Realizing that God had no delusions of what he was getting himself into by creating humanity and attempting a rescue of it through the cross... meaning a snapshot of the goings on down here at any given time would be pornographic / brutal...
...the Church organism created what I will call oasis's of hope and purety...
However, the Church was not called to be such rather to be salt and light. Two reasons why the world singles out Christianity to hate and to try to squelch:
1. it truly is the only way to God and out of this mess down here
2. it is supposed to be aggressive / infectious upon humanity
And this is what I believe Paul had in mind about "forms of godliness yet denying its power" more than anything.
2 Timothy 3:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
It is not enough to have and believe the correct doctrines.
James 2:
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well (so what?): the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
DEAD.
John 5:26 For as the Father hath LIFE in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have LIFE in himself;
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have LIFE.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have LIFE through his name.
What is on the chopping block here is not salvation (as if it could be lost), but the witness of the Church (from the individual and from the universal).
What kind of snapshot would be taken this very moment of just the Church?
What did you do today? What did you not do today? (however the two questions are raised about our spiritual duty / obligation to the Master and Lord, or to whether or not we just sinned up a tempest... no one here need know the answers, but God already does... the only one(s) being fooled about anything us ourselves)
...the Church organism created what I will call oasis's of hope and purety...
However, the Church was not called to be such rather to be salt and light. Two reasons why the world singles out Christianity to hate and to try to squelch:
1. it truly is the only way to God and out of this mess down here
2. it is supposed to be aggressive / infectious upon humanity
And this is what I believe Paul had in mind about "forms of godliness yet denying its power" more than anything.
2 Timothy 3:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
It is not enough to have and believe the correct doctrines.
James 2:
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well (so what?): the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
DEAD.
John 5:26 For as the Father hath LIFE in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have LIFE in himself;
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have LIFE.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have LIFE through his name.
What is on the chopping block here is not salvation (as if it could be lost), but the witness of the Church (from the individual and from the universal).
What kind of snapshot would be taken this very moment of just the Church?
What did you do today? What did you not do today? (however the two questions are raised about our spiritual duty / obligation to the Master and Lord, or to whether or not we just sinned up a tempest... no one here need know the answers, but God already does... the only one(s) being fooled about anything us ourselves)
