Originally posted by whodey
I agree it has importance.
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Good then. Why not write something about the importance of
Romans 13?
Each man needs to act according to his conscience. We do what we feel compelled to do. God will sort it all out in the end.
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That's right. My thread is mostly about brothers in Christ.
We should take heed to our conscience.
And if we do, I think when we sound like those damning the authorities over them, it kills our praying spirit. Try to talk that way for a few hours and see how much appetite you have for prayer.
I have to go ask the Lord for the cleansing of His precious blood to restore my communion with the Spirit when I speak about my boss or a government official that way.
For example, Christians that voted for the likes of Obama have no real qualms about abortion. If they did, they would be going against their conscience.
I think voting in the US is usually a matter of trying to choose the lesser of two evils. Most candidate represent a mixed bag of causes.
More than likely, they have adopted the belief that the unborn are inconsequential and that God does not mind us snuffing out their lives.
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You certainly can discuss that with brothers and sisters in the faith you think should hear that. And if they touch the Spirit of Christ in your fellowship with them you just may awaken them to see the matter differently.
Remember, the exhortation of
First Timothy 2:1 that Paul desires that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men; on behalf of kings AND ALL WHO ARE IN HIGH POSITIONS.
Vote the ones you want in high positions.
Pray for whoever ascends to those positions --- effectively as you can.
The same can be said regarding issues like gay marriage. Those that don't view it as an ill of society will celebrate it.
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I don't think Paul was celebrating Nero.
I think he was writing the brothers that the authority of government is something ordained by God and in attitude we should not betray that.
I think that increases the Christian's influence to awaken the consciences of others rather than decreases it.
I think that if you feed people Jesus, feed people Jesus, feed people Jesus more light will begin to shine in their own hearts to turn away from what displeases God to living Christ.
" I desire therefore that men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and reasoning."
When I find myself consumed with wrath and reasoning I know that first I must come to the Lord Jesus, no matter what the issue is. I must first find peace in Him. I have to have the peace of Christ arbitrating in my heart.
One of the works of the flesh Paul mentions is
clamor (Eph. 4:31) . .
Synonyms for this word
clamor are
Agitation
Uproar
Ruckus
Tumult
Outcry
Din
Discord
Turmoil
Vociferation
Pandemonium
More slang like words which can mean
clamor are -
Hurly-Burly
Hubba-hubba
To-do
Hullaballoo
Hassle
It draws the picture of something like an unruly soccer crowd.
It brings to mind a shouting protest.
Paul writes:
" Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and CLAMOR and evil speaking be removed from you, with all malice." (Eph. 4:31)
We are a more effective Christian witness all around if our speech is without these defects of the old man and people touch the that proper man in our spirit - the Lord Jesus.
By praying honestly but without wrath and reasoning God will show us how and what to say in our sharing the truth. We can learn to taste spiritual life and spiritual death.
We do not want to abort physically or abort spiritually. Physical life is precious and so is spiritual life. What about the spiritual life of this one I speak to?