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Put it on the shelf: Difference between revisions
→What being a Christian requires
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===Test the spirits=== | ===Test the spirits=== | ||
John tells us in 1 John 4:1: | |||
''Do not despise prophetic utterances. But '''examine everything carefully'''; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.<ref>New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Th 5:20–22.</ref> | :''Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.<ref>New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Jn 4:1.</ref> | ||
Paul admonishes us in `1 Thessalonians 5:20-22: | |||
:''Do not despise prophetic utterances. But '''examine everything carefully'''; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.<ref>New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Th 5:20–22.</ref> | |||
===What was Jesus' approach to doubt?=== | ===What was Jesus' approach to doubt?=== | ||
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There was an individual who initially believed that Jesus was the messiah but then started to question whether this was, in fact, correct. We can all learn from Jesus' example. | There was an individual who initially believed that Jesus was the messiah but then started to question whether this was, in fact, correct. We can all learn from Jesus' example. | ||
The individual's name was John the Baptist, a relative of Jesus. John was the one who baptized Jesus and said this of Jesus: | The individual's name was John the Baptist, a relative of Jesus. John was the one who baptized Jesus and said this of Jesus in Luke 3:16–17: | ||
:''I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Lk 3:16–17.</ref> | :''I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Lk 3:16–17.</ref> | ||
But after John was thrown into prison by Herod, he started to have questions: | But after John was thrown into prison by Herod, he started to have questions as we read in Luke 7:18–28: | ||
:''And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, '''“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”''' And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” | :''And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, '''“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”''' And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” | ||
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Luke's testimony shows that Jesus clearly understood the value of evidence and continually provided “many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:2-3) to His followers so they could record their observations and change the world with their testimony. Jesus commended this process. His words to Thomas were not an affirmation of “blind faith”<ref>Parts of this article were adapted from an email by J. Warner Wallace, the author of ''Cold-Case Christianity'' - [http://www.str.org/ Stand to Reason]</ref> | Luke's testimony shows that Jesus clearly understood the value of evidence and continually provided “many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:2-3) to His followers so they could record their observations and change the world with their testimony. Jesus commended this process. His words to Thomas were not an affirmation of “blind faith”<ref>Parts of this article were adapted from an email by J. Warner Wallace, the author of ''Cold-Case Christianity'' - [http://www.str.org/ Stand to Reason]</ref> | ||
=Join us as we take things "off the shelf"= | |||
[[Image:Off The Shelf square 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|right|250px|link=Off The Shelf]] | |||
When we understood the danger of putting things "on the shelf", we started to examine everything that we had put on the infamous shelf. This eventually led us to start our '''"[http://offtheshelf.life/ Off The Shelf]"''' podcast. '''The [http://offtheshelf.life/ Off The Shelf] podcast''' includes interviews with ex-message followers, [[The September 2020 Debate|'''debates with current followers''']] and discussions of important topics relating to William Branham. We would love you to join us. If there is something specific you would like to take "off the shelf", please [[Contact information|contact us]]. | |||
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[[Category: Unfinished articles]] | [[Category: Unfinished articles]] | ||