What is your mindset

[jim_buckley]

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth Col 3:2.

It is sad to have to say that the present-day Church is so earthy that it is of little earthly good. "Sir, we would see Jesus"! John 12:21.

The great failure of the Church was in giving up Paul. 'All. . . in Asia' did not give up evangelical truth but they gave up Paul; anything popular you may have, but not Paul. Why? Because Paul is heavenly.

It is essential that a believer have a clear understanding of his position before the Father–his place in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. This alone will give true peace of mind, joy and comfort of heart, strength for conflict and power for service. We will never be able to properly understand or fill our place for God on earth if we do not realize our God-given standing before Him in heaven.

And never forget that our place before the Father is His gift, and a gift worthy of the Giver; not a gift according to the measure of our worth but a gift intended to display the exceeding riches of the grace of the Giver. The greatness of the Giver then is the measure of the blessings that are mine in the Lord Jesus Christ, not what I am or what I deserve.

When you see and stand on your heavenly ground, you come to rest, just as the Father rests. You need not worry–only keep on that ground by your attitude of heart. If you are going to worry–if you must worry–worry lest you get down on earthly ground, for that is the ground of worry. Abide above! Heavenly things are in safe keeping–in the keeping of One who is 'far above all.

For ye have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God" Col 3:3.

[out]

Jim,

The mark of a Christian is how you live your life. You have given reams of your doctrine but how do you live out your doctrine in practical living? You have loads of old GG doctrines in your head. I disagree with those doctrines but that is a moot point to me. I know believers in GG who live the Christian faith and I know believers who have left that don't and vice versa.

I would like to know examples of how you put this theology into practice. Is Christ coming out of you with each person God puts in your path? Do you belong to a community of believers? Are you involved in helping others? Are you kind to your wife? Are you always thankful and never depressed? I am just wondering because all the doctrine in the world is worthless if not lived out.

And my other thought is how can you presume that those who post here are not living out their Christian faith in their daily lives? Couldn't it be that we differ in theology and still bare the mark of believer, both you, I and others?

out

[cordell]

'The present day Church?'

Would that be each local church which seems to be the only one you recognize the affairs of which are none of your damn business, or are you now acknowledging a larger concept, a body which you seem so quick to charge with being 'earthly'--are there actual 'people' in this 'church' whom you are knowing after the flesh or are you just expressing the 'impersonal' love of God in your own humble way?

Which is it jimmybuck? Is the 'church' local or universal? Make up your mind and stand your ground.

Your friend,
Mr. Drippy

[lana]

Messages, books, tapes, a constant barrage, cut off the thinking processes to assimulate into action the simple Word of God. Everyone was alike wanting more. We were caught up in this endless charade.that led to no where. We found ourselves stranded from ourselves. The words were real, but we wern't any more. You have to get out Bubkley to find this out.

[johncollins]

Lana said,

"We found ourselves stranded from ourselves."

That may be one of the most succinctly powerful descriptions of one of the many devastating things so many of us have experienced.

As you said, it was a constant barrage. The noise of so many, claiming to have divine revelation.

Even the pope does not claim (http://moses.creighton.edu/csrs/news/F96-1.html) that every word he speaks is from the throne...

Thanks, Lana.

[jim_buckley]

lana

"We found ourselves stranded from ourselves."

That is exactly what The Word of the Cross is suppose to do, separate the old man from the new.

So what your saying is that you demand the right to yourself whether Christ likes it or not and you'll have no part in His bloody old cross, it's your way or no way.

Then again I could be misunderstanding what you are saying, but it sounds to me that you seek your own independence.

[jim_buckley]

out

"The mark of a Christian is how you live your life."

If this is what you believe then maybe you should go bach in. You have departed from grace.

"Couldn't it be that we differ in theology and still bare the mark of believer, both you, I and others?"

Yes, it takes only simple faith alone in Christ alone to be saved. But salvation is only the beginning of the spiritual life. It's a long road of taking up our cross daily (realizing what God has done for us on the Cross through The Finished Work of Christ) and daily being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Bible Doctrine). The rate of growth is not the same for everyone, some grow fast others grow slow. Should those who grow fast pass judgement on those who grow slow because they don't "see the mark of Christ" on them?

The examples you listed above can be preformed by unbelievers as well as carnal believers. The problem with carnal believers is they think they are "doing it for Jesus" which is wood, hay and stubble.

[jim_buckley]

drippy

"Which is it jimmybuck? Is the 'church' local or universal? Make up your mind and stand your ground."

You are looking for flaws in me, which are not hard to find. But, you've made no comment about the original post above. Is it truth or is it GGWO pysco-babble? As a self-proclaimed scholar this should be easy for you.

[out]

Jim,

I have sincerely conversed with you on this board, never demeaned you or presumed on your character. How arrogant and presumptuous of you to say I have departed from grace. It was very unkind and unlike Jesus.

out

[lana]

Buckley, When I face each day, I don't have 50 million scriptures to lead me.
I yield my self to Him, and he gives me His word to lead me through the day. I am still, and know He is God. I don't pore over the Bible every day. We become the Bible which is in us. I trust in Him to lead me, not a ministry first.

[guess_who_is_coming_to_dinner]

JB, my Gnostic friend who loves to write in the abstract devotional higher life way…once we have this peace that passes understanding how will it cause us to act practically in this lifetime?

Will we place a man before our face and commit idolatry?
Will we demand undying loyalty without question from our neighbor causing them to commit idolatry?
Will we cause others to swear by oath to be loyal to a man and his 'vision'?
Will we cause others to dishonor our mother and father for loyalty to a man?
Will we diddle our neighbor's wife?
Will we cause the unwed to commit immorality by denying them to married?
Will we cause others to commit adultery by encouraging divorce?
Will we cause others to hate those who disagree with us?
Will we steal our neighbor's home and possessions?
Will we bear FALSE witness against our neighbor because he disagrees with us?

Or, is this all Old Testament stuff in your opinion? What do you think?

[cordell]

buCKLeyboy, if you are going to claim out of one side of your mouth that the affairs of the 'church'--such as discipline outlined in 1 Tim. 5 are concerning how a local pastor conducts his local assembly and then out the other side of the same mouth claim that the 'church' is 'earthly'--Lucy, you are the one with some 'splainin' to do--or are you so fekked up that you can believe two contrary concepts in your pea-brain simultaneously? Do you honestly see no inconsistency here? What if I were to quote Rom.8 "who shall bring a charge against God's elect?" to you? Isn't that what you're doing by calling the church 'earthly'? Who the hell are you?

As far as what you've written above--it's higher life jibberish--no specific meaning, just hyperspiritual esoter-rorism--"The great failure of the Church was in giving up Paul." How did the 'church' (define please?) 'give up' (what the hell does that mean in plain English?) 'Paul' (what about Paul? His earthly body? His teachings, revelations, epistles, theology, eschatalogy, ecclesiology, hermeneutics? What the hell are you babbling about?

Have you been reading those 'green letters' again?