Posted on 12/10/2014 6:32:20 AM PST by marshmallow
"Christian unity" is one of those terms that stir up a whole spectrum of—sometimes emotional—opinions.
On the one hand, we know that Jesus prayed to the Father concerning future believers "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you" (John 17:21a, NIV).
On the other hand, charismatics know it is almost pointless to discuss the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12, 14) with Baptists or most anyone else from a mainline denomination. And Protestants of just about any stripe get riled up when they hear Catholics talking about papal infallibility or their adoration of the Virgin Mary.
It's on this latter point that Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and successful author, has waded into a hornet's nest of controversy by telling a Catholic News Service interviewer that Protestants and Catholics "have far more in common than what divides us" and that Catholics do not "worship Mary like she's another god."
Regarding Warren's view that Catholics do not worship Mary, Matt Slick, writing on the website of the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, goes into great detail with material from Roman Catholic sources that say Mary is "the all holy one," is to be prayed to, worshipped, that she "brings us the gifts of eternal life" and she "made atonement for the sins of man."
If that's not putting her in the place of Christ as a god-like figure to be worshipped, then what is it?
"We believe in Trinity, the Bible, the resurrection, and that salvation is through Jesus Christ. These are the big issues," Warren says. "But the most important thing is if you love Jesus, we're on the same team."
To Warren's point about being on the same team, Slick.....
(Excerpt) Read more at charismanews.com ...
Only God searches the hearts and minds, only He sees all that there is, all at once - every where and every when - only He knows objective truth.
No mere creature has this power. No mere creature knows the desires of the heart much less can articulate them.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. - Romans 8:26-27
I’m not the only one reviewing posts here. Include the source reference, book, chapter verse - even if quoting the KJV.
Posting prayers to yourself again. Seriously, what is that supposed to be or do or mean on this forum? What is the meaning of your posting prayers to yourself?
Romans 1:
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Beautiful, perfectly applicable Scripture! Thank you, dear nicmarlo!!!
Beautiful words, which your post reminded me of. Next to Christ and the Father, of course, I can’t wait to meet our brother in Christ, Paul.
This is truly most awesome...just to meditate on this for awhile:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.Thanks for posting this for me to read again.And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. - Romans 8:26-27
And I our brother the Apostle John, after Christ and the Father! He and Paul were hand-in-glove in revealing Christ to us.
To God be the glory, not man, never man.
Well, it's not as if you haven't been asked nicely a few dozen times. :o)
Is it that big of a burden, really? Everyone else that cites Scripture in their posts doesn't seem to have a problem with including the reference. I just think it's being courteous, but that's me.
Amen! ONLY God searches hearts and knows the will of God - all of it. How can anyone possibly imagine going to a created being, even one who may be in heaven with God, for intercession when we have THE Holy Spirit to do that??? Because He is eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, NO ONE can outdo Him.
I just wish some would understand that discussions like this are not intended to mock or deride their dearly held beliefs but to show a more excellent way. A way that God has revealed to us through His sacred word. Nothing man thinks up, dreams about or imagines can be better.
I hope y'all have a blessed Christmas!
I find it's not so unusual.
Because, as usual, the topic is not addressed. Rather since they can't refute the message, they go on to personal attack to try to destroy the integrity of the messenger.
Still trying to get personal info out of people, eh?
And just what does the group he affiliates with for corporate worship have to do with his personal level of discernment?
Just how do you see that connected?
I discern that badgering someone for personal info that could potentially compromise someone's screen name is generally frowned upon by management.
Very much like my mother.
She accepted Christ with me when she was in the hospital dying. It was the last time I saw her conscious.
She died a week later.
Word of the day..... Irony
Discern this. Posting references which do not affect the integrity of the word itself, provide opportunity for people to demonstrate that they are posting in integrity by not cobbling together passages of Scripture from different places in the Bible so that it appears that Scripture is saying something it really didn't.
A person who has nothing to hide will post so that what he says can be easily verified by someone checking Scripture themselves and that means posting the references, which in no way impugn the integrity of God's word.
No one should be so afraid of coming under scrutiny that they are not willing to be transparent in their dealings with Scripture.
No, you cherry pick. You might quote entire chapters, but you ignore other chapters that contradict what you post.
and what you insist catholics and others believe are not what we believe. And when we try to explain these things, you ignore our explanations and find another verse out of context to insist you are right, never mind it doesn’t answer what we actually point out and of course merely repeats the original wrong idea.
Peter has instructions on how to explain the faith. Try looking them up.
Stop using straw man arguments and misdirection if you want respect.
Whoops guess someone got the last judgement scenerio wrong.
Come ye blessed for I was hungry and you gave me to drink... but not you, you degenerate .....(fill in blanks).
You make god into a boogeyman, then wonder why good people dislike churches.
Jesus bears our burdens and died to save us. Don’t you recognize how deep is his mercy?
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