IAUA End Time Ministry
Preparing for the End of Time
The Lord is Coming! Are you ready?
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IAUA End Time Ministry |
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Preparing for the End of Time | |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in IAUA (ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father,
Greetings on this day of preparation for the weekly Sabbath. I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of IAUA. This is the 19th day of the 12th month of God's Sacred Calendar in the estimated year 6013 Anno Mundi. It is 3 weeks and 5 days until the Spring Sabbaths begin on the evening of the 15th day of the 1st month (Wednesday, March 31 on the 2010 Gregorian Calendar, beginning sunset on Tuesday, March 30). This year, those who follow the Millerite Calendar determination will be one month later than my research has determined for the Gregorian Calendar dates for God's Sacred Calendar. The dates on the Jewish Calendar are one day earlier in the spring and one day early in the fall. _____ There was an interesting seminar presented at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church titled "Can You Hear Your Heart Thinking". There was a semantic riddle presented where the Bible speaks of the heart when it talks about thinking. The point emphasized was there is often a problem when we disassociate feeling from thinking. The premise given was there is an improper emphasis on the IQ or Intelligence Quotient when a concept called the EQ or Emotional Quotient is a better indicator of success in life. I am not going to attempt to summarize the information presented. There was an important conflict presented between intellect and emotion. I agree completely there is a dangerous problem of separating emotion from intellect. God created us to both think and feel. Any attempt to improperly emphasize one over the other leads to problems. I heard a couple of disturbing thoughts which I questioned in my mind. The most important was an apparent emphasis of emotion to the detriment of thinking. At the end there was a question and answer period so I attempted to frame a question about this. After describing my slight confusion about the proper balance between thoughts and feelings, I suggested an analogy I often use of the cart and the horse. The horse represents our intellect and the cart represents emotion. The cart must be hitched to the horse but the horse leads. My analogy was rejected and the evidence given was the incredible love and compassion of the Saviour in giving His life for us. The implied assumption was that love and compassion are primarily emotion. I had no interest in a confrontation so I did not question the assumption and said no more. I do believe the assumption was mistaken. Love without guiding principle (an intellectual component) degenerates into lust which is hardly a worthy example. An understanding of the passion of our Saviour recognizes the deep principles on which it is based. I prefer to describe love as primarily a principle and not just an emotion. I have spoken about this in previous newsletters. I have often heard this text preached as a call to an emotional response. Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. I look to the words of our Saviour to define the meaning of this love. John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. I believe it is clear our love response is one of obedience based on principle. This is primarily an intellectual response and not simply an emotional one. I had an email exchange with a new visitor to the website this week. The subject of emotion and feelings came up in this exchange. It was very distressing because he criticized one thing after another including basic Christian beliefs in a torrent of condemnation, criticism, and confusing symbolic references. I suggested we needed to engage in a friendly discussion of our ideas. I suggested we needed to follow the kind and loving example of our Saviour. The response: "We are to sharpen each other. We need to leave feelings out of all discussions. For these are carnal limitations." "I am not here to have friends but to have brothern." My response: "I definitely agree we are to sharpen each other but that does not mean we are to draw blood. We cannot leave feelings out because God made us to feel, but I do agree feelings are not to control us but are under the control of our intellect. Some people go too far in denying feelings which is a shame because our Saviour clearly expressed many feelings. Some use the lack of feelings to be inconsiderate and cruel." We need to be kind and considerate to others. We need to consider the feelings of others. Not to let it rule us but to guide us in showing the love we see expressed by God. I am not denying the place of feelings and emotion. When we are doing what is right based on principle there will definitely be an emotional response of joy, happiness, commitment, and love. Love without the guidance of principle is only lust. Passion without principle is only a roaring fire which eventually burns out. Marriage is the prime example of this principle. When Holy Matrimony is based on the principles of following God's plan and a commitment, there will be a passion which will grow and last. When a marriage is based on the crude emotions of lust and passion, the attraction eventually fades, the passion eventually dies, and the marriage eventually ends. Is your commitment to life with your Saviour based on principles which do not fade? I pray we may all continue to seek love, peace, and unity in truth preparing for the soon coming of IAUShUO (ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God.
Frank T. Clark
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Revised 2010-03-12 |