The most glorious and perilous adventure of all

[Dandelion]

I personally believe that being a Christian is a very brave and daring adventure. Perhaps, in some ways, the most perilous of all. As we know, there are many whose life is ended, because of their faith. There are also many simple, everyday experiences that Christians have that are challenging and may cause them heartache, financial concerns, job issues, etc. which can cause various levels of difficulty in their lives.

Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes that the meek will inherit the earth. I think it takes being meek, to be strong. We are meek in reverence to God; we do not bolster ourselves, so that He can have all the Glory. We are meek with our fellow man....we do not take advantage of others when they are honest, compassionate, and vunerable. We acknowledge those who are believers and live in the Spirit, instead of 'worshipping' those who live in the flesh. We treat everyone with respect, and do our best to be supportive.

Matthew 10:

Confessing Christ
(Luke 12:8-12)
32Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. 33But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.    I was thinking about this verse, specifically. I always thought of this verse as someone proclaiming his beliefs in a dangerous situation, in which Christians are being persecuted, on many levels, which could be one scenario. Sometimes, Christians are put down or made fun of because of their faith in Jesus....often not directly stated or open, but if we trace the reasons, we might often find that they are being ridiculed because of their beliefs in Him. Sometimes, even by other Christians. We are all on different paths of our journey as Christians, and although we don't always agree with what we believe God wants of us, we need to respect the opinions of those who are sincerely trying to do God's will. And, what if we turn our backs or even join in with those who would look down on such a person? Aren't we 'denying Christ' in those situations? Whatever you do to the least of your brothers, you do to me?

The Sword of the Gospel
(Luke 12:49-53)
34Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn

'A man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36A man's enemies will be the members of his own household. These lines would support my statement, above.

Take up Your Cross
(Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-27)
37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  God, our only identity. To let go of who we have become or want to be, to take on Jesus' characteristics, no matter the consequences. 


The Reward of Service
(2 Kings 4:8-17)
40He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. 41Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward." Again, reaffirming that we are to support our fellow man, who does what s/he does because of their faith.

John 17:

6I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. 8For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

9I ask on their account. I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for they are Yours. 10All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine; and in them I have been glorified. 11I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You.

Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them and guarded them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

13But now I am coming to You, and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them. 14I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.a 16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. 18As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus is asking His Father for protection for those who believe and trust. He knows the perils that they face.

And, yet another reference to what Christians will bear.

John 16:

31"Do you finally believe?" Jesus replied. 32"Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!"

How much is this true for those who profess Universal Reconciliation? Often fellow Christians are harder on UR folks, than the general public. 
Christians do not always agree, but we need to be tolerant of where the other is on their journey, and remember that we have traveled far, ourselves. Jesus prayed that we would all be one. Even if our take on theology is different, we should acknowledge and support each other's journey in seeking the truth.

As I began, some thoughts........

D. 

[rosered]

   Wonderful sis D!!

Jesus peace  should fill our hearts    to comfort us when  danger arises  in divisions of faith  towards God .


  Two laws at work in all of us, one is death  in Adam we all die ,  the other is life in Christ , the made new  by the Holy Sprint working  within .


  I do  believe we are to be  wise as serpents and harmless as doves   ,

  I thought of what that might mean  when sharing the gospel with anyone  especially the good news of UR , to be wise and see the  danger of stumbling  anyone's faith towards God  ,that  they already have and would fight for the death over . [As Paul shared  his own experience , serving God in ignorance / darkness, as a  killer and murderer  under the old law of death and violence  , those elemental things to be destroyed that worked in him   would be  consumed  by Gods presence , before the Light had come to him personally ,and receiving  Holy Sprint conviction .

  He had grown in truth and grace ,  allowed great mercy  and so thankful of that,  to become,'' all things to all men''  to save some ,  after the Lord come to Him and to know nothing , but Jesus Christ and him crucified   ,


and harmless as doves  , as being caught in the snare  as a sacrifice   or  fly away  to remit or retain  , to bear with them and plant the seed of the incorruptible Word of God  by faith  or  leave to their own   Holy Spirit  experience .. , remember that  the scriptures say , Mark those that cause divisions [ they are under    the mark to be tested  and tried ]  in my opinion ,,,

  They were  always trying to trap Jesus  by His Words   but it was His deeds they  could not  DENY !!  but inflamed them being under the law and ministration of death  desiring to put Him to death   and a servant is not above His master / teacher ...
  Jesus even said do as they say , not as the do  ,  proving hypocrisy  as He called it  out    that they were using the Law unlawfully not applying it to themselves but  as a sword to   slay  and kill others   with . .. it world be by the same WORD /Sword of the Spirit  they  upheld    that  they too would be judged by ..  making the experience  by Truth  a reality in their own lives to die in this error /sin , missing the mark ... their own hearts .
 

  Matt 10 Sheep among Wolves
15Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

17But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues....

I see this as the ,''man of sin '' nature   and  it is a self righteous spirit  ,  full of the wrath of man ,  that has never worked the righteousness of God    but is to be consumed   by the presence of God   as to fire with fire ..    the tongue is a fire   and  creates  a lake to consume us within .



Psalm 57:4 My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows And their tongue a sharp sword.

Isaiah 5:24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 30:27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from a remote place; Burning is His anger and dense is His smoke; His lips are filled with indignation And His tongue is like a consuming fire;

James 3:1 [ The Tongue Is a Fire ] Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

James 3:5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

All of James 3   and 4    shows us that only Jesus can tame the tongue   By the Holy Spirit & fire .. as we judge so shall we be judged ,  it is the standard  by which all things are measured  with   to me any ways ....
   
James 3:6And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.


  Making  the Revelation of Jesus Christ   a revealing  thing .. His Word and Spirit  are a fire , the cloven/divided  tongues of fire  at Pentecost  in Acts  2  as  the law of  Life and  the law of  death would be in the power of the tongue    and  anyone of us  would  eat its fruits of doings  at any time ..

The Holy Spirit at Pentecost
...2Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

3They saw tongues like flames of a fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them....


  I have enjoyed your post sis  , makes me  think  a bit deeper   and what  TRUTH  is ,  and  being most important  to obtain   LIFE in Christ ....and to Let Him reign  in  our hearts fully ...

  What was never possible with mankind , is  most  possible with God ..  :HeartThrob:

[marie glen]

As I began, some thoughts........

D.

And some very good thoughts they are! You are totally right! I could feel the wood of picking up my cross, as I read..  :Chinscratch: This verse, I read today, in a sense reminds me of it. Maybe the other side of the coin.. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."Mt. 11:27.

:doh: oh.. and it points out the meekness.. so many ways in the verse, that we find rest! From Him, from learning from Him, and from being gentle and lowly in heart.. rest..

To know Him is worth all things.. I wish I would remember to pray more for our brothers and sisters living in peril and, or are in fierce persecutions. I know His grace is able to carry all through all things. That He always has.. just as He was with Stephen..

But we are in a war! "wise as serpents, harmless as doves" - (amen to Rose!) I believe that verse is direct instructions from the Lord.. as all His words are, but this line has always stood out to me. Not wise, I think to be confrontational with others.. with the world. It does no good anyway, even if we wanted to, which I'm thinking we don't :laughing7: ...to be "gentle and lowly in heart"

Lowly in heart, makes one gentle.. I happened across some info about the word repent, that a sense of it is "change after being with" - with who? what? with Him. Changes us.. and keeps changing us. :HeartThrob:

[marie glen]

 :thumbsup: Amen Rose, great post! And great verses! :cloud9: :HeartThrob:

[rosered]

As I began, some thoughts........

D.

And some very good thoughts they are! You are totally right! I could feel the wood of picking up my cross, as I read..  :Chinscratch: This verse, I read today, in a sense reminds me of it. Maybe the other side of the coin.. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."Mt. 11:27.

:doh: oh.. and it points out the meekness.. so many ways in the verse, that we find rest! From Him, from learning from Him, and from being gentle and lowly in heart.. rest..

To know Him is worth all things.. I wish I would remember to pray more for our brothers and sisters living in peril and, or are in fierce persecutions. I know His grace is able to carry all through all things. That He always has.. just as He was with Stephen..

But we are in a war! "wise as serpents, harmless as doves" - (amen to Rose!) I believe that verse is direct instructions from the Lord.. as all His words are, but this line has always stood out to me. Not wise, I think to be confrontational with others.. with the world. It does no good anyway, even if we wanted to, which I'm thinking we don't :laughing7: ...to be "gentle and lowly in heart"

Lowly in heart, makes one gentle.. I happened across some info about the word repent, that a sense of it is "change after being with" - with who? what? with Him. Changes us.. and keeps changing us. :HeartThrob:

  Amazing  grace !! love this  Marie , you know it is  amazing when I considered the very verses  this past  week of  Jesus being our Sabbath rest , come unto Me you who labor I will  give you rest ...[the 7th day ] rest in Hope of the Christ   doing those greater works  on your behalf , raising the dead to Life again and renewing them   day by day .

  I love what  Dandelion  shared   from the heart 

  This  building up one another , as well as building  upon Christ, True Word , as God  gives the increase of truth and grace  for growth

  2Peter 3 Final Exhortations
...17Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard not to be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing.

18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Romans 11:36
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

2 Timothy 4:18
And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

2 Peter 1:8
For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:11
and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


I am convinced of the UR message in  this , For God so loved the world   that he gave the gift of His  Son and though Him

each in their own order  shall inherit salvation By Him  and those  hid in Him

:dsunny: :HeartThrob: