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Edify

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2021
1,559
656
113
#43
There are those who are suspicious of others whenever any kind of ministry is concerned. I get it, I do it myself.
But... to openly oppose someone without first proving whether they're wrong, or damaging to the body of Christ(false doctrine), that in & of itself gets me suspicious because there's no point proven.

Even on Dragnet(show) the investigator say "just the facts, ma'am, gimme the facts" because they're trying to come to a logical conclusion to charge someone of a crime.
ResidentAlien, if youhave some facts to prove something, by all means tell us, because griping & accusing isn't going to cut it.:rolleyes:
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,312
3,618
113
#44
There are those who are suspicious of others whenever any kind of ministry is concerned. I get it, I do it myself.
But... to openly oppose someone without first proving whether they're wrong, or damaging to the body of Christ(false doctrine), that in & of itself gets me suspicious because there's no point proven.


Even on Dragnet(show) the investigator say "just the facts, ma'am, gimme the facts" because they're trying to come to a logical conclusion to charge someone of a crime.
ResidentAlien, if youhave some facts to prove something, by all means tell us, because griping & accusing isn't going to cut it.:rolleyes:
You have to keep distorting don't you. I'm not suspicious of "any kind of ministry"; never said any such thing. I'm suspicious of internet prophets who I don't know, have never met, and who have zero accountability.

I haven't accused you personally of anything; yet another distortion. I'm just saying people should use a little common sense where internet prophets are concerned.

All I do is basically what you say you do; that is, I post what I feel led to post.
 

Aaron56

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2021
2,843
1,636
113
#45
As children of God we all start out as consumers of milk. If we remain consumers of milk then it is to our detriment. Not only should we mature to the point of eating the meat of the word but we should gain the ability, by grace, to feed other believers.

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food."

In the congregation model (vs. the house or family model, wherein the mature instruct the young) preachers must preach to the lowest common denominator so, the message can never be for the mature. Messages of conviction (while important) are rarely for the mature because the mature have learned to submit to the Lord and obey Him in all things.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
19,206
6,608
113
62
#47
There is no way to do this gently, I wish there was.
I was watching a video on the internet, & the beginning of this came upon me & at first I didn't know what to do with it. The more it went over & over in my mind, the more I felt the need to type it out, so I did. The more I typed, the more it came.

I know what it sounds like, but this is as much for me as anyone else. The very thing the Lord showed me is already happening in my church.
The truth remains.... there's a whole lot of faking going on in ministry. Trying to keep up with the big preachers & the mega churches. They ought to be fearing the Lord & investigate what they're copying.
Wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle...
If you can't share this way, either you or your message may not be exactly what it ought to be.
 

Edify

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2021
1,559
656
113
#48
Continued...
NOW is the time to confess our spiritual ineffectiveness. NOW is the time to admit our spiritual deafness & blindness. NOW is the time to repent of our sins while we can still recognize them!


Please.... consider your ways. Seek the Lord while He can still be found. Let's sanctify ourselves & seek God's face & not His hands. The LORD is full of grace, abundant in mercy & ready to hear those who will call on His Great Name.
Make no mistake: TIME IS SHORT.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,312
3,618
113
#49
So, what were you trying to do here?
First of all, I wasn't even talking to you when I said that. Second, I didn't attack you personally; it was just a general observation. Actually, nothing I've said has anything to do with you personally except when I directly addressed you. If you take it that personally I'd say I've hit a nerve, but that wasn't my intent.

But I stand by what I said; I do get the impression people online try to act like spiritual big shots; but if that's not you then just ignore it.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
60,144
29,456
113
#50
Please.... consider your ways. Seek the Lord while He can still be found. Let's sanctify ourselves & seek God's face
& not His hands. The LORD is full of grace, abundant in mercy & ready to hear those who will call on His Great Name.
Make no mistake: TIME IS SHORT.

Ephesians 2:4-7
:)
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,143
5,720
113
#52
Excuse my plainness of speech, but this sounds exactly like a lot of people who regularly post here in the BDF.
Of course, I agree with what Paul said here, but to find this posted in the BDF where strife and contention, which only comes by pride (Proverbs 13:10), rule the day is almost laughable.

Gentle?

Apt to teach?

Patient?

In meekness?

If people here truly held themselves accountable to this biblical checklist, then this forum would be a completely different place.
Yeah including every person that posts here is my point . The Bible’s New Testament is designed hed to always keep us working on our own issues . We come to think we’re done and need to tell the others how to get there . The thing is we o my see what he allows us to see about ourselves , and as we come to repentance he then shows us more we can work on ….about ourselves .

this

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:24-26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

is solid food for someone who’s maturing in Christ , babes can’t understand it yet they can’t handle that yet is the idea

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:12-14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

what I’m saying is some folks are struggling with basics but they belong to God , some folks have been at it awhile and are starting to be taught and learning to discern good and evil . Doctrine has something for everyone begin ores and veterans .

Sometimes a sinner needs to be seen like Jesus saw us and not like the Pharisees did never is sin approved of or thought irrelevant it’s deadly without question like a slow acting poison ….but there’s Jesus and his wonderful love for us

“And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:37-50‬ ‭KJV‬‬

pharisees we’re strict religious keepers of the joy and tittle they would “ strain out gnats and swallow camels “ the rules and letters were the law the people were less than the letters , but not now the word is for the people to give life and bring them to repentance by his Will and work in us through faith sin is of the devil , but the love of God is from the lord
 

seekingthemindofChrist

Casting down imaginations
Jul 10, 2023
1,178
573
113
#53
The Bible’s New Testament is designed hed to always keep us working on our own issues . We come to think we’re done and need to tell the others how to get there . The thing is we o my see what he allows us to see about ourselves , and as we come to repentance he then shows us more we can work on ….about ourselves.
I submitted a photo to "Life Bits" just a little while ago which has not been approved yet, but it basically says what you just said here. I am referring to this:

356398820_1776469296101270_6305884142268026664_n.jpg

A friendly reminder for all of us.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,526
2,608
113
#54
Listen carefully to what I am about to say....
The greatest hypocrisy in the church are those with well-intentioned actions in church that preach, teach, & worship as if they are legitimately spiritual, but are not. Well-intentioned because they want to do the right things, worship the right way, teach/preach the right way, & be spiritual like they should be or used to be. But they are not/no longer the spiritual person they used to be. They can not/no longer get Spirit-inspired messages from God. They are not/no longer anointed by the Holy Spirit to do so. They go to the internet or the bookstore to find sermons & subjects to minister. Instead of the anointing of the Spirit leading them, they parrot their favorite preachers & teachers. I understand there are some who sometimes go thru dry spells & go to a book, or sometimes are lead to do so, but this is not what I'm talking about. It's about those who are with good intentions that are faking it, hoping to get back to where they used to be but never do. Because of this, they bring popular teachings into their church that are not of God. Because they cannot spiritually discern, they bring demonic heresies into God's house & feed them to His lambs.
"The greatest hypocrisy in the church are those with well-intentioned actions..."

I have to disagree.
Why?
You said the greatest hypocrisy is from those with GOOD intentions... and then you went on to list people with BAD intentions.
You just contradicted yourself, and refuted your own thesis.

I agree that hypocrisy is bad.
I totally agree.
However, by definition, hypocrisy actually REQUIRES intent.
And... your own post proves this.

I agree hypocrisy is bad.
However, since the world is full of people who hate Christians... we should practice making careful arguments.



God Bless, and have a great week.

.
 

Edify

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2021
1,559
656
113
#55
"The greatest hypocrisy in the church are those with well-intentioned actions..."

I have to disagree.
Why?
You said the greatest hypocrisy is from those with GOOD intentions... and then you went on to list people with BAD intentions.
You just contradicted yourself, and refuted your own thesis.
Those with good intentions do so with the idea of somehow getting back to where they need to be with the Lord but never make it. So they continue on, never getting back & finally accept the copying of others's material as using good resources & it becomes the new normal.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,526
2,608
113
#56
Those with good intentions do so with the idea of somehow getting back to where they need to be with the Lord but never make it. So they continue on, never getting back & finally accept the copying of others's material as using good resources & it becomes the new normal.
Edify, you seem like a fine person, and a good Christian.
So before I answer, I want to make it clear that I'm not questioning your character, and I'm not questioning your intentions.
Also, I probably could have written my earlier post more politely and gently, but I was in a hurry.
I apologize if it seem abrupt or offensive.

Here We Go:
Ok, here is the simple point: the concept of hypocrisy actually REQUIRES intent.
It can never be unintentional, because it requires intentionality by definintion.

Before we talk about an ancient and confusing idea, like hypocrisy, we should probably try to define it.

Hypocrisy is actually NOT the mere act of saying one thing while doing another.
That's not really what hypocrisy is.
Hypocrisy is the act of saying one thing while doing another... IN ORDER TO DECEIVE.
Hypocrisy is when we PRETEND to be something we are not, it is when we INTENTIONALLY DECEIVE.

The word actually goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks, to the word hypokrisis.
It's a term used for actors on the stage.
It refers to actors engaged in acting, "pretending" on the stage... pretending to be something they are not.
It always carried an understanding of DECEPTION, and of PRETENDING... which is all INTENTIONAL.
Pretending to be something you are not is an INTENTIONAL act... it's an act of intentional deception.

So there is no such thing as "accidental" hypocrisy, or "well-intended" hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is never accidental, and it always comes with willful intent to deceive. That's just what it means. It is an intentional act of deception.
It is, by definition, an intentional act of deception... it is to pretend we are something we are not.

If we want to talk about people making UNINTENTIONAL mistakes, we can do that... but that would not be hypocrisy... that would be something else.



God Bless, and I genuinely apologize if my original comment sounded offensive.
I wasn't trying to offend, but when I re-read it, I realized it was pretty curt.

.
 

Jimbone

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2014
2,977
972
113
44
#57
Maybe there are, maybe there aren't. I'm saying that for me personally I don't have any use for armchair internet prophets. That's what my local church is for. If people want to trust their soul to people they've never seen or met in person I guess that's up to them. The way I see it, an internet prophet might hit all the right talking points, then go out and visit prostitutes by night or who knows what; no one would be the wiser.
So the only reason you're here is to police us? You've lost me with your judgements and proclamation's here. To me it seems like you're doing EXACTLY what you're criticizing him for while contradicting yourself in the meantime. Why are you on here talking about this and not to your local congregation? Just wondering. Are you not armchair policing right now? You say "If people want to trust their soul to people they've never seen or met in person I guess that's up to them", so we should defiantly not listen to you right?

These things just came to mind as I was reading your comment to Edify and I couldn't help but feel like you seem to just want to argue really. Say know one should give advice or their view on the state of the church yet here you are giving advice against it. Just seems your whole position is kind of fractured and self centered. This is just the view of an outside observer. I actually agree with both of you on certain points, it just seemed to me you are looking for conflict more than trying to share wisdom. Anyway I don't know you or your motives either but man if you care about how you come across in the name of Jesus, go back and read your conversation with Edify, you came in shooting.
 

Edify

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2021
1,559
656
113
#58
Edify, you seem like a fine person, and a good Christian.
So before I answer, I want to make it clear that I'm not questioning your character, and I'm not questioning your intentions.
Also, I probably could have written my earlier post more politely and gently, but I was in a hurry.
I apologize if it seem abrupt or offensive.

Here We Go:
Ok, here is the simple point: the concept of hypocrisy actually REQUIRES intent.
It can never be unintentional, because it requires intentionality by definintion.

Before we talk about an ancient and confusing idea, like hypocrisy, we should probably try to define it.

Hypocrisy is actually NOT the mere act of saying one thing while doing another.
That's not really what hypocrisy is.
Hypocrisy is the act of saying one thing while doing another... IN ORDER TO DECEIVE.
Hypocrisy is when we PRETEND to be something we are not, it is when we INTENTIONALLY DECEIVE.

The word actually goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks, to the word hypokrisis.
It's a term used for actors on the stage.
It refers to actors engaged in acting, "pretending" on the stage... pretending to be something they are not.
It always carried an understanding of DECEPTION, and of PRETENDING... which is all INTENTIONAL.
Pretending to be something you are not is an INTENTIONAL act... it's an act of intentional deception.

So there is no such thing as "accidental" hypocrisy, or "well-intended" hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is never accidental, and it always comes with willful intent to deceive. That's just what it means. It is an intentional act of deception.
It is, by definition, an intentional act of deception... it is to pretend we are something we are not.

If we want to talk about people making UNINTENTIONAL mistakes, we can do that... but that would not be hypocrisy... that would be something else.



God Bless, and I genuinely apologize if my original comment sounded offensive.
I wasn't trying to offend, but when I re-read it, I realized it was pretty curt.

.
It's ok, really. Maybe I need to reword something. Perhaps their intentions were to "hypocrit" only until things got better, thinking eventually they would, but they were deceiving themselves.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,526
2,608
113
#59
It's ok, really. Maybe I need to reword something. Perhaps their intentions were to "hypocrit" only until things got better, thinking eventually they would, but they were deceiving themselves.
Well, the bible does say we can deceive ourselves... so that's a real thing.

Take Care.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,312
3,618
113
#60
So the only reason you're here is to police us?You've lost me with your judgements and proclamation's here. To me it seems like you're doing EXACTLY what you're criticizing him for while contradicting yourself in the meantime. Why are you on here talking about this and not to your local congregation? Just wondering. Are you not armchair policing right now? You say "If people want to trust their soul to people they've never seen or met in person I guess that's up to them", so we should defiantly not listen to you right?
What part of "for me personally" didn't you understand?

These things just came to mind as I was reading your comment to Edify and I couldn't help but feel like you seem to just want to argue really.
I can't stop you from thinking whatever it is you think so go ahead, think whatever you want. As for arguing, seems to me you're the one trying pretty hard to start an argument.