Dearest brothers and sisters; as I was reading I was thinking about how so many of us come from diverse backgrounds and have been outcasts while some others may be bound by doctrines of man. As I read about Herod the tetrarch being reproved by John the baptist for having his brother's wife I couldn't help but think how in a spiritual sense this may be happening today. The church is the bride of Christ and I can't help but wonder how his bride may be kept by his brother. Luke 3:38 tells us that Adam was the son of God also. That first Adam, a type and shadow of ourself in the flesh may be keeping the bride in a sense from growing in the Lord and being renewed in Christ. If we allow ourselves to be subject to doctrines that are esteemed above the word of God we have maybe in a sense kept that which should be his. The word says Herod added to his evil by keeping John shut up in prison. I couldn't help but think back to a time when I did what I wanted and in a sense kept the Lord's bride to myself. In doing so I was trying to find a church that fit my wants rather than what the Lord wanted for me. I decided to hide in a strict works oriented church where I could be the man I thought I should be. I sat and cringed as they preached their clothesline doctrine and their views of what an effeminate man was. When I saw that our precious Lord was meek and that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth in his times I made mention of it just for it to be ignored. I brought forth questions about Boaz covering Ruth with his skirt and the deeper things of covering. When I mentioned the spiritual aspects of clothing it was rejected as well. About this time a sundayschool teacher saw these same things and resigned thinking he was wrong and backslidden. In the fear that was taught by the precept of man and not by the word he was kept bound. I wonder how many others out there does Herod have bound in prisons of doctrines and denominations that shun the word for their own views? We are not to be compared to a prophet like John but in a lesser sense, how many of us that are supposed to prepare the way of the Lord and make his ways straight are kept imprissoned by the wisdom of man and not of God? Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. And that liberty has made us free from sin and death. I just hope and pray that someone can benefit from this. May God bless you all. Love, Samantha.
I believe that doctrine is good and necessary for teaching of scripture. The only problem is...WHO'S doctrine: the bible's or the human teacher's?
I get a Christian TV channel that shows episodes from Cross TV, a ministry that helps to teach the essentials of biblical doctrine. Just a couple of weeks ago, they were teaching on how God uses the Holy Spirit to convert the human soul from sin to salvation. Each episode in the series brought tears to my eyes and made me realize how our loving God uses the "foolishness" of the Bible to bring us to faith in Christ. We NEED stuff like this brought back into the church! It helps us to see that God is the One who saves us and keeps us from sin and hell, and not we ourselves. As GLBT people, we need to learn these doctrines and see how God has used our sexuality and its problems to make us see how human frailty and our own sinfulness helps to bring us to put our faith in Him.
What I meant by doctrines were the doctrine's of man. Man's doctrines, like books and TV shows may twiet scripture to leave one bound. The woed of God should be the doctrine of final authority. The renewing by the spirit of God should do as dear brother Paul said and cause the law to be fulfilled in us. In that manner there is no room for doubt brought on by the various church doctrines and forms of enlightenment through men's words. Books, TV and picking and choosing scripture can cause people to be swayed back and forth from following the word of God and turning from the word of God. A person tormented by not knowing why they feel as they do can be just as bound as the one trapped in a church with a useless doctrine. For example, I bound not knowing why I felt as I did. The clothesline doctrine kept me bound by using the law. Man's books, TV and twisting of scriptures only offered a tempotary peace that soon went away leaving me hopeless again. When I could use the doctrine of Christ through his word alone I received peace. It was then that I realized that the renewing by is spirit and in accordance with faith and total subjection to him alone would fulfill the law in me just as dear brother Paul wrote. With this knowledge it left no room for being tossed to and fro anymore. I could see that as a man in this world I was to be a spiritual head to my wife with Christ as that head. He would appoint my place of worship and my pastor. That shepherd would feed me the word that would glorify Christ and teach me to please him. The inner part of me that feels so feminine I no longer allowed to condemn me as I could see the spiritual work of God. That feminine feeling was the fulfilling of the law in me whereby I could acknowledge that I was a part of the body of his bride. Being male in the natural has been a blessing and I would never want to change my body just as I would never want to change his word. Being meek, and female allows me to be his betrothed and to rejoice in beeing fully in subjection to him. Thus, the law of the spirit of life in him has made me free from the law of sin and death and the law has been fulfilled. With that law being fulfilled by his word alone and by his spirit it has freed me from the law by removing that which has codemned me. Through fulfilling, not avoiding nor denying. I hope that someone can prosper by my expaination of what I meant. May God bless you all. Love, Samantha.
I apologize if you thought that I was "slamming" what you wrote. I was just commenting that church doctrines should and MUST be stated by what is written in the Bible and NOT by whichever bigot is sitting on the church council and is the biggest contributor to the collection box. When a Christian knows true biblical doctrine, then he is able to discern truth from lies that demons and their false doctrines teach. I have been watching David Jeremiah preach on TV about grace and how it is different from mercy. Mercy forgives us our sins, and grace delivers us from them. Too many churches are giving out bad teachings on grace. One preacher, Pastor Jeremiah said, that the Christian life is like rowing a boat with one oar being "works" and the other oar being "grace". He said that a boat like that will just be going around in circles because the only oar that works is "grace". And Dr. Jeremiah is right! We are SAVED by grace so that we can do the WORKS that God wants us to do. I was once trapped by this kind of thinking, too. I once thought that the only way that I would ever be able to go to heaven when I die was to go straight. Now I know that that idea isn't even in the bible. We are saved by God's grace, and by that grace He changes our hearts and minds to become more like Jesus.
Dearest Jeffry; thank you for your response hun, but I didn't think you were slamming me. I was merely trying to relate how the word and spirit of God has worked in my life in a way in which man's teachings can't. My intent was to show the work of God and not man through the manifetation of the fulfilling of his law in my my heart and soul as no man can do. I have tried many of men's methods over the years dear, and only found temporal fixes that left me crying out after the initial thrill of someone's latest revelation had passed and my confusion and condemnation returned. I agree with you about church denominations hun, and they just don't work when esteemed above the word of God. I remember how Gameliel said in Acts, if this work or counsel be of man it will come to nought, but if it be of God you cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found fighting God in unawares. That's how I see man's methods dear. So many fight against the spirit of God and fail to deliver us from the pain of bondage. I just don't want to rely on a work or counsel that will come to nought at the judgement seat of Christ. The word of God I trust and the spirit of God I trust, but I have always believed Let God be true and every man a liar when it comes to my salvation. Thanks for the input hun. I do appreciate it. May God bless you dear. Love, Samantha.
Thank you, Samantha...I was afraid that you might have taken something that I had said the wrong way. Now I see that you didn't. My apologies...
I too was a victim of "church abuse" and got things messed up too before the Lord rescued me and set me right on how the bible is used to help someone get right with God. There are too many "cooks in the kitchen" when it comes to the church's doctrines.
The only "cook" in there should be Christ Himself...
