The Christian Thread

Hi everyone.

Yet again I will be preaching Wednesday, the 13th in my church. Please, those that are willing, pray that God gives me the message he wants me to bring, and the eloquence to speak it.

Epignosis wrote: That said, don't get discouraged that so many people mess up what the Bible teaches.  There's a true interpretation of every sentence (sometimes two), and it really isn't hard to come by (after all, many of Jesus's closest disciples were unschooled fishermen); we just have to be willing to invest in a little time and effect getting the cultural foundation down.

That's why there is the Catholic Church. ;-)

Slartibartfast wrote: Deathrabbit wrote: I just try to believe and be good to myself and others and realize my potential. That's my religion/philosophy. I find things simpler if I don't get involved in all the trappings of organized religion. So I guess you could call me a freelance Christian. I used to be a pretty hard-line methodist type, but then I began to worry that I might end up following man's rules instead of God's, so I severed ties with my church. I was raised Methodist, but I never considered them to be hard line type of Christians.

Well, less hard line than some, but one the reasons I left was that every election time, whoever was pastor would always talk about how conservative voting was a vote for God and liberal voting was t3h Satanz. Also all their interpretations of the BIble seemed pretty dang literal. That's one of my theories actually, is that pretty much everyone misunderstands the teachings of Jesus. After all, it happened a bunch to the people that were actually there, yet most of us come along 2000 years later and just assume we've got it all figured out. I'm pretty sure God facepalms quite a bit at most people's interpretations of the Bible, mine included.




Edited by Deathrabbit - April 25 2009 at 23:54

No Bothy.  No.

I won't lie and make things up.  I don't feel "Jesus in me."  Not in any way I can quantify.  I guess some do, but I don't believe that's how it works.

I say Jesus is in me by recognizing that some evil things I participated in years before are not things I do now.  As I grow in grace, I grow in generosity.

The Bible talks about Christians conforming to the image of Christ.  That means a Christian will, over time, become more and more like Jesus.  It's inevitable.


Edited by Epignosis - April 25 2009 at 22:02

Deathrabbit wrote: I just try to believe and be good to myself and others and realize my potential. That's my religion/philosophy. I find things simpler if I don't get involved in all the trappings of organized religion. So I guess you could call me a freelance Christian. I used to be a pretty hard-line methodist type, but then I began to worry that I might end up following man's rules instead of God's, so I severed ties with my church.

I was raised Methodist, but I never considered them to be hard line type of Christians.

I pray that you just stay on the road you're on, Bird.  Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will fall into place.  You've gone to the right source, friend, just stay with it.

Well, I meant to post this yesterday since Easter would have seemed a more appropriate day. But we had family over, I forgot about the time, etc etc. So instead I come here today with a prayer request.

Normally I tend to keep others in my thought/prayers. But right now I think I need a few myself. I've been born and raised in a Catholic family, and lucky to be blessed with one that loves me and cares about my well-being very much. But around my senior year in high school, I started having questions and negative thoughts about my faith so I started drifting away from it. A couple of weeks ago though I found an old Bible in my room from grade school and have since been reading it for at least 20-30 minutes every day. I'm kind of doing that old "say a little prayer, open it up to a random page, and begin reading" deal and almost every time I've read it, it's spoken to me personally. Basically I guess I'm asking all of you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I try to rediscover my faith life. I'm not really sure what direction it's going to go from here, but I feel like I'm being guided along somehow. Thanks!

I can't remember when I last time went to a church to prey (I was born in a catholic family). I haven't been much into religion for a long time. But for some time when I pass by a church I feel the urge to step inside. Sometimes I do. I look around and go out. I feel like I'm missing something...

<sup>From the pen of James (chapter 2):

14</sup> What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

 ¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

 ¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

 ¹⁷Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

James makes a tough point here- one that is hard to appreciate.  Yes, a man is saved by faith in Jesus Christ, but if no good works are manifested as a result, then we can only conclude that that man did not have faith at all.

Why is this?

It makes sense, actually: If you have faith in God (remember from my earlier post- faith is complete trust in God, who was faithful to us in caring for us and cleansing us from sin), then it stands to reason you will not lean on the crutch of money or possessions.

You could sell everything you own and give it to the less fortunate while proclaiming the Gospel to them, and have assurance that God will take care of us.

So what makes us so timid about going out of our way to help others who need it?

I haven't had a job since July.  But I've never once done without, and neither has my family.  I should have more confidence that I can be God's instrument to the needy and provide myself a fair opportunity to share with them the good news of my Savior.