You don't know what is going on

[thesunisout]

And I don't either, but we should. We live in a time where very few Christians understand what is going on in this world. The spiritual realities of our existence here on Earth are seldom spoken about, let alone understood and practiced. The church is asleep. The bride of Christ is fat and happy in its spiritual poverty because it is materially satisfied. Satan has perverted the gospel to be all about us instead of all about God. We don't keep our eyes on things above, where Christ is; we have our eyes on the things on this world. We are the laodician church, the church who thinks they are rich, but in reality is wretched, blind, poor, pitiful and naked.

This is the age I believe that Matthew 24 is talking about, where the love of many has grown cold. A loveless church is a selfish, narcissistic church. A church where many are offended, and hate one another. We don't have many godly examples to follow in this age. Be so very thankful for any godly men or women the Lord has put in your life because they are few and far between. The laodician church is blind to the spiritual realities of what is going on in this world. It is so busy trying to get comfortable and fit in to a society that hates God, that it has forgotten that it is the light.

Satan has control over the unsaved, and only God can protect us from him. When God removed his hedge of protection from Job, Satan took him to the brink of total destruction. He would do the same to every one of us, if God lifted His hand away. But we don't realize that as we chase after the things which are perishing, taking the bait time and time again. We are the battlefield of a spiritual war that is happening all around us. We don't know what God is doing, and we don't know what Satan is doing; we are simply going about our lives, trying to succeed in a doomed world using our fallen, broken reasoning . The scripture says we are to have the mind of Christ. Something is wrong with this picture!

We, the church, the body of Christ, need to get down on our knees and start praying that God do something to change our hearts because we are going to way of balaam. We don't fear the Lord and we don't realize our own wretchedness. We have a false bravado before God, breezing in and out from before His throne as if we earned the privilege. There is no regard for the holiness of God; in some Christians eyes, talking about the holiness of God is offensive. This is not a situation which can last for any amount of time.

Pray for the church, that it will wake up in time and trim its lamps with enough oil to meet the master when He returns. We need to get ourselves ready and recognize the spiritual realities of what is going, because as long as remain ignorant, we are nothing better than puppets which are being manipulated by the cosmic powers which run this world. Pray God would open our blind eyes and take His counsel, which is to buy from Him gold refined in the fire:

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

[pescador]

And I don't either, but we should. We live in a time where very few Christians understand what is going on in this world. The spiritual realities of our existence here on Earth are seldom spoken about, let alone understood and practiced. The church is asleep. The bride of Christ is fat and happy in its spiritual poverty because it is materially satisfied. Satan has perverted the gospel to be all about us instead of all about God. We don't keep our eyes on things above, where Christ is; we have our eyes on the things on this world. We are the laodician church, the church who thinks they are rich, but in reality is wretched, blind, poor, pitiful and naked.

This is the age I believe that Matthew 24 is talking about, where the love of many has grown cold. A loveless church is a selfish, narcissistic church. A church where many are offended, and hate one another. We don't have many godly examples to follow in this age. Be so very thankful for any godly men or women the Lord has put in your life because they are few and far between. The laodician church is blind to the spiritual realities of what is going on in this world. It is so busy trying to get comfortable and fit in to a society that hates God, that it has forgotten that it is the light.

Satan has control over the unsaved, and only God can protect us from him. When God removed his hedge of protection from Job, Satan took him to the brink of total destruction. He would do the same to every one of us, if God lifted His hand away. But we don't realize that as we chase after the things which are perishing, taking the bait time and time again. We are the battlefield of a spiritual war that is happening all around us. We don't know what God is doing, and we don't know what Satan is doing; we are simply going about our lives, trying to succeed in a doomed world using our fallen, broken reasoning . The scripture says we are to have the mind of Christ. Something is wrong with this picture!

We, the church, the body of Christ, need to get down on our knees and start praying that God do something to change our hearts because we are going to way of balaam. We don't fear the Lord and we don't realize our own wretchedness. We have a false bravado before God, breezing in and out from before His throne as if we earned the privilege. There is no regard for the holiness of God; in some Christians eyes, talking about the holiness of God is offensive. This is not a situation which can last for any amount of time.

Pray for the church, that it will wake up in time and trim its lamps with enough oil to meet the master when He returns. We need to get ourselves ready and recognize the spiritual realities of what is going, because as long as remain ignorant, we are nothing better than puppets which are being manipulated by the cosmic powers which run this world. Pray God would open our blind eyes and take His counsel, which is to buy from Him gold refined in the fire:

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

And I don't either, but we should. We live in a time where very few Christians understand what is going on in this world. The spiritual realities of our existence here on Earth are seldom spoken about, let alone understood and practiced. The church is asleep. The bride of Christ is fat and happy in its spiritual poverty because it is materially satisfied. Satan has perverted the gospel to be all about us instead of all about God. We don't keep our eyes on things above, where Christ is; we have our eyes on the things on this world. We are the laodician church, the church who thinks they are rich, but in reality is wretched, blind, poor, pitiful and naked.

This is the age I believe that Matthew 24 is talking about, where the love of many has grown cold. A loveless church is a selfish, narcissistic church. A church where many are offended, and hate one another. We don't have many godly examples to follow in this age. Be so very thankful for any godly men or women the Lord has put in your life because they are few and far between. The laodician church is blind to the spiritual realities of what is going on in this world. It is so busy trying to get comfortable and fit in to a society that hates God, that it has forgotten that it is the light.

Satan has control over the unsaved, and only God can protect us from him. When God removed his hedge of protection from Job, Satan took him to the brink of total destruction. He would do the same to every one of us, if God lifted His hand away. But we don't realize that as we chase after the things which are perishing, taking the bait time and time again. We are the battlefield of a spiritual war that is happening all around us. We don't know what God is doing, and we don't know what Satan is doing; we are simply going about our lives, trying to succeed in a doomed world using our fallen, broken reasoning . The scripture says we are to have the mind of Christ. Something is wrong with this picture!

We, the church, the body of Christ, need to get down on our knees and start praying that God do something to change our hearts because we are going to way of balaam. We don't fear the Lord and we don't realize our own wretchedness. We have a false bravado before God, breezing in and out from before His throne as if we earned the privilege. There is no regard for the holiness of God; in some Christians eyes, talking about the holiness of God is offensive. This is not a situation which can last for any amount of time.

Pray for the church, that it will wake up in time and trim its lamps with enough oil to meet the master when He returns. We need to get ourselves ready and recognize the spiritual realities of what is going, because as long as remain ignorant, we are nothing better than puppets which are being manipulated by the cosmic powers which run this world. Pray God would open our blind eyes and take His counsel, which is to buy from Him gold refined in the fire:

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

When you talk about the love of many has grown cold, are you including yourself? This is a very negative, critical post.

 

[BrokenWarrior]

Very true TheSunIsOut, there is no longer true (agape) love in the church anymore.

We've become stiff-necked,hypocrites that just wanna be loved by the community,instead of getting out there and teaching the truth about hell,satan,and eternal salvation by grace through faith because of our love of others.

Anymore it's Popularity>Love when it should be the other way around.

@pescador , truth may be bitter at times. But it is what we,as believers, should pursue at all times. Striving to be closer in our walk with God,and being all we can be through Him.

Be Blessed!
-Your Brother In Christ

 

[pescador]

Very true TheSunIsOut, there is no longer true (agape) love in the church anymore.

We've become stiff-necked,hypocrites that just wanna be loved by the community,instead of getting out there and teaching the truth about hell,satan,and eternal salvation by grace through faith because of our love of others.

Anymore it's Popularity>Love when it should be the other way around.

@pescador , truth may be bitter at times. But it is what we,as believers, should pursue at all times. Striving to be closer in our walk with God,and being all we can be through Him.

Be Blessed!
-Your Brother In Christ

What is your evidence of this? In the church that I belong to there is a great deal of agape. We have a wonderful spirit of love and respect, and it overflows beyond the church doors. It is most definitely not our mission to go out into our communities and preach hellfire and damnation, but to demonstrate the love the Christ has for us by word and deed. When you talk about hell and Satan, you sound like a Pharisee and just drive people away.

 

[thesunisout]

When you talk about the love of many has grown cold, are you including yourself? This is a very negative, critical post.

Yes, I am including myself pescador. I wrote this post because my heart is broken for the western church, which is blind to spiritual realities as it pursues material goals in the name of Christ. There is a quote from a famous pastor from China that I think is telling. When asked what he thought about America, the man said he was amazed at how much we could do without God. I think that is the situation, that the western church has forgotten who the Head is. We are running the church in our own strength and in our own understanding.

False teaching and depception abound; the enemy is inside the gates. Even very godly teachers of the word are being deceived and teaching false doctrine. We are well beyond the warning stage here. The church is under heavy attack and its response is to yawn and roll over.

 

[BrokenWarrior]

What is your evidence of this? In the church that I belong to there is a great deal of agape. We have a wonderful spirit of love and respect, and it overflows beyond the church doors. It is most definitely not our mission to go out into our communities and preach hellfire and damnation, but to demonstrate the love the Christ has for us by word and deed. When you talk about hell and Satan, you sound like a Pharisee and just drive people away.

Beloved, to you not care for the unsaved?

They need to know where they stand spiritually.

The churches these days preach a goody-goody God who just loves and that's all that matters.

What they need to know is,yes,God is Loving ,and forgiving. But also just,and righteous. That they fail to be as good as God,that Hell is real(along with Satan) and that is their eternal fate unless they become reconciled by Grace through Faith in Christ the Lord.

I care so much for others that I want them to know the gritty,unfiltered Truth. That they may not have to suffer eternal separation from God,and the unfathomable horrors and torture that awaits them. Showing them how truly awesome the gift of God is.

That's fantastic your church happens to be loving. I can tell you with honesty that your church is the odd man out though. Churches like that are few and far between. Most churches now days are filled with false doctrine,false teachers,Carnal Christians, and Apostates.

Grow,and be at peace.

-Your Brother In Christ

 

[pescador]

Yes, I am including myself pescador. I wrote this post because my heart is broken for the western church, which is blind to spiritual realities as it pursues material goals in the name of Christ. There is a quote from a famous pastor from China that I think is telling. When asked what he thought about America, the man said he was amazed at how much we could do without God. I think that is the situation, that the western church has forgotten who the Head is. We are running the church in our own strength and in our own understanding.

False teaching and depception abound; the enemy is inside the gates. Even very godly teachers of the word are being deceived and teaching false doctrine. We are well beyond the warning stage here. The church is under heavy attack and its response is to yawn and roll over.

What is the basis for your saying that the Western church -- whatever that means, since there are many churches in The Western hemisphere -- "is blind to spiritual realities as it pursues material goals in the name of Christ". That is an extremely harsh statement with a undertone of superiority to it.

"False teaching and deception abound"? What is your basis for saying that? Have you attended many churches of various denominations and heard the words that are spoken in them?

It is very judgmental to say that "very godly teachers of the word are being deceived and teaching false doctrine". Do you presume to have all truth? Do all those who have devoted their lives to Jesus Christ and have studied the word at the deepest, most profound level, know less than you?

Be very careful how you judge the body of Christ!

 

[pescador]

Most churches now days are filled with false doctrine,false teachers,Carnal Christians, and Apostates.

As I said in my previous post to *thesunisout*, who are you to criticize the bride of Christ? What is the proof of "false doctrine, false teachers, carnal Christians, and apostates" that you proclaim? You may seem to yourself to be the only one who is righteous, but you sound judgmental and cruel to me.

 

[BrokenWarrior]

As I said in my previous post to *thesunisout*, who are you to criticize the bride of Christ? What is the proof of "false doctrine, false teachers, carnal Christians, and apostates" that you proclaim? You may seem to yourself to be the only one who is righteous, but you sound judgmental and cruel to me.

I judge not the Bride,because false teachers, Apostates,and Carnal Christians are NOT my Bretheren.

You cannot seriously sit there, and say that there is not many of those of such ilk in the churches right now,and even believe that yourself can you??

ANYONE who says the road to Salvation is by anything other then Grace through Faith are false teachers.

There are tons of people,(mostly young adults) who think that,since God will forgive them,they can sin all they like.

Matter of fact I will edit this post with an included link to a thread on the Baptist sub-forum that addresses a few surveys.further proving the point.

Come Beloved,let's not play games here.

There is a lack of Love in the Church, and a lack of true Believers as a matter of fact. I for one choose to embrace this truth and let it encourage me to change these facts. How about you?

-Your Brother In Christ

EDIT: Here is that link; http://www.christianforums.com/thre...l-not-end-up-in-heaven.7896684/#post-68263796

 

[thesunisout]

What is the basis for your saying that the Western church -- whatever that means, since there are many churches in The Western hemisphere -- "is blind to spiritual realities as it pursues material goals in the name of Christ". That is an extremely harsh statement with a undertone of superiority to it.

"False teaching and deception abound"? What is your basis for saying that? Have you attended many churches of various denominations and heard the words that are spoken in them?

It is very judgmental to say that "very godly teachers of the word are being deceived and teaching false doctrine". Do you presume to have all truth? Do all those who have devoted their lives to Jesus Christ and have studied the word at the deepest, most profound level, know less than you?

Be very careful how you judge the body of Christ!

pescador, I'm sorry for offending you. I don't presume to have all truth, and I am not talking about all Christians, I am speaking about the church in general. My evidence is the bible itself. Read the book of Acts and see whether the church that we have today bares much resemblance to the church that you read about in Acts. Does the difference bother you?

Paul warned us many times about false teachers and false doctrine. Jesus spoke about it extensively as well, so why are you shocked that they are out there? The signs of the last days are exactly this; a lukewarm church fat on the worlds goods and spiritually blind. That is exactly what is happening today.

 

[pescador]

pescador, I'm sorry for offending you. I don't presume to have all truth, and I am not talking about all Christians, I am speaking about the church in general. My evidence is the bible itself. Read the book of Acts and see whether the church that we have today bares much resemblance to the church that you read about in Acts. Does the difference bother you?

Paul warned us many times about false teachers and false doctrine. Jesus spoke about it extensively as well, so why are you shocked that they are out there? The signs of the last days are exactly this; a lukewarm church fat on the worlds goods and spiritually blind. That is exactly what is happening today.

Of course the church today doesn't resemble the book of Acts. We aren't a sect of Judaism within the Roman empire, and our culture, education, economics, etc. bear no resemblance to the Mediterranean world two thousand years ago. There were false teachers then and there are false teachers now, but to condemn the churches of 2.2 billion people throughout the world takes a lot of chutzpah.

Do you have some concrete evidence of the body of Christ being lukewarm, fat on the worlds goods, and spiritually blind or is that just your judgmental opinion?

 

[dayhiker]

Thought I'd share that my church is one of the churches that is full of God's love and wisdom for both those that know Jesus and those that don't.

 

[pescador]

Thought I'd share that my church is one of the churches that is full of God's love and wisdom for both those that know Jesus and those that don't.

Great! That's as it should be. I think that upon examination most churches are more like yours than not.

 

[ToBeLoved]

I judge not the Bride,because false teachers, Apostates,and Carnal Christians are NOT my Bretheren.

You cannot seriously sit there, and say that there is not many of those of such ilk in the churches right now,and even believe that yourself can you??

ANYONE who says the road to Salvation is by anything other then Grace through Faith are false teachers.

First, you totally contradict yourself by saying that carnal Christians are not your brothers, yet salvation is only by grace through faith. Almost everyone is carnal, so nice explanation there.

Second, is that when JESUS forgives sin, HE casts it as far as the east is from the west. So, not knowing anyone's heart fully, which sins have been repented for ect. Really you should only be looking at the fruit that one bares and if they are fruitful.

Now, whether the church is asleep or not, as long as they know and confess that Christ is their Savior in their hearts (and only Christ and the Holy Spirit truly know) you should not discount who is your brother.

That is the biblical way of looking at sin. Not looking at sin, but looking at fruit.

 

[BrokenWarrior]

First, you totally contradict yourself by saying that carnal Christians are not your brothers, yet salvation is only by grace through faith. Almost everyone is carnal, so nice explanation there.

Second, is that when JESUS forgives sin, HE casts it as far as the east is from the west. So, not knowing anyone's heart fully, which sins have been repented for ect. Really you should only be looking at the fruit that one bares and if they are fruitful.

Now, whether the church is asleep or not, as long as they know and confess that Christ is their Savior in their hearts (and only Christ and the Holy Spirit truly know) you should not discount who is your brother.

That is the biblical way of looking at sin. Not looking at sin, but looking at fruit.

1st: a Carnal Christian is someone who happily Sins because God will forgive them. They are not truly in The Lord. Here is Scripture's view--

"We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them." - John 5:18

2nd: Not once have I claimed to disdain those who come in the name of our Lord,or even those who are of the Body but struggle in sin. I said that those who ARE Carnal Christians, false teachers, and apostates are not my Bretheren, and through examination and agreement from fellow believers on their fruits, we should call it as we see it,that we may continue to grow. More Scripture--

"15 "If your brother sins against you,go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. "-Matthew 18:15-17

"19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."- 1 John 2:19

Here's a nice article on the matter:
http://www.gotquestions.org/apostasy-salvation.html

Again,never once did I even mention those who claim to be my Bretheren, but I did call out those who are unbelievers.

You are right that we should discern carefully. But what I am pointing out is that after discernment,there must be action.

Be at peace.
-Your Brother In Christ

 

[ToBeLoved]

1st: a Carnal Christian is someone who happily Sins because God will forgive them. They are not truly in The Lord.

NOT. I copied and pasted this from GotQuestions.


Question: "What is a carnal Christian?"

Answer: Can a true Christian be carnal? In answering this question, let’s first define the term “carnal.” The word “carnal” is translated from the Greek word sarkikos, which literally means “fleshly.” This descriptive word is seen in the context of Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. In this passage, the apostle Paul is addressing the readers as “brethren,” a term he uses almost exclusively to refer to other Christians; he then goes on to describe them as “carnal.” Therefore, we can conclude that Christians can be carnal. The Bible is absolutely clear that no one is sinless (1 John 1:8). Every time we sin, we are acting carnally.

The key thing to understand is that while a Christian can be, for a time, carnal, a true Christian will not remain carnal for a lifetime. Some have abused the idea of a “carnal Christian” by saying that it is possible for people to come to faith in Christ and then proceed to live the rest of their lives in a completely carnal manner, with no evidence of being born again or a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Such a concept is completely unbiblical. James 2 makes it abundantly clear that genuine faith will always result in good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 declares that while we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, that salvation will result in works. Can a Christian, in a time of failure and/or rebellion, appear to be carnal? Yes. Will a true Christian remain carnal? No.

Since eternal security is a fact of Scripture, even the carnal Christian is still saved. Salvation cannot be lost, because salvation is a gift of God that He will not take away (see John 10:28; Romans 8:37-39; 1 John 5:13). Even in 1 Corinthians 3:15, the carnal Christian is assured of salvation: “If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” The question is not whether a person who claims to be a Christian but lives carnally has lost his salvation, but whether that person was truly saved in the first place (1 John 2:19).

Christians who become carnal in their behavior can expect God to lovingly discipline them (Hebrews 12:5-11) so they can be restored to close fellowship with Him and be trained to obey Him. God’s desire in saving us is that we would progressively grow closer to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2), becoming increasingly spiritual and decreasingly carnal, a process known as sanctification. Until we are delivered from our sinful flesh, there will be outbreaks of carnality. For a genuine believer in Christ, though, these outbreaks of carnality will be the exception, not the rule.

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/carnal-Christian.html#ixzz3ft40sqnZ

 

[pescador]

Of the twelve apostles I think that Cephas, nicknamed Petrus (Peter) was the most carnal. He was impulsive and even challenged Christ, yet Jesus said "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church". We are God's imperfect servants and it is entirely up to him how we are used. Paul told the Romans "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

 

[BrokenWarrior]

NOT. I copied and pasted this from GotQuestions.


Question: "What is a carnal Christian?"

Answer: Can a true Christian be carnal? In answering this question, let’s first define the term “carnal.” The word “carnal” is translated from the Greek word sarkikos, which literally means “fleshly.” This descriptive word is seen in the context of Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. In this passage, the apostle Paul is addressing the readers as “brethren,” a term he uses almost exclusively to refer to other Christians; he then goes on to describe them as “carnal.” Therefore, we can conclude that Christians can be carnal. The Bible is absolutely clear that no one is sinless (1 John 1:8). Every time we sin, we are acting carnally.

The key thing to understand is that while a Christian can be, for a time, carnal, a true Christian will not remain carnal for a lifetime. Some have abused the idea of a “carnal Christian” by saying that it is possible for people to come to faith in Christ and then proceed to live the rest of their lives in a completely carnal manner, with no evidence of being born again or a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Such a concept is completely unbiblical. James 2 makes it abundantly clear that genuine faith will always result in good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 declares that while we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, that salvation will result in works. Can a Christian, in a time of failure and/or rebellion, appear to be carnal? Yes. Will a true Christian remain carnal? No.

Since eternal security is a fact of Scripture, even the carnal Christian is still saved. Salvation cannot be lost, because salvation is a gift of God that He will not take away (see John 10:28; Romans 8:37-39; 1 John 5:13). Even in 1 Corinthians 3:15, the carnal Christian is assured of salvation: “If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” The question is not whether a person who claims to be a Christian but lives carnally has lost his salvation, but whether that person was truly saved in the first place (1 John 2:19).

Christians who become carnal in their behavior can expect God to lovingly discipline them (Hebrews 12:5-11) so they can be restored to close fellowship with Him and be trained to obey Him. God’s desire in saving us is that we would progressively grow closer to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2), becoming increasingly spiritual and decreasingly carnal, a process known as sanctification. Until we are delivered from our sinful flesh, there will be outbreaks of carnality. For a genuine believer in Christ, though, these outbreaks of carnality will be the exception, not the rule.

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/carnal-Christian.html#ixzz3ft40sqnZ

Then you have my apologies for using the terminology wrong. I know that we are still in our sin.

The people I am talking about are those who think they can happily sin just because God gives em a "Get out of jail free" card.

I was always told the name given those type were "Carnal Christians". Guess we gotta find a new name huh?

Let's just put them under "Apostates" folder shall we? Or maybe a new name like false Bretheren... I'm being half sarcastic and half serious so I doubly apologize.

So now that that's setteled. The rest of my previous post still stands.

Be at peace.
-Your Brother In Christ

EDIT: Being serious here... I do love reading posts like yours. It always makes me smile to be reminded of our gift... always wanted to say that

 

[Farm Truck]

When you talk about the love of many has grown cold, are you including yourself? This is a very negative, critical post.

Actually... it's scripture found in the New Testament!

It is most definitely not our mission to go out into our communities and preach hellfire and damnation

When you preach salvation thru Jesus Christ... what exactly do you tell them Jesus wants to save them from?

Sure you don't focus on death, hell, and the grave - but ministry that does not share the whole truth is nothing more than a feel good social club. You should study the entire New Testament and not just the warm fuzzy parts.

to condemn the churches of 2.2 billion people throughout the world takes a lot of chutzpah.

It's much less than that when you don't count the catholics who do not follow the teachings of God's Word are are in fact idolators if they believe and practice catholicism.

"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church"

Jesus was speaking of revelation knowledge... that is what He was going to build His church on, not on Peter.

We know Peter was not the first pope because he was married!

 

[ToBeLoved]

Of the twelve apostles I think that Cephas, nicknamed Petrus (Peter) was the most carnal. He was impulsive and even challenged Christ, yet Jesus said "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church". We are God's imperfect servants and it is entirely up to him how we are used. Paul told the Romans "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

Exactly, He is strong in us within our weaknesses. Like what God said to Paul when he wanted the thorn removed.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9
"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.