Trumpetfolker
New member
@ STP
@ STP
As you wish, One-Who-Will-Not-Believe-Unless-He-Sees. Of course, I, myself, am still in the process of training my heart to disregard doubt. I am still exercising my senses to discern good and evil- evil being any thing which comes not of faith.
Though America has become a place where manual labor has no honor, I continue in it getting poorer because of my choice to follow Paul as he followed Christ. Though poor, I keep my wife at home and still support the widows in my life.
I do these things (and others) knowing that, if I am not faithful in that which is another's, I will not be given my own. If you are waiting to see me raise some one from the dead before you will obey the gospel of Christ, I must leave you in your unblessed condition.
However, I have received dreams concerning things knowledge of which had not been given to me through my fleshly senses. Upon relating them to the people to which they pertained, along with the interpretation, those Christians have been amazed that God was big enough and gracious enough to comfort in that way.
Other times, words of wisdom, discerning of spirits, and words of knowledge have been activated in me. (Yet, I'm still leaning on the comfort that God's grace is my only sufficiency.)
In other words, those first disciples understood that, if they wanted to be like the Master of which the apostles bore witness, they had to be faithful in that which was another's.
@ STP
As you wish, One-Who-Will-Not-Believe-Unless-He-Sees. Of course, I, myself, am still in the process of training my heart to disregard doubt. I am still exercising my senses to discern good and evil- evil being any thing which comes not of faith.
In obedience to the gospel, I work with my hands supporting myself, rather than divide spoil with the proud, defrauding my brethren.Joh 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
2 Co 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
Mt 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Mt 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mr 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Heb 5:14 But solid food is for men of full growth, even for those whose senses are trained by use to see what is good and what is evil.
Ro 14:23 But he who is in doubt is judged if he takes food, because he does it not in faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.
In the passages, above, you will find imperative statements that constitute some of the works which we are commanded to do in faith. Therefore, I work with my hands, but, I don't feed people who call themselves preachers but pretend to be too good for manual labor. I don't even go into their companies/churches. I watch out for people who dress up like sheep but who do the works of wolves. And I share with the poor.1Th 4:1 ¶ Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
...
11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
2 Thes 3:6 ¶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Ac 20:26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
33 I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Though America has become a place where manual labor has no honor, I continue in it getting poorer because of my choice to follow Paul as he followed Christ. Though poor, I keep my wife at home and still support the widows in my life.
I teach the younger men to be sober rather than getting drunk with the things that inebriate America- like covetousness.Tt 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
1 Tm 5:3 ¶ Honour widows that are widows indeed.
4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
I stay out of debt (except with an injury last year which forced me into an emergency room).Tt 2:6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
As with this post, I obey the command to be ready to give an answer for my hope.Ro 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
1Co 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
Pr 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Lu 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
By verbalizing my hope (knowing that that which is seen is not hope), I show that I have sanctified the Lord God in my heart.1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
I do these things (and others) knowing that, if I am not faithful in that which is another's, I will not be given my own. If you are waiting to see me raise some one from the dead before you will obey the gospel of Christ, I must leave you in your unblessed condition.
However, I have received dreams concerning things knowledge of which had not been given to me through my fleshly senses. Upon relating them to the people to which they pertained, along with the interpretation, those Christians have been amazed that God was big enough and gracious enough to comfort in that way.
Other times, words of wisdom, discerning of spirits, and words of knowledge have been activated in me. (Yet, I'm still leaning on the comfort that God's grace is my only sufficiency.)
Until you have practiced the works passed down to us from the apostles of Lord Jesus Christ, you have a hard time seeing Jesus in scripture and recognizing that His doctrine is from the Father. If you have a hard time recognizing that the doctrine of Jesus comes from the Father, you will have doubts in your heart that will keep you from receiving anything from God.Lu 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
As the Pharisees who loved money, you will hear the commands of Jesus and deride Him. However, the faithful man will obey the commands of Jesus and His apostles until he sees how those behaviors, meekly conducted, bring him into the fruitfulness of the Spirit and the pleasure of the Father (not that our works gain God's pleasure as much as that those works convince our own hearts that we are pleasing to Him). They are the training in the secret things of God which would still be a mystery except that Jesus came.Jm 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Jesus gave us the words of life. Faith is exercised by doing the commandments of Jesus and the apostles. That is "sowing to the Spirit".Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
The word interpreted 'communicate' comes from the same word interpreted 'had all things common' in Acts 2 and Acts 4. The 'all things' included the doctrine that the apostles taught.Ga 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
In other words, those first disciples understood that, if they wanted to be like the Master of which the apostles bore witness, they had to be faithful in that which was another's.