Ben

(Cut and Paste) "We have been instructed from the beginning of time to seek God. Jesus Himself said that we are to seek the kingdom of God."

If one does a biblical word search of the word "choose" one will find there is exactly one passage in the entire bible where someone is told to choose God, and that is found in Joshua 24:15, "....choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua is asking the chosen people of God to turn around and return the favor by choosing to serve God. Joshua was not speaking to some unchosen heathens who had never heard of Him. By the same token Jesus is telling His children to seek the kingdom of God, not some unsaved heathens. As Dr. Steve Brown says if you are reading the bible and you are not a child of God, you are reading someone else's mail. :-)

(Cut and Paste) "To say no one seeks God based on one scripture in psalms, is insufficient evidence to support this claim. Paul used this as an illustration to reveal the sinfull nature in man."

Actually there are at least three passages that say no one seeks for God. PSA 14:1-3, Psa 53:1-3 and Romans 3:11. To pooh poo a biblical truth because it is only found once in the bible is not a good idea. The Holy Spirit is called "God" only once in the scriptures, (Acts 5:1 thru 4,) yet Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. "Eternal damnation" is found only once in the bible yet Christians believe that one is eternally damned if they reject Christ. The word "missionary" is not found at all in the scriptures, yet we pray for missionaries daily.

(Cut and Paste), "There are numerous teachings today that try and lead christians, old and new, into a state of apathy, where they say they are waiting for God to intervene and do the next step. HELLO! God has given us His word which clearly states what we are to do."

Yes, it does tell us what to do, and that is we are to wait on the Lord. We are told this at least 16 times in the scriptures to wait on the Lord. For instance Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." When we get ahead of God, that is when we get into trouble. We cannot force God's hand. I remember years ago, a young man who had diabetes told his pastor that he was sick and tired of injecting himself with insulin every day, so the pastor laid hands on him prayed and begged God to heal this boy. After a few monments he proclaimed that God had healed him and as an act of faith he was to go home and throw away his syringes and vials of insulin. Two days later he was found unconscious and near death and was rushed to the hospital where they were barely able to save his life. This is what happens when we don't wait on the Lord.

(Cut and paste) "People often come to Christ, and although Jesus instructs us to get baptised and recieve the Holy Spirit, some immediately disobey Gods word and say baptism isn't for them. I always ask, How serious where they to begin with? Is Jesus a reality to them or is He another cultural belief?"

I was baptised (immersed completely in water no less) two weeks after I received Christ. 33 years later God baptised me in the Holy Spirit. I waited on the Lord and He did it in His time (Ecc 3:1) God may baptise you in the Holy Spirit at the same time as your physical baptism, or He may not. We can choose the time of physical baptism, but only God can (and does) choose the time for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. He dies not deal with everyone in exactly the same way. The church I attend doesn't preach that one needs to be baptised in the Holy Spirit, nor do they even believe in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Heck I didn't believe in it until it happened!!! But it definately happened!

Ben

Dusty

Amen Ben.!!!!!!! Praise the Lord.

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Trials prove a Christian

Love confirms a Christian

But death crowns a Christian

forgivenWretch

There is no theory involved.

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

God is sovereign and human beings are given free agency and personal responsibility.

One is truly predestined... To accept Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior or to turn their back [deny] and suffer the consequences, which we all know is eternal pain and suffering in the fiery pits. As God most definitely foreknows what we will do, that changes not the fact that we have a choice to make.



I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. ~Galileo We are not puppets on a string. God is not pulling our strings and forcing our actions.

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I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. ~Galileo

Boanerges

That is an issue that will be agreed on by all when Jesus comes back.

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Anything that dims my vision for Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me; and I must, as a Christian turn away from it. – J. Wilbur Chapman