The Gospel: God Centered, Free, Powerful

:laugh: You clearly are no businessman, James. :laugh: The owners of every company I ever worked for gave much of their authority to underlings to accomplish the day-to-day responsibilities of the firm according to their overriding "laws."

Most companies I have worked for had unions, as well. These are collectives of people who defy management's and the owner's authority. Does the company just shut down because they have a union? Can the owner just come in a fire everyone and still have a "going concern?"

Not usually. Indeed, the fact that the owner keeps operating the company is a blessing to the obedient and a curse to the defiant.

That's what we have here, James. Your mindset is that God is an omnipotent dictator Who micromanages His "company," has already "booted" the union, and has no need of His trusting His employees to manage the company.

And yet in the real world laugh we see God ordaining all sorts of authorities (pastors, parents, bosses, government) in all sorts of competing realms (nations, religions, etc.). And yet God has shown us the no one exercises supreme earthly authority else we would go to that person for absolutely everything we want or need.

Your faith in Calvinism has not given you a true picture or paradigm within which to discover God, friend. But prmarily, it is given to each and all of us to choose whether to work for the Owner or to defy Him. That is not only an authority God has given us but a responsibility that we all will be accountable for when He DOES come to Personally run His 'company.'

skypair

 

Not that it matters to the subject, but being you bring it up....YOU ARE WRONG HERE TOO!!

I have owned 6 companies. One company J ARTHUR ENTERPRISES INC
Please see Dunn & Bradstreet

My profile from last year...CLICK

If in fact this is true, it really means nothing ...right? To say that YOUR life is a measure of real life and proves the facts, is but poor logic at best.

Having said that, even if life would be as you wished it were, a mere mirror of your life, your point falls flat. Your boss at any job is not the final authority and you would know this if you ever owned your own business. A self-employed person has more then just one person he must answer too. A self-employed person is not a picture of an almighty God?

God answers to no UNION

And this is what is wrong with your view of God. You see a little God that must answer to mans demands. (union)
The Bible tells us that when the Gentile unite with apostate Israel to defy Jehovah and His Christ, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh" (Ps. 2:4).

In other words, if man has a Union (the nations gather to war with the saints) with a union leader ( the beast) God will listen to what they say?

Revelation 14:14-20: And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

Eccl 7:14
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Job 42:2
I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

YHWH,... or "Yahweh" or "to be." ...or "He is," ....or "He exists." ...or "the Self-Existing One"

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom [is] from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

"Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves."

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

"Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand."


"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen"


Amen and Amen indeed

 

I'm impressed! Then you should understand a good comparison when you see one -- but instead you make this an issue of my experience and my perspective. To wit:

And Jesus is not the final authority even though He "runs the business" on earth perfectly in accordance with His Boss's "instructions." Have you ever read Mt 8:8-10 (perhaps I should have used a military comparison in your case :BangHead: )??

The "union" would be the "world" by comparison, James. And yes, though He doesn't have to, God does "answer" to them in His magnanimous revelation of Himself.

How about Luke 18:10-14 for a better comparison. Not all that are "of the world" stay in the world, and that because they decide to honor the Boss and He gives them what they need to do His work.

This is the first indication I get that you can even "wrap your mind around" what I am saying.

Perhaps I need to explain more.

God is the "supratemporal" Boss. He works all His will through His "temporal" Son Who gives instruction in a timely manner throughout the OT as the 'angel of God' and then comes to "visit" the plant in person (Luke 13:6-9). It might amaze you that when He came, He had "forgotten" or still didn't know the complete plans of the Boss so when He came, He relied heavily on a) the "Company policies and procedures," the OT, and b) the Holy Spirit of God for His information (just like you and I rely on Jesus words). In this manner, we very much accomplish His work in spite of the world because He does react to our prayers and needs.

Though God above knows ALL about the "business" from beginning to end, He does not interject Himself into the "operations" Himself. Instead this is the kingdom of His Son, "Alpha and Omega" -- "for of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things." And when the "business" is complete, there will be a grand "merger" with eternity's kingdom of God.

I hope that being a businessman, you now can see what I am saying. raying:

skypair