Featured Question For My Reformed Brothers And Sistes, Will God Take Care Of Us?

Cool. I LOVE the old timers, Jonathan Edwards, what can you say, just some of the greatest thoughts on Scripture ever, ever secular philosophers rank him at the top. It's funny, people who don't know criticize Calvin, but if you just read them "Institutes", they'd be "I agree with that, and that, and that,and that", some forget there was NO THEOLOGY THEN, there was the Roman Church, great now we have Scripture, what do we believe? Do we continue with penance? So while those who know not Church history try to paint this picture "You're a follower of Calvin", WRONG, Old and New Testament, Augustine later in life, true doctrine until it invariably happens, like today, heresy taught as Gospel, but yeah Luther, he didn't want a new Church, he wanted to reform the Roman Church, so WHAT DO WE BELIEVE, how are we saved, can we lose salvation, will we go to purgatory, the people had millions of questions, praise God, I always say God gave us fire and ice, Luther fire, Calvin ice, Calvin with no traditions to sway him, brilliant, knew Greek, Latin, English, German, just went line by line, word for word, not him alone but he was best, thank God for him. If his critics only had 1/1,000,0000 of his study, dedication, they'd shut up before criticizing the man

 

Get this guy, kicking a man when he's down, WOW.

 

No it's kicking. Just wait until the Lord brings me out of all of this, you can attack me then.

 

And since you have to push, I taught a class in my Church on Berkof, listen to a Spurgeon sermon nightly, have Grudem Systematic Theology on my computer and attend to it often, know every Catechism and shame others with my study. What you seem to be unaware with is that sometimes we reach out to our learned brothers for ready answers, it's amazing, but we all do it, we put some topics in the back of our mind, don't obsess about them.

I never thought much of prayer, and that turned out to be my problem. Listening to Spurgeon, sermon "Power Prayer", I was amazed, he sounded like a "Name it, claim it", if we couldn't see the small differences in what he was saying. My prayer life has radically turned around, and I have the answer.

When Jesus says "...when you pray, BELIEVE YOU RECEIVE IT", not "Will get it", but "Have received it", this is huge, for no one can know God's will if you actually think of it, so how can we "Believe we received it"? Only through faith, and that faith from God. I prayed like a mad man since I made this post, and I BELIEVED, BY GODS GRACE THAT I HAD IT, and sure enough $27,500.00 so far, with much more coming.

I've experienced this in the past, did a business, fundamentals all proper, should have worked, but inside I had NO FAITH, why because it was not GOD'S WILL. Other times, despite the odds against me I've had faith, I KNEW I had it, and sure enough it came. Not that my prayer altered or swayed God to do what I wanted, but rather my prayer was part of God's plan from the start. That's the only thing that's biblical and is logical as well.

From the beginning of time God has ordained all that will be, in that decree is our prayers. Why would He include us? Why not just do it? The reason is that He's training us for Kingdom of Heaven, in Heaven if you think about it ALL of our prayers will happen, for our will will be God's will, so there is a perfect one to one will, just as every time Jesus prayed He prayed as God willed. It's only been a week, but it's a great study, "A man is no greater than his prayer life"

 

How's this for an example of God's Providence, His hand on me last 3 years, lost my brother, son, then mom, broke with no friends or family left was down to my last $200 and chance, ready to be on the streets, yesterday $25,000.00 order came in, $2,000 today, LIFE CHANGING, the Lord has done that three times, waits until absolute last second, pushes my faith in Him to the limit, OH PRAISE GOD, WE NEED never worry money or anything, He dresses the flowers, feeds the birds, He's going to take care of us. I'm like a new man. Share it, I told God I would glorify Him

 

Yeah spread the word! I'm still "Numb", I don't know how to thank Him enough! One thing I did was promise I'd glorify Him among the brothers, so please tell people.

I had $200 and change left, no family, no where to go, no agencies, most have at worst a mom or brother or someone to stay with, not me this is a classic no where to go, would have been homeless, either the police would pick me up, or I'd die (I take anti-seizure medicine, no way to get it) so yeah, but I did what Spurgeon said, just pray constantly, and "BELIEVE YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT". I think the ONLY WAY we can 'BELIEVE THE WE HAVE RECEIVED IT" is it God give us the grace.

 

I have a new prayer life! I'll tell you that. For some reason never put much stock in prayer, huge mistake for me

 

Anyone want a Spiritual rush? Watch the Movie "David" on YouTube, the 2 hour one, then listen to the Psalms, you think "Wow this is the same person", it's just a Spiritual rush. David was so awesome, he was so righteous, so merciful to those who admit their sin, and many who didn't, yet swift justice to unrepentant evil. To think this all happened from "Free Will" is deluding themselves, if Free Will then why did God choose Soloman, why did He put the sword in Davids house, and incite Absalom against David? Chance, or when God says "The sword will never leave your house", arrange events so that the sword never leaves his house? See once you have faith, you see God's beautiful sovereignty everywhere, does David deserve glory for being righteous from his youth? Should we applaud him or His God? Did David dream up the Psalms which were also prophecy? If David had free will, we could never trust His prophecies, God had to alter David, David even said "The Kings heart are streams of water in the hands of the Lord, HE TURNS IT WHEREVER HE WILLS". Scripture says "God incited David to take a census", then judged David for taking a census, I PRAY, and I mean it that you ALL, everyone of you see the true glory of our God, take the time to figure out how God can ordain what He hates, if you just study or ask someone it's very simple, who planned the murder of Christ? Was it man? Chance? NO GOD PLANNED THE MURDER OF HIS SON, and that before the world was created, if there were "Free Will" there would be chance that Christ would never be crucified, what if the people loved Him and made Him King?

Once again God would be in trouble, "Oh no by their free will they decided to not crucify my son", what if Judas decided to not betray Him? He could have if he had free will. The only One that has free will is God, and I assure you His will is quite stronger than mans will, mans will, volition is mainly evil, and if you know you're heart you know this, so it's hardly free, if you were totally Free will then you could be perfect, why not? In fact some denominations believe this, did you know out of ALL WORLD RELIGIONS, only Reformed Christianity believes man has no free will, yes Islam has a view of Predestination, but it's determinism, so they don't believe in means, anyways

 

I'm better now, but yeah I think that's an example of being so drowned in Theology that love, compassion are pushed to the side, remarkable actually. We are to bear each others burdens as that guy did, stayed with me until I was well, never forget that.

 

Right, Baptists didn't exist yet! I wish EVERY CHRISTIAN knew our history, from the time of Constantine, through the Popes there was an attempt to control scripture. At the time of Luther, the common man didn't have scripture, so they went with what the Roman Church told them. As a scholar, Luther was well aware the just were saved by Faith Alone. Luther had no plans of "Starting a new Church", he wanted to reform the Roman Church. When you read his letters, his goal is always putting the Roman Church on the right path. Many men proceeded him, Wycliffe, Huff (Who was Luther's "hero").

The Reformation came down to ONE THING, FREE WILL. Again most do not realize this, read "Bondage of the Will", and Luther spells out to Erasmus what the Reformation was all about, in fact in the first chapter.

Luther believed for the most part what Calvin believed, Luther finding out through teaching and studying, Calvin through systematic theology, going through the Scripture cold, little bias, and in Latin, Greek and English came up with our Pilgrims and most popular bible, the Geneva Bible (If you want a great translation, pick up a Geneva), the Pilgrims and Founding Fathers thought the King James too liberal (It's a good translation, completed by Anglicans, still a good translation).

So it's always frustrating when you hear the common "Well your system", or "You follow a man", wrong, Luther got the bible, via Guttenberg to the masses, Calvin helped show us what it meant, think, the common man had no idea of "Justification by Faith Alone", or the many things we know today, so it was "The Romans are wrong, WHAT DO WE BELIEVE". After Calvin died, the Church WAS REFORMED, that is Calvinistic if you like. A Roman Priest turned Protestant Jacob Arminius disagreed with some of what the Church was teaching, and came out with the "5 Remonstrants", these were 5 points of contention.

There was a massive debate if you will, the Synod of Dort, the greatest Theologians on the planet served as judges, and they debated the highlights of each, condemned Arminianism as a Heresy, and came out with a reply to the 5 Remonstrants, that is TULIP, the true 5 main points. Classical Arminianism is very far from today's Arminianism, today IE the Christians on this forum are largely Semi-Pelagians, if one were to expouse Classical Arminianism they'd be attacked as Calvinists.

It's an unfortunate term in my opinion, that is "Calvinism", would make Calvin spin in his grave, for it implies a man's theology, it was not, it WAS REFORMED, PROTESTANT THEOLOGY, it's just that Calvin put what others believed together better than anyone else. If you attack Calvin, you're also attacking Luther, for again aside from the Lords Supper and other minor things they agreed, surely agreed on Predestination, I mean just open and read your bible, agreed on everything. So I prefer Reformed, Arminianism is closer to the teachings of Rome than Protestant Theology, both are Synergistic, leave the ultimate outcome of all things upon man instead of God, take away the crazy sacramental system, repentance and you have modern Arminianism, problem is no one knows this, for they don't study.

It's so comical when I hear an Arminian pray. Why? Why pray? Isn't God doing everything in His infinite power to save all anyways? And since supposedly God can't violate the will, again why pray? Its really insanity, if man has free will how can we trust Scripture? What if free will man made a mistake? God can't violate our wills, so we'd be in deep trouble, never knowing. What of the massive amount of scripture of God hardening or softening our hearts? Just throw them out? I guess so, this is why I have no patience for liberalism, for Arminianism. Once I posted over 100 verses, in context of God's providence over man, it was ignored, so why even debate? Even Pagan King Nebuchadnezzar confessed that God is sovereign over all men, all kings, does all He wants with man, and man can do nothing to violate God's will. I would put Nebuchadnezzar over most on these boards as to knowledge of the Most High.

 

Thanks. Yeah there is a movie out there, well documentary, think it's on Amazon Prime, at first was very skeptical, turned out to be extremely accurate, that is from Acts to the present, what's happened in the Church. I think we live in an age where it's instant satisfaction, that is people will watch a movie like that (Sadly for each accurate one there are a million false ones).

But yeah so ironic that we, with our "System", or "Calvinism", is just Protestant Theology, we've fallen so far in the Church that the norm is considered something strange, or unique. All of the Pilgrims, the Founding Fathers, the Church in Europe, if it were Protestant it was Reformed. Of course there were schisms of liberalism here and there, but it really wasn't until the late 1800's, first Evolution came on the scene, then German Higher Criticism. It's SO AMAZING and wonderful seeing Spurgeon defend the faith, he called the liberal surge to Arminianism as a result of a non-belief in scripture "The Downgrade", Church after Church fell, then of course turn of the Century we got Pentecostalism, Oneness, and it was off to the races, again when I read Pink or Tozier they are always talking about "In our times, when liberalism is raising it's head"

I agree 100% with RC Sproul, we live in a Post-Biblical world, with "Happy Churches". I live in Orange County, CA, we have many mega Churches, and just a handful of Reformed Churches. I've attended the liberal churches, they do anything to bring in members, from humor, to self help, as long as people leave happy, that seems their main concern.

If we were in a place, and the voice of God spoke to us, "Men, I want you to do the following........", we'd, after we stopped trembling, write down, cross check, make certain we knew EXACTLY what He said to us. Well that's happened, the Bible, yet we don't really seem to care what He's told us about ourselves, what He's told us about Him, how salvation works, we just don't really care, and it's very sad. It takes the Spirit to understand Scripture, so we should thank God each night He's opened our eyes to see, ears to hear, there is no pride for us, just gratitude.

 

Amen. And Genesis to Revelation, I was SHOCKED when I was learning how full and wide the teaching is all through Scripture!