Dear U R,
After reading Your last letter we are rejoicing that we are not lost!
We have learned that faith and feelings are mostly opposite. The five senses of our flesh are against us. We believe that this is the other Law working in our members (Romans 7).
Speaking of members, our group of family, friends, and fellow ministers have found some passages in the Scriptures that we have questions about. In John 5:39-40 Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Later we found three scriptures: Matthew 13:15, John 12:40, and Acts 28:27 all mentioning that we should be converted that You might heal us?
Here is life and healing by coming to Jesus and being converted. We do not have a clear understanding of what this really means! So we thank You that You will help us and give us understanding. Believe me, we are depending on You in this.
Now, at our last meeting, we reviewed all the letters You have written to us and feel we are going in the right direction. We have accepted our forgiveness just as Paul said he did, for we also did it in ignorance (1 Timothy 1:13). What a relief to see Your forgiveness in print and written so simply we can understand and accept it for ourselves.
We all know the so called LORD’S PRAYER. When they talk about it they speak of Sin and Debt and yet do not address The Lord’s Prayer for Laborers in the Harvest field (Matthew 9:38). We have many questions about prayer and how we can reconcile it with daily life.
The “DO NOT PRAY IN PUBLIC” (Matthew 6:1-6) certainly wreaks havoc with all the Churches and Televangelists. Everyone of them has a special PRAYER GROUP, ONE EVEN HAS A PRAYER TOWER. All have the same pitch to be PARTNERS with them. However; the SEED they request is MONEY!!! And with these requests they want us to supply their living …Butt, this must be a joke for we searched the scriptures and can’t find anywhere You mention a MONEY SEED. Neither Jesus, Paul, nor any of the other Disciples EVER asked for any money. In fact they said, “YOUR MONEY PERISH WITH YOU,” and :DO NOT FEED THE FLOCK FOR FILTHY LUCRE” (Acts 8:20 & 1 Peter 5:2). That’s all we ever hear, “PAY AND PRAY.” Why is this so predominant in all of our churches and seemingly all over the world?
Sincerely,
Your Pastor
PS: In House of Merchandise You said the thief on the cross knew more than us, what did you mean by that? We eagerly await Your answers as we do now truly desire to be taught by You, as You promised…
Why do we «dress up» for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week?
Hello Holy Ghost Writer,
what do you mean by…
Has not God created us with our feelings? I agree with you that we may as spiritual beings not be controlled by our feelings. But to live in spirit is not to live against the senses but to give them the right place.
Karl
Hi Karl,
The five senses, taste, touch, smell, hearing and seeing all report to the carnal mind which is the enemy of God. These senses are what Satan uses to tempt us! The lust of the flesh includes tasting, touching, smelling and hearing. The lust of the eyes is seeing. The pride of life is thinking you are special because of who you are, what you have, what you know or what you look like.
The enemy uses these three things, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to entice us to sin. Scripture shows this process at work in both the Garden of Eden and on the Mount of Temptation.
In the Garden of Eden: “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.” Genesis 3:6 The woman, Eve, saw that “the tree was good for food” – the lust of the flesh, “it was pleasant to the eyes” – the lust of the eyes, and “a tree to be desired to make one wise” – the pride of life. Of course you know the rest of the story! Eve was deceived, Adam disobeyed, sin came into the world, and death passed upon all men by sin, for that ALL have sinned…
On the Mount of Temptation: And when the tempter came to him, he said, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Matthew 4:3 – the lust of the flesh. The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, “All these things will I give thee.” Matthew 4:8-9 – the lust of the eyes. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Matthew 4:5-6 – the pride of life. Through the power of the Spirit, with the Sword of the Spirit, Christ successfully resisted the temptations and now we can too!
I think the greatest battle we all face in our lives is the battle within, the battle between the flesh and the spirit…
Amen and amen!