No one can see the Kingdom of God unless...

[DNB]

Very well my friend, but don't be too concerned about that unforgiveable sin. That, I believe, must be done knowingly on purpose. Work on yourself and when you feel led, warn others, but be very slow on openly accusing is my advice even though it may "seem" unlikely to you.

Very well, caution to all, ...thanks Amadeus!

 

[Giuliano]

I didn't say those dreams I had of walking beside Him had some profound meaning. Most of the time, I would wake from them trying to remember something He said that, in my dream, I had been repeating over and over because I found it amazing and didn't want to forget it. But no matter how hard I tried to remember what the phrase was, I couldn't. So I stopped trying so hard to remember and just figured I'd let Him worry about whatever He was doing. (Shrugs shoulders).

I think the human mind can be too small to absorb some ideas all at once. The conscious waking mind may need to grow in some cases. Heaven can plant ideas in our minds that act the way seeds do -- they grow over time and mature; and as the mind expands, those ideas become clearer to the "conscious waking" mind. I think sometimes people understand things but not at the "conscious waking" level. I think too that sometimes it's possible to know something at a spiritual level but block it out at the conscious level because the conscious mind denies it's possible.

Psychology talks about the subconscious, conscious and superconscious minds. I think the "Mind of Christ" can act the way the psychologists think of the superconscious. The information is there but not always at the disposal of the conscious mind.

The phenomenon may be more common than we suppose but some people don't remember anything when they wake up; but God still got through.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

How about THIS one?! I woke this morning thinking a thing and the second person I spoke with...said the exact thing! How bizarre is that?

 

[Giuliano]

How about THIS one?! I woke this morning thinking a thing and the second person I spoke with...said the exact thing! How bizarre is that?

Sounds fine to me.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Sounds fine to me.

But when I was younger in the Lord, I would have woken and gone flying off saying, God told me to do such and such, I know He did!! But I didn't do that, because I've learned that I do NOT know what He is saying and can't put all my imaginings into it. But when the other person said the same thing I heard, then I knew that it was about him.

 

[mjrhealth]

Heres another one, I have only ever done 3 communion messages in my entire christian church time, the last one I did was on Gods love, funny thing on the way to church, i was praying for a particular song to be sung that I loved, which was the very first song, than the pastor did a topic an love, it felt very strange to get up there and say, if that was not enough guess what my communion message is", it feels so good when one is LED by the Spirit wish it was 24 hrs a day.

 

[friend of]

, it feels so good when one is LED by the Spirit wish it was 24 hrs a day

Amen brother

 

[jshiii]

. . .They be born again, of water and spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh and Spirit to spirit.

My question to those who are born again...
What do you "see" ? Just to compare with my own experiences.

John 3:3-8

Blessings

I voted "Yes I Can!"

My Prayer life has really taken off daily. My relationship with my wife and family is becoming exactly how Jesus treats his bride/church. LOVE AND SACRIFICE!!!!!
The Men's Small Group I'm involved with every Wednesday morning at 630am-730am...what a loving fellowship of just MEN as we study and pray together. My involvement with my Church on Sunday's. I feel a desire from the Lord to be prayer partner, for those in need, at the front of our Church at the end of the Sunday service. Hopefully, the Lord will have me ready by this summer. Still praying for wisdom in this service to our Church. In God's (Jesus) time, not mine. I will never overstep his guidance.

Lastly, I would just like to mention real personal testimony. This past year was my 50th birthday. My wife helped make it great! I finally got my 1st new truck in my life, a Tundra CrewMax, a brand New Boat, a privacy fence in front of our house, a new desktop computer and I'm sure quite a few other smaller things, which I can't remember at this time. The point I'm gonna make, is after I finally received all that I had been dreaming of since I was very young, I became content with all, which is difficult for most to do. Humans are so insatiable! But then I started crying for weeks and months. Everyday, I realized every material thing I have gained is meaningless compared to God's Love. I found myself feeling unhappy, even though from my perspective I gained the whole world. What really hurts is my whole life I thought money, material things and God (Jesus) were the key to happiness. I WAS SO VERY WRONG!!!!!!! It's almost like the Lord used my desires of material things to prove a point....nothing can satisfy us but his AWESOME Unconditional LOVE! Only Jesus Christ is needed! Now my mission is to pick my cross up every day and follow him. I'm forever in his Love and Grace! If and when he calls me to let everything he has blessed me with, even my health, GO, I'm gonna be ready! I want treasures in Heaven, not here on Earth!! I see a lot of "Luke Warm" Christians that really don't start giving 100% to Jesus, until they get that diagnosis of cancer or some other fatal disease. I do not want to be that Christian. While I'm still healthy, I strive to stay humble, stay broken and completely rely on his strength and Love. If you ever notice some of my posts, I always make the biggest effort to point the audience to Jesus Christ and not myself. This is the way I am in real life, away from these boards also. Only because of Jesus and his love for me am I even able to get up everyday. YES I AM SEEING AND EXPERIENCING THE KINGDOM OF GOD! In my life and others who I fellowship with.

The Lord Jesus Christ ONLY, is Worthy of all our Praise and Worship!
Eternity is a Very long Time!
Satan Loves Distractions!

 

[marks]

I'm just asking, who here would be able to confidently claim they can see the Kingdom of God. If so, what can you see from your experiences?

I know some who claim to actually see with their physical eyes God's kingdom on this earth. I don't believe this is how we are intended to live, as God tells us our walk is Not by sight, and instead is by faith.

Did you have this sort of thing in mind?

Much love!

 

[marks]

To "envision" would not be real, but to imagine. Which is fine...but as "experiences" go, that is not really experiencing the kingdom.

And, your poll question is backwards. One does not experience the kingdom of God in their midst, but rather they experience themselves in the midst of the kingdom. That is what is meant by being "in Christ" and "in God." In the world, we must decrease and He must increase.

Nonetheless, there is no harm in loving God so much as to imagine being in His presence. On the contrary, it is good.

Hi Scott,

I share the same thoughts, one little thing . . . Not so much that we imagine being in His presence, instead to realize we are in His presence, and as we acknowledge that truth, it's an awareness, rather than imagination.

Much love!

Edit to add . . . imagination can play it's part in how we experience God's presence. I'm not sure where to draw a line, only that our imaginations are fine so long as they reflect the truth of Scripture.

 

[marks]

Base said he believes no one is born again until the receiving of our glorified bodies and friend of agreed.

I'm trying to grasp the thought but it's hard because I always have thought I was born again from above when I received the Holy Spirit...

I think you have that right, myself.

This is one place that clarifies it for me:

1 Peter 1
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

You have purified your souls . . . being born again . . .

Much love!

 

[marks]

Be careful SBG, even atheists have dreams, radical, uncanny and insightful ones too. It's very hard to know what is from God, and what is just the power of the human mind.
If it's profound and edifying, and the insight gives Glory to God, then you may be on to something. Otherwise, ...?

Hi DNB,

Ever since childhood, I've have what I've come to learn is an out of the ordinary dream life. Lucid dreaming is frequent. I've dreamed of all sorts of lives and experiences, earthly and unearthly, seemingly supernatural, I don't think I can begin to describe it all. One time I fell asleep for about 5 minutes, and when I woke up I had dreamed that I was living in a town about 50 miles away, and I was able to remember going to work, having days off, going to the movies, shopping, taking walks, 2 weeks worth of living in a 5 minute dream. Flying dreams, battling alien armies, you name it.

The human mind is an extremely powerful thing, and we need to have a proper perspective about what we're dealing with concerning our minds, brains, and intellect.

Much love!

 

[marks]

My point is, it just doesn't have the power that I would expect from the Holy Spirit, that's all. A smile on Jesus' face, just doesn't do it for me. One doesn't need a vision for that.
In other words, as I just told StunnedByGrace, in my early Christian years, i too had a vision, but the one who saved me told me that it was rubbish, and he was right. I saw exactly what the scriptures described, so it was just my frivolity that made me believe that it was an epiphany.
One gets very exuberant when they're converted, and they start to feel that they're special in some way, or have a superior awareness and understanding. Most Christians do, it's called self-righteousness, or just naivete. I succumbed to it, at the time.
I want to see real power before I accept it's from God, not just a repetition from scripture.

Hi DNB,

Question . . . wouldn't any vision or dream from God agree with Scripture? Might not God send a dream or vision to confirm for us in our hearts what we read in His Book?

Much love!

 

[marks]

I think I look at it all very practically. I read, if we abide in Him we do not sin, and I think...so if I sin still, in unbelief or mistrust for provision or by murdering in anger in my heart, then I must not be abiding. Which leads me to ask, what IS abiding, I want to do it. And the answer I have come up with is it means remaining in trust and growing in trust. So every direction I go I keep coming back to trust. So I just keep stubbornly insisting on it because I think a lack of it (despite what we say) is the problem of why we are so weak.

I agree, trust is the center of our walk in the Spirit. I think it's a moment by moment thing. Fear and worry are great indicators that we are not in the Spirit. For me I would add to those impatience and irritation, as I'm prone to these also.

For me, it's all about remaining trusting God that EVERYTHING is OK, and that I'm basically a toddler holding on to Daddy's pant's leg.

Pride is the killer because that's trusting one's self. Envy, to me, is the child of pride, and I think these are at the bottom of all sin.

Personally, I think of "abiding in Christ" maintaining the awareness of Jesus' presence in me, and His power to overcome everything, all things, and His all-encompassing love for me, and when I maintain this awareness, then I find there is no sin, and His power is truly present in my life.

I think this is the intended state for all Christians, fully at rest knowing God is taking care of everything, doing what He tells us, but in the working of His power.

BTW . . . I like what you said about your dreams that you couldn't fully remember, to just let God take care of whatever He is doing. I think that well describes the freedom we find in trusting Him.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Either way, the visible Church as a whole, is weak and defeated, compared to the Biblical promises of empowerment from the Holy Spirit. Of which i believe in, but have a very tempered view of it. Unlike yourself who is full of fantasy, delusion and immaturity. Just saying.

The visible church, OK, but what about the true church?

 

[marks]

I was just thinking that we have two distinct problems. One is a lack of trust, despite our protests. The other is not being able to find others to gather with, because God gives gifts for the building up of the body, not for the building up of each person severally.

I truly think if we work on and struggle through our trust problems, He will give us the people who we should meet with, and I dont think it will be big groups to start.

I think so too.

Personally, I love the small groups, especially when you have a number of members who stick with it over the years.

But I totally believe that God will put those people in our lives to help us at the right time.

Much love!

 

[marks]

But when I was younger in the Lord, I would have woken and gone flying off saying, God told me to do such and such, I know He did!! But I didn't do that, because I've learned that I do NOT know what He is saying and can't put all my imaginings into it. But when the other person said the same thing I heard, then I knew that it was about him.

I'm pretty much the same way . . . I can just wait, and if it's from God, He'll bring the meaning, or the use, or whatever He has in mind. And if nothing comes from it, well, at least I didn't make a fool of myself, hopefully!

Much love!

 

[marks]

If and when he calls me to let everything he has blessed me with, even my health, GO, I'm gonna be ready!

Hi jshiii,

And should that time come, that will be an even bigger blessing than having those things.

I think that oftentimes we learn more of God's love in our times of loss, as our dependancy becomes greater, and God remains faithful.

Much love!

 

[DNB]

Hi DNB,

Ever since childhood, I've have what I've come to learn is an out of the ordinary dream life. Lucid dreaming is frequent. I've dreamed of all sorts of lives and experiences, earthly and unearthly, seemingly supernatural, I don't think I can begin to describe it all. One time I fell asleep for about 5 minutes, and when I woke up I had dreamed that I was living in a town about 50 miles away, and I was able to remember going to work, having days off, going to the movies, shopping, taking walks, 2 weeks worth of living in a 5 minute dream. Flying dreams, battling alien armies, you name it.

The human mind is an extremely powerful thing, and we need to have a proper perspective about what we're dealing with concerning our minds, brains, and intellect.

Much love!

Hi marks, and yes, I would even go as far to say that some people, more than others, are more susceptible to such experiences. What do they mean, ....very little to me. For, there is not one vision as such, in the Bible, that either during or after the epiphany, the experience wasn't explained as to what just occurred. That is, that they had a vision from God, whether they understood the meaning or not.
The typical nonsense that i continually hear from frivolous and credulous Christians, bears no authority as to where the source of the dream came, nor do the actual events in the dream bear a semblance of divine inspiration or rationale.
Your dreams seemed as random, unbiblical and meaningless as the majority of dreams, that the majority of people have, as myself.
That is, as you said, the mind is an extremely sophisticated, complicated and powerful part of our constitution.
Delusions, hallucinations, misconceptions and misunderstandings occur daily, even while we're fully awake....

 

[DNB]

Hi DNB,

Question . . . wouldn't any vision or dream from God agree with Scripture? Might not God send a dream or vision to confirm for us in our hearts what we read in His Book?

Much love!

I, personally, don't see why not, ...but as I have continually insisted upon, one must bring forth the profound wisdom behind his vision, wisdom that is exceptional and not just a reiteration of a Bible passage, and that edifies the recipient and others, and ultimately glorifies God. Only in that case, will I say that one's inspiration, whether it be by dream, epiphany or vision, came by divine intervention.