Today's Truthful Minute

 Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou are with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

David took God for who He was. The Lamb of God. The Almighty God. The God that comforts His own sheep.

At what time of our lives, do we need Him the most?

It is at the very end of our lives when we go off into eternity to spend it with God...or the Devil.

As Christians, we do not have to fear that which may seem like a dark valley to us. For God's presence is with us especially during hard times.

We know that Jesus and the people of that time carried a rod and as staff as they walked. But what were they and what were they used for?

I will look into that for tomorrow. Until then, we can say with David, "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me and I do not fear any evil." 

Thank you, Jesus.

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Have a blessed day!

Today's Truthful Minute

  He restores my soul; he leads us down the path of righteousness for his names sake. Psalm 23:3

Righteousness: the quality of being morally right or justifiable:

If God can be called anything, we have to admit maybe above everything, is that he is morally right and justifiable.

In my opinion, anyway. 

And so, as he is restoring us, he also leads us down those paths that are morally right, and good for us. Those paths that keep us close to him and away from the darkness of sin and the destruction of our very being.

Not only for our own sakes, but for his, as well. Because if he does not do it for his sake, he would not be who he claims to be. He is perfect and loving. He has standards of himself that must line up with exactly who he is. And he must be true to those standards. 

We take a look at David's life again, and there was so much chaos and sin involved that how could he ever hope to be able to say these words in the 23rd Psalm?

And yet, he did. What was it God said about David in 1 Samuel 13:14? "He was a man after God's own heart."

That gives all of humanity the hope that we too can follow God down those same paths of righteousness. Despite our downfalls, and despite our own sin. 

The choice is up to us. God will never make it for anyone.

Have a great and blessed day, Friends. Thanks for coming by.

Today's Truthful Minute

 He restores my soul; he leads us down the path of righteousness for his names sake. Psalm 23:3

The word 'restore' reminds me of the days when we were not quite as into the future as far as our recording machines, as we are now these days.

We had tape recorders back then and when we wanted to record something, we could tape over the recording if we decided we no longer wanted the recording.

So that brings me to the questions of: are you sad? broken hearted? mad? Many people are these days. Along with many other emotions that they find hard or impossible to control

David no doubt felt a lot of those emotions in his life, with the way his life had gone. 

But with the penning of this verse, we find that he also believed that God was restoring his very soul. 

We too can experience the restoration of our souls by God.

It may take some people time. Maybe it will take counseling, or some other way to get to there. And the work required may not be easy. But it can happen.

And it is always worth it, if God is in the middle of it, helping us do the work to acomplish it. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. God bless the rest of your day.

Todays Truthful Minute

 He maketh me to lie down in green pasters; he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2

If in our minds, we can imagine Jesus as our Shepherd, and then remember the times either past or present, in which there is hardship and not having any peace, it is Jesus that wants to lead us out of that, and into only the peace that only he gives. 

Sheep are lead by their shepherd to a place of safety. Where food and water are plentiful. And they depend on their shepherd to get them there.

We can do that by reading his Word, to gain comfort in this not so peaceful world, when we don't know what the next few minutes might bring.

David knew that, when he penned this verse in Psalm. His world was anything but peaceful in natural circumstances. It could only become what he desired as he rested in his Sheperd.

And like David, we too experience tension and more.

 But, God wants to lead us to that kind of rest that we too, so desire.

Hello, Friends. As always, thanks for coming by. God bless!

Today's Truthful Minute.

 The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1

The Lord is indeed the Shepard to those that believe on and want him to be. But it also says there that because of it, we will not want. 

Well, there are times we want. Whether it is for need, as in clothing, food, or a place to live. Sometimes it is for something we don't need, just desire to have. Like a brand new car, when our old one is perfectly good. Or a bigger or fancier home. Maybe it is the items in our homes that we want as in the big entertainment centers that are so popular today, fancy clothes or something else.

God does promise us that he will give us the desires of our heart, but I don't think that in this passage he meant that there are times we want something that he will always supply them. I believe he will supply what we need, when we need it.

Just as a shepard watches over his sheep, makes sure they have food and shelter when they need it, and protection from the dangers that may await them, Jesus does the same for us. 

That is who he is. Our Shepard. He watches over and takes care of us. His sheep. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!

Todays Truthful Minute

•  The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want. Psalms 23:1

If you have been involved in church for a length of time, you have probably heard and been taught from the 23rd Psalm. In the next few days, I will be doing my truthful minutes centering on what we understand about each verse, one at a time and starting today with verse one.

And so what does it mean that the Lord is our Shepard?

There are two important things we need to know about this verse. 

One that Jesus had laid down his life for his sheep and second, his sheep know his voice and follow him.

But why is an animal like sheep, who for the most part are dirty, likened to humans.

First of all, that is easy if you look at sin being dirty. But, looking at their nature, it is their tendency to go off from the group and get lost. So as humans we can identify with sheep. We sin, and as believers, we tend to go off on our own at times to get lost, and away from Jesus who is our Shepard. 

When sheep wander away from their shepard, they can get into trouble. And it is the same for us. If we leave our Shepard, and go into sin and stay there, we can cause ourselves to get into dangerous places. 

Sin has consequences, and can lead us down many different paths that we do not want to go. 

But Jesus, our Shepard, never leaves us, even though we go off into sin. He usually lets us have consequences to show us we need to return to him, but he never lets us completely go. He is always there, ready to pick us up and carry us back to the fold, when we mess up and confess our sin to him.

If you would like to read more about sheep, there is much more that is quite interesting and goes along with this subject. You can find out more at:    What does it mean that the Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23)? | GotQuestions.org

Hello, Friends. Thanks for coming by. God bless!

Today's Truthful Minute

Did you know that your heart has eyes? Oh, yes it does. It sees what it wants to see. It believes what it wants to believe and it does what it wants to do. And if you don't believe me, consider this:

The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

In order to understand that, all we have to do is look at our own lives and the troubles that we have caused for ourselves.

Have you ever stolen something from someone? Have you ever lied? What about sneaking a cigarette or drink when you were young, or getting into drugs and alcohol as you grew into adult hood?

Maybe you have committed adultery. Or taken God's name in vain.

Our hearts see the things that we want and carry out what it sees. And we are all guilty. There is no one born that is exempt. Except, of course, Jesus Christ. 

But looking at another scripture, we can pray for the eyes of our hearts to be open to looking not to the sin we desire, but to...well lets look at it.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesians 1:18

If we could pray and ask God to open the eyes of our hearts and stay away from the stuff that we desire, wouldn't our lives be so much richer as we contemplate the day we fully inherit his wonderful grace?

Yes, I believe so.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. God bless!

Today's Truthful Minute

God wants a relationship with us. He that created us did not do so just to live in a vast universe to go drifting along not knowing who he is or why we are here. From the time we wake to the time we close our eyes, we should be aware of his presence and want his communication with us. He is Lord overall. The hope of our salvation. He is our very substance. He loves us to the core of our very being. But it is up to us. He is, after all, a gentleman. And as gentlemen, he does not intrude upon our lives, if we do not want him in it. He only comes to those of us that do. And because of who he is, we are a blessed people! What then should we do when we wake every morning?  How shall we greet each day as it begins?  I can give you this: From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, his name is worthy to be praised! Psalm 133: 3  

Amen and Amen!

Thanks for coming by today, Friends! God bless your day!

Today's Truthful Minute

 

Nothing in our lives is more important than the knowledge that because of Jesus, we have everlasting life. No one, not anything can take it from us.

Furthermore, in Romans 8, we are told that nothing can separate us from God's love. His love for us is unconditional just as our love for others should be unconditional. 

Anything less is a lie straight out of the pits of hell. 

And so, whatever God says, we should believe! Don't anyone ever tell you different.

Thanks for spending 

Put Off the Old, Put On the New

It has been a busy week. We had several appointments as well as helping a family member with some of the situations he is going through in his family. The days coming up will be just as busy and today is no exception as I have an appointment this afternoon. I know I have been neglecting my blog and I feel bad about that, so I am going to try hard to post something every day even if they might be short. And so for today, I have copied a short story that reminds us that when we become Christians, we need to put off our old lives of sin, and put on a new life in Jesus Christ. Please read on:

Two Wardrobes

Stacy’s wardrobe–or perhaps I should say wardrobes–were rather unique. In one closet, she had what could best be described as rags. The clothing was tattered and worn…and filthy. Insects even nested in some of the sleeves. This wardrobe was an old one Stacy had back when she lived on the streets–back before the King had adopted her.

In contrast, the other closet hosted a wealth of beautiful, brand-new (and sparkling clean) clothes. The wardrobe was truly fit for a princess–and there was something to wear for every occasion. From elegant dresses trimmed tastefully to comfortable lounge wear, the closet had the very best a girl could long for–all a gift from the King to his beloved daughter.

With such choices, you might suppose that Stacy always wore something from the clean, nice closet. After all, who would want to wear (let alone be seen in) tattered, filthy clothes instead of the best wardrobe imaginable?

And yet, Stacy often found herself sporting her old tattered clothes.

“Stacy, you need to change clothes,” her older sister Anna admonished her. “That’s no way for a princess to dress.”

Stacy looked down with a gasp. She didn’t even realize she was wearing her old clothes! Mortified, she raced to her room and hid her head under a pillow. Anna followed and tenderly removed the pillow.

“It’s okay, Stacy. Don’t waste the rest of the day crying over it. The King’s love for you is unconditional. You don’t have to live in shame. Just go put away your old garment and put on one of your new pieces of clothing now and come on down to dinner, won’t you? You don’t want to miss out on what the King has prepared.”

Anna’s words calmed Stacy. She went and put on one of her new dresses.

I wish I could report that she never wore one of her old rags again, but that wouldn’t be true. She struggled to put away her old garments and start wearing her new ones. It felt as if the old garments had a strange way of getting back on her despite her resolves to never wear them again. She found she had to remind herself every day to put away the old and put on the new.

Slowly but surely, she began to look more like the princess she was, wearing her new garments more and her old ones less and less.

“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth…. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:8, 12-14 (ESV)

source: Short Story: Two Wardrobes – Christian Perspective

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Have a blessed start to your weekend! 

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The Wrong Messenger

 What I Learned, From listening to the Wrong Messenger: And the years that came after

His name was Hobart Freeman. Google his name and you will find a lot of information about who he was and how he died...even though he taught that God heals everyone and if he doesn't, it's because it's our fault for not having enough faith. 

However, God did not heal him. 

It makes me wonder where his eternity ended up. Because just before his death, he was charged with the death of a 15-year-old girl who had died of kidney failure. source:Hobart Freeman Dies; Indicted Head of a Sect - The New York Times

Sadly, I was told by my own sister that God took him out of the situation because he shouldn't have to face whatever was to come for him or some such nonsense. 

But that is what kind of stuff we were taught to cover up or make excuses for things we were "believing God for" that didn't materialize. 

And sadly, many bought it, and even after his death, many still followed his teachings as did my sister. At least she had for a few years. Eventually, she got more away from it and she and her husband met other people that weren't a part of Hobart's teachings but believed other crazy stuff, maybe even worse.

In my own family's case, it tore us apart. My parents never accepted her beliefs and she demanded they were true and tried very hard to convince them of it. She denied that the Baptist beliefs that we were brought up with were no longer good enough. When she visited my dad for the last time before his death, he asked her for one last favor. And that was to go with him to one last service at his church. 

She refused. It was a Baptist Church.

Two examples of my parent's feelings were this. My mother told me once that she would rather see us go to a Catholic church than to a church that listened to Freeman. And my father called it a "borderline cult."

That is how much they disapproved. The rift was strong between the two sides and became even more so when my sister told them at one time that when she came home during summer vacations (she had moved to Florida) she would go to the bathroom and "pray the demons out of the house."

 I hate to say this about her, but truly I came to believe that if there were demons in the house, it was she that brought them with her. 

That rift never really did go away. However, years later, the church in Florida that she, her husband, and some friends started in their homes with a teacher that learned from Freeman, did break up. And more and more she got away from it by eventually buying a tv, wearing forbidden culottes,  and I was told by some other family member that she even sort of started celebrating Christmas. Her husband wore glasses and went to have work done by the dentist. 

This past February, she passed away in a nursing home. She had lost everything she had believed God for in all those years, right down to her own husband. And she had dementia for several years prior to her death. Sad. But despite all, I really think that she loved God's land tried to do what she felt Freeman's teaching taught her. And I believe that about most of the people that attended these churches under Freeman. Good people wanting to do God's will. Just misled.

At the same time, pretty much looking to him, rather than what God's Word really teaches.

I could go on and on about what all this had done to our family. But the important thing is, we survived it. Eventually, God delivered my family of alcoholism, and as for myself, I have learned to at least try to be patient with people, and not to be judgemental with those that aren't what I think they should be. 

I also learned not to listen to the wrong messengers that are in our world and come to deceive us. In other words, I do my homework.

Mathew 7:15 tells us this: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 

If we pay attention to what the Bible says and apply that to who we listen to, we can avoid so much heartache. 

This church perhaps was not a total fraud as some are. Like my dad called it, "borderline cult." They did preach Jesus and why He was sent here by God to save us from our sin. But they took their teachings too far and did not put up with people that could not follow them. 

Still we must be careful who we are listening to and make sure they line up with what the Bible says.

I learned forgiveness through this experience, as well. Which I have needed throughout my life even to this day when it is needed. 

I learned that in Jesus I was no longer weak. And I had His strength.

And I learned what I had needed to know when I took up this battle within my spirit. And of course, that was where I would end up at the end of my life.

Thankfully, it will be spending it with the Lord and all those that have gone on before. How good is the Lord!

I am not perfect, that is for sure. I still get upset, angry, and judgemental at times. But, I try always to seek God's forgiveness, sometimes many times a day. 

And I look forward to the hope in Him that I will one day see Him. 

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Hello, Friends. I apologize for my absence over the past few days. The weekend was especially different as we helped a member of our family with some situations that he is going through. God was with us and He is answering our prayers for his family. So I am thankful for His mercy. 

I hope my experiences in this church have been a blessing for you. I am not sure where we will go from here. But thank you for still coming when I have not been here! God bless you!

Weak and Strong Faith

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. or whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye be of one mind and with one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Romans 15:1-7

No, I was not finished with the book of Romans. God had more to teach me. I looked up the definition of the word infirmities this morning in the dictionary. I hadn't done this back when I was actually doing this study. Having been in church during the years before this particular church, I didn't have to because I knew what the word meant. But just for the sake of doing this study, I wanted to make sure we understand it today, and here is what it means in Greek and Hebrew.

   There are many times where this word is translated as sick but really means ‘weak’ in the context. For example:

• Joram is described as sick, but he’s actually weak (2 Kings 8:29).
• In Song of Solomon 2:5, “sick with love” more than likely means “weak with passion”.

machaleh- sickness.

Related: What Does The Word ‘Heal’ Mean In Hebrew and Greek?

What Does The Word ‘Infirmity’ Mean In Greek?

astheheia- feebleness; malady.

This word means lacking strength, weakness, or infirmity. It’s translated into:

• sickness (John 11:4)
• infirmities (Matthew 8:17)
• diseases (Acts 28:9)
• weakness (1 Corinthians 2:3)

“I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.”

– 1 Corinthians 2:3

Conclusion

In conclusion, the word infirmity definitely means some sort of illness or sickness.   

source: What Does The Word 'Infirmity' Mean In Hebrew and Greek?

And so, if we wanted to get right down to it, if that word means being weak, and it also means some kind of sickness, back then I could say both applied to me. I was a weak Christian, with an eye disease that required me to wear glasses or just not be able to see.

So to further explain the first few scriptures of Romans 15, I found the following at:   What does Romans chapter 15 mean

Paul wraps up how those strong in their faith in Christ Jesus should live in relationship to those that are weaker. From Romans 14, we know that Paul equates strong faith with a sense of freedom to participate in things formerly forbidden by the law of Moses or Jewish tradition. Now though, Paul insists that those strong in faith should trust God enough to please others above themselves. After all, our example is Christ who did not come to earth to please himself or to demand his rights. In fact, He did just the opposite. Instead of engaging in conflict over issues of practice, all Christians should make it our goal to live together in harmony and unity, glorifying God with one voice. How has Christ welcomed us? We should do the same with each other. Romans 15:1-7 source: What does Romans chapter 15 mean?

This church that I had gone to had some serious issues as I look back on those days. I had been happy to be far removed from it. God was good. And he still sits on the throne of my heart today as he did then. 

Hello, Friends. Chapter 16 is the final chapter of Romans. I will most likely conclude my experiences on this subject in the next post and will add just a bit from this chapter and a little of how the book of Romans further impacted me in my life in the years since God's Word really became alive in me during this time.

Thanks for coming by. God bless!

No Stumbling Blocks Allowed

  You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: ''As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.''So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. There fore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us, therefore, make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. on whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Paul wanted to know why the two groups were judging each other. Because one day each person would have to face God and kneel before him, acknowledge him, and give him an account of our lives.  So it doesn't matter which group we fall into. And if we were judging others for what we feel they did wrong, we are not acting in love!

And if I have made anything more clear in these posts about that church, that would have been one of the top 2 points. Because they weren't. Or at least some weren't. Acting in love, that is. 

Christians should never make anyone stumble in their own life. Whether eating non-kosher food or making someone go so far as to wonder if they left a church that believes in Salvation and why Jesus came-that they may go to heaven for anything less than what Christ came to do. 

Granted, we can reserve that for churches that do not believe in being born again because if someone is teaching something else then we are to tell them where they are wrong and maybe even lead them to what the Bible says. Because if they are not born again at the time they die, they will not get to be with the Lord. 

As verses 17&18 reminds us:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Humm. "If anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval."

Not criticism from God and neither should it come from other Christians. And best of all, not judgment to keep someone out of heaven when they die.

And in the meantime? We are to do what we can to live in peace and give others edification instead of judgment of them. And not do what may cause someone to stumble.

Sometimes not easy, is it? But, when we slip up-God is there. Ready to forgive and forget. When we ask.

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Hello, Friends. Thanks for coming by today. There were two more chapters in the book of Romans. But by chapter 14 I was definity convinced that I did not have to worry about where I would spend eternity any longer. Was that the end of my learning in this book. Come back Tuesday for chapter 15. I will be here tomorrow for just a few minutes, as it is Labor day if you do come. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

No Group Has the Right....

 Neither group should pass judgment on the other. God has welcomed both groups into His family. How dare either group turn the other away? The Lord is the master of all of them, after all. None of them are master to the others, no matter whose faith is stronger or weaker. Each person should be fully convinced of his or her position on these issues and practice them to honor the Lord while giving thanks to God. This goes for both the abstainers and the consumers, both the observers of days and those who do not. Whatever we do, we should honor the Lord, because all of us in Christ belong to Him (Romans 14:3–9).

A key component of this teaching is the fact that we have no place to judge each other. A judgment day is coming for Christians when Christ will examine all our works. He will determine which of our deeds were worthwhile and which were worthless. Though our salvation in Christ is secure, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God for how we spent our days. We will not be judged according to the preferences of other believers (Romans 14:10–12) see:  What does Romans chapter 14 mean?  

Well, this fits right in with what went on while I was attending the church back in the early 80s. I had not only been judged, (harshly I had felt) and as a weak person trying to grow in my faith, these people-some of them, at least-were not practicing what Paul was saying there.

 

I cannot judge them but hope and pray that at some point over the last years, they got a better or clearer understanding of what judgment of others means for Christians that are always passing it on others.  The Bible has some things to say about it and I have done at least one post on it in my blog.

The fact that this had been a hard experience for me to go through taught me important things that I wasn't learning in the church itself.

But hey, I am not perfect. And I have to watch passing judgment especially on things or people that I have no idea what I am talking about. 

Let's face it. It's easy to do so we all have done it or are doing it. 

Every time I find myself doing it, I always try to ask God for His forgiveness because I don't want to stand before him one day and have Jesus ask me why I did what I did on earth that was wrong.

Hello, Friends. There is a bit more that I want to bring up from the website asking: What does Romans Chapter mean? before I am done with it. And will do that in my next post. And so thank you for stopping by and hope you will be back for that post.

God bless, and have a safe and wonderful weekend.

 

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Free At Last (part two)

In my last post, I told you that with the passage in Romans 14, I had found the freedom from what the church had been teaching, about doctors and wearing glasses, finally,  Once and for all.

It had been the Apostal Paul that had answered some of the questions, that Christians had been struggling with and so what did it mean for the early church of his day, and is it still relevant for us today?

In today's post, I am going to refer to another website that should help to make it clear for us. You can find that site here if you want to check it out for yourself:    What does Romans chapter 14 mean?

Well, let's see:

Romans 14 tackles an issue as relevant for the modern church as it was for Roman believers in Paul's era. Many decisions in the Christian life don't come with absolute, yes-or-no, one size fits all answers. On major issues, God's Word is clear. But on less important subjects, Christians might find it necessary to agree to disagree. How to live out that kind of unity is the focus of Paul's comments here.

For the Roman believers, this debate mostly concerned some of the rules and restrictions of the law of Moses. Those in Christ have been freed from following these rules but had doubts lingered. Is it right or wrong to now eat meat that might not be kosher according to the law? Is it right or wrong now to observe special days like Jewish festivals and the Sabbath?

Paul divides the church into two groups based on their response to these questions. There are those who are fully convinced that because of God's grace, they are now free in Christ to eat and drink anything. Nothing is unclean for them. Then there are believers comparatively "weak" in their faith who do not feel a clear conscience acting outside of those restrictions. They may think it's still wrong to eat non-kosher meat for instance. Romans 14:1-2

Though  Paul calls these concerned "weak in faith," he instructs those who are comparatively strong and free in the faith to welcome them. These less-assured Christians ought to be fully and completely accepted into the church, and not only so they can be only so they can be argued out of their convictions.  The picture Paul paints is of these two groups co-existing in unity and peace.

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Ok, so I did not consider the people and leaders of that church 'weak." That was me. Not only that but I had been totally confused as well. And though perhaps comparing the wearing of glasses to eating meat was 2 completely different things, to me that day, it was not all that different. And I should not have been treated the way I had no matter what. I sure hadn't felt any unity and peace so far as I was concerned. Not ever did I feel that way, the whole time I went there. So it didn't look like they were practicing what they believed exactly or they would have at least handled this in a different manner than they had.

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Hi Friends:

The above website I gave you has more to say about what Paul had meant on this subject. I will continue with some of it in the next post. In the meantime, have a wonderful and blessed day.