[zeek]

Originally Posted by Dave

I wish I could tell you unequivocally but in my opinion Christians have completely confused the purpose and way of the Spirit of Life. That is why I put up this thread. We can listen to our own conscience and follow what we believe the Spirit is telling us but even on this forum we have multiple directions from various people. I know that UntoHim is trying to keep people on the straight and narrow but I wonder if that is productive even for lurkers.

It's difficult to admit when you don't know. How many followers would Witness Lee have had if he admitted he did not know what God's purpose was ?

Great question. We always believe that God is intentional with one purpose and direction but then again he has thrown some curve balls. For example, the Jews who were very knowledgeable about the Scriptures never accepted Jesus dying on the cross as their Messiah because even though the NT writers use Jewish Scripture to try and prove their point (e.g. Matthew—why did he have to go through all the explanations he did if it was clear) the reason they did not accept Jesus was because he didn’t fulfill OT scriptures from their perspective---to establish a Kingdom and overthrow the Romans. So he threw them a curve ball. Jesus made it clear that he was going to establish the Kingdom of God but he didn’t and confused the disciples. Paul thought that Jesus was going to return within his generation but he didn’t---another curve ball. Of course Christians keep quoting…”no one knows the time”…that’s for sure. He has thrown everyone a curve ball. He’s intentional but despite having the very word of God at our disposal no one really has figured out anything. Even Hal Lindsay. It has become more than a guessing game. That’s the question….the Spirit of Life…what’s the intention for us individually and corporately?

Your frame of reference seems to be eschatology. Aren't you thinking in the categories like those Jesus described in Luke 17:21, who say "Lo here! or, lo there!" when in fact, "...behold, the kingdom of God is within you"?

Perception is certainly part of the equation. On the other hand God doesn’t understand us. There is a communication problem and it is on his end to straighten it out.

That seems to be your presumption. I don't see how you could possibly know that. You have repeated the allegation without supporting evidence. I have already pointed out how your conception of God seems to be flawed because it lacks ultimacy. You haven't shown that I'm wrong about that.

We are just limited mortals by our minds and spirits and we are supposed to figure out every sense or feeling of God. By direct revelation he made himself known to Paul and to others. I guess he expects the rest of us to just roll on faith alone after 2000 years…no questions asked. Okay, we can ask questions but have we received any answers.

We live in the so-called Information Age, It's understandable that knowing is over-rated. Faith is under-rated by its detractors who associate it with failed religion. It's often misunderstood by those who claim it. They measure faith by the ability to believe implausible things. The more implausible a thing you can believe, the greater your faith. I see faith as our connection to the Absolute or Ultimate Reality which cannot be understood intellectually. Our first hand conscious participation in It is enough. But, I'm all for asking questions. They might shine a light on what is really going on.