Jul 19, 2011 -- 2:50AM, Shannon wrote:

Greetings,

Many Christians know the Bible well.  It is living out the Bible that becomes challenging... especially the part in the Bible that requires Christians to AGREE with one another.  We can't expect everyone to have the same gift as their fellow neighbor.  We share our faith in variety of ways, however it is God who works all things in all people.  Paul determined that he will only boast about his weaknesses.  He didn't want people to expect more out of him than what his abilities were.  I have to examine myself often and acknowledge that I too fall short.  Only Jesus can get us in good standing with God and not trying to win scores.  Christians make up to body of Christ.  The weakest in the Church, according to the Bible, must be treated with special honor.  We cannot expect all to communicate the Word in the very same fashion.  If someone forgets to dot their "i" or cross their "t", we have to give grace and God will give us the discernment of knowing if whether or not it is necessary to correct them.   We have to give one another room for improvement and not be so quick to judge.  (I think, depending on the action, that if my fellow bretheren makes a habit of bad behavior, it would be necessary to help the person to overcome his bad behavior, but if it is only the one time, there's no need to instantaneously give out a rebuke or correction... depending on the behavior.)  God gives us revelation and knowledge when we ask him for it and one may be on a whole different level spiritually than the other.  Depending on where we're at, we may get one thing out of a passage of scripture and the other person may see a whole different view.  Even Jesus, when He was asked a question by a man who was an expert in the law, He, in turn, asked the man an outstanding question and that was: "HOW do you read it?"   And He gave the person room to voice out what he believed although He saw clearly that the man's motive was only to test Him- thus the man was not genuine.  Jesus picked up on this insincere person, but He was not quick to point it out in him, but He was interested to know what the man believed:

Luke 10: 25 - 28 -

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”   ²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”  ²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^{c]" class="footnote">[c]}; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’.”  ²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

God reveals so much in this passage.  We find out what pleases God... 1.  Love Him with the whole heart, and 2.  Love our neighbor as ourselves.   It interests me, however, that Jesus  asked the man how HE interpreted God's Word.  He wanted to hear the man share his own faith.  And we all want to be heard, so we need to be quick to listen.  We can learn from one another.  Everyone has a testimony.  Nevertheless, when it comes to the bottom of it, it is God who is working all things in all people, it is God who has already set His Word in motion to deliver it to whom He intends, it is God who has sent the preachers and teachers, so we are to look to God in prayer as we receive His Word.  God determines the reply of the tongue and our very steps.  We can rejoice and be glad, for we are all His handy work and we are all fearfully and wonderfully made... even in every intricate detail be it a freckle or battle wound or a speach impairment, or you name.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made!  Thanks for listening.

Great post
I have often pondered why Christians differ. It seems to me that it is like a bicycle wheel. The closer we are to the rim the further we are from one another. The closer we are to the hub(Christ) the closer we are to each other.
At the rim the 10% that separates us is usually peripheral matters. At the hub(Christ) we are more concerned with Him and so we treat each other as brothers and sisters.

Jul 7, 2011 -- 5:46AM, Rgurley4 wrote:

Jesus of Nazareth confirmed all but one of Moses "Big Ten" and clarified the "Big Two":

The tenth, may not have been confirmed by name, but Christ defended it against the pharisees more than any other commandment was mentioned in the NT.  So if you wish to credit CHRIST'S recognition as reasons for justifying a position, clearly you MUST be keeping the Sabbath.

The ONLY Litmus test, is 1 john 4:16-18.  If you don't have the LOVE right, the rest of your claims, and beliefs are worthless skubalon floating down the alleys.  YOu can't have the others right, and the Love wrong.  It's impossible. 

If you have the love right, all the others are kept as a result of the love being right. 

If you fear judgement, you don't have the love right.  That would imply if your focus is on sins, and being forgiven, and am I saved, and such, then you haven't moved on from sins, you still fear judgement, and you don't love fully, yet.  In that love there is no fear of punishment.  That isn't an arrogant statement, it's scripture showing that if the love is right, the rest is irrelevant.

THE ONLY THING you should focus on after admitting Christ is Lord, is that God is Love, and my job is to be His instrument of His righteousness to the people on Earth, brother and enemy.  That instrument is used to do things, take actions, so that theology isn't important, but faith working through love.