Ziggy
Platinum Member
- Jun 19, 2021
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I'm still working on english and trying to find the right words that express what I'm trying to say.Dear Ziggy and Potterhead2021
There are more than one level of Christian faith.
1. When secular gentiles under natural laws of reason and science receive the spirit of forgiveness and liberating truth in Christ Jesus, these secular NONTHEIST thinkers may stay SECULAR and agree on concepts but not convert to Christian practice or culture. This is like learning to read (or speak) a second language, but not convert. I knew an Atheist who gave up Christianity but keot teaching free grace and forgiveness. He could totally tolerate and work with Christians, unless they refused to work with him. I am like bilingual (or trilingual) and still understand in secular terms while translating into Christian or even Constitutional terms. I can also understand translating into Buddhist terms, but more like reading and comprehending how real native Buddhists translate these concepts and quoting from them. I am not a native speaker so my translations depend on others.
2. When believers who are part of the fold compelled to follow Scriptural laws receive Christ, then these do work with given Christian language and culture in order to organize and collaborate among themselves in respective congregations.
I find that receiving Christ fulfills ANY path someone is on. It is rare that people totally abandon their native tongue or culture, because all our experiences and language are neurally networked and wired in our brains. We are conditioned to think and talk a certain way, whether nontheistic or theistic, liberal or conservative, individualistic or collective.
I see more often that people expand on their base foundation and ADD understanding of other cultures or languages to what we already use and know. Like adding a second language, not dropping one language and "converting" to another. That happens but is much less common.
I was trucking with my ex for 10 years. Cussing is a second language to me...
or maybe it was my first.
It was just part of the conversation.
I found the closer I drew to the Lord, the less I wanted to cuss.
It made me feel ... oops, i said it again.. and the next time I was going to say it, I would catch it before it came out of my mouth.
After a while I didn't even think of the words. Those words were being replaced by cleaner words.
I found I didn't have to prove how tough I was to other people by the words I used.
I just had to prove I was growing in the right direction to the Lord.
There are clean words that can cut to bone more effective than the dirty ones.
And the greatest of words are truthful ones.
No one likes to hear the truth if they are heading the wrong way.
Ours is not to judge others and what they do. Ours is to judge ourselves and how we handle the situation.
That's the beam in the eye parable. or looking in the mirror.
It's not easy. It takes time. It takes patience.
And before you can tell someone else where they are going wrong, you need to check yourself and make sure your not heading that way too.
It's always easier to point the finger at others. You know your growing in maturity when you can point that finger at yourself first.
Thank You
Hugs