Ain't Zwinglian said:

A great diagnostic question

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Amalgam. We were built hybrids, flesh and spirit.. The choice of which nature to follow was also built in. A&E took the lead in making that choice when they followed their fleshy instinct to serve self instead of the spirit of God. Self became their god. I doubt God expected any different, combining two opposing wills. Is not understanding the result of learning rather than following and memorizing/mimicking? It's not like other creatures who follow self with no other option, being flesh. We need to learn how best to use this new concept. Its not like God hasn't continually told us how, but of course being focused on self, we'd rather find our own way. Good luck with that.

probinson said:

Fear not. The health insurance companies are more than happy to continue covering this vaccine dose, despite there being no evidence of benefit to low-risk children.

Parents will still be able to get the hepatitis B vaccine for their children at no cost even though the US Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s vaccine advisers recommended a major change to the immunization practice.​

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https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/health/hepatitis-b-vaccine-insurance-coverage

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You know what I find really odd about this story? They say this:

​

The revised recommendation calls for mothers who test negative for the virus to consult with a doctor or other health care provider before having their babies vaccinated. This could create confusion and place additional hurdles in front of parents and result in fewer children being immunized.​

So the new recommendation is, consult with your physician. Not don't get it. Not, it's harmful. Not any of the other nonsense the media has portrayed. Simply "consult with your physician". Apparently, people believe that consulting with your physician about medical interventions could create "confusion".

That statement is astounding. But it's not really all that surprising. If you've followed COVID and the vaccines that followed, it always made sense to "consult with your physician". But to avoid "confusion", they decided that they should just "recommend" it to everyone.

These recommendations are not evidence-based. They are based on convenience. What a weird place we've arrived at where simply recommending one to consult their physician before making a decision is now deemed "confusing".

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Things really went south with COVID, I blame Trump who bungled it at first, to Biden who mandated the COVID vaccines. As someone else upthread said Covid got really politicized on both sides. I don't think the vaccines should have been mandated, and they were rushed out too fast. So while probably generally safe, people could be excused for not trusting them. I have not had a Covid shot or booster in almost 3 years and don't plan to for awhile.
Polio, MMR and DTAP and Hep B vaccines however have years of proven safety records, and are far safer than the diseases they prevent. Of course there are people who can't tolerate vaccines. I have a friend who can't take any vaccines.

Here we go again.

What's more important, something You or I explain, or something Jesus and the Apostles explain?
Isn't Jesus words Paramount?

- If you could please state your belief.
- Then list the scriptures that explain it.

Focusing on the "context in scripture", not so much our Viewpoints or Explanations.

This subject I have thoroughly discussed maybe there is another subject that interests you?

It is 27 degrees Celsius here at 9.00 am. That is the forecast maximum for today; however, I am fairly certain we will surpass it.

Heavenly Father, Holy is Your Name, we pray You will watch over Caroline and Adeline, and keep them healthy, in the Name of Jesus, as only You can do. Amen and Amen.

Meester-Chung said:

why did Martin Luther removed them?

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Well, he did not; when Lutherans here transitioned to English, the available translation was the "Protestant" KJV (which originally included these books as well) Here is some additional information (the whole article can be found here: The Apocrypha, Early Church Councils, and Martin Luther - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church ).

1. Positive: The Apocrypha was a secondary category of books within the Bible. This was nothing new, and may, in truth, have helped better understand the Apocrypha as deuterocanon and/or anagignoskomena.

1. Negative: By putting all the Apocrypha together instead of interspersing them as before, Luther helped set up a churchly culture that could later more-easily remove the Apocrypha altogether from the Bible. And this largely took place in the Bibles Protestant used in the 1800s (1900s for German Lutherans who were transitioning to English).

Rescued One said:

It is clear that you want salvation to be man's choice while he is a sinner instead of God's choice. Some vessels are made for destruction. God chooses to only save some.

Faith is a fruit of the Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:26
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

This blessing is not based on a sinnner's righteousness.

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As I said, I'm not debating your belief in salvation here. If you want to start a post, we can discuss it there instead and not derail this thread. I only meant to clarify what I meant.

JSRG said:

Charlie Kirk's declaration was:

"Residents of Springfield, OH are reporting that Haitians are eating their family pets."

This is true. Residents were reporting that. The problem is that the reports were, even when given by residents, second or even thirdhand accounts (of the "someone told me that they heard a friend say..." variety), and there was ultimately little evidence for the reports being true. Nevertheless, it is true that there were reports from residents, and his statement was therefore accurate.

Someone can still say even if it's technically true, it's misleading. However, the tweet in question was from September 8, which I believe was early enough into the story breaking that it hadn't quite become obvious how little the claim was based on (if he had posted it several days later, that would've been a different story).

One can criticize him for jumping the gun too much on the story without waiting for better verification, but he didn't actually make a false statement there.

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The point is she was married to one of the very people who made their bread and butter spreading these same kinds of rumors.

Hoping2 said:

His version of 2 Cor 5:17 must be different from mine.
2 Cor 5:17..."Wherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (KJV)
If the old is passed away, how can it still indwell any believer ?

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Rom 7:18 "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."

In the NT the word "flesh" is Strong's Greek 4561 - sarx, which means, "That which denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God;" i.e. the sin nature of the spirit of a person. " (Rom 6:6; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9).

As we see, Paul demonstrates the continued presence and effect of the old man. What the difference is that we are given the new man or new nature from Christ, which the Spirit of God counters in its temptations. He takes us through trials, and eventually "makes a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1Co 10:13).

Hoping2 said:

I hate it when men say one is "freed from the penalty of sin", without saying that we are also freed from committing sin.
It makes it look like one can commit sin without a penalty !
That would be the antithesis of Christ like behavior.

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If anyone sins intentionally it manifests they are not reborn (Heb 10:26: 1Jo 2:19). Even in the OT they could not sin intentionally or "ignorantly" (Num 15:24-31).

You’ve also given me reason to ponder the hostility

- Between the serpent and the woman.
- Between the serpent seed and the woman's Seed.

I think most understand or interpret the meaning of the woman's seed as Christ, whose head was bruised, but who countered the attack/death through the resurrection.

Do we still experience this hostility?
What should be the implications of this prophecy if realised in Christ?

We who are spiritual are not all who merely profess the name of Jesus with our lips. We who are spiritual are those who are walking according to the will of God for our lives in obedience to our Lord’s commands, not necessarily in all perfection, but in daily practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God. We are not those who are also caught in sin or those who are deliberately and habitually living sinful lifestyles. And that is a very important factor here to understand, because we can’t help others if we are also caught in sin.

In other words, the blind cannot lead the blind. So if we are going to help a fellow Christian (or someone who is professing faith in Jesus Christ) to be free from their slavery (addiction) to sin, then we need to be those who are deliberately and habitually walking (in conduct) in accord with God’s word, living holy lives, pleasing to God. But even at that, we are still humans, and we are still subject to temptation and to failure, so we must guard our own hearts so that we, in trying to help another, are not led astray ourselves.

Now this word “caught” can mean many things. It can mean that the person sinning was literally caught in the act by someone else. Or it can mean that they are those who are trapped in sin, for whom sin has a stronghold on their lives, and so they are struggling to be free of the sin, and so they need someone who has victory over sin to help them to also be free from the trap of sin. Or they can be those who don’t really want to let go of their sin but who put on a performance that they do want help so it appears that they do.

But I will tell you right here from personal experience that most of these “support groups” out there to help people overcome addiction, from what I have been able to ascertain, are not using the Scriptures as their foundation for how to overcome the power of sin, but they are using human-based psychological methods which often do not permit the use of the Scriptures. And so they make humans dependent on other humans, and not dependent on God to free them from their bondage to sin. And many of these fail.

For God has the only solution for deliverance from slavery to sin, and that is via biblical faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, which puts sin to death in the life of the person of faith so that they can now walk in freedom from addiction to sin and serve the Lord faithfully in walks of obedience to his commands. And the Scriptures are filled with messages which teach that we must put off those sins and put on the opposite, like putting off lying, and now telling the truth, and putting off hate, and putting on love.

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 live to God and to his righteousness in walks of surrender to him and in obedience to his commands, in the power and wisdom and strength of God living and working within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. But we have to say “No” to sin and “Yes” to God and to his commands, and we must rely on the strength of the Lord to resist Satan and to flee temptation to sin.

In other words, we have to have a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior, which is what repentance is all about. For repentance is not verbalizing empty words of confession of sin while the person then keeps going right back to the same sins over again. When we repent of sin we change from going one direction to going the opposite direction, like making a U-turn in the road. And it doesn’t necessitate absolute perfection, but it must result in a change of direction, and not continuing in deliberate sin.

So, this should not be a long drawn out process that continues on and on forever while the addicted continue to “struggle” with sin and to not make it to victory over sin. So this is never about pampering people in their sin nor about tolerating deliberate and habitual sin in the life of one claiming faith in Jesus Christ. For this word “restore” is about putting a joint which is out of place back into place, which is a painful process. It is about putting things back in their proper working order. And Jesus’ death did that for us.

So, again, the way to restore one who has fallen spiritually back to a right relationship with God is to lead them in the path of righteousness. But their hearts have to be in the right place. They have to want to be free of their sin to the point to where they will have that change of mind and heart resulting in a change of behavior, so that they will turn away from sin and turn to now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, empowered by God and by his grace. For we cannot make anyone change directions. They must turn.

[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]

Walking in The Light

Based off 1 John 1-2
An Original Work / November 16, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When I lift up my voice, and
Sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my
Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness.
He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light,
From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,
He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and
Before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,”
But does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him.
In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,
For it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll
Not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires
Will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will,
Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from
Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and
In His Father, too.
This is what He promised us –
His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and
You’ll receive a crown.

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Are You Caught in Sin?
An Original Work / December 13, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I thought it was called Christmas because it's a combination of the words Christ's Mass, that the Catholic church held for what we now have as the holiday.

As far as the shirt goes, I think intent matters. What was the meaning that the creator of the design had and what was the intent or interpretation that the pastor had?

Did the designer want to point out how white Caucasians Christians have distorted Jesus' appearance and commercialized the celebration of His birth? Was this religious satire?

Did they want to include the Lord in a modern, secular observance of the holiday?

Are they poking fun at white Christians or poking fun at the holiday? Were they poking fun at all or announcing the arrival of a holiday they enjoy?

I wouldn't have poured too much thought into it. I would think that it was a representation of having Christ in Christmas like so many Christians say we need to do. I don't particularly like the shirt. I think it looks tacky and weird, and Jesus is white and blonde. But it doesn't bother me on a spiritual level.

The fact that Jesus is in the back doesn't bother me. It's Santas sleigh. He's the one who drives it. If the seats were wide enough, Jesus could have been riding next to him. I don't think Jesus would care where He sat in a situation where someone was giving Him a ride.

As far as Santa Claus in general, I taught my kids that it was just pretend and it's something fun to do. I didn't want to lie to my kids about Santa and then expect them to believe me about Jesus.

Christmas is what each of us makes it. It's not a requirement to celebrate and it's also not forbidden. If there's parts you don't like, don't use those. If you don't like it all, skip it. Whatever your intent is, that is what will matter.

I don't believe that the Christmas we have today was any grand scheme to trick people into worshipping Satan. So much of it is pieced together by different fictional stories by different people at different times who didn't collaborate. You can draw similarities from a lot of things. Similarities don't mean they are one and the same.

GOD'S PURPOSES

Job 42:3
Isaiah 14:27
Daniel 4:35

God didn't plan to save everyone.

"There is no peace on Earth, " I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on Earth, good will to men…

What do you think is the best album by No Doubt?

For me, I'd have to say Tragic Kingdom or Return of Saturn.

@GodAndChocolateVanilla

I made a thread about No Doubt/Gwen Stefani over in the Music forum if you'd like to participate.

I've met several people on here that like the band or like Gwen's solo work, so I thought I'd just start a thread and we can all talk about them.

peaceful-forest said:

I've thought about making a separate thread about No Doubt and Gwen Stefani.

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I ended up making the thread over in the Music section.

Trogdor the Burninator said:

...and extradite her again.
Hey - if they keep this up, she'll have enough FF points to get gold status.

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Maybe even the proposed Trump Gold Card.

rjs330 said:

If you pay attention to my posts I really don't do that. I will respond if someone else starts the conversation, but I don't use it myself as a starter. I have said many many timea that we shouldn't use scripture as a political document for our personal political belief on how government has to be run or what laws should be made. The reason for that is because we have a tendency only to want to use part of scripture for political reasons and reject other scriptures for the same reason.

We should either accept all of scripture as the guide or none of it.

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That is your opinion about Scripture and you are welcome to it. Other Christians' mileage may vary. They have opinions, too, just as good as yours.

Pope Leo XIV warned that intelligence agencies in some countries work against the Catholic Church, “oppressing its freedom” by using confidential information for “nefarious purposes.”

In an audience at the Vatican on Friday with people who work in Italy’s intelligence sector, the pope recalled the importance of conducting their jobs both ethically and morally.

“We must be vigilant to ensure that confidential information is not used to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail, or discredit politicians, journalists, or other actors in civil society. All of this also applies to the ecclesial sphere,” he said on Dec. 12.

Speaking in the Hall of Blessings, Leo urged those engaged in national security intelligence work to act with professionalism, to have respect for human dignity, and to engage in ethical communication.

Continued below.