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

Acknowledging Christ Before People

“In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.’” (Luke 12:1-3 ESV)

The Pharisees were learned people. Many of them were teachers of the Scriptures. But many of them were spiritual predators who fed off others. They were false teachers. And they were the impure, the wicked, and the unholy, but while they made an outward appearance of righteousness and goodness. For they were fakes and phonies who pretended all goodness on the outside while on the inside they were full of evil. They had heads full of knowledge but they did not put that good knowledge into practice.

Now we have many of these people in the gatherings of what is called “church” today. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing who appear righteous on the outside but who are not who they appear to be. Many of them are smooth talkers, charmers, and manipulators, who know how to smooth-talk people into believing their lies and who prey upon the unlearned and the naïve. They oppose the truth of the gospel and, instead, they teach an altered gospel created in the minds of human beings to lead people astray.

So, if you are someone who is following the Lord with your life, and you are walking in his ways and in his truth and righteousness, and you are believing the truth of the Scriptures, and you are sharing what the Lord is teaching you, you may be attacked and opposed and falsely accused of what you did not do by these charlatans (Pharisees, fakes) who are teaching a diluted and altered gospel message. And they may come up against you fiercely and harshly and cruelly, and if you are not strong you may be defeated.

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:4-7 ESV)

Don’t let them take you down! Don’t let them intimidate you and make you afraid. Don’t let the opinions of other humans determine who you are and who you become. Stay the course! And I am speaking from experience here. For I got beat down so many times by so many of these Pharisees over so many years that there was a time in my life when I gave up, and I gave into the intimidation and the cruelty and the abuse, and I stepped outside of God’s protective care and I became who they wanted me to be, instead.

But thanks be to God, he did not give up on me even though I had given up on me and I had given up on him to rescue me from all the evil and all the abuse. For I let the fear of man consume me rather than the fear of the Lord. I feared man and what he could do to me more than I feared God. And I became a person I did not recognize who did things I never thought I would ever do. Please don’t ever go there! Keep trusting the Lord even when others who pretend to serve him oppose you for serving the Lord.

For, if truly we belong to the Lord, even if we are not valuable to other humans and so they stomp on our hearts and they treat us as though we are nothing and not worth their time, we can be assured that our Lord cares about us. We are valuable to him. He cares about us even when other humans don’t. So we can’t let the treatment and the opinions of other people keep us from obeying the Lord, not even those of people in positions of authority who portend righteousness but who are worldly in action.

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8-9 ESV)

This is absolutely the truth, and we need to take it seriously. Like I said, although I had once given into the intimidation and abuse, which had been going on most of my life, the Lord rescued me, not from the abuse, but from my fear of what man might do to me. He taught me that I could be strong in the strength of the Lord and I could keep moving forward in his strength and wisdom despite what other humans do to me or say to me or say about me to others. In the strength of the Lord I can move forward, by his grace.

And then he gave me a new assignment which was and is to write down what he teaches me from his word each day and to post it on the internet and then he takes it where he wants it to go. And I have no control whatsoever with regard to where these writings go or how they are being used of God in other people’s lives. I am just obeying the Lord in writing whatever he wants me to write and then he takes it where he wants it to go. And sometimes I still get opposed, but I trust him in that, too.

So the encouragement here today is for you to not let other humans determine who you are and what you do and who you become. Give all of your opponents over to the Lord and keep moving forward in obeying the Lord and in doing what he says to do and in sharing with others what he is teaching you through his word each day. For denying Christ before men is not only saying, “I don’t know him,” but it is refusing to acknowledge him and his word before other humans out of fear of what they will say or do.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 10:32-33; Matthew 15:7-9; Luke 9:26; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:15-16; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 1:3-4]

My Sheep

An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-18 NIV


My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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Could Pastors Bonnke and Kolenda in history have had so much success without welcoming the Holy Angels in the services?

Could Pastors Bonnke and Kolenda of CFAN have had so much success in their services such as in Nigeria and Burkina Faso, without welcoming the holy angels in their services?

In other churches their can be a dislike of angels.

Why did Jesus instruct a healed man to break the Sabbath?

This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.
Jer 17:21 (NIV)

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.
But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

J 5:8-11 (NIV)

"...they tried all the more to kill him [Jesus]; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God"
J 5:18 (NIV)

The carrying of the mat was not necessary for the healing or walking.
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Feeling tired

I have a lot to say, but I do not know how to say it.
Basically, I endured a lot of trauma in my life. Now I am 55 years old and sometimes life feels like too much.
I need work and financial stability. I have a wonderful husband who makes me feel loved. But I am finding it difficult to find stability in my job. It looks like that I earn enough money only when I compromise my values and who I am. I am not doing it anymore, but there is a price to pay.
There is a lot of fear in my heart about the future, I fear the uncertainty.
Old wounds hurt a lot, sometimes.
And my son. I have lost a daughter, and I am scared I will lose my son too.
Please pray for me if you have a moment.
Thank you.

US military force at 80-year low, Pentagon urges ‘national call to service’


The United States military will have the smallest force in over 80 years as it prepares for the start of 2024. The Pentagon recently informed Congress that the U.S. military faces one of its “greatest challenges” as it navigates the “difficult recruiting environment” that resulted in multiple military branches missing recruitment targets in 2023.

According to the $886 billion National Defense Authorization Bill that was passed by Congress last week and is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden, the number of active-duty U.S. troops will drop to 1,284,500 in 2024.


The Daily Mail reported that the number of active-duty troops forecasted for 2024 represents the lowest number of troops since before the United States fought in World War II in 1941.

Ashish Vazirani, the Pentagon’s acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, recently told the House Armed Services Committee that the military missed its 2023 recruitment goal by 41,000 personnel.
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Isaiah 9:1-7 (Great Message for the season, and for all time)

A look at Isaiah 9:1-7; Let's take a look at these verses and see what they are saying to us. The Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) speaks through Yeshahayu (Isaiah) and says;


The people living in darkness have seen a great light!
upon those living in the land that lies
in the shadow of death, light has dawned.

2 (3) You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice in your presence
as if rejoicing at harvest time,
the way men rejoice
when dividing up the spoil.

3 (4) For the yoke that weighed them down,
the bar across their shoulders,
and their driver’s goad
you have broken as on the day of Midyan[’s defeat].

4 (5) For all the boots of soldiers marching
and every cloak rolled in blood
is destined for burning,
fuel for the fire.

5 (6) For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us;
dominion will rest on his shoulders,
and he will be given the name
Pele-Yo‘etz El Gibbor
Avi-‘Ad Sar-Shalom
[Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God,
Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace],

6 (7) in order to extend the dominion
and perpetuate the peace
of the throne and kingdom of David,
to secure it and sustain it
through justice and righteousness
henceforth and forever.
The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot
will accomplish this. (Complete Jewish Bible)

So, what is this "Great Light?" "What is this darkness?" "What is the yoke that has been a burden and laid them (Israel) down?"

We see some symbolism here. For many years, Israel has been under different "yokes" the "Yoke" of Babylon, the "Yoke" of Persia, the Greco-Syrian yoke during the time of the Maccabees. During the time of Yeshua, Israel was under the yoke of the Eagle of Rome. Yet also, and like us, were under the "Yoke of Sin" The "darkness" being without Torah in their heart. There can be "Torah" but unless the "Torah" is inside us, as a "living entity" we are in darkness.

The yoke of sin indeed weighs us down, as the yoke of Rome was heavy on the shoulders of Israel. Yet "A great light" dawned upon Israel. They saw the "Great Light" that evening in the fields of Judeah, the angels lit up the heavens with "Good Tidings of Great Joy" and the shepherds came to the town of Beth-Lechem where the "Bread of Life" was born. It was fitting that the "Bread of Life" be born in the "House of Bread".

He was born; "Yeshua Ben Yosef" yet also "Yeshua Ben David." "The Lamb of God" yet also "The Lion of Judah". The first would come before the other. Our Messiah and LORD was born "Yeshua Ben Yosef, the Lamb of God" to teach, clarify, and intensify the teaching of the Torah as the "Wonderful Counselor" (since that is what a counselor, pastor, rabbi does). He came to heal the sick, raise the dead, and to die for our sins. "Mighty God, and Eternal Father" Our mighty God is from eternity past "Haya" and is in the present "Hoveh" and will exist in the future "Yiyah" from where we get the letters YHVH.

He is the "Prince of Peace" (Sar Shalom) who gives us internal peace when we are "born again" when we know that the "yoke of sin" has been lifted off our shoulders and has been taken by Yeshua, who "bore the burden of the curse of sin" Political and worldwide peace will come during the Second coming of Messiah Yeshua when He returns as the the "Lion of Judah" and as "Yeshua Ben David." He will sit on the throne of David. The "Government" will sit on his shoulders. Meaning He will rule planet Earth, a Millennial reign. We will all be part of that.

His rule will be for "evermore". Hard to fathom "forever" since we are infinite beings inside finite bodies, yet we will find out someday soon.
So, rejoice in the Birth of Messiah at this time of remembering. He has come and will come again as our sovereign, Our LORD, Our KING.

spurgeon

Morning:​

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." — Isaiah 7:14
Let us to-day go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in him, and can sing, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us notice at the very first glance his miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran thus, "The seed of the woman," not the offspring of the man. Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly man, was as to his human nature the Holy One of God. Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that he may be formed in us, the hope of glory. Fail not to note his humble parentage. His mother has been described simply as "a virgin," not a princess, or prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the new-born King!
Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendour.

Illustration of Job 1:5

Evening:​

"And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually." — Job 1:5
What the patriarch did early in the morning, after the family festivities, it will be well for the believer to do for himself ere he rests tonight. Amid the cheerfulness of household gatherings it is easy to slide into sinful levities, and to forget our avowed character as Christians. It ought not to be so, but so it is, that our days of feasting are very seldom days of sanctified enjoyment, but too frequently degenerate into unhallowed mirth. There is a way of joy as pure and sanctifying as though one bathed in the rivers of Eden: holy gratitude should be quite as purifying an element as grief. Alas! for our poor hearts, that facts prove that the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting. Come, believer, in what have you sinned to-day? Have you been forgetful of your high calling? Have you been even as others in idle words and loose speeches? Then confess the sin, and fly to the sacrifice. The sacrifice sanctifies. The precious blood of the Lamb slain removes the guilt, and purges away the defilement of our sins of ignorance and carelessness. This is the best ending of a Christmas-day-to wash anew in the cleansing fountain. Believer, come to this sacrifice continually; if it be so good to-night, it is good every night. To live at the altar is the privilege of the royal priesthood; to them sin, great as it is, is nevertheless no cause for despair, since they draw near yet again to the sin-atoning victim, and their conscience is purged from dead works.
Gladly I close this festive day,
Grasping the altar's hallow'd horn;
My slips and faults are washed away,
The Lamb has all my trespass borne.

Merry Christmas

This thread will probably be removed, but I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and thank you for those who have given me advice. Even though some of the advice here are things that I did not want to hear. But thank you anyways. God bless and have a great Christmas.

True Pic:Baby Jesus's dedication Temple's Menorah. The 2000 year-old Spoils from the Temple frieze(Arch of Titus) proves that Jesus is God by....

(Below is the proven image of the Menorah from the Second Temple where Jesus drove the money-changers from and was dedicated to the Lord as an infant.)
Jesus was brought to the Second Temple (its ruins are called the Temple Mount in today's Jerusalem) to be dedicated as Luke 2:21-40 says. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in AD 70, which had stood for 585 years( the First Temple of the Lord is commonly called Solomon's Temple, was destroyed by the Babylonians.)

The Roman Empire commemorated the conquering of Jerusalem and Judea by building the still-standing famous Arch of Titus in AD 81. One of the friezes(pictorial carving) on the Arch of Titus records the Roman soldiers carrying away the giant Menorah of the Temple, while the Roman legion tore down every stone of the Second Temple. This Temple is where Jesus declared to the Pharisees that he would raise the temple of his body from the grave in 3 days.-Luke 2:19

In Matthew 24:2 Jesus prophesied that all of the stones of the Second Temple will be knocked down. This was fulfilled in AD 70. Only God could have known this!

The Spoils from the Temple of Jerusalem frieze of the Arch of Titus of course proves both that the Second Temple(sometimes called Herod's Temple) actually existed and Jesus's prophecy was true. Even pastor's I know and talk to do not know these facts. These truths prove that the Bible can absolutely be trusted.

Colossians 3:16-

6 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1500 Protestant Churches closed in America in 2019 and studies show between 75-90 percent of church-going evangelical youth , leave the Christian faith. A Missouri pastor told me even adult members are leaving his church. I give further proven free 2700 year old pics of Isaiah 36:1 in the links provided, Even 1 person can have a huge impact in keeping people in Christ. Do not underestimate yourself. Yes, we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone but heaven is not a socialist paradise. Jesus greatly encouraged us to work for eternal rewards and treasures. Never has it bee easier to share evidence and edify the children/youth/pastors and your friends.

The photo below of the Spoils from the Temple of Jerusalem frieze is in Public Domain, and can be freely used in any way. This is very rare, Photos like this may be bought under limited license for 20 dollars sometimes but a sales lady from one of these online photo corps I called actually told me that my pastor could use their photo for a sermon on baby Jesus's dedication or Matthew 24:2 fulfillment- but not both. So I was fortunate to find the free to use licensed( total free of use forever and infinite sharing in pamplets, web, etc. -except you cannot sell it in any way such a postcard but you may use it in advertising to sell a product so it is a very broad license) photo below.

True Pic: Herod's grandson from 2000 years ago. 1500 Protestant churches closed in 2019 before the pandemic- Lifeway Research. Reverse it this way:
Can Stones Cry?
The Roman soldiers have placed the 7 armed Menorah of the destroyed Second Temple mentioned in the Gospels and Acts, on their shoulders.
1703524802993.png

(A great thanks to Axel Smid for taking this amazing photo in 2023 and allowing a forever free to use/share infinitely license(except to sell it in any form.)

Thank you so much for spending time for reading my post. Thanks for your replies(remember youth are peering in from the web.)

Merry Christmas/Happy Christmas 2023!
Thank you and praises to you forevermore Lord Jesus for loving the Church and I with all of your heart, soul and strength!
Thank you dear Holy Spirit for your constant care of the Church and I!
Thank you and all praise to our great Father for sending His Beloved Son to earth!
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Today is the last day for Joe Biden to keep the Apple Watch on shelves


New York CNN —
The clock is winding down on a last-minute, emergency action to keep the latest Apple Watch on store shelves.

President Joe Biden has until the end of Christmas day to overturn a US International Trade Commission ruling that will prevent Apple from selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, among other newer models, because they violate patents registered to another company. But it appears unlikely he’ll intervene.

Masimo CEO Joe Kiani told CNN he believes Apple deliberately infringed on his company’s patents. But the companies have been at loggerheads for years. In October 2022, Apple filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Masimo.




Makes me glad I sold off some Apple stock a few weeks ago when it was at 198.

Graham declares ‘war’ against NY to protect Chick-fil-A’s Sundays off



The aforementioned New York bill aims to have restaurants in state highway system rest areas operate for the entirety of the week, according to The Associated Press (AP).

However, Chick-fil-A is well known for its policy that keeps its doors closed on Sundays. The policy is intended to allow its employees to spend time with their family and “worship if they choose,” per the chain’s website.

“Look, if you want to eat fried chicken while traveling over the holidays, then Chick-fil-A should be open on Sundays,” Simone argued.



This one is a tad odd for a few reasons.
1) A federal senator being overly interested in a state-level bill in another state
2) A NY state democrat forcing Chick-fil-a to increase their profit potential by 14% at some of their locations by being open for that extra day (Democrats and Chick-fil-a haven't always seen eye to eye on things)

While it's clear that Graham is using this as a means to virtue signal...(no shocker there)

I wonder if there's some ulterior motives happening with regards to this one on Simone's part as well...perhaps it's not so much because "he wants New Yorkers to have the Chick-fil-a option on a Sunday" as much as it is "We want the ability to deny Chick-fil-a any new State Thruway contracts for other reasons"

It should be noted that Rep. Tony Simone is the first openly gay NY Assembly member, representing the Chelsea District, and is a member of several LGBTQ+ orgs...and some of Chick-fil-a's past stances and donations have been a point of contention with both progressives and the gay community.

It'd be sort of like if a legislator (with a track record of advocating for mandatory coverage for birth control by employers), out of the blue, suddenly said "We want to demand that Hobby Lobby remain open on Sundays...y'know, because we just want people to have a variety of retail shopping options"
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Should women be preachers in church?

I hear that some say women are not suppose to preach. But looking at 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 KJV, the verses are talking to married men, and says let “Your” women.
34 “Let “your” women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
34 “And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

The reason for this relates to this verses, which explains the law Paul is referring to under a marriage covenant:
1 Corinthians 7:39 KJV
The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth…..
1 Corinthians 11:3 KJV
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

I don’t see scriptures saying an unmarried woman cannot preach. If a woman is not married, she has no man over her, therefore if she chooses to preach, there is no marriage covenant to break.

Hi, my brethren, I am Jude, inventor of Trinitarian Science, the pure Science about God.

The Lord God has given us Christians a major victory over atheism, agnosticism, atheistic evolution, and the like. Over the centuries, we have struggled with the scientific Theology of God, hopelessly, yet without much success.
I introduce here a red-hot Science. That is Trinitarian Science, the pure Science about God the Holy Trinity in ten subjects. There are massive facts about God with overwhelming banks of evidence discovered in the building blocks of creation like the Atom (Chemistry), DNA (Biology), Solar System (Physics), Family Unit (Sociology), and the Human Spirit (Art).
Knowing God in concrete ways has never been so beautiful. Do you know that everything you can see and touch carries the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity in their lives, states, functions, and operations? All the building blocks carry the Doctrine embedded and used in constructing them. They mimic the Holy Trinity. These are God's massive facts and amazing banks of evidence as well as the signature of the definite creation of the universe. Everything, so long as it is made up of the Atom or DNA, is God's own.
Science about God, again, opens us to the deep mysteries and Divine secrets hidden in nature. How does Science help us resolve many of our Christian questions and disputes? According to Science, is the Holy Trinity indeed One God or "Three Gods"? Is the Holy Spirit God? Does He proceed from the Father and the Son? Is Jesus Christ fully God and fully man? Are the three Divine Persons co-equal? How does Science respond to the decrees of many disputed Ecumenical Councils of the Church in the past? Science has answers too and more...
I did intensive and extensive research in Trinitarian covering twelve years (2010-2022). Indeed, God exists, scientifically, factually, and rationally. Trinitarian Science is Science about God the Holy Trinity. It is elementary, simple, and easy to understand.
Atheism is in the grip of large populations above 50% in some countries in Europe and Asia. But, holders of atheism usually say, "Unless Science proves it?" So, there is big hope. It is now left for us Christians to do our work; that is, evangelize with facts about God.
Work begins immediately. A series of posts for now will follow, to dissect the Atom, or firstly use the Atom Table as the summary of the Atomic structure to derive the Divine Life Table to show the Divinity of the Holy Trinity and the Mission Activity of the Divine Persons as the summary of God's Life. Both Tables are similar, if not the same.
Merry Christmas my Brethren!

Genesis 1:26 and the Divine Council

For centuries people have pondered the question: who is "us" and "our" in Genesis 1:26;

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:26‭-‬27‬
[26] Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” [27] So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Many have argued that it is the Trinity. But here, I will explain that it is actually God speaking to His heavenly host.

Supporting scripture for review:

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82:1‬ ‭
[1] God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
[6] I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; [7] nevertheless, you shall die like mortals and fall like any prince.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:5‭-‬7‬ ‭
[5] Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones. [6] For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, [7] a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and awesome above all who are around him?

‭‭1 King‬ ‭22:19‭-‬23‬ ‭
[19] Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing beside him to the right and to the left of him. [20] And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ Then one said one thing, and another said another, [21] until a certain spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ [22] ‘How?’ the Lord asked him. He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do it.’ [23] So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭
[6] One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and satan also came among them.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6:1‭-‬3‬ ‭
[1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. [2] Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. [3] And one called to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The old testament is filled with angelic beings that are present in God's throne room. And these angelic beings serve as a divine council. A heavenly family that partakes in worldly matters at the command of God.

The Bible even tells us that they were present at God's laying of the foundations of the earth:

‭‭Job‬ ‭38:4‬ ‭
[4] “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
[7] when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

They were present when mankind was created.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭11:4‭-‬7‬ ‭
[4] Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” [5] The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. [6] And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. [7] Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

Here in Genesis, God says "look, they are one people, let us go down and confuse their language".

God is not informing the holy Spirit to "look" to see things that perhaps the holy spirit does not yet see. Nor is God instructing or informing the pre-embodied Jesus to pay attention and to look either.

God, when He says "let us go down", He's speaking to His heavenly host.

In Genesis, when God speaks in the plural, He's speaking to His heavenly host.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:26‭-‬27‬ ‭
[26] Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” [27] So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:22‬ ‭
[22] Then the Lord God said, “See, the humans have become like one of us, knowing good and evil, and now they might reach out their hands and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”—

It's not God talking to himself, informing or instructing himself to look and to do things. As if the other members of the Trinity weren't paying attention and God needed to tell himself to look at something.

It's just God speaking to His heavenly host.

Here is an expanded lecture on the topic by Dr. Michael Heiser.
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Seek first the kingdom of God?

My pastor uses this verse frequently to persuade the congregation to contribute more to the church: 'Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.'

However, from a rational perspective, it doesn't resonate with me. My ten years of experience in the church have shown me some negative aspects. I have had to lower my expectations in accordance with the reality that the church is akin to a small society. No one is perfect; most people are selfish. While there may be a slightly higher moral standard and a bit of love, we are still human.

Returning to the verse, if I choose to pursue specialization in my profession, I need to limit my time for church and attend only once a week. Yet, there is social pressure from members say it's better to prioritize the church. I have this in my head: Will the members pay my rent or cover my living expenses? Ya I know there are some leader who brag about their giving up. "If I go with my own way to become an engineer then I wouldn't become a pastor today"

What? you make all the engineers feel unworthy. That's your personal choice, shouldn't be a testimonial how much you give up for God.

I have started depending on myself, as I find it the most practical way. The world owes you nothing. Additionally, in matters of finding a life partner, do you think a female believer would choose someone who reads the Bible every day but has low socioeconomic status, or would she prefer someone with better finances? I witnessed a young church leader choosing a good-looking girl, and his preaching on love left me feeling uneasy. There seems to be competition and social signaling even among church leaders.

special devotions

Please uphold my dear daughter sherry and Wife Helen in your prayers

Parable of the Fishless Fishermen
渔夫无鱼的寓言


(author unknown) 作者不详

Now it came to pass that a group existed who
called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were
many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the
whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes
filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.
现在,有一群人自称渔民,他们周边的水里到处都是鱼。实际上,该 地区到处都是渔产丰富的溪流和湖泊。鱼也很饿了。

Year after year these who called themselves
fishermen met in meetings and talked about their
call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they
might go about fishing.
年复一年,这群自称渔民的人聚在一起讨论他们是如何得到捕鱼的召唤,鱼又是如何地丰裕, 他们又该如何去捕鱼。


Continually they searched for new and better
definitions of fishing. They sponsored costly
nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss
fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all
the ways of fishing.
他们不停地寻找新的和更好的关于捕鱼的定义。 他们花钱赞助全国的乃至世界级的会议来讨论捕鱼以及提高捕鱼水平并听取各种捕鱼的方法。

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings
called "Fishing Headquarters." The plea was that
everyone should be a fisherman and every
fisherman should fish. One thing they didn't do,
however; they didn't fish.
这些渔民建立了巨大的,漂亮的建筑,这些建筑被称为“捕鱼总部”。 愿望就是让所有人都成为渔民以及让所有的渔民都捕鱼。然而, 他们唯一不做的就是捕鱼。

They organized a board to send out fishermen to
where there were many fish. The board was
formed by those who had the great vision and
courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing,
and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away
streams and lakes where many other fish of
different colors lived.
他们组织了一个队伍,将渔民送到有很多鱼的地方。 这个队伍拥有远大前景和勇气来谈论捕鱼,他们 定义捕鱼以及提升捕 鱼的观念,并且要去远方那些有各种不同颜色的鱼居住的溪流和湖泊去捕 鱼。

Also the board hired staffs and appointed
committees and held many meetings to define
fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new
streams should be thought about. But the staff
and committee members did not fish.
这个队伍雇佣了员工以及任命了委员会并举行了很多会议来定义捕鱼 ,保护渔业以及决定应该考虑哪条新的溪流。 但是这些员工和委员会并不捕鱼。

Expensive training centers were built to teach
fishermen how to fish. Those who taught had
doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not
fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year,
graduates were sent to do full-time fishing, some
to distant waters filled with fish.
培训渔民捕鱼的昂贵的培训中心建起来了, 那些教授的人拥有捕鱼学的博士学位,但是这些老师也不捕鱼。 他们仅仅教授捕鱼。年复一年,毕业生们被送去做全职捕鱼人, 有一些还被送去遥远的满是鱼的水域。

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses
to publish fishing guides. A speaker's bureau was
also provided to schedule special speakers on the
subject of fishing.
后来,渔民们还成立了大型出版社,以发行捕鱼手册。他们还拥有一个办公室来安排在捕鱼科目上的各项专题演讲会。

Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded,
and were sent to fish. But like the fishermen back
home, they never fished.
许多受到号召成为渔民的人做出了回应,被送去捕鱼。 但是像返家的渔民一样,他们也从来不捕鱼。

Some also said they wanted to be part of the
fishing party, but they felt called to furnish fishing
equipment. Others felt their job was to relate to
the fish in a good way so the fish would know the
difference between good and bad fishermen.
有些人也说他们想成为捕鱼党的一员, 但是他们被要求装配捕鱼设备。 其他的人的工作就是在好的方面和鱼接上关系,这样鱼可以知道好渔民和坏渔民的区别。

After one stirring meeting on "The Necessity for
Fishing," a young fellow left the meeting and went
fishing. The next day he reported he had caught
two outstanding fish. He was honored for his
excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big
meetings possible to tell how he did it.
在一场激动人心的“捕鱼的必要性”会议后, 一个年轻的成员离开了会议去捕鱼。 第二天他报告说捕获了两条特别的鱼。他因这优秀的收获而受赞誉, 被安排去参加大型会议,有可能的话还要发言告诉大家他是怎样做到的。

So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell
about the experience to the other fishermen. He
was also placed on the Fishermen's General Board
as a person having considerable experience.
为了有时间对其他渔民宣讲他捕鱼的经验,他放弃了捕鱼。 作为一个有大量(捕鱼)经验的人,他也被任命为捕鱼委员会的一员。

Now it's true that many of the fishermen sacrificed
and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some
lived near the water and bore the smell of dead
fish every day. They received the ridicule of some
who made fun of their fishermen's clubs and the
fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never
fished.
的确,现在许多渔民奉献了自己,忍受着所有的困难。 有些渔民居住在水边,每天被死鱼的味道所烦忧。 他们总是听到一些来自捕鱼俱乐部的荒唐事, 事实上那些在俱乐部里宣称自己是渔民的人们也从来不捕鱼。

They wondered about those who felt it was of
little use to attend the weekly meetings to talk
about fishing. After all, were they not following
the Master who said, "Follow me, and I will make
you fishers of men?
他们觉得参加每周一次讨论捕鱼的会议并没有多大用处。难道,他们不是在跟从说过“来跟从我,我要使你成为得人的渔夫” 的那位吗?

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a
person suggested that those who didn't catch fish
were really not fishermen, no matter how much
they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a
person a fisherman if year after year he never
catches a fish?
试想一下, 当某个人指出那些口口声声捕鱼却没有实际行动的人们并不是渔民的时候,那些人们会多伤心啊。然而,这听起来一点也没有错。年复一年从来没有捕鱼的人怎么会是渔民吗?



Radiation Rescuers

核辐射救援队

It wasn't just another news story. It was loaded with so many layers of tragedy. It was one of the worst I'd ever seen. Maybe you remember several years ago when Japan had a massage earthquake and then a massive tsunami, and then the nuclear emergency. Now, those kinds of things tend to disappear from the front page. But I'll tell you what, this particular situation, well, it's had lasting effects for a long, long time. 这不仅仅是一个新闻故事。它承载着如此多层的悲剧。这是我见过的最严重的一次。也许你还记得几年前,日本发生了一次大地震,然后是大海啸,然后是核辐射。现在,这类事情往往会从头版消失。但我要告诉你,这种特殊情况,会产生持续的影响,持续很长很长时间。

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word with You today about "Radiation Rescuers."

我是罗恩·哈钦克拉夫特,今天我想和大家谈谈“辐射救援人员”。

You know, that shames me when I think of the times, I've "chickened out" on my life-saving assignment because I was afraid of something bad that might happen to me. My life-saving assignment is to go in and tell other people about the Jesus who is their only hope for eternity. "Oh, but you know, I'm afraid they might not like me as much." "I might goof it up." "Maybe they'd write me off as a Jesus-freak." No. No. No, there's no danger of me losing my life, but I might lose a little personal ground. You know?"

你知道吗,当我回想起那些时候,我在拯救生命的任务上退缩了,因为我害怕不好的事情会发生在我身上。我的拯救生命的任务是走进去,告诉别人耶稣是他们唯一的永生希望。“哦,但是你知道,我担心他们可能不那么喜欢我了。”“我可能会搞砸的。”“也许他们会把我当成一个信耶稣的怪胎。”不。不。不,我没有失去生命的危险,但我可能会失去一点个人立场。你知道吗?”

I'm thinking about a visit I had to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial a few years ago. I was privileged to go there with a police officer who had been one of the first responders on that awful day where so many people died as that building was detonated early that morning. My friend told me about how he was one of the rescuers that ran into that building. And when they did, they knew that they were the only hope for some trapped survivors.

我在想几年前我去俄克拉荷马城爆炸案纪念馆的经历。我很荣幸能和一名警官一起去那里,在那可怕的一天,当那栋大楼在清晨被爆炸袭击时,许多人死亡,那名警官是第一批应急人员之一。我的朋友告诉我他的事情,他是跑进那栋大楼的救援人员之一。当他们这么做的时候,他们知道他们是一些被困的幸存者唯一的希望。

But I've got to tell you, they weren't without fear. As they looked at the structure above them, as my friend did, he could hear it creaking and he started thinking, "Man, this thing could come down on top of us at any moment." And so, he said to his chief, "I think we're going to die here." And his chief replied, "Then it's a good day to die, and a good way to die."

但我得告诉你,他们并非毫无畏惧。当他们看着上面的建筑时,就像我的朋友一样,他能听到它在吱吱作响,他开始想,“天哪,这东西随时都可能落到我们头上。”于是,他对他的首领说:“我想我们会死在这里的。”他的首领回答说:“那么(对于救援)这是死的好日子,也是个好方式。”

You know, I drove away that day with a new sense of what it means to be a rescuer of lives that are in the balance. In one word - self-abandonment. Like some quiet heroes who were willing to go into that nuclear plant that was broken, and abandon themselves so other people could live. Or like the September 11 rescuers at Ground Zero, charging into the rubble of those fallen towers, knowing they might never come out alive. And, above all, like the only Son of God, abandoning all the glory of heaven for the blood and the brutality of a cross for me so I could live.

你知道吗,那天我开车离开的时候对拯救生命的意义有了新的认识。一句话——不顾自己。就像一些沉默的英雄,他们愿意进入那个被破坏的核电站,为了让其他人活下去而不顾自己。或者就像911事件的救援人员,冲进倒塌的双子塔的瓦石堆,知道他们可能永远无法活着出来。更重要的是,就像上帝的独生子一样,为了我能得拯救,流鲜血和忍受十字架的残忍 而放弃天堂的所有荣耀。

And here am I - and so are many of my fellow Jesus-followers - too often wimping out on delivering the only message that can save people we care about from an unthinkable eternity.

在这里,我——以及和我一样的许多耶稣的跟随者——常常在传递独一的福音时 畏缩不前,而这福音可以将我们关心的人从不可想象的永恒中得拯救。

Now, our word for today from the word of God. It's in Proverbs 24:11. It commands us to "rescue those being led away to death." Jude 23 from the New Testament says, "snatch others from the fire". Boy, that's a rescue verse. "Snatch others from the fire and save them." You see what those have in common? Those are life-or-death images, which give all those who belong to the Rescuer (which would be you and me, fellow believer) a life-saving responsibility. Not just to witness, not just to tell them our beliefs; this is rescue. This is life or death.

现在,我们今天的分享来自上帝的话语。在箴言24:11。要求我们“拯救(那些)被带往死地的人”。新约犹大书23章说,“从火中夺人出来”。天啊,这是拯救的诗句。你们要从火中抢人,搭救他们。你看到它们的共同点了吗?这些是生死攸关的画面,给了所有属于救助者的人(也就是你和我,信徒)一个拯救生命的责任。不只是见证,不只是告诉他们我们的信仰;这是拯救。这事关生死

There's something to be more afraid of all right. But something to be more afraid of than what will happen to us if we tell lost people about Jesus. What we are to be afraid of is what will happen to them if we don't.

还有更可怕的东西。但我们更害怕的是:如果我们把耶稣的事告诉迷失的人,会发生什么。但我们应该担心的是如果我们不这么做,他们会怎么样。

Copyright ?0?8 Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.





2Ch 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.


“我那称为我名下的百姓,若自卑,祷告,寻求我的面,回头离开他们的恶道,我就从天上垂听,赦免他们的罪,医治他们的地。”




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神真的與我們同在嗎?

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三一基督教長老會

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Divine Grace vs. Human Pride

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The GraceLife Pulpit





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Should I talk to my family members about these problems?

Hi,
I'm seeking advice on whether I should talk to my family members about some issues that have been bothering me for a while. I hope this post is not too long. The first problem involves my father's family. A few years ago, I allowed two very toxic relationships into my life - one was a friendship and one was someone I was romantically involved with. Fast forward to the present and both of those relationships ended badly with both of those individuals now working together to try and ruin my life. In the process of trying to isolate me, they got in touch with my father's family who I already had a strained relationship with (although at the time I didn't know just how much of a problem my father's family still had with me; I honestly thought every problem we'd had was behind us) behind my back, which they were able to do because I had introduced the friend to them thinking that this person was my best friend and like a sister to me and so I started introducing this person to my family, and they started using my father's family to spread rumors about me, bully me, keep track of what was happening in my life even though they were no longer in it and harass me.

It took a long time for me to figure out that they had done this because no one outrightly told me, but over the years they (my father's family members and those two individuals) would do psychologically weird and abusive things to try and hint at what they were all doing behind my back plus I had my suspicions that something like that might happen once I realized how dangerous the ex-friend and ex-partner were. Once I was certain of what was going on, I cut off my father's family and stopped interacting with them. But I didn't tell my father about any of this. I just distanced myself from them and only interacted with them if I didn't have a choice. My father has noticed how my relationship with them has changed but has never addressed it. Once his family realized that I was distancing myself, their behavior toward me got worse - maybe out of guilt or fear that I would tell my father what they had done. They started doing more overt things to bully me and make me fearful, still behind my dad's back or in ways where he wouldn't catch on to what they were doing but I would. Throughout all this, I just keep thinking, if I would just tell my dad what's going on, this will stop because I really believe part of why they have continued to do things to try and harm me is because they knew that I would be afraid to talk to my dad about it and ask him to get involved for a number of reasons.

The problem is that my dad and I, even though we are kind of close, don't have the kind of relationship where I can just tell him about things like this. Since I was young, my dad has always had a temper. If he even suspected someone was messing with me, he would blow up. I have always tried to prevent that so there are a lot of things I have kept from him throughout my life. Also, there are some things that have caused our relationship to become strained as I have gotten older and he doesn't know about my relationship with the person that I was romantically involved with. If I told him about what has been going on with his family, he will more than likely find out about it and I don't know how he would react. I also don't want him to get upset and then cope in an unhealthy way like with drinking as he sometimes has trouble processing negative emotions or situations in healthy ways. Also, I don't have physical evidence of the fact that his family is working with my ex-friend and ex-partner to harm me - 1) because they have been strategic about not doing things that might give me the opportunity to really document their behavior against me and the fact that they are all working together and 2) because any evidence that I did have, I deleted out of fear years ago when all this first started and I was dealing with intense anxiety and mental illness due to their actions toward me. If I tell him about all this, it will be so easy for them to just lie and say that *I'm* lying and then there won't be anything that I can do to prove that I'm telling the truth.

The second problem involves my sister's husband. For whatever reason, since I met him years ago, he hasn't liked me. Over the years, he has done many things to try to make my life difficult and there is one specific thing that he has been doing recently that has really gotten to me. Usually, I try and ignore the things that he does and I don't talk to my sister (his wife) about them because I don't want to cause any problems. But I am considering sitting her down and just having a calm conversation with her about how his behavior recently has affected me because I'm so tired of it. Talking to him about it is not an option because he's too hostile toward me and what he has been doing recently has also involved her in a way. She already knows that we had problems before so she probably won't be surprised but I also don't want to cause her any stress.

I was trying to ignore these problems and praying that God would just resolve them but recently I have been feeling that I need to stop being so afraid of confrontation and address certain things in my life. Also, in the past few months, these issues have started to overwhelm me more and more because they've gone on for so long and I am so tired of them and just want to be free of them. I feel like I'm losing any ability I had before to just take them in silence.

Between both problems, it's more likely that talking to my sister about the problem with my brother-in-law will be the easier and less intense problem to deal with (at least I think so). But the issue with my father's family could cause a lot of drama and even stress on me and my family as a whole. I'm not sure what to do.

Am I just overthinking? Should I just ignore all of this and focus on other things?
  • Prayers
Reactions: OldAbramBrown

12-20-2023

‭Psalm‬ ‭118:24‬ ‭KJV‬
[24] This is the day which the LORD hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

I have faith I will rejoice and be glad today and many more.

‭Isaiah‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭KJV‬
[14] Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Jesus is the way the truth and the life.

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭KJV‬
[8] And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

I wear men clothes only and I recieve the ordainment of God from being a private example because of covetousness recieve many days of increase and more forever.

‭1 John‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭KJV‬
[11] And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Answer:
‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭KJV‬
[23] For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

I am thankful for the free gift from God and accept eternal life by faith.

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