Posted on 01/03/2002 11:19:13 AM PST by ArGee
A very rich man decided that he wanted to show kindness to the people of the fair city where he lived. Since he was very rich indeed, he decided to throw a banquet for the entire city. He rented the largest sports arena in the city and began his plans. He planned for huge amounts of the best food possible, making allowances for every religious and medical diet. He advertised the banquet in every possible manner - television, radio, billboard, door-to-door canvassing. Considering that there might be some who could not travel, he arranged for free bus transportation to and from the event, and some special-needs vehicles for all who could not ride busses. He even scheduled the banquet to run for 24 hours a day for several days so that everyone could be sure of being served.
He planned long and hard and finally the big day came. The rich man ate quickly and then went about wishing all his guests well and personally making sure that all had every need met. After a while he went outside to tour the grounds and talk with those who had not yet gone in, and those who had already left. Everyone was happy. Many were profusely thankful. It was a glorious occasion.
At one point the rich man noticed a group of people sitting outside a locked door with most unpleasant looks on their faces. Sensing they were not happy, he went over to them. He did not introduce himself but simply asked them if he could be of service.
"We want to go in through this door," one of them replied.
The rich man explained to them that the hall was arranged to feed a large number of people as quickly and effortlessly as possible. This required order inside, and the entrances and exits had been carefully planned to be as efficient as possible. He then offered to go call one of the golf carts that were avaialbe to help people who could not walk far to take them to the entrance. But the man replied, "We do not want to go in the entrance. We want to go in this door. We don't understand why we can't go in any door we wish. We think the man who set this banquet up is mean and hateful for insisting we go in through the entrance. He has tried to bill himself as a very kind man by offering this banquet, but he is not kind at all if he will not indulge us and let us go through this door.
The rich man was distressed at these words, but still attempted to please these people. He tried once more to explain to them what was behind this particular door, and how if they went in this door they would disrupt the meal service being offered inside. He offered to drive them himself, not only to the door, but inside the hall to their tables if they would only go through the entrance to enjoy the meal. Again the man said, "No, but only a hateful man would keep us from going through the door of our choosing. And we will sit here and tell anyone who will listen to us what an awful man he is until he lets us in."
At that the rich man was enraged and he shouted, "Enough." Then he called a police officer to have them thrown off of the property and ordered that they not be allowed to return until the banquet was over and all the scraps had been hauled away. Then, mourning for their loss, he turned to visit with other guests.
Revelation 221. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2. down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
3. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
The answer to how the man can be saved.
Matthew 19:20-21 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
The answer to how the man can go even farther.
Matthew 19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
A comment on the kinds of things that distract a man from following G-d.
Is anything distracting you?
Shalom.
If all they do is listen to the stories that other people tell them, they might be inclined to see it that way. But if you read it, you see a G-d of patience and love who suffered great indignity with great forbearance so that any might be drawn to him.
What do you think is the message of Hosea and Gomer? Read the book of Hosea if you're not familiar.
Shalom.
If that were true, it would be G-d that you seek. I sense that it is your self that you seek, and to make your own knowledge the master of all. Mind, I'm not suggesting that you not try to learn everything that you can. I'm just suggesting that you recognize that you don't know everything. Just out of curiosity - out of everything there is possible to be known in the universe, what percentage would you say you know?
Faith and knowledge are by definition mutually exclusive.
With a statement like that I'm going to assume you're rather young. If not, you're at least rather naive. Faith is the ultimate knowledge. Whether you know it or not, and you seem philosophically opposed to admit the axioms that are the foundation of your worldview, you have great faith that the universe operates according to fixed laws. Do you know where that idea originated?
Shalom.
With a statement like that, I'm going to assume that you're rather full of yourself.
I have no idea why we are here, and I'm not going to spend my few years here on earth trying to figure out something that I probably wouldn't understand anyway.
So, on the one hand your concept of why we are here is sufficient for you to reject a Biblical notion of G-d. Then, you have no idea why we are here. If you are going to let the question impact your life so thoroughly, don't you think you owe it to yourself to investigate the question a little? Or, if it really isn't worth investigating, don't you think you should not allow it to have such a great impact on your thinking?
What you have done is avoided a discussion of whether your conception, as originally posted, is at all accurate. I will ask again. Have the courage to answer. Why do you think we are here?
Shalom.
As I said... in the context of this discussion, faith and knowledge are mutually exclusive. If knowledge is acquired to substantiate a given premise, it is no longer held on faith.
Faith requires an absence of substantiating knowledge.
That's what makes it faith.
Well, I didn't write it for "them." What do you believe?
Shalom.
Yeah, yeah. That's what you and the rest of the self-worshippers say. Yet you and the rest of the self-worshippers bug out when someone tries to provide evidence and make sense.
Shalom.
I would be very interested in knowing what you concieve G-d to be. You don't evidence someone who has spent time studying Him in His Word. I could be wrong of course. When I read His Word I see something unlike anything anyone has ever imagined.
Shalom.
Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
You're destroying what has otherwise been a civil and reasonable thread, by injecting a good solid dose of nasty.
Good back to bed... get a little more sleep... relax, and then come back when you're in a better mood.
You're not helping your cause at all.
The old "Thundernet" site was so much fun. "Thundernet" hosted a gross parody of the "Hatewatch" site, in which they feature groups like the ACLU and GLAAD as "promoting hate" against white supremacists. That's where the drivel found on the link above came from.
Second, it was the home of the American Guardian, which is a magaine of the Recontructionist movement of Chirstianity, a movement dedicated to restoring by force the Old Testament laws of Moses in America.
Finally, showing their goodwill, "Thundernet" provided web hosting to a myriad of neo-nazi, gay-bashing, white power and other hate sites.
Argee and his friends have been goose-stepping around from thread to thread, posting the following:
WE'RE HERE. WE'RE INTOLERANT. GET USED TO IT!
Or we'll kick your a$$
Argee is just showing his true colors.
me = love
God has given you His commandments in order that you should follow them and love your fellow man. He has given His son in order that you should believe and love your fellow man. And all we do is find reasons to condemn one another.
Shalom,
--Proud2bRC
Often Christians make God sound like he has this very rigid set of options and standards to go by. They put God in a box and try to limit Him. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many Christians will limit God as far as salvation goes too.
I ask you OWK, what is the harm in asking? Just to be quiet and take a few minutes,with as much sincerity as you have in you, and ask God Himself to make his presence known to you. It's an incredibly simple task with nothing to loose and everything to gain.
Then in post 849 you say the self worshipers do not pay attention the "evidence."
Are you saying that there exists evidence of some substantiating knowledge that should produce faith which requires the absence of substantiating knowledge?
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