Not By Works
- Thread starter dcontroversal
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Wow. You seem to be one tough cookie to go through that for 15 years. Amen. 
Believers can go missing in action like I did.
I had people write me off yet no one came alongside during this time and basically I was too frightened to ask for help.
We have no idea what's going on behind closed doors in a persons house and heart.
The only person who knew what was going on was my wife, she saw me cry myself to sleep most nights, waking up in cold sweat.
At times she used to have to wake me cause I was having nightmares that I couldn't wake up from them.
We should never write people off. We should be spiritual doctors and nurses.
Nurisng our wounded and not shooting them
Amen to that.
Funny you should say that.
Someone said to my wife "I was praying and I started to pray for Bill, I had a picture of a coal fire but it wasn't burning, there was no fire but as I looked closer I saw a little flame at the bottom of the grate, in fact it wasn't a flame but a small burning ember"
She said to wife "I felt God wants to reassure you and comfort you, the fire hasn't gone out and when the time is right God will fan it into flames and when he does all that coal on top, the stuff weighing him down will be burnt up"
That was a precious lady friend of my wife who consistently prayed for me.
Isnt God good?
Thank you Jesus you are faithful even when we are not.
Funny you should say that.
Someone said to my wife "I was praying and I started to pray for Bill, I had a picture of a coal fire but it wasn't burning, there was no fire but as I looked closer I saw a little flame at the bottom of the grate, in fact it wasn't a flame but a small burning ember"
She said to wife "I felt God wants to reassure you and comfort you, the fire hasn't gone out and when the time is right God will fan it into flames and when he does all that coal on top, the stuff weighing him down will be burnt up"
That was a precious lady friend of my wife who consistently prayed for me.
Isnt God good?
Thank you Jesus you are faithful even when we are not.
AMEN....that is because of the truth of what was said.......the LORD will never leave us or forsake us, HE will finish what he started and he is the beginner and finisher of our faith........
No matter how far a child may fall the coal is still there glowing and has the ability to be fanned back to flame......a son by birth will always be a son by birth....and exactly why the dogma that one can lose salvation is as heretical and false as can be...it states that JESUS is weak, cannot complete what he started and the faith he began in us is distinguishable.....
My Jesus is GOD and His word is TRUE...he is ALL powerful, ALL knowing and EVER present......he will HONOR HIS WORD toward ALL......
No matter how far a child may fall the coal is still there glowing and has the ability to be fanned back to flame......a son by birth will always be a son by birth....and exactly why the dogma that one can lose salvation is as heretical and false as can be...it states that JESUS is weak, cannot complete what he started and the faith he began in us is distinguishable.....
My Jesus is GOD and His word is TRUE...he is ALL powerful, ALL knowing and EVER present......he will HONOR HIS WORD toward ALL......
AMEN......even 1 piece over a whole lifetime of a tree will identify what type of tree it is....Jesus said a cup up cold water in his name would not go unnoticed and or unrewarded......so.........the workers for and those who teach you must do something to keep it are like the lawyers of Jesus' day......they lay heavy burdens upon their cohorts that they themselves cannot even keep.....!
What I find interesting and perplexing is that some Christians when they focus on works they focus on NOT doing.
This focus is on what we find in Corinthians and Galatians, what we call works of the flesh.
Their focus is to minimise this with disregard to the following.
Matthew 25:31-36
The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
It people want to go down the route of works saving us then they have to consider the whole package.
If people of this mindset concentrate on not doing that tends to be thier focus to the detrement of doing. Which to me is what Jesus is talking about above.
Rather than doing we should just be being.
When we fully realise who we are and what we are in Jesus and to God then we will realise we are his children warts and all.
When we just be who we are in Christ then we will start to do and not do as a natural consequence out of love for our Father.
This focus is on what we find in Corinthians and Galatians, what we call works of the flesh.
Their focus is to minimise this with disregard to the following.
Matthew 25:31-36
The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
It people want to go down the route of works saving us then they have to consider the whole package.
If people of this mindset concentrate on not doing that tends to be thier focus to the detrement of doing. Which to me is what Jesus is talking about above.
Rather than doing we should just be being.
When we fully realise who we are and what we are in Jesus and to God then we will realise we are his children warts and all.
When we just be who we are in Christ then we will start to do and not do as a natural consequence out of love for our Father.
Maybe you could expand the numerous words.
Maybe others could do so as well.
One thing that really started to set me free was this
John 17:23
I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
God loves me as much as he loves Jesus.
That blew my mind and still does.
We can reverse that as well.
I would to say to anyone who is struggling and feels condemned and unlovable read the above. This was part of the prayer Jesus prayed over his kids. He prayed that just before his betrayal. He knew what was coming yet his focus was on Gods plan and on us.
When we truly get this it brings a totally different dimension in our walk and relationship with God.
Maybe others could do so as well.
One thing that really started to set me free was this
John 17:23
I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
God loves me as much as he loves Jesus.
That blew my mind and still does.
We can reverse that as well.
I would to say to anyone who is struggling and feels condemned and unlovable read the above. This was part of the prayer Jesus prayed over his kids. He prayed that just before his betrayal. He knew what was coming yet his focus was on Gods plan and on us.
When we truly get this it brings a totally different dimension in our walk and relationship with God.
One thing that has always astounded me....
The Heavenly Father unconditionally loves us in Christ.....
Most of the time our love is conditional.....we give it based upon what we receive and or take if you will.....and the astounding part....
It is not that we loved HIM, but that HE loved us and gave himself for us.........
While Peter was denying the Lord the Lord was still loving Peter
While Jesus, beaten beyond recognition and hanging on a cross naked, slowly suffocating, he Loved us unconditionally and make no mistake....WE ALL NAILED him to that cross
While the disciples were panicking in the boat tossed by the wind swept sea even though Jesus slept he was still loving them despite their LACK OF FAITH
While the Gentile Roman dogs (soldiers) stripped, beat and crowned JESUS in a mock ceremony he was still loving them
While the Pharisees in a sham trial and against their own law condemned him he was still loving them
and the biggie which brings tears to my eyes......
AS JESUS hung on the cross, giving up the Ghost and crying MY GOD, MY GOD why has thou forsaken me....he was still loving us......................
ANYONE who thinks they earn or keep salvation by their own deeds and works are lacking the ability to see!!!!!
YES INDEED...IT IS NOT THAT WE LOVED HIM, BUT THAT HE LOVED US AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR US.......
The Heavenly Father unconditionally loves us in Christ.....
Most of the time our love is conditional.....we give it based upon what we receive and or take if you will.....and the astounding part....
It is not that we loved HIM, but that HE loved us and gave himself for us.........
While Peter was denying the Lord the Lord was still loving Peter
While Jesus, beaten beyond recognition and hanging on a cross naked, slowly suffocating, he Loved us unconditionally and make no mistake....WE ALL NAILED him to that cross
While the disciples were panicking in the boat tossed by the wind swept sea even though Jesus slept he was still loving them despite their LACK OF FAITH
While the Gentile Roman dogs (soldiers) stripped, beat and crowned JESUS in a mock ceremony he was still loving them
While the Pharisees in a sham trial and against their own law condemned him he was still loving them
and the biggie which brings tears to my eyes......
AS JESUS hung on the cross, giving up the Ghost and crying MY GOD, MY GOD why has thou forsaken me....he was still loving us......................
ANYONE who thinks they earn or keep salvation by their own deeds and works are lacking the ability to see!!!!!
YES INDEED...IT IS NOT THAT WE LOVED HIM, BUT THAT HE LOVED US AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR US.......
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Yes yes yes
Agape love.
Jesus asked Peter 3 times do you love me.
The first two times it was Peter do you Agape me, Peter respond with I phileo (brotherly love) you.
The 3rd time Jesus says do you Phileo me? Peter responds you know everything you know a phileo you.
To me it's seems to be that Jesus is trying to stretch Peter.
Tend my sheep and that goes beyond phileo to Agape.
The same Agape love that Jesus had for us and the same Agape love that eventually led Peter to tend his sheep and as a result nailed him to the cross.
Agape love.
Jesus asked Peter 3 times do you love me.
The first two times it was Peter do you Agape me, Peter respond with I phileo (brotherly love) you.
The 3rd time Jesus says do you Phileo me? Peter responds you know everything you know a phileo you.
To me it's seems to be that Jesus is trying to stretch Peter.
Tend my sheep and that goes beyond phileo to Agape.
The same Agape love that Jesus had for us and the same Agape love that eventually led Peter to tend his sheep and as a result nailed him to the cross.