Is this out of your reasoning?

[Willie T]

Most of you know from where this excerpt comes...… To me, it poses a real question that today's Christians should be able to answer in their minds. Can you? How say ye? "Yea" or "nay?"

"Try as he might, Mack could not escape the desperate possibility that the note just might be from God after all, even if the thought of God passing notes did not fit well with his theological training. In seminary he had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerners’ access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that 'guilt' edges?"

 

[Heart2Soul]

Most of you know from where this excerpt comes...… To me, it poses a real question that today's Christians should be able to answer in their minds. Can you? How say ye? "Yay" or "nay?"

"Try as he might, Mack could not escape the desperate possibility that the note just might be from God after all, even if the thought of God passing notes did not fit well with his theological training. In seminary he had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerners’ access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that 'guilt' edges?"

I think if this is the case then there needs to be a lot of scripture tossed out because it directly contradicts what they are teaching. God speaks directly to us through the Holy Spirit and the scripture says He only speaks what He hears.

 

[H. Richard]

Every religion I know of has put God in a box that they have created. I call it the religion box. In it there are many smaller religion boxes that have interpreted the scriptures to mean what they want them to mean. They think God left man with with a book that does not mean what the words say but they have to twist the words to find truth.

The problem is that just as it is written in the book no one can find God. God has to reveal Himself to a person and He has left us with His salvation He paid for on the cross in the gospel of grace that was given to Paul for us. But religions look at God's words as a rule book that gives mankind a list of what to do to be saved. Just follow the rules and rituals and it will bring about salvation. But that will not happen as long as a person thinks they can get to heaven by what they do.

Only when a person acknowledges that they are lost and can not save themselves by what they do will they reach out to God to have mercy and save them. It is then that God hears them. Many are called but few are chosen. Only those who place their faith in His promise of salvation by His work on the cross will be saved. Salvation is the work of God only.

 

[Willie T]

Maybe I need to be more bluntly specific....
Would God ever leave a note in someone's mailbox... or, in your mind, is that a flat-out impossibility? (I'm deliberately moving away from "the small, still, inner voice" speaking to our hearts.)
Would God use this sort of communication today?

 

[Helen]

Most of you know from where this excerpt comes...… To me, it poses a real question that today's Christians should be able to answer in their minds. Can you? How say ye? "Yea" or "nay?"

"Try as he might, Mack could not escape the desperate possibility that the note just might be from God after all, even if the thought of God passing notes did not fit well with his theological training. <snip> Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that 'guilt' edges?"

Yes so true and a powerful quote. Love the truth it what I Bolded above.

You are almost persuading me to read the book for the third time.

 

[Helen]

Would God ever leave a note in someone's mailbox... or, in your mind, is that a flat-out impossibility? (I'm deliberately moving away from "the small, still, inner voice" speaking to our hearts.)
Would God use this sort of communication today?

Hmm interesting. .
I like being made to think 'outside the box' as they say.

For my own faith that would be a stretch..I have to admit that.
But I would NEVER say that He would not.
I have had letters through the mail saying:- " God said for me to send you this scripture..."
And it arrives at the right time on the right day.

I know a man who was staying with a family , he was a traveling preacher.
He said that he came down to breakfast and no family members were around.
He saw some porridge in a small saucepan on the stove.
He thought they had all eaten, so he took what was left and sat down and started eating.
Then the husband , wife, and two kids joined him in the kitchen.
He watched while the wife looked into the saucepan , closed her eyes...muttered a little prayer...and spooned a small amount of porridge into their 4 bowls.
Needless to so this set him on the right track of preaching -
"All things are possible in God."

But I would love to find a God note on my pillow.

 

[bbyrd009]

Maybe I need to be more bluntly specific....
Would God ever leave a note in someone's mailbox... or, in your mind, is that a flat-out impossibility? (I'm deliberately moving away from "the small, still, inner voice" speaking to our hearts.)
Would God use this sort of communication today?

through someone possibly, why not?

 

[Willie T]

through someone possibly, why not?

Are you meaning that He would not make such a note just materialize, but that He would, instead, have to have a human being (a real, living person) pen it and mail (or deliver) it?

 

[Willie T]

Yes so true and a powerful quote. Love the truth it what I Bolded above.

You are almost persuading me to read the book for the third time.

I am in the process (have been for a week, now) of transcribing it to my hard drive.

 

[Willie T]

Life is strange.
I was unloading one of our trucks at the storage yard. With a 250 pound piece of machinery in my arms, I tripped backwards out of the back door of the truck. It was a three foot fall to the ground.
At the same time, my wife was driving in traffic about ten miles away. She suddenly felt I was in trouble and shot one of her "dart" prayers for my safety off into the ether.
As I fell backwards, "something" actually slung that heavy piece of machinery off to about three feet to my right side. Yeah, I still hit the ground hard and was shaken. But that weight did not fall on me, very possibly crushing my ribcage.

BTW, that is only one of at least a half dozen times in my life that I believe "someone" stepped in to spare me either death or maybe just pain or frustration.

 

[Helen]

Yay!! Amen!

 

[pompadour]

Life is strange.
I was unloading one of our trucks at the storage yard. With a 250 pound piece of machinery in my arms, I tripped backwards out of the back door of the truck. It was a three foot fall to the ground.
At the same time, my wife was driving in traffic about ten miles away. She suddenly felt I was in trouble and shot one of her "dart" prayers for my safety off into the ether.
As I fell backwards, "something" actually slung that heavy piece of machinery off to about three feet to my right side. Yeah, I still hit the ground hard and was shaken. But that weight did not fall on me, very possibly crushing my ribcage.

BTW, that is only one of at least a half dozen times in my life that I believe "someone" stepped in to spare me either death or maybe just pain or frustration.

You are a lot stronger then me. I have had many similar experiences with the same out come. I call it "divine protection". God looks after his people.

 

[Willie T]

Well, I was a bit younger then.

 

[H. Richard]

Rom 16:25
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
NKJV

Heb 4:2
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
NKJV

Salvation comes to those who hear Paul's gospel of grace and believe it.

 

[Willie T]

Rom 16:25
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
NKJV

Heb 4:2
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
NKJV

Salvation comes to those who hear Paul's gospel of grace and believe it.

Would that be a "Yes" or a "No" to the question?

 

[Stranger]

Maybe I need to be more bluntly specific....
Would God ever leave a note in someone's mailbox... or, in your mind, is that a flat-out impossibility? (I'm deliberately moving away from "the small, still, inner voice" speaking to our hearts.)
Would God use this sort of communication today?

Is anything impossible with God?

I got a whole stack of letters from God. I find them in the mailbox quite often. I know they are from Him because they say, 'from God'. They say I need to love everybody. I need to help everybody. I need to do good things to everybody. I need to not pay so much attention to the Bible and just do good to my fellow man. They say this is the real Jesus.

But, there is no post mark on them.

Stranger

 

[Butterfly]

Nothing Is impossible , I would love to recieve a letter from God- but then, like Mack would I actually believe it was from him. It took him time, and the only way he could prove it in the end was to follow what it said.
I have found that God has communicated to me in many ways, and through many genres - but I love to write letters and love to journal to God - so if he put pen to paper I would love that.
I say ' yes ' - even though I do find it a little bit difficult to grasp .

I have been writing the questions out myself, some of them are very thought provoking, but sometimes personal - sadly I have been ill this week and have not had a chance to sit down and really reflect on them.

Butterfly

 

[bbyrd009]

Are you meaning that He would not make such a note just materialize, but that He would, instead, have to have a human being (a real, living person) pen it and mail (or deliver) it?

hmm, i'm not real comfortable with "have to have" there, but categorically yes. i'm more inclined to believe it was a person possibly led by the Spirit anyway; imo God has written all He needs to for us already? But i'm not fam with the source, or the note, etc, so really i'm just spitballing.

oh, The Shack. Guess i'll hafta get through watching it just to stay relevant lol. Tried twice already

 

[Willie T]

hmm, i'm not real comfortable with "have to have" there, but categorically yes. i'm more inclined to believe it was a person possibly led by the Spirit anyway; imo God has written all He needs to for us already? But i'm not fam with the source, or the note, etc, so really i'm just spitballing.

oh, The Shack. Guess i'll hafta get through watching it just to stay relevant lol. Tried twice already

Just to inform you that not only does the film not really follow the book, but also that the author, himself, plainly states the book is a work of pure fiction. So, no one is trying to find out if a note was ever delivered to someone.

 

[Willie T]

Nothing Is impossible , I would love to recieve a letter from God- but then, like Mack would I actually believe it was from him. It took him time, and the only way he could prove it in the end was to follow what it said.
I have found that God has communicated to me in many ways, and through many genres - but I love to write letters and love to journal to God - so if he put pen to paper I would love that.
I say ' yes ' - even though I do find it a little bit difficult to grasp .

I have been writing the questions out myself, some of them are very thought provoking, but sometimes personal - sadly I have been ill this week and have not had a chance to sit down and really reflect on them.

Butterfly

BTW, I have compiled 28 pages of questions and comments on this book if anyone is interested. Just ask me for them.