A Christian Viewpoint

Personally I believe that a “tithe” is more like a token of thanks given to God for all the good things that he has given me. That is the premise for the tithe. There are many ways to give thanks. Monetary giving of thanks is but one method. The thankless heart will not go far in the kingdom. Be a cheerful giver. Do alms. Increase your treasure in heaven. Raise your hands to God and give thanks that he has accepted you into the family of believers. Do it out of love and not under law… and whatever you give will be accepted.
🙂

Mr. See and Mr. Soar were old friends. See
owned a saw and Soar owned a seesaw. Now
See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw before Soar
saw See, which made Soar sore. Had Soar
seen See’s saw before See saw Soar’s seesaw,
then See’s saw would not have sawed Soar’s
seesaw. But See saw Soar’s seesaw before
Soar saw See’s saw so See’s saw sawed Soar’s
seesaw. It was a shame to let See see Soar
so sore because See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw.

🙂

A heated discussion about what it means by Jesus became sin. This was my response to the discussion.

This discussion is like one over the word impute. As when Abraham believed God and that belief was imputed to Abraham for righteousness. Was the righteousness of Abraham real? Was it his or just a word game that righteousness rested on him but really wasn’t a part of him? Jesus on the cross had the sin(s) of the world imputed to him. If Jesus, who knew no sin, was given the sin, and he embraced it for his own, then when he died on the cross those sins were actually paid for. So was the sin his or not his? When you agree to take on the debt of another person do you not become the debtor? It is a game of semantics that can become very dangerous in its final outcome. As I see this thread going…

Regardless of what impute means, I thank God for the sacrifice that Jesus made to pay for the sin(s).

🙂

Where is the blasphemy?
A further response dated 22 March, 2005

I say with Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sounds to me that our sins were imputed to Jesus. If the word of God says that the iniquity of us all has been laid on Jesus… and I agree with that statement, how could I be wrong? You mentioned 1st Peter… but only one who is pure and not stained with iniquity can take on our sins (or as 1st Peter 2:24 writes “bore our sins in his body“) to pay for them. Everyone else dies because of their own sin. You mentioned 2 John… but that has to do with; following his commandment to love and to believe that Jesus came in the flesh.

Your response does not answer my question… “When you agree to take on the debt of another person do you not become the debtor?”

🙂

Someone complained about holy laughter, rolling on the floor or barking like a dog.

It does not matter whether someone barks like a dog, gets slain in the spirit or laughs large. They can be manifestations of: the Spirit, a spirit, a mental disease, suggestiveness, or a plain and simple show. What is important is to have the discernment to know which of these they are. I have seen the rolling, heard the barking and chuckled along with the laughter. Sometimes I knew it was the Spirit. Sometime I knew it was one of the other reasons. Most times I didn’t know. One must be careful not to smudge the working of the Spirit. Listen to those you know have discernment to judge each act on its own. Then act or not accordingly. I find it is too easy these days for churches to quench the Spirit because of bad calls. Fear and bad judgment has taken its toll on the church.

In a furthur response…

Since you posted this under my sub-thread I would ask where is the problem? I have said that all manifestations need to be discerned as to origin. From what you write, if it doesn’t look holy it can be suspect… and some things you reject out of hand, like dog barking. So I fear the selectiveness is part of your post. Read my post again.

As for dog barking… I have heard it in several meetings that I have attended. Once the Spirit witnessed with me that is was of the enemy. The other times I received no witness from the Spirit as to the root of the manifestation. Yet I will not say they were of God or not of God… no witness… no knowing. But like you I can give a pretty good guess. But guessing in these cases, as in all cases, is dangerous. If an angel of light appeared and told me something… without a witness from the Spirit I would not be too hasty to jump at the angel’s word. The enemy can appear as a messenger of the light. So can those who are his human servants.

The key is Discernment!

🙂

Gen 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

This is the fundamental concept of marriage. In later years sexual acts and who you can do them with became more restricted. There is no place within scripture where this basic model was repealed.

If the state wishes to include man with man or woman with woman, that is a state law. If some churches follow that pattern they will be judged according to “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Because of this, I am content to leave the final judgment in God’s hands.

There are times for learning and times for repentance. The Spirit will bring light to the word of God people have heard or read. What they do with it is up to them. If they choose wrongly, there may be a few more people looking on who are not allowed into the kingdom. It is faith that counts… but it is the faith that rests on God’s word for its foundation.

🙂

A conversation. Sometimes as baby just crying out with no reason why. As a child needing help or asking for help for others. As a teen too full of words and not enough language to speak them precisely. As an adult with knowledge and wisdom birthed of the Spirit. And tongues, when none of the above is fit for the purpose.

🙂

Heaven may be an interesting place. Hell may be a terrible place. According to Revelations everyone will be resurrected. Those who accepted “the faith” in whatever dispensation they were in will find themselves on a new earth with the new city of God, which is the residence of the Lamb, come down from heaven. Those who rejected “the faith” in whatever dispensation they were in will find themselves in the lake of fire. Heaven and hell are but rest stops to the final destination which is home again on the renewed earth for the faithful and the lake of fire for the rest.

:O

I read a post that talked about an evangelist speaking about people needing a spiritual enema.

It does seem crude but I certainly can see the point… One good dose of the Holy Spirit and all the spiritual and carnal filth you have been constipated with gets flushed out of your system. Seems to me that there are quite a few people who could use such a purgative. Hmmm…. come to think of it, it wouldn’t hurt me to get one on occasion. eww… What a mental image picture! wow… What a wonderful God! That evangelist certainly has a peculiar message and a needed work of God in others.

🙂

Have you felt the “Powerful Intimate Presence” of God? If you have you are witness to only a foreshadowing of what it will be like when our Lord returns in the heavens to snatch away his bride, the church. Know Him! More and more this day and everyday; and perfectly when he arrives.

🙂

Someone asked why do some Christians treat other Christians with physical problems as second class citizens of heaven? Do the sick lack faith, have hidden sin, etc.?

I have seen the same thing at work in a few other Christians. By no means are they the majority, except in some churches. There are many reasons why people do not have the healing they need. In a fully functioning church with all the gifts in manifestation and a heart of compassion I believe there would be many more healings in the church. Either the gift is missing or there is a lack of compassion, that creates the atmosphere for denial.

I find it peculiar that people lay the blame for someone not being healed at the feet of the hurting. Jesus himself told the people around him that they were off the mark when he said that they would take up this proverb against him… “physician heal thyself!” It seems we too have people going about saying the same thing to the hurting. Physician heal thyself… have we forgotten that Jesus is the great physician. If there is something blocking the healing it is up to the church to intercede on their behalf. But, without the gifts in full manifestation… only the easy ones are healed. You know, not the severity of the problem but those with no blocks to hinder.

In the end it is the grace of God not a formula nor the spouting of words spoken in presumption.

🙂