Flippantly Flaunted Spiritual Liberties

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by rkentsmith

Flippantly Flaunted Spiritual Liberties .....

Seems that there are those that love to hang around the edges of UPCI ministry......

They love the fellowship......

They love the conferences and brotherhood.....

And some find great joy in flippantly flaunting their spiritual liberties.....

Saying things like....

I can do this.....

I am able to participate in this certain activity.....

There is no scripture for this particular thing so I do it.....

Or my family does.......

The manual does not prohibit this so I will do it......

My membership in said organization does not say that I cannot do this.....

My brothers......

The flaunting of spiritual liberties is a reproach....

It reaks of legalism....

Legalism is the attempt to see how close to the world one can go but still be in the church.....

Spiritual liberties flaunted in the face of others is legalistic.....

More plainly it is classless.....

Ah yes...we have all seen the ultra conservatives in their moments of holier than thou ism's

They are wrong....

But just as wrong is the flippant flaunting of spiritual liberties.......

This is more legalistic than the ultra converative's stand on many issues.....

Whatever happened to the Pauline concept of....

If meat offend my brother then I will eat no meat?

What we see today is.....

Meat offends my brother, so I offer him cowpie.....

Coming home in the airplane last night I read I and II Corinthians...just to refresh myself on some spiritual truths to see if I had missed or forgotten anything. One of the things that I recall is Paul's dissertation on the things lawful and expedient. It is my understanding that there are many things that are not requirements of salvation that the more liberal participate in and Paul said that even though it is not salvational nor are we under the law in regard to many things, but so as not to offend those who are not aware of these things; we are to NOT flaunt the liberty and do or not do [whichever the case may be] so that we are not a stumbling block to the weaker or those who are not aware of the liberties we know of in Christ.

It doesn't mean that we should or shouldn't, can or can't, but it means we are to be careful and tactful of when, where, and in front of who...

Just my thoughts on these things.

Great thread BTW!

Blessings, Rhoni

[freeatlast]

Well...what a "new twist". To put the liberty we all have in Christ in a bad light. To call it legalism, is to cal the entire early church legalist's

Those new Gentile converts, who the Judasizers tried to bring into the bondage, RKentSmith would make these judasizers, elders in "his" church

Been posting on fcf nfcf and now here for over a year.

RKent, you get the trophy my brother, "Most Ridiculous post of the year."

[Steve Epley]

I have liberty I can drink-smoke-gamble-watch tv-go to professional sports events-etc. all I want. The 'want to' is gone. By the cross the world is crucified unto me. I glory in the power of the cross that liberated me.

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by freeatlast

Well...what a "new twist". To put the liberty we all have in Christ in a bad light. To call it legalism, is to cal the entire early church legalist's

Those new Gentile converts, who the Judasizers tried to bring into the bondage, RKentSmith would make these judasizers, elders in "his" church

Been posting on fcf nfcf and now here for over a year.

RKent, you get the trophy my brother, "Most Ridiculous post of the year."

Freeatlast,

I read Corinthians again to make sure my thinking wasn't faulty, and as I understand it...the Jews wanted proof of God as evidenced by miracles that could be seen, and the Greeks/Gentiles wanted to understand God through intellect. This does not mean that intellectual people are not used by God nor are they able to understand the spiritual. Paul said that he became what he needed to be for both to win them to the Lord. This is why we have those who minister in different gifts.

Paul was a very educated man but when preaching to those without intellectual or educational attainment he simplified the gospel to them in his preaching. To those more educated he preached to them the simplicity of the gospel as seen through more intellectual eyes.

I have more to say...but will say it later.

Blessings, Rhoni

[rkentsmith]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Can you address where you got the definition for "legalism"?

I offered no definition to the term legalism.....

You legalist went to the dictionary for that........

What I did offer was an observation of many years......

Many legalist have found all the many things they can now do and still be in the church.....

Many have embraced the the mentality that we are gonna get as close to the world so we can be more like Jesus.....

Why Jesus ate with sinners so we will endeavor to be like him.....

We will do all the things sinners do and still have our claim on Jesus.....

This is my simple observation of you legalist.....

Many of us have chosen to endeavor to be closer to Jesus by remaining aloof to much of the world's choices......

That help?

[rkentsmith]

Originally Posted by freeatlast

Well...what a "new twist". To put the liberty we all have in Christ in a bad light. To call it legalism, is to cal the entire early church legalist's

Those new Gentile converts, who the Judasizers tried to bring into the bondage, RKentSmith would make these judasizers, elders in "his" church

Been posting on fcf nfcf and now here for over a year.

RKent, you get the trophy my brother, "Most Ridiculous post of the year."

Coming from some I take this as the compliment of compiments.....

God Bless

By the way are you still a member of the UPCI

[rgcraig]

Yesterday, I heard an excellent message on the Message to the Laodicea Church.

It was a strong message to the church and I was deeply touched. The pastor was burdened and you could feel his concern for his members.

There were some that were affected, but as a whole, it didn't seem to bother that many and that concerned me even more......has it become so easy to "play church" that we can't even recognize ourselves when we are lukewarm?

For some reason, this first post reminds me of this.

[ThePastorsCoach]

Now Brother Smith - You did call those that walk in liberty outside the UPC - Legalist's.
I think your first post is one of the most ridiculous things I have read in a long time. You don't have a clue!

[COOPER]

Originally Posted by rkentsmith

Flippantly Flaunted Spiritual Liberties .....

Seems that there are those that love to hang around the edges of UPCI ministry......

They love the fellowship......

They love the conferences and brotherhood.....

And some find great joy in flippantly flaunting their spiritual liberties.....

Saying things like....

I can do this.....

I am able to participate in this certain activity.....

There is no scripture for this particular thing so I do it.....

Or my family does.......

The manual does not prohibit this so I will do it......

My membership in said organization does not say that I cannot do this.....

My brothers......

The flaunting of spiritual liberties is a reproach....

It reaks of legalism....

Legalism is the attempt to see how close to the world one can go but still be in the church.....

Spiritual liberties flaunted in the face of others is legalistic.....

More plainly it is classless.....

Ah yes...we have all seen the ultra conservatives in their moments of holier than thou ism's

They are wrong....

But just as wrong is the flippant flaunting of spiritual liberties.......

This is more legalistic than the ultra converative's stand on many issues.....

Whatever happened to the Pauline concept of....

If meat offend my brother then I will eat no meat?

What we see today is.....

Meat offends my brother, so I offer him cowpie.....

Sounds like cow pie is fueling your gripes.



YOU MAKE IT HURT SO GOOD!

[CC1]

Originally Posted by rkentsmith

Flippantly Flaunted Spiritual Liberties .....


Legalism is the attempt to see how close to the world one can go but still be in the church.....

Spiritual liberties flaunted in the face of others is legalistic.....

I have not read this thread other than your initial post. Care to explain how you came up with this defnition of legalism? It does not make sense to me.

I can understand you being against liberals but you can't just make up your own definition of terms.

This reminds me of the tactics of the Democrats in politics. They believe that you can say any outlandish thing and if you say it enough times in a serious tone it will be acceptedd as truth.