Been a Christian for over 50 years. I am struggling over my disappointment in feeling that God doesn't want to use me anymore. Jail ministry has dried up since Covid. Not teaching Sunday School anymore. The only thing left is playing in a worship band at Church and honestly...that's not much of a ministry.
I guess that I assumed as I get older, I would be used more but it seems the opposite. I hope God hasn't given up on me?

Hello, I first came to Christ in 2012. The search for truth began in late 2011. I never bought into the theory of evolution as that logically made no sense to me. I discussed this with a good friend of mine at the time, which he said to talk to his mother about this topic. I did, and she gave me a book called "left behind" to read. I got hooked into the book series, and the theory of aliens (I believe are aliens/demons) is being used to explain away the rapture of the church. At my work which was at the YMCA, a member stopped and talked to me and said he is a pastor at a local church. He said I can come to Sunday service if I am interested. I did, and as a few weeks went by I started feeling conviction of sins. I was unsure why, and I would cry about it. I told a co-worker about it one day, and he said to call up one of his friends, which I met a couple times before. During my break, I went in the back room break room, used the phone at work, and called him up. I told him about this conviction of sins, which he replied "are you born again". I told him I heard of that statement, but I do not know what that means. he then asks if I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior. Which I replied I have not. He then asks if I would like too, which I said sure and he led a prayer which I repeated the words. It went something like this...

“Dear Jesus Christ, I come to you and admit that I am a sinner. I believe that you left heaven, came on earth as a man that came in a fleshly body that did not sin once, died on the cross for my sins and by the blood that was shed is the remission of sins. I believe that you were buried for three days, and after, you rose from the dead. I ask that you will please forgive me of my sins and I ask that you will come into my life, as I want to make you my Lord & Savior of my life.”

When I said this, I did not expect what I was going to experience. I literally felt something getting yanked out of me, and something so powerful and strong come inside my heart area. I felt "born again" as new interests in music - Christian worship songs, and just mindset and beliefs different. I felt a tight hug around my stomach for months. Looking back this is obvious that what happened was as scripture says in 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. Jesus Christ confirms this as well the Holy Spirt coming down to us in John 14:15-17 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” Also in Acts chapter 2, with the Holy Spirit coming down during Pentecost, and last verse is I felt “born again” as my interests, mindset on things changed like I was a new person. Jesus said in John 3:3-6:
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17

The reason why I come here is to see if I can find any like minded people like me. Right now I don't have any Christian friends, and not having anyone to talk too makes life difficult. Especially when I went to thanksgiving with my family yesterday, and to see how far away from God they are and how they don't see the truth of what is going on in the world. In my opinion, I feel many of these people are spiritually discerned as 1 Corinthians 2:14 stats. But it's super hard to be around non believers that can't comprehend what is going on in the world, and where this is all heading as we are closer to 7 year tribulation then ever before. I can say many things, but I will try to keep this as short as possible.

After me coming to Christ in 2012, I eventually fell away around 2016. I came back to believing in God in 2019, but I was unsure if all the scriptures of the Bible is all true or not as the fact its's been translated so many times. In 2022, is when things started heating up in my faith. One of my best friend passed away in Feb from a car accident, and my dad in May from Leukemia. After my friend's passing I lost interest in playing video games. After my dad passed away, I got the desire for seeking truth. I bought DVDs documentary's from "good fight ministries" which exposes the secular music industry. I was blown away on how bad the fruit is in there music and how satan is using them. They also had documentaries on "the untold history of the bible". This series went in depth on how the early Christians were persecuted, and burnt at the stake for there faith. Some things in the documentary I would be cautious about and take for a grain of salt, but there are many things that are truth. Such cases are the persecution and killing of the Christians for there faith.

1) William Tyndale, translated Bible to English. and the catholic church burnt him at the stake for doing so.

2) Anne Askew, burnt at the stake. It's been documented that the catholic church wanted her to confess and admit protestant members. she declined, which led her to be tortured on a torturing device. She was tortured so bad that they had to put her on a chair to drag her out to the stake as she was not able to walk as every movement caused pain.

3) John Wycliff, translated Bible to English. He dies, and 44 years later they order his bones to be dug up and burnt.

When I discovered this, I knew the Bible is inspired by God, written by him through man - 2 Timothy 3:16-17. I've heard a few times in my life that people say the Bible is meant to control people. If that was the case, why would men and women get killed for there faith, and for translating the Bible? It makes logical sense that if you put satan in play, he was trying to prevent the Word of God from being read by people which he tried to stop that by killing the Christians', and by burning bibles. The Constitutions of oxford of 1408 issued a degree to ban all translations of the Bible, doing so results in heresy. This book is very special for the enemy to do all of this. Also taking God and prayer out of schools in 1962 is another big event. All of this brought me closer to the Lord, and shown me many truths. To go further into truths, is documentaries of "secret mysteries of America". Again, many things should be taken with a grain of salt but this has many truths as well. The world is ran by secret societies such as Freemasonry & Illuminati, which is against the Bible & Jesus Crist. It's been documented that 33rd degree freemasonry such as Manly P Hall, Albert Pike, and many others that this cult believes lucifer to be god which is a lie. Jesuits is another group that is established from the catholic church which was used to counter the protestant movement. There has been many documents to prove they are corrupt and had big influence in the world. Samuel Morse that developed Morse code & telegram exposed them with 2 books in 1800s. Abraham Lincoln mentioned them as influencing the Civil War. Last couple is Thomas Jefferson & John Adams wrote messages to each other about not being happy about the Jesuit Order. This isn't a conspiracy but can be proven fact with diligent research. These secret societies and Jesuit Order are corrupt and they put in there puppets in every leadership position, and many top organizations to set up the stage for the Antichrist beast system that is prophesied to happen in Revelations 13 - a one world gov, which is quoted by many leaders in the world, again lines up with scripture to happen.

The heart of the message I wanna say is all of this brought me closer to the Lord, and all of this information above can be proven truth, without a doubt. Since coming back into the faith, I have cut out all the things I did in past such as watching movies, playing video games, instead praying to God, reading Bible, doing lots of research for the truth, and watching any documentaries on truths such as who runs the world, how the Bible is 100% authentic with how scriptures prove to be truth, how all the creatures on earth is designed by a highly intelligence creator - God of the Bible which debunks evolution hands down, and basically anything to do with Christianity. I've spent hours and hours of diligent seeking and many in the church that I've seen have not known about these things. It makes me feel like an outcast and I hate that others cant see this. I have shown many of this to my mom, and yesterday at thanksgiving it proves that either she don't read/listen to them, or just spiritually discerned and can't comprehend the information. This is all truth, there are too much written books and going through history proves all of this to be truth if one seeks. Is there anyone else like me that has been guided by the Holy Spirit to have the eyes to see, and ears to hear on all of this? If so, this is a friendship invitation, as I would like to have more likeminded people in my circle.

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Artist John Emmett

I expect to be travelling tonight after dark and need cataract surgery. My vision is somewhat impaired at night and there could be some rain or snow. Please pray for safe driving.

God

11\25\2022

Who is your God?

For some people it is the Bible but I do not called it vain book its the Word of Truth, God Truth, and a few word its called. On it pages of truth but it is never called the Holy Bible.



Why do you think is so people have been worshiping this since 1500 AD and what is it? In 1611 the King James was wrote but the the book earlier but look at King James Bible.



The Holy Bible

Containing Old and …….

Appointed to be read in Churches



To the most high and mighty Prince James, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, ……..



What King James doing taken credit for God word or limit it King James was limit what you believe. Search for the Truth its not just in one Book now is not written today.



Think on these things please

With love and a holy kiss blowing your way from Roy

36x48 cm. 14,2 × 18,9 ''

I've been wondering about this idea that sometime in the mid-20th century, the western church (both Protestant and Catholic) went through a kind of 'Hegelian' style of transformative revolution in its theology... What I mean by this is that the general mission of churches fused with secular ideals of an evolving world consciousness and a global social transformation towards an enlightened humanity. This shift essentially produced some kind of synthesized Christian-Secular Theology that has caused churches to view their own great commission of spreading the Gospel of Jesus as bound up with the global mission of spreading the ideals of liberal democracy.

This theological transformation seems to have occurred as a result of the world wars, the ensuing cold-war period, mass revolutionary movements in Latin America, and an emerging "Liberation Theology" ... I'll expand a bit on each of these below.


Post-WWII Anti-Fascism/Anti-Communism movement:
The traumatic experience of the world wars, and the perception of America as a global liberator of peoples being oppressed by the forces of Nazism and Stalinism. Both Protestant and Catholic churches attached themselves to a geopolitical narrative of Good versus Evil, effectively transforming the liberal democracy of the United States into an inherently moral secular power in the world. The Shining City on a hill.
A popular Cold-War narrative was that the West represented God and the Soviet Union represented Godlessness. (This was actually when the phrase "In God We Trust" was added to our money), however the architects of this narrative were careful to point out that the United States only represented religion in the universal sense of a "supreme being" that people of all faiths believed in. (This pluralistic god actually harkened back to the original founding of the American nation and the masonic/Deistic beliefs of the founding fathers.) This was really the universal god of an enlightened secular people that have transcended to something beyond any particular religious faith.

Liberation Theology:
Through the Church's championing of the Civil Rights movement and the socialist revolutionary movements of Latin America in the 1960's, the church began to see its collective mission more and more in the perspective of socio-political transformation. The church came to view itself as having a leading role in this social transformation and became in some way attached to what is a Permanent Cultural Revolution, and the sentiment that the world was morally improving with more and more liberalizing social planning. This eventually bled into the Feminist movements, and woman were seen as needing liberation from a male dominated society, etc... Basically the church grew to see its central mission as promoting 'social justice' through the vehicle of social revolution and the power of the democratic state.


So the church basically became part of a permanent and ongoing cultural revolution that is vaguely categorized as the global promotion of "liberal democracy"... the mission of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ has become eclipsed by a veneration for and desire to protect what is seen as a sacred universal liberal democratic order in the world, a kind of theo-political hegemon of a therapeutic State power.

There appears to be a problematic trade-off that accompanies the Church's spiritual attachment to this secular order. By advancing the secular theology of the State as the moral power of God's unfolding will on earth through the spreading of democratic human liberty, Christians have implicitly decided to deprioritize their own Biblical theology (obvious points like the rejection of homosexuality, or the recognition of and forbidding of killing children in the womb, or the need to remove easy-access to pornography from society)

As just one example, churches become theologically aligned with the state on the need for the U.S. and NATO to bomb this or that country in order to spread democracy, but when it comes to advancing issues that are directly addressed in the New Testament (e.g. warning against homosexuality) the church basically falls apart and cannot arrive at any conclusion, because of the internal contradiction of having Christian theology fused with that of secular liberal democracy, where the 'rights' of the individual supersede anything representing Biblical morality as an influence in society.

The theology of the secular state is made very clear every day. The consciousness of the world is evolving the more humanity is liberated from its oppressive structures. When you hear the phrase of being "on the right side of history", you get a sense of this Hegelian style of theology. World history itself is a story of the universe evolving and becoming aware of itself through humanity's evolution and transcendence. As males and females are liberated from their biology, we are moving ever closer to our ultimate gnostic freedom from reality itself.

I think another problem is how little we understand the secular world as something deeply religious. Marxism is frequently portrayed as a movement that is economic in nature, and yet is far more accurate to frame it as a religion. As with the permanent revolution of Progressivism, it is a religion of 'becoming'... of human transcendentalism as manifested through state power.

Just some thoughts... I am looking for other points of view on this issue.

How much of the expected social behavior in our Christian fellowships are social expectations with no spiritual or biblical basis?
(those who disagree will come back with plenty of "biblical" basis, I suppose)

I remember having a bit of culture shock in a church merger I was a part of.
These fine folks were operating (unapologetically) under a different set of social mores and norms than our church.

I'm not suggesting that we cast off all social and moral restraint,
but those of us raised more conservatively need to perhaps be a bit more liberal in
our view of those raised with more social "elbow room"?

- At what point do we apply behavioral concerns? See comment below.

- Do we err when shunning (or judging) others with differing social mores?

- Jesus made friends with "sinners" and hung out with them. (was judged for it)
See Matthew 11:19 and Matthew 9:10-12

At a Valentines Day church gathering at a local restaurant our new members were smoking and ordering alcoholic drinks.
That was a bit of culture shock for me, and for our Senior Pastor, who made a new rule to disallow alcohol at church functions.

This gave me pause.
Did we handle this correctly?
The new merger guests seemed to understand and comply, so as not to offend the merger fellowship, but... ???

Your thoughts?

God

God is Love and True with power from Holy Ghost

O how long to write to you about God's Love

I write from time to time

thank you with Love and holy kiss blowing to you from Roy William Perry III

Can you rotate your avatar by like 15 degrees @Michie ?

"When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up."
– 1 Corinthians 14:26

Click to expand...

Feel free to share something that glorifies God.

Here's a short hymn that has personally touched me called 'Boundless God.' You can listen to an audio recording here.

Boundless, eternal, sovereign Holy God,
Infinite life, so pure, so deep, so broad;
We, small and brief, and You, so high, so far
That no mind can imagine all You are.

Faithful, unchanging, yet how small our view,
Blinded by self, impure, unkind, untrue;
Your thoughts so vast, Your promise always sure.
All You say, all You purpose will endure.

You are life’s purpose, You, its grand design.
You are its gift, its blessing all divine.
Share all You are! Come fan this inner fire.
Make Yourself, Father God, our one desire.

Click to expand...

SOAK IN SCRIPTURE

BE BLESSED AS YOU LISTEN



Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God!

Jonathan Edwards | Puritan Devotional

sermonaudio.com/sermon/310171823446

I dont think so, but the person who spoke on Sunday inferred that God was being sarcastic in Malachi.

what are your thoughts on this please?

A chink in the armor of the weird cult-like ideology of the left has been revealed...and though some people might find it funny....I'd advise against laughing.



This is obviously the event I'm talking about, and there are enough articles about it that I would hope that everyone can be an adult and not demand evidence for every single thing that I'm about to say. The vast majority of this post is easily found with a quick Google search.


Person shows up at nightclub for the gay community, starts shooting, and is subdued by some brave people present after killing several people and wounding many more.


Before any details about the shooter emerge.....political narratives go into overdrive. If you read or watch CNN, you'll hear the idea that Republicans are to blame for a lot of the "anti-gay" rhetoric they've been associated with. Laws like the "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida have been offered as examples of this. The conclusion that this was a hate crime against the gay community has been jumped to. Oddly, this has also been used as a justification for the plans of the Education Department to teach children all sorts of sexual materials and gender ideology at a very young age in public schools.

If you, dear reader, can forgive me one instance of patting myself on the back....I actually saw this coming long ago. I said that this was a dangerous thing to teach to children, and that people would kill over this, because they don't want their children to be exposed to such materials so young....and since it's associated with the grooming tactics of pedophiles....and people won't want their society to enable pedophilia.

The reaction on the left wasn't to proceed with caution....but instead, they doubled down by bringing drag queens to school and schoolchildren to strip clubs. Even the gay community started pushing back on this with groups like "gays against grooming". Social media was still under the control of the authoritarian left....and they began silencing and banning people for using the term "groomer" and anyone else who had a large following that opposed this practice.

The shooting was both predictable and avoidable imo....nevertheless, the interesting part just recently happened.

The shooter came out as non-binary and uses "they/them" pronouns.

Now, in the cult-like orthodoxy of the new left....to even question the validity of this claim is bigoted and transphobic. If you believe that non-binary is a thing, then you must believe this person is non-binary as they claim and use the preferred pronouns this person chooses.

To do otherwise would make you as much of a bigot as everyone else that has been called a bigot for resisting such claims for the past several years. I've had such accusations of bigotry thrown at me....so I would suggest that you will get over it. Thankfully, Twitter is no longer under the control of the authoritarian left....so while you might have been upset about losing this control over language, perhaps now you can find an upside to free speech.

If you want to claim that this situation presents some sort of unique exception to the rule....I'll point out that it doesn't. The rule is quite simple and that all such claims are to be accepted as truth....otherwise, you are claiming that people who change their gender identity might be lying....and this creates a problem with calling people bigots and transphobic. There's actually a clip going viral as CNN hosts can be seen rolling their eyes at having to use "they/them" pronouns....as they clearly don't believe the claim, but it is heresy to say such things in their new cult.

Thoughts?

I believe these devotions and the sermons to be spiritual dynamite. I want to reach as many Chinese as I can, if you have any friends, who wish to receive them. Please ask them to subscribe by emailing me at keitherichobkirk@hotmail.com. Am passionate about sharing the gospel through this medium, God has given me the gift of writing, also I need Chinese believers who can translate English into Chinese



Thanks



Keith

President Biden will move to get an assault weapons ban passed while Democrats still remain in control of the House during Congress’ lame-duck session.

Mr. Biden told reporters he would try to “get rid of assault weapons” while answering questions during his Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

“The idea [that] we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick. Just sick. It has no, no social redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single solitary rationale for it except profit for the gun manufacturers,” Mr. Biden said.

​

Hi,

I am reading some theology and I am wondering what is the relation and place of the intellectual (theology and doctrine) and spiritual (work of the Holy Spirit) in becoming a christian. Is there a priority of one over the other? Not talking so much about apologetics as about theology and in particular the doctrine of God. Does an intellectual acceptance of correct theology precede the work of the Holy Spirit, or the other way round? Or does the Holy Spirit work through theology / doctrine?

Would someone know if they had a reprobate mind or would they'd be too far gone to even realize they were in that state?

Hi

I've been putting together some audio daily Bible verses with a devotional reflection for Advent.

I hope you might like to read. Here is the url for this reflection, where the audio can be heard: https://wordaloud.co.uk/audio/kjv/d...is-baptized/audio-bible-lectio-divina-advent/

I'm working on getting them in order!

Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22 – The Baptism of the Lord (Audio Bible, Spoken Word)

15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire…

21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Today’s Bible reading celebrates two complementary affirmations of Jesus’ true identity, of Jesus’ divinity. The first is of John the Baptist, who came to prepare the way toward Jesus, teaching people an initial baptism of repentance, with water, such that they might be initially prepared to receive the Lord. The second is of God the Father and the Holy Spirit, the divine affirmation, that of heaven, the Father’s voice visiting Earth and the Spirit descending, as heaven bows to Earth, the Father to acknowledge His beloved Son as His Own.

John the Baptist acknowledges with joy that he merely heralds the way for an extraordinary transition. John the Baptist uses powerful, figurative language: he baptizes with water; Jesus will baptize with fire and the Holy Ghost. There is symbolism, a baptism with water to signify a confession of sins and the reality soon to come, matched with the complete reality of purging, of cleansing, and indeed the complete restructuring of reality.

The people crowd to listen to John the Baptist. John attracted an enormous multitude, each person longing for a sign of redemption, and hoping that the Messiah might come soon. Jesus emerges in these verses from the peoples’ midst. Jesus is one among many. We know that Jesus and John the Baptist knew each other since before they were born, and it seems probable that Jesus and John spent a lot of time during the first three decades of their life with one another. It is in this context that John the Baptist tells the people that one who follows him is the Messiah, rather as an older brother – though Jesus and John were cousins – might look after the younger, to protect and to nurture and to make sure that the fullness of Jesus’ reality will be seen and known.

With great love, Jesus comes to John to be baptized. The one without sin comes to John to ask that there be signified repentance of sin. We witness Jesus humbly embracing his human nature – that great union, God and man, is affirmed with such humility. Here is a model for us all – to put aside all greatness, how illusory in our case, and to follow our saviour, to submit to a surrender of pomp and show and to humble ourselves, as we hope for forgiveness and admit to God as to ourselves what we truly are.

Jesus’ example guides us. Here then is what happens: the Father’s voice sounds and the Spirit descends. Jesus takes us to this place, where we are baptized in spirit. It is strange that by humbling ourselves in this way we are copying the example of the most high. By stooping so low, we rise so high. We think of this as we renew our baptismal promises.

Jesus prays after his baptism. This teaches us that ‘after baptism, man needs to pray continually in order to enter heaven; for though sins are remitted through Baptism, there still remains the inclination to sin which avails us from within, and also the flesh and the devil which assail us from without.’ St Thomas Aquinas.

^ Title. Was Jesus talking about how we use our spiritual gifts?

I felt like I lost my chances to go to heaven. When I was a kid, I converted to Islam then Buddhism after I knew that Jesus Christ was real and I have seen the manifestations and miracles of the Holy Spirit firsthand and still turned my back on God to go to a different religion so it was open rebellion against God almighty. I was not ignorant. When I was a kid, I literally saw miracles such as the deaf hearing again, the blind seeing, the lame walking, near death experiences, visions and dreams of Jesus Christ, casting out demons, diseases like cancer and HIV being cured, speaking in heavenly languages (tongues), and many more. The worst part is after seeing AND KNOWING FULL WELL that this is the Holy Spirit doing this today in our age and feeling his presence, I purposely and deliberately converted to Islam, found the truth about Islam, and then joined Buddhism seeking false enlightenment and was dabbling with eastern mysticism practices. I feel like I betrayed God and did what the people in Hebrews did. How screwed am I?

“that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” [John 17:21]
Please pray that God fulfill the Bible verse above for all of us (sangeun jeolja dohan junghee nosun hochul jieun zzomi)

Thank you so much for prayer.

I'm resigning from my workplace (a care home) and am planning to leave a farewell card.

The message I intend to write in it will be:

"All the best to [department] and [department] staff, and may God bless [name of work place]."

Is it alright to mention God in this way?

Can I get some of your guys opinions on this issue?
Does the Bible teach that once you are saved, you can always saved or can you actually fall out of your salvation
by rejecting it and living a non-Christian life? Or would that indicate that you were never truly saved to begin with?

I find these a distraction and designed to belittle the serious exchanges that take place.

We should be able to opt out of such insensitivity. This is not a child's classroom - it is much more serious.

Likewise the falling leaves are an unnecessary distraction - please can we turn them off.