Why Are You A Christian?

[BarneyFife]

Just keep giving God the glory, my friend and brother in Christ!

This reminds me of your very first words to me here ar CyB:

"Then carry on, my friend!"

​

 

[Helen]

Wow! I had forgotten this thread …

thanks to @amadeus for the reminder of our discussion back in ‘18 when I went by the ‘handle‘ of ByGrace on here. I’d love to go all the way back to even 2000 or before….and see what we were discussing there …good days

( Its good to see you post brother , we still pray for your health and return of vitality )

I presume that I posted on here somewhere in this thread back in ‘21 …..
I must take a look ….whatever I said then I have no idea …but right now , today , I can only say that I became a Christian because I kept feeling God nudging me , and asking me what my life was about…and a yearning hunger came over me at that time (1964 ) to know Him and end up with Him when-
“ Time is no longer “.
Blessings ….H

 

[amigo de christo]

My friend amadeus is here .

 

[amadeus]

@amadeus

John, it's testimonies like yours above that make wading through the junk you'll find here worth the effort.

My testimonies, which I have shared from time to time over the years on forums like this one are real, which is why people with open and hungry hearts are filled. God does the filling but if you or I or the other guy are available with something God can use, He may do just that.

We so often argue over trivialities but then while reading your testimony I got a re-realization that, while I've never been involved with Catholicism or Pentecostalism, the way God has apparently worked to reach your heart is so similar to the way He's worked to reach mine that the differences seem almost meaningless by comparison.

I can look back on it now and really see the growing process in myself. Though now working on my 80th year, it is not over yet. I want to be more like Him before my time here is finished.

It embarrasses me to really think about the way I've often thundered away to protect institutions and forms of worship.

So have I done such things. Probably most everyone has. Hopefully everyone who has, has also learned something good from it. What a mighty God we serve!

I do believe God has some things in mind for us that seem unimportant but are not, for reasons that ONLY HE can ultimately make clear to the individual heart, but I'm coming to believe more and more that the closer we draw to Him, the less we will fail to take advantage of the opportunities all around us to partake of the joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Our opportunities, our God-given opportunities! How many of them became real testimonies of the right Way... or sometimes of the wrong way. Keep on trekking with Him... as He leads us.

 

[amadeus]

My friend amadeus is here .

And our God is here all of the time. Sometimes when we get sidetracked, we miss Him and His Way, but He does not forget us and will lift us back up if we like Peter sinking in the water call out..."Lord, save me"!

 

[amigo de christo]

And our God is here all of the time. Sometimes when we get sidetracked, we miss Him and His Way, but He does not forget us and will lift us back up if we like Peter sinking in the water call out..."Lord, save me"!

And just as GOD does that , HE often used men to remind those in any error to repent of said error .
I notice a problem within some places today .
IF i come along and remind folks to repent of said error , they tell me To stop judging and that is GODS JOB to correct them .
BUT did not GOD through paul and the apostels BY THE SPIRIT correct the church . HE DOES WORK through men .
AS i am SURE and have NO DOUBT you agree with that . just wanted to REMIND us all of that .

 

[amigo de christo]

Ol amigo aint the hater of humanity judging monster a lot of folks think i am . I DO LOVE the peoples
that is why i continually remind with truth and correction .

 

[amadeus]

And just as GOD does that , HE often used men to remind those in any error to repent of said error .
I notice a problem within some places today .
IF i come along and remind folks to repent of said error , they tell me To stop judging and that is GODS JOB to correct them .
BUT did not GOD through paul and the apostels BY THE SPIRIT correct the church . HE DOES WORK through men .
AS i am SURE and have NO DOUBT you agree with that . just wanted to REMIND us all of that .

Do you remember this song my friend about reminders?

 

[amadeus]

Ol amigo aint the hater of humanity judging monster a lot of folks think i am . I DO LOVE the peoples
that is why i continually remind with truth and correction .

And you are loved by this brother as well..!

 

[amadeus]

Ol amigo aint the hater of humanity judging monster a lot of folks think i am . I DO LOVE the peoples
that is why i continually remind with truth and correction .

If God specifically called you to do that, what else can you do? Always be led by the Spirit in all that you do or say. Without Him we can really do nothing...

 

[amigo de christo]

Do you remember this song my friend about reminders?

So long as i am in this tabernacle i will stir you up by way of remembrance . PETER , sometime is AD sixites .
For years i have known the gift GOD gave to me .
EXHORTATION . to always remind all continously of the truth , of the truth of scriptures that stir folks up .
IT has brought me great joy to always exhort . Though it has been met with hatred by a lot .
And peter and them made sure the church would always have those things in remembrance whereby they could be
stirred up . THEY collected them letters my friend . THE BIBLE IS A HUGE way to be continually stirred up to remembrance
and stay stirred up . Exhortation has been my gift my friend . Always pointing to the LORD and His holy words .
And even though i know some folks knows the truth and be established in it , STILL i will by grace
continually stir them up as well . The flesh is contrary my friend . WE ALL NEED THOSE REMINDERS .
And the moment we think we dont , IS NOT A GOOD MOMENT at all .
Its true , by grace i have read the bible for hours , every day for over seventeen years now .
AND YET it has not once occured to me that i have read it enough and can now stop .
NOPE , ITS always just a love to keep reading it , to keep being reminding , to keep being stirred up
by the TRUTH OF GOD . OF COURSE that is the SPIRIT working In me to REMIND ME OF THIS . SO i remind others as well .

 

[amadeus]

Wow! I had forgotten this thread …

thanks to @amadeus for the reminder of our discussion back in ‘18 when I went by the ‘handle‘ of ByGrace on here. I’d love to go all the way back to even 2000 or before….and see what we were discussing there …good days

( Its good to see you post brother , we still pray for your health and return of vitality )

I presume that I posted on here somewhere in this thread back in ‘21 …..
I must take a look ….whatever I said then I have no idea …but right now , today , I can only say that I became a Christian because I kept feeling God nudging me , and asking me what my life was about…and a yearning hunger came over me at that time (1964 ) to know Him and end up with Him when-
“ Time is no longer “.
Blessings ….H

Do Hymns have any revelancy?

Do you think the songs we sing in church mean much in the way we think about Christianity? This is a small excerpt from a book none of you will probably ever read: The whole rise of Western Civilization — science and technology, medicine, the arts, constitutionalism, the jury system, free...

www.christianityboard.com

 

[amigo de christo]

Amadeus , march ever onwards in the LORD my friend . To HE be the glory .

 

[Jim B]

And just as GOD does that , HE often used men to remind those in any error to repent of said error .
I notice a problem within some places today .
IF i come along and remind folks to repent of said error , they tell me To stop judging and that is GODS JOB to correct them .
BUT did not GOD through paul and the apostels BY THE SPIRIT correct the church . HE DOES WORK through men .
AS i am SURE and have NO DOUBT you agree with that . just wanted to REMIND us all of that .

What "said error"?

 

[Jim B]

Ol amigo aint the hater of humanity judging monster a lot of folks think i am . I DO LOVE the peoples
that is why i continually remind with truth and correction .

 

[Jim B]

So long as i am in this tabernacle i will stir you up by way of remembrance . PETER , sometime is AD sixites .
For years i have known the gift GOD gave to me .
EXHORTATION . to always remind all continously of the truth , of the truth of scriptures that stir folks up .
IT has brought me great joy to always exhort . Though it has been met with hatred by a lot .
And peter and them made sure the church would always have those things in remembrance whereby they could be
stirred up . THEY collected them letters my friend . THE BIBLE IS A HUGE way to be continually stirred up to remembrance
and stay stirred up . Exhortation has been my gift my friend . Always pointing to the LORD and His holy words .
And even though i know some folks knows the truth and be established in it , STILL i will by grace
continually stir them up as well . The flesh is contrary my friend . WE ALL NEED THOSE REMINDERS .
And the moment we think we dont , IS NOT A GOOD MOMENT at all .
Its true , by grace i have read the bible for hours , every day for over seventeen years now .
AND YET it has not once occured to me that i have read it enough and can now stop .
NOPE , ITS always just a love to keep reading it , to keep being reminding , to keep being stirred up
by the TRUTH OF GOD . OF COURSE that is the SPIRIT working In me to REMIND ME OF THIS . SO i remind others as well .

You don't exhort, you judge and condemn. Get real!

 

[Brakelite]

Wow! I had forgotten this thread …

thanks to @amadeus for the reminder of our discussion back in ‘18 when I went by the ‘handle‘ of ByGrace on here. I’d love to go all the way back to even 2000 or before….and see what we were discussing there …good days

( Its good to see you post brother , we still pray for your health and return of vitality )

I presume that I posted on here somewhere in this thread back in ‘21 …..
I must take a look ….whatever I said then I have no idea …but right now , today , I can only say that I became a Christian because I kept feeling God nudging me , and asking me what my life was about…and a yearning hunger came over me at that time (1964 ) to know Him and end up with Him when-
“ Time is no longer “.
Blessings ….H

Hey Helen, lovely to see you still around and kicking. Hope you and family are well. God bless.

 

[Brakelite]

@amadeus hello John. Thank you for sharing, I do vaguely remember you doing so previously many moons ago.
About chastisement. God is merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. He treats us always with love, and whatever chastisement he metes out, breaks us, but He knows we are able to bear it without being broken beyond repair.
There was a time when I also came under His chastising. My home came with my work, and I lost my job. So for a time we were homeless, and our car broke down. We, that is my wife and 5 young children, crammed into a friend's house in one room. Our stuff was in a car port under a tarpaulin. This experience, and a few additional crisis a short time later, led me back to Him. With you, it was after coming back, with me, it was too bring me back. Either way, Jesus was glorified and we both survived and I believe became stronger, and more determined to trust in His faithfulness, because of our experiences. We learn to trust Him. And He treats us not according to what we deserve, but according to His purposes and living faithfulness, and all the while knowing what we can bear, and what is best for us.
The very fact that our marriages survived, and our children still love and respect us, is testimony not to our skills in negotiating trouble, but to the reality of a loving God guiding, counseling, and working miracles throughout our lives despite arrogance, pride, stubbornness and ignorance. (I am speaking for myself, would not dare to load the latter upon yourself).
As you have said so often over the 10 or more years I have known you my friend, GIVE GOD THE GLORY!!

 

[amadeus]

@amadeus hello John. Thank you for sharing, I do vaguely remember you doing so previously many moons ago.
About chastisement. God is merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. He treats us always with love, and whatever chastisement he metes out, breaks us, but He knows we are able to bear it without being broken beyond repair.
There was a time when I also came under His chastising. My home came with my work, and I lost my job. So for a time we were homeless, and our car broke down. We, that is my wife and 5 young children, crammed into a friend's house in one room. Our stuff was in a car port under a tarpaulin. This experience, and a few additional crisis a short time later, led me back to Him. With you, it was after coming back, with me, it was too bring me back. Either way, Jesus was glorified and we both survived and I believe became stronger, and more determined to trust in His faithfulness, because of our experiences. We learn to trust Him. And He treats us not according to what we deserve, but according to His purposes and living faithfulness, and all the while knowing what we can bear, and what is best for us.
The very fact that our marriages survived, and our children still love and respect us, is testimony not to our skills in negotiating trouble, but to the reality of a loving God guiding, counseling, and working miracles throughout our lives despite arrogance, pride, stubbornness and ignorance. (I am speaking for myself, would not dare to load the latter upon yourself).
As you have said so often over the 10 or more years I have known you my friend, GIVE GOD THE GLORY!!

Amen!

Ro 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

[Jim B]

And just as GOD does that , HE often used men to remind those in any error to repent of said error .
I notice a problem within some places today .
IF i come along and remind folks to repent of said error , they tell me To stop judging and that is GODS JOB to correct them .
BUT did not GOD through paul and the apostels BY THE SPIRIT correct the church . HE DOES WORK through men .
AS i am SURE and have NO DOUBT you agree with that . just wanted to REMIND us all of that .

Worthless self-justification! Read the Bible with an open mind and learn what it actually says, not what you want it to say.

P.S. There were never people called "apostels". There is no such word in the Bible (or elsewhere).