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OzTech wrote:I was wondering....
If someone of vast scriptural knowledge for whom you had uttermost respect for was able to proved from scripture beyond any question or possibility of debate that being naked in company (i.e. anyone other than your spouse... or... perhaps... immediate family) was a sin... what would your response be?
Would you:
a. cease being a naturist/nudist?
b. ignore anything that person had revealed and continue in your current life style?
c. actively argue against any or all of those 'proofs'?
d. pursue some other course of action?
How important is it for people within this forum to be naked when possible and is that more important than their relationship with God.
From the past, one or two of the people I was in Bible College with chose to pursue their own pleasure rather than being a Christian. They realised that scripture was clear that what they were doing was sinful did not try and make the church legitimise their lifestyle (as some others, e.g. the first girl that I that I was keen on, now do).
This, of course, is purely a hypothetical question since it seems highly improbable that there is any definitive evidence that being a naturist/nudist is sinful... unless... of course... that becomes more important to you than your relationship with God.
Personally, I'm a Christian first, foremost and always. Anything else has, at the very best, second place. For this hypothetical situation I would choose option a. I rather hope that this would also be the general consensus within this forum.
Oh... I post this within Christianity and Ethics since I do not yet have permission to post in the other logical strip (General Conversation...).
OzTech wrote:I was wondering....
If someone of vast scriptural knowledge for whom you had uttermost respect for was able to proved from scripture beyond any question or possibility of debate that being naked in company (i.e. anyone other than your spouse... or... perhaps... immediate family) was a sin... what would your response be?
Englishman wrote:Petros, I would pay good money to see that last one!
... if it turned out to be wrong or, more personally, I became aware of a call from Him to pack it in, then I would. I'm here to serve God, first & foremost. At the moment I am enjoying doing that with & without my clothes.
OzTech wrote:If someone of vast scriptural knowledge for whom you had uttermost respect for was able to proved from scripture beyond any question or possibility of debate that being naked in company (i.e. anyone other than your spouse... or... perhaps... immediate family) was a sin... what would your response be?
Would you:
a. cease being a naturist/nudist?
b. ignore anything that person had revealed and continue in your current life style?
c. actively argue against any or all of those 'proofs'?
d. pursue some other course of action?
How important is it for people within this forum to be naked when possible and is that more important than their relationship with God.
From the past, one or two of the people I was in Bible College with chose to pursue their own pleasure rather than being a Christian. They realised that scripture was clear that what they were doing was sinful did not try and make the church legitimise their lifestyle (as some others, e.g. the first girl that I that I was keen on, now do).
This, of course, is purely a hypothetical question since it seems highly improbable that there is any definitive evidence that being a naturist/nudist is sinful... unless... of course... that becomes more important to you than your relationship with God.
Personally, I'm a Christian first, foremost and always. Anything else has, at the very best, second place. For this hypothetical situation I would choose option a. I rather hope that this would also be the general consensus within this forum.
Oh... I post this within Christianity and Ethics since I do not yet have permission to post in the other logical strip (General Conversation...).
Englishman wrote:I'm jumping back to Webmiester's question, "How does one know if a call is from God?" Before I get cracking on my answers, I think it only fair to provide you some background so you know where I am coming from in terms of belief, theology & thinking.
For those who haven't read my profile I class myself, when pressed, as a born again, bible believing charismatic Christian. I believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit function in this day & age; this will have some bearing on what follows.
How do you know if your spouse, child or friend is in a bad place? You know because, despite what they may say, you know them, their moods & ways, well because you spend a good chunk of your life with them. How did bank tellers, before the advent of ATM's spot dodgy banknotes? By working with real ones day in, day out. For me, knowing the call of God or the sound of His voice, comes easier because I choose to spend time with Him. The more I am with Him, the easier it becomes to discern what He is saying. In this context 'Call' & 'Voice' can carry different meanings. I tend to use 'Call' as being summoned to do a particular work & 'Voice' is, for me, more about one's day to day relationship with Him. Sadly the definitions can get a bit blurred by real life but, in the end, they are both about hearing & responding to what He says & the learning what He sounds like is, I believe, crucial to hearing clearly.
God's call will never contradict scripture; no one is called by God to be an axe murderer, although some may well, because of illness, delusion or the work of the enemy, believe so. Paul tells us in Romans 8:16 that "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God". There can be a sense in which one 'knows' in the depth of one's spirit that this or that course of action is the correct one; again without acting against the teachings of the Bible. One aspect of this is that whatever it is God is bugging you about continues to bug you, you cannot rid your mind of it. This is not obession; that is unhealthy & not of God. It is a persisent, often gentle nagging, regarding a course of action; seeking ordination, heading for full time ministry, getting involved in a particular aspect of your churches' work or even choosing to become a naturist despite most churches & Christians being at least a little uncomfortable with the concept & practice. I didn't feel 'called' to become a naturist; it was, for me, something that made biblical sense the more I thought about it & the more I discovered about it.
In the past I have approached men & women in whom I trusted & asked them to pray about some of these 'gentle naggings' come back to me a few weeks with their responses. If God wants you to do it, He will tell other people He wants you to do it too! But even that is about relationship; I knew them, they knew me & I trusted they would tell me what they heard, not what they thought I wanted to hear.
It is true our experiences will affect how we percieve the world around us for good or ill. Sometimes, we get confused about who or what is speaking to us. Again, I would respond by saying the depth of one's relationship with God will help us clarify who or what is speaking. This is not about the accumulation of intellectual knowledge. It is about getting to know Him better. I suspect someone may come back & say how do I do that? That may be a topic for a fresh strip or, if what I'm saying intrigues or stirs up questions, PM me. I don't charge!![]()
Annoyingly, I have found numerous times that what God wants is a simple but sometimes dangerous response. I have heard it put thusly;
You are standing on a high diving board above a pool in which there is no water. God says to you, "Jump". You respond, "Fill the pool with water & I'll jump." God then says to you, "No, you jump & then I'll fill the pool."
But now we are talking about how much one is prepared to trust God & that too may need to be the subject of a new strip.
This is how it works for me; I hope it's been helpful.
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