• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • 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.

A Woman as Archbishop of Canterbury

Perhaps some bridges are not to be built. Placating a minority contrary to one's principles is the letting the tail wag the dog. I think institutional religious bodies are never going to be all things to all people.
There is a possibilty of a solution - boring to read, but geeks might want to click here - Nairobi-Cairo Proposals. In short the proposals would restructure the Anglican Communion and shift where the global power is, enabling everyone to keep their faith/principles and without having to leave the Communion.
Upvote 0

Ezra Klein: Charlie Kirk was practicing politics the right way

The implication of "holding court" is that Kirk considered himself above the students as a King is above his subjects of his royal court, and suggests subjects are inferiors, hangers-on, or sycophants, who feel compelled to support.
I'm glad the term wasn't wasted on you.
Upvote 0

The Desperate Mullahs of Iran

keras, it is a speculative interpretation of those passages as meaning nuclear missiles. Also that there will be a Coronal Mass Ejection as God's response.

Time will tell. I expect the next big bible event (other than the resurrection/rapture, which could happen at any time) will be the Gog/Magog event.
Douggg, you have very certain and positive beliefs.
I do not consider myself to be 100% correct on what will happen in the end times, but you seem to think that about what you believe. Despite being unable to support a 'resurrection/ rapture' to heaven, of the Church; anywhere in the Bible.

Zechariah 5 must have a meaning, a lesson for us to learn, or has God put fiction and fairy tales in His Book? If so: we are truly lost!
Fortunately: Scripture tells us that after the Lord has cleared and cleansed the Holy Land, Isaiah 42:14-15, He will make those who couldn't hear or see, Isaiah 42:19, to finally understand His plans for the faithful peoples. He will protect them as they pass through the terrifying ordeal of the Sixth Seal destruction and depopulation. Isaiah 43:1-2

Right now, it looks as if; Peace and safety', will be declared soon. THEN;;;;; 1 Thessalonians 5:3
Upvote 0

Great Tribulation and the "Climate" Agenda

If it is part of the great tribulation, then what exactly are we supposed to do about it?

If God ordained it or warns that it is definitely going to happen, we can't stop it, cause it, speed it up, slow it down, etc.

The best anyone can do is hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and aim for something good, which is what everyone should always be doing regardless of what's to come or who's prophecy is correct or incorrect.
Upvote 0

Can we talk about ADHD... and such ?

Is anyone else concerned about the rise of 'modern' conditions that grip lives and ensnare them in pharmaceutical dependence at great expense ?
Yes
At the same time, believers have access to the redemption of the soul through the Cross, including healing and deliverance - but not many seem to access this because the modern theology has moved on from these 'archaic beliefs'.
Yes, and while I do not believe that instant miraculous cures for everything would be the standard, nor should they necessarily be, but oh yes, if people understood that Jesus' loves us and awareness of that could solve so, so much. No pill can fix an error understanding the Lord, and most mental health help is not even trying to resolve matters of understanding Jesus, His love is not archaic, it is eternal.

"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed" is rarely activated.

Am I the only one concerned about this ?
No you are not. I am looking for people to share this stuff with face to face in real life. Please feel free to be praying for me.


Please note - to all who have mental health problems - do not suddenly stop taking your medication, if you wish to cease taking it, get proffessional help, I believe your suffering is real, and I do not mean that you just lack faith. Whatever you are living with or in, Jesus cares.
Upvote 0

The Dominican and the Jazzman

Thank you for posting this. I didn't know Brubeck composed a Mass. Here is a link to all the parts from his Choral Mass, To Hope.
It's an interesting listen and not what I would have expected considering his secular work.

===========
Lady: Are you the police?
Elwood Blues: No, ma'am, we're musicians ... We're on a mission from God.
Upvote 0

The law, the commandments, and Christians.

The Law, as revealed by God and fulfilled in Christ, serves as a moral compass and pedagogical guide for the Christian faithful. It includes the Mosaic Law, especially the Decalogue, and finds its perfection in the New Law of the Gospel. “The Law has become our tutor unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24), and its enduring moral precepts are reaffirmed by the Church as binding. The Catechism teaches that “the Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel” and “remains necessary for man” as it “denounces and discloses sin” (CCC §1963–1964).

The Ten Commandments, given to Moses on Sinai (Exodus 20:1–17), are “fundamentally immutable” and “engraved by God in the human heart” (CCC §2072). They express the natural law and are reaffirmed by Christ, who deepens their meaning in the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 5–7). The Commandments are not abolished but fulfilled in charity: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). They are the foundation of Christian moral life, guiding the faithful in their duties toward God and neighbour.

For the Christian in this world, the Law and Commandments are not burdens but paths to freedom and holiness. Grace enables their fulfilment, and the Spirit writes them anew on the heart (cf. Jeremiah 31:33; CCC §1965–1966). The faithful are called to interiorise the Law, living it not merely by external observance but through love: “Love is the fulfilment of the law” (Romans 13:10). Thus, the Commandments remain essential, not as relics of legalism, but as living expressions of divine wisdom and the way of life in Christ.
AND immutable you SAY. !!

And Romans 6:14 says , FOR sin will NOT //. OV. and the Greek word OV , is a DISJUNCATIVE PARTICLE NEGATIVE , which

means. , sin will rule over you for you are NOT. // OU. is a DISJUNCATIVE PARTICLE NEGATIVE , and these means you will

NEVER , UNDER THE LAWWWW EVER RRRR. but UNDER GRACE !!

And there were NO CHRISTAINS under Law until Acts 11;26. where it translated FOLLOWERS. and that is what

the word Christian , means , FOLLOWER. and since we are NOT UNDER THE Law , that. means NO more Priests either !!

dan p
Upvote 0

Selfishness

Your social contract is the same as mine, and every other citizen of the USA.

A social contract isn't between me and the state. The state is simply the local authority in charge of the administration thereof. The contract is between you, me, and everybody else. So long as the contract is fairly derived and equitably applied everything is hunky-dory, but in such circumstances where it isn't, the obligation to abide by it ceases.

Are there any grounds to justify the disfranchisement of human beings who are by nature political animals?

No, there are no grounds under which disenfranchisement (applying the social contract inequitably) is ever acceptable.

In addition, criminal behavior justifies a deprivation of political liberty, as well as liberty of action, either for a period of time or for life.

So long as your 'criminal behavior' doesn't include actions undertaken in defense of one's rights then I have absolutely no objection.

? People have the freedom to emigrate.

And the right not to.

You can say His name. It's in our Declaration of Independence. Hint: It's not the King of England.

Oh, by all means show me where.
Upvote 0

Manchester synagogue attacker was on bail after rape arrest, police say


It has worried British law enforcement for some time that there might be Muslims radicalized by the actions of Hamas and the anti-Jewish sentiment. We will see what the investigation finds.

Do Not Boast, Worry, or Assume

Do Not Boast

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1 NASB1995)

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’ (James 4:13-15 NASB1995)

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, should see our lives as under the control of Almighty God who is sovereign over all things. And we should never assume that the next minute, much less the next day, is going to be promised to us. Certainly we have to make plans for the future, but we should always consider and allow for God to do according to his will and his purpose for our lives, which might alter or change entirely what we had in mind.

And yes, we do not know what our lives will be like tomorrow. I certainly did not anticipate what my body has been going through the past couple of weeks, and I have no assurance that I will still be here tomorrow. I have to consider that every day is a gift from God, another day which he allowed me to live on this earth where he has given me the opportunity to share with the people of world what he is teaching me from his word each day.

I have a series of medical tests scheduled for next week, but there are no guarantees that I will live to have the tests done, or that the tests won’t get cancelled because the world is falling apart. Every moment of every day of our lives is in the hands of God, and we just need to pray for God’s will to be done in our lives, and in our circumstances, no matter what may come our way. For he has a plan and a purpose for it all. So we just need to trust him.

Do Not Worry

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34 NASB1995)

This is so true! And worrying and fretting over our circumstances, or over the “what ifs” of life, is lack of faith in our God, number one, and it only makes us sick, number two, and it never makes anything better, number three. So we just have to put our lives and our circumstances in the hands of the Lord and trust him that he is going to do what is for our best, according to his will and purpose, and not according to our human flesh.

And so it is best not to spend much time at all feeding on the news media and what they are saying is happening or is about to happen, for in the USA the media cannot be trusted to tell us the truth, not that everyone lies to us, but many do. And there is so much deception going on, coming from the mouths of our government heads and via the media, including social media. And so we need to be very discerning people and not gullible or fearful.

For so much of what goes on in our news is just drama, drama, drama. So much is faked and AI generated with lies upon lies upon lies. Even the ones who are partially telling us the truth may also be bating us, or they may be withholding half the truth because they want us to believe them, or they want us to respond so that we go on record as aligning with “so and so” and with “such and such.” So much is deceptive and manipulative these days.

Do Not Assume

“So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 NASB1995)
“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation.’” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NASB1995)

Yes, Lord, teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom, humility, submission, surrender, and obedience to you and to your commands. For so many people these days seem to not take into account that we are not promised tomorrow, or even the rest of the day, and so many people are living wicked and immoral lives apart from God and his word in direct and willful disobedience to our Lord and to his commands.

And this goes right along with not receiving the grace of God in vain. And how does that happen? Well, God’s grace is not a free ride to heaven based on a profession of faith only. God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is teaching us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. But if sin remains our practice, and not obedience, we don’t have life with God.

For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by God-persuaded faith in him, we will now die to sin and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, in daily practice, in the power of God. For Jesus died and rose from the dead, not just to forgive us our sins, but to free us from our slavery (addiction) to sin so we will now serve him with our lives in surrender and in submission to his perfect will.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

What the Lord Says

Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5
An Original Work / February 24, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


This is what the Lord says to you:
Fear not, for I have chosen you.
I have summoned you by your name.
You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,
I will be with you; you will not sink.
You are so precious always to me.
Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:
He who gave salvation to you;
Who delivered you from your sin;
Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.
Give of your heart not now up to strife.
See all the new things I have for you.
Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:
He who made you; who will help you:
Do not fear what humans may do.
Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.
Trust in my mercy, for I love you.
I have a plan for all of your life.
Follow my ways. Do what is right.

Login to view embedded media
Do Not Boast, Worry, or Assume
An Original Work / October 4, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

$1 Trump coin: Treasury shares draft design for America's 250th birthday

Too wordy for a coin.


How about “covfefe”?
No its not too wordy! I like the idea of the whole paragraph in tiny print that makes you want to read it just to see what it is.

"covfefe" could replace "fight" on the other side.

Actually lets just do his face on one side and a QR code to a donation site on the other.
  • Like
Reactions: GoldenBoy89
Upvote 0

In Need of Prayer

I pray that God would be with you during this difficult time and that He would guide the doctors to give you complete healing. I pray that these tests would be pain-free, not at all scary, and that the resulting medical procedures would lead to you becoming completely cancer-free. In Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you, and God bless you! I appreciate your prayer for me very much!!
Upvote 0

WHY THE LAW HAS PASSED AWAY TODAY !!

Paul immediately has Timothy circumcised after the Acts 15 general council completes as we see in Acts 16. Then in Acts 21 Paul is challenged by Christian Jews in Jerusalem (dare we say "Messianic Jews") to address the accusations made against him. Specifically that he was supposedly telling Jews who converted to Christianity not to circumcise their children.

Acts 21:20 “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Now one line of argument is that Paul was doing the very thing that he was being accused of and yet inexplicably tried to deny it by going through the process that the Christ Jewish leadership recommended.

The other line of reasoning is that the Christian Jews knew that this was a false accusation against Paul, but that it kept surfacing so they wanted to put it to rest once and for all. Paul's compliance without a word of objection seems to support this option.

One thing is for certain the old Acts 15 controversy was settled since neither New Testament nor Old Testament laws dictated that "gentiles must be circumcised to be saved" which is the very thing being argued in Acts 15:1-2, and so it was refuted in Acts 15. They never go back against that decision.
Paul immediately has Timothy circumcised after the Acts 15 general council completes as we see in Acts 16. Then in Acts 21 Paul is challenged by Christian Jews in Jerusalem (dare we say "Messianic Jews") to address the accusations made against him. Specifically that he was supposedly telling Jews who converted to Christianity not to circumcise their children.

Acts 21:20 “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Now one line of argument is that Paul was doing the very thing that he was being accused of and yet inexplicably tried to deny it by going through the process that the Christ Jewish leadership recommended.

The other line of reasoning is that the Christian Jews knew that this was a false accusation against Paul, but that it kept surfacing so they wanted to put it to rest once and for all. Paul's compliance without a word of objection seems to support this option.

One thing is for certain the old Acts 15 controversy was settled since neither New Testament nor Old Testament laws dictated that "gentiles must be circumcised to be saved" which is the very thing being argued in Acts 15:1-2, and so it was refuted in Acts 15. They never go back against that decision.
And GAL6:13-17 was Witten AFTER the book. of Act , and we are not the Law of Moses , BUT SAVED BY GRACE

and we are to IMITATE Paul as he is the APOSTLE to. the. Gentiles as Witten in 1 Cor 11:1 and and we do not have PRIESTS
NOR DO WE have and Alter and animals sacrifices. !!

dan p
Upvote 0

A perspective on Baptism and the plan of salvation that I have not heard before

Jesus is the ONLY one who never sinned .... that's a given. The point is/was about Mary ... yes Mary sinned.
Wrong, obviously newborns never sinned Mary never sinned. And you see there are righteous people referred to in the Bible. This is the problem with taking one sentence, such as a lament, from the Bible and not taking others into account.
Upvote 0

Israel and the New Covenant.

What other faith is there?
Are you unaware of "faith in God" which denies Christ?
Where did I say I have a problem with John3:16
It's Jn 3:18.
I hit reply to your post it wasn't there when I did so.
My post doesn't appear in parts when I hit "Post reply."

It's either all there, or nothing is there.
And my post #159, following, shows no edit. . .it was all there:
The only way we are part of God's Israel is through faith in Christ (Jn 3:18).
Whereas you post #160 quoting my post #159, omitted "in Christ" from my post, and which has now been put back in your edit 5 minutes later.

Your omission in post #158 of "in Christ" in reposting my post #157 is demonstrated misrepresentation, where repentance is more called for than prayer.

Attachments

  • 1759606455999.gif
    1759606455999.gif
    42 bytes · Views: 0
  • 1759606472436.gif
    1759606472436.gif
    42 bytes · Views: 0
Upvote 0

God, omnibenevolent or omnipotent and omniscient?

Onmibenevolence, Omniscience, omnipotence?
These are manmade terms that depict concepts that even the human mind can't fully comprehend.

We shouldn't use them.

Thinking of God in these terms will usually lead to questioning God's intentions.

The most common result is asking why there is still evil in spite of the presence of God, why doesn't "omnipotent" God make it right, and other, similar questions.


Consider this:

Scripture tells us we will be refined, like silver.

What this means is that silver is not naturally pure... It naturally has imperfections that must be "burned out."

The product of this is called dross. Evil is the dross- It's the byproduct of refinement, or of making something pure.

God created life on a lifeless planet, using nonliving material to make a living being.

Naturally, to perfect His creation, He must refine it.
Upvote 0

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
5,876,103
Messages
65,377,149
Members
276,244
Latest member
Meakaiame