Don't be too hard on yourself

Originally posted by sonship
It is my opinion that some who sought to be Christians may or may not have been regenerated. But they were strong in themselves. Religious people can often be very strong in self will. When defeat came they turned to bitterness and annoyance at others who would dare to be as they had dreamed once.

Do you actually tell yourself ~ when you're feeling miffed ~ that when I was a Christian for all those years, I "dreamed" of being like how I find you are, here on this forum?

Originally posted by sonship
It is a fact, a sad one, that some who set out to love Jesus dreamed of being maybe spiritual giants. When they had some bad failure they became either too despondent or bitter.

Are you maybe a "spiritual giant"?

A Christian is believers but is also a "member". His most normal situation is to be a part of a Body. In some things God will not let me get through in a totally individualistic way. I would prefer that. But God seems not to allow it 100%.

I am not saying that a Christian should not have a completely private relationship with God. She or he should have a personal, intimate and private love relationship with the Lord Jesus. However, eventually, if you pursue the Lord continually you will find that you reach a kind of plateau. You have risen so high but stop. You cannot seem to progress further. It is like you come to a wall in your spiritual growth.

Often this is because the supply of empowering grace from the Holy Spirit wants to further your way horizontally in some matter. He will not supply the needed grace purely vertically from above. He will supply your needed power through another member of the Body of Christ.

So some may not be benefited from this at all whatsoever. But maybe some will.

So you have come to a plateau. You have a honey moon with Jesus Christ for awhile. You saw your life change. The change convinced you that Christ is real. But eventually you seem to not be able to grow much anymore.

Here's a way to go on.

Lord Jesus, I THANK YOU that I have come to my limitation. Lord, I thank You that my individual pursuit has met its limitation. I accept this from You Lord God.

Now, Lord I ask you to grace me with humility to receive more supply from other members of Your Body. Lord, meet the need You have to build me up with another and to build up another Christian with me.

Lord, I realize now that you need to express Yourself on the earth in a corporate way, in a unity of oneness among members. Lord, we have a little power. Like Philadelphia, we only have a little power. But according to Your word open the door of the kingdom to us to go through in brotherly love together.

Now here again is Christ's wonderful words to the overcomers of the church in Philadelphia ( "brotherly love" ) -

" I know Your works; behold, I have set before you an opened door which no one can shut, because you have a little power and have kept My word and have not denied My name. " (Rev. 3:8)

The Christians here see that they are not spiritual giants. They only have a little power. But they love one another and church together in love. The Lord Jesus opens the door before them into the kingdom of God. No one is able to shut the door. The oneness, the one accord in love has caused the door to be opened wide.

I could not get the door to open individually and alone in an isolated way. But in the small group in brotherly love, Christ opened the door and no one can shut it again. This I think is the spirit of the Lord's exhortation here.

Originally posted by sonship
Didn't I agree that "that is what it says"?

Then why not just agree instead of creating a post about a load of stuff which actually doesn't answer the question?

Originally posted by sonship
this is not a profitable use of a Chritian's time...

I do often wonder why it is you spend so many hours creating your monologues and posting them in here, to a largely uninterested audience, when you could be out in the streets talking to all the people you sincerely believe will be tortured in eternal hell by your version of Jesus.

Have you considered how many people will be burning in hell for eternity because you are in here being "unprofitable with your time"?

Originally posted by sonship
The blood of Jesus shuts the mouth of the accuser. But there is something else which is needed to shut the devil's mouth. That is the Body, the building, the oneness.

This sounds like more of your made-up pffle. Out of one of your books perhaps?

Originally posted by sonship
So some may not be benefited from this at all whatsoever. But maybe some will.

So you have come to a plateau. You have a honey moon with Jesus Christ for awhile. You saw your life change. The change convinced you that Christ is real. But eventually you seem to not be able to grow much anymore.

Here's a way to go on.

[quote] Lord Jesus, I THANK YO ...[text shortened]... he door and no one can shut it again. This I think is the spirit of the Lord's exhortation here.

Do you know what Jesus means when he said that those in the church of Philadelphia kept his word? that is why Jesus opened the door for them and no man can shut it?

Nah .. you clearly dont. You think keeping Jesus word is calling his name 50 times.

The sad thing is that your doctrine stops people from trying to become spiritual giants and encourage sin, idleness and mouth worship.

Originally posted by divegeester
I do often wonder why it is you spend so many hours creating your monologues and posting them in here, to a largely uninterested audience, when you could be out in the streets talking to all the people you sincerely believe will be tortured in eternal hell by your version of Jesus.

Have you considered how many people will be burning in hell for eternity because you are in here being "unprofitable with your time"?

Someone recently sent me a message to keep up the good work.

You seem not to be able to resist checking on what I wrote. So you don't know if other readers, more positive than you might be interested in checking to get some benefit occasionally.

Originally posted by sonship
Someone recently sent me a message to keep up the good work.

You seem not to be able to resist checking on what I wrote. So you don't know if other readers, more positive than you might be interested in checking to get some benefit occasionally.

Was the message from Jesus Christ? No ?
Then who cares.

Originally posted by sonship
Someone recently sent me a message to keep up the good work.

You seem not to be able to resist checking on what I wrote. So you don't know if other readers, more positive than you might be interested in checking to get some benefit occasionally.

I read about 10% of what you write and I bet the messenger was Suzianne. I also bet that at least 95% of the regular posters here don't read the musings of your strange beliefs. You interest me, and I don't read your monologues, most posters here don't even bother with you, so I'm sure they won't read them.

But you carry on...there are millions out there who are going to be tortured in hell because you are in here glorifying yourself.

Originally posted by divegeester
I read about 10% of what you write and I bet the messenger was Suzianne. I also bet that at least 95% of the regular posters here don't read the musings of your strange beliefs. You interest me, and I don't read your monologues, most posters here don't even bother with you, so I'm sure they won't read them.

But you carry on...there are millions out there who are going to be tortured in hell because you are in here glorifying yourself.

Wrong guess.


Suzianne has though given some positive feedback. And I know she does seem to hold an annhilationist view of eternal judgment. But you can comfort yourself with whatever statistics you like.

Why don't you see if you can put together two or more consecutive sentences which contribute something positive and helpful to those exploring Spirituality? This would be more profitable then bragging about how little a percentage of my posts you read.

Originally posted by Rajk999
Was the message from Jesus Christ? No ?
Then who cares.

You're another poster who shrugs hard, but seems addicted to checking just about every post I write.

If you and Divegeester want to impress me with a demonstration of how little people read my posts, you could start by leading the way. Don't read them.

Worth much more while is this little section from Watchman Nee's message on being a member in the Body of Christ.

THE BODY OF CHRIST BEING
THE CORPORATE VESSEL TO FULFILL GOD'S PLAN

God is after a corporate vessel, not individual vessels. He is not choosing a few zealous, consecrated ones to work for Him individually. Individual vessels cannot fulfill God's goal and plan. God has chosen the church, and He is after the church. Only the church as the corporate Christ can fulfill God's goal and plan.

Consider our human body. No member of our body can act independently. It is impossible for a body to depend on one hand or one leg. However, if the body loses a member, it will not be complete. The Body of Christ is composed of all the believers. Every believer is a member in the Body of Christ, and every believer is indispensable.

The Body of Christ is a reality. The church life is also a reality. The Word of God does not say the church is like the Body of Christ; it says the church is the Body of Christ. Nothing external can become part of our physical bodies. We may clothe our bodies, but the clothes do not become part of our bodies. Nothing that is of us can ever become part of the Body of Christ, because "Christ is all and in all" in the Body (Col. 3:11). Anything in us that is not a part of Christ frustrates our inward knowledge of the Body of Christ. Sin hinders us from seeing Christ, and the natural life hinders us from seeing the Body. We all must see our position in the Body of Christ. If we truly see our position in the Body, it will be as though we were saved a second time.

from The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 44, Set II
http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?cid=18F9

That is so helpful - to see that Christ is all and Christ is in all. The Body life magnifies Christ. All that is non-Christ fades, evaporates, and that is just the distillation of life the Christian needs.

Originally posted by sonship
But you can comfort yourself with whatever statistics you like.

I think I may have said something like this to you when you told me you thought that - because of my dissent and disagreements with you - I may have been responsible for hundreds of members of this community facing torture in flames at the hands of Jesus. "Hundreds" you said. Was that you taking comfort for yourself with whatever statistics you like?