THE INNER ROOM - "Learn and Grow - to Maturity". Please read the 1st Post.

[Faithwoman]

A Different Prayer Evening- Please help explain

Ok, so on my second day at work, a girl I worked with who is a Christian invited me to prayer evening at her church. With all the stress I was under, I thought how super! I can go and relax and talk with God.

I got directions to the church. It started at 6:00 Pm. It was a huge , beautiful church. I found a seat. The music started playing which was nice, then I heard all of this .. I call it muttering.. there were some men walking around the church muttering.. well I believe they must have been speaking in tongues.. I kept hearing all these strange things. As I sat with my eyes closed and tried to concentrate on praying, I just kept hearing all of this. I opened my eyes and looked around. There were people wandering up and down the aisles.. these men kept "talking"..

I could not relax.. or concentrate on my prayers to the Lord.. For the last 15 minutes.. they gathered in a large circle. The Pastor gave some praises and thanks.. and others gave praises and such and these men were still saying these strange things.. The Pastor then said as he was praying he felt there were some folks in the room praying for relief of pain. Two women stepped forward.. one had a migraine all day.. the Pastor put his hand on her neck and said yes I feel it and so does God.. now feel God release the pain..here he is.. and he was saying oh yes god.. etc.. he said I feel it being released don't you.. he then told the woman to turn her neck side to side.. and she did and said it was better.

The other woman had back and leg pain.. again he placed her hand on her back and told her to relax and feel God in her.. he kept praying and then he had another woman come up and put her hands on both sides of this woman.. he then had her bend forward.. she kept stretching.. she said the grinding was not as bad.. he then had her walk back and forth across the room.. then had her run.. she said it felt better. As he walked back to the front of the church.. he was praying and a few times spoke in tongue. I guess that is what is was. I had never heard it before..

It was sooooooooooo strange.. First of all, I thought I read somewhere or heard.. that some people are given the gift of speaking in tongues.. however there is suppose to be an interpreter? I did not think it was for show? .. this was so bizarre! I am not judging.. I just observed..

Funny as I sat there.. I kept hearing a voice in my head that was saying Get up.. I thought I am not getting up and walking around.. after I got home.. I really think the voice of saying Get up.. was telling me to Get up and leave...

Ok so I experienced this different prayer evening.. It is not something I will go back to.. I would not take my family there as it was strange and different.. I was invited to go to another church in the city.. I came right out and asked the woman if they speak in tongues there and she said yes.. when the Pastor tells people to go in their prayer mode.. there are some that speak in tongue.. she said her husband was blessed with this gift.. but she was not..

Ok Bondman.. can you please explain to me what the heck was going on?
This is the wild story I told you I had to tell.

Thanks!
Robin

 

[Faithwoman]

You see, the 'good' things we do, so often are purely humanistic, and ultimately done by US - to give us a good FEELING. Nothing wrong with that per se, but often that's our unrealised, but quite sinful AIM - rather than a holy action which the SPIRIT helps and leads us to do. Can you see the difference? YOU can never be holy. And YOU can never do even ONE holy deed. But Jesus in you, by His Spirit in you - CAN!!!

Let's set ourselves from this moment on towards nothing less than holiness of life and thought and deed - by His Spirit!

Amen..

As coming back to my old home tonight. I was in the drive through of McDonald's.. as I payed for my coffee.. I had an urge to pay for the folks behind me.. I said that to the clerk. .. I would like to pay for the car behind me.. she thought I was crazy.. so did I.. lol! ... well the spirit led me to do that tonight.. I had heard one time about "Giving Backwards.. ".. this is where you are in a Drive thru and you pay for the car behind you .. to bless them.
I just explained to the clerk that I loved the Lord.. and that the Lord wanted to bless the folks behind me.. and please tell them so..

So I payed.. got my coffee and drove on out.. what a neat feeling.. I had no intention when I pulled in to do this.. it is really cool how we are led sometimes!

My daughter is coming up tonight! whoo hoo!
Please pray for me this next week as I have to get my college papers finished.

Hugs
Robin

 

[SweetSurrender]

Holiness

Ephesians Ch 4
21 Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

So this is ACTION that WE have to take!!

I think I found the answer I asked about Holiness was in the above-verses. But I don't think, according to your answer, Bondman, we can actually become Holy in this life. Only when we meet Jesus in person when we live with Him in Heaven. Thanx for these posts.

FaithWoman, sounds like this church was a little confusing. Only the members understand what is going on. I wonder what denomination it was. The name of the church, and if any actual teaching went on there.

 

[Faithwoman]

I removed the name of the church that I had orginally put here .. per a PM of Bondman.. ..

 

[Bondman]

Ok, so on my second day at work, a girl I worked with who is a Christian invited me to prayer evening at her church. With all the stress I was under, I thought how super! I can go and relax and talk with God.

I got directions to the church. It started at 6:00 Pm. It was a huge , beautiful church. I found a seat. The music started playing which was nice, then I heard all of this .. I call it muttering.. there were some men walking around the church muttering.. well I believe they must have been speaking in tongues.. I kept hearing all these strange things. As I sat with my eyes closed and tried to concentrate on praying, I just kept hearing all of this. I opened my eyes and looked around. There were people wandering up and down the aisles.. these men kept "talking"..

I could not relax.. or concentrate on my prayers to the Lord.. For the last 15 minutes.. they gathered in a large circle. The Pastor gave some praises and thanks.. and others gave praises and such and these men were still saying these strange things.. The Pastor then said as he was praying he felt there were some folks in the room praying for relief of pain. Two women stepped forward.. one had a migraine all day.. the Pastor put his hand on her neck and said yes I feel it and so does God.. now feel God release the pain..here he is.. and he was saying oh yes god.. etc.. he said I feel it being released don't you.. he then told the woman to turn her neck side to side.. and she did and said it was better.

The other woman had back and leg pain.. again he placed her hand on her back and told her to relax and feel God in her.. he kept praying and then he had another woman come up and put her hands on both sides of this woman.. he then had her bend forward.. she kept stretching.. she said the grinding was not as bad.. he then had her walk back and forth across the room.. then had her run.. she said it felt better. As he walked back to the front of the church.. he was praying and a few times spoke in tongue. I guess that is what is was. I had never heard it before..

It was sooooooooooo strange.. First of all, I thought I read somewhere or heard.. that some people are given the gift of speaking in tongues.. however there is suppose to be an interpreter? I did not think it was for show? .. this was so bizarre! I am not judging.. I just observed..

Funny as I sat there.. I kept hearing a voice in my head that was saying Get up.. I thought I am not getting up and walking around.. after I got home.. I really think the voice of saying Get up.. was telling me to Get up and leave...

Ok so I experienced this different prayer evening.. It is not something I will go back to.. I would not take my family there as it was strange and different.. I was invited to go to another church in the city.. I came right out and asked the woman if they speak in tongues there and she said yes.. when the Pastor tells people to go in their prayer mode.. there are some that speak in tongue.. she said her husband was blessed with this gift.. but she was not..

Ok Bondman.. can you please explain to me what the heck was going on?
This is the wild story I told you I had to tell.

Thanks!
Robin

I perfectly understand what Robin has written. However I'm choosing not to answer here because no matter what I think or said it could upset someone, and in so doing breach CFS Rule 3, and specifically Rule 3b of this very best of Christian forums that I've ever found, and whose rules I agree with and will always strictly adhere to.

3.2b ChristianForumSite.com has a wide variety of members from around the World. This Forum does not allow the elevation of one Christian belief system over another. This is a violation of Regulations 3.1 and 3.2 in demeaning and belittling the beliefs of other Christians while promoting another system so as to create an atmosphere of superiority. Any such posts or threads will be removed and a reminder, warning or ban issued as necessary.

I've sent a PM to Robin aimed at helping her with her concerns and upset. Any other folks who may feel similar or have queries are absolutely free to PM me.

Aside from that, may I please ask that there be no further posts on the subject.

Thanks!

- BM

 

[Faithwoman]

Thank you! I removed the name of the church from post 604.. thank you for the reminder of the rules..

Robin

 

[Bondman]

Thank you! I removed the name of the church from post 604.. thank you for the reminder of the rules..

Robin

Excellent, hon! This is protecting our forum and all the good people here to the very best of our ability.

- BM

 

[Staples1973]

this reminds me of an experience i had aprox 18 mnths ago. my normal church i consider conservative in prayer type etc so when i went along and expereinced adiff church where they prayed in tongue i was to say the least taken back

i often think of that experience and now 18mnths later im tempted to go back and experience it again

 

[Bondman]

Ephesians Ch 4
21 Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

So this is ACTION that WE have to take!!

I think I found the answer I asked about Holiness was in the above-verses. But I don't think, according to your answer, Bondman, we can actually become Holy in this life. Only when we meet Jesus in person when we live with Him in Heaven. Thanx for these posts.

I can see what you're saying, hon, but holiness, righteousness and godliness are very closely related, and we CAN have a measure of these before heaven. In fact we MUST, cos we're commanded to be holy as He is holy! - and God's not in the habit of commanding something that's utterly impossible for us! We just need HIM. HE is holy. He lives in me. In as much than as I allow Him to live out that life in/through me, then I have holiness!!

I agree that ultimately we'll be holy as God is holy when we've stepped through death into eternity with Him. That's what I look forward to! But meantime, it's our duty of LOVE to Him to get as much right-living/righteousness - similar to holiness - into our lives as we possibly can!

THAT will please Him greatly!!

 

[Bondman]

TONGUES

Let's please drop commenting on this subject for the time being, as this can be contentious and upsetting to different folks here.

I will do my very best soon to do a message from the NT on this subject so we can get as balanced a view and understanding of this - that we may all keep the BONDS OF LOVE here in The Inner Room.

THANKS GUYS!

- BM

 

[Criada]

Just dropping by to tell you folks that I love you and am praying for you.
It is always encouraging to read here...
God bless you all
Sarah

 

[Fluffy]

Criada! Hello, hello, hello! Good to see you, hun!

Aw, Bondman beat me to it! The Word does say "Be holy, as I am holy". Only Jesus was perfect, but we can strive to be as perfect as we can while at the same time, be forgiving of our faults and slips.
I heard the other day about meditating on His Word...He IS the Word! Not only can you do this by reading the bible, but meditating on WHO HE IS! Coolness!
We meditate on His word, love people, try to live as purely as possible, and the list goes on. But you get the idea!

 

[SweetSurrender]

Holiness

Criada! Hello, hello, hello! Good to see you, hun!

Aw, Bondman beat me to it! The Word does say "Be holy, as I am holy". Only Jesus was perfect, but we can strive to be as perfect as we can while at the same time, be forgiving of our faults and slips.
I heard the other day about meditating on His Word...He IS the Word! Not only can you do this by reading the bible, but meditating on WHO HE IS! Coolness!
We meditate on His word, love people, try to live as purely as possible, and the list goes on. But you get the idea!

Purely as in "not watching certain movies and not gossiping or putting people down, etc.? Not doing things you are convicted of? Are these good examples in your mind, Fluffy?

Bondman said: "to get as much right-living/righteousness - similar to holiness - into our lives as we possibly can!"
So, is right-living/righteousness different from holiness? Can you give me an example of right-living, Bondman? I'm just trying to figure out if I am living righteously.

Does this include dressing yourself decently too? It could include a whole lot of things couldn't it? I noticed in my new church that the women dress a lot more modestly than they did at my old church, and it is noticable. But they don't seem to look down on anyone not dressed like them, so I don't feel bad or anything. Do you think this is part of holy living? Bonnie

 

[Faithwoman]

Purely as in "not watching certain movies and not gossiping or putting people down, etc.? Not doing things you are convicted of? Are these good examples in your mind, Fluffy?

Bondman said: "to get as much right-living/righteousness - similar to holiness - into our lives as we possibly can!"

So, is right-living/righteousness different from holiness? Can you give me an example of right-living, Bondman? I'm just trying to figure out if I am living righteously.

Does this include dressing yourself decently too? It could include a whole lot of things couldn't it? I noticed in my new church that the women dress a lot more modestly than they did at my old church, and it is noticable. But they don't seem to look down on anyone not dressed like them, so I don't feel bad or anything. Do you think this is part of holy living? Bonnie

I would say the things you listed above are exact great examples. as a matter of fact every moment, everything we do is examples.. we are to walk like Jesus walked.

For me I find when I go to do something, I say to myself is this somewhere where Jesus would go, is this something Jesus would do.. if not.. then don't do it.. hmmm ahhh having to battle the temptation at that time is what makes us stronger.

Tonite at dinner my friend has a blind date .. this is one of the gals that I encouraged to find the Lord .. she is 40 never had a bible.. (she does now.. ).. anyway she was in the worry of what to wear etc.. I told her just to be herself and go and enjoy the evening with a new friend, with no expectation.. I often think of my first dates.. years ago.. man I was looking for the shirt that would show the most clevage. yikes.. that was the old me.. now I have put on the new me in Christ.. and what a beautiful woman was looking back at me in the mirror tonite! I encouraged her to dress as she was having a date with God.. now there is a thought for us.. when we go to get ready each and every day, we must remember that Jesus is living right in our homes... our cars.. our workplace etc.. hmmmm wow!
makes ya think! doesn't it? how awesome is that!!!!

To live holy and righteous with him each and every minute because he is with us each and every minute! I needed that revelation tonight myself! whoo hoo..

Faithwoman

 

[Bondman]

PRACTICAL NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY​

MESSAGE #56

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIVING

Purely as in "not watching certain movies and not gossiping or putting people down, etc.? Not doing things you are convicted of? Are these good examples in your mind, Fluffy?

Bondman said: "to get as much right-living/righteousness - similar to holiness - into our lives as we possibly can!"
So, is right-living/righteousness different from holiness? Can you give me an example of right-living, Bondman? I'm just trying to figure out if I am living righteously.

Does this include dressing yourself decently too? It could include a whole lot of things couldn't it? I noticed in my new church that the women dress a lot more modestly than they did at my old church, and it is noticable. But they don't seem to look down on anyone not dressed like them, so I don't feel bad or anything. Do you think this is part of holy living?

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SIMILAR WORDS

Like Faithwoman commented, you already gave perfect examples that you asked Fluffy about! And while I'm sure we could find differences between all of these wonderful words:

.. righteousness
.. holiness
.. godliness
.. right-living

essentially all are referring to the same or very similar thing:

• Godliness => being like God! *wow*
• Right-living = righteousness
• Holiness => being holy like God is holy. Think words like: purity, being chaste, being consecrated to the Lord, being sanctified (set apart for God's use - a Message coming on words like this soon as I can manage to fit it in! - you guys sure keep this Aussie bloke busy!! *and loving it!* lol)
• Righteousness => living right, living good, doing good, BEING good!! *get it; got it; good!* Think things like: virtuous, upright, and just; being conformed to the will of God.

See how there's a strong similarity to these words - almost like: do one, and you're doing the other!


NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE

One important thing for us all to note carefully here - we can consider all of the above in the 'negative', i.e., don't do this, don't do that - relating to things NOT do do. Which is perfectly fine.

Better, though, is to ALSO consider them in the 'positive', i.e., those things for us to DO, such as: positive deeds of good and goodness; forgiving those who have hurt/harmed us; loving all people around us, including, and especially, the unloveable; caring for others; supporting them; giving our last dollar to someone who has no food or money for their evening meal; learning to care DEEPLY for those in poor nations who have never ever had a chance to hear the Gospel which we enjoy, who have yet to hear the name: JESUS! As Fluffy would say, "You get the idea!"


WHAT YOU DO - AND WHO YOU ARE

What's excellent is to focus on "who we are" if we want to get places in our Christian walk. Because who we are is what DRIVES "what we do". While it's also true that what we do helps make us who we are, I personally feel that the better way to go is to aim at being/becoming the person the Lord wants us to be - by reading His Word, and meditating on WHO HE IS, like Fluffy said! Start getting that right and the rest will begin to fall into place.

However, please don't hassle about the above. Either and both ways will lead you towards being more righteous in Christ. Remembering always that WE ARE NOTHING, and can ACHIEVE NONE OF THESE THINGS USING OUR OWN ABILITIES!!! Trying to do so puts us on the totally wrong path - AND will ultimately FAIL!!

Thus seeking for HIM and HIS LIFE IN US is THE WAY TO RIGHTEOUS AND RIGHT-LIVING - which ultimately will be pleasing to Him!

God bless and guide us all towards this wonderful goal!

- BM, always supported by his Lady

​

 

[Bondman]

Just so I don't write 20 posts in a row responding to the WONDERFUL ones above:

Criada: hon, it's always a joy to see you here. Love you SO much!

Aw, Bondman beat me to it! The Word does say "Be holy, as I am holy". Only Jesus was perfect, but we can strive to be as perfect as we can while at the same time, be forgiving of our faults and slips.

I heard the other day about meditating on His Word...He IS the Word! Not only can you do this by reading the bible, but meditating on WHO HE IS! Coolness!
We meditate on His word, love people, try to live as purely as possible, and the list goes on. But you get the idea!

Fluffy: WOW!!! I got nothing to add to that!!!

Yep, I reckon we do get the idea, sweetie! Did I say, "WOW!"...

.. when we go to get ready each and every day, we must remember that Jesus is living right in our homes... our cars.. our workplace etc.. hmmmm wow!
makes ya think! doesn't it? how awesome is that!!!!

To live holy and righteous with him each and every minute because he is with us each and every minute! I needed that revelation tonight myself! whoo hoo..

Faithwoman: I think I'll just say an Amen to that, hon!

ahhh having to battle the temptation at that time is what makes us stronger.

Absolutely!!!

 

[Bondman]

PRACTICAL NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY​

MESSAGE #57

TWO TYPES OF SINFULNESS


Here are two major ways in which we can sin:

FIRST, there's the temptation-type sins that I'm sure we ALL know about. We get tempted in our mind by the world, the flesh or the devil - and either we resist in God's power and do not sin, or we lose the plot and end up sinning (then usually feel terrible, right!)

In Fluffy's Coffee House I said in a post how I used to fail a lot like this, but added in gratefulness to the Lord:

"However today I have victory nearly all the time." When He reminded me this morning that I said this, I got awfully worried people may think I was boasting... Which led to this Message, cos though what I said was true and God surely gets ALL the glory for it, let's continue on to THIS shocking sin type:

SECOND, there's the missed-the-boat type sins that you may not be so familiar with. This is where we fall short, falling short of God's glory, of His perfection! We don't make the grade, we miss the mark, we don't come anywhere near up to scratch, we fail to live up to His standard and expectations. Youch!

On these sins I certainly can NOT say I have victory most of the time!! Here we all have to admit that we are simply not managing to totally please and obey Him. Often we're not even AWARE of the sin that we're falling short on!! (And if God revealed them all to us at once, likely this would kill us and we'd fall down stone-dead.)


SUMMARY: So these two types of sin are sometimes expressed in these terms: the first are the sins of "commission", the ones we (deliberately) commit. The second are the sins of "omission", the ones we miss and fail to live up to God's standard on.

Obviously both types are BAD. We have to agree with God when he calls us hopelessly sinful! BUT, by His grace, ALL your sins were forgiven for you at Calvary!! And that's surely GREAT NEWS!!!

- BM, with his Love

​

 

[SweetSurrender]

Who Am I?

I think this would be a good place to copy the thread I started in Gen. Discussions. Bondman said he has not been able to look at other threads.

Many Christians refer to themselves as sinners saved by grace. But are you really a sinner? Is that your scriptural identity? Not at all. God doesn't call you a sinner, He calls you a saint - a holy one. If you think of yourself as a sinner, guess what you will do: you'll live like a sinner; you'll sin. Why not identify yourself for who you really are: a saint who occasionally sins. Remember, what you do doesn't determine who you are; who you are determines what you do.

Since you are a saint in Christ by God's calling, you share in Christ's inheritance. That which is true of Christ is now true of you, because you are in Christ. It's part of your identity.

I have been fortunate to find a deliverance ministry in my new church. They have helped me begin to see who I am in Christ. It's amazing because I never thought of myself as a saint before. I always thought you had to be a seasoned Christian and know most all of what was needed to know in order to be a saint.

Below is a list which itemizes in first-person language who you really are in Christ. These are some of the scriptural traits which reflect who you become at spiritual birth. These traits are guaranteed to you by the Word of God simply because you were born into God's holy family by faith in Christ.

Who Am I?
I am the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13).
I am the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).
I am a child of God (John 1:12).
I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ's life (John 15:1,5).
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15).
I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16).
I am a slave of righteousness (Rom.6:18).
I am enslaved to God (Rom 6:22).
I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Rom 8:14, 15; Gal. 3:26; 4:6).
I am a temple - a dwelling place - of God. His Spirit and His life dwells in me (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).
I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17).
I am a mamber of Christ's Body (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30).
I am a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17(.
I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18, 19).
I am a son of God and one in Christ (Gal. 3:26,28).
I am an heir of God since I am a son of God (Gal.4:6,7).
I am a saint (Eph. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2).
I am God's workmanship - His handiwork- born anew in Christ to do His work (Eph. 2:10).
I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God's family (Eph. 2:19).
I am a prisoner of Christ (Eph. 4:24).
I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now (Phil. 3:20; Eph. 2:6).
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).
I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Col. 3:4).
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4).
I am a son of Light and not of darkness (1 Thess. 5:5).
I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1).
I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life (Heb. 3:14).
I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5).
I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession (1 Pet. 2:9,10).
I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (1 Pet. 2:11).
I am an enemy of the devil (1 Pet. 5:8).
I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (1 John 3:1,2).
I am born of God, and the evil one - the devil - cannot touch me (1 John 5:18).
I am not the great "I am" (Exod. 3:14; John 8:24, 28, 58), but by the grace of God, I am what i am (1 Cor. 15:10)

Because you are in Christ, every one of those characteristics is completely true of you, and there's nothing you can do to make them more true. But you can make these traits more meaningful and productive in your life by simply choosing to believe what God has said about you.

One of the greatest ways to help youself grow into maturity in Christ is to continually remind yourself who you are in Him. I am going to try to post these verses someplace where I can read them over out loud every day. I need to know WHO I AM!

Bondman, your last post sounded so much like what I read in my book, that I just knew I had to have you read it. Bonnie

 

[Bondman]

It was so lovely of Bonnie to think to put in The Inner Room the list in the post above. A list with some really GREAT verses that it's excellent to be reminded about. But (does there always have to be a 'but'?!!) there are problems with some of the wording - some serious - which was put together by Dr Neil Anderson who, as someone else commented, sometimes 'plays a bit fast and loose with the Scripture truths'!

Because I am an unashamed and serious truth-seeker and have been for virtually my whole life (I hope you are too) here are some corrections to bring the list in line with what the New Testament really says:

1.'but are you really a sinner? Is that your scriptural identity? Yes it sure is! 'God doesn't call you a sinner,' He most certainly DOES, over and over! There are so many verses showing this that it's hard to choose! Here's a strong one: 1 John 1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. And to clinch the deal, the Apostle Paul, arguably the greatest of all Christians, clearly accepts this, calling himself 'The CHIEF OF SINNERS!' (1 Tim 1:15)

2. '(God) calls you a saint.' Correct!

3.'A saint who occasionally sins.' Occasionally?!! - what a DREADFUL travesty of the truth! We barely need to go any further: sadly everything he states has to be looked at as possible error! Because how can any man who has read the Scriptures with God's help, PLUS looked at his own life in the light of those Scriptures state such an awful and obvious untruth!

4. 'I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit' (John 15:16). Not 'bear His fruit'. It doesn't say that, but simply 'bear fruit'.

5. 'I am a son of God and one in Christ (Gal. 3:26,28).' Very poor wording. In context (which is how we must ALWAYS read the Word!!) Paul is saying: I am a son of God, and we who are sons of God are all one in Christ.

6. 'I am a prisoner of Christ (Eph. 4:24).' Maybe I've chosen to be a prisoner of Christ, but no Scripture I can find says this. This is PAUL speaking here! - where quite a number of times HE calls HIMSELF a prisoner of Christ. It's quite clear that just because Pauls says this of HIMSELF, that is NOT the same as saying that you and I are prisoners too!! (Dr Anderson probably used verses Eph 3:1 and 4:1, not Eph 4:24)

7. 'I am an enemy of the devil (1 Pet. 5:8).' I think "I am an adversary of the devil" gives a more correct indication of what the Greek text is saying here. (And if you want to use the word 'enemy', then the devil is OUR enemy.)

8. 'I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. (Colossians 3:4)' This verse says only that Christ is my life, nothing about being 'an expression of His life'.

And there may be other errors that I've missed.


As I said, this is a great list Bonnie shared with us. The other things are tops! However, the errors above are a stinging reminder to us all to take GREAT CARE with what the Word of God REALLY says - NOT what someone else "says it is". NOR what we would like to THINK it says.

I always check and check and check! - while trusting the Spirit to be my revelator of His truth. That's the way to get to know New Testament properly and well.

 

[Bondman]

Where did everyone go? *feels lonely in here*