Charity

[Episkopos]

God is love.

There is a difference between what it means to love and what appears in the moment to be "loving."

Jesus said that men love others that do what they do. As in...."if you were of this world, then the world would love you".

I personally know people who are very unstable...and think that the opposition they get is due to their being "not of this world."

So then there are a lot of ways to get the truth wrong. So many ways.

So then how do we know when we are actually walking in love?

It depends on what you see....do you see with God's eyes? Do you see good everywhere? Or do you calculate and reason within yourself...and only see darkness?

My unstable friends see only darkness.

 

[amadeus]

"...charity is almost a dirty word." Sure is, to those who have none.

Some people are able to do good job of providing a definition even as per scripture, but if it is not in the heart, will God even see it?

 

[amadeus]

We are not to be "conservative" with our love.....but "liberal". We are to love pre-emptively. We are to forgive also pre-emptively.

Yet we are not to abide iniquity. Those who deny the true nature of the Lord....and say they see....we should have nothing to do with.

But, without "eyes to see" people do blindly follow blind leader and we know the result. Those with "eyes to see" must use those eyes and walk as they are directed:

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jerem 10:23

 

[Episkopos]

But, without "eyes to see" people do blindly follow blind leader and we know the result. Those with "eyes to see" must use those eyes and walk as they are directed:

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jerem 10:23

But in this case we must turn away from them. We don't want to commit spiritual fornication...or indulge in idolatry. We are to be holy as God is holy. If God wants nothing to do with them...should His servants go to them behind His back?

 

[amadeus]

But in this case we must turn away from them. We don't want to commit spiritual fornication...or indulge in idolatry. We are to be holy as God is holy. If God wants nothing to do with them...should His servants go to them behind His back?

We need to always be led/directed by the Holy Spirit. Some people, I believe, who have received the Holy Spirit have been taught so vigorously and repeatedly to quench the Spirit, they are as a result deep in delusion. The delusion comes when we lose the love of truth. There is a solution for such people if they can somehow regain their hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God.

When should a person leave a congregation or a minister [especially pastor]? This is a question that cannot be answered clearly for every case with set of steps. What a person should do must be according to his calling. This is why each person must have "ears to hear" God's voice and then obey what they are told. Many people it seems who are or have been believers in a measure cannot really hear God. They hear their minister and presume that it is God... but whether it really is, is the question, isn't it?

"To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." John 10:3-5

 

[stunnedbygrace]

I feel like I am an imposter or...poser a lot of the time. I read a man said that we begin with contempt o r hostility for the world but then move from that to love. But I am always stuck between the two somewhere. I hear some awful story of abuse and my love begins to grow cold too easily and I crawl away from the world and people and I hide. Sometimes for months or even years. I just...shut down or hibernate. So I probably have no right to talk about love. TMi i suppose.

 

[bbyrd009]

I hear some awful story of abuse

imo the problem with these is that we are only getting one side of a story, and it can be difficult to see in the moment that there are 2 parties involved at least, iow 2 hearts being changed. So then hearing a story about some abuse amounts to peering in, and these stories can always be used to knock you out until your hearing changes imo. imo God does not remove the hedge from what we might deem the innocent for no reason, even if that reason can be hard to fathom.

so i would maybe examine how these stories of abuse are coming in, and even the nature of them, are they a story about somewhere else or local? Do they involve you at all or not? stuff like that.

 

[Nancy]

I feel like I am an imposter or...poser a lot of the time. I read a man said that we begin with contempt o r hostility for the world but then move from that to love. But I am always stuck between the two somewhere. I hear some awful story of abuse and my love begins to grow cold too easily and I crawl away from the world and people and I hide. Sometimes for months or even years. I just...shut down or hibernate. So I probably have no right to talk about love. TMi i suppose.

Yes Stunned, I do understand this. I do not watch the news and do not even get the local paper anymore. I used to be quite the passionate political junkie, would even watch C-Span!!! Ha! Talk about boring, lol. That has all evaporated, and my passion turned to TRUTH and of course, that will ALWAYS lead to God ♥ You and I are on the same boat when our "love waxeth cold" for the lost because of what some horrible people do to other people, especially children, and also helpless animals. It is very difficult to find a light shining in this world anymore.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Hi Nancy!
It's like this: do you know how episk talks about 2 kinds of righteousnesses? Well, I would never have abused a child or tortured an animal, even BEFORE I met God. And I know a lot of ppl who have never met Him who would never either. I don't know what that means really...just a working conscience? It doesn't mean I am good. I am sometimes awful and rude. But...I dunno, never mind.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nancy!
It's like this: do you know how episk talks about 2 kinds of righteousnesses? Well, I would never have abused a child or tortured an animal, even BEFORE I met God. And I know a lot of ppl who have never met Him who would never either. I don't know what that means really...just a working conscience? It doesn't mean I am good. I am sometimes awful and rude. But...I dunno, never mind.

Yes, I have seen him speak of 2 kinds of righteousness and, I do not understand that at all. I leave it alone as there is too much division and if I do not understand a matter, and it is brand new to me...I trust that The Holy Spirit will always lead me into all truth. We (Christians) have only one true righteousness and that is of Christ's and His alone. Without Him, no matter how "good" we are, how many good things we do for others-all are as filthy rags. The opposite is also true-those who commit deplorable deeds could also be saved in the future if they still have a conscience and are able to respond to the Holy Spirit. I "feel" unsaved a lot of the time and can get confused as to which "works" of mine might be burned up. Far as I am concerned, God deals with us individually and, not in the same ways. But, if we believe, repent and accept the awesome gift of God through Jesus, and we know His will...we will all end up living in it, despite the differing ways God draws us ♥

 

[stunnedbygrace]

It's somewhat understandable to me. I know people say anyone could become a Hitler, but I don't believe it. There is a conscience. Some are restrained by it before they meet God. And some don't follow it at times but then it kicks in and they have remorse. So when talking about those who haven't met God, there are humanly righteous men and there are humanly unrighteous men. Men can do evil or act righteously (humanly speaking).

 

[bbyrd009]

So when talking about those who haven't met God

first you must define God i guess, right?

 

[stunnedbygrace]

first you must define God i guess, right?

Um...the Creator of all we see?

 

[bbyrd009]

Um...the Creator of all we see?

seems simple, huh?
what about the other 99% of the universe though, we see about 1%
what about anything outside the universe
etc

 

[stunnedbygrace]

seems simple, huh?
what about the other 99% of the universe though, we see about 1%
what about anything outside the universe
etc

Lol I have no idea why this exercise is necessary or useful. Does a man not know when he has met and communed with God...?

 

[bbyrd009]

Lol I have no idea why this exercise is necessary or useful.

ppl want a god they are comfortable with i guess, and the god of 1% is generally what we settle for

Does a man not know when he has met and communed with God...?

satan appears as an angel of light, so i would say quite possibly no

 

[stunnedbygrace]

I didn't ask if some people were deceived.
i asked: does a man meet God and not know it?

 

[bbyrd009]

I didn't ask if some people were deceived.
i asked: does a man meet God and not know it?

i would say that is definitely possible, yes

 

[stunnedbygrace]

I don't think so.☺

 

[bbyrd009]

well imo the Q is moot bc no one meets God anyway, yet

satan appears as an angel of light.

anyone who says they have met God is just deceived i guess