Should we withdraw and be cloistered, separated and living like hermits ?

toLiJC · Oct 1, 2013

bottomofsandal said:
Come out from among them and be separate-

Do not touch what is unclean-

There are some who withdraw from the world almost entirely.

How can our light shine if we are refuse to interact with the world ?

the withdrawal in the faith is inside/inwardly

Matthew 6:6 "when thou prayest, enter into thy closet(i.e. be in your mind), and when thou hast shut thy door(i.e. and when you seclude yourself inside/inwardly), pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

we can inwardly be alone with the true God

Blessings

Telrunya · Oct 1, 2013

Well I am not one to cherry pick scripture. I firmly believe God's word does not stand against itself. The great commission tells us to go and make disciples of all nations and in Matthe 16, John 13, 1 Corinthians 11, Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 2 and many other places we are told that Christ is our example. Yes he went apart and prayed many times, but he also approached a tax collector and told him "I'm having dinner at your house tonight" and spoke to a Samaritan woman, a woman of sexual immorality, at the well and many other examples. He went out of the cities to speak to the masses but approached and engaged them as individuals as well. We need time to ourselves but I think that is in line with the Sabbath which is a day for US to rest and reflect and reconnect personally with God so that we are equiped and prepared to go out and engage the unsaved where they are. Not with condesention "You're going to hell" but with humility and love.

louise sheinholtz · Oct 1, 2013

Lovey1958 said:
Yes we are called to give the gospel message and as a former or catholic! I know rocaths DO not want to hear the truth that they are un a false man made religion following the devil. I am estranged from my siblings cuz they are rocaths and yet they have not a CLUE why they are a rocath...
I am the only saved person and I am NOT bragging, it's only by Gods grace and mercy the Christ redeemed me! a sinner.

Paul says, don't this food to the dogs and pearls before swine and a study Bible will explain that meaning.

So give the message and move on to another person to witness to..
the bible is for born again Christians and most people in the rcc don't understand that.

What is a rocath? As I just asked it came to me it is short for Roman Catholic. Right?
We don't really know who is a swine until they oink. I am having some distance from my daughter that hates the truth and she is oinking and teaching that to her children. She doesn't talk to me because I told her that her 14 year old daughter stole and lied on several occasions.. I had proof. She got angry so I keep my distance until one day she will soften a bit. Oh Well, such is the price of being a Christian, we lose some, but, what we gain is much.
Louise

Digout · Oct 2, 2013

We need monks who have given up everything and taken vows of celibacy, poverty and no personal property. They can have their own monastery that is self supporting. However, they should reach out people with Gospel!

savedbyJesus7 · Oct 2, 2013

That's what the devil wants you to do. Remember that Jesus spent his time with "sinners" and people considered "unclean".

I think that if you are emotionally volatile or in a condition that makes you vulnerable to negative influence, then you need to beware and be cautious that you are not pulled in to sin.

However otherwise you should embrace sinners and be that positive influence to let the light of Jesus shine through.

savedbyJesus7 · Oct 2, 2013

CGL1023 said:
As to the "salt and light" argument, we believers must stay in the light and minister from the position of light, even if it means we can't chase a friend into a bar to witness to him

if you are given the chance to witness to a friend, then you should chase them into a bar, a battleground, even the ends of the earth!! Never pass up your chance to witness to an unbeliever!

Especially not out of some self-righteous sanctity! The devil wants you to be silent, but God wants you to witness to the end of the Earth!

Remember it's not you who is saving people, it is the Holy Spirit! All you're saying are words, you're not trying to reason with their intellect – no you are speaking to them so the Holy Spirit can use that to speak to their heart!

savedbyJesus7 · Oct 2, 2013

louise sheinholtz said:
What is a rocath? As I just asked it came to me it is short for Roman Catholic. Right?
We don't really know who is a swine until they oink. I am having some distance from my daughter that hates the truth and she is oinking and teaching that to her children. She doesn't talk to me because I told her that her 14 year old daughter stole and lied on several occasions.. I had proof. She got angry so I keep my distance until one day she will soften a bit. Oh Well, such is the price of being a Christian, we lose some, but, what we gain is much.
Louise

correction: We don't know who is swine period. "only God knows the heart of man"

bottomofsandal · Oct 2, 2013

Telrunya said:
Well I am not one to cherry pick scripture. I firmly believe God's word does not stand against itself. The great commission tells us to go and make disciples of all nations and in Matthe 16, John 13, 1 Corinthians 11, Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 2 and many other places we are told that Christ is our example. Yes he went apart and prayed many times, but he also approached a tax collector and told him "I'm having dinner at your house tonight" and spoke to a Samaritan woman, a woman of sexual immorality, at the well and many other examples. He went out of the cities to speak to the masses but approached and engaged them as individuals as well. We need time to ourselves but I think that is in line with the Sabbath which is a day for US to rest and reflect and reconnect personally with God so that we are equiped and prepared to go out and engage the unsaved where they are. Not with condesention "You're going to hell" but with humility and love.

Yeah, The Bible tells about the Pharisees and their affinity for separation because they were so holy, while Jesus was hanging out with harlots and tax collectors, rubbing shoulders with the world, preaching the good news.

bottomofsandal · Oct 2, 2013

savedbyJesus7 said:
if you are given the chance to witness to a friend, then you should chase them into a bar, a battleground, even the ends of the earth!! Never pass up your chance to witness to an unbeliever! Especially not out of some self-righteous sanctity! The devil wants you to be silent, but God wants you to witness to the end of the Earth!

Remember it's not you who is saving people, it is the Holy Spirit! All you're saying are words, you're not trying to reason with their intellect no you are speaking to them so the Holy Spirit can use that to speak to their heart!

Yeah, The Bible speaks of snatching men from the fire...

That means going into the forest fire to rescue them !

The unsaved are found in perilous and hostile situations.

louise sheinholtz · Oct 2, 2013

savedbyJesus7 said:
correction: We don't know who is swine period. "only God knows the heart of man"

correction

any Christian that cannot hear an oink has been made deaf. and is an unaware Christian and

needs to go back to the drawing board.

RDKirk · Oct 2, 2013

CGL1023 said:
We are instructed to remain separate from non-believers; this is the thrust of 2 John 7-11 given below.

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

I understand these scriptures to mean that we are to remain separate from non-believers, i.e., do not interract with then or fellowship with them, do not your kids play with the kids of non-believers.

While this may seem cold and isolationistic, it is worth remembering that if spiritual light and spiritual darkness attempt to coexist, darkness ends up dominating; it is the default situation.

As to the "salt and light" argument, we believers must stay in the light and minister from the position of light, even if it means we can't chase a friend into a bar to witness to him

2 John 7:-11 is not talking about unbelievers outside the Church, it's talking about false doctrinaires inside the Church. John is saying the same thing Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5.

RDKirk · Oct 2, 2013

Originally Posted by SwordofPeace

if it is a very sinful world it is good to step away and try and re-establish a sane culture, as a separate community. No sense in joining the godless mosh pit and pretending you are changing them, when they are only changing you.

bottomofsandal said:
I understand what you are saying and agree.

bottomofsandal said:
But who then will bring the gospel to a lost and dieing world ?

Are we not ambassadors entrusted with good news for sinful humanity ?

We do both, as it tells us in 1 Peter (which is the excellent "field manual" for precisely what we're discussing in this thread).

We are ambassadors of the kingdom of Heaven in this world, assigned to various nations in the world to represent Christ.

As it says in 1 Peter, we are aliens in this world, pilgrims and sojourners. Those words mean we are never to consider ourselves "native" to any of these various places, but to always remember we are assigned to peform a mission of limited duration--then we're going home.

An embassy in a foreign country is considered the sovereign territory of the nation that sends the diplomats. The grounds of the US embassy in China are considered the sovereign territory of the US, even though it's within China. The US diplomats obey US law, customs, and culture while on the grounds of the US embassy.

A US diplomat with a family in a foreign country does not send his children to the native schools--he sends his children to the school on the embassy grounds where they will learn US law, customs, and culture.

The same is to be true of those who are citizens of Heaven, assigned to the nations of the earth.

bottomofsandal · Oct 2, 2013

louise sheinholtz said:
correction

any Christian that cannot hear an oink has been made deaf. and is an unaware Christian and needs to go back to the drawing board.

We must ask ourselves how we got saved !

We were in the darkness and now we are in The Light.

We were pigs in a pigpen, now we are lambs with The Shepherd.

God uses us to save people.

Faith comes by hearing.

How will they believe if they do not hear ?

We are witnesses, light, salt, fragrance of Christ, etc.

Are we to turn our backs on those who have not heard the gospel ?

Are we to refuse to feed hungry people and give drink to the thirsty ?

Are we content to just let people go to hell and not care ?

bottomofsandal · Oct 3, 2013

RDKirk said:
Originally Posted by SwordofPeace
if it is a very sinful world it is good to step away and try and re-establish a sane culture, as a separate community. No sense in joining the godless mosh pit and pretending you are changing them, when they are only changing you.

We do both, as it tells us in 1 Peter (which is the excellent "field manual" for precisely what we're discussing in this thread).

We are ambassadors of the kingdom of Heaven in this world, assigned to various nations in the world to represent Christ.

As it says in 1 Peter, we are aliens in this world, pilgrims and sojourners. Those words mean we are never to consider ourselves "native" to any of these various places, but to always remember we are assigned to peform a mission of limited duration--then we're going home.

An embassy in a foreign country is considered the sovereign territory of the nation that sends the diplomats. The grounds of the US embassy in China are considered the sovereign territory of the US, even though it's within China. The US diplomats obey US law, customs, and culture while on the grounds of the US embassy.

A US diplomat with a family in a foreign country does not send his children to the native schools--he sends his children to the school on the embassy grounds where they will learn US law, customs, and culture.

The same is to be true of those who are citizens of Heaven, assigned to the nations of the earth.

Since you use military metaphors. Granted mine is feeble.

No one gets left behind !!!...Or do they ?

It seems many in the church today are just killing time.

They are safe in their bunker, plenty of rations and ammo.

Casualties are everywhere, wounded surround the fortification.

The weaponized never leave the cozy and comfy bunker, never get on the battlefield, never seek the injured, never share their supplies or meds, just rejoice and chillax in their salvation.

RDKirk · Oct 3, 2013

bottomofsandal said:
Since you use military metaphors. Granted mine is feeble.

No one gets left behind !!!...Or do they ?

It seems many in the church today are just killing time.

They are safe in their bunker, plenty of rations and ammo.

Casualties are everywhere, wounded surround the fortification.

The weaponized never leave the cozy and comfy bunker, never get on the battlefield, never seek the injured, never share their supplies or meds, just rejoice and chillax in their salvation.

The "operators" (i.e., "trigger pullers") call such people REMFs, which stands for "Rear Echelon...um...Mission Facilitators" (yeah, um, Mission Facilitators, that's right).

bottomofsandal · Oct 3, 2013

RDKirk said:
The "operators" (i.e., "trigger pullers") call such people REMFs, which stands for "Rear Echelon...um...Mission Facilitators" (yeah, um, Mission Facilitators, that's right).

Safety in the rear away from the action ?

Not much use in a mission called the Great Commission.

FanthatSpark · Oct 4, 2013

I must agree this is is a thought prevocing thread here. Me being new to this site offer no enlightenment to the originator of this thread. Is it not amazing though, that in response to the thread, another issue comes up that throws a simple minded guy like me into carnal/spiritual warfare that makes me "want" to reply out of the flesh.

Should we withdraw and be cloistered, separated and living like hermits ?

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