I want to share some thoughts I am having concerning the concept of being "born again from above" as Jesus said we must be to be saved. Throughout my life, as I talked about in my other thread, I have fought an inner battle of license vs legalism, resulting in feeling like I am just a total nut of a Christian. I am totally grace by faith, I believe Jesus's works on the cross was totally done, and only by faith in that will I be saved. That said, I have made so many totally idiotic desicions in my life and have been so immersed in the world at times, and I will listen to a faith+works teacher and start thinking, maybe I'm NOT saved, because if I am a born again Christian, then the words "born again" are meaningless. Those moments make faith+works teachers seem wise. But then I realize, this is the pharisees....these are the people Jesus warned about. That cycle happens over and over yearly to me. I have a thing to, and this is both funny and strange...I almost always feel like a total moron talking to other Christian's, because anytime I discuss Bible stuff with anyone, I immediately feel like we are being pious or wanna be holy or something. Christianese type of talk does it to me as well. It makes me feel like a fake to be around Christian's. I don't know if it is a lack of humility on my part, or some weird antisocial personality thing I have. I have literally in my life met maybe three Christian's that I talked to and felt comfortable. I can't go to church because of this, I feel totally fake and ridiculous, like it is all a play act or something. I did not grow up in the church, I was saved through Bible study with my dad and alot of learning and listening to grace preaching. Again, none of that is any reflection on anyone other than me....I would love to have friends in the body of Christ who I can talk to and hang out. And again, it is mostly me and my own weird personality quirks. The thing that might make some of that make sense for me... I came upon an idea a few years ago that hit me hard, I resonated with it and it makes so much sense. I cannot for the life of me remember who was teaching. The teaching is that the inception of the Church was at Pentecost, and the BIRTH of the church is at the Rapture. Pentecost was not fulfilled completely. This hits me like a brick. Because I always kind of turn over in my mind....we get new bodies at the Rapture. Why? Because these bodies of flesh are sinful. So God has to change us into perfected bodies to present us as a perfect and unblemished bride to Christ. And that is where grace is total and complete. While we are here, we receive the Holy Spirit....but we are not ever born again until we are raptured, or we die in Christ and our spirit is present with Him. All we can do here is allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and place our faith in Christ. As we grow to know more about Him and keep our eyes on His word and develop that relationship, the more humility we find, as we find HE did it all, and that is where the Holy Spirit can work through us and sin may be lessened. The flipside of that being, the more we focus on "striving for perfection", trying to not sin in our human minds and worried about keeping ourselves saved....that is where pride and arrogance and holier than thou grows inside us. The opposite of Christ. I have no idea if that points to a Pentecost fulfillment. I myself lean towards some random day when absolutely no one expects it. Just really thinking out loud. I don't have a physical church and would love to hear any thoughts. I know my ideas are probably basic for many here, but I am really trying to stop struggling with the license legalism thing. It hinders me terribly. Indeed many landmines in organized religion that need to be negotiated! Once I learned that no Christian is perfect a lot of pressure lifted! This plus the fact that we are all broken vessels before the Lord! Some more broken than others, sad to say! Which often brings me to ask what the Lord sees in any of us?! Indeed we have all fallen short of God's glory, that's a given! Lord have mercy on so many saints that I don't like hanging with! That said, He being God can put up with a lot more than me. Many must thank God I'm not God!!! TR "That said, He being God can put up with a lot more than me. Many must thank God I’m not God!!!" That is both absolutely hilarious and incredibly wise!! :agree I learned you can never please everybody no matter how hard you try, even if you obey every commandment the Lord requires of us. Some people will still resent and criticize the person. I’ve learned to just keep my eyes on Jesus and I’m only concerned in pleasing Him as much as I can. The Lord knows our hearts and what we are going through and our circumstances. I’m judge harshly by my oldest sibling in California for not attending church. He loves to say I’m forsaking the assembling together with other believers. The nearest sound church is 4 hrs round trip and they don’t preach about the rapture. I refuse to go to a local laodicean church just to say I attended a “church”. Jesus said when 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, then I am in the midst. I consider this forum board my church. It is a place for fellowship, praying for one another and for learning. My job was in this town and then after I purchased this place the company folded up. I am too tired to pack up and relocate elsewhere. I think its safer to live in the country now anyway - less crime vs. being smack in the city with the crazy far left people to deal with. Plus with the thought of the rapture happening at any moment ... this is what is keeping me upbeat and gives me hope. I live in a small rural Indiana town, near farmland. I agree! Where oh where do you draw the line with an active sense of humor. Some things are dog gone funny. I deal with that often and try to temper it a little. Not always successfully. But then again, I want to be genuine. Being born again shouldn’t be boring. Hopefully I won’t hear about it later. Anyway, it’s His righteousness, not mine. And I also know, as Paul said, Grace isn’t a license to sin. So love God, love your fellow man, and accept the Sacrifice on the cross. And relax in Him And laugh. These people at RITA are pretty hilarious at times. Geri, that verse about not forsaking the assembling together with other believers...I once heard a teaching on it that said it actually means, if you look in Hebrew, to not forsake the teaching about the rapture (our assembling together). Don't remember who said it, but maybe a Bible scholar among us can tell us. Yep, laughing is good and free medicine :whistle: Nehemiah 8:10 “the joy of the Lord is my strength” Proverbs 17:22 - A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Job 8:21 - Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing. Psalms 126:2 - Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. Ecclesiastes 3:4 - A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; Luke 6:21 - Blessed [are ye] that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are ye] that weep now: for ye shall laugh. James 5:13 - Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Proverbs 15:15 - All the days of the afflicted [are] evil: but he that is of a merry heart [hath] a continual feast. Genesis 21:6 - And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear will laugh with me.
