Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 4:44 pm Post subject: SEEKING A FRIEND AND MENTOR
I am currently seeking someone to speak with concerning world events and my relationship with Christ. Needless to say the events of today's news is shaking me up a little. I am an inactive SDA member and seek counsel with someone I can confide in and who will pray for me.
Thanks for the advice. I am a female. I am not looking for a relationship. I am seeking truth. I have to say I am disappointed that this is the only reply I have gotten and it is to tell me to ID my gender. Christ has asked for witnesses to spread the word. I have offered myself as a seeker and yet there is no one willing to assist. I am greatly disheartened.
What event last week shook you up and what advice do you seek?
I recall that there was an earthquake in the news that day. Is that what you're referring to?
I am so happy to see a reply. Thank you Eugene. I am referring to the earthquake in part. I understand it has knocked the earth off its axis by a couple degrees. There have been reports a snow in California, 50 degree tempatures in Russia when it is normally cold. Large areas of flooding in Ohio, etc. I have been told Bush has referred to the New World Order. There were the attacks of 911. It is apparent the end is coming soon as it always has but with each new event and each passing day the end can only draw closer and closer.
I am not currently living within the grace of God. I fear being lost by not surrending my soul before probation closes. I often wonder if it has already closed for me. I ask myself, are any of these events the loud cry? I fear I may be deaf to the sound of God's calling and warnings. After all you must spend time talking with someone or perhaps more accurately, listening, before you can recognize their voice.
I am anxious to hear from you soon and again thank you for your response.
Probation has not closed for you. You are highly in tune with the sound of God's calling and warnings. The great majority of "Christians" believe that the recent tsunami is not a warning of coming judgment but they are wrong and we know that it is. If God's Spirit was not pleading with you, or if you were insensitive to God's voice, you wouldn't worry about salvation.
A news item on TV tonight said that Moscow has more snow than it has ever received in recorded history. Your statement that the earth has been knocked off its axis recently is completely false. President Bush uttering the phrase, "New World Order", if true, is irrelevant. There is nothing unusual about snow in California.
You need to focus on gospel facts. I strongly urge you to get and read the book "The Gospel According to Jesus" by John F. MacArthur. MacArthur is not a Seventh-day Adventist but his book is the clearest and best exposition on the true Adventist gospel that you can find. You will have peace when you understand the gospel and accept it. Let your thoughts dwell on the marvelous grace of God and His power to save.
I look forward to you reading MacArthur's book and to you reporting back how you were greatly blessed by it.
Thanks for the advice. I am a female. I am not looking for a relationship. I am seeking truth. I have to say I am disappointed that this is the only reply I have gotten and it is to tell me to ID my gender. Christ has asked for witnesses to spread the word. I have offered myself as a seeker and yet there is no one willing to assist. I am greatly disheartened.
I apologize if I offended you. That was not my intention at all. I was hoping giving a bit more information might make people more willing to help. When you say you are not looking for a relationship it seemed to contradict with your title. If you want a mentor I assume you want more than just one question answered here, but someone to talk to often, to be a ...friend and mentor.
And I am simply saying that I would not feel comfortable discussing deeply personal issues, with someone who was not the same gender. I serve as mentor to people in my church all the time. But if the person is a lady I have another lady take on that role. I am not looking for a relationship either, in the romantic sense. But what one looks for, and what one finds can often be two different things, simply because sharing personal information forms a bond. Which is why it is good to use some discretion.
I would be happy to answer things just from a forum perspective. We do that all the time. But I got the feeling you were needing something more than just an answer to one question. So I was hoping someone might leap at that chance. And had it been that you were a guy I would have myself. Perhaps I am the only one that considers such things in taking on a mentee, but ...in the hopes it would help clarify I asked.
Sorry again to offend. I simply hoped a bit more information might prompt someone to reply who wanted a relationship of that nature.
I should also note that Eugene's reply was quite helpful. I would also say that in fact the tsunami, earthquake etc. are in fact warnings. Permit me to say a bit more on this.
A fascinating event occurs in the gospels. Jesus is confronted with a disaster of his day...two in fact. One was an act by an individual...something akin to 9/11, a national tragedy...the other an accident...not directly related to human actions. It would correspond more with the tsunami.
Here is the text:
LK 13:1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
If we look at the text they present to Jesus this disaster of the day. Pilate, the govener, had apparently killed some Galileans. He was known for his cruel repression of rebellion, revolts etc. However we know nothing of this from contemporary sources, and this is the only account the Bible gives of it. So we have to fill in the pieces. But it seems that he killed them in the temple, which would be a scandal of huge proportions. They wanted Jesus' take on it.
You also have to understand that Jesus would often combat the notion that all those who received bad things had done something to deserve it. He does at one point imply to the man at the pool of bethesda that he should not sin so that something worse does not happen to him, and certainly sometimes our sins have resutls. But it does not follow that everything that happens to us is a result of our sins. Jesus in fact said that the man born blind was not due to his sin or his parents in John 9:2,3. The theology of the day assumed that it was sin that would cause this. And in fact they might have been implying that these people suffered the judgement of God due to sin.
Jesus addresses their unspoken thoughts. He says, "do you think that these men were worse sinners than others? He says clearly "NO". But that all of us face this reality in life...repent or perish. He goes on to make the same point with the tower that fell on people. All of us have a short life in which the whole goal of that life, the most important thing, is to turn to God, to love him rather than simply ourselves. We must repent or we will all perish.
Things that remind us of this are warnings. And often times they are judgement warnings. Not againt an individual, but against the world itself.
In fact we see that God deals with people in the world today the same as He did with His chosen people in the Old Testament. If you read through Leviticus chapter 26 it speaks of the covenant relationship that God had with His people. NOw...I warn you it is not easy to read. He promised to bless them as they followed Him, because He wanted them to be a special people to Him, a nation of priests. We see God blessing Israel with the goal that they would be a light to the nations and bring them to God.
But when they disobeyed he would allow judgements to come upon them. These were expressly intended to wake them up! Take this one for example:
Quote:
LEV 26:21 " `If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. 22 I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.
He goes on to list
famine
the sword (armies)
drought,
etc. as judgements.
Notice as you read through the chapter that every time he prefaces each judgement with the message" if you still do not repent" or something like it. His whole goal was that they would see that they needed to repent and tun to Him.
We see the same thing repeated in the last days.
In revelation in fact the Seals and trumpets seem to be REDEMPTIVE or warning judgements. Judgements that are not complete, but meant to bring repentance.
In fact, if you read through Revelation chapter 6, the first seals mention
the sword
description of famine
wild beasts, etc.
God is bringing judgements on the whole world because they have broken covenant with Him. He does it to bring repentance.
In fact, one passage describing the trumpets makes this very clear. (In fact, trumpets themselves were used as message devices, often for warnings. )
Quote:
REV 9:20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
It is clear that God brings judgement for the purpose of bringing repentance and belief. He knows not all will of course repent, but that is why He pours out His judgement in small measure before the final judgement. We all need a wakeup call, to realize that the most important things in life are too often crowded out by routine.
Having said that, I think it is important that we never fall into the idea of waiting until certain signs to repent. Paul said to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5 that he had no need to write to them about times and dates, for they knew very well that Jesus would come as a thief. The point is we must constantly BE ready.
It sounds as thought the Spirit is trying to impress you even now, as Eugene said. Why else would you come here to even ask such a question.
Truly if He is speaking to your heart now prompting you to repent then the focus should not simply be, "is this truly the end." Because any moment can be the end for us...as these tragedies prove.
The real question is, as Eugene points out, how can we truly find repentance? How can we deal with the guilt of the past? And to answer that we must see these judgements for what they are. They are the thing that prompts action, not the solution. Studying all the details of what they are, is not the solution. The only way to return to God is to come to Him, honestly admit you are not in His grace, as you already have here, and ask Him to bring you back. He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Filling your mind with scripture, and praying to Him, even if your heart condemns you because of the past is the only way I know of to come back to Him.
And I will be happy to pray for you, even if ,as I mentioned, I think you would benefit from someone who could inf act mentor you in growing in Christ.
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