not that it matters

[RedneckAnglican]

All I can say is "WOW!!"

yep...them LCMS'rs sure can preach...

 

[ILoveYeshua]

...checking in

1. yep i'm still here
2. that sermon made some very good points though where it states

So the “anything” in Our Lord’s “Ask anything” is not “anything you like” or “anything you want.”

which contradicts:

(Matthew 18:19) Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

(Luke 11:9) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
(Luke 11:10) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
(Luke 11:11) If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

(John 15:7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

(John 15:16) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

(John 16:23) And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
(John 16:24) Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
(John 16:25) These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.
(John 16:26) At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
(John 16:27) For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.




3. I don't believe this is some sort of "name it claim it" wacko pentacostal prosperity fantasy, indeed because blest are the poor. But over and over Christ intimates the view that yes, it may be difficult to believe this great and amazing doctrine, but if you have no doubt, then whatsoever you say and beileve it will happen, will come to pass. Be it the withering of the fig tree, the casting of a mountain into the sea, the healing of lepers, and so forth.

On this, the day we celebrate his glorious resurrection from the dead on the third day, let us remove the doubt from our own hearts about Christ's promises, and ask those things which God lays upon our heart to ask. Indeed he already told us how to pray (the our-Father), which if you carefully analyze it, it covers all the necessary bases. daily bread, forgiveness, God's will be done, protection from evil, and so forth. Why do we make such long prayers when God's Son provided a simple short one to pray?

When teaching us to pray, Christ mentioned two groups of people who we should not "be like unto", the hypocrites (who loved the glory of men) and the heathen (who think they will be heard for their much speaking). Christ's solution to both issues? Wait to pray until you have shut the door behind you in your closet, and do not pray with much-speaking of vain repetitions, but rather pray the Lord's prayer.

4. As for the issue I originally started writing about, I'm feeling much better about it, as I believe it's helped me to focus on the greatest and first commandment more: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy mind, and all thy strength.

I realized that he is the only one who really loves me, in the way i define the word love. And it would be foolish to not love him back.

And I think that love for my neighbor will flow from that first love.

Peter believed that if he grabbed that one crippled man by the hand and picked him up, that God would intervene and provide healing for that cripple, because of his faith. Paul was a man of like passions to us, he was not particularly pious, he even said so.

(Acts 14:11) And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
(Acts 14:12) And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
(Acts 14:13) Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
(Acts 14:14) Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
(Acts 14:15) And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
(Acts 14:16) Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
(Acts 14:17) Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.


Christ's promise to give us whatsoever we ask isn't to fill up our vanity, but to serve God, to be sure. But that gift was not restricted to the 1st or 2nd century, for God loves all of his children who believe in Christ, and does grant miracles to those who believe and do not doubt.

5. When I was praying, I had been praying for this girl's love, that she would show it unbounded in my direction. Perhaps I didn't not receive that. Albeit I visualized that bond as a bond of marriage, perhaps I can have her unbounded love without marriage, simply without the physical portion of that love, and perhaps this is God's way to get me to stop thinking about my flesh and to perceive her spiritual love for me instead.

 

[porterross]

its like, you cant have love unless youre happy, and you cant be happy unless you have love

That sums up the lamenting of a broken heart, but you already have the solution to the problem.


Love Christ above anyone else and then no one can ever hurt you to the degree that He loves you and you love Him. There is no greater love that you can ever experience in this world.

Get all of your emotion and mental exercises out of your system and then be still and quiet. Let the Holy Spirit into your heart to guide you in knowing true love like only God can give you. Once you accept and feel this love, all worldly relationships will come into perspective.

 

[night2day]

^^^^ Yes no or wait?

...If everyone who asks in faith receives, where does this 'no' come from

"Ask and you shall recieve" is certainly true. Yet, remember one cannot remove certain verses from the Scriptural context. By this I mean not just the passage itself...but the also the book as well as the entirety of the Bible.

Within Matthew 7:7 it defines what Jesus is stating regarding just what is beign recieved. And when He taught the Lord's Prayer...what was included but "thy will be done"? It's according to God's will, not ours, we are to be praying for. Also within Matthew 6 starting at verse 25 Jesus further defines that we will be cared for and we are in His hands. Why we are told to pray "thy will be done".

The "no" simply comes from asking what is not according to his will.

 

[ByzantineDixie]

OK, ILY, I'll let Father Fenton know he was wrong...

...not!

I don't mean to hang out here but there is something so scary about relying on one's own private interpretation of Scripture that it's worth the risk of wearing out my welcome to point a few things out.

Several years ago I joined a Christian weight loss program, Weigh Down Workshop. The lady who started the program, Gwen Shamblin, seemed so sincere. It was clear to me that she was a devout and pious Christian with a zeal and heart for God. But over time her teachings became stranger and stranger...she eventually even denied the Trinity and started her own church were she is some kind of prophetess. I could never understand how someone who seemed to love the Lord so deeply could stray so far. Surely pride came into play...no doubt about that...but the other dangerous thing was her reliance on her own interpretation of Scripture. She interpreted Scripture in a heretical manner and the fallout from that has been frightening to watch.

There are thousands upon thousands of examples of this throughout history...of devout, sincere people who believe that their interpretation of Scripture is the correct interpretation--and they do not consult the teachings of the Church to see if their private interpretations jive--or worse yet, they do but decide they are right anyway! And the results can be as devasting as cyanide laced Kool Aid or martyrs for a false faith in a burned out compound in Texas.

And speaking of martyrs...what about all those martyrs who truly loved God so much that they were willing to lay down their life for the faith? Do you think they did not pray to be spared? They did not ask for this cup to be passed from them? How can you explain that their prayers were not answered considering their unquestionable strength in faith and your understanding of these passages?

I am glad you are feeling better but I urge you to take your understandings of these passages to...well...I would recommmend an Orthdox priest but that probably wouldn't work so well here so at a minimum a knowledgeable Lutheran pastor.

 

[ILoveYeshua]

hmm well i'm not out to start my own religion or anything like that!! i can't think of any areas where my interpretation of scripture is different than that of the lcms. well 1, they claim that although certain people are predestined to heaven, that the rest are not necessarily predestined to damnation. which just seems silly, especailly considering that Jesus came to:

Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

and

Joh 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
Joh 12:38 That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Joh 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again,
Joh 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Joh 12:41 These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
Joh 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

so I find it hard to imagine that the sheep would be predestined to glory without the goats also being predestined to damnation. but anyway, thats the only major thing i disagree with in the lcms.

esp. because of these verses;

Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,



and regarding the interpretation of scripture:

Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.


if you believe what you read, there's very little interpreting to be done. thats the stance i take, i just believe what i read, and then try to put it into practice.

Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

 

[ILoveYeshua]

> That sums up the lamenting of a broken heart, but you already have the solution to the problem.

if only you could see how broken it is.

 

[ILoveYeshua]

it really sucks.