<---Unity of the faith...--->

[Theophil]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

We must agree on the foundations of our faith as we continue to come together to a more perfect understanding of the rest.

It looks like this:

10: Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Cor. 1:10

This is Gods will. Just because we are not there is no exuse. We must press on into all truth.

Yeshua said:

13: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 14:13

The Spirit strives to guide men into all the truth.

The Devil has the Church believing truth is not important. That Gods ok with all our different views and opinions.

However the Apostle John saw it much differently.

3: For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
4: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Our faith should tell us there IS such a thing as coming into the full truth. And that its possible for it to happen to any spirit filled believer.

Have you or anyone you know arrived there yet? If not, when do you think you might? That is the original question of this thread.

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Theophil

[/B]

Have you or anyone you know arrived there yet? If not, when do you think you might? That is the original question of this thread.

Paul said, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended..." (Phil 3:13. KJV

What had he not apprehended?!

Was it knowing Him in the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death (v. 10), the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (v. 14), all of the above, or that and more?!

Frankly, I don't think any of us have arrived, for even the greatest teacher of all time said, "that I might know Him..."

None of us have all of the answers. None of us know all there is to know.

However, there are some fundamental truths laid down in Scripture that everyone here can agree on...

Man must believe, repent, be baptized, Spirit filled, and live a sanctified life.

As for the rest, I'm reaching daily for a greater understanding, endeavoring to live a balanced life...

[Michael The Disciple]

You all seem to think Im making this up. It was not me that thought this up. Did Jesus take it seriously when he said the Spirit will guide us into all truth?

Was Paul serious when he said we are all to speak the same thing and have the same mind and judgment?

Instead of accepting the disunity as normal there should be a greater searching for truth. Sadly if one has ARRIVED at Acts 2:38 and believing in one God most are content.

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

You all seem to think Im making this up. It was not me that thought this up. Did Jesus take it seriously when he said the Spirit will guide us into all truth?

Was Paul serious when he said we are all to speak the same thing and have the same mind and judgment?

Instead of accepting the disunity as normal there should be a greater searching for truth. Sadly if one has ARRIVED at Acts 2:38 and believing in one God most are content.

Who said that, Michael?! We should have the same fundamental mind, but as long as you deal with humanity, there will be differences of opinion.

[Sam]

It is believed that St. Augustine said
In necessariis unitas,
In dubiis libertas,
In omnibus autem caritas,
or
In essentials unity,
In doubtful things liberty,
But in all things love.

I've seen variations of that quote attributed to different people.

We all have to become comfortable with how we practice that.

I go to a "trinity" church.
I can fellowship with people who believe in the Deity of Jesus.
In other words, Jesus is not just a man but He is God with us.

I believe that a person is justified/saved/born again by faith in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. So, in my opinion, anyone who has made a faith commitment to Jesus based on His death, burial, and resurrection is saved and is my brother or sister.

I believe that water baptism should be by immersion in water for a believer only and the name of Jesus should be spoken. However, since I do not believe water baptism is necessary for salvation and is not the "birth of water" spoken of in John 3:5, I can fellowship people who have been sprinkled or have had water poured on them, or have been immersed with some other words spoken over themd or who have not been "baptized" at all.

I believe that when a person believes in and "accepts" Jesus that Jesus comes into that person's heart as the Holy Spirit. I believe there are experiences in the Spirit such as fillings, empowerments, baptisms, etc. which are subsequent to salvation or the birth of the Spirit. I believe that people speak with tongues at some of those experiences. But, I can fellowship with people who have not spoken with tongues and even with people who do not believe that the gifts of the Spirit are available today.

In my opinion, everyone in whom Jesus lives IS holy because the HOLY SPIRIT lives in him/her. I believe it is up to each individual to live for God or to consecrate himself/herself to Him because Jesus (and no other) is our Judge. Therefore it is none of my business how a person dresses; on which day he or she worships; how long their hair is; whether they use caffeine, nicotine, sugar, chocolate, alcohol (within local legal parameters), and many other things. It is my opinion that nobody should judge me and I should not judge anybody else on matters like this.

I'm human. I'm imperfect (very imperfect). And I do not always do a real good job of practicing my faith. Two passages from the Bible which have helped me are:

1. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ --that He is God's Son and your Savior-- then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love His children too." I John 5:1

2. Give a warm welcome to any brother who wants to join you, even though his faith is weak. Don't criticize him for having different ideas from your about what is right and what is wrong.... For God has accepted them as His children. They are God's servants, not yours. They are responsible to Him, not to you. Let Him tell them whether they are right or wrong. and God is able to make them do as they should. Romans 14:1, 3, 4

To some of you I may be a compromiser, or a backslider, or an apostate, or a reprobate, but Jesus is my Judge and I feel confident in His grace.

[mizpeh]

Bump for Glenda B.

[mizpeh]

Here is something I read today that I can't agree with completely but in part.

The unity that Christ prayed for was not absolute creedal unity, but functional ontological unity. This was fulfilled at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit baptized all believers into one body.

[1Cor 12:16 If the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body/ is it therefore not of the body?]

There is, however, a basic creed of essential beliefs that has evidenced this ontological unity and the mutual indwelling of the Holy Spirit since the beginning of the Chruch, ut this creed is functional, not exhaustive. The Church has never had absolute creedal unity on every doctrine, and we should not expect it to until Christ comes, since we all "see in a mirror dimly" 1 Cor 13:12. In fact, it could be argued that God's intentions have been to purposefully keep creedal tension within the Church so that comprehension would be maximized. Without tension and controversy caused by disagreements, people would become intellectually lazy. We see this in al traditions [denominations] whose main source for doctrine is folk theology.
http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/con...sion2/BH2e.wmv

1 Cor 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Unity of the Spirit comes first through the bond of peace (and love). We then have to sort through the heresies as a body using the scripture as our ultimate authority of truth until we come in the unity of the faith. But we have the basics on which we can agree...those basic tenets which establish us as the body of Christ. Heb 6:1-2

[mizpeh]

A Oneness Pentecostal Response Daniel L. Segraves


Introduction

Our Lord must be pleased that Oneness and Trinitarian Pentecostals are talking after nearly a century of virtual separation. Surely the silence of those with a common heritage, a common experience in Holy Spirit baptism, and a common sense of the eschatological significance of that experience has not pleased Him. Our differences are significant and enduring, but, as indicated in several sections of the Final Report, there is much that we share. This is cause for celebration. In 1916, we focused on those things that separated us. In 2008, we still acknowledge our distinctives, but we are seeking to understand each other even in our disagreements. Willingness to discuss Scripture in a thoughtful and respectful way is a sign of spiritual health. Nothing is to be gained by heated rhetoric. As Paul pointed out, we should be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave us (Eph 4:32).

http://danielsegraves.blogspot.com/2...ntecostal.html

This is what should be happening among Oneness Pentecostals.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Barb

...
Can the three fingers and thumb on my right hand say to the arthritic finger, "Because you don't look like us, or work as well as we do, we don't need you!!" Heaven forbid...!!

How dare I say to anyone in the Body of Christ, "I don't need you!!"

Can any of the four fingers and thumb say to any of the others that they are not needed because they don't look exactly alike or function exactly alike. Each of the 5 digits on a human hand have different appearance, shape, and activity than the others but they need to work together and remember that they are on the same hand.