Dearest Gromit, Lillith (love the photo!), and Outlaw... peace to you all and, as always, thank you for your kind words! My apologies for responding so late - a little "under the weather" and a bit exhausted by my commute these past few days. Needed a day or so of rest, I'm sure yo understand.
Dear, dear, Outlaw... or shall I call you "Cephas"? - LOLOLOLOL! Please do not worry regarding NVL's words or position. He/she doesn't understand... yet; he/she (I am leaning toward "she")... is just one of those who THINK they do... who think they "get" me, but because I am really not like the other "christians" he/she has known, really doesn't. I also get it that he/she doesn't really want to do that, either. Or "get
the Most Holy One of Israel... or His Son and Christ. But that's okay. Most fall into that category, too, unfortunately. No worries on my part, though. As I've said, the sheep are not mine... it is not me who calls them... nor is it to MY words that anyone should listen. I am not the Fine Shepherd; I am merely a servant - his, God's Household, Israel, and those who go with that House... and the world's. You know why I am here - I have said it many times. However, I will make one last response, if you dear folks don't mind, because NVL has made some statements that I believe need to be addressed. Not particularly for him/her, but any others who MIGHT be watching and listening... including the angels.
In that light, dear NVL (may you have peace!):
There you go again, presuming you know something about me and using your imagination to fill the blanks to make your point. You can't do that. I did beleive too, and then had doubts.
I'm not presuming, dear NVL, truly. I know it's hard to fathom some of what I am sharing with you here. I know. I am certain that at some point I would have felt the same way as you, had someone shared similar with me. I think the difference between you and me, though, is that even if I doubted them... I would have asked. I would have gone to God, through Christ... and asked. I would have said, "Hey, this NVL is saying all sorts of things and asserting that they are truth. I NEED you to show me if he/she IS speaking the truth. How can I know? MAKE me know." That's me. That's the kind of "christian" that I am. Did I do that with the WT? No, not at first. I "trusted" them... until I started thinking that perhaps I couldn't. That is another thing about me: I tend to do it "backward" and trust... and respect... others... unless and until someone gives me a reason not to. Once I perceived that the WT was lying (which I did when they had "problems" with me partaking - why would anyone have problems with me partaking??!!! What concern is it of anyone else's???)... I had to question most everything else. And I did. Including there "pushing" of the Father in front of the Son... when the Father said it was the SON whom HE had appointed and for us to listen to.
I heard that... ummm... directive. To listen to the Son. Versus anyone else. Including the WTBTS. But I didn't KNOW him in order TO listen to him. And so I ASKED to know God's Son, Christ. And I received what I "hoped" for.
With regard to my statements that what my Lord said to Thomas NEXT that is of importance and takes into consideration YOUR case, you responded:
That is completely irrelevant to my point, which you are doing your best to avoid. Having faith seems to be irrelevant when god (and in this case, we are specifically talking about jesus) when god is making the decision to physically manifest himself. Again, see Balaam, Neb, Thomas, Moses, etc.
I explained to you why my Lord showed Thomas the holes in his body... and that Thomas received a rebuke for even asking or needing it. That is what I explained earlier: that one doesn't WANT to have to have a manifestation in that way because, with the EXCEPTION of a few, including Moses, it's not a GOOD thing. Now, you may think a rebuke by Christ such as Thomas received was no big deal. As one joined to Christ by means of holy spirit, I have to disagree. It causes the spirit GREAT grief. Thomas had not yet received the promised holy spirit, so perhaps he didn't feel such grief. I believe, however, that he was greatly chagrined about it. Others have lost their lives as a result. My point is that it SHOULDN'T take that. Which is what I believe I stated.
Regarding my statement that you now wish to put yourself on Thomas' level, you respond:
Why not? Are we not all human? Are you saying Thomas, by virtues OF NOT having faith, was more special?
Thomas, dear one, had already shown his faith by following Christ. That he lacked faith in this one thing didn't undermine the faith he had shown previously. And his LACK of faith didn't make him special, other than to put him in line to receive a rebuke. If being rebuked by the Christ makes one "special," then I guess you could say, yes, Thomas was "more special." But I am SURE that's not the "special" he WANTED to be.
Also, although, yes, we are all human, we are not all the same in all respects. Christ is cornerstone of God's temple. The 12 were not the same as he. The 12 apostles are the foundation of God's temple. The Prophets, including Moses, were not the same as they. Some will be pillars. Some not so much. Each one is set in the Body [of Christ] as GOD wills is... not as we will it. The issue is not WHERE one is in the Body/Temple... but IF one is... REGARDLESS of where. Indeed, sometimes the "high" seat in a place... is actually the "lowly" seat. Below, you discuss my [lack of] humility. But I would have to say that, in this discussion, at least, your question demonstrates that lack on your part.
What about Judas Iscariot? He was an apostle.
I don't understand your question. Judas Iscariot had faith. He knew who my Lord was. Yet, his "love of money" led him to betray my Lord... and his. He, though, had SENSE enough to realize what he had done... and who it was he betrayed.
What about the random Israelites and Romans Jesus appeared before or passed on the street and chatted with? Were they more special than the billions living today?
I believe you have just answered your own question. Hint: the key word here is "random" (you know, versus everyone...).
They weren't asking for anything but suddenly there was the son of god standing there in the street doing miracle. Many of them had no idea who Jesus even was or, of they did, had no faith (like Romans and the Pharisees). They had no faith and weren't asking for anything.
I beg to differ. NO ONE who received the benefit of a miracle lacked faith. Indeed, it was BECAUSE of their faith... or the faith of someone asking on their behalf... that they received such. As for bystanders who also saw these things, funny thing: most, EVEN THOUGH SEEING SUCH MIRACLES... did not put faith in him! Indeed, they went off due to various things, including fear of man, wanting the glory of men (vs. the glory of God), and their own personal lives and distractions. And that is my POINT... and the point of my Lord to Thomas: "Because you see you believe? Happy are those who DON'T see and yet believe." The people who RECEIVED the benefit of the miracles hadn't SEEN a miracle... but only perhaps HEARD of them. But they BELIEVED what they HEARD... and exercised faith by going to my Lord and asking for THEMSELVES.
You have heard all that I have shared with you here. Yet, you do not ASK. And my point to you is that even if you DO see... that does NOT mean you will have faith in God and Christ, even then. Because... it boils down to what you WANT. That is what is MEANT by the words, "If anyone is lacking in WANT."
You make a very interesting... but accurate... statement regarding dear Outlaw. When I stated that he is honest, you replied:
Most children are. They still act like children and need to be treated as such, however.
You do not know the TRUTH of what you've stated... or its benefit. Indeed, his "child-like" heart is WHY he understands what I share. Because my Lord is recorded to have said:
“Truly I say to YOU , Unless YOU turn around and become as young children, YOU will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens." Matthew 18:3
Do you know why he said that? Because ADULTS... tend to lack faith. Let me show you. Say you take your 3-year-old fishing. You're standing at the edge of a beautiful lake. You see a dragonfly light on a piece of plant about, oh, 12 feet or so out. Your toddler is delighted. You turn to the infant and say, "Honey, walk out there and get that dragonfly and bring it back to Mommy/Daddy." I ask you, what is the child going to do? Okay, so about an hour later, you're in the same spot. Baby is napping and now spouse is with you. Same dragonfly appears... lands on same plant. Your honey goes, "Hey, look at that!" You turn to him/her and say, "Honey, walk out there and get that dragonfly and bring it back to me." I ask you, what is Honey going to do?
It is your ADULT mind, dear NVL, that prevents you from believing. It has come too far and seen too much (in a physical way), so that all it CAN fathom is that which is physical. But, my Lord said you must TURN AROUND. Go BACK. To the FREEDOM you had as child. In thinking, in hearing, AND in seeing. And, yes, it can be done.
But... one has to HUMBLE oneself, doesn't one, in order to do this? One has to leave off worrying about what OTHERS might think of one (little children don't have a CLUE about such things, do they, what others think of them... until such OTHERS... usually adults... voice or otherwise manifest disapproval, dissent, disagreement, dislike, etc. Right? But they don't usually care what other children think... and will stand up to them, won't they?).
at this point you are kind of saying you are completely uninspired by God.
No, I am not kind of saying that at all. While it is true that I am not ALWAYS in spirit, I am quite often in spirit. And that is what "inspired" means: to be IN SPIRIT.
You said parts of the bible are uninspired,
Yes.
you quote them ad also tell me you have had god bear witness of the same things to you in visions. If they are uninspired and yet you are having that same uninspired witness borne to you, then that makes you uninspired as well.
Some of what I quote to you is indeed inspired. The writer was in spirit and told to write. Some of what I quote wasn't inspired, but still makes sense or is wise. ALL of the visions I've shared were inspired. I was absolutely in spirit when I received them. However, what I am sharing with you right now is not inspired, because I am not in spirit as I write it.
What about Muslims or Tibetans or or native americans 300 years ago? They weren't told to look at christ.
Muslims... who are the seed of Abraham through Ishmael, certainly were. When God turned His attention "to the nations"... Ishmael's seed was certainly included. Unfortunately, "Ishmael's" rivalry with "Isaac" has prevented that for some. But not all. He sent the angel Michael to the Native Americans... whom they later worshipped as "Quetzalcoatl." So, they were given opportunity, too. As for Tibetans, whom do you think the Dali Lama is patterned after? Dear one... ALL have had opportunity to hear, at least as far as their "nation" goes. If those who heard chose not to tell their children... or chose to taint what they heard and saw with local customs, tradition, superstitions, and beliefs... who is to blame?
God will chose out of EVERY nation... tribe... tongue... and people. People who are Tibetan of descent, as well as Arab... as well as Native American (who are actually long-lost relatives of Job, Abraham, Terhan, Haran, Lot, etc.).
Yet you still keep posting. Your actions say different than your words. Truly the Christian way.
I post, first, to work out MY salvation. How can I say I hear... and yet tell no one? That's not faith IN the thing heard. If you BELIEVE what you hear/see... then have NO problem telling others about it, right? Second, it is prophesied:
"the Spirit and the Bride keep on saying: “Come!” And let anyone hearingsay: “Come!” And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free." Revelation 22:17
I hear. How can I claim to hear and yet, not say "Come!"? Would THAT be a demonstration of my actions saying different than my words, dear one? Yet, I have been joining the Spirit, my Lord, and his Bride in declaring that invitation virtually from the moment I began hearing.
you have said that everyone that seeks god can hear his spirit speaking to them.
Yes.
When some say they can't, you presume to know enough about them to explain why.
Well, no, not quite. I don't know... but my Lord does. That he shares that with me is beyond my control, unfortunately.
You presume to put yourself on the same level as the prophets and apostles (that was with the whole "equating yourself with thomas" comment).
I have not put myself on such a level. Paul was neither a prophet nor one of the 12... yet, you and most people (who put their faith in the Bible) "listen" to him. Luke was neither a prophet nor an apostle. Nor was Mark. Yet, you and [most people] "listen" to them. I listen to the MASTER of ALL of these, and mine, Christ. And he is the One I am suggesting YOU listen to.
You fill in the blanks about other peoples lives to explain why they aren't good enough to hear the voices when you don't know anything about that person.
No one said you weren't GOOD enough, dear NVL... and that statement... and similar ones... are perhaps the reason my Lord keeps permitting me to respond to you. You have been misled. NO ONE IS GOOD ENOUGH. Not even the Prophets. Not even the Apostles. We are granted holy spirit by means of UNdeserved kindness. UN... deserved. NO ONE deserves it. There is nothing we can do to EARN it. It is by means of God's MERCY... which mercy, I... a foremost sinner... have been shown. But I was shown it NOT because I demanded of God to give me anything... but simply because I responded when He called me. A tiny little bit of faith. I responded, my Lord revealed himself, I asked him some questions, he poured out holy spirit on me to "wash me" ('cause, my Lord KNOWS I needed "washin'")... and made me "clean"... so that I could hear... and see... even more.
you call the most of the bible uninspired
It is...
and then use to defend your visions of the same things without understanding that is equating your visions with what you just called uninspired works.
Okay, now I am about to share something "inspired." My Lord directs me to ask you: what corroborated the vision when Moses saw it? Who saw it besides him? Yet, we trust that he DID see... because "the Bible" says he did. Because... it is "written." But those to whom Moses related the event... what writing did they have to look to? What of the visions of Ezekiel? Daniel? John? Where were such things "written"? They saw what they saw... and then were told to write. But what if you had lived in their day? Would you have believed it then?
Again, the ONLY reason I use what is written in the Bible is because, for some, they cannot believe... unless they see it. However, I have absolutely shared some things here that are NOT written in the Bible.
Every case in the bible with Jesus or the voice of god or god himself appearing is a "speacial case" that you say I can't use for my argument.
Well, no, that's not true and if that's what you got from what I shared, then I apologize. I did not mean to imply that at all. Daniel saw and heard my Lord. Ezekiel saw many things. John, too. And many others. Such things were NOT, however, in the manner as with, say, Thomas. Or Moses.
Well, if every case is special, then none are special! The person sitting next to Jesus when he had to take a dump along the side of the road must have been a special case too, then. You painted yourself into a corner, then painted your feet, then your entire body to avoid answering questions about which you said you knew the answers, at least, until your answer didn't make sense
Some are different than others, dear NVL, and for a number of reasons. You want a manifestation in the manner of, say, Pharaoh or Thomas. Or Balaam or Moses. I explained Moses situation (he had a great work to do). I explained Thomas' situation (he was rebuked for it). And I explained that "in most cases" it was NOT A GOOD THING... to demand or receive a physical manifestation in the way you're meaning. I have tried to explain that you didn't hear because you didn't WANT to hear... and that had you truly WANTED to, you would have. ALL of these instances, excluding John's revelation... occurred BEFORE the outpouring of holy spirit... which is the MEANS by which we NOW hear and see.
(unless, of course, you decide to ignore the bits you don't like, which is, in fact, a pretty christian thing to do).
The truth is that I'm trying not to ignore ANY of what you respond. I am usually pretty thorough. It seems to ME, however, that you don't WANT to hear what I am stating... and so it makes sense to me that you DON'T. You are stuck on, "Why isn't God showing Himself to ME... what is wrong with HIM..." when the TRUE question is "What is wrong with ME (you)?" which you don't want to hear. And the answer is that it has absolutely NOTHING to do with your "unworthiness" (again, we are ALL unworthy)... but with your CHOICE. The TRUE choice... of your HEART. If you TRULY... WANTED... to hear... you WOULD. I promise you.
But... you would rather misdirect your self-perception of "unworthiness" on the Most Holy One of Israel, JAH of Armies... erroneously concluding that He doesn't want to speak to you. He absolutely DOES want to. YOU, however, have to WANT... to HEAR. Look in the MIRROR... and not out the window, dear one.
no others and to tell people what is wrong with them is truly truly astoundingly awesomely the exact opposite of humility.
First, I do not profess humility, dear one. It wouldn't be up to me to say that I am or am not. That I say I am... doesn't make me so. That others perceive me as such doesn't make it so. It really is only what the Most Holy One of Israel, JAH of Armies, and His Son and Christ, the Holy One of Israel and Holy Spirit, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH, perceive about me. I will say, however, that telling someone the TRUTH... does not negate humility. Sometimes, it really is a manifestation. Particularly if such telling is at the direction of the Holy Spirit. To choose and obey that Spirit... over popularity and/or flattery... can be construed as a bit of humility...
And you are too blind to see it.
Perhaps. I do not deny that there are somethings I do not see.
So, yeah, I would totally agree that you are a perfect example of a Christian.
Now that I would vehemently disagree with. There is only One who is the "perfect" example, and I don't come anywhere near that example. Try as I might, I will never get there while in this vessel. Praise JAH, however, that One provided a ransom so that I don't have to.
I bid you the greatest of love and peace, dear NVL... and, again, ears to hear, of you so wish it... when the Spirit and the Bride say to YOU:
"Come! Take life's water... the holy spirit of God... by means of which those who partake see and hear and so are led into ALL truth... which spirit is poured out from the innermost parts of THE Truth, the Holy One of Israel and Holy Spirit, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH, who is the Son and Christ, of the MOST Holy One of Israel, JAH of Armies... FREE!"
A slave of Christ, and servant to the Household of God, Israel, and all those who go with... and the world...
SA
