What event(s) opened your eyes

[JustABigKid]

Just Me and Alayman have both better explained the question in the OP.

Thank you for the help.

 

[Just me]

For many I have talked to it started with an event.  For JustABigKid it was how on Sunday mornings if there was not a Salvation decision or a Baptism (actually there had to be both) Preacher called in the bus director and told him to get his captains out there and have a bus kid "saved and Baptized" that night or else!!!  Happened over and over.

That event alone speakes of problems in the church.  Number one problem being unBiblical  authority/leadership.  Also there is no Biblical bases for the position to have a convert and Baptism every Sunday, just pride and arogance on the leaderships part.  Sad part is most of the membership was not aware of the order of Preacher to get out Sunday afternoons and drag a convert down the isle for Baptism Sunday night.  But they all heard over and over how the mighty WHBC has never had a Sunday without at least one Salvation decision and Baptism the entire time he has been "pastor" of the church.

Pharasaical leadership in action for sure.

Eyes continue to open as events continue to occur!!!

 

[Just John]

Mine was a string of events and study that culminated with a realization....much like a Benjamin Franklin ultimately discovering electricity with the culmination of the kite being struck by electricity. Events are often critical to discovery.

For me it was getting out of the IFB bubble at about age 22 and meeting others my age who were in a large Church of God (of the Anderson, IN., a conservative, evangelical COG movement) church who took their faith more serious because they "owned"  their faith, having to work it out and defend it often in a more hostile environment. They didn't have all the same "standards" of an IFB'er but their faith was very authentic. I was discipled by one of the pastors and learned there were "other Christians" that who were railed against but that which the caricature just didn't hold up. Such event leads one to recheck the data you have been fed. Yes, events are important.

 

[myeyesareopen]

My eyes were opened, so to speak, when I was in the process of getting saved...a soulwinner had presented the gospel to me and I was not quite ready to accept. I told him I was definitely feeling a 'tug'. He told me the 'tug' was the Holy Spirit knocking at my heart's door and I needed to listen, because it might go away. I shared this conversation with some older, more worldly and definitely non-Christian friends. I asked them if it was true that 'tug' would go away. They assured me it would, so just go ahead and ignore it. The eyes of my soul were opened at that moment and I determined to do the exact opposite of their urbane advice, and NOT ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Seeing them as 'empty shells' provided a moment of crystallized clarity that determined the correct path.

So I believe an event can be an eye-opener. Perhaps the event is not isolated, in that a series of events led up to it. However, the series might have been disjointed and unrecognized until the one crystallizing moment brought it all together.

 

[Just me]

For Just me the biggest "events" were the blatent double standards shown by the leadership.

It was a thrill to be able to spend time with the staff outside of the church.  Problems was they were so inconsistent from what they preached as to how they lived.  Not all staff, the upper echelons.  I, on several occasions, had opportunity to travel with "preacher" in his vehicle and was totally shocked at the behavior of him on the road.  The language, the music and the conversation was not in line with the preaching from the pulpit.  Only to hear from him, "it's just us boys out here now"  I did not buy it and because of that I never let my sons travel on those lustrious fishing trips with the preacher. 

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Peter had a long one is based on assumption.

Peter having a long one is based on an honest reading of the text.

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Jesus indicated the thief's salvation was instantaneous. [/quote]

Jesus told the thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Fitting words for a person who was going to die...that day.

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]And, the Book of Acts contains many instances of 'point in time' salvation experiences.[/quote]

Sure there are plenty of "point in time" salvation experiences. The book of Acts also contains many instances of salvation that included sequential steps.

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Now, I believe many do not grow in grace because they are not saved...but salvation is not a work in progress....IMBO.

'B' stands for Biblical.  [/quote]

Every Christian thinks their own view is the Biblical one. Mine just happens to include all the verses, instead of a cut-and-paste version. 
[/quote]

The best thing I can say about your view is that it's a view. 

 

[Torrent v.3]

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Peter had a long one is based on assumption.

Peter having a long one is based on an honest reading of the text.

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Jesus indicated the thief's salvation was instantaneous. [/quote]

Jesus told the thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Fitting words for a person who was going to die...that day.

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]And, the Book of Acts contains many instances of 'point in time' salvation experiences.[/quote]

Sure there are plenty of "point in time" salvation experiences. The book of Acts also contains many instances of salvation that included sequential steps.

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Now, I believe many do not grow in grace because they are not saved...but salvation is not a work in progress....IMBO.

'B' stands for Biblical.  [/quote]

Every Christian thinks their own view is the Biblical one. Mine just happens to include all the verses, instead of a cut-and-paste version. 
[/quote]

Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?[/quote]

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.
[/quote]

What process did the repentant thief go through...or the Ethiopian eunuch?

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

Back to the OP...my eyes were opened reading stuff fundies like.....finally a group of tolerant, civil Christians...so unlike the judgemental, condescending fundys......breath of fresh air...in a stale, hypocritical kind of way.

 

[myeyesareopen]

We have no idea what process the thief on the cross went through. God is silent so we can at best only conjecture. Maybe he had been one of the 5,000 that had been fed...maybe he had friends or relatives that had become followers of Jesus. Maybe he'd been seeking the meaning of life, especially since he was facing imminent death - any of these are a process.

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.

What process did the repentant thief go through...or the Ethiopian eunuch?[/quote]

The thief? Very little after...after all, he died a few hours later. Beforehand, I have no idea.

The eunuch? He became a God-fearer, he started studying Isaiah, he requested teaching when he realized his ignorance, he asked for clarification when he didn't understand, and he was baptized...

...and that's just what we know about in Scripture. (You'll notice that this passage explicitly mentions baptism and doesn't mention confession or faith at all.  ) As far as what happened to the eunuch before or after the particular passage in question, I have no idea, but I'm sure it didn't stop there.

 

[Castor Muscular]

Back to the OP...my eyes were opened reading stuff fundies like.....finally a group of tolerant, civil Christians...so unlike the judgemental, condescending fundys......breath of fresh air...in a stale, hypocritical kind of way.

Huh?  I didn't understand that at all. 

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.

What process did the repentant thief go through...or the Ethiopian eunuch?

The thief? Very little after...after all, he died a few hours later. Beforehand, I have no idea.

The eunuch? He became a God-fearer, he started studying Isaiah, he requested teaching when he realized his ignorance, he asked for clarification when he didn't understand, and he was baptized...

...and that's just what we know about in Scripture. (You'll notice that this passage explicitly mentions baptism and doesn't mention confession or faith at all.  ) As far as what happened to the eunuch before or after the particular passage in question, I have no idea, but I'm sure it didn't stop there.
[/quote]

Yes, it does mention confession of faith....

And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

so, he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him


There is conviction leading to salvation and growing in grace after salvation.....but there is no such animal as progressive salvation.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

Back to the OP...my eyes were opened reading stuff fundies like.....finally a group of tolerant, civil Christians...so unlike the judgemental, condescending fundys......breath of fresh air...in a stale, hypocritical kind of way.

Huh?  I didn't understand that at all.

Maybe one day YOUR eyes will be opened....

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

We have no idea what process the thief on the cross went through. God is silent so we can at best only conjecture. Maybe he had been one of the 5,000 that had been fed...maybe he had friends or relatives that had become followers of Jesus. Maybe he'd been seeking the meaning of life, especially since he was facing imminent death - any of these are a process.

No, we don't. For all we know, he had no contact with Christ before that day.
But we do know he was saved on the cross...at that point in time.

 

[Torrent v.3]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.
[/quote]

Are you saying that a person is born again over a period of acts?  Are you denying that at one moment a person is in the kingdom of darkness, and the next they are in the kingdom of light? Are you implying that a person, through what you call multiple acts at multiple points in time is then partially in the kingdom of light and partially in the kingdom of darkness?

 

[Torrent v.3]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.

What process did the repentant thief go through...or the Ethiopian eunuch?

The thief? Very little after...after all, he died a few hours later. Beforehand, I have no idea.

The eunuch? He became a God-fearer, he started studying Isaiah, he requested teaching when he realized his ignorance, he asked for clarification when he didn't understand, and he was baptized...

...and that's just what we know about in Scripture. (You'll notice that this passage explicitly mentions baptism and doesn't mention confession or faith at all.  ) As far as what happened to the eunuch before or after the particular passage in question, I have no idea, but I'm sure it didn't stop there.

Yes, it does mention confession of faith....

And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

so, he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him


There is conviction leading to salvation and growing in grace after salvation.....but there is no such animal as progressive salvation.
[/quote]


i agree with this.

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.

What process did the repentant thief go through...or the Ethiopian eunuch?

The thief? Very little after...after all, he died a few hours later. Beforehand, I have no idea.

The eunuch? He became a God-fearer, he started studying Isaiah, he requested teaching when he realized his ignorance, he asked for clarification when he didn't understand, and he was baptized...

...and that's just what we know about in Scripture. (You'll notice that this passage explicitly mentions baptism and doesn't mention confession or faith at all.  ) As far as what happened to the eunuch before or after the particular passage in question, I have no idea, but I'm sure it didn't stop there.

Yes, it does mention confession of faith....

And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

so, he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him[/quote]

Guess that depends on what manuscripts you're basing your translation on.

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]There is conviction leading to salvation and growing in grace after salvation.....but there is no such animal as progressive salvation.[/quote]

When were you saved?

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=Torrent v.3]Let me ask you directly.  And please answer directly. Please do not come back with a string of questions.

Do you believe that regeneration is or is not an act that happens in a point of time?

Yes. Multiple acts. Multiple points in time. Throughout one's life. Ergo, a process.

Are you saying that a person is born again over a period of acts?  Are you denying that at one moment a person is in the kingdom of darkness, and the next they are in the kingdom of light? Are you implying that a person, through what you call multiple acts at multiple points in time is then partially in the kingdom of light and partially in the kingdom of darkness?[/quote]

I'm saying those that are saved were saved before the foundations of the world, are being saved as they walk on this earth, and will be saved at the consummation of all things.