Is this a weird experience?

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

A couple weeks ago my friend was going on and on about how horrid the government is and how bad "big government" is etc. My response to him was basically: "Government is nothing more than the reflection of it's own people and a democracy's biggest weakness is it's own citizens. American's are too easily corrupted by money to ever have a good government."

The very next night one of my other friends got nearly irate with me b/c I refuse to go to our town's local strip club, and he was so upset that I wouldn't go that he offered me $70 just to go and sit in the parking lot for an hour. $70 is a lot of money for me, especially considering I barely make $100 a week at my job.

I refused, not b/c of any moral reason necessarily, but b/c this particular place is somewhere I don't want to be, so I'm just not going to go there. I'm pretty thankful I refused afterwards, especially after I remembered I'd just given my other friend a big speech about how Americans are too easily corrupted by money.

I'm not sure I've had this happen before...Is it a weird experience to be tested with something you yourself have recently condemned?

 

[Newbie2]

That is quite an interesting experience! I don't know, maybe we are sometimes tested based on what we have said!

 

[razeontherock]

satan has a hierarchy. There are such things as familiar spirits; familiar with certain areas, and familiar with US. I have no idea of any of that was involved here or not, but God Bless you for your faithfulness.

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

"Government is nothing more than the reflection of it's own lobby groups and a democracy's biggest weakness is it's own citizens allowing lobby groups to buy policy decisions. Politicians are too easily corrupted by money to ever have a good government."

I felt the need to make some additions and changes...

Cool story though. I'm glad you didn't fall into the same buyout traps that so many people do. Its always baffled me why someone wants to go to the strippers...

 

[lucaspa]

So, you decided that Americans in general are not easily corrupted by money?

 

[mantelofaprophet]

A couple weeks ago my friend was going on and on about how horrid the government is and how bad "big government" is etc. My response to him was basically: "Government is nothing more than the reflection of it's own people and a democracy's biggest weakness is it's own citizens. American's are too easily corrupted by money to ever have a good government."

The very next night one of my other friends got nearly irate with me b/c I refuse to go to our town's local strip club, and he was so upset that I wouldn't go that he offered me $70 just to go and sit in the parking lot for an hour. $70 is a lot of money for me, especially considering I barely make $100 a week at my job.

I refused, not b/c of any moral reason necessarily, but b/c this particular place is somewhere I don't want to be, so I'm just not going to go there. I'm pretty thankful I refused afterwards, especially after I remembered I'd just given my other friend a big speech about how Americans are too easily corrupted by money.

I'm not sure I've had this happen before...Is it a weird experience to be tested with something you yourself have recently condemned?

Bad company corrupts good character (your friends will determine who you become) choose wisely

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

I felt the need to make some additions and changes...

Cool story though. I'm glad you didn't fall into the same buyout traps that so many people do. Its always baffled me why someone wants to go to the strippers...

Lobbyists are Americans...unfortunately.

And I would say Americans in general are too easily swayed by money. There are a lot of good people in this country, but I feel that is the minority.

"Bad company corrupts good character (your friends will determine who you become) choose wisely"

I used to hear this all the time at the Baptist school I went with. "Hang out with people who drink, and you'll become an alcoholic and a drug addict." The slippery slope goes straight to Hell! Oh Dear!

I have hung out with my friends in bars all the time. I've never been drunk and I haven't drank alcohol in 13 years. I've never bought into the terror of being corrupted by friends. Some people are easily influenced. I'd say I'm probably not one of them.

And really, I don't feel like I choose my friends tbh. I try to extend my friendship to pretty much anyone.

 

[mantelofaprophet]

Lobbyists are Americans...unfortunately.

And I would say Americans in general are too easily swayed by money. There are a lot of good people in this country, but I feel that is the minority.

"Bad company corrupts good character (your friends will determine who you become) choose wisely"

I used to hear this all the time at the Baptist school I went with. "Hang out with people who drink, and you'll become an alcoholic and a drug addict." The slippery slope goes straight to Hell! Oh Dear!

I have hung out with my friends in bars all the time. I've never been drunk and I haven't drank alcohol in 13 years. I've never bought into the terror of being corrupted by friends. Some people are easily influenced. I'd say I'm probably not one of them.

And really, I don't feel like I choose my friends tbh. I try to extend my friendship to pretty much anyone.

Thats great! consider yourself unaverage, I only said it because the bible said it and I believe the bible is true, sorry the baptist school wasted its time trying to teach you biblical truthes....Oh dear!

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

Christ spent his time with prostitutes and money-collectors and He didn't sin. Why shouldn't we spend our time with the lowliest people of this world?

The Baptist school spent a lot of time trying to scare me. I never found any value in terrifying people into doing the right thing.

 

[OnlyBelieve]

I don't think it's weird. God tests us all the time, to see where our faith level is at, to draw us closer to him. You can spend time in these places, but if you're going there to witness, maybe take a few people with you, bibles, tracts and stuff. Living by example is the BEST Witness you can be to your friends.
Good on You.
God will Bless you for this.

 

[day time]

If I was in the mood, I probably would have taken the 70$, sat in the parking lot for an hour, and then gone in afterwards, keeping the 70$ .... and hung out with my friend and perhaps made friends with others there, clothed or not.

 

[mantelofaprophet]

Christ spent his time with prostitutes and money-collectors and He didn't sin. Why shouldn't we spend our time with the lowliest people of this world?

The Baptist school spent a lot of time trying to scare me. I never found any value in terrifying people into doing the right thing.

important thing to notice.....the prostitutes stopped turning tricks, and the money collectors were returning ill gotten gains, are you having the same effect on the sinners you hang around

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

I don't consider that anything to worry about as we are to embody the will of Christ.

 

[mantelofaprophet]

I don't consider that anything to worry about as we are to embody the will of Christ.

I believe the commission given by Christ was to "go make disciples teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you"........Well at least thats what Jesus said as we can see everyone has their own opinion of what were actually suppossed to be doing,

although from scripture we see again Jesus had a different angle for those who reject the good news and for those who rejected the coming of Gods kingdom, It was a bit of sandal shaking and and promising it would be better for the wicked towns of Sodom and Gomorah......

but again that was Jesus talking we all reconize that todays culture wisdom and thoughts on ministry are much better, why Jesus should of known you catch more flys with honey rather than vineger, I guess Jesus should of learned abit more on seeker friendly witnessing

Its interesting to see what Jesus says will be the response of unbelievers toward a true witness of Christ, (they are HATED) and how we see the unbelievers today love the men of God, and adore them. thats why so many Christians have unbelievers as friends, because they don't witness the way they should. (myself included)

These are the words of God, these are His words when He commissions His apostles and workers into the field of ministry, teaching men to obey His commands is top of the list, just simply befriending sinners and leaving them sinners is hardly what Jesus would consider witnessing or discipleship

I point this out because its what I see most lacking in the church today, we have lost our salt and our lights are so dim that sinners love us, they can hardly see a difference between our lives and theirs, our witness is so bland that it doesn't even appeal to them, its so without consequences they feel no urgency to change

I'm not judging you but myself and the way I see the church today, Its almost become simply a social club with a few spatterings of Christianity, to make those in attendence believe they are actually being discipled

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

I'm always annoyed by people telling me how to be a witness to others and finding fault in my every action.

I never claimed to be a great evangelist or someone with a huge burden for proselytizing b/c I'm not. I have a burden for other things and I expect God to use me in those ways. I'm really not asking or expecting anyone else to tell me how to serve Christ as I expect the spirit of God to guide me, and not other Christians, who do not know God's specific will for my life.

 

[day time]

I'm always annoyed by people telling me how to be a witness to others and finding fault in my every action.

I never claimed to be a great evangelist or someone with a huge burden for proselytizing b/c I'm not. I have a burden for other things and I expect God to use me in those ways. I'm really not asking or expecting anyone else to tell me how to serve Christ as I expect the spirit of God to guide me, and not other Christians, who do not know God's specific will for my life.

Based on this post, I wonder why did you start this thread if you don't want input ?

If you just want to know whether or not others have judged one thing, and then in the next breath found themselves to be considering the very thing they just judged ... of course lol.

I find those moments remind me there is no law, and that given the right circumstances, I will choose to do the very thing I otherwise might not. This has happened to me personally so many times ..... I took it initially as a reminder of my own nature, then I took it as a reminder to not judge others, since I do the same things they do lol.

But once I "learned that lesson" .... I didn't take it as something I should "stay away from" necessarily, as if running from my own hippocrisy or contradicting nature ... instead, I took it as an opportunity to realize I was trying to be something for vain reasons (i.e. self righteousness) and also to perhaps go and do that very thing now without fear ... to *redeem* it for myself and others.

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

I didn't want input on your opinion of my morality. Read the OP and see if there is anything of the sort in there about asking anyone's opinion on the state of my morality.

Message forums are fun; but people tend to argue just for the sake of argument, without paying any attention to what is being said.

 

[Brenda Morgan]

A couple weeks ago my friend was going on and on about how horrid the government is and how bad "big government" is etc. My response to him was basically: "Government is nothing more than the reflection of it's own people and a democracy's biggest weakness is it's own citizens. American's are too easily corrupted by money to ever have a good government."

The very next night one of my other friends got nearly irate with me b/c I refuse to go to our town's local strip club, and he was so upset that I wouldn't go that he offered me $70 just to go and sit in the parking lot for an hour. $70 is a lot of money for me, especially considering I barely make $100 a week at my job.

I refused, not b/c of any moral reason necessarily, but b/c this particular place is somewhere I don't want to be, so I'm just not going to go there. I'm pretty thankful I refused afterwards, especially after I remembered I'd just given my other friend a big speech about how Americans are too easily corrupted by money.

I'm not sure I've had this happen before...Is it a weird experience to be tested with something you yourself have recently condemned?

You should have taken the money and waited inside the club. After all Jesus hung out with sinners.

 

[day time]

I didn't want input on your opinion of my morality. Read the OP and see if there is anything of the sort in there about asking anyone's opinion on the state of my morality.

Message forums are fun; but people tend to argue just for the sake of argument, without paying any attention to what is being said.

I hear you .... yes I think people argue just for the sake of arguing, or make moral judgements about others instead of just discussing actual experiences.

But small quibble: you brought up several times the corrupting of Americans based on _________. You, yourself, said you weren't basing your choice on any morality so to speak, however you *did* relate your choice back to the condemnation of something, and what you viewed as the corruption of others. In other words ... one could easily see how your views on the morality of others were part of the OP, so naturally views on your own morality might be discussed as well. Just sayin.

 

[mantelofaprophet]

I'm always annoyed by people telling me how to be a witness to others and finding fault in my every action.

I never claimed to be a great evangelist or someone with a huge burden for proselytizing b/c I'm not. I have a burden for other things and I expect God to use me in those ways. I'm really not asking or expecting anyone else to tell me how to serve Christ as I expect the spirit of God to guide me, and not other Christians, who do not know God's specific will for my life.

actually I didn't realize till now that you don't have a icon declaring that you are a follower of Christ, so please disregard my post to you, even though it was more directed at myself and todays church then you. I should not make any judgements regarding someone outside the faith, I'm sorry!