fiatlux

What was understood, I thought, was having the heart of a little child is only based in Christ.

fiatlux

Egads.

fiatlux

My name is fiatlux, and what on earth are you talking about.

America Only Loc: From the right hand of God

Rumi...once a DRUNK always a DRUNK...we can smell the cheap Thunderbird Wine all the way through the computer screen....stinky smelly drunken bum...THAT is YOU and, hey, nothing new about THAT!

America Only Loc: From the right hand of God

Rumi...Rumi...rumi rumi rumi rumi! RUMITOID!

America Only Loc: From the right hand of God

Liar....LIAR! Rumi....small time DRUNK! Burp.....whoosh.....stinky stank!

fiatlux

I not only drink, I like to get drunk now n then. You do not? I do not like wine. I am a bourbon and beer person. One has to drink--well, almost--to post here with the likes of some people.

fiatlux

A little hysterical there. Small time drunk is a bit off but not by far. I have drinks almost every night...except for five. And sometime miss the other two, though not often.

iFrank Loc: San Antonio

Your spirit of deception.

fiatlux

You are totally batshit. You are where Christianity meets the sick or bizarre or the plain stupid. Get help.

iFrank Loc: San Antonio

A Christian meets the sick and bizarre, not nice to meet you. Your a liar, pretender, and a stupid person trying to convince yourself you're fishing on the right side.

fiatlux

What is greater than hope and faith? Love! Scripture.

iFrank Loc: San Antonio

Research it in the good book, show us that Christ is in your soul, and has been selected by the Almighty. Or are you a grasshopper, "snatch the pebble from my hand". God is gonna trouble the waters, wader.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

----------
Philippians 2:3
(KJV). "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."

(NKJV). "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."

(NIV). "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,"

iFrank, pick your poison. I get the same understanding from each translation. From what I've read, you're the one sounding 'haughty' about your Biblical knowledge.

Also, if I were investigating Christianity, toward it becoming my religion, I'd be running AWAY from it as fast as possible if you were its only spokesperson. Speaking as a Christian, fiatlux's approach is more "Christ-like" in its demeanor than yours is.

Let me challenge YOU to do some Bible reading of your own, iFrank.

Love is action. No one showed the depths of true love more than our Lord, Jesus Christ. He set the example for believers to show love to each other and to the world by what He did.

Have you ever spent time reflecting on the love of Christ? It’s fascinating to ponder how there is nothing in this world or not in this world that can ever separate us from His love.

The love of God expands time and eternity because of the one sacrifice of Jesus. The love of God expands time and eternity because of the one sacrifice of Jesus.

Here's 7 examples for you:
#1) Jesus Healed The Sick in Love. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).

Love is action. No one showed the depths of true love more than our Lord Jesus Christ. He set the example for believers to show love to each other and to the world by what He did.

Have you ever spent time reflecting on the love of Christ? It’s fascinating to ponder how there is nothing in this world or not in this world that can ever separate us from His love.

Meditate on the 7 different ways Jesus showed love during His earthly ministry:

The love of God expands time and eternity because of the one sacrifice of Jesus.
The love of God expands time and eternity because of the one sacrifice of Jesus.
#1) Jesus Healed The Sick in Love

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, there were no hospitals, clinics, or doctor’s offices. The threat of incurable illnesses due to infections, fevers, or food poisoning plagued both rich and poor. Jesus, the Great Physician, felt amazing love for those who were rendered helpless by disease; whereas, many of the religious leaders of the day considered the physically disabled as cursed by God.

Jesus is still healing today except He isn’t limited by being in one place at one particular time. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus shows His compassion to all those who are not only sick physically—but emotionally and spiritually as well.

#2) Jesus Raised The Dead in Love
“Jesus wept…once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance” (John 11:35, 38).

Thousands of people who were thought to be dead for a few short minutes have been resuscitated back to life through modern technology. In contrast, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he was in the grave for 3 days! His love for Lazarus and his sisters was evident in His tears.

Jesus is still raising the dead—by giving new life to every person who puts their trust in Him. His love awakens our deadness, our futility, and our ignorance. We come alive immediately in awareness of His love for all eternity.

#3) Jesus Fed The Hungry in Love
“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion (love) for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” (Matthew 15:32).

In one of the greatest miracles ever, Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish to feed five thousand people. These people weren’t mildly hungry—they’ve gone 3 days without food, listening and taking in the words of Christ.

He still feeding the world in love—through the teachings of the Word of God. Many of us were emaciated spiritually and anemic in our thinking until the truth of the Bible penetrated our hearts to fill our souls.

#4) Jesus Preached The Kingdom in Love
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion (love) on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34).

Although the disciples longed for Jesus to set up His kingdom to overcome the Romans—He had a much larger plan, not just for the Jewish people, but for the world. Jesus’ love for the world compelled Him to preach the kingdom of God that was destined to grow in unimaginable numbers.

Through the church, Jesus is still preaching the kingdom. In spite of the attacks from Satan, the world, and our flesh—the kingdom of God continues to advance in breaking down the gates of hell.

#5) Jesus Cast Out Demons in Love
“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick” (Matthew 8:16).

Demon-possessed people in Jesus’ day and in this present age are often isolated. Most people don’t want the drama of dealing with evil spirits. The love of Jesus welcomed those tortured souls and gave them renewed life as well as freedom from spiritual bondages.

As the body of Christ, believers are called to step up boldly in faith and declare liberty to the captives of Satan. Our love for the lost must overcome timidity because perfect love casts out all fear.

#6) Jesus Interceded For His Disciples And The Church in Love
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20-21).

Jesus knew the sheep would be scattered after His death, but He prayed fervently in love that they would be protected, have joy, and love one another. Being in this sinful, fallen world and yet not being of this world makes believers vulnerable. Yet many choose poverty, suffering, mental and physical abuse (even from those who claim to be Christians, themselves), and even death before they deny their Lord.

Jesus is still interceding in love for those who belong to Him. He’s presently at the right hand of God praying for the church to stand strong in the face of painful persecutions.

#7) Jesus Gave His Life For The World in Love
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Nothing that is worshipped today can stand up to what Jesus did—stepping down from the "Throne of Heaven" to live among sinful men. He gave His life so that not one person would have to spend eternity without God.

The love of God expands time and eternity because of the one sacrifice of Jesus. Who is man that He is mindful of him? We may never fully understand how much God loves us through Jesus Christ, but we can receive His love forever.

HOWEVER, if one thinks that salvation is obtained simply by "loving" others, you're dead wrong. Salvation is from GRACE ALONE THROUGH FAITH.

Ephesians 2:8-9New International Version (NIV)
"8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast."

Understanding that sin makes us thick-headed, unwilling to accept certain truths when they receive minimal emphasis, the biblical authors' repeat "foundational doctrines" so that they might penetrate our hearts and minds. The man-made religions of this world prove that without the work of the Holy Spirit, people think that they are basically good and can contribute something to their salvation. This strips glory from God and gives it to us, for if we can do even one thing to merit salvation, then we deserve some credit. All belief systems except biblical Christianity encourage us to believe that we contribute to our salvation, even if they deceitfully assert otherwise.

It should have been clear from reading Ephesians 2:1–7 that the Lord owes us NOTHING but justice and wrath. (Moreover, this is taught throughout the Bible: Gen. 6:5–7; Deut. 7:6–11; Ps. 51:4; Rom. 1:18–3:20; James 2:10–11). But in case we missed it, Paul in Ephesians 2:8–10 tells us one more time that we bring nothing with us to our redemption, and that any good works we perform are not the ground of our status before God, but result from us having been gifted with salvation: “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).

Grace, by definition, excludes the slightest hint that human merit contributes to our righteous standing before the most holy and perfect Creator; and faith, which admits our inability to help ourselves and rests wholly on another for salvation, confirms that our works have no power to atone for our wickedness. John Calvin wrote, “If, on the part of God, it is grace alone, and if we bring nothing but faith, which strips us of all commendations, it follows that salvation does not come from us.”

Of course, our faith is something that we exercise. It's an 'action.' As such, some Christians think we bring this to the table when we are saved. They think we work faith up in ourselves and that all people are born with the ability to do so. Ephesians 2:8 makes this view impossible. The grammatical gender of the demonstrative this in “this is not your own doing” must refer back to the entire complex of things Paul mentions in the verse — salvation, grace, and faith. It is true that we are the ones who put our faith in Christ, but God gives us this faith and guarantees that we will exercise it unto salvation. If the Holy Spirit changes our hearts, we will not refuse the call to trust in Christ.

The doctrine of irresistible grace is quite simple — if God wants us, then He will get us. Though He may allow us to resist His call for a time, if He has chosen to set His grace on us, then we will certainly believe and persevere, for all whom the Father has given to Jesus must come to the Savior (John 6:37). We cannot even give ourselves credit for our faith, so let us be thankful for His grace and live in the way that He commands.

iFrank Loc: San Antonio

Good for you "fiatlux"....