Hey something amazing just happened! I was at Christ Community Church this morning and I went up for prayer after the meeting for my illness (schizophrenia). I got ministered to very powerfully, I was sick as a dog, profoundly ill, I probably belonged in the mental hospital but didn't have to go thus far. I am now better socially, I am experiencing pleasure in daily life for the first time in my life, and I am more functional all the way around! I got down on my KNEES and thanked God for what He did for me! I now understand God better, previously I saw God as being very mean, I did not realize it but it was my illness! I also got healed of emotional trauma, I had alot of emotional trauma as a child and God showed me I had something wrong with my brain that stopped me from letting it out, I had no choice but to stuff-it. God told me that this was why I had schizophrenia, I had repressed emotions and that triggered my illness.

I ran across this interesting survey tonight as it was linked from a website which I often read for news and opinions. Do the survey results match up with anyone from Generation Z that y'all know?
What are y'alls thoughts concerning the different results of this survey?

Feast of the Dedication and the Festival of Lights... why did John focus on the "dedication" aspect and Yeshua focus on the "light" aspect?

Multiple members of Congress, including members of Wisconsin’s own delegation, debunked Sherman’s false claim. According to several congressmen present, Trump’s use of the term “horrible” was specifically tied to these systemic problems, not the city or its residents.

I'm glad to see swift action. All Americans can help stop the media hoaxes from spreading so fast.

When it comes to doctrines, I prefer to adhere to Scripture's wording. The terms "mortal sin" and "venial sin" are not in the Bible. I would not bother using these terms in the formal doctrinal sense. When others use them in an argument, I would not give them much weight.

We are nominating a book to study from chapter to chapter in a new discipleship class in my local church. We can choose any book. Which one would be ideal to pick to focus on discipleship or perhaps covering a range of topics on discipleship?

Bonus question - what is discipleship? Which book is best to learn this from in new testament?

A January 6 Rioter Is Leading an Armed National Militia From Prison​

Years after being accused of swinging a baseball bat at police officers during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, Edward “Jake” Lang is now using encrypted messaging channels to create a nationwide network of armed militias in all 50 states.

Though he has been in prison for over 1,200 days, Lang is working with a network of election deniers and conspiracists to promote the North American Patriot and Liberty Militia, or Napalm for short. The group officially launched last week with 50 state-specific militia groups on Telegram.

Lang claims that the Telegram groups already have 20,000 members, including pastors, farmers, former military personnel, and currently serving sheriffs. However, multiple experts who reviewed the channels tell WIRED that figure was wildly overestimated, and that the real figure was closer to 2,500 members. But a group this size, they warn, is still large enough to cause a serious threat.

As the 2024 US election approaches, Lang says that Napalm will be focusing on potential “civil unrest” around the vote.

In addition to the election, Lang says that Napalm will respond to everything from natural disasters to Federal overreach, political protests, and potential Chinese invasions.

I feel safer already.

ETA:

Man charged in US Capitol attack announces run for Senate in Florida​

Jake Lang, charged with attacking police during riot and pardoned by Trump, seeks to fill seat Marco Rubio’s old seat

My heart with was filled with love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Out came sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers,
sisters, friends, and families whom I call The House of The Lord.

I adopted them all and found a lover from among them,
as a sign of my marriage to them all.

Let's dine Jesus together and find our inner man of Christ,
Build peoples for His Kingdom for they are His Risen Temples becoming.

Until He Be fruitful and multiplies and fills the earth and subdues it,
I shall be eating Jesus, only Jesus.

Mark Adams Prieto, 58, of Prescott, Ariz., was indicted on charges of firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, and possession of an unregistered firearm, the U.S. attorneys office in Arizona said in a release Tuesday.

Starting in January 2024, according to the U.S. attorneys office, Prieto began talking to two individuals he did not know worked for the FBI to “devise a plan to commit a mass shooting of African Americans and other minorities to incite a race war” ahead of the election.

The shooting was allegedly planned for an Atlanta concert May 14-15, according to the release. [Apparently Bad Bunny]

Prieto was stopped by law enforcement driving east from Arizona through New Mexico on May 14, and he was found to be in possession of seven firearms and was taken into federal custody

I'm single and would like to meet a wife. I am seeking to put the Kingdom First and seek His righteousness, concern myself with bible study, meditation prayer, looking for ways to serve while also perhaps evangelism to people, including woman, hoping I can already meet a Christian woman this way. I can perhaps use my search for a wife to evangelize, which is also what I know I should be doing. Perhaps my intention might be impure here, I should seek to evangelize without seeking anything. May the Lord find this atleast acceptable. Either way I should run into people. I don't know if I believe I should just do nothing at all day but pray for a wife and hope one falls from the sky without taking any action so I will seek the Kingdom first, in the process of such, hopefully meet someone and evangelize, hoping to meet someone.

That said. I can't help but look on a woman and see she is beautiful but then turn away lest I sin in my heart with lust. Is it possible for a man to look on a beautiful woman and not lust? Is noticing a woman is beautiful the same as lusting after here? Is sinning in the heart, being perhaps a spiritual sin, is that different that an "actual" sin the moment one would perhaps m-bate with lust in the heart or sexual immorality with sleeping with a woman. Is it only sin if I were to take action m-bate or sleep with?

Jesus specifically says in the KJV if a man were to look on a woman TO LUST on her, it's adultery in the heart (paraphrazed). Does this imply that if a man were to have no intention but to seek lust and actively look upon beautiful woman, not for seeking a wife, but just to lust, only then would it be sin? If I randomly came across a beautiful woman in the grocery store, is it okay to "check her out" without it becoming sinful? Otherwise, how can I look for a wife?

At the same time, I notice if I'm just randomly checking out woman, I get pulled into temptation. Perhaps I should instead, only act towards approaching woman from evangelism after immediately coming from prayer and being filled with the HS for protection. Thoughts, guidance?

Cheers

Hello everyone,
My name is Andrei. I am a soldier in the American army who is on deployment. I have dedicated my time to help people who need a listening ear and want someone who can share in their problems. I can pray for anyone who needs it and this also what I provided to my fellow soldiers at the base. Thanks for having me here.

Andrei.

Grassroots’ Campaign Pushing Abortion In Red State Actually Bankrolled By Soros, Dem Dark Money​

The organization behind a ballot initiative that could reverse Florida’s six-week abortion ban goes to lengths to promote its “grassroots” credentials, all while taking in millions from liberal dark money groups and other deep-pocketed sources, campaign finance records show.

Floridians Protecting Freedom (FPF), one of the main groups pushing for a 2024 ballot measure that would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution, touts its “grassroots” campaign and fundraising in several press releases it has sent out in recent months. However, the group has taken in massive sums of cash from a sprawling liberal dark money network and organizations backed by wealthy liberal donors.

ESV, 1 John 5:

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

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John addressed the brothers in the church. He was going to contrast life and death to close this letter.

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God:

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πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

This is the confidence we have toward God:

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

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Ask and it will be given to you (Matt 7:7a).

16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death,

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The word "lead" was not in the Greek.

committing
ἁμαρτάνοντα (hamartanonta)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 264: Perhaps from a and the base of meros; properly, to miss the mark, i.e. to err, especially to sin.

a sin
ἁμαρτίαν (hamartian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 266: From hamartano; a sin.

leading to
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

If you see any brother or sister sinning a sin not πρὸς-toward death,

you should pray and God will give them life.

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John contrasted life and death.

Was John talking about physical or spiritual life and death?

John used the terms life and death ambiguously on purpose.

If you see a Christian sin and sin, πρὸς-approaching death, but he desires to repent, you should pray, and God will give him life to repent. He will not die in his sin.

I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death.

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This sin does not lead to spiritual death because he is repentant.

There is a sin that leads to death.

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However, there is a sin πρὸς death.

Was John talking about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, i.e., the sin of unbelief?

I don't think so. John was addressing believing brothers here.

What was this sin πρὸς death?

It was not any particular act of sin. It had to do with the brother's attitude toward this sin.

What was the nature of this sin πρὸς death?

A brother sinned this sin πρὸς death when he was unrepentant. Perhaps he did not consider it a sin. He would not listen to other brothers' advice about this sin. He would stubbornly hold on to this sin until the day he died.

I am not saying that you should pray about that.

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Don't bother praying for this brother. He will never change.

17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

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All wrongdoing is sin, yet there is sin not πρὸς death.

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin;

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We know that anyone born of God has the Paraclete dwelling in his spirit. He does not practice sinning stubbornly without being repentant about it.

but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

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The Paraclete dwelling in his spirit protects him, and the evil one does not touch his spirit.

There are Christians who sin, and sin, and sin the same sin unto death. They will die in this sin. Their spirit is weak and not growing in the Paraclete. They don't think they need to repent of this πρὸς-death sin. There is no point praying for them about this sin.

Are these Christians condemned to eternal death?

No, not necessarily. It is not the unforgivable sin. It is not the sin of (eternal) death. It is the sin πρὸς-toward death. The prognosis is not good. They are heading there. John's last sentence in this letter, he warned them:

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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God will decide who gets to heaven.

What is the sin unto death?

It is a sin that the Christian refuses to repent of in his lifetime. He will not repent even at his (physical) death. This sin will gravely endanger his receiving eternal life after the resurrection. He will likely experience the second death. Don't idolize your sin. It will lead you to spiritual death.

It's so easy to imagine, sadly. Picture the scene: polling day comes round. You feel disillusioned with the voting options put in front of you. Your eyes scan the different candidates; none of them stand out at you, whether for reasons of principle, or party allegiance, or even the character of the candidates on your ballot paper. You know that you ought to vote; you even want to vote, to exercise your democratic right. But the options are just so bad.

We do not expect to agree with everything that a party stands for; no candidate will exactly replicate the values which we hold. But sometimes the differences just feel insurmountable.

Maybe you're a traditional Conservative voter, but you are so frustrated with how they've performed while in office that you don't feel like can support them anymore, and you're worried about what a Labour government might do. Or maybe you're a Labour supporter when it comes to the economy and to inequality, but you're afraid that electing them will unleash a storm of liberalisation when it comes to some of the social issues that matter most to you.

Or maybe – and we saw this with some Labour supporters in the Rochdale by-election earlier in the year, which resulted in the victory of George Galloway – even if your party has a candidate, you do not feel like you can support them to be your representative, due to things they have said, or beliefs which they hold.

What ought we to do as Christians in such circumstances? Are there right and wrong courses of action?

Christians will take different views in response to these questions, but here are three possible routes we might take if we're struggling to work out who we might vote for.

1. Vote for the least bad option


Continued below.

"The story was censored. Reporter Peter Schweizer spoke with Michael Shellenberger about the laptop, where he torched CBS News, adding that they could have easily verified it before the Trump interview:"
There needs to be a shake-up in the major media--integrity needs to be restored.

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs a House Oversight Committee meeting at Capitol Hill on January 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The committee is meeting today as it considers citing him for Contempt of Congress. | Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Tuesday's conviction of Hunter Biden is drawing mixed reactions from both sides of the aisle as politicians and pundits debate the substance of the charges against him and what it means for politics and the justice system in the United States.

A jury in Wilmington, Delaware, found Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, guilty of "making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm," "making a false statement with respect to information required to be kept in records" and possessing a firearm despite his status as "a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance."

Tuesday's guilty verdict comes less than five months before the 2024 presidential election, where Biden is seeking a second term.

Concerns about Hunter Biden's criminal activity date back to his father's days as a Democratic presidential candidate and nominee in the 2020 presidential election. While Hunter Biden pled guilty to charges of tax evasion and unlawful possession of a firearm, he still finds himself under the microscope for other potentially illegal activities and influence peddling.

Continued below.

At Mark 7:7, 8, we read, "in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men."

In your experience, do you find many who identify as Christian, making their own commands and invalidating the commands in God's word the Bible?
I have.

To give an example, the word of God says, at Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
Yet, I was told by someone who says they have holy spirit, that baptism is not necessary for salvation.

Have you heard this before, and what has your experience been. Do you find this kind of thing common - invalidating God's word, not baptism, or you don't experience it so much?

Jake, an acquaintance of mine recently lost a close friend and I am asking for prayers to help him deal with loss, stay strong and see GOD's love in such a difficult time.

My husband and I have big decisions to make in regards to where to move. We've been praying for guidance and direction and haven't really heard anything. We really want to use wisdom here. We've been told to follow peace but that's easier said than done. Here are our options. If you were faced with this decision which option would you be most likely to choose?

1. We are living in a garage conversion on a two-acre lot my dad owns, but we've been paying on for three years. One option is to build a house on this property and stay here and everything would be put in our name. But....
2. We have some debts that we incurred at an earlier time, when my husband was temporarily out of work. These debts are in good standing but we're still paying on them. My dad has now agreed to let us sell this lot if we want to move, and there is a lot of equity in this land. So option number two is to sell this and use the money to pay off the debts. Of course that would mean buying or building a house elsewhere but we would also have a higher debt to income ratio. And there is the question of where would we stay between that time, which we would have to figure out.
3. My dad also owns a house ten miles from here that he built 25 years ago. My parents lived there up until two years ago and my sister and her family have been renting it since then. My parents have been talking a lot about selling that house but for reasons I can't get into, it's not really feasible for my sister to buy it. She has told me they want to find another place. Option number three is for us to buy that house and live there after my sister moves. It's a special place that all the grandchildren in the family grew up visiting. It would be nice for it to stay in the family and I do like it but I also like the idea of starting fresh somewhere. Still the thought of strangers buying it makes me (and others in the family) feel really sad.

So our options are to stay where we're at and try to build on this land (but still have our other debts we're paying off) or possibly be able to pay off these debts and start over somewhere else, either on a new property or buying my parents old house. I hope I was able to explain myself okay here. Thank you.

I’m asking for prayers for my husband. He decided to take a small trip out of town with friends who drive a semi to get away from the stress of where we live. They (a married couple) got into a huge fight and now he’s currently walking home from Bow, New Hampshire which is 13.5 hours driving distance home. I have family up there but they can’t help nor would if they could. I haven’t slept all night. I did find a bus route home but I don’t have the financial backing for it.

Hello,
I'm bothered by a lack of zest for life in my own soul. Nothing feels meaningful or fulfilling. I recently had a spiritual experience but I cannot discern whether or not it was from God or if it was the Devil manipulating me. I don't see a clear purpose or direction with my life. I'm having a hard time connecting with God in prayer. Does the Bible or God speak on the topic of losing your zest/will to live?

Hello folks. As most of you guys know, I am for ethically sourced clean energy, and am really liking the newest generation of solar panels. If only the condo that I live at had panels on it. The apartment complex near my condo has a few solar panels on it though. Back in the 1970s-1980s, solar panels had a lifespan of 10-15 years. The new types of solar panels in the 21st century can last 25-30 years, compared to older generations which could only last 10-15 years. Also, the Australians developed a method in the early 2020s to recycle old solar panels and convert the silicon inside the panels into concrete, so solar panel recycling is feasible with current technologies. So, @Bradskii , can you tell me the story about how you got panels for your place? I am hoping that my condo can get panels also. As a Christian man, I want to show respect to the Earth we have.

Making concrete from old solar panels: Solar panels replace sand in concrete production
Old solar panel lifespan: How long do solar panels last 2023？ - Tongwei Co., Ltd.,
Modern solar panel lifespan: How Long Do Solar Panels Last?

For Christians: The Bible talks about protecting our Earth and not defiling creation, as said in Genesis 2, Isaiah 24 and Jeremiah 2. Big Oil and Big Coal did not get the memo, and neither did Musk*.

*Musk Private Jet emissions: What emissions? Elon Musk's private jet made more than 130 flights in 2022

Matthew 26:

27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

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Pulpit Commentary:

The offspring of the vine is a poetical way of describing wine (cf. Deuteronomy 22:9; Isaiah 32:12, etc.). It is absurd to find in this term an argument for unalcoholic grape juice. Wine, to be wine, must undergo fermentation, and if it is not to putrefy or to become vinegar, it must develop alcohol.

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You can't keep grape juice from naturally fermenting into wine without refrigeration. Historically, alcoholic wine was used in the Last Supper.

What about today?

If you want to stick to historical context, you should use wine. Moreover, you would also need to use unleavened bread to be consistent. However, that is not necessary. Today, we can keep grape juice in the fridge, and some people, like me, are sensitive to alcohol. So grape juice is more suitable for more people, including kids. The important point is to understand that the drink represents the blood of Jesus.

Should we use wine or grape juice for communion?

Either is fine. For my taste, I prefer grape juice

Hello folks. My friend Adam's grandmother, Marilyn is going to pass away in the near future, as she had a stroke last week. She is a Christian (Catholic). Pray that she receives the proper palliative care and for my friend's family, that God can comfort Adam's parents and Adam himself. My friend and his parents are not very religious, but I pray that God can help Marilyn, Adam and his family through this rough moment.