Ok, how did I make it to 63 and never noticed this before? Is there no end to God's little prophetic gems? Brilliant!

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"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”​

- Luke 2:4-5​

Mary and Joseph were betrothed and living in Nazareth, where the angel Gabriel had announced the coming birth of Jesus. But Bethlehem, not Nazareth, provided the environs for Jesus’s birth. A Roman census initiated by Caesar Augustus required everyone who owned property to register it in person for taxation purposes. Because Joseph was from Bethlehem, the census set them on the road to that village.

The Gospel writers make special effort to be sure we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, as it happened there to fulfill a promise the Lord had made through the prophet Micah. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2).

Many babies were born in the Promised Land, but only a child born in Bethlehem qualified for consideration as the promised Messiah.
Why did the Lord pick Bethlehem? This was David’s hometown, a village that had enjoyed a long association with David’s ancestors, including his great-grandmother Ruth. To think about Bethlehem was to think about David. To think about David meant to think about the powerful promise the Lord had given him. One of David’s descendants would rise to sit on Israel’s throne and rule an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Thus an important link was forged through family history and prophecy. From the town of Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” would come King Jesus who said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35).

Prayer​

Lord Jesus, we thank You for fulfilling Your Father’s promise to be born
in the city of David, Bethlehem, “the house of bread,” and for inaugurating Your rule on earth as the King of Kings for eternity.

Amen!!!

From: Holy Land: Born in David’s Hometown, the “House of Bread” - C.S. Lewis Institute

Is there any proof that what is carried on today by the Catholic faith, carries on from the teachings of Jesus and his apostles?


The Didache is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise (ancient church order) written in Koine Greek, dated by modern scholars to the first or (less commonly) second century AD

Dating the document is thus made difficult both by the lack of hard evidence and its composite character. The Didache may have been compiled in its present form as late as 150, although a date closer to the end of the first century seems more probable to many.

Baptism
The second part (chapters 7 to 10) begins with an instruction on baptism, the sacramental rite that admits someone into the Christian Church. Baptism is to be conferred "in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" with triple immersion in "living water" (that is, flowing water, probably in a stream). If this is not practical, baptism in cold or even warm water is acceptable. If the water is insufficient for immersion, it may be poured three times on the head (affusion). The baptized and the baptizer, and, if possible, anyone else attending the ritual should fast for one or two days beforehand.

Fasting
Chapter 8 suggests that fasts are not to be on the second day and on the fifth day "with the hypocrites", but on the fourth day and on the preparation day. Fasting Wednesday and Friday plus worshiping on the Lord's day constituted the Christian week. Nor must Christians pray with their Judaic brethren; instead they shall say the Lord's Prayer three times a day. The text of the prayer is not identical to the version in the Gospel of Matthew, and it is given with the doxology "for Yours is the power and the glory forever." This doxology derives from 1 Chronicles 29:11–13; Bruce M. Metzger held that the early church added it to the Lord's Prayer, creating the current Matthew reading.

Daily prayer
The Didache provides one of the few clues historians have in reconstructing the daily prayer practice among Christians before the 300s. It instructs Christians to pray the "Our Father" three times a day but does not specify times to pray. Recalling the version of Matthew 6:9–13, it affirms "you must not pray like the hypocrites, but you should pray as follows." Other early sources speak of two-fold, three-fold, and five-fold daily prayers.

Church Organization
The local leadership consists of bishops and deacons, and they seem to be taking the place of the itinerant ministry. Christians are enjoined to gather on Sunday to break bread, but to confess their sins first as well as reconcile themselves with others if they have grievances (Chapter 14).


From this, we can see quite a number of differences between what the Bible teaches, and what this document alleges is "The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations (Διδαχὴ Κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Didachḕ Kyríou dià tō̂n dṓdeka apostólōn toîs éthnesin)".

Baptism
Matthew 3:16, 17; Romans 6:3-7;

Fasting
Luke 18:9-14;

Praying
Matthew 6:7-13; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 14:22; Romans 15:30-33;

Church Organization
Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 5:41, 42; Acts 20:20, 21; 2 Timothy 4:2-5

One major question
While Biden's first two proposals will likely never become law, that Biden is choosing this moment to demand Supreme Court reform raises a major question.

Would Biden and Democrats be demanding change if the Supreme Court had ruled the way they wanted on abortion, presidential immunity, executive-branch power, student-loan forgiveness, the Second Amendment, and a host of additional issues?

The answer to that question likely reveals the motive for their demands.

Hello. My name is Joseph and I live in Argentina. I do not belong to any religious denomination although I feel closer to the Catholic Church but disagree with some of its dogmas. Thank you for accepting me into this Christian community. God bless you.

There is no way for me to reality check the things I am going to present below. But one way or another I hope you will consider these issues worthy of prayer for light from the Lord.

World rulers used have cup bearers who would taste their kings’ food so that there was no chance of anyone poisoning them.

I am praying for Trump to have a cup bearer, in a modern sense.

And here is why. Again, please just pray about it to get the Lord’s guidance.

Over a week ago, I suddenly had this vision of Trump in a coffin, from the chest up. There were no visible wounds. There was no explanation. But at about the same time I kept inaudibly being brought the word “poison”. Finally, I put two and two together.

I would certainly not be the first person to be concerned that Trump‘s enemies might try to poison him. Poison can mimic illness, especially for an elderly person. It wouldn’t leave visible wounds on the outside of the body.

Funny thing, as I was pondering whether or not to leave this post, I felt told inaudibly that milk would be the greatest source of danger. So I researched to see if Trump even drinks milk. And apparently he loves raw milk.

And come to think of it, raw milk is not all nice and bottled up to prevent tampering, unlike, I assume,standard milk is.

Once again, why should you believe me? But if you feel so led, please pray for Trump not to be poisoned. (I know a lot of you are praying for his safety already, of course.)

And by the way, I’m really not a political fan of anybody. But I sure wouldn’t like to see our nation being traumatized by an assassination of a major political figure. And of course murder is breaking a major commandment.

A half-million records and one app: The group behind a massive effort to ‘clean’ voter rolls​

CNN —
Police officers in Texas, senior citizens at a nursing home in Pennsylvania and people who had registered to vote at a Marine base in California.

They are among the thousands of voters whose right to cast a ballot has been needlessly challenged ahead of this November’s election by activists — many of whom have been inspired by conspiracy theories — seeking to prevent voter fraud.

Election officials across the country have been inundated with dubious complaints about inaccurate voter rolls, which have wasted government resources and sapped taxpayer money spent reviewing lists of registered voters that officials say are already carefully maintained, a CNN investigation has found.

One of the main drivers of the fruitless challenges is a conservative Texas-based nonprofit group called True the Vote, an election-monitoring organization that has long peddled debunked voter-fraud theories.

About a dozen people in Denton County, Texas — outside of Dallas — have submitted what has sometimes surpassed 1,000 challenges a day, according to the county elections administrator, Frank Phillips. Records show at least some of them have used IV3 [the True the Vote app].

Phillips said he has sought to review all their challenges but added the effort has become “a little time-consuming.”

Some election observers have argued that even if the activists submitting mass challenges are operating in good faith, their efforts waste election officials’ time, promote false notions about the maintenance of voter rolls and could prompt the inappropriate removal of some registered voters. In Waterford, Michigan, for example, an activist’s lobbying last year led to what the state called the improper removal of 1,000 people, including an Air Force officer’s registration that was later reinstated, as reported by The New York Times.

“A lot of these people are people of goodwill. They have just been fed a constant diet of lies,” said David Becker, founder of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, who added that one of the “great ironies” is that “the voter lists are more accurate than they have ever been” because of modern data-sharing technology.

Melanie Patterson, the Fayette County woman who submitted those challenges [to people living in a nursing home] after doing research with IV3, told CNN that she wanted to help clean the rolls to deter potential fraud in future elections. Despite an absence of evidence, she said she believes voter fraud in Pennsylvania influenced the 2020 election.

“Dirty voter rolls mean dirty elections,” Patterson said. “If you don’t protect that vote, we are going to lose the foundations this country was built on.”

Patterson’s views were largely reflected by a handful of other IV3 users who agreed to speak to CNN.

--

True the Vote was also involved in convicted felon Dinesh D'Souza's 2000 Mules (which has been dropped by its publisher for false information) and earlier this year the group admitted in court it had no evidence of election fraud.

I’ll never forget where I was when I received the news that Father Jacques Hamel, a French parish priest, had been murdered by two ISIS loyalists. On July 26, 2016, I was in Krakow, Poland, with tens of thousands of young American pilgrims. As word spread, we offered a prayer for Father Hamel. We prayed for peace.

It was unthinkable to me that a priest could be murdered in Europe. And yet, while offering Mass in a suburb of Rouen, not two hours’ drive from Paris, Father Hamel was brutally killed by Muslim extremists. All of France mourned. The next day, a Mass was offered by the cardinal archbishop of Paris for Father Hamel at Notre Dame. Then-president of the French Republic, François Hollande attended. At Pope Francis’ instruction, images of Father Hamel were placed in local churches. He was widely acclaimed a martyr.

Not 10 years to the day of Father Hamel’s murder, the Church in France again finds herself attacked. During the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympic Games, a blasphemous depiction of the Last Supper portrayed a woman as Jesus surrounded by drag queen “disciples.”

Continued below.

That’s right. The same propagandist who reported Kamala as in charge of the border, several calling her the border czar. Are changing their stance and actually editing and in some cases deleting their past articles.

.

The Bible doesn't prescribe specific verses to be read at funerals, but here are some ideas:

• "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
• "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.'" (John 11:25-26)
• "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
• "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2 Corinthians 5:1)
• "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Predestination I believe is the plan God has for those who will believe, not the plan to “make” people believe. I take two of the passages regarding Predestination (our destiny in Christ), and give it meaning.

Eph 1:3-12 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us [both Jew and Gentile, mankind in general (1John 2:2, 1 Timothy 4:10, 1Timothy 2:3-6), those who will believe] in Him before the foundation of the world [His plan was laid out before creation], that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined [created a plan for] us [both Jew and Gentile, mankind in general] to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself [God purposed the cross before creation], that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things [Jew and Gentile, those who will believe] in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined [having a plan laid out for us] according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.



Rom 8:29-30 For whom He foreknew [would trust in Christ (John 14:15-26)], He also predestined [planned] to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined [those He planned salvation for], these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

The Early Church made it clear that Foreknowledge is not fore-choosing. Using the terms foreknew, and foretell. Making statements like:

Justin Martyr [A.D. 110-165]

... Furthermore, I have proved in what has preceded, that those who were foreknown to be unrighteous, whether men or angels, are not made wicked by God’s fault, but each man by his own fault is what he will appear to be... (Justin Martyr - Dialoque with Trypho, Ch 140)



Foreknowledge is not seen as fore-choosing. But rather knowing some people will be a certain way.

I said briefly by anticipation, that God, wishing men and angels to follow His will, resolved to create them free to do righteousness; possessing reason, that they may know by whom they are created, and through whom they, not existing formerly, do now exist; and with a law that they should be judged by Him, if they do anything contrary to right reason: and of ourselves we, men and angels, shall be convicted of having acted sinfully, unless we repent beforehand. But if the word of God foretells that some angels and men shall be certainly punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be unchangeably [wicked], but not because God had created them so. So that if they repent, all who wish for it can obtain mercy from God: and the Scripture foretells that they shall be blessed, saying, ‘Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin;’... (Justin Martyr - Dialoque with Trypho, Ch 141)


The word of God knows some will be evil, but God did not make them that way. They are able to repent. Justin also states, as do many, that free will is not overridden by foreknowledge, and that salvation is not fatalistic.


But lest some suppose, from what has been said by us, that we say that whatever happens, happens by a fatal necessity, because it is foretold as known beforehand, this too we explain. We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, and chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Since if it be not so, but all things happen by fate, neither is anything at all in our own power. For if it be fated that this man, e.g., be good, and this other evil, neither is the former meritorious nor the latter to be blamed. And again, unless the human race have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions, of whatever kind they be. But that it is by free choice they both walk uprightly and stumble, we thus demonstrate. We see the same man making a transition to opposite things. Now, if it had been fated that he were to be either good or bad, he could never have been capable of both the opposites, nor of so many transitions. But not even would some be good and others bad, since we thus make fate the cause of evil, and exhibit her as acting in opposition to herself; or that which has been already stated would seem to be true, that neither virtue nor vice is anything, but that things are only reckoned good or evil by opinion; which, as the true word shows, is the greatest impiety and wickedness. But this we assert is inevitable fate, that they who choose the good have worthy rewards, and they who choose the opposite have their merited awards. For not like other things, as trees and quadrupeds, which cannot act by choice, did God make man: for neither would he be worthy of reward or praise did he not of himself choose the good, but were created for this end; nor, if he were evil, would he be worthy of punishment, not being evil of himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made (Justin Martyr - First Apology - Ch 43)

JD Vance’s Catholic conversion is part of young conservative movement​

The Republican vice-presidential nominee and Ohio senator was raised nominally evangelical, then dabbled with atheism before converting in 2019.

In his conversion, he is part of a cohort of rising young conservative figures who are bucking the general trend of young Americans to reject institutional religion — and many, experts say, are choosing Catholicism. Catholicism, religion analysts say, exudes the confidence and staying power of a two-millennia-old hierarchical institution — not to mention the world’s biggest church — at a time when so much seems unstable.

Vance has said he looked for a philosophy that incorporated doubt, embraced scientific advancements like the theory of evolution and also came from somewhere “more ancient,” he wrote in 2020 in the Lamp.

--

Looking to what he wrote in the Lamp.

[E]volutionary theory in some form struck me as plausible, and though I consumed Tornado in a Junkyard and every other work of Young Earth Creationism, I eventually got to the point where I couldn’t square my understanding of biology with what my church told me I had to believe. I was never so committed to Young Earth Creationism that I felt I had to choose between biology and Genesis. But the tension between a scientific account of our origin and the biblical account I’d absorbed made it easier to discard my faith.

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Making evolution-denial or globe-denial a central facet of one's religious denomination may not be instantly fatal, but it is a recipe for failure. When kids learn better through exposure to the evidence-based reasoning supporting the globe and evolution, that's an impetus to drop the religion entirely, not just the erroneous dogma.

I have no problem with new legislation that would

1 limit the term of Supreme Court justices to 18 years
2 enforce a code of ethics on the Supreme Court justices.

In past decades, most Americans understood what it was to be immoral,
and so a code of ethics was not seen as necessary to write down and
legislate, for the Supreme Court. Now, that has changed. I have no
problem with this type of new legislation.

I have no problem with term limits, for Supreme Court justices.

But, Biden, and MANY Americans, are not understanding some of the
decisions of the Supreme Court (such as about presidential immunity, and
even the constitutionality of the "right" of abortion).

Regarding presidential immunity, the Supreme Court came up with guidelines
under which lower courts could decide whether a former president was covered
by "immunity" from prosecution, for "official acts" they did when in the office
of President. These guidelines were...

1 The act must be done as part of the "responsibilities" of the President,
under the Constitution.
2 Lower courts would decide what specific act would qualify as an
"official act" of the President
3 Acts of the President that were done, meeting the first 2 requirements,
had immunity from prosecution.
4 The former president was to be assumed innocent, until proven guilty.

***** NOTE THAT NONE OF THESE GUIDELINES IS RADICAL.
***** NOTE THAT THESE GUIDELINES ELIMINATE MOST OF THE RIDICULOUS
CLAIMS OF IMMUNITY, THAT DONALD TRUMP IS CLAIMING TO HAVE.

For example, Trump suggests that the President has immunity for killing his
political opponents.
Is this a consitutional responsibility of the President? NO!
So, can this be called an "official act" of the President? NO!
Would this be considered murder under the fair rule of law in America? YES!
So, the President could be prosecuted for murder, if he assassinated his
political opponents.

The assertion by many people, that the Supreme Court HAS DECIDED that the
President has complete immunity from prosecution for all acts that he declared
to be "official acts" when he was president, IS A CRUDE MISUNDERSTANDING
OF WHAT THE SUPREME COURT DECIDED.

I think, that on this point, Biden misunderstands the decision of the Supreme
Court regarding immunity and the President. And, it is evidence that Biden
should NOT run for president again.

NOTE: I would also say that ALL American citizens who hold the same
misunderstanding about the Supreme Court's decision about immunity,
ALSO are not competent to run for president.

Stop the knee-jerk reactions to the decisions of the Supreme Court!
Just because you may not like some decision of this Court, that does not
mean that the decision is wrong, or MERELY politically motivated.

Kindly pray that I will pass my training at work today and have good rapport with all my supervisors Amen

Silence - a sonnet

As introvert I must confess to be
A one who tends to shun the madding crowd,
And often in soft morning reverie
Enwrapped in sweetest silence can be found.
The Word that aptly lays upon our minds
Tall visions of the sweep of grandest deeds
May also, in the silence, choose to bind
Our hearts to stillest voice among the reeds.
Our souls may quake when Horeb’s thunder churns,
May look for hail and fire from the sky,
But then from cave of hiding may discern
The gentle sound of Heaven drawing nigh.
In silence and in solitude I wait
To hear those shuffling sandals at the gate.

^

Dispensationalism usually consists of people who see a distinction between Israel and the church. Some feel this distinction happened at Acts 2, others at mid Acts, and some at Acts 28. What is called "right division" usually takes a mid Acts position and can see an overlap between the gospel of the kingdom offered to Israel and a revelation of the mystery of the age of grace offered to gentiles. The idea that there can be two gospels seems to be supported in Galatians.

Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

That the gospel of grace was called a "mystery" may be because if the nation of Israel had received the kingdom, the church would not be needed.

This perspective can aid in bible study in that many have had difficulty trying to apply some of what is written to Israel to Christians today. A book like Romans can be seen as written to mostly Jews trying to understand the gospel of grace. The first letter to the Corinthians can be understood as written to mostly former pagans who were still attempting to use their practices in a Christian context.

We live in a day and time in this world of ours when I believe we are seeing these things now revealed before our very eyes in real time. Are we living in a time of massive rebellion against our Lord and against law and order and against what is morally pure, upright, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands? Absolutely! If you don’t see that this is where we are, and you are a Christian, please pray and ask the Lord to open your eyes to see what all is going on in the world and in our nations.

Now please understand what this is saying here. The coming of this lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.. So if you are one who is just playing “Christian” but you are not on fire for the Lord and dedicated to serving him with your life, you may be among the deluded.

The ones you may think are godly and on your side and telling you the truth may be exactly the ones serving Satan and lying to you and deceiving you into believing their lies. The ones you are convinced are the ones coming to “save you” may be the ones truly coming to destroy you. That is what deception does. That is what a strong delusion does. It convinces you that the lies are the truth and the truth is the lie and the good guys are the bad guys and the bad people are the good people. So pray for open eyes!

And don’t look to other human beings to solve your problems or to save your nations from what ails them. For what ails this world and the people who live in it is sin. And sin is running rampant in our day and time so that we now live as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and the days of Noah. And the only Savior that this world has is Jesus Christ. So we need to be looking to him and calling on his name and following him in obedience to his commands if we want to escape being deceived and going to hell.

For even though the lawless one opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God, he is going to come by the activity of Satan with false signs and wonders and with wicked deception, and so he may disguise himself as an angel of light and a servant of righteousness and a follower of Jesus Christ in order to draw you to himself so that you will believe him, and so that you will put your faith in him to save you.

And then realize that the temple of God has not been a physical building ever since Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Jesus is that temple and all his followers (in truth and in righteousness) are his temple, which is the church, the body of Christ. And Satan’s lawless one has already set himself up to be worshiped as though he is God, and has seated himself already in the temple of God, the church, via the 501c3 corporation status of “the church” under the state. Now most “churches” are businesses.

And all he has to do is to put on a false persona that he is indeed a Christian and many Christians are following him as though he is of God when really he is of Satan. And this evil spirit has infiltrated these gatherings of “the church” for some time now and have convinced most to dilute and alter the gospel to make it more attractive to the world, and to pattern their gatherings after the world to attract the world to their gatherings in order to blend the world in with Christianity so that they are partnered as one.

The Holy Spirit is still constraining this lawless one to a point, but he has been let loose on the church for some time now, I believe, under disguise, because so much of what is called “church”, which includes professing Christians, has rejected the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives and in their churches to make room for the ungodly and in order to market their gatherings to the ungodly so that the ungodly will want to attend their gatherings, feel at home there, and come back for more worldly “church.”

So, it is “the church” who is pushing the Holy Spirit out of the way in order to make way for the lawless one so that their gatherings will attract the people of the world so that their numbers and their businesses will grow. And so many of these market-driven churches are shutting out the Holy Spirit and any who take God and his word seriously, for they are being warned about people like us who have “strong convictions” that they should invite us to go somewhere else where we will be “a better fit.”

And so we have all these gatherings of “Christians” which are called “churches” which have become houses of entertainment to attract the world, which are following marketing schemes and tricks and goals for how to “draw in large crowds” of people from the world into their gatherings. So they alter and dilute the character of Christ’s church, his body, and himself, and the character of his gospel to make them more acceptable to human flesh and to the people of the world. The lawless one is on the throne!

So, please pray that the Lord will open your eyes to see all the deception and all the lies and the liars in the government, in the news media, on social media, and within the gatherings of the church so that you don’t end up following after the lies and not the truth, and so you don’t end up in hell and not in heaven because you refused to love the truth and so be saved, and because you did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; 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 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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This is a picture of what the church and its leadership should look like. We who profess faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior should be those who are walking by faith in Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in sin. And we should be growing to maturity in Christ in our walks of faith, and not be stagnant, and not be those who are going backwards and who are falling back into sin and into worldly desires.

And we should be those for whom God’s love is growing in us to where we are now loving God and the people of God and the people of the world more and more like Jesus and according to the Scriptures. For this is agape love which prefers to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. This love prefers what God prefers which is what is holy, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to his commands.

And the leadership of our churches should be those who are honoring and encouraging those who are living holy, morally pure, honest, upright, and godly lives to the glory of God and in obedience to his commands in steadfastness of faith. When they see a believer in Jesus dedicated to the Lord and to his service who is ministering to the body of Christ and who is sharing the truth of God’s word, they should be praising the Lord for that.


Sadly, in our day and time, it appears that the truly righteous in God’s sight are being treated with disdain while those who are still walking in sin are often those who are being honored and lifted up. For it has become a badge to wear if you profess faith in Jesus Christ while you still walk in sin. But if you literally are one who is not walking in sin and who is following the Lord in obedience, then they often will chide you as being overly religious.

I am not saying it is this way in all cases, but it does appear that it is in the majority. The gospel has been so altered and diluted to appease human flesh, and to not offend the ungodly, that holy living is not something much honored, but those who confess that they are still “struggling” (regularly giving in to sin) are often the ones honored, instead. It is like everything is being turned upside down these days, flip-flopping good and evil.

And so those who are living righteously, in obedience to the Lord, who are walking in his ways and in his truth and righteousness, are the persecuted, even within some (or many) of the gatherings of what are called “churches.” For we take God and his word seriously, and because we are following the Lord in obedience, and because we are speaking the truth in love to the people of the world and to our fellow professers of faith in Jesus Christ.

But those of us who follow our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living, and who are not walking in sin, are considered by God worthy of (fitting to) the kingdom of God. We will inherit eternal life with God if we remain steadfast in such faith until the very end. But those who are still walking in sin, and not in obedience to our Lord, will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, even if they do profess his name with their lips.


Now this is the kind of prayer that our spiritual leaders should have for their people who are walking in obedience to the Lord. For the Christian faith is a walk of faith which is supposed to last until we die or until Jesus returns to take his faithful bride to be with him for eternity. So we have to keep on in these walks of faith, which require walks of obedience to our Lord, and that we no longer walk in sin. And God requires works of us, which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them, as his workmanship.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; John 15:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; James 2:17; 1 John 3:4-10]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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PARASHA: “Pinchas” (mouth of the serpent) NUMBERS 25:1-29:40.

Yes, this is another "long-winded" message. Take your time. No one reads a book in one sitting. read a little, then come back to it later and finish. There is a lot of information here that I would like to look at.

The name "Pinchas" can be derived from the letter (Peh) which means "mouth" and "Nachash" (serpent).

This Bible study portion starts with somewhat of a surprise, a promotion in rank for an execution committed, and rather suddenly. Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron was a Levite. During the time of the “weakness and falling away of the men of Israel, He took matters into his own hands and slew Zimri and Cozbi, who were committing fornication in the sight of all Israel, yet Adonai rewarded him for this and gave him an “everlasting covenant of peace (Brit Shalom) and an everlasting priesthood” because he was “Zealous” for his God because he made an “atonement” for Israel”.

to understand this, we must go back to Parashah Balak. King Balak wanted Balaam to curse Israel, yet Adonai did not do this, as Adonai prohibited this. Adonai already blessed Israel, and who Adonai has blessed, no man can curse. However, as many past rabbis and sages believe, what happened afterward was indeed a tragedy. Even though the Torah does not record this, because of the events that followed, we can conclude that this is what might have happened afterward.

Perhaps, Balaam went to Balak and told him that even though he could not curse Israel, the children of Israel could bring a curse among themselves by disobeying God’s commandments and going after other gods. The Torah says that b’nei Israel went after the Moabite prostitutes and went to worship their god “Baal-Peor” thus bringing down the wrath of YHVH. The result was a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites until Pinchas took action and took a lance and thrust it through the bellies of Zimri and Cozbi, thus “staying” the plague. As Adonai called it, “making an atonement for the children of Israel’ “Blood” for “blood”

How can we relate this action with Yeshua/Jesus? Man has sinned against God, and sin separates us from HIM. There had to be an atonement, "blood for blood" HIS sinless, pure blood which was shed, for our sinful blood. The blood of Zimri and Cozbi "satisfied and ended the "wrath of God" (even though they were not in any way "holy") Pinchas thrusted the "lance" through their bodies. The Roman soldier "thrusted" the lance into the side of Yeshua! Out poured blood from both Zimri, Cozbi, and Yeshua. The blood of Yeshua, though, poured out pure and sinless, yet HE paid the price of sin for Zimri, Cozbi, and all of us who have fallen short of the glory of God.

Yeshua/Jesus thus made a "Brit Shalom"(A covenant of Peace) between the Father and mankind with his own sinless blood, taking our punishment and giving us eternal life with HIM. All we have to do is accept it by accepting HIM as LORD and Savior, being "born again" (John 3:3)

We can see why this action might reflect his name "Pinchas." (Mouth of the Serpent). When a serpent opens its mouth, one can see the fangs which yield poison. The serpent will strike and the fangs will be embedded into the victim, causing death. The "fangs" of Pinchas was his lance, which he used to end the lives of Zimri and Cozbi and to stop the plague.

We find this a very “rash” thing to do, yet, we need to understand that Israel was under a “theocracy” and not a “democracy”. Their ruler, King, commander-in-chief was YHVH himself. God calls the shots, makes the rules, and decides outcomes. Under our “democracy,” we have presidents, kings, senators, governors, etc. who make rules and vote on rules and outcomes. Try being “zealous” for God today the same way Pinchas did would land us in prison very quickly.

Another thing we must remember is that we ALL have two natures, the “Yetzer Hara” (The evil inclination, or the sin nature) and the “Born again” spirit-filled nature that comes when we accept Yeshua as Messiah and LORD. Both live inside us, and some things can “trigger” that old sin nature and cause havoc and misery in our lives. In the case of the Israelite men, it was the arrival of the Midianite and Moabite prostitutes, and not only did they bring a curse upon the encampment of the Israelites, but they also brought death to 24,000 of the population.

Now, it seems like a large number, but if we realize that the Israelites probably numbered 2 or 3 million, then that number is quite small. We need to also realize that not ALL of Israel went after “Baal-Peor” only the ones that went after the prostitutes. One can also ask a question; “Can one change his or her nature of being?” To answer this question, we need to look at a story.

A king once had two sons. To test them, he asked them that question. The first son said; “Yes, one can change his or her nature.” Yet the second son said; “No, one can never change his or her nature.

The king said; “Go out and prove your statement, you have a week.” So, both sons went out and after a week, they returned to the palace. The first son came near the king and queen with a large cloth bag. He put it on the floor and out came a cat. The cat was dressed in fine linen and had a servant’s hat. The cat got up and walked on its two hind legs and lifted a small silver tray towards the king and queen. On the tray were two chocolates. The king and queen smiled and marveled at the cat and accepted the two chocolates. Everyone applauded! How wonderful!

The second son said; “wait a minute.” Then he took a small cloth bag and emptied it on the floor and out ran 5 mice. When the cat saw the mice, it dropped the tray and ran after them on all four paws. “You see,” said the son, “the cat went back to its old nature, it only needed a “trigger”. You can dress a cat in fine clothes and teach it a few tricks, but it will always be a cat, and cats chase mice according to their feline nature.

We will always have our “old nature of sin” with us, and it will rear up its ugly head, as Rav Shaul (Apostol Paul) testifies in Romans 7:14-25. Only physical death will free us from the “old sin nature” Every day it is a constant battle. The spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit.

Now back to the action of Pinchas. His faith and love for the Torah and God were backed by “action”. We could take other examples. A cat lover walks by a group of mean kids who are teasing a cat, pulling its tail, and just giving it a hard time. The cat lover could just say; “poor cat” and start to cry over it and continue walking…or…the cat lover could run up to the mean kids and push them aside, grabbing the cat and taking it to safety. The cat lover not only showed love and compassion for the cat but also showed an active and positive “action”.

The same can be said about protesting against the murder of the unborn through abortions, many people will write letters and let their voices be heard, instead of just feeling sorry for the unborn who are murdered inside female wombs.

Later on, in this Parashah, we see that Moshe intercedes for Israel when Adonai tells him to go up Mt. Abiram and take a look around because he will die there. Adonai appoints “Yehoshua” as Moshe’s successor, to lead the people into the promised land. We see two leaders now, “Pinchas” who is granted the title and inheritance of “High Priest” for his action, he symbolizes the “Kana” (Zeal) for Adonai, and Yehoshua, who is given the “Ruach Elohim” to lead the people. Yehoshua is the same as “Yeshua” for HE is the one who leads US in our lives today. Yeshua also showed “Kana” when he drove out the money changers in the temple, he used a bit of violence, yet not for “religious” reasons, but for the “love” of HIS father and for respect for HIS HOUSE. Today HIS HOUSE consists of all “Kehilot” (assemblies) of born-again believers all over the world, not buildings

There are other ways one can show “zeal” for YHVH today; Loving his Torah, obeying his commandments, teaching his Word to those who would listen, loving our neighbors, supporting our local body of believers, voting for government officials who also uphold biblical standards. Pointing out sinful ways to sinners (in a loving, not condemning way) and pointing them to a personal relationship with Yeshua our Messiah. We can also show zeal when we lead believers away from false teachings, from false doctrines and there are many out there. Many young believers and trapped inside false cults that "claim" to be Christian.

Chapters 28 and 29 deals with the review of the sacrifices and offerings that the Israelites would offer to YHVH. Remember that they are about to cross over the Jordan to possess the promised land. There they would be “permanent residents” and the fight would continue to cast out the Canaanites (another reason for the census) to see how many “fighting men” the nation consisted of. Every element of the offerings and sacrifices illustrates who YESHUA is and what he stands for;

2 lambs per day, fine flour with oil; Yeshua who is the Lamb of God, who is the BREAD of Life, who has the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) within him. The oil symbolizes the Spirit of Elohim and the “anointing by the Spirit on ALL believers. Wine was also used to pour over the sacrifices, the “wine” symbolizes the blood of Yeshua that ran down the cross, out of his veins for atonement for all who believe and accept his sacrifice for sin.

Bullocks were also sacrificed, the bullock symbolizes “strength” as the ancient symbol of the letter “Alef” was in the form of a bull. Adonai is “strength” yet he allowed himself to become “lower than the angels” to walk as man and be a willing sacrifice for sin. The goats remind us of Yom Kippur, one was set free and the other sacrificed, reminding us that our sins were “cast away” from us as well as dealt with on the cross. The sacrificed rams remind us of the “ram” that was in the thicket when Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. That ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac, just as Yeshua was offered as a blood sacrifice in our place.

Have a blessed week all of you who have finished reading this.

Nick Zentner is a geology professor at Central Washington University. I often watch his videos and learn a lot of Pacific Northwest geology from him. In this video, only about 14 minutes long, Nick showcases the Frenchman Coulee in central Washington which was carved out by the Ice Floods some 12,000 years ago. The basalt the makes up the Coulee is about 16 Million years old and came from Eastern Oregon roughly 150 miles away.

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As far as becoming a Christian I believe it is as easy as... If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10:9

After that the Holy Spirit will guide the new Christian to... Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15

From there the new Christian is encouraged to obstain from fleshly desceptions and to pursue the will of God, encluding... For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

And to the end to see a wonderful Spirit formed within the Christian... - My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. - Galatians 4:19

I personally have no denominational recommendations and personally visit a variety of churches. It is always nice, though, to run into someone who has progressed well along the way. Here is a gentleman who has worked his way into a conference superintendent and continues to study and in Christian Ministries.

Terron Gentry serves as the North Georgia District Superintendent of the CHC. He has served as Christian Education Director, Church Planter, and Senior Pastor. His ministerial experience totals over 31 years serving in these areas. He is pursuing his MBA at Lee University and is currently enrolled in the undergraduate program as Christian Ministries with an emphasis on Business. Terron feels that because of our rich Pentecostal Heritage along with our Common Ground Initiative, we will advance the Kingdom of God together! - About - North Georgia Congregational Holiness Church

This link says it all in a clear and concise way.
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Ah, a classic from the 2000s. Tenth Avenue North was on the Christian Radio back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. No autotune, just emotional chords and wholesome lyrics.

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By Your Side (2008) Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

[Verse 2]
Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching
As if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child?
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run?

[Chorus]
Cos I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

[Verse 3]
Look at these hands at my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

[Chorus]
And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Here at my side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

[Bridge]
Cos I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, yeah I'll love you
I'll never let you go, no, no

[Chorus]
And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Here at my side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Here at my side
My hands are holding you, oh

Harris will make the choice before August 7th.

Which VP choice would help Harris most in winning the presidency and why?

Which candidate would hurt her chances?

The following seem to have the inside track: Cooper, Shapiro and Kelly.

As an aside, the VP debate should be fun to watch.

Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27 were different parables on different occasions.

1 talent = 60 minas

What is the significance of this difference?

Matthew used a more substantial unit of money. Both taught stewardship, responsibility, accountability, and judgment. I don't see much significant difference between the two parables.