JesusistheChrist said:
I can really say that I'm not singling you out because God is no respecter of persons and/or an impartial Judge. As such, whatever truth there is applies to all of us. Anyhow, as I cited from Paul to the Corinthians, it was the behavior of those with whom he was dealing which influenced the manner of his approach. Again, I trust that he preferred "the spirit of meekness", but he often had to use the rod...WITH WEEPING. IOW, those who use the rod without genuinely having a heart towards others are not reflecting either the Spirit of Christ or Paul, but there is certainly a place for correction and a big place at that (as the Bible shows from cover to cover).
Now com on, look how you worded that first sentence... YOU arent singling me out because GOD is no respecter of persons? I had to take a double take on that LOL
There's nothing wrong with the way that I worded that first sentence. Christians are called to properly represent God/Christ to the world and seeing how God is no respecter of persons Christians ought not be respecters of persons either. If need be, then I'll be happy to cite you some verses along these lines, but I trust that you can recall some on your own. When I post, I post for EVERYBODY, myself included. I'm not only always aware of my natural audience (those participating in the thread and those who merely observe it without ever participating), but even more aware that I'll one day have to give an account to Jesus Christ for every word which I have posted. This is reality at my end...whether or not anybody else believes it to be so.
ISeeYou said:
I am not against rebuke, or correction or the rod or whichever, there is just very little of the bowels of affections and brother love in preferring others above yourself, gentlessness, peace and joyfulness, that fervent unfeigned love or this deep bond that just seems to be missing.
I can't answer for anybody but myself, but I can tell you that just by finding/making/taking the time to post on this forum I am "preferring others above myself". IOW, I'm giving of my time and effort for the potential benefit of others...and often criticized for the same (not that I'm complaining...it comes with the territory). Furthermore, as I might have already shared with you in the past, many years ago, God totally rebuked me (on more than one occasion and in more ways than the one which I'm about to share) for my lack of "unfeigned love", BUT I suspect, based upon many of your comments over the years, that you don't view "unfeigned love" in the same manner in which God does. Back then, I was "Mr. Nice Guy" who never uttered a correction or a rebuke, but who instead was just "Mr. Sweetie Pie" towards everybody. Well, one day, as I was sitting in the congregation at Times Square Church in Manhattan, the pastor was preaching a sermon about David and near the end of his sermon he mentioned the words "unfeigned love". When he did, I had a vision, with my eyes open, and this is what I saw:
It was as if I was looking through a movie camera and getting a panoramic view of things from left to right. Everything that I saw pertained to an outdoor backyard scene. As the "camera" swept from left to right, I saw grass and flowers and butterflies and birds and then one of those wishing well type things that some people have in their backyards. When my focus got to the wishing well, the "camera" angle changed and I was now looking down directly into the well...AND IT WAS BONE DRY! God showed me right then, by His Spirit, that this well was indicative of my own heart AND THAT I WAS BONE DRY IN THE AREA OF "UNFEIGNED LOVE"!
This revelation literally caused a groan to come up within me and it took everything within my power to withhold from screaming out in agony (they would have thought that I was demonized or something and escorted me to the curb) right then and there as I truly was "undone" BEFORE THE LORD (Oh, men/women "loved me" and my FEIGNED LOVE)! I grabbed a hold of my friend's arm who was sitting next to me and told him that I needed to leave immediately. Of course, he had no idea, initially, as to why I said that, but I went home that day and literally laid on my floor and began to finally truly repent before God in this area. Like it or not, we are our brother's keeper (rebuking a brother is very much a part of "brotherly affection", btw) and if we really care about others, then we're going to speak up when we see them in any sort of peril or danger. Anyhow, like I said, that's but one example of how God dealt with me and I could easily back up God's definition of "unfeigned love" from scripture. It's not all (if any) "whispering sweet love nothings" in peoples' ears. No, God Himself is love and people really need to read their Bibles to see what that means. As I heard one preacher say once (and I totally agree with what he said), many people seem to think that the Bible says "Love is God", BUT IT DOESN'T. Rather, the Bible says that "God is love" and there's a world a difference between the two. In the first instance, those who believe that "Love is God" come on to forums such as this one with their own definition of what "love" is and then they seek to foist the same upon others as if their definition of "love" somehow defines "God". It doesn't. In the second instance, there are also those who have taken the time to find out Who "GOD IS" and then they define "love" by the same. This GOD WHO IS LOVE wiped out the whole world, except for 8 people, in the days of Noah. This GOD WHO IS LOVE wiped out 603,548 of the original 603,550 Israelite men who were 20 years old and upward who came out of Egypt. Shall I go on? How many people on this forum do you honestly believe serve this "GOD"? Personally, I'd say, based upon what I've read here thus far, that it's probably less than 50%. I'm not here to tickle anybody's ears even as I refuse to tickle my own. Eternity is a LONGGGGGGG TIME and most people here can't even endure a long post that is filled with scripture. Anyhow...
ISeeYou said:
Its hard to over look this void, I also find this confusing too in the House of God, and Im always thinking, man, am I even in the right house? I mean words like, a cage full of hateful birds just seems so prohetically right on at times (where I might be hanging out) wherever that might be and I think man, I am so in trouble then because Im cut assunder with the same or something. Those things cross my mind you know, right or wrong, I mean that too might be partly the reason ones life and doctrine is important to they which hear you, they do examine even as Jesus tells us that they will be known by their fruits. People do make it that folks who rebuke dont have fruit, thats a lie, that would mean that Christ didnt, an open rebuke is better then hidden love and so I agree as He says, that those I love I rebuke. But you got to look for more then just that.
Regarding the "hateful birds", there are always going to be those who are interested in nothing but strife. I mean, let's be real...
If any of us truly possess any measure of truth and seek to share the same, then should we honestly and rationally expect that Satan is just going to sit idly by and let the same go unchallenged?
There are plenty of tares here amongst the wheat and there will also inevitably be heresies and divisions THAT THEY WHICH ARE APPROVED MAY BE MADE MANIFEST.
Quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of all of the crybabies who complain about "strife" as if we weren't all forewarned about the same by the Lord Himself. Jesus strove against sin to the point of being nailed to the cross...and crybabies here and elsewhere storm off if anybody but challenges what they say because it's "unloving". Just grow up, everybody.
Well, "Good morning", all...