Bruce Jenner Thinks Christ Accepts His Sex Change

The Christian Diarist ^ | April 26, 2015 | JP

[NKP_Vet]

I never said a word about how I felt about Bruce Jenner “disclosing” anything. I said he has a mental illness and needs help, not encouragement. He could disclose he thinks he’s a dog and wants to learn how to bark and eat Alpo. He needs Christ in his life, not liberals that try to justify his mental illness.

[CynicalBear]

>>So here's my question: do you think these seven churches of Asia were local churches in the sense of dioceses?<<

Bless your heart. Only those called by God, born from above, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit are part of the ekklesia of Christ. It includes all of those "called out" throughout history. That is the invisible ekklesia as only God knows who they all are. The local "assemblies" are members of the universal ekklesia and are the visible part of that ekklesia. Christ is the head of that ekklesia and present with them when meeting with as few as two or three. There is no single earthly organized hierarchical structure such as the Catholic Church would have you believe.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Well, bless YOUR heart. So those seven "ekklesias" of Asia in John's vision were truly "called by God, born from above, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit"?

Is that why John called them ekklesias?

[CynicalBear]

>>Well, bless YOUR heart. So those seven "ekklesias" of Asia in John's vision were truly "called by God, born from above, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit"?<<

That would be correct! That is how they started but obviously most were invaded by false teaching and some or many within the group were not born again Spirit filled Christians. Thus some of those assemblies were at risk of being rejected by Christ.

[Mrs. Don-o]

But I thought once you were saved, you couldn't be lost?

Or was that a different FReeper who said that?

[CynicalBear]

>>But I thought once you were saved, you couldn't be lost?<<

The letters were addressed to the assemblies, not the individuals in those assemblies. An assembly can start out pure but over time and with new leadership leave what it originally taught. We can see that happening in "churches" today. Even in the Catholic Church there are those who believe that after Vatican 2 it has changed. Read the letters again.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Well now, this is perplexing. The seven assemblies in Asia -- the ekklesia of Christ --- are in fact only individuals with no institutional characteristics, no offices, no clergy, no teachers (because the need no teachers, they are all taught by the indwelling Holy Spirit), nobody usurping the responsibility of the individual ---yet these assemblies could go so seriously wrong they are in danger of being lost altogether--- AND YET none of the individuals are in danger of being lost, because they have the "eternal security" of having been saved?

Some of these Seven Ekklesiae of Asia were in apostasy. How can an "ekklesia" go apostate, when it is not an institution at all, but an assembly of individual spirit-indwelt members, who are individually and securely saved by grace and by faith, no matter what they do??

(Or am I getting your beliefs mixed up with those of the Calvinists?)

[CynicalBear]

I’m not surprised that you jumbled that all up. If you can’t see that not all individuals within assemblies that meet are saved I don’t suppose any explanation will suffice. I’m sure with that “package deal” you seem to be holding the views of your pope Francis are your views as well? And Nancy Pelosi is equally as Catholic as you are?

[Mrs. Don-o]

This is getting irrational. (I didn't say "YOU" are getting irrational... ) I am saying we are again talking right past each other without comprehension.

Do you believe in Eternal Security?

[CynicalBear]

>>I am saying we are again talking right past each other without comprehension.<<

Unfortunately that will always be the case with faithful Catholics and non Catholics. The Catholic Church has assigned different meanings to words. Just a few examples would be things like "the virgin Mary", "church", and "saints". As long as a Catholic looks to the magisterium for belief system rather than scripture communication is going to be difficult

[Mrs. Don-o]

Same thing back at’cha, dear CynicalBear, mutatis mutandis.