Grace... also the church I was a Pastor's wife in the Lutheran church ELS in fellowship with WELS are very strict on women preaching or being heard having a voice in the church. THey interpret it that a woman can not "teach or have authority" over a man" in a way that says women can not even vote for if there were more women then men, then women would now have a voice over a man...
I really like nondenominational churches because they seem to be able to keep the main thing, as the main thing, Jesus, repentance, forgiveness, growth and missions...Love being the center of all. I believe we have brothers and sisters in all CHristian denominations but I really feel for me, this is the best fit after what I have been through in my marriage and CHristian walk. There seems to be more work more ideas, less sqabbeling, and less politics then where I was before.
So good you dont live in guilt, You are free as we all are in our LOrd and King so glad you proclaim His vicotry over your life!!! I think your honesty and wisdom here is lovely sister:)
Let this mind:
Yes virginity is only once...i have only been with my husband in marriage..I am divorced so I am celibate until I marry again.
I was a virgin the night I married my husband, I am not now, that is a feeling of loss after being abused and cheated on and having him remarry after I filed to protect myself and my children. I cant have my virginity back nor can I have the man I married, he is gone, gone with another woman and gone in a spiritual sense as not the same man I knew who I supported during his Pastor training. It is sad and tragic.
But ya know what, so is life, but Jesus is the Grace, He is the Victory and He is the ONLY 100% PURE person in every way the unblemished lamb which we all are allowed to find our cleansing from all unrighteousness as scripture states.
Having saud all that, I have never used the words secondary virginity for myself but many Crisis PRegmancy centers encourage young women to take on this stance as to remind themselves that God gives them a second chance and a third and so on and to remind them that a husband someday will honor thier efforts. Some of these girls have even given birth to and put up for adoption their children to ahve a betterl life. Now that is love, if they want to call themselves a secondary virgin, as long as they are honest about it to their husband, that is what matters. :angel:
I have looked into these scriptures and one thing is sure, so have many other Churches as well. Most main line denominations and even nondenominational churches will marry divorced people with some counseling and consideration into the circumstances, biblical grounds, and prevention of a second or third divorce.
I recently read something that suggested that verse from Jesus had to do with men not giving their wives proper divorce certificates that were real and valid from the church and the government of that time and it was suggested in this article that Jesus was telling men that they needed to be sure the women were truely divorced and not partially divorced or still married to their husbands therefore adultery would make sense there. Maybe you could look into the greek there and see what that means since you are studying this topic and see if there any truth to the article or not.
I think many of us women see ourselves as disserted or widowed in the sense of what was done to us and the way we were cheaten upon, many will disagree with this but I am telling you how many of my sisters and I feel in this matter.
ALso we need to remember God's Grace, divorce is not the unforgivable sin, rejecting Jesus is and obedience is vital but we need to be sure we understand the meanings of some of those hard verses before we just run off and tell millinion of people they cant remarry according to God's word, when most churches allow remarriage...My husband is married to another woman and it would be silly to wait around for him and I would say even adulterous since his is legally married to another woman. He is NOT my husband but is the father of my kids.
Scripture interprets scripture and the Bible says what is loosed on earth is loosed on Heaven and what is Bound on Earth is Bound in Heaven. My marriage to my ex who was a Pastor, is loosed here and in Heaven, his marriage to his wife is bound here and in Heaven before God. I am not His wife.
I have been shocked at what a big deal this issue has been on these sites and on another site a man just cruely abused me and hurt me verbally because I am a divorced woman looking to remarry and he himself is divorced...
Grace rules not the Law...each person needs to understand thei WOrd on thse issues and talk to their own Pastors because really, we represent a lot of different Biblical viewpoints on this site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This issue is one that needs to be taken to ones own church for review if they are unsure. That is my view. :angel:
The movie Fireproof is full of Wisdom that is expressed in the Proverbs about how to deal with anger and their are many scriptures based in the book the Love Dare that is the healing balm for many real marriages that came from that movie portrayal. God was all over that movie, just like courageous, it was prayed for often trusting God that people would learn not only the marriage value but also the Gospel.
I had this same argument about the book Heaven is for Real on this site...IT is my belief that you can find the wisdom of God and His WOrd in movies and books and shows and poems, Wisdom is like precious rubies and can be found all over but true Wisdom comes from God and you can see it outside the Bible but it is not true wisdom if it is not supported in some way by the Bible.
Fireproof is not God's Word but scripture is used in the movie in several places. The messages are wisdom of God because they are messages that He supports and tells us about in His WOrd. Love, Kindness, turning the other cheek, Grace, forgiveness, perseverance, Prayer, Faith, The Gospel of CHrist on the CRoss...
This was all in Fireproof, messages of the Lord from Actors and Screenwriters committed to serving Jesus, helping the Lost and hurting.:angel:
I posted about this the other day, totaly agree:) This movie was on when I was going through my divorce and it was quite difficult to watch but now that I am past it I am encouraged by the movie and look forwARD TO A GODLY MARRIAGE LIKE THAT ONE DAY. :angel:
Shamah, that is sweet and true I think too:) Attraction does get our attention but there has to be more, there has to be a spiritual character connection to serve together for Jesus:) :angel:
MIthridates... so beautifully written and said, we women, we sin too and we are not always going to do what God wants but I think what you are describing is loving and Godly leadership in the Home.
I heard once that taking leadership means taking more blame and less credit then you deserve.
I know in my abusive marriage, it would have been so wonderful to be treated in they way you described above:) Thankyou brother...good to know men like you are out there:)
You are bold and full of the courage of Jesus our LOrd as you address your brothers and sisters here, and amen to that, if what you are saying is encouraging us to step back and be sure we are heading in the right direction for our future marriages then yes I am on board with you in this :applause:
The movie Fireproof is really a great example of how a neglectful and angry husband who couldnt cope with life fell in love with Jesus and then in love with his wife again.
His friend says 3 things that I love in that movie that I hope men take from it. I think this is very true about women who are already a Believer as we are not to be yoked to a nonbeliever.
1. He says Caleb, you would run into a burning building to save a stranger but you are going to let your own marriage burn to the ground.
2. He says Caleb, a woman is like a rose, if you treat her right she will bloom, and if you dont, she will wilt.
3. He says you have to study your wife (insert girlfriend here) to know her better, ask her questions, learn her likes and dislikes, give value to her words, thoughts and opinions, and your goal should be to one day have a docterate degree in studying and knowing your wife...
Women what can we do to help our next marriage survive and to protect other's marriages?
1. Dress like a stripper only in front of your husband and no one elses...LOL making light here but I think we women know that even if we have a good body, it is to be shown to our husband in a sexy way often, but if you dont, keep that body dressed modestly until your wedding night:)
2. Prepare to respect and honor your future husband even when he doesnt deserve it, compliment him, point out his strengths, tell him he is a good man, tell him you need his leadership in the area of Bible studies for you and your family. Make him know without one question that he is the first man in your life after Jesus:)
3. Communicate your needs amd kids needs with kindness and love.
4. Remember that you are a Princess of the Kingdom of Heaven and when Jesus talked about women and to women, he shocked people because the culture of that time saw women as nothing but property, we are not property we are precious gifts to the men in our lives as daughters, sisters, friends, mothers, aunts, nieces, and servants of Christ. We should be treated as such and if men are not, we need to tell them in love and kindness. Abuse is never to be tolerated and you are not helping a man who you allow to abuse you, you are showing him that it is ok, get help from a Domestic Violence SHelter Please if you are being physically abused and if you are being emotionally and verbally abused get help in the form of a Pastor or counselor. If the Pastor condones the abuse, find another Pastor!! :angel:
5. Love Jesus above all else and seek him in Prayer in your relationship now if it is before marriage as to who you should marry, and see how God moves, if he moves a man a way from you please see that He is protecting the both of you, if he moves a man toward you, take the time to check him out and get to know him to see if he is a good Godly man for real.
Pray Pray PRay and when you marry, pray for your husband and his Loving Leadership that it would not be cruel or harsh to you and children. Pray against spiritual attacks from Satan and above all enjoy your man, he is a lovely strong, tender, but warrior for Jesus, delight in his smile, his words, his touch and protect his heart as you would your own...:angel:
Yes, good point because C.S Lewis books that have been made into movies; the Narnia series are very very profound in how they point to Asland the Lion as God and hsi leadership but it is founded in a story.
Heaven is for real, I believe is a vision that God chose in his wisdom to give this young child and if it helps you to be closer to Jesus then not harm done in fact I dont see anything harmful in one oz of this book, I have been a Christian for 20 years, was a Pastors wife and learned under my ex husband while he was attending Seminary, we had theology for dinner every night...LOL I just dont see how this book could encorage any beliefs that go against God.
I was always taught that when we have to weight something to it's validity we match it against scripture and there are so many things God doesnt tell us about Heaven, however nothing Colton tells us about his vision of Heaven is Satanic in nature in any way, in fact it ALL GIVES GLORY TO GOD, that is why I accept it as truth, ok, not Biblicial truth but truth that his experience is real and that we will mostly likely see Coltons reports of Heaven when we get there.
The amazing thing about stories of people who see Heaven through near death experiences is that they support our Biblical view of Jesus, and of Heaven and sadly for some, Hell. Sometimes we have to open our minds a little to be able to judge something by the scriptures even though it is not in the scriptures, does that make sense....if it supports our Biblical Understandings of something then it is an experienced that can be judged to be harmless and God in His wisdom allowed that person to experience it. After all, God is the keeper of life and death, and when people have these experiences it can only be God that allowed them to see and report to others in our culture to hear about and lead them to learn more in a church or the Bible. God is not in a box. :angel:
