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First one must be born again...
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
(1Co 2:10-14)
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
(1Co 2:10-14)
K
I would venture to say there are more "fans" than "followers". I think also, it could be categorized as "God stalking" when one cares not for the things of Yah, His Word, His commands, but rather merely "believe" and then continue living their lives as before, trusting feelings rather than every Word of scripture. This is similar to people stalkers who claim they love their objects/victims of obsession. Just ask those unfortunate victims of this warped perverted, sometimes dangerous type of attention if they like it. Loving someone means unselfishly seeking to please them and not doing to/for them as you please.
The Creator of the universe and everything in it has clearly laid out what pleases Him. If we desire to have a relationship with Him, it must be on His terms, and for His glory and not our own.
John 14:21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
The Creator of the universe and everything in it has clearly laid out what pleases Him. If we desire to have a relationship with Him, it must be on His terms, and for His glory and not our own.
John 14:21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
A follower of God becomes part of the spiritual nature of the world. He does that through absorbing the word, and understanding what God is telling us about that spiritual part of our physical world in that book.
People can read this book and study it for years without comprehending the spiritual world it tells of. Sometimes they understand just parts of it. When a mind is completely focused on the physical part of our world, they become an atheist thinking that is all there is to life.
The way that God uses the bible to reach you spiritually is to show the connection between and spiritual and physical worlds. In the very first verses of Genesis God explains that on the first day He brought light. It wasn't until the fourth day that God brought light as we know it from the sun, so there was no sunlight on the day God brought light. We are to know this was a spiritual light of knowledge and good. From Genesis to Revelation is a revelation of spiritual truths, with a focus on our salvation to live forever with our Lord.
Man cannot understand this in a physical way. This isn't something to learn in the classroom or in the manufacturing plants. We have to have an added way of seeing to understand this, scripture speaks of it as being born again. A follower is born again.
Even after being born again, we need to be humble to be a follower. Many born again people say we are told not to listen to Mosaic Law, or some other way they divide out scripture as something we are not to learn from. They stay open to most of God, but hold something back. Following God needs to be complete, every verse, every single spiritual verse God gives us in His book telling us of Him.
People can read this book and study it for years without comprehending the spiritual world it tells of. Sometimes they understand just parts of it. When a mind is completely focused on the physical part of our world, they become an atheist thinking that is all there is to life.
The way that God uses the bible to reach you spiritually is to show the connection between and spiritual and physical worlds. In the very first verses of Genesis God explains that on the first day He brought light. It wasn't until the fourth day that God brought light as we know it from the sun, so there was no sunlight on the day God brought light. We are to know this was a spiritual light of knowledge and good. From Genesis to Revelation is a revelation of spiritual truths, with a focus on our salvation to live forever with our Lord.
Man cannot understand this in a physical way. This isn't something to learn in the classroom or in the manufacturing plants. We have to have an added way of seeing to understand this, scripture speaks of it as being born again. A follower is born again.
Even after being born again, we need to be humble to be a follower. Many born again people say we are told not to listen to Mosaic Law, or some other way they divide out scripture as something we are not to learn from. They stay open to most of God, but hold something back. Following God needs to be complete, every verse, every single spiritual verse God gives us in His book telling us of Him.
After taking this pop shot let me add.
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
(Jer 31:31-34)
Though directed originally to Israel, the Gentiles do take part in that aspect of the New Covenant, where 'knowing' the Lord is contingent on having having His law written on our hearts through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
(2Co 3:3-17)
Now my turn.
Many that tout you need the whole bible to understand it, use none of it to prove their point.
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
(Jer 31:31-34)
Though directed originally to Israel, the Gentiles do take part in that aspect of the New Covenant, where 'knowing' the Lord is contingent on having having His law written on our hearts through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
(2Co 3:3-17)
Now my turn.
Many that tout you need the whole bible to understand it, use none of it to prove their point.