What must I do.... to be LOST?

[Stan]

What must I do.... to be LOST?

[ClubV12]

Hold on to willful, cherished, known sin and refuse to give it up. In doing so, the voice of the Holy Spirit grows more silent. The process may take a lifetime, the sin in our lives may be well hidden from others, but God knows the heart. The steps to being lost, slow but deliberate free choices we make.

On the other hand, Satan is 100% correct with his accusations. We ARE dressed in filthy rags, we cannot answer the charges, we have no hope except in HIS righteouss. Page 72, Steps to Christ, keep your focus away from self and fixed on Jesus. Don't look at yourself, your hideous, turn away. Glance for a moment, behold the ugliness, look again, a little higher, look to Jesus.

[Kevin H]

Kick against the thorns, live selfishly, give in to our disposition to think we are for ourselves by making less of the outside world. Make excuses and blame, focus on "Ain't it awful" suffer from Jabutt's disease (Yeah, but...) disconnect yourself from reality. Develop the skills of criticizing, complaining, nagging, blaming, threatening, punishing and rewarding to control.

Avoid reaching out to what ever is out there to help you through life. Avoid wanting to help brothers and sisters in their struggles. This way when you see Jesus in all his beauty, you can have a non stop list of excuses why you should not yield to the overwhelming drawing power of his love.

[Gibs]

Each of us is absolutely free to choose who will be our Master, God or Satan.

We cannot serve two. Whom one loves the most to that one he will please.

Not a one need have been lost, not one. We choose our destiny!

Jos 24:15 ¶ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

But few will and believe and love the way of Satan!

Mt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Mt 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Mt 7:15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mt 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[phkrause]

Hold on to willful, cherished, known sin and refuse to give it up. In doing so, the voice of the Holy Spirit grows more silent. The process may take a lifetime, the sin in our lives may be well hidden from others, but God knows the heart. The steps to being lost, slow but deliberate free choices we make.

On the other hand, Satan is 100% correct with his accusations. We ARE dressed in filthy rags, we cannot answer the charges, we have no hope except in HIS righteouss. Page 72, Steps to Christ, keep your focus away from self and fixed on Jesus. Don't look at yourself, your hideous, turn away. Glance for a moment, behold the ugliness, look again, a little higher, look to Jesus.

I'm in agreement Club. I was gonna add "reject the Holy Spirit, but I think the way you put does a nice job. Also I'd say to reject Jesus as our Lord and Savior!

[debbym]

to be lost we must refuse the holy spirit who brings to us the love of God, which saves us from the power of sin.

[Samie]

The simplest way to be lost is to fold our hands and do nothing...

[Gerr]

What must I do.... to be LOST?

Nothing!!!

[LifeHiscost]

What must I do.... to be LOST?

Thinking and practicing my ability to do it on my own with what I now have.

"“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NKJV

God cares!Jesus saves!

[CoAspen]

The opposite of believing in Christ...J3:16.

[ClubV12]

Oh, I know this one!!! Remove your membership from the Seventh-day Adventist Church and then fight against the Church.

There must be 50 ways to leave...

Thats worked for a bunch of people we know about from the history of the Church.

[12tribes]

What must I do.... to be LOST?

John 12:35 KJV

(35) Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

If we do nothing we will be lost.

[olger]

I like this thread.

[olger]

Originally Posted By: Stan

What must I do.... to be LOST?

Nothing!!!

Stellar!

and Stupendous!

[Stan]

no one said do the opposite of what it takes to be saved.

[CoAspen]

no one said do the opposite of what it takes to be saved.

The opposite of believing in Christ...J3:16.

[Gibs]

It is an act of doing something, as all have fallen in sin and so are captives of Satan.

So God made a way that we could break loose if we choose to. We can choose to stay a captive sold under sin and it's penalty of eternal death or we can choose to give our all to Christ and break the bonds of Satan's prison house.

We are his of whom we will allow to be our sole master, and we cannot serve two!

To do nothing is doing something, choosing to take the penalty of sin, eternal death,

Pick up with Him is the right doing who tells us,

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[Ron Amnsn]

Oh, I know this one!!! Remove your membership from the Seventh-day Adventist Church and then fight against the Church.

There must be 50 ways to leave...

Thats worked for a bunch of people we know about from the history of the Church.

This answer appears to contradict Scripture. Hopefully it is just tongue-in-cheek.

Peter, speaking under the direction of the Holy Spirit said, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) That makes it rather clear that having membership in the man-made Corporation called "the Seventh-day Adventist Church" is not related to salvation.

The word "church", as it is used today, is not found in the New Testament. The word that has been translated as "church" is ekklesia and should be translated as "assembly", referring to an assembly of people. In the Septuagint ekklesia refers primarily to the Assembly of Israel as a nation.

[ClubV12]

Not exactly tongue in cheek Ron, but partially true.

However, make no mistake, salvation is of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. That organized, visible building just down the road with the sign out front. To those who have been granted the light, the knowledge, of this Church and have had the opportunity to study the issue, they MUST join. This is no other option. THIS Church and no other, is the chosen vessel with the last message to mankind.

To reject it, to reject the truth they have been given by God to share with the world, will place yourself in grave danger.

Stan, I was particularly blessed this moring when I read your post. To be lost is the opposite of to be saved. I REALLY like that! It is the essence of the righteouss by faith message. Yes, there is responsibility associated with a manifestation of our acceptance of Christ. There is certainly room for a demonstration of our belief by DOING His will. But you know, I just really love the idea that I can rest in the arms of Jesus and just accept Him as I am. I KNOW He will finish the work in me. I trust Him to make me worthy of association with the heavenly beings.

[JoeMo]

Quote:

What must I do.... to be LOST?

To be lost, all you have to do is be sufficiently prideful to think that you can do anything besides believe and trust in Jesus, sacrifice to "earn" your salvation. Being "saved" (being able to keep from falling) is the result putting your trust in Jesus to change you from the inside out rather than trusting your personal sin management practices to change you from the outside in. Jude says :

Quote:

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

It is the Lord who keeps us from falling - not ourselves. Paul says in Gal. 5:4:

Quote:

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Lean into Christ. Accept the gift of overcoming through grace which only comes from Him. Use the grace and voice of the Holy Spirit to guide you away from sin and into glory. Trust the voice and the power of the Spirit within you and be saved. Refuse or ignore this power and you are taking your chances unless you have the strength within yourself to live sinlessly. (BTW - you don't have that kind of strength.)

[Kevin H]

no one said do the opposite of what it takes to be saved.

Well in a sense it is not the opposite of being saved. They get to see Jesus in all his beauty. They are overwhelmingly attracted to him. Jesus still loves them. They long to be with Jesus, but do not want the condition of trusting in the relationship with God. They want to either be saved by their own works, or saved in their sins.

But as they see themselves in contrast to the beauty and purity of Jesus, they realize that their own works were like filthy rags of mixed motives between wanting to be like Jesus, and feeling that they were for themselves by making less of the outside world. And they see the ugliness of their works and their sins. Unlike the saved who respond to this by casting down their crowns and sing "Worthy is the Lamb" the Lost end up worrying that God is going to get them for their sins and start sulking and formulating excuses and wallowing in how unfair life is and use this to refuse to yield to the love and forgiveness of God.

[LifeHiscost]

Quote:

No one gets lost; EVERYONE IS, lost.

For those who are of the body of Christ, that statement seems to need some clarification.

" When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded."1 Thessalonians 5:3-6 NLT

God cares! Jesus saves!

[Kevin H]

If I understand Jim Ayers correctly, the church, up to the time of Saint Augustine, believed that the death of Jesus saved everyone except for those who actively rejected it. Then starting with Augustine, the church started teaching that everyone is lost except for those who actively accept what Jesus did on the cross.

[Jeannieb43]

One of my favorite pastors used to say:

There's nothing you can do to make God love you any more.

and There's nothing you can do to make God love you any less.

God loves us; there's no denying that fact. Regardless of our actions, He loves us unconditionally.

I still believe, BTW, that God wants to save everyone, and the only way to avoid being saved in heaven will be to actively deny Him.

[BattleAxe]

A nice way to look at it Stan. Really nice! Right up my alley. And forgive me for saying that I actually wrote an article on this. lol! I like to write man, what can I say. I got a request on my website for the topic of predestination, and so I covered it there. Here is a link in case you are interested. Do forgive me though. Its hard for me. I find that I am often asked the same question over and over again, that the same topic comes up over and over again, that the same objection is given over and over again, and for me to type it all out a 4th, 5th, and 10th time, is impractical and as I see, an an abuse of the time that God has given to me. So I write once, and then give links and copy and paste. Cheers!

http://answersforadventists.wordpress.com/resources/articles-2/predestination/