manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

I was just informed by Zemirah that I was going to seek God's Mind "as if He lost it!" LOL!

I don't get it. She seems to look for something to poke at us, however mildly. I am through with it.

I believe in God's Universal Mind and He could hardly have lost it! The question for me is, knowing this, how does one join one's mind with His in holy communion? Through worship, prayer, and communion with the Holy Spirit for openers. It is not yet my time or intent to proceed in this direction, and I believe that is how our group sees it.
At the moment, I listen intently to my voice.

skyrider

She has a wildly delusional superiority complex as indicated by my post just prior to yours. BTW, the copy post
of the P.M. as well as more of them that I received were not solicited by me. I ordinarily would not post others comments , but in this case with nameless quotes. Enough B.S. is enough and at some point that type has to be knocked off their high horses. If she needs more help to get off her Royal Tower she can ask and I will gladly
post more of the unsolicited P.M.s that I have regarding her.

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

That is pure class.

There is a difference between debating and "arguing" that has escaped you.

Pleasing people, rather than God is not to be a priority of any Christian.

I have never been anyone's victim for any reason, ever.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

"But as God tested and approved us before entrusting us with His Good News, so in what we say we are seeking not to please men but to please God, who tests and approves our motives."

"If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen"

Hebrews 11:6 ,1st Thessalonians 2:4, 1st Peter 4:11

skyrider

When in a hole, a wise person knows to put down the shovel. and stop digging.

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

No, I know what you said in seeking guidance I was affirming it if you were questioning this part of the equation.. (The UM aspect.)

Sorry, It is I who was not clear.

Great news on the other now open..
See you all there..

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

Manning, I walked away from your endeavor in my 2/3/22 message, stating "I would never be a part of this."

Observing you and skyrider's lead your project's descent into a churlish childish "mob mentality" is unnecessary confirmation, but I thank you for it, never the less.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

Great. lindajoy! Off we go! There are two of my posts there already, but only pointers so far.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

You are so right!

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

"When you're too religious, you tend to judge instead of extending your hand to help"

---- Steve Maraboli

JW

Where does the temerity come from that tells you that you know our minds better than we do? God Gave us brains and curiosity. Failing to use them, must be a greater insult to God than mindlessly subscribing to empty dogma.

skyrider

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

Three out of three! Los Tres Musketeros

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

Yet, here you are, in all your hypocritical bravado of Grandiose Self, as a Christian, who follows Gods word while attacking gentlemen just sharing an adventure in study of some thing else that peaks interest, simply because you disagree ……

When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself…

Judge not, that you may not be judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you measure, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the splinter that is in your brother’s eye, but do not recognize the beam in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me pull out the splinter from your eye’; and look, a beam is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First pull out the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to pull out the splinter from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

RobertV2

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

Hi Liinda, I just noticed your post of outraged indignation. How utterly drama queen-ish!

Having not attacked anyone since 1973, I find the united outcry at this thread after I declined participating both projection and mildly entertaining...

You misunderstand Scripture, not from evil intent, but through dismissal and chosen ignorance.

I have attacked no one. ...nor does being a Christian imply that I am to be a simpering copy of Saturday Night Live's caricature Church Lady...

Having committed sins that would dwarf those of anyone on this thread, and having been forgiven for them, I understand that Christians are no better than anyone else, just forgiven, through repentance, belief and acceptance of Jesus' sacrificial death as atonement.

Realistically, people make judgments all the time. I judge actions, behavior, beliefs, never people, God judges the heart. If one person commits murder, should a Christian look at that action and say, “That was wrong because God’s Word says not to murder,” or should he say, “I’m not supposed to make a judgment”?

I have no interest in medieval Metaphysics, or the Paranormal - attempting to corral and tame "familiar spirits," or the invention of Evolution by Darwin's grandfather, having investigated and understood their sources years ago.

Playing around with what the Bible calls "familiar spirits" is a very dangerous practice as Satan doesn't play fair. It is absolutely forbidden by God, as anyone with Biblical discernment freely acknowledges.

Does the Bible Tell Christians to Judge Not? Hardly. There are significant logical problems with the claim that believers should not make judgments. The first becomes evident when in the context of Matthew 7:1.

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:1–5)

Here, Christ is warning believers against making judgments of the type characteristic of the Pharisees during the ministry of Jesus. [b]Many people who quote “"judge not"” from Matthew 7:1 fail to grasp what the following command in Matthew 7:5, means, "Then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

The point Jesus emphasizes is to judge yourself, confess your own committed sins to God, by which they are erased, then proceed (Both discernment and judgment are required (Matthew 7:15–16, 20.) Jesus is warning all believers to be discerning of any new extra-Biblical teaching claiming to be from God, for it is false teaching from false prophets; this professed further learning "looks" Christian, but their end goal is to lead Christ's flock astray from the intrinsic truth of God's Word, thus the Canon of Scripture was closed to any additions in 96 A.D. when John completed writing down the book of Revelation he received from Jesus (Matthew 7:15–20; Luke 6:43–45).

The Bible does tell us to proclaim His gospel truth - the Great Commission is nothing less.
Those who reject either the notion of God or the credibility of the Bible often misuse God’s Word (e.g., by quoting verses out of context).

I understand your attention span will dissipate at this point, but am including the following explanation for those who are interested.

We live in a world that increasingly pretends to strive toward a new "tolerance," promoting the idea of tolerance, but actually completely intolerant of Christian Biblical absolutes - or any absolutes at all. Especially involving religion, behavior, or human sexuality, there is a ferocious anti-Christian, anti-Bible sentiment in America and other Western nations. Built into this new intolerant “tolerance” is the concept that truth is determined by each individual, to be selected as "their own selective truth" - not by God.

The final authority to eternally judge one's soul's, as Scripture makes very clear, belongs to God's Sovereignty. Many Old Testament passages attest to the truth of God as Judge, Psalm 7:11, Psalm 9:8, Psalm 50:6.

For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us. (Isaiah 33:22)

The Old Testament is rife with passages that establish God as the ultimate Judge. In the New Testament, the Father has committed this authority and judgment solely to the Son, Jesus, who spoke of this authority before He ascended to heaven after His Resurrection (Matthew 28:18).

“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.” (John 5:22)

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him, the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:46–48)

He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus' Words, whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)

It is made very clear that Jesus will rightly judge all humanity by His Word, based on each individual’s faith in - or rejection of - Him, Who is the Son of God.

For a world filled with people who believe in moral relativism - and for many professing Christians who practice morality in an attempt to earn their own righteousness - this day will be filled with fear and trepidation. The Judge of the universe has made a judgment about salvation, echoed by the Apostle Peter in Acts 4:12: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

There will then be no time to debate whether the judgment is right or wrong because the ultimate Judge has decreed His justice through the Words of His Son.

Consider judging as it relates to believers and unbelievers. The methods are different when dealing with these two groups, but the goal is reconciliation. Unbelievers need to believe Christ and be reconciled to Him, and believers need to grow in Christ through His Word, and to become reconciled to each other.

The claim that Christians are not to judge is often made when dealing with issues such as abortion, adultery, homosexual behavior, and same-sex marriage. When a Christian says, for example, that homosexual behavior is a sin and that same-sex marriage is wrong, he or she is often met with objections (if not expletives):

“Who are you to judge two people who love each other?”
“Who do you think you are, telling someone who they can and cannot love? You’re a sinner, too!”
“Someone’s private life is none of your business. Don’t judge them.”

Some people will even quote Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged."” When they quote this verse in regard to such situations, they take it out of context to support their fallacious claims. When we consider the concept of judging, especially as it relates to the Sermon on the Mount, Christ tells us to be discerning, not condemning.

Claims are often made that we are not to make judgments about other professing believers, especially to their erroneous teachings on Genesis. Again, the Matthew 7:1 passage is used as a justification for this type of attitude.

All people fall into error without God's rule of measure, His written Bible.

The core message is one of defending biblical authority and proclaiming the gospel, which brings controversy when it comes to the topic of judging. For instance, in addition to dealing with the issues above from a biblical perspective, is adding evolution and/or millions of years to Scripture, an inconsistency undermining God’s Word and its authority.

Some take offense saying that as believers, we should focus on just loving others and not be divisive. We are, however, divisive if we compromise God’s Word by adopting the world’s “wisdom,” i.e., philosophy, psychology, which is condemned by God as foolishness. The verse most commonly misused is Romans 16:17 "Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.

That highlighted section is neglected or ignored, for it refers it is the New Testament in its totality, handed down "once for all to the saints - that are to be defended" (Jude 3).

Believers are all part of “"one faith"” (Ephesians 4:5), their foundation in the truth of God’s Word and not their own philosophies. The need for truth and the divisive nature of lies in explained in the following passage:

"That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ... (Ephesians 4:14–16)

Are we being loving if we do not uphold the truth over error and even deceive others? Loving others requires truth telling. (Matthew 18; 1st Corinthians 1:11; Galatians 6:1). Using discernment (judging between right and wrong) is required if we are to obey 1st Corinthians 5:11–13; 6:4; 2nd Thessalonians 3:6; 1st Timothy 6:20; and Titus 3:9, and others.

All fallible human beings can make mistakes in judgment. Find out the whole story and not base your judgment on emotional appeal. Jesus stated, “"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24). Notice the Lord’s command to judge. But before we make that judgment, we must make sure we are judging righteously from God’s Word and not relying on our own opinion. Not everything is “black and white,” which is why it is so important to know and apply the truth of Scripture.

When two people do not believe that God’s Word is the foundation for their worldview, then it is clear why they disagree. - We have two different starting points (or foundations), and thus two different worldviews that conflict.