Agenda Driven or Accepting of Diversity?

[Pastor G]

Originally Posted by PastorD

No G! I will pray you thru if it's the last thing I do.

quit attacking me you ultra con... see thats just what I am talking about... no wonder you and I can't be friends... Is your other screen name WH????

Originally Posted by Rev

I think that your question is almost to much to try to answer here. But I was asking the Lord the other day and said "Lord who is my brother"?

Read these....

(Jude)12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
(Jude13) Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
(Jude14) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
(Jude 15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
(Jude16) These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

(I Co 5:9) I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
(I Co 5:10) Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
(I Co 5:11) But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

So my question is - where do you (or I) draw the line?

Sorry, I didn't see it earlier... My answer was in my very first post:

I guess my real ‘breaking point’ is when there is a blatant disregard for biblical spiritual disciplines or a violation of the New Birth doctrine of repentance, baptism in Jesus Name and receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

[PastorD]

Originally Posted by Pastor G

quit attacking me you ultra con... see thats just what I am talking about... no wonder you and I can't be friends... Is your other screen name WH????

You caught me!

Originally Posted by Pastor G

I don't really think that most of either are agenda driven, I just think both sides take exception to being told they are wrong for having their beliefs...

That is like saying you are wrong for the way you feel... You can be wrong in what you do but not really in the way you feel..

I know some make fun of what the uc's believe, and some uc's attack what the so called libs believe..

Both sides should just understand they are not going to change each other and leave it alone... And thats what friends do that are at opposite ends of the spectrum..

Strange how it just isn't that easy for some folks, isn't it? Again, I don't think a man that claims to be Apostolic has to believe just like me in various areas... just the major ones like Jesus Name baptism and one God.

Here's a strange thing: We can be friends with a Baptist man or Lutheran woman and never think a thing about being their friend in spite of our vital and distinctive differences... but can't often fellowship people down the road over things so silly as someone having a projector in their Church.

Does that seem weird to anybody else besides me?

[Pastor G]

Originally Posted by Steadfast

Strange how it just isn't that easy for some folks, isn't it? Again, I don't think a man that claims to be Apostolic has to believe just like me in various areas... just the major ones like Jesus Name baptism and one God.

Here's a strange thing: We can be friends with a Baptist man or Lutheran woman and never think a thing about being their friend in spite of our vital and distinctive differences... but can't often fellowship people down the road over things so silly as someone having a projector in their Church.

Does that seem weird to anybody else besides me?

I would sound weird if we weren't talking about apostolics... Sorry to say..

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by StMark

I have friends who are Baptist. We just try not to discuss doctrine cuz we start yelling and talking over each other lol
So, i can be friends and believe a different doctrine.

I think the Cons are more aggressive by nature. libs usually have more laid back personalities. cons are black and white

St. Mark,

Although there may be a correlation there is no validity to your statement. Liberals, like Conservatives & Moderates, come in all different personality types.

I agree with Steadfast about some things. I do not respect the liberals who use the analogy that they have been delivered from legalism and promote the harrassing of those more conservative for their stand in holiness dress or their dogmaticism on the New Birth experience.

Pianoman knows of two churches in one city in which one has been consistently conservative and the other has had a dramatic change to the liberal side. My only issue with this conservative gone liberal church is that those who uphold a more conservative dress are often left out or teased about their continued adherence to the letter of the law.

One cannot be too holy, but one can be too arrogant and proud. Take the scribes & Pharisees for instance. I'd take the side of the publican and sinner any day and confess that I am a woman who is a sinner and I thank God for his mercy and grace. The one who prays and thanks God he isn't like myself [sinner] is the person I least want to be like.

Blessings,
Rhoni

[Maple Leaf]

Originally Posted by Steadfast

QUESTION: How ‘wide’ is your willingness to have friends who, while Apostolic, don’t believe exactly like you?

QUESTION: Who do you find the most ‘agenda’ driven... ‘cons’ or ‘libs’… and why do you think that is?

Thought provoking.

My criteria for friendship has more to do with character than with doctrine. I have no problem with people who are quite different in belief as long as they are true "christians" in their ethics and conduct.

The other issue that is important for me is mutual respect. I will not enter into any relationship that demands that I hide or compromise my understanding of God and truth.

After giving it some thought, I would answer, "neither" to the second question. I have found that some people are agenda driven without respect to whether they are liberal or conservative, and an agenda driven conservative who sees the light will become an agenda driven liberal.

[Thinking]

This is an excellent thread. Thank you Steadfast.

[Steve Epley]

I have friends across the spectrum that I enjoy visiting with. Aggression is in the aggressor con or lib. Now who I preach is a different story I am very particular who I allow in the pulpit of the church I pastor. I do NOT target a lib when they come in the door however if I felt to preach on a subject that they would not agree with I do not censure myself. I have no desire to win the smart aleck of the year award thus being ugly has no virtue in it. However I am unwavering in my stands but I hope in charity.

[Sherri]

Steadfast, I'm glad you brought this up, even though it could have easily turned into an ugly shout-fest. I think, having been on both sides of the fence at some point in my life, that both sides are misunderstood. When I was very young, and had just gotten the Holy Ghost, I tended to pick up EVERYTHING that anyone preached, no matter how far out and take it upon myself as a new "standard". I thought all men of God were really men of God and trusted them explicitly. I nearly drove my family and myself crazy! I would not even walk in a room where a TV was playing, and we had five in our house!

After having worked through all that and learning to understand the Word for myself, I now have deep convictions that are from God alone and I will not change them for anyone. Now to you, I may seem like a liberal, but to most of our friends, I am a die-hard conservative. So the titles are confusing once you get outside of the OP realm.

It saddens me that I can call you brother, but you probably would not call me sister. It saddens me that my real brother, who is one of the best speakers in the world, probably could never preach in our church. (I don't blame him for that; it's just the law of the land). It saddens me that all of us cannot fellowship over the 90% that we do agree on and forget the 10% that we disagree on. It saddens me that some people on here obviously do not think that I'm saved when I know the relationship I have with Jesus.

It is discouraging to post threads on here about people getting the Holy Ghost or getting healed and only a certain few people will respond, because the more conservative ones wouldn't want to acknowledge that it could actually happen or be the real thing. Just being honest here.....

That's why I love Sis. Alvear. She can absolutely see Jesus in everyone. She has come to visit me and we are as far apart in beliefs as anyone on here, but we love each other dearly. To me, she reaches out to every end of the spectrum and knows that God is working in all of us.

Hope this doesn't sound like "woe is me". I do love and appreciate everyone on here and highly respect your beliefs. I hope that I can prove myself to you as well.