The real book on Christianity.

[Mickiel]

The first love is the love of learning about God. Some reach a plateau in their knowledge of God's word and that's as far as they go.

Learning is not the first love of the original church; learning and consuming knowledge is a personal individual thing; that is not a first love of a church, nor should it be. Falling in love with how much you learn is selfish at its core. The first love was the good news of the gospel, that salvation has come to all of humanity, and witnessing that.

 

[fzappa13]

The first love is the love of learning about God. Some reach a plateau in their knowledge of God's word and that's as far as they go.

I heard a Pastor put it to me this way one time. He said he was at a conference of his particular denomination and during a conversation with another pastor heard him opine that he had been in the faith 24 years. He said that he thought to himself that the gentleman had likely lived the same year over 24 times.

 

[jamie]

Learning is not the first love of the original church...

Sure it is, Jesus said, "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." (John 4:23 NKJV)

If we don't worship in spirit and truth then we are not worshiping him. So the first thing we must do to worship God is to learn the truth about who he is and why we are here.

God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24 NKJV)​

 

[Mickiel]

Sure it is, Jesus said, "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." (John 4:23 NKJV)

If we don't worship in spirit and truth then we are not worshiping him. So the first thing we must do to worship God is to learn the truth about who he is and why we are here.

God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24 NKJV)​

Well I hold no interest in convincing you of anything, you see what you see; I see differently. I see knowledge as something that puffs up the believer who throws a lot of value in it. Jesus was obviously talking about " Works", in Rev. 2:2 he said he knows their works. In verse 4 he states they left their first love. In verse 5 he admonishes, " Remember from where you have fallen, repent and " Do the first Works." He is not asking them to " Do knowledge ", or to do learning, he is referring to a work they were doing as a church, for OTHER people! That " Work" was witnessing to the people the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, free salvation.

That is the true work of the true church of God; this is not about knowledge production. Knowledge is going to naturally increase in everyone.

 

[jamie]

I see knowledge as something that puffs up the believer who throws a lot of value in it.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6 NKJV)​

Jesus tells Ephesus type believers, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent." (Revelation 2:5 NKJV)

Paul said, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
(2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV)

Rightly dissecting the the word of truth requires study.

Those who don't really know the truth can easily be blown about (mislead) by fallacious doctrine.

 

[Interplanner]

That's someone whose functional Bible can comfortably fit in a manila folder. They seem to gravitate to this place.

How would you possibly know what size my functional Bible was sitting at the other end of internet posts? I asked you to comment on those 10 passages/chapters, not on me. Can you see the difference?

Conversely, using your modus operandi, you seem to be limited to one section of Ezekiel.

 

[fzappa13]

How would you possibly know what size my functional Bible was ...?

ummmmmmmmm ... you told me.

 

[serpentdove]

"The real book on Christianity is that they are not where they think they are with God; God is using them in a far different manner than they suspect."

You are en enemy of God's (2 Pe 2:1). :burnlib: We know what he's up to. You don't. Jn 15:15 :dizzy:

"A manner than none of them would agree with doing."

God is good (Ps. 31:19)--worthy of all trust (Ps. 33:21).

 

[serpentdove]

"Matthews 5: 1-12...People who are poor in spirit are given the Kingdom free."

Requirements of salvation include: confession (Acts 2:21), repentance (Mark 1:15), faith (John 3:14–18), regeneration (John 3:3–8), holy scripture (2 Tim. 3:15). Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1996). Nelson’s quick reference topical Bible index (p. 543). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

[Poor in spirit] "...This means spiritually weak people..."

Brokenness leads to salvation (Is. 61:1).

"...[P]eople who are in sorrow; unbelief in God is the greatest sorrow I know of."

Unbelief is caused by: sin (John 16:9), Satan (John 8:43–47), evil heart (Heb. 3:12), honor from one another (John 5:44), not belonging to Christ (John 10:26), judicial blindness (John 12:37–40). Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1996). Nelson’s quick reference topical Bible index (pp. 628–629). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

"Did you know that the meek can mean the injured?"

Meekness is power under control (Jas 1:21, 3:13).

"People who hate God are seriously injured, but Jesus is still giving them eternal inheritance."

Evil men go to hell.

See:

Hell

"...[E]ternal punishing.. a merciless belief."

God is just (Deut. 32:4).

"Blessed are you when people persecute you; this means that all the believers in God who are condemning others to their hell, which is the worse persecution possible, calling them evil unbelievers, Jesus said these people are really blessed."

:yawn: John 15:19

"Just another angle to view scripture from; away from your selfish angle."

The scriptures are misused by: Satan (Matt. 4:6), hypocrites (Matt. 22:23–29), false teachers (2 Cor. 2:17), the unlearned (2 Pet. 3:16). Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1996). Nelson’s quick reference topical Bible index (p. 550). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

 

[serpentdove]

[Re 2:4] ...Ephesus...But the church has lost that love for everyone.

:yawn: "Re 2:4 left your first love. To be a Christian is to love the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:21, 23; 1 Cor. 16:22). But the Ephesians’ passion and fervor for Christ had become cold, mechanical orthodoxy. Their doctrinal and moral purity, their undiminished zeal for the truth, and their disciplined service were no substitute for the love for Christ they had forsaken." MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1994). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

 

[Mickiel]

I am starting to notice that Christian opinion sounds like that same old song.

 

[serpentdove]

...One of the most serious errors Christianity has made, is to change how they worship...

Worship is responding to him (John 4:20–24). You don't worship him (Rev. 13:4–13). You attempt to blaspheme (Ps. 74:18).

 

[serpentdove]

I am starting to notice that Christian opinion sounds like that same old song.

Your father's going down soon.

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:

“I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea! Ex 15:1 opcorn:

 

[Mickiel]

Worship is responding to him (John 4:20–24). You don't worship him (Rev. 13:4–13). You attempt to blaspheme (Ps. 74:18).

I think we all know that blasphemy to a Christian, is when you disagree with them.

 

[serpentdove]

I think we all know that blasphemy to a Christian, is when you disagree with them.

:yawn: Who cares what we say? What has God said? oly: Jn 14:6

 

[Mickiel]

Constantine was a Christian, but almost to his dying day, he still functioned as the " High Priest of Paganism." He retained the title of " Pontifex Maximus", which means chief of the pagan priest. This was part of the historical problems in Christianity, their leaders were some off brand dudes.

 

[Mickiel]

I mean the Christian history is full of pagan back round leaders. They had Clement , Tertullian, Cyprian and Hippolytus; these guys came from everywhere and mixed all kinds of things into Christianity.

 

[Mickiel]

:yawn: Who cares what we say? What has God said? oly: Jn 14:6

For the first time, I finally agree with you.

 

[serpentdove]

[Pagan influence] "...[T]hese guys came from everywhere and mixed all kinds of things into Christianity.

We root out paganism by studying God's word (2 Ti 3:16). oly:

 

[Mickiel]

We root out paganism by studying God's word (2 Ti 3:16). oly:

Well I think that is true, so based on that truth, Christianity is not studying Gods word. Because its ripe with paganism. Here's a list of pagan symbols Christianity has adopted;

http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/pagan-symbols.html