Conference yukon::christian_v7

"For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."

re.0 (Mark)

	Yes.

	Right and wrong is just another name for the tree of knowledge of
good and evil as symbolized in the garden of Eden. If we are living our 
christian life according the knowledge of good and evil we are on the wrong 
tree! We may say that to do such and such is good but to do that is evil. 
Humanly speaking it is better to do good than evil (I'd rather my children 
give to charity than to rob banks! 8*). Yet, one can do good or right and still
miss what God really desires. For a christian to live according to the knowledge
of good and evil is to live in the wrong realm. What God desires is that we live 
according to His indwelling Spirit of Life! This is symbolized by the Tree of 
Life in the garden of Eden.

	Forget about right and wrong, good and evil. If you take God as your
life and your choosing element you will not only be correct before men, but 
more importantly you will satisfy God's desire also.

	Good topic Mark, not bad for a mid-westerner.  8*)

Regards,
ace

    Ace,

    Indeed, a lot of what I wrote came out of considerations we (my
    fellowship) have had around the two trees.  A major part of our study
    was based on Bohnhoeffer's book "Ethics" -- I think we spent two full
    days covering what was an excerpt from the first chapter or so.  That,
    coupled with past considerations on identification with Christ, has
    been a great blessing to us.
    
    Mark L.

    Well done Mark! (Good Note)
    
    I personally think God's will is instilled into our hearts as desires. 
    Whether we take those desires seriously or take them as God's will in
    the first place is in my opinion the difference between sin or faith. 
    So with this in mind I agree with everyone so far with an added point,
    just in other words.
    
    Warm fuzzies to everyone!
    
    E. Bontonovinchentvangogholivianewtonic hairspray
    

    I received this by hearsay so I don't know how true it is but according
    to the story I got, St. Francis of Assissi(sp?) was told by God to
    "build My church" and being a wealthy man he started building churches
    all over Italy.  It wasn't until he was broke that he realized what God
    meant by "build My church".  The will of God was to spread the gospel,
    etc.  In our flesh it is very easy to misinterpret the will of God
    which is why it is so important to steep ourselves in His word and
    spend much time with Him in prayer so we can not only recognize His
    voice, but *hear* what He is saying.
    
    Dave

    
    The word that St. Francis received from Christ was, " Francis, rebuild
    my Church, for as you see, it is falling into ruin." Francis, although
    from a wealthy family, had left his home and begged for materials to
    rebuild the church buildings in and around Assisi. The Lord spoke to
    Francis three times using the same words before Francis realized that
    Christ was telling him that it was the faith of the Church which was 
    falling into ruin, and not the buildings. Francis began to live out the 
    gospel of Christ, preaching repentance and a conversion of hearts to 
    Christ. He served the poorest of the poor of his day. Besides receiving 
    the gift of faith and holiness, Francis also was blessed with the five 
    wounds of Christ, the stigmata. Francis was founder of the religious order 
    of Franciscans which are still well known today. Also, Francis was the one 
    who invented the Christmas creche, or manger scene. St. Francis was 
    canonized in 1226, two years after his death.
        
    Peace
     Jim

    Ace,
    
77.2>	Good topic Mark, not bad for a mid-westerner.  8*)

    I guess I've been spending too much time in New England of late. :-)
    
    Mark L. who_can_claim_west_coast_birth_and_east_coast_raising

This is another story from the man I referred to in 49.4.

Matthew 16
  22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be
  it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
  23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me,
  Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not
  the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

This man had a german shepherd named Baron.  It was a german shepherd and
this was the german name that he thought of to give it.  Baron was a 
loving dog and wouldn't harm anyone.  The worst he could do is rest his
paws on a person's shoulders and lick their face.

This man's wife was planting a garden and Baron would go about digging
up what was being planted then running around in circles as if he had
done something wonderful for the family.  

The man returned to the person from whom he got the dog as asked what should
he do. (I don't know if this next part is Indian culture.)  He responded
to hold the dogs head ina buacket of water and when he realizes that he
is about to die, you'll get his attention.  The man hadn't the heart to
do this, so instead he got a stick, which he never used; he only waved
it to say "Down boy!"

The man said that Jesus was simply saying "Down, Boy" to Peter when he
said "Get thee behind me, Satan."

Man did that hit home.  How often have I dug up some of God's plantings
thinking, as I wag my tail, how well I've done, only to find out I
haven't understood it.  I want to do right for the Master.  Sometimes
He has to say "Down, boy" even when we think we're doing what's right.

Mark

    .8 reminds me of a story of a believer in India that I know.  His name
    is Bakht Singh.  Early in his Christian life (he is now quite elderly)
    Bakht Singh wanted to serve the Lord, so he would enthusiastically go
    out every day preaching the gospel to everyone who would listen.  This
    went on for some weeks with no visible fruit (i.e., no one who at the
    time responded to the gospel).  Getting somewhat discouraged, Bakht
    Singh was praying about the lack of results of his evangelism, and the
    Lord simply spoke to him, "I never told you to do that."
    
    This reminds me of the experience shared by an old missionary from
    Brazil named Tom Young.  Tom used to use train oxen for plowing, which
    involved getting two oxen to work together in a yoke.  He would yoke a
    young, spirited ox with an older, experienced one, and let them loose
    to learn.  The young ox would try to lunge ahead, but would be held
    back by the more steady gait of the older one.  The real test would
    come when they came upon a small tree between them.  The young ox would
    buck and struggle, while the older ox just waited patiently until the
    young learner stopped struggling to go its own way and relented to
    follow the path of the experienced.  The Lord Jesus says "Take my yoke
    upon you, and learn of me."  We are often like the young ox, trying to
    bring Him along to go our way, as He patienly waits until we realize
    that the only true way is to follow His leading.
    
    Mark L.

    AMEN!