Posted on 11/04/2017 12:24:50 PM PDT by Salvation
Question: Are the saints in heaven active in the affairs of Earth? — Robert Bonsignore, Brooklyn, New York
Answer: Yes, we have a lot of evidence for that. But exactly how and to what extent they are aware and active is not fully known to us.
It seems unlikely that the saints can merely look down and watch us as though they were watching a movie, or that they can know our inmost thoughts. Such things are probably beyond their capacity and might even be considered intrusive of our privacy.
It seems safer to assume that the saints are aware of our needs and condition to the degree that God reveals this to them. Thus, if I am asking St. Anthony to pray for me, his capacity to hear my request is facilitated by the Lord and due to the membership both St. Anthony and I have in the Body of Christ. By analogy, the two members of my body that I call my hands can interact by the fact they are coordinated through my head. Jesus is the Head of the Body, the Church and everything in his Body is under his authority and coordinated by him, including the awareness and communion of various members of the body with each other.
MH; how do you feel about your Pope; Francis?
We know one Roman Catholic for sure who doesn’t like the guy!
has been replaced by... Is the pope a heretic?
I don’t judge the object itself as good or evil...the evil arises by my sticking my head inside while the drum is spinning; my recognition of the potential wrongness of such an act is the essence of DISCERNMENT!
The Bible says Satan is evil and by faith I accept that...but I am on dangerous ground if I step out of that envelope and try to judge Satan out of my own imperfect standards, out of my own vengeful pride. Indeed to do so just plays into Satan’s own game! The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and discernment is the application of such wisdom.
“Not all, you’re right, but many do. ”
Which ones?? I see Romans claim this and cults...
“And just look at the arguments between Protestants on this thread alone.
Would you point them out please?? I’m not seeing them
“Is that what Jesus wants?
If it isn’t, maybe Romans shouldn’t make these claims, or argue with other denominations...
Don’t I know.
There’s a reason young people have kids!
Fear of the Lord only happens when we hold on to sin.
Only people who live in darkness fear the Light.
God is Light. And that Light, when it shines upon us, cleanses our soul. Why would anyone fear the power of a God so Loving? If Jesus Loves us, why would we be afraid of Him?
Were the Hebrew midwives simply “afraid of God” when they “feared God” and refused to obey Pharoah’s edict to kill the first born? Does this contrast with the verse...”perfect love casts out fear”?
Are you being disingenuous in reducing “fear of the Lord” to a definition of “anxious cringing before a potentially angry God”?
Devin Patrick Kelley sounds mighty Irish Catholic to me.
Did he have something against BAPTISTS?
I was referencing the scripture and Music used in Handel’s messiah(He may have sourced not KJV but another version) from memory so I didn’t take the time to put in the scripture references... but if you want to split hairs, fine.
The NT speaks of the works of Christians passing through the fire and only those works that are not burnt up are those accorded to us as worthy of reward.
See Corinthians 3:10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
So say again?
“Are you being disingenuous in reducing “fear of the Lord” to a definition of “anxious cringing before a potentially angry God?”
Not at all as I am not reducing it to a definition of “anxious cringing before a potentially angry God.”
I looked up the Greek words used in the Bible prior to translation to English and realized that there are two different words, both translated as fear. One was the word which translates “anxious cringing before a potentially angry God.” The other translates as “awe or respect.”
While the specific scripture quoted used the Greek word that can be translated either way.
I actually speak from experience, having already died, left my body and experienced God’s full Love while in Heaven. I could never fear anyone who Loves me that much. As the Bible states, God’s perfect Love casts out all fear. That is exactly what I experienced.
I do not fear death. I actually welcome it in order to return to Heaven. I truly want to die daily.
Since returning to my physical body, I perceive spirits, including evil demonic spirits. They fear the Light. As the Bible states, it is good to Love thy friends, but even better to Love thine enemies. It is the Love you radiate (God’s Love flowing through you) that evil spirits are afraid of.
I’ve had spirits scream and howl in fear, when all I did was pray for them in a Loving manner. Satan’s great lie that he uses to shackle souls is “Fear God’s Light as it will kill you.”
I physically feel people’s consciousness. Fear is a low frequency consciousness, similar to hatred.
I do a demonstration with people where I point my finger in their face and ask them how it feels. They often back up as it is offensive to them.
I then ask them to say a silent prayer to themselves with their eyes closed.
When they open their eyes I point my finger in their face again and again ask them how it feels. Almost always their response is that it now does not bother them. (People on anti depressants such as Prozac can pray all day and there is no change as it blocks the ability to tune one’s consciousness up or down)
Exactly I respond. You just experienced the power of prayer. Prayer raised your consciousness to a higher level, above that of a fear response.
With fear, you can lower your consciousness so low that mole hills appear as mountains. With prayer, you can raise your consciousness so high that mountains appear as mole hills. Freedom comes from focusing on God with Love in prayer.
“Love God” appears in the New Testament 75 times (per Bible Gateway search). How can you fear someone that you Love so much?
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”
If you stop after reading this, close your eyes, and pray on the words of scripture, you too can feel God’s Love available for you. Prayer works.
So then what motivated the “God Fearing” Hebrew midwives to reject the will of Pharoah that they should kill the Hebrew first born?
Perhaps it was more out of “awe and respect” in being in the service of a God who is all love?
Romans is a perfect description of this denomination
I suggest you read what God actually says ...
even though only as one escaping through the flames
That's not scripture...Someone made that up to make it look like the person escaped thru a fire...
1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;
Every man's work shall be revealed by fire...It doesn't say every man's work will be revealed by the man burning in the fire...
and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
And every man's work shall be tried...Not that every man shall be tried or burned...
1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
You don't get saved by fire...Fire burns things...That's not being saved...And to suggest that the man dodges the flame but feeling the heat is pure Hollywood...
It's the works that get burned up...The evidence, the history, so that when we stand before God, he only sees righteousness...
If one doesn't change the scripture and believe what it says, one could not possibly come to any other conclusion...
The perfect analogy is that you are on your way to participate in a parade...On the way you stop at a car wash...All the dirt is washed off and the shine of your vehicle becomes visible...
Matthew 3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11“I baptize you withb water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you withc the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Another passage that equates the cleansing of sin and the destruction of the sinning with being purified by fire!
“Chaff are the wicked who are not “purified”. They are destroyed.
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