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My Guide to Loving Relationships


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In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, black nor white, clergy nor laity. We are all one IN CHRIST.

Creating disciples, baptizing disciples, and nurturing disciples is the mutual responsibility of all believers. We are a "kingdom of priests". There is no elite class of Christians. Clergy and laity distinctions are inventions of men intended to elevate one group of believers over another group.

Although these ideas are revolutionary in this day they are as old as the New Testament. It's what first Christians did when they came together. Worship was "mutual edification". They had no elites among them. Even The Twelve never claimed such distinction. When the brethren tried to elevate apostles or other men over the rest, Paul condemns it! See I Corinthians 1. That's elitism and it has no place among God's family. Even Jesus said, “It shall not be so among you!”

Men brought the idea of clergy/laity in the church. It is not biblical. It must be done away with before it destroys the whole church.

Public worship is to be done by all. Not just a select few. Each member is expected to come to public assembly with something to share: a verse, a song, a message from God, a word of encouragement or praise. This should be done as the Spirit leads and without chaos.

There are two requirements for true worship. It is to be done in spirit and in truth. Truth-speaking is to be given preference. Truth is to be spoken to one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Each one takes his turn bringing a word of encouragement or message from God. See the instructions in I Corinthians 14.

One group should never "lord it over" the rest. God lives in each of us. We move as he directs. There is no man on earth with his authority. We move and act according to the measure of faith and gifts he gives each of us.

Unfortunately, our cultural Christianity promotes a few superstars among us each Sunday. These actors are placed on raised podiums while the average Christian is told to sit down and shut up! They are asked to accept only what the elite class is capable of delivering. Sometimes these superstars have little or no proven Christian character. Some even lack spiritual maturity. Yet, they are lifted up as role models. By so doing, we teach the rest that character does not matter. We teach that what matters most is being a great singer, an excellent speaker, or an accomplished performer! Among the body of Christ it should never be so!

The body of Christ is where each member plays a part necessary for growing the whole body.

We need true Christian community. We need believers acting as a family that nurtures and protects each member. We need mentors who actually listen and follow the Spirit. We need leaders who can lead as servants to teach how to listen more closely to the Spirit. We need real leaders who actually let the Spirit lead. These leaders will walk among us and beside us. Certainly not walk over us!

As true Christian community, we will hold each other accountable. We will promote only the original form of Christianity. We will emphasize relationships without hypocrisy. We will enjoy true heart-felt, honest, and spontaneous praise in worship to our Lord Jesus Christ.

No Christian is above another Christian. No member of Christ’s body should ever be given absolute power and sole authority over other believers.

In Christ, there is one Lord and Master. His name is Jesus.
Posted by Theophileous at 5:05 PM - 22 Comments   Add a Comment  
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Comments:

Just got to say 'AMEN' to this one! totally agree, friend

ron
 
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by AZRON (PM , CC ) on Thursday August 30, 2007 @ 11:05 PM




Greetings- Very well writin and valid in most of what you say..... I have lived a spirtual life based on the knowledge that the needs of others out way my own. I am not perfect in my ettempts to all ways do unto others how i would want done unto me but i try. I harm no one unless harmed i help any i can and always try to picture what hardships they have and are still enduring. But, i still have issues with the "organized" "scripted or scriptured" religions. I could debate any one on why what they have been lead to "blindly believe" is worth taking a second look at. I don't openly express that only if asked. I like your thoughts and will return again. love, peace and hope for less carbon. joram  
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by illumination guy's (PM , CC ) on Friday August 31, 2007 @ 12:40 AM




Theo - I like your thoughts; my challenge is to see them actually be real in this world. I grew up in a family that attended such a fellowship however there was still the lording over, segregation - men were definitely over all and they put women and children in their place. I do not agree with where things are in America today; I do not agree where the people are within where I grew up (they still are going strong); I agree we need an overhaul in the church today. I believe that the solution is a true practicing of the two greatest commandments - Love God with all you heart , soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself! And frankly even most Christians in America are too selfish and self centered to want to truly practice these two commandments! June  
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by Praywithhope (PM , CC ) on Friday August 31, 2007 @ 10:20 AM




Ron, thanks brother. Always good to know you are out there! Thanks for dropping by and considering my thoughts.  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Friday August 31, 2007 @ 12:15 PM




Illumination Guy, thanks for leaving me your thoughts. And for considering my words.

I hear what you are saying. But, if the scriptures are not our guideliness for what is right and wrong, good and evil, then who or what gets to define those? The character and nature of God as plainly revealed in Scripture is for all. Who God TRULY is, that is the standard for all. He is defined clearly in scripture for all to read and comprehend, if you can read and comprehend written language you can better understand the God you see in nature. No one needs me to explain God to them. They already know him for he has placed himself in all he created. He most plainly revealed himself in Jesus Christ and His teachings while he was on earth in the flesh. All one has to do is consider Jesus and what Jesus plainly taught.

The question is, "Do you believe Jesus and his claim to be God?" That's the true question. The next one naturally follows, "Do you believe Scripture is God-breathed as Scripture claims to be?"

If not, then you are a god unto yourself and you follow a basic philosophy of "live and let live." Personally, that's not good enough for me. I can't live and let you live. Without God in my life, I am an absolute tyrant! I will try to dominate and destroy you! Without God, I am nothing! It takes God living in me for me to be loving, gentle and kind. Without God, I'm not loving and gentle. Neither am I kind. With God living in me, I am not the same person I am today. It's a process called conversion. And unless this whole world is willing to allow him to give each of us a spiritual make-over, we are doomed and this world is doomed! Do you understand that? There is no hope for this world in this world if there is no God! It is merley a dog-eat-dog world if we exclude God and Scripture from this world. Frankly, I don't want to be here and neither do you if that's all there is. There is more. At least more is possible "in Christ". In Christ, we are valued and loved, forgiven and re-created. Without him, we are nothing.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for giving us hope and a new life of love, joy and peace. Amen.
 
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Friday August 31, 2007 @ 12:39 PM




June, of course you are correct. Jesus has to make a difference in us and in the church. The church should not be the same as the world. We should not have to struggle with elitism and egos in the church. The cross of Christ judges every selfish thought and every selfish act! Unfortunately, we will always struggle with these things until we all start listening to the Spirit instead of to men, even to ourselves.

The Christian walk is simple. We follow God's lead. We listen to his voice more than we are listening to anyone else. If you are listening to the Spirit and I am listening to the Spirit, we cannot help but walk in love, joy and peace together. That's the key. Listen and obey the Master's voice.

The true sheep know the Shepherd's voice. And the Shepherd knows his sheep. He is near. He is very near.
 
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Friday August 31, 2007 @ 12:43 PM




Greetings again, Thank for your honest response but we are going to have to agree...... to disagree. See i do not want to dominate you, i want youi to be as happy and fullfilled as you can be,as long as that doesnt mean forcing your belief system on me. Also we dont need sciptures to know the diference between good and bad. we can get those ques from earth, nature and mother earth. I ilke the dialog we are develpoing. We ll take it one ques at a time. Do you believe that God created the heavens and earth in 6 days 6,000 yrs ago as bible tells? you new friend(cant get rid of me now) joram  
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by illumination guy's (PM , CC ) on Friday August 31, 2007 @ 12:59 PM




This is wonderful advice but can you tell us something new?  
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by Frank (PM , CC ) on Monday September 3, 2007 @ 9:03 PM




Very true and informative  
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by Desari (PM , CC ) on Monday September 3, 2007 @ 9:12 PM




Desari, thank you for visiting!  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Tuesday September 4, 2007 @ 4:23 PM




Frank, I'm not sure what to make of your comment. Can you tell me what you mean?  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Tuesday September 4, 2007 @ 4:24 PM




Illum guy, you need to understand that the term "day" in scripture doesn't always mean a literal twenty-four hours. It is defined within the context of creation to mean one period of daylight and darkness. Yet, in the north one period of daylight and darkness may last for 6 months. I've seen evidence both ways. And, I haven't quite made up my mind on such matters. What I do believe is that God created all things through Jesus Christ. And that he created it from nothing. However this is a matter of faith and does not need to be proved to me in a laboratory. Yet, whether this is true or not isn't dependent on my believing it. It is either true or false regardless what I believe. I do not make God real by believing in him. And no one can make him less real by not believing in him.  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Tuesday September 4, 2007 @ 4:37 PM




Illum guy, you said, "we can get those ques from earth, nature and mother earth. I agree, to a point. For instance, there are only two things you can know about God from nature or earth: his eternal power and divine nature. But, you can learn much more from Scripture. Especially from the mouth and life of Jesus Christ. Since he came to reveal God to us. If you reject scripture, then you reject further knowledge and truth. For Jesus claimed to be truth incarnate.  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Wednesday September 5, 2007 @ 10:29 AM




Thoe,
No one human is above another.
That's the way I look at it.
Jesus was a great prophet, as was
Mohammad, Ghandi, Sitting Bull,
and ML King.
Goe in peace my friend. You are
blessed with the spirit,
Joe
 
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by joesblog6 (PM , CC ) on Friday September 7, 2007 @ 12:05 PM




Joe, my friend. In a sense you are correct. No human is above another human. But, our head is Christ for he was both human and divine. If you believe him to be the Son of God as he proclaimed. If you do not believe now, you will one day. For "every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord."

Let's all avoid the rush and say today, "Jesus is Lord!" I like being early everywhere I go!
 
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Saturday September 8, 2007 @ 1:12 PM




The-ee-ee-ee-ooooooo!,

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Well, I'm not your mother sooooooo......I guess I should hold my tongue, huh?

Wow, have we been missing you on the blog! Well, to be honest I haven't been around much either in the last couple of weeks (I notice with you it's been a couple of MONTHS! .....sorry, I couldn't help myself there.

Well, you are right on every point, Theo, and boy do we sure miss your voice on the Blogstream. Much love to you and don't be such a stranger, my brother!
 
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by prisonerofhope (PM , CC ) on Sunday September 9, 2007 @ 12:36 PM




PoH, HOWDYYYYYYYYY! How in the world are you! So, good to talk to you and have you visit. The Lord has been doing so much in my life and I have been blessed to be able to share my hope with so many people but it hasn't been on the blogosphere. I've just come back on occasionally with something on my heart. But, I'm here. Keep praying for me. I think of you often. Stay in touch!  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Monday September 10, 2007 @ 5:11 PM




Theo

Oh my goodness - it is so good to see and hear your words again - I just love you to pieces! I hope you will pop over and let me know when you land again. May the good Lord keep you safe and give you so much love and joy and your little mouth will smile from ear to ear -
 
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by Lookin' (PM , CC ) on Tuesday September 18, 2007 @ 8:15 PM




Well said!  
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by Desari (PM , CC ) on Tuesday September 18, 2007 @ 8:19 PM




Thank you Desari for visiting and reading my posts!  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @ 9:13 AM




Lookin', thanks SO much for visiting. I'm here. I just drop in occasionally to check on my blogstream friends. God's richest blessings to you! I continue to be very blessed.  
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by Theophileous (PM , CC ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @ 9:14 AM




Theo, sure do miss you. Love, Karen  
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by RoieVanBib (PM , CC ) on Friday November 2, 2007 @ 1:07 AM


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
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