[Jassy]

Originally Posted by Brother-Smith

I wish to follow Coludwalker's lead as well.

Forgive me brethren. That belief system is NEW to me and it hurts so bad inside. All I want to do is curl up into a ball and cry sometimes. I feel so grieved over it but I am praying for peace on the issue.

I want to learn to be more patient with other Christians cause I know I ain't perfect either.


Thanks in advance.

Brother-Smith

Brother-Smith,

We are all new in Christ at some point. Every believer has had to start with small steps and grow from there. I came out of 2 false churches! First the Catholic church - which I grew up in. And second - I got caught up into a false church - the Worldwide Church of God. They taught about the LAW and about the church of God REPLACING the Jews. So, it was false teachings. I'm very glad to have woken up from those lies and removed myself from that church, in the early 1990s.

As I have said here in the past, it is almost like being brainwashed and having to go through a "DE-programming" period of time, where you begin to TRUST in the Holy Spirit and not HUMAN men, who wrongly interpret Scripture according to their own views. I have learned to read and study the Bible for myself, comparing what is told to me, with what the Bible says, and seeing if it is TRUTH or LIES.

Don't curl up and cry brother. Strengthen yourself, gird yourself with the armor of God, and be bold and step forward. Remember that we have direct ACCESS to the THRONE room of God, by GRACE. That is such a huge BLESSING!!!

ALL of us, I believe, can always use more patience. I have seen so many brethren and sister here humble themselves and ask forgiveness... even when I did not see any offense, but they wanted to be sure. I am continually edified by the communication here between the regular members. Yes, we do occasionally have members that join, with the sole purpose of stirring up conflict and anger between members. We have to remember how patient, and with such incredible GRACE, that God forgives us and HAS indeed forgiven us.

Jassy

[Brother-Smith]

Originally Posted by Jassy

Brother-Smith,

Don't curl up and cry brother. Strengthen yourself, gird yourself with the armor of God, and be bold and step forward. Remember that we have direct ACCESS to the THRONE room of God, by GRACE. That is such a huge BLESSING!!!

ALL of us, I believe, can always use more patience. I have seen so many brethren and sister here humble themselves and ask forgiveness... even when I did not see any offense, but they wanted to be sure. I am continually edified by the communication here between the regular members. Yes, we do occasionally have members that join, with the sole purpose of stirring up conflict and anger between members. We have to remember how patient, and with such incredible GRACE, that God forgives us and HAS indeed forgiven us.

Jassy

Thanks Jassy,

I like your style. Clear and to the point. God knows our hearts and where we are putting our trust and our true desire.

I want my new friends here to realize that I did not join to cause trouble, unless it is warranted by someone trying to correct the Word of God as found in the KJB. I can rely on all of you old-timers to do that for me.

Being bold isn't really the issue. That is something that comes out from inside the more time I spend in the word. I have been accused of being too spiritually minded, serious, God obsessed, etc. All good things for a christian in my opinion. I understand that my Christian friends would like to talk about anything but God.

The curling up in a ball and crying emotion has to do with the state of the world, the christian churches, and twisting of scripture to support personal agendas. I thank GOD that my wife is on the same page with me in all things.

I am so thankful for this forum. I engage other christians in conversation and it seems to me that nobody is interested in the word, prophecy, Israel, sharing the gospel with their best friends or anything else. THAT is what makes me sad.

BUT GOD is in control, not me. I'm sure I would mess it all up the first day anyways.

[Jassy]

Originally Posted by Brother-Smith

Thanks Jassy,

I like your style. Clear and to the point. God knows our hearts and where we are putting our trust and our true desire.

I want my new friends here to realize that I did not join to cause trouble, unless it is warranted by someone trying to correct the Word of God as found in the KJB. I can rely on all of you old-timers to do that for me.

Being bold isn't really the issue. That is something that comes out from inside the more time I spend in the word. I have been accused of being too spiritually minded, serious, God obsessed, etc. All good things for a christian in my opinion. I understand that my Christian friends would like to talk about anything but God.

The curling up in a ball and crying emotion has to do with the state of the world, the christian churches, and twisting of scripture to support personal agendas. I thank GOD that my wife is on the same page with me in all things.

I am so thankful for this forum. I engage other christians in conversation and it seems to me that nobody is interested in the word, prophecy, Israel, sharing the gospel with their best friends or anything else. THAT is what makes me sad.

BUT GOD is in control, not me. I'm sure I would mess it all up the first day anyways.

Brother-Smith,

I like your posts also. I think you're a really good addition to this forum.

Now by "old-timers" you must be referring to AGE because I've only been a member since May - so I'm still green around the gills

I agree that being too spiritually-minded, serious, God-obsessed, etc. are all good qualities for a Christian to have. I have definitely been thusly accused, also. I recall hearing "Lighten up, will ya?" on numerous occasions. So I have begun to realize that many, many Christians are satisfied with just a "superficial Sunday Christianity" - they go to church and then put on their "Christian face" and generally leave it at the door, or in the parking lot, when they leave. It's sad to see that they don't desire to live by the Word of God. I cannot set aside that Christian part of me - because it IS a PART of me. It cannot be removed and it permeats every area of my life. I cannot separate myself from it, and would not WANT to do so!

It's really sad to see the conditions that the world is in today. I don't mean just the unbelievers - but the believers as well. I tend to call them "nominal Christians." Some of them have head knowledge. Some Christians are hyper-obsessed about amassing theological "religious" head knowledge but have no (or very little) heart knowledge. So I understand your grief for them.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are some Christians who have only a superficial knowledge of the Scriptures - they know some basic "Bible stories" but have nothing more than a superficial understanding of dispensations and such things. They depend on their pastor to a strong degree, to TELL them what to believe and how to think or act. And they have no idea how to verify such instructions with the Scriptures, to make sure it's biblical. I daresay that they will think, "If pastor so-and-so says so, it must be in the Bible." And they're done and accept it as truth.

That is such a wonderful blessing that your wife is on the same page with you in all things! Does she have any interest in posting on this Forum? We do have some husband/wife teams here that both post. It's nice to see things from both a brother and a sister's perspective.

Yes, I know what you mean about no one being interested in having conversations about biblical things. I even know some who, when I bring up any topics about prophecies or about dispensations, they will say either, "I'm already SAVED." (As if that ends the discussion right there!) Or they will say, "Who cares about that subject? As a believer I'll be raptured out of here and not have to worry about anything." Well, that's nice to have such strong faith - yet we are told to WATCH and BE READY. If Christians just put their blinders on, or stuff their head into the sand somewhere, they're not able to WATCH and they certainly won't be READY.

We're to grow in grace and knowledge and that is soooooooo much in my thinking and reading and studying and learning! It is VITAL to me! I couldn't just set it aside and not care because "We're going to be raptured out of here!" One person I know continually uses that phrase to thwart any discussions on Bible or Christian topics! I actually think that person uses that as an excuse not to read or study the Bible and just depends on his pastor to tell him what he ought to believe or study or think.

I've noticed that many Christians in the world today are seriously "dumbed-down" by the fluff that their pastor feeds them. They're on MILK. They never get the MEAT of the Word and they don't even NOTICE or CARE!!

Yes! God is in control - and I am soooooo thankful it is not ME in control. I'd surely make a mess of things, too.

OOPS sorry about the long post - sometimes I get carried away!

Jassy

[tonybones2112]

Originally Posted by Diligent

Some of the ruckus in some of the threads here have driven me to near apathy over the forum. So, I decided I would try an experiment.

Instead of shutting down the forum, I've taken a look at the small group of posters who are constantly injecting vitriol into threads. Not just sometimes, but pervasively. And I am not talking about "tone." I am talking about substance. So, I am handing out a few temporary bans. We're going to have a little vacation for one month from a few people. I want to see what happens.

Let me be clear about two things:

1. I am not seeking a debate-free forum. There is nobody here who posts with any substantive frequency that I always agree with. There are lots of people on both sides of several issues -- dispensationalism, church governance and structure, etc. I am not singling out people who disagree with me. I am singling out people who are constantly making things personal and tending to avoid Scripture in doing so.

2. This is my forum. If you think I am being a poor moderator, go somewhere else. If you have a criticism to offer over what I am doing, email me privately, do not insult me or insinuate things about me on my dime. If you don't like it here, you can go start your own forum. It's not hard, and then you can be the one people complain about when someone else posts something they don't like and you don't automatically delete it.

Brandon, I hope I have been part of the solution and not the problem. To be honest with you when I became part of this forum I expected to be here maybe a week and then sent packing because of my dispensational convictions. I was wrong wasn;t I? Thank you for your grace and the love of Christ in you.

I have several problems. For one, I'm a cynic. Finding things that are good about life in me is rare and very hard to do. The gospel of Christ is one of the few things I see is good about and in the world. Another is prior to my ministry work I was involved and much of my life revolved around "the street". I was not raised to be a strong arm and and didn't actually "live" on the street, I was thrown into a survival situation where I spent a great deal of time there. Many people think they know about "streetfighting" due to a silly video game. There are no rules on the street, all conflicts are resolved in the dirtiest and most brutal manner imaginable. The news being reported by any media testifies to that.

You don"t back down.

You don't back up, you don't take a step back, on the street the god is Darwin, not Jesus Christ. You don't retreat, they will eat you alive. I'm a little stubborn in my religious convictions. I think we all need to be.

Another thing is I'm a hypocrite. Having a street background you'd think I was bigoted. I don't tolerate bigotry of any kind. I get testy when fellow Grace believers are called "heretics", "false teachers", "Bullengerites", when they and me are none of the three. There are bad guys in the Grace movement, as in all beliefs. You know my views on race from the Curse Of Noah thread. At the same time I am probably the most bigoted person in the world against a Bible Corrector/MVer/ Original Manuscript Frauds. That's why I stay away from FFF and the like. I praise people like brother Will and the others here, it's just that 20 years ago I found myself doing more Bible Defending than Cross Preaching.

I hope the forum settles into what you want it to be, and pray that it does. There is more Biblical education in this forum than in any 10 Christian "colleges" you want to name.

Grace and peace brother

Tony

[Brother-Smith]

THANKS BRANDON FOR THIS FORUM AND ALL YOU DO!




I like the toys... I mean TOOLS to play with while posting.

[Jassy]

Originally Posted by Brother-Smith

THANKS BRANDON FOR THIS FORUM AND ALL YOU DO!




I like the toys... I mean TOOLS to play with while posting.

AMEN! I second that and truly appreciate this Forum!! I'm happy to abide by the rules here and I think they are fair and reasonable. And, the biggest issue is that you OWN the Forum. It is yours to moderate and to determine the rules and conduct of behavior here. I don't see that as "censoring" because you have the right to have some guidelines in mind for what you do or don't want posted on this forum. There are many forums out there and I appreciate this one that focuses on the KJV Bible. It is unique! I haven't found any others out there like it.

Jassy

[PB1789]

Hello Diligent. Yes - it is your website/forum page. You can do what you wish.

It is also on the world wide web, and so anyone with a monitor can see it. If they have a keyboard and a phone line... Look-out! Therefore it stands to reason that there will be kookburgers and gooney-birds who show up. { plus the "wolves-in-sheeps-clothing" mentioned by The Lord Jesus. }

I'm reminded of a great quote by Martin Luther on this topic: ... " I'm not responsible for the birds that circle my head,,, only for the ones that make a nest in my hair."

You didn't ask for suggestions, but I think there are several things which could be done before you "ban" someone or shut down the Forums.

A.) Months ago I mentioned the idea of putting people on "Warning" for 10 days,20,30, etc.. Put the word "On Warning" next to their name/avatar and the reason. Next step is a "Suspension" for 10,20, 30 days... unless the person deletes his/her heretical/idiotic posts and repents. { This system is used at a large site (Military themed) which I have been on since '04... It is a commercial site with ads, so they try to keep the "trash" off the Parade grounds---not easy with so many unregenarate people on the www.}

B.) If a person wakes up in the morning and clicks on the computer and finds out that they are "Banned" ... but the topic they started keeps getting replies (for several posts/pages and the person is unable to respond because they have been "Banned"... well that kinda seems like a cop using his baton (night stick) on someone after they are already handcuffed and shackled....IMO.

C.) If someone's posts don't square with Micah 6:8 then yes, "Ban" them!

[Amanda S.]

Hello PB1789,

I'm not the moderator [ some should be happy about that! ]

but I think those are great suggestions!

I'd like to add one more suggestion: consistency

What is good for the goose is good for the gander so to speak

The draw back to consistency though is predicaments...

But we could certainly make Bro. Brandon's job easier if we would keep these things in mind:

I Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.