[Here Am I]

Originally Posted by George

Aloha sister Here Am I,

So sorry for the mistake. It was a slip of the mind - not intentional. I saw it later on, but it was already too late to correct it. Hopefully it won't happen again.

Thanks you for your testimony. I can tell from your Posts that you are well grounded in the Scriptures and I personally welcome your comments and possible criticisms.

Thank you, brother, for your kind words. I've been encouraged by many of the brethren here (and 'sistern', too).

I have been blessed with good mentoring since I was born again, by being shown from the start the truth of God's word, the Authorized Version.

I also was introduced to some good Bible teachers, such as brothers Ruckman, Peacock, Knox, Melton, Grady and Riplinger, to name a few.

If I may seem harsh to some people at times, it's because I have a low tolerance for leaven and false doctrine. And, since I have been around (as a Christian) longer than most of the people on this Forum, I have seen "Christians" commit practically every sin in "The Book" (with the exception of murder).

I've seen enough on forum message boards to really sicken me, and sadden my spirit. I've recently been on the receiving end of some really un-Christ-like behavior from people with whom I spent a number of years in fellowship at our old church. I understand, but I don't.

But they are only hurting themselves.

We Christians are a "mixed bag" at best. We Christians (in the Western World) are just like the church at Corinth (CARNAL & SELF-WILLED). That is why I & II Corinthians are so appropriate for us today. You couldn't find a church in all of Paul's letters that was as fleshly and messed up as the Corinthian church.

We Christians have a problem:"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" [Jeremiah 17:9] We think that this verse only applies to the lost or to some other "Christians" - but certainly not us!

None of this "rant" is directed at you sister. It's just that there are some "Christians" out there who are naive and oblivious to the truth. Who think the Christian life is just "a bed of roses" or that we should be "tiptoeing through the tulips" from here on in; when the harsh reality is - we aren't any better than the lost and no more deserving of God's love than them. Thank God for His mercy and His grace that has been extended towards those of us who have believed the Gospel. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift - The Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen, brother. You are definitely preaching to the choir here.