 |
| Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > Tearing down walls > Blessed are the peacemeakers..... | Forum Quick Jump
|
| 
Modes of Thought
Registered Member
Date Joined Jun 2001
Total Posts : 817
| Posted 3/28/2003 4:56 AM (GMT -6) |   | Yes, Honorman, I think that's right. I'd just take it one step further (#3 below). Just as you said, Jesus knew what was needed by others, even when those he was helping disagreed. But the one to "pay the bill" so to speak, was always Christ. Especially in the "here and now." I beleive that this self-sacrifice was deemed worth it because the eternal lives of those he was sacrificing for was at stake. Would you agree that if we follow Christ we would do the following:
1. be sure we are prepared to do ministry by being in good spiritual shape ourselves. [Go to the garden...]
2. follow our conscience, which means to act with the full awareness that God exists and what we are doing is obedient to the best of our ability.
3. be willing to follow Christ's example of not hanging on to what we are entitled to, but sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the other. Not as they desire but as God requires.
I think we'd agree on these, right?
Thanks again for your thoughtful response. You drew out some aspects I wasn't currently thinking of.
"I don't feel a real urgent burden to get all the details of my ethics worked out until I've got the profundity of my love worked out in a Christ-like way." --doc
| | Back to Top | | |
 |
honorman
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2002
Total Posts : 1137
| Posted 3/28/2003 11:02 AM (GMT -6) | | Modes: I do basically agree with your three, but I wanted to add a couple of charifiying points.
we should not hang on to what we are not entitled to, but we can possess the gifts God has given us. The question revolves around whether our possessions possess us or we possess them. God grants us certain pleasures and gifts and I do not see any reason such things cannot be enjoyed. Some in church history have used self-denial to deny everything, to abuse the body in order to become closer to God. I find this as much a sin as gluttony. If God blesses a person, that person has a right to enjoy that, as long as the enjoyment doesn't take the place of God and that enjoyment is not returned to others in thankfulness to God by giving out of oneself. This is, of course, an issue between the individual and God.
The second is that each of us must recognize that the working out of the life of a Christian is an individual thing and how we serve is as unique to us as our fingerprints. As such, we should not be surprised if many of our brothers and sisters disagree with us in how they live out their lives for God.
| | Back to Top | | |
| 27 posts in this thread.
Viewing Page : 1 2 |
| Forum Information | Currently it is Monday, November 09, 2026 1:19 PM (GMT -6)
There are a total of 97,718 posts in 6,040 threads.
In the last 3 days there were 0 new threads and 0 reply posts. View Active Threads
|
Forum powered by dotNetBB v2.42EC SP3
dotNetBB © 2000-2026 |
|
|