Whose government do you defend or speak good about?

[Buzzfruit]

God's people don't have to arm themselves because they know that God will bring them justice.


Romans 12:19-21 (ESV)
[sup]19 [/sup]Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
[sup]20 [/sup]To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
[sup]21 [/sup]Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.


When Paul was persecuting the Church what did God do? He made Paul whom was the greatest human enemy of the Church to become the greatest champion of the gospel......he labored more than all. What better way to defeat an enemy than making him part of your family? But in regards to Satan God convert Satan's instrument against Christians to one that is responsible for the spreading of the gospel to much of the gentiles. It is far better to let God deal with one’s enemy than to take matters in our own hands.

 

[Prentis]

Then you are against Christ, for He commanded His disciples to go buy a sword who didn't yet have one (Luke 22). I'm glad you're not in any position of responsibility to protect Christ's Church from those who would come in to destroy. We all would have been dead a long time ago.

I'm sure glad Constantine got it right... If only Peter, Paul, Stephen, and all the first Christians understood that we must take up the sword, maybe we would be better off!

:blink:

Who are we kidding? We are called to die for our enemies and give our lives for those to whom we bring the gospel. 'Christ died for us while we were still ungodly', shouts the preacher, and as they pick up stones to kill him, he takes a gun out of his bag, 'don't you dare resist the gospel!'

Well... He sure isn't following the example of Jesus, who died for the ungodly!

The idea of a 'holy war', to protect our religion and our country by the sword, actually came FROM Islam. The Muslims, we must love them, and die for their sakes.

 

[veteran]

Christ did not command us all to literally be crucified upon a cross like He was. Those who think all of us were, need to get over their 'Jesus complex' in wanting to be Christ.

As a matter of fact, in the Philippines, a sordid practice used to happen each year, with volunteers getting physically nailed to a cross to simulate Christ's crucifixion. That is a turning of Christ's crucifixion into a pagan superstitious practice.

God bless those of His people that are willing to defend and protect His people from His enemies, just like the security guards in that Church which shot that devil who was armed to the teeth that tried to enter into the congregation to do murder.

 

[Prentis]

We should desire to be emptied of ourselves to be filled with Christ. Anything less would not qualify us to be his disciples.

Of course, it is of no merit to us, as we are to seek no glory. But our part is to be dead, crucified, that he might live through us.

It is not about a literal death, we seek only the will of the Father. But all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Not some, all. We are to be conformed to him, anything less is spectatorship instead of discipleship. We are not supposed to be fans with the name Jesus on the back of our jereseys, we are supposed to be playing for his team.

 

[Insight]

God bless those of His people that are willing to defend and protect His people from His enemies, just like the security guards in that Church which shot that devil who was armed to the teeth that tried to enter into the congregation to do murder.

Let’s not trust in the Father to work His divine hand through our lives but take matters into our own hands.

I cannot comprehend this type of thinking would come from a confessing Christian.

How does one reconcile the Masters examples with actively promoting the killing of others?

leads to

 

[veteran]

We should desire to be emptied of ourselves to be filled with Christ. Anything less would not qualify us to be his disciples.

Of course, it is of no merit to us, as we are to seek no glory. But our part is to be dead, crucified, that he might live through us.

It is not about a literal death, we seek only the will of the Father. But all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Not some, all. We are to be conformed to him, anything less is spectatorship instead of discipleship. We are not supposed to be fans with the name Jesus on the back of our jereseys, we are supposed to be playing for his team.

Shouldn't confuse Pacifism with the authority and power Christ has given His servants to do battle against His enemies. Sometimes those battles are spiritual only, and then sometimes they are literal as what happened in that Church with the lone gunman reveals.

Let’s not trust in the Father to work His divine hand through our lives but take matters into our own hands.

I cannot comprehend this type of thinking would come from a confessing Christian.

How does one reconcile the Masters examples with actively promoting the killing of others?

leads to

Only a Liberal Leftist would label an act of self-defense against a criminal ATTACK by a murderer as a promotion of the killing of others.

I feel sorry for you brand of logic, because it is in reality the act of promoting murders by refusing to defend against them.

 

[veteran]

This reminds me of the awful act that sons of Belial did in the area of Benjamin's inheritance per Judges 19 and 20. An elderly Levite priest had a wife that played the harlot and they were traveling and came to the city of Gibeah of Benjamin. They rested in a public place until one living there told they can't remain there, and to come to his house and he would provide lodging. So they went. And after a while, men appearing outside the man's house as commanded the householder to bring the man outside so they could sexually 'know' him. The householder refused, and eventually the Levite sent his harlot concubine out to them, whom they raped all night until she lay dead at the threshold the next morning.

Then her husband took her body and cut it into 12 pieces, and sent a piece to each of the tribes of Israel. Then all Israel gathered together as one man, and just about completely wiped out the inheritance of Benjamin.

Are those the kind of times we want in our nation today? Let the sons of Belial run free and it will be guaranteed to brings times in our nation just like those.

 

[Prentis]

We shouldn't confuse divine authority with the earthly authority and power of the flesh.

We go as lambs led to the slaughter.

 

[Buzzfruit]

We shouldn't confuse divine authority with the earthly authority and power of the flesh.

We go as lambs led to the slaughter.

But at the same time we must realize that we have been given authority. We are kings, even though it is not apparent that we are.

 

[Prentis]

Yes, we have authority, and power to overcome.

But in this time, we do not take authority over men, we are rather to be the servants of all. We preach the word, and we follow the commands, rather than man. But if man will crucify us for this, let it be so, and may God forgive them, because they don't know what they are doing!

 

[Buzzfruit]

Yes, we have authority, and power to overcome.

But in this time, we do not take authority over men, we are rather to be the servants of all. We preach the word, and we follow the commands, rather than man. But if man will crucify us for this, let it be so, and may God forgive them, because they don't know what they are doing!

You know, one that has real power and authority use it for the benefit of others......that is what I king does. Back in the days long before the system of democracy there were kings. And in a king's empire it was his responsibility to provide for his subjects in order for them to live and make a living. He provided the land and what is on it.....this was how a king was able to build his empire up......a portion of what his subjects produced on what he gave them he received. So in God's kingdom those who will rule with Him will serve those they rule over and give them what they need to prosper and make a living. So we have been given a little now to use and if faithful when Jesus returns we will be given a lot.



Jesus’ parable about the faithful servants



Matthew 25:21 (ASV)
[sup]21 [/sup]His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Luke 19:16-19 (BBE)
[sup]16 [/sup]And the first came before him, saying, Lord, your pound has made ten pounds.
[sup]17 [/sup]And he said to him, You have done well, O good servant: because you have done well in a small thing you will have authority over ten towns.
[sup]18 [/sup]And another came, saying, Your pound has made five pounds.
[sup]19 [/sup]And he said, You will be ruler over five towns.

 

[Prentis]

Agreed! With the brothers, we do this already now.

 

[Buzzfruit]

Agreed! With the brothers, we do this already now.

That's why we will be rewarded according to our works......what we do now with the little that God has given us will tell God what we will do when we are given much.

 

[Prentis]

Amen! He who is faithful in little things is faithful in great things!

 

[Buzzfruit]

Amen! He who is faithful in little things is faithful in great things!

Correct..

 

[Buzzfruit]

Everyone, here is one man that understands what message Jesus preached, which we also should be preaching to the world.....the kingdom message is for the world.....they need to know that God has a kingdom and that He is inviting any and all who believe this kingdom message.

Dr Myles Munroe (The kingdom of God) It is one of six parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0Uc90SosM4

 

[veteran]

Everyone, here is one man that understands what message Jesus preached, which we also should be preaching to the world.....the kingdom message is for the world.....they need to know that God has a kingdom and that He is inviting any and all who believe this kingdom message.

Dr Myles Munroe (The kingdom of God) It is one of six parts.

Dry. Myles Munroe's coverage of the Kingdom concept is pretty good.

Yet our Lord Jesus did establish a temporary kingdom structure here on earth through His Church, but Dr. Munroe only recognized it as man's statism of the United Kingdom concept.

If that earthly structure had never existed, then The Gospel would not have reached the Bahamas in the way it did.

He's very correct that we should not look upon the faithful of other's religious beliefs as enemies, but "with sympathy" for their not yet having found The Kingdom which our Lord Jesus preached and that He has only. Many today are misinterpreting that sympathy as an excuse to join in the 'religious' practices of other religions, which is only the going into more darkness away from The True Kingdom in Christ Jesus.

 

[Insight]

This reminds me of the awful act that sons of Belial did in the area of Benjamin's inheritance per Judges 19 and 20. An elderly Levite priest had a wife that played the harlot and they were traveling and came to the city of Gibeah of Benjamin. They rested in a public place until one living there told they can't remain there, and to come to his house and he would provide lodging. So they went. And after a while, men appearing outside the man's house as commanded the householder to bring the man outside so they could sexually 'know' him. The householder refused, and eventually the Levite sent his harlot concubine out to them, whom they raped all night until she lay dead at the threshold the next morning.

Then her husband took her body and cut it into 12 pieces, and sent a piece to each of the tribes of Israel. Then all Israel gathered together as one man, and just about completely wiped out the inheritance of Benjamin.

Are those the kind of times we want in our nation today? Let the sons of Belial run free and it will be guaranteed to brings times in our nation just like those.

Judges 21:25

 

[us2are1]

I have not lost sight of that fact. But my point still remains........the vast majority of the Jews rejected Jesus.




I have been saying that for years.....a true Jew is inward (spiritual). So a Gentile Christian is a spiritual Jew and by faith he or she is a child of Abraham. A spiritual Jew is more a Jew than a Jew who is only a Jew by natural birth.

Those who reject Christ are not Jews they are the "synagog of satan" (Adversaries).

 

[Perspectives]

When Ezekiel 37 describes the comming together of the very dry bones, sinews (tendons) were needed for the skeleton to stand. This is a picture of Godly goverment. Without sinews as with a lack governmental oversight there is full blown kaos. The Gov't of God is a theocracy, what the King says is final. It also operates by love. Few see that the love of God is a combination of Judgement plus Mercy which equals Justice. I love my country, I obey it's laws, but I live for and in the goverment of my Father. That's the gov't I speak well of and don't need to defend.