Alan dear, that is fine with me, and as you know, I have my own problems with what and who we have presented the Lord Jesus Christ "as", and how He is marketed, and soon He, mostly his poor mother who of course can have no blame in it, will be used to conduct monstrous evil on us all. By madmen, who love satan, but need to use the name of the Son of God because the one they serve is so nausiating they cannot even allude that they believe it is even real. That's a twisted howl, if you think about it.
I was just mentioning this problem with words to you, and please think about it as time goes on, and see what you think later on. I think
everything going on here is about later on. We cannot and should not expect anyone to respond like robots to our commands, as in the first place some of our commands might counteract the Lord's commands to that person. Who knows. I certainly dont. Again,
really valuable scripture studies have been given here, and they can't possibly simply all fall on deaf ears for either side.
But I do believe that to hammer through it any longer is a little off.
Emile can exhort you all day long to label yourself a "Christian" as the first word, per the verbage in the Bible, but I don't think calling yourself Christian gets you into heaven. Too many people do, and they are virtually without proof of any kind, except that they use His name constantly, usually for the purposes of collecting much money. So, if it does not affect your salvation, it is a very minor point probably. And since you're never seen a Talmud, apparently, there is not much worry that you will secretly be studying it ferverously in the basement because you do not want to call youirself "Christian." It is a matter of principal, and that a semantic principal, which curiously here is a semitic principal, and it is your business and between you and Jesus Christ, actually.
That's my view of it. I believe if it is necessary that you label yourself a "Christian", even though the term seems to stick in your craw as we say in Kansas, and probably in Texas, the Lord will one day have you calling yourself that whether YOU want to or not.
You would think at this point that is where the brothers who are so worried about you will leave it, and discuss the more interesting points these scripture studies have brought out. Or just enjoy the signs of the end times on the Signs Thread.
And again, I'm not agreeing that you shouldn't be wildly enthusiastic about being "Christian" in name, but we have turned it into the first principle of salvation here, which is a lie. It is not the first principle of salvation. To believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father for our salvation is the first principle. The most important commandment, as in we must do it, period, , according to the mouth of Jesus Christ is to then love the FATHER God with all our hearts, and mind and strength, as in the impossible, of course, but an aim at least. And the second is to love thy neighbor as thyself.
Now that's a good study. Who is our "neighbor" and how far must that go as the world literally is becoming a habitation for out front satan worshippers, especially among the last generation now about 20. Do we love them, or board the door and hide the animals and small children?
That is pretty scary, and I'm sure there are qualifications even to that, as we well know some CHristians have had serial killers as neighborhood members. So, again, sanity I think is the main focus.
And to interpret according to our minds is sometimes off the mark.
I speak way too much, and keep promising myself not to again, but I do and will. But it is something to run by the Lord Himself. I try to always do that, and then it becomes clearer and clearer in your mind what the truth of the matter really is. |
