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  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Saintly intercession and purgatory question

I think so. In addition to your own prayers. You can find indulgenced prayers too. Or have a priest offer a mass for the person’s intention. These are all good things to do. And we are so forgetful to do anything for the faithful departed.
Thank you!

Peace
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The 2025 Government Shutdown Thread

The Army listed German food banks for soldiers seeking shutdown help

The Army removed the list after German media reported that U.S. troops were using the local food banks, a U.S. official said. It's unclear if any U.S. troops actually did.

Army officials in Germany removed a list of German-run food banks from a “Shutdown Guidance” webpage aimed at soldiers stationed in that country, hours after the list was met with outrage on social media.

The “Shutdown Guidance” page was posted on the official website for U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, the umbrella command over U.S. bases in Grafenwöhr, Vilseck, Hohenfels and Garmisch. The page listed dozens of resources available to soldiers and their families during the government shutdown, from seeking hardship loans to impacts on base schools.

But at the bottom of the page — as an archived version of the website confirms — was a list of four German food aid groups and one food aid app under the heading “Running list of German support organizations for your kit bags” with the word “German” in italics. The list of German organizations was removed by Wednesday morning when Task & Purpose checked.

The German government announced last month that it would pay about 11,000 local employees who work at U.S. military bases during the federal government shutdown.
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AND HOW ARE YOU SPENDING YOUR TIME ON EARTH TODAY. ??

And here is a warning from 1 COR 3:15 TO ALL. , especially to those that are SAVED by. the GRACE of God !!

# 1 IF. //. EI. is a CONDISTIONAL PARICILE.

# 2 ANY MAN.'S // TIS , is an INDEFINITE PRONOUN in. the GENITIVE CASE in. the SINGULAR

#. 3. WORK. //. ERGON. is. a NOMINATIVE CASE , in. the SINGULAR in. the NEUTER

#. 4. SHALL BE BURNED // KATAKASIO. in. the FUTURE TENSE in. the PASSIVE VOICE in. the INDICATIVE MOOD in. the SINGULAR

# 5 HE SHALL. SUFFER. LOSS. // in. the FUTURE TENSE , in. the PASSIVE VOICE , in. the INDICATIVE MOOD , in. the SINGULAR

# 6. BUT //. DE. , is a CONJUNCATION

# 7. HE HIMSELF. //. AUTOS. , is a POERSONAL POSSESSEIVE PRONOUN in. the NOMINATIVE CASE , in. the SIGNULAR

# 8 SHALL BE SAVED. //. SOZO , in. the FUTURE TENSE , in. the PASSIVE VOICE , in. the INDICATIVE. MOOD in. the SINGULAR

# 9 YET. //. DE. is a CONJUNCATION

# 10. SO. //. HOUTO. is a ADVERB

# 11. AS. //. HOS. is a ADVERB

# 12. BY //. DIA. is a PREPOSTION

# 13. FIRE. //. PYR. is. in. the GENITIVE CASE , in. the SINGULAR. , in. the NEUTER //

#A THE word FIRE means JUDGEMENT

# B. This JUDGMENT is called the BEMA SEAT JUDGEMENT

# C. And only those Saved by Grace will be there , by Rom 9:9 and 10

# D. And our. MOTTO is in 2 Tim 2:15 to RIGHTLY DIVIDING. THE WORD OF TRUTH !!

# E And in 1 Cor 3:6-9

# F And Paul in. verse 9 that we are Gods FARMERS and Gods Building

# G. And any. is saved by. GRACE , and in. the BODY OF Christ , no one has an. ACCUSE to be teaching Gods GOSPEL

as Paul. did in. Rom 1:1 as Paul was LIMITED to only preach GOD'S GOSPEL //

dan p

No person can come to Christ by their own freewill !

Kinda strange and bizarre reasoning. In the case of the thief, how could baptism be required if it wasn't established by Christ yet?

I am out of this conversation...
If it wasn't established yet, what was Christ doing getting baptized by John and what was John doing Baptizing people?
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Trump Takes Action Against Nigeria for Ongoing Persecution of Christians

Nigeria is about 50% Muslim, 49% Christian, 1% other. They are mostly regionally clustered with Muslims in the northern states and Christians in the southern states.

The middle states are mixed, with Christians and Muslims living in close proximity. This middle belt is where the violence occurs.

The presidency traditionally alternates between the north and south (an informal “zoning” arrangement), partly to balance the Muslim-majority north and Christian-majority south.
  • Informative
Reactions: ThatRobGuy
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Do What is Good

“For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.” (Romans 13:3-5 NASB1995)

The context here is of our need, as Christians, to obey our governing authorities. And earlier this morning I covered verses 1-2 (in the blog section of CF) and I talked about exceptions to this rule. We do have to obey the government which is over us in authority, and we do have to follow the rules of the land. But we do not have to obey anything or anyone who contradicts our Lord’s commands and his will and purpose for our lives. We can say “No” to anything which is sinful, for we never have to submit to sinning against God in any way.

Biblical examples: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Paul, John, Peter, Stephen, and Jesus Christ, et al, all resisted governing authorities when those authorities commanded them to do something contrary to the commands of God. They refused to bow to idols and to stop praying to God. And they refused to stop sharing the truth of the gospel of our salvation, for they knew that they must obey God rather than humans, if those humans were requiring that they do something against our Lord’s rules for us.

And that leads me in a slightly different direction this morning to talk about those who are in positions of authority within these institutional “churches” of today which are not the biblical church, the body of Christ, under the sole authority of Jesus Christ. But they are conglomerates under the authority of the government which are partnered (joined, merged) with the government and with the people of the world. And they are largely being directed by marketing schemes and business models for how to grow their “churches.”

Therefore, they have changed God’s design, and will, and purpose for his church, his universal body of believers in Jesus Christ. And they have largely turned those “church” gatherings into showcases of human talent and wit and wisdom in order to entertain the world, and in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings. And most appear to have also altered the gospel of our salvation to make it less offensive and more acceptable to human flesh and to the ungodly people of the world.

But many Christians have been taught that this is “the church,” and that they must attend these gatherings, and that they must submit to the authorities over these “churches” almost in a worshipful kind of way, and even if those authorities are leading them to do what is sinful and what is against God, and that which compromises the message of the gospel. For many of these “churches” are designed more like cults, and their pastors act more like cult leaders, and they are leading many people astray.

So, even though we have to obey our government, we never have to obey what we know is against God and that is sinful. For there are exceptions to this rule of having to obey the government. But we are not required to remain in these institutional market-driven “churches” which are creations of human making, and then to obey these cult leaders in whatever they require of us to do. In fact, we are instructed in the Scriptures to come out from among them so that we do not share in their sins and in their punishment.

For much of what is being called “church” is not the biblical body of Christ, but they are these businesses which are incorporated (joined, merged) with the state (the government), which God forbids. And many of them have turned “the church” into a place of business, which God also forbids, and they are marketing their product to the world to win the world to their gatherings. And so they have also altered the gospel to make it more acceptable to the world, which God also forbids. For that is not church!

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

The church is the biblical body of Christ with Jesus as its head and with its people as its ministers. There is not supposed to be one man doing all the preaching, and there is not to be one person selecting all the songs, and leading all the songs. But we, as the body of Christ, are to be ministering to one another, using the Spiritual gifts given us by the Spirit to help one another to grow to spiritual maturity in Christ and to warn one another of false teachers, and of false teachings, and of deceiving spirits.

And the purpose of our gatherings is so that we, the church, will speak the truth in love to one another, addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and exhorting one another every day so that none of us will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And we are to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together anywhere appropriate, but encouraging one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord.

[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897


Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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Do What is Good
An Original Work / November 5, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Church Under Fire Pt 2

I have not watched the video yet but I look forward to it. Sorry to hear of all your tough experiences but thank you for sharing them and your thoughts on how churches should be more biblical. The warnings that scared me concerning the church are from I Samuel, where the sins of Eli's sons had God replacing the priests with ones that were of his heart and mind. The sins of those sons who were priests basically were overcharging for their duties, a lack of discipline in children and sexual immorality. I got that on my heart right when covid came out but there has been quite a number of high profile departures in the ministry. I don't think the money issues of churches have yet to be addressed but I think that is soon to come.
I never thought about churches attempting to use a process similar to gentrification to allegedly step up the "quality" of people in their congregations. Such dealings clearly are contrary to scripture. I am glad you were able to overcome and share that part of your story too. God bless all your writing and other ministry pursuits.
Thank you, Richard. I appreciate your encouraging and thoughtful words. God bless.
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How to evangelize who resist the gospel

Finding out why they don't like Christians might be a place to start.
Many Christian missionaries that come from the first world have a reputation of insulting the religion, faith, culture, and ways of life of non-Christians living in the developing world. This is one reason many people groups dislike Christians. In the villages we work in, missionaries have been known to mock the people's cultural practices, call their god a product of satan or a moon god, and tell them they have to give up their traditions in order to be saved. I have personally witnessed this, and worse.

Before any Christian goes into a village that is foreign to them to evangelize, they need to first take at least a year to study the religious beliefs, language, and culture of the people. They also need to spend time in the village and immerse themselves in the culture and participate in the daily lives of the people for a while before sharing the Gospel. Chances are the people that are going to be evangelized have already heard the gospel at least once, so a missionary who takes the time that is necessary to form a meaningful relationship with them shows that they truly love them and care about them. Going into a village and sharing Christ's love through action will go a lot farther in leading people towards Christ than rushing into a village spouting out a bunch of scripture and pointing out the people's errors without knowing much, if anything, about them and their culture beforehand.

I've shared the following on this forum in the past, but I think it is relevant to this thread.

Sharing the gospel is about planting, watering, and faith. When it comes to us sharing the Gospel, our job is to plant and water seeds. It's God who makes things grow.

"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building." (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

It's the Holy Spirit that's doing the work of reaching the unbeliever, not us. We are simply the ones who share the gospel. In many cases the results may seem disappointing, but we should not be discouraged. God has not called us to convert people but to share the gospel. No one expects a seed to produce a harvest the same day that seed is planted, so in the same way, we should not expect to see immediate fruit from our evangelizing.

We can only do our part, which is to share the gospel and love the people as Christ loves us. We have no idea what God is doing in the lives of all the people we encounter and/or share the gospel with, and we may never know. Someone we share the gospel with today may or may not come to Christ, but they may share what we have told them about Jesus with someone else in the future, at which time the Holy Spirit convicts that person; a person we have never encountered or may never meet.

In addition to sharing the gospel, we need to also remember as personal witnesses to Jesus Christ and the gospel, living our lives in a Christlike manner and treating others with a Christ-like attitude is of utmost importance. The simple acts of showing kindness, love, and compassion towards those who are lost may be all it takes to eventually lead them to the Truth. Living by example is at the foundation and perhaps one of the most crucial components of our personal witness to Christ to others. Most everyone in the unbelieving world has heard about Jesus, some many times over, but they may not have seen Him in action even once.
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Letita Jamews indicted for fraud

Allen received notice of his termination from the White House after he made efforts to provide key information to prosecutors in that office, according to four sources. The information he turned over was constitutionally required, two of them said, while a third described it as being potentially relevant in discovery.

His ouster also came about as he was preparing to send a letter to Congress notifying lawmakers that the FHFA was not cooperating with the inspector general's office, three of the sources said. These individuals said the FHFA director would typically have been notified of such a letter. Reuters was unable to independently determine whether Pulte was informed.

Pulte has circumvented the agency's Office of Inspector General in pursuing those three cases [James, Lisa Cook, Adam Schiff], Reuters previously reported.
Time in and time out people within the justice department are fired for doing acts that are constitutionally required to do.
Recall the prosecutor who was fired for correctly noting in court that Abrego Garcia should not have been deported per previous court rulings.
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The Thing Most Sabbath Keepers Do not Talk About.

You are not refuting anything posted to you by your response above. Address the points brought out by the post, thanks.
I have been refuting this since I started on this thread.
Two things being mentioned in verses 4 and 5. The rest to which is called the Gospel in verse 2 and the seventh day. Verse 6 goes back to speaking of the rest which is the Gospel that some have yet to enter in.
“Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who listened with faith. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “As I swore in My anger, They certainly shall not enter My rest,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “They certainly shall not enter My rest.” Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who previously had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.””
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Verse two is indeed about the gospel being preached to both Israel and the Christians. It benefited the Christians and not Israel. “We who have believed” are Christians that heard the gospel and have faith so they enter Jesus rest (“That rest”) but Israel did not enter God’s rest (the rest mentioned at the bottom of book 3 which seems to point at entering the promise land) because God was angry at them for their unbelief. No seventh day in verse 2.

Verses 4 and 5 quote different passages from scripture (Gen.2 and Ps. 95). Here God reiterates that the Jews will not enter His rest. God is still angry at Israel. Verse 6 states that “since it remains some to enter”, which are unbelievers yet to accept the gospel, AND the Jews, who did not believe the gospel, makes it clear by the contrast that presently there will be no rest for Israel. So verse 7 designates a new day as today. So the invitation for Jesus rest is now, today. There is a sense of urgency. There is nothing here about continuing the sabbath for the church.

Yes really. Grammatically speaking the context is continuous from verse 1 to at least 31 when it speaks of Christ coming with His angels to gather the elect. How do we know? By His use of words like and, but, then, when wherefore, and so forth. These words connect what is about to be said to what is already said. So that means up to Christ's coming in the clouds of glory with His angels he expects His followers to still be keeping the Sabbath.


Matt 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Matt 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Matt 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matt 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matt 24:8 All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.
Matt 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Matt 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matt 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matt 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Matt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)
Matt 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Matt 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Matt 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Matt 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Matt 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Matt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Matt 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.
Matt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matt 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Matt 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.
Matt 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matt 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Matt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matt 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matt 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Did you add words to scripture without annotation? Never add words to scripture without brackets and citation.

Determining the audience and who the writer is talking about is hermeneutics 101. Jesus and the apostles are at the mount of Olives looking directly at Jerusalem. Verse 16 tells you exactly who Jesus is warning about what is to come. The woes to follow are fully directed at those in Judea. You could, however, argue from an eschatalogical view that it applies to a future tribulation for all but that would be YMMV based on your eschatological view.
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Does Regeneration Precede Faith?

Yes, it's called burden of proof. It's your burden to substantiate the claims you make, not my burden to disprove mere assertions. Once you've offered some form of argument for them, then I'll have something to respond to. That's how a debate works.

Let's make it simple. On John 6:44. Which of the following statements (if any) would you object to, and why?
  1. No one (οὐδεὶς) is able (δύναται) to come to Christ apart from divine enablement.
  2. The divine enablement that removes that inability is expressed by the verb ἑλκύω ("to draw"), whose semantic core denotes an effectual movement from one position to another.
  3. Therefore, to draw (ἑλκύω) in John 6:44 signifies that the Father effectually moves a person from a state of moral inability (οὐδεὶς δύναται) to a state of genuine ability to come.
  4. The clause κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ("and I will raise him up on the last day") identifies the same individual as the direct object of the Father's drawing (i.e., the one drawn is the one raised).
  5. Every person who is raised up on the last day is necessarily saved (cf. vv. 39-40, 54).
  6. Therefore, all whom the Father draws will unfailingly come to Christ and will be raised up on the last day.
But those who had heard The Father and learned from Him will come to Him, verse 45. I explained all this in the post you ignored when you claimed that I never addressed John 6:44.

No my point is that if we take the information given in all of these passages and put it all together we can make better deductions about how the verses were intended to be interpreted. The statement made in John 6:44 contradicts Jesus’ statement made in John 12:32. So the only way to determine what He actually meant is thru deductive reasoning. Ezekiel 33:11 gives us a very important piece of information about what God desires. Genesis 5:5-6 also affirms the same thing, that God does not want man to be disobedient and desires them to repent and believe which is precisely what 2 Peter 3:9 says. So interpreting 2 Peter 3:9 in isolation of the information given to us in Genesis 6:5-6 and Ezekiel 33:11 allows for an alternative interpretation, but when you incorporate the information given in all of these passages of scripture it rules out the possibility of God only being patient with those He intends to save. Even Romans 9:22 and Romans 2:4-5 rule out this interpretation.

“What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭22‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

These two passages prove that God is patient with those who are destined for destruction and the purpose of His patience is in hope that they would repent which follows along with 2 Peter 3:9 perfectly. Ezekiel 33:11 echoes this exact same message.

“Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭33‬:‭11‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

All of these passages together form a very strong, if not irrefutable concept, that God is in fact patient with ALL MEN not desiring for any to perish but that they would repent and be saved.

John 6:44 is completely different situation that took place during Christ’s ministry during the time when God had blinded those who didn’t believe the words of the prophets in order to bring about Christ’s crucifixion so that they would shout “crucify Him” in order to complete God’s plan of redemption. Calvinists often fail to notice this or refuse to accept it but it’s mentioned all throughout the New Testament and was prophesied in the Old Testament in Isaiah. In Mark 4:11-12 Jesus quotes from Isaiah when He said

“And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

He’s quoting Isaiah 6

“He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

He quotes Isaiah again in John 12

“This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”
‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭38‬-‭48‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

In John 5

“And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?””
‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭37‬-‭47‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Then in John 6:44-45

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭44‬-‭45‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Jesus didn’t just say that no one could come to Him unless The Father draws them, He included the prophecy that those who believed the words of the prophets would come to Him. This is why some were not permitted to come to Him during His ministry.
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Censorship?

The bible does not teach soul sleep. It teaches that the body plus the breath or spirit given by God equals a living soul. At death, these separate, and there is no longer a living soul. The condition is referred to as sleep by scripture and our Lord, because there are no thoughts or awareness in death. This is another topic altogether though. Soul sleep is just a name someone made up, which is attributed to those who believe in the sleep of death scripture declares so many times over.

On the contrary, soul sleep is a novel interpretation which was unknown in the early church and which is contradicted by the words of our Lord to the Good Thief on the Cross.
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WHY LAW OF MOSES. AND THE NEW COVENANT IS NOT TODAY V?

Are you guys suggesting that the New Covenant with better promises is not for the Body of Christ ?

Heb 8

...we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.
4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;
5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things by the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.”
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been free of fault, no circumstances would have been sought for a second.
And since you did quote from the book of Hebrew. , and who was the Book of Hebrews WRITTEN. to TOO. ??

WAS it written to the BODY of CHRIST ??

Or was it written to HEBREWS

DAN P
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Matthew Dowd Fired from MSNBC For Vile Comments Blaming Charlie Kirk For Assassination

Then nobody can be fired anywhere. Public employee or not. Stop the bull!
We would ask the same. Stop it. Your argument is specious.

Talking or not talking about some loser like Charlie Kirk and whether he is dead or not is not part of almost anyone's job. There for it is not generally grounds for dismissal. Doing your job poorly is grounds for dismissal. Not being able to be fired for saying who Kirk was is not the same as being protected from doing your job poorly.
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The Brokenness of Christianity

The word Christianity has been overtaken by some who aren't Christian and they've attached it to their religion. But their religion isn't Christian. Religions are broken because they aren't Christianity.
Since the word Christian is applied where it really doesn't fit, that helps cause confusion. The author of confusion is the devil.
Yes, I agree with you. 'Christian' can mean all things to all men. Jesus himself didn't use the term, but he did say:

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3).

I have found talking about being Born Again, or Born from Above, to be a good conversation starter. Also a good way to separate the sheep from the goats. God Bless :)
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Even if (more likely "when") Momdani becomes NYC Mayor studies show the richest New Yorkers will stay

Zohran Mamdani rolls out veteran city leaders, Dem heavyweights to lead transition

Zohran Mamdani began his first morning as mayor-elect at the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, keeping the same focus on affordability that defined his campaign as he unveiled a transition team filled with heavyweight national figures and familiar city faces.

Mamdani named an initial slate of transition chairs that includes former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, United Way of New York City CEO Grace Bonilla and former Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog. Elana Leopold, who held several senior roles during the Bill de Blasio administration, is the transition’s executive director.

I was led to expect dogs and cats living together. Not competent experienced people coming together to solve problems.
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What is your Motivation to Discuss/Debate Things Online?

Have you ever changed your mind about something as a result of an online discussion? Or, has an online discussion ever taught you something you didn't know before, or made you look at a question in a new way?
Not asking me but yes.
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Continous stone tools use and manufacture in one location 2.75 million years ago.


"Researchers have found that the primitive humans who lived 2.75 million years ago at an archaeological site called Namorotukunan used stone tools contonuously for 300,000 years"

The depth of those time span makes me wonder what it was like to be caught up in that moment in time.
These are our ancestors and a rough estimate gives me 100,000 generations have passed from then until we find ourselves at this present stage of cultural and biological development.

Some 10,000 of those generations were characterised by "settlements" of humanoids who busily used their stone tools and their ability to manufacture them to enable them to withstand the vagaries of climate change throughout those 300 000 years.

Recorded history (as far as I know) goes back less than 10,000 years or some 30 times less than that.

Can we draw any conclusions or peespectives from these astonishing timescales (and aour ancestors' ability to "surf" them, as it were?

Thw numbers are hard to imagine and yet these were our own ancestors.Does that bring about a sense of familiarity despite those caverns of history?

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