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Truth7t7 · May 18, 2024

martymonster said:
Physical Israel = Spiritual Israel = The Christian Chruch. There are two women in scripture.

Wrong

Physical National Israel in the middle east, they aren't God's chosen, this physical national Israel is mystery babylon the great, mother of garlots

BPPLEE · May 18, 2024

Valletta said:
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fight during House hearing

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., butted heads at a House Oversight Committee meeting Thursday night.

www.usatoday.com

There is no legitimate reason why the audio tapes continue to be withheld. The White House released the transcripts., let's see if the transcripts are accurate. What's the big deal? Democrats have used tricky tactics before, I wish they had not in the past. But the reality is that sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. MTG did get the response from AOC she wanted in order to dispense with the normal rules of debate and amendments before the Democrats figured what was going on.

The Real Housewives of Capital Hill

wing2000 · May 18, 2024

...reposting:

Comer's circus (Oversight Committee)...allegedly to hold AG Garland in contempt of Congress (after the Judiciary Committee already did so, motion to adjorn failed anyway)...

...the hearing was delayed several hours after many GOP members took a field trip to the NYC courthouse.....

https://www.c-span.org/video/?53576...ng-attorney-general-garland-contempt-congress

Staring
@27:50- Raskin. (...mentions the gentlewoman from Georgia)
@42:15- Maskowitz (Reading Chariman Commer's fund raising letter signed as the Committee Chair - likely ethics violation)
@47:20 - Greene..."fake eyelashes..." remark (about another member)
.....from there...Comer completely loses control.

Handmaid for Jesus · May 18, 2024

The IbanezerScrooge said:
No shame on the committee chair for not keeping it in check though, huh? Comer did NOTHING. Said NOTHING. He allowed it to start and said not a word to MTG for her personal attack that is prohibited by committee rules on Rep. Crockett. There must be a (R)eason. What do you think it was?

Amen.

Yeah, MTG can dish it but is unable to take it. Crockett gives as she gets.

wing2000 · May 18, 2024

I watched the entire (recorded) hearing on C-SPAN.
MTG was out of order from the very start. Crosstalking while other Committee members had the floor.
Committee Chair Comer refused to take action early to shut her down. She kept going with Cortez rightly calling her our for insulting another member of the Committee. Comer claimed he did not hear the comments and at one point, reminded everyone that he wears hearing aides.

What an absolute joke of a Committee.

Fantine · May 18, 2024

I don't know what's worse, an insurrectionist judge hiding behind his wife's skirts...

Or an insurrectionist former president hiding behind a Supreme Court judge's robes.

Neither the judge nor the former president should qualify for immunity from accountability.

LoricaLady · May 18, 2024

Egypt
One mother recently helped by our partners, who has a strong relationship with the Lord, shared that ‘my dream is to raise my children in better conditions than my own; to invest in their education and their spiritual growth so that they know and live for the Lord’. Pray this will happen.
Number of Prayers 18
YES - I WILL PRAY

Egypt

Thank God for the impact practical aid has on the faith of those receiving it. After a Release International partner built a concrete roof on one family home to prevent large rats getting in at night, the mother ‘burst into praise that the Lord has never left her in need, and that He responds to […]
Number of Prayers 20
YES - I WILL PRAY

Egypt

Pray for Release International partners providing aid to impoverished Christians, particularly in the more rural areas of Upper Egypt. Pray the help will reach the families most in need this year.
Number of Prayers 26
YES - I WILL PRAY

Egypt

Pray for the economic situation in Egypt which is having an increasingly adverse impact on Christians already suffering from poverty.
Number of Prayers 33
YES - I WILL PRAY

Pakistan

Pray for new believer ‘Hazeem’ who was recently baptised. His employers are mistreating him because of his new faith. Pray for him as he works out plans to set up his own food-making business.
Number of Prayers 37
YES - I WILL PRAY

Pakistan

Pray for Christians who have lost their jobs because of their faith and for Christian children facing bullying in schools.
Number of Prayers 39
YES - I WILL PRAY

Pakistan

Pray for ‘Azmet’ who will be responsible for leading this new church in Sindh (see previous day’s prayer). May the Lord give him wisdom and courage to lead diligently.
Number of Prayers 34
YES - I WILL PRAY

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Prospector · May 18, 2024

Test time

bbbbbbb · May 18, 2024

senator

tonychanyt · May 18, 2024

Matthew 7:

22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

They knew about Jesus and the verbal methods but Jesus never G1097-knew them intimately. The knowledge was one-sided. It was not a bi-directional relationship.

What is the power source behind the miracles, signs, and wonders?

It could come from Satan, 2 Corinthians 11:

14 no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

However, ultimately, all powers came from God, Psalm 62:

11 One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God,

Is the passage talking about genuine signs and wonders of God or counterfeit miracles of Satan?

It could be both.

Can God actively use someone in signs and wonders and still prohibit them from entering His kingdom?

Yes, the person can fall away from God later in his life, 2 Peter 2:

20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing [G1922] our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known [G1921] the way of righteousness, than to have known [G1921] it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.”

They had a G1922-knowledge of the Lord and they G1921-knew the way of righteousness, but Jesus did not G1097-know them intimately.

wing2000 · May 18, 2024

Yttrium said:
I don't consider his wife's action to reflect on Alito himself, nor do I consider the action to be a clear indication of "stop the steal" support. I wouldn't expect Alito to recuse himself from anything just because the flag at his house was upside-down for a while.

As I wrote earlier:

wing2000 said:
He knows very well a justice, at any level, should never appear to have a conflict of interest. This is a clear ethics violation....

...he, and Justice Thomas should recuse themselves from all January 6th cases. They continued participation taints any argument they make in the court and ultimately, any decision.

CoreyD · May 18, 2024

AFrazier said:
No, I think you make the point nicely.

I suppose the difference falls to the specific doctrinal variance. If the church as a whole, for example, believes that Jesus is God in the flesh, and you have one offshoot that believes he is not, then that offshoot is rejected by all. In most other cases, a doctrinal difference typically has a scriptural argument. The validity of that argument notwithstanding, it’s written off by those who disagree as bad interpretation, versus the other which is viewed as heresy.

Thanks.
That's the problem Frazier - "The church as a whole".
Perhaps an example might help.

United Methodists Lose 1,800 Churches in Split Over...
One of the dominant Christian denominations in the U.S., the United Methodist Church, is experiencing a major split. Since 2019, more than 7,000 congregations have received approval to leave the church. The factions have disagreements in theology, namely how the church considers LGBTQ+ ministers and congregants.

So, someone says to you, ""the 1,800 congregations left the church, but they and the 28,200 are the church as a whole."
Are you perplexed, or completely comfortable with that person's statement?

KevinT · May 18, 2024

sparow said:
I May be getting threads confused. As well as abrogating the Law, pagan/Christians have changed the Lord's Day from Saturday to Sunday. I was trying to make two points, that the Lord's mentioned in Rev 1:10 has nothing to do with the Sabbath, and to call the Day of God's wrath the Sabbath dismisses the importance of Revelation, which reveals that day.

OK. No disagreement here.

KevinT · May 18, 2024

Fervent said:
I'm not working on a definition of atonement in what I'm saying, simply paraphrasing Paul's argument in Galatians, keying in on verses like Galatians 5:4. As for leaning into moral influence theory, there's far too much Biblical data that requires some form of objective justification for any kind of subjective theory to complete.

It's not that the details don't matter, but that we have a pattern to shape our lives around in Jesus. Through the narratives of the gospels, the movement of the early church, and the apostolic literature we are able to move beyond an inflexible set of rules into a true ethical framework centered on the character of God. In philosophical terms, we're able to construct a virtue ethic rather than a deontological one with Christ as the model of virtuous conduct. Again, I'm simply borrowing this from Paul, this time his argument in Colossians 2.

Perhaps we don't disagree as much as I thought. I had to look up the definition of deontological:

"The ethical study of duties, obligations, and rights, with an approach focusing on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves and not on the goodness or badness of the consequences of those actions."

I agree that having a system that can look at the big picture is better than the nit-picking system that had developed among the Jews of that time, where the tithing of herbs from the garden was emphasized over larger concepts of justice, mercy and faith. But as Jesus said, both should be done (Mat 23:23)

You mentioned Col 2. Regarding Paul's instruction there:

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Col 2:16)

How would this sentence be different if I were to rewrite it as,

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by who you marry and sleep with -- even if it be your father's wife" ? (Kevin's rewrite)

There are fundamentally the same. In Col 2:16, Paul is making reference to old Jewish regulations, and rejecting them. So I just swapped out one old Jewish restriction for another. But note the contrast to 1 Cor 5 where Paul states just the opposite. That is the passage I posted earlier about the immoral church member who married his father's wife.

Paul says different things at different times when talking to different people. As far as I am concerned, he is unreliable as a source of doctrine. I think he was the Lord's chosen agent to reach the Gentiles, and he was a Godly man who was doing the very best in dedicating his entire life to God's work. But when he is not consistent, I don't trust him. And in addition to not being consistent with himself, he appears to me to not be consistent with the rest of the Bible. Peter commented that Paul was hard to understand, I believe for just such reasons. I am not throwing Paul out. I believe God had given him an understanding that worked for the situation he was in. But I don't think what Paul wrote then is always applicable in a larger scope. And if today I see someone drinking poison wood grain alcohol (methanol), I am certainly going to judge them as headed for big problems, and am going to intervene to the best of my ability. And if the man replies that he isn't going to "let me judge him by what he drinks," I will try all the harder to help him see that he is misguided. Details matter.

Best wishes
KT

Studyman · May 18, 2024

oikonomia said:
We who know the New Testament well and have experience know what Paul is saying.
He doesn't have to mention EVERY aspect of the Spirit of life in that one verse.
It is obvious that he is talking about the Spirit which Jesus spoke of as "shall flow rivers of living water" out of the repentant sinner's
innermost being in John 7:38.

And this is the same Person whom the disciples were "about to receive". (v.39)
In Romans 7 Paul testifies what his life was like without the Spirit.
In Romans 8 he testifies living with this Spirit unleashing the riches of Him - the Spirit of life.

The Spirit there is Jesus Christ - "Now the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:17)
The Spirit of life is the last Adam Christ in His pneumatic form - the last Adam became a life giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45)

Again, there is a river flowing from you, it just isn't the River of Living Water.

You are preaching that the "Spirit of Life" that was in Christ Jesus, "Is Christ Jesus". This is the water flowing from within you, that you want me and others to drink.

But when I go to the Jesus "of the Bible", and I ask Him, "Jesus, Oikonomia is preaching to others that the Spirit of Life that was in you, when you walked the earth, was your Own Spirit? Is this true?

Here is what the Jesus of the Bible says in answer to my question.

John 14: 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, "and the Father in me"? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father "that dwelleth in me", he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

John 6: 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will "of him that sent me".

John 17: 3 And this is life eternal, "that they might know thee" the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which "thou gavest me to do". 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had "with thee" before the world was.

So clearly what you are preaching doesn't align with the Words of the Christ Himself. What about the Witnesses in the New Testament? Did they believe the religious philosophy flowing from within you?

Heb. 5: 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears "unto him" that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

So you preach Jesus prayed to Himself?

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

A son of whom? Himself?

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

So you preach that Jesus called Himself a high priest. What does Paul say about your preaching that the Spirit of Life that was in Jesus, "The Spirit there is Jesus Christ".

Phip. 2: 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (Equal with Himself")

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he "humbled himself", and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Obedient to Himself?)

9 Wherefore "God" also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (Jesus highly exalted Himself, gave Himself a name about others?) 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory "of God" the Father.

So, I asked you, a self-appointed preacher who claims to know the New Testament my question, "Who was the Spirit of Life that was in Christ Jesus". And you answered "The Spirit there is Jesus Christ".

But clearly this was false, a false teaching. Not according to the Baptist religion, or the Catholic religion, or any of this world's religious sects and businesses, but according to the Words of the Christ "of the Bible" Himself. This is the water that flows from within your heart, and you are giving it to others to drink. In the exact same way Paul, before he "Yielded Himself" a servant to obey God, also promoted rivers of water. And from the hearts of the religious sect of the Pharisees also flowed rivers of water they gave to others to drink. Just not Living Waters.

And how did this happen? Was it not because they "Omitted" much of what God had written for their admonition? Did the Jesus "of the Bible" not tell them "these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone".

So how can you call Jesus Lord, Lord, teach others in His Name, and yet promote outright falsehoods about Him, as you clearly are doing? Well it goes right back to how you also promoted falsehoods about me and what I was saying. You are selecting scriptures for the purpose of self-justification, not seeking the Truth of God. And how shall I Love a man who engages in this popular practice, a tradition I also engaged in, in times past? Shall I not do my best to show him, to help him, not with my words, but from the Holy scriptures themselves?

And this I have done. So you can consider the Scriptures I posted regarding the religious philosophy you are promoting, or not. It's time for me to move on.

Thanks for the discussion.

keepitsimple144 · May 18, 2024

Danthemailman said:
The gospel message is the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.. (Romans 1:16) To "believe" the gospel is to trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation.

To the unbelieving we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to believers the aroma of life leading to life. 2 Corinthians 2:15-17

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant,
2 Corinthians 3:4-6

If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, [Phil 4:19] that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:11

Kokavkrystallos · May 18, 2024

From Spurgeon's sermon "The Withered Fig Tree" September 29th, 1889, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. These being from chapters 3 & 4. (This sermon is near the very end of his public ministry of 35 years and is quite convincing to the soul)

If I profess faith, and have no faith, is not that a lie? If I profess repentance, and have not repented, is not that a lie? If I unite with the people of the living God, and yet have no fear of God in my heart, is not that a lie? If I come to the communion table, and partake of the bread and wine, and yet never discern the Lord’s body, is not that a lie? If I profess to defend the doctrines of grace, and yet am not assured of the truth of them, is not that a lie? If I have never felt my depravity; if I have never been effectually called, never known my election of God, never rested in the redeeming blood, and have never been renewed by the Spirit, is not my defense of the doctrines of grace a lie? If there is nothing but leaves, there is nothing but lies, and the Saviour sees that it is so. All the verdure of green leaf to him without fruit is but so much deceit. Profession without grace is the funeral pageantry of a dead soul. Religion without holiness is the light which comes from rotten wood—the phosphorescence of decay. I speak dread words, but how can I speak less dreadfully than I do? If you and I have but a name to live, and are dead, what a state we are in! Ours is something worse than corruption: it is the corruption of corruption. To profess religion and live in sin, is to sprinkle rosewater upon a dunghill, and leave it a dunghill still. To give a spirit an angel’s name when it bears the devil’s character, is almost to sin against the Holy Ghost. If we remain unconverted, of what use can it be to have our name written among the godly?

Our Lord discovered that there was no fruit, and that was a dreadful thing; but, next, He condemned the tree. Was it not right that He should condemn it? Did He curse it? It was already a curse. It was calculated to tantalize the hungry, and take them out of their way to deceive them. God will not have the poor and needy made a jest of. An empty profession is a practical curse; and should it not receive the censure of the Lord of truth? The tree was of no use where it was: it ministered to no man’s refreshment. So, the barren professor occupies a position in which he ought to be a blessing, but, in truth, an evil influence streams forth from him. If he has not the grace of God in him, he is utterly useless, and in all probability he is a curse: he is an Achan in the camp, grieving the Lord, and causing Him to refuse success to His people.

Our Lord did, however, use the fig tree for a good purpose when He caused it to wither away; for it became, henceforth, a beacon and a warning to all others who put forth vain pretences. So, when the ungodly man, who has exhibited a flourishing profession, is allowed to fade away in his ways, some moral effect is produced upon others. They are compelled to see the peril of an unsound profession; and if they are wise, they will no longer be guilty of it. Would God it might be so in every case whenever a notable religionist withers away!

After that, when the Saviour had condemned it, He pronounced sentence upon it; and what was the sentence? It was simply, “As you were.” It was nothing more than a confirmation of its state. This tree has borne no fruit; it shall never bear fruit. If a man chooses to be without the grace of God, and yet to make a profession of having it, it is only just that the great Judge should say, “Continue without grace.” When the great Judge at last shall speak to those who depart from God, He will simply say to them, “Depart!” Throughout life they always were departing, and after death their character is stamped with perpetuity. If you choose to be graceless, to be graceless shall be your doom. “He which is filthy, let him be filthy still” (Rev 22:11). May the Lord Jesus never have to sentence any of you in this way; but may He turn us, that we may be turned, and work in us eternal life to His praise and glory!

Then there came a change over the tree. It began at once to wither. I do not know whether the disciples saw a quiver run through it at once; but on the next morning when they passed that way, according to Mark, it had dried up from the roots. Not only did the leaves hang down, like streamers when there is no wind; not only did the bark seem to have lost every token of vitality; but the whole fabric was blighted fatally. Have you ever seen a fig tree with its strange, weird branches? It is a very extraordinary sight when bare of leaves. In this case I see its skeleton arms! It is twice dead, dead from the very roots. Thus have I seen the fair professor undergo a blight. He has looked like a thing that has felt the breath of a furnace, and has had its moisture dried up. The man is no longer himself: his glory and his beauty are hopelessly gone. No axe was lifted; no fire was kindled; a word did it, and the tree withered from the root. So, without thunderbolt or pestilence, the once brave professor is stricken as with the judgment of Cain. It is an awful fate. Better far to have the vinedresser come to you with the axe in his hand, and strike you with the head of it, and say to you, “Tree, thou must bear fruit, or be hewn down.” Such a warning would be terrible, but it would be infinitely better than to be left in one’s place untouched, quietly to wither to destruction.

Now I have delivered my heavy burden, laying it far more upon myself than upon any one of you; for I stand more prominent than you. I have made a louder profession than most of you, and if I have not His grace in me, then I shall stand before the multitude that have seen me in my greenness, and shall wither away to the very roots, a terrible example of what God doth with those who bear no fruit to His glory.

Lord, Let Us Bear Fruit!

But now I desire to conclude with tenderer words. Let no man say, “This is very hard.” Brother, it is not hard, is it, that if we profess a thing we should be expected to be true to it? Besides, I pray you not to think that anything my Lord can do is hard. He is all gentleness and tenderness. The only thing He ever did destroy was this fig tree. He destroyed no men, as Elias did when he brought fire from heaven upon them; nor as Elisha did when the bears came out of the wood. It is only a barren tree that He causes to wither away. He is all love and tenderness: He does not want to wither you, nor will He, if you be but true. The very least He may expect is that you be true to what you profess. Are you rebellious because He asks you not to play the hypocrite? If you begin to kick against His admonition, it will look as if you were yourself untrue at heart. Instead of that, come and bow humbly at His feet, and say, “Lord, if anything in this solemn truth bears upon me, I beseech Thee so to apply it to my conscience that I may feel its power, and flee to Thee for salvation.” Many men are converted in this way—these hard but honest things drive them from false refuges, and bring them to be true to Christ and to their own souls.

“But,” saith one, “I know what I will do; I will never make any profession; I will bear no leaves.” My friend, that also is a sullen, rebellious spirit. Instead of talking so, you should say, “Lord, I do not ask Thee to take away my leaves, but let me have fruit.” The fruit is not likely to ripen well without leaves; leaves are essential to the health of the tree, and the health of the tree is essential to the ripening of the fruit. Open confession of faith is good, and must not be refused. Lord, I would not drop a leaf.

“I’m not ashamed to own my Lord,
Or to defend His cause;
Maintain the honour of His word
The glory of His cross.”

Lord, I do not want to be set away in a corner. I am satisfied to stand where men may see my good works, and glorify my Father Who is in heaven. I do not ask to be observed; but I am not ashamed to be observed; only, Lord, make me fit for observation. If a commander said to a soldier, “Stand firm, but mind you have your cartridges ready, so that you may not lift an empty gun”, suppose that soldier answered, “I cannot be so particular. I would rather run to the rear.” Would that be a fit reply? Coward! Because your captain warns you that you must not be a sham, you would therefore, run off altogether! Surely, you are of an evil sort. You are not truly one of the Lord’s, if you cannot bear His rebuke. Let not these solemn truths drive us away, but let them draw us on to say, “Lord, I pray Thee, help me to make my calling and election sure. I beseech Thee, help me to bring forth the expected fruit. Thy grace can do it.”

I would suggest to everyone here to cry to the Lord to make us conscious of our natural barrenness. Gracious ones, may the Lord make us mourn our comparative barrenness, even if we do bear some fruit. To feel quite satisfied with yourself is perilous: to feel that you are holy, and indeed that you are perfect, is to be on the brink of the pit of pride. If you hold your head so high, I am afraid you will strike it against the top of the doorway. If you walk on stilts, I fear you will fall. It is a safer thing to feel, “Lord, I do serve Thee, and I am no deceiver. I do love Thee; Thou hast wrought the works of the Spirit in me. But alas! I am not what I want to be; I am not what I ought to be. I aspire to holiness: help me to attain it. Lord, I would lie in the very dust before Thee to think that after being digged about and dunged, as I have been, I should bear such little fruit. I feel myself less than nothing. My cry is, ‘God be merciful to me’ (Luk 18:13). If I had done all, I should still have been an unprofitable servant; but having done so little, Lord, where shall I hide my guilty head?”

Lastly, when you have made this confession, and the good Lord has heard you, there is one emblem in Scripture I should like you to copy. Suppose this morning you feel so dry and dead and barren, that you cannot serve God as you would, nor even pray for more grace, as you wish to do. Then you are something like these twelve rods. They are very dead and dry, for they have been held in the hands of twelve chiefs, who have used them as their official staves. These twelve rods are to be laid before the Lord. This one is Aaron’s rod; but it is quite as dead and dry as any of the rest. The whole twelve are laid in the place where the Lord dwelleth. We see them next morning.

Eleven are dry rods still; but see this rod of Aaron! What has happened? It was dry as death. See, it has budded! This is wonderful! But look, it has blossomed! There are almond flowers upon it. You know they are rosy pink and white. This is marvelous! But look again, it has brought forth almonds! Here, you have them! See these green fruits, which look like peaches. Take off the flesh, and here is an almond whose shell you may break and find the kernel. The heavenly power has come upon the dry stick, and it has budded and blossomed, and even brought forth almonds. Fruit-bearing is the proof of life and favour. Lord, take these poor sticks this morning, and make them bud. Lord, here we are, in a bundle, perform that ancient miracle in a thousand of us. Make us bud and blossom, and bear fruit! Come with divine power, and turn this congregation from a [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]9 into a grove. Oh, that our blessed Lord may get a fig from some dry stick this morning! At least, such a fig as this, “God be merciful to me a sinner”; there is sweetness in that prayer. Our Lord Jesus likes the taste of such a fig as this, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief” (Mar 9:24). Here is another, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him”(Job 13:15)—that is a whole basketful of the first ripe figs, and the Lord rejoices in their sweetness. Come, Holy Spirit, produce fruit in us this day, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen, and Amen.

Full sermon: Chapel Library

Laodicean60 · May 18, 2024

trophy33 said:
Meat based diet
Sunshine
Sprinting
Fasting
Sauna
Small amounts of fermented foods, used together with meat.

So true! We need to educate ourselves about the machine and stop feeding the healthcare Cabal. And it's not in a pill!

FredVB · May 18, 2024

Maturity comes with growth, but it is not something we arrive at where we are finished with what is needed. With repentance, which all real believers who are in Christ have, there is ongoing growth for change when those in Christ are shown where it is needed.

Laodicean60 · May 18, 2024

Jipsah said:
BTW, I stand corrected. Apparently your assertions are true, the quake resulted in microscopic changes in rotational speed and tilt. But even so, mea culpa, you were right and I was wrong.

I learn things from all of you and am interested in Japan because of my family. If one earthquake can affect the earth just think of how many earthquakes will happen when the nukes drop. One will find a weakness in the earth's crust.

LoricaLady · May 18, 2024

18Maldives

The Maldives is an island paradise popular for welcoming tourists from around the world – but the welcome sadly doesn’t extend to Maldivians who choose to follow Jesus. This nation declares itself to be 100% Muslim, so being a citizen of the Maldives means being a Muslim.
Within the country’s close-knit communities, any deviation from Islamic values is easily spotted and reported to the authorities or Muslim leaders, so those who leave Islam must keep their faith secret. It’s so dangerous that husbands, wives and children may not even know of each other’s faith. If discovered, believers may be stripped of their citizenship, isolated from society and lose their state benefits for violating Sharia (Islamic law).
While foreign Christians – who mostly work in the tourist sector – have slightly more freedom than converts, their gatherings are strictly monitored and controlled by the authorities. Foreign Christians are strictly forbidden from sharing their faith with Maldivians. Scrutiny of expats has increased following a decree issued by the Islamic Ministry in 2022.
Radical Islam is a concern for the authorities. So far, Christians have not been a particular target for extremists, but this is more due to them keeping a low profile than for them not being considered a target.

What does Open Doors do to help?

Open Doors raises prayer support for persecuted believers in the Maldives.

Please pray

Pray that secret believers will be able to access the Bible in their own language this year.
Pray that our family will draw huge encouragement from knowing that they’re part of a global family.
Pray that the forthcoming presidential term will mark a softening towards religious minorities.

Yttrium · May 18, 2024

I don't consider his wife's action to reflect on Alito himself, nor do I consider the action to be a clear indication of "stop the steal" support. I wouldn't expect Alito to recuse himself from anything just because the flag at his house was upside-down for a while.

Brightfame52 · May 18, 2024

Did Christ die for the sin of unbelief ?

Now unbelief and disobedience are relatively the same thing. Unbelief is called not obeying here 2 Thess 1:8

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Now to obey not is disobedience

Jn 3:36

He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.

Believes not here in the greek is the word ἀπειθέω:

I disobey, rebel, am disloyal, refuse conformity

Now disobedience s the parent sin in adam Rom 5:19 which began with eve not believing God because of the serpents seduction, hence she believed his [the serpents lie] over Gods Truth. Recall what God had said what would happen if they ate of that particular tree, that "ye shall surely die Gen 2:16-17 and the serpent said to her the opposite to Gods Truth Gen 3:1-6. This is the beginning of the parent sin of unbelief/disobedience which all by nature are imprisoned to Rom 11:31-32

31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief/disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

So now to say Christ didn't die for unbelief, is to deny Christ died for mans sin in adam, which contradicts scripture truth Rom 5:15-16

15 But not as the offence [unbelief/disobedience], so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

16 And not as it was by one that sinned[disobedience/unbelief], so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

Christ took away the sin of the world Jn 1:29, but if they who He died for are condemned for unbelief, Jn 1:29 is a lie !

Bob Crowley · May 18, 2024

Assuming they are two actual beings, I think they'll be angels who have taken on the appearance of men.

Human beings would not cope with the sort of power these two "witnesses" will have, and it would go to their heads. Whereas for angels they would just be doing their job as instructed. They also would not have humanitarian feelings like we do.

If the Angel of Death that passed over the Israelites in Egypt, but slew the first born of all the Egyptians had been humanitarian, there would have been complaints forms in triplicate lodged with the Angelic Rights and Ethics Committee.

"I'm not doing that!"

"Yes you are!!" said God. "No I'm not" said the angel.

He was given a job to do and did it, no questions asked. I think it will be similar with the two witnesses, assuming of course they really are two individual witnesses and not Revelation-style symbolic language for something else.

Kokavkrystallos · May 18, 2024

Jeffrey Bowden said:
I think I can help.

When it comes to God’s wrath, most people can’t define it. I couldn’t either for many years. The Holy Spirit led me to the verse below. It answers, at least in part, what God’s wrath is.

Ezekiel 14:21 (NLT): “Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How terrible it will be when all four of these dreadful punishments fall upon Jerusalem—war, famine, wild animals, and disease—destroying all her people and animals.

God’s wrath can be in the form of wars. In the Trib, everything is oversized, substantially more vicious, etc., as the wars will be. Rev 6:4 promises wars all over the world, simultaneously. That verse is part of the 2nd seal. That verse is below:

Rev 6:4 (NLT): Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

In the Trib, God’s wrath begins in the 2nd seal.

Paul’s first rapture verse was 1 Th 1:10:

1 Th 1:10 (ESV): and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Paul wrote that we will be raptured before the wrath in the Trib. God’s wrath certifiably begins in the 2nd seal, in Rev 6:4, since wars in the Trib are a form of God’s wrath.

Wars are a form of wrath, but not the filled up wrath of God, which are most definitely the vials, and the great winepress of the wrath of God.
We also see "day of the LORD" occasionally mentioned in conjunction with war in the O.T. but then there is THE Day of the LORD which is that which cometh as a thief in the night and the heavens and earth shake, not just in one location, but the entire world & universe.