Not to pick on you, tmac, you know I love you. and you certainly aren't the only one to feel this way.tmac wrote: ↑March 28th, 2023, 7:58 am I don’t have any bones to pick with his formula. Like Fred, I completely agree with the basic premise — which, in a nutshell, is repentance. Complete repentance.
Moreover, I think the premise of continually asking and DOING what Christ would do in each and every instance, if He were in our shoes, is a sound one (although very deliberative, and sometimes not as certain as one might think — I.e., would JC drive a Ford or a Chevy? Would He root for BYU or Notre Dame?).
Where he loses me a little bit, though, is with the idea that he might be the only person on the face of the earth who is doing this perfectly. I don’t disagree with his skepticism that anyone else is. My genuine skepticism is with the idea that any mortal being is doing (or even capable of doing) it perfectly — including him.
Even if all of his other concepts are correct, to openly and publicly put himself on a pedestal and claim that he is the one and only mortal being alive that has this figured-out can’t help but smack a little bit of pride, and be a little bit of a turn-off. Unless he’s claiming to be God himself, I, for one, struggle a little bit with that premise. But I would be glad to see more fruit to better evaluate that initial, superficial assessment.
Determining if Rob is really as good as he promotes himself is not that relevant, and weighing the purity of his soul is not our job. Like I said, his style is off-putting, but I do think the message which he would have us apply to ourselves is what matters.
I myself am not a righteous person. I love God and try to do His will, and that's the best you can say for me. I stumble often, and I often stumble seriously. But if I speak with the spirit and you hear what I am saying with the spirit, then you have received the word of God. My personal failings don't come into it.
It's why I still watch all 5 sessions of General Conference, occasionally I miss the evening session. With all of their flaws, I do still often hear the Word of God. Sometimes it is in their message, and sometimes the spirit gives me truths that are not even what the speaker is talking about. I come to be fed, and if I am properly prepared I always am. I will say, I have a higher signal to noise ratio with some of the PSRs than others.
Back on point, trying to evaluate if Rob is as good as he portrays himself is just another attempt to find another arm of flesh to lean on. "At last, someone who can do the heavy spiritual lifting for me!" - probably not consciously. I have long felt that God can use whomever He wishes, and if you walk by a homeless guy and he says something that you feel the spirit confirm, you had better pay attention.
To me, Rob feels like someone I need to pay attention to, That may not be the case for everyone, and that is fine. Back in the day there was a strong Denver Snuffer movement here and while I liked him and felt he absolutely nailed it on many things that he said, I did not get caught up in the D.S. movement. And I am not caught up in the Rob Smith movement, but I do feel he is saying things that I need to hear.