Good point.
Lu.17:3-4 So watch yourselves."If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times a day , and seven times comes back to you and says, "I repent, forgive him."
Thats what Jesus does.    Isn't God great!

OK...here goes.....Sunday worship services, is sin...in the eyes of God.
Why ?
Because God (Christ) said to remember the sabbath day, to keep it Holy (Exodus 20:8-11).
Jesus did this Himself...as an example for us to follow.

When we were unfaithful to Him, and deserted Him, God did not break His covenant of love with us. When we sinned against Him, abused and killed Him, He did not take revenge; on the contrary, He sacrificed His life for us, so that our sins against Him would be forgiven and we may have eternal life.
Are we true followers of Jesus, if our forgiveness is not similar to that of God’s?

Unless one understands what the Bible defines as sin....how can we know when we are unfaithful to Jesus ?

Ecclesiates  12:13   "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the [whole duty] of man".    
Read that again...But this time, remember that it is Christ, that says this....after all, the Bible is...God's word, right ?

The one thing the modern Christian world ignores, or is ignorant of, is...the commandments of God, from Genesis to Revelation.

The whole Bible, is about bringing man back into keeping the Law of God...through the power of God, working in the life, of the believer.

Genesis 3:4.....man breaks the commandments of God.
Revelation 22:14.....man keeping the commandments of God allowed into heaven.

And, in between Genesis and Revelation...is the story of God (Christ) working in men's lives, helping man to keep the Law of God.

To the Biblically UNeducated person, this sounds like legalism.

But, to the person who knows their Bible, Jesus Christ as well as all the disciples, taught obedience to God's law, not as a means of obtaining salvation, but because they were saved.

Only the 'saved' person can keep God's Law....and that is, the evidence, that they are saved.
[colo=blue]  Revelation" 14:12   Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus".[/color]
And, aren't the 'saints'....Christians ?  

  "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men". Titus 2:11.  

     By disobeying the commands of God, man fell under the condemnation (Under) of His law.

This fall called for the grace of God to appear in behalf of sinners.
We should never have learned the meaning of this word "grace" had we not fallen.

God loves the sinless angels, who do His service, and are obedient to all His commands; but He does not give them grace.
Grace, is God's power to obey (Romans 1:5)

These heavenly beings know nothing of grace; they have never needed it; for they have never sinned.

Grace is an attribute of God shown to undeserving human beings.
We did not seek after it, but it was sent in search of us.
God rejoices to bestow this grace upon every one who hungers for it.
To every one He presents terms of mercy, not because we are worthy, but because we are so utterly unworthy.

Our need, is the qualification which gives us the assurance that we shall receive this gift.

     But God does not use His grace to make His law of none effect, or to take the place of His law. . . . God's grace and the law of His kingdom are in perfect harmony; they walk hand in hand....as scripture says !
 
His grace makes it possible for us to draw near to Him by faith.
By receiving it, and letting it work in our lives, we testify to the validity of the law (10 commandments); true Christians exalt the law and make it honorable by carrying out its living principles through the power of the grace of Christ; and by rendering pure, whole-hearted obedience to God's law, we witness before the universe of heaven, and before an apostate-Christian world that is making void the law of God, to the power of redemption.  

     Not because we first loved Him, does God love us; but "while we were yet sinners" (Rom. 5: Christ died for us, making full and abundant provision for our redemption.

Although by our disobedience we have merited God's displeasure and condemnation, He has not forsaken us; He has not left us to wrestle with the power of the enemy in our own frail human strength.

Heavenly angels fight our battles for us; and co-operating with them, we may be victorious over the powers of evil.

Trusting in Christ as our personal Saviour, we may be "more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37).

But you're correct Silver Surfer, that men today don't think about the consequences of their sin.  They live ungodly lives with sin trailing behind them, yet they have no idea of the rude awakening when they cross over to the other side and have to face a God they spurned.

be blessed

But what is the most extreme problem...is the fact that most, in the Christian world of today will be lost !

As it is written:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
 
  7:22   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  
  7:23   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity", (Matthew 7:21-23).


  Those who are unwilling to accept the plain, cutting truths of the Bible are continually seeking for pleasing fables that will quiet the conscience. The less spiritual, self-denying, and humiliating the doctrines presented, the greater the favor with which they are received. These persons degrade the intellectual powers to serve their carnal desires.

Too wise in their own conceit to search the Scriptures with contrition of soul and earnest prayer for divine guidance, they have no shield from delusion. Satan is ready to supply the heart's desire, and he palms off his deceptions in the place of truth. It was thus that the papacy gained its power over the minds of men; and by rejection of the truth because it involves a cross, Protestants are following the same path. All who neglect the word of God to study convenience and policy, that they may not be at variance with the world, will be left to receive damnable heresy for religious truth.

Every conceivable form of error will be accepted by those who willfully reject the truth. He who looks with horror upon one deception will readily receive another. The apostle Paul, speaking of a class who "received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved," declares: "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. With such a warning before us it behooves us to be on our guard as to what doctrines we receive.

 

 We should overpower them with our voices and our unity!!!  

be blessed

We are not to overpower anyone, by any kind of force, whatsoever.
We are as lambs, led to the slaughter.
Remember...it is the meek that will inherit the earth....not the strong !

God will do as He sees fits, as only he can see all the circumstances and situations, that we cannot.
Our job is to pray, that the Lord's will be done....on earth as it is in heaven.

   There is another and more important question that should engage the attention of the churches of today.

The apostle Paul declares that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12. Why is it, then, that persecution seems in a great degree to slumber?

The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world's standard and therefore awakens no opposition. The religion which is current in our day is not of the pure and holy character that marked the Christian faith in the days of Christ and His apostles. It is only because of the spirit of compromise with sin, because the great truths of the word of God are so indifferently regarded, because there is so little vital godliness in the church, that Christianity is apparently so popular with the world. Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church, and the spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will be rekindled.  

[Silver Surfer wrote:]

Howdy Silver Surfer,

Greetings again. Silver Surfer wrote:

"Ah, but the 7th day Sabbath commandment is not in the Law of Moses.
It is the 4th commandment, that God himself wrote out, with his very own finger, (Exodus 20:8-11......31:18).
The sabbaths that were in the Law of Moses, were the ceremonial sabbaths, such as the Passover....the Feasts of Trumpets...the Feasts of Unleaven Bread, etc...etc., which were abolished, at the cross of Jesus.
Oh, you mean the Jesus who said: "IF..you love me, keep my commandments" ?"

I am not sure that I want to get into a full ranging discussion on the Sabbath. I believe the need to keep the Commandments. Concerning the sabbath not being part of the Law given to Moses and hence to Israel, consider all of 2 Corinthians 3, but especially:
2 Corinthians 3:7 (KJV): "But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
John 1:14,17 (KJV): "14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

But rather than getting into the full subject of the sabbath, briefly expanding on the two aspects mentioned previously,  "Jesus is the true rest Matthew 11:28-30, and the 1000 years is also another aspect of the true rest Hebrews 4." The Book of  Hebrews is addressed to believing Jews, and many of these were in Jerusalem and Judea, where the Law and the Temple were the centre of worship. The writer is seeking to refocus their minds on Christ and make them realise that the Law and it's environment was soon to be removed, and if they did not hold fast to Christ they were in danger of drifting away, and being engulfed in the coming troubles.

Paul in Hebrews 4 teaches concerning the true rest in the following:
Hebrews 4:1-11 (KJV): "1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus (mg Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest (mg keeping of a Sabbath) to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.."
There is a linking of all aspects of "the rest" or Sabbath, and at the end bringing out the lesson of "ceased from his own works" and also the future rest. This future rest is talking of the future kingdom of God, the subject matter of the "gospel preached" v2, and it is "a promise being left us of entering into his rest" v1. (We are not completely off subject after all).

This ceasing from our own works does have a future aspect, but this can be an every day experience now when we cease from our own works and rest in Christ.
Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV): "28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Jesus is the true Sabbath.

Kind regards
Trevor

And thus Satan has deceived the Christian world (2 Corinthians 11:14,15).
By making the Christian world disobey God, while they believe they obey God ?
The same scenerio played out with King Saul (1 Samuel, chapter 15). Saul disobey God, while thinking he worshipped God.....and as a result, God rejected King Saul forever.

Silver Surfer,

You now have over 100 posts, and you have used nearly all of those posts to say the same thing over and over again.

Really ?

Your one and only note that you play is off-key and is no more true at post 100 than it was in post 1. I think that you play this one note because you are brain-washed with Ellen G. White doctrine, but nobody else is even listening to your one note. Your one sour note that you play is being heard only by you.

"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the day of the coming of the Son of man", (Matthew 24:37).
Noah put up with people's rejection of God's message for some 120 years.....and I'm suppose to be discouraged, because I post for some 100 times ?

You have been given sound doctrine, but you ignored it.

Had there been sound doctrine here...God would not have placed me here.

 

Learn about JESUS. Only JESUS can set you free from the curse of sin and death. You will remain in misery until you allow JESUS to set you free.

Oh, you mean the Jesus who said: "IF..you love me, keep my commandments" ?

There is no contradiction of scripture. What is important,  do we always understand what it says.
Christ died to annul the whole system of Jewish laws.
It's interesting to contemplate on all of the extra rules that man has added to their various doctrines today. We have the Bible to check things out.  

God bless,
bluelake

Oh...you mean like Sunday worship services.....which the Bible does not support ?

Or, like the Immortal soul doctrine...which Satan statred in Eden ?

Saying that there are contradictions in the Bible might be the same as saying that the Bible is obscure, or, perhaps more accurately, an "enigma".

Suppose the Bible had no "contradictions", or was not elusive, or "obscure", or an enigma.

The Bible is God's instruction book for humans to gain knowledge whereby we can undrstand the conditions, whereby we might be saved.

God warns us....."My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children", (Hosea 4:6).

Sin came by breaking God's Law (Adam and Eve), the Christian is the restored human being, to keep God's law (Romans 3:31).
As it is written:  "For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth", (Romans 10:4).

No man can keep the 10 commandments of God....without the power (grace) of God to obey them.

 

Howdy Silver Surfer, I do not keep the Sabbath as it was kept under the Law of Moses,

Ah, but the 7th day Sabbath commandment is not in the Law of Moses.

It is the 4th commandment, that God himself wrote out, with his very own finger, (Exodus 20:8-11......31:18).


The sabbaths that were in the Law of Moses, were the ceremonial sabbaths, such as the Passover....the Feasts of Trumpets...the Feasts of Unleaven Bread, etc...etc., which were abolished, at the cross of Jesus.

Never saw James as advocating the law. The way I read it is that the works he spoke of did not earn salvation. We are saved by grace. Works demonstrate that we are saved by grace. If I person says they are saved, yet is not demonstrating the love of Christ by feeding the poor, etc, you have to wonder if they were really saved. It is not the works that save them, but if a person loves jesus, they will be demonstrating that love.

Christians are saved, to keep the Law:
"For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth".(Romans 10:4).

So, Christians are not to 'keep the Law',  to be saved.
Christ lives in a converted person, to observe Righteousness....which is the keeping of all 10 commandments of God (Exodus 20:3-17).

Believer today are not under the Law. However, it appears that  by your beliefs, all believer today will go into a kingdom here upon the earth. That would put them back under the Law.

Todays believers keep all 10 commandments, therefore are not under the Law:
"Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus". (Revelation 14:12).

God's true saints, are Christians that understand, that to be under the Law means, to break any one of the 10 commandments, (Romans 3:19).

Doesn't it bother anyone that Christians claim Grace and want to legislate law upon non-Christians? Actually, the mentality is frightening as well as repulsive.

Is this not what the Catholic church did  during the 'Dark Ages' ?
They killed millions of people who would not follow their doctrines...an estimated 50-250 million people.

The soon-coming 'Mark of the Beast' scenerio....will again repeat history, whereas millions of innocents, will be put to death, unless they worship false doctrines.

Do Christians really think we have the right to force pagans to be subjected to our traditions and liturgies? On what basis?

Only false religions use force...to make others follow their doctrines.
God 'NEVER' uses force, as He allows freedom of choice.

The fact that people  (Christians '?') feel they must control the goverment, to legislate their beliefs....is not of God, but Satanic.
Because, what if the Catholic church (for example) controlled the goverment ?
You would the be required by law, to worship idols, or other false doctrines.

Jesus never authorized us to do this, but it isn't going to stop most Christians from making up the "Christian" agenda, is it?

You are correct. Jesus Christ never got involved in politics, of govermental matters.

Why is it that Christians in the USA are so racist and superior that they think they have "rights" that Christians in almost every other nation of the earth have no hope of ever experiencing?

And Christians in the USA, will be judged harder,in the Day of God's Judgment, than the other people of the world.

can "rights" be part of discipleship when Jesus tells us we must deny self in order to follow Him? (Luke 9.23)

You seem to have Christian principles,pretty well thought out. Obviously, you study your Bible.

How about we get back to submitting to Jesus' commission, and let God take care of the pagan government and public schools? We might see the world start to change if we took the task of making disciples absolutely serious.

Excellent !!

Someone who understands Bible principles !