Loving Our Enemies.

[Stegley]

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Christ commants in His Sermon on The Mount to "Love your enemies."  Today in America with all of our Religious resources, freedoms, and protections, who exactly are our enemies?  Anyone?

We need to identify them so that we can obey Jesus by loving them.  Remember, Jesus was talking about actual enemies, and not about people who were just rude, were unkind, had alternative lifestyles, or were a nuisance.

[Hal]

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Christ commants in His Sermon on The Mount to "Love your enemies."  Today in America with all of our Religious resources, freedoms, and protections, who exactly are our enemies?  Anyone?

We need to identify them so that we can obey Jesus by loving them.  Remember, Jesus was talking about actual enemies, and not about people who were just rude, were unkind, had alternative lifestyles, or were a nuisance.

Actually Jesus was talking about unbelievers who are about to prosecute him. Unbelievers to this day still try to prosecute our Lord by going after those who worship him. Matthew 12:30 NAS
[The Unpardonable Sin] "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

[Stegley]

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Did you perhaps have some examples of this "going after those who worship Him" today in America which you have theorized about?

I was also wondering where in the Text it shows Jesus was "actually" talking about those who were going to persecute Him.  Remember, Scripture explains and reveals itself, and human imaginations and suppositions reveal nothing at all.

[JB Horn]

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We need to identify them so that we can obey Jesus by loving them.  Remember, Jesus was talking about actual enemies, and not about people who were just rude, were unkind, had alternative lifestyles, or were a nuisance.

Really, and exactly what is your definition of love? Is it love to allow a child to go undisciplined? Is it love the standby and watch one nation plunder another nation? Is it love the standby and allow people's freedoms to be taken from them? Is it love the standby and watch a woman being raped and not try to stop it? Is it love to take the laborers of one man and give it to a man who refuses to work?

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law ?" 37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

But yet we do battle with them:

Deuteronomy 20:1 NAS
[Laws of Warfare] "When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.

Deuteronomy 23:14 NAS
"Since the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy ; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.

[JB Horn]

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Did you perhaps have some examples of this "going after those who worship Him" today in America which you have theorized about?

I was also wondering where in the Text it shows Jesus was "actually" talking about those who were going to persecute Him.  Remember, Scripture explains and reveals itself, and human imaginations and suppositions reveal nothing at all.

Me ask you what enemies did (does) Christ have? "Actually"  have you ever heard the term antichrist?

[Stegley]

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Really, and exactly what is your definition of love? Is it love to allow a child to go undisciplined? Is it love the standby and watch one nation plunder another nation? Is it love the standby and allow people's freedoms to be taken from them? Is it love the standby and watch a woman being raped and not try to stop it? Is it love to take the laborers of one man and give it to a man who refuses to work?

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law ?" 37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

But yet we do battle with them:

Deuteronomy 20:1 NAS
[Laws of Warfare] "When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.

Deuteronomy 23:14 NAS
"Since the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy ; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.

There is no need for you to ask for "my definition" of love.  God's authoritative definition is clearly given in 1Cor. 13 if you really need to know it.

Sure.  Antichrist is mentioned many times in Scripture.  Has He "actually" been an enemy of Christians in modern America, and where is he as such so that we may Love him?  Any real information on that?  Are you ready to Love the Antichrist in obedience yo Jesus, since you think He is a real enemy?

If Deuteronomy are the Laws of Warfare from God, how are they "acyually" needed today?  Can you even identify the enemy?  What exactly is the Enemy doing to hurt you?

[JB Horn]

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There is no need for you to ask for "my definition" of love.  God's authoritative definition is clearly given in 1Cor. 13 if you really need to know it.

Sure.  Antichrist is mentioned many times in Scripture.  Has He "actually" been an enemy of Christians in modern America, and where is he as such so that we may Love him?  Anyreal information on that?  Are you ready to Love the Antichrist in obedience yo Jesus, since you think He is a real enemy?

If Deuteronomy are the Laws of Warfare from God, how are they "acyually" needed today?  Can you even identify the enemy?  What exactly is the Enemy doing to hurt you?

Well then let's look at it.

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge ; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous ; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly ; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth ; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails ; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away ; if there are tongues, they will cease ; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part ; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child ; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face ; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three ; but the greatest of these is love.

Let me put up your original post so that people can be reminded what love we are talking about.

Christ commants in His Sermon on The Mount to "Love your enemies."  Today in America with all of our Religious resources, freedoms, and protections, who exactly are our enemies?  Anyone?

We need to identify them so that we can obey Jesus by loving them.  Remember, Jesus was talking about actual enemies, and not about people who were just rude, were unkind, had alternative lifestyles, or were a nuisance.

Sure.  Antichrist is mentioned many times in Scripture.  Has He "actually" been an enemy of Christians in modern America, and where is he as such so that we may Love him?  Anyreal information on that?  Are you ready to Love the Antichrist in obedience yo Jesus, since you think He is a real enemy?

1 John 2:18 NAS
Children, it is the last hour ; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared ; from this we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 2:22 NAS
Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3 NAS
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God ; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

2 John 1:7 NAS
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Can you even identify the enemy?  What exactly is the Enemy doing to hurt you?

 Apparently you live in some kind of bubble protected from the outside in America we have something called the First Amendment. It is a freedom, that freedom is being taken away from us. For your information when you attack Christ you attack me. I do understand that it is not personal that you only engaging in a spiritual war.

[Stegley]

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The First Amendment of The Constitution is not from God.  It is specified nowhere in Scripture. 

But, lets go ahead and assume those people who work to destroy The First Amendment are your enemies.  How are you loving them with Agape? 

[JB Horn]

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The First Amendment of The Constitution is not from God.  It is specified nowhere in Scripture. 

Rom 13: For government is God's servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God's servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

But, lets go ahead and assume those people who work to destroy The First Amendment are your enemies.  How are you loving them with Agape?

With prayer.

[clark thompson]

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The hate for Christians is shown in other countries and is starting to show in our country and we should those would hate us, as He did.

[Stegley]

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Rom 13: For government is God's servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God's servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.
With prayer.

Lol.  Your marvelously cited verse says nothing about the First Amendment. Did you "feel" like it did, perhaps?

How about this, if God had appointed America's Constitutional Government, why did He forget to include so called "Freedom of Religion" and "Protection of Religion" in the original Constitution, and had to use an ammendment?

As well, God in His Word states the only His Religion is to be promoted by Christians in Unity, rather than the endless exclusionary variations, most of which are at odds with each other.  That has nothing to do with God's Plan for Government

Also, do not forget yo remember that Real Christians can thrive, worship God, spread The Gospel, and serve God under the worst forms of Government.  Real Christians do not need wishy washy little government laws to "protect them."  Real Christians have no problem manning up under persecution and pressure.  Don't you think that is great?  Jesus did.  He said, "Blessed are you when men shall persecute you for righteousness' sake."  He never said, "Blessed are you when the Government protects you. "

Lol.  This is so much fun.

[JB Horn]

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Lol.  Your marvelously cited verse says nothing about the First Amendment. Did you "feel" like it did, perhaps?

How about this, if God had appointed America's Constitutional Government, why did He forget to include so called "Freedom of Religion" and "Protection of Religion" in the original Constitution, and had to use an ammendment?

As well, God in His Word states the only His Religion is to be promoted by Christians in Unity, rather than the endless exclusionary variations, most of which are at odds with each other.  That has nothing to do with God's Plan for Government

Also, do not forget yo remember that Real Christians can thrive, worship God, spread The Gospel, and serve God under the worst forms of Government.  Real Christians do not need wishy washy little government laws to "protect them."  Real Christians have no problem manning up under persecution and pressure.  Don't you think that is great?  Jesus did.  He said, "Blessed are you when men shall persecute you for righteousness' sake."  He never said, "Blessed are you when the Government protects you. "

Lol.  This is so much fun.

You asked a question and I gave you the Biblical answer. Is there a government in America, and is there a right to practice the freedom of religion in it's founding document, and is the government of America addressed in the bible, yes.

How about this, if God had appointed America's Constitutional Government, why did He forget to include so called "Freedom of Religion" and "Protection of Religion" in the original Constitution, and had to use an ammendment (sp)?

You are regressing to early childhood, I don't debate children.

Good-by

[Stegley]

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Are you saying anything a Government can come up with is something God wants thrm to do?

Do not run away and say, "Good Bye" like a woman.  Answer the question like a man.  Where does Scripture speak of Freedom of Religion as something Christians need when Jesus specifies that to be persecuted is a "Blessed" thing?  Do you not listen to Jesus?

[JB Horn]

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Are you saying anything a Government can come up with is something God wants thrm to do?

Do not run away and say, "Good Bye" like a woman.  Answer the question like a man.  Where does Scripture speak of Freedom of Religion as something Christians need when Jesus specifies that to be persecuted is a "Blessed" thing?  Do you not listen to Jesus?

I think you have it backwards, take a look at the sctiptures again.

If you believe God has limitations could you list them for us.

[Stegley]

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State with clarity how I have it backwards.  I am eagerly awaiting.

Were the Founding Fathers rebelling against and killing the troops of a God ordained British government under King George?  Answer this.  Be intelligent upon your stated ideology of all governments being placed or allowed by God. 

Don't run away, now.