Sunday, October 02, 2005
digression: my stand
about all those mass emails, concerning Catholics and Protestants... I can't be silent at least in this blog...
I DON'T CARE. I know my faith, and where I stand so I wouldn't be dissuaded by those sweeping statements. Not to brag or anything (as you may think I am as part of being you a human of course) I have read the bible, and even studied some parts of it; reading btw doesn't mean understanding, you cannot possibly understand the bible without the Holy Spirit so do not make sullen claims as if you understand. I know where my faith is founded and I do not care about how much Catholics would love to say about my "religion". I for one doesn't really believe that I'm doing religion, it's a lifestyle that I chose. I only fear then that other people would be swayed by it... Indeed it is easy to be swayed if you do not know your foundations... That guy, the author, as well loved to generalize his experiences, which I guess is too much.
Why is it that we treasure the bible too much? True, it isn't enough. Like I said without the Holy Spirit you will never be revealed with it's meanings. The bible for us is a guide, an important guide. Do you think we just accept everything it says without question? If you have read the bible you might have encountered the Berean people (oops not sure of spelling). They confirm whatever the preachers said by studying the bible... Note, studying not reading alone. Doubts are raised in studying and together they search for answers inside the bible... Do you think it is just a mere story book? How long have you been scanning it? It seems to me you've failed to see it's depth, you just read all the blah blahs and mark those phrases that appeals you and maybe make you look cool. I think it is deep that I for one admit I still don't understand everything in it or even most but I am searching for answers still and I want to study it even more. It is indeed the Word of God, in it stories of imperfect humans that God has revealed himself unto. There were failures too, but I guess that speaks of it;that the bible is for humans to read and learn from all their mistakes...
If you ask me? I'd rather have my belief based on the bible (by a range of different personalities from a span of 2500 years) rather than what those people say about religion stuff and stuff these days. Actually they probably are less than a hundred years old. How can they know God more than the bible? How can they please God without knowing it from the bible? How? Within that puny century (at most)? I'm _____. You may say you have a lot of other doctrines (of probably more than centuries) and the bible ain't enough for salvation. Isn't it that those other doctrines have in some way find their basis on the bible? Why, if you don't believe in the power of the bible then the issue should go back to you: you believe whatever they write without question. They too are written by imperfect humans; we, imperfect beings, are vessels of His Word to all people... And I guess I say it as something fortunately but sadly, or unfortunately but honored... we are undeserving vessels...
It is true that the bible ain't enough for salvation. And we aren't saying otherwise either. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. It only implies that your good works will never be recognized by Him without faith. Faith without work is futile. I guess it is never faith; it is pathetic to say you have faith but you don't do anything, you simply don't have enough faith to do it and it isn't faith at all but something you just kind of feel like knowing and wrongly labeled it as faith. Faith without action is never faith! From 1 Thes. 1:3 you'd know that work is produced by faith, labor prompted by love and endurance inspired by hope... So if you have faith then it is default that you do good works.
The bible is an important guide but it requires discernment, a lot of insight (even from experiences and other people too) and guidance by Him through the Holy Spirit to be fully comprehended. I doubt anyone has had though lately, it is tough. It isn't any easy book to read and from it you just can't take everything so literal that you'd be aghasted of all the seemingly absurd stuff. Not at all. So don't think it's just small! Stop being deceived too much by your senses! You are only fooling yourself if you claim you know so much about God without even reading the bible.
Deutoronomy 8:3 - "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers have known, to teach you that MAN DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD."
and this Word I believe is now written since God himself said in the bible that He will never be as open as He was back then until the time has come for Jesus to bring us back to Him. BTW, in the old testaments you'd read people talking to God, and there was even this one time when the Israelites heard God and they pleaded Moses to make Him stop because He is fearsome. They instead asked Moses to talk to Him and they would believe everything Moses would tell the people; Moses even wrote the things that God said to him.
Why? What a ridiculous action! I always believed that Protestants and Catholics believed in Jesus and in the same Father. What a silly action for the church to stab and divide itself. This is indeed the degradation of the churches as implied from Revelations. We shouldn't dwell on what divides us but rather on what unites us! If you really have faith in God, the better course of action is unity! Are you saying all these things just to make you look cool or boost you pride and/or ego? How long has it been that you've been pushed with that self?
Do you notice the change in the world? It is getting darker even though the sun is high up. ¶ 11:11 AM
I DON'T CARE. I know my faith, and where I stand so I wouldn't be dissuaded by those sweeping statements. Not to brag or anything (as you may think I am as part of being you a human of course) I have read the bible, and even studied some parts of it; reading btw doesn't mean understanding, you cannot possibly understand the bible without the Holy Spirit so do not make sullen claims as if you understand. I know where my faith is founded and I do not care about how much Catholics would love to say about my "religion". I for one doesn't really believe that I'm doing religion, it's a lifestyle that I chose. I only fear then that other people would be swayed by it... Indeed it is easy to be swayed if you do not know your foundations... That guy, the author, as well loved to generalize his experiences, which I guess is too much.
Why is it that we treasure the bible too much? True, it isn't enough. Like I said without the Holy Spirit you will never be revealed with it's meanings. The bible for us is a guide, an important guide. Do you think we just accept everything it says without question? If you have read the bible you might have encountered the Berean people (oops not sure of spelling). They confirm whatever the preachers said by studying the bible... Note, studying not reading alone. Doubts are raised in studying and together they search for answers inside the bible... Do you think it is just a mere story book? How long have you been scanning it? It seems to me you've failed to see it's depth, you just read all the blah blahs and mark those phrases that appeals you and maybe make you look cool. I think it is deep that I for one admit I still don't understand everything in it or even most but I am searching for answers still and I want to study it even more. It is indeed the Word of God, in it stories of imperfect humans that God has revealed himself unto. There were failures too, but I guess that speaks of it;that the bible is for humans to read and learn from all their mistakes...
If you ask me? I'd rather have my belief based on the bible (by a range of different personalities from a span of 2500 years) rather than what those people say about religion stuff and stuff these days. Actually they probably are less than a hundred years old. How can they know God more than the bible? How can they please God without knowing it from the bible? How? Within that puny century (at most)? I'm _____. You may say you have a lot of other doctrines (of probably more than centuries) and the bible ain't enough for salvation. Isn't it that those other doctrines have in some way find their basis on the bible? Why, if you don't believe in the power of the bible then the issue should go back to you: you believe whatever they write without question. They too are written by imperfect humans; we, imperfect beings, are vessels of His Word to all people... And I guess I say it as something fortunately but sadly, or unfortunately but honored... we are undeserving vessels...
It is true that the bible ain't enough for salvation. And we aren't saying otherwise either. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. It only implies that your good works will never be recognized by Him without faith. Faith without work is futile. I guess it is never faith; it is pathetic to say you have faith but you don't do anything, you simply don't have enough faith to do it and it isn't faith at all but something you just kind of feel like knowing and wrongly labeled it as faith. Faith without action is never faith! From 1 Thes. 1:3 you'd know that work is produced by faith, labor prompted by love and endurance inspired by hope... So if you have faith then it is default that you do good works.
The bible is an important guide but it requires discernment, a lot of insight (even from experiences and other people too) and guidance by Him through the Holy Spirit to be fully comprehended. I doubt anyone has had though lately, it is tough. It isn't any easy book to read and from it you just can't take everything so literal that you'd be aghasted of all the seemingly absurd stuff. Not at all. So don't think it's just small! Stop being deceived too much by your senses! You are only fooling yourself if you claim you know so much about God without even reading the bible.
Deutoronomy 8:3 - "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers have known, to teach you that MAN DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD."
and this Word I believe is now written since God himself said in the bible that He will never be as open as He was back then until the time has come for Jesus to bring us back to Him. BTW, in the old testaments you'd read people talking to God, and there was even this one time when the Israelites heard God and they pleaded Moses to make Him stop because He is fearsome. They instead asked Moses to talk to Him and they would believe everything Moses would tell the people; Moses even wrote the things that God said to him.
Why? What a ridiculous action! I always believed that Protestants and Catholics believed in Jesus and in the same Father. What a silly action for the church to stab and divide itself. This is indeed the degradation of the churches as implied from Revelations. We shouldn't dwell on what divides us but rather on what unites us! If you really have faith in God, the better course of action is unity! Are you saying all these things just to make you look cool or boost you pride and/or ego? How long has it been that you've been pushed with that self?
Do you notice the change in the world? It is getting darker even though the sun is high up. ¶ 11:11 AM
