My wife has accepted Jesus.

Chris_G · #1 15th August 2009, 09:49 PM

Last night, my wife accepted Jesus into her heart. I feel that she was sincere but I told her to continue praying and talking to God and repent of her sins. I stressed the importance of having a relationship with Him. Is there something I missed? Did I do this right? I also told her it's important that we pray together and we raise our little boy in the ways of the Lord.

Another question, before Jesus came into our home, we had put up a couple of Michael Jackson posters in our living room. I felt weird about having them up now, so I took them down. Was that the right thing to do? Should I put them up anywhere in my home?

TheGuide · #2 15th August 2009, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by Chris_G

Last night, my wife accepted Jesus into her heart. I feel that she was sincere but I told her to continue praying and talking to God and repent of her sins. I stressed the importance of having a relationship with Him. Is there something I missed? Did I do this right? I also told her it's important that we pray together and we raise our little boy in the ways of the Lord.

Another question, before Jesus came into our home, we had put up a couple of Michael Jackson posters in our living room. I felt weird about having them up now, so I took them down. Was that the right thing to do? Should I put them up anywhere in my home?

You missed nothing, God will guide her. All you have to do is be glad that she accepted Lord Jesus into her heart. Also, you are the man of the house, so your rules will dominate in a manner that does not make her feel like a servant or beneath you. Also consider that her involvement in raising your boys may be more than yours since mothers usally spend more time nurturing the children. If you have any child-rearing requests in your absence, let her know and facilitate her with what she needs, if anything, to carry out your wishes.

When she prays is her business, she's grown and her salvation is hers alone. However, if you want her to pray with you on occassion, just ask her.

Michael Jackson Pictures. It all depends what they mean to you. Don't let yourself get in bondage over some pictures. If they look good and compliment your decor, then hang your pictures and enjoy them being there. The Lord our God is not a God of guilt.

fm107 · #3 15th August 2009, 10:15 PM

Chris,

I'm very happy for you and your household. I know you have been trying to get your wife saved, I'm sure the angels in heaven will be rejoicing.

As for the posters, you need to be careful that you are not idolising him by sticking up posters of him.

From what I know of him, he is a man who rejected Christ.

Matthew 12:30
He who is not with me is against me,

Do you really want to be hanging up someone who rejected Christ around your house? I would say not.

Chris_G · #4 15th August 2009, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by fm107

Chris,

I'm very happy for you and your household. I know you have been trying to get your wife saved, I'm sure the angels in heaven will be rejoicing.

As for the posters, you need to be careful that you are not idolising him by sticking up posters of him.

From what I know of him, he is a man who rejected Christ.

Matthew 12:30
He who is not with me is against me,

Do you really want to be hanging up someone who rejected Christ around your house? I would say not.

Thank you for your responses. Yes, I was aware that he was a Jehovah's Witness for most of his life. That was a needle in my mind every time I saw his pictures. I took them down and placed them on the floor where he can not be seen. But I still have plenty of his CDs, is it okay to listen to his songs? I admired him for his talent and music, not his lifestyle.

Soulja of GOD · #5 15th August 2009, 11:07 PM

That's good for you just make sure you're wife stays on the right path and i kinda think you that you should get rid of the posters but the music you really need to get rid of cause all its worldly music that is not of God

Webers_Home · #6 15th August 2009, 11:12 PM

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RE: before Jesus came into our home, we had put up a couple of Michael Jackson posters in our living room. I felt weird about having them up now, so I took them down. Was that the right thing to do?

RE: But I still have plenty of his CDs, is it okay to listen to his songs? I admired him for his talent and music
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This regards the sphere of asceticism; which Christ has never approved.

†.Col 2:18a . . Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial.

Asceticism describes a life-style characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures (e.g. sex, cosmetics, movies, dancing, music, alcohol, jewelry, romance novels, soaps, gambling, trendy clothing, and the accumulation of material wealth) often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals. Ascetics, by the very nature of their philosophy, insinuate that Christ was wrong to consume wine.

Ascetics think themselves to possess a superior spirituality over and above regular Chris-tians; but Paul popped that bubble soundly.

†. Col 2:18c-19 . .These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them proud. They are not connected to Christ, the head of the body.

(chuckle) Paul depicted ascetics as kind of like the headless horseman in the Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Chris_G · #7 15th August 2009, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Webers_Home

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RE: before Jesus came into our home, we had put up a couple of Michael Jackson posters in our living room. I felt weird about having them up now, so I took them down. Was that the right thing to do?

RE: But I still have plenty of his CDs, is it okay to listen to his songs? I admired him for his talent and music
.
This regards the sphere of asceticism; which Christ has never approved.

†.Col 2:18a . . Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial.

Asceticism describes a life-style characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures (e.g. sex, cosmetics, movies, dancing, music, alcohol, jewelry, romance novels, soaps, gambling, trendy clothing, and the accumulation of material wealth) often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals. Ascetics, by the very nature of their philosophy, insinuate that Christ was wrong to consume wine.

Ascetics think themselves to possess a superior spirituality over and above regular Chris-tians; but Paul popped that bubble soundly.

†. Col 2:18c-19 . .These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them proud. They are not connected to Christ, the head of the body.

(chuckle) Paul depicted ascetics as kind of like the headless horseman in the Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Okay, so do I keep Michael Jackson's posters and music, or not? I'm not trying to be above anyone.

Jared R · #8 15th August 2009, 11:29 PM

Congratulations. It's a wonderful thing to share the same faith as your spouse.

I don't have any specific advice, I just wanted you to know that I will pray both of you are strengthened and encouraged by your mutual faith.

freeport · #9 16th August 2009, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by Chris_G

Okay, so do I keep Michael Jackson's posters and music, or not? I'm not trying to be above anyone.

Chris,

I see you keep asking questions, but I also see you keep having some very solid answers yourself. Remember, we don't live by a 'do' or 'do not' religion and the Holy Spirit guides you in your heart and teaches you all things, though I like the answers you have been receiving from people here for the most part (some posters had excellent ones here).

Your wife also should be so guided.

On Michael Jackson:
'A bad tree does not bear good fruit, and a good tree does not bear bad fruit'. But, it can be hard to judge. I, personally, don't know enough about the man to say in any way. Jehovah Witness religion is very bad. But, I don't know what the man did after that or before it, or how he took it, or what he has said or anything. Some people are very difficult to judge, and Christians can have impurity and sin, of course.

You know more, and should listen to your heart and what you take from his music.

Listening to 'your heart', by that I mean, to the Holy Spirit who speaks to our heart, in our heart.

Hard to hear, like a whisper, but you can seek out that wisdom and find it.

These days are very dark, very dark... and it is hard to perceive that because there is so much knowledge in the world and so much which has an appearance of godliness but with a denial of the power.

Webers_Home · #10 16th August 2009, 10:26 AM

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RE: Okay, so do I keep Michael Jackson's posters and music, or not? I'm not trying to be above anyone.

You are the only one on earth that can answer that question because it regards a debatable issue. Here are the guidelines for questionable matters; viz: gray areas.

†.Rom 14:1 . . Accept him whose faith is weak, without being judgmental in gray areas.

A "weak faith" is one that's not sure one way or the other whether something is okay for Christians.

†. Rom 14:2-4 . . One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

†. Rom 14:5 . . One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

†. Rom 14:13 . . Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another in gray areas. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

†. Rom 14:14-16 . . I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don't let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be condemned for doing something you know is alright.

†. Rom 14:22-23 . . So whatever you personally believe in gray areas keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

The gist of the passage is: if a matter bothers your conscience, then that matter is wrong for you even when it's perfectly all right for everybody else.

A church friend of mine at one time felt guilty by even so much as setting his foot inside a BlockBuster video store simply because in those days they carried porn movies in the back room. Well, to me it was no big deal; but to him it was a major issue and I did not argue with him because Paul forbids debating gray areas.

He also forbids attempting to persuade others to do things that they feel are wrong. Whether something is right or wrong is not the issue in gray areas. One's own personal conscience is the issue; and it is clearly a sin to coerce somebody into compromising their convictions.

Paul directs that that every man's own conscience be his guide in gray areas. If you are bothered by Michael's pictures on the wall, then for you, his pictures are wrong (though not necessarily wrong for me) and you need to get them out of your house now, today. When in doubt; throw it out because whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Rom 14:23)

I have no pictures of Michael, but I do own several of his videos. For me, those videos are not only very entertaining, but also very nostalgic. They're priceless treasures and I am not going to throw them away just because somebody else thinks they're sinful. If somebody thinks watching Jackson's videos are sinful, more power to them; but I absolutely refuse to be dictated by their conscience when I have one of my own.

This brings up something else Paul addressed. It is very wrong for people to force their own convictions upon others in gray areas. When they do that, they are not only playing God; but also usurping Jesus' sovereign right to make the rules for his own church. As you get more experience, I think you are going to find that pretty good numbers of churchians are shamefully bigoted (and judgmental) in gray areas.

C.L.I.F.F.
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