Are you here to learn from others or to correct them?

[Godlovesmetwo]

Now I am here to encourage members and try to show the love of Jesus Christ through my actions

You get my vote for the CF non- Pharisee of the month award!

 

[Adstar]

"ah fresh meat! Now what scripture verse can I use to blow them away"
instead of handbags at twenty paces, its bibles in their holsters.

Yep Bibles packing Word heat... Sharper then any twoedged sword.. Great for convicting and convincing. wield it like a samurai warrior....

Hebrews 4: KJV
12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

 

[Peter J Barban]

How dear you call me cynical and suggest I'm chidish!
I'd be suspicious of anyone who described themselves as "spiritually mature." That's closer to the language of a classic Pharisee.

Definition of cynical: "believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity."

bettercallpaul says, "I'd be suspicious of anyone who described themselves as "spiritually mature."

I think that you just outed yourself as a cynic.

However, I am not suggesting that you are childish. I hadn't even thought that. As for using the language of a pharisee, you are not judging me, you are exposing yourself.

 

[Halbhh]

Can we be divided so easily into two types here on CF? There are other types who are here for entertainment or singles looking for a potential partner perhaps?
I would the say the ones who are here to correct others would hesitate to the admit that. They might say something like "I am here for both. To learn and correct." But the reality I suggest is, they feel confident enough in their spiritual knowledge to be correcters only.
I don't want to be on CF, if I ever reach that stage. because then I have nothing else to learn.

Just so! There is much that can be learned here about churches and their doctrines of course, but of greatly more importance, we can get real encouragement from other believers here, and be reminded or shown scripture at times in the real spirit of the words. We can hear personal testimonies. We can practice "love one another" here.

About 'correction', that's too often the mistake of suggesting that some scripture cancels other scripture. But it does not, of course. So, by taking a learning attitude, we could at times learn to put various scriptures together.

 

[Monna]

Thanks Paul for starting this thread!

It came to me a while back that I have always lived in a bubble of some kind. The bubbles changed but they remained bubbles. I know so little about my fellow-members of the Body of Christ, or for that matter about those who find the whole idea of Christ as the Way and the Body of Christ as at best a delusion.

None of us has the whole truth, in fact very few come close to it. But it is my view that most, if not all of us, have some part of the truth that others don't have. So I participate on CF to listen to others and to try to discern added perspectives on, or "parts" of the truth (and for me Jesus in his person is the Truth - truth is not the same as fact, it is a way of life that is personified in Jesus Christ).

And it is inevitable that in this search for the wider truth, I will share my own experience for what it may be worth, both to encourage and enrich others' appreciation of the Truth. I may even come with arguments and counter arguments, not because I think I have an exclusive corner on the Truth, but as a way to elicit discussion, gain access to additional views, and hopefully to grow in my knowledge of God and his Love.

There are many on CF that seem to have similar approaches, views and motives. There are those who challenge - something I welcome because it forces me to examine my assumptions and the views I hold currently. And then there are those who seem to enjoy provoking for the sake of provoking - with little ultimate benefit to my character development. No problem, I don't have to participate in every thread....

And as a final thought, I have been surprised by the range of subjects that has come up - subjects I have never considered before. So maybe my bubble is getting bigger!

 

[Aseyesee]

For me ... neither.

 

[GandalfTheWise]

Before I had kids, I thought I knew it all. Then I had kids... The old adage "wait until you have kids of your own" took on a whole new meaning. Last week one of our daughters (with our first grand daughter) was commenting on how she was starting to become her mom. Now I look at some posts and think, "wait 'til you've a Christian for 40 years". I'm slowly becoming geezerish, a bit curmudgeonly, and having to resist the temptation to thunk the kids upside the head with a cane every time they act up.

The posts I find most enlightening are usually the ones where someone's hard earned experience is communicated in their own words. It's easy to spout off scriptures that apply to situations where we've never had the pain ourselves. Now, some of that is learning from other peoples' errors. Seriously, little point in making mistakes ourselves when others have made them for us to learn from. I do that myself and learn what I can. But there is something different about those lessons where someone can share insights of walking through the valley of the shadow of death or a dry desert with God at their side. There is an intimate familiarity with the feelings, struggles, practical details, and how God actually got them through it. I've learned so much from reading posts like that over the years on various sites.

Another class of posts and threads I like are when someone has a serious inquiry and very thoughtful people respond to the real question being asked. There's that oddball in the group that sometimes sees things from a completely different viewpoint that sheds a lot of light on things or that person who can organize the thread's thoughts in a useful manner or the expert willing to share decades of study. Those are the gems I enjoy seeing. There's the general wisdom and maturity that is sometimes communicated. But, then there are flashes and glints of absolute brilliance on this site. Sometimes sort of like gold mining I guess, dredge through piles of dirt for the flakes of gold.

The threads and posts I like least are those that are little more than trench warfare or some type of tennis match or snowball fight where verses and arguments are lobbed back and forth. HaHa! Gotcha! Seriously, is cutting and pasting dusty old points and counterpoints of centuries old debates among sincere Christians worth it? For me, it's not. I typically avoid those threads unless I see some poor person looking like they're getting beat up pretty bad and needing some encouragement. It's also annoying to see the trench warfare and tennis matches and snowball fights spill over into other threads.

If honest dialog is occurring or my experiences seem relevant, I'll sometimes hop in if I think I've got something useful to add. But if I get the sense I'm just dropping into no man's land, I just leave it alone.

The only real problem I've got is Facebook-likemeitis. I try not to look at my ratio of likes to posts. I definitely experience that addictive hit of "I've got an ALERT!!!" when I see the little red numbers on the command bar. Arghhh!!!! I don't want to post merely to attract likes, but to accomplish something useful.

 

[SkyWriting]

When it comes to Bible interpretation, you might think your insight is the only insight or the best one. So when you come across a different one, you feel it necessary to correct them.
I see people on CF stating their opinion as irrefutable fact.

Doing so makes it easier for them to correct me clearly.
Their corrections caused me to analyze their dispute to
see if it has merit. This has led to a 180 degree change
in my stand on the whole of scripture, twice.

I appreciate this journey as I have been to both sides
and never hate anyone for believing just as I used to.

 

[Mountainmike]

Perhaps the instructors / correctors should read proverbs 9:9!

I do correct, but only when I see our beliefs misrepresented, or attacked. Fulton Sheen had a valid observation when saying: There are few who hate the Catholic Church, but millions who hate what they wrongly think it is!. A bit of a mea culpa, here, since I once used those same specious arguments the other way round!

Can we be divided so easily into two types here on CF? There are other types who are here for entertainment or singles looking for a potential partner perhaps?
I would the say the ones who are here to correct others would hesitate to the admit that. They might say something like "I am here for both. To learn and correct." But the reality I suggest is, they feel confident enough in their spiritual knowledge to be correcters only.
I don't want to be on CF, if I ever reach that stage. because then I have nothing else to learn.

 

[ToBeLoved]

Can we be divided so easily into two types here on CF? There are other types who are here for entertainment or singles looking for a potential partner perhaps?
I would the say the ones who are here to correct others would hesitate to the admit that. They might say something like "I am here for both. To learn and correct." But the reality I suggest is, they feel confident enough in their spiritual knowledge to be correcters only.
I don't want to be on CF, if I ever reach that stage. because then I have nothing else to learn.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with correcting errors in theology.

The way that I see it, if I have say 25 years of Bible based teaching than would I be a good steward of all of the knowledge that I have learned if I let theology problems just go by.

I also think that theology corrections not only help the person being replied to, but countless others who are reading the thread as well as people who will read what has been written long after the thread has died, so to speak.

I'm not sure if this is what you meant by correction, but personally I think theologically it is helpful, although the person in the thread rarely see's it that way, but I am not trying to impress them anyway.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

I'm here to pass down judgment, throw stones and point out splinters in peoples eyes.
(insert maniacal bully laugh here)

Sarcasm aside, I love to teach and to learn. So that is why I am here. However often can get caught up in both roles so much that we forget the people who need help most are the non-christians coming here who are wondering about God and possibly becoming saved. One person brought to salvation is more wonderful to me than helping 20 people who are already saved and struggling.

Now that is not to say I don't care about the struggling christians. I do. Actually thats another thing I am here for, to share not my testimony but to share how dark my path became as a christian and how I was brought back from that place and brought into the "light" so to speak. I love helping others see there is always hope in God. And that things like suicide or leaving christianity are not the answer if you struggle.

Now I do see some come here for what seems to be passing judgment only. They never open up about themselves as a christian. They never encourage. Just throw verses at people and basically say "Your going to hell sinner!". Which does no good. If you come here you should be open to also learning. Because if we think we are amazing and mature as a christian, we will never bother seeing we are not perfect and can always learn something.

Ok done ranting lol.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

how I was brought back from that place and brought into the "light" so to speak

I find you are always open about your own struggles, which is impressive to me and must be useful to newbies.

 

[GandalfTheWise]

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with correcting errors in theology. The way that I see it, if I have say 25 years of Bible based teaching than would I be a good steward of all of the knowledge that I have learned if I let theology problems just go by.

I've observed that some people have 25 years of expanding and growing Bible based teaching; whereas some have the same 6 months repeated 50 times.

I do concur that those with a lot of experience and maturity should be assisting those with less.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

But it is my view that most, if not all of us, have some part of the truth that others don't have.

This doesn't pan out. ("test out") . It is not verifiable, cannot be confirmed, and is very possibly and noticably false upon reading as much as possible of the forum,
and testing / comparing to Scripture instead of any other 'human'/'carnal' test.

 

[HandstoWorkHeartstoGod]

Brothers and sisters in Christ are to love one another. This is a command from Jesus. Oh, for the joy of knowing and doing this: John 15:12.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

the other way round!

Do you mean as in "Few who find it" ? (the narrow road to LIFE(JESUS) ) ?

 

[Robert76]

I have to be reminded constantly from Luke 14:11 "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." I have much, much to learn.

 

[Mountainmike]

Do you mean as in "Few who find it" ? (the narrow road to LIFE(JESUS) ) ?

I mean as in evangelical arguments against Catholicism are almost all easily demonstrable bunk, repeated parrot fashion by those who can't or won't research them.

Mea culpa. I used the same arguments when once in such a communion, till later I discovered the falsehood. Starting with the provable falsehood sola ( or solo) scriptura, which many still hold on to. Don't they jeff!

So tell me jeff? Are you in a communion that celebrates a Eucharist of the real presence, valid only if performed by a bishop of the succession or his appointee? If not you lost the narrow road, since that is provably what the early church did , as taught by the apostles.

Which is the point: Jeff's ( or my) personal opinion of what scripture means and the diversity of mutually exclusive opinions on the meaning of eucharist is a total irrelevance. The only one that matters is that handed down by the apostles, which came from Jesus. There is a word for that handing down of faith. It is paradosis in the original language, which is now translated as the word tradition. I.e handing down of . The true faith.

Thankfully, The lord helped me to find it.
But there's the thing. I don't go on to general Christian forums taking potshots at others beliefs, so trying to " teach" others. I defend Catholicism if attacked, and answer others questions if they are asked.

 

[Mountainmike]

You and I are talking about different things. You are talking as the world talks. I am talking about Biblical testimony on spiritual maturity. Don't be so cynical. God calls us to be mature - and some of God's people do become mature. We don't need to hide our maturity, rather we should be the city on a hill, the light of the world.

I was discipled by very godly men. I followed them as they followed Christ. Over time I grew spiritually. Then, a decade ago, I soberly realized that those mature men were gone. It was my time to be a godly man that others look up to. If Paul's words do not offend, then how can my faithful application of them give pause.

I am not sure that our Lord considers any of us fit to be
" looked up to" , and I suspect the ones who deserve such respect are the ones so humble and aware of their own shortcomings they would have the least desire to be the object of others respect.

I am reminded of a thread which proposed the dismissal of a pastor for using another's copyright sermons, when the congregation considered they deserved a custom version just for them. My question is , why does the original author have the temerity to consider his works are worthy of protection, and I consider that he overestimates his own importance and the value of his work, in seeking to be identified as author let alone restrict access. As for the congregation , to have the self importance to think they deserve anything let alone better, speaks volumes on how far they have to travel on their journey in humility.

Humility it seems to me , opposes being looked up to!

 

[jax5434]

Bit of both I suppose.