The word "friend" may simply refer to a comrade or companion and does not prove one's salvation status as saved. In regard to the word "friend," elsewhere in Matthew 22:12, we read - So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. In verse 13, the next thing you know he is bound hand and foot, taken away, and cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Also, Jesus would never trust an unbelieving, unclean devil who He knows will betray Him. (John 6:64-71; 13:10-11) To suggest otherwise would imply that Jesus is not omniscient. John 6:64 - But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.

In the face of kindness, love and grace, Judas had a chance to repent, but still went out and betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. This event happened AFTER Jesus had already referred to Judas as a devil (John 6:70) and declared him to be unclean. (John 13:10-11) So, Jesus was not an intimate friend of Judas. You don't betray a true friend. With friends like Judas Iscariot, who needs enemies!

The OT reference to Judas from Psalm 41:9, which was about Ahithophel "mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted," was omitted in John 13:18 in regard to Judas and there was no OT reference to Judas in Matthew 26:50 when Jesus addressed him as friend.

The discipline of fasting allowed her to be disciplined in her request to the king.

about to begin...Israel vs Iran...US vs Russia.

Grip Docility said:

It could indicate heavenly dwelling with Jesus and the indwelling of the Paraclete, here.

That is a possibility. Not setting forth rebuttal or argument, but it is a possibility.

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Yes heavenly dwelling. But it is directly related to the ancient Jewish wedding. We are the bride and He is the bridegroom. It is a marriage covenant. We are bethrothed to Him. ....The Last Supper....Marriage supper of the lamb when He returns...
Shavuah Tov!

Holiness is what I long for
Righteousness, to walk God’s ways
Faithfulness in every footstep
Walking with Him day by day

Listening to the words He teaches
Making them my faithful friend
Doing all that His word shows me
Faithful to Christ to the end

Loving Jesus, Lord, my Master
Sitting daily at His feet
Loving all the times together
When my Lord and I do meet

Worship Him in truth forever
Sing His praises, bless His Name
Changing in the ways He leads me
Not remaining just the same

An Original Work / December 8, 2022

This brotherly love mentioned here has to do with the love that is among us who are followers of Jesus Christ. It is the love that we have for one another that is a proper affection and morally pure emotional feelings that we have for one another who are within the family of God. But when it says here that we who believe in Jesus have been taught by God to love one another, a different love is mentioned, which is agape love, which comes from God.

And this agape love means to prefer what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, morally pure, upright, honest, godly, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. For the Christian it means to prefer to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power, strength, and wisdom. It means that we are actively doing what God prefers because we have the Holy Spirt living within us by faith in Jesus Christ.

So, in what ways is that love expressed to one another? Well, it is based in moral purity, so it will be morally pure. And it has to do with doing what God has designed and purposed for us to do, so it is going to involve obedience to his commands. And it is a love which comes from God, who is love, and so we will love one another in the same ways in which God loves us. So we will not deliberately and habitually do what is evil against one another.

Rather, we will show to one another kindness, compassion, concern, caring, and sympathy. And we will minister to one another’s legitimate needs in the power of and under the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit, utilizing the spiritual gifts we have been given by the Spirit. And we will encourage and exhort one another and speak the truth in love to one another in order to help one another to walk faithfully in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

[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]

But when this counsels us to live quietly, and to mind our own affairs, this is not to negate the teachings all throughout the New Testament which teach us the many ways in which we are to demonstrate the love of God for one another. For this engages us in exhorting one another and in speaking the truth in love to one another and in helping one another out of sin if any have been caught in sin. For we are to bear one another’s burdens.

Definitely we must be those who are walking properly before everyone. We all should be living righteous and godly lives in submission to Christ as Lord, and in surrender of our wills to his perfect will. We should all be modeling what it means to be a true follower (disciple) of Jesus Christ. And we should, thus, speak the same kinds of messages that Jesus taught, and to warn against taking God’s grace for granted and of falling back into sin.

We should also be warning our brothers and sisters in the Lord against false teachings and false gospels and false preachers and prophets and apostles and evangelists and politicians and newscasters who are proclaiming and teaching lies to the people in order to lead them astray. For so many professers of Christianity are being duped by master manipulators and they are being led away from the truth and to following after lies, instead.

But Jesus Christ is the ONLY Savior of the people, and the only one to rescue us from what ails us as a people, as a nation, and as the world. He is our ONLY hope for salvation and for deliverance, and his gospel message is the ONLY one that we should be following, which is the same one that his NT apostles taught. And that is basically that we must die to sin and to self and follow the Lord in obedience, by his grace, if we want eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 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 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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I have to agree. The worm does more damage if it's within the apple.

tonychanyt said:

Yes, all of the above are necessary. None can be missing.

By works, it means faithful works, Rom 2:


Jame 2:



G1344-justify appears 39 times. It means to be rendered righteous by God or somebody else.

By grace, Rom 3:


By faith


Now, on the other hand, Isa 64:


No, external righteousness won't save anyone.


Paul explained in Rom 3:


External works alone are insufficient because no one is sinless in all his works. Internally, we need faith in our hearts to make our works meaningful. We also need grace to forgive us when we fail in our works.

Paul insisted in Galatians 2:


I.e., No one is justified by the external works of the law without internal support of faith.


Ezekiel 18:


Ezekiel 14:


Noah, Daniel, and Job were righteous because they acted in faith by the grace of God.

Grace in Christ is necessary, Galatians 2:


Rom 3:


Don't boast about your human works. Without faith in God, no one is justified.


Since we don't need the works of the law, we may as well throw them away. No, not at all. Do not overgeneralize and misunderstand Paul's point. Faithful works are necessary; don't boast about them. Without grace, your works are useless in justifying you for eternal life.

Eph 2:


Good works are defined by God, not by humans.

Rom 4:


Even Abraham was not justified without faith. The word "justified" has different nuances. We need all three—works (i.e., faithful works), grace, and faith—to be justified (in all the different nuances).

Men's doctrines complicated things. Jesus told a nice, simple parable in Luke 18:


Depending on yourselves instead of on God would not save you.


These external works would not save you.


The tax collector depends on God's mercy.


Don't boast. Humble yourself before God. His mercy and grace will justify you.

Does righteousness come from the law or not?

No, the law condemns. However, by grace, righteousness does come from the faithful works of the law.

Are we saved by faith alone?

Right, and that would include faithful works by grace. Legalistic works do not save us.

See also

• Logical analysis of John 3:36
• faith and faithful works are logically equivalent.

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Only those who are doers of the law have faith and only those who have faith will be justified, which is why Paul can say in Romans 2:13 that only those who are doers of the law will be justified while also denying in Romans 4:1-5 that we can earn our justification as the result of our obedience to God's law.

This song is a prayer to my Lord, expressing how much I love his daily presence with me as I go throughout my day walking in his footsteps, listening to him speak, and having him teach me how to live and to work for him. My heart’s desire is to be his witness, to tell others of his love and grace, to serve him only as my Lord and master, living to please him, and then to be an example of one who has truly been set free from the power of sin and death, and set free to walk humbly in obedience to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I truly identify with the words to this song. I want to serve my Lord only and not my own flesh. It does not mean I deprive myself of what he has given to us to enjoy, or that I don’t take enjoyment and pleasure in food, nature, art, or a song, etc. Yet, I should not make my flesh my god nor should I make the things I enjoy my gods, but my Lord should be my only God, and he is the one I should obey and follow and desire above all else. My life should be complete in him, and I should be content with him alone.

Your Servant

An Original Work / September 21, 2011

Lord, I love to have You near me
As I go throughout my day,
Walking daily in Your footsteps,
As I humbly pray.
List’ning to You, hear You teaching
Me to live and work for You,
Lord, I pray You lead and guide me
Daily in Your truth.

Lord, I want to be Your witness,
Telling others of Your grace;
Telling how they can be set free
Of their sins today;
Share with them the love of Jesus,
He died on a cruel tree,
So that we’d be forgiven
For all eternity.

Lord, I want to serve You only,
As I bow on bended knee,
Making You my Lord and master,
And Your servant be.
Humbly walking in obedience,
Doing what You say to me,
Lord, may I be an example
Of one who’s set free.

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PloverWing said:

I thought that the ACNA and Continuing Anglican churches varied in whether they ordain women as bishops, priests, and deacons.

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The ACNA has thus far made the bishopric a line in the sand and kept it exclusive to males. Women's ordination to other offices of the ministry is handled by diocesan canon law. The exception would be the Reformed Episcopal Church, which operates as an independent church at times, as dioceses at other times, and as a constituent of ACNA when it suits them.

REC has a robust 'deaconess' program with 5 or 6 ladies in the role. It is a trained and licensed lay ministry, somewhat comparable to a reader or verger in the preparation and manner of designation, with defined duties. Not wishing to quote the REC's documents at length, I shall note only that they do not serve a liturgical function within the Holy Communion service, which is a distinct difference from the role of the many female deacons in ACNA. Most Continuing churches also make provisions for this deaconess ministry in theory if not always practice. The Continuing churches have not ordained women to any of the 3 holy orders.

The approach of both factions to gays is probably best analyzed on a case by case basis, both in terms of the gay person coming to the church and the parish that is having to interact with them. I've seen everything from closeted clergy to clergy who thinks the Muslims might be onto something with some of the practices the Taliban and hardcore Shia use to discipline gays.

We believe in Jesus Christ, not just so we can get our sins forgiven so that when we die we get to go to heaven. Our salvation from sin is not just all about what God did for us and what he will yet do for us. Jesus planned for us that, by faith in him, we will deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands. His design for our lives is that we now live in submission to his Lordship, in surrender of our wills to his will, in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, and that we cease from sin.

And contrary to what so many people are telling you these days, we do have to live our lives to please God. We are not pleasing God by merely giving him lip service. We please him when we walk in obedience to his commands and we do the things that he has called us to do as his followers. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance for us that we should walk in them. We are not saved by our own fleshly works, yet our salvation is not absent of works that God has for us.

And the New Testament writings are filled with instructions to us who profess faith in Jesus Christ with regard to what we should not be doing and regarding what we should be doing, and how we should be living as followers of Jesus Christ who have died with Christ to sin and who have been raised with him to walk now in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And we are to conduct our lives in a manner which is pleasing to God according to the Scriptures.

But not only should we presently be living our lives to please God, in the power of God, but we should be doing this more and more. Our faith should be increasing, and we should be growing closer to our Lord in deeper commitments to him and to his service the longer that we know Jesus and the longer that we walk in his ways and in his truth and righteousness. For the will of God is our sanctification, that we be made holy, different from the world, because we are being made to be like Jesus in character.

Therefore, as followers of Jesus Christ we are no longer to walk in sin, making sin our practice. We must abstain from sexual immorality, and each one of us should learn how to control our own bodies in holiness and in honor, and not in the passions of lust like those who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior. For Jesus died to free us from the passions of the flesh so that we will now be passionate about serving our Lord in holy living. And he will empower us to live righteously and to no longer walk in sin.

Sadly, so many people today professing faith in Jesus Christ, at least here in America, are addicted to sexual sin in one form or another. Many are addicted to pornography or to viewing anything that is sexually explicit or that is even sexually and immorally suggestive. Some are having extra-marital flirtations or affairs. Some are engaged in even worse forms of sexual perversion. And with so many having smartphones in their possession, it just makes it so much easier to engage in immorality.

But, as those who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ, we are to cease from making sin our habit, and we are now to serve Jesus Christ with our lives in holy living. And we are not to sin against God, and we are not to sin against our fellow humans, especially those who belong to the family of God. And this is not saying that we will never sin again (1 John 2:1-2), but that sin should no longer be our practice. Instead, holiness, righteousness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness and obedience to God should be our practice.

And then notice with me that Paul, in saying these things, is letting those who profess the name of Jesus know that the Lord is the avenger in all these things. And so he was warning them against taking God’s grace for granted, thinking that they could now continue living in sin and not in obedience to the Lord. And we should not take God’s grace for granted, either, for if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not walks of obedience to our Lord, then we will not inherit eternal life with God. Hell will be our destiny.

So, don’t buy into the lies which tell you that once you “believe” in Jesus that all your sins are forgiven and now heaven is guaranteed you when you die, but regardless of how you live or how often you choose to sin against the Lord. For all of God’s promises come with conditions that must be met by us. So if we claim to be in fellowship with the Lord but while we walk in sin, we are liars. And if we say that we know God, but while we do not walk in obedience to his commands, we are liars. So please take God seriously!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 15:1-11; 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 2:8-10; 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; Jas 2:17; 1 Jn 3:22]

You are Loving and Forgiving

An Original Work / February 19, 2012
Based off Psalm 86

You are loving and forgiving,
Jesus, Savior, King of kings.
You provided our redemption.
By Your blood You set us free.
You are gracious; full of mercy.
No deeds can compare with Yours.
Great are You; there is none like You.
Glory be to Your name.

Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.
O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.
May I not have a heart divided,
That Your name I give honor to.
I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,
For great is Your love toward me.
You have delivered me from my sins.
Your grace has pardoned me.

You, O Lord, are full of compassion,
Slow to anger, bounteous in love;
Faithful to fulfill all You promise;
Glory be to Your name above.
Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.
You are my God. I trust in You.
Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.
You are my comforter.

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Keep repenting, fall forward when you fall, and get back up again.

JosephZ said:

Below is the US travel advisory for Russia at the time Paul Whelan was arrested:

Travel Advisory June 15, 2018

Reconsider travel to Russia due to terrorism and harassment. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory

Do not travel to:

• The north Caucasus, including Chechnya and Mount Elbrus, due to civil unrest and terrorism.
• Crimea due to foreign occupation and abuses by occupying authorities.

Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Russia. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. Bomb threats against public venues are common.

U.S. citizens are often victims of harassment, mistreatment, and extortion by law-enforcement and other officials. U.S. consular assistance to detained individuals is often unreasonably delayed by Russian officials. Russia also enforces special restrictions on dual U.S.-Russian nationals. Due to the Russian government-imposed reduction on U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia, the U.S. government has reduced ability to provide services to U.S. citizens.

Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to Russia:

• Avoid demonstrations.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on news information.
• Stay alert in locations frequented by Westerners.
• Have travel documents up to date and easily accessible.
• Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
• Review the Crime and Safety Reports for Russia.
• U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

North Caucasus (including Chechnya and Mount Elbrus)

Civil unrest and terrorist attacks continue throughout the North Caucasus region including in Chechnya, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Stavropol, Karachayevo-Cherkessiya, and Kabardino-Balkariya. Local gangs have kidnapped U.S. citizens and other foreigners for ransom. There have been credible reports of arrest, torture, and extrajudicial killing of gay men in Chechnya allegedly conducted by Chechen regional authorities.

Do not attempt to climb Mount Elbrus, as travelers must pass close to volatile and insecure areas of the North Caucasus region.

The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens traveling in the North Caucasus region, including Mount Elbrus, as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling to the region.

Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.

Crimea

There is extensive Russian Federation military presence in Crimea. The Russian Federation is likely to take further military actions in Crimea as part of its occupation of this part of Ukraine. The international community, including the United States and Ukraine, does not recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Crimea. There are continuing abuses against foreigners and the local population by the occupation authorities in Crimea, particularly against those who are seen as challenging their authority on the peninsula.

The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens traveling in Crimea as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling to Crimea.

The way this travel advisory was written, someone traveling to a major tourist destination like Moscow in 2018 wouldn't feel that their safety would be at risk.

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It does mention the risk of law enforcement potentially engaging in extortion or harassment of American citizens, but it doesn't see the risks in light of the geopolitical context in a holistic fashion. The US and Russia have been in an effective cold war for over a decade.

Nithavela said:

I think the Bible is very clear what the mark of the beast is supposed to be. A tattoo on the forehead or the back of the right hand.

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Haha, maybe. Maybe a smart tattoo or something tech related. Ahh, that is one of the reasons I stay out of Revelations. It is a confusing book.

FaithT said:

I love it!

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Thank you. French design is pretty cool stuff.

Joseph G said:

Oh yeah? Well the other day I put my pants on backwards and didn't notice until I couldn't get my hand in my pocket, ha!

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LOL. My late MIL and FIL went to the state library and he used the restroom before driving home. When he finally came out, MIL asked "What took you so long? "

Embarrassed, he answered,"I put my underwear on backwards this morning." God help us!

Wait... Henry VIII made a social media post?

You should look into the State Defense Forces. They are title 32 forces which are held by your state's governor. Half of the states maintain such forces sometimes known as the State Defense Force or the State Guard. They are not deployable troops outside of your state . They are all volunteer meaning they don't get paid unless the Governor declares a state of emergency. You don't have to be prior service to be with them but it helps a lot. Prior service rank transfers over . You have to meet the height /weight standards which is on the average 10 % less than what the Federal service wants. As State troops you don't get anything like retirement, GI Bill, or any of the other Federal perks offered by the National Guard. You do however get excused from your job to participate and are treated as regular guardsmen at that point , You don't have commissary access or base access unless you are assigned to a base or other duty assignment. These are formal military organizations, often under the state's Military Affairs Dept. They are comprised of people from many different backgrounds , both civilian and military and they can get you trained on a wide variety of different things like communications and emergency response . I've been with my state, the Virginia Defense Force for 11 years here is a link to my service Virginia Defense Force – Virginians Serving Virginians, Virginia Defense Force , State Guard Association of the United States – Supporting the State Defense Forces of the United States The SGAUS can connect you to the state you may be in . Not all states have a Defense Force, though all are authorized in their constitutions to do so. Texas, California, New York and Georgia have some of the biggest units.

Just want to give a shout to to all the military family here. Anyone Active Duty, Reserve, Guard? I'm a 56M Chaplains Assistant Who is active duty and who is retired?

Just looking for ministries like mine to connect with . For the Military.

MikeBurke said:

Faith is a journey. The Catholics did a great job with biblical history, but I didn't quite get the whole apocryphal section in the Catholic bible. When you see my brothers with CalGuard fighting those fires you guys get out there, say a prayer for them! Please hold me in prayers as a minister, I have a mighty big problem that will be very difficult for me to overcome. Putting it in God's hands. Thanks for reaching back!

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You are welcome. I am not in California, but will pray for your fellow CalGuard brothers in Cali. I will pray for you as a minister. And yes, the Catholics did a good job with biblical history. Well hey, the apocryphal section is only 7 extra books, and all are OT, and who even reads the OT anymore in 2024 (though, the OT is important to understand the NT).

My nephew recently started a YouTube channel with his friend. It makes me uncomfortable.