Seekers?
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Seekers- is defined as someone who is seeking or searching after God. This article was written after being kicked off a blog for speaking against the faulty eisegesis of a man named Todd A. Rhoads. This article was linked to the article which Todd A. Rhoads had written, however not long after I wrote this, the article disappeared. Do natural Men Seek after God ? Many today assume that the world is seeking after God. This is a false assumption. I have heard many a minister state that an unbeliever was searching after truth, just because the unbeliever asked a question about the Bible. The Bible says in Rom. 3:11 "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Why does the Bible declare this? Scripture plainly states that a natural man's very nature is contrary to the things of God, can never choose God, nor will ever seek God apart from a divine intervention from God. Natural men cannot go against their very nature. Just as a dog cannot crow like a bird or chirp like a cricket; a natural man cannot go against his nature which is alienated from God. Eph. 4:17-21 "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:" The Bible also declares that the natural man is dead. Eph 2:1,5. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;...... Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;). God draws a man to Jesus and Jesus quickens that man and makes him alive. John 5:21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. I was told on Todd A. Rhoads blog that no where does scripture say a natural man cannot seek God or search after truth. The Bible only says that he cannot understand or receive that truth. Then I was given 2 examples of 2 persons that are searching after truth in this world and one was a homosexual and the other started attending a church that allowed you to create God in your own image. Now come on. A homosexual is searching after truth? Please, this is far from the truth. Rom. 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 1 Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. These scriptures prove that a natural man does not seek God nor can he know the things of the Spirit and even the preaching of the cross is foolishness to him. This is not to say natural men do not go to church and hear what is being preached. But unless God regenerates them and births them into the kingdom, giving them faith; which is the gift of God Eph. 2:8; then they will never hear with that spiritual ear. Matt. 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, .....Rev. 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith ...... NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE WHO ABIDETH IN HIS LIFESTYLE AS A HOMOSEXUAL OR MURDERER OR FORNICATOR, ETC..... HAS BEEN BORN AGAIN NOR IS SEARCHING AFTER TRUTH. John 3:19-20 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." If natural men were seeking God, then we could say that they were doing a good thing. However, the scriptures declare that there is none righteous, no, not one and there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Belief in God and the desire to seek God has to be given to us by God. Phil.1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; ...... Eph. 1:4-6 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Eph. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Rom. 8:29-30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 2 Tim. 1:9-10 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Tim.1:9 makes it clear that God chose certain individuals before the world began, not because they possessed good works, such as seeking him. Those whom God chose he quickens and makes alive and THEM AND THEM ONLY WILL DO TRUTH AND COME TO THE LIGHT. NOT BY THEIR ON POWER BUT BY THAT NEW LIFE GIVEN THEM IN CHRIST BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN.
The heading of Todd Rhoads blog was that "5 out of 6 Americans Agree" that when it comes to spiritual growth they see the church as non relevant to their growth. His first point was that " the world when longing and searching after spiritual growth", sees the church as irrelevant to their growth. I would spend a lot of time disputing this, but I will not. This is absolutely absurd. The world does not search and long for spiritual growth. They are spiritually dead concerning the things of God. The reason 5 out of 6 Americans view the Church as irrelevant concerning their spiritual growth is because 5 out of 6 Americans are probably not born again. Or if they are born again, then they are following the same semi-Pelagian doctrines as Todd A. Rhoads. 1 John 4:4-6 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 1 John 2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." The Bible contrasts what we have with what the world has because they are in the flesh and are seeking what the flesh desires. We are in the spirit and are seeking God in spirit and truth. Before I came to know the Lord I did not know God, nor did I desire to know God, nor did I want God , nor did I seek God. All I sought was a cold beer and my own natural life. God allowed someone to plant and another to water but, he gave the increase. 1 Cor. 3:6 I did not grow up in a Christian home nor had I ever read the Bible in my whole life, but one day while getting drunk in my front yard with no one around, God quickened me and it was as if scales fell off my eyes. I looked at that can of beer with new eyes or spiritual eyes and I said this cannot be right. I did not know what was right but at that moment I knew that what I had been doing for years wasn't right. At that moment I had a desire to start seeking God. The next Monday I went into my job and went to a Christian and started asking questions. This shocked him. The reason was because I had a reputation of saying what was on my mind and of fighting whoever messed with me. He had actually seen me whoop on a few folks right at work. That whole week I began throwing out rock-n-roll albums and pornography. My wife thought I had went crazy simply because of the fact that I started changing within that week, by throwing out stuff I had collected for years. I had AC-DC rock-n-roll albums that I had been collecting for years and I took them and busted them. I did not know the scriptures at all. I had never read the Bible. But immediately I was throwing worldly stuff out and was seeking God. The next Sunday I went to this Christian's Church and repented after the sermon. I had never heard of such things as God loves me and I felt that heaven had come down. I began reading the Old Testament and when I came to the place in Exodus where the ten commandments of God are listed, my heart broke and I cried to God for forgiveness. This took place in 1992 and I am still saved and I am still walking in that calling. I have not always done what God has asked and He has certainly had to whip me, but I am still His child and I thank God for His mercy and grace that changed my life. If God had not come on me and quickened me I would still be in the world and would still be a drunkard. I would not be desiring God nor seeking Him. I have seen many come through the church that I grew up around and know personally and they never stay and their lives are never changed. They go right back out into the world and continue in what they always have. Why? Because God has never called them and quickened them. They are not seeking God. But are seeking comfort in their natural lives. I know one man personally that has been in church 30 years and he is in his third marriage. At work he will come into my department and sit down at break and talk as long as my radio is not on and broadcasting the gospel. As long as others are present to talk about the world with him he will stay but, if my radio is on he will turn around and walk out. This man claims to be Christian. Now I contend that if a man starts seeking God it is because God has quickened him. This man will not stay a homosexual, or murderer, or drunkard, or fornicator, but them things will start falling to the side as he progresses in his search for God. ANYTHING ELSE IS JUST RELIGION AND GOD IS NOT INVOVLED, BUT MAN IS JUST TRYING TO SAVE HIMSELF. |