Every word of God is pure and accomplishes all that God intends which is to bring His family out of the darkness of sin and estrangement and into the light of the righteousness and glory of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Fully in agreement with Metmom's 5,123.
1. Since the Lutherans have the True Presence of Christ in their Eucharist (which they DO celebrate) along with ICons, Crucifixes and incense and kneeling in their services and churches, would you go and worship with them? You had indicated that you wouldnt' go anyplace that had such things and didn't consider them (the True Presence etc.) to be Christian, correct?
I doubt you'll find our Reformed and Fundamentalist brethren disqualify True Presence observers to be non-Christian, since the Lord makes that determination. As far as worshipping with those that do, the spiritual unity derived from doctrinal agreement is important. Not participating in the means of grace offered by communion in the Lord's Supper while visiting in a congregation where that is a tenet of faith does not preclude one from realizing the benefits from the exposition of the Word of God.
2. Would you go and worship in a Word-of-Faith group where Kenneth Copeland says Adam was "not a little like God ... not almost like God ...",[26] and has told believers that "You don't have a God in you. You are one." -- would you agree with this and worship there?
I wouldn't, but why would I forsake worship with likeminded people where available? To be ecumenical? Sorry, I'd just listen to the Lutheran Hour that Sunday.
Everyone says idiotic things . . . sometimes ad nauseum . . . at some points and periods in their life.
These threads are proof enough of that.
I think Kenneth Copeland is one of the more balanced Kenneth Hagin off-springs. And I’ve seen him grow in maturity and humility. I haven’t listened to any of his stuff in many years. I would expect, however, that he’s a LOT more refined, purified, humble, wise and Biblical than he was earlier.
Sometimes, I think—and this occurs in all denominations—particularly amongs budding young preachers—they sort of try and one-up one another with NEW INSIGHTS into God’s Word. And they’ll take a phrase and pull a Roman Catholic stunt of expanding next to nothing very meaningfully clear into a whole huge sky-scraper edifice of ‘new theological truth and insight’ when mostly it’s arrogance gone to seed and presumption building a huge edifice on a toothpick for a foundation.
OF COURSE such efforts are going to be ridiculous.
There IS a verse or two in the Bible about Believers being as gods. WHO KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS! To pontificate anything about it is a crazy risk if not out-right lunacy. Doesn’t stop a lot of young whipper-snappers from saying stupid things.
It also doesn’t mean the bulk of the rest of their theology is off or stupid at all.