Apple Sky said:

No - What's your plan ?

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That question has no relevance to the discussion.

Let me be more direct - you have denied responsibility for distributing nonsense, blaming the author of the works you are referencing. That is you patently and blatently failing to take responsibility for promoting lies.

If you wish to attach the ideas of "plans" to your actions, my plan is to call you out on your culpability each time you persist in promoting the refuted tales falsely attributed to Admiral Byrd.

Cosmic Charlie said:

Riles:

Who's schisming ?

Seriously, The Pope is in disagreement (best word I can come up with right now) with the Germans on a (relatively) minor theological issue.

There seem to be some people sort of on the side lines who WANT the pope to make a bigger issue out of this but the parties involved don't seem all that up in arms about it.

Am I missing something ?

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Maybe FEAR of schism is a better statement.

I doubt schism will happen, but some people are worried? I guess?

I for one do not support genocide, sorry.

essentialsaltes said:

THE BOSS HAS SPOKEN

Trump Urges Judge Aileen Cannon to Keep Jack Smith Report Secret​

On Tuesday, Trump argued in a court filing that Smith’s report should never be made public, in what would be a deviation from previous practice, Politico reported.

The president urged Cannon, whom he nominated to the bench, “to extend her 11-month-old order blocking the Justice Department from releasing the full report, which Smith submitted shortly before Trump’s second inauguration.”

“Trump’s request is a break from the Justice Department’s handling of all special counsel reports in recent decades,” Politico added. “Typically, those reports are provided to Congress and made public, even when they have included damaging findings about the incumbent administration.”

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Another norm gently euthanized to protect Someone-in-Chief?
Where’s the harm?
Channeling @Aryeh Jay ?

"Why does everybody keep calling us bigots?"

The Young Republicans have found the best way to help this whole thing blow over.

Young Republicans chapter plans to host far-right German leader after ‘I love Hitler’ chat​

A New York City-based Republican club will honor a far-right German leader at its annual gala — just eight weeks after its statewide counterpart was disbanded over a group chat in which members praised Adolf Hitler.

The city-based New York Young Republican Club’s gala will recognize Markus Frohnmaier, a political leader from the Alternative for Germany party.

Months before his visit, the club appeared to play up the party’s controversial place in German politics. In August, it published a statement calling for a “new civic order” in Germany and declaring “AfD über alles,” an adaptation of a phrase associated with the Nazi party.

Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, has labeled the AfD extremist, alleging the party holds an ethnic, racial conception of the German people that violates core tenets of the country’s democratic order.

Frohnmaier, the deputy chair of AfD’s parliamentary group, will be an “honored guest” at the club’s Dec. 13 gala, which will also feature GOP Reps. Andy Ogles, Mike Collins and William Timmons, according to the group’s website.

“It’s deeply concerning that the New York Young Republican Club is planning to honor a regional co-chair of the far-right extremist AfD party at their upcoming gala,” Todd Gutnick, a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement. “The German AfD party has a disturbing history that includes antisemitic and xenophobic rhetoric. AfD has embraced the antisemitic ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy, and its current leader, Alice Weidel, has denounced Germany’s dedication to Holocaust remembrance as a ‘guilt cult.’”

“AfD doesn’t only push in anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim ideas and policies, but they have used tactics straight from Germany’s Nazi-era — including antisemitic actions by its members and use of Nazi slogans,” Seth Levi, the [SPLC] chief strategy officer, said in a statement.

Frohnmaier also responded to POLITICO with a statement, saying, “I categorically reject the claim that we use antisemitic or xenophobic rhetoric.”

essentialsaltes said:

Trump aides plan megabill marketing reboot for GOP lawmakers​

A Wednesday briefing will urge a focus on "working families" after the president questioned his "big, beautiful" branding.

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GOP frustrations grow over lackluster ‘big, beautiful bill’ sales pitch​

Talk about the massive tax package largely evaporated after Labor Day amid high-stakes fights over releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and the 43-day government shutdown. Yet even before those controversies, polls showed the GOP legislation was unpopular.

This has frustrated lawmakers who say the party needs to do more to sell its signature accomplishment, especially as Democrats hammer them on the issue of affordability.

Complicating the picture for the GOP is a sluggish economic backdrop, headlined by inflation that has ticked upward and tariffs that have contributed to higher prices.

Trump labeled the Democratic affordability chatter a “con job” Tuesday, even as his approval rating slips amid voter concerns about his handling of the economy.

“It’s way too [doggone] expensive to live in this country right now,” one GOP operative said. “We need to be seen as at least caring about that.”

House Republicans are staring down warning signs that their slim majority could be in peril next year, especially after the party won Tuesday’s House special election in Tennessee by single digits in a district President Trump carried by more than 20 points last year.

Another headache for the GOP and its sales pitch is Trump, who has not talked about the tax bill as much as some in the party would like and has largely eschewed political rallies in key states that previously have been one of his hallmarks.

[Well, he has his hands full lobbying for the Nobel Peace Prize and choosing the gold fixtures for the ballroom.]

essentialsaltes said:

'No-win position': GOP careening towards crisis on health care plan​

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essentialsaltes said:

GOP faces a familiar dilemma: What to do about Obamacare?​

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They don't seem to have figured it out.

Frustrated GOP barrels toward key health insurance vote without a clear plan​

Republicans say they won’t have their alternative proposal to address rapidly rising insurance premiums ready in time for next week’s vote, leaving some GOP senators dissatisfied about the lack of a clear strategy to counter the Democrats’ bill.

A group of centrist Republican and Democratic negotiators worked over the Thanksgiving recess to make progress toward a bipartisan deal, but they said it won’t be ready in time for next week’s vote, either. This is fueling pessimism about any deal being reached this year.

[Since] The GOP has no consensus on how to proceed on the issue, which may spur a group of Republican senators to cross the aisle next week and vote for a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Shaheen, who has been in touch with House colleagues, said that even if the Senate passes a bill, it’s becoming clear that the Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will not bring it up for a vote.

“What I’m hearing is that it’s unlikely that Speaker Johnson will take up any bill and that it would have to be done by a discharge petition,” she said.

Delvianna said:

100% agree because then they're just "defending" themselves. Not that this logic would ever fly in court, but that's not the point. It's their own moral compass.

You know, when history says Rome fell from within, I seriously get it now.

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At least part of the blame for the fall of Rome could be blamed on the lead added to wine to clarify it. Fancy wines were 'claret' but the cheap stuff the commoners drank needed the Pb additive to clarify it. In part, they poisoned themselves. But agreed it was mostly a moral compass issue.

A Chicago suburb church is making a political statement with its nativity scene this year, depicting the infant Christ with zip ties around his wrists and Roman soldiers as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois, is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) denomination and practices “a progressive Christian theology that embraces people from all different religious denominations and religious traditions.”

The church is actively involved in advocacy work for immigrants and racial justice. On Nov. 14, Rev. Michael Woolf, the church’s pastor, was one of 21 individuals detained during a protest at an ICE facility in Broadview, another Chicago suburb.

Continued below.

It found that the information Hegseth shared had been marked "secret" and could have imperiled American troops had it been intercepted by a foreign adversary, the two people who have read the report said. The evaluation by the Defense Department Inspector General also concluded that Hegseth violated military regulations by using his personal phone for official business, according to those people.

The report also said that Hegseth, as the secretary of defense, is the “original classification authority” and in fact does have the authority to declassify intelligence based on his judgment.

But the inspector general did not address whether Hegseth took the proper steps to declassify the information shared in the chat, the two people said.


Signal gate report via Politico:

YouVersion, the most downloaded Bible app in the world, has revealed the top Bible verse of 2025 as its team reflects on a year of record-breaking Bible engagement worldwide.

In a statement shared with The Christian Post on Thursday, YouVersion identified Isaiah 41:10 as the most engaged-with Bible verse on its Bible app throughout the year. The verse declares: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Bobby Gruenewald, founder and CEO of YouVersion, shared his views on the popularity of the Bible verse, which has taken the top spot in four of the past six years.

Continued below.

seeking.IAM said:

Interesting video. For those who don't want to take 13 minutes to watch it...instructor placed on administrative leave; University decision that her "0" will not be averaged into her final grade for the class. University posted messages that it will not tolerate religious discrimination.

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Good!

FOUR UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY-STYLE drones breached a no-fly zone and flew towards the flight path of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane at sea near Dublin Airport late on Monday night, The Journal has learned.

The plane landed, slightly ahead of schedule, just moments before the incident happened at about 11pm. The drones reached the location where Zelenskyy’s plane was expected to be at the exact moment it had been due to pass.

The drones then orbited above an Irish Navy vessel that had secretly been deployed in the Irish Sea for the Zelenskyy visit.

Sources have said that the drones took off from the north-east of Dublin, possibly near Howth, and flew for up to two hours. Enquiries are being carried out to determine whether the drones took off from land or from an undetected ship.

It is not yet known who launched and controlled the drones or where the drones are now.

[I can make a guess!]

The incident mirrors similar drone incursions in Europe in recent months which led to the closure of airports in Brussels and Denmark and caused significant security tensions.

It is understood that the drones missed the approach of the Ukrainian leader’s plane and then turned their attention to the LÉ William Butler Yeats, the Irish naval vessel which was secretly deployed off Dublin.

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world

The ex-wife of Hillsong Church's first black lead pastor insists his infidelity led to him being extorted by a trans-identified male prostitute, to whom she claims he paid $10,000 to keep quiet, even though he denies being unfaithful during his marriage.

During an interview on the “Girls Gone Bible” podcast in October, Toni Collier revealed that her ex-husband, Sam Collier, told her he was being extorted by a trans-identified prostitute months before she announced she was getting a divorce in 2023.

Toni Collier, who married Sam Collier in 2015, claimed she discovered her ex-husband had a pornography addiction and was paying women for sexual favors during the second year of their eight-year marriage, which was well before he was announced as Hillsong Church’s first black lead pastor in the U.S. in 2020.

“Our second year of marriage, I found out he had a porn addiction. He was hiring women for sexual favors, y'all. And then I would say I just was really isolated, and I was nervous to tell my parents and my friends, and then I didn't want to go through another divorce,” she revealed.

She said she tried to fix her marriage and assumed that conditions had been improving until 2023, when Pastor Collier told her he was being extorted.

Continued below.

A suspect in attempted pipe bombings in Washington, D.C., has been arrested after remaining at large for nearly five years as an investigation into his motives continues.

United States Attorney General Pam Bondi discussed the details during a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters Thursday alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and other law enforcement officials to announce that Brian Cole Jr. was arrested early Thursday morning in connection with the placement of pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee in January 2021.

“We were going to track this person to the end of the Earth,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. “We didn’t have to track him to the end of the Earth” because “he wound up in Woodbridge, Virginia.”

Woodbridge is located 23 miles from Washington, D.C.

“He has been charged with violating 18 USC 844, which is use of an explosive device,” Bondi said. Pirro clarified that Cole was arrested for “transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce” and “the attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.” If convicted under the statute mentioned by Bondi, Cole could face up to 10 years in prison on the former charge and between five and 20 years behind bars for the latter charge.

Continued below.

Three Language Groups Will Soon Have Bibles

Front-line workers in Nepal report that three language groups will soon have Bibles available in print for the first time. Praise the Lord for the years of faithful translation work that have been completed and for the culmination of this work. Pray for the next steps of the printing and distribution of God’s Word to people who have long waited to have it in their own languages. Finally, pray that every Bible produced in these new translations will reach fertile ground and lead to spiritual maturity and church growth among all of Nepal’s people

Call For Unity

Front-line workers request prayer for unity amonG Kyrgyz Christian communities, especially those including Muslim-background believers. Converts from Islam are often beaten, and the small Christian minority is generally oppressed by society. Due to this constant pressure, church groups often have trouble trusting each other and working together. “Pray for the unity of the persecuted body there,” a front-line worker requested, adding that unity among Christians will help to advance God’s kingdom.

Emotional Healing For Survivors

Kemi, her husband and several others were abducted in 2017 by radical Islamists. The militants killed most of the Christians, including Kemi’s husband, but spared Kemi. Instead, they marched her into the forest and abused her. For nine months she prayed that God would rescue her. One day, while fetching water, she was able to escape her captors. After living on wild fruit for three weeks, she finally stumbled onto a road, describing it as a miracle. Later she learned she was pregnant, and her community rejected her and the baby. Kemi became depressed, and she had trouble sleeping and taking care of herself and her child. With the help of VOM and a local counseling ministry, Kemi has received spiritual and emotional care. She can now sleep, work and serve in her local church. Front-line workers requested prayer for spiritual and emotional care for others like Kemi who have suffered for their faith.

CoreyD said:

Holy hand grenade???
How far we have fallen.

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It's from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Worms

CoreyD said:

Satan loves to make what is bad good, and the scriptures warn... Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. Isaiah 5:20

What do you think about this:
View attachment 373987

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Well it is in early access and 35,000 people have put it in their library, 7,300 people have played it, and 213 have bought the DLC. Chris says having a good capsule image (that costs $300+) is extremely important but I don't have a very good capsule image.

rjs330 said:

That costs us money. It doea not give us money.

Who said this?

I have no problem with this. Particularly when we know that rye vast majority are not granted asylum and rhere is a large percentage who don't follow through with their hearings.

Probably because rhey don't really what their names are because the people aren't being honest.

But I still think its ridiculous that we are holding illegals for 5-6 months or more. As you pointed out its costing us money. Have them sign the paperwork or get them to a hearing if they want to fight deportation and get them deported.

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I never said "we" got money. I said follow the money. They are being detained because people are making money off the detentions, as explained by GoldenBoy.

Jan:

Feb:

That's a huge number of people, and it takes a lot of resources, a lot enforcement actions typically take a lot of planning, especially if you're focused on trying to get sort of people with significant criminality, criminal histories, which historically is who we've focused on, who ICE has focused on. I think the the aperture is broader now and it, honestly, it has to be to get that many arrests every day. Typically, if you're trying to conduct an enforcement action, you would surveil them. You would figure out patterns you would try and identify. You would make sure you know where they're going to be and when, so that when you conduct the enforcement action, you are conducting it in as safe and secure a manner as you can possibly do, both for the safety of the person you're picking up and for the ICE agents. By opening the aperture of numbers this way, it requires people to focus on who can we arrest quickly, rather than who is the most important person for us to arrest, which isn't necessarily the way they're talking about it. They're trying to focus on, you know, picking up the serious people with serious criminal histories. But it just doesn't stand to reason that you can arrest that many people around the country every day and be focused on the worst, the people with the worst criminal histories. You're going to be focused on the people who you can arrest most quickly, and those are the people who you have good addresses for.

June:

Top Trump aide Stephen Miller set a quote of 3,000 undocumented migrant arrests per day, in a meeting with ICE officials, according to two people who spoke with attendees. It comes as protestors confronted ICE agents during an immigration enforcement operation at a restaurant in San Diego. NBC News’ Liz Kreutz reports.


Today:

camille70 said:

Layoff announcements top 1.1 million this year, the most since 2020 pandemic, Challenger says

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/04/layoff-announcements-this-year-top-1point1-million-the-most-since-2020-when-pandemic-hit-challenger-says.html

Announced job cuts from U.S. employers moved further ahead of 1 million for the year in November as corporate restructuring, artificial intelligence and tariffs have helped pare job rolls, consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.

The firm said layoff plans totaled 71,321 in November, a step down from the massive cuts announced in October but still enough to bring the 2025 total up to 1.17 million. That total is 54% higher than the same 11-month period a year ago and the highest level since 2020, when the Covid pandemic rocked the global economy.

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I expect that layoff number to continue to rise as the use of AI and robots continues.

The open questions are the number of new jobs and labor participation rates.

stevevw said:

I remember when I was younger and just reflecting on how the gospel was preached it was simple. There wasn't all the counter and alternative ideas and rationalisations for not believing in God.

It was a case of 'oh well if thats what you believe in, good for your'. People were more open to at least hearing the gospel and it was often framed as one of the ways people could find what they were looking for compared to other ways.

So if a person is lost and had no hope they were open to at least hearing the hope and life Christ offered. This was how I came to God.

But now the culture is full of all these voices proclaiming a better way. Along with the fact that the church was exposed for abuses and coupled with the fall away from God in the public square its become a mindfield of counter ideas and skepticism against religion and especially Christianity.

Thats why I think the simple gospel is more important than ever and not engage in the semantics and arguements over its truth. It is a truth and we are speaking and living that truth exactly as it was taught.

Today I think churches want to water this down to try and accommodate the world because the same gospel and teachings that had previously saved many was not as appealing today due to all these counter arguements and modern norms encroaching on the church.

But really its the very thing that has always saved. It may seem more outdated or in conflict today but the message is still the same. It still works the same way. People thirst for the truth even if it may seem too hard to believe or outdated to todays ears.

So telling that truth just like it is is exactly how we should preach the gospel and not be afraid of embarrassed about it. If people reject it that is up to them. But to then try and water it down to appease others is selling the gospel short.

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Steve, I’ve seen the same injection of cultural relevance from NZ to Japan—lights, smoke, slogans—yet the house can feel full while God’s throne room stays empty.
The simple Gospel is still scandal + simplicity: “We preach Christ crucified… not with plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor 1-2).
Scandal produces decision; simplicity leaves no wiggle-room.
Our job is one clear witness; the Spirit’s job is conviction; the listener’s job is accept or reject.
Keep telling it straight, mate—thirsty souls still drink when the water’s not watered down. May the Lord bless your day—and thanks for staying around to chat; it’s a rare gift in these hit-and-run times.

eleos1954 said:

Romans 11; while unbelieving Israelites were "broken off," and Gentiles were "grafted in," the text does not state that Gentiles replaced them but that they are now partakers of the promises of the olive tree. Paul's analogy explains that God's plan allows for the possibility of the original branches (unbelieving Jews) to be grafted back in if they turn from their unbelief.

Grafting explained: Paul uses the analogy of grafting a wild olive branch (Gentiles) onto a cultivated olive tree (Israel, God's covenant people) to explain how non-Jews are included in God's promises.

Broken branches: Some branches of the natural "olive tree" (Israel) were broken off due to their unbelief, making room for the "wild olive" branches (Gentiles) to be grafted in.

Not a replacement: This does not mean the Gentiles are a replacement. Instead, it signifies their inclusion in the spiritual blessings and promises of God through faith.

Hope for future inclusion: The passage emphasizes that the natural branches (unbelieving Jews) can be grafted back in if they return to faith, as God has the power to graft them back into their own tree.

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Replacement theology is a misnomer. The church has always been the ISRAEL of GOD. The foundation of the church is built upon the prophets and Apostles with Jesus the chief cornerstone. This entire building is a dwelling place for GODS spirit. The grafting in of the Gentiles means that the Gentiles become part of the olive tree, part of the Israel of GOD, the church. The root of this olive tree goes back before Israel to the patriarchs. The root bears the branches, supports the olive tree. There never was a replacement, the church has always been the Israel of GOD. Today is the time of the Gentiles and blindness covers carnal Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles are called into the church. Hebrew 11 gives the testimony of the faith that was in the people before Christ. These people will not be made perfect apart from us. Abraham is the father of the faithful and had imputed righteousness just like we do because of faith. Abraham was given the promises and his seed was Jesus who confirmed those promises. Those unbelieving Israelites will not be grafted back in until the second resurrection. The Gentiles did indeed replace those unbelieving Israelites. You and I are former gentiles who were grafted in to replace them . This subject requires much study, prayer and meditation. The gospel was preached to Abraham and Abraham believed, he had faith , was imputed righteousness and obeyed GOD, isn’t that what you and I do ? What would you call a person who experiences all these things ? Abraham saw afar off , he saw the day of Christ and rejoiced and was glad. We see Christ in the past, Abraham saw Christ in the future but it’s still the same Christ. Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Dave... said:

Hey bling.

It's important to note that the word baptism simply means to place into, or immerse. I think a mistake that many people make today is that they assume water into the definition of the word baptize. I baptize my French fries with catchup, but catchup is not any more part of the definition of the word baptize than water is. Many times the context will explain what that agent is, or who the baptizer is, like Matthew 3:11. Jesus is the baptizer, and the Holy Spirit is the Agent of that baptism.

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Do you believe John the Baptist was baptizing people with water? John 1:26
Do you believe Jesus was baptized with water?
Jesus' disciples were baptizing lots of people before Pentecost, but Jesus did not baptize anyone.
John 4:1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
Acts 8:36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

Dave... said:

Peter in 1 Peter 3:21 made it a point to contrast the "type" water baptism, with the "antitype", or real thing, that being Spirit baptism. The agent of the baptism that saves is the Holy Spirit, rather than water, which is, as you noted, just a symbolic public display of an inward reality that has already taken place. Some people at this point will claim that the water baptism initiates the Spirit baptism, but that's not true either. It's a baptism by faith, as Paul noted over and over in Galatians 3.

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I specifically in my post: Water baptism is not a “requirement” for salvation, since God does the saving, but is something Christians get to do to help them and others.
1 Peter 3:...In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The water (and Peter is talking about real water here) is not to cleanse (wash the body), but the water (coming up out of the water) represents Christ resurrection.

Dave... said:

R.C. Sproul believes that water baptism replaced circumcision. It sounds right but I don't really know. The types only point to the spiritual truths. unfortunately, when a person is not seeing the spiritual truths, for whatever reason, they sometimes try to apply the power to the types, and not the truths that those types point to. False teachers do this all the time, knowing that many people who cannot see will fall for these things.

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Circumcision was not done away with (replaced) on Pentecost water baptism. Paul never said Jews should not be circumcised and/or baptism replace circumcision. I think we can agree John's water baptism stopped, so did Christian water baptism replace John's baptism?
Again water baptism does not save you, but does it help you?

I went many years thinking, I need some supernatural event to prove I’m on the right track. And I do have one charismatic event that was a turning point for me. But now as I am wiser I understand it’s not about those things. It’s a about the relationship you have with other people.

God is going to answer your prayers and he will reveal himself to you. But it’s most likely not going to be in the form you ask of.