Hello Ruben, thank you for your comments.
Ruben wrote:
>I rarely quote something in the Epistles to
>unbelievers, because those letters were addressed to saints of particular
>cities and not to whosoever. Context can help with this truth. We find
>words like "forgiveness, mercy, love", in all the Epistles and "repentance"
>in the book of Acts.
That is something I hadn't noticed before. I will need to apply this on the streets. Do you have plans to come to UF anytime soon? :-)
>unbelievers, because those letters were addressed to saints of particular
>cities and not to whosoever. Context can help with this truth. We find
>words like "forgiveness, mercy, love", in all the Epistles and "repentance"
>in the book of Acts.
That is something I hadn't noticed before. I will need to apply this on the streets. Do you have plans to come to UF anytime soon? :-)
>If we speak
>the words of our King no matter what people think, indeed you are a true
>Ambassador doing your duty.
>the words of our King no matter what people think, indeed you are a true
>Ambassador doing your duty.
This is so true. Many Christians do not like to see disagreement, and beleive that in the midst of this disagreeing we are forcing Christ on them. However, I would say that if a person stopped in their tracks to engage in conversation, there is no forcing. Just because someone disagrees or finds your message unpleasant does not mean it is not of God. This reminds me of Gal. 1:10 -- For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Blessings,
Christine
Ruben Israel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I think it's important to ask ourselves here if we are
ignoring the actual character of God because we just
don't enjoy the paradox of His personality. If this is
true, it would mean that we would be a more harmful
witness than the SP's.
Excellent point Christine, as the Bible teaches we are Ambassadors of
Christ. Imagine if you will, that our ambassador said to a few nations, "if
you do not give America everything we want according to our president we
will nuke you in 24 hours." Suppose we had a Broken Arrow ambassador, that
only spoke what he felt, what he wanted, what he thought? This person would
be nothing more than a fraud, right?. To be an ambassador we must
understand what our leader/president/king/emperor wants and speak those
words, wanted or not. This same standard applies to speaking for God, with
the Bible as our standard and guide to noise out to mankind. One must
understand the character of God as you pointed out and this does not happen
with feelings but scripture and with the Bible as the authority we speak.
I think some people go to the extreme when judging us, thinking that all we
do is preach a dark, gray, gloomy message to everyone. One might be very
surprise to find how we communicate to people that have ears to hear.
If you read the Book of Acts we do not find one..1...uno..message of God
loves you or Jesus loves you anywhere. However we find this message in the
Epistles. Why? Because these were saints, the Church, those that have
eyes to see and ears to hear. I rarely quote something in the Epistles to
unbelievers, because those letters were addressed to saints of particular
cities and not to whosoever. Context can help with this truth. We find
words like "forgiveness, mercy, love", in all the Epistles and "repentance"
in the book of Acts.
Connect the dots.
So if we speak on issues from our own feelings, stamping a little dove to
it, then we a phony ambassadors. The book of Jeremiah can give insight to
speaking nice kind words from the heart (Jer 23) rather than what God our
King wants said to a people, city, event, campus, individual. If we speak
the words of our King no matter what people think, indeed you are a true
Ambassador doing your duty.
When the Bible says, thou shalt not take the Lords Name in vain, this is
what I believe that text is trying to communicate to us. Do not take His
name and apply your words, with your feelings, with your dreams, with your
own heart (Jer.23:31). Speaking on behalf of Almighty God is big league
and should not be taken lightly.
Good observation Christine
Ruben Israel
----------
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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