Posted on 03/06/2007 1:44:41 AM PST by Trollkepr
I'm waiting for the Hillary Reeducation Camps.
Somehow, I don't think Jesus would live in a 10,000 square foot house.
Matt 8:20
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Anyone is welcome in my Church despite their sins...I will not judge them or rebuke them unelss they put at risk the community in which they want to become a part of. God does not want a weak churhc, he does not want a strong church...he wants us to live by the example of his son.
You state:
"If Edwards wants to promote abortion, homosexuality, use the poor for votes etc... fine but don't call yourself a long time follower of Christ and expect me to believe this."
Certainly if you were to believe this was the proper thing to do then how many would even be in the Church you go to? Is everyone who sits in the pew Sunday morning less guilty of sinning same then many you rebuke outright above?
You do not have to believe and support sinning, but why condemn them...instead, perhaps you should ensure they are aware of Jesus and the true meaning of his teachings. Let their own hearts learn to reject sins..It will be up to God to judge whether they have truly attempted to aspire to same and asked for true forgiveness for which they failed. Embrace the sinner as Jesus embraced the sinner on the cross and pray that they see the true message and live their life by that message. The glory in the scriptures is how many times the Bible celebrates the sinner who repents and accepts Christ...How many times is that written.
Geez, you write as if you are free of any sin and any sin you cmmit is less of a sin in God's eyes. Perhaps you are a more prefect spirit the millions, billions of fellow Christians I worship and pray with every week around the globe. I know Mr. Edwards is a sinner, I am a sinner, I just hope both he and I can both become more aware of the true message and life of Jesus and learn how to better live by that example. I hope Jesus will forgive him and myself for our failings and embrace us both...
You also say...
"If Edwards did not claim to be a Christian I would not give a darn but this guy openly defies God's laws and it's Ok because he claims to believe in Jesus."
My answer is that if he is not a Christian, a sinning Christaian, and if you are a Christian you would want to see him embrace the word of Christ and be saved. I know I would.
I wish you were kidding.
It's unfortunate you can not get over the fact we are all sinners...you cite sins attributed to Mr. Edwards as if you are without sin. Mr. Edwards will address his sins with his maker, not you. By all means teach, preach what is right and justified in God's eyes but do not judge the man. Yikes, he that is without sin cast the first stone...Since reading your thoughts you see your ability to repent your sins authorization to condemn those who sin around you.
Take heart in the Good Good Samaritan...The Samaritan man gave freely of both his time and his money to help a Jewish man who was not only a stranger, but also was of a different religion, a foreigner and an enemy of his people. In His Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus challenges us to "Go and do likewise." We do not have to agree with other people's beliefs and opinions or condone their actions, but Jesus calls us to overcome our prejudices and show our kindness to all people of the world and consider them our "neighbors."...Why, because Jesus hopes that love of God will come into their hearts and they will repent and be saved.
It is too bad you are so far from practicing what Jesus has taught us. You are blinded by your own arrogance in thinking you know all there is about the intent of God and his word. You probably are seething when you read what I write when all I point out is to bring the word forth and leave it to the individual to accept same, and do not condemn them and judge them if they fail to hear and se...that should be your clue to try harder to have them see and understand, not judge them. Because one is not so quick to repent his sins you are so quck to condemn him and be unforgiving. Here you now judge me and in manner which implores yourself to be the know all and be all and accuse me of not understanding the Bible and what Jesus spoke of. Honestly, Jesus spoke of forgiveness, compassion and love and urged those around him to convert the sinners, to preach to them the light of God's love for them. Here you are, so quickly to disgard, to rebuke, to condemn any and all thoughts you believe not to be your version of what Jesus speaks of. What truly fuels your desire to condemn and rebuke rather then to invite, teach, aand have understanding of God's love, to invite a nonbeliever to your table, to invite them to a church service in which the word is spoken, no matter how confused to keep inviting them to the word..it is beyond me that you would rather judge and condemn that person then invite them back a million times to hear and hope they understand.
I also hope that you further learn a bit more compassion and become more forgiving of those who sin around you, including me. Rather then judge and condemn Mr. Edwards for perhaps some ignorant words he may have spoken, pray for him that he comes to uderstand what Jesus and the words he spoke and what he taught us.
By the way, are you a gnostic Christian?
I guess Paul was "blinded by his own arrogance in thinking he knew all there is about the intent of God and his word" to judge their actions.
Please forgive me Rollo, I am ignorant in your eyes. I guess in your understanding of Jesus and keeping the Church strong it is to be built on man bringing judgment and condemnation against fellow sinners.
Jesus is the rock in which the Church was built and as with Jesus teaching me to preach his light, to bring sinners to repent via his word, to have them make that decision in their hearts, that is the Church I understand Jesus to build his Church upon. If not, Jesus would have simply rebuked the the sinner who died along side of him on the cross, a rebuke in hope the sinner would repent...He did neither, on the cross he forgave those who torured him. Through that example of love and forgiveness, a man repented and was saved. In that one momment he repented Jesus advised him he would be in heaven. Jesus does not need me to rebuke and condemn an individual. Jesus needs me to teach and live the word, show through example and pray the word is heard and a non believer will beleive and repent.
You are right Rollo, the Bible does not speak of such things. In order to build a Church strong I must rebuke Mr. Edwards as a evil and unrepenting sinner who diserves no forgiveness from the Lord rather then continuing to invite him to my table to hear the words of the Lord and hope he repents and seeks forgiveness.
Mr. Rollo, I hope you do not have too many of those stones in your pocket to throw, they will only weigh you down.
He needs your help, your forgiveness for not knowing what he is doing. He needs your prayers and he needs you to teach him the word, hopefully he is part of a Church who will continue to invite him and teach same in hope he can see what the word means. He does not your condemnation, that is for God to make that decision, not you or I. There are other ways to open a person's heart and eyes to Jesus rather then condemnation and rebuking. What better are we then at that point then the Muslim who will convert by the sword. Is not a sword condemning and rebuking another's who is a non believer? How far do we go with that?
I think in many respects we both understand what we want, for those to aspire to live by what Jesuis taught us. I am just not as persuaded that you are that God is so quick to allow us to judge and condemn anothers sin...too many examples to speak otherwise...my opinion. I will ask God to forgive me if I am wrong to think that.
If Edwards thinks Jesus is disappointed in him, it is up to him to change his own behavior. It is NOT up to him to pick the pockets of American citizens via taxes so Edwards can salve his own conscience. (But we all know that's exactly what he wants to do.)
"He needs your help, your forgiveness for not knowing what he is doing."
Bull. "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord."
1 Cor. 5:1-5
I am not making the judgment, I am listening to the words Edwards and many others have written. People, who I suspect are not Christians keep adding the words "would be" to your pronouncements of Jesus thoughts. As a Christian, professing what Jesus thinks, the words "would be" would not be in the sentence. "Would be" denotes that there is something that has to happen first before the sentence is true.
Jesus "would be" if he knew the hearts of the people? Or "would be" if he were alive today? What has to happen to turn the "would be" into "is". Anyone who is a Christian believes Jesus is alive now and knows the hearts of people.
Edwards is talking the religious talk but his words have exposed what he really believes. This is not a judgment so much as listening to a persons words and watching it reveal his heart.
I appreciate all the spell checkers out there. :) My keyboard sticks and with the spell checker I jumped to the wrong word.
"It means that if he was a Christian he would not have used the words "would be disappointed" but instead used the word[s] "is disappointed".
Wow... parsing things with a fine-toothed comb today, are we?"
This comb has very wide teeth. :)
You are on thin ice when you start deciding who is a Christian and who is not. You're not God, and that matter is above your pay grade. Especially on grounds as imprecise as "would be."
Speck. Plank. Eye. Typical adventures in missing the point. "When saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?"
Actually all of us Christians do. It's called the Bible otherwise known as the "Mind Of Christ".
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Matthew 7, 21-23.
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