Posted on 03/01/2021 7:35:00 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Philippians 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
I’m not saying don’t attend or belong to a church, but it is a MINOR part of worship and is NOT REQUIRED. Some weak people may benefit more than others from attending a church, but we are told to be “strong” in our faith.
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Think of this: In Heb 10:25ff the Lord says to us:
“Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together...”
If you are a Christian, and you are able, BE AT WORSHIP!
... “as is the habit of some”
Some were habitually missing worship services.
“For, if we SIN WILLFULLY...”
The Lord, in His Word, connects habitually missing worship to WILLFUL SIN
... “There remains no more sacrifice for sin”
It sounds like those who habitually miss worship service will not be forgiven. (They can repent, however, and attend worship.)
It gets worse: [I rephrase]
... “for [they] have TRODDEN on the BODY of the Lord, they have deemed the BLOOD of the Lord to be UNHOLY, and they DESPISE the Holy Spirit.”
To me, it doesn’t sound like the Lord considers attendance at worship to be MINOR.
And, this passage opens up an entire landscape of “land mines” called WILLFUL SIN. Nothing MINOR about that.
The call to be a Christian is a HIGH CALLING, indeed.
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“Standing firm in the faith” implies “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only.”
This includes our growth to maturity in Christ and our performance of Christian works.
It’s based off a project I worked on
Love God and keep His commandments.
“I don’t like the tone of this writer.....at some level he seems to relish as he relates the foibles and sins of these men. [
Even when and if they repented, I doubt it will be enough for him. [oh really!? That’s quite the omniscient statement.”
I’ve taught English for decades and discern a writer’s intent with clarity and accuracy. I see no hint of what you suggest, but only sorrow. What’s more, I am damn sick of people who gleefully attack liberals who did what Zacharias did but turn around and insult someone who attempts to deal truthfully and biblically with a RAPIST who called himself a Christian!
If I found out that my pastor was a secret sexual sinner, I would be shocked....but it wouldn’t effect my faith one bit, because my faith is not in him.
I turn to the list of people in the Bible that God used for good in spite of their weaknesses.....Judah impregnated his own daughter-in-law, thinking she was a prostitute, and both he and one of the babies that resulted are direct ancestors of David and of Jesus’ human father. Jerry Springer would have loved Jacob’s family, who sold their brother into slavery out of pure spite.
Levi helped to kill all of the men in a village to avenge his sister’s rape, yet Moses, Aaron and the Priestly line are his descendants. And so it goes. Name someone in the Bible that seems to have had it all together besides Jesus - good luck with that.
Ravi Zacharias was heavily used by God to bring people to Him despite his flaws. God uses messed-up people for His purposes because there isn’t any other kind available. So let’s remember him for that.
Take from what I say what thou wilt is the whole of the law.
This is a complaint against your error in posting in that you completely substituted your own composition to replace the correct and proper title of the original article as found in Christian Post, making it very difficult for anyone to locate again.
The original link and title were as follows:
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/ravi-zacharias-the-hard-questions-his-sex-abuse-scandal-raise.htmlThat is the correct title that you should have entered. What you substituted could have been used for Post #1 as your comment, but do not belong in the posting entry as the title.
Ravi Zacharias: The hard questions his sex abuse scandal raise
By Sheridan Voysey, Op-ed Contributor
I had spent quite a bit of effort to compose a comment, but your misuse cost me over an hour's time spread over three days trying to find the article so I could post my own reply in a timely fashion.
The article was about "Ravi Zacharias" and my searches were based on those words which were clearly in the actual title, but they were not in the title you changed it to, so I could not find it that way with the FR "Search" function.
I had to go back page after page of "Most Recent" titles, checking the abbreviated text with each one, until I finally found it through realizing that your replacement words represented the article I wanted.
Your failure to duplicate the original title unnecessarily cost me a lot of effort, including the larger part of an hour to research, write out, and post this complaint.
Please do not presume to do this again in the future.
RE: The article was about “Ravi Zacharias” and my searches were based on those words which were clearly in the actual title,
_______________________________
I apologize for the change of title. It was inadvertent.
I acknowledge that I should have posted the original title and placed what you see here as a subtitle ( which is my usual habit in other threads ).
It was a posting error as you know, I must have erased the original title. FR does not have a preview feature which allows you to see the TITLE.
However, although this article delves more thoroughly into Ravi Zacharias, it does mention the following people if you did read it:
Ravi Zacharias. John Vanier. Bill Hybels (alleged). Carl Lentz. Jerry Falwell Jr. Becki Falwell. John Howard Yoder. John Crist. James MacDonald. Multiple Catholic priests.
It also says:
There is a shaking of the church going on right now, particularly the American church whose influence reaches wide, and failed leaders and figures are being exposed. Not all of these failings are over sexual abuse, but many are.
You did say that you spent a bit of effort to compose comment. I am still interested in it. and would like to read it.
NO! God/Jesus did NOT use Zacharias "to provokeother Christiams unto love and to good works:" (Heb. 10:24 AV)! You are quite naively wrong in this supposition. None of the God-approved preachers, teachers, or authors of the New Testament scriptures ever behaved like this. In fact, though few, the riles to be applied even to Gentiles were:
"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day" (Acts 15:18-21 AV).It is SATAN of whom Zacharias, with subtilty like the Serpent who used Zacharias to blind spiritually immature Christians, defile women, and destroy confidence in the credibility of wise, loyal Christian leaders. The Devil does this very skillfuly as Zacharias has done:
"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:Your own naivete in this is exactly how that confidence is destroyed, by claiming that Ravi Zacharias was speaking for God, through showmanship and very clever rhetoric while manipulating Christianity-professing men, while ****ing their professing women, easily deceived (1 Tim. 2:14).
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
Pro 6:16-19 (AV)
Truly spiritually matured Christians are not attracted to the likes of Zacharias. That means that you must get deeper into the Word and into a better Company of regenerated believers yourself, my FRiend.
So, in your version of Christianity, Jesus paid the price for everyone’s sins except Ravi Zacharias’s? So if Ravi Zacharias asked for forgiveness for those sins, forgiveness was refused?
Suspect you are going to be shocked at the sinners you meet in Heaven some day.
So, in your vision of Christianity, if you confess fornication and God forgives on the basis of Jesus' cross-death for it, you can just keep on fornicating without chastening by God?
I think you missed the point. Read Ecclesiastes 7: 16-18. Read Revelation 2:20-23 to see how God deals with church leaders that are not repentant, but just keep on fornicating as they pretend to be serving Jesus.
As I said, your naivete suggests a change in where you get your dose of religion.
Sorry to take so long to fix this.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, RM.
John Crist? Vineyard in Atlanta? What did he do? I knew someone who attended his church in the 80s.
John is Johnny Crist, the pastor’s, son.
You are welcome
Thank you for you patience
As Psalms 118:8-9 tells us..."It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." Jesus said...”I” am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”....not a Pastor, not a Priest not a Church leader.
As Psalms 118:8-9 tells us..."It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." Jesus said...”I” am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”....not a Pastor, not a Priest not a Church leader.
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