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codek
amen, a lesson I'm sure you will never forget
andy

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andy

Amen, Codex, me too.

Just who is the Potter and who is the clay?

In Christ: Phillip

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Phillip

Hi codex I'm a new member so I've just read all your posts. I've pastored for a number of years and have meet several people like you.i would like to ask you a question ,I hope it doesn't offend you . so here goes ( are you running from a calling maybe) many time we seek God to our end and not His. Salvation is a beginning of a new walk that he leads us on and not a stroll in the park with Him. My email address is in my profile if you would like to answer privately

Hi Codek I read some of your threads and they are filled with questions & doubts. This is where you are & i believe you are still searching the truth and not happy at all with your past experiences and where you are now.

Im not better than you, even though intellectually speaking I never had any serious doubts after I was saved about God's goodness, character or even his existence. I had my share as a prodigal son runing away from God to live for my own peasures.

I dont know if you ever had saving faith or genuinly were born again in your past? May be the word of God was planted in your heart but did not ever bear fruit? The most important question is where you are now? Im sure you know your are not in Christ, otherwise you will not let doubt reign in your heart. In Hebrews it says, "without faith it is impossible to please God", you may say I dont have faith because its a gift from God and he has not granted it to me? Or I am not chosen from God before the foundation of the world to be saved in Jesus Christ? So since you cant figure out if you are predestined for salvation, it makes you desperate I guess.

You can go on and on with reasoning and not come to a conclusion. The truth is that by nature our hearts are deceitful and we are very smart to justify our sins. God is just and holy as he is love and merciful too. Outside Christ there is no safety for us but a just retribution for our sins.

My advice is don't put your trust in man-made theologies, and systems. God cannot be put in a box. The only thing that saves us is the Word of God not the opinions of men, even godly men.

1 Timothy 2:4 it says that God, "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth." It is clear from this bible verse that God desires the salvation of sinners.He made hell for fallen angels and not men, the Father sent his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

You may have read , heard the gosple alot of times but your remedy is only in the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross for you. Will you believe by simple faith the sacrifice of the Lamp of God, Jesus Christ on the cross or continue in you unbelief?

There is the solution of your problem - the CROSS - Jesus died for you and rose again from the dead the third day and has been ascended at the right hand of the Father and very soon will come back for his Bride and to reign on this earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Are you willing to come to the cross and believe Him from the heart? In Romans 10:9 says, "if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved"

Are you willing my friend to bow on your knees today and pray from the heart to God to save your soul in Jesus Name or do you wanna continue in your own way and keep the heavy burden of sin over your shoulders?

My opinions are worthless but God's word is what matters. I hope and pray you will make the right decision from the heart to have full confidence in what Jesus has done for you on the cross and accept Him today not tomorow as your Lord & Savior.

Just remember Jesus Christ is an ever-flowing fountain of grace and He is willing to save a poor sinner who repents of his sin and comes to Him by faith.

Someone said that," divine mercy is an ocean that is ever full & ever flowing." There is boundless mercy from God if you repent and a fountain of grace to save you if you believe Jesus.



Shalom,
Redi


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Redi

Elected

thank you for the post and I believe that's part 1 of the gospel. yes you must believe and confess he is christ. I have to ask you this question because there are many imposter christians even on this forum who know the bible like the back of their hand but do not follow Jesus's second commandment. They do not love their brothers as themselves. That's what confuses me. How can someone be so sure of their salvation, know the bible inside and out but do not love their brothers like themselves.

Do you give your time, money, effort for your brothers that can't help you out? The people that aren't your friends, maybe the losers of society, the outcasts, mentally retarded or other people who are needy?

Because if you read the bible, Jesus often talks about these people. He talks about inviting the people that can't repay you to your feasts not just your friends. He also says "whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto me" Yet all I see, even on this forum is people who know the word and can spit back 5 verses within 5 seconds yet they don't love their brothers. Actually in terms of love, they are like the world and never put others welfare above their own. To me, this sounds like a pharisee. You need part 1 and 2. It goes hand in hand.

I can't say I love Christ if I reject even "least of these" because the bible says when I reject the least of these, I reject Christ. So unless you're loving your brothers, you're not a true christian.

I have yet to find one so let me know. Because in my time of great need, none of these bereans have lifted a finger to help me get a job, or anything. I know a guy who drives a $60k car and he wants me to drive over to his place when I have literally nothing left in my bank account.

I don't get how we selectively see these things in the bible. We see one and not the other.

So I ask you Elected, how have you loved others more than yourself? I'm curious.

I point out money, not because I want to, but in the last 2 years, I found out, it's a very good if not the best indicator of people's hearts. Because I was willing to dish out mine but I received none back. Even on this forum, I think money is a good indicator of people's hearts. I just found out how much people love money. Because I can sit here all day and list all of the verses I want but only actions speak. I

Dear Codek,

As I saw Your reply, I can tell You, it is important to do those things. However, our job is not to help the poor only, but to do the will of God. And it is another dimension.

You are a bit confused about christianity, for YOu have seen a religious group who called herself church. Do not worry, God will show YOu the best way of living practical christianity.
Noone is christian, who is not similar to Christ. You are absolutely right.

As I see, You are an unsettled must. In some month You will be a good wine. It is the Spirit's work in You.

If You do not mind, allow me an advice:
Do not forget, that God calld us not to do things for Him, but to be in the correct relationship with Him. Noone can serve to Him without a strong relationship with God. The more stronger the realtionship is, the more YOu know how to serve Him.

I have seen several times, that brothers helped to homeless guys, I did so. But I do not help to anyone except I speak to hm/her first (homeless).
But I have seen several times much more glorious sevice.

There is a lady in our church. She is gipsy, but faithful to God, since was saved.
Before she got saved, she made abortion, addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, had bad mouth. Now she is one of the most lovely members of our church. When first came to church, YOu could hardly find teeth in her mouth, but someone took her to her own dentist to make a denture.
It was really hard to find her a job, but finally the church found her one. With a low, but sure salary. She has been working there for almost 10 years now. As she earns very little, had to rent small flats in very bad state. Finaly, someone bought her a small flat. It is not finished yet, only structurally. We, the church will finish it.

The priority is important: the church, as the family of Christ is much more important, then comes the others.
Because if You help the homeless with a house, but could not change his way of living, You have thrown out money on windows. If YOu help to born-again people in their (real) needs, surely find the best place.

Keep in mind, that first is our relationship to God, and second is our relation to His family. And from the remaining energy and money, You can support all the others.

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Kotán Norbert

Codek,

Thanks for your honest reply. I am not better than you and there have been times when I have been backsliding and im not proud of it, especially recently when I was seperated my seperated spouse chose to divorce me for know biblical reasons. I was angry and bitter and went back to the world. But God in His mercy allowed my mom to have a second stroke and she survived it thx God and she is gradually getting better. This thing shook me up and brought me to my senses to repent of my sin and seek God with my heart till I find Him.

I have shown genuine love in my past for other people because the Holy Spirit produced that in me and even had to give money as young christian to a man who was not sincere because i wanted to share the word with Him. As I have loved genuinely people from my heart when walking close with God as christian, I have also been hypocrite and selfish, indiferent or unloving too when I had been backsliding.

You see its not about me but about Jesus Christ, if we believe Him and let his life live in us we will be in the light and love others because the Holy Spirit will give us a supernatural love but if a christian lives in the flesh, for the world and in sin he is can't love unconditionally because he is in darkness.

All I can say now is that God is cleansing my heart and sanctifying my heart by his Spirit and i'm being revived and finding again a new joy in Jesus.

Codek I know that there are many hypocrites in the church today but that does not justify you or give you any excuse before God. God's word and character does not change and if we dont believe God we make him a liar. He offers a full salvation in his Son, to you and me too. I chose to believe and I pray God to increase my little faith. Do you want to believe that's the question? You have a free choice to accept or not the gosple invitation that God offers to you thru his Son.

What others do is their responsibility before God, not yours. You and me will be held acount with our choises we make in life and if we believed and obeyed the gosple.

You are a smart person and know alot from the bible, we can go on day and night arguing about scripture but that does not avail anything if the will is stubborn. God alone can soften the heart but we can resist his grace if we continue in unbelief and rebellion.

I pray you seek God will with all your heart and if you search for Him diligently you will find Him and he will give you peace.

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Redi

Elected,

Thank You for your honest response. I respect you being able to admit your faults. I'm not saying christians have to be perfect but I need people to admit fault, and try to right wrongs, basically, they have to care.

A couple of questions, were you saved before you last backslid? Or were you saved when you came back recently after what happened to your mother?

It's not many christians are hypocrites, MOST CHRISTIANS are hypocrites and if you go to one of those megachurches, you have a better chance winning the lottery than being saved.


The biggest disconnect here is that no one understands the fact that I am trying to believe. Why would I waste so much time on this forum if I wasn't. People say it's all up to you and it's so easy to do it. Well it's not. If I could believe today, I would do it and end all of these threads. I have a lot of things I need to get done that's not getting done because I spend a considerable amount of time on these forums.

To be honest, I don't think you would have came back to God if you didn't go through the recent experience with your mother. If that didn't happen, maybe you would still be the world today, so you can't flip it on like a light switch. God has to put something there.

If I have to number how many times I tried to believe in God and thought I had a genuine conversion at the time, it would have to be about 10, maybe more. I tried and tried again but I always questioned my salvation.

There are just too many discrepancies of whats suppose to happen when you are saved. There isn't one formula.

If we're suppose to be regenerated how come, I didn't feel the holy spirit empower me. I didn't have this overwhelming power over my sins. I felt the same. Don't we all eventually feel the same. I look at other people and they look the same. What is this change you are talking about. I see the same sin nature.

Where's the people really trying to love others? Why does Jesus mention loving the least like himself or outcasts or people that can't repay you when no one does it. There is a lot of things Jesus talks about and no one who is "saved" does it. A lot of these saved people are unimpressive. I thought you are supposed to be filled with the spirit and regenerated. I see no change. What about fruits? Another gray area as well.

How come I don't have real people in my life that are true christians that I could fellowship with even though I've bee n seeking a fellowship so long. Why do I have to go on an internet forum to learn about God? Every church I've been in the last 10 years were filled with fake christians. I'm talking about people teaching Rick Warren doctrine.

Can I get a break here? Am I not seeking God?

hi, i am old and have been saved for almost50 years. the bible says that whosoeer that will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. do not make it harder than God makes it. His yoke is EASY and His burden is LIGHT. peformance has nothing to do with it for if it did we would not have needed a redeemer to redeem us.jesus said that He came not to condemn the world but to save it. if you think i am going to send my son to cut a covenant for man that i would let man walk away from this provision as a mere human than how much more your heavenly father keep those who call upon His name. you must have problems with your dad or as a dad not to understand this.