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Stephen definitely did not fight.

The temple with JESUS was not a fight as well, it was a showing to not worship idols ( all HIS preaching mentions the same). HE hit no one.

Also HE is the sacrificial lamb for OUR SINS!!
The war is our spiritual warfare of cleaning ourselves daily through faith.
Sin only continues because all of us ( believer and non-believer) are the cause of it’s spread to others through no immediate repentance, confession to others of the sins, and more.....
The war is ourselves.

Stephen may not have not done any fighting in the physical sense but we don,t even know that and he was out there fighting along with the others, that is why they were in trouble with the authorities.

I also need to mention that , i believe it was Peter who cut off an ear, sounds like fighting to me.

If Jesus came into a Church today and run the people out with a whip and turned over the tables they would have the Fbi and the abtf plus all of the local cops after him, he would be a dangerous hunted down Man.

And you are right about one thing, our real fight is within our selves.

But we must not for get the other facts.

The temple with JESUS was not a fight as well, it was a showing to not worship idols ( all HIS preaching mentions the same). HE hit no one.

We do not know that he did not hit any one but that does not matter.

As you said your self

We see things by what is in our hearts.
If we want to fight, then a fight is what we see.
If we want peace, then peace is what we see.
If we want love, then love is what we see.

What do you suppose the scoundrels in the temple saw? was it a fight or was it love.

You can bet if Jesus came into a church today and took a whip to the money changers and turned over the tables it would be considered fighting.

Christians are being persecuted and killed in parts of the world today, including Egypt.

If some one was hunting me down to kill me do you think i would look upon it with love.

Matt 10
34
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36
And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Jesus was talking about preaching the truth of the Gospel come hell or high water, you can call it what you will but i call it war.

Ravenwolf,

AMEN! Peter cut off the ear, and JESUS corrected him to not do so.

Here is some clarity for you in the HOly Precious name of JESUS CHRIST:

MATTHEW 26:51-54
51 And suddenly, one of the followers of Jesus grasped his sword and drew it; he struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear.

52 Jesus then said, ‘Put your sword back, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, who would promptly send more than twelve legions of angels to my defence?

54 But then, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that say this is the way it must be?’

As far as Stephen and having problems with the authorities?? We should know just from history that many people who tell the truth in life have problems with various authorities without fighting. Truth makes people that lie feel very nervous and protective about what they think they own.

As far as what the people in the church were feeling?? NO more than what any of us feel when we sin. When you sin, you are a slave to sin. Simple.

As far as you not showing love to someone hunting you down? This would be you, as you just said.

But what JESUS says is to love all. This is all.

We can adopt and try to work our opinions and feelings in the gospel, but Jesus is very clear about what we should do:

1. Love the LORD with all our hearts
2. Love our neighbor as ourselves.
3. Love our enemies
4. Believe in the LORD, follow JESUS CHRIST, and listen to the HOly spirit ( those who hear HIM).
5. Confess HIS HOLY NAME amongst men.
6. Constantly stay in prayer, read the scriptures, confess, repent, and prepare ourselves for heaven which is our home; not here.
7. Live by example and constantly help others.

Simple, depending on where a person heart is at the moment.
But GOD will draw who HE wants.

As you put out the verses in MATTHEW!! AMEN!! Jesus comes to divide. HE also comes to judge. But not us. But out of the heart the mouth speaks. If this is where your heart is at the moment to feel you are in a war and must fight, then, it’s understood. Every man must be convinced in his own mind where he is. Till GOD changes him.

ACTS 15:8
8 And God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us.

1 SAMUEL 16:7
7 but Yahweh said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him; God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart.’

JAMES 5:14-16

14 Any one of you who is ill should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him.

15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

16 So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully.

ACTS 10:36-43

36 ‘God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the good news of peace was brought by Jesus Christ — he is the Lord of all.

37 You know what happened all over Judaea, how Jesus of Nazareth began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism.

38 God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.

39 Now we are witnesses to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and they killed him by hanging him on a tree,

40 yet on the third day God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen,

41 not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses that God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses — we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead-

42 and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to bear witness that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead.

43 It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’

MARK 12:28-31
28 One of the scribes who had listened to them debating appreciated that Jesus had given a good answer and put a further question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’

29 Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one, only Lord,

30 and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.

31 The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’

Love to all in the HOLY PRECIOUS NAME of JESUS CHRIST who lives and reigns among us for ever and ever.

GOD BLESS US ALL,

Jesus4life