Re: [TruthTalk] God Hates

[Knpraise]

In a message dated 7/22/2004 4:05:42 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

Then thereâs John, the carpenter with a very tender heart.  Also you forgot Laura, David Miller, TPW, and Marlin that I can think of. Hopefully they are still with us, but just taking a vacation. (If you think no one has told anyone yet to go to hell, you havenât been around very longâit <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">wasnât me!) Izzy

Thanks for the names  (sorry Laura and DavidM  - the others I do not know)  -- an impressive list.  In the Lord's prayer, John 17,  the only mention of the 21st century Christian fellowship is His concern for their (our) oneness.  It was of such interest to the providence of the Spirit and the mind of the apostle John  that His words on this subject are included for all time.     And we, his disciples, continually (it seems) find ways to defeat that desire.  I am amazed at how easy, in fact,  His concern is dismissed.  Sad.  

I was raised in one of the most divisive fellowships this side of the Sun and was driven out of that fellowship because I HONESTLY could not agree with a few of it's teachings.    Since leaving, I have found fellowship in a number of churches ranging from Roman Catholic (one of our daughters is a Catholic by weight of her marriage) to some of the Pentecostal communions.     What is remarkable to me as an observer is the degree of faith (conviction) that is shared across sectarian borders and the shared tribute each in their tradition pays to the Christ of God.   I see it everywhere.   And in the 48 years that I have been a Christian, I have seen the sectarian lines fall in increasing measure.  Of course, I encounter those on a daily basis who stand with inflated ego and beat their chests and pronouce their imagined correctness but even then, their tribute is a shared occurance.   God sees this and smiles even as He hold an aire of saddness at the knowledge that some of this shared occurance is only vertical  - rising to His glory - but not horizontal, increasing the awareness of vital, shared and dynamic fellowship.   And we are the losers in this division.  Me  -- I have chosen to regard others as being a part of the Larger Community.   After all  -- what does it hurt.  You get to the pearlly gates and the Lord says, "Whoa, where are you going ?"  and you reply, "Inside to my mansion  --  John Smithson accepts my teaching and approves of my heart."   Pretty rediculous  --  so I can accept all on this list as a brother or sister knowing that God, alone, is the only one who really knows.  It is not that I accept Lance as my brother because it doesn't make any difference.   Rather, I accept Lance (and et al) as brother because of his claim to the Father.    He is my brother because he in his own ways does serve the Christ   -- God the Father will determine exactly what that means.  

The advantage?    I will listen (and learn) to family members and respect their opinions long before I will entertain the remarks of a stranger or an opponent.    When we disagree (in this forum), the disagreement is an honest one.   We must assume that honesty because we cannot know otherwise.  There is more of this on TT than other forums  -- but  maybe that is only my perspective.  Perception is often reality.  

Anyway -- that is why I said what I said in response to Lance's observation.


JD Smithson