THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES
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Olympia, Washington 1:352/777 77:1/0 206.866.3621
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Rev. Tomas David Hood -- Chief Director/Founder
Michael Carney -- Vice Chairman
Thank you for asking for further information about the ICDM and
the ICDM Network. You have rightly asked for more in-depth
information regarding our beliefs, and our purpose. I thought
that sharing with you the actual By-Laws on these points would
serve as a good reference for you. Then, I will answer some
common questions and present more additional thoughts.
Here are excerpts from the current By-Laws of the International
Christian Discipleship Ministries:
2.0 MISSION OF THE MINISTRY.
The mission of the International Christian Discipleship
Ministries (hereafter called 'The Ministry,' and 'ICDM') is to
share the Good News of God's love and provisions of salvation
to all mankind (the Gospel), and to teach the ways of Jesus
Christ to His disciples, through whatever means available and
convenient to the corporation. The basic goal of the ministry
is "discipleship." The ICDM is following the commission of
Christ, to go to all the world and make disciples in His name.
2.1 BULLETIN BOARD NETWORK.
The International Christian Discipleship Ministries is
authorized to form and operate and maintain the ICDM Network
of bulletin board systems. This network is an outreach for
both evangelical purposes and for discipleship and growth of
the believer of Christ.
Included in this operation is the creation, operation,
maintenance, and funding of bulletin board systems, which
includes computer hardware and software, telephone lines, and
utilities coverage to operate such systems. Funds shall be
appropriated to cover the costs of operating bulletin board
systems that exist as an extension of the Ministry.
5.0 STATEMENT OF DOCTRINE AND FAITH
We believe and teach
5.1 that the Bible is the inspired and only inerrant
authoritative Word of God (II Tim 3:16; II Peter 1:21)
5.2 in the one true God, who created and framed everything,
eternally self-existant as one in nature and purpose, yet
threefold in personality and function (Jn 3:16-17;
Matt 28:19; II Cor 13:14), being triune in fulness and
distinctively revealed to us through history as God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Rom 1:7;
Heb 1:8; Acts 5:3,4; Heb 1:1-3,8-12; John 1:1,14), and
that in the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, dwells all the
fullness of Godhead bodily (Col 2:9).
5.3 in the deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ
(Rev 22:13,16; Jn 1:1; Matt 16:16,17; Lk 1:26-35;
Phil 2:5-11), in His virgin birth (Matt 1:18-23), in His
sinless life (Heb 4:14,15), in His death (Gal 3:13;
Rom 5:10,11), in His bodily resurrection (Matt 28:5-7;
Jn 20:20), in His ascension to the right hand of the
Father (Acts 1:9-11; Eph 1:20,21; Heb 1:3) as the
Intercessor (Heb 7:25; Rom 8:34), and in His personal and
bodily future return to this earth in power and glory
(Acts 1:11).
5.4 in the Holy Spirit, who intercedes on our behalf, being
God (Rom 8:26,27), who is sent by Jesus (Jn 16:5-15) and
is received by those who seek the Father (Lk 11:13), and
who is totally at work in the church, as the sovereign
authority to give all His gifts today according to His
will (I Cor 12:11).
5.5 in the creation, test, and fall of mankind as recorded in
Genesis, and mankind's total spiritual depravity and
inability to attain to divine righteousness (Rom 5:12,18).
5.6 in the salvation of sinners by grace, through repentance
and faith in Christ and His precious blood by which we
obtain remission of sins (Eph 2:3-9; Rom 5:9-11;
Jn 1:12,13; Acts 4:12; Heb 9:12,22; 1 Jn 1:9), not by
works but by His mercy and the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
5.7 that the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides
healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer
(Isa 53:4,5; I Pet 2:24; Matt 8:16,17).
5.8 in being initially and continually filled with and
controlled by the Holy Spirit, there are times when this
may be evidenced by one or more gifts of the Holy Spirit,
but is always evident through the fruits of the Spirit,
and this enables the believer to grow and mature in
Christ, and enables the believer to commune with the
Father through the Spirit (I Cor 14:2; Eph 5:18,25-27;
Acts 2:4; I Cor 1:30; II Cor 6:14, 7:1).
5.9 in water baptism by immersion (buried) as an act of
obedience by every believer, and constitutes being
baptised into the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 3:13-17;
Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3,4; Matt 28:19; etc.).
5.10 in the resurrection of both the believers and unbelievers;
the believers to everlasting life (I Thess 4:16,17) and
the unbelievers to everlasting punishment (II Thess 1:9;
Rev 20:11-15).
5.11 in the reality and personality of satan and in eternal
judgment and punishment of satan and his angels
(Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10-15).
5.12 that there is one Body of Christ, the Church, which is
composed of many members in particular, all having been
baptised into one body by one Spirit, and that these
members are set in the body as it pleases God, and every
member has his own particular function with Christ as the
head, and that the body is linked together by the love
that shows that each is of God (Col 1:18;
I Cor 12:13,17,18; Eph 4:4; Rom 12:4,5).
5.13 that the true Church of Jesus Christ the Lord is one
universally and is visibly seen as individual local
fellowships, and that the basic purpose of the Church is
fourfold:
- Vertically, to minister to God (I Pet 2:5;
Mark 12:29,30),
- Horizontally, to minister to the Body of Christ
(Eph 4:11-13; Rom 12:1-21; I Cor 12:13,14),
- Outwardly, to minister to the world (Mark 16:15-18;
Acts 1:8; Isa 61:103; Psa 2:8),
- Triumphantly, to engage in spiritual warfare against
the domain of darkness (Eph 6:10-12; II Cor 10:3-5).
5.14 that it is absolutely essential to promote the unity of
the Spirit within the local church and among other members
of the Body of Christ (Eph 4:1-13; Psa 133, I Cor 1:10;
Phil 1:27).
5.15 that the Lord gives to the Church today apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the
equipping of the saints for the work of God, for the
edifying of the Body of Christ, until we come to the unity
of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God
(Eph 4:7-16; I Cor 12:28).
5.16 in the operation of all the manifestations of the Spirit
(I Cor 12:7) in the local church, and that these
manifestations are listed as gifts, administrations,
operations, and ministries, and the Holy Spirit divides to
every man severally as He wills, and that not all have the
same gifts or office (Rom 12:3-8; I Cor 12).
5.17 that the development of Christ-like character in each
believer's life is the Biblical foundation for all gifts,
ministries, and activities of the church (Matt 5:1-10;
I Cor 13).
These above statement are not the total sum of the beliefs of
the ICDM, but serve as a basic foundation of our belief and
message.
That ends the excerpts from the By-Laws of the ICDM. I would
also add that the ministry is not part of any denomination, nor
claims to be a denomination. Rather, we hold that every believer
in Christ belongs to the One Church. Local fellowships and
denominations should not cause division in the Church. Therefor,
we could be considered "Inter-denominational and Non-
denominational." The final authority is Christ through His Word,
the Bible.
Here is an excerpt from a message in which the writer asked
question to which I have responded. He allowed me to use these
here:
DS | Is ICDM affiliated with any particular denomination.
No. The ministry believes that we are all of one Spirit, one
body, with the head being Christ Jesus, the Lord. There is
neither Jew or Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free, for we
are all of one God, the Almighty.
DS | I assume that you will be steering at least some echoes
DS | toward a particular view. What is your background?
I came to know of salvation through the ministry of a little
Baptist congregation in Montana. I heard the Gospel, and the
Holy Spirit quickened my spirit to receive the truth. I believed
on the Son of God, and was born again, born from above, in 1973.
Later in my life, I became a member of the Assembly of God, and
then with other fellowships, such as the Four-Square, and others.
Finally, I discovered that we are all of one family. I find my
place with all believers in Christ.
I was called to the ministry about the same year as I came to
know Him. It was unmistakable. I owe Him everything.
DS | Who or what pays ICDM's bills.
First, the ICDM is a not-for-profit ministry in the State of
Washington, and as such accepts donations that help pay whatever
needs paying.
For the most part, the expenses for the network come out of my
own pocket, as well as the pocket of each sysop agreeing to carry
the conferences. It is voluntary in that regard, as is Fidonet
and others.
Other expenses are paid from whatever source the Lord provides,
as is usual for a ministry. If you have the ability and the
desire, your help is appreciated.
DS | A number of my callers are home schoolers and/or their
DS | parents. These people are mainly Assembly of God or
DS | Conservative Babtists. Are they going to have problems with
DS | your view of the world?
My personal view? I doubt that they would, if they are teachable
from the Word of God, the Bible. I hold that as the truth. It
is my faith that God's Word shall not come back void. I never
compromise the Word while conversing with those on the network.
I am also teachable. The Word of God is powerful, and given to
teach and change lives.
There are others on the network that may differ in belief. There
are those that are not Christian. The whole idea of the network
is for everyone to express his or her belief and to hear the
others. If someone is not able to be challenged in this way,
then they should not participate. But, the person who is able to
share the Word of God and allow for others to differ will have no
problem.
This is a ministry to all the world, and we reach out as much as
is possible. We have a servant's heart, and hunger for the Love
of God to bear fruit through our efforts.
DS | You use the term 'Christ Disciple' a number of times in your
DS | info pack; what does that mean to you?
The God of Abraham, the invisible Creator Himself, sent His Son
into the world, became flesh, and dwelt among us. He died, was
buried, and rose again. He gave us life, and the life is the
Light. He calls unto Himself disciples, those who will follow
Him and obey Him. These people are born again and have the Lord
Jesus Christ as their teacher, through the Holy Spirit. I use
the term "Christ Disciple" to signify better who we are, since
the term "Christian" is misused in today's language.
DS | How am I expected to limit access to the 'Christ Disciple'
DS | echoes?
Do not limit, just have a statement of the general policy. I
post regularly each conference's policy and purpose. If a user
gets out of hand, the sysop is asked to limit that person.
On a practical level, on my board, I do not let ANY person have
write access to any of the messages until I know that the person
is civil.
DS | How do I decide if a person unknown to me is a believer or
DS | not?
We shall know them by their fruit, and by what proceeds out of
their mouths! (smile). I am assuming you are my brother, so I
will say, brother, to pray over the whole affair and let the Lord
guide you. I am not asking to keep non-believers out. The Lord
will honor His word.
DS | How does a sysop who is not a believer decide who gets
DS | access to these echoes?
Same way. Following the rules of conduct, they are expected to
respect the network. If they fail, no feed.
(==ende==)
Now, to quote some examples from the network, I would share
these. Some are "meaty" while some are more "milk-ish." The
network serves the whole Body.
So, here is only a sampling:
(Because a good number of people are asking a bit about me
(tomas) I thought that I would kind of share more of my messages,
too, so the following are also examples of my "doctrine" in the
form of messages)
(The following is parts of a dialog between Tomas Hood and Ivan
O'neill, and I tried to keep them chronological):
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BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 11-19-91 (05:13) Number: 2075
From: TOMAS HOOD Refer#: NONE
To: IVAN O'NEILL Recvd: NO
Subj: Obediance 1/4 Conf: (152) ICDM:Dscpl
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Whew, you wrote a long, in depth message! Well, let's delve into
it! (this reply will take several message, to be sure!) (oh,
and don't be overwhelmed by the great amount of reply here: I
trust you will delve into it, also, and reply in depth...as well
as others, I hope, who will join in...)
.................................................................
Here we go:
IO | Obediance. It is an ongoing struggle within each of us to
IO | rid ourselves of Sin and adopt God's ways.
Rom 6:2:
By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any
longer? (NIV)
Rom 6:12:
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that
you obey its evil desires. (NIV)
It would appear that these contradict each other: One says that
we have to struggle to overcome sin in our lives, the other says
that we have died to sin. How are these reconciled?
To struggle against sin under an obligation to the Law, is a
struggle outside of Grace, according to Paul. But, never-the-
less, he tells us to struggle. Or does he? What is he really
trying to teach us? Consider this:
Rom 6:6-20,22,23:
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that
the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been
freed from sin. The death he died, he died to sin once for
all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same
way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ
Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so
that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of
your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather
offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from
death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as
instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your
master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What
then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under
grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer
yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves
to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin,
which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to
righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to
be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of
teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free
from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. When you
were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of
righteousness. ... ...(v22) But now that you have been set
free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you
reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)
Perhaps we must get a gripe on reality: If we have truely
accepted Christ as Lord, and believe on Him and confess Him
before mankind, the we have accepted Him to come into our lives
and crucify our flesh and allowed Him the freedom to create in us
a new heart. And by the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we have
become empowered with New Life (breathed by the Spirit, just as
God breathed the first breath of life into Adam) and are now dead
to all sin and the desires of the old man. Therefor, note that
it is a supernatural event: Christ gives us new life. His Word
renews our minds and brings our desires into full submission to
His "law."
So, does that mean we now are perfect, and never desire to sin?
Or is the question really: Have I counted the cost of saying
"Yes, Lord," allowing Him to truely crucify us, and resurrect us
again?
Gal 5:16-18,24,25:
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires
what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each
other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are
led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (v24) Those who
belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with
its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let
us keep in step with the Spirit. (NIV)
>>> Continued to next message
--- RAMail 3.0
* Origin: Cognitive ReGeneration : theMod's Place : Oly, WA (77:1/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 11-19-91 (05:13) Number: 2076
From: TOMAS HOOD Refer#: NONE
To: IVAN O'NEILL Recvd: NO
Subj: Obediance 2/4 Conf: (152) ICDM:Dscpl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Continued from previous message
It appears that if we yield to the Holy Spirit, we should have no
problem in doing His will. If we resist Him, we fall into the
Law. Hmmmm. How do we become led by His Spirit? Who changes
our will so that we have no problem and no hinderance to live by
the Spirit?
IO | The question is what are his ways. The bible is the answer,
IO | understanding it is the stubbling block.
(If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...)
What are His ways? You are right; the Bible is the answer. One
job for the Holy Spirit is to instruct us. One of our
obligations is to "study to show ourselves worthy." With the
Spirit, we have the link and the key to the mysteries of God.
IO | Does obediance involve the Denomination you are active in,
IO | good question. Personally, I would say yes. If I'm in a
IO | Denomination which advocates a loose approach to adherence
IO | to Scripture than I suspect I would gravitate in the same
IO | direction. It is unfortunate that each individual can't
IO | contribute to the overall insight into Scripture instead of
IO | simple becoming just another part of the accepted view.
Denominations are a curse, I would say. While intentions may be
good and the doctrine sound of some of these denominations, we
are all one body. We all are of the One Sheperd, though there
may be small flocks scattered about. But, we are all of Christ,
not of the Assemblies, or the Methodists...
I Cor 1:12-15:
What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul";
another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas";
still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was
Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of
Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except
Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized
into my name. (NIV)
Each individual must come as an individual to Christ, on His
terms. And we interact together as a body. We are not subjected
to a church government, but we are subjected to Christ. He is
our Shepherd, He is our covering, He is our Father, He is our
High Priest. There are many scriptures to this effect:
First, that playing religion in His name will not work. There
are many denominations that play Christianity (and usually very
poorly) but have no life in Christ:
Matt 7:21-23:
"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, `Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will
tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!' (NIV)
And, Christ forbade us from doing certain things:
Matt 23:8-11:
"But you are not to be called `Rabbi,' for you have only one
Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on
earth `father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
Nor are you to be called `teacher,' for you have one Teacher,
the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant.
(NIV)
The role of denominational leaders can be out of line from
scripture, then. Isn't it great to become individuals,
responsible to God, our Father? Yes, we are responsible to
interact with each other, but, on equal footing. The offices of
pastor, teacher, apostle, etc., are there for the edification of
the Body, not for the rule of the body. There is One Head:
John 10:11, 12, 14, 15, 16:
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns
the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the
sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and
scatters it. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my
sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the
Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other
sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them
also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be
one flock and one shepherd. (NIV)
As far as who we are able to come to God through, that is plain.
There is no need for a Mary who prays for us, etc.:
>>> Continued tonext message
--- RAMail 3.0
* Origin: Cognitive ReGeneration : theMod's Place : Oly, WA (77:1/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 11-19-91 (05:13) Number: 2077
From: TOMAS HOOD Refer#: NONE
To: IVAN O'NEILL Recvd: NO
Subj: Obediance 3/4 Conf: (152) ICDM:Dscpl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Continued from previous message
Eph 2:18:
For through him we both have access to the Father by one
Spirit. (NIV)
1 Tim 2:5:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, (NIV)
Heb 2:17:
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every
way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest in service to God, and that he might make
atonement for the sins of the people. (NIV)
IO | Liberty to me has great bearing on an individual's
IO | understanding. If the understanding isn't there how can I
IO | obey. Am I required to obey what I don't understand?
It often happens that the soul of a man requires of him to do
certain things. The logic behind such a demand by his soul only
emerges clearly after the task has been done, the conscious
intent being but the tip of the iceberg of unconscious intent.
This obedience to unconscious intent can be called obedience by
faith.
The soul has knowledge of right and wrong. It recognizes God's
supremacy and understands its obligations to its Creator. It
urges the man to do things that are right, even though to the
mind, these things don't make sense. God requires of the
individual to act by faith. He has given His law, He has made it
clear what His will is concerning us and our activity. The
individual is expected to act in obedience to that law, even if
it seems illogical.
The Scripture says,
Rom 2:14,15:
(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature
things required by the law, they are a law for themselves,
even though they do not have the law, since they show that
the requirements of the law are written on their hearts,
their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts
now accusing, now even defending them.) (NIV)
Now, while there may be a "liberty" to interpret the Word, there
is no liberty to those subjected to the Spirit. Those who are
not yielded to the Spirit are like a wave tossed by the wind.
Those yielded to the Spirit are able to rightly divide the Word
of God. And, those who are yielded are known by their friut.
IO | I don't think Liberty should be an Excuss to not obey, if
IO | anything I should be motivated to modify my behavior even
IO | more because of Liberty.
Yes, because of what Christ has done, I am filled with a desire
to love Him. I do believe that was His intention: to provide
something so awesome for us that we desire out of our free will
to love Him and fellowship with Him. So the freedom is one that
causes a response of love in us toward the Father. Not a freedom
that would prompt us to ignore Him and destroy our relationship
with Him.
IO | Where did you get these questions? Its probably too early
IO | in the morning for me to think.
I have been replying to this message from 2am until now, 3:30am.
I guess it is early, no? (grin). Where do I get the questions?
From the endless ponderings... (smile).
IO | God gave us clear mandates to obey and in not so clear
IO | areas.
I disagree. God is very clear, yes, but even in the areas: do
you not remember the words of our Lord? "Love your God with all
you heart, and love your neighbor as yourself." This is so
clear. How can we miss this? If we use this as our standard,
and act under the grace of the Lord, we shall be in perfect
harmony with His will!
Jam 1:27:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is
this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and
to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (NIV)
IO | Perhapes it is the Gray areas we are to exercise additional
IO | sources of information, like outside counsel, personal
IO | experience, researching the matter, parents, ect. Would you
IO | say this is the God given choice that each of us has a
IO | responcibily to use.
>>> Continued to next message
--- RAMail 3.0
* Origin: Cognitive ReGeneration : theMod's Place : Oly, WA (77:1/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 11-19-91 (05:13) Number: 2078
From: TOMAS HOOD Refer#: NONE
To: IVAN O'NEILL Recvd: NO
Subj: Obediance 4/4 Conf: (152) ICDM:Dscpl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Continued from previous message
I would say that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.
The prayers of a righteous man avails much. In other words, I
believe that in our personal, close relationship with the Father,
we have all the resources needed to answer the questions we have
need to solve. We have all the resources needed to lead a holy
live. We simply must "abide in Christ and Christ will abide in
us."
Do not look to the wisdom of the world, for Christ uses the
foolish things. In Him we have our being. This is the beautiful
thing: we can come boldy before the Father and talk direct with
Him. And He hears us. And, as a Father tends to do, He answers
and gives us all we need and more. Praise be to Him!
IO | The ability to access these resources would limit us in
IO | making a correct discision to obey. What do you think?
Again, we have one Father. We have the perfect High Priest:
Heb 3:1:
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling,
fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom
we confess. (NIV)
Heb 4:15:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in
every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. (NIV)
Heb 7:11:
If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical
priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the
people), why was there still need for another priest to come-
- one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
(NIV)
Let's turn to Christ, in our prayer closet, in the depths of our
hearts, and come to know Him intimately and learn His voice. He
will not leave us stranded and confused. He is a shepherd, we
His sheep! Meditate on Him!
IO | I too get tired of subjective opionated understanding. I
IO | think you said it well, we are the source of the problem not
IO | the Word of God. Remove the bias from our thinking and
IO | approach his Word in Humility. Modify the thinking process
IO | according to Scriptural Principles and modify behavior and
IO | the Christ like life becomes evident. what do you think?
Renew your mind with the Word of God. Be transformed into the
Image of Christ. Be holy. These are the mandates of scripture.
"You become what you eat." Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Wisdom is a good food. Feed on His Word, let it take root in
your heart, and draw close to Him.
IO | James 1:5 is a good verse to adopt with surprising results.
IO | May god bless you wisdom, Tomas.
And may Christ talk about you with great love to the Father. And
may the Holy Spirit give you comfort and understanding. Again,
draw close to Him, and He will draw close to you. Be encouraged,
dear brother! I love you in Christ.
1 Pet 2:25:
For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have
returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (NIV)
...................................................................
I think I will hit the hay for a few hours and get some sleep.
write back!
in Him,
Tomas Hood
--- RAMail 3.0
* Origin: Cognitive ReGeneration : theMod's Place : Oly, WA (77:1/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 06-22-91 (00:13) Number: 43
From: TOMAS HOOD Refer#: NONE
To: JAY MUNDY Recvd: NO
Subj: Turn on turn off.... Conf: (152) ICDM:Dscpl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello, Jay!
JM | TH>To turn on and turn off spirituality is to be false. To live
JM | TH>it daily as an integral part of life is to be living as a
JM | TH>true disciple.
JM | The problem here is twofold. One is that people
JM | don't wnat to take responsibility for their own actions.
This is the problem of "Cheap Grace." Costly grace demands a commitment to
Christ, a dying of oneself and a rebirth into Christ. Cheap grace is an
invention of the worldly church: justify the sin, not the sinner. Why
would the sinner have need to be responsible for his/her actions, if the
actions are justified and forgiven? A blanket forgiveness, a total washing
away of all sin by the Grace of God, leaves room for the sinner to live in
the world and be a part of the world. They would be no different from the
world, just justified.
Costly grace, however, justifies the sinner, not the sin. Therefore, the
sinner is cleansed, but there is a cost: That of total surrender to Christ
and a following of His every will and command. Obedience that puts into
motion the Grace afforded by the blood of the Sacrifice.
JM | The other problem, and probably a more insidious
JM | one, is the "gospel" that is being preached today.
It is the gospel of Cheap Grace. The Gospel of Costly Grace causes such
things to occur as was seen worked by Christ. And even greater things than
that!
JM | The cares and tears would not be done away
JM | with until we are with Him in heaven.
Satan is a robber and a destroyer. He has ripped us off, and left us to
die. The troubles of this life which cause the tears are the results of the
hate he has for us, the creation of the Lord God. We have been called to go
forth into a battle against such evil. To bind up the broken hearted, to
heal the wounded, to proclaim the good news of new life. We wrestle against
such principalities to wrest back that which satan stole. The power has
been given to the disciple, the one who has obeyed the call of Costly grace,
to go forth and be victorious.
Thanks for the message. Write back!
Tomas Hood
---
* Origin: Cognitive ReGeneration:theMod's Place:206.866.3621 (77:1/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 07-27-91 (16:56) Number: 287
From: TOMAS HOOD Refer#: NONE
To: TONY GRILLIOT Recvd: NO
Subj: Discipleship And Deat Conf: (152) ICDM:Dscpl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TG | TH> Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to
TG | TH> your earthly nature... Colossians 3:5
TG |
TG | This is not too difficult to understand! We must all exercise
TG | self-control in order to follow God's word but the next section...
It is more than "excersising" self control, I think. The phrase
"excercise self control" implies that it is something optional. When we
yield to the LORD, there are things that are NOT optional... if you follow
what I am saying, then you can see that it is a complete renewal of our
will, our mind, our actions follow suit. The book of Romans is a true
blessing in trying to understand this.
You know, I am sure, that our relationship with God is powerful. He gives
us EVERYTHING we need to follow Him. We must yield to Him. His yoke is
easy. But, it is a yoke. The times that we resist His Lordship in our
lives is the times that we fail. So, by meditating, and renewing our mind
and will, we become yielded to Him:
Romans 7:25
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the
mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the
law of sin.
Romans 8:4
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 12:2
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Colossians 3:9,10
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old
man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new [man], which
is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him:
Galatians 5:24
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts.
Colossians 2:11,12
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made
without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the
flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the
faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the
dead.
Romans 6:12
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye
should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Romans 6:22
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to
God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end
everlasting life.
John 8:36
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed.
TG | TH> Now if we died with Christ, we believe that
TG | TH> we will also live with Him. Romans 6:5-8
TG |
TG | I accept this by faith, but how does one latch onto this in a
TG | literal sense? What may one do to accomplish this?
This mostly refers to everlasting life. But, I think you are asking,
How do we live a life with Him, here and now?
Romans 8:13
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live.
Write back... let's continue this...
--- RAMail 2.3
* Origin: Cognitive ReGeneration : theMod's Place : Oly, WA (77:1/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 07-14-91 (06:59) Number: 85
From: KEITH HARDIN Refer#: NONE
To: ALL Recvd: NO
Subj: PRAYER ECHO Conf: (168) ICDM:Pray
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a statement of the overall intent of the ICDMPRAY Echo.
1. To take prayer requests.
2. To proclaim and talk about answered Prayers.
3. To have discussions regarding Prayer.
4. To teach and discuss the various types of Prayer.
A. Intercessions
B. Supplications
C. Prayers of Deliverance
D. Praying in the Spirit
E. Approaching the Throne of Grace
F. Why some Prayers are not answered
G. Prophecy through Prayer
H. Letting the Spirit guide your Prayers
I. Prayers of Thanksgiving and Praise
5. To promote a regular daily prayer life.
6. To carry on a full Prayer Ministry to all people. This would
also have the future impact of having volunteers on call for
on the spot personal voice Prayer when needed.
7. To teach people the Biblical way of praying by examining
prayers that are in the Bible.
We will hopefully get all of this done before the Rapture(SMILE)
God Bless You! and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak what
the Lord has burdened me to do with a Prayer Ministry.
One of the weakest areas we all share in common is our Prayer
life. I want to promote you to pray and us to pray. I think that we
should discuss Prayer and Praying besides taking Prayer requests and
giving thanks for answered prayers.
All non-Christians are encouraged to read and ask questions. No
one here will make fun of you!
There will be no long list of rules to follow. Jesus said that
He came to fulfill the law. He made the law much simpler by reducing it
to two. In short "Love God First....Secondly your neighbor". All I ask
is that you let the love of God show in all that you do here and respect
each other as children of the Most High.
This Echo exists to glorify the Lord and that is it's only
purpose. I have observed other Echos doing public disciplines and so
on....Well folks not here. If discipline is needed in order to maintain
our Christian standards and Ethics, then it will be in private and
between you and I. Not one word will ever be said in public!
I also want to thank Mr. Hood and the ICDM Network for the
privilege extended to me to serve the Lord as Moderator of this Echo.
Please keep me in your Prayers. You will frequently see this opening
statement. It is the heart of this Echo. It will be displayed from time
to time so that all callers will know what we do and what we stand for.
Dear Lord Jesus,
I want to ask you for your blessing for the ICDMPRAY Echo.
Please use this Echo for your glory and honor. May we accomplish all that
has been stated and more. Bless all who call and get involved. I want to
thank you for the privilege of Prayer and the Ministry of Prayer. Thank
you Lord for the deep burden for Prayer that you have placed in me
several years ago. May there be many miracles worked here through
Prayer and Faith, bur when all is said and done, not for our glory, but
for yours Jesus. May we never be so busy that we ignore the cry of a
brother or sister in need or to teach God's plan of salvation here.
Now to you be the Power, the Praise, the Honor, and the Glory
for ever and ever
Amen-
This Echo is now open to take your requests for Prayer,
discussions and questions on Prayer between you and I or each
other......Oh yes, My name is Keith Hardin and I am your Moderator!
---
* Origin: The Kettering BBS! A Christian Based System! (77:3/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 07-21-91 (19:40) Number: 225
From: KEITH HARDIN Refer#: NONE
To: ALL Recvd: NO
Subj: Prayer Conf: (168) ICDM:Pray
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi All,
Well how are things in your life? Is everything going great for
you and is our Lord blessing your life richly? Or is your life a
disaster. Do you feel that any minute the walls are going to come
crashing in on you? Is your life full of stress.
If you are any of the two above cases, or anywhere in between,
then you need to talk to the Lord about it. Praying is "simply" talking
to the Lord. Jesus said that through the authority of his name, we have
the right to approach the Father and the throne with our Prayers and
Supplications. Did you know that we can build our Faith through Prayer.
When we talk to the Lord, things start to happen. The Bible tells us
that our Father knows what we need before we ask, and from the Old
Testament, He will send an answer before we finish our Prayer.
We say that God does not answer Prayer like He did years ago,
but I tell you the truth, The Bible says God never changes. Then it must
be us that have changed. One of the modern Christian's weakest
attributes is Prayer. Most of us are lucky to Pray for 15 minutes or
less a day. I will tell you now, that we can sit down and talk to our
friends for hours at a time, yet we can not talk to God for 1 hour a
day.....yet God is the best friend that we will ever have.
Why not start today talking to God on a regular basis. Just
reach out to him and he will reach back to you with loving kindness and
understanding. When you start to Pray, you will build your Faith. You
will also start to want to listen for God's voice, and you will soon
see that your Prayers will be answered. Jesus was a man of much Prayer.
Read about him in the Gospels and follow his example. Don't let the
devil rob you of your blessings and rewards that come through Prayer.
Now you also have a friend on the other side of your CRT. Bring
your Prayer requests here, tell us about your answered Prayers so that
we can all rejoice with you. Remember there is more power released in
numbers. That's why ICDMPRAY is here, so that we can support each other
in Prayer. In the future we will also be discussing Prayer, different
types of Prayer, and many other areas concerning Prayer...So start
praying today and let us Pray here too.
May our Lord Jesus bless you richly!!!!
---
* Origin: The Kettering BBS! A Christian Based System! (77:3/0)
===========================================================================
BBS: THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BBS
Date: 08-04-91 (13:02) Number: 407
From: KEITH HARDIN Refer#: NONE
To: ALL Recvd: NO
Subj: THE GAME OF CHANTS Conf: (168) ICDM:Pray
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Folks,
Did you know that Christians are some of the best chanters on
the face of the Earth? Oh yes do we ever chant, sometimes as good as the
eastern religions. What are chants? Well there are a few listed below:
1. The Lord's Prayer
2. The 91st Psalm
3. Eph. Chapter 6
4. Hail Mary Full of grace....
5. God is Great, God is good, and we thank him for our food.....
6. Now I lay me down st sleep. I Pray the Lord my soul to
keep...
There is nothing wrong with repeated Prayers for a particular
situation or need. But, when the meaning is lost and we are just saying
words, then the prayer becomes a chant. When you approach the throne
never ever just mouth words or repeat a Prayer your Aunt Bessy said
because it worked for her. Before you Pray search your heart for the
reasons why you are asking God for something. If it is for selfish
reasons or gain, God will not honor a petition like that.
There have been many times I have gone to a Prayer service and
listened everyone repeat the 91st Psalm and you know they have been
doing it every service for years and they all really know it by heart.
If you listen they all sound like robots with no inflection. hen you
will go to others and even though they have said it for years, it sounds
like the first time. Which one do you think God will honor? If it no
longer has any meaning, folks, then why Pray or say it????
Because we are creatures of security..and there is security in
repetition, especially when you do not know what else to do. But when we
have God's Holy Spirit in us we really do not have an excuse for
chanting.
There is nothing wrong with Praying someone else's Prayer if
your motives are sincere and the Prayer has meaning to you. I have a
book of Prayers that I read from time to time and I am Blessed by them.
But i will not use one if I keep repeating it until the meaning is gone
or I am just saying it because I think it will work because my motives
are not sincere.
Please don't play the game of chants with God, because you will
be wasting his time and your's. Instead Pray from your heart and let
his sweet Spirit take control. If you are Spirit Filled then Pray in the
Spirit. Paul says that His Spirit knows our needs and knows how to Pray
for them in groanings that we can not understand. Check Paul's message
out in the Book of Romans. If you stutter or mess up, God does not care,
because he knows your heart. Ask a friend to Pray with you. See there
are all kinds of different things that you can do and I have just listed
a few. You have another friend too...and that is me and your local BBS.
Leave your Prayer request here and will Pray with you and for you!!
May our Lord Jesus bless you so richly when you PRAY!
---
* SLMR 2.0 * Keith Hardin-ICDMPRAY Moderator-Centerville, Ohio
* Origin: The Kettering BBS! A Christian Based System! (77:3/0.0)
==========ende==========
I hope that these will serve to illustrate a little of what the
Net experiences. There is much more, though.
Thanks again. If there is more I can answer, please ask!
tomas hood
ICDM
P.O.Box 2196
Olympia, WA 98507-2196
1:352/777, 77:1/0
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