Hi Santiago,
I DID notice that you had NO comment about JESUS'S very own words?
Consider this little shocker to those busy little worker bees trying to work off their debt to the King of Kings.
This is where many many many people misunderstand . There IS NO WAY to work off(as you put it) their debt to God. There is no way I can work it off. I do not do anything because i am working off debt, I do everything because the debt is cancelled!!! paid!!! gone !!! You know, I hear DLL say he goes to temple and tells Jews about the Messiah that they may believe. Is he a legalist? Is he wasting his time? Are the many things on this earth that God lets us do, wasting time? NO!! The time is only wasted BY YOURSELF OR MYSELF IF WE SEEK REWARD FOR IT, FOR WE HAVE OUR REWARD IN FULL IF THAT IS THE CASE.
You know Santiago, the cross of Christ was(and is) offensive. There is nothing pearl handled about it. There was no gold chains around it.
Jews demanded miraculous signs, Greeks searched for wisdom, but Christ crucified was a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the greeks. But the cross clearly shows OUR desperate need for pity by God because we are pitiful. Not many want to admit that. Not many want to believe how desperate they really are. Many would rather say they can save themselves and they don't need a Christ, or a Lamb. But there it is. Jesus went anyway. Because of my desperate, pitiful situation. Praise God.
1 Cor. 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
I have this only to say about water baptism, as Peter says: 1 Peter 3:
18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison
20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,
21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
It does not say water saves you, no, it says it saves by the resurrection of Jesus Christ;; but what about the pledge of a good conscience toward God? Did not a eunuch once think it was good enough to stop his chariot and go down into the water to be baptized?
(35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.)
Santiago,why was that put in the Bible? Do you believe the Bible is the word of God? Do you believe Philip was sent BY GOD to the eunuch?
AM I too good to be buried in Christ? Again there is nothing "cool" or "trendy" about baptism. It was an HONOR supplied by my God, that I was able to be buried with him in baptism.
Romans 14: 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
I need very much to pay attention to this verse, and know that my Master is able not only to make me stand, but you also.
I do know this. It is as I have told Mark before. God gave you free will!!! NOW can I """earn""" my way to heaven?? NO NO NO> But with my appreciation of what He did for me and HIS blessing,Jesus says: John 6: 29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
And to Peter, Jesus says: Feed my sheep!!!!!
OK????
One other thing. Jesus Himself told the apostles to ""as often as you do this, do it in memory of me"" about the Lord's supper. I am privileged to get to do that every first day of the week. My, my what a blessing the Lord has bestowed on me that I get to commune with the body about the HEAD.... the body??? it is the church of course.....the HEAD is my Jesus the Christ, the Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world.
Sorry sorry but one other thing about the letter you posted!!!!your writer says this::I will say at this point, since the first of the year, I have been meeting with a group of Christians who assemble in a rented building in Fort Worth, Texas
Is it not funny that the very persons who say the church should not be divided are the ones that went out, rented another building and started meeting???? :o) :o) :o)thereby creating another denomination??
God Bless
dan |
