I have a question for some of the Political forum regulars....

#527
#527
CSpindizzy said:
If you like stats read some of George Barna's polling results. It's actually quite scary.
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Yeah it is. According to his very basic test for being a biblical Christian (7 simple, direct, fundamental questions)... somewhere between 7-14% of Americans qualify. That means even within evangelicalism only about 15-20% can actually give answers to 7 simple questions about faith in Christ.
 
#528
#528
sjt18 said:
Interesting that many if not most great Bible scholars will at some point profess that the more they learn about the Bible the more they realize they didn't/don't know.
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This is ripe for a cheapshot, but it would be just that: cheap.


Anyway, and this is to oldvol or anyone, where do you guys get your direction for how to teach the milk and then meat or what-have-you in the Bible? Is this something you've gleaned from Jesus' ministry? Or what?
 
#529
#529
IPorange said:
This is ripe for a cheapshot, but it would be just that: cheap.


Anyway, and this is to oldvol or anyone, where do you guys get your direction for how to teach the milk and then meat or what-have-you in the Bible? Is this something you've gleaned from Jesus' ministry? Or what?
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Meaning? How do you understand when to teach this and when to move to that?
 
#530
#530
IPorange said:
This is ripe for a cheapshot, but it would be just that: cheap.


Anyway, and this is to oldvol or anyone, where do you guys get your direction for how to teach the milk and then meat or what-have-you in the Bible? Is this something you've gleaned from Jesus' ministry? Or what?
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I would honestly that it's pretty simple as much as you study/learn any subject, the more time you spend with it and become familiar with it, the more you understand it and see how it ties together.
 
#531
#531
IPorange said:
This is ripe for a cheapshot, but it would be just that: cheap.


Anyway, and this is to oldvol or anyone, where do you guys get your direction for how to teach the milk and then meat or what-have-you in the Bible? Is this something you've gleaned from Jesus' ministry? Or what?
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The direction as to what to preach and what not to preach comes from prayer and nothing more. In other words, I have to shut-up and listen to what the Holy Spirit teaches.
 
#532
#532
Oldvol75 said:
The direction as to what to preach and what not to preach comes from prayer and nothing more. In other words, I have to shut-up and listen to what the Holy Spirit teaches.
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Ya, that's where I would get all like "huh?" I never heard even a fart in the wind. It was no different than when people claimed to have seen a ghost to me.
 
#534
#534
IPorange said:
This is ripe for a cheapshot, but it would be just that: cheap.


Anyway, and this is to oldvol or anyone, where do you guys get your direction for how to teach the milk and then meat or what-have-you in the Bible? Is this something you've gleaned from Jesus' ministry? Or what?
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The NT, yes. Jesus fed His disciples "milk" for much of His earthly ministry. About a year before His death, He stopped being very outwardly focused and began to focus on teaching them deeper truths. In one of His later sayings in John, He promises that the Holy Spirit would be sent and guide them into all truth.

A new Christian probably isn't ready for a debate over Calvinism/Arminianism... but they do need to understand man's sin nature and the necessity of prayer. You certainly don't want to start them out with escatology... though many seem to think it is a good idea (see Left Behind movies/books).

Even "milk" topics have "meat" when you go deeper. Very "milk" wise a person must have a basic understanding of the nature of man, nature of God, the reality of sin/the fall, the person and sacrifice of Christ, repentance, and salvation by grace through faith. One must "apprehend" all of them at a basic level but no one ever truly "comprehends" them in full depth. You have to know the "how" to get the relationship started then you spend much of the rest of your life concerned with "why"... and there's always a why question to be asked.
 
#536
#536
IPorange said:
Ya, that's where I would get all like "huh?" I never heard even a fart in the wind. It was no different than when people claimed to have seen a ghost to me.
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This will do you no good and will certainly be open to a cheapshot... but the NT teaches that the Holy Spirit indwells believers and speaks to them on a spiritual level.

You don't know what you don't know. The Bible can tell you this but you can't "know" it until you are committed.
 
#538
#538
sjt18 said:
This will do you no good and will certainly be open to a cheapshot... but the NT teaches that the Holy Spirit indwells believers and speaks to them on a spiritual level.

You don't know what you don't know. The Bible can tell you this but you can't "know" it until you are committed.
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I was counseled similarly when I was 12-13, and started asking questions about that sort of thing.
 
#539
#539
IPorange said:
Ya, that's where I would get all like "huh?" I never heard even a fart in the wind. It was no different than when people claimed to have seen a ghost to me.
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I don't listen to the wind either! I've never seen a ghost either! (the ones you are talking about) Thats the difference between someone that believes and someone that doesn't. You have to believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and make Him your Lord and Saviour. There is only one prayer that God will listen to from someone that doesn't know Him and that is when a person asks Him into their heart. and what we are talking about

If you don't believe in Him why would you expect Him to talk to you or give you a sign? Espically when the sign was given 2000 years ago. Theres only one way to truly understand what we are talking about, thats Faith.

Just so you know, I pray every night that you and some others would open yourself up to the posibility that there is a God and that He does truly love you. Question everything, even what your education taught you and those that taught it to you.
 
#541
#541
IPorange said:
I was counseled similarly when I was 12-13, and started asking questions about that sort of thing.
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Good. You should have. But there's a mistake in oversimplifying one's "faith".

To accentuate and illustrate the difference, the NT teaches man is born spiritually "dead" and can only be "quickened" by the Holy Spirit at the salvation event. If your counselor was advising you to listen for that "still small voice" before you genuinely repented of sin and accepted Christ as both Savior and Lord then he/she might as well have been asking you to breath underwater.
 
#542
#542
This thread is great! I have been quite busy lately, but I'm glad I took some time today after my lunch to read through it. :good!:
 
#543
#543
sjt18 said:
Good. You should have. But there's a mistake in oversimplifying one's "faith".

To accentuate and illustrate the difference, the NT teaches man is born spiritually "dead" and can only be "quickened" by the Holy Spirit at the salvation event. If your counselor was advising you to listen for that "still small voice" before you genuinely repented of sin and accepted Christ as both Savior and Lord then he/she might as well have been asking you to breath underwater.
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I was baptized at that point, and was genuinely repentant as one can be.
 
#546
#546
tigervol9802 said:
I pretty much was at church every time the doors opened as a kid, and I don't recall ever learning that word until college. I had always heard wealth or money.

Guess Southern Baptists aren't as knowledgable as Independent Baptists.
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I'll plus one this. I grew up hardcore Indy Baptist, so hardcare they called themselves distinctively Baptist.

I know the ends and outs of doctrine.... never knew about a relationship with God.........
 
#549
#549
OrangeEmpire said:
I'll plus one this. I grew up hardcore Indy Baptist, so hardcare they called themselves distinctively Baptist.

I know the ends and outs of doctrine.... never knew about a relationship with God.........
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don't get me started........
 
#550
#550
J-P said:
Not to butt in in the middle of something, but just right off I see the most important element missing..... Christ!
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i'm going to go out on a limb and assume he wasn't baptized 2000 years ago, so christ probably wasn't available.
 
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