More Self-Expression By Rollo

[for_his_glory]

Or tell it me like I'm a five year old.

How more simple can "For God so loved the world that whoever believes in him will never perish but have eternal life" be? Jesus said "The only work God requires of you is to believe in the one he sent or the work of God is that you beleive in the one he sent (depending on which bible you read) and I have to say it before I'm corrected I'm not talking greasy grace here.

True sad fact is that my mum came to our church one day (first time in a church) and did not like it because she did not understand all the big fancy words and phrases. She said she would never come again and she has kept her word maybe it was my fault I took her along in the first place.

I know when big words are used especially in bigger Churches they go over my head and can become frustrating as it takes away from the simple truths at times. Maybe you could find a Church where they speak plain English and take your mother there, but check it out first as the Holy Spirit will guide you to one for your mothers sake.

 

[Wrg1405]

I know when big words are used especially in bigger Churches they go over my head and can become frustrating as it takes away from the simple truths at times. Maybe you could find a Church where they speak plain English and take your mother there, but check it out first as the Holy Spirit will guide you to one for your mothers sake.

Have to be honest, I love my church and being a fairly intellectual person and one who digs really deep into the bible it is not an issue for me. The only issue I struggle with is that if they preach something that I don't necessarily agree with then I must be wrong and they must be right. I've not been called to preach.

I will add though and I should have done earlier that my mum is coming to an understanding of Christ (which is amazing as she was bought up as a Muslim as was I, well not bought up as a practising Muslim unlike my mum but the ancestral influences were evident) she now speaks to people about Christ and how can help them as the Son of God. She herself believes that although she doesn't go to church. There will be people who would say because she does not then maybe she is not a Christian, she doesn't read the bible because she doesn't read anything full stop.

She was sectioned as a child because in those days she was considered educationally sub-normal, basically thick. No one picked up on the fact that she was quite badly deaf in both ears.

So as I said she does preach Jesus to her friends, the Son of God. What caused the change is that my wife and I made her part of our little church, husband and wife church and we have tried to make it easy for a five year old to understand.

 

[for_his_glory]

Have to be honest, I love my church and being a fairly intellectual person and one who digs really deep into the bible it is not an issue for me. The only issue I struggle with is that if they preach something that I don't necessarily agree with then I must be wrong and they must be right. I've not been called to preach.

I will add though and I should have done earlier that my mum is coming to an understanding of Christ (which is amazing as she was bought up as a Muslim as was I, well not bought up as a practising Muslim unlike my mum but the ancestral influences were evident) she now speaks to people about Christ and how can help them as the Son of God. She herself believes that although she doesn't go to church. There will be people who would say because she does not then maybe she is not a Christian, she doesn't read the bible because she doesn't read anything full stop.

She was sectioned as a child because in those days she was considered educationally sub-normal, basically thick. No one picked up on the fact that she was quite badly deaf in both ears.

So as I said she does preach Jesus to her friends, the Son of God. What caused the change is that my wife and I made her part of our little church, husband and wife church and we have tried to make it easy for a five year old to understand.

Thank you for the explanation as I thought your mom didn't have a relationship with Christ. Even if there was no Church to attend or no Bible to read like it was in the beginning we can still know the love of the Lord and have that special relationship with Him as we hear His still small voice speak to us.

 

[WIP]

It does remind me of my younger self, cute, smiley big ears. Shame I had to grow up

Speaking of growing up. Yesterday I stopped at a bakery on my way to work and there was a young woman with two small children and a young man with his two small children in there. As I watched the kids with their excited enthusiasm trying to pick out something I couldn't help but mention how I missed those days when I was that young. The young man replied that he once heard someone say, "Growing up was the biggest mistake of my life!" I thought that was pretty good.

So, to get this on topic, why do we have to grow up?

 

[Wrg1405]

Speaking of growing up. Yesterday I stopped at a bakery on my way to work and there was a young woman with two small children and a young man with his two small children in there. As I watched the kids with their excited enthusiasm trying to pick out something I couldn't help but mention how I missed those days when I was that young. The young man replied that he once heard someone say, "Growing up was the biggest mistake of my life!" I thought that was pretty good.

So, to get this on topic, why do we have to grow up?

I think because the world and people around us tell us that we have to grow up. Truth is though that it bombards us with how to grow up and what constitutes a grown up. The world being secular and friends being both beleivers and non beleivers.

Sad part for me is that believers can cause as much damage as the secular world.

I don't think growing up is the issue. The issue is how we have been brought up.

Today my wife and I were in a supermarket. We were walking down the aisle and a mother with her kids was walking by. One of her kids was asking for a packet of crisps, mum said no and kid asked again. Mums response was "I've told you no and if you ask again you f******

That gutted me, I have had the same experience in my upbringing and boy it hurts.

This young child wanted something, was told no and asked again the then was abused with a tirade of expletives. That young child was not told why they could not have a pack of crisps. That young child will carry that through to adulthood. So baggage added and carried. The feelings, emotions will be with that young child.

As I said the sad part for me is that beleivers can cause as much damage, we may not use f**** words but we can say words that causes the same results.

That's why we don't want to grow and why as grown ups we ask the question, because it's hard, at times painful because of the baggage we carry.

I implore everyone on this site to never ever make a young child of Christ to feel that way.
The birthing process of a young Christian is very important. The upbringing of a young child in Jesus is very important. I implore you spiritual fathers to encourage young Christians to grow up, I encourage you spiritual mothers to encourage young Christians to grow up. If we get it right hopefully when they grow up, there is no baggage, no hurt no pain and they can thank God for you and thank God that they have grown up for such a time as this so they can be the same to others.

Sorry WIP if I've gone off track your post struck me.

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

Hi, I'm just talking again.
I have a few more topics on my mind, I'd like to hear what you have to say about them.
Probably the most philosophical topic is free will and predestination.
I never even heard of this until I joined the forum.
Now I'm finding it to be a big deal in the church today.
I think this topic affects us in a negative way.
There don't seem to be any sound answers on this that people will agree with.
This type of thread always goes no where.

How about God's Intervention?
When does God intervene and when does he not intervene?
Who does God root for in the Super Bowl?
I think we need real answers here by rock solid forum Rabbis, or whatever title you give yourselves,
Me, I was once a Guru but I failed my Swami exam.

Tithing is always good.
You never run out of ideas with tithing.
and it amazes me how many people don't know what Scripture has to say on this.
It can never be discussed enough.

Sorry, I clicked reply by mistake.
I still have more to say.
Another thread, another time.

Free Will, or Free Willy? That's a whale of a question. Honestly though, in my opinion there's joint credit for our decisions and ability to choose. God is sovereign over everything even us. But I don't think it's God controlling us when we sin, or when we turn away from God. But I think God is bigger then our will, can even direct us through our good decisions and our bad ones. Look at Old Testiment prophesies from prophets warning Isreal or other nations. Prophets from farther back say what God decreed, and prophets closer to the event that happens shows how God uses even pagan rulers and sinful men to fulfill something He promised long ago. This makes me think God is greater then our will, and even our choices are part of His plans. We can't excape God's sovereignty even with our ability to freely choose and have a free will,

Based on the logic above, I believe God always intervenes. He's a constant part of the world we live in. In both miraculous ways and unnoticeable ways God always intervenes. Super Bowl small stuff. I figure God roots for us all, but not for the scores of a game, but for our salvation and for our following Him.

Yes let's talk about tithing. It's important. It's expecially important because there's mixed messages on it. I didn't know there were perspectives that think tithing money to the temple/church is unscriptural until coming to this site. Then there's the idea that if we don't tithe we're actually stealing from God. There's a lot of mixed ideas sorrounding tithing and is the source of prosperity ministery.

 

[Kidron]

This makes me think God is greater then our will, and even our choices are part of His plans. We can't excape God's sovereignty even with our ability to freely choose and have a free will,

.

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If what you say is correct then its a wonder, isnt it,.... that God didnt intervene before Eve at that apple.???
Imagine the pain and suffering He could have prevented in the world to come, including having His Son nailed up on that tree, if He had as you have pointed out, used that sovereignty and overruled her free will - and adams.
But instead & according to you, He sort of helped eve and adam create hell on earth ever since, right?
[edited]
On the flip side, its maybe not occurred to you that without free will, we are just flesh created robots.... So, what kind of "family" would that be to redeem with the blood of Jesus?

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

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If what you say is correct then its a wonder, isnt it,.... that God didnt intervene before Eve at that apple.???
Imagine the pain and suffering He could have prevented in the world to come, including having His Son nailed up on that tree, if He had as you have pointed out, used that sovereignty and overruled her free will - and adams.
But instead & according to you, He sort of helped eve and adam create hell on earth ever since, right?
[edited]
On the flip side, its maybe not occurred to you that without free will, we are just flesh created robots.... So, what kind of "family" would that be to redeem with the blood of Jesus?

I'm sorry Kidron, I didn't mean to confuse you with what I said. To clear it up a bit, let me rephrase what I mean. We have our free choices, our limited free will. What I mean by limited is that it is restricted by what we think our options are, as well as the real constraints of being able to pull off what we want to do. In this aspect our will is free to choose and act, and free with a fair amount of movement for what we intend to do, as well as what we actually do do. Our ability to choose is not in question in my opinion because it's fairly streight forward based on our ability to choose what we do. Either we have free will, or the world is under a grand illusion that masks a freedom of choice and freedom of will. It's not about whether you can choose or not. But that said, yes I still think God is Sovern over us even in our freedom to choose.

Let's look as Jacob being sold by his brothers. That was their choice. Thankfully they choose to do that instead of outright kill their brother, and they choose that option pictularily because of the oppurtunity to sell Jacob to traveling merchants. Branch that scope out and you take into account the free choice to travel at that time by the merchants. They also have free will and at the time were traveling with whatever purpose they had in those travels. Yet with God's plan to take Abraham's family to Egypt, let them be enslaved, and then save them and bring them out, God used the free choices of the people in the world and molded how we are without interfering with our ability to choose.

If that is hard to understand without seeking to appeal to a predestination verses free will perspective, then just note the observation that each of us has a free will but also that God has a plan in effect. One that we are actually apart of. It's not just that God set us loose and watches from afar with regular or rare instances of intervention. It's my observation occassionly that God is constantly in my life. When I notice this it really amazes me. But it is what I've seen.

I hope that helps. As for Adam and Eve, yeah that's a tough aspect to figure out. It's not explained why God allowed the fall to happen, but most have the understanding that God is all knowing. He must have seen it coming before it happened. My best guess in that is only a guess, maybe one day we'll find out and understand. But as of now my only guess is that God allowed sin and rebellion to occure in mankind from the beginning at the point of Adam and Eve, or also why this condition has been allowed to last as long as it has; because our story and all that it accounts for is only a small portion compaired to the bigger picture of the rebellion in Heaven. That's my best guess. Let rebellion occure for all of heaven to watch and see where it leads, until all intents to disobey or turn away from God is removed from the heavenly authorities because of what they've seen and watched through mankind and our history. That's my best theory and unfortunately it is only a guess. You did ask me for an explaination though, so that is the one I have to offer.

 

[Corn Pop]

Here is my "why". Why do people on forums like to us big fancy theologian words that I have never heard of and have to dig into the dictionary to understand what they are talking about............K.I.S.S.........keep it simple stupid!!!...........not saying anyone here is stupid

Why do people type such long messages for such a small point, when it could be simplified to a single sentence, just like a long math equation can be x=1

 

[for_his_glory]

Why do people type such long messages for such a small point, when it could be simplified to a single sentence, just like a long math equation can be x=1

Point noted, but sometimes a small point needs explanation for understanding.