Hello "agedman,
I desire to butt into the thread to ask a question.
ok
Does God not direct the path of those that truly love Him?
yes...in psalm37;
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand
The reason I ask is that most certainly there are many principles of Scriptures that should be established in the believer as both rock to stand and marker blazed.
yes...I view it as a fence.
Is it possible that God allows a pastor to undergo the heartache of seeing the love of his life fade, either by the partner being pulled into this world considering them more important than God (thinking of Charles Weigle) or by sickness - even death?
We know that happened exactly to Ezk;
15 Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
16 Son of man,
behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18 So I spake unto the people in the morning:
and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
As one who does accept that God is the one that gives those of His choosing to Christ, I must also accept that God also is in control of what happens in the daily living of those He chose.
Yes indeed....
That does not remove human responsibility for their actions, rather acknowledges that God knew from the "get go" ALL that would "happen" and even the thoughts and intentions of the heart long before they were even thought and intention-ed.
yes...
So, a pastor becomes disqualified from the pastorate because of divorce, and there is a seeming cloud over their influence and testimony for Christ. Rightly so, and more important, it is so because God just may have a specific "ministry" for that person - something beyond the typical pastorate.
yes..they can serve but not as a pastor.
What bothers me is if a believer (especially one who was/is a pastor) begins to shift the principles of Scripture to fit their circumstances. Either the Scriptures are unchangeable or they are pliable. For me, I must conform to Scriptures, not the other way around
.
you have spoken correctly
ThumbsupThumbsupThumbsup
I have seen many pastors who attempted to justify sin, and sinfulness, by such statements as "I used to teach..."
Now, at times, what "used to be taught" perhaps was wrong and needed changed. That is putting the superiority of Scriptures above personal drive and ambition. But when the person places the Scriptures as subordinate, that is the problem.
ThumbsupThumbsupThumbsupThumbsupThumbsup
