Do we realize how much people are hurting?

Great example. Thanks for sharing.

I think many times in the midst of making sure we hold onto the "right theology" we forget that theology according to our favorite commentaries rarely speaks to those that desparately need Jesus. All of our lives have broken peices, and only God can put those peices back together, and when we do it with each other, forms a beautiful mosaic called the kingdom of God. The kingdom is even present on your porch with iced tea, cake, and sharing life with one another. It may not seem like the most beautiful thing with all of the brokenness, but God truly makes it into a beautiful thing.

 

Hello superwoman,

Thanks for sharing this testimony. I am glad you were able to minister to your neighbor. You know it really helps us when we minister to others, even when we are experiencing troubles in our own lives, because it takes our focus off ourselves and places it upon the Lord and the other person(s). When we do this (minister to others) it really helps us to avoid becoming self-absorbed and depressed.

This is indeed sad. They are either immature Christians in great need of discipleship or they are lost as a ball in high weeds. The latter (the lost) are especially sad to see, particularly those that are "cultural Christians." What we call "cultural Christians" is just a fancy way of talking about lost folks that have some sort of Christian heritage in their family. You know, people that when asked diagnostic questions about salvation will give an answer based on their parent's or grandparent's Christian faith. They have head knowledge of Christ, but they do not have a personal relationship with Him, they don't know Him in their hearts, because they have not put their faith in Him for salvation. We must be sure to share the gospel with these folks.

I would caution you here. I sincerely hope that you understand that most of the posters here are actively involved in real life ministries through their churches, their jobs, and where ever God has placed them. Most of us come to the BB because we enjoy discussing and or debating theology and all things Baptist. You may have felt that some posters were "judging" you. However, a great many of the posters that have responded to you here were simply trying to give you good solid biblical counsel and Christian discipleship while speaking some very hard biblical truthes regarding very difficult circumstances.

I think you know where I stand on the issue of divorce (if you have been reading my replies to you). I agree that God can and does use us, the broken and vile sinners that we all are, to minister to those in need. This brings glory to His name because He is proven mighty when He uses us at our weakest, we cannot claim to have done anything, and He alone gets the glory. One point I would caution you on here is not to assume or think that God either caused or allowed you to sin because He "needed you to get to another soul." That would contradict God's word and His very nature (Romans 7:1-8:17; James 1:13-16; 1 Peter 1:15-19).

I wholeheartedly agree. Amen!:thumbs:

 

I would also highly recommend The Gospel for Real Life, by Jerry Bridges.:thumbs:

 

superwoman,

A man is not the answer to everything.

She had one, evidently. What happened to him? He is still hers. She is still his. In God's eyes, this is what you said... "I know she would like ANOTHER man in her life"... Do you think that God really wants her to marry -- again?!

 

I know how much people are hurting, because I'm one of those people. I hurt physically from my neck down to my feet. I hurt emotionally from a number of sources, and I'm hurting financially. I can't find a church in this area that I like, because I don't like the southern Baptist churches; I'm from Michigan. Everything is different in the southern Baptist churches, the music, the Bible version they use (no King James, and that's all I use), slightly different doctrinal beliefs. Example: they're mid-trib, and I'm pre-trib. Maybe I should go back to Michigan, but I can't stand the COLD and the freezing rain.

 

Maybe we should keep in perspective those things that are ESSENTIAL and those things that are PREFERENCE.

 

It should be this way

HTML:

You are 17 years old and for all I know, you still live with mommy and daddy in your perfect little house with your perfect little family in Happy Valley. "

This is how it should be when believers dwell together in peace.....I wouldn't denigrate with sarcasm that which is pure and lovely. The ideal is that believers have very happy marriages, with children who are joyful. I am sorry you haven't experienced this, superwoman, but don't put down what others do have.

 

Hello Jon,

I am sorry to hear that you are having such a difficult time in your life. I'll be praying for you.

I have been a Southern Baptist all my life. There is no "rule" regarding any specific translation of the Bible that is to be used by SBC churches. However, because all SBC churches are completely autonomous some local churches may have something in their constitutions and by-laws regarding which translation they prefer. I highly doubt that anyone would tell you "no King James." Likewise, there is no official SBC position on Pre-, mid-, or post-trib rapture. I am fairly certain that the vast majority of Southern Baptists hold to the pre-trib position, with post-tribers coming in a very distant second place. I don't know very many Southern Baptists that hold to a mid-trib position.

I would encourage you to look around a bit more before drawing the types of conclusions you have quoted above. Also I am sure that you should be able to find a KJV-only, pre-trib, Fundamental Independent Baptist church in your area.

You are in my prayers,

Bible-boy

 

Hello superwoman,

Banish those doubts in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the bread of life (John 6:35-51). He is the light of the world (John 8:12). He is the door of the sheep (John 10:7-10). He is the good shepherd (John 10:11-30). He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26). He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6a). He is the true vine (John 15:1). It is always right to run to Him. Amen. :jesus:

Apart from Him you can do nothing (John 15:5). Don't fall into the lie of the enemy and begin to believe that you are completely self-sufficient.:jesus:

One of the best ways for you to heal is to cast your burdens on Christ for He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7). Then turn your focus off of yourself and begin to minister to others that God has placed in your path (as you are doing with Val). :thumbs:

I'll be praying for you and Val.

 

Hello Beth,

You are correct. However, you must not forget that we all live in a fallen world. Not everyone grows up in a loving caring Christian home. We, as mature believers, must never make new Christians, who have come out of some very difficult and dark places, feel that they are somehow second class. We are all sinners and we all need the blood of Jesus to cover us.

 

Wow, great post

 

I know that

Yes, I know that, I was however reacting to her tone of her post.

We, my husband and I, are discipling a woman who has a very difficult past. Her mother had many partners...so many that this lady didn't know who her father was until she was in her thirties...her uncle turned out to be her father!

She is divorced, was in jail for simple assault, had a relationship out of marriage which resulted in twins. Both children...a boy and girl...are on the autistic spectrum. She lives in an apartment which she cannot afford. She is on SSI for an attempted suicide while in jail serving the simple assault charge...SSI for psychiatric reasons. She runs out of money by the third week of each month. She is addicted to nicotine. Her apartment is heated with propane...the most expensive fuel. Her fuel assistance last year didn't cover her heat. We helped her when the company came to shut off her heat in January. I was surprised the companies can do that, later found out only if there is a baby in the home can they NOT shut off the heat. Here this woman was going to freeze with two nine year olds!

When discipling her, we have had to stress that she is a new creation in Christ. She does think she is a second class citizen. Her mother continually brings up her past to her face, which is not helpful to say the least. Very damaging to bring up past sins to someone...sins which have been forgiven by God. She has a very hard time engaging in any significant way in the congregation because she believes that people will condemn her for her illegitimate children. She never saw stable relationships in her life, never had a stable relationship herself, and as a result has a very difficult time initiating and maintaining relationships in the congregation.

This is why we are going through a basic study with her in our home...Navpress's Growing in Christ. We connected because my husband and I also have children on the autistic spectrum...she feels comfortable enough with us to study the Bible with us. Our hope is that she will become more grounded in the Word through this study and fully realize that in God's eyes she has equal standing. God is not a respector of persons...she is as loved as any other believer...there is no difference.

We do have a heart for the lost, but your post from above, Bible-boy puts it all so much better than I can ever express. No matter what our sin, no matter what our bad choices have been, once we trust in Christ we are a new creation. He is all we will ever need...He is our all in all. WE no longer live, but Christ lives in us....we need to remind ourselves of that every day!

Ro 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The battle takes place in our minds.

 

Superwoman

I am very sorry for your situation, and I have had some experience with what you are talking about....things which happened to me in my twenties before I was saved. Time...you have not sufficient time to heal....time is what is going to help you. Believe me, the pain does go away over time. You are doing the absolute right thing by turning to Him and seeking Him in the Bible. The book of Psalms is the best book for you, it is the most comforting. Every emotion is expressed in Psalms.

But, I have to get real with you here for a moment. You have got to disabuse yourself of the notion that other Christians do not have trials. We will ALWAYS have trials here on this earth for many reasons...one reason is that we grow the fastest in trials. God uses trials to grow more of His Son's nature in us.

Two, we go through trials when we are being punished by God. Hebrews 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

A third reason, which is tied to the second, is we have trials because as long as we live in these bodies we shall have battles between the flesh and the spirit. EVERY Christian has these battles. Paul had these battles. Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

You must disabuse yourself of the notion that everyone else has it easy and you have it the hardest...it just isn't so, though it may seem that way when you are in the midst of your darkest moments.

While I do have a blessed marriage and lovely children, I am not without my burdens. I am disabled...I have an optic nerve which is paralyzed. I haven't been able to drive for four years now. Some day I will probably lose my vision...it is getting more difficult to see every day. Two of my children have Asperger's Syndrome...this is on the high end of the autistic spectrum. We have concerns for the boys' future and their self sufficiency. Praise the Lord they are believers, though! I could go on and on but you know what, it all does NOT matter! This life is very, very temporary. We have the hope which we need to comfort one another in, and that is we will be with Christ eternally some day! That is what we are to look forward to...

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Superwoman, remember the words of Christ...Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Your sis in Christ,
Beth

 

So she has two children -- seven years of difference in their age, so she either 1) had one than one "man" and 2) stayed with that same man 7+ years and never married. I gave "Val" the benefit of the doubt. Now it is clear she is a fornicator.

Would she wait until marriage to act as a married couple?

Which would lead to another child.

You are dead wrong! And if I did ... what difference would it make? Why can't YOU make a family in Happy Valley?

I hate that for her. Is she going to follow the Bible's way of teaching when it comes to love and relationships -- or is she going to give the man what he wants and sob to another woman that she has been abused and doesn't know what to do with her life?!

Where is that in scripture, ma'am? And by the way, you told us you made him file for divorce. Even if your fictional scripture did exist, you would be in contradiction to it.

 

As I have gotten older I have come to realize that the world is a much different place than I thought it was growing up in a happy Christian family in Ky. One thing I have better understood recently is that Jesus was the absolute Master at accepting people as they are and providing comfort in their pain but at the same time admonishing them to "go and sin no more." We have Him as our great comforter today. It might sound flippant but He can carry our burdens if we just walk with Him.

I've had some very hard times myself. One benefit of this is that once you've experienced difficult things you are much better equipped to help others who are currently struggling. We all have heard this before but it really is true. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the answer. What would we (I) do without Him?

On a lighter side my goldens like my first one "Magic" shown here have been a great source of companionship to me.