Reasoning with God and the value of a Christian forum

[Karl Peters]

Is 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together ,”Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.

That is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I like reasoning - both with myself and others. I just kind of like figuring out what right and not right, so I reason.

I am like the kid who is always saying, "Why" and also willing to put out a reason why something doesn't seem right to me.

And frankly, there is nobody better to talk to than the Lord!!

Yet I am not the only one who hears from Him. Indeed, for hearing from Him I know that He speaks to everyone, though not all believe in Him and understand. So some do hear from Him better than others, but a word from Him just happen to come through anyone at any time. So there is value coming to this forum. It goes back to the "iron sharpens iron" statement in the Bible.

Now one of the problems with reasoning with the Lord, is that He is always right!! That means you are never going to win that arguement.

Then of course one of the great benefits of reasoning with the Lord, is that He is always right!! So you can instantly get the right and correct answer.

Now that is not true in discussions on a even a Christian Forum. But it might be partially true, because He gives us all parts and not the complete picture.

So what I do is try and listen to the Lord, then post the topic He asks me to post - then look at each answer posted back and take those answers to the Lord for hear what He has to say, and return with my understanding of what He told me. Note: my understanding even of what He told me is still my understanding! Still I find that doing this gives me a much better understanding of His thinking.

That is a nice value of posting on the forum and looking to reason with the Lord at the same time!

Still, look closely at the verse. That is not the greatest value that comes from reasoning with Him. Salvation is obtained from reasoning with Him! We are saved by faith, but faith comes from hearing a word from Him. And reasoning with Him requires hearing a word from Him!!

 

[1stCenturyLady]

I must have lived a sheltered life, because it wasn't until I came onto my first Christian forum did I hear some of the crazy beliefs in some of the other denominations. I had already been in three different denominations. The one I was raised in until I was 23, and lost a debate with a friend. I saw the falsehood in my original denomination. But the second one had its faults too, namely the definition of grace and cessationism. I left it mainly over the falsehood of cessationism; I didn't learn the true meaning of grace until years later (decades actually).

Christian forums makes you seek the truth. There is one Author of the Word of God, and therefore only one true interpretation of verses and theology. That is what all these forums make me seek.

 

[Karl Peters]

I must have lived a sheltered life, because it wasn't until I came onto my first Christian forum did I hear some of the crazy beliefs in some of the other denominations. I had already been in three different denominations. The one I was raised in until I was 23, and lost a debate with a friend. I saw the falsehood in my original denomination. But the second one had its faults to, namely the definition of grace and cessationism. I left it mainly over the falsehood of cessationism; I didn't learn the true meaning of grace until years later (decades actually).

Christian forums makes you seek the truth. There is one Author of the Word of God, and therefore only one true interpretation of verses and theology. That is what all these forums make me seek.

I like it - but of course I am hoping the last line is actually mean to read: That is who all these forums make me seek

Christian forums should make us all seek Jesus Christ, right?

 

[1stCenturyLady]

I like it - but of course I am hoping the last line is actually mean to read: That is who all these forums make me seek

Christian forums should make us all seek Jesus Christ, right?

The forums made me ask God to wipe my mind of all man-made denominational beliefs, and ask Him to teach me His meaning. The forums showed me the humongous amount of false doctrine there is in the Church. What I want to know is the ONE true meaning of every verse, and what they mean. Now years later I have a very good understanding of the gospel, and learning new things all the time.

I'm not praising the forums. I'm praising the ONE AUTHOR. I was seeking God long before I ever joined a forum site.

 

[Gottservant]

I like reasoning about God, too.

Something that always vexed me was the idea that "God knows you, better than you knew yourself" I have reasoned a lot about that (and actually I think God is on my side, He doesn't want people knowing Him better than He knew Himself!).

A lot of the time I come to the conclusion that if I hadn't reasoned as much, I would have more peace - but them's the breaks I think!

 

[Karl Peters]

The forums made me ask God to wipe my mind of all man-made denominational beliefs, and ask Him to teach me His meaning. The forums showed me the humongous amount of false doctrine there is in the Church. What I want to know is the ONE true meaning of every verse, and what they mean. Now years later I have a very good understanding of the gospel, and learning new things all the time.

I'm not praising the forums. I'm praising the ONE AUTHOR. I was seeking God long before I ever joined a forum site.

Yeah me neither!! I am not praising the forums, but praising God for the forums and all else He created!!

I mean - if you indeed found God then you surely must know He created things for a purpose, right?

And if He showed you the "false doctrine" then you learn from what He was showing you, right?

And if He showed you all that, then He surely must have shown you about His church (His people) right?

And if showed you about all that, then He should and talked to you about all His creation, right?

So why is it you don't understand that I don't praise the forum, but I recognize the value and wisdom He had for having a Christian forum!!

Was it really Him who asked you to wipe your mind of all man-made denominations????????

He did not tell John, as we read in the book of the Bible called "Revelation" so wipe his mind of all the churches, but rather to write to them!!

Perhaps you need to go back and talk to Him about why He is having you do one thing, whereas He had John do another, as is recorded in the Bible?


Just a little testimony - I hear from Him, and He talks to me. We walk and talk together, and I love that. Never-the-less, He keeps taking me back to church. I usually don't think I need that, and I don't necessarily like it - but actually I do most of the time when I do go like He asks. Still, He has to ask me to be pretty much every time I go, except when I have already committed to Him to do a ministry for Him. Then I go when that ministry asks, because I committed to Him. Still - He is the One who gets me to church. He is also the One who gets me posting on this forum. I do it because He tells me. And I have come to know that if He tells me, He has a purpose for it!

Still - He has not asked me to "wipe my mind" of what others people think!! Instead He asks me to come to Him with what other people say and think and listen to what He tells me about it!!! Paul said He took all thoughts captive to Jesus Christ - which is what He askes me to do - put I confess I am not all that great at taking all things captive to Him. Still - I told to Him about what is on my mind everyday!

And you know what - He uses what other people say to me to teach me things. Some are the good things they are thinking, and He elaborates on them. Others are the wrong things they are thinking, and He elaborates on them. Yet most of them have some good things that He points ouy, and some bad things that He points out. That is not "wiping my mind" it is Him using what He created to teach me.

Honestly - trying to completely separate God from His creation makes no-sense!! And that is not what we read in the Bible. Yeah - some are going to be tossed into the fire when the time comes - but the Lord I know does not want anyone to perish!!! So He does not forget about them but tries to help them!!

 

[1stCenturyLady]

So why is it you don't understand that I don't praise the forum, but I recognize the value and wisdom He had for having a Christian forum!!

Was it really Him who asked you to wipe your mind of all man-made denominations????????

He did not tell John, as we read in the book of the Bible called "Revelation" so wipe his mind of all the churches, but rather to write to them!!

I clarified my own experience. I don't know you, so it wasn't about you.

Yes, God did. Back in 2000 He spoke to me and told me He was giving me the office of Teacher. Ephesians 4. Because I can hear his voice so clearly, I asked Him that if there was anything false I've kept in my beliefs, that He wipe those out of my mind. And He did. He also replaced them with the Truth.

Now I write books, but what I've learned seems to be new to the world's denominations, but was fresh in the 1st Century. On Sundays I go to a small church to refresh their beliefs back to John Wesley's original teachings on holiness. Then on Wed. night, I am part of a home Bible study with 3 to 5 pastors and their families, and me.

The letters to the seven churches were three-fold prophecies.

1. Church ages.
2. Particular churches
3. Particular types of Christians.

If you read them then you know Jesus was pleased with some, but warned others that their doctrines were false and they needed to repent and overcome. It is interesting that to the church of Sardis, which is the church age of the Reformation, that it started out very popular, but Jesus said about their doctrine "you have a name that you are alive but you are dead." Now wouldn't you want to recognize false doctrines and make sure you don't believe any of them yourself? There are more false doctrines in the church than their are correct doctrine. Jesus said in Matthew 7:14-15

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

 

[yokefellow]

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. - Isaiah 1:17-18 (KJV)

I love these verses as well. It sounds like God is saying, "Come on, if you will only listen to Me, I will bless you and pardon your sins." We need to understand God's reasoning; He surely doesn't need to understand ours. His reasoning is true and right, and that’s all that matters. We need to do it His way.

His yoke is easy …

 

[Karl Peters]

Yesterday I was going to post about a response someone had made, but He stopped me. So I talked to Him yesterday, and went over what I was going to post. I asked Him what was wrong with it. He was telling me that wasn't the problem. Ok, what was the problem. Mostly it was the timing. The next day, today, He started talking to me again and brough up some things He wanted. He mainly wanted me to get back at the topic, because that is the important thing He was trying to get through.

What He want expressed is that hearing from His voice should mean that we reason with Him. That is how we are going to learn!!

He reminded me something He once told me, which was, "Karl, I am not trying to make zombies for Good"!

I once heard a preacher say, 'When God asks you to jump, just jump and don't ask Him how high!"

Well, that is wrong!! When He gives you instructions, He still wants you to ask questions if you have them!!

He told me that He was not trying to make blind servant but rather sons which can see and understand!!

The Lord Our God Jesus Christ is not only the King of Kings, He is the Teacher and also the Wonderful Counselor!!



Now knowing that, what type of spirit is then expecting you to just listen and do and not ask questions????

The more you get to know Him, and so the more you practice listening to Him, the better you are at discerning between good and evil spirits!!

Now that was what I was going to cover yesterday, and it needs to be covered, but it we just start reasoning with Him we will start practicing listening to Him and get that understanding of what good and evil sounds like. God is Good - He wants to teach you, give you understanding, help you with your problems, give you wonderful counsel, and all that means more than just hearing a "word" from Him, it means reasoning with Him!!

We need to practice talking back and forth with the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, whose name is callled "The Word of God", because He has the WORDS OF GOD for us personally.

Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.