Knights into kings
Monks don't become kings. Mystics don't become kings. Scholars don't become kings. In the Faith you have to be a knight before you can be a king.
Knights have the Word of God written on their hearts, and they fear only God.
Knights are active in the Faith. They provoke necessary spiritual conflict: with themselves, with the world, and with the devil. They provoke their limits so as to then extend their limits.
Knights have an aim and consciously pursue the aim: assaulting heaven.
It's not for everybody to enter the practical, doing level of the Faith, but neither is the Faith itself for everybody...
Remember this: once you come into understanding of something; once you truly 'see' something; it's then in you and you needn't crawl in a hole with it until you decompose with it. If you are able to see the truth of biblical doctrine in contrast to all the false doctrine the world offers then that is obviously a very big and valuable thing. It's your foundation though. Now you have to build upon that foundation. When you stay stuck at the foundation building level, laying the foundation over and over (or vainly displaying over and over your great 'intelligence' in repeating what millions before you have said and written as though that is a great accomplishment), and you disdain or fear to go down to the practical level of actually doing the Faith you eventually get sick and off-the-mark with the foundation itself. What you once knew gets, by degree, slightly 'off' more and more, unknown to you because it happens by a degree that you can't detect as it's happening. When practice is not added to doctrinal knowledge then the doctrinal knowledge gets off-the-mark. That is a law. When you can 'see' the foundation of truth and you have it then you have to recognize that point and start to build upon that foundation. Don't become a still pool of water becoming more and more poisoned.
The real issue here is either false modesty or sincere lack of confidence that one has been regenerated by God. Either you consider yourself to be a regenerated believer or you don't (the fact is regneration is effected, when it is, by the Word and the Spirit, and people who 'question' that regeneration can be experienced are merely the vain and proud who never approach God's Word with true humility). If you do know you've been born again then all questions of confidence aside (saving faith doesn't need to be strong on your end, it can be as weak as a reed, but it's made strong by what your Mediator and King does for you at His end) you just have to be bold and pursue what a regenerated soul is motivated to pursue. That doesn't involve sitting on your hands announcing to the world every fifteen minutes that you are a corrupt soul who can do nothing of yourself. A regenerated soul has been quickened and given the Spirit of Truth and ability to act from God's will. God expects you now to make efforts to develop. The 'no effort' bad doctrine is based on a vain, "see how holy I am as I admit my corruption and shame" false modesty that has absolutely nothing to do with the teaching of the Word of God and the Faith. Christianity is not an eternal Alcoholics Anonymous meeting where everybody admits they will be alcoholics for the rest of their lives, amen, and confesses their latest sins and reiterates how corrupt they are, and...have they mentioned they are corrupt? What about the 'noetic effects' of the fall, have they mentioned that lately as well? Do they understand regeneration and justification actually change things in them? No? Who's teaching them the garbage they're repeating endlessly? Michael Horton? That Lutheran guy sitting next to Michael Horton? The old buzzards who drew up the Westminster Confession of Faith and who clenched their teeth and tigthened their fists and grudgingly admitted that in the process of sanctification there is an active role played by the regenerated, justified Christian, but they put it in language that kept it 'modestly and with intent to show their great holy shame' not very explicit? Yet it's still there, if you need to see it in a document - a good one - drawn up by man. It's in the Bible as well...
At some point you have to realize that being able to see false doctrine (such as works-righteousness or whatever) for what it is is a big thing, yet it's not the Faith itself. The Faith is having the necessary foundation, which God gives you, and then building on that foundation, which God expects of you.
25 Comments:
How does your little chart on how many hours you fast and pray comport with the teaching of Jesus on public piety?
Let me guess....it doesn't apply to the "higher levels."
Always with the moralising and the accusing and the shaming, you devils...
I'm making myself an example for others for educational purposes. It just so happens what I bring to your attention stings you, and so be it. The prayer I do is the prayer that fills you with the Holy Spirit. (Do you need biblical documentation for that? I'll oblige if so.) The fasting I do is the fasting God Himself describes in Isaiah. (Do you need biblical documentation for that? I'll oblige if so, but you could probably find it yourself if you make the effort and if you have interest to begin with.)
This effort, when done with zeal, provokes friction between the Holy Spirit and the carnal spirit. (The other category I'm recording there.)
Yes, anonymous mainstream Christian, I'm in your territory. But only in a worldly sense. I'm in your territory, and you resent it. But your worldly territory doesn't includes the Church of which Christ is King. It only includes your worldly, man-fearing territory. Yes, I'm here, and it angers you. So be it. It's difficult to continually have one's shallowness, and man-fearing challenged. Again, so be it...
Let me revise that... I'm recording efforts. Whether they are taken by others as something to learn from or emulate or not so be it.
Doing things in public in the manner you allude to and writing something on a blog are two different things. In public my audience would be chance victims. On a blog my audience knows they have chosen to enter into this domain...
Your problem really isn't anything to do with what Scripture says about anything it's the fact that you resent somebody actually making efforts in the Faith.
You come to my blog you're going to see efforts recorded, whether you like it or not. Go to other people's blogs, you see other things...
>Let me guess....it doesn't apply to the "higher levels."
With the Faith, the basics are the higher level. And, a narrow way is a narrow way. And, a royal priesthood is a royal priesthood...
And Jesus didn't mean what he said when he said be quiet about your piety.
I'm not going to allow you to characterize me as being loud about prayer. I write about prayer and making efforts on this blog. A blog you have to come into like entering a person's house. I don't usually suggest anyone go away, but in this case if seeing my little recorded hours and such in the right hand margin bothers you then in your case you should just not enter here.
And, again, see that it is the very fact that a Christian is making efforts in the Faith that angers you. You're obviously a very mainstream church Christian, you likely have a house square in the middle of Bunyan's village of Morality, and any notion of effort in the faith both stings and angers you. I say again: so be it. It's good for you.
Look at the contrast of the subject matter of the post this comment thread is under, and the comments written by anonymous...
>And Jesus didn't mean what he said when he said be quiet about your piety.
'Piety', a word loaded with garbage meaning by lukewarm Christians who disdain the practical level of the faith because it cuts into their comfort and sleepy existence...
Matt. 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Anonymous is using this passage to accuse me:
Matt. 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
I just said a prayer for a family member regarding a medical issue. That isn't the kind of prayer I'm recording, anonymous. (By the way, you can call me a hypocrit all you want. It's a generic, nebulous charge - like 'piety' - and loved by the kind of people who like to accuse other people of things in a moralising way. Al Franken comes to mind.) No, the prayer and fasting I'm recording is a specific effort and aim. The kind I write about on this blog. If you've read the posts in question you'd know, but if you are going through the blogosphere to look for things to moralise and accuse people of then so be it, warrior. I won't - I can't - stop you. That's too pleasurable an activity for vanity and worldly pride to indulge in for anybody to be able to get another person to stop indulging...
As you can see, moralisers can get a sting with their accusations. That's why they get so much joy in doing it. They have the power of the world and the devil behind them. A Christian is an easy mark for such an assault. Especially when Scripture is used promiscously and disingenuously by these devils.
Especially a Christian who is boldly making efforts in the Faith and challenging strongholds that mock and teach against such efforts...
Notice how Scripture comes to your rescue against these devils though (excuse me, these currently in the darkness and village of Morality types). He calls me a hypocrit, and Jesus calls me the light of the world. My King comes to the rescue...
Ahhhggg. These accusing church Christians leave a bad taste in the mouth... Now I know why Jesus said he'd spit them out of His mouth...
So what did Jesus say about telling everyone you were fasting?
What do you think Jesus would have to say about you announcing to the world on a daily basis that you are the best Christian you know of? I mean, that is exactly what you do. Right?
Look up the word 'frisson'. It's what you are currently experiencing with your continued moralising and accusing and shaming. Despite being put down by the Word of God itself.
What do you think fasting is?
And when did you see me fasting? Or praying for that matter?
Answer: you havn't. You are merely showing the common resentment and anger lukewarm, dead-faith Christians show towards Christians who make efforts to do the Faith at the practical level.
And your anger is increased when you are finally in the presence of an elect of God, rather than just merely 'hearing' about the possibility of our existence...
Anyway, Jesus is talking about hypocrites. Not people who pray and fast. Why do you say I'm a hyprocrite, anonymous? Do you think Jesus is saying anybody who prays in public is a hypocrite? Read those passages again.
Read them with intent to understand them, not merely to find ammunition to accuse people...
To other readers: anonymous is a Christian who considers Jesus Himself to be a hypocrite. Anonymous accuses Jesus of hypocrisy for allowing the Holy Spirit to announce He was in the desert for forty days. Why do we need to know that? anonymous demands. Anonymous says: "So why do you tell us you were in the desert fasting for forty days, Jesus? Are you not a hypocrite by your own Words, Jesus?"
Now, who does anonymous resemble? That's right: the devil himself. The devil and his followers always express resentment, and accuse and shame, when God and God's own actually take the Faith seriously and actually have the valuation for the Faith to actually practice the Faith...
Let anonymous stand for the generic lukewarm, dead-faith Christian who goes to church to make of it a domain of the world and the devil and his own vanity, worldly pride, and self-will...
Why do I know Jesus fasted for forty days?
Where'd anonymous go? I don't see him...
"Oh, but you're not Jesus..."
Am I not, as a follower of Jesus, to emulate Him? Would you like biblical documentation for that? Or would you like to find it yourself, if you have the interest...
Again, why do I know Jesus fasted for forty days...?
Where'd anonymous go? I don't see him...
If it's a recent target of mine that is this particular anonymous I can understand the desire to strike back, but you really shouldn't choose to do it by going down the road of attacking effort done in the Faith.
Attack my meanness you may perceive in my satire. Attack my street-sweeper style in gunning people down indiscriminitely in making my arguments (if you think I do that). Attack me for bringing a level of the Faith (the plain path practical level) to a different level where it doesn't belong (if you think the two levels should be separate, and if you think that is a wrong thing to do).
But don't take the road of accusing and shaming like the devil, in the context of showing resentment and anger towards effort done in the Faith (and using Scripture for that devilish purpose)...
Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Unless thou are CT, in which case exalting yourself is just another way of showing thou are pretty much just another Christ anyway, and those who can't deal with it are going to hell anyway.
Matthew 6:1-7 Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven, unless thou are C.T., then go right ahead. It's practical Christianity. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Unless thou are C.T., in which case blowing your own trumpet is completely in line with being like Jesus, who blew his own trumpet all the time. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly, but keeping a chart on your website is fine. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But, again, a chart of how much time you spent in prayer isn't what I mean here. If you were at the higher levels you would know that. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly, and then you can tell everyone how fearless and bold you are. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. This doesn't apply to vain repetitions about regeneration, reading the 1611 KJV 7 times or how much you are a God-fearer and not a sniveling man-fearer.
You filthy devilsuck. Listen, church shit: when you're in my presence you don't get away with spitting out Scripture in the service of satan-sucking accusing and shaming. You are in the presence of an elect of God and you can't handle it. You see somebody making efforts in the faith and it angers you. You are full of the spirit of the devil and this is why God's elect don't walk through the doors of your filthy synagogue of satan 'churches'. I don't know who you are, whether you're Beast of Rome shit or liberal Protestant shit (is there a difference devil shit?) or even conservative lukewarm Protestant shit. It doesn't matter, you expose yourself in every word you write.
You've been gunned down now three or four times and you come back shamelessly for more each time. The Word of God means nothing to you other than to be used for your accusing and shaming. Now you say I'm 'doing alms' publically, you sorry, ignorant filth.
Yes, I'll record my efforts on this site, and, yes, you will get more and more incensed, and, yes, you know every word I write about you is on-the-mark, and, no, you don't care because you're not serious about the faith. You're a filthy, accusing, shaming devilsuck who probably patrols some sorry local 'church' making God damn sure the Word of God is never spoken of and efforts in the faith are branded wrong using Words of Jesus he directs towards people just like your sorry ass.
Now stick your fingers back up your ass, filth, and go back to where you came from.
I know this upsets people, but this is what you have to do when these devils come out of the wordwork and attack. Their intent is clear: to challenge God's elect and get God's elect to back down. If I let this devil get away one micro fraction of an inch with his intent he runs back to his father the devil waving the victory flag and it only encourages them.
Let these devils know you'll stand your ground with them, and let them know just exactly what they are. Make it as direct and painful as possible. They need to hear it, and they need to be put down hard.
You always sound so much like Jesus when you're angry.
You don't want to meet Jesus when He's angry. Think about it, pilgrim...
Try Revelation 19 starting round about verse 11...
Yes...just being around someone as similar to Jesus as yourself gives all of us a reason to wonder what the REAL Jesus is like. I never knew the Holy Spirit inspired profanity until I came to this web site. Or that constant bragging is a fruit ofd the Spirit.
Talk about bizarro world. You're so full of yourself it oozes out of every pore....and you won't shut up about how you are the most spiritual person on the planet.
And notice the devil didn't answer why I know Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days...
Don't worry about my language, pilgrim. Don't fear language. Fear God, it's the beginning of wisdom. Fear of language is an aspect of man-fearing. It's not 'nice' by your man-fearing standards to call people 'vipers' either.
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