| Poster | Thread | MattChenier
Member
Joined: 2006/11/13
Posts: 121
Longview,WA
| | Re: | | You know i am amazed at how what i mean to say and what is taken by my written words are so far apart. Obvious due to the lack of ability to read body language and tone of voice meant behind an expression when it is written not spoken creates room for misunderstanding. As well as my own fault in not doublechecking what i write :) I must say i am very well aware of the violence of gods judgment in the old testament. the much more worthy punishment of those who trod underfoot the blood of christ in hebrews and the "treadeth out the winepress of the fierceness of God's wrath" in revelation. My intent in saying "my god is not a violent god" was that the bible says "turn from anger and forsake wrath." also, i must quote, "vengeance is mine sayeth the lord, i will repay." May we be as little sheep and lambs. Let the shepherd smite and destroy. God has never told me to be angry at anybody but the devil. And anger is of fools "proverbs." so my point was that God doesn't desire us to be violent in our hearts. That is reserved for him. I have found rock and roll to be a partner for anger and an influence for the heart of hatred. But yet again i say, "nothing is unclean of itself." So i do not believe that the music itself is always bad. But i have noticed that usually christ labeled rock bands are heavily equipped with pride, dark appearance, and a lack of depth of revelation. Often displaying forms of rebellion and other childlike foolishness. And most of all, i have never ever heard ANOINTED MINISTRY from any rock band. This doesn't mean it doesn't exist. For i am too small to say that it doesn't. I've just never encountered it.
_________________
Matt Chenier
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|  2006/11/18 3:23 | Profile | PaulWest
Member
Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas
| | Re: | | Dear Mike,
Brother, I'll tell you what it is. It's just the medium by which we are communicating. It's so hard, so tough to guage the right tenor through characters on this monitor. Things get blown out of proportion, generalities are taken personally, people feel as though their convictions are being triffled with, and then neither side is willing to yield and the whole thing just escalates.
In the beginning, I misunderstood Krispy. Now I think I understand where he's coming from. I do not believe Krispy, or you [i]condone[/i] wicked music. Or really anyone who has contributed to this thread. Condone was the wrong word. Perhaps a toleration or even rationalization would be better? And even then - I'm not saying you or Krispy, in particular, tolerate it or are attempting to justify the worthiness of secular or Christian rock here on this thread. Do you see how tricky this is? If you say something in general that applies to the Christian status quo (without emphasizing the status quo is whom the statement is for), it is well nigh impossible to avoid confusion and disagreements. Especially if a person is already predisposed to a certain conviction (sports or music, for example) and you come against it - [i] wham![/i] It can be taken as a personal attack! I understand this, and this is precisely the reason why I try to deliberately season my words with salt on this thing. It's so different from an actual face-to-face conversation, or a telephone conversation. So different, so misleading and, at times, implacable.
This is why, in truth, I am thinking of not contributing to these controversial threads anymore. You can too easily set yourself up for misunderstanding, and tarnish an otherwise good testimony here on SI. Just the fact that you consider me a mentor to yourself and many here shows my folly in this thread. I always think of Titus 3:9 in situations like these (though I'm not saying we are there yet) and am weary of getting sucked into a fruitless jangling where no man can be edified, and everyone is sure to be offended and/or confused. And then there's the whole pride factor, like you said.
The brothers and sisters here on SI are at many different levels of the Christian walk, and different grades in the school of God. Different levels of maturity, undergoing different types of tests. Convictions for some may not be convictions for others. This is easy to forget! As far as edification, it is a [i]good [/i] thing to learn from a brother or sister in a higher grade, who has taken and passed the tests you are now laboring over. They can give you pointers and wisdom. This is why we listen to and read the writings of the preachers who were great in God. Men and women in the upper eschelons of God's school. Edification is good, but spewing out convictions may not be. And this I am guilty of. I am learning to wait for God's season, and very often I jump the gun and shame myself.
Brethren, this is what I am learning: Acquiring more wisdom and knowledge in God, and growing in grace and maturity often requires you to keep your mouth shut and remain silent when you feel impulsed to interject something the Lord has shown you in the past. This is because you may interject it in the flesh, though it was originally revealed by God's Spirit. We can mess up God's timing and place for sharing it, and build a mountain pride very quickly. Learn this: If God does show you something of a timeless truth that has revolutionized your walk with Christ, this doesn't necessarily mean you are to immediately broadcast this truth to all the different children in all the different grades. Certain things are suitable for all children immediately, and yet there are other things that are wisely kept hiddden, to avoid stife. I am the ultimate Bozo in this area! I can be such a fleshly blabbermouth and run people the wrong way and give people wrong impressions. I really hate my lack of disobedience in this area. I know this also from when brethren wiser than me and in higher grades than I am try to share their convictions with me! I am only in the first grade! How can I learn Calculus? How can I memorize the Bill of Rights? I'm still drinking red Jungle Juice and coloring Donald Duck outside the lines. It would be wise for you guys to learn from my folly, and wait on God's impeccable timing for sharing things which may not be immediately edifying for all his children at all their divers levels. But when the revelation of truth is shared in God's timing and place, the entire body is edified, and Jesus Christ is exhalted in holiness and honor.
in meekness,
Brother Paul
_________________
Paul Frederick West
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| | 2006/11/18 8:22 | Profile | mamaluk
Member
Joined: 2006/6/12
Posts: 524
| | Re: | | Quote:
To equate everything to this black and white 'simplicity' of 'this is of the devil' and the Christian can take pride in his highmindeness from having either been delivered or fortunate enough to have missed the drugs and associated baggage is a bit too easy.
Fortunate? Crsschk, may or may be not. I do know what you were saying though. I used to think so, because of this "unfortuate' ugly past that I was born into,I now can appreciate the Cross and learn to loathe sins just all that much more despite all of it. The baggage in my life actually helps me understand a whole lot more than if I hadn't lived with it. So, I praise God for it now. All of it, the broken family, the messy youth...,all of it. I wouldn't trade any of it for a whitewashed life if I were to become proud and sassy by it to others , as all that whitewash is to be my own righteousness ..
It's been my struggle many a time in past when fellowhipping or even just to be in the presence of those high and mighty 'holy' Christians that have 'enjoyed' a physical 'squeaky-clean' life, very often, many of them carry a 'holier-than-thou' attitude later on in life, and tread on some sort of a hyper-spiritualistic life which may or may not even be biblical in the end. No compassion, no love, cannot relate..nothing but filled with holy (or wholly) pride.
Truly if the apostle Paul had considered himself a "wretched' man (without the drugs and the rock and roll), and when God said something like "..there is none righteous, no not one..", none of us as true believers, after salvation, would ever have the need to act or converse as if one does not or will never sin anymore..yes, we should admonish each other with Scripture, encourage each other to do this or that, to avoid this or that, but to act as if I DONT EVER SIN AND SO MUSTN'T YOU, it's ...hmm..
God knows that sinners are a hopeless bunch, praise Him, that we are but dust, priase Him again, probably that's why Christ had to suffer for us all the way to that violent Cross. Anyone who remotely thinks to himself that he or she is going to be good enough even after conversion seems to have missed the high calling of Christians( the eternal heavenly calling to the union with the Lord Jesus ), while rooting himself on the temporal earthly calling to the union of self..
Pride, it's always pride, the nastiest sin that is most vulgar, repulsive, disgusting and yet most subtle. I often think, if I had to choose, I'd tolerate a nasty rock singer blasting away any time over a pharisical soprano lifting his high voice against heaven. At least, I'd be privileged to pray for the former.Yeah,I hate pride in myself too, at times, it feels like super glue and is forever tough to rid of.
Yeah, it is never okay to sin, but fact remains, we will sin till we die..just the sin of pride alone(even with 1/1000 ounce ,for 1/1000 of a second's worth of it) can tarnish the whole of self-conceived 'sinlessness' . For that, one has to realize how marvellous the forgiving Cross is!
Chat on brothers, discussions are good, sharing is warm, the world and it's church buildings are awfully cold out there. Let's also remember these verses
[b]Acts 24:16
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men.
1 Corinthians 10:29
Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?
2 Corinthians 1:12
For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the [color=0000CC]grace of God[/color], we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
Titus 1:15
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:[/b]
In Christ |
| | 2006/11/18 11:46 | Profile |
| | Re: BINGO! to Krispy Steve (and to Paul West) | | to one of my favorite American Marines (got a few Royal Matines that I love also) this is to you.
you hit the nail right on the head:
Quote:
Who else in the church could have gotten close enough to Vince Neil to be a witness to him? Who else? In that respect, love 'em or hate 'em... Stryper were missionaries to the lost.
Thats why I'm in this theater, doing this play, and working with a bunch of dear folks who don't know Jesus...and why I keep saying that believers whose PROFESSION, JOB is in the media or art world.....we are de facto missionaries to the lost.....Quote:
... and the church sat back and criticized them.
I'll tell ya this, when the "church", criticizes you, many times, if you are walking in the leading of the Holy Ghost, you're doing something right, because the "church" (not the Church) is about religion and the traditions of man, which translated out to me is "christian culture", an insular social community, quick to condemn, quick to judge and quick to stone or crucify.
Paul, I put you in the header line, cause I have given much thought and much prayer and mediatation to what you wrote to me and will answer you next, dear brother.
neil |
| | 2006/11/18 16:05 | | MattChenier
Member
Joined: 2006/11/13
Posts: 121
Longview,WA
| | Re: | | mamaluk you have a wonderful understanding of the grace of God. I have very recently learned that you can't let your "works worthy of repentance" grow larger than your growth in grace or we become self-righteous and self justified. Bringing the "holier than thou" you spoke of. This is no different than the galatians who began in faith and were saved by faith, but they tried to perfect themselves by the law. "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Galatians 1:3 I think most suppose the galatians left their foundation of being saved by faith. I don't agree. I think they confessed being saved by faith. The problem is that they think they are kept saved by works. this is very very common in the church as believers grow out of their past sins and into works of the law AKA" church conduct". I MYSELF BEING A RECENT OFFENDER IN THIS AREA. However, When i met a sin i couldn't conquer with my zealousness, i was humbled and humiliated. So repenting of my sin of self righteousness, i converted back to WALKING BY FAITH IN THE GRACE OF GOD.
Zealousness will only become self righteousness if you let your zeal outgrow your growth in grace.
I did a study on psalm 119 and how our "way" is cleansed by God's word. First of all a way is a path not a one time stop at an altar. I also remind everybody that God "upholds all things by the word of His power." This means we are saved by faith, and we STAY SAVED BY CONTINUING IN FAITH. Faith in His Word. His cleansing word. "Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. "
With what God has shown me recently of myself. An extremely zealous young preacher with Gifts and Anointing and Revelation Knowledge. A scripture memorizer and a leader of brothers and sisters. A street evangelist and a faster. A worshiper and a prayer warrior. I let my zeal and works outgrow my grace and i failed because of it. Don't let this happen to you. I am a dog saved by grace. I strongly encourage anybody that thinks they are anything because of their works and zeal to meditate on this parable.
Lu 18:9 And he spake * this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Lu 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Lu 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Lu 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Lu 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Lu 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Please also note the book of Daniel when Nebuch. is ran out of the kingdom and turn into an animal inside and out. He receives two revelations. First his understanding returns and he learns who God is. Second his reasoning returns and he learns who he is and the purpose of his glory. Your glory is for your kingdom. and you are nothing but a beast of the field saved by grace for God's eternal purpose.
Also please read isaiah 58:1-6
EVERY PERSON HAS VS 1
EVERY SAVED PERSON HAS VS 2-3
If you have vs 2-3 God will help you break vs 1.
but every person has vs one even now. Don't ever think God Spirit can cry aloud and spare not in reproving your sins. Your 2-3 doesn't make you worthy. If its done by faith it will however make you justified.
[color=003300]Zeal without Grace is Saul the persecutor[/color]
_________________
Matt Chenier
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| | 2006/11/18 16:17 | Profile |
| | myfirstlove | | Quote:
human wisdom is dung and should not be look upon as something great. it doesn't matter how smart someone is because human intellect is prideful and about self.
I say lovingly, and without rancor, in the leading of the Holy Spirit, I don't know if I agree with that.
I know that pride kills, pride proceeds the fall, and I know that worship of self is just rank idolatry, and narcissism, which is a word that can be attached to a demonic spirit, narcissism.
But the mind, the intellect is a gift from God and should be nurtured in such a way. Yes, wisdom without annointing is dung, secular wisdom is dung, but what did King Solomon pray for?
and God gave it to him, it was only when he began to consort with many women and wife's concubines, that he turned from the Font of all wisdom.
But there was something in your statement that seemed rash, and forgive me for saying that, I don't mean to insult you, but for instance, just today, I WANT to know where Tonga is, and WHY the people rioted on that small island and torched half the city, I WANT to know why the political structure there engendered such a response, simply because the missionaries and the Church on Tonga could be affected.
I WANT to know how that CO2 emmissions can so seriously affect the atmosphere, I want to know how we can configure alternative propulsion systems that could wean us off of petroleum products. I want to hear the details of the complete skeleton of a three year old Australpicene that has been unearthed in the Afar district of Ethiopia, AS WELL as hearing of how the Church in Ethiopia is being persecuted.
The mind, the heart, the soul are all gifts from God, and we must not neglect them, and sometimes I feel (not from you) that in the Church there is a strain of anti-illectualism that feels free to condemn any endeavour of the mind, because as some would say, it is not of Christ, to which I strenously disagree.
To read, to think, to ponder, to pray, to use ones hands, to learn...to me these are all precious gifts of God.
Can a gift be misused, and utilized into unprofitable self-exalting fleshly prideful ways?
oh yes, and therein lays the mystery of the mind, and how one uses this mind that God gave us.
Human's havent even really figured out how this organic computer works, and I get such a kick out of listening to pyschologists and pyschiatrists blither on, trying to explain the pathways of the mind, and the pharmacuetical companies who make the drugs to try and "fix" or harness, or manipulate the mind, which to me, in God's magnificent and sweeping design, linked this mind to the heart and soul of man.
Its such freedom in the Spirit to say "I don't know", and to let the unfathomable remain so.
Personally, I thank God for my mind, and beg Him not to let me be caught in the exhaltation of intellectual adroitness, but to give me a Godly curiousity, and the use this to spread His love, and His wisdom.
to me, one of the most interesting, mysterious accounts in all the Bible is Genesis 6:1-8
who were these people, what sort of world was that?
was this Australpicene skeleton of a three year old one of them?
I don't know, but Praise God, that I can ponder and wonder WITH A MIND.
May God bless you richly today, neil |
| | 2006/11/18 16:47 | | PaulWest
Member
Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas
| | Re: | | Okay, I'm probably going to lose some friends here for what I'm about to say. I'd like to comment on the rock band Stryper, and this comes from my heart. I am seasoning my words here, especially in light of my last post. May God grant me the grace I do not have to honor him with these comments.
Stryper, to me, is a great embarassment and the pinnacle example of how pathetic the church has become in our apostate generation. A true embarassment to the eternal gospel of holiness and majesty. Me and my friends would drink beer while we listened to them and thought they would be so cool if only they'd drop the lame "Jesus" stuff. Because there was absolutely zero conviction. It was sick thing to watch their videos (remember "Soldiers Under Command?") and see all the big-haired girls screaming in adulation, the flesh, the stagediving...and all the while the rockers up on stage soaking it all in, having a great rockin' time. Unlike Keith Green, these guys were looking like they enjoyed it! No repentance, no broken and contrite hearts during those raucous numbers. Just getting down with the color-cordinated act and living it up with the silly facial contortions and bending the whammy bars and flying through the weedily-deedily-deedily guitar solos. No wonder they went secular soon after.
When will the church wake up and see that it is better [i]not[/i] to project this witness if this is the only witness we have. A serious bane of the church today is an unctionless, unholy witness. These kinds of witnesses (and sermons) kill rather than give life. Ask any of the old school, grassroot preachers who saw revival (if you could) about the devastation of an unctionless testimony. It's an absolute grief to God and man. I believe they did more harm than good to Vince Neil (even if they didn't fornicate and do drugs with the groupies). Guess what? A Jehovah's Witness wouldn't have fornicated or done drugs with them either. A serious Roman Catholic may not have either. Rick Warren and Joel Olsteen probably would have gone back to their bus too.
I do believe God used Stryper's music to bring some people to true repentance, but this is because God is sovereign. Case in point is King Saul. It was the people's choice to be just like other kingdoms of the world, and so God, upset and grieved, gave them Saul as King - and even commanded Samuel to anoint him. These Stryperesque bands, I believe, are the products of a "King Saul Christianity" that is occuring widescale throughout the church today. We want the same kind of styles and sounds the world has and still remain God's holy people. No! A thousand times no! We'll never have holy revival and true Christian power and unction manifest in our walks where the world will envy us while we're busy adopting their poster-children and thrusting our own King out. Instead, the world laughs because it sees its own kings dolled-up in Christian illusion. In the long run these illusionary subjects bring nothing but grief, spiritual murder, and, like Stryper, eventually finish themselves off in a form of suicide by going secular. Isn't God's way better? The old paths of holiness and humilty and self-denial and total surrender? The fragrance of a pure and majestic gospel that brings forth godly sorrow and repentance? Isn't it time the church abdicates the apostate, people's King Saul and reinstates Christ to His orginal seat of honor in the church?
Please, I pray this post is received in meekeness, for it was typed in meekness, with no preconceived, personal attacks going out to anyone. I love all of you, and endeavor that we all speak the same in charity and long-suffering.
Brother Paul
_________________
Paul Frederick West
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| | 2006/11/18 17:08 | Profile |
| | Brother Paul West | | no...and I say this in love, not a spanking...no no no, I say this in total love in Christ, I feel that you are missing the mark a bit when you write Quote:
the architectural wonder of skyscrapers and bridges, the sports world, astrophysics, wall street, politics, whatever - it's all perishing dung outside of Christ and meaningless.
I said a missing it a BIT, of course this world is dead and dying, but just ponder this; Architecure builds houses, that people can live in and raise their families, an office building built where a person can work, and earn money so as to feed and nurture their family, a man is given talent, physical talent to play baseball (Christy Mathewson and the current J.D. Drew come to mind, I even heard dear brother J.D. give his testimony in a corner of Dodgers stadium of his love for Jesus, publicly).....astropyschics, man exploring space, brave men and women entering into a rocket, might one or two in that rocket, that space shuttle being praying to God and giving Him glory for the adventure they are now about to embark on?
Wall Street, of course many on the street worship money to their ruin, I've seen this personally, but might it be that the capital formation provided by the issuance of stock provide jobs for good decent God fearing folk to raise a family, and feed them. I understand what you're saying, if ones live is DEDICATED to the study of P/E ratios, RSI lines and charts, yes, you are going astray....
think about this, what is the number one killer of children in the world? Diarehia (spelled that wrong) Diaheria thru the ingestion of unclean water, then is it wrong in the name of Jesus to study how one purifies water, and to configure systems to bring this clean water to children throughout the world? Is that not the Work of Christ, because in bringing the clean water to a child, you bring the Living Water as well, because you do it in the Name of Christ, as this child is His Child, and He is IN you, this child is your child as well.
It is said, "we are in the world, but not OF the world".....it said 'in", but it didnt abhor, nor did it say "embrace".
Now the Body has many parts, and all cannot be a Leonard Ravenhill, some might be a J.D. Drew, or a neil, or a Paul West, or an astronaut, and an architect. Soem might labour for Habitats for Humanity and some might labour for wal mart, or for Citibank, some might be pastors, but the Body has many parts, and the called out ones IN the world all work together for His Glory.
Now, my dear son and I, (who asked Jesus into his heart the day I was water baptized, and was baptized with me, Praise God!!) my son and I love to attend baseball games, its such an intimate time for us, and I usually have access to really good seats, and we sit with arms around each other, both eating soft serve ice cream, talking, about life, and analyzing the game...its a wonderful time of fellowship, father and son...love.....and I remember one time, as you might know fans love to drink beer at the game, and one night at the Da Cell (White Sox Park) there was this poor young man, stewed to the gills, hollering, swearing, cursing, "f this and f that, and you s*ck!!", etc etc, and I remember saying to my boy, "look at that, look what alcohol does to ya....bad behavior, rude, do me a favor kid, stay away from the booze, its a bad end"....and he was in total agreement, because this foulness was just taking away from the sweet time we were sharing, and finally I had enough, and said to my boy, "Thats it, daddies had enough, you wait here", and I went down to the three rows below, this drunk kid was next to the field, and I said real evenly, not angry, "Hey bud, how ya doing?...he turned around smiling, and yelled, "Great!!! Go Sox"...and then I said, "brother could you do me a huge favor?"..."sure man, whatever you need"...and then I said, "I got a ten year old boy up there, and I really don't want him to get a foul mouth, so I need your help, could ya just, y'know tone it down, it'd be a huge favor to me".....now this guy was much bigger, but in an instant he shrank, and he looked back, saw my boy, and "oh man, I'm really sorry, I'l stop". I smiled and said, "I thank you brother, God bless you"...and then he said "God bless you too, I'm sorry"....I then said, "its a great game, isnt it?" He smiled and said "yeh!"....I stayed for one more second, and said , "you believe in Jesus?"...he replied, "yeh, I do"....and I said, "Praise God, then you know what to do".
Paul, this guy was as quiet as church mouse after that, and we enjoyed a really great game, and I know that this young man was mightily convicted by a soft firm loving rebuke/request.
Point being, we are in the world, not of it. I pray you divine my words to you.
Go Jesus, neil |
| | 2006/11/18 18:10 | | PaulWest
Member
Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas
| | Re: Neil I hear ya | | Brother Neil,
Okay, all these things you speak of - architecture, medical science, space travel, whatever - they really must become as dung. it doesn't mean that we disregard them, or refuse to sleep under a roof or take an aspirin or look up at the sky and wonder if there are any other worlds out there. No, brother. I meant to say that when one gains the mind of Christ, the [i]charm[/i], or allurement of these things vanish. There will always be unsaved people that will get their fill of these things. But, as for us, if we were as eternity-conscious as we should be, we would see the true vanity in it all. What thrill is gazing at an asthetically-pleasing structure when at any moment I can step into eternity and never again get a chance to win a soul for God on earth? In heaven there will be enough time for all the oohing and ahhing. Personally, I can't be bothered reading about Jupiter's moons. I don't care. And I don't really care about how many rafters it took to build the Brooklyn Bridge. My purpose here is to not go after worldy knowledge and wisdom, but to have the mind of Christ and the wisdom of Christ - which often is [i]diametrically[/i] opposed to the stuff of the world.
Things down here that are highly esteemed in the eyes of men are abominable in God's. The Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, the Space Shuttle, Disney Land, Sistine Chapel, Rembrant's Masperpeices, Michaelangelo's Pieta and David - all these things will one day be blown to smithereens, but the eternal soul of man will live forever in either fire or paradise. John Wesley said that he valued all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity. Amen! Yes! I agree! There are more than enough heathen to concoct wonder drugs and inform me of the pollen content in the air or tell me what's happening in Uganda. Great. I do appreciate all this! But I'm dead to it all. Can you understand?
Here's an example: I used to be an avid chessplayer before I got saved and a solid classical guitarist. I played Bach, Vivaldi, and Rennaissance Lute music from the 16th century. I competed in an Army chess tournament and beat the last year's champion (a Naval Petty-Officer, by the way, hehehe). But when I got saved, I died to it all. Does this mean that I don't play chess anymore or play guitar or listen to Bach? No! But I am very careful to not let these things steal my heart. I see them all now, as glorious as they were, as products of vanity compared to heaven's light. I have no thrill in any of them. I just don't care, the adrenaline isn't there. It's gone. The only thing I love and read now is God's word. If I catch myself musing over a dubiously charming thing of clay, I'll take the thought captive and bring it under the obedience of Christ. Even my job as a funeral director - I like my job, worked hard in school for it, but, alas, my heart isn't in it. God provides financially and has never let me down, for my wife and I seek the Kingdom of God first in all things. I'm dead to my job. My heart is in Jesus, and if he asked me to leave my place of work, and hit the malaria-ridden fields of Madagascar and die there, I would so in an instant (my wife may not be too thrilled, though!).
Christ is all in all, none but Christ - none for me but Christ. Take the whole world but give me Jesus. How did Isaac Watts put it?
All the vain things that charm me the most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.
Brother Paul
_________________
Paul Frederick West
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| | 2006/11/18 18:41 | Profile |
| | brother Paul | | okay.
you're dead to it all.
okay.
I say this in love, and in humility and without rancor, discouraged because I feel what I write is futile: your zeal is commendable, but its blinded you.
If one of these "heathen" that you so flippantly dismiss as wordly develop a medicine to heal a child from a water born disease, or from a resitant strain of malaria or dengue fever, how are you so certain that one or many of them do not do it in the Love of the Lord?
"I'm dead to it all". "Can you understand"?
yes I can, and it grieves, because the words I write to you feel so futile because you cannot discern my meaning, my intent. "in the world", means to ENGAGE the world in His Name for His Glory.
You do not hide the Light, You put It on a stand, can you understand that?
Its 1847, you hear a knock at the door at night, its a brother in the Lord, a white man from 20 miles away with a runaway African slave in tow......what do you do?
Its 2006, you have 10 million dollars, what do you do?.....do you open a page of a atlas, close your eyes, put your finger on the page, and vow that the ten million dollars will be used to bring clean drinking water to that village?
and when they recieve this, and ask you why, what do you say?
"I was thristy and you gave me something to drink".
I did this in the Name of Jesus, I did it for Him.
The Kingdom is near you, the Kingdom of God is not dead, as you are not dead, because He is not dead, the Kingdom of God is here, now, not yet.
Your zeal is commendable, please, don't let it blind you, we have much work to do before the Day of the Lord.
Preach the Gospel? yes...and sometimes you MIGHT have to use words.
Please forgive me, if you think I said you are blind....no....its just that I feel we are talking past one another.
Pray for my resource, coz when this vessel dies, I will not have not one excess coin left, all I will leave behind is one earthly dwelling so as my boy can raise his family in....thats it, in God's will.
I've said enough, off to work, may the Lord bless you and let you know that I don't mean to insult you, but to love you.
All I have is Him, I've said enough, neil |
| | 2006/11/18 19:18 | |
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