boughtwithaprice said:

We are called to mortify the flesh. Does Father Martin accuse God of forcing us to repress our desires?

Unless we die to self, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. Let everyone that follows me deny himself and take up his cross, so says Our Lord

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Amen.

After the Last Supper, Jesus spoke in John 15:

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes

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καθαίρει (kathairei)
Strong's 2508: To cleanse, purify, prune. From katharos; to cleanse, i.e. to prune; figuratively, to expiate.

so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

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καθαροί (katharoi)
Strong's 2513: Clean.

Verse 2 specified 2 steps:

1. God cut off every branch that attached to Jesus that bore no fruit.
2. For the good branches, God pruned/cleaned.

This was about spiritual cleanness, not physical.

The disciples in John 15 had already been cleansed, i.e., they had passed steps 1 and 2, and they were spiritually clean.

How were the disciples already clean because of the word Jesus spoke?

John 6:

63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

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Jesus told his disciples that they had been spiritually purified by accepting his teachings and their relationship with him. The Spirit acted on them to change their thinking and behavior. Jesus' teachings had transformative power.

I suspect the real answer is a combination of Mr. Trump's preference for open-air events and the fact that VP Harris has a larger detail then he does because she's the VP.

chevyontheriver said:

We get to go downhill now. Zoom.

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we have to repent, call on the name of the Lord, and seek His holy face.

We have to have the courage to stand up to the spirit of the age. That spirit is feminism. I can hear the groans now and shoots of misogynist and toxic, but just take a look at what it stands for.

The major left wing causes all destroy women by taking the one thing that makes a woman a woman, motherhood. I apologize to all women that are childless through no fault of their own.
You are loved by God and fully woman.
I refer to the deliberate destruction of motherhood. Abortion deliberately and with malice murders a child and thereby destroys a mother. Sterilization prevents motherhood and renders her a plaything of men instead of the mother she is supposed to be. Transgender makes a mockery of women by having men say that they are women, even though they can never be mothers. In others, women destroy their own bodies to live as men.

Could this be anything but a lie of Satan that promises power and fame for discarding motherhood and venturing to work outside the home? Your man is suppressing you, destroy your motherhood and take his place then discard him. Good plan. Sound familiar? I will put enmity between you and the woman. Satan does not just hate Mary. He hates all women and what they can be in God’s kingdom.

Even some Traditional Catholics bristle at the thought of being subject to their husbands.
Husbands fail to lead or else try to become tyrants. This should not be.

Research the history of feminism and you can clearly see its source. Early feminists were in a free love relationship with poet Percy Shelly and Lord Byron. The one they admired most, as the soul that was most free, was the Marquis de Sade. This was 150 years before the free love of the 1960s

The original American feminists Elizabeth Stanton and Susan Anthony were spiritists that gathered around the spirit board to get messages from beyond. They even wrote a woman’s Bible that has the serpent as the hero that brought great knowledge and wisdom. Same lie as before, you shall be as God’s

They endeavored to subvert men and overthrow the patriarchy through promiscuity
Premarital promiscuity then marital frigidity
This now seems to be the accepted norm in society. Sexual intercourse and cohabitation before marriage then calling a man a pervert if he calls in the marital debt after marriage

This lie must end. We need to restore motherhood as a good to be desired, rather than an inconvenience to be avoided in then name of freedom

Does anyone have the courage to try?

I really feel like i need to look into this topic more thoroughly with the Lord. There can seem to be a fine line between helping others see more clearly, and manipulating the situation.

And many may be doing it with good intentions, but don't realize that they may be doing more harm than good by not allowing the Lord to do the inner work.

It does reinforce the need to hear from the Lord for ourselves and only buy into his truth.

So many thoughts and opinions thrown our way. We can do the same. That's a shared life, but we must be careful what we take to heart. God really needs to reveal these things to us within, especially when it affects us personally.

FireDragon76 said:

They was used at least as far back as Shakespeare as a gender neutral pronoun.

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I think it’s silly.

Postvieww said:

Sweeping the perimeter and posting an agent at known spots of vunerabilities. This spot was known, it had been used previously by the press. Gunman was there about 12 hours prior.

1. Incompetence: Highly unlikely from supposedly the worlds most elite protectection service wit a 3 billion + budget. If this is the case why in Ron Rowe still there?

2. Insufficient resources: USSS has boasted enhanced protection for Trump and has previously guarded this golf course supposedly with less and according to the whistle blower did not follow previous protocols in this case.

3. Miscommunication: Laughable to suggest this from an elite protection service with a 3 billion dollars budget and years of experience and coming off o major failure in Butler, PA, while claiming enhanced security for Trump.

4. Last Minute changes: Well explain how a gunman lay in wait for 12 hours? No excuse for not sending an advance team just ahead of Trump to sweep the perimeter and cover know vulnerabilities. Teams were ahead of Trump on the course why not outside the course as well?

Nothing you thought of off the top of your head excuses or explains what happened. More heads need to roll but that is highly unlikely from this administration.

We have more than enough information to know that two failures of this magnitude from the USSS in this short period of time in inexcusable when our government has known about plots to take out Trump for at least two years and most likely 4. In 2022 Fox News reported on an Iranian threat to Trump and others. Ron Rowe and others need to go. Matt Getz says a top level DOD official told him there are 5 known hit teams in the US, 3 foreign and 2 domestic. And what was the liberal response on this forum? Matt is an "unreliable source" never mind the threats have been there for several years . It is always shoot the messenger (not literally) from liberals and ignore the facts.

Even if that is true there is no justification for releasing such information to the public. Indictments are sealed all the time , all evidence is not released to the public in many cases . This was a blatant ridiculas move that could inspire more crazies to act. This was not needed in the public forum to charge this gunman!

Poll: 28% of Democrats say U.S. better off if Trump were assassinated

(The Center Square) – More than a quarter of Democrats in a new poll said America would be better off if former President Donald Trump had been killed in Sunday's

www.thecentersquare.com

The above link shows a poll of 1000 registered Democrats voters. 28% percent shocking say the US would be better off if Trump were assassinated.

Food for thought if 28% of everyday voters feel that way how many Government workers or politicians who stand to lose power and influence if Trump is elected feel that way.

What has happened to Trump by all available evidence screams it was allowed to happen.

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I feel the poll question was leading but regardless, responders are just being honest that with Trump out of the picture, in this case an unfortunate assassination, would leave the US better off. It is an extreme way to just ask “ Would the US be better off without Trump as a candidate/ President.“



Obviously the poll is designed to be interpreted, by inference, that those responding yes actually want him killed, but that is not what was actually asked.

Gnarwhal said:

He's the worst.

Okay he's among the worst...like on Mount Rushmore of active horrible US prelates: McElroy, Cupich, Gregory.

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There are others. Stowe should be on the list. Cardinal Tobin too.

HARK! said:

The ones that appear to be covered.

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Where would they have led?

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Myanmar and Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego will lead the inauguration of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence on Sept. 29 in Rome at the Istituto Maria Santissima Bambina, a convent just outside St. Peter’s Square.

The institute’s goal is to deepen “Catholic understanding of and commitment to the practice of Gospel nonviolence,” according to a Sept. 25 press release.

Sister Teresia Wachira of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary and renowned author and researcher Maria Stephan will lead the inauguration alongside the two cardinals.

Continued below.

Pope Francis on Wednesday met with young adults participating in the annual Economy of Francesco gathering as the movement for economic change — inspired by the pope and St. Francis of Assisi — launched a permanent foundation.

“It is not the great and powerful who change the world for the better: Love is the first and greatest factor of change,” the pope told the foundation’s founding members and others from more than 30 countries at the Vatican on Sept. 25.

According to an announcement on Instagram, the new foundation, formally instituted on Sept. 23, will work in three areas: research and study, business and innovation, and education and culture.

Continued below.

The large-scale bombings Israel unleashed this week against Hezbollah in Lebanon are affecting all of Lebanon’s residents, including Christians, according to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

ACN’s project coordinator in Lebanon, Marielle Boutros, indicated that many Christian families residing in the bombed areas have been affected.

“Some have lost their homes and are now moving from the south to other places in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and the north to find safety,” she said.

Continued below.

The Pew Research Center has released the results of a survey of how Catholics in the United States and six Latin American countries feel the Church should handle a variety of issues related to the priesthood, contraception, and sexuality as well as their views of Pope Francis.

In its survey of more than 12,000 Catholics in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, Pew found widespread dissent from Church teachings, including majorities of Catholics in every country except Mexico in favor of allowing women to become priests.

Support for the ordination of women to the priesthood ranged from a high of 83% in Brazil to a low of 47% in Mexico. Sixty-four percent of U.S. Catholics surveyed were also in favor, slightly higher than the 62% when Pew surveyed American Catholics on the issue 10 years ago.

Support for female ordination varied widely by age, however. For example, only 34% of Mexican Catholics above age 40 favor female ordination, compared with 64% in the 18-39 age bracket.

Continued below.

Balak summoned Balaam twice in Nu 22. On the second try (ESV):

20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.”

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If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not
Strong's Hebrew: 518. אּם (im) — 1070 Occurrences

H518 was a very frequent word with a wide variety of usages. NASB Translation:

although (2), although* (1), certainly (1), either (1), either an or (1), either their or (2), else* (1), except* (22), however* (1), if (588), if* (1), indeed (1), less than* (1), more of her than* (1), more than* (1), most assuredly* (1), never (2), never* (1), nevertheless* (1), no (6), no means (1), none (1), nor (7), nothing (1), O (1), Oh (2), only (4), only* (7), or (75), rather* (11), should (1), since (4), surely (6), surely there shall be neither (1), surely* (35), than* (2), though (35), though* (2), truly (1), truly* (2), unless* (16), until* (7), when (17), whether (16), whether for or (1), whether it is or (1), whether they or (3), whether* (1), without* (2).

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By far, most of the times NASB translated H518 as 'if' and rarely as 'since'.

BDB:

1. hypothetical particle if.
2. Interrogative particle

Consider the conditional statement: If P then Q. Statement P may or may not be true.

Now consider the statement: Since P then Q. Statement P is asserted to be true.

NIV decided to translate H518 more narrowly:

That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”

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LXX used the conjunction εἰ. In the NT, G1487 appeared 508 times.

HELPS Word-studies:

1487 expresses "a condition, thought of as real, or to denote assumptions" (i.e. viewed as factual. for the sake of argument) (BAGD). Accordingly, 1487 (ei) should not be translated "since," but rather always "if"

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NASB never translated G1487 as 'since':

although* (1), if (341), no (1), only (1), only* (11), suppose* (1), though (7), though* (5), unless (2), unless* (5), until* (1), whatever* (1), whether (19), whoever* (3).

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On Biblehub, 24 versions used 'if' and 6 used 'since'.

Laodicean60 said:

Informative and it works for me since I'm on Medicare but knowing the greed of companies it makes me wonder if the ones on private insurance will have to absorb the costs. I guess time will tell.

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Private insurance companies are already free to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies and medical providers - they almost never pay out the full amount that you would be billed for out-of-pocket. Until this year, Medicare was legally prevented from doing that - now they're able to negotiate in limited and highly specific cases.

for this people

E.C. said:

Turn off the news.

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You are correct

Mk 6:

7 He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.

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A staff was a common item for travelers. It was a walking stick.

But then, the parallel account in Mt 10:

9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.

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Luke agreed with Matthew, 9:

3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.

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Take a staff or not?

I will go with the majority, no staff. In any case, the disciples were to go out with minimal provisions, trusting in God and the hospitality of those they would minister to.

MassimoTheChristian said:

I hear vague concepts such as spirituality and meditation and crystals but what exactly do new agers believe in ?

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New Age is anything that breaks from traditional religion which is why it is called new. It takes bits and pieces of those traditions and manipulates them into a self serving vice. Hinduism is typically the root and is mixed with Christianity. Here is an example:

Christianity: Spirit of Christ- As Christians we know that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is God in the Flesh. He makes His Home in us through His Holy Spirit.
New Age: Christ consciousness - As a New Age follower , Jesus Christ of Nazareth is not God in the Flesh but rather a state of being achieved through the many practices introduced by this movement like meditation. The goal? To become God Himself.

This is only scratching the surface but if you start with this core belief , the rest is a moot point.

Blessings

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl ?

Really ?

The Color Purple ?

Won't somebody think of the children ?

You think the news are interested in the gospel? there is testimonies of people healed and resurrected today, and the news are not going to touch that. Not every miracle mentioned today, is a false testimony from some wacko looking for money.
Just in the small church i go a girl was healed of cancer.

ArmyMatt said:

it was the plan that each ethnicity would maintain their traditions and customs, and each would have a representative as a bishop on one standing synod.

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Basically how the OCA is organized today.

What if this is not all to be taken so much literally, but more figuratively? Now I do not always reference commentaries, but I sometimes will go to them when a passage of Scripture is not clear to me as to its meaning. And I do not follow any commentator in particular, nor do I accept what any of them say unquestioningly. I read a variety of them (not all of the same theology) prayerfully, asking the Lord to direct me to the truth of what this is saying. But many of them all seemed to be consistent on this one thing.

This “early rain” is given “according to righteousness,” and also has in this verse a significance of a “teacher” being given, i.e. a teacher “unto righteousness.” This can also be spoken of as spiritual blessings being bestowed on the “Children of Zion,” which have a connection to the grace of God. And if we then connect this to verses 28-29, we can also connect this, potentially, to what happened on the Day of Pentecost when God poured out his Spirit on Christ’s followers and they did prophesy (see Acts 2:1-21).


Okay, what I am seeing from this is that this may be a prophecy, not only of the coming of the Lord Jesus, the Christ (the promised Messiah of Israel), but of salvation from sin, eternal life with God, the receiving of the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of the Spirit (who is our teacher and counselor), and of the gifts of the Spirit given to us by the Spirit to be used within the body of Christ to minister God’s love and grace to one another. For both Jesus and the Holy Spirit were given to us to be teachers of righteousness.

So, this would be a prophecy regarding the Messianic age and of God’s grace to us in sending Jesus Christ to be our “sacrificial lamb” to die on a cross for the sins of the entire world. And we are definitely to rejoice and to be glad in that! For this had to take place in order that we might now, by faith in Jesus Christ, be crucified with him in death to sin, and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Jesus Christ is a teacher of Righteousness!!

And when Jesus died, and was resurrected from the dead, and after he appeared to many people, he then ascended back to the Father in heaven. And after a little while he then sent his promised Holy Spirit to indwell and to empower his people and to teach them all things about Christ. So the Holy Spirit living within us is God/Jesus Christ living within us, empowering us to no longer walk in sin and to now walk in obedience to our Lord, and helping us to live righteously and to minister God’s love and grace to others.

But this also has to do with the last days before the return of Jesus Christ, and these days are days filled with trials and tribulations to test our faith, and persecutions and misjudgments because we follow Christ with our lives, and because we believe him and his word, and so we share with others what he is teaching us through his word. And so I believe there is a promise here of Jesus’ return when he takes us to be with him for eternity, when our sorrows and heartaches will be no more, but only rejoicing in heaven.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; John 16:33; John 17:14; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

A Believer’s Prayer

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.

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tranquil said:

Where do you get the idea that Gog attacks before the great tribulation? The attack of Gog starts the great tribulation.

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No, the Gog/Magog event is years before the beginning of the great tribulation.

A quick review of events....in order.

First the Gog/Magog event of Ezekiel 39.

Then, right after it, is the 7 years of Ezekiel 39:9. Coinciding with the 7 year 70th week of Daniel 9:27.

Then, the beginning of the false messianic age, the world saying peace and safety, as the Antichrist begins the false messianic age.

Then, about three years later, the Antichrist commits the transgression of desolation act - triggering the beginning of the Day of the Lord. The rapture/resurrection event to take place anytime between right now and before then.

Then, peace taken from the earth, and the revealed man of sin killed. And shortly brought back to life to become the beast.

Then, the statue image of the beast made and placed on the temple mount - triggering the beginning of the great tribulation.

Slander, meander, and gander, not candor,
Inviting, enticing, spicing, and dicing,
Twirling, and hurling, and whirling, unfurling,
Outrageous, egregious, rampageous, contagious.

The world as we know it, not pretty, tis true,
The world should not live now, not inside of you.
The Spirit of God should now live in your heart,
And from God you now should not ever depart.

As Christians we are to be loyal to God,
As Christians we’re not to live now like a fraud.
We are to be faithful in all that we do,
We’re not to live now like we ain’t got a clue.

The Bible will tell us right now how to live,
As those who by faith did their sins God forgive.
We are to live righteous and godly pure lives,
Whose faith in the Lord, when it’s tested, survives.

An Original Work / April 24, 2023