I really dont disagree with you much kinji, I too strive to live a holy life, even to the point of selling all and seeking God's face in prayer. However, if you really know God, you know that He doesnt just want this kind of constant 1 on 1 fellowship. It would be wonderful indeed if one could spend all of our time in His presence, however, this is clearly not what God wants except in certain circumstances and during certain times.

Jesus said that all of the law and prophets hung on two:
1)love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength
2)love thy neighbor as thyself

It sounds to me that you are indeed consecrating yourself to God, seperating yourself to do His will. However you must always remember the second commandment.

Paul said if you have not love, then your faith and works are vanity.

As much zeal as you have to do God's will, it is non-effectual without people. The world, and the church are not perfect, they never will be, you must settle this forever or else your expectations towards everyone around you will be unreasonable and much too high. You will always be dissappointed with others and with yourself if you hold to this belief.

Im not asking you to cease doing works, Im just saying that you should lighten up, because people are never going to receive that message.

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I find that we do not live up to the standards of holiness

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If you are not walking in love to your neighbor, and especially to your Christian brothers, then you are far from the standards of His holiness.

However I dont want you to stop praying and studying the Bible, I do it myself, for hours on end, because those things are going to help you tremendously. Everyday you should be ready to surrender all, I firmly believe that we should be ready to drop all of it for the Kingdom, especially since Christ gave His life for us. But I think that you might find that sometimes, as a matter of fact most times, God would say that time spent with people really listening and caring is much more precious than Bible study or other outward observances because when you live your life for others you are truly walking in obedience.

You might already know these things, but when someone talks about obedience being not wearing shorts or watching tv I get some real red flags thrown up. I hope you know what Im saying here, Im not against you or your church, but I might be agaisnt some of your ideas.

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I find that we do not live up to the standards of holiness. Is that bad to say?

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Kinji?

Let me say something.
There ain't NOBODY living in true holiness, okay?
We only think there are some. lol

The POPE, nor Martin Luther, nor mother Teresa. Nope, nobody is.

The best thing we can do, is to live with a pure heart and try very hard to be holy, but guess what? You can't do it. That is why YOU and I and EVERYONE needs Jesus Christ, who is the sacrifice.

I'm gonna say something and some might be offended. Sorry.

But, we humans are just like the dumb animals!

I mean we all constantly sin just like they do and pay the price for it. Why are WE so stupid man?

I told my cat, 2 weeks ago, to stay around the house. BUT, DID HE STAY? NO! Instead, he sought action around the neighborhood and most likely is dead now! Geez...

My dogs, I constantly tell them DON'T FIGHT EACH OTHER!
But guess what? They still fight each other. WHY? Aggh, you know it's just their nature.

You see, they are evil sinners, just like we are.

I'm tell you guys, HUMANS ARE JUST DUMB CREATURES, just like the animals. Sure, we may be a little smarter than they are, but by Gods standards, it ain't by very much.

The only true holy and good one is God. Everything else is just freakin stupidity. Oh well, that is my opinion.

I tell my dogs, "DON'T FIGHT!", but they do it anyways.

God tells us, "DON'T SIN!", but we do it anyways.

Does this not sound similiar?
Perhaps we think we are so smart, but are sooo dumb?

1) Are you saved?
definitely

2) Why are you saved? Do you have a scripture to back up your thought?
john 3:16 goes something like: "for God so loved the world, he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"

3) Do you feel like you live according to the Bible to the best of your ability?
sorta-tricky question -- i do the best that i can but i constantly improve over time, though i never will reach perfection in this life.

um...

not much of a contribution to the conversation, but u asked so i answered

julz

Personally I do not quite see how this links up to a predestined we-will-sin-whether-we-like-it-or-not though and hey if it does, we can simply blame God, after all he's the one that made us in his image, right?

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Perhaps we think we are so smart, but are sooo dumb?

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Some people think they are so smart indeed, but in reality aren't very smart at all, they just have their huge egos, perhaps read some books and quote what they've read as if they had thought of it themselves.

Anyways, I think intelligence is almost irrelevant when it comes to being able to live your life in a good way though. Are 'sinners' always the dumbest persons? No, there's a whole variety of people doing bad things, both smart and dumb,

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"for God so loved the world, he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"

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Small question, in who should we believe? In God or Jesus?

Cheers

News Flash: Jerry Falwell just died. Now all we need is James Dobson and Pat Robertson to die and we are getting somewhere...

Yeah, indeed, I think even Christians have to agree there.

Just like this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7BQKu0YP8Y

Cheers

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News Flash: Jerry Falwell just died. Now all we need is James Dobson and Pat Robertson to die and we are getting somewhere...

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I dont agree, Falwell was a good man, the founder of the moral majority and the voice of thousands of Christians. I never once heard him talking about how wonderful it was that someone died like you just did. Why? Oh yeah, he had integrity, he had morals. He built a university. He built superchurches. Even though he had a hard upbringing he accomplished a lot. He had a lot of people who cared about him to because he was their voice.A lot of people will be at his funeral, he had a lot of close friends, he had thousands of people who were grateful for things he did, I wonder how many will be there when you die Matt? I'd really like to know the answer to that question.

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Yeah, indeed, I think even Christians have to agree there.

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Well if your talking about agreeing with Matt's statement then you better think again, because if your saying that we would agree with Matt's statement then you dont know anything about American Christians. Think about it: He was a leader of the moral majority, politically speaking, he represented mainstream American Christian thought. Falwell's ideas were not invented by him, they were the reflection of American Christian thought. So basically when you would slander him, you would slander all of us, but Im sure you dont care about that, because you think that Christians don't count. That would be a mistake.

He was nothing like the guy on that you tube you posted. I don't know where you have come up with such nonsense.

1) Are you saved?

What? I don´t understand your question. Saved from what? I would like better if you simply would say what you want to say, instead of talking in riddles...

2) Why are you saved? Do you have a scripture to back up your thought?

A scripture to backup my thought? I better like to trust myself as anyone else.

3) Do you feel like you live according to the Bible to the best of your ability?

I never read the bible, because I wouldn´t understand it. All I know about the bible makes me feel like it´s a world very far away of mine, and very very very different.