Replies

First, we Christians are to follow God Himself - not angels, mortals, organizations, etc.

Very well, but what are you doing? Do you attend a church? Read the Bible? Attend ecumenical meetings? Somewhere there is a leader. Who is that leader and to what are they leading you?

We must try the spirits and never bow to them.

Well good Scotch is good Scotch, I say. But seriously, how do you try the spirits? Is not satan more powerful than any man? It took all that Jesus had to withstand satan, no?

If a man loves his wife and she wants the bedroom painted blue, he will do his best to see it done. And if he wants fried catfish, she will do her best to master that skill. Likewise between parents and children, lovers, friends and so on.

Are you reducing the condition of love to the fulfillment of whims and making that love condition upon it?

Indeed, when a person loves another deeply, he can no longer say whether he likes museums because she does or he does – or whether he likes cheeseburgers because she does or he does. So if we want what God wants it is because we love Him. And thereby, we don't need to "sweat the details."

Oh boy. Our imitation of Christ involves giving up of ourselves, but we do need to sweat the details. If we worship the Mormon God, for instance, will the Christian God understand that we actually meant well, so please don't hold it against us?

And it would entail wanting to be rid of everything that is an abomination to Him – whether in the world around us or in ourselves.

These include some of the details that we need to sweat. Remember that the Church took 3 centuries to come out with the definition of the Trinity and the Canon. If we reject the Trinity or believe in the Gospel of Thomas, is that small stuff?

And finally, what may be the most difficult for us to want that God wants since it involves suffering and destruction – that Jesus will come in power and glory and put down the rebellion that began with Satan and spread through Adam to mankind and then make all things new according to His will.

I have no idea what you mean here.

Do you attend a church? Read the Bible? Attend ecumenical meetings? Somewhere there is a leader. Who is that leader and to what are they leading you?

I am a bakery shop kid, God Himself leads me.

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. - I John 2:27

[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. – Romans 8:1

I believe if a man came up to Billy Graham even at his advanced age and said “I want to be just like you, I will follow you to death” that Billy Graham would rent his clothes and repent in dust and ashes for he has spent his entire life pointing to Jesus.

Compare that to Jim Jones and Applewhite and David Koresh whose followers literally died with them. And compare that to L.Ron Hubbard and Joseph Smith.

I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.

History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 408-409

I follow the Good Shepherd, not man, any man.

But seriously, how do you try the spirits?

I follow Jesus’ example and simply ask who they say Jesus IS.

Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and [that] no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. –I Corinthians 12:3

Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, [The Son] of David. - Matthew 22:42

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. - Matthew 16:15-18

You continued:

Is not satan more powerful than any man?

Not a man filled with the Holy Spirit but we are to be respectful evidently because his fate is in God’s hands:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. – Jude 9

You continued:

It took all that Jesus had to withstand satan, no?

No. Jesus withstood Satan’s temptations by speaking the words of God.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. – Matt 4:4

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. – Matt 4:7

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. – Matt 4:10

The words of God are spirit, powerful and quickening.

For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. - John 6:63

You continued:

Are you reducing the condition of love to the fulfillment of whims and making that love condition upon it?

I said “When we love someone, we want what he wants.”

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. – Matt 16:23

You continued.

me: Indeed, when a person loves another deeply, he can no longer say whether he likes museums because she does or he does – or whether he likes cheeseburgers because she does or he does. So if we want what God wants it is because we love Him. And thereby, we don't need to "sweat the details."
You: Oh boy. Our imitation of Christ involves giving up of ourselves, but we do need to sweat the details. If we worship the Mormon God, for instance, will the Christian God understand that we actually meant well, so please don't hold it against us?

We can’t be loving God with all of our hearts, minds and souls (the one and only Great Commandment) if we don’t know Who He IS.

Remember that the Church took 3 centuries to come out with the definition of the Trinity and the Canon. If we reject the Trinity or believe in the Gospel of Thomas, is that small stuff?

If a Christian – one who knows Who God IS and loves Him whole heartedly - embraces other manuscripts which do not deny His Name, I trust God will not hold it against him.

Also, you give the Church the glory for defining the Trinity. That glory belongs to God. He revealed that Truth in Scripture:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: - Matthew 28:19

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. - Romans 8:9

The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. – Psalms 12:6-7

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. - Isaiah 55:11

You continued:

me: And finally, what may be the most difficult for us to want that God wants since it involves suffering and destruction – that Jesus will come in power and glory and put down the rebellion that began with Satan and spread through Adam to mankind and then make all things new according to His will.

you: I have no idea what you mean here.

I chose some end of days passages, but feel free to choose your own. The point is that some of the things God wants are going to hurt a lot of people. If we love Him surpassingly above all else, we will be saying “even so, come Lord Jesus.”

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. - Revelation 22:20

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. - Revelation 1:7-8

To God be the glory, not man, never man.