2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NASB20)
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction which occurred in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.
Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is being described above is the actual place of one entering into one’s death in Christ…. This is the place that all believers must be brought to if they would be one that would follow God fully…. For this place that is beyond one’s strength, even to the point of despairing of life itself, is the place that the dying to one’s own will is actually done….. For until one’s hope would be in God alone and nothing of what one’s own life might be able to accomplish, one has not yet entered into the hope of faith, for the giving up of oneself brings the hope of faith…..

For it is from this place of no hope, that hope is to be found, for when one’s hope is in God alone whatever He brings is met with one’s eye of faith on one’s hope in God…. For this is the place of entering into one’s death in Christ, the place of actually denying of one’s own will…. This act of actually giving up of one’s will to God, not in word, but in reality by faith, so that the fruit of one being beyond one’s strength might be manifested, that being, that one might be freed from the dregs of one’s own will…..

For it is through one’s death in Christ that the embracing of Christ’s life of righteousness is laid out to be God’s will for all.… Then with an eye of hope towards this life of righteousness is the turning from one’s own will made manifest, (that being, that life that is always after its own), that this promised new life is brought to life and manifested by the heart willing to embrace this life of righteousness by the hope of faith..

It is from this place of faith that the glories, the presence, the knowledge of the Righteous One is known, felt, experienced; the faith that says my life has been given to God He may do with it what He pleases as I only seek to embrace my death in Christ the more, that the more of Him might be lived out through me……

May we all be blessed in the experiencing of this blessed life….


A fellow follower, Not me

I debated long and hard about posting this, but in the end, I decided I wanted to know what others thought. A few comments before we begin:

1) I know I am not this woman's target audience. I fully expect to receive at least a few comments about "you're a man, you have no right to make judgements!", or "you're male, you have absolutely no idea!"

2) Speaking strictly for myself, if this is what modern women are like, if I ever end up being a widower, instead of looking for another wife, I believe I'll just get two or three more dogs and call it good.

3) Again, bearing in mind #1 ("You have no right") and #2 (speaking strictly for myself), with a lot of this, she comes across as being extremely whiny: "My life is so hard!" Well, everybody's life is hard, lady. Your difficulties might be different than someone else's difficulties, but whining about it won't help. By the time I got to the cartoon where she was outlining how women's bodies were their lifelong enemy due to their reproductive systems, I was thinking to myself, "For crineoutloud, lady, go get a friggin' hysterectomy and quit bleating about it!"

But again, I am not the woman's target audience, and I know I supposedly don't have any say in what she's illustrating here. But I do know I don't agree with her in numerous ways---and if I were still in the dating scene, I wouldn't touch this girl with a 4,000-foot pole.

Your thoughts?

Marching In Mark’s Gospel



By



Dr C.K. McClinton
BA (Hons); M.A.; Ph.D.; D. Litt


Ulster Christians Fellowship
Website: www.ulsterchristians.org




A series of daily-reading teachings from the Gospel of Mark which are designed to expand the student’s knowledge of sound doctrine; using the medium of Bible Exposition to encourage practical Christian faith - with selected quotations from the excellent work of J.C. Ryle (1816-1900): to reintroduce Ryle’s writings to the 21 Century church; to enhance Christian understanding of God’s Word; to exalt the Name of Christ Jesus as both Saviour and Lord.

J. C. Ryle 1886 – 1900 Bishop of Liverpool
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

John Charles Ryle (10 May 1816 – 10 June 1900) was an English evangelical Anglican bishop. He was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool.

Life

He was the eldest son of John Ryle, private banker, of Park House, Macclesfield, M.P. for Macclesfield 1833–7, and Susanna, daughter of Charles Hurt of Wirksworth, Derbyshire. He was born at Macclesfield on 10 May 1816.
He was educated at Eton and the University of Oxford, where his career was unusually distinguished. He was Fell exhibitioner at Christ Church, from which foundation he matriculated on 15 May 1834. He was Craven scholar in 1836, graduated B.A. in 1838, having been placed in the first-class in literæ humaniores in the preceding year, and proceeded M.A. in 1871. He was created D.D. by diploma on 4 May 1880.
Ryle left the university with the intention of standing for parliament on the first opportunity, but was unable to do so because of his father's bankruptcy. He took holy orders (1841–42) and became curate at Exbury, Hampshire. In 1843, he was preferred to the rectory of St Thomas, Winchester, which he exchanged in the following year for that of Helmingham, Suffolk. The latter living he retained until 1861, when he resigned it for the vicarage of Stradbroke in the same county. The restoration of Stradbroke church was due to his initiative. In 1869, he was made rural dean of Hoxne, and in 1872 honorary canon of Norwich. He was select preacher at Cambridge in 1873 and the following year, and at Oxford from 1874 to 1876, and in 1879 and the following year. In 1880, he was designated dean of Salisbury, and at once, 19 April, advanced to the newly created see of Liverpool, which he ably administered until his death at Lowestoft on 10 June 1900. He is buried at All Saints Church, Childwall, Liverpool.

Family

He married three times but his first two wives died young. The first marriage was on 29 October 1845, to Matilda Charlotte Louisa, daughter of John Pemberton Plumptre, of Fredville, Kent. The second, in March 1850, was to Jessy, daughter of John Walker of Crawfordton, Dumfriesshire. The third, on 24 October 1861, was to Henrietta, daughter of Lieutenant-colonel William Legh Clowes of Broughton Old Hall, Lancashire. He had a daughter by his first wife, and four other children by his second wife Jessy. His second son, Herbert Edward Ryle also a clergyman, became successively Bishop of Exeter, Bishop of Winchester and Dean of Westminster.

Legacy


John Charles Ryle, by Carlo Pellegrini, 1881.
Ryle was a strong supporter of the evangelical school and a critic of ritualism. He was a writer, pastor and an evangelical preacher. Among his longer works are Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century (1869), Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (7 vols, 1856–69), and Principles for Churchmen (1884). Ryle was described as having a commanding presence and vigorous in advocating his principles albeit with a warm disposition. He was also credited with having success in evangelizing the blue-collar community. He was a strong believer in the return of the Jews to their own land as being prophesied in the Bible and thus was part of the movement that led to the Balfour Declaration.

Published works

· The Cross: A Call to the Fundamentals of Religion (1852)
· Expository Thoughts on Matthew,
· Expository Thoughts on Mark,
· Expository Thoughts on Luke, Vol. 1, Vol. 2,
· Expository Thoughts on John, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3,
· Coming Events and Present Duties, and Prophecy, (1867) Now published as Are You Ready for the End of Time?
· Shall We Know One Another, (1870)
· Knots Untied, (1877)
· Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots, (1877,
· Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians, (1878)
· Higher Criticism: Some Thoughts on Modern Theories about the Old Testament (1880)
· Simplicity in Preaching, (1882)
· Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times, (1887)
· The Duties of Parents, (1888)
· From Old Times: or Protestant Facts and Men, (1890) (partially reprinted as Five English Reformers)
· Bible Inspiration: Its Reality and Nature (1877)
· Christian Leaders of the Last Century (1873)
· Tracts and Other Works

Repent! Then Believe! Mark 1:1-15
Text: “Therefore, turn thou to thy God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.”
Hosea 12:6.
Good morning, repentant Christian! Not enough for you to have initially repented - turned away from your life of sin, old attitudes, habits, and worldliness - to follow hard after the Living Christ. You, having turned away from sin, now seek a daily turning towards Christlikeness, by the power of God the Holy Spirit. Praise God, you do well. May the Lord enable you and I to be obedient to His Word throughout this day and always. Amen! (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
How often in this apostate day we hear pastors, teachers, and lay-person Christians get Christ’s Gospel message of repentance wrong. Repentance seems to have become merely a word mouthed frequently by Churchy people, a word that has lost its intended meaning; a word devoid of Spiritual application to the souls of sinners today. How sad. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)
Christ’s message revealed in today’s Bible passage is, “...Repent ye, and believe the Gospel...” (V.15). It is not a message of, ‘Get saved and made fit for a Holy Heaven, then live an ungodly life of Hell on earth!’ No! The message of the Master is “Repent ye, and believe the Gospel...”. (Acts 2:41-47) (1 Peter 1:15-16)
Repentance is a concept sorely neglected in the Church of the 21st Century; a fundamental doctrine which is absolutely necessary, not only for a soul’s Salvation, but for the progressive sanctification of our natural state before God. We all need to be progressively sanctified daily, as we seek to fellowship with our Holy Lord God and with each other in the Body of Christ. We have hindered prayer-lives and hampered fellowship when once the doctrine of repentance is neglected.
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” (Psalm 66:18)
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is His ear heavy, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)
Mark’s Gospel makes genuine repentance an absolute precursory to true belief of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified for sinners.
J.C. Ryle Comments: “The Gospel of St. Mark, which we now begin, is in some respects unlike the other three Gospels. It tells us nothing about the birth and early life of our Lord Jesus Christ. It contains comparatively few of His sayings and discourses. Of all the four inspired histories of our Lord’s earthly ministry, this is by far the shortest.
“But we must not allow these peculiarities to make us undervalue St. Mark’s Gospel. It is a Gospel singularly full of precious facts about the Lord Jesus, narrated in a simple, terse, pithy, and condensed style. If it tells us few of our Lord’s sayings, it is eminently rich in its catalogue of His doings. It often contains minute historical details of deep interest, which are wholly omitted in Matthew, Luke, and John. In short, it is no mere abridged copy of St. Matthew, as some have rashly asserted, but the independent narrative of an independent witness, who was inspired to write a history of our Lord’s works, rather than of His words. Let us read it with holy reverence. Like all the rest of Scripture, every word of St. Mark is “given by inspiration of God,” and every word is “profitable.” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)
Repentance: Turning away from our past life of sin, and turning to God is the act of initial, or primary, repentance. However, if that primary act is a genuine one, then a continual repentance from sin to God shall follow. (Hebrews 12:12-15) (Psalm 42:1)
In reality, we sinners shall always sin. Yet our sins, after genuine repentance, shall become all the more exceedingly sinful to us, and we shall immediately feel the Holy Spirit’s deep grief convicting us to seek forgiveness and a forsaking of the sin into which we have so foolishly fallen. (John 16:8) (Luke 22:54-62)
When we feel the pangs of conviction sin, it only goes to prove the legitimacy of our belief - a belief in God’s Word which teaches us to truly repent and continually believe/trust in the Lord. Therefore, apparent defeat by sin is swallowed up in a very real Spiritual victory through the Cross of Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! What a Saviour! (1 John 1:8-9)
Repentance is itself the gift of God to Hell-deserving sinners whom He has chosen to save. Esau sought repentance, yet couldn’t have it. Saul of Tarsus wasn’t looking for it, yet was blessed with it on a dusty Damascus road. “Salvation is of the Lord...”. (Acts 9 (Hebrews 12:14-17) (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Go to then, genuine Christian, when sin seems to have a victory - repent and believe - the Lord has made a provision for weak mortals like you and me. Thanks be to the Living, Loving Lord God! (2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Thought: True belief, bringing true repentance, proves a true Bible belief.

(c) Dr C.K. McClinton
Ulster Christians
www.ulsterchristians.org

See If you relax the Law, you will be least in the kingdom of heaven?

I am a member of the Pentecostal Holiness Church who also visits Baptist churches. I have sent a niece through Liberty University. Most of the pastors I know both Pentecostal and Baptist are Liberty University graduates.

Liberty University's Rawlings School of Divinity

In which boasts the world’s largest school for religious studies and ministerial training. Liberty University defines itself as a Christian college that aligns with the evangelical tradition. But with the Thomas Road Baptist church nearby, arguably more Baptist.

So... We are a Pentecostal Holiness denomination filled with Liberty graduates. With the Liberty University influence comes change. The nearby Radford Pentecostal Holiness Church has renamed itself Compassion Church with Liberty graduates at the helm. We also have a nearby Northstar church that are fruits of Baptist ministries. When asked about denomination influence the Liberty graduate will tell you they are, "Bible Believing." The Northstar church does very well with I would say 1,000 folk in attendance while Virginia Tech classes are in progress. Noting that both churches have about the same training, they also share in the fact that there is no advertised denomination. You would have to dig to find their denominational influences.

Compassion Church Radford | A family where you belong

In advise in choosing a church of this influence I would highly recommend to research into the leadership.Good leadership is essential. Saint Ambrose once said, "While in Rome do as the Romans." Which I believe is good advice and there may be a time to get out of Rome if the Romans are getting off base. But while in Rome I at least try to be friendly and well mannered.

My goodness! What a delicate thread! These are... Though... Changing times in which denominational focus is not what it was as in times past.

I’m trying to think of something simple and fun to post here, and what better question to ask than what you had for dinner today!

I’ll go first. We had breakfast burritos for dinner, ha ha. Super easy weeknight meal to make, and very fast!

I’ve been diagnosed with OCD at an early age and struggled with it all my life. In high school I started to develop a category of OCD referred to as scrupulosity which usually has to do with intrusive thoughts of selling my soul to the devil if I do something or buy something I want. For example I might want to buy something and have the thought “I’d sell my soul for that” at which point I wouldn’t buy it out of fear. This also branched out to everyday actions and redoing things. At some point years later maybe in college, I discovered I could counteract the fear of selling my soul by making a vow to God to punish myself if I engaged in the first fear. For example I might have a fear that if I do a specific action I’ll sell my soul or agree to sell my soul, then to counteract this I’d make a vow to God stating if I don’t do specific action then I won’t let myself engage in some activity I enjoy for some period of time, or in extreme cases I’ll ban myself from certain things completely. As time went on the selling my soul fear dissipated to some degree but the vows became more and more common and more and more extreme in response to other anxiety to the point I’d say/think “God please hold me accountable to this vow” and proceed to say that if I do or don’t do something then I’ll ban myself from certain hobbies I enjoy for months at a time. This has led to recent struggles in which I made a vow to ban myself from hobbies of mine (exercise and/or gaming which I do to spend time with a friend and destress) for several months. I had anxiety about a situation then vowed and asked to be held accountable that if I failed to do something or did something then I wouldn’t exercise/workout for some timeframe of 1-3 months. I ended up accidentally breaking the vow and I also have other vows I’m struggling with trying to determine if I broke them or not as well. I understand the concept of grace but at the same time I feel like if I do not punish myself I would be engaging in willful sin and essentially saying I value these things more than being with God and I worry about being condemned to hell if I fail to fulfill the vows. Furthermore I see it as a daily repeating sin every day that I fail to not start the punishment since I vowed to not engage in the hobbies for a certain time and this breaks the vow every day I don’t start the punishment. Even when praying about it I’ve had thoughts pop in my head saying “do it” in regards to fulfilling the vows which add more anxiety. I would appreciate thoughts on the matter. I do receive medication for the anxiety but I still struggle. Apologies for the long paragraph I just wanted to add as much context as I can.

How can accountability in the church be encouraged to help keep both the shepherds and the sheep on the straight and narrow path of salvation? How did the modern day church even evolve to the point where Pastors are seen as untouchable authoritarian figures who are allowed to do whatever they want to the sheep? The bible says that if a man cannot manage his own household then he should not lead the household of God. The bible also details that the man leading the church should also have a good, self-controlled character that is not violent, lacks love of money, etc.

1 Timothy 3
1This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader,a he desires an honorable position.” 2So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife.b He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3He must not be a heavy drinkerc or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?

There are many examples where the households of Pastors are in shambles, and it eventually brings down the whole ministry of the Pastor. Scandals such as violent tempers, sexual immorality among the members of the household, incredible greed, disrespectful, wayward, lost, at times addicted, and even suicidal children bent on self destruction who are casualties of their parents ministry, etc. How can these things be addressed? What is the best way to keep the shepherds accountable to the sheep and vice versa so that all can continue to exhort each other to Godliness and holiness according to Hebrews 10:25 (25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.)? Many discouraging things are happening in churches to the point where some people are being completely turned off to church forever and do not want to have fellowship in church anymore due to the levels of scandals taking place.

Here is a small sampling of verses that contrast righteousness through faith and righteousness through the law.


Scripture says plainly that righteousness through faith and righteousness through the law are two different things. Yet many people appear to have adopted a definition of righteousness that blends a little faith with a little law. They say things like, "Our rightness with God is through obeying the law, but He will forgive our sins if we repent".

How can they not see that their sins cause them to fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), meaning that they are not righteous on the basis of their deeds? Or how can they not understand that all our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)? We are completeley dependent on the righteousness we receive as a free gift (i.e., new hearts that are completely right with Him) when we first put our trust in Christ because all the righteousness we can muster on our own is not good enough. So let's just agree now to no longer intermingle righteousness through faith and righteousness through the law in our doctrine.

Jackson - An alarming situation has unfolded in Jackson, Mississippi, where 215 bodies were discovered buried in unmarked graves behind a state jail. Families of the deceased were left in the dark until last month. Some grave sites were only identified by a number and a metal rod, raising concerns about the lack of transparency and respect in handling the deceased.

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"And I will tell you that when individuals are released, they are released into immigration enforcement proceedings. They are on alternatives to detention. And we have returned or removed a record number of individuals. We are enforcing the laws that Congress has passed. "
This man has created a disaster. Impeach him.

Recently I’ve been have strange dreams about dogs. I’m wondering if anyone can interpret these for me. In the first dream I got up from bed and there was a dog sitting near my bed watching me . I grabbed it by the neck and I rebuked it in Jesus name but I did this almost in a whisper. The dog faded away. In second dream I saw a dog sitting in a chair and I rebuked it immediately. In the third dream I was trying to sleep but a dog kept licking my face near my mouth. Lastly today I dreamt that someone brought to me a weird dog/human hybrid baby. I was so scared to pick it up and I kept pushing it away from me since I was disgusted by it. In all these dreams I never actually saw the dogs face just the outline or parts of the body. I have prayed to God for understanding of this but I am a new born again believer and I don’t really know how to hear God. I’d really appreciate if someone interpreted these dreams. Thanks

Trump attorney says presidents can’t be prosecuted for selling pardons or ordering murders

Former president Donald Trump’s lawyer told a three-judge panel of the US Court Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that a president would be immune from prosecution unless impeached and convicted, even if he was accused of having ordered a rival’s murder by the US military.

During arguments in a Washington DC courtroom on Tuesday, Trump attorney D John Sauer told Judges Michelle Childs, Florence Pan and Karen Henderson that Mr Trump is immune from prosecution under the impeachment and double jeopardy clauses of the US Constitution, citing the Senate’s 2021 acquittal of the ex-president on charges that he incited the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Judge Florence Pan, a 2022 appointee to the circuit court by President Joe Biden, almost immediately began a rapid-fire questioning of Trump attorney D John Sauer over his contention.

She asked Mr Sauer if, hypothetically, a president could order the killing of a rival by the US military or sell pardons and be immune from any legal consequences.

“I understand your position to be that a president is immune from criminal prosecution for any official act that he takes as president even if that action is taken for an unlawful or unconstitutional purpose, is that correct?” she said.

He replied that prosecution would only be allowed following a conviction by the Senate.

She interjected to repeat the query after Mr Sauer’s filibustering answer: “I asked you a yes or no question. Could a president who ordered SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival ... would he be subject to criminal prosecution?”

He replied: “Qualified yes – if he is impeached and convicted first.”

He later added that in his view, such a president would “have to be, and would speedily be, you know, impeached and convicted before the criminal prosecution”.

James Pearce, the Assistant Special Counsel who argued the case for the US government, said Mr Sauer’s comments portended “an extraordinarily frightening future” because his view would place presidents largely outside and above the law.

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For the "Party of Law and Order", their leader seems to want to be above it entirely. At the very least, we can dispel notion that he doesn't consider himself above everyone and everything - Him and his legal team are arguing for this complete immunity in court.

Horrific, despicable, and monstrous.

Assuming that in fact Biden and/or Trump win their respective primaries do you believe either the RNC or the DNC will select someone else to run instead as they are the ones that actually choose the person that ends up the ballot? If you believe that either convention will do so what do you think will be the reaction of the public at large?

Peter has an interesting take on Trump's disqualification and the state's right to do so. I don't have a view one way or the other.
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Is there any truth to Biden engaging in insurrectionalsim as we speak?

The lord wants me to read the bible more than i am willing to, i do it anyways due to our aggreement. When the times i set up with the lord come up to read the bible i absolutely lose it and hate the fact i have to sit down and get into the word. While im reading the feeling doesnt seem to go away... than i get mad and sometimes mock the word due to my absolute non-enjoyment or want of reading the word

(The lord wants me to read 3 chapters every hour of the day every day)

Any advice?

Rapid reduction in fossil fuel burning urgently needed to preserve liveable conditions, say scientists, as climate damage deepens.

2023 smashes record for world’s hottest year by huge margin​

Rapid reduction in fossil fuel burning urgently needed to preserve liveable conditions, say scientists, as climate damage deepens

2023 “smashed” the record for the hottest year by a huge margin, providing “dramatic testimony” of how much warmer and more dangerous today’s climate is from the cooler one in which human civilisation developed.
The planet was 1.48C hotter in 2023 compared with the period before the mass burning of fossil fuels ignited the climate crisis. The figure is very close to the 1.5C temperature target set by countries in Paris in 2015
Guardian January 9th 2024

I think we need to take this seriously. We are on the edge.

From Time to Time

From time to time, now and then,
I ponder places I have been
And all the folks who now reside
In memories, where flows a tide
Of supplication for the days
That danced entranced before the haze
Of heavy-hearted transformation
Canceled ways of celebration.

Innocence belongs to such,
A dancing, prancing, open trust
That, unaware of lurking snares,
Lives and laughs without a care
For what the morrow might entail
Or how in night and deep travail
Some ways are lost and not regained,
Some dreams are tossed from one-way trains.

Reality, inconstant friend,
Drawing lines that curve and bend
Around my eyes and creasing face
Tracing smiles and falls from grace
And forming now the channeled grooves
That funnel tears from former smooth
And cherub-looking cheeks of yore
Now snaked by rivers seeking shore.

These things I think, from time to time,
But then I blink and gone's the grime
Of fuzzy-headed introspecting,
Jaunts into my youth, reflecting
Sentimental searches, sure,
But wanderlust that's wandered far
From what the moment offers now
Far beyond nostalgic plows
Whose constant tilling of the past
In shadowed light the present casts.

The rivers running 'cross my face
Are crucial for the works of Grace,
Outlets needed for contrition
Seeking solace for convictions
Confident the test of time
Will show, in all, a greater rhyme
Where rivers end in pools of joy
Reflecting there the tears employed.

Secularism is terrible.

Christians leaders in America have completely abandoned their flock. They sit by silently while their sheep are led to the slaughter in the secular education system, and generally surrounded by a secular media and a secular ethos that hates everything about the sacred order, ordained by the God of the Bible, and embodied by the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

This is a long time coming.

The history of Protestant evangelicalism in America is a tradition that unfortunately... embraced The Enlightenment... embraced the "Will of the People" and the revolution against the King..... Christians never had any business in violent revolution against monarchs... and now we are lost in the sea of Liberal Democracy... where the Good and the Virtuous is nothing more than the shifting sea of the Will of the People. Which is why we have boys wondering why they can't turn into girls. It's a complete tragedy, and our Church leaders don't know what to do about it.

What is so sacred about democracy? Nothing. It's been a disaster.

What is so great about the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence? These are not sacred documents to me. What has the religion of modern Liberty done for the Christian community? It has only atomized us into nothing... where we can't even defend our own families from the onslaught of lies that saturate us from a million different directions.

What is so great about the "separation of church and state" ? Really? Why do Christians celebrate this? I would rather have our nation bow down to Jesus Christ our King... a million times over. Secularism is not clever to me in the least. It is diabolical.

I am completely fed up with the entire project of modernity. It's become a joke... and yet sadly, our Church leaders continue to lead us down this path of secularism and liberalism. They teach us that Christianity has no place in politics, that it only exists in the private belief of the individual believer... They offer us no shelter for our children. They encourage our kids to pursue higher education in an ideological system that is obsessed with the rejection of Christ. Christ becomes nothing more than a kind of moral therapeutic deism... a good luck charm in our libertarian pursuits.

But our Church leaders are in love with the secular order. We defeated Nazism and Communism! We are the City of Light! Liberal Democracy! Sacred Democracy..... No... No... God, No.... What a perversion of the Gospel. God's order is that women are to be submissive to men. But Secular Christianity hates this order. We love women's liberation. We love our pride. We hate submitting to God's word. We want our kids to get good jobs and makes lots of money. We worship money. We worship the Free Market. We worship commercial success and entrepreneurship. We worship individual liberty and individual property. That's American Liberty, baby.... The Will of the People! No King is gonna tell us what to do! Individual Liberty! Kill the King!!!!

I'm just so done with it. You can have your Statue of Liberty. You can have your Constitution. You can have your progress. You can have your pride.

I want to worship the King. I want to surrender to my Creator. I want to keep my children safe from the wolves. I want to hide in God's Word, not mix it up with the civil religion of liberalism.

Just had to vent. Thanks for reading.

I began watching it on Netflix.
I will see more when I have time.

Anyone else see it?

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A powerful message that I think is worth listening to even if you disagree with some or all of it. I think it is quite reasonable for Christians in the West Bank to fear that they may be in the firing line as this news story shows:

https://abcdbethlehem.org/abcd-news/media-2023

ABCD=Action around Bethlehem Children with Disability

ABCD MEDIA STATEMENT 6TH JANUARY 2024​

British charity-funded health centre for children with disability ABCD Bethlehem in Nur Shams refugee camp damaged by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in major raid.​

Nur Shams Refugee Camp, south of Jenin in the West Bank was raided by the IDF on Wednesday 3 January 2024, causing considerable damage to over 50 homes and to the ABCD-funded centre for children with disability. The charity’s project manager, Firas Sarhan was able to call Nehayah, the Centre’s Manager to speak to her to provide a live interpretation of her update on the horrendous destruction that has taken place over a 40-hour raid of the Camp.

‘They ransacked the building, destroying equipment, damaging all the rooms including the new sensory room,’ Nehayah reported today. Essential paperwork for the 250 children who receive treatment at the centre was also destroyed, with IDF also taking food and winter clothing for children, the ink from the printer and throwing walking frames, mattresses and beds out on the street. Windows were peppered with shots and, although snipers took positions on the building’s rooftops, fortunately no one was injured. Nehayah’s house was also searched and partly destroyed. She continues; ‘Thank God no one was injured at the Centre. There is no fresh food and nowhere for people to go,’ she added. ‘I helped to build the Centre from zero, my own soul has been broken.’

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Although according to the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, it seems that Lebanon might be next.

Israeli defense minister to WSJ: Hezbollah knows 'we can copy-paste [Gaza] to Beirut'

Our eyes are what we use to see things physically. But the word “eye” can also be used more figuratively to mean to judge, watch, observe, discern, and perceive. And this has to do with wisdom (or lack thereof) and good sense (or not). And both the literal and the figurative meaning of the word “eye” can be in combination together, too. For we need to be people of good judgment who discern rightly as to what we should be watching and not watching. And both can impact our spiritual health.

For example, sexual immorality is running rampant in today’s modern gatherings of what is called “church.” And much of that is centered in so many people’s addiction to sexually explicit and/or sexually charged and seductive videos, movies, cartoons, or still pictures. Especially with the creation of smartphones, many people, including children, have 24/7 private access to a whole world of evil on these pocket size devices in the privacy of a corner of a room, even a crowded room.

But this isn’t just about sexual immorality, although that is huge. This has to do with us using good judgment and discernment about all things in life, such as in decisions we make, and the people we choose to hang out with, and the activities we involve ourselves in, and how we spend our time, etc. Do we have good sound and biblical judgment and discernment? Or is our judgment bad? Do we guard our hearts and minds and eyes and ears from what is evil? Or do we “play with fire”?

Now if our judgments (discernments) and viewing are contrary to the will of God for our lives and in the category of what the Bible teaches is evil and sinful, then our eyes are bad. We have bad judgments and sense and discernment, plus what we are viewing is bad and spiritually unhealthy. And since we live in a world and age of technology where viewing and listening to music, stories, teachings, and all that is entertainment is available around the clock, and in much privacy, there is much temptation toward evil.

And so if we are going to use these electronic devices, we need to be people of integrity and uprightness who exercise much self-discipline in making sure that what we are taking in and how we are spending our time is not against the Lord and against his word and is not what is sinful and wicked. But this isn’t just about technology, but this covers all aspects of our lives in how we live them and in our attitudes and words and actions, and in how we treat other human beings, too, and how we treat God.

And what is light? It is Jesus Christ, it is the word of God, it is truth, and it is righteousness and holiness. So if we have healthy eyes, spiritually speaking, it is because we are those whose lives are surrendered to the Lord Jesus to do his will, and we are obeying his commands, in practice, and we are following him in his ways, and sin is not our practice, and we don’t “play with fire” and “test fate.” So we are full of Christ and his righteousness and holiness and truth, and his word is being lived out in our daily lives.

But if our eyes are bad, that means that we are walking in the ways of the flesh and not in the ways of God. We are living in sin and for self and for self-pleasure and not for the will and purpose of God for our lives. So then our lives are filled up with all that is evil and of this sinful world and of the flesh and not of God. Thus, our truth is not the light of God and of his gospel message, but our truth is of the evil one. It is all that is deceiving because it gets so many people to follow its ways instead of the ways of God.

But the sad reality of this is that so many people who are walking in sin and who deliberately and habitually sin against the Lord, and against other humans, even against those they are supposed to love, they are those who profess Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives. So the light that they think they have within them is really darkness, because they are walking in the darkness and not in the light of the word of God, and not in walks of obedience to the Lord and to his commands. And that is a sad reality!

But so many of them think that they can do both – live in sin and still have Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But we cannot serve two masters. We can’t have Jesus in our pockets, expecting him to always be there for us, and that he will send us to heaven when we die, but while we ignore him and his teachings in favor of going our own way and living however we want. It is either/or, not both. Either we are walking according to the flesh or we are walking according to the Spirit, but we cannot do both.

So, it all comes down to where are hearts are. What is stored up in our hearts? What are our practices? For what we practice is who we are and what we will do and where we will end up. For if sin is our practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, then we are not in fellowship with God, we do not know God, we are not born of God, and we will not have eternal life with God unless we repent, in truth, and we turn, and we now follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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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Here in America today we are expecting a huge storm on the east coast, where I live. They are predicting winds as high as 50 mph in some locations, massive rain and flooding, power outages, and the possibility of tornadoes. When these types of things take place, wherever they take place, or when, they have the potential of destroying much in the way of people’s homes and properties and possessions. So there is always a possibility that some of us could face some loss of property and possessions and human lives.

So, this is one of the reasons that we are not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth, not that having possessions or property is wrong, for we all need a place to live and food to eat and clothing to wear, but that these things are not to be our treasures, the things that we cling to and live for, and that we give our hearts, minds, and souls to. We have to be of the mindset that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, so blessed be the name of the Lord. We have to be willing to leave it all behind us.

For the things of this earth cannot be more important to us than our relationships with our Lord and our testimonies for him and us loving the people of this earth and us sharing with them the truth of the gospel. When the things of this world overtake our lives and we forget the reason that Jesus died for us on the cross, and the reason he saved us from our sins, and so we begin to make things our gods, instead of God being our only God, then we have forsaken our Lord and the purpose he has for us.

So, sometimes God does send storms as a way of rearranging our priorities. And I am not making any predictions here at all. I am just stating the obvious and what the Scriptures teach, that God does send trials and tribulations into our lives to discipline us, sometimes to chastise us, and so that we will rearrange our priorities to make him first place in our lives and not the treasures of this world. And in America so many professing Christians are so worldly and need to turn their hearts back to Jesus.

And I am not saying that only certain people need this rearranging of priorities. Perhaps we all do to some extent, because when things are comfortable and going well it is easy for any of us to slip back into worldly mindsets and to get comfortable with having things, and then for us to not make our Lord and his word and his calling on our lives top priority. But when things are taken away from us and we have less, that can often lead us to look to God and to rely on him more, so less can be a good thing.

So, the things of this world are not to be our gods. Our hearts are not to be given over to them, especially at the neglect of our relationships with the Lord Jesus and his calling on each of our lives. But we are to be those who are laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven. And this has to do with our walks of faith and obedience to our Lord in holy living. And this has to do with us doing the will of the Lord in sharing his gospel with the people of the world and with us encouraging the body of Christ in holy living, too.

For what is stored up in our hearts is what is going to come out in the things that we do and say. It will come out in what we make our priorities. It will be obvious in our attitudes and in what we value the most, and in our actions. And it will be evident in how we spend our time and in what we spend our time on the most. And it will be clear in the kinds of things that we post on the internet and on social media and in the things that we like to watch and listen to the most. And it will impact how we treat other people, too.

But what is most concerning here is that we must realize that if the treasure stored up in our hearts is worldly and sinful and selfish and self-centered, and if it is mostly about what we want out of life, and what pleases us, and thus it is not God-centered, and he does not have top priority in our lives, then we will lose a whole lot more than just homes and possessions, but we will lose our lives for eternity, too, because we made the things of this world our gods instead of making God our only God.

So, the encouragement here is that we all need to examine our lives and how we are living them and look closely at what has our hearts and minds and passions and desires and time the most. And then we need to make the necessary adjustments to where our Lord is truly our top priority, and to where our lives are now surrendered to him, to do his will, and to where his priorities now become our priorities, and the things of this world are no longer the leading influences in our lives.

And then we need to walk with the Lord day by day, dying daily to sin, denying self, and following him in obedience wherever he leads us to go and to do. His desires must now become our desires, and his will must become our will, which is to do his will in daily practice. For this is what it means if he is truly Lord of our lives. And Jesus died on that cross so that we will die to sin daily and walk with him daily in holiness and righteousness and no longer in sin. So surrender your lives today to the will of God for your lives.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 10:23-31; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907
Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!

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As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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