Let them Eat MEAT! Learning spiritual discernment: legalism

[Stunnedbygrace]

I'm watching a Hebrew soap opera on Amazon prime. Called Shrugim. They speak Hebrew but has English translation. Christians are nothing like them. Religion is just what one does. Very eye opening.

The body of Christ is what we are. We have faults, but we all have one same Spirit. I think our trouble is just that we don't really know what we are and what we've been given.

And we have Holy Spirit continually correcting us in our heart. The problem as I see it on the forums is suspicion of one another. Those whose aim is to disrupt? Who really are they?

Who are they? They are US. Whenever one of us fails to lay down our life of pride, the anger that results from hurt pride, our need to be agreed with on all things, angry and bitter words, hurtful words, words not spoken in humility - we become the "they" in your question.

 

[stonesoffire]

Who are they? They are US. Whenever one of us fails to lay down our life of pride, the anger that results from hurt pride, our need to be agreed with on all things, angry and bitter words, hurtful words, words not spoken in humility - we become the "they" in your question.

I don't see this in many here. Only a few.

 

[Grace777x70]

Originally Posted by stonesoffire
Can one truly born again, baptized in Holy Spirit, be religious?

In my experience, not very often. Or, at least, not very long.

This may sound strange to some but to others it will ring true.

Back in 1997 I got dressed in my suit just for the purpose of going before the Lord in my bedroom to make what I called back then a "formal petition".

I asked the Lord to not let me get religious and that to do whatever it took to do this. I knew the insidious nature and danger of religion. I also knew that I was in it but I couldn't figure out what it was.

A long story short - I stopped going to a traditional church meetings and about 15 years later the Lord woke me up one morning and started to preach the gospel of the grace of God to me. I'll finish this in my next post as I wrote it down so I'll go get it.

 

[PeterJens]

Originally Posted by PeterJens
How does love fulfill the law? It is easy to say the words, because Paul and John
talk about this. But what do they mean?

If I feel gooy about my neighbour, I am now righteous?
If I love their car, and get them to give me a lift in it, one step closer to owning it.
How does this fulfill the law?

There is no law against love, is what he was saying, peter.
To love God and our neighbor as ourself IS to fulfill all of the law and the prophets.

Now I could explore how love fulfills the law, but rather than just repeating Jesus's words,
can people express this in other words with the reason why, that is more than just a
scriptural phrase.

I ask this, because if one understands legalism, one also needs to understand why love
is the answer. Why does love stop disrespecting one parents, coveting, commiting adultery,
swearing, murdering, stealing, bearing false witness, dishonouring God?

 

[stonesoffire]

These two threads of Ariels are really good. They are inter-related.

Pride- is this not ego? Is this not flesh? What has happened to our flesh? Dead to sin....alive to God. It's finished. Believe on a daily basis. Which is reckoning it's so or true.

It's carnality for a believer to act like the world.

We just need to seperate these these words and their understandings. Carnal and religious spirit aren't the same are they?

 

[Grace777x70]

Willie - to continue with my testimony.

The interesting thing about this is that I did not learn this gospel of the grace of God in Christ initially from any preacher or teacher. I was just going about my own business and I had won a trip to Puerto Rico with my work.

I remember in a social meeting one person in our group asked about heaven. I told them I know exactly where I am going. They said "how do you know that?"

I told them " I am going to kneel before my Father and declare that His Son, my Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for me and I am here because of Him."

They all looked at me as if I was from another planet. "I said this will be my greatest achievement if one can even call it that - and that is to kneel down and confess Jesus and what He has done". ( they were shocked because I had won more awards then many others and to them...performance was everything )

Then a few weeks later I woke up with a scripture in my spirit - not my head. I wrote it down and then every morning for a few months the Lord would drop a scripture in my spirit.

I still to this day from time to time take out those scriptures and meditate on them ( which includes confessing/agreeing with them ) as I feel directed by the Lord.

Now, those scriptures were the gospel of the grace of Christ and as I was learning more about them the Lord started me to look on the web for things and sure enough there were preachers preaching the same thing the Holy Spirit was showing me.

I had never heard of any of these preachers before the Lord directed me to them. So, I was taught the gospel of the grace of Christ before I ever heard another preacher talk about it.

I can remember times when the Holy Spirit would come upon me ( it seemed like He came upon me - or maybe welled up within me...I'm not sure but it felt like He wrapped me up as in a blanket of pure love ) - and He was teaching me things concerning Christ and the true nature of the Father.

His power is overwhelming and very heavy and I couldn't move a muscle but just sit there and weep as He revealed His love and grace to me. His love is the most overwhelming aspect of His presence. It is so strong and you can't take much of it as it just overwhelms you.

Since then the Lord has led me to many different people from many denominations to learn what they are anointed to teach on.

I will never go back to that false system of religion or legalism in all it's forms and desert my Lord. Never!

Anyway - that is my testimony of how the Lord taught me the true gospel of the grace of God that is in Christ my Lord.

 

[Ariel82]

.......It's agin it.

Talking with your mouth full again?

 

[PeterJens]

A long story short - I stopped going to a traditional church meetings and about 15 years later the Lord woke me up one morning and started to preach the gospel of the grace of God to me. I'll finish this in my next post as I wrote it down so I'll go get it.

So summary, God told you traditional church is legalism, and it took 15 years for God to tell
you this, not from scripture, or the Holy Spirit, or fellowship, just one morning out of the blue,
and everything before this was wrong.

Now prophets plead with God about sin, about evil, about injustice, about the state of the
society they live and God sends a vision of judgement on the society.

Never heard God talking about "religion" before. Please show me in scripture where "religion"
is dealt with as evil? I am wondering because many religious people have both been good
Cornelius and evil Caiaphas. So I suspect this is too broad a term to be meaningful.

 

[Zmouth]

This may sound strange to some but to others it will ring true.

Back in 1997 I got dressed in my suit just for the purpose of going before the Lord in my bedroom to make what I called back then a "formal petition".

Legalist, legalist, legalist, LOL

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:15

That might be what is called appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

I don't see this in many here. Only a few.

Well, hopefully, as we all continue to strive to abide/trust Him and to walk in the Spirit, we will see less and less of it. We should be improving always.

 

[Ariel82]

I think it is related to that but I think that is having the cart before the horse.

The first works are to believe the love that God has for us. John 3:16. That is the gospel message - the first work is to believe in Christ and His love for us.

It's in knowing the love that the Father and our Lord has for us that is the first love. Without this knowledge we will not have the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:19 (NASB)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

We love because He first loved us. If we get that wrong - then we try to produce our own love for the Lord and that is a losing battle every time. Religion dwells in this area and is created which can bring bondage from some thing that is good - knowing the love of our Father and Lord for us.

I do agree 100% that as we grow in the knowledge of His love for us - we too respond back by "being with Him" - the One we love deeply but it all starts with Him and what He has done.

I see your distinction. I didn't mention God's love because it never stopped being there. However our response is sometimes like Martha, when God tells us to be like Mary.

 

[Ariel82]

Legalism, I have seen this word used so many times by professing Christians seeking to continue in something that is clearly contrary to the word of God. Paul tells us that if we judge ourselves then God will not have to judge us, but if we do not judge ourselves then God will judge us(in this life). We walk by faith in God the Father through Jesus Christ our Savior, however, the world, the flesh, and the Devil, are striving to get us to stray away from God and sin. So we have to WALK THE LINE, that means we practice not breaking the Ten Commandments, not that such a practice is making us just before God, but because such a practice keeps us from the sin that so easily besets us. We also follow all the NT doctrine given to the church because by so doing we are staying in the will of God. So as Christians we have to be disciples(practicing that which God commands), but not Pharisees, working our way into Heaven by our own efforts.

I am not sure you understand the definition of legalism.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Originally Posted by stonesoffire
Can one truly born again, baptized in Holy Spirit, be religious?




This may sound strange to some but to others it will ring true.

Back in 1997 I got dressed in my suit just for the purpose of going before the Lord in my bedroom to make what I called back then a "formal petition".

I asked the Lord to not let me get religious and that to do whatever it took to do this. I knew the insidious nature and danger of religion. I also knew that I was in it but I couldn't figure out what it was.

A long story short - I stopped going to a traditional church meetings and about 15 years later the Lord woke me up one morning and started to preach the gospel of the grace of God to me. I'll finish this in my next post as I wrote it down so I'll go get it.

Oh my goodness, how I laughed at that suit part!! I'm sorry, Bruce, I couldn't help it!
And now he goes before the Lord in his underwear if that's what he happens to be wearing!

 

[Grace777x70]

Legalist, legalist, legalist, LOL

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:15

That might be what is called appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions.

LOL..I know...it's the suit ....isn't it?...I laugh now too but the Lord honored my faith and my cry from my heart. After all - He put it in there. For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.

 

[FreeNChrist]

So summary, God told you traditional church is legalism, and it took 15 years for God to tell
you this, not from scripture, or the Holy Spirit, or fellowship, just one morning out of the blue,
and everything before this was wrong.

Now prophets plead with God about sin, about evil, about injustice, about the state of the
society they live and God sends a vision of judgement on the society.

Never heard God talking about "religion" before. Please show me in scripture where "religion"
is dealt with as evil? I am wondering because many religious people have both been good
Cornelius and evil Caiaphas. So I suspect this is too broad a term to be meaningful.

What do folks think of a response such as this to another's testimony?

 

[Grace777x70]

Oh my goodness, how I laughed at that suit part!! I'm sorry, Bruce, I couldn't help it!
And now he goes before the Lord in his underwear if that's what he happens to be wearing!

LOL......yes!


[video=youtube;Sb_g4jkPqUw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb_g4jkPqUw[/video]

 

[Ariel82]

Uh o my daughter is home...time for homework, dinner and family time.

Be back when God permits. Love the discussion happening. I skimmed but didn't get to read Grace testimony yet.

Something to look forward to. ....

Stunned, I have actually spent less time today on my phone. I think it's the bright Sun and driving. Suppose to have cataract surgery Feb. 7Th so maybe it will be fixed by March...that or I will go blind. Its really in God's hands.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Originally Posted by PeterJens
How does love fulfill the law? It is easy to say the words, because Paul and John
talk about this. But what do they mean?

If I feel gooy about my neighbour, I am now righteous?
If I love their car, and get them to give me a lift in it, one step closer to owning it.
How does this fulfill the law?



Now I could explore how love fulfills the law, but rather than just repeating Jesus's words,
can people express this in other words with the reason why, that is more than just a
scriptural phrase.

I ask this, because if one understands legalism, one also needs to understand why love
is the answer. Why does love stop disrespecting one parents, coveting, commiting adultery,
swearing, murdering, stealing, bearing false witness, dishonouring God?

Because He sheds this love abroad in our heart and causes us to walk uprightly by healing our heart and our emotions and renewing our mind. And we find more and more that, amazingly, we are living our life through Him somehow.

 

[Ariel82]

What do folks think of a response such as this to another's testimony?

i think we should give it to God in prayer...sorry haven't caught up on all my reading yet.

 

[stonesoffire]

PeterJens

which prophets do you listen to?

Those that I hear always has an answer for a deliverance to whatever problem is being addressed.