House Church Talk - Phil & his Visualizing

[st peter]

well, now i know i will not be looking for "fellowship" in the "HC"
community!!!

permanently "Church"less...

cu!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jim sutton" <goodword at bresnan.net>
To: <House Church Talk  at housechurch.org>
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 8:53 PM
Subject: House Church Talk -  Phil & his Visualizing


> Well, we often do run, don?t we?  Our feet so swift and eager to shed
innocent
> blood.
>
> I went back and looked again at your original post, Phil, on Visualizing
> Christ.  And I must say I was shocked.  I saw nothing there to merit the
> carrying on that has followed on this list.
>
> Granted, the words and terms you used historically provoke backlash from
> Christians.  Many of us have heard the sermons, listened to the tapes,
read
> the books produced by Christian leaders against new age stuff.  And I
agree
> with the typical Christian stand against new age garbage.
>
> But Guys, stop and take a breath.  Rather than carry on, and on, and on
with a
> "friends of Job" routine, stop and see what Phil really said.  Respond
with
> reason, and not like any insect that just acts out of instinct.
>
> God reveals His truth most perfectly in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And
> He also reveals His truth perfectly in the Scriptures.  But He does not
stop
> there.
>
> Often we may hear/read a story (like Pilgrim's Progress) that is not
> Scripture, and not the quoted words of Jesus or an apostle -- but is still
> used of God to break thru to us with a fresh awareness of a truth.  And
the
> Lord may even use a totally secular source to rattle our brains, stirring
up
> our awareness of a truth of God.
>
> The truth does not come from the secular source, or even from the servant
of
> God.  The truth always comes from God.  And often it was already in our
minds.
>  We just needed to see it from another angle to see it again.
>
> C.S. Lewis (I know, now I'm sunk) talked a lot about this in many places.
He
> was a student of medieval literature.  And even in the most ridiculous
pagan
> sources, Lewis could see glimpses and reflections of God's truth.
Granted, he
> agreed that they were distorted by fallen human minds.  Yet he believed
that
> the truth of God cannot be totally hidden.  The Light (of John 1:4,5 & 9)
> shines so brightly that it touches and influences even darkest humanity.
>
> And Paul saw -- even in pagan poetry -- a truth of God, as he quotes in
Acts
> 17:28: "For ?In him we live and move and have our being?; as even some of
your
> own poets have said, ?For we too are his offspring.?"
>
> (Boy, would he have been chewed on for such comments by this list!  The
very
> thought that common people are all God?s children!  If that isn?t new-age,
> nothing is.  But was Paul really teaching that all are God?s children, or
> simply using those words to point to a genuine truth?)
>
> Yes, we do need to stand for the truth of God's Word.  The Bible is the
> authority over every thought, belief, and teaching.  And that should be
enough
> said, among brothers and sisters in Christ.
>
> But to gang up and try to skin a brother alive for sharing something
> thoughtful and real is stupid and wrong.  It's time to back off and cool
down.
>  Those big guns you want to aim at a good brother need to be aimed at the
real
> enemy we all have in common.
>
> Like Job of old, Phil keeps trying to explain what he means, why he has
taken
> his stand.  And like those lousy comforters of old, you keep trying to
find
> and prove the flaw.   ?Lemme at that speck there, Phil.?  And like those
> ?friends? of Job you get even more riled up when your victim complains
about
> your attitude.
>
> This same Pharisaical attitude has already chased off a lot of good
brothers
> and sisters from this list.  Do you really want to be left with just
> yourselves?
>
> Take a breath, Guys.  Look at your own reactions and ask the Lord for
wisdom
> here.
>
> Jim
>
>
>
>