| Author | Message | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Guyz, Let me explain how I understand the workings of a twenty mule team. The lead mules set the pace according to the directions of the wagon master. There is just one purpose in mind for the entire team and that is to get the borax where it's going. As the lead mules move along the straight road, the rest of the team just plug along being careful not to step on and bloody up the heals of the mule in front or kick the teeth of the one behind them. One would think that the lead mules have it made! Think again! They have the wagon master to directly deal with! And they have the responsibility to not harrass the mules behind them. The straight road is just a short bit of the road to town. There is a mountain to climb and many curves to navigate. As the mules lean into their harnesses, they do it in unison, each pulling their own part of the load. Then come the curves! Yikes!!! As the lead mules come to a left turn, they have to swing WIDE, the left mule's stride shortens a bit and the mule on the right lengthens a bit. This compensation works it way all the way to the back, with the mule closest to the wagon on the left side taking very small steps and the one on the right only slightly longer. If the mule next to the wagon wants to take big steps, he will bloody up the mules heels in front of him in turn get his teeth loosened up. If each mule pays attention to the goal/spreading the gospel, and to his job on the team, all will work smoothly and the goal/spreading the gospel, will be reached. I've seen dumb mules and even jackasses pull better than we have been lately!!!! We are supposed to be intellegent human beings filled with the Spirit of God! Yet the tromping of heels and kicking of teeth seems to be the the focus rather than the goal/spreading the gospel! This is a plea....... Patti and Rayna, you both proclaim grace plus nothing = salvation so beautifully and I sincerely hope you continue with that! When one of you belt out a great grace message allow me to say, "wow, that was so clear! Thank you for sharing that." Then allow me to continue on with, "with that wonderfully put grace message that Patti or Rayna just posted, let me tell you some more good news! You now have the Holy Spirit to guide your life, totally and absolutely separate from your salvation and because of your salvation, your life will change if you let Him lead!" Colleen, Bruce, Max, myself and others might post a testimony of how the Lord has changed some aspect of our lives. Rayna and Patti, you could compliment our testimony with, "what a powerful testimony to the power of God to work a miracle in your life! To all, do you realize that the reason (Maryann) had such a turn around in her life was that she learned of the magnificent work that Christ did for her. She learned that the grace of God + nothing was her only salvation. Praise God for sending His Son to this earth for the un-conditional redemption of all of us sinners by the simple act of believing in His finished work!" We really are not mules, we are childen of God and are given minds to use. Lets vow to be smarter than the dumb mules and pick up and assist each other in our endeavor to help, give comfort and present the gospel to the hurting without subjecting them to get sprayed by the blood and manure we selfishly and thoughtlessly hurl at each other! I don't remember seeing Rayna or Patti attaching "lawlessness" to grace or salvation and I don't remember seeing Colleen, Bruce, Max, myself or others attaching works, fruits of the Spirit etc to grace or salvation! Go to the mule team thou confussion maker and learn their ways. Maryann | ||
| Max |
Thank you, Maryann, and God bless! | ||
| Billthompson |
Maryann, Amen! You said that so well! | ||
| Patti |
Maryann, When the Holy Spirit comes to us, He will not testify of Himself, or of the life of the believer. This is biblical: John 15:26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. "The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy." John 16:12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. I am sorry that you have constantly taken my words personally. I have made no personal comment on your experience. I have only tried to present the Truth as it is presented in Scripture. And I cannot find any support in the New Testament that we are to testify to our changed lives. Do our lives change? They do. No one is denying that. But are we in ourselves ever acceptable to God? Absolutely not. Therefore, this is not our testimony and is not the foundation for our hope. Our testimony remains, just as in New Testament times, just as I tried (evidently unsuccessfully) to show from Scripture above, the marvelous, once-for-all, unrepeatable, all-sufficient saving act of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
