In Search of Truth

m273p15c

Thank you for the kind response. I understand and appreciate your desire to give this thorough, conscientious thought and prayer.

I will remember you in my prayers, as we both prayerfully reflect on these matters.

May God give us open eyes and tender hearts.

m273p15c

I am sorry that the article made you angry. It is my prayer that it will ultimately be spiritually profitable to all readers, no matter their initial reaction. I realize that you will not likely respond to this note, but I am not looking for a response. I only ask that you think about these few thou...

m273p15c

For what is worth, I was glad to help. Your family and the church you attend will continue to be in my prayers.

m273p15c

It sounds as though things have moved in the wrong direction. My concerns would remain similar to the ones that I provided previously (see note below). However, I would again emphasize that this work is to be the work of elders and everyone. Elders are to oversee the flock. If this team is really th...

m273p15c

I do not think a church can do this. More information is provided on our web-site: "The Organization of the Church" Here are a few summary idea snippets from that article: Churches did cooperate in benevolence, when one or more churches were swamped with benevolent needs in their local membership th...

m273p15c

Please excuse me, because I fail to grasp the point of this correspondence. You made several vague assertions, but you appear reluctant to provide the evidence. Please forgive me if I do not accept your assertions because you said so. I also fundamentally disagree with your assertion that a translat...

m273p15c

Thanks for the comments. What do you think about the fact that Jesus and the apostles both quoted from the Septuagint version of the Old Testament? If translations are inherently inferior, why did they use the Septuagint? The things that made Jesus different from the other 99,999 Jews were that: He ...

m273p15c

Although I was mostly curious about your primary understanding of "ye are gods" in John 10:35 , it was also important to notice how Jesus responded. In this text, as well as all the other such run-ins that are recorded in John, Jesus never refutes the rulers accusation that He claimed to be divine. ...

m273p15c

Please reread your original answers to the correspondence course. It seems to me that you are doing the very things that you once condemned. You are following and supporting traditions that are contrary to Scripture. How will this lead to unity ( I Corinthians 1:10-13 )? Judgment is not a thing to b...

m273p15c

You seem to be using a faulty standard to justify a practice that is inconsistent with Scripture - the apparent reward and growth resulting from the behavior under judgment. As a side note, I am not judging you. My only interest is in understanding and spreading God's Word. We judge ourselves by how...

m273p15c

Thank you for your swift reply. ... I would respond about the difference between the Old and New Testaments - how the Old Testament no longer holds authority for us; only the New Testament pattern is our standard ( Luke 9:28-36; Colossians 2:13-14; Galatians 3:19-29; Romans 7:1-7; Hebrews 1-13 ). .....

m273p15c

<anonymized snippet from correspondence course reply> ... again I pray you found this study useful. I hope it will continue to help you grow spiritually, even if it provides challenging thoughts. ... I am glad to hear that your "pastor" has been a spiritual light to your community. However, I am co...

m273p15c

I am disappointed, but I do understand your sentiment to leave the study where it is. Do not worry about hurting my feelings. That was not my concern. I am concerned as to why you resorted to those kind of tactics, which I felt detracted from the real issue. Our worship is part of our life. I do not...

m273p15c

Just a few thoughts on your points: These verses do contain the same Greek word; however. This word can be used to refer to alcoholic wine as well as non-alcoholic grape juice. You have to look at the context to determine the meaning. Matching up the Greek words, in this case, is not sufficient to a...

m273p15c

I would have Scripturally based concerns for the arrangement you discussed, which would be as follows: One Pastor - Even though you did not mention it, I understand the Bible to teach that a multitude of elders (synonymous with pastors, shepherds, bishops, overseers, and presbyters) must serve. A si...

m273p15c

I'd like to break my response to your note into 5 separate parts, just to simplify the discussion: Consistency - It seems to me that you are drawing a distinction where there is essentially none. I believe that I am applying the same principle in all of these cases. To illustrate this, please allow ...

m273p15c

Thanks for the good question. Please allow me to make a quick answer. You can poke at it, and I'll be glad to think on your response some more. Here's the difference that I see between these two cases: 1) Meaning of "hearing and learning" - Could have multiple meanings. Passage is somewhat ambigous....

m273p15c

Thanks for patiently waiting for a reply to your questions, which I originally asked of you! I am finally caught up on my previous correspondence and articles. Even though it is late, I hope this will be of some spiritual profit to you. BTW, after I finish this, I plan to address your original quest...

m273p15c

Thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate you considering the points. I have enjoyed getting to know you through your answers and questions. I feel like as though we have built a kind of friendship based on our honesty and mutual spiritual concerns. Based on this relationship, I would like to ask you...

m273p15c

Many people call this the question of "social drinking", or maybe just "moderate drinking". The question is not one of whether someone can get drunk, but it is a question of whether one can drink moderate amounts, maybe only on social occasions. Since we cannot find a strict "Thou shalt not drink al...

m273p15c

Ha, ha - no babying here. Thanks for the permission to speak in a straightforward manner - don't be surprised if I take you up on it. ;-) May I ask you a thought question, while you're waiting on me to address the Holy Spirit question? Who ordained you and licensed you? God or men? What do you think...

m273p15c

I apologize for the long delay. My son had been bad sick for some time, and all my spare time was devoted towards the local church here. Although somewhat delayed, it is my prayer that you will still readily consider my response. ........................................................ It seems to m...

m273p15c

Dear friend, You have not studied the Bible to closely, if you believe that it leads you to be "religious" and not "spiritual". "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and...

m273p15c

Dear friend, Conversely, are you saying that God cannot express Himself using words? Or, does He have the power to create an intelligent being, capable of communicating with its Creator in any way the Creator sees fit? BTW, Who do you think gave man the ability to talk? Who do you think was the sour...

m273p15c

We don't really represent a local church. Originally, several students with common religious convictions formed a student organization so we could pass out material on campus, conduct on-campus Bible studies, and use the school's web-space. Many of us have graduated and left the university. For exam...

m273p15c

I apologize for the extremely delayed response. Shortly after I sent you the last note, my son got sick again. Once he was well, I had a lot of work piled up that was related to the local church. I did receive your first e-mail, but I have been so busy that I have not had the time to devote to a wor...

m273p15c

Yes, I stick by my original statement, "the physical container is not even truly mentioned." Jesus did pick up a cup, but you know that only by inference. Please consider Matthew's, Mark's, and Luke's accounts a little more closely: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, an...

m273p15c

I appreciate the apology, but don't let it bother you. I've had more than my fair share of mistakes. When it comes to religion, I'd recommend starting at the beginning. For myself, I had to first answer the question, "Where did I come from?". Determining if there is a Creator is the most fundamental...

m273p15c

I will not quibble with you about how closely I read your e-mail, because it does nothing to answer your question or establish your point. However, I am somewhat alarmed that you would jump to the worst possible interpretation of the events, since love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes a...

m273p15c

Although we must be diligent to find Scriptural authority for all that we do, we must not fall into the traps of thinking that we must have example for all that we do, or that all examples are binding. For example, only men partook of this supper ( Matthew 26:12-20 ). Does that limitation apply toda...

m273p15c

You mentioned John 14:26; 16:13 as evidence for the Spirit guiding us today. Was that promise specific to all saints, or just the apostles? Please examine the context closely. In addition to containing commandments, which could only be observed by the apostles ( John 15:27 ), John 14-16 also contain...

m273p15c

Dear friend, Have you ever tried that line of reasoning in math class? How about physics? What about psychology? Men write words every day, and not only do they expect you to understand them, but they grade you on it. They demand you understand it. Do you know how to read a map and drive from, let's...

m273p15c

Dear friend,

If you are willing to study the objective facts about the inspiration of the Bible, let me know. For starters, I'd like to see some proof of your allegations that the Bible is untrustworthy.

m273p15c

Jim, Do you have any time for advice on this one? I'm inclined to dismiss them as a nut, but I'd like to respond back one last time with at least a sentence or two. Obviously, a point for point discussion would be wasted, but it seems like there should be something for them to consider. This kind of...

m273p15c

As you noted, Jesus often began His responses with "It is written...", or "How do you read?" He always went back to the text of Scripture ( Matthew 4:4-10; 11:10; 12:3; 21:13, 16; 22:31; 26:24, 31; Mark 7:6; 9:13; 12:26; 13:14; Luke 10:26; 24:26; John 6:45; 8:17; 10:34 ). He trusted it to the very w...

m273p15c

"There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." ( Proverbs 14:12 ) "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered." ( Proverbs 28:26 ) "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own s...

m273p15c

As you know, many religious people profess that a similar experience (visions, dreams, answered prayers) is the proof of their conversion and direction from God. However, many of these religious groups are in direct contradiction to each other. They can't all be right. God does not lie, nor does He ...

m273p15c

How do you KNOW Jesus existed, was crucified, and resurrected? How do you know if the story is true or just a myth, evolving through time?

May God draw us nearer to Him.

m273p15c

I believe that your primary arguments have been answered from the Scripture by showing that Paul directly states that he received the command from the Lord ( I Corinthians 11:23 ), the kingdom began at Pentecost ( Mark 9:1; Acts 1:3-8; 2:1-4 ), Jesus promised to partake the supper with His saints in...

m273p15c

It is good to hear from you again. I'm sorry to hear you're having computer troubles. They can be frustrating. It seems to me that there are two basic issues. I have tried to discuss these in detail, additionally responding to each of your points. It is probably a lengthier response than you intende...

m273p15c

I apologize for the delay. Several inquiries came in about the same time, and it's taken a little while to respond to each of them. Thanks for your kind inquiry. Although I disagree with your conclusion, I hope you will graciously consider these reasons for my conclusion. Also, please forgive my abr...

m273p15c

Thank you for your kind inquiry. Just for reference, I've included just a little more from the article: "Two central problems exist with the doctrines of Calvinism. They indite God's character by accusing Him of mass injustice and selfish egotism. These implications are unavoidable and necessarily i...

m273p15c

Dear brother, Thank you for the kind words. I believe you are correct in your assessment of the true consequences of this doctrine. It is a powerful tool of the Devil that discourages the sinner and saint alike, lulling both into inactivity and carelessness ( 2 Corinthians 2:11 ). I pray that the Lo...

m273p15c

No problem. I'm still here. BTW, rather than trying to save the world in one round of e-mails, why don't we pick just one point and talk about it, preferably the foundation point. If we use shotgun blasts, then we'll get lost in the clouds of many small points and never get anywhere. I think if we c...

m273p15c

Hadn't heard from you in a while, which is OK, but I wanted to check on you to see if you had time to give any more thought to our study? If you have any questions, let me know.

Hope you're doing well.

m273p15c

Thanks for your inquiry. Although this answer will be brief, may I recommend a few articles on our web-site for further study? God's Plan of Salvation The Importance of Baptism Which Baptism? These articles are designed to cover in more detail the questions that you asked related to salvation and ba...

m273p15c

Thanks for the quick response. That will give me something "to chew on". As I read through your thoughts, I believe that much of the last part of my previous correspondence will be applicable to these thoughts. If I respond immediately, I am afraid that I will simply be rehashing the previous note, ...

m273p15c

Thanks for jotting down your concerns. Clearly, this is a grave matter. It seems your point is that we are preaching a different gospel, an old, maybe transitory, gospel that was replaced sometime before the close of revelation. Paul had once warned the Galatians that they may have regrettably accep...

m273p15c

Oh yes, I almost forgot, I would also like to hear your thoughts concerning whether or not we are to use just one loaf, and what is implied by "breaking" the bread. Our article has been updated by adding a section on "one cup and one loaf". I have not got around to the "breaking" part, but I believ...

m273p15c

Thank you for the compliments and the encouragement. Learning that the material is both useful and appreciated always helps to add fuel to the fire. Regarding "teachers" and "preachers", it is my understanding that "preachers" and "evangelists" are synonymous; consequently, "preachers" are covered u...

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