Oh Little Town of Bethlehem...

@kellyjay said
You may not agree you have nasty habits, but I treated you like you treat others here
you'd hate it.

I think I would not hate it.

@fmf said
I think I would not hate it.

🙂 What is that truth concerning attraction and repulsion?
I think you would despise it!

@kellyjay said
🙂 What is that truth concerning attraction and repulsion?
I think you would despise it!

No, I don't think I would despise it. I think you would be a far better advocate for your religion if you took a few leaves from my book and engaged me [and others] in the way I engage you.

@fmf said
No, I don't think I would despise it. I think you would be a far better advocate for your religion if you took a few leaves from my book and engaged me [and others] in the way I engage you.

Another place we part company, I do believe we are to use the gifts we have for
the glory of God, but God doesn't need us. We can share the gospel, but our
arguments are meaningless if God doesn't do a work. In other words, it is always
God not us that does the real work, we can plant the seeds, but God gives the
increase.

If you would be better at sharing the gospel than I, then I would rejoice to see you
do it, it wouldn't pain me! It isn't about us, it is about Jesus and the reward of His
suffering. Paul rejoiced to see others share the gospel when they did it out of spite.

Its the one truth that saves us from the future set before us that we draw closer to
each day. Personally if you ever did get right with God and became blessed at
sharing the gospel I'd carry your bags and luggage to make that happen, and be
honored to do it.

@kellyjay said
Another place we part company, I do believe we are to use the gifts we have for
the glory of God, but God doesn't need us. We can share the gospel, but our
arguments are meaningless if God doesn't do a work. In other words, it is always
God not us that does the real work, we can plant the seeds, but God gives the
increase.

It is utterly impossible to imagine that there is a God who is working through you here on this message board. I cannot imagine anyone neutral reading your writing and thinking 'I want me some of that mindmap, I want me some of that "God's work" that this poster is displaying'.

@kellyjay said
It isn't about us, it is about Jesus and the reward of His
suffering.

Your demeanour and communication skills ARE about you.

@kellyjay said
Personally if you ever did get right with God and became blessed at
sharing the gospel I'd carry your bags and luggage to make that happen, and be
honored to do it.

You'd 'carry my bags'? "And luggage". Sorry. Don't know what you mean. An Americanism perhaps?

@kellyjay said
Sorry I just woke up, you didn't do what I thought when I first read this.

Does the word "nasty" apply to what I DID do?

@fmf said
It is utterly impossible to imagine that there is a God who is working through you here on this message board. I cannot imagine anyone neutral reading your writing and thinking 'I want me some of that mindmap, I want me some of that "God's work" that this poster is displaying'.

I am not surprised. God works and it isn't always clear what He is doing and who is
being affected why and how. With some their hearts can be soften, others hearing
the same words could cause their hearts to get harder. I've been blessed to see
some come to the Lord in real life that I shared with, and they have been walking
with the Lord for several years. I try not to worry about results, I just try to be
faithful it is the only thing I can control, and let life happen as it does. I cannot
force anyone into knowing God, even God doesn't do that. No one is won over to
the Lord on the strength of a human argument, but only on an encounter with
God.

Being faithful is more important than sacrifice, and numbers of so called
conversions are not a measuring stick I think God looks at. People do, you can
have an someone in religion brag about the number of people who stepped
forward to accept Christ but that doesn't mean those people actually met Christ.
They could have been shamed into setting forward, they could have been
emotionally driven to step forward. Getting right with God actually requires, God.
Who does that I cannot see nor any us. I'd say sometimes too, agreeing with your
assessment, God has to work in spite of our efforts too, we do screw things up
more times than not.

@fmf said
You'd 'carry my bags'? "And luggage". Sorry. Don't know what you mean. An Americanism perhaps?

If you were the one doing the work I'd just be happy helping you do it by doing
the little things you need done.

@kellyjay said
I am not surprised. God works and it isn't always clear what He is doing and who is
being affected why and how. With some their hearts can be soften, others hearing
the same words could cause their hearts to get harder. I've been blessed to see
some come to the Lord in real life that I shared with, and they have been walking
with the Lord for several years. I try not to ...[text shortened]... assessment, God has
to work in spite of our efforts too, we do screw things up more times than not.

So much for "you'll know them by their fruits" then.

@kellyjay said
If you were the one doing the work I'd just be happy helping you do it by doing
the little things you need done.

"The work"?

"Little things" that need doing?

Are you deep in the tall weeds of some American saying here?

@fmf said
So much for "you'll know them by their fruits" then.

You can know them by their fruits, just not by them saying a sinners prayer.

@kellyjay said
You can know them by their fruits, just not by them saying a sinners prayer.

"Saying a sinners prayer"?

Another idiomatic expression?

@fmf said
"The work"?

"Little things" that need doing?

Are you deep in the tall weeds of some American saying here?

Scripturally speaking God calls the church a living body, as a body some parts are
the ones everyone see and gives credit too, glory too, and so on. The thing is none
of those parts can do what they do if all the others parts are also not doing their
jobs or fulfilling their roles.

The only thing I'm trying to convey is that it wouldn't bother me if you were the
one everyone saw and heard, and I was a support that no one saw or heard,
because the work is more important than our being acknowledged or seen.