The Old People’s Thread

[resurrection33]

If you are at least fifty years of age, what do think are major spiritual issues people need to deal with? From my point of view, there are four:

1.) People fail to love the Lord with all their hearts, minds, and souls, as commanded by Jesus (Matthew 22:37-38). They instead seem to take an attitude that they will wait to love him until they see him with their own eyes, and therefore fail to develop a personal relationship with him.

2.) People fail to wait till they get married to have sex. This is a sin (Mark 7:20-23, Matthew 5:28).

3.) People abuse substances such as alcohol.

4.) People allow themselves to be motivated by pride rather than love. Pride is a sin (Mark 7:20-23).

 

[zone]

hi rez.
ahh....an old folks' thread. nice.
*kicks back in rocking chair*

i think the most important spiritual issue all ppl need to understand, is that Christ died for sinners.
God loved the world that much.

all the Glory is His.
z

 

[resurrection33]

Thanks, Zone.

 

[resurrection33]

hi rez.
ahh....an old folks' thread. nice.
*kicks back in rocking chair*

i think the most important spiritual issue all ppl need to understand, is that Christ died for sinners.
God loved the world that much.

all the Glory is His.
z

Yes, the Lord disciplines us for our own good, like a good parent, and the discipline can be very harsh if we stubbornly refuse to repent of our sin, but he loves all of us.

 

[Tommy4Christ]

There is only one true answer to this question, and by far its the lack of any discernment and love of the truth in the church system today!

You can preach all you want about morality, and the sin issue, because its rampant in the system also, as most in the system see nothing they need to repent of, due to the false gospel being preached far and wide today.

But until a few John the Baptist preachers come along and preach repentance and faith both proven by deeds to the lost masses, then anything else is a moot point, or a straw man excuse to live a lukewarm, worldly Christian life, as without heart purity no one will see the Lord!

The surgeon’s knife!​

Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell


Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.​

G1581
ἐκκόπτω
ekkoptō
ek-kop'-to
From G1537 and G2875; to exscind; figuratively to frustrate: - cut down (off, out), hew down, hinder.

Coming from a medical background I can appreciate what Jesus meant when He said to cut it out, pluck it out, and cast it away!
When someone is diagnosed with a type of deadly cancer, tumor, growth, cyst, or any other physical disease that must be removed, it’s easy to seek help from the best surgeon who can do his best work at cutting out this disease implanted in your body.
I believe this can be well used to describe the sick condition of the church today, where many are convinced they are healthy on the inside, meaning no cancers, growths, cysts, or anything that needs to be excised by the precise hand of a qualified surgeon. But due to their wrong choices, false teachings and unwilling to repent, they fail to see that their sin that has so ensnared them is much worse than any physical ailment will ever be!
But the master made in very clear, that the sin must be cut off, right at the root, and put to death through repentance as He commanded, He made it clear what would happen IF the sins were not excised from the heart, cut out at the roots so it would not grow back.
The wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, who came to set the captives free, once and for all, asking all to repent, cut and cast the sin away with the strength of the great surgeon, who gives us all we need to bow to His throne casting away our sins that kept us in bondage!
Jesus will not do it for you, and He didn’t take your place on the surgeons table to become sin for you, He specifically commanded you to cut if off, pluck it out, and put it to death through repentance and faith proven by deeds.
The sin stops and is cut out, excised, and put to death in repentance,
Isa 1:16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil;
We have our part to do in this process leading to purity, and God has His, as we come to Him purged, and cleared from sin and disobedience that once infested our mortal bodies, waiting to be cut out at the root, and put to death!
So when the false teachers tell you sin is a part of you, or is a substance inbred into you, and a disease handed down to you from Adam, and you just can never stop sinning, or even need to stop sinning to be saved or stay saved, remember the words of the master, who made it perfectly clear what WE in our own free will and ability MUST DO:
“Pluck it out, cut it off, and castitfrom thee”!
This clearly defines what a qualified surgeon will do to remove cancer, and also clearly defines what we must do to inherit eternal life!
Tommy

 

[PopClick]

I'm not 50, but I'm posting anyway for the simple reason that you cannot stop me!!!!!

 

[TheGrungeDiva]

If you are at least fifty years of age, what do think are major spiritual issues people need to deal with?

I don't see how these are issues just for people fifty and older, but they're important for all Christians.

As for the four you listed, it's a good start, again, for people of any age.

1.) People fail to love the Lord with all their hearts, minds, and souls, as commanded by Jesus (Matthew 22:37-38).

I totally agree with you. Jesus said we must love God so much that we hate our father and mother. Obviously, he doesn't mean that literally, but he means that if there's room left in our heart for anyone else, we're not giving our WHOLE heard to God.
I love my son so much I can hardly stand it. My challenge is to remember, every time I look at him, hold him, or think about him, how blessed I am that God gave me a son, and that God also gave us HIS Son. And that's way bigger than anything in my life, even the love I have for my son, which is pretty darn huge. It is a daily struggle to keep God first in my mind, over all the (comparable) petty things.

2.) People fail to wait till they get married to have sex. This is a sin (Mark 7:20-23, Matthew 5:28)

I'm not convinced this deserves "top four" status. First of all, there's the issue of the definition of marriage. People should not have sex until they have made a commitment of life-long fidelity to each other before God and their friends and family. If this is how you define "marriage," then we're good. But these days, "marriage" just means a piece of paper, and that may or may not include the religious vows. Further more, there are a few good reasons for a couple not to get legally married (financial reasons -- if one or both will lose some kind of benefit, for example). But they should still make that religious commitment.

But further than that: yes, sex outside of the religious commitment is a sin. But is it a worse sin than, say, lying? Or gossip? I don't see anything in Scripture to indicate that it is. So I'm not sure why anyone should make pre-marital sex such a "hot-point" issue, unless they are not also making lying and gossiping equally big issues.

3.) People abuse substances such as alcohol.

Yup. This is sad. I think it does rightly deserve its own category, because people who are abusing substances -- which include illegal drugs, but also includes people who over-eat (gluttony) -- are missing an important part of Jesus' message, too. We need to love God enough, that we love ourselves. God created us, as temples to Him. We would not graffiti a church building. But in a way, that's what we do when we abuse our bodies.

4.) People allow themselves to be motivated by pride rather than love. Pride is a sin (Mark 7:20-23).

Yup. That is another big one. And another major problem in our society. And one which I know I need to work on, as well.

I'm not quite 50, and not your "target audience," but I have been a Christian for 44 years today. (Happy Christmas and Baptismal Anniversary to ME!) What I've found is that no 2 people have the same struggles. We each struggle with different sins.

And one of the biggest is judging others. I am not responsible for your sins, and you are not responsible for mine. As soon as I go to someone and say, "you're doing X, Y, Z, and that's a sin," I am sinning by judging them. That is not my job, it's God's, and trying to usurp God's power is The Original Sin, the one that got us kicked out of the garden.

So the whole thing of listing sins, seems a little voyeuristic to me. I mean, certainly you're not suggesting that these are sins that other people have to deal with, because that would be a sin in and of itself. I'm assuming you're listing what you personally feel are your toughest sins.

Sure, as sisters and brothers, we should all be accountable to one another, and if we're struggling with something, we should absolutely be able to go to another Christian and say, "Hey, I'm really struggling with this, can you help me?"

I'm not sure if that's what you're doing here?

 

[PopClick]

As soon as I go to someone and say, "you're doing X, Y, Z, and that's a sin," I am sinning by judging them. That is not my job, it's God's, and trying to usurp God's power is The Original Sin, the one that got us kicked out of the garden.

So the whole thing of listing sins, seems a little voyeuristic to me. I mean, certainly you're not suggesting that these are sins that other people have to deal with, because that would be a sin in and of itself.

Judging an action is not the same as judging a person. We are told to exhort, rebuke, reprove, and yes, judge the actions of people in the church.

12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

 

[resurrection33]

I'm not 50, but I'm posting anyway for the simple reason that you cannot stop me!!!!!

Who would WANT to stop you, Popclick?

 

[resurrection33]

I don't see how these are issues just for people fifty and older, but they're important for all Christians.

As for the four you listed, it's a good start, again, for people of any age.


I totally agree with you. Jesus said we must love God so much that we hate our father and mother. Obviously, he doesn't mean that literally, but he means that if there's room left in our heart for anyone else, we're not giving our WHOLE heard to God.
I love my son so much I can hardly stand it. My challenge is to remember, every time I look at him, hold him, or think about him, how blessed I am that God gave me a son, and that God also gave us HIS Son. And that's way bigger than anything in my life, even the love I have for my son, which is pretty darn huge. It is a daily struggle to keep God first in my mind, over all the (comparable) petty things.


I'm not convinced this deserves "top four" status. First of all, there's the issue of the definition of marriage. People should not have sex until they have made a commitment of life-long fidelity to each other before God and their friends and family. If this is how you define "marriage," then we're good. But these days, "marriage" just means a piece of paper, and that may or may not include the religious vows. Further more, there are a few good reasons for a couple not to get legally married (financial reasons -- if one or both will lose some kind of benefit, for example). But they should still make that religious commitment.

But further than that: yes, sex outside of the religious commitment is a sin. But is it a worse sin than, say, lying? Or gossip? I don't see anything in Scripture to indicate that it is. So I'm not sure why anyone should make pre-marital sex such a "hot-point" issue, unless they are not also making lying and gossiping equally big issues.


Yup. This is sad. I think it does rightly deserve its own category, because people who are abusing substances -- which include illegal drugs, but also includes people who over-eat (gluttony) -- are missing an important part of Jesus' message, too. We need to love God enough, that we love ourselves. God created us, as temples to Him. We would not graffiti a church building. But in a way, that's what we do when we abuse our bodies.


Yup. That is another big one. And another major problem in our society. And one which I know I need to work on, as well.

I'm not quite 50, and not your "target audience," but I have been a Christian for 44 years today. (Happy Christmas and Baptismal Anniversary to ME!) What I've found is that no 2 people have the same struggles. We each struggle with different sins.

And one of the biggest is judging others. I am not responsible for your sins, and you are not responsible for mine. As soon as I go to someone and say, "you're doing X, Y, Z, and that's a sin," I am sinning by judging them. That is not my job, it's God's, and trying to usurp God's power is The Original Sin, the one that got us kicked out of the garden.

So the whole thing of listing sins, seems a little voyeuristic to me. I mean, certainly you're not suggesting that these are sins that other people have to deal with, because that would be a sin in and of itself. I'm assuming you're listing what you personally feel are your toughest sins.

Sure, as sisters and brothers, we should all be accountable to one another, and if we're struggling with something, we should absolutely be able to go to another Christian and say, "Hey, I'm really struggling with this, can you help me?"

I'm not sure if that's what you're doing here?

Lust is a biggie, GD.

 

[resurrection33]

I don't see how these are issues just for people fifty and older, but they're important for all Christians.

As for the four you listed, it's a good start, again, for people of any age.


I totally agree with you. Jesus said we must love God so much that we hate our father and mother. Obviously, he doesn't mean that literally, but he means that if there's room left in our heart for anyone else, we're not giving our WHOLE heard to God.
I love my son so much I can hardly stand it. My challenge is to remember, every time I look at him, hold him, or think about him, how blessed I am that God gave me a son, and that God also gave us HIS Son. And that's way bigger than anything in my life, even the love I have for my son, which is pretty darn huge. It is a daily struggle to keep God first in my mind, over all the (comparable) petty things.


I'm not convinced this deserves "top four" status. First of all, there's the issue of the definition of marriage. People should not have sex until they have made a commitment of life-long fidelity to each other before God and their friends and family. If this is how you define "marriage," then we're good. But these days, "marriage" just means a piece of paper, and that may or may not include the religious vows. Further more, there are a few good reasons for a couple not to get legally married (financial reasons -- if one or both will lose some kind of benefit, for example). But they should still make that religious commitment.

But further than that: yes, sex outside of the religious commitment is a sin. But is it a worse sin than, say, lying? Or gossip? I don't see anything in Scripture to indicate that it is. So I'm not sure why anyone should make pre-marital sex such a "hot-point" issue, unless they are not also making lying and gossiping equally big issues.


Yup. This is sad. I think it does rightly deserve its own category, because people who are abusing substances -- which include illegal drugs, but also includes people who over-eat (gluttony) -- are missing an important part of Jesus' message, too. We need to love God enough, that we love ourselves. God created us, as temples to Him. We would not graffiti a church building. But in a way, that's what we do when we abuse our bodies.


Yup. That is another big one. And another major problem in our society. And one which I know I need to work on, as well.

I'm not quite 50, and not your "target audience," but I have been a Christian for 44 years today. (Happy Christmas and Baptismal Anniversary to ME!) What I've found is that no 2 people have the same struggles. We each struggle with different sins.

And one of the biggest is judging others. I am not responsible for your sins, and you are not responsible for mine. As soon as I go to someone and say, "you're doing X, Y, Z, and that's a sin," I am sinning by judging them. That is not my job, it's God's, and trying to usurp God's power is The Original Sin, the one that got us kicked out of the garden.

So the whole thing of listing sins, seems a little voyeuristic to me. I mean, certainly you're not suggesting that these are sins that other people have to deal with, because that would be a sin in and of itself. I'm assuming you're listing what you personally feel are your toughest sins.

Sure, as sisters and brothers, we should all be accountable to one another, and if we're struggling with something, we should absolutely be able to go to another Christian and say, "Hey, I'm really struggling with this, can you help me?"

I'm not sure if that's what you're doing here?

Lust can be very powerful, but it is imperative that we get it under control.

 

[resurrection33]

We will make Popclick and TheGrungeDiva honorary old people.

 

[damombomb]

Not judging people, meeting the youth at the level they are in , believing in them and encouraging them more in Jesus

 

[resurrection33]

Not judging people, meeting the youth at the level they are in , believing in them and encouraging them more in Jesus

Youth are okay. Young adults can be troublesome. (They seem to know EVERYTHING.)

 

[TheGrungeDiva]

Lust is a biggie, GD.

Eh, not so much for me any more. Now that I'm married, and old, it doesn't come up so much. I love my husband dearly, and can express my sexual self with him, so there's no "left over feelings," like there used to be before I got married. Plus, I think these feelings slow down as we get older. Or maybe we just get better at dealing with them than when we were teenagers and acted on impulse.

Gluttony and sloth are still my two hardest sins. I struggle every day with them.

Or were you asking for help or advice on what to do? I wouldn't have the slightest, outside of fervent prayer. I feel great sympathy for those who are not in a relationship, or are in a relationship that is not godly. I remember what it was like before I was with my husband, and I honestly believe that, well, at least for most people, God's intention is for sharing this life with another human.

 

[resurrection33]

Eh, not so much for me any more. Now that I'm married, and old, it doesn't come up so much. I love my husband dearly, and can express my sexual self with him, so there's no "left over feelings," like there used to be before I got married. Plus, I think these feelings slow down as we get older. Or maybe we just get better at dealing with them than when we were teenagers and acted on impulse.

Gluttony and sloth are still my two hardest sins. I struggle every day with them.

Or were you asking for help or advice on what to do? I wouldn't have the slightest, outside of fervent prayer. I feel great sympathy for those who are not in a relationship, or are in a relationship that is not godly. I remember what it was like before I was with my husband, and I honestly believe that, well, at least for most people, God's intention is for sharing this life with another human.

My point about lust is that it is important we not behave in an adulterous manner. In other words, sex is limited to marriage. It is a common sin and you should be proud of yourself for having self-control.

I don’t know if I am slothful or not. Probably not, but nobody enjoys their leisure more than I do.

I’ll say this about gluttony: There is no need to eat sweets. They serve no nutritional purpose. I avoid them almost completely, though I get a lot of sugar in the milk I drink and apples & cinnamon Quaker oatmeal I eat. I never eat chocolate because chocolate has caffeine and I won’t touch caffeine. At the same time, I try not to get too many of my calories from fat, because I don’t want to have a heart attack.

 

[resurrection33]

Youth are okay. Young adults can be troublesome. (They seem to know EVERYTHING.)

I shouldn’t have said this. Some young adults are very nice.

 

[RedTent]

At 87, I can claim to REALLY be old!

I think the problem today is with age! It is about 2,000 years since Christ died on the cross, and in that time many men have come and gone with their own ideas. There have been many ism and denominations. We are to follow scripture, we are to listen to God not men with their isms and denominations.

Many follow their own ideas, saying they follow the Holy Spirit. We are to test everything against what God tells us. The Holy Spirit follows scripture exactly. Some say that God is with the earthly church so it is not wrong, but again, God and His word is what is never wrong.

Some say that the new covenant in Christ tells us not to listen to scripture if it is in the Old Testament. The new covenant expands on the OT, it makes such as animal blood used for atonement obsolete as we use Christ’s actual blood, but scripture would never speak against scripture.

 

[resurrection33]

At 87, I can claim to REALLY be old!

I think the problem today is with age! It is about 2,000 years since Christ died on the cross, and in that time many men have come and gone with their own ideas. There have been many ism and denominations. We are to follow scripture, we are to listen to God not men with their isms and denominations.

Many follow their own ideas, saying they follow the Holy Spirit. We are to test everything against what God tells us. The Holy Spirit follows scripture exactly. Some say that God is with the earthly church so it is not wrong, but again, God and His word is what is never wrong.

Some say that the new covenant in Christ tells us not to listen to scripture if it is in the Old Testament. The new covenant expands on the OT, it makes such as animal blood used for atonement obsolete as we use Christ’s actual blood, but scripture would never speak against scripture.

You’re a little older than some of us.

 

[TheGrungeDiva]

I’ll say this about gluttony: There is no need to eat sweets. They serve no nutritional purpose. I avoid them almost completely, though I get a lot of sugar in the milk I drink and apples & cinnamon Quaker oatmeal I eat. I never eat chocolate because chocolate has caffeine and I won’t touch caffeine. At the same time, I try not to get too many of my calories from fat, because I don’t want to have a heart attack.

Wow, you are WAY better than me! I have a rabid sweet tooth, especially for chocolate. I'm usually pretty good about resisting the other typical "sinful" foods -- salty, fried, etc., all those things that are bad for you. But chocolate is one of those temptations for me. I gave up chocolate one lent, and it was the longest 40 days of my life!