Jail/Homosexuality

[MarcBee]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

I "believe" it is more powerful to always cite scripture and not address any sin issue with a passionate plea, i.e. "God didn't make Adam and Steve."

Ok, I get it now. BTW, I know a guy named Steve, and I'll be sure to tell him god didn't make him. And I'll keep an eye out for anyone named Adam, too.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by MarcBee

Ok, I get it now. BTW, I know a guy named Steve, and I'll be sure to tell him god didn't make him. And I'll keep an eye out for anyone named Adam, too.

Good scouting on your part. Get 'er done!

[Abiding Now]

The End is near!

First it is homosexuality and then probably adultery, I mean "they are consenting adults".

And then any and all sins will be verboten in the pulpit and every gutless preacher winds up a sweet smiling happy lil Osteen.

[Esaias]

The prophets of old, inspired by the Holy Ghost - the very same Spirit that Jesus gives His disciples - the very same Spirit that in the NT is called 'the Spirit of Christ' - those prophets routinely and publicly rebuked the people for their sins.

Ezekiel was told by God to eat dung in public, so when people asked him 'what in the world are you doing?' he could tell them 'thus shall God punish you for your sins.'

Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc - they preached publicly and told the people they had sinned, that God was angry at their sinning, and that God would punish them.

This is no different that a preacher today telling the public that God will punish them for their sins, nor is it different that a preacher naming their sins and telling them they are in fact sins against God (and nature - see Romans 1-2) and that repentance is the recommended course of action.

Telling people that hell awaits them is the truth, if they are not right with God. How shall people be warned, if we fear to offend anyone?

BTW, you cannot truly 'offend' someone by telling them the truth. To 'offend' a person, biblically, means to cause them to stumble and commit sin. It does not mean to upset them.

People got so upset at Jesus' preaching they killed Him.

The servant is not above the Master.

[Tim Rutledge]

Originally Posted by Esaias

The prophets of old, inspired by the Holy Ghost - the very same Spirit that Jesus gives His disciples - the very same Spirit that in the NT is called 'the Spirit of Christ' - those prophets routinely and publicly rebuked the people for their sins.

Ezekiel was told by God to eat dung in public, so when people asked him 'what in the world are you doing?' he could tell them 'thus shall God punish you for your sins.'

Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc - they preached publicly and told the people they had sinned, that God was angry at their sinning, and that God would punish them.

This is no different that a preacher today telling the public that God will punish them for their sins, nor is it different that a preacher naming their sins and telling them they are in fact sins against God (and nature - see Romans 1-2) and that repentance is the recommended course of action.

Telling people that hell awaits them is the truth, if they are not right with God. How shall people be warned, if we fear to offend anyone?

BTW, you cannot truly 'offend' someone by telling them the truth. To 'offend' a person, biblically, means to cause them to stumble and commit sin. It does not mean to upset them.
I
People got so upset at Jesus' preaching they killed Him.

The servant is not above the Master.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Esaias

The prophets of old, inspired by the Holy Ghost - the very same Spirit that Jesus gives His disciples - the very same Spirit that in the NT is called 'the Spirit of Christ' - those prophets routinely and publicly rebuked the people for their sins.

Ezekiel was told by God to eat dung in public, so when people asked him 'what in the world are you doing?' he could tell them 'thus shall God punish you for your sins.'

Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc - they preached publicly and told the people they had sinned, that God was angry at their sinning, and that God would punish them.

This is no different that a preacher today telling the public that God will punish them for their sins, nor is it different that a preacher naming their sins and telling them they are in fact sins against God (and nature - see Romans 1-2) and that repentance is the recommended course of action.

Telling people that hell awaits them is the truth, if they are not right with God. How shall people be warned, if we fear to offend anyone?

BTW, you cannot truly 'offend' someone by telling them the truth. To 'offend' a person, biblically, means to cause them to stumble and commit sin. It does not mean to upset them.

People got so upset at Jesus' preaching they killed Him.

The servant is not above the Master.

Wasn't Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah addressing Israel? And wasn't Paul addressing the Church?

[Aquila]

Religion will always seek to gain political power and dominate the world in accordance to it's dogma. It's marriage to the state is harlotry and is an abomination before God. Religion will seek to gain power and money from those it dominates. Religion will always end up persecuting those that it labels as "sinners". For example, the Roman Catholic Church.

Spirituality will always remain a personal walk with God wherein one accepts that they are not of this world and have no desire to be. It's simple reality brings personal sanctification and a grace filled testimony before a lost and dying world. Spirituality will always seek to serve lost and hurting mankind. Spirituality will always find itself being persecuted by the world's politics and the world's religion. For example, biblical Christianity as taught by Jesus and the Apostles.

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Religion will always seek to gain political power and dominate the world in accordance to it's dogma. It's marriage to the state is harlotry and is an abomination before God. Religion will seek to gain power and money from those it dominates. Religion will always end up persecuting those that it labels as "sinners". For example, the Roman Catholic Church.

Spirituality will always remain a personal walk with God wherein one accepts that they are not of this world and have no desire to be. It's simple reality brings personal sanctification and a grace filled testimony before a lost and dying world. Spirituality will always seek to serve lost and hurting mankind. Spirituality will always find itself being persecuted by the world's politics and the world's religion. For example, biblical Christianity as taught by Jesus and the Apostles.

The real Jesus is very unpopular to this world. Not because of his meekness and gentleness. But rather because he exposes its evil ways.

John 7:7

7 The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.

Its not up to us to pick and chose what we call sin. All we can do is be faithful witnesses to the whole counsel of God.

If we are ashamed of Christ and his teaching he will also be ashamed of us.

A soul cannot be saved unless he is convinced that he is a sinner. Most "Christians" are highly uncomfortable to attempt this. Jesus said THATS WHY THE WORLD HATED HIM.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

Wasn't Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah addressing Israel? And wasn't Paul addressing the Church?

The prophets spoke to Israel because God wasn't speaking to the nations (except in very limited circumstances... kind of like Jonah who told the Ninevites they were all going to be destroyed within 40 days... picture him with one of those sandwich billboards and 'The End is Near - 40 Days Left!').

Paul wrote to the church in Rome but was speaking 'to the Jew' who made his boast in the law... and speaking of them he pointed out that although the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, those Jews not only did the things God hates but had pleasure in those who practiced such things. He goes further to point out their hypocrisy in claiming to be covenanted with God (they claimed to be God's 'chosen people') yet they were no different in God's eyes as the heathen, because of their disobedience to God.

But if what you are saying is that since the prophets spoke to backsliding, sinning Israel, and Paul wrote to the church about hypocrites and sinners in general, that therefore preachers should not speak the same things to the lost today... then the conclusion is no preacher can 'read Scripture' as you mentioned earlier, to the lost, because all scripture was given to GOD'S COVENANTED PEOPLE ('the church') and not the lost... So nothing said therein is actually 'to' the lost... according to such reasoning.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Religion will always seek to gain political power and dominate the world in accordance to it's dogma. It's marriage to the state is harlotry and is an abomination before God. Religion will seek to gain power and money from those it dominates. Religion will always end up persecuting those that it labels as "sinners". For example, the Roman Catholic Church.

Spirituality will always remain a personal walk with God wherein one accepts that they are not of this world and have no desire to be. It's simple reality brings personal sanctification and a grace filled testimony before a lost and dying world. Spirituality will always seek to serve lost and hurting mankind. Spirituality will always find itself being persecuted by the world's politics and the world's religion. For example, biblical Christianity as taught by Jesus and the Apostles.

The sentiment is nice but unbiblical. One of the purposes or missions of the church is to do this:

Ephesians 3: 8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

'All men' includes all those in government.

Verse 10 shows that the church is to make known to the 'powers that be' the manifold wisdom of God.

God did not ordain that government should be left to its own devices, and that government serving God is 'an abomination'.

The RCC was not a case of misguided people merging church and state for the best of intentions but producing the worst of results, the RCC is the little horn of Daniel and antichrist so what else would they do except persecute Christians?