Dearest Iron Eagle... may you have peace! And permit me to respond, please? Thank you!
I want to ask you about your "form of" godly devotion: you have expressed concern that folks here would come between you and God. But, in truth, there should only be ONE thing... or person, I should say... between you and God... Christ. And as "Paul" put it, WHO will separate us from the love of the Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? Or are you not CONVINCED that "neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth NOR ANY OTHER CREATION will be able to separate us from God's love that is in JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH our Lord?"
May I ask you: one what is your "house" built? On your OWN faith? Or that of others? If you relationship with God is built on the "rock-mass" of faith taught us by Christ, which faith YOU possess (or at least, you give the impression you do), then there is nothing and NOBODY... here... or ANYWHERE... that can come between you and God. No father, no mother, no sister, no brother, no child, no friend... no enemy.
True, "Paul" spoke about "bad association;" however, the "association" he spoke of was IN the congregation (today, in the Organization!). How is that? Because it was due to SUPERFINESS of... ummm "spirituality" that ones held themselves above others... thinking they were "cleaner", better, per se... and thus able to judge others and/or put them back under Law.
I ask YOU, though: with whom did my Lord "hang-out"? The self-righteous Pharisees... who, although may have had the APPEARANCE of righteousness, were actually wicked in heart, deceitful hypocrites who judged others, while they themselves existed in sin (for ALL have sinned!)? Or was it WITH sinners and tax collectors that he was found? I say to you, as my Lord is recorded to have said: "[He] did not come to save RIGHTEOUS people... for righteous people have no NEED of salvation." (They can, can they not, save themselves?) No, he CAME... to save SINNERS.
I challenge you, then, dear one: rather than abandon these for the sake of your own perceived "righteousness", why don't YOU stay and set an example? Indeed, how WILL they hear... if no one speaks?
You can, of course, do what you will, but I ask you not to do this under the guise of being a "christian." For such label would be false in your case: IF you are so clean, then do the "work" of such cleanliness... and go RELEASING... rather than condemning. IF you are a true "light", then rather than hide your light under a basket, let it SHINE! IF...
Otherwise, your self-proclaimed righteousness... and resultant condemnation of those here... is hypocrisy... and, therefore, leaven. Thus, I bid you, beware! True, my Lord's KINGDOM is no part of the world and so, those of us who "belong" to it are no part of THIS world. But my Lord did NOT separate himself from the people of the world, including those who worshipped at the temple, nor did he reject Jerusalem... or Capernaum... or Chorazin. Rather, THEY... rejected HIM!
I bid you, IF you are a "christian"... one chosen and anointed such as that word suggests, may you do the "works" of a christian... which includes love... toward even your enemies. If then, Christ showed YOU love... by accepting YOU... although you existed in sin... who then are YOU... to reject ANY? Love, dear one... does not look out... for its OWN interest... but believes all, HOPES all... BEARS all. It NEVER fails.
May you have ears to hears.
Your servant, as I am servant to all those of the Household of God, Israel, and those who go with them... and a slave of Christ,
SJ
