A simple guy

You know all about drama don't you Mike? Sorry you've got such a hang up about the Way Corps, which I dropped out of, btw. I can't change my past. Keep accusing and fighting... your identity depends on it.

This is tedious, Mike. Have fun with your forum.

I answered that question once Mike. Perhaps you should reread the content of what I said to avoid the confusion. My question was asked of no one in particular. As far as how I worded my question, I find it hard to believe that only one person would ever make a statement like that.

How is Christ getting glorified in all of this?

Too funny. The last thread went 20 pages, I wonder what this one will get up to. I'm selling popcorn.

Mike, Taking a poll? I doubt if anything you say here is that innocuous. I already told you, I'm not biting, give it a rest.

Mike, While I appreciate the seemingly civil tone of your last post, at this point I'm not interested in discussing with you your slant on what VPW meant in any context, final teaching or otherwise. You wondered why I initially started talking to you, you were the only thing on this site that got my attention, I've been reading PFAL for quite some time and recently pulled out the books yet again for some things I was studying in the Word. I have to admit the other posters have been warm and welcoming, I may continue to post here if for no reason than to get to know them. Raf made a good point about PFAL earlier that I liked, PFAL did direct us to God's Word. With regard to this agenda I've seen in your posts since looking further here, as far as I'm concerned your credibility is shot and I'm not biting, I think there is too much of a hook in your words to do anything other than refute you - 2 Corinthians 4:2.

You and I have never talked Mike unless it was 25 years ago at ROA or something. And I didn't lie to you when I said I wasn't "ever really in a leadership position". I was a WOW family coordinator one year. Thats it, nothing higher. Frankly I don't really care whether you believe this. As to the rest of your post, my responses to you were just that, responses. You escalated the rhetoric when I brought up Are the Dead Alive Now. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If you're frustrated with me because I'm confident in what I have to say to you that's your problem. You still have a responsibility to accept reproof if there was any in it. As to me mixing soul and spirit, I didn't. Once again, perhaps you should reread the posts to alleviate the confusion.

Accusation, fault finding and laying guilt are not sonship rights and God doesn’t use them to motivate his children to know his Word. In fact, he gave his son so that we no longer have to reap the consequences of sin and guilt. Remember Romans – Shall Christ lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Mike, you compared me to Craig Martindale. It’s interesting to me how guilt and accusation rolls off your fingertips as easily as it rolled off his tongue. My point to you hasn’t changed - the biggest part of having a renewed mind lies in knowing who one is in Christ. Your statements over the last couple pages make it quite clear that you still don’t have a clue what your identity is yet. If you did you would think twice about laying guilt at the feet of one whose life was paid for by the blood of Christ. My choice to know God’s Word comes from understanding the love he has for me. Why in the world would I want to allow a dishonest and accusative man be a part of that? Timothy was told to study to show himself approved unto God. Timothy was already approved of God, in Christ, why would Paul tell him this? Because the scriptures reveal the approval. Study to show himself approved unto God. In other words, study so you can know you are approved unto God. Quite a different approach from studying so God will approve of me. This is why you’re a dishonest workman Mike. Your identity, and therefore your knowledge of God’s approval of his children is still unclear to you. Oldiesman, I’ve seen enough of Mike’s heart to know who’s works he’s magnifying.

Hi Oldiesman, A person can magnify their own works above Christ even when those works are works of studying God's Word. The pharisees had this one down pretty good - John 5:18-39. A man can chose this path, don't demand it of me though.

Wordwolf, I'm flattered, thanks for the kind words. I was a little surprised to walk into all of this but it won't change God's Word ...or what Christ accomplished. What does that mean? "Wants to sit at the counter" Just curious, I don't remember saying that when I signed up.

Modaustin, I apologize if I've contributed to the squandered bytes here. Edit anything you see fit.

Mike, I've already said my piece with you. Perhaps you should reread what I wrote since you're confused regarding the content.

Mike, All who are born again have been given the nature of Jesus Christ. As such we need to make the choice to relegate all of our own nature to the grave and fully accept his identity, his accomplishments and his nature. It’s pretty clear in Romans if you still bother to read Romans. Our own works accomplish nothing that hasn’t already been accomplished in him. You’ve taken this direction to master these materials and made the accomplishment of mastering them your new identity. In essence your work to master these books has taken precedence over accepting what has already been done by Christ. And now you use this standard to judge your brothers in Christ. I study God’s Word to learn what’s been done for me, to learn who I am in Christ, not to earn some thing that wasn’t included in the new birth. You have to fight anyone who points this out to you because you lack confidence spiritually. You just cannot be wrong. The believer who knows they were a sinner doesn’t worry about admitting being wrong, flawed and coming up short. Their identity in Christ is more important to them than working for anything that wasn’t already given in Christ. What Christ accomplished isn’t enough for you. You have to find some way to make yourself more spiritual than the next guy. You have to find some way of getting closer to God because Christ just wasn’t enough for you. Your accusation of me not knowing God as well as I think I do is the epitome of this attitude, after all how could God be as close to me as he is to you considering how much harder you’ve worked, how much more you’ve obeyed him, how much more you’ve determined to do his will than I have. Am I unfit to speak God’s Word? Absolutely. I was so dead in sins I didn’t have the right to even speak the name of Jesus Christ. But now with his nature I have God dwelling within, and all your works won’t bring you any closer to him than I already am. You want to leave this alone, you want to ignore it, you want be confident that you are on the right track but you know that as hard as you try you’re always going to come up short and it drives you nuts to have it pointed out. So you’ll keep fighting, keep accusing and keep condemning others to make yourself feel like you're right. It’s really a pitiable position to be in. I sorrow for the bondage you will inflict on the immature believer who you manage to get your hooks into. Hi Belle, I'll take lots of both, thanks.

You're accusations of me don't change your own dishonesty toward God's Word. For someone with so little time to invest in this you sure have a lot to say. As far as what I've done wrong, I've never professed to having done anything right, quite the contrary. What I did profess was the one who makes us righteous. Go ahead ignore me, ignore what I've said, make the choice to continue with your dishonesty toward God, you don't hurt me in the process. Ultimately you deny what has been accomplished for you by Jesus Christ. Given the choice I'd much rather stand approved before him than you.