How : To ruin your Discipleship

[Behold]

Reader,

As Ive taught many times in many Threads and on many Forums......= If you strive to be good, then this is going to awaken your "old man of sin" and you will find it even more impossible to be any good at all.

Reader, the natural mind.....or the way that "seems logical" and "seems right"... is nearly always the opposite of How God works in your life.

Let me give you an example....

Jesus said..>"The LAST shall be first"., whereas the natural-carnal mind says..>"the fastest wins" "The Strongest will prevail".

A carnal person says.... ""if you want to win... then fight harder, strive longer, get a bigger gun, attack them when they are not ready, and shoot all those rockets when its 3am and DARK ".

God says.. "you win the battle on your knees, In Prayer"""... God says.. "humble yourself before ME, and I"LL be your Victory, always". ..
= God says.... "ill fight your fights for you".. because = ""The Battle is the LORDS".

See that, Reader?
No?
Then read it all again..

Reader, God's ways are not how we naturally think about those things or almost everything....

God's ways are HIGHER Than our little minds THINK, so we have to get out of our mind and get the RENEWED MInd (As Paul teaches) that is God's perspective.

So, if you want to have a perfected discipleship, then to not have it, is as simple as striving to be perfect and trying to resist your carnal desires by willpower.
As when you do that, you are setting God on the Shelf and He will watch you fall and fail and stumble as your self righteousness and self effort, keeps you falling down.
He'll let you learn the hard way, if you want it that way.. If you have to have it YOUR Way.
Thats a fact.
Believe it.

See, when YOU WORK to try to BE GOOD, then God rests and you fail.

This is why Paul told you..>"its is not I who live but Christ who lives in Me"... and """i can do all things through Christ, who STRENGTHENS" = ME""..... and YOU .

See that?

So look again, Reader.

Jesus said... "Apart from ME... you can do NOTHING".. and Christ The Lord is not talking about losing Salvation.

See that "Nothing" ??????? That is what you accomplish when you STRIVE to be good and STRIVE Against your wrong Desires to try to live HOLY.
You literally turn off God's Power as Christ in you, and you Fail and Fail and can't understand why.
Its because.. ."APART from ME, you can do NOTHING".. Jesus told you.

Do you see it now?

 

[Behold]

Reader.

Its called = RESTING in God's Grace

Find your power to overcome, by RESTING in God's Grace.

 

[Behold]

How do you rest in God's Grace?

A.) By getting your faith right.

This.

= By learning to BELIEVE that you are always "made righteous", AS "the righteousness of God in Christ".
This is every born again believer.
That is the "New Creation, in Christ".
And you have to get that MIND and keep it, and that is to "REST in God's Grace".

See, when you come to believe that, and that becomes your real faith, then you have now the same perspective of who you are 'in Christ" that God has regarding all the born again.
You now both have the same MIND.
And that is what Paul teaches as "let us come into the same mind" The correct "mind of Faith".
Its God's Perspective.
Its "the mind of Christ".
Its the "renewed mind".

That is how you "Work out your Salvation".

 

[Cyrus]

Thanks for the good teaching

 

[Behold]

Thanks for the good teaching

Thank you for taking the time to read it.

God bless and Shalom,Shalom.

<B><

 

[L.A.M.B.]

 

[Behold]

When Jesus was on the earth, dealing with Jews, before The Cross.... He made "disciples".

Once He was Crucified and Resurrected.......God then takes this sacrifice and makes : "Christians".. = "Sons/Daughters" of God, based on a sinner giving God their Faith in Christ.

 

[Doug Brents]

Reader,

As Ive taught many times in many Threads and on many Forums......= If you strive to be good, then this is going to awaken your "old man of sin" and you will find it even more impossible to be any good at all.

Reader, the natural mind.....or the way that "seems logical" and "seems right"... is nearly always the opposite of How God works in your life.

Let me give you an example....

Jesus said..>"The LAST shall be first"., whereas the natural-carnal mind says..>"the fastest wins" "The Strongest will prevail".

A carnal person says.... ""if you want to win... then fight harder, strive longer, get a bigger gun, attack them when they are not ready, and shoot all those rockets when its 3am and DARK ".

God says.. "you win the battle on your knees, In Prayer"""... God says.. "humble yourself before ME, and I"LL be your Victory, always". ..
= God says.... "ill fight your fights for you".. because = ""The Battle is the LORDS".

See that, Reader?
No?
Then read it all again..

Reader, God's ways are not how we naturally think about those things or almost everything....

God's ways are HIGHER Than our little minds THINK, so we have to get out of our mind and get the RENEWED MInd (As Paul teaches) that is God's perspective.

So, if you want to have a perfected discipleship, then to not have it, is as simple as striving to be perfect and trying to resist your carnal desires by willpower.
As when you do that, you are setting God on the Shelf and He will watch you fall and fail and stumble as your self righteousness and self effort, keeps you falling down.
He'll let you learn the hard way, if you want it that way.. If you have to have it YOUR Way.
Thats a fact.
Believe it.

See, when YOU WORK to try to BE GOOD, then God rests and you fail.

This is why Paul told you..>"its is not I who live but Christ who lives in Me"... and """i can do all things through Christ, who STRENGTHENS" = ME""..... and YOU .

See that?

So look again, Reader.

Jesus said... "Apart from ME... you can do NOTHING".. and Christ The Lord is not talking about losing Salvation.

See that "Nothing" ??????? That is what you accomplish when you STRIVE to be good and STRIVE Against your wrong Desires to try to live HOLY.
You literally turn off God's Power as Christ in you, and you Fail and Fail and can't understand why.
Its because.. ."APART from ME, you can do NOTHING".. Jesus told you.

Do you see it now?

This is very interesting and has merit, but it is only one side of the coin.

Consider Paul's edification to "run in such a way that you may win."
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air; 27 but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." 1 Cor 9:24-27

Yes, we must pray, rely on God, and rest in His arms as if it all depends on Him.
But after we are in Christ we also must strive, work, run, and compete as if it all depends on us.

 

[Behold]

But after we are in Christ we also must strive, work, run, and compete as if it all depends on us.

What you are describing is..."present your body as a living sacrifice to God, which is your reasonable service'"".

That is not Salvation.

Salvation is : Jesus

Salvation is : The Cross

Salvation is : Being born again

So, all of that, is provided by God. as "The GIFT of Salvation".

And once you have it, then you "present yourself to God, daily," because your have been saved, and not to try to save yourself, or keep yourself saved.

 

[Doug Brents]

What you are describing is..."present your body as a living sacrifice to God, which is your reasonable service'"".

That is not Salvation.

Indeed. As I said:

But after we are in Christ we also must strive, work, run, and compete as if it all depends on us.

This is the "good works" for which we are made.

Salvation is : Jesus
Salvation is : The Cross
Salvation is : Being born again

So, all of that, is provided by God. as "The GIFT of Salvation".

True. But this GIFT is not received without taking the actions with God says "lead to/result in" receiving salvation.

And once you have it, then you "present yourself to God, daily," because your have been saved, and not to try to save yourself, or keep yourself saved.

Once you are saved, then you must continue in the walk of Christ, walking in the Light, because if you fail to walk in the light He will not continually cleanse you from all sin. Our salvation cannot be taken from us, it cannot be stolen from us, it cannot be lost by us. But it can be forsaken by us if we cease to continually strive to walk with Christ.

 

[Behold]

True. But this GIFT is not received without taking the actions

You just added "works" to a Gift.

God's Salvation is... you were a dirty rotten sinner, who loved to sin, and you came to the Cross, because you heard the Gospel.

"Faith comes by hearing"..

And you believed In Christ, and your "faith is counted as Righteousness". By God.


There is your Salvation.
You dont work for it.
You receive it.

Its "the GIFT of Salvation" and you dont work for a Gift, @Doug Brents

 

[Doug Brents]

You just added "works" to a Gift.

No, I did not.

God's Salvation is... you were a dirty rotten sinner, who loved to sin, and you came to the Cross, because you heard the Gospel.

Ahh, "you came to the Cross". Is that not a "work"?

"Faith comes by hearing"..

And you believed In Christ, and your "faith is counted as Righteousness". By God.

What is faith?

There is your Salvation.
You dont work for it.
You receive it.

Its "the GIFT of Salvation" and you dont work for a Gift,

Something may be a gift even though it requires an action taken to receive. If I, being in Atlanta, GA, purchase a car for you at some dealership in Israel. It is a gift to you, but you have to go to the dealer to receive it. Does going to the dealer "earn" the car? No. Does going to the dealer mean that you deserve the car? No. But without going to the dealer you do not have the car, or the benefit of driving it. It is exactly the same with the salvation purchased by Jesus' blood. It is there waiting on us to take hold of, but we do not receive it until we do what God says leads to our receiving it.

 

[Behold]

Ahh, "you came to the Cross". Is that not a "work"?

Its a work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a Believer.

Its "HIS" Work.

How does that "work"..

Jesus said.. "if I be lifted up on the Cross, i will DRAW all people to me".

See that "draw" ???????, = that is God doing that, not the believer.

The Believer has been DRAWN to The Truth, and that happens in the heart., as .

= "Faith comes by hearing".

 

[Doug Brents]

Its a work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a Believer.

Its "HIS" Work.

How does that "work"..

Jesus said.. "if I be lifted up on the Cross, i will DRAW all people to me".

See that "draw" ???????, = that is God doing that, not the believer.

The Believer has been DRAWN to The Truth, and that happens in the heart., as .

= "Faith comes by hearing".

Jesus did DRAW all people to Himself, but not all people come. Yes, He draws, but many refuse to believe, and so even thought they are drawn they do not receive salvation. Both the believer and the non-believer are DRAWN to the truth, but most see it as foolishness, and a few see it as the power of God.

Faith does indeed come by/through hearing. But you failed to answer my question: "What is faith?"

 

[Behold]

Jesus did DRAW all people to Himself, but not all people come.

Jesus still does.

This is why His Blood Atonement saves those who trusted today, yet Christ is in Heaven for 2000 yrs.

"The Preaching of the CROSS.... is the power of GOD.... unto Salvation, for everyone who BELIEVES"...

That's the same Gospel that Paul gave us, and its the only one that is located in the "Time of the Gentiles".

 

[Doug Brents]

Jesus still does.

This is why His Blood Atonement saves those who trusted today, yet Christ is in Heaven for 2000 yrs.

Certainly, but that doesn't change the facts I last posted. You are going off on tangents that do not impact the discussion.

"The Preaching of the CROSS.... is the power of GOD.... unto Salvation, for everyone who BELIEVES"...

That's the same Gospel that Paul gave us, and its the only one that is located in the "Time of the Gentiles".

The preaching of the Cross carries the power of God unto salvation, but as we all know, even though Jesus drew (and draws) ALL people to Himself through the Cross, not everyone who hears the Gospel will be saved. It is only those who believe the Gospel (John 3:16), Confess Jesus as Lord (Rom 10:9-10, Matt 10:32), Repent of sins (Acts 3:19), be Baptized (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 1 Pet 3:21). These actions are all stated in Scripture as leading to our receiving the gift of salvation. This is like going to the dealership to receive the gift that was purchased for us. It is a free gift sitting there with your name on it, but you don't get to use it until you go and receive it. If you don't go to the dealership and get the key, you will never drive the car.

 

[Cyrus]

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,” Jesus said, “even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)

Jesus was of course referring to Numbers 21 and the plague of fiery serpents that spread through the camp of Israel as a result of their frequent complaining and lack of faith. To save those infected, Moses was instructed by God to place a bronze serpent on a flagpole at the center of the camp. All who looked upon the bronze serpent would be miraculously healed from the poison coursing through their veins (Numbers 21).