Rosie1Rose

Discernment is one of the gifts of the Spirit. As with the disciples when they cast lots, the only safe way to discern a person's heart is by honestly seeking God's. If we fast and pray and earnestly seek God, He will reveal to us whom we should have in leadership roles. We simply cannot and must not trust ourselves to do it as only God knows the heart. Failure to seek God's will, will result in the sort of disasters that befell Israel.

The problem is a shortage of helpers in the Church and I think we need to define twisting a persons' arm. We do outreach in my Church. I help out only because we are so short of help. In obeying God and supporting my Church, I actually recieve more than I give. I am not so much arm-twisted as reluctant. Sometimes someone may be reluctant and need a push because they don't recognise their gifts or feel that they are not good enough or have anything worth offering. If someone is truly arm-twisted then it is bullying. If bullying goes on in a Church, then they need to question whether God really exists in their Church. We all have different gifts and abilities, hence the Bible verses that talk about the parts of the Body. Each individual is tailored by God to fit together as a whole within the Church to work for His glory and the promotion of His Kingdom.

In doing this question all I can really hear is Jesus saying to Peter, 'Feed my sheep' That in essence is it - Feed my sheep; spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally. With scripture, healing words, truthful words and a hot meal when they are hungry. It's not so much about leadership as being there for one another, reaching out for one another, supporting one another. FEED MY SHEEP

I really appreciate the post by djmclaren. I hadn't realise exactly what dying meant and to be honest I would rather die a martyr than to put my natural desires to death. If I don't crucify my natural self, I am not committed to Jesus, and I am not a threat to Satan. It's all about popularity and I don't like being unpopular. I don't exist and don't matter. I am a beautiful new creation in Christ called by Him to serve Him and do good works for Him. To quote Paul, everything else is worthless.

As a Christian I should be standing from the world and showing them a different way of living. This is not in what I say, but how I act. If I am not prepared to join in with the gossip, dirty jokes and back stabbing of the office. If I am not prepared to fiddle my expenses or I hand back the extra when given too much change in a shop, I am not blending in and will therefore experience some form of persecution even if i am only called a fool. A BLENDED IN 'CHRISTIAN' IS NO DIFFERENT FROM A WORLDLY PERSON. THEY ARE NO THREAT TO SATAN SO WILL BE IGNORED AND WON'T BE PERSECUTED.

There is only slavery to Jesus or sin. Quite often we allow the devil to sucker us into the belief that we are free independent people and that sin doesn't exist. We long for this 'freedom' because of pride. We will bow down to no one and be beholden to noone. No-one is going to tell us what to do. We are free thinking individuals. I have hesitated to take sides primarily because I fail to trust God completely. If I hedge my bets then I will always have a way out if God fails me. I am working on the trust issue with God, but it is a major struggle with me. I need to jump and know He will catch me.

Good doctrine or teaching will teach us how to apply scriptural truths to our lives and how to grow in Christlikeness. It is a vital part of our spiritual development. However 'all scripture is God-given for instruction, correction and discipline.' Sorry I have forgotten the rest of the verse. ALL doctrine, whether heard for the first time or from a lifetime christian friend or a trusted pastor, MUST be prayed over and tested against the Bible. If it doesn't match up, rebuke the teacher and move away from it.

Jesus was one of the most hated and reviled men on Earth. At one point they took Him out to stone Him. My first pastor used to say that if our lives truly reflected Jesus then whereever we went there would be revival or riot. I cannot expect less than to be treated as Jesus was and if push came to shove, at least in my persecution, I would know that the devil would think me a threat and God would be there beside me in it.

Generally trying to avoid persecution and suffering for Christ means that you compromise your faith and blend in with what the world wants. I have often being side tracked by persecution and given in for the sake of an easier life. I am slowly doing it less and less, yet even as I type, I have broken a promise for the sake of a nicer day out. I know my sin, I know what I should do, but the lure of a nice day out is still very strong for me esp as life is really tough at this moment. I am learning not to be interested in other christian's behaviour as what I will be judged on is what I do not others.

The law does well in that it shows us what sin is. However it cannot set us free from sin and it is impossible to match up to it. The law in itself cannot set us free because it causes sin to come to life. The problem is that by being a negative - you shall not, it creates in us a desire to do what it is telling us not to do. We need a power that will negate the sinful desire generated in us by the law. Will power alone cannot achieve this so God sent Jesus.

Unless we know specifically that sin is wrong eg do not lie, do not steal, do not covet, then we live in ignorance. We would also have anarchy and no moral code. Maybe it is inbred in us to want to do what we shouldn't do and go where we shouldn't go. WOULD ADAM AND EVE HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN THE APPLE IF THEY HADN'T BEEN TOLD NOT TO EAT IT!!

Paul is referring to my fallen, sinful self. The emotional, thinking side that wants its' own way, to be heard, to be understood, to be god. That lives in rebellion and refuses to bow to God.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20

As already stated I obey that to which I am a slave. If I am showing fruits of the Spirit and obeying God then I am His slave. If I habitually sin then I am a slave to sin. I believe it is possible to be a slave to sin while being saved. Not a lot is taught about righteous or living in Christs' power. I can break my bondage to sin by believing that I am set free by Jesus' death and choosing to live accordingly. IN CHEERFUL, LOVING OBEDIENCE TO GOD. God has recently called me to a fresh obedience in worry and trust. Praise God I am through the other side.

No-one likes knowing they have to give an account of their actions because of guilt and shame - the Adam and Eve syndrome when they sinned and hid in the Garden of Eden. I personally would rather believe myself to be a good person than know the depths and ugliness of my sin. To know that I am facing Judgement Day is not so bad because I am covered by Jesus' Blood. I should be trembling with fear for every soul who does not know God and should endeavour to witness at all times.

I sin unconsciously often because I am not close enough to God to know it's sin or I am not concentrating or I have mimic-ed the world around me. By offering my members, my thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions to God constantly throughout the day, by stopping often to check in with Him, by making sure I speak to Him before I do anything, I can offer my members deliberately to God and take control over sin through Him. The change in my life will be awesome. I will be walking in the Power of God, I will be living victoriously and I will know my God as never before.

I obey the one that I am allowing to reign in my life. If sin is reigning in my life, then it is sin I will obey and not God. By accepting I am dead to sin, I no longer have to obey it and no longer will it have dominance or reign over me. This leaves me free to obey God and to allow Him rule, reign and dominance over me.

Non Christians will always try to get you to go along with their sin because it makes them look better. It is easier to drag some one down than lift them up. We can resist temptation by learning the Bible verses - be salt, be light, live as God's children in a crooked world. and for me the icing on the cake If you do not warn a man about his sins and he dies in them, though he goes to hell and you go to Heaven, I WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIM

If I am armed, then I am prepared for battle, offense and defense. If I arm myself with Christ's attitude then I am ready for spiritual battle, offense and defense. If I am armed spiritually, then I am ready and able to do battle with sin. I am in control through Jesus, rather than sin is in charge of me. I am a soldier under orders. Sin is the enemy and to have anything to do with it is betrayal and treason

To count myself dead to sin means to believe, consider, reckon, KNOW, myself to be DEAD to sin. Coo can you imagine the effect in my life - perfect hope, perfect faith, perfect trust, perfect belief, total power, to be ONE WITH CHRIST. TO LIVE AS CHRIST LIVED ON EARTH

In baptism I am joined to Christ and my old self is crucified. I am a new creation in Christ. Therefore my old, spiritually dead, alive to sin self is GONE. IT IS NO MORE. But I still have free will and can choose to sin. Choose to ignore Christ's sacrifice. Or I can choose to live in the POWER of the RESURRECTED CHRIST.

Before I became a Christian, I was spiritually dead to God and alive to sin. I accepted Christ as my Saviour and changed sides. In baptism, symbolically, as I went under the water,my spiritually dead to God and alive to sin self was crucified, as Jesus was on the Cross. When I arose from the water, as Jesus arose from the dead, I left my old self in the water and was 'resurrected' as a new, alive to God, holy person. It is not mumbo-jumbo, but a physical symbol of Jesus death and resurrection on the Cross, helping those of us not at Calvary to understand Calvary, and those of us newly joined to Christ to become joined to Him. It is real, precious and now I understand how my old sin self is dead. Thank you Pastor Ralph

While I have been baptised as an adult and was given baptismal classes, it is only now that I can truly say I understand what it really means. However I undertook baptism as a physical pledge of my faith in what Jesus has done for me. Since that day I regularly sit with Jesus and recommit myself to Him and check that I am walking as His disciple.

I can understand Jesus dying for my sins, I can understand my unrighteousness, but what I struggle to understand is God's love for me, dirty, ugly and unworthy as I am. I struggle to grasp that He sees me as precious, worthy, loveable and righteous because of what Jesus did. Basically I caused Jesus death on the Cross so His Father could have a relationship with me. I don't know as a mum, if I would want a relationship of love, grace and mercy with my daughter's killer if she was to be killed.

For years I was the wrong sort of witness, I blended in with the world and no-one looking at me would have known I was a Christian. Praise God that despite my years of failure, He never gave up on me and I am now able to be a stronger more stand-out-able christian. I still tend to panic or think I don't know the answers, but I am learning to listen to the Spirit's gentle whisper and to hear what He wants me to say.