“Take no thought”, “be not anxious”, “seek you the reign of God”

[Heart2Soul]

I didn't understand it. This is just conversation Bobby Jo. Only saying what the word says to me ...same as you are saying what it says to you. Not a day goes by that I’m not told what i hear is insane or so far off. Even I doubt it. It comes to a point where you start to think maybe you just need to shut up and stop reading. Was thinking last night one of the first things I thought I heard from God was in Ruth where “a hand full of purpose was left” for her in to glean. Thought if God left purpose for Ruth, he would do the same for me as a potential part of His body. I’ve never really had any purpose. Was still thinking of this last night, frustrated. Even what I do daily is frowned upon as being of no purpose and I should seek a purpose. Always seeking...Not trying to prove some doctrine to you as I’m all over the place. Just talking to you about His word.

Hang in there VIJ....the mind is a slippery slope and can get us into the wrong thinking. You do have purpose....what others say or think is irrelevant.
His Word says He knew you before you were even conceived and predestined you for His purpose.
His Word says you are His and He is a jealous God and no one and no power can pluck you out of His hand.
Sometimes there are seasons of waiting on Him....have patience...trust Him...He has things going on behind the scenes and is working it all out for good.
A clue to what you are purposed to do is related to what you are most passionate about. What stirs you the most? Gets you all excited and anxious to be involved?

 

[Paul Christensen]

Then...no, that's part of why Jesus came, to expunge our record. Those whose records are not expunged, will be "judged according to their works", simple.

So, you are expecting to be judged by your works? What would you think of a man who appears before a judge, charged with raping three women, and tells the judge, "I know I did rape those women, but look at all the good things I have done in my life". Wouldn't the judge say, "You are not here because of the good things you have done, but because you committed the crime of rape, and having been found guilty, you will go to the electric chair". So, if at any time of your life you have been a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murdering, adulterer at heart, and you appear before God in the judgment and tell Him about all the good works you have done, wouldn't God tell you that He is judging you on the standard of the Ten Commandments and because you have broken several of them, you are sentenced to eternal prison without parole?

God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice, and justice demands that the soul who sins must die, because the wages of sin is death, so although a judge may have love and compassion toward a serial axe murderer, the law would demand that the murderer be given the death penalty. The judge may not be happy about sentencing a fellow human being to death, but he is bound by the law. God is the same. He is bound by the moral law as shown in the Ten Commandments, therefore every person who comes before Him in the judgment who is guilty of breaking any of the commandments has to be sentenced to eternal prison without parole, in spite of God loving the person and not willing that he should be sentenced to an eternity in prison.

So, how can God legally forgive a sinful person and set him free, without violating His own moral law and causing Him to be viewed as being two-faced - setting up the Ten Commandments and just letting people go free when they have broken them, just because He feels love and compassion for them? Would you trust the professionalism of a judge like that? What if the judges just let Herman Goering go free just because he was a nice person, his experience could be used in the new Germany, and that he was just a nice and pleasant person?

So, if depending on your own good works, as I have shown, will not absolve you in the judgment because of the many times you have broken the Ten Commandments, what are you going to do to avoid an eternal prison sentence (which is usually called hell).

 

[Paul Christensen]

If you are using this media story about a virus that magically spreads person to person as an excuse to crusade for the gospel, then its really got nothing to do with the "terror of the Lord".

I was responding to your comment that fear is not the way that God causes people to believe and accept the gospel.

 

[Dcopymope]

So, you are expecting to be judged by your works? What would you think of a man who appears before a judge, charged with raping three women, and tells the judge, "I know I did rape those women, but look at all the good things I have done in my life". Wouldn't the judge say, "You are not here because of the good things you have done, but because you committed the crime of rape, and having been found guilty, you will go to the electric chair". So, if at any time of your life you have been a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murdering, adulterer at heart, and you appear before God in the judgment and tell Him about all the good works you have done, wouldn't God tell you that He is judging you on the standard of the Ten Commandments and because you have broken several of them, you are sentenced to eternal prison without parole?

God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice, and justice demands that the soul who sins must die, because the wages of sin is death, so although a judge may have love and compassion toward a serial axe murderer, the law would demand that the murderer be given the death penalty. The judge may not be happy about sentencing a fellow human being to death, but he is bound by the law. God is the same. He is bound by the moral law as shown in the Ten Commandments, therefore every person who comes before Him in the judgment who is guilty of breaking any of the commandments has to be sentenced to eternal prison without parole, in spite of God loving the person and not willing that he should be sentenced to an eternity in prison.

So, how can God legally forgive a sinful person and set him free, without violating His own moral law and causing Him to be viewed as being two-faced - setting up the Ten Commandments and just letting people go free when they have broken them, just because He feels love and compassion for them? Would you trust the professionalism of a judge like that? What if the judges just let Herman Goering go free just because he was a nice person, his experience could be used in the new Germany, and that he was just a nice and pleasant person?

So, if depending on your own good works, as I have shown, will not absolve you in the judgment because of the many times you have broken the Ten Commandments, what are you going to do to avoid an eternal prison sentence (which is usually called hell).

Well, lets pick apart what you define as a guilty verdict. I wasn't going to bother, but hell why not.

He does not pray to false gods (idolatry)

Atheists don't "pray" to false gods, since they don't believe in them start with.

He doesn't download paid music free (theft)

This is assuming every person who has ever used the internet before has actually done it, which you can't prove. And if the music industry really wanted to stop it, they would, just like Hollywood put an end to people uploading movies on Youtube for free, so it doesn't do much to prove your case.

He doesn't look on a woman with lust (adultery)

I believe you have that statement mixed up with the words of Jesus. The commandment itself was about actually committing adultery, not lusting after a woman in your heart like Jesus said. Is this supposed to be about "lusting" after a smoking hot woman, or about cheating with another woman while married?

(Matthew 5:27-28) "¶ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: {28} But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Now it is commonly understood that God specifically designed men to desire women, and vice versa, which is "lusting" at a fundamental level, no matter how you may try and twist it to mean something else. If you are saying God will judge humanity for it, and you are telling an unbeliever this, don't be surprised if they call your God a hypocrite.

He's never had sex outside of marriage (fornication)

Well I know plenty who hasn't

He doesn't take the Lord's name in vain, like OMG.

Assuming every soul to ever exist actually knew his "name" to start with.

He doesn't feel hatred for anyone (murder)

Yet God hated Esau, so what is this, he makes rules for us he doesn't follow himself? What is meant by the term "murder" and what does "murder" have to do with hate? Its not even in the ten commandments. The word is "kill", so whats the difference? We know the Hebrews did plenty of killing, by the boat loads, on Gods order.

He has never told even a white lie (bearing false witness)

Well even God tells lies.

(1 Kings 22:19-23) "And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. {20} And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth–gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. {21} And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. {22} And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. {23} Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee."

So God condones this "spirit" to cause a prophet to bear false witness, yet condemns others for doing the same? Is it so much the act itself being a lie that is the problem or is it the intended result that matters most? If a lie saves a persons life, do you seriously think God is going to care all that much about it being a lie, judging others for what he himself has done?

He has always loved God with all his heart, soul and strength.

Can't claim to love someone I never even heard of.

He has never been envious of what another person has (covet)

A bit vague don't you think? If I am a young basketball player who grew up watching Lebron James, and I see him as a role model, and I want to be like him, follow in his footsteps, I am henceforth coveting in a sense. I desire to have what he has, not what specifically belongs to him, but his talent, skill and fame, he desires to have his own family like Lebron has his own family, etc. According to how you interpret that commandment, this is somehow unacceptable in Gods eyes, and said youngster gets tossed in the fire for it .

There is nothing wrong with "coveting" things, just depends on the context and the intent of the person "coveting". Now you see, if I really wanted to go there, I can easily make God look like a total hypocrite, or "two faced" as you say with his own words, since you claim the great white throne judgement is simply about God damning all souls without the seal of God to the fire by default, which is stated nowhere, and does nothing but make his judgement look more like that of a kangaroo court than a court from a just God, as you say he is.

 

[Paul Christensen]

Well, lets pick apart what you define as a guilty verdict. I wasn't going to bother, but hell why not.



Atheists don't "pray" to false gods, since they don't believe in them start with.



This is assuming every person who has ever used the internet before has actually done it, which you can't prove. And if the music industry really wanted to stop it, they would, just like Hollywood put an end to people uploading movies on Youtube for free, so it doesn't do much to prove your case.



I believe you have that statement mixed up with the words of Jesus. The commandment itself was about actually committing adultery, not lusting after a woman in your heart like Jesus said. Is this supposed to be about "lusting" after a smoking hot woman, or about cheating with another woman while married?



Now it is commonly understood that God specifically designed men to desire women, and vice versa, which is "lusting" at a fundamental level, no matter how you may try and twist it to mean something else. If you are saying God will judge humanity for it, and you are telling an unbeliever this, don't be surprised if they call your God a hypocrite.



Well I know plenty who hasn't



Assuming every soul to ever exist actually knew his "name" to start with.



Yet God hated Esau, so what is this, he makes rules for us he doesn't follow himself? What is meant by the term "murder" and what does "murder" have to do with hate? Its not even in the ten commandments. The word is "kill", so whats the difference? We know the Hebrews did plenty of killing, by the boat loads, on Gods order.



Well even God tells lies.



So God condones this "spirit" to cause a prophet to bear false witness, yet condemns others for doing the same? Is it so much the act itself being a lie that is the problem or is it the intended result that matters most? If a lie saves a persons life, do you seriously think God is going to care all that much about it being a lie, judging others for what he himself has done?



Can't claim to love someone I never even heard of.



A bit vague don't you think? If I am a young basketball player who grew up watching Lebron James, and I see him as a role model, and I want to be like him, follow in his footsteps, I am henceforth coveting in a sense. I desire to have what he has, not what specifically belongs to him, but his talent, skill and fame, he desires to have his own family like Lebron has his own family, etc. According to how you interpret that commandment, this is somehow unacceptable in Gods eyes, and said youngster gets tossed in the fire for it .

There is nothing wrong with "coveting" things, just depends on the context and the intent of the person "coveting". Now you see, if I really wanted to go there, I can easily make God look like a total hypocrite, or "two faced" as you say with his own words, since you claim the great white throne judgement is simply about God damning all souls without the seal of God to the fire by default, which is stated nowhere, and does nothing but make his judgement look more like that of a kangaroo court than a court from a just God, as you say he is.

I wasn't referring to anyone else, The question I asked was whether YOU believe you are a good person. Anything else other than a straight answer to the question is avoidance to show that you may not want to say whether you are a good person or not.

I am not judging you. All I am doing is to establish that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God", and that "the wages of sin is death". My purpose is to show that we all have broken some or all of the Ten Commandments and so we can't really say before God that we are good.

Although you may not want to show publicly whether and how you have broken any of the Ten Commandments, and that is totally understandable, and none of us want to show our dirty washing in public. But if you are really honest, your own conscience would tell you whether you have come short of God's glory through sinfulness, and that consequently, you are not as good as you might have thought you were.

Also, part of my purpose is to see how much of the gospel of Christ you really understand, and the first step in that is being able to understand yourself in the light of the gospel.

You must understand that I am not making any kind of judgment whether you are converted or not. That is not my purpose. It is as much for those who read these posts to give them an indication of what makes a person good in God's sight, and if they are not good, then what are the consequences, and how we can avoid those consequences and have the eternal penalty removed from us.

What concerns me is that there will be those reading the posts on this forum who will contract the coronavirus and possible die from it. If they don't have a clear view of the gospel and their need to trust Christ as their Saviour, then there is every possibility that they will face the judgment without Christ. If by posting these comments and asking you the questions saves at least one person from an eternity outside of Christ, then my purpose is fulfilled.

 

[Dcopymope]

I wasn't referring to anyone else, The question I asked was whether YOU believe you are a good person. Anything else other than a straight answer to the question is avoidance to show that you may not want to say whether you are a good person or not.

I am not judging you. All I am doing is to establish that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God", and that "the wages of sin is death". My purpose is to show that we all have broken some or all of the Ten Commandments and so we can't really say before God that we are good.

Although you may not want to show publicly whether and how you have broken any of the Ten Commandments, and that is totally understandable, and none of us want to show our dirty washing in public. But if you are really honest, your own conscience would tell you whether you have come short of God's glory through sinfulness, and that consequently, you are not as good as you might have thought you were.

Also, part of my purpose is to see how much of the gospel of Christ you really understand, and the first step in that is being able to understand yourself in the light of the gospel.

You must understand that I am not making any kind of judgment whether you are converted or not. That is not my purpose. It is as much for those who read these posts to give them an indication of what makes a person good in God's sight, and if they are not good, then what are the consequences, and how we can avoid those consequences and have the eternal penalty removed from us.

What concerns me is that there will be those reading the posts on this forum who will contract the coronavirus and possible die from it. If they don't have a clear view of the gospel and their need to trust Christ as their Saviour, then there is every possibility that they will face the judgment without Christ. If by posting these comments and asking you the questions saves at least one person from an eternity outside of Christ, then my purpose is fulfilled.

Yes, all have fallen short of his glory. I brought up your bullet points to show that in this world its impossible to follow the law down to an absolute T. And as I've shown, it wasn't even possible for God. An unbeliever would probably say that maybe God should throw himself in the lake of fire, and we'll call it even. This is why it ain't God almighty sitting on that white throne judging every soul according to their works, its the word of God, because unlike God Almighty, the word of God actually walked a mile in our shoes, being made flesh.

 

[Paul Christensen]

Yes, all have fallen short of his glory. I brought up your bullet points to show that in this world its impossible to follow the law down to an absolute T. And as I've shown, it wasn't even possible for God. An unbeliever would probably say that maybe God should throw himself in the lake of fire, and we'll call it even. This is why it ain't God almighty sitting on that white throne judging every soul according to their works, its the word of God, because unlike God Almighty, the word of God actually walked a mile in our shoes, being made flesh.

So, although you have not given a direct answer to my question, are you saying that because all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, you are not a good person? A simple question inviting a simple direct answer.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

Hang in there VIJ....the mind is a slippery slope and can get us into the wrong thinking. You do have purpose....what others say or think is irrelevant.
His Word says He knew you before you were even conceived and predestined you for His purpose.
His Word says you are His and He is a jealous God and no one and no power can pluck you out of His hand.
Sometimes there are seasons of waiting on Him....have patience...trust Him...He has things going on behind the scenes and is working it all out for good.

Excellent advice and reminder. Thank you.

A clue to what you are purposed to do is related to what you are most passionate about. What stirs you the most? Gets you all excited and anxious to be involved?

“what stirs you most?” Him. everyday and at the end of the day what stirred and gave strength to get through that day is... however small are the glimpses of Him.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

But we can use the present opportunities and freedoms to draw closer to God and sigh and cry for the abomination being done upon the Earth, and surrender ourselves to His purposes that we may do all we can in our own sphere of influence to reveal to the world by example, who God is.

did not see this until after posting regarding purpose. Also was an excellent reminder of “surrender ourselves to His purposes”.

 

[Dcopymope]

So, although you have not given a direct answer to my question, are you saying that because all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, you are not a good person? A simple question inviting a simple direct answer.

Well I did give you a direct answer, with the very first sentence in my response, "Yes, all have fallen short of his glory".............so yes.

 

[Paul Christensen]

Well I did give you a direct answer, with the very first sentence in my response, "Yes, all have fallen short of his glory".............so yes.

Just so you don't misunderstand me, I am not doubting that you are born again. I'm just using responses to survey what believers know about what the gospel really is about.

In the 1970s, Bill Bright brought out "The Four Spiritual Laws" as an evangelism tool. I used it in my work in Teen Challenge, Palmerston North NZ. Ray Comfort says that he also used it, and out of 27 people he led to the Lord through it, 26 fell away after a short time. He realised that there was something wrong, and learned that the Four Spiritual Laws involved God loving us and having a plan for our lives, but nothing about our sinfulness, coming to judgment, and the need to repent of our sin. He realised that he was getting converts who adopted Christianity without knowing why they should be saved and what from - an eternity in hell because of their sinfulness. So Ray adopted a different approach with much greater success in getting souls converted and staying that way.

Bill Bright himself apologised for his error and said that the message of the Four Spiritual Laws was wrong, and had left out the most important aspects of the gospel and was causing the majority of converts to fall away.

So, when I ask you, whether you are a good person in relation to the Ten Commandments, I am seeking your response so that when an unsaved person reads our posts, which they will do, they will learn what the gospel is all about . So it is not an inquisition about your faith in Christ, but to give the type of questions we would ask an unsaved person.

So, my next question is, why do you not think you are a good person?

 

[Joseph77]

.how can the word say God will provide and “be not in suspense”?

Well, did you find out yet ?

 

[Joseph77]

Well I did give you a direct answer, with the very first sentence in my response, "Yes, all have fallen short of his glory".............so yes.

That red paragraph under you posts often totally renders your other words, in the same post, void and without power.

Is that what you meant to do ? Distract from anything important you might have to say ?

 

[Joseph77]

In Hebrews it says they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing they had a better and lasting treasure in God.

Little by little, yes. Learn this and learn it well. When they were robbed, they did not try to get back what was theirs.

In ACTS, the first assembly, did not consider anything their own. Very important.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

Little by little, yes. Learn this and learn it well. When they were robbed, they did not try to get back what was theirs.

In ACTS, the first assembly, did not consider anything their own. Very important.

Thank you. Job 5:5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

Hebrews 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

Luke 12:33-34 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. [34] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

...that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.