mrsducky Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 This all sounds good to me but how do you know if you are worshiping God or another power if you discard the Bible as your source of understanding about God? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsducky Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 The reason that book smells of New Age is because it smells like what it is! When you pick and choose what you will accept or reject from the spirit of prophecy, you set yourself up as a judge of truth (sort of like Joseph Smith with his Book of Mormon was the standard by which he judged the Bible.) Would you do that with the Bible too? Contrary to what Satan told Eve, we do not have the right to be all knowing. When you set yourself up as judge of truth you put yourself on dangerous ground. I recommend reading the following sources: Selected Messages, book 3, p. 84; Testimonies, vol., 4, p. 211 Deuteronomy 29:29 Letter 12, 1890 Sorry, I guess I missed your posting rule. Is this better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted June 6, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 6, 2010 The question is, is the Bible your measuring stick for truth or is something else? The answer will be determined by what you decide when there is a conflict between what you think the Holy Spirit is leading you to do or think and what the Bible plainly teaches. Can you give some examples of what the Holy Spirit has led you to do or believe apart from the Bible? For instance, you've doubtless known people who've been shown what the Bible teaches on the non-immortality of the soul but who claim that the Holy Spirit and their own personal experience has taught them that the Bible is wrong. What would be your advice in this case or in others like it? John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted June 8, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 8, 2010 I really didn't find much of interest in the article. I would have found it interesting when I was a Freshman or Sophomore in college. We saw a lot of articles like that at that time. What I'm interested in now is putting those ideas to work in a practical way, not talking about the theory. I like to get out and meet and talk to all kinds of people-- the sort of people you run into on the streets of a big city or a small town or on a university campus. Do you give Bible studies to your neighbors? Do you visit people in your neighborhood and pray with them or share God's Word with them? John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abelisle Posted June 8, 2010 Members Share Posted June 8, 2010 Yes and yes. I'm curious. Why are you asking me this? Alex We are our worst enemy - sad but true. http://abelisle.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted June 8, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 8, 2010 For me the whole purpose of understanding what the article is talking about is to make us better witnesses for Christ in order to share the gospel with them. So once we understand the concepts discussed in the article, we should put them to use in a practical way to communicate with all the various kinds of people we meet, no matter what their social or cultural background is. How would you use those insights to talk to people like the man in this picture, who lives under a freeway overpass in the train yards about 5 miles from Loma Linda. John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abelisle Posted June 8, 2010 Members Share Posted June 8, 2010 Thanks John Alex We are our worst enemy - sad but true. http://abelisle.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted June 10, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 10, 2010 When you study the Bible with people, do you use a certain set of Bible studies or do you make up your own? In view of the insights you learn from the article you posted, could you tell brielfy how you study the following topics with your neighbors 1) the health message 2) the Investigative Judgment 3) the Spirit of prophecy John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abelisle Posted June 10, 2010 Members Share Posted June 10, 2010 I don't teach Adventist doctine per se, I let them ask the questions, then I respond to them. I encourage a complete reading of the Bible using the following reading plan from http://www.Bible-Reading.com I like this plan because it breaks up the week this way" Sun.=Epistles, Mon.=The Law, Tues.=History, Wed.=Psalms, Thur.=Poetry, Fri.=Prophecy, Sat.=Gospels. This makes it more interesting. First of all, the average person isn't going to bring up these issues. As for the health message, I teach by example. If they ever get to the issue if IJ, since it isn't mentioned in the Bible, I refer them to my pastor or someone more knowledgeable about this issue. The SOP is best dealt with by having them read for themselves. I suggest Steps to Christ, The Great Controversy and Desire of Ages, then Conflict of the Ages series. Again I'm curious, what's on your agenda by asking me how I specifically address these issues? Alex We are our worst enemy - sad but true. http://abelisle.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abelisle Posted June 10, 2010 Members Share Posted June 10, 2010 Sorry, but it's as if he is trying to set me up and I keep taking the bait. Maybe I'm being paranoid but his type of questioning has happened too many times to me as his response to my posts. If this is not intentional, I apologize right now - just expressing my feelings honestly. Alex We are our worst enemy - sad but true. http://abelisle.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted June 10, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 10, 2010 My agenda is to understand how you study with people-- what your approach is. The reason I asked is that you posted an article from Spectrum which could help readers gain insight into how to communicate the gospel to people of various religious backgrounds. That's a primary concern of mine. It's quite true that the average person is not going to ask you questions about the Investigative Judgment, the Spirit of prophecy, or the Three Angels Messages (simply because they probably don't know anything about them), but I'm thinking of the necessity of teaching people these things when we give them Bible studies. The Investigative Judgment is certainly in the Bible but not by that title or name, just as the Incaranation is taught in the Scriptures without being given that "handle." The Great Controversy is one of my favorite books by far. I agree with you that it's an excellent book to suggest people read. More than any other book except the Bible, the Great Controversy was the one book that Ellen White most wanted to see receive wide distribution. She felt that it was her most important work. John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted June 11, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 11, 2010 Alex posted this, and I'm asking him about it in relationship to communicating what we find in the writings of Ellen White: You might find this article interesting: http://www.spectrummagazine.org/blog/2010/06/02/flipping_argument John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Tom Wetmore Posted June 11, 2010 Administrators Share Posted June 11, 2010 This is a temporary topic to which off-topic posts will be moved from another thread. Do not post any response to this topic. "Absurdity reigns and confusion makes it look good." "Sinless perfection is such a shallow goal." "I love God only as much as the person I love the least." *Forgiveness is always good news. And that is the gospel truth. (And finally, the ideas expressed above are solely my person views and not that of any organization with which I am associated.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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