RE: [asa] How to be perfect, as we all must be to see God

Hi Preston, you wrote:

"The way to do that is to put love, the Spirit led love that knows
what is needed at every moment,above every other value, including the
truth about the universe and other people's sins and intellectual
failings."

Perhaps my perspective comes from reading books front to back instead of
starting in the middle and reading inside out, but as I see the first
mistake it was not in Adam's failure to love his God or his wife, it was his
failure to obey. How one would priortize love and obedience could be
debated, but love isn't all there is as the uninspired song writer put it -
and neither is obedience.

Christ told the Apostles to go into all the world and make disciples. Since
all the Apostles have died it falls on us to carry on the commission. What
would be the first thing we would tell someone inquiring about our faith?
God loves us might be the first thing. But in terms of how we react to the
love of God, from the standpoint of what we who love God should do, we show
our love for God by paying attention to his directives and obeying Him. And
one way we show obedience to God is by showing love for our fellow man. So
love and obedience may be intertwined a bit.

For me, I see roadblocks put in the way of people who might otherwise come
to Christ. Some of those roadblocks come from those who profess to know
Christ. I try to show my obedience to Christ's commission and my love for
my fellow man and concern for his mortal soul, by exposing fallacies that
serve as impediments to faith.

Is "truth about the universe" important? If someone believes the Bible
teaches the world is six thousand years old or there was no death in the
animal world until Adam made a bad choice because a "Christian" told him
that, and he misses out on salvation because he believes therefore the Bible
writers were less than inspired, then try to tell that poor soul enduring
"wailing and gnashing of teeth" for all eternity that it wasn't something
important.

Truth is important. Christ said, "I am the truth, the way, and the life
..." What comes first? If I offend thousands of sensitive Christians to
reach one person with the gospel and he is saved through Christ, then I'll
do it. And if I offend anyone on this list, I apologise.
 
Dick Fischer, GPA president
Genesis Proclaimed Association
"Finding Harmony in Bible, Science and History"
www.genesisproclaimed.org
 

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Preston Garrison
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 11:52 PM
To: ASA list
Subject: [asa] How to be perfect, as we all must be to see God

> I think we can hope for the best ---- but expect (and plan for)
>the worst ---- from each other and from the social institutions
>fallen humans devise.
>
>"For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what
>he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
>

All,

Jesus said "Be ye perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect."

The way to do that is to put love, the Spirit led love that knows
what is needed at every moment,above every other value, including the
truth about the universe and other people's sins and intellectual
failings.

The truth that we must concern ourselves with first and foremost, as
believers, in order to keep from being like Martha, worrying about
many things, including Mary's supposed sins, or the Pharisees getting
ready to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, is the truth about our individual
selves. Socrates was right. Know thyself.

The way to find that truth and keep it before ourselves is to pray
that prayer that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.

As He implied, do it every day. Don't pray it mindlessly. Think it
through, every phrase in light of what is going on with yourself now.
Ask Him to reveal to you the sins your are unaware of, and the people
you haven't forgiven, including where you haven't forgiven God or
yourself.

And know that you will have to keep praying it for the rest of this
life, and that it won't keep you from suffering. It will just clean
you up some every day.

External evil will still get a crack at you, sometimes in terrible
ways, but you will have asked Him to deliver you from all but the
suffering that He needs to purify you at the pace and in the ways
that He, with perfect love, chooses.

And having now faced all this unpleasant information about ourselves
(and the information about me is very unpleasant indeed), what do we
do? Do what Jesus said to do a few verses later in Luke 11. Ask for
the Holy Spirit, as much as you can stand in your present state,
whatever that is.

Like Dave Barry, I didn't make this stuff up. The disciples asked.
Jesus replied and told them to pray it. Just do it.

I would suggest that before the discussions go on, everyone who
hasn't done this today should go off to that private place that He
indicated we should pray this kind of prayer, and do it.

And then just do it every day. You can leave that credit card at
home, but don't leave home without this.

I have been doing this for a while now, after suffering rather badly
for a long time, and I am finding now that I can't keep from laughing
at all kinds of things - myself, God, other people when it won't hurt
them, dogs, cats - you get the idea.

The praying didn't end the suffering - the Physician just decided
that the present surgery was over and the patient needed a break.

Blessings on all of you,

Preston

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Received on Wed Feb 18 09:45:59 2009