would fain be deemed love; and yet is naught more enticing than Thy charity, nor is aught loved more healthfully than that, Thy truth, bright and beautiful above all. Curiosity affects a desire for knowledge, whereas it is Thou who supremely knowest all things. Yea, ignorance and foolishness themselves are concealed under the names of ingenuousness and harmlessness, because nothing can be found more ingenuous than Thou; and what is more harmless, since it is a sinner’s own works by which he is harmed?207207    Ps. vii. 15. And sloth seems to long for rest; but what sure rest is there besides the Lord? Luxury would fain be called plenty and abundance; but Thou art the fulness and unfailing plenteousness of unfading joys. Prodigality presents a shadow of liberality; but Thou art the most lavish giver of all good. Covetousness desires to possess much; and Thou art the Possessor of all things. Envy contends for excellence; but what so excellent as Thou? Anger seeks revenge; who avenges more justly than Thou? Fear starts at unwonted and sudden chances which threaten things beloved, and is wary for their security; but what can happen that is unwonted or sudden to Thee? or who can deprive Thee of what Thou lovest? or where is there unshaken security save with Thee? Grief languishes for things lost in which desire had delighted itself, even because it would have nothing taken from it, as nothing can be from Thee. Reply Quote Notify

3920  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Romans and the Flesh Monster. on: February 08, 2010, 08:08:55 PM Yes we take ourselves too seriously. It really is a matter of this multiple view of the christian life. Because a statement like that has a certain flavor in the American culture. My personal definition of not taking myself too seriously is this particular view of my application to myself. I mean.. the bible is deeply concerned for the free expression of the individual. Not only in terms of the honesty displayed in the ongoing maturing of that miss understanding we have in our own applications to ourselves  ... i mean.. as a matter of our behavior in lite of our coming to peace with our inability. But also in understanding that where God is present all things are put in their proper place. Or there is the ultimate exercise of the experience of freedom in every expression as that by which the unity of that society fits together as individual members... in this very uncommon spirit. The body of Christ functions as a human body.. the head being Christ who not only sustains that life but the flow is fully active to each member. So we can say that a person is free to not take himself too seriously because of his understanding of this application ... i mean.. with a knowledge that he fits in accepting his own short coming and his personal enjoyment in the connection. So we see that the soul has these different tendencies to be under some kind of weight as an expression of the attempt to be free as that by which there is a certain resignation of knowing the impossible as part of the freedom in that public humanity. In a sense freedom has these balance of inner experiential powers as the mode to express oneself under the proper influence of that free spirit. My attempt to create the paradigm out of the application, may be a bit confusing. Well at least its an attempt. Reply Quote Notify

3921  Forums / Main Forum / Re: A thought outside of the box on: February 08, 2010, 08:01:09 PM Quote from: Kings_kid on February 08, 2010, 01:41:58 AM mybigGod: I must have missed out, (or spaced out), on your definition of the term you are using, "re-probation".  That seems to imply a prior probationary period and we are in a re-visitation of that earlier period? Maybe i should crawl back into my box.  Sometimes it is warm and cozy in there.  Thinking outside the box can feel naked, exposed.  And the bright light can be painfully blinding... A friend of mine used to say that if you take yourself seriously, then you have a very serious problem!  So i probably need to lighten up and "enjoy the party" more, like you said a while back. But i think i will think more about your idea of darkness being primarily the abuse of power.  Does seem to fit the histories/societies i can think of.  And obviously it fits the "Great Accuser" -- the father of lies. Ah, time for some welcome darkness - on a mattress.  Byeya. Thanks Kk...Yes we take ourselves too seriously. It really is a matter of this multiple view of the christian life. Because a statement like that has a certain flavor in the American culture. My personal definition of not taking myself too seriously is this particular view of my application to myself. I mean.. the bible is deeply concerned for the free expression of the individual. Not only in terms of the honesty displayed in the ongoing maturing of that miss understanding we have in our own applications to ourselves  ... i mean.. as a matter of our behavior in lite of our coming to peace with our inability. But also in understanding that where God is present all things are put in their proper place. Or there is the ultimate exercise of the experience of freedom in every expression as that by which the unity of that society fits together as individual members... in this very uncommon spirit. The body of Christ functions as a human body.. the head being Christ who not only sustains that life but the flow is fully active to each member. So we can say that a person is free to not take himself too seriously because of his understanding of this application ... i mean.. with a knowledge that he fits in accepting his own short coming and his personal enjoyment in the connection. So we see that the soul has these different tendencies to be under some kind of weight as an expression of the attempt to be free as that by which there is a certain resignation of knowing the impossible as part of the freedom in that public humanity. In a sense freedom has these balance of inner experiential powers as the mode to express oneself under the proper influence of that free spirit. My attempt to create the paradigm out of the application, may be a bit confusing. Well at least its an attempt. Reply Quote Notify

3922  Forums / Main Forum / Re: A thought outside of the box on: February 08, 2010, 07:37:41 PM Quote from: Kings_kid on February 08, 2010, 01:41:58 AM mybigGod: I must have missed out, (or spaced out), on your definition of the term you are using, "re-probation".  That seems to imply a prior probationary period and we are in a re-visitation of that earlier period? Maybe i should crawl back into my box.  Sometimes it is warm and cozy in there.  Thinking outside the box can feel naked, exposed.  And the bright light can be painfully blinding... A friend of mine used to say that if you take yourself seriously, then you have a very serious problem!  So i probably need to lighten up and "enjoy the party" more, like you said a while back. But i think i will think more about your idea of darkness being primarily the abuse of power.  Does seem to fit the histories/societies i can think of.  And obviously it fits the "Great Accuser" -- the father of lies. Ah, time for some welcome darkness - on a mattress.  Byeya. sorry about that i spell checked reprobation and then overlooked it. Reply Quote Notify

3923  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Reformed Doctrine on: February 08, 2010, 07:32:32 PM In conformity, therefore, to the clear doctrine of the Scripture, we assert, that by an eternal and immutable counsel, God has once for all determined, both whom he would admit to salvation, and whom he would condemn to destruction. We affirm that this counsel, as far as concerns the elect, is founded on his gratuitous mercy, totally irrespective of human merit; but that to those whom he devotes to condemnation, the gate of life is closed by a just and irreprehensible, but incomprehensible, judgment. In the elect, we consider calling as an evidence of election, and justification as another token of its manifestation, till they arrive in glory, which constitutes its completion. As God seals his elect by vocation and justification, so by excluding the reprobate from the knowledge of his name and the sanctification of his Spirit, he affords an indication of the judgement that awaits them. J. Calvin Predestination & Reprobation Contrasted R.A. Finlayson 1. [The Scripture] does not teach or imply a double predestination. In an attempt to distinguish between election and reprobation we should use predestination for the elect and foreordination for the reprobate. 2. Election and reprobation rest on different grounds: election on the redeeming love of God that undertakes the salvation of the lost; reprobation on the moral necessity to manifest to the universe the nature and consequences of sin in moral personality. 3. Means are used of God to fulfil the purpose of election, but God uses no means to fulfil His purpose of reprobation. It is left to sin to run its course and receive its wages. 4. The fruits of election are attributable to divine grace, the fruits of reprobation to personal sin. This means that while there is grace to some, there is injustice to none. 5. While God finds pleasure in the salvation of the elect, He has sworn by Himself that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God does not need sin or its retribution for His self-manifestation, but its reality in the universe can serve that end. 6. That the elect will constitute a recreation of the race under a new Head is evident, while the retribute are but the branches cut off from the tree of humanity. Christ will be revealed as the Saviour of the world, though many are lost in the process. Remove Reply Quote Notify

3924  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Hope on: February 07, 2010, 01:41:45 PM If we look at the supernatural hope that we possess then its like something that we need to dress.. give attention to. So we are always thinking about how our circumstances... the state of our country... the level of the trials that we face and the voices both old and new that are forming our present view of the world. Because this world is full of cursed paradigms. This is why we have these trials that affect our general disposition of hope. Its kind of like having a present opposition that is easily turned to be so uncomfortable to our striving that it becomes a temptation. It becomes a great source of irritation to our peace and deep level of trust. Not only do we face circumstances where that level of deep support comes and goes. It is the general state of a declining society that we must endure as well. And so we face a holistic onslaught from the world, the flesh and the devil. May i say that these three things are not just evil but they are impersonal curses that we must endure from being personal. I am strictly saying as a source of irritation. Non of these three things has complete power over us. We are under the obligation to demand our rites as citizens of heaven. This being a stout heart ed "trusting in" . One of the most confusing paradigms for the believer is to find a sense of alone ness in all of this and then to judge areas of pride so that the strength of grace is put out ...that strength is spoken in believing that has this view of Gods worthiness to endure this worlds scoffs in the longing to never be shaken in ones faith. I mean sometimes we get talked into a reality where we teach ourselves an odd humility. People in this world are not just carriers of evil... but they are in a cursed relationship. Its not like we are in a society where we have a general outbreak of a common cold but there are  lepers all around.  Every person argues with all his might for that which he is intrinsically attached to ... in the most elegant language. Sometimes it is under a level of self deception but sometimes it is out of a passion to dominate. In this world and the state of religion.. the state of politics... that general level of the blanket of common grace are very real to our present view of our level of adversity in the struggle with our view of these three paradigms of temptation. We must guard our hope by retreating into a kind of reformed observance. The bible calls this mourning over our present state of things. Kind of like hanging our harps on the tree for a time and determining to think deeply about the level of sorrows attached to our present opposition. The way we interpret this danger has a big affect on the general health of our living hope. The hope we express in our relying on Christ.    Remove Reply Quote Notify

3925  Forums / Main Forum / Re: A thought outside of the box on: February 07, 2010, 12:51:39 PM Believers are able to think as deep and as wide as they are motivated to determine reality. This may seem like it is outside the box. But we live in a world that is turned upside down. Nothing changes in this world as it relates to the truth in a passive acceptance of one man dominating over another. But i think its is a universal acceptance of a standard of abuse. Men are not born good enough as the ultimate judge to determine the line that is crossed as it relates to a peaceful society. Because one mans view of an abuse is either an over reaction to the general disposition of that society or it is a crusade for his own attempt to dominate. In other words all men attempt to turn these things upside down. Every man is born in a world of sin and darkness. These two terms sin and darkness are like grace and light. This is how we can measure the level of evil in a society. The question is how deep the sin is as to how dark are these things. This darkness that spreads over the world is the level of the abuse of power in the reprobation . When we are thinking in terms of this level of darkness we are measuring it up against the understand we have of the general dispositions that come from every idea and belief as it is expressed in the general welfare of Gods eternal kingdom... that being His throne of absolute control of this world. We are thinking outside the box of the present state of the world as it pertains to both of these opposite powers. Because darkness is not just a state of feeling and sensing in the absence of physical light but it is viewed in how men have determined to express power in this world. Gods ruling power is from all eternity. That is His eternal throne is the expression of His disposition of love and His attributes of Oneness in the Trinitarian relationship throughout all eternity. This is why after He had created the world He proclaimed that it was good. We say that the expression of Gods goodness as He determined His created order is an expression of His eternal love... faithfulness... goodness.. and kindness so that in the satisfaction of His work... He was pleased for it to be as it was throughout all eternity. Now then God works good for His own pleasure out of the evil and darkness of this world. This is the expression of Gods throne in both His decreeing rule and His secret providence over this world. We are born in a world of darkness. But there is the secret providence that is veiled to all mens view of the brightness of the glory of God that He is pleased to dwell in that radiates through all eternity. This glory is the attributes of Gods goodness and that being the Holiness that adorns His throne. When we speak of Gods throne adorned with His holiness we are speaking about a beauty that is beyond our idea of pleasure as we think of all of the colors of the rainbow. This is the expression of His power... His radiant beauty.. love ...faithfulness.. justice... as that providence to His children as it is determined to bring good out of all the opposition as He is personally related to us as a loving Father. When we are discussing Gods rule over His creation we are discussing a multitude of secret providence's ordered out of the eternal understanding of all that God knows in light of the evil schemes that men have woven as the expression of this worlds darkness. God is not just bringing light into this world as a matter of individual salvation but  to reorder the universe of dark reprobation.     Reply Quote Notify

3926  Forums / Prayer Requests / Re: Surrounded By Darkness on: February 07, 2010, 12:37:16 PM Patti you are a very brave women. I can see by your expression above that it comes from a very mature saint. I pray that you will be relieved of that pain you are experiencing. I know how it is constant. Its hard for us to see that God is a God of comfort when we are experiencing so much mental pain. But there is always a remedy. Even tho it may not be a complete one at this time. Dont lose hope. If you need to just fall back onto Him when you get tired of struggling. He will never leave you.  Dear Father... you have loved us and given us a life. You are the source of all of these different inner problems. You do things for your purposes. We pray for Patti. because she is going through a big trial rite now. Father... because encourage us to come to You and we feel so inadequate to go on in this life then you encourage us by letting us rest and come to You for strength. Father ... we pray that you will shorten this time of pain for Patti. Oh Father there is nothing we can do sometimes but to hold on to a small promise. We know Father that you can give us relief. We know that there is something that is in the future if we are experiencing a struggle rite now ... we know that You will come in some way to give us relief. Sometimes You lift our burden...sometimes You bring the medicine...sometimes bring a saint to pray that prayer that avails much. Please Father.. out of your eternal love for us... out of your concern for our souls ... out of Your abiding presence and comfort we would pray that you send that comfort to Patti. Help her at this time to endure this pain. Father we know that if we do not experience Your strength that we are most miserable. We know that you are able to dull the pain in Patti. We know that You look upon us as dust. We know that You have the will to make all things rite. There is always healing in Your hands. Father... we pray that you will take that healing rite hand out of your garment and place it on Patti in all of her circumstances so that she may find deliverance from this trial. Help her hear the clear word of salvation from all of this worlds tension. Help her to long for your words of comfort and to know that you have spoken rite in the pain.  Father bring comfort to this sister. Reply Quote Notify

3927  Forums / Main Forum / Re: Official Praise Jesus Thread! on: February 07, 2010, 11:06:45 AM Praise the Lord! Reply Quote Notify

3928  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Reformed Doctrine on: February 06, 2010, 10:09:41 PM Redemption: "Christ saves us neither by the mere exercise of power, nor by his doctrine, nor by his example, nor by the moral influence which he exerted, nor by any subjective influence on his people, whether natural or mystical, but as a satisfaction to divine justice, as an expiation for sin, and as a ransom from the curse and authority of the law, thus reconciling us to God by making it consistent with his perfection to exercise mercy toward sinners" (Hodge's Systematic Theology). Redemptive History is understood as God's self revelation to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ, through whom God purposed to love a people as His own, even to the point of sending His Son in their likeness, being tempted and suffering death on the cross, bearing the full penalty of their sins, that they may live in Him through His resurrection from the dead. The life, death, and resurrection of the Savior, being the means of God's redemptive purpose, was foreshadowed in all of history, specially revealed in the Bible, that those who follow after Christ by His death to the age of His resurrection might know God as faithful to His promises, and have complete access to fellowship with Him without fear of condemnation. (Two Age Glossary) Remove Reply Quote Notify

3929  Forums / Main Forum / Re: Open and closed mindedness on: February 06, 2010, 09:18:48 PM Quote from: Kings_kid on February 06, 2010, 12:48:16 AM Where did you go mybigGod?  I miss our exchanges. Meanwhile, my best shot at this topic is that we need to be progressively more open-minded to the living and written Word of God and more closed-minded to ideas which contradict, undermine or attack that Word. Which would cause those living in confusion, as i was most of my life, to judge me as closed-minded.  Which would be sort of a compliment.  What they wouldn't see is that their mindset is wide open to error and firmly closed to the One who is Truth (and so much more...).. Jesus: the Way of the Truth-Life           the Truth of the Life-Way           the Life of the Way of Truth Yes His word is the only offensive weapon we have. And we may think that Gods word is a very small instrument as a sword. But Gods spoken word is  His decrees and His secret providence. In other words Gods word defines reality as that by which He created the beauty of all things. We view everything with a physical eye.. and we judge the beauty of that thing by our 5 senses. Our natural state is to be very sluggish and slow when we begin to focus on a beautiful object. And then we also in our familiarity of the things of this world begin to view things as we would normally feel about our circumstances.  But the truth is that God is a spirit and He does not dwell in temples made by hands. God is eternal. So then we need to see that what He has made is a revelation of who He is. Because God created all things. His attributes are displayed in that creation. When we look at the plants .. the animals... the skys and the trees we are looking at a living picture of the beauty of God. Because God created it by the word of His mouth. We must see that Gods Spirit moved over creation and brought life.  The word of God is that by which the Spirit brought life.  When ever God speaks the Spirit begins to form that new life in us. And because God applies His word to our hearts He gives us Himself in the application of that word. Each word ... each doctrine ... is the total life of God breathed out to our understanding so that we know all of His words by that one word. Each word is an expression of the Triune God. Not only is the implanted word the very life of God in the soul of man but it is that by which we know ourselves. You see in order for us to know the reasons that we are on this earth.. God Himself must come to us as if He came to dwell in a temple. This is why when we have found God we know that we are resting in God. If we consider that the all powerful.. .the most high.. the most wise, loving , faithful, kind and holy God is not just out there but He is rite here. Not only is God by His Spirit in us but we are in Him. How do we know this? Because God has reminded us through His spoken word from eternity. God always existed before the world was created as the eternal God that is present in every space of eternity as fully God. Now i ask you... if God dwells in us by His Spirit and we in Him...then how can we be shaken? How can we be moved? How can we lose our position of being His child? How can we in the slightest lose any of that honor? You see our salvation depends upon what He has told us in His word ...that word that can never change!  Now then... there you are.. you are meditating on His word... and you are praying ... and you are beginning to sense that God is drawing near. I mean in an experiential way. As you call on God He is drawing you out of that normal view of life. Your awareness is heightened. You begin to feel like God is in the room. Not only do you have a feeling that He is in the space around you but His Spirit begins to illuminate you that the space around you is just a reminder that He is personally speaking to you. So that this is a personal touch of the Spirit being present with you. When we meet God through His word, He promises to meet with us. We begin to have an enlarged heart. We feel the love and kindness of our Father. We are drawn in this attractive relationship so that we feel as if we are getting a personal hug by our Father. There is a profound sense of security ... a real warm pleasure that goes through us as if it got to the bottom of our hearts. It feels like it goes all the way to the most anxious spot. In the illuminated experience our thoughts are enlightened and we have a very clear vision of reality. The word not only affects our whole disposition but it determines the reality that we become aware of in teaching us who God is as God. It sets every other experience in its proper place.    Reply Quote Notify

3930	Forums / Main Forum / Re: Open and closed mindedness	on: February 06, 2010, 11:18:14 AM
Quote from: Kings_kid on February 06, 2010, 12:48:16 AM Where did you go mybigGod?  I miss our exchanges. Meanwhile, my best shot at this topic is that we need to be progressively more open-minded to the living and written Word of God and more closed-minded to ideas which contradict, undermine or attack that Word. Which would cause those living in confusion, as i was most of my life, to judge me as closed-minded.  Which would be sort of a compliment.  What they wouldn't see is that their mindset is wide open to error and firmly closed to the One who is Truth (and so much more...).. Jesus: the Way of the Truth-Life           the Truth of the Life-Way           the Life of the Way of Truth Ive been working a lot.. but still here.. will write in a bit. Nice that you are going to continue to participate. Looking forward to some more exchanges as well. 3931  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Hope on: February 04, 2010, 04:35:38 PM One of the first areas that i want to pin point is like starting at the beginning of all of the problems that we experience on the inside as a matter of practice since our youth. We need to see that a one thought has a very powerful influence on our general disposition. And as you know life is filled with a million thoughts. But let me encourage you at this point because some of us are like sponges when it comes to how we are taught. We learn our general disposition in a long draw out thought experience. Where as some of us have experienced these deep spiritual renewals and we have a kind of cleaning out the old disposition and have sorta an instant transformation of our thoughts and we are forever changed. But if you are experiencing some deep sorrows at this time it doesnt mean that you will stay that way. Just like when you fill up a boat with water it begins to sink and it must be drained in order for it to begin to function for a boat to function. So it is with us ... we have thoughts that are memories and these things begin to build up in us like water in a boat and then we begin to carry around the weight of these different ways of thinking that have developed in us as water in that boat.  So i would encourage you that its just a matter of time that i hope i can explain how to unleash these sorrows that are built up and then kind of clean house so that we can begin to feel these spiritual longings that are pleasurable. In other words we got to know ourselves from the inner man.  Remove Reply Quote Notify 3932  Forums / Theology Forum / Hope on: February 04, 2010, 04:06:44 PM Hope is not just something that we have as an expectation of some good to come to us in the future. But hope is a present reality. Because we serve a God that gives us hope by His always giving us just what He knows we need in order to experience a living hope. Because hope is an eternal reality. All of us have longings that are either being fulfilled or we are hoping that one day we will see an answer. This is how we live in this world. This is how we experience confidence and out of that we find joy. So that we know the level of hope that we have by how these longings affect our present joy. If we have any other weight attached to our general disposition of hope then that weight will affect our present experience of the joy of hope. Because we are people who experience this life as that by which we approach all of our circumstances. When we have lived our lives without considering these different weighted sorrows that lurk in these different connections to our thoughts then we may be carrying around these sorrows that we may not understand. And this is why I think it is necessary to consider this eternal hope that we are in possession rite now. Because if we can flame the fire of hope that dwells within us then all of these spiritual longings that we have will begin to flow through us and we will experience the joy of hope. So in this section i will explain how we can flame that gift that dwells in us both in terms of our physical experience and our spiritual understanding. Because our hope is in a Person and since Christ dwells in us by the Holy Spirit then when we have exhausted all of the energy we have with dealing with our sorrows we find that we have little time to experience this hope. But living in hope is living with a sense of peace and joy. Lets make hope come alive in this thread. 3936  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Verse - Saved, remain? on: February 04, 2010, 10:14:41 AM There is a purpose in this life. Because Christ was born and lived a perfect life on this earth ... we can look at the past in His life and say on the one hand that there is nothing that we can do to improve on His ministry to the world at that time. Now in looking at this comparison to His life and how we live our lives we know that our ability to accomplish what we want is nothing like His accomplishments. This is why He identified with us as a human being because He knows how we mess things up. He understands how weak we are to accomplish what we know we should be doing. Seeing that He eliminated sickness from the world at that time we can understand that He is not expecting us to be distraught about our accomplishments. At the same time since He suffered as a human being... He was tired .. He experienced physical ... mental.. and spiritual pain then He knows what we are going through. Because even tho He lived His life on this earth He did not completely take care of all the problems of this world. Instead He left the earth after His resurrection and gave us His Spirit so that we might complete the work . So we are caught in this already but not yet world.  This is a bit meta physical... sorry... but if you think about the passing of time.. as the little hand moves around the clock.. and you think about the past present and future .. then you are looking at the past and the future move as the little hand moves. So then you got to ask how much present do we know?One of the reasons why the bible makes the present as an age or a period of time. Or a system. So that if you think of the element of experience then the past overtakes the future. Determined as a matter of being in time. We can think of this as increments in minutes... days... months... years... a life time.. a generation.. and the history of the world. I think if you look at this logic.. theres not much to the present or future experience in this world. This is why God transcends time... so that when we experience being in a relationship with God it is that we think His thoughts and then the past is our experience. Here i think is a healthy view of forgetting about oneself in the transaction. But if we have our minds on earthly things then we lose that real experience as the past moves into the future.    3939  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Free writing on: February 01, 2010, 03:13:46 PM Gods power works in us and through us. If we were completely paralyzed we must conclude that God has not empowered us to move. The reason that God does not meet us at the middle... that is there is mans side and Gods side is because the ability that we have has no cause in itself. But Gods ability is caused by Himself. If we could compare ability it is the strength or the heaviness of the weight that overcomes the opposite weight. The point is that equal weights do not represent the reason for for explaining the reality of the effort. Because the reality of the effort is represented by the heavier weight pulling down the other lighter side. So that the actual cause is displayed in the movement itself. This is why believing has this confession of mans powerlessness . When we rejoice in Gods power we are acknowledging that we do not cause our own power. When we look at our own power we give all the ability to God. This is the reality of this world in light of how we view ourselves as sinners before God. When we say that God is perfect we are defining it as Christ being the only man worthy of that perfection because He was sinless. When we say that Christ was sinless we are saying that we are corrupted in every part. We are saying that no good dwells in us so that we might know in a connective way that Christ death produced all the good so that we might know who we are in Christ. That is the reality of what is goodness. So that in order for us to know the abilities that we have and the potential that we have in the use of the abilities we must glory in this dichotomy. If we are to understand ourselves as who we really are then we must gain our energy from a real source. When we say that there is a view of life in which we feel ... sense.. experience ability we are saying that we have a rational understanding of were the causes of all these experiences originate. In other words if we are wrong in knowing how we live in this world then the energy we waste in the knowing will determine the way we perform. This is why God works through us. So that when the apostle says i want to know you power... he was saying that it was going to come completely from God as that by which the apostle would experience that power as a matter of both the meta physical connection and the physical enabling. And it was the grace of God that enabled him to experience a flow of the power of God as that by which he confessed that he was weak.  Remove Reply Quote Notify 3940  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Depression a lowly desease on: February 01, 2010, 02:14:24 PM We are people who live in the reality of our circumstances. Not only is the reality of physical death a hurdle of this darkness that comes over us but there are a number of griefs in this life that can throw us into a kind of tail spin. Some times when we say God is good the grief of the moment overwhelms the experience that God is good and pleasurable. This i think is more of a condition that we feel all alone where we find that we have this crippling effect as to our countenance in dealing very poorly with the grief. And so the process of death is not really physical. Any time we begin to feel like the world is closing in on us then we become very focused on surviving from one moment to another. This paradigm is like darkness on every side and we are left to feel a sense that we are continuously left to struggle to find a little light as represented by letting go so that the tension of from the weight of the loneliness drives us to the end of ourselves for a few minutes of relief. This breathing of pain i think is the most crippling mental experience on this earth. If God is God then why does He seem so far away? The pain is more than we can handle and if God really cared then He would take the pain away. If God really cared then the circumstance that we are going through and the uncertainty of the outcome would not be stronger than the end of the journey that we know we will experience on the other side. But our experience of the pain leaves little room for us to see that little light of hope.. We need to think in terms of darkness being like going down into the depths of grief as an experience so that how far we go down Gods hand is always under the fall.The pain is the falling. So that we gain a little hope in knowing that Gods hand is under us. Because God sees in the dark. This is more of hoping in the word that He promises that He is there than experiencing that He is there. So that when we are falling the word of promise is His hand that is under us. And we place that word in our focus as a means to get to the next moment of the struggle.    3942  Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Romans and the Flesh Monster. on: February 01, 2010, 01:10:20 PM I may be mistaken but you seem to imply that the mind action scenario should be bypassed and we should focus on a life of serving one another. The bible describes the value of change to be accomplished by a  very slow process because as Steve has pointed out that the wheels of heaven move very slowly. This is why we believe that how we communicate to one another here produces growth. The theology is this... encourage one another daily.. that is speak to one another in Psalms... Hymns and spiritual songs ... making melody in our hearts.  May i say that we have a rather shallow view of Gods overall ability to change a culture in speaking that word into reality. If God is asking us to speak to one another then He is promising to speak salvation into existence as we live out our lives. I do not think we process this unless we get to know our God by how He has determined future events. Would i be off base in your view of living the christian life to say that since Christ has done all the work and He has accomplished salvation in providing it for His own from all eternity and lived out in time ... taking our sin on the cross ... and ascending into heaven... that redemption has been accomplished ... our sins have been taken care of and He will save those people that He has chosen from the foundation of the world... so that ... our main focus when we worship Him in private or our public worship is one of rejoicing in Him.... receiving gifts from Him... and waiting on Him in His time to accomplish redemption His redemption. And that since we have been taught by the Spirit that God is not a child abuser then we are people who get things accomplished in this world by having these parties as an expression of His connection to us in our identity with Him. It is finished ... lets have fun. Heres how God speaks His word. Now if He is to regenerate anyone it will be through the implantation of the word of God. In other words God saves people by His word and Spirit alone!  Because there is no other remedy for a heart given over to its corruption and blindness. When God regenerates a person God gives them a new orientation to act according to that new nature. So that all of their actions are caused by grace in the heart. When we narrow this work down into a more complex number of seeing this work done in a mans heart and view of reality we say that the new heart is a spiritual set of new senses. And we can define this dynamic paradigm of these desires as longings. Because of the unchangeable nature in salvation that implanted word will not return void in working in the heart of man. So that a longing in the heart of man produces more longing. Or that is the nature of sanctifying influences from a justified paradigm. A man no longer views himself as being under the domination of evil ..or of sin.. although he may struggle long and hard over particular sins ... God will work all things out for our good ... including our longings which He placed in our hearts as a matter of this change dynamic. The problem is that we do not consider this whole paradigm ... i mean as a matter of personal importance to us of what believing and assurance produce in us. Owen used to say that Christ must speak peace to our hearts in order for us to know real forgiveness. I am of the opinion that we can take this little communication and make it kind of like waiting on God in this matter of forgiveness. That i think it foolishness. I mean... these prayers were not just given to us for exegesis but the comfort come in the saying and singing these prayers. (Meditate Ps 1)  Because they teach us by the Spirit the encouragement to long for a longing. Now then when a person is baptized into the Spirit He is given the Spirit of adoption. So that all forms of communication are in this family motif. Christ actually becomes our redemption our go between in a practical sense.. our older brother... the Father actually teaches us that out of His love and faithfulness we have eternal life and the Spirit moves in us to lust for more of His work in us. So that this includes a modal idea ... or an ongoing state of transformation... in this intense security and assurance.  That is that this is the paradigm of God speaking ongoing salvation. See grace produces distinct communications. So now we do not carry our own load of guilt.. shame... fear... or worry. Although we are people who still deal with our own fallen communication our longing for God to speak a fresh a word of salvation that answers not only our spiritual sense orientation but our physical sense orientation as well. We now consider that longing of which the confession states to be the chief end of man... to glorify God forever by enjoying Him to be His word to us in return of all that salvation has in the future as a word that comes in this fresh start .. that new morning.. that new Pentecost. Avalon... oh that worship! Reply Quote Notify 3943  Forums / Main Forum / Re: Be Gentle on: February 01, 2010, 11:53:20 AM I hope we are not too tangential in our interchanges.   How 'bout we rationalize it that we are practicing our gentleness within the context of deep theological thought?  Not bad double-talk, eh?  I should apply for some kind of seminary / cemetery position, don't you think. . . KK ... oh... I may be mistaken but you seem to imply that the mind action scenario should be bypassed and we should focus on a life of serving one another. The bible describes the value of change to be accomplished by a  very slow process because as Steve has pointed out that the wheels of heaven move very slowly. This is why we believe that how we communicate to one another here produces growth. The theology is this... encourage one another daily.. that is speak to one another in Psalms... Hymns and spiritual songs ... making melody in our hearts.  May i say that we have a rather shallow view of Gods overall ability to change a culture in speaking that word into reality. If God is asking us to speak to one another then He is promising to speak salvation into existence as we live out our lives. I do not think we process this unless we get to know our God by how He has determined future events. Would i be off base in your view of living the christian life to say that since Christ has done all the work and He has accomplished salvation in providing it for His own from all eternity and lived out in time ... taking our sin on the cross ... and ascending into heaven... that redemption has been accomplished ... our sins have been taken care of and He will save those people that He has chosen from the foundation of the world... so that ... our main focus when we worship Him in private or our public worship is one of rejoicing in Him.... receiving gifts from Him... and waiting on Him in His time to accomplish redemption His redemption. And that since we have been taught by the Spirit that God is not a child abuser then we are people who get things accomplished in this world by having these parties as an expression of His connection to us in our identity with Him. It is finished ... lets have fun. Heres how God speaks His word. Now if He is to regenerate anyone it will be through the implantation of the word of God. In other words God saves people by His word and Spirit alone!  Because there is no other remedy for a heart given over to its corruption and blindness. When God regenerates a person God gives them a new orientation to act according to that new nature. So that all of their actions are caused by grace in the heart. When we narrow this work down into a more complex number of seeing this work done in a mans heart and view of reality we say that the new heart is a spiritual set of new senses. And we can define this dynamic paradigm of these desires as longings. Because of the unchangeable nature in salvation that implanted word will not return void in working in the heart of man. So that a longing in the heart of man produces more longing. Or that is the nature of sanctifying influences from a justified paradigm. A man no longer views himself as being under the domination of evil ..or of sin.. although he may struggle long and hard over particular sins ... God will work all things out for our good ... including our longings which He placed in our hearts as a matter of this change dynamic. The problem is that we do not consider this whole paradigm ... i mean as a matter of personal importance to us of what believing and assurance produce in us. Owen used to say that Christ must speak peace to our hearts in order for us to know real forgiveness. I am of the opinion that we can take this little communication and make it kind of like waiting on God in this matter of forgiveness. That i think it foolishness. I mean... these prayers were not just given to us for exegesis but the comfort come in the saying and singing these prayers. (Meditate Ps 1)  Because they teach us by the Spirit the encouragement to long for a longing. Now then when a person is baptized into the Spirit He is given the Spirit of adoption. So that all forms of communication are in this family motif. Christ actually becomes our redemption our go between in a practical sense.. our older brother... the Father actually teaches us that out of His love and faithfulness we have eternal life and the Spirit moves in us to lust for more of His work in us. So that this includes a modal idea ... or an ongoing state of transformation... in this intense security and assurance.  That is that this is the paradigm of God speaking ongoing salvation. See grace produces distinct communications. So now we do not carry our own load of guilt.. shame... fear... or worry. Although we are people who still deal with our own fallen communication our longing for God to speak a fresh a word of salvation that answers not only our spiritual sense orientation but our physical sense orientation as well. We now consider that longing of which the confession states to be the chief end of man... to glorify God forever by enjoying Him to be His word to us in return of all that salvation has in the future as a word that comes in this fresh start .. that new morning.. that new Pentecost.  Avalon... oh that worship!  Reply Quote Notify 3944  Forums / Main Forum / Re: Be Gentle on: January 31, 2010, 03:44:58 PM Quote Mbg, I like the turn this thread is taking; in your next to last post you closed with some statements which I found to be intruguing. The idea of everything in God's kingdom being counter-intuitive to our performance-oriented way of thinking (Using Narnia as an expressive type to convey this idea is great too!) This may prove to derail Patti's purpose for this thread, however. Perhaps we could move it to the Theology section? I apologize to Patti ..I was licking my chops at the interaction with the Kings kid... ok good suggestion. Thanks TB. Reply Quote Notify 3945  Forums / Main Forum / Re: Be Gentle on: January 31, 2010, 01:39:37 PM Let me say this... i  think that Gods desire is something that  determine events. This is an Arminius concept that God desires something that is thwarted by the wills of men. God desires both the salvation of men and the hardening of other men at the same time.  Calvin put this concept in double predestination. The only other alternative is to believe that God has two wills. How can God desire something that He does not will? Thats like saying i choose something i hate. Or i choose something i dont want. If you look at the metaphor of Christ ascending on high in His ascension to heaven you will find it in His ascending to His holy hill. Or that type in the OT worship. This whole procession in His Davidic rule on earth was His absolute reign over the nations. So that His worship was a design to bring heavenly rule on the earth ... in which the armies of God were more numerous and powerful than anything this earth could oppose Him with. In other words the light of the glory of God was enough to eliminate the entire race of mankind in a blink of an eye and the armies of God were as much as the expanse of the heavens. So that His rule in His worship was absolute. For which earthly kingdom has stood the test of time? God never changes .... He is who He is throughout the history of nation.Kingdoms fall ... wars end at the pronouncement of the King of the earth. And He says the reason that this happened... i mean.. whether it is in His secret counsel or His actual reign in the Davidic covenant.. it was because He desired it. And as you know it was done by force as well.