@Nayto:
Well, I will only answer two brief aspects of your last post, for now, because most of the rest follows along. In other words, we have to get to step A before we can consider steps B and C.
Nayto wrote:I agree with everything that was said, although I was a little confused by the end. What kind of people are you referring to who should be out in the streets if they feel they have a mandate? Are you referring specifically to extreme forms of action? Extreme action aside, I personally don't have a problem with spreading a message on the internet and gathering support. I'm quite sure you're referring to extremes, but I'm just covering all possibilities.
I am sorry for not making this clear enough during the program. The people I was talking about are those who get on the internet and try to recruit others to "do something", to "fight the jew", etc. etc. ad nauseum. There are many of them who pose as "CI pastor".
If you have a mandate from God, you do not need to sit on the internet and incite others to do anything. If you have a mandate from God, you will hit the streets and you will not fail in your endeavors.
Gideon did not select the 300 men who were worthy to follow with him, Yahweh did. Therefore, if you are on the internet recruiting people to your own form of vengeance, you are either an idiot or a troll.
An idiot, because you think you can move the hand of God contrary to Scripture. A troll, because you are trying to get others to assent to, if not commit, acts which will NOT achieve the purpose for which they were initiated.
Nayto wrote:I feel like a lot of what was spoken about was regarding ordering our personal lives, which is good and well. I think a lot of people could learn a lot from what was spoken about and I even identified with certain things as they relate to my own experiences with other CI people. Maybe that's how certain people need to bridge their personal experience over to a more corporate experience. I'm referring to spending time with fellow CI and such. I personally on principle never decline an invitation from another CI or deny someone who would like to visit (within reason). It's a good first step to some form of cohesion.
My point is that there needs to be a next step. I don't think it's sufficient that we simply order our personal lives, despite it being a good thing....
There is a next step, but we did not get there. Ryan and I spoke for two hours, and I immediately suggested a sequel because many things were left undiscussed.
However if we do not order our personal lives first, and get our intentions in line with the intentions of Christ, then what is the use of proceeding? We shall only be assisting in the formation of another cult, which the world is full of and which we should seek to avoid.
If we do not all agree with Christ, then we will never build a cohesive communtiy, either in the "real world" or here online. If we compromise our agreement with Christ, then wedges are easily driven and those communities which we do try to build simply crumble.
Perhaps that is why this board has had five hundred members over 5 years, and there are only a hundred now. And perhaps only half of that hundred are active.
Yet we should not be discouraged. Gideon started out with 30,000 men and ended up with 300. Leading them to drink water from the river was the weeding-out process designated by Yahweh. 29,700 men of 30,000 failed the test and were sifted out. Christ is the water of life. Any who do not accept and seek to follow after His Word will end up with the 29,700: saved in the end but most likely having little reward when it is over.
I am not saying that this board represents the modern equivalent of Gideon's 300: not by any means. But what I am saying, is that the egos and heresies and agendas of men consistently attempt to block the path to The Way.
The building of families and communities of authentic believers must be Christ-centered, and not man-centered. The components of those communities must therefore seek to have their lives ordered in Christ, even if none of them can do it perfectly, they can agree with Scripture and strive to improve themselves. The building cannot stand if the individual stones develop too many cracks. Therefore a community of people who do not all agree in Christ will not edify the Kingdom of God.
Which leads me back to the first topic addressed here.
Gideon is a favorite example of those who would fight the enemies of God, but they do not follow his example. They should go back and read Judges chapters 7 and 8 again. Before Gideon and his men engaged in the fight, they instead blew their trumpets and held their lights. Upon their doing so, Yahweh God confused and weakened the emeny by pitting them against themselves. Those things are types for us today who are to announce the truth. Two things are needed to do so: the trumpet and the light.
We are in the time where the children of Israel must be led to the Water of Life, which is Christ. Once they properly drink that water, they will have trumpets and lights for the start of the battle: the Truth and the ability to announce that Truth.