IS SMOKING A SIN WORTHY OF DISFELLOWSHIPMENT?

[Stunnedbygrace]

I have to go. There are so many great brothers and sisters I have only just met in this thread who have so much wisdom and I can't wait to hear you guys some more. DcCon, you have given me such a blessing. I was going to watch a movie yesterday but no movie could be as good as watching a man get his legs under him and glide along in the Spirit!
All of you are walking so well in this thread!! Do you know you have all been speaking the same language in here and now nothing you purpose to do will be impossible for you?

 

[dcontroversal]

I think its only a sin if you take your coffee intravenously...

HAHAHAH hilarious..!

 

[Stephen63]

You know....I apologized to you the other day, have tried real hard to change my approach and be softer in my approach to everyone and did not direct my post at anyone in particular....so.....I am not going to condescend to your level and fire back.....you should really examine yourself.....

I don't understand why you posted this. I didn't direct my post at anyone in particular either.As a matter of fact, I agreed with you. I'm also relieved to hear you're working on being softer with the other members.Let me encourage you..... As I watch you being softer, it will remind me to do the same.

 

[Stephen63]

Well then you should thank God you're not like these other men who are so sneaky regarding their sin.

I'm impressed. You worded that post carefully & precise. Which leads me to question your motives, like what's driving you to manipulate my posting to make it look like I'm some kind of self-righteous bigot? All I did was expose those who were using the Bible to excuse their sins. Yet you're painting me as the bad guy. Now who's being sneaky?

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

I'm impressed. You worded that post carefully & precise. Which leads me to question your motives, like what's driving you to manipulate my posting to make it look like I'm some kind of self-righteous bigot? All I did was expose those who were using the Bible to excuse their sins. Yet you're painting me as the bad guy. Now who's being sneaky?

My motive was to try to get you to reread your posts and see that you were getting upset at being compared to other men. We are to admit our faults to one another, not go on and on about everyone else's sin and how we are nothing like them.

I also had the motive of trying to get you to explain how it is that you say you would make someone leave who would not stop gossiping/sinning yet would never make someone leave who kept smoking/sinning.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

I heard something this morning that we all can learn from:

Never allow other people's sinning against us to allow the sin that is in our flesh to be activated and cause us to be sinning in return.

It's paramount to learn how to walk by the spirit so that we don't fulfill the lusts of the flesh to do "it's" desires.

This is sooo crucial. If we find ourselves getting pulled down, more prayer is needed. We do not want to box at the air and we do not want to be disqualified after preaching to others.

 

[Stephen63]

Yes guys, he is not anything like those other men, so don't lump him in with them!

Aren't you the sweet one?

Won't stop till you get your way, eh?

Thats fine..... you're bound & determined to paint me as a villian, you just go ahead.

The only thing I can do about that is point the readers to your intentions to enjoy making people look bad.

I'm not gonna fight you, because I'm trying to soften my approach like dcon is. If he can do it, I feel like I ought try..... maybe we can encourage each other.

 

[Stephen63]

Your list is growing...drinking coffee is a sin too?

There's waay more caffeine in a Dr Pepper than a cup of coffee, LOL!

 

[Stephen63]

Yes, he was the one who appeared to get mad. You are walking and talking in the Spirit.

By all means reveal to us how you were able to discern that so we can be better prepared!

 

[DarkRose]

Does that mean red bull and monster drinks are a sin, as well? I mean, they are terrible for you

 

[Stephen63]

my dad used 'light cussing'. not frequently, never with any heat, or in anger, and never outside family or a circle of close friends.
he used self control in that way to be sure he didn't cause offense to anyone who didn't know him well.
to dad, those words were adjectives, as you would say a ball is red.

you'd be hard pressed to meet a man who gave of himself without words or a big to-do like dad did, though, even to people who had been unkind to him. he lived the life, and his life was a witness to onlookers.

i've known folks who speak, without cussing, in such a way that's a whole lot more damaging. perhaps we ought to delve deeper into why we do what we do, and what's the heart producing the words than the words themselves.

You're right. Deceit & deception I think is one of those ways that's worse.

 

[dcontroversal]

Does that mean red bull and monster drinks are a sin, as well? I mean, they are terrible for you

I take an energy drink every day called XS hahahha all your "B' vitamins and an energy herbal blend like ginseng etc.....go all day on an ounce or two, excellent for nails, hair growth, hardly ever get sick.....like maybe 2 or 3 colds in like 10 years....and two of them were crammed in a car all day with three other sick people in January raining and windows up.....

XS ENERGY DRINK MIXER CONCENTRATE in Cranberry/GRAPE........$105 a gallon.....lasts about 2 to 4 months depending if I take a single or double shot......my buddy has issues with his sugar and eating and it seemed to help him as well and for sure a very good source of energy for older people and you can go to sleep no problem and your body dumps the b's that you do not need....

HAHAHAH

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Aren't you the sweet one?

Won't stop till you get your way, eh?

Thats fine..... you're bound & determined to paint me as a villian, you just go ahead.

The only thing I can do about that is point the readers to your intentions to enjoy making people look bad.[/SIZE]

I'm not gonna fight you, because I'm trying to soften my approach like dcon is. If he can do it, I feel like I ought try..... maybe we can encourage each other.

I'm not trying to make you look bad, I'm trying to make you look closer. Being all of the things that we often are (hypocritical, unforgiving, ungentle, etc.) is not our biggest problem. Seeing them in others but not in ourselves is our biggest problem. We are this way. That's why our Lord had to die. Now we have forgiveness. Walking in the light is not being perfect. Walking in the light is admitting the truth.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

By all means reveal to us how you were able to discern that so we can be better prepared!

You teach others and you don't know this? You know them by the fruits of the Spirit or a lack. Gentleness, longsuffering, patience, not reviling back. You know them by seeing the humility of our Lord in them.

 

[Stephen63]

My motive was to try to get you to reread your posts and see that you were getting upset at being compared to other men. We are to admit our faults to one another, not go on and on about everyone else's sin and how we are nothing like them.

Naw, I'm not upset at all. I'm sorry if I somehow made my post look like that.

I also had the motive of trying to get you to explain how it is that you say you would make someone leave who would not stop gossiping/sinning yet would never make someone leave who kept smoking/sinning.

I'm glad you brought that to my attention. I didn't explain that.

Any sinner (or saint) can come to God's house, as long as they behave themselves. Gossiping hurts the congregation, so it shouldn't be allowed, in the church or out.

Smokers, IMO, shouldn't be allowed to smoke on the church grounds. So, as long as they don't smoke on the premises, everything's fine.

Does that help?

 

[Stephen63]

You teach others and you don't know this? You know them by the fruits of the Spirit or a lack. Gentleness, longsuffering, patience, not reviling back. You know them by seeing the humility of our Lord in them.

I'm afraid walking in the Spirit is more than that.

For example, Satan can act humble, be very moral, & give you the shirt off his back to impress you. He has a counterfeit for nearly everything God has & does.

Knowing that someone is walking in the Spirit can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit. Simple actions wont do.

 

[Meggido]

I'm afraid walking in the Spirit is more than that.

For example, Satan can act humble, be very moral, & give you the shirt off his back to impress you. He has a counterfeit for nearly everything God has & does.

Knowing that someone is walking in the Spirit can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit. Simple actions wont do.

which is part of the gift of discerning of spirits....


Not for Stephen, but others....
Notice I said gift of discerning of spirits, not the gift of discernment....there is NO gift of discernment

 

[Meggido]

Going to be a lot of self righteous hypocritical religionists find out one day that they were not all that and a bag of chips......legalism is as bad as Satanism....

as bad as!?!?!?

 

[Grace777x70]

which is part of the gift of discerning of spirits....


Not for Stephen, but others....
Notice I said gift of discerning of spirits, not the gift of discernment....there is NO gift of discernment

Spot on!

The so-called man-made "gift of discernment" manifests itself in many ways of which some are in exhibiting malice and the slandering of others in the body of Christ and in reality it is just cleverly disguised "gossiping"......the sin in our flesh is so deceitful and deceptive.....

 

[Meggido]

They only church I have heard even use the term disfellowship is Jehovah's Witness which is a cult

We are not JW at all...we prefer the term because it correctly identifies who we are.

We are group of like minded believers called to fellowship with one another and the Lord Jesus Christ

There are many verses that show us the we are called into fellowship with like minded saints and the Lord Jesus Christ....

This is why we use the term, besides, Satanists have a "church" too.

We stopped using the term Christian/s to identify as well...we are sons and daughters of God....there are many who use the term Christians and when the rubber meets the road, they are nothing I want to be identified with...The word Christians is only used in the Bible as a insult or pejorative term.