How did you become "Oneness"?

[SJC]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

An awesome thread really. Hardly any response. Maybe because according to the poll I took here a few years back the majority position on AFF is that Jesus is not the Father.

That is a real shocker !!!

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by SJC

That is a real shocker !!!

So, it should come to no surprise if this forum gets some blowback in particular threads. I mean, what are we supposed to do? "Oh, bless your heart, they were baptized in Jesus name, but NEVER told they could receive the infilling of the Holy Ghost." How precious. Why don't we all get to together to agree to disagree and give each other a good foot massage. All while we drink warm milk.

[SJC]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

So, it should come to no surprise if this forum gets some blowback in particular threads. I mean, what are we supposed to do? "Oh, bless your heart, they were baptized in Jesus name, but NEVER told they could receive the infilling of the Holy Ghost." How precious. Why don't we all get to together to agree to disagree and give each other a good foot massage. All while we drink warm milk.

You do have a unique way with words !

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

Lift heavy, and watch the bench.
If you can't rep it you might tear it.
Torn pec muscle is nothing nice.

Yes, I alternate bench and overhead. When I go heavy (5x5 usually) on one I go medium (3 or 4x8-12) on the other, alternating each workout (heavy bench, medium overhead, then heavy overhead, medium bench, etc).

What I have to really watch is deadlifts. I LOVE dead lifting, 6-8x3, I love heavy triples. I'll fry my CNS if I get carried away so I have to make myself keep the volume low throughout the week.

I hate squats, though. Which is why I've been doing them more than deadlifts. Gotta do the ones you hate, those are the ones you need to be doing.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Yes, I alternate bench and overhead. When I go heavy (5x5 usually) on one I go medium (3 or 4x8-12) on the other, alternating each workout (heavy bench, medium overhead, then heavy overhead, medium bench, etc).

What I have to really watch is deadlifts. I LOVE dead lifting, 6-8x3, I love heavy triples. I'll fry my CNS if I get carried away so I have to make myself keep the volume low throughout the week.

I hate squats, though. Which is why I've been doing them more than deadlifts. Gotta do the ones you hate, those are the ones you need to be doing.

You will find that squats is your bread and butter. Deadlift, and then bench.
Overhead lifts I have loved since I was a kid. I also was told my whole life that overhead lifting was bad for you. Here is a baloney thrower's website http://www.rdlfitness.com/avoid-the-overhead-press/

But 47 plus years of lifting has never hurt me. Lifting weight is like eating, bathing, brushing one's teeth. It is part of everyday life, and will stop unwanted visits to the doctor or old folks home.

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Did you get the Revelation? Or were you taught some doctrinal points and propositions that needed to be affirmed and maintained?

Here's my story:

I was living in sin, until Christ began to call me through his Word. All my objections and excuses were broken down and demolished, and I was left with nothing but conviction. convicted that I was in sin, a sinner, a rebel against God. Convicted that Christ died for my sin, and took judgment upon Himself that I might escape that judgment. Convicted that if I did not repent and flee to Him for mercy and grace I would die in my sins and suffer eternal judgment.

So I repented of my sins. I began praying and fasting. I knew very little of the Bible, but I knew enough to know I needed whatever salvation those Christians in the Bible had. I prayed for God's Spirit. I had no idea what that meant, I had never met a Pentecostal or charismatic person, I just knew that reading the Bible God's people had something I desperately needed - God in them. A REAL genuine bona fide salvation.

I wound up homeless at a very small independent Baptist church-run mission for street people. I was in service one night, at the tail end of the service, when everyone was "standing with eyes closed and heads bowed" for final prayer. I had been praying and fasting for God to save me, really truly and genuinely save me, to make Bible salvation a REALITY in my life. I clung to His promises in the Word, and this night something happened.

While praying I eventually ran out of things to pray. I just surrendered myself to God. I cannot describe it too well, it was just a simple and yet total surrendering of myself to God. And something fell out of Heaven into my very soul, my very inner being. It exploded inside and shot out like a geyser. The distinct impression I had at the time was like Old Faithful blowing up and gushing forth, only instead of actual water gushing out it was the most marvellous prayer, in another language. I could sense what the prayer involved, but not specifically word for word, just the general import. I was totally overwhelmed with DIVINE LOVE, the Love of the Saviour towards ME, me personally. The Great God of Heaven knew me personally, and loved me personally, and somehow had expressed His love to me in a most direct and personal way. God Himself had literally come inside of my very Being, and I was crying, shaking, and praying in some other language.

I had never heard "Oneness", knew nothing whatsoever about theology, or theology disputes, or "Godhead issues". But one thing I KNEW the moment it happened, and while it was happening: It was JESUS CHRIST who was now inside me. Inside my innermost being. Spirit, soul, heart, whatever you want to call it, it was JESUS CHRIST who came to me and took up residence in me. I knew that I knew that I knew it. And what was startling was it was not at all what I expected. I had no expectation of Jesus himself taking up residence in my soul. I was just praying to get good old fashioned bible salvation. I was praying for God to give me His Spirit... and He gave me JESUS!

From that moment on I KNEW who God was. I knew He was JESUS CHRIST, the One who suffered and died on a cross for me, who came out the tomb alive and victorious because death had no hold on Him - because HE IS GOD ALMIGHTY.

A couple days later I met a man who invited me to visit his church. I went and discovered there were other people who had experienced this overwhelming, mind blowing immersion in the love of JESUS CHRIST. This brother showed me three scriptures - Matthew 28:19, Isaiah 9:6, and Acts 2:38. It made perfect sense to me. JESUS CHRIST is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He is GOD. Later that week I was baptised in His saving Name in obedience to the scriptures.

It would be a couple years before I ever heard the term "Oneness" or had any clue what it meant. If you had asked me "do you believe in the trinity?" I would said "Of course! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! And His name is JESUS CHRIST!!!!" It would be years afterwards that I would discover what trinitarianism actually proposed, and that there was an alternative view called "Oneness" that seemed to express what I had not only experienced but confirmed in the Scriptures. Whenever I would hear preachers say "you need a Revelation!" and "It's a Revelation!" I knew EXACTLY what they meant, because I had it!




I cannot even fathom receiving the Holy Ghost and not knowing intuitively and immediately by direct knowing that JESUS CHRIST is the Alpha and Omega, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Jehovah God Himself, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Son of God, firstborn of Creation, and all of it. It's All In him indeed.

So... how did YOU come to be "Oneness"?

I'd love to share my story, perhaps I'll get time to. We have some similarities, but I'll never forget laying on my stomach reading the scripture when I read Isaiah 44:6 and cross referenced it to Revelation 1. I was a new convert, and this was my first time reading the scripture through. I had never read Isaiah. I had a decent understanding of Revelation because I had been drawn in by Irvin Baxter's radio show (regardless of what many think of his rhetoric, it was the avenue that God used to get me interested in scripture). I had already been baptized in Jesus name, but that night was the night it gelled. It wasn't a teaching or belief, but something I now knew.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Jason B

I'd love to share my story, perhaps I'll get time to. We have some similarities, but I'll never forget laying on my stomach reading the scripture when I read Isaiah 44:6 and cross referenced it to Revelation 1. I was a new convert, and this was my first time reading the scripture through. I had never read Isaiah. I had a decent understanding of Revelation because I had been drawn in by Irvin Baxter's radio show (regardless of what many think of his rhetoric, it was the avenue that God used to get me interested in scripture). I had already been baptized in Jesus name, but that night was the night it gelled. It wasn't a teaching or belief, but something I now knew.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Esaias

(Besides, I'm in week 6 of my new lifting program, weight has stayed steady while arm size has increased about an inch and belly size has decreased, had a new PR on deadlift last week and I'm going to PR on squat and bench tonight Lord willing so all I can say is moar! faster! heheh!)

Praise Jesus the Lord was willing!

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by SJC

That is a real shocker !!!

Here is the thread with the poll.

http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com...ad.php?t=33326

[madras]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Here is the thread with the poll.

http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com...ad.php?t=33326

Sir, 34 members cast a vote. Is that proportional to the amount of people that post on a regular basis?