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

  • Poll
Has Anything Changed Your Vote?

Which best describes your current politcal position?

  • Dermocrat, Former Biden voter/Now Trump voter 2024

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Republican, Former Trump voter/Now Biden Voter 2024

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Republican, no change from last election

    Votes: 1 5.3%
  • Democrat, no change from last election

    Votes: 4 21.1%
  • No affiliation, Trump voter

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No affiliation, Biden voter

    Votes: 7 36.8%
  • Democrat, voting for RFK Jr

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Republican, voting for RFK Jr

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I want some better choices

    Votes: 6 31.6%
  • I won't be voting in the 2024 election

    Votes: 1 5.3%

I asked this in another thread but couldn't get any real answer to it. It seems to me, no one here has been swayed away from their choice in the last election by anything that's happened since then. Trump voters are still very much Trump voters and Biden voters are still very much voting for Biden, so long as he remains the Democratic nominee.

Strange and Unfamiliar chapter in My life..

Entering into a Strange an Unfamiliar chapter in life.
In the physical world I've had one dependency as a man most of my adult life.
The Lord Has taken Her out of my life..
The Door that was open for a place to live locally closed Shortly Before hand as well..
Have purchased a ticket to an undisclosed location and while at the store waiting in line to put the money on the card.. noticed my cellphone was warm so I pulled it out of my pocket and the camera was on..
The very bottom corner I noticed the image of A lion that has Joshua 1:9 on it.
For a few weeks prior I kept seeing different verses saying the same thing.
Brothers from my local church in which I have attended dont want me to go.
Feels very clearly as though I should.. prayed over this many times and so far the urge to go hasn't changed.
No in fact now people are giving me means to afford food once I reach my destination as unemployed and homeless currently.
Just can't help but feel like this has to happen.

Eight Puppies Abandoned in Sweltering Texas Heat Rescued by Deputies and Ready for New Homes

In Fort Worth, a derelict litter of puppies was rescued by police officers from roasting in the heat of a 100-degree day.

Left by their previous owner closed in a carrier without water, they were fortunate enough to be found by a good Samaritan who called the authorities. Tarrant County police and animal control arrived to take custody and get some fluids into the pups.

The police noted that the parking lot where the puppies were found lacked the necessary security camera coverage to ascertain the identity of whatever pathological owner left them there.

Continued below.

US Marshals find 200 critically missing children during 6-week operation

Here is some good news. The US Marshals in a six week operation recovered 200 critically missing children, 123 were found to be in "dangerous conditions" This was part of an operation called We Will Find You 2 conducted by the US Marshals, National Center For Missing And Exploited Children (NCMEC), and other groups.

NCMEC is also part of an international organization called International Center For Missing And Exploited Children (ICMEC).

San Francisco Pride Parade features public nudity around kids, 'Fetish Zone' with urine

FBI, ATF participate in parade

The recent San Francisco Pride Parade featured nude adults walking around in front of children and a "Fetish Zone" where men urinated on each other in a kiddie pool and performed other sex acts.

Multiple reporters on the ground over the weekend posted graphic footage on X of the annual event that receives millions in donations from corporations and civic organizations in San Francisco. The ATF and FBI also participated in the parade, according to footage obtained by TENET Media.

TENET Media field reporter Taylor Hansen interviewed multiple nude men on the street who attempted to justify their public nudity in front of children as natural and sometimes even good for them.

Continued below.

How long does it take to make a decision on what is true doctrine?

There are 2 big doctrines I haven't figured out yet.

1. Are the Holy Spirit gifts still available today like healing, speaking in tongues, prophecy, and more?
2. Is Predestination True?
3. Is the pre-tribulation rapture true?

These are what I want to figure out, I have not finished reading the entire Bible because I'm stuck on those 3 doctrines.

The end of celebrity Christianity

It is one of the strengths of our American culture that we know how to make everything bigger and better. It is one of the weaknesses of the American church that we apply this same mentality to our pastors and leaders. We know how to turn servants into superstars!

How foreign this is to the New Testament mindset, where being a top leader meant persecution more than popularity and rejection more than recognition. In the early Church, as a senior leader, you were more likely to be executed than exalted. Today, ministry is the path to stardom and success. How did we fall so far?

It is one thing to have a platform that reaches millions. We can be thankful to God for that.

It is another thing to become a celebrity Christian.

It is one thing to pastor a massive mega-congregation. That is a sacred entrustment.

Continued below.
  • Agree
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Trump Organization and Saudi Luxury Mega-Developer Partner to develop a Trump Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

DAR GLOBAL STRENGTHENS ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION BY ANNOUNCING SECOND COLLABORATION AND FUTURE LAUNCH OF TRUMP TOWER JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Dar Global, the luxury international real estate developer, and The Trump Organization, renowned for its prestigious properties and iconic developments worldwide, have announced plans to develop a new project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This new agreement builds on the tremendous success of The Trump International Oman project

Targeting the luxury Saudi Arabian market and international investors, this development significantly advances Dar Global's growth strategy of capitalizing on opportunities across key cities in the Kingdom. As the international arm of the Saudi mega-developer Dar Al Arkan, this new project marks Dar Global's debut in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization, said: "We are thrilled to expand our footprint in the Middle East
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Marcus Jastrow Hebrew - Aramaic Dictionary: Daniel 9:24. 70 weeks are "determined" to cut, cut off, determine Strongs: 2852. chathak

The word determined Strongs: 2852. chathak cut , cut off, is translated as "determined or decreed" this word is foundational to the SDA interpretation of Daniel 9:24 for it is the word that connects the prophecy of Daniel 9 to the prophecy of Daniel 8 without this word the likelihood of the connection almost disappears. The following link is to the Marcus Jastrow "Hebrew Aramaic dictionary" which searches the other Jewish works for the usages of this word to amplify and expound on the meaning of 2852. the first is the Strongs lexical summary from biblehub, the second & third are the Jastrow entries. I have linked to pages 512,513 separately. I didn't want to take the risk that someone might miss it. I also highlighted in Blue where on the page it is. there are 2 columns right and left. The word is a variation of the word "cut". so look down the page until you see a Hebrew word that has the word "cut" by it. there is 1 entry on 512, and multiple entries on 513.

1. Strong's Hebrew: 2852. חָתַך (chathak) -- to divide, determine

2. A dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli, and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic literature : Jastrow, Marcus, 1829-1903 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive page 512
to cut, right column 2/3 of the way down

3. A dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli, and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic literature : Jastrow, Marcus, 1829-1903 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive page 513

right column 3/4 of the way down through the left column to 3/4 of the way down
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A concerted effort to hide the truth backfires.

I cannot link because of language but it is easily found. David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist,

On CNN today, Carl Bernstein, of Watergate fame, reports that people close to Joe Biden —people “who loved him, have supported him, and among them are some people who would raise a lot of money for him” — say his disastrous debate performance wasn’t a “one-off.” There have been, according to these insiders, “15, 20 occasions in the last year and a half when the president has appeared somewhat as he did in that horror show that we witnessed.”​
Yeah, we know. All of us saw the horror show in a bunch of videos you hacks kept telling us was “misinformation” a week ago.​
It was a concerted effort to hide the truth. What was democracy-corroding MAGA misinformation only a couple of weeks ago has miraculously been transformed into the accepted narrative of virtually the entire political media. It is an act of preternatural shamelessness. And not one journalist involved is going to explain how it happened.​
In fact, I’ve seen many left wingers contend that the press’ reporting on Biden’s struggles only goes to prove they aren’t really as biased as we think. Which is an insane assertion. The gaslighting efforts failed. After the debate, there was no more pretending that examples of Biden’s fragility and mental slips were GOP dirty tricks. What else were they going to do? The president is incapable of putting on a press conference right now. He is unable to speak coherently and spontaneously.​
  • Agree
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Kamala Harris fact-checked after claiming Trump 'would ban abortion nationwide'

Vice President Kamala Harris falsely claimed that former President Donald Trump would pass a national abortion ban following the former president's debate with Joe Biden.

"Donald Trump would ban abortion nationwide," the vice president wrote in a Sunday X post. "President [Joe Biden] and I will do everything in our power to stop him and restore women's reproductive freedom."

A community note beneath the post cited multiple media outlets that reported on Trump's abortion stance, providing links to the articles. According to the community note, "President Trump has repeatedly said he will not sign a national abortion ban."

Continued below.
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Criminal Steve Bannon blessed by Catholic priest before prison

Criminal Steve Bannon, who helped plot the attempted insurrection with convicted felon Donald Trump, is blessed by a Catholic priest before beginning his prison sentence. He appears to give a brief Nazi salute with his left hand before the blessing. Login to view embedded media
Bannon recently gave an interview to the NYT, excerpted below:

President Trump is a peacemaker. He wants to go in and negotiate and figure something out as a deal maker. I think 75 percent of our movement would want an immediate, total shutdown — not one more penny in Ukraine, and massive investigations about where the money went. On the southern border and mass deportations, I don’t think President Trump’s close to where we are. They all got to go home.

Also, on artificial intelligence, we’re virulently anti-A.I. I think big regulations have to come. President Trump is a kindhearted person. He’s a people person, right?

We win, we pick up five or six seats — we have 55 seats in the Senate. We pick up five or six seats in the House, and we have the executive branch. And this time, we have much more savvy and understanding.


What does the Justice Department look like? What kinds of changes would Trump make?

I think they’ll hit it with a blowtorch.

The MAGA movement controls the Republican Party and backs President Trump. So yes, Trump is a revolution — remember, General Washington, the revolution and the foundation, and then Lincoln, the birth of the new America. And he’s the most nationalist guy we’ve ever had. Remember, fighting the Civil War, as a warlord, to make sure that we were a nation. Remember, he’s a nationalist.

I hate to say this, but Trump’s the third. Trump is taking America back to its more constitutional Republic for the third time, and that drives the credentialed left nuts because he’s not just a class traitor, he’s a low-end guy from Queens.

----


Blessings, indeed.

Delight In Doing God's Will

Obedience is not merely a question of a carnal sin nature, it is a question of will.

Sin entered because of disobedience.

Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,
so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Even after sin entered, it could be overcome by the force of will.

Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?
and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
And unto thee shall be his desire,
and thou shalt rule over him
.

The Son of God took on flesh nature to be "in all points tempted, yet remain without sin",
which is by obedience, to overcome the flesh.
He overcame because His singular desire was to do His Father's Will.

Psalm 40:
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

This is also called "the fear of God".

Psalm 36:1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart,
that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

We must overcome sin by the obedience of faith.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives to the death.

Hebrews 10:
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’
8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings,
and offerings for sin You did not desire,
nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law),
9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.”
He takes away the first that He may establish the second.
10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once for all
.
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‘You’re Going To Have To Choose’—What Billy Graham Told His Son, Franklin, 50 Years Ago

Billy Graham had a special exhortation for his son, Franklin Graham, 50 years ago in Lausanne, Switzerland, when Franklin turned 22. In a video posted to social media July 1, the president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said that his father’s challenge angered him at first.

“Fifty years ago I was right here on the shores of Lake Geneva, here in Lausanne, working for my father,” said Franklin, indicating the body of water to his left as he sat on a concrete wall with a boulevard to his right. “We were doing a conference. It was my birthday, and he said, ‘Franklin, let me take you to a restaurant.’”

Franklin Graham: ‘I Knew He Was Right’

Franklin Graham said his father took him to a now-closed pizza joint and then suggested that they take a walk down the very boulevard where Franklin was filming his video. At first, what Billy Graham had to say was what any son might hope to hear from his father: “Franklin, I want you to know your mother and I are proud of you and we love you.”

Continued below.

Global Debt Level is Going to Affect Global Economy


The U.S. national debt is now equivalent to the total earnings of U.S.
businesses in one year. That's about 30 trillion dollars.

Although much of the recent debt increase has come from spending money
in order to pull the U.S. economy out of the Pandemic slump, America has been
spending money that it does not have, for decades.

We have got to start to live within our means, and pay down the national
debt. And, we probably will have to raise taxes on rich people, and corporations,
in order to pay down the national debt.

Higher mortgage rates on houses, are a direct result of the higher cost to borrow
money, because more and more of Americans income is used to pay interest
on the national debt.

America has got to change this irresponsible spending.

Besides getting into the habit of telling the truth, instead of lying, politicians
should take seriously the threat of the national debt.

As the biblical author says, those who live in debt, become slaves of those
who loaned them the money.

7 The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Pr 22:7.

If no Orthodox parish - Catholic or Lutheran?

I am in an area that just does not have an Orthodox parish close enough to attend. I have not officially entered the Orthodox church - but I have officially left the Baptist type church. I don't believe in OSAS or the Rapture so I fall into the more traditional thought line.

If you did not have an Orthodox church to attend - would you go to a Catholic or Lutheran parish?
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About to die. In desperate need of a miracle.

I'm disabled. I can't get on government assistance. I'm almost out of money. I am NOT asking for money from anyone other than from God who can miraculously provide. If God does not intervene I'll be dead soon. I would not be able to survive as a homeless person.

I only have a couple of months of funds left.

I desperately need people to pray and fast for me! I need a miracle.

Numbers 13:1-15:41 "Send for yourself" (Eyes on the promise? or the circumstances?)

PARASHAH: “Shelach’l’ha” (send for yourself) NUMBERS 13:1-15:41…


Most of us know the story of the 12 spies that were sent to spy out the land of Canaan, sent by Moshe by the word of YHVH. But let’s look at the story carefully and see what we can dig out of the sand pile, we might find some valuable stuff hidden in the sand.

The word of Moshe to the 12 tribes was that they might select from each tribe a leader to represent that tribe, so the list is read. Among those selected, we are going to concentrate on two of the leaders;

“Kaleb” son of “Yephuneh” from the tribe of Y’hudah, and “Hoshea” son of “Nun” from the tribe of Ephrayim”.

The story goes as follows as we read the Torah. The 12 are sent out on a “reconnaissance” mission to “spy out” the land. What do we mean by that? Any time an army is going to invade a territory, the army needs to know how many men the enemy has, what they have, where they live, their fortresses, etc. This is a common battle strategy, nothing new. Adonai has already “promised” them the land, done deal! Yet they still have to go into battle, but the battle already has the outcome, Israelites win! This is what Adonai sees looking up the “finite” timeline in the “finite” dimension” and we must remember that HE sees ALL THINGS from the “infinite” timeline, the things that have already come to pass, even before they “pass”

But, whose idea was it to "spy out the land?" We see that Adonai tells Moshe those same words; "Send for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan which I am giving "B'nei Yisrael" So, did the idea come from God, or did someone else think of it first? If we look at Deuteronomy 1:22 we read that the idea came from the people: Moses said;

"And you came near to me and said: 'let us send men before us to spy out the land and bring back word...."

So, the idea came from the people, and it seems that God seconded the idea. "Yes, it is OK, send out men to spy out the land. It would be a military mission to observe the details; the strengths, the weaknesses, food supplies, etc...which is SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) in any conquest or invasion of an enemy territory.

The spies travel throughout the land of Canaan for 40 days, they see many things, the fruit of the land, grapes, pomegranates, figs, date palms, etc. It is indeed a land flowing with “milk and honey” (figs and dates). Yet the beginning of verse 28 starts with BUT! And then follows all the negativity, the people are strong, the cities are walled, the “giants” (and not the team from New York) I mean “the big tall guys” It is very easy to spread discouragement among the people, (vs 32) “and they gave the children of Israel an evil report of the land”. They decided NOT to trust the promises of God, and to keep their eyes on the "visual" not the "spiritual."

The only ones who saw the promise of YHVH were Kaleb and Hoshea, they looked to the promise, but the rest of the leaders set their eyes on the “circumstances”. Going back to verse 16, it points out something interesting; Moshe changes the name of “Hoshea” to “Yehoshua” This is very interesting and sheds light on internal symbolism. The name “Yehoshua” contains two names in the Hebrew language “YH” (Yah) and YESHUA! When we look at the full name “Yehoshua Ben Nun” from the ancient paleo-Hebrew letters and their symbolism, one could get the following message; “Behold and let the eye see (that God, the All-consuming fire) extends the hand to receive the nail, to give (BEN) life to the house (to families) and by the nail, (His) life was given up so that (we) might have life!” (NUN)

When we look at the name “Kaleb Ben Yephuneh” from the ancient Hebrew symbolism, we could get this message: “The house is anointed for instruction” (Kaleb) and “behold let it be made that from the mouth comes forth instruction” (Yephuneh). I guess it depends on how one looks at the letters, perhaps another rabbi would come up with something different, but this is just one view from the ancient perspective.

The result was that panic and discouragement spread throughout the camp, and it wasn’t just a few thousand Israelites, but rather a few million, discouraged by 10 negative leaders. And 10 out-vote 2! Even though Kaleb and Yehoshua tried to encourage the people, the negatives won over. As the saying goes, you can put a few rotten apples in a barrel of good apples, and the good ones will never correct the rotten ones, but the rotten ones will infect the good ones with rottenness.

The result, the Israelites had to stay in the desert wilderness for 40 years, 1 year for each day the spies were in Canaan. Then, to make matters worse, they tried to go into the land without the blessing of Adonai, and they were beaten back. YHVH wants to destroy them all, yet Moshe intercedes for them, and Adonai listens to Moshe. This is the same way Yeshua intercedes for us to the Father, on our behalf when we “get rotten” (miracle we’re still in the land of the living?

Going to chapter 15, we read something interesting from verses 38 to 41, about making and wearing “Tzitziot” or “fringes” on our garments. There are many “traditions” in Judaism, such as the wearing of “Yarmulkes” (head coverings) and Ashkenazim dressing in black and white with black hats, even the lighting of two candles comes from “tradition” Tradition isn’t bad, as long as we understand the meaning behind the tradition. But one should NEVER teach “tradition” as “commandments” there is a world of difference between the two.

However, the making and wearing of Tzitziot, IS a commandment, however many do not follow it, it is up to each individual. One can read it and say; “God says it but I won’t follow it” or “God says it and I will do it” We all have the choice to do or not to do. Whatever the Holy Spirit convicts us to do.

No one knows how the original Tzitziot were made, none have survived 3000 years. Today, there are many different styles and “knot tying” and “wrappings” of the thread when making Tzitziot. One only has to go to YouTube and look up “Tying Tzitziot” and you will have quite a few videos of instructions on “how to” That is the way I learned, from watching a few YouTube videos on “making Tzitziot”.

But what do the Tzitziot symbolize? The scripture tells us in verse 39, “to remember the commandments”. The blue cord reminds of the “blue sea” where the Israelites crossed, and the “blue” of the heavens from whence our Messiah and LORD will break through to return to earth. Today, we use 4 long cords, one of which is blue and is the longest. This cord is used to do the wrappings, and all 4 are used to make the knots. When one ties the knots, it is customary to say, “BaShem Mitzvah Tzitzit” (in the name of the commandment (of making) the tzitzit.

There are 5 knots, symbolizing the 5 first books of the Torah, the number “5” also symbolizes “grace” then there are the windings of the blue thread. The 4 cords are folded over so as to give the appearance of “8” cords, “8” is the number of a “new beginning” which we all have when we are “born-again”

The windings go as follows (but to get a good view and idea, you need to go to YouTube and view the Tzitziot tying videos) 7 windings, then knot, then 8 windings, then knot, then 11 windings, then a knot, then 13 winding, then the final knot. Why the 7, 8, 11, and 13 windings of the blue thread? Well, these spell out the name Y H V H using numbers. “7” being the “perfect number of God, then 7+8=15 which are the sum of the letters Y + H (Y=10, H=5). 11 = “V +H” (V=6, H=5) so now we have the infallible name Y H V H. “13” is the sum of the word “ECHAD” (oneness of God) Alef=1, Chet=8 and Dalet=4. 1+8+4=13, it also symbolizes the 13 attributes of Adonai found in Exodus when Moshe asks to “see God” and his “Spirit passes before him”

As the tzitzit remind us of the commandments, they should always be on our hearts and minds. If we say we are believers and followers of Messiah Yeshua, we are going to show it through obedience to HIS WORD. AS Yeshua said; "If ye love me, obey my commandments" (Salvation comes by faith, and evidenced by our works!)
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ACNA and Rome Full Communion?

I am going to be cross posting this in both the Anglican and RCC forums for input from both groups. Can anyone comment on the potential full communion and recognition of ACNA Hold Orders? I cam across this article and it is compelling to believe that we may be on the cusp of full communion between Rome and the ACNA. But how would that actually play out?
Article: Rome Moves Toward 'Full Communion' With Orthodox Anglicans
In a historic step, the Vatican is working toward "full communion" with conservative Anglicans by recognizing Anglican holy orders and churches without requiring "amalgamation or conversion."

The union will be based on a Malta II proposal presented by the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), that revives the Malta I report agreed upon by Pope Paul VI and archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Michael Ramsey in 1966.

According to the Malta I proposals, differences in matters like Petrine primacy, infallibility, and Mariology, would be overcome by ensuring that "neither Communion is tied to a positive acceptance of all the beliefs and devotional practices of the other."
he meetings have now been confirmed in an Ecumenical Relations Task Force Report released by the ACNA College of Bishops, who met at a provincial council from June 20-25, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The report reveals that Abp. Foley Beach, then-primate of ACNA; Bp. Eric Menees, chair of dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church; and Bp. Ray Sutton, presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, flew to the Vatican for meetings at the DDF in June 2023.
A high-level ACNA source told Souls and Liberty that "the door of union and mutual recognition of holy orders would remain open only for Anglican provinces that were orthodox and had not permitted the ordination of women or gay blessings/marriage."

"Rome has agreed to enter a separate dialogue with the ACNA and Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GFSA) / Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) part of Anglicanism. This dialogue will not include the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, or the The Episcopal Church," Sutton emphasized.

The ACNA proposals in September will also suggest ways that GAFCON and GFSA could be included in a broader dialogue.
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In being the one….

Romans 6:7 (NASB20)
for the one who has died is freed from sin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If one was to turn this scripture into a question it might read;

Is one willing to die to be freed from sin..?

For when the answer is in the affirmative, freedom from sin is just the faith of the heart away…..

For until one is willing to die rather than sin, the sin that is still alive in the body will control that one’s doings….

But the moment that one is willing to be the one who has died, the heart grabs unto the salvation that is offered in Christ…. For God has made a way for all to walk in newness of life and this way is through their death in Christ…. But for one to access this new life one has to be willing to die rather than sin…. For when one has been brought to the place where one hates their life of sin that has controlled them it is then that that one is ready to give up their life unto death to be freed from all the sin they find in themselves….

For God has made a way for all to be freed from all of their fallen nature and that way is through their believing into their death in Christ…

For this scripture is very true, ‘for the one who has died is freed from sin’…… Be blessed in being the one….


A fellow follower of His, Not me

As One Approved by God

“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.’” (2 Timothy 2:14-19 ESV)

Paul was writing these words to Timothy, and he was encouraging him to share with others what Paul, via Christ Jesus, was teaching him:

• Fan into flame the gift of God within you​
• Do not fear what others will say about you or do to you​
• Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ​
• Follow the pattern of sound words taught by Paul via Christ​
• Be strengthened by the grace of God in faith​
• Teach others what Christ is teaching you​
• If we have died with him, we will live with him​
• If we endure with him, we will reign with him​
• If we deny him, he will deny us​
• If we are faithless, he remains faithful to all he said he would do​

So Timothy was to remind the Christians of these things, and he was to charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. And this is not to say that we should not contend for the truth of the gospel, or that we should not defend the honor of God and of his word, or that we should not answer the lies with the truth. But we are not to get into arguments over words which go nowhere and which produce nothing good. But we should speak the truth in love to people.

And now we are all at different places in our lives. Some of us became believers in Christ as children and we are now in our 70s. Some of us have taught the Scriptures for many years, and some of us full-time, and so we may be more familiar with the teachings of the Scriptures than others who have known the Lord a shorter period of time and who have not taught the Scriptures for a very long time. But some people who have taught the Scriptures a long time are not living the Scriptures that they teach others.

So length of time of being a Christian, or length of time and experience in teaching the Scriptures may or may not be relevant to our spiritual walks of faith in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. What is important is that our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ and that we are following him in his ways and in his truth one day and one step at a time, in a forward direction, and not backwards. And it is important that we are open to hearing from the Lord what he wants to teach us each day from his word.

But this is where a caution comes in. So many people today are teaching the Scriptures out of context, and they are thus willfully (in many cases) twisting them to their own advantage to make them say what they do not teach if taught in the correct biblical context. So if we are going to be workers of God who rightly handle the word of truth, we need to be diligent about reading the Scriptures in their appropriate context, and really in the context of the New Testament, as a whole, to get the right understanding of them.

And we need to be open to being taught by the Holy Spirit with regard to what the Scriptures actually teach, even if the Scriptures disagree with what we were always taught from our childhood on up, or ever since we professed faith in Jesus Christ. For sometimes we are taught these wrongly by others who did not do diligence in studying the Scriptures in their context, but who interpreted them in light of some theology that they were taught by other humans. So do your best to study the Scriptures in context, by the Spirit.

And we are to avoid “irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness.” And there is a lot of this “irreverent babble” being passed off today as truth which is not truth, and many are falling prey to this babble because they are not testing what they hear against the teachings of the Scriptures in context. For if it sounds good to them, they accept it. And so many are not even interested in testing what they hear against the teachings of the Scriptures, for they like what feels good even if it isn’t good.

And a lot of this “irreverent babble” is spreading like gangrene here in America, anyway, and so many people are being duped by master liars and manipulators and deceivers who know how to charm the people into believing their lies and into following after the lies and not the truth. So we must be people of discernment who are testing what we hear from others, no matter who they are, to make certain that what they are teaching agrees with what the Scriptures teach in their appropriate context.

And so many people are swerving from the truth and they are following after the lies which feel good to their itching ears. And this is because they are not being discerning but they are, again, going after what makes them feel good, not after what is good and what is good for them. And so many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ and being promised heaven as their eternal destiny who have never died with Christ to sin, and so they have not been raised with him to walk in obedience to him in holy living.

And so we have many false professers of faith in Jesus Christ who are convinced that heaven is guaranteed them when they die who do not honor Christ with their lives but who are still living for the flesh. But the Lord knows who are his, and he said they are those who forsake their sins to follow him in walks of obedience to his commands, in practice. And so if we profess faith in Jesus, but we are still walking in sin, and not in obedience to our Lord’s commands, then we do not have the hope of eternity with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

My Heart’s Desire

An Original Work / June 29, 2013
Based off Romans 10:1-21; Luke 9:23-26; Ephesians 4:17-24


Loved Ones, Oh, my heart’s desire
Is that you might come to Jesus.
Many appear zealous for God,
But they do not trust in Him.
They have not submitted to the One
Who saved them from their sins;
Not forsaken their sins,
Nor have they obeyed their King.

The word of the Lord is near you:
The word of faith we’re proclaiming:
That you must confess your faith
In Jesus as your Lord and King:
Believe in Him as your Lord,
And follow Him where’er He leads.
Share the gospel; be a witness,
And meet others’ needs.

Beautiful are the feet of those
Who bring the good news of Jesus:
Anyone who would come to Him
Must deny himself today;
Die to sin and self, and
Let the Spirit transform you in heart;
Put on your new self in Jesus,
Yielding to the cross.

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