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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2020 14:54:00 GMT
Recently I have been thinking much about this.
Extrapolation from Romans 1:16-25 (MEEV)
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from one faith to another.
The just shall live by faith, the wrath of God being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who profess truth but practice unrighteousness; because such as may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it to them.
For the eternal but invisible things of God’s Power and Godhead from the creation of the world, are clearly manifested in creation so that they are without excuse.
Whereby, when they knew God, instead of glorified him as God and being thankful; they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into images made like to corruptible men, birds, four footed beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: changing the truth of God into a lie, and worshipping and serving those created images more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.
Conversely those who, having seen “the eternal but invisible things of God’s Power and Godhead from the creation of the world”, worship the glory of the incorruptible God, have no need of ‘excuse’. Amen”.
God seeks those that worship him in spirit and in truth.
And, for my part, there is nowhere that I can do that better than in creation’s places of extreme peaceful solitude, such as on the hill tops of the Austrian Alps, or along the gently wave lapped shoreline of isolated stretches of the Mediterranean coast.
I well remember holidaying in the Austrian Alps and climbing the long uphill stretches of the surrounding pastural meadows.
The higher I climbed the more rarified the atmosphere became, and the increasingly faint became the sounds of civilisation.
Eventually all that could be heard was the faint sound of cow bells from the lower reaches.
And I sat me down on an outcrop of rock and, as per the choral piece “All in an April evening….I thought on the Lamb of God”.
And I meaningfully recited the words of the hymnal chorus
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim.
In the light of his Glory and Grace.”
Coupled with
“There is a place of quiet rest.
Near to the Heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest
Near to the Heart of God”
That just has to be ‘My Church’
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Post by ivor on Jul 20, 2020 17:30:45 GMT
Mike the Beatles song was wrong its not, "All you need is Love" (although it is in a spiritual sense Jesus being Love) but for us its.. "All you need is Faith"..... because "Religion" you can take it, or leave it and some do and some don't.. look upwards not sideways and never backwards because time flows by us quickly and overtakes us while we are doing that
Spurgeon is my most favorite for unpicking that scripture
I do not suppose that Paul guessed that he would be sent there at the government expense, but he was. The Roman Empire had to find a ship for him, and a fit escort for him, too; and he entered the city as an ambassador in bonds. When our hearts are set on a thing, and we pray for it, God may grant us the blessing; but, it may be, in a way that we never looked for. You shall go to Rome, Paul; but you shall go in chains. He had not thought of that plan; still, it was the best way in which he could go. I do not know how he could have preached to the Emperor except as a prisoner; but when he was brought before him to be tried, then he had an opportunity of speaking even to the brutal creature who was called the Emperor of Rome.
Romans 1:16-17. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
That is the sum and substance of the gospel: “The just shall live by faith.” The law is, “He that doeth these things shall live by them;” but the gospel is, “The just shall live by faith.” “Wherefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God.” The Lord give to us all that saving faith, for Christ’s sake! Amen.
Many other people were ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It was too simple; it had not enough of mystery about it; it had not enough of worldly wisdom about it. Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” and then gives his reason for not being ashamed of it, —
Romans 1:16-17. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
The gospel tells us about this living by faith, this believing, this receiving righteousness through believing, and not through working. This is the sweet story of the cross, of which Paul was not ashamed.
Romans 1:18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Those last words may be read, “Who hold down the truth in unrighteousness.” They will not let the truth work upon their hearts; they will not allow it to operate in their minds; but they try to make it an excuse for their sin. Is there anybody here who is holding down the truth to prevent its entering his heart? I fear that there are some such persons, who have come here for years, and the truth has pricked them, troubled them, made them lie awake at night; but they are holding it down, like one who grasps a wild animal by the ears, and holds it down for fear it should bite him. Oh, sirs, when you are afraid of the truth, you may be well be afraid of hell! When you and the truth quarrel, you had better end your fighting soon, for you will have the worst of it if you do not yield: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold down the truth in unrighteousness.”
Romans 1:19-20. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Men who never heard the gospel can see God in his works if they open their eyes. There is written upon the face of nature enough to condemn men if they do not turn to God. There is a gospel of the sea, and of the heavens, of the stars, and of the sun; and if men will not read it, they are guilty, for they are willfully ignorant of what they might know, and ought to know.
Romans 1:21-22. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
The way to be a fool is to pretend to be wise. A short cut to wisdom is the confession of folly. The near way to folly is the profession of wisdom.
Romans 1:23-24. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
It is very easy to make a beast of yourself when you have made a beast to be your god, as the Egyptians did, when they worshipped the god that they had made in the form of an ox, or a crocodile, or a cat.
Romans 1:25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
There are many preachers who have “changed the truth of God into a lie”; and by their exaltation of man, they have “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.” God save all of us from such idolatry as that! Amen.
Spurgeon
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Post by Dave on Jul 21, 2020 4:29:45 GMT
Paul of all the apostles knew that Israel 'was without excuse' because they were the chosen, so when he penned, 'for I AM not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation--------"
He also pens that; I AM a debtor and I AM ready to preach to Jew and Gentile, but the church HIS body: was what consumed him.
I'm one for where two or three or more gather and like David of old, we can 'worship in Spirit' and Truth and we can ascend into the heavenly's with Jesus, but instead of the eagle on the wings of the winds, one finds like the dove no rest for the sole of our feet but we like the dove have found our own olive leaf.
I've never climb an Austrian alp, and I never sat and contemplated the Mediterranean but each has to find his own place of stillness for the soul, I very often find quietness in listening to the songs of the Lord that have blessed others; thanks for your testimony Mike.
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Post by Dave on Sept 7, 2020 16:03:55 GMT
Mike started this with; "My kind of church"
What triggered this was on my morning medication walk with Odd, I remembered when H and I and family traveled down from Edmonton to Lubbock Texas for a Dec' convention, a drive of close to 3000 kilometers one way, and winter conditions to boot; I had a Ford Torino car, lowered suspension in the back, we took a friend who spoke the language and she was a little rotund, plus luggage for four ladies!!!!!!, my point to myself was, why 'did' we drive all that way to hear the 'word', why 'did' we drive from Bexhill to Northallerton about 500 kilometers to hear the 'word'
I suppose at the 'time' they were our 'kind of church' Eccl's states, "To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven"
Funny, I have always had the time before the season in my mind, so were these just church seasons at the time?
So how will 'my kind of church' come through this season of time, or will I ever find 'my kind of church' again or how does one define 'my kind of church?'
Maybe all I need is an Ark season and a dove time and for God to re-member us.
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Post by james on Sept 7, 2020 19:11:15 GMT
Why did I drive through the night on my first night of marriage, but to arrive for morning service at Chard, 300 miles. It seemed the word was important back then, our hunger was great, our authority over our flesh was strong. It was not the church I sort but the spirit that seemed to be heavy at the preaching of the word. Has anything changed? I still desire that anointing, was it just for that season? Dare we believe for a new season, after the ark God spoke and said while the earth remaineth seedtime and harvest and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Was he saying, you will always experience seasons if you remain earthy and don't make the spirit your constant abode?
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