A Godly Life

[th1bill]

The first thing that I noticed as a new Christian was that the Christian Community, in any church, can be divided into a great number of categories depending, greatly, on your point of view. Now, here I am, better than twenty years later and all of these divisions are still present, inside the church. The really disturbing part of the problem, after all of this time, is that there are two major categories that just will not seem to merge.

On the one hand there are the people like myself, wife and daughter that have understood what Jesus (Matt. 5:48) and Paul (Eph. 4:23-24) taught. It is our desire to help people by teaching them that they might live a Holy Life, separated to the service of our LORD. (1 Thes. 4:7) On the other hand there are the perpetually hopeless and the only reason they can be labeled thus is because they have decided not to try. More than once I have been told that, the person speaking, can't be holy like me.

As a recruit I knew nothing of what I had enlisted myself into when I enlisted into military service but I buckled down and I learned what was expected of me and I did well. Living the Holy Life that God wants from us is an impossible thing for us to accomplish but the answer to the problem is so simple that folks just reject it without even considering it. God has promised us that He will never give us more than we can endure and the problem here is that people want to apply this to their trials and tribulations but not to their daily lives.

If a man or a woman has it in their heart, not their mind, to follow God and they pray a Salvation Prayer they are, right then, indwelt with the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:13) It is at this point that, for understanding, we should read the parable of the Wedding Feast found in Matthew 22. Verse two explains to us that this parable is a picture of Heaven, given to us in terms we can relate to.

Any Christian knows that there will be no unsaved person in Heaven so we'll leave that right there. However the parable gives us a picture of the Bride of Christ and then there are the guests. The Spirit has taught me that not every man in Heaven is a member of the Bride. Now we need to understand that everyone of us was indwelt by the Holy Spirit but not all fully submit to His leading.

When I was a new soldier I paid close attention to my Drill Instructor that I might learn the lessons I needed to survive the deadly business I had freely opted to engage in. On the other side of that coin, my life, I was led by the Spirit of God to begin a Bible study that has never ended. Others, saved or not, I do not know, do not listen to the urgings of the Holy Spirit and because they harden their hearts and then they find the communication with God to be a mystery.

To live this life that God has called us to live we must do exactly what every soldier learns in his Basic Training, we must listen to and obey our Leader. Just as I promised, the answer is simple.

God bless.

 

[John of Japan]

When I studied followup in the book of Acts, I learned to my surprise that very often the first thing the preacher or personal soul-winner emphasized after salvation was the Holy Spirit. I think it is vital to get the new believer listening to and depending on the Holy Spirit.

 

[stilllearning]

Hello th1bill

Nice post, and thank you for your service.

 

[freeatlast]

The first thing that I noticed as a new Christian was that the Christian Community, in any church, can be divided into a great number of categories depending, greatly, on your point of view. Now, here I am, better than twenty years later and all of these divisions are still present, inside the church. The really disturbing part of the problem, after all of this time, is that there are two major categories that just will not seem to merge.

On the one hand there are the people like myself, wife and daughter that have understood what Jesus (Matt. 5:48) and Paul (Eph. 4:23-24) taught. It is our desire to help people by teaching them that they might live a Holy Life, separated to the service of our LORD. (1 Thes. 4:7) On the other hand there are the perpetually hopeless and the only reason they can be labeled thus is because they have decided not to try. More than once I have been told that, the person speaking, can't be holy like me.

As a recruit I knew nothing of what I had enlisted myself into when I enlisted into military service but I buckled down and I learned what was expected of me and I did well. Living the Holy Life that God wants from us is an impossible thing for us to accomplish but the answer to the problem is so simple that folks just reject it without even considering it. God has promised us that He will never give us more than we can endure and the problem here is that people want to apply this to their trials and tribulations but not to their daily lives.

If a man or a woman has it in their heart, not their mind, to follow God and they pray a Salvation Prayer they are, right then, indwelt with the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:13) It is at this point that, for understanding, we should read the parable of the Wedding Feast found in Matthew 22. Verse two explains to us that this parable is a picture of Heaven, given to us in terms we can relate to.

Any Christian knows that there will be no unsaved person in Heaven so we'll leave that right there. However the parable gives us a picture of the Bride of Christ and then there are the guests. The Spirit has taught me that not every man in Heaven is a member of the Bride. Now we need to understand that everyone of us was indwelt by the Holy Spirit but not all fully submit to His leading.

When I was a new soldier I paid close attention to my Drill Instructor that I might learn the lessons I needed to survive the deadly business I had freely opted to engage in. On the other side of that coin, my life, I was led by the Spirit of God to begin a Bible study that has never ended. Others, saved or not, I do not know, do not listen to the urgings of the Holy Spirit and because they harden their hearts and then they find the communication with God to be a mystery.

To live this life that God has called us to live we must do exactly what every soldier learns in his Basic Training, we must listen to and obey our Leader. Just as I promised, the answer is simple.

God bless.

Bill I answered your poll before I read your post. Your post seems to be rambling into something but I do not know what. I am not trying to be funny or insulting but what in the world are you talking about? Are you trying to ask if people who claim to be saved are following the leading of the Spirit? Or are you trying to promote what is called by some the second blessing or what? I noticed that you said "Living the Holy Life that God wants from us is an impossible." The problem is that the bible disagrees with you on this.

 

[th1bill]

Bill I answered your poll before I read your post. Your post seems to be rambling into something but I do not know what. I am not trying to be funny or insulting but what in the world are you talking about? Are you trying to ask if people who claim to be saved are following the leading of the Spirit? Or are you trying to promote what is called by some the second blessing or what? I noticed that you said "Living the Holy Life that God wants from us is an impossible." The problem is that the bible disagrees with you on this.

Being a Baptist that has been invited to perform at multi-denominational events before the MS crippled my right hand I know and have attempts pushed on me to sell the Second Blessing and frankly, I'm somewhat speechless that you have leveled such a charge at me. While I did not condemn this false teaching in this post I did mention that every saved man, woman and child are indwelt by the Holy Spirit the moment they are saved.

For this second blessing to be evident, as I understand it, I would be speaking in tongues, in order and out of order. I have yet to babble in single syllable mono-toned nonsense except when I'm demonstrating what one of my Pentecostal Aunts called Tongues and then the sounds are very similar to the babbling I would toss out when I would make the Vietnamese Soldiers laugh as I pretended to speak their language.

Nope, is the short answer. I'm talking about listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God has, in the past, spoken seven words to me but usually He will trouble my spirit, speak through the Preacher, a Teacher, a Student and will use any number of other means to get my attention. Sometimes I just fall down and reverently thank, bless or mention some issue or person to Him. Sometimes I fall asleep waiting to know an answer and often I awake with the answer and often I wait until He answers.

But, if you do not expect God to reply then there is no conversation because there is no faith.

 

[th1bill]

Hello th1bill

Nice post, and thank you for your service.

Thank-you sir! I see your still learning and so am I. But when I enlisted for this hitch, I promised I would plow the row He assigned me until I fell over the fence at the end, dead but alive in Heaven.

May God pour out His blessing on you the way He has on me. PRAISE GOD!!

 

[Amy.G]

Thank you for your posts Bill. I enjoy reading them very much. :wavey:

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

Thanks Bill, nice thoughts and explanation. It was clear from your initial post that you were not advocating a second blessing but believed that the Sprit indwells the believer at salvation (I agree with you of course).

One thing I will add is that the separated holy life you are talking about is not a task for us to perform but a gift from the Spirit. The “perpetually hopeless” you refer to are correct. They can’t live holy, because if and when they do try, they are trying on their own. Sanctification and holiness are no less miraculous than salvation and they are the work of God not man. If they would simply quit trying to “be holy” and instead listen to the Spirit, holiness would follow.

Too many today are still trying to whitewash tombs. Instead of following the spirit, which may or may not be present, they want a list of "shalts" and "shalt nots." They approach holiness with the same works, I have to earn it, mentality that some approach salvation with, and like those attempting to earn God’s favor, they will fail.

 

[th1bill]

Thanks Bill, nice thoughts and explanation. It was clear from your initial post that you were not advocating a second blessing but believed that the Sprit indwells the believer at salvation (I agree with you of course).

One thing I will add is that the separated holy life you are talking about is not a task for us to perform but a gift from the Spirit. The “perpetually hopeless” you refer to are correct. They can’t live holy, because if and when they do try, they are trying on their own. Sanctification and holiness are no less miraculous than salvation and they are the work of God not man. If they would simply quit trying to “be holy” and instead listen to the Spirit, holiness would follow.

Too many today are still trying to whitewash tombs. Instead of following the spirit, which may or may not be present, they want a list of "shalts" and "shalt nots." They approach holiness with the same works, I have to earn it, mentality that some approach salvation with, and like those attempting to earn God’s favor, they will fail.

Great addition to what the Spirit gave me to post and may I say it is obvious that you are also Spirit led.

Thank you and I pray For your continued blessing.