HOS,
I think the ideas and issues in this thread are life and death serious.I just tried to expand on it a bit...anyone of these issues can almost be examined as an issue in and of itself.
For church life to be Spirit filled and vital....we all must be filled with the knowledge of God:
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
I believe we fail here as local assemblies, if indeed we are failing.If we are not filled with {goodness} and gospel motives in seeking to please God, we cannot correctly admonish anyone biblically.The biblical knowledge will not be up to speed. In Acts they were all about scripture as was our Lord.
If someone comes to a christian with a serious issue and needs a word in season,and the other person has his head filled with sportscenter, or cartoons, or anything else other than scripture...what do they have to offer???
I gotcha' man:thumbsup:...For the most part, I was just trying to pay you a compliment, and tell you I appreciate you. Just say "Thanks"! :tongue3: