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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IN_GOD_I_TRUST who wrote (29987)	3/13/2000 11:14:00 PM
From: Jamey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

"Can't you see, all this scripture is meaningless without free will to choose whether to have faith or not!" Steve "17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17 Steve, faith comes from the Word of God. We have nothing within our flesh to respond without the very faith of God within us to be moved to seek him. You seem to be making much of it.Isn't it enough that we know him and can rejoice that we indeed are the chosen of God? Like it or not God chose us before we began to seek him. God bless, Santiago

To: IN_GOD_I_TRUST who wrote (29987)	3/14/2000 7:52:00 PM
From: Robert E. Hall	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 39621

Greetings Steve, and all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your response to my posts. I believe I answered the question regarding the hardening of Pharaoh's heart in my last post to you. You believe that man has the ability to in himself to choose to come to God. This is 100 % man doctrine and violates the Word of Almighty God. It is the Holy Spirit who takes the first step toward us and makes us alive in Christ, then out of His choosing, we respond affirmatively and consciously begin our walk with our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph. 2:1-13. 1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 ô But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 11 ô Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Steve, do you not understand that " dead people " can do nothing, that is mankind outside of Christ. God causes His Word to take root in our " heart " ( not mind ) and bring about our Salvation. Please read the following scripture. John 21:3-10. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Who really caught the fish Steve ? I see the boundless Grace of God on display. All man can do is consistently fail, but for the Grace of God. I see the Lord Jesus Christ even giving the disciples the credit for catching the fish as shown by verse 10, but really Steve we both know who caught them... This is very long so I'll close now. Talk with you later. God Bless, Robert

To: IN_GOD_I_TRUST who wrote (29987)	3/14/2000 10:37:00 PM
From: Robert E. Hall	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

Greetings again Steve, You said; << The gift of salvation is not within us, it is a gift of God. We choose to accept it or reject it. >>. Here again is the root of your blindness; According to your thinking unbelievers who are slaves to their " flesh", can now choose by their fallen mind and volition to accept the " gift of faith ". If one can choose this gift in their " flesh " then according to you, the " flesh " can do " good " things therefore you make Gods word not true This thinking is a heresy and is rampant in this part of the world. I will say again to you Steve as I have many times before, " You need to ask the Lord to grant you to see your deplorable condition of your flesh and then you will see what He has saved you from and also we will not be bantering back and forth. Those outside of Christ, their spirit , soul and bodies are DEAD to Almighty God. Unless God causes us to be made " alive " we remain forever in that lost condition. 1Cor 12:30. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus............. Did you manage to find that book by Watchman Nee yet?. Take care, God Bless, Robert

To: IN_GOD_I_TRUST who wrote (29987)	3/15/2000 10:40:00 PM
From: IN_GOD_I_TRUST	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

* Please Read This ** This lays out the Christian belief pretty clearly. If it does nothing for you right now, just remember it: Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws that govern your relationship with God. Law 1: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. God's Love: "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,NIV) God's Plan: [Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10) Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because . Law 2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. Man Is Sinful: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. The self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin. Man Is Separated: "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23) The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf. Law 3: Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. He Died In Our Place: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) He Rose from the Dead: " "Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). He Is the Only Way to God: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6) It is not enough just to know these three laws. Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. We Must Receive Christ: "As many as received him. To them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name" (John 1:12) We Receive Christ Through Faith: "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9) When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth: (Read John 3:1-8) We Receive Christ Through Personal Invitation: [Christ speaking] " Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20) Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor it is enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, an act of the will. The following explains how you can receive Christ: You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God): God knows your heart and is not concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer: Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, I invite you to pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised. [Taken from the Four Spiritual Laws by Bill Bright]