Which Mystery Would You Pick?

[Earth Wind and Fire]

And the evangelical movement is pretty much in the hip pocket of the Republicans, utterly pathetic failures. Of course, all human governments are failures and in rebellion against God, ever since Adam fell in the Garden of Eden.

Yes, simultaneously saint and sinner, as are all true Christians.
I.O.W. simul justus et peccator (simultaneously justified and sinner)

I identify as a Child of God not A Christian. The first description if far more definitive and expresses a more inclusive connection with the Father.

Ken, Would they( the evangelical movement) be connected to the Christian Nationalists… one might conclude they are a personification of evil and Not Justified.

 

[Nolan Stengel]

I’m not some over the top idealist who judges others…

one might conclude they are a personification of evil and Not Justified.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Define lost… are you referring to reprobates? I have reviewed my own salvation experiences and I have never been a Reprobate….Ive always been a Child of God but I’d never believe that coming from a human beings mouth. Without the Holy Spirits direct intervention Iwould have completely ignored any thought of salvation. And seriously, what of those who never hear a gospel from a Bible toting evangelical? Are they bound for hell….the OPC told me that. Frankly I consider that a complete lack of understanding of the mind & heart of God.

I am defining lost in the way that anybody defines it. Someone who's lost can't find his way - he needs someone to show him the way. 'How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? An how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"' (Romans 10:14-15).
You and I don't know who's 'reprobate' and who isn't; that's God's business. But it is our business to bring the Gospel to lost souls who are perishing without it. 'Woe to you who are at ease in Zion!' Can you not stir yourself enough to pass some poor perishing soul a tract? God saves sinners, but He uses means to do so, and those means are you and I. Read Esther 4:14 and Ezekiel 3:17-19. God threatens terrible things to those who will not stir themselves to save the lost.

 

[KenH]

Ken, Would they( the evangelical movement) be connected to the Christian Nationalists

There are folks in the United States who try to tie their personal political beliefs to what they teach as the gospel.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Yes, simultaneously saint and sinner, as are all true Christians.
I.O.W. simul justus et peccator (simultaneously justified and sinner)

I am defining lost in the way that anybody defines it. Someone who's lost can't find his way - he needs someone to show him the way. 'How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? An how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"' (Romans 10:14-15).
You and I don't know who's 'reprobate' and who isn't; that's God's business. But it is our business to bring the Gospel to lost souls who are perishing without it. 'Woe to you who are at ease in Zion!' Can you not stir yourself enough to pass some poor perishing soul a tract? God saves sinners, but He uses means to do so, and those means are you and I. Read Esther 4:14 and Ezekiel 3:17-19. God threatens terrible things to those who will not stir themselves to save the lost.

Well then let the Holy Spirit point them out and let him instruct me how to approach them! otherwise I could care less. I await his instructions….point them out and I will talk to them. But it’s really His job to do it not mine. I personally don’t like evangelicals. They are a right nuisance and I don’t take threats lightly. If Im going to do something then my plans to plant a community dedicated to God is sufficient…and that’s with Gods assistance… I ain’t doing it for me. I didn’t ask for this, I’m helping you out. Otherwise as we say in Joisey, “Foget about it.” Then he isn’t serious and I got enough stuff to do. You know my wife’s got stage 4 and I’m crippled up. Let me grow my garden in peace.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

There are folks in the United States who try to tie their personal political beliefs to what they teach as the gospel.

What a surprise….LOL

I would just bet ya that it would shock people to know we have an integrated family worship service vs separate Bible study and all our Pastors are Elders in our church are self taught and they don’t go to Seminaries and have extensive Bible educations generally exceeding Seminary taught pastors. They also all have secular jobs outside the church but giveof themselves via teaching and preaching, baptizing etc.

Now these are the guys that they call by the pejorative, ‘Hyper Calvinists’ the guys onlytowillingto take timesoutoftheir busy lives to travel through the country to help plant churches.They are obedient to the Holy Spirit in that respect.

 

[Blank]

Well then let the Holy Spirit point them out and let him instruct me how to approach them! otherwise I could care less. I await his instructions….point them out and I will talk to them. But it’s really His job to do it not mine. I personally don’t like evangelicals. They are a right nuisance and I don’t take threats lightly. If Im going to do something then my plans to plant a community dedicated to God is sufficient…and that’s with Gods assistance… I ain’t doing it for me. I didn’t ask for this, I’m helping you out. Otherwise as we say in Joisey, “Foget about it.” Then he isn’t serious and I got enough stuff to do. You know my wife’s got stage 4 and I’m crippled up. Let me grow my garden in peace.

and ya quoted me? Why? I also got enough stuff to do. lol

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

and ya quoted me? Why? I also got enough stuff to do. lol

Then by all means….go and do it.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

and ya quoted me? Why? I also got enough stuff to do. lol

Actually, this was supposedly directed to Marty….sorry bout that.

 

[Blank]

Then by all means….go and do it.

I guess that was intended for Marty too.

 

[Christforums]

Thanks to everyone that participated in this thread so far. Another page completed, inspired by the participants of this thread: Why does mankind want to believe Satan? - The school of Isaiah

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

I guess that was intended for Marty too.

I guess that was intended for Marty too.

You should never guess….you either know something or you don’t know it. For example, if you and I were soldiers in the military in Afghanistan and we were pinned down by a sniper and we were taking cover behind a rock waiting the sniper out and sitting there for hours not seeing any action by that sniper and you ask, “ I haven’t seen any movement, guess he is gone” so I’d say guess so you move out first, now would you go?

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

You should never guess….you either know something or you don’t know it. For example, if you and I were soldiers in the military in Afghanistan and we were pinned down by a sniper and we were taking cover behind a rock waiting the sniper out and sitting there for hours not seeing any action by that sniper and you ask, “ I haven’t seen any movement, guess he is gone” so I’d say guess so you move out first, now would you go?

So I guess that I am a Hyper Calvinist then…. First mistake assuming…. Next putting it out there without verification. Then approaching a lost soul to be the guy responsible for bring him to Christ….LOL. Perhaps at

that critical moment, as this guy is bleeding out on the floor he needs a doctor not a day laborer. Guess you are wrong that time.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Thanks to everyone that participated in this thread so far. Another page completed, inspired by the participants of this thread: Why does mankind want to believe Satan? - The school of Isaiah

First question, who is Satan anyway? Rabbi Manis Friedman views Satan not as a malevolent entity but as an angel tasked by God to test and challenge individuals, ultimately serving a positive purpose in helping people grow stronger and overcome challenges

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Well then let the Holy Spirit point them out and let him instruct me how to approach them! otherwise I could care less. I await his instructions….point them out and I will talk to them. But it’s really His job to do it not mine. I personally don’t like evangelicals. They are a right nuisance and I don’t take threats lightly. If Im going to do something then my plans to plant a community dedicated to God is sufficient…and that’s with Gods assistance… I ain’t doing it for me. I didn’t ask for this, I’m helping you out. Otherwise as we say in Joisey, “Foget about it.” Then he isn’t serious and I got enough stuff to do. You know my wife’s got stage 4 and I’m crippled up. Let me grow my garden in peace.

'Some want to live within the sound
Of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop,
Within a yard of hell.' [C.T. Studd]

Testimony of Gary Currie

My name is Gary Currie. I was born in Chatham, Kent, in 1957.

My upbringing wasn’t the best, with parents who did not care and were quick with hand, fist or stick to control us. There were four kids: three boys and one girl. We boys went through it with the beatings, so we rebelled and quickly started to get into trouble with the police. We became well known to them. Whenever I was in a police cell, I would pray and ask God to help me, but He never did. We went to several institutions and there also we received beatings. I think that because of that we started getting violent ourselves. In my eyes, God didn’t love us and we were on our own. I must also point out that I was very much a racist and was sure to let them know it whenever I had contact with people of different races.

I married at 18 and had a daughter, Sarah. She was born with Cystic Fibrosis, and at the age of four years and ten months, she died. I knew then that there wasn’t a God – not one for me anyway. Then my marriage broke up and later I met my second wife, Rita.

At this time I was very angry with the world and very aggressive. I trained in boxing, karate and ju jitsu, winning many medals. Then I went into body-building and won the South East championships at the age of forty-three. I was also a bouncer at various night clubs, which allowed me to vent my anger on anyone who wanted to fight. I felt in full control of my life; I had power, strength and respect.

We then moved to Devon in 2010. I was still subject to fits of anger, and abusive ‘road rage’ was a big issue. It drove my wife mad and she was always asking me to control myself.

Then, in 2017, I had a knock on the door. It was ‘Bible-bashers’ from the local church. I told them I wasn’t interested in God or the Bible because He wasn’t interested in me and had abandoned me many years before. They went away, but came back a month or so later. I talked to them a little about my life so that they might understand why I wasn’t interested. I was given a little New Testament by one of them who was a Gideon; he said it might help. They kept coming back, and I didn’t want to be rude as they were polite to me, but on one occasion there was an Indian guy with them, and I didn’t want him coming near me! But I did start to read the little red book and kept seeing things that were interesting to me. But I wanted to get rid of these people so I said I would try a ‘Christianity Explored’ course with them so that I could tell them I still wasn’t interested after trying it.

But I actually enjoyed it, and went back for more, and the little red book became quite revealing to me.

I went to the church, thinking that I wouldn’t fit in, and was ready to do a runner, but I was welcomed as an equal and I started to read a lot more. Then – POW! – something happened to me; a wash of my whole body, a sort of cleansing, I wasn’t sure. I wan’t trying to change, but it happened! God came into me by His Spirit and my life changed. I was calmer, not angry, happy, in fact. Rita noticed it first. My family are amazed. God has made me new, given me a new life and a promise of an even better one after this, because Jesus has taken all my sins away when He died for us all at Calvary and rose again to be with the Father. I have a new church family and the Indian chap whom I didn’t want near me is now my dear brother in Christ.
I was baptized on September 16th 2018. I have read the Bible through three times in six months, plus several other Christian books. If there is hope for me there is hope for anyone. God can and will be there for all who seek Him.

Praise be to God!

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

'Some want to live within the sound
Of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop,
Within a yard of hell.' [C.T. Studd]

Testimony of Gary Currie

My name is Gary Currie. I was born in Chatham, Kent, in 1957.

My upbringing wasn’t the best, with parents who did not care and were quick with hand, fist or stick to control us. There were four kids: three boys and one girl. We boys went through it with the beatings, so we rebelled and quickly started to get into trouble with the police. We became well known to them. Whenever I was in a police cell, I would pray and ask God to help me, but He never did. We went to several institutions and there also we received beatings. I think that because of that we started getting violent ourselves. In my eyes, God didn’t love us and we were on our own. I must also point out that I was very much a racist and was sure to let them know it whenever I had contact with people of different races.

I married at 18 and had a daughter, Sarah. She was born with Cystic Fibrosis, and at the age of four years and ten months, she died. I knew then that there wasn’t a God – not one for me anyway. Then my marriage broke up and later I met my second wife, Rita.

At this time I was very angry with the world and very aggressive. I trained in boxing, karate and ju jitsu, winning many medals. Then I went into body-building and won the South East championships at the age of forty-three. I was also a bouncer at various night clubs, which allowed me to vent my anger on anyone who wanted to fight. I felt in full control of my life; I had power, strength and respect.

We then moved to Devon in 2010. I was still subject to fits of anger, and abusive ‘road rage’ was a big issue. It drove my wife mad and she was always asking me to control myself.

Then, in 2017, I had a knock on the door. It was ‘Bible-bashers’ from the local church. I told them I wasn’t interested in God or the Bible because He wasn’t interested in me and had abandoned me many years before. They went away, but came back a month or so later. I talked to them a little about my life so that they might understand why I wasn’t interested. I was given a little New Testament by one of them who was a Gideon; he said it might help. They kept coming back, and I didn’t want to be rude as they were polite to me, but on one occasion there was an Indian guy with them, and I didn’t want him coming near me! But I did start to read the little red book and kept seeing things that were interesting to me. But I wanted to get rid of these people so I said I would try a ‘Christianity Explored’ course with them so that I could tell them I still wasn’t interested after trying it.

But I actually enjoyed it, and went back for more, and the little red book became quite revealing to me.

I went to the church, thinking that I wouldn’t fit in, and was ready to do a runner, but I was welcomed as an equal and I started to read a lot more. Then – POW! – something happened to me; a wash of my whole body, a sort of cleansing, I wasn’t sure. I wan’t trying to change, but it happened! God came into me by His Spirit and my life changed. I was calmer, not angry, happy, in fact. Rita noticed it first. My family are amazed. God has made me new, given me a new life and a promise of an even better one after this, because Jesus has taken all my sins away when He died for us all at Calvary and rose again to be with the Father. I have a new church family and the Indian chap whom I didn’t want near me is now my dear brother in Christ.
I was baptized on September 16th 2018. I have read the Bible through three times in six months, plus several other Christian books. If there is hope for me there is hope for anyone. God can and will be there for all who seek Him.

Praise be to God!

Good for him…..he found God. What’s that got to do with the price of potatoes? God love those Catholic nuns in the day… they were focused on providing food to eat for the poor. The priest as I recall would walk miles to sit at your kitchen table, have a cup of coffee and discuss what was going on in your life and how they could help you. They saw you carrying the cross and sympathized. They just fixed the bell at the little RCC church down the block that I went to as a kid….the bell rings promptly at 645am call to mass …I hear it as I feed the chickens and I say, I’m busy…go peddle your papers elsewhere. Where are the nuns who helped raise and educate our kids, where are the food packages so we can eat today, where is the priest who used to visit us, bless our house and …well it’s all gone. Instead there is a freakin bell telling us what…to drop everything and come to them. Go away…you are in no representation of any Christ I know and was raised with. We were abandoned in our time of need, but then you want us to come back. NO!

And the Protestants, forget the Protestants…they are as bad if not worse than the Catholics. With crumbling dead churches…without Christ to at least bolster. But yet we are supposed to preach to the lost! Why, can we offer them Christ? NO! Instead we offer them the Sunday Go To Meeting Club…totally devoid of Scripture, Compassion, Charity. At least that lost soul works, raises his family, puts his priorities in order… I’m thinking of my son & family. When I talk to him it’s about their welfare, how is everything, how are my grandkids, do you need anything…not scripture not tryin to convince them to come to Christ…they already know that and reject what Church offers.

Well I got chickens to go feed and I get eggs at least & shite to fertilize my garden.

 

[David Lamb]

Well the 5 points are often misrepresented, however I see all 5 points in the scriptures. Regarding Calvinism, I don’t claim to be a Calvinist…they believe in infant baptism, I don’t. They have a past history of persecution and my Baptist community never did that… we were often the persecuted.

Not all who believe the 5 Points believe in infant baptism; there are baptists who believe the 5 points. Indeed, the historic Baptist confessions of faith, such as the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, are certainly Calvinistic.

 

[David Lamb]

Well then let the Holy Spirit point them out and let him instruct me how to approach them! otherwise I could care less. I await his instructions….point them out and I will talk to them. But it’s really His job to do it not mine. I personally don’t like evangelicals. They are a right nuisance and I don’t take threats lightly. If Im going to do something then my plans to plant a community dedicated to God is sufficient…and that’s with Gods assistance… I ain’t doing it for me. I didn’t ask for this, I’m helping you out. Otherwise as we say in Joisey, “Foget about it.” Then he isn’t serious and I got enough stuff to do. You know my wife’s got stage 4 and I’m crippled up. Let me grow my garden in peace.

Yet we read that the Christians in New Testament times went around spreading the gospel. For example:

“At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” (Ac 8:1 NKJV)

“Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” (Ac 8:4 NKJV)

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Yet we read that the Christians in New Testament times went around spreading the gospel. For example:

“At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” (Ac 8:1 NKJV)

“Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” (Ac 8:4 NKJV)

I don’t care…in fact I’m believing to warm up to the ways of the Jews and their study of the Talmud …your New Testament. They do live by their convictions.

 

[David Lamb]

I don’t care…in fact I’m believing to warm up to the ways of the Jews and their study of the Talmud …your New Testament. They do live by their convictions.

Sorry, do you really mean that you don't care that we read in the New Testament that Christians spread the gospel?

Regarding what you say about living by convictions, that should be true of Christians. That is what Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10 NKJV)

We do our Lord and Saviour a grave disservice when our lives don't bear any relationship to the gospel we stand for.