tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139676684011582364.post1095662154000004903..comments2023-05-16T06:25:15.489-04:00Comments on a joy to be me: ...Just to ClarifyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139676684011582364.post-92219212040780246572007-12-08T15:38:00.000-05:002007-12-08T15:38:00.000-05:00Jul,Amen! Amen! This is good stuff....I hope Aaron...Jul,<BR/>Amen! Amen! This is good stuff....I hope Aaron lets you preach a bit as well....:)<BR/><BR/>Joel,<BR/>Thanks for saying your piece, as it is always appreciated!!lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01495924200222561417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139676684011582364.post-23376873077085471912007-12-08T14:47:00.000-05:002007-12-08T14:47:00.000-05:00Wow, lots of good stuff here, in the post and in J...Wow, lots of good stuff here, in the post and in Jul's comments. Lydia, I've gone through similar (although not exactly the same) things with the 'leadership' at my church, in regards to the counsel that comes from their preaching and teaching. I fully believe that their heart for people is genuine and deeply sincere, but I disagree with many of the ways they go about teaching the 'principles' of the Christian life. During the time that I've been desiring to grow deeper and deeper into grace over the past 12 or 13 years, I've found that even a tiny bit of legalism mixed in with grace can cause a whole mess of problems. So while I have a whole lot of love for the people who I've been listening to for the past 8 years, I've had to really take a look at how their teaching and preaching has affected my life - both positively and negatively. I don't think I've ever said anything against them personally, and in fact I really do like to say a lot of good things about them, but yet I've had to take a stand for the truth, and I've had to stand <I>in</I> the truth and acknowledge that their good-intentioned teachings were hurting me. All the while, I've also been able to glean some great stuff from them. Like you're saying, there are good articles, good books, good advice and counsel that can truly help.<BR/><BR/>And so the battle truly isn't against flesh and blood, but the battle is to stand in grace and in true godly wisdom in the midst of the spiritual forces and principalities that would bring us down.Joel Bruesekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10395847887953875757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139676684011582364.post-51302120774342055962007-12-08T07:03:00.000-05:002007-12-08T07:03:00.000-05:00Lydia, I think you're right to point your anger at...Lydia, I think you're right to point your anger at the true enemy, because what happened to you should make you angry! But not at other deceived people, they're suffering as much or more than you were. As far as how loving the advice you got was, how could it be loving? The people advising you don't know God's love themselves, they think his love is conditional on their performance and so their love for others (spouse, children, family, friends) is conditional on their perfermance. I know, that's how we lived too, how we counselled people (funnily enough with no good results!) and how we almost destroyed our marriage, children, and hope of future ministry. I keep saying over and over, I will never counsel anyone ever again, all I want to do is listen to people, love them, and preach grace, grace, grace, grace, grace until they get revelation by the Spirit and get wrapped up in the the loving all-powerful manifest glory and presence of God! Oh, and of course I'll get them listening to Rufus or some other great grace preacher so they can saturate themselves with hearing the word of God. And then we just sit back and watch Him do the work none of us can do..restoring faith and joy back into the lives of prodigals.julhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15688008902332240637noreply@blogger.com