How do we feel about first in best dressed for co-joining church and state again in the USA and other countries? First complainant or most popular or most positive, or best debates winner...? Maybe the NAR will get the foot in, as one of seven mountains? Perhaps the Roman Catholic Cardinal of the USA head of state church with renewed and re-thought powers in government? Or the Lutherans? Or a union? Power of veto, 5 bills a year, to fire parliament.

It seems, some in today's churches don't like or maybe hate other churches and their preachers, and what they preach, and want them stopped, throwing aside the old separation of church and state, advocated by noble men of the 17th century like Roger Williams founder of Rhode Island... Today in the USA here seems to be disunity and angst, in politics and church. Intolerance of the alternate president, stopping them against the rules if need be. So Colorado disallows Trump from running, arguably against the rules. Pro life versus pro choice, threats made to pro lifers. It seems the left wants to use the Chinese system, freedom for big and medium sized business and socialism for the common people. Capitalism and for commoners, free medicine and education. But maybe a permanent change the Republicans don't want.

​

Ephesians 4:29-32​

King James Version​

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

I know I have talked about this before, but what stands out to me pretty much every time I read this, I think, is how so many people read verse 5 and stop there, and they assume that, whoever they are, that they can just ask God for wisdom and he will generously give it to them, without reproach (disapproval). But that’s not the completed thought. For there is an exception stated to what was just said in the words that follow.

But now, first of all, the words spoken here were written to Christians, to the church, to those professing faith in Jesus Christ, although it appears that not all had faith, as becomes evident in the things that James wrote as we continue reading. But the audience is at least those making professions of faith in Jesus Christ, and so the subject matter is of Christians (or professing Christians) praying to the Lord for wisdom.

But here is the exception. They must ask in faith, with no doubting, believing that the Lord will give them the wisdom that they so desire. And they must really want that wisdom, too. For doubting definitely comes into play if we pray and ask for wisdom and then we wait until the wisdom is given before we decide if we will follow it or not. But our Lord is not there to just make suggestions for us to follow. If it’s his wisdom, we need to take it.

I find this is especially true of some people who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are still holding on to signature sins which they have not let go of. They will profess that they want to be free from those sins, and so they claim that they have sought the counsel and the wisdom of God in how to be free, but then when the Lord gives them the counsel, they don’t accept it, and so they go to other places looking for help which cannot help them.

Therefore, they didn’t really want his wisdom, because they don’t really want to be free from their sin, for if they do, they will take his counsel, and they will obey the Lord, and they will do as he directs them to do, in his power and strength. But instead it comes down to them trying to figure it out for themselves and them trying different things to try to make it work, but it never works. For they have to want God more than they want their sin.

So, if we really want our Lord’s counsel and wisdom, which he provides for us much through the teachings of the Scriptures, then when he shows us what to do, we need to do what he says. But if we just wait to hear what he has to say first before we decide if we will accept his counsel or not, then we are like the double-minded, like someone on both ends of a teeter-totter who continually vacillates back and forth between the truth and the lies.

And that person is unstable in all his ways, and so he must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. And I believe that includes salvation from sin and eternal life with God, too. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one doing the will of God the Father who is in heaven. So if we ask for wisdom and then don’t obey the Lord, then we aren’t doing the will of God.

So, we need to not be people who play games with God, i.e. who put him to the test. For he knows if we are sincere or not. We can’t fool God. We can’t just go through the motions of looking like we are genuinely seeking his counsel and then refusing to take his counsel when it doesn’t fit with how we want to live. And he knows our patterns. So just because you claim you are praying for help, it doesn’t mean that you are sincere.

So, don’t stop at verse 5. Keep reading. And don’t ask the Lord for his counsel if you don’t intend to put it into practice. And don’t claim that you have tried it and it didn’t work. For if it is truly the counsel of the Lord that he gives to you, and if truly your dependence is on him for him to help you out of your addiction to sin, he is not going to fail you. He will hold up his end, but you have to hold up your end. You have to do what he says.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 10:23-31; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown
Music by American Melody

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Login to view embedded media
Caution: This link may contain ads

I truly hope and pray that the entire world would abandon socialism.

Federal Judges have and are releasing many in jail sentenced under the "obstruction law", they also are delaying future prosecution of such cases until the Supreme Court ruling expected in June 2024

Politico​

Obstruction statute under review​

1-18-2024

The Supreme Court will hear arguments this spring on whether prosecutors have stretched the meaning of the federal obstruction law. A decision will follow by June. But already, the high court’s decision to scrutinize the law has begun rippling through dozens of felony riot cases and threatens to upend even more.

Last week, for example, a federal judge sprung a Jan. 6 defendant from jail five months into his sentence, citing the justices’ consideration of the statute.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta released defendant Thomas Adams, who had been convicted of obstruction and related misdemeanors. Mehta noted that Adams would likely have received a significantly shorter sentence without the obstruction charge and therefore should be freed until the justices rule on the validity of the charge.

Prosecutors urged Adams be kept in jail, but Mehta disagreed, saying that the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the case suggests the outcome is, at minimum, a “close question.”

U.S. District Judge John Bates the next day similarly ordered the release of another defendant, Alexander Sheppard, when his misdemeanor sentence expires, until the resolution of the Supreme Court case.

Three other federal judges — Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg and colleagues Richard Leon and Dabney Friedrich — have postponed pending Jan. 6 cases in which obstruction is the only felony charge.

More than 30 Jan. 6 defendants have similarly asked to delay their trials, sentences or prison report dates.

The Justice Department has already agreed to pause appeals related to the obstruction issue. In a slew of filings, prosecutors said the outcome of those appeals could “plainly” be affected by the high court’s ruling.

Wide prosecutorial net​

1-18-2024

The former prosecutor who oversaw the initial response to the Capitol Riot in early 2021, Michael Sherwin, said he had rejected many potential trespass cases at the outset of the investigation because suspects did not engage in violence, property damage or pushing over barricades.

“That changed when I left. I don’t know who authorized it, but I refused,” Sherwin said in an interview. “I had a bright-line rule … that people should not have been charged if they just walked in through an open door.”

It's good many churches taught Christian should be serious in their marriage or even dating, because we can easily influenced by our life partner. But it's too narrowed minded when a pastor warn about dating non Christian.

From a practical and statistic perspective, there's a big gender gap btw male and female believers. Some churches, it's even worse with mostly female attendees. How the number is going to add up even if all males pick their female Christian spouse? They'll be left over.

Church leaders who are dominant male lack of empathy and lack of common sense, insisting an ideal situation. But in this fallen world ideal is a bonus. If they want to be ideal, the leader should choose the least attractive female as wife and the most attractive female sister should marry the brother who has the lowest social economic status. But that just aren't happening in the church.

Some would wait miracle to happens and refused to date outside of the church. It's good if they do that to honor God, but some are struggling with singleness due to lack of understanding is saddening. Because it's a zero sum game, the number won't add up and you need to be realistic. Says no male approach you after being in the church for 5 yrs, are you expect an easy dating life outside the church?


How do you know God can't use your Christian-pagan marriage to sanctify your spouse or dating mates? We don't. Sometime even Christian couples ended up with divorce.


My point is, sure, Christian courtship is preferred but we need to be realistic and practical. We should date unbelievers if we can't find anyone in the church.

Jesus gospel is not about giving spouse for believers. Church leaders who has no problem getting a spouse should not be too harsh and pls have a room for empathy. They should not give advice that promise false hope that might lead people to disappointment.

Ukraine​

Pray for safety for our partners as they distribute winter supplies to fellowships near the front line. Pray also for these fellowships as they share their goods and the gospel with their neighbours.
Number of Prayers 0
YES - I WILL PRAY
Ukraine

Ukraine​

Many evangelical Christians remain in Poland. Thank God for the Polish churches that still help many Ukrainian refugees, including Nina, a widow, and her two young sons. Nina’s husband was killed in 2022 as he helped in the evacuation of women and children from the war zone.
Number of Prayers 23
YES - I WILL PRAY
Ukraine

Ukraine​

Pastor ‘Bogdan’ is a team member of one of our frontline partners and is active on the Ukrainian-Russian border. His home was recently destroyed by a Russian rocket. He is well known for his ministry and our partners suspect that his house was deliberately targeted.
Number of Prayers 42
YES - I WILL PRAY
Ukraine

Ukraine​

Pray that ‘Ilya’, a deacon who remained in Mariupol to look after the remnant of his church, will be able to comfort those who are left and for boldness as he continues to evangelise his neighbours.
Number of Prayers 35
YES - I WILL PRAY
Ukraine

Ukraine​

‘Anton’ is a pastor in the Kharkiv region. His family lives in Poland, but he stayed in Ukraine to care for his congregation and many internally displaced people. Pray for Anton and pastors like him as they faithfully preach the word of God and care for others, despite being close to the frontline.
Number of Prayers 35
YES - I WILL PRAY
Ukraine

Ukraine​

Despite the devastation and dangerous conditions, our partners are still active in ministry throughout Ukraine. Pray for their continued faithfulness despite the persecution and danger.
Number of Prayers 40
YES - I WILL PRAY
Ukraine

Afghanistan​

Give thanks for Release International partners involved in the recent completion of the revised Dari New Testament alongside the Afghan Pashto New Testament and the Hazaragi New Testament.
Number of Prayers 35
YES - I WILL PRAY
Afghanistan

Sign up for email prayer alerts​

To lift up persecuted Christians in your prayers and see God at work in their lives
SUBSCRIBE

Children’s Prayer Sheet​

It’s not only adults who can pray for our persecuted family. Every month we produce a prayer sheet aimed specifically for children. Each sheet has specific activities and prayers which will help children learn more about how persecution affects children in other countries.
You can visit our Children’s Prayer Sheet page here

House Judiciary Committee

Bible Buyers Tracked by the Feds and Banks?

"According to this analysis, FinCEN warned financial institutions of 'extremism' indicators that include 'transportation charges, such as bus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel to areas with no apparent purpose,' or 'the purchase of books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to other media containing extremist views.' In other words, FinCEN urged large financial institutions to comb through the private transactions of their customers for suspicious charges on the basis of protected political and religious expression."

Login to view embedded media
1 Peter 2:14
Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

I think this is great. The government’s main job is to punish (inflict negative consequences upon) evildoers. Leeching off this country is wrong, and they should go back to their own countries and work.

I'm new to this forum currently seeking advice on a problem. I'm currently a 4-year member of a church. We changed churches because we had to move. I poured myself into this new church for the first 2 years. I did this really to try and connect to other women in the church and to serve. I loved every minute of this time I had in the church. Because of some major life changes, I had to stop all of my volunteering at the church. I feel that I was naive in assuming that I had nurtured some great friendships with the women that I was volunteering with in the church, but I was sadly wrong. I am still able to attend the Wednesday Bible study, Sunday morning, and the twice monthly evening services that we have in homes. Still, I have no connections any more. I went to the pastor with my husband asking for advice on what I should do at this point. He told me to volunteer. I was stunned considering he knew my current situation as to why I simply could not volunteer in this season of life. It's been 2 years now despite my extra efforts in trying to maintain friendship. I've given up and I'm so sad. I don't even want to attend this church anymore, but I continue to go. I go for my children and my husband. This church is a wonderful place for my husband and children, but it's not for me. I feel selfish posting this thread, but I'm at my end. I've tried explaining to my husband but he doesn't see my struggle as an issue. I'm not blaming anyone for the problems that I am facing. I would just like advice on what to do next. I feel stuck.

Hello brothers and sisters in our Lord!

I have had a lot weighing on my mind over the past few days regarding the Catholic Doctrine of "The Fewness of the Saved". I am a devout Roman Catholic and I had never heard of this doctrine before. I am used to having always been taught mercy and forgiveness not the pretty much IMPOSSIBLE chance of reaching Heaven. In this doctrine, backed by many Saints, very, VERY few Christians who think they are saved go to Heaven and most go to Hell. In this doctrine, according to Saint Leonard Of Port Maurice, on the hour of his death only two people out of 33.000 went to heaven and 3 out of 33,000 went to Purgatory. That means that MANY Christians who really followed and loved The Lord are in Hell. Only a few that are "Chosen By God" make it to Purgatory or Heaven. That is severely frightening to me because that would mean Heaven is basically reserved for the chosen Saints and that is about it. I am losing hope since the thought of Heaven and a love for our beautiful Lord are what get me through my days. I am far from perfect, and I fear perfection is what it takes. What do you all think?

Here is some information about this doctrine: The Fewness Of The Saved

A Roman Catholic Priest's sermon this doctrine: Login to view embedded media

This is a quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson and I am not saying God is not real this is just to debate his quote

If you knew nothing about science and you read the Bible the Old testament which in Genesis is an account of nature, and I said to you give me your description of the natural world based only on this you would say the world was created in six days, and that stars are just little points of light much lesser than the Sun that the fact that they can fall out the sky because that's what happens during the revelation During the Revelation one of the signs that the second coming is that the Stars will fall out of the sky and land on Earth, what that means is you don't know what those things are you have no concept of what the actual universe is.

That quote is basically one of the reason many people are leaving the church, Christiasns are actually taking everything in the bible litterally. Its a book filled with wisdom but the writers were ignorant of just how complex the universe is, geology, astronomy, archeology, biology, those four
sciences debunk much of the bible. A star falling onto the earth...its rediculous. I do not believe in god because of the bible, I belive in God because the universe is so complex that there has to be a designer. I am not calling god ignorant, but the writers were
ignorant of the reality of the universe.

It slowly got worse, now I can't even sit for 1 minute and then have a stabbing pain. I don't know if its a nerve thing, or a prostate thing or what.
Please pray for healing. 2 years ago i had this pain very similarly, but it only stabbed me suddenly kind of out of no where, which it did last week, usually after sitting, but some times before bed. Now it seems to just give me a pain right away if i sit, or even lay in a certain position it will ache. Please pray for the pain to go away. But HIS stripes healed.

I was taught a Pretrib Rapture in the early 70s by friends and the church I began to attend. But I had been raised in church from birth where no such thing ever existed. Since this was new to me, and held by all my new Christian friends, I thought Pretribism was the way to go.

Hal Lindsey had written a book called "The Late Great Planet Earth," and was taking the "world by storm." Lindsey was out of Dallas Theological Seminary, I believe, where they all taught Dispensationalism, which contains Pretrib Doctrine.

So I watched the movies that depicted Christians suddenly disappearing, leaving their cars and planes unattended, and maybe even leaving their clothes behind. And the world "left behind" seemed caught unprepared and unaware of what just happened.

So the world came up with some idea to explain how so many people ended up disappearing--perhaps an alien invasion? And they then proceeded to become terribly ungodly and antichristian since the Christians of the world had gone away, leaving backsliders and pagans in charge.

Not long after becoming Pretrib my brother started harping on me about the need to memorize Scripture. He had participated in Bill Gothard's course on Bible memorization and wanted to pass that on to me. After preaching to me for a half hour or so I decided maybe I should try to memorize some Scripture.

To my surprise memorization came easy for me. Before I knew it I had memorized a few entire books of the NT. 1 John, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians were were I started. I probably memorized half of the book of Revelation before I got a stopped doing this.

In the process of memorizing 2 Thessalonians I realized that Paul was teaching *against Pretribism!* He said that the Rapture cannot take place until Antichrist is actually destroyed at the Coming of Jesus! And in his time Antichrist had not come yet.

From this point on I've been Postrib. I had a moment of doubt when I moved to S. CA in the mid-70s, after reading Chuck Smith's Commentary on the Revelation. But after some unusual circumstances I was led, I believe, back to full acceptance of Postrib Doctrine, and determined never again to doubt what my 2 eyes are telling me!

I say all this to explain this post. I still believe a Rapture will happen. But will it have the same strange phenomena happen as with the Pretrib scenarios, with people disappearing and the world left trying to explain where people went? This seems all so mythical to me, so fable-like! I'm a bit embarrassed to present the Gospel with things so unlikely, though the resurrectiton is equally a miracle but far more likely in my thinking.

I'm wondering if maybe the real Rapture will be unlike how the Pretrib movies portray it? Jesus said that when he comes will he find faith on the earth? This means that though Nominal Christianity is ubiquitous and common, genuine born again Christianity will not be so apparent, and may not exist as such except in dark corners of the earth.

If so, the Rapture may be more of an unseen event, as though happening when most of the world is hunkered down in bomb shelters during a nuclear war, rather than driving cars and piloting planes. If you look at the account of Elijah's "Rapture" he is even searched for, being that the event is far more subtle than a large-scale disappearance.

Perhaps the real Rapture will be confined to much smaller numbers in a time when religion is on the way out, and born again Christianity is so marginalized that it is no longer part of the mainstream? This may be a ways off, but the way things are going now I can see it happening. Large groups of Christians are being exposed as frauds, and antiChristianity is taking over the world, pushing true Christians out of the way. Your thoughts?

2 Kings 2.9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
...16 “Look,” they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.” “No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.”

In short well I am a 40 year old bachelor, somehow it worked out that way I love to cook, travel as there is time, I value peace and quiet in my own 4 walls. Owner of 3 cats, rather a homebody although he does not look like one, a man with firm and concrete principles or values in life.

Are all of these saved? Does it matter which denomination or sect you belong to...?

How much leeway is there when it comes to personal preference, or are there denominations that are wrong?

Are all the main ones that we find on this site basically ok?

The reason that Biden is doing this is to give his Big Labor supporters a boon. He has not been able to shepherd through his major pro-union legislation – the PRO Act – so he’s tackling smaller pieces of it through executive action.

Biden promised to be the “most pro-union president you’ve ever seen,” so he needs to reward all those campaign donations.

And Biden’s doing it regardless of the impact on the economy.

Independent contractors cannot be unionized, so the more companies lean on these workers, the less ability unions have to organize.

It’s really that simple.

More people suffer to enrich a few.

Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for Roman, added that a relationship between Willis and Wade resulted “in the special prosecutor, and, in turn, the district attorney, profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of the taxpayers.” She claimed that documents in the sealed divorce case would substantiate Roman’s claims and requested the judge order them to be unsealed.
Let's see what Ms. Willis has to say.

Inquiry letter from House Judiciary Committee asking for transcribed interview:

To me the government long ago crossed the line as to legitimate investigations for criminal activity. They are misusing government resources to go after those with different political and religious views.

In California, a joint effort will oversee a multi-stage, four-year plan to help Behren’s silverspot butterfly return in numbers to the coastline of Northern California.

Vitalized by a $1.5 million grant from the State of CA Wildlife Conservation Board, the Mendocino Land Trust (MLT) is planning to plant 35,000 early blue violets, the only plant which the caterpillars of these blazing orange butterflies can eat, along with a mixture of supporting native plants.

Invasive grasses have greatly decreased the footprint of these small purple flowering plants along Northern California’s Mendocino coastline—from Salt Point Park in Sonoma County to the Mendocino Headlands, Anna Bride—and the conversion of these plants back to native wildflowers will cover 53 acres.

Continued below.

Again, we have another passage of Scripture where what is being taught by Jesus is the opposite of what so many humans are teaching today as the truth. For the popular “gospel” being taught in America today indeed tells people that they can just say, “Lord, Lord,” and now all their sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and that heaven is guaranteed them and it can’t be taken away from them, but regardless of how they live. And so many are teaching that we don’t have to repent of sin and obey God.

For they take Romans 10:9-10 out of context, and they give people the impression that they can just make a verbal confession of Christ as Lord, and they can just claim to believe in their hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that now they will be saved, end of story. But we need to read this in context and we need to read it in the context of the whole book of Romans, for Paul did not teach that we can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now we are saved, regardless of how we live.

For in Romans 2 we read that God is going to render to each one of us according to our works, and for those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury (see Romans 2:6-8).

And then if you skip over to Romans 6, we read that by faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Thus, we are to no longer let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions, for if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to our Lord and to his commands, it will lead to death, not to life eternal with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

And Paul taught the same thing in many other passages of Scripture where he taught us that if sin is what we practice, that we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what we have confessed with our lips, and regardless of what we say we believe in our hearts. For true belief is obedience to the Lord and it is divine persuasion to do the will of God. It is not a free license to continue living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord while we claim Jesus as Lord and heaven as our eternal destiny.

[Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 15:1-11; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Tit 2:11-14]

So Paul taught the same thing that Jesus taught. He taught that we are not saved and all our sins forgiven based on lip service or an intellectual assent to who Jesus was and to what he did. He taught that we must die with Christ to sin and that we must now walk in obedience to his commands and no longer in sin if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. And he did teach that works are required of us by God and that we need to live our lives to be pleasing to God if we want eternal life with God.

[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 5:9; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6; Gal 6:8; Eph 2:10; Eph 5:10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:4,21; Tit 2:11-14; Tit 3:8; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6]

So, please believe Jesus’ words, and please know all that Paul taught, and read what he wrote in context so that you don’t come away with the wrong idea about what he taught. For so many preachers today are teaching lies because they are taking Scriptures out of their context, some of them knowingly and willfully, and they are twisting the Scriptures to say what they do not say if they are read in their appropriate context. So many of them are teaching no works, no repentance, no obedience, and lip service only.

But what did Jesus say? He said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” is going to enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father in heaven. And he said that many will confess him as Lord and will claim the things they believed they did in his name, but his response to them is going to be, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” And this is because they had the idea that obedience to our Lord was not required and that a once in their lifetime confession of faith in Jesus Christ was all that was required of them.

So, please read the Scriptures in their full context, and stop believing other humans without even testing their words against the Scriptures to make certain that what they are teaching is actually the truth. For far too many people are accepting this idea that they can just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now they are good to go to heaven regardless of how they live. And so many of them are continuing in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, but according to the Scriptures, they will not inherit eternal life with God, but the wrath of God is what they will be facing instead.

Broken Cord

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior
And your testimony is separate from Him.
Your words not matching your actions today.
Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.
Live what you testify in truth always.

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,
For you profess one thing, but other you do.
Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.
Not living in truth to what you confess.
Lying about it puts you in a mess.

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.
Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.
Your heart is not given to your Lord God.
Because of how you live, you are a fraud.
Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

Login to view embedded media

I think one of the main stated differences between Protestants and Catholics is the notion of faith and works. From a Catholic perspective, are you in disagreement with the statement below:

"But in Christianity, good deeds are the necessary concomitant or outflow of sincere faith, not meritorious deeds done for the sake of salvation. Good deeds are the evidence of genuine, living faith, and in the absence of such deeds so-called faith is dead (James 2.17).

A person who lives a life of immorality while confessing Christ is a hypocrite whose faith is dead and useless. Good deeds are a necessary condition of salvation in a logical sense, in that, necessarily, if someone has saving faith, then he will do good deeds"

I have been studying Church History of late, and the lecturer is a Reformed Presbyterian (I have nothing against Presbyterians). I am really enjoying the course, but find my mind stirred by the doctrine of predestination. I had a similar experience last time I studied theology (20 years ago), and so would really love to have an honest discussion with someone who follows reformed theology. I guess part of my problem is that I don't really know what I think with respect to predestination, and so I'm wanting someone to try to convince me that Augustine and Calvin were right ...

Original sin is the idea that every human being is born inheriting a state of sinfulness from Adam and Eve. The terms are not in the Scripture. When it comes to doctrines, I prefer to adhere to the wording of the Scripture. People who like to generalize tend to overgeneralize in a doctrine. I know the following:

Romans 3:

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

Click to expand...

We are all guilty of sin, whether original or not, and we all need Christ's blood to redeem us.

Ro 5:

18 As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Click to expand...

Paul didn't use the word inherited. Paul was careful with his wording.

19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Click to expand...

Paul didn't say "all".

Did Jesus inherit the original sin?

I don't think so. No human inherits the original sin, but we all sin except Jesus.

Regarding babies in the womb, Romans 8:

10b when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad

Click to expand...

Why do babies die?

We all die, 1 Corinthians 15:

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Click to expand...

We all die because of the consequence of the first sin, not because we have inherited the original sin in our bodies. Even Jesus died. Adam and Eve fell and brought the first sin into the world. As a consequence, everyone is subject to death. Babies are born into a sinful world. They could physically die at birth, but they are not automatically condemned to eternal death because of Adam's or Eve's sin. They do not die for the first sin itself. They die because of the consequence of being existing in a sinful world.

Did Adam and Eve have a sinful nature?

Everyone has a sinful nature to more or less extent. After the fall, sin affected the environment. Sin increased and became prevalent. There were more opportunities to sin.

Because humans are created in God's image, our consciences contain a righteous nature to some extent.

Adam and Eve had a better chance not to sin in their pure environment than we are today in our sinful world. We inherited a sinful world.

So lets take a look at the Little Horn power we find in Daniel starting in chapter 7 and break Daniel into parts:
Daniel 7:2-4
7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

Most everyone agrees this is Babylon.
Daniel 7:5
7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

Same agreement that this is Medi-Persia
Daniel 7:6
7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

Pretty much agreement this is Greece
Daniel 7:7
7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

Here we see Pagan Rome with the ten horns, which are the nations which came up with it. We also get a description in Daniel 2..
Daniel 2:33 &41-43
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

We see how the nations of the empire progressed and become Western Civilization in Europe, and still have not been able to unite in the manner of the Roman Empire..
Daniel 7:20 &24
7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

So the ten toes mixed with iron and clay are of the fourth Beast who subdues three of the kings, and the Little Horn also comes out from the fourth Beast:
Daniel 7:8
7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

This is Papal Rome, we see much agreement in history..

"Out of the ruins of political Rome, arose the great moral Empire in the 'giant form' of the Roman Church." – A.C. Flick, "The Rise of the Medieval Church," 1900, p. 150.

We see the three of the first horns...

The three kingdoms were to be plucked up to give place for the Papacy. This prediction found the exact fulfillment in the destruction of the three Arian kingdoms: the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths.

"I might cite that three that were eradicated from before the Pope out of the last first given; viz., the Heruli under Odoacer (AKA Odovacar), the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths."- 'Hora Apocalyptica, Vol. III, p. 168, Note 1, London: 1862.

Now we see in verse 8 and 25 that the little horn had eye`s like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things and it "he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time." or 1260 prophetic years.
Daniel 7:8
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Daniel 7:25
Dan 7:25. He shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

But at the end the Little Horn power or Papal Rome will be destroyed at the coming of Christ...
Daniel 7:26
Dan 7:26. But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

So we see several points of history which show who the Little Horn power is as it came to power from among the ten divisions of Europe which were the ten horns. It began as "a little horn" or a little power at its beginning then after the three uprooted horns, the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths were taken out of the way as history shows us. So is we look at the little horn, we see it has a man at its head and it is different than the others.
Daniel 7:8
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

The little horn, not only had temporal or "state" powers, but we see it starts to blaspheme 'mouth speaking great things', so the little horn was a "church-state" combination, and we see more.
Daniel 7:25
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

The Little Horn would speak 'great words against the most High' or blasphemy. And we see the definition of blasphemy from the Bible is to claim to be God and/or to claim to be able to forgive sin. The Little Horn power would persecute or 'wear out the saints' and kill many of the faithful. And we see this in the Dark Ages, during the 'time and times and the dividing of time' or 1,260 years this Little Horn entity's persecutions brought the death of millions and the Little Horn power would think to change times and law. We have to study and discern what scripture tells on this Little Horn entity, and understand..