by AGuest 71 Replies latest jw friends
May you ALL have peace.
And a most sincere "thank you" to those who posted support and kind words. To each of YOU: may the undeserved kindness and mercy of MY God and Father, the Most Holy One of Israel, JAH of Armies... and the love and peace of HIS Son and Christ, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAHA... which peace I always wish for you... be upon you... you and your entire household... to time indefinite.
I am YOUR servant... and an unapologetic slave of Christ,
Shel
dear AGuest...
Hello!...when you say that the Holy Spirit would not encourage anyone to read the Bible you HAVE taken on the role as spokesperson for God regarding this matter. there is no getting around it...kind of like when the WT tells people what God does or does not want them to do. Interestingly it seems the WT doesn't encourage personal Bible study either but would rather you obey what God has revealed to "the mother" alone.
also...you would be hard pressed to explain to anyone the "copper serpent" bit with any clarity of purpose without using the Bible. You would have to "show" the Torah (the Jews don't have an OLD TESTAMENT). You would be virtually on your own! In fact, nothing you say would could be viewed with ANY context if we hadn't been exposed to the Bible (OT and NT) at some point. It is indispensible in presenting the Gospel in that it is a witness to what we preach in the same way that the OT is a witness to Jesus. (remember Satan said, "IF you are the Son of God...it is written")
The Bible (OT and NT) gives YOU credability but you keep kicking the "womb" YOU were conceived in. Isn't that boasting against the tree(Israel) you were grafted into?
...revelation 22:2...
love michelle
Aguest,
What does this mean?:
I am YOUR servant
Is that just an ending you put on your missives without any real meaning other than say :"Yours Truly" And why the all capitals in "YOUR" is it suppose to emphasis something?
dear AGuest... Hello!
The greatest of love and peace to you, dear Michelle! Before I go on, I should probably warn the picturebook readers that this might take some time... and some stamina. I mean, if you're one of those who start to nod off after "Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater..." and never make it to "there he kept her very well..." you should probably stop here. I'm just sayin'... you've been warned...
...when you say that the Holy Spirit would not encourage anyone to read the Bible you HAVE taken on the role as spokesperson for God regarding this matter.
Not sure I follow. Christ, the Holy Spirit, wouldn't encourage you to read the Bible. And nowhere in the Bible... or anywhere else... does it say he would. Rather, HE... would encourage you to come to him. Even THE BIBLE says this:
John 5:39, 40; 6:37, 38
I did not learn this truth from the Bible. I learned it from, him, God's Spokesperson. How my speaking the TRUTH... about this or ANYTHING makes me a "spokesperson"... for anyone... is beyond me. But let me ask you:
1. WHERE... in the BIBLE... does it say that IT is the thing we need to read, go to, listen to, etc., and
2. IF one is in the NEW Covenant... which means one has the NEW law written on one's HEART (which is ALSO something the Bible says)... WHY would such one NEED A BIBLE?
Now, I know a couple/few, including perhaps you, dear Michelle, will want to quote Psalm 1:2... but to that, I ask: WHAT "LAW" would such man READ? The "Old" Covenant? Well, yeah, perhaps if you were David... and a Jew... and Christ hadn't come and given his life, yes. But the "Old" Covenant was done away with... by means of Christ. Yes? So, then, what "Law" are you "reading" NOW? What "Covenant" binds YOU to God? And where is it WRITTEN? Let me give you a hint (and, yes, if you don't believe me... IT'S WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE):
"Thisis the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Jeremiah 31:33, 34
I mean... COME ON! The VERY BOOK that you are putting SO much faith in, SO much store... is TELLING YOU THE VERY THING THAT I'M TELLING YOU: YOU DON'T NEED THE BOOK! (And, no, I'm not yelling - I am emphasizing but it just takes too long to italicize, etc.)
Why do I (and others) "get" this truth, that you don't need a book... and you (and those like you) don't? Because... you keep putting your faith... IN THE BOOK... instead of in the One the darn book is telling you ABOUT! Omigosh... what in the WORLD would you do... if you couldn't READ? What would GOD do? Ignore you? Cast you off? Consider you ignorant and so unworthy? Seriously?? What in the WORLD did those who were physically blind DO... before Braille was invented??? Come ON! THINK. God... is a SPIRIT. He doesn't NEED... a BOOK.
there is no getting around it...kind of like when the WT tells people what God does or does not want them to do.
Ummm, no. The WTBTS tells people what THEY want or do not want them to do. Big difference. HUGE. IF they were led by the Holy Spirit... they would:
1. Give the glory TO that Spirit, Christ, rather than to themselves. They would KISS THE SON.
2. Direct you TO that Spirit, Christ, rather than to themselves. They would... BOW DOWN BEFORE THE SON.
3. Identify HIM as your mediator... and not themselves. They would... UNSEAT THEMSELVES from the seat of Moses.
I am not here to tell you what you should or should not do, dear Michelle. This whole thread came about because someone asked me, "How do you know what you know?" After I shared it with him, I was compelled to share it here.
You want to read the Bible? Read the Bible. By ALL means... go ahead. There is NO law against it. IF, however, you want to KNOW GOD... then you must KNOW Christ. Not "know OF" Christ. Or "take in knowledge of" Christ. You must KNOW him. Face... to... face. And neither he nor his face is a BOOK. He is a SPIRIT... and thus, he is in the spirit realm... at the right hand of the Father! He is not dead... or mute. He can and does SPEAK! And he doesn't need ME... or a BOOK... to speak FOR him. That's all I'm sayin'. I mean, I'm just sayin'...
Interestingly it seems the WT doesn't encourage personal Bible study either but would rather you obey what God has revealed to "the mother" alone.
Ahhh... so, you, too, have failed to read... or at least grasp... anything I've writen. I do NOT want, wish, need, hope or desire you to listen to ME. You do NOT need to listen to ME. You should listen... to HIM. I SHARE what I do... because... I CANNOT HELP IT. IT IS WONDERFUL!! IT IS TRUTH!! You don't want to hear it? Oh-so-cool. I do not judge you... or hate you. That you listen to ME... is absolutely irrelevant! Because...I... can't... save... you. My message is... LISTEN TO HIM... because he CAN save you.
also...you would be hard pressed to explain to anyone the "copper serpent" bit with any clarity of purpose without using the Bible.
Ahhh, here's where you are wrong... SO wrong. There are SO many who have not read the Bible. Some who have never ever even cracked one open. Can't afford one... can't read... come from a generation where the Bible isn't as important as it was to ours. Don't want to read it. Etc., etc. Yet, I can very well explain the copper serpent to them. How do I know? Because... I have done it. And you know what? People who don't/haven't read the Bible get the SENSE of these things in HALF the time you Bible-pushers do! Why? Because... THEY WALK BY FAITH... in the thing HEARD... than by SIGHT... of what's written in the Bible!
Heck, half the people here (including, perhaps, you) didn't even know about that. Whether we're talking about Moses and the one he constructed... or how the Master is the fulfillment of that image.
Let me tell you another truth: WT notwithstanding... MOST JWs don't have a CLUE as to what's in the Bible. I can't tell you HOW many ex-JWs I've spoken to and as I was relating a Bible account, and said to them, "You know how, in the Bible such and so and such?" and they look at me with blank stares and then shake their heads slowly and say, "Noooooo..."
Forget about JWs. MOST "Bible" junkies haven't a CLUE what's in the Bible. They know their 3-30 verses... and that's it. They don't know Moses, the don't know the Prophets, they don't know the Psalms... and they don't know the Christ. They certainly don't know the Revelation. Do you know they do "know"? Paul. Ex-Pharisee, formerly self-righteous, "I don't permit this and I don't permit that" Paul. And why is that? Because... they are JUST LIKE HIM... so his "judgments" ring true ("Yeah, I don't think no wimmen should be talkin' all in public, either!" "Yeah, let's drag that fornicator in the back room an' give 'im what fer... I mean, right after I call my mistress to tell her take my number off her cell...")
I come here... I share what I'M given... because I cannot contain it. I'm sorry, but I am just not that strong. And... for those who doubt and so need to see it in writing... I also share the scriptures/verses that THEY need to see. I don't want to look up all those scriptures/verses! Do you know how much TIME that takes?? And I'm 50 now! I don't GOT that much time! But... I do it. Out of love. Because I KNOW what it's like to be lied to. I KNOW what that feels like. I KNOW what being misled feels like. I hated the revelation of that truth just as much as the next ex-JW. But... YOU need to see it. YOU need to see if what I say my Lord has told me IS true. And the ONLY way I can SHOW you that... is use the Bible. I would MUCH rather you simply take my word for it... but I TOTALLY understand why you don't/can't.
SO... DON'T LISTEN TO ME. LISTEN... the ONE who shares these things with me. HE will tell YOU. HE will put God's law in YOUR mind and write it on YOUR heart... and through it, HE will tell you. I mean, I'm just sayin'...
You would have to "show" the Torah (the Jews don't have an OLD TESTAMENT).
To the Doubting Thomases, perhaps. To those with faith... nope. Why? Because their SPIRIT... would bear WITNESS... to the TRUTH... of what I share.
You would be virtually on your own!
Oh, no. My Lord would ratify it... by means of holy spirit.
In fact, nothing you say would could be viewed with ANY context if we hadn't been exposed to the Bible (OT and NT) at some point.
Oh, yeah, can't you just see it:
"Noah. Noah!"
"Yes, Lord?"
"Noah, I want you to build an ark. I'm sending a whole lot of rain your way and, well, you need to be ready. Build an ark."
"Hmmmm... wait, Lord. I don't remember seeing anything about that WRITTEN anywhere. Can you point me to where that is IN THE BIBLE? Oh, wait... there is no Bible, yet, is there? Well, certainly it's WRITTEN somewhere, isn't it? So, just show me where it is so that I can check and make sure it's gonna rain, and then I'll get right to it. Keep in mind, though, if you can't show me where it's WRITTEN, I ain't building nuthin'."
What, too "old testatment" for you? Okay, how about:
"John. John!"
"Yes, Lord? Oh, wait, you ain't my Lord... you just an angel. And angels is spirits and spirits don't speak, so... be gone!"
"Be quiet, John. Look, God has some things He wants me to reveal to you, and..."
"I said, be gone, 'haint... cuz spirits don't SPEAK!"
"What? What are you talking about? The Lord told you this was gonna happen, what, almost 70 years ago, and now it's happening. So, come on up here, I have some stuff to show you!"
"Look, demon... LSD flashback... whatever you is... you don't EXIST! So get out of my head... or my heart... or wherevah you is... an' leave me 'lone!"
"I exist, John, and I'm going to show you what I'm going to show you. So, now, stop acting stupid and pay attention. Listen!"
"Wait, wait. Okay. Okay, YOU show ME where it's WRITTEN that you wuz gonna show me this stuff... and then ah'll listen. That's right... show me IN THE BIBLE where it says you got some rev'lation to gimme... an ah'll believe you!"
(Shaking head) Seriously. The lack of FAITH here... is almost overwhelming. Understandable, but overwhelming.
It is indispensible in presenting the Gospel in that it is a witness to what we preach in the same way that the OT is a witness to Jesus. (remember Satan said, "IF you are the Son of God...it is written")
Written WHERE? In the SCRIPTURES. The ONLY part of the [OT]... meaning the Bible part you're referring to... that is SCRIPTURE... is Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. The rest are not scripture. They are histories, records, and chronologies.
The Bible (OT and NT) gives YOU credability but you keep kicking the "womb" YOU were conceived in.
The Bible doesn't give me credibility, dear Michelle. Christ gives me credibility. Holy spirit gives me credibility. And the "womb" that I was "conceived" in is the Ark... of the NEW Covenant... which is NOT the Bible. BUT... you don't have to take MY word for it. I'll let you take Paul's... because HIS is... in the... well, you know where I'm going with this:
"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." (See? Now you know where I get it!)
"We are not like Moses... " (Oh, oops, NOT like Moses?)
"who would put a veil over his faceto keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away." (Gazing at "it"? What "it"? His face? Nooooo... that's not what the Greek refers to...)
But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. (Sooooo... when the OLD covenant is read... a VEIL remains? Remains WHERE?? And how does one get rid of it???)
"It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away." (Soooo... when you read the OLD Covenant, there is a VEIL... and it is only in CHRIST that is removed?? Is THAT what that says?? Methinks that's what that says. Wait! There's more!)
"Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts." (Even to THIS day... when MOSES IS READ. And folks wonder why they can't SEE! But we're not finished...)
"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord...the veil is taken away. (Turn to the LORD? You mean LOOK AT HIM? Gaze at HIM? Don't take your eyes off HIM?? Like, say, the copper serpent lifted up by Moses??)
"Now the Lord... is the Spirit" (Oh, ooh, here's that verse again, the one that says CHRIST is the Spirit (and, yes, the Holy Spirit. Same Greek word...)
"and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (Freedom. Freedom! FREEDOM! You know, as in "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free? Therefore, if the SON sets you free, you are TRULY free" freedom. That kind.)
But let's not stop there. Let's give Paul his props, since SO many put their faith in what HE says:
"And we, who with unveiled faces..." (UNveiled faces. That means... NOT veiled. As in, NOT reading Moses, but instead TURNING TO CHRIST. Right? That IS what Paul is saying, isn't it?)
"all reflect the Lord's glory..." (reflect... the... LORD'S... glory. Not Moses, not David's, not Matthew's, not Paul's... not Shelby's...)
"are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory..." (being transformed... with ever-increasing glory... which means it's an ongoing transformation... yes? And it's into HIS likeness (because, right now, we're in ADAM'S likeness, right? Genesis 5:3)
"which comes from the Lord" (Oh, oop, this ever-increasing glory comes from WHERE?? WHO?? The Bible? I'm not so sure...)
"who is the Spirit." (There goes that statement again, that my Lord IS... the Spirit!)
Again, you don't have to take MY word for any of this. You can take Paul's, right from 2 Corinthians 3:12-18. OR... you do what I've been admonishing all along: rather that listening to me OR Paul... you can go RIGHT TO THE SOURCE... Christ. That's where Paul got. That's where I got it.
Isn't that boasting against the tree(Israel) you were grafted into?
I don't know who's been teaching YOU, dear Michelle, but Israel is NOT the "tree." Christ... is the Tree [of Life]. HE is the True Vine, the Root of Jesse, Sprout. Israel represents the natural BRANCHES in the tree... and it was the nations (non-Israelites) who have been grafted in as "wild" branches (vs. natural ones):
"... if the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches [Israel] have been broken off, and you [the nations], though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root [Christ, the Root of Jesse], do not boast over those branches [Israel]." Romans 11:16-18
I am not a wild branch, but a natural branch. My father is Abraham and I am his seed of the tribe of Ben-Jah-Min. That, too, has been revealed to me and I do not doubt it.
...revelation 22:2...
Wrong verse, dear one. Again, Christ is the Tree whose leaves... his FLESH... are for the curing of the nations. It is ONLY by eating his flesh... and drinking his blood... that earthling man can have life. John 6:51-53
love michelle
As always, I bid you the greatest of love and peace... and ears to hear... when the Spirit and the Bride say to YOU:
"Come! Take life's 'water'... the holy spirit of God, the Most Holy One of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose name is JAH... of Armies... which spirit is poured out by... and from the innermost parts of... His Son and Christ, my Lord and master, JAHESHUAH MISCHAJAH... free!"
Your servant and a slave of Christ, the Tee of Life...
SA
Aguest,
Peace to you, dear Frankie...
What does this mean?: I am YOUR servant
Just what it says, dear one: that I am the servant of the one I'm addressing...
Is that just an ending you put on your missives without any real meaning other than say :"Yours Truly"
Actually, it's the other way around. The term "Yours Truly," derives from the 17th-19th century (and perhaps earlier) term "Your True Servant." (See, that 19th century language stuff does come in handy, from time to time).
And why the all capitals in "YOUR" is it suppose to emphasis something?
Well, yeah! That's usually what caps mean when used with lowercase letters in this way. I'll refrain from saying, "Duh."
Peace to you.
YOUR servant... and a slave of Christ,
SA
dear AGuest...
Jesus Christ is the true vine...Israel is the tree. (Matthew 3:10)
OT "people" may have refered to themselves and others as trees...kinda poetic...:)
I didn't know anything about Jesus until I read and studied my Bible.
I was eager to accept the implanted word(james 1:21).
I chose to ask Jesus(not the Bible) to save me from the severity of God (romans 11:22).
I rest in Him.(eph.4:11,12)
I still thoroughly enjoy reading my Bible (cheap smarm on tv I can do without...) and I read it because it can lead me to see(anew) the power of God. For instance I was "wondering" (to God) about Iran, ...we can speculate on the governments intentions but only God knows for sure what is going to happen...and just like BEFORE...Isreal is the only one with the authority and the will to carry out a pre-emptive strike to spare the children of God (where ever they may be in this world). Yes, I knew the Bible account...it was implanted...but the Holy Spirit showed me the account to bring me peace because that is what I needed at that time.(I was not aware of how unsettled I was until He brought me that peace) It has often been my experience that the Holy Spirit will use the words of the Bible to help me personally(which means it is not YOUR business)
It IS commune with the saints.(eph 1:14) where do you meet with like-minded individuals Shelby?
love michelle
p.s. rev 22:2...each tree yielding its fruit every month is Jesus? or Jesus is the vine that bound each tree together?
I know what I know, I'll sing what I've said.
How many people do you know who discovered a wrong Biblical teaching by the WTS, went to New York and personally confronted a Governing Body member about it, was disfellowshipped for that "heresy" and later discovered that doctrine had changed to exactly what she had told the GB member it should have been in the first place? Shelby did that. Can any of you claim you did that? (I hope I got my facts right on that one, Shel.)
Now THAT I would be interested in reading about!
dear AGuest...
Peace to you, dear Michelle!
Jesus Christ is the true vine...Israel is the tree. (Matthew 3:10)
I must disagree, and I think John did, too:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." John 15:1-7
OT "people" may have refered to themselves and others as trees...kinda poetic...:)
Perhaps. But your comment was "Isn't that boasting against the tree(Israel) you were grafted into?" I was not grafted into Israel, nor were the nations grafted into Israel. Israel represents the branches of the Tree, Christ, and the nations were grafted into Christ. How do we know? Because, the verses you refer to talk about some of the branches being "grafted out." Israel... cannot be grafted out of Israel. They are Israel. Period. They can, however, be grafted out... of the Body of Christ. They are the FIRSTFRUITS of the Tree, dear one... not the Tree.
I didn't know anything about Jesus until I read and studied my Bible.
I am sorry for that. I knew about "Jesus"... before I could read. I heard his voice... though I did not know it then... before I could speak.
I was eager to accept the implanted word(james 1:21).
Well, let's see:
"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent andhumbly accept the word...planted...in you, which can save you."
Seems simple enough. But... what is the word planted IN YOU? I believe it is Christ, and tbe Bible appears to agrees with me:
"The Wordbecame flesh and made his dwelling among us." John 1:14
"and his name is the Word of God." Revelation 19:13
"Now the Lord is the Spirit..." 2 Corinthians 3:17
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives inyou. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it." Romans 8:9, 10
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." John 15:1
Christ, dear one... IS THE WORD... THAT IS PLANTED IN YOU... BY HIS FATHER, The "Gardener":
"Now the Lord God had planted a garden..."Genesis 2:8
THIS... is the TRUTH... that ISRAEL... MISSED. It is the TRUTH... that YOU... are MISSING.
I chose to ask Jesus(not the Bible) to save me from the severity of God (romans 11:22). I rest in Him.(eph.4:11,12)
Not if you don't get the SENSE of what... or rather WHO... "the Word of God" mentioned at Hebrews 4:12 is. It is the CHRIST. HE... IS... ALIVE. And he is ACTIVE. And it is HE who has been given authority and so "judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." NOT the Bible. The Bible... judges nothing. It... is... a... book. An INANIMATE OBJECT. It is not alive. Indeed, the very tree that IT'S parts come from... is dead. The parts NOT used... to make pages and covers... have been ground into dust or thrown into the fire. The minerals that its ink comes from... is sans life. It cannot LEAD you to life... nor can it GIVE you life. It only contains the LAW... that leads to CHRIST... who IS the Life... as well as a lot of other stuff that leads to nothing at all. John 14:6; John 5:39
I still thoroughly enjoy reading my Bible (cheap smarm on tv I can do without...) and I read it because it can lead me to see(anew) the power of God.
Yes, it has lead you and quite a lot of folks to "see" a whole lot of stuff. Except God. And seeing God's power is NOT what will save you. It is seeing GOD... which you can ONLY do... by SEEING Christ. But, if you just want to enjoy reading and learning some things ABOUT God... please, feel free. For myself, I choose to know God... by knowing Christ. Personally... and not based on the things written about him... good, bad, or indifferent.
For instance I was "wondering" (to God) about Iran, ...we can speculate on the governments intentions but only God knows for sure what is going to happen...
Indeed. And He tells such things to His Servants, through Christ.
and just like BEFORE...Isreal is the only one with the authority and the will to carry out a pre-emptive strike to spare the children of God (where ever they may be in this world).
Unfortunately, you are mistaken. VERY mistaken. Christ is the ONLY one who can spare the children of God. And Israel, for the most part, rejected him. Thus, Israel has yet to suffer so great a tribulation such as never occurred before, nor will ever occur again. Not even the Holocaust fulfilled that prophesy. But it will be fulfilled and may JAH have mercy on all of Israel that it comes upon. And it will turn from upon them until they say, "Blessed is HE... that comes... in the name of JAH."
Yes, I knew the Bible account...it was implanted...but the Holy Spirit showed me the account to bring me peace because that is what I needed at that time.(I was not aware of how unsettled I was until He brought me that peace) It has often been my experience that the Holy Spirit will use the words of the Bible to help me personally(which means it is not YOUR business)
You are absolutely correct: what the Holy Spirit does, says, directs, and fulfills in relation to you... or any other person... is not my business. Nor do I make it my business. I did what the Holy Spirit directed ME to do... which is post the TRUTH about what he does, says, directs, and fulfills with regard to ME. Which IS my business. I am simply going about MY business... and for you to try and tell me that I am wrong in doing so is... well, I would say, contrary to what you appear to be claiming here.
I did not seek you out, dear Michelle. I addressed my post to the Household of God, Israel, and all who go with. If that greeting called to YOUR spirit, then you should most probably be quiet and LISTEN to the message. If that greeting did NOT call out to your spirit, then you really have NO grounds to comments... as it was none of your business as you were not the intended audience.
It IS commune with the saints.(eph 1:14)
I have NO idea what you mean, "commune with the saints." I only know of commune... with Christ:
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard HIM [the Word of Truth], the gospel of your salvation (for he IS the GOOD NEWS of our salvation!). Having believed, you were marked in him...with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." Ephesians 1:13
To commune, dear one, means to COME INTO UNION with someone. I am in union... with Christ:
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." John 6:56
where do you meet with like-minded individuals Shelby?
In their homes... and mine. As the Body has always done. Because the Most Holy One of Israel does not dwell in handmade temples... but in US... the Body of Christ, the TRUE Temple of God:
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands." Acts 17:24
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's templeand that God's Spirit lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16
"In himthe whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in himyou too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:21, 22
Thus, "where two are more are gathered your name"... well, you know the rest, right?
love michelle
The greatest of love and peace to you, too, dear Michelle. Truly. In the spirit of Acts 18:24-26.
p.s. rev 22:2...each tree yielding its fruit every month is Jesus? or Jesus is the vine that bound each tree together?
There is only ONE Tree, dear one:
"On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."
One Tree. Of Life. Christ. Israel, and those who go with... are BRANCHES in him... that Tree.
Again, I bid you the greatest of love and peace... and ears to hear... when the Spirit and the Bride says to YOU:
"Come! Take life's "water"... the holy spirit of God, the Most Holy One of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose whose name is JAH of Armies... which holy spirit is poured out from the innermost parts of THE Holy Spirit, His Son and Christ, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH... who says, "To ANY who are thirsting, come! Drink from ME"... FREE!"
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
Shel
Here's a couple of things I know.
I know I am in a mood tonight.
I know that internet boards are great ways to get to know people, esp of similar backgrounds.
I know that it is at the same time impossible to really get to know a person typing away behind a computer screen on said internet boards.
I have met a few former JW's on these forums (its been a while) and I can tell you that while we all have our "styles", it doesn't necessarily translate to real life. I have been pleasantly surprised upon meeting various ones. Hell, we apostates shower daily! The GB made it seem like we all smell of rotten Ragu sauce.
I know I get to think and type out at times what I wouldn't be able to say quickly on this board. Who knows how your impression of me would be different if you met me, and visa versa.
So for me, try to take what you can about a person, but be careful about reading too much into these posts. These are just parts of us we offer on topics, based on how we are feeling on any given day.
For all I know, Shelby talks to Jesus while listening to Metallica on her Zune. It's all good. And I guarantee you this, if we all met each other for real, I am sure for the most part we would get along, and that we would be surprised at how much we would learn about each other.
Shelby, tell Jesus I said hi, and that we need a break from the snow? Please? ;)
