Will

[quote="Seth Doty"][quote]The question is: How is God involved in the process of decision making?" Now, God's will is expressly made clear in Scripture. However, the prevailing view today of Christians is that God has a special blueprint for our lives, and that blueprint must be sought out because God just doesn't show it to use. So Christians "pray and seek God to show them His will." There isn't a Biblical foundation for this kind of thing. People say they "feel led of the Spirit" to do such and such. But in saying this, they're abusing Scripture. The Spirit empowers us to live Holy Lives, understand Scripture, and pray. The Spirit doesn't lead us to this church or that church, or this message board or that message board. Some people "pray and feel peace about it." But Scripture nowhere tells us to do this.[/quote]



[color=#0000FF]"Ezra 8:21 [u]Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.[/u]"

[b]Ezra 8:21 is first and foremost a descriptive passage, and not one that is prescriptive. While there are principles to be gained from this passage, one cannot point to it as being prescriptive for the Christian life. Furthermore, the "right way" that it talks about, is what we would call "traveling mercies" today. It was a petition for a safe journey. They already knew God's will, they were departing to go to Jerusalem. They were already in the will of God, they weren't seeking it. Verse 22 of this passage explains verse 21. NEVER read a verse out of it's context, always read the passage to get the meaning of the verse.[/b]

"Psalm 27:8 [u]When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.[/u]"

[b]To seek God's face is to seek His favor, not to seek His will. [/b]

"Psalm 32:8 [u]I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."[/u]

[b]This has nothing to do with seeking God's will. It has to do with living how God wants every believer to live. [/b]

"Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man [u]are ordered by the LORD[/u]: and he delighteth in his way."
[b]"The steps of a good man"...Who is the "good man?" That would be a believer who is walking as he ought to walk. It doesn't mean that God literally sets a righteous man on a walking path. This passage does not teach what you seem to think.[/b]

"Daniel 9:3 And [u]I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications[/u], with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"
[b]
That is a terrible misinterpretation of the text, as the passage has nothing to do with seeking God's will, but with understanding a prophecy.[/b]

"Isaiah 30:21 [u]And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.[/u]"
[b]Read the passage, it has nothing to do with seeking God's will, but with obeying God's already established word. [/b]

"John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And [u]they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.[/u]"

[b]This has to do with Salvation, not with "discerning the will of God."[/b]

"Acts 16:7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: [u]but the Spirit suffered them not.[/u]"
[b]This is the closest you've come to actually providing Scripture that teaches that we need to discern the will of God here or there. But it actually doesn't teach that. The Apostles were supposing they should do such and such, and God stopped them. They didn't stop and pray to see why the Spirit had closed the door, nor did they stop and pray to see what was next. They simply moved on to the next city.[/b]

"Romans 8:14 [u]For as many as are led by the Spirit of God[/u], they are the sons of God."
[b]Again, this has nothing to do with discerning the will of God or being led of God throughout our daily life in what we should or shouldn't do.[/b]

"1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: [u]for ye yourselves are taught of God[/u] to love one another."
[b]
Yes, it's one of the fruit of the Spirit. Outside of that, it means nothing.[/b]

"James 1:5 [u]If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.[/u]"[/color]
][b]Okay....and?[/b]
[/quote]

[quote="Seth Doty"][quote]I'll get back to this later, but you're taking several of these verses out of context, and taking descriptive passages as being prescriptive.[/quote]

If you don't want to ask the Lord about any decision before you make it that is between you and God, but it does speak of a poor understanding of the character of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in a believers life. I hope you do not hold a deist position.

Belief that the Lord will hear and respond is one of those fundamentals you can't even get saved without.

[color=#0000FF]"Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, [u]and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.[/u]"[/color][/quote]

And again, you took another verse out of context. I'm afraid that you don't understand what Deism is if you think that I hold to it.

[quote="Seth Doty"][quote]The question is: How is God involved in the process of decision making?" Now, God's will is expressly made clear in Scripture. However, the prevailing view today of Christians is that God has a special blueprint for our lives, and that blueprint must be sought out because God just doesn't show it to use. So Christians "pray and seek God to show them His will." There isn't a Biblical foundation for this kind of thing. People say they "feel led of the Spirit" to do such and such. But in saying this, they're abusing Scripture. The Spirit empowers us to live Holy Lives, understand Scripture, and pray. The Spirit doesn't lead us to this church or that church, or this message board or that message board. Some people "pray and feel peace about it." But Scripture nowhere tells us to do this.[/quote]



[color=#0000FF]"Ezra 8:21 [u]Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.[/u]"

"Psalm 27:8 [u]When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.[/u]"

"Psalm 32:8 [u]I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."[/u]

"Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man [u]are ordered by the LORD[/u]: and he delighteth in his way."

"Daniel 9:3 And [u]I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications[/u], with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"

"Isaiah 30:21 [u]And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.[/u]"

"John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And [u]they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.[/u]"

"Acts 16:7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: [u]but the Spirit suffered them not.[/u]"

"Romans 8:14 [u]For as many as are led by the Spirit of God[/u], they are the sons of God."

"1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: [u]for ye yourselves are taught of God[/u] to love one another."

"James 1:5 [u]If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.[/u]"[/color][/quote]


I'll get back to this later, but you're taking several of these verses out of context, and taking descriptive passages as being prescriptive.

That was painful. I couldn't watch it all.

[quote="joyfulpraise93"][quote="Will"][quote="joyfulpraise93"][quote="Will"]There's no Scriptural justification for this.[/quote]


Over and over God shows us in His word that he cares about each decision that we make...big or small. Casting ALL your cares upon him...if someone is concerned about whether something is a good decision or not, then that is a care and He invites us to cast it upon him. It's not right to criticize someone because they prayed about a decision. I have been amazed to hear many stories in my life of Christians who were about to do something and prayed and changed their mind (something as small as changing to a different train car) and because of that they were able to meet a person God allowed them to lead to Christ.

Our great matters are small to His power and our small matters are great to His love.[/quote]

But there's no Scriptural Justification for this idea. We are to use the wisdom and judgment that God has given us. Anecdotal stories are nice, but they don't do in place of Scripture.[/quote]

I gave Scripture...and there's plenty more in the Bible that shows it than just one verse. It's basically the whole of the Christian life...being led of the Holy Spirit in every decision that is made. :)

:wvlf"[/quote]

No, I'm afraid that you gave a misapplication of Scripture. The short part of a verse you gave has nothing to do with "seeking the Will of God."

The question is: How is God involved in the process of decision making?" Now, God's will is expressly made clear in Scripture. However, the prevailing view today of Christians is that God has a special blueprint for our lives, and that blueprint must be sought out because God just doesn't show it to use. So Christians "pray and seek God to show them His will." There isn't a Biblical foundation for this kind of thing. People say they "feel led of the Spirit" to do such and such. But in saying this, they're abusing Scripture. The Spirit empowers us to live Holy Lives, understand Scripture, and pray. The Spirit doesn't lead us to this church or that church, or this message board or that message board. Some people "pray and feel peace about it." But Scripture nowhere tells us to do this. Moses didn't have peace about going to Egypt, but He went anyway. Gideon didn't have peace about going to war with the Midianites, but he went anyway. Some Christians look for "open doors" and "closed doors" based on a terrible misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 16:8,9; and 2 Corinthians 2:12-13. Paul did not read divine opportunities as being divine directives. Some Christians think we have to look for signs, but looking for signs is a spirit of unbelief in God's already given Word. Some people think that we can discern God's will based on the confirmation of others of our gifting. But Scripture doesn't teach that either.

In short, God's will is found in Scripture, and we are to seek to follow Scripture, in which God's will is found. We should strive to live peaceably with all men. We should strive to walk in the Spirit, to pray, to study Scripture. Nowhere does Scripture indicate that we need to seek God's will as if it were lost or undiscernable to us until God gives us a clue.

Over and over God shows us in His word that he cares about each decision that we make...big or small. Casting ALL your cares upon him...if someone is concerned about whether something is a good decision or not, then that is a care and He invites us to cast it upon him. It's not right to criticize someone because they prayed about a decision. I have been amazed to hear many stories in my life of Christians who were about to do something and prayed and changed their mind (something as small as changing to a different train car) and because of that they were able to meet a person God allowed them to lead to Christ.

Our great matters are small to His power and our small matters are great to His love.

That is because after WWII we now have a substantial presence in S. Korea, Japan, Europe, Saudi Arabia, and many other locations across the world. You just can't pull the troops out of those locations and expose your throat or underbelly! I say draft every 19 to 21 year old man and women for military and national service, that should solve the staffing shortage.

There's no Scriptural justification for this.

Why is that odd?
God bless,
Crushmaster.

[quote="Crushmaster"]I found it when I was Google searching for an Independent Baptist site. I soon found OB and, after some praying, decided to join. :wink I've very much enjoyed my experience thus far, and I am sure I will continue to.
God bless,
Crushmaster.[/quote]


Internet magics. s

You prayed to decide whether or not to join? How odd.

A false dichotomy. Many of the greatest scientists who ever lived were also Christians or at least religious in some sense.

[quote="dwayner79"]Matt,

Remember the debate that was done a while back. Calvinism right? a few select people with opening statements, rebuttals, etc. Is that still around to read, and where you planning on doing that again?

Just remembered it, and thought I would bring it up.[/quote]

Debates? Interesting.

[quote="candlelight"]Oh...Will, you always crack me up. :lol: How are you?[/quote]

I'm doing just fine. And you?

The Shack is emergent garbage. I wouldn't line the parrot cage with it.

Kingdom of the Cults is good.

Two Babylons however, is rather awful, and full of half-truths.

I found it a bit disturbing. There's a problem with too much emphasis on abstinence, in that while sex before marriage is wrong, setting yourself up mentally as a "eunuch" has long lasting repercussions.

There are two ways to break a horse. One way is quick. You simply beat the horse into submission. You either ride it until it gives up, or do somethign else cruel to it until it weakly submits to you.

The other way is slower, but preserved the horses "spirit". It learns to obey you, but maintains its energy.

If you intend the horse for simple menial jobs, then you use the first approach.

If you want the horse for racing, or any other things that will require the mental strength a horse with an unbroken spirit will have, then you use the second method.

Abstinence works the same way. If you don't plan to ever have sex, then you'd want to completely subdue the desire, and shape your mind to make it a non-factor.

However if you plan to get married one day, you do not want to wind up at the starting line of a big race with a spiritless horse fit only for plowing the field. (while I'm sure there are plenty of puns people could derive from that, none are intended)

I've seen first hand the life-long problem faced by young Christians who took the wrong approach to purity. Rather than keeping this great gift under control, they completely subdued it, and once married had serious problems trying to undue the damage.

Sex is mostly psychological, and patterns and habits form the foundation and boundaries of that psychological "engine". This aspect is ignored in secular circles (even though it is well founded in facts and research) because it flies in the face of the homosexual agenda. But unfortunately it's also ignored in Christian circles because too many people see the first approach to abstinence as easier to maintain, than the second, and healthier approach.

One should practice abstinence of the body, but not abstinence of the mind, unless you plan to never, ever have sex.

Waiting until marriage to kiss is evidence of taking the concept too far.

C.S. Lewis once wrote...

In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the gelding be fruitful.

He was actually talking about moral relativism, but I think the thought is apply applied to the excesses of chastity seen practiced today.

Because I just didn't find this article to be anything majorly out of the ordinary, or particularly newsworthy.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459247,00.html

CHICAGO ? Won't kiss on the first date? How about waiting until marriage?

Chicagoans Melody LaLuz, 28, and Claudaniel Fabien, 30, shared their first kiss Saturday at the altar. The two teach abstinence at the city's public schools and practiced what they preached to their teenage students.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the couple had never kissed and that they had never been alone together in a house.

A friend of LaLuz says wedding guests cheered and stomped during the two-minute smooch.

LaLuz and Fabien say they have no worries about how they will spend their honeymoon in the Bahamas.

I looked at Obama's actual issues that he stood for. And there was very little that I could stand with. His fiscal(economic) policy will do tremendous harm to the people on "Main Street" if he gets to put it in place. Obama will bring change if he can, and that change will be bad.

Point is, everyone needs to take responsibly for their self, not blame someone else. Palin made several mistakes, she would be better concentrating on them and improving than pointing blame at someone else. In the end most people have more affection and respect for the one who takes responsibility their self than the one who blames someone else.

You know that is one thing that keeps many from being saved, they blame someone else.

2nd amendment rights were for a musket not for the weapondry out there today.

Who?





Ok, I admit, I watch it from time to time.

And Bush did have some very flawed and failed policies that did result in public backlash. I'm a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus, and many of us have been talking about that fact.

Greetings,

My name is David Dow. I am Pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in Clayton Delaware. Some of our recent Bible studies have been, Lists of Sins in the Bible, Feed My Sheep, and The Book of James.

I am thankful for my wonderful wife Rosey and the seven children God has given me.

Looking forward to fellowshipping with God's people via the internet.

Dave

The name Jehovah is the correct rendition of the Tetragrammaton. The higher critics have admitted that they added their own vowels to come up with the name Yahweh.

P.S. There are some manuscripts that never had the vowels removed (ie. it's a myth that God inspired the OT without vowels), and they have the name Jehovah in them.

Many people believe Gods name is Jehova in English or YAHWAH in Hebrew but my pastor believes God's real name is Yeshua. What , thats Jesus' name. Well didn't Jesus say I come in my Fathers name but you new me not. Besides some of the letters in YAHWEY aren't even in the Hebrew Language. People just made it up. So now you Know the trueth .
:pmpkn: