• Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Invite Jesus Into Your Heart?

Status
Not open for further replies.

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Wrong.

Right.

I can read a letter that was addressed to you, but my ability to read it and hold it in my hand does not change who it is addressed to.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
 

thatbrian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Any man in the church the letter was addressed to. Here's a tip. Start at verse 1.
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Any man in the church the letter was addressed to. Here's a tip. Start at verse 1.
I am not of the church of Sardis nor any of the local churches of the Book of Revelation and I read and responded to His invitation to me to come to Him while in fact I was not a member of any church. Neither is any human being living on earth a member of the 1st century churches of the Book of Revelation so since that is impossible I repeat - It is written to

Whomever reads it.
 

thatbrian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I am not of the church of Sardis nor any of the local churches of the Book of Revelation and I read and responded to His invitation to me to come to Him while in fact I was not a member of any church. Neither is any human being living on earth a member of the 1st century churches of the Book of Revelation so since that is impossible I repeat - It is written to

Whomever reads it.

Hank, you are a nice guy, and you make me laugh, but your ignorance on this is too much to bear.

We can all gain a benefit from ALL scripture, but not ALL scripture is addressed to us.
 

Jerome

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
monergism.com
Saving faith...is an act of the will in which we rest in Jesus. We give ourselves wholly to him because he gave himself wholly for us ("And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me… Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me"- Mark 8:34; Revelation 3:20).
 
Last edited:

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Hank, you are a nice guy, and you make me laugh, but your ignorance on this is too much to bear.

We can all gain a benefit from ALL scripture, but not ALL scripture is addressed to us.

And I value your friendship and since you have given me some friendly advice I will return the favor -

Brian get your head out of The Institutes Of The Christian Religion :)
 

thatbrian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
And I value your friendship and since you have given me some friendly advice I will return the favor -

Brian get your head out of The Institutes Of The Christian Religion :)

Touché! You do make me laugh, Hank.

If we can take any text, disconnected from its context and use it in any way in which we see fit, we have no Christianity. We have chaos.
 

TCassidy

Late-Administator Emeritus
Administrator
There are two aspects to understanding the epistles found in the New Testament.

#1 The primary application. Christ is knocking on the door of the self centered church of the Laodiceans to allow Him into the church as its Lord and Savior to return that assembly to full spiritual health.

#2 The secondary application. The principle of Christ being the Lord and Savior of all such assemblies is paramount to the spiritual health of that church.

Oh, and PS. You have to start at verse 14, not verse 1, to see who was being addressed. :D
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Touché! You do make me laugh, Hank.

If we can take any text, disconnected from its context and use it in any way in which we see fit, we have no Christianity. We have chaos.
But that is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit - to use whatever He desires (though it may SEEM chaotic) to bring His children home.
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I have found in my 50 plus years of walking with the LORD that there is the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the word of God when witnessing and teaching individuals and that sometimes many so called misappropriations of the word of God can be effective (effectual for calvinists) such as Revelation 3:20, Acts 16:30, etc...

Yes testimonial, but true.
 

thatbrian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
There are two aspects to understanding the epistles found in the New Testament.

#1 The primary application. Christ is knocking on the door of the self centered church of the Laodiceans to allow Him into the church as its Lord and Savior to return that assembly to full spiritual health.

#2 The secondary application. The principle of Christ being the Lord and Savior of all such assemblies is paramount to the spiritual health of that church.

Oh, and PS. You have to start at verse 14, not verse 1, to see who was being addressed. :D

Not having your theological training, my vocabulary, when discussing these things, often fails me. Primary and secondary are not uncommon words, but they seemed out of my reach when I needed them to make my point to Uncle Hank.

Based on my point to Uncle Hank, I would say that there was a primary audience and there is a secondary audience. We are not the primary audience.
 
Last edited:

thatbrian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I have found in my 50 plus years of walking with the LORD that there is the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the word of God when witnessing and teaching individuals and that sometimes many so called misappropriations of the word of God can be effective (effectual for calvinists) such as Revelation 3:20, Acts 16:30, etc...

Yes testimonial, but true.

I've found that I'm always hungry an hour after eating Chinese food.
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
There are two aspects to understanding the epistles found in the New Testament.

#1 The primary application. Christ is knocking on the door of the self centered church of the Laodiceans to allow Him into the church as its Lord and Savior to return that assembly to full spiritual health.

#2 The secondary application. The principle of Christ being the Lord and Savior of all such assemblies is paramount to the spiritual health of that church.

Oh, and PS. You have to start at verse 14, not verse 1, to see who was being addressed. :D
I believe there is also a tertiary application:

#3 As led of the Spirit.

INCOMING! :Biggrin

PS I completely understand your post.
 

Pastor_Bob

Well-Known Member
Do you think that the goal of evangelism is to have someone "ask Jesus into their heart/life"?
No, sir. I think the goal of evangelism is to share the gospel message; it is up to the Holy Spirit to draw men to the Father. My goal is to deliver the message. If the individual desires to pray and trust the Lord, I’m more than happy to be the human instrument (I Corinthians 3:6) that God uses.

Acts 16:30-31 is a great example.
 

thatbrian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
No, sir. I think the goal of evangelism is to share the gospel message; it is up to the Holy Spirit to draw men to the Father. My goal is to deliver the message. If the individual desires to pray and trust the Lord, I’m more than happy to be the human instrument (I Corinthians 3:6) that God uses.

Acts 16:30-31 is a great example.

So, you proclaim the gospel with no call to action?
 

Pastor_Bob

Well-Known Member
So, you proclaim the gospel with no call to action?
My goal is not to get them to “say a prayer.” My goal is to give them the gospel. If God chooses to let me be involved when He gives the increase, Praise the Lord! If not, planting or watering is my objective (see reference above).
 

thatbrian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
My goal is not to get them to “say a prayer.” My goal is to give them the gospel. If God chooses to let me be involved when He gives the increase, Praise the Lord! If not, planting or watering is my objective (see reference above).

You sound like a hyper Calvinist, Bob.
How about: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”? That was Jesus' method.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top