Posted on 06/20/2006 8:09:37 PM PDT by SirLinksalot
Like the Buddha said...all life is sorrowful...
Wire stripping?.. Excellent metaphor.. i.e some are strippers some are not.. I've known "christians" that were Buddists.. because Buddism takes "being good" as a human to another plateau.. Some eventually found they were wearing a mask others did not..
I don't see "my job" to be as a wire stripper for others, but as a wire stripper for myself.. I don't see much difference between being a Baptist and Roman Catholic.. I've found that even so called non-denominational churchs are denominational but think they are devoid of denominational structure when they are Not..
Every christian is a denomination.. a denomination of Christ.. Their earthly organizations (that they belong to) mean little.. There is indeed only one church.. that is the Body of Christ.. Controlled Not by men.. or women.. God is not confused as men seem to be.. Stripping works for me.. Not to disallow anybody but to include everybody that is in the "family".. I loved you're metaphor.. it was inspired I think.. and I have stolen it! d;-)~',',
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Nor do I. As some would say, "Not my job, Man!" '-)
I would probably capitalize the term, "Wire Stripper" -- because, I believe it is the Holy Spirit who is the One who is capable of stripping us down to our "Christ-like" (the original definition of "Christian") core.
And it is He, who on occasions when we get our "insulating" selves out of the way and let Him lead, "strips us down to basics", and brings us into connection with others in similar condition. It is then that we truly make the contact that is Divine fellowship with other believers -- and that the sparks of joy fly, and that the current of his power flows between us.
IOW, it is when we meet at our most basic level as believers -- stripped down and exposed -- that we experience a glimpse of the joyous fellowship that awaits in eternity.
It is then, IMO, that we are truly His Church!
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And, I am ready to testify, I have had some such moments of joyous fellowship here -- on FR -- with each of you!!! <BIG OL' SMILE!!!!>
Thank you, Brother and Sisters -- and thank You, Lord!!
Thank you, Brother and Sisters -- and thank You, Lord!!
Hmmmmm... Did I just quote Bart Simpson? '-}
Church(New Testament gk.) means merely those gathered "out of the world" together.. The Body of Christ is "the" metaphor.. The word church has been morphed to mean other things.. organizational things.. The vision is of the Body of Christ.. not the one that walked in Galilee but of the body Jesus came to create.. and did create.. Funny how you can "sense" the grace of another member(of the body) usually.. not always but usually..
One spirit/Spirit.. in at one ment.. The Father, Christ and "us".. The word church will go away the Body of Christ is ageless and transcendent as the Spirit/spirit is NOW.. The penultimate metaphor.. decribing something far greater than many can understand now.. The Vision of Jesus the Christ(Revelation ch1;1) is the history of the Body of Christ.. quite wonderful.. and the Vision ends in a wonderful metaphorical prose of shining precious stones.. gold and silver (all metaphorical operators).. To miss this spiritual prose is to miss something quite wonderful..
Like hosepipe said, "Stripping works for me!" LOL!!!
As the Lord would have it, I received a devotion on the very same subject in my email today: "...whatever happens, we are never without his power."
"Agenda Palest (Brazil's Wall Street) "
There is not such thing in Brazil. There is Avenida Paulista, but not Agenda Palest. ; )
And nor all evangelicals in Brazil are the best model of morality in the world. There are promiscuous evangelicals, evangelical churches that makes money perfoming "exorcism" acts. By the way, one of the biggest evangelical churches in the country(Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus) has the worst reputation possible.
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