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Yep, especially regarding these matters.

The Church isn’t connecting with much of our current culture. It’s possible that so many people, including a great many Christians, have misunderstood what Christianity truly is, and have lost sight of what Christianity originally was. The ethic of the early and accurate Christian faith is sorely lacking nowadays.

It’s possible that people aren’t rejecting Jesus and His movement as it truly is, but instead are rejecting a distorted view of what they ‘think’ it is, or has become. So much emphasis is placed by so many, including a great many Christians, on the orthodoxy itself, and on the “two thousand years of church history and doctrine,” instead of on the first-generation passion of what it meant to simply strive to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus. The first century approach to advancing the gospel modeled by Jesus and His apostles is very different from what we see today.

The gospel of grace is an irresistible message. But so many people resist it, resist Jesus, and snub the Church. It’s possible that the fault lies not with the gospel and simply following Jesus, but with a burdensome emphasis placed on orthodoxy and “two thousand years of church history and doctrine”...a great deal of which was simply and truly and clearly awful for people...and on a set of rules and regulations that have been added to the simple ethic that Jesus taught: “A new command I give you, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my followers, by how you love one another.” A lotta Christians are more embracing of orthodoxy and “two thousand years of church history and doctrine” than they are of the overriding simple ethic that Jesus taught. It’s an understandable turnoff to so many people.

“I’ll go out on a limb and say most people have invested the same amount of effort to investigate Jesus, as they have to their own world view.”
Some just have to make my point for me.

I especially liked “most reasonable atheists” don’t believe in the God of the Bible etc....
I guess it’s the unreasonable atheist that believe in God? Lol
Translation, people that agree with me are reasonable, others are not. The condescension of Christians is palpable

Or......

John 3:16

What you mention may be part of the problem but there may be some other things to consider and even go along with your statement. One is that the Bible tells us that there is going to be a great falling away. We really started seeing that in this nation in the 1960s. Also the church has so watered down the message and teachings of the Bible that it has lost it's way. An example of that is denominations that embrace same sex marriage and even perform the ceremony in the church. These same groups also ordain queers and pastors. They also embrace abortion. These are no longer an outreach of God to the lost souls but have joined them in their sin. God takes no part in this and that's one reason we see the decline of the influence the church once had. These places are the same as when Jesus called the Pharisees, whited sepulchers.

Yep. Simplicity.

Antlers makes some good points. Too many know the Bible, but don’t know the author.

And it was the spirit of religion that nailed the Lord to the cross. The Romans were just goaded into doing the dirty work.

The high priests and the religious establishment of the day pushed for the crucification. The spirit of religion is alive and active today just as in olden times. It’s up to us to discern what is of the Lord vs what is about the Lord. Those aren’t mutually inclusive, can actually be mutually exclusive.

Only the Spirit of the Lord, indwelling in us, can lead us to all truth. Paul tells us in a number of places in the NT to not be ignorant of such. Too many are deceived, walking in error. Check out Mat 7:21. Lord Lord, didn’t we.... Pretty sad

DF

"IT'S", so simple, and easy. A little child can do IT!

One huge problem is, a lot of good folks don't think they need saving.

A devout Catholic told me once, it was all about being a good guy.

Remember, the thief on the Cross.

A good answer when someone thinks things are just somehow gonna work themselves out regardless what they believe.

Tell them they can stand on speculation, you gonna stand on revelation.

DF

Insightful. Yep. But hey, they were the religious experts, they studied their religion for many years, and their beloved orthodoxy was all important to them. Agreed. Many think that God can only speak to themselves and others through the Bible. They supposedly have the Spirit of the Living God inside of them, yet they deny that God speaks to His followers separately, one on one today, rather than them getting all of their answers from what He told somebody else 2000 years ago.Agreed. Wholeheartedly.

For Rhema, one must be in the Spirit. Such a believer sees Jesus in the OT.

Legalistic types, operating solely in the natural can only see law, even in the NT.

He who has ears, let him hear.

DF

Do you think homosexuals were created in the image of God...? And do you think homosexuals have dignity and worth equal to that of any of the other of God’s image-bearers...especially in God’s eyes...?

They weren't created to be homosexuals, no more than a thief was created to be a thief. It's by free will those types make their own choice. Love the sinner, hate the sin.

Excellent stuff Dirtfarmer.

Do you think that all people were created in the image of God...regardless of their sin...? And do you think that all people...regardless of their sin...have dignity and worth equal to that of any of the other of God’s image bearers...especially in God’s eyes...?

Yes, I believe everyone is created in the image of God, as that's what the Bible says. Do all people, regardless of sin, have dignity worth equal to that of any other of God's image bearers? Unless you can prove me wrong with scripture, I say no to that one.

And his previous church leader, one of Satans tares, said on TV one day, "You must worship the Church".

Organized religion has been led astray by those tares of satan, his seed, mixed with Gods wheat, just as when Jesus was crucified, it was done by satan's tares running the organized religion of the day, and they were called the Saducees and Pharasees, who Jesus identified as vipers whose father was a murderer and begat by the main viper, the snake from the Garden of Eden.

The sons of Cain, satans seed scattered in with Gods seed, who became the vipers Jesus later referred to, found employment with the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Benjamin and part of the Levites after they split apart from the other tribes who formed the Northern Kingdom.

In the Bible it says the southern called themselves Jews, and the sons of Cain gained employment with them as scribes, and worked their way into positions of importance and ALSO INTO THE PREISTHOOD. They too, called themselves Jews, though their father was a viper and a murderer.

They are here in our churches today, working as then, to seperate Gods people from Him.

Appreciate you answering those questions JGRaider. Thank You.

So your affirmative answer to the first question coincides with what the Bible says, and you point that out. You can back up your first answer Biblically. Does your negative answer to the second question coincide with what the Bible says, or is it just your opinion...is it just the way you feel or believe about it...can you back up your second answer Biblically...?

Apostle Paul does say that we are ALL sinners who are guilty before God. I know that you know that. Apostle John does say that Jesus died for the WHOLE world. I know that you know that too. Paul and Peter both said that God shows no partiality, and James tells us to show no partiality. I know that I’m not pointing out anything in the Bible that you don’t already know.

I’m just tryin’ to see the point of view of how some Christians seemingly classify others sins, especially homosexuality, as somehow being worse than their own...? Where does the degree of severity of these sins come from...? Are the distinctions made solely by some Christians themselves...for their owns reasons...or can they back up Biblically that God Himself sees the sins of others, especially homosexuality, in a worse light than He sees their own...? The distinction was made earlier that it was by free will that homosexuals make their own choice regarding their sin. That’s debatable...science has observed variations on the sexual norm in countless other species...but, for the sake of this discussion, let’s assume that it is as you say. When I sin nowadays, and I do, it’s by free will that I make my own choice regarding my sin. And I’d venture to say that when you sin nowadays, and you do, it’s by free will that you make your own choice regarding your sin. And the same can be said for every other adult human being on the planet.

The ONLY people who are sitting in church pews, and the ONLY people who are professing to be Christian, are ALL sinners. Not ‘once were’ sinners, but ‘still are’ sinners. I think Jesus’ work on the cross was more than sufficient for ANY and ALL of those sins. And I think the Blood of the Atonement will cover ALL of the sins of those who have accepted God’s grace.