Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54 KJV

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This is the way the scriptures say it shall be, a single event, a sudden event, not an invisible presence, nor a additional dispensation; just the sounding of the trumpet of God and the change of the corrupt into incorruptible for the faithful.

The Church's life is pastoral, her priests, her bishops, pastor the faithful, like YHWH promised to pastor his people like a shepherd leads his flock.

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Of course, it is not the Catholic Church on earth alone that shepherds the flock; Protestant pastors seek to do the same, as do elders in those denominations that do not have a paid ministry. It is a calling in the context of each body of Christians. As saint Paul wrote. "And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors: For the perfecting of the saints, for the word of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Until we all meet into the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ: That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive."

In the inner life of the Church are those whom the Lord calls to pastor the church, to gently lead, to teach, and to protect.

Something I’ve been confused about, it seems Jesus is here to save us from God? He is the only one who can send ppl to hell. I don’t get it. Or is it the devil? But God can control the devil? Help me make sense of this. Please.

Please pray for my family's health. I don't really want to go into detail but I feel so worried about my family's health. I would like those who are strong in faith to God and His Holy Son, who's identity is the Messiah, King of the Jews, to please request the healing my family and myself.

Thank you.

In ordinary terms, using the ordinary meaning of the words, but with a slight spiritual twist, the Church is mother of all who come to faith because it is through the Church that the gospel is preached and people come to new birth through her work and inside her as they are fed from the scriptures and the liturgy and the holy Eucharist. Protestant pastors and churches do the same, they evangelise, they nurture in the faith, according to their tradition, and guide the faithful to become evangelists in the world.

Michael Servetus - Burned alive October 27, 1553
John Calvin - Painful death May 27, 1564 at the age of 54

In time, with the authority of the Geneva city council, John Calvin would become the religious dictator of Protestant Geneva beginning around 1537. Fifty-eight people were executed during the first five years of Calvin’s rule, and seventy-six exiled. Most notorious was the case of Michael Servetus, the scientist and theologian with whom Calvin had corresponded earlier but disagreed on religious dogma. On John Calvin toasting Michael Servetus....

"Neither God nor his Spirit have counselled such an action. Christ did not treat those who negated him that way." - Italian poet Camillo Renato on the Servetus execution
"To kill a man is not to protect a doctrine, but it is to kill a man." - French humanist Sébastien Chateillon on the Servetus execution
"I consider it a serious matter to kill men because they are in error on some question of scriptural interpretation, when we know that even the elect ones may be led astray into error." - Michael Servetus

In which John Calvin counters... "Whoever shall maintain that wrong is done to heretics and blasphemers in punishing them makes himself an accomplice in their crime and guilty as they are. There is no question here of man's authority; it is God who speaks, and clear it is what law he will have kept in the church, even to the end of the world. Wherefore does he demand of us a so extreme severity, if not to show us that due honor is not paid him, so long as we set not his service above every human consideration, so that we spare not kin, nor blood of any, and forget all humanity when the matter is to combat for His glory." - John Calvin

It seemed like Calvin himself would pay for such criminal deeds in this life (not to mention what awaits him in eternity) as his health receded in his fifties. John Calvin would develop kidney stones, hemorrhoids, infections, discharging purulent urine and suffered from painful renal colic. He also had painful gout, and sometimes had to preach sitting down. He was always constipated, took aloes “in an immoderate degree,” and required frequent enemas. His spleen was enlarged. He had periodic facial pain, possibly trigeminal neuralgia. He suffered from heartburn and indigestion, roundworm infestation (Ascaris), migraines, nervous dyspepsia, chronic insomnia, and recurrent hemoptyses.

Fatally ill, and with blood flowing from his mouth, the 54 year-old pastor-theologian was carried to Saint Pierre in a chair. At the age of 54 he died, probably from tuberculosis, although some authorities have considered subacute bacterial endocarditis. This same month he wrote of his tribulations to the doctors of Montpellier:

"But at that time [20 years ago] I was not attacked by gout, knew nothing of the stone or the gravel, was not tormented with the gripings of colic nor afflicted with piles nor threatened with haemorrhages. At present all these enemies charge me like troops. As soon as I recovered from a quartan fever, I was taken with severe and acute pains in my calves, which, after being partly relieved, returned a second and then third time. At last they turned into a disease of the joints, which spread from my feet to my knees. An ulcer in the haemorrhoid veins long tortured me ..." - John Calvin

In which I would wish a good riddance! We ought not develop complicated doctrine and have folks put to death for disagreeing with us. As the scripture says...

13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. - James 3

The first man, was in Africa, they lived in tribes, or as natives then, but man has a slightly capricious nature, they sin, so they were not satisfied with having everything, having the best that nature can offer, so they started to spread out, migrate to different parts of the world, all of them were black, and they first migrated to a place called Tanna, Vanuatu, what is now the Yakel village, they are still black and live as nature intended, nurturing the ties of each other and nature and the animals around them, they eat root vegetables, eggs, chicken, wild boar, yes whatever is around them, the wild boars are tame too, so it's just a small wound in the throat so they pass out and bleed to death, no pain, the meat from the wild boar is, some would say, around ten times better than the pig then, the pig is a result of us living in society instead, it eats everything like the wild boar, but has lost its fur, now the Yakel village is not perfect, they have started walking around with knives, and do not accept strangers who want to live there, but they still nurture bonds with each other and the nature and animals around them, and they dance and sing and clap their hands, not all of them are singers from nature, it depends a bit on the intelligence, if it is high enough then only the others do it,

man has always been a separate species, they do not come from monkeys, and the reason is quite simple then, we cannot mate with them since they are animals, and if a human child were suddenly born in a group of monkeys, it would probably get killed, we have a lot in common with animals, but that's only because it's logical design, we have similar traits because it's logical to have these traits, but what makes us human perhaps the most then, is intelligence, and then we became whiter and whiter in skin due to the fact that we live further north with less light and more in cabins (houses), man has never been able to settle down since they migrated from Africa, so there have been constant wars and new trends and societies until now, and religions, they seek a home but never quite find it, Jesus tried to make them feel better by forgiving them of their sins by dying for them, but they still feel rootless to a certain extent degree, now we are exploring space, so you can think that this is the last new society, new trend, since space exploration will always be, but you never know, maybe they get bored? Attaching a small picture of those in the Yakel village:

baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19 (BSB)

This formula is almost universally held amongst Christians as the correct method in which a new convert is to be baptized. For good reason, it's the Lord's own word as He was about to ascend into Heaven. But I wonder where the disconnect is with the Apostles.

be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ Acts 2:38 (BSB)

they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 8:16 (BSB)

So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 10:48 (BSB)

On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 19:5 (BSB)

There are many scriptures in the book of Acts that mention baptism, but only these four mention baptism into the name of someone. In all four, we see a common theme.

"into the name of Jesus"

So if Jesus said, the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, why didn't the Apostles obey that? Or were they even disobeying at all?

So clearly, we wouldn't say the Apostles were being disobedient. So there must be more going on here than what meets the eye.

What is name of the Father? Well some would say Yahweh perhaps, or Jehovah is another popular rendering. But it's not Father, father is a position or title, it's who He is. I am a father to my children, but it's not my name.

What is the name of the Son? Well of course we know that is Jesus, or Yahshua. Son is not His name, it's his position in the Godhead, His title per se, it's who Jesus is.

What is the name of the Holy Spirit? Again, same principle applies, the Holy Spirit's name is not Holy Spirit. That's who the Holy Spirit is.

The thing to understand here is Matthew 28:19 says, "baptizing them in the NAME of" not "baptizing them in the NAMES of". A singular name, not plural for 3. So what is the NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Of course, it's what the Apostles used when they baptized, it's Jesus. The only revealed name of the Godhead that we have, in scripture is Jesus. We know from scripture that Jesus is Himself the full manifestation of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9)

Now don't misunderstand me, and don't misquote me here. I'm not Oneness Pentecostal or anything of the sort. I fully believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three in one. But I wonder if churches have the baptismal formula wrong when they baptize "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit", especially when the men who walked with Jesus only baptized "in the name of Jesus."

Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney holds a news conference after announcing he won’t seek a second term in the Senate in 2024. His current term will expire in January 2025

Apair of "non-human" corpses believed to be at least 1,000 years old have been displayed to Mexico's Congress.

The mummified specimens were unveiled by ufologist and journalist Jaime Maussan, in front of an audience of lawmakers and scientists on Tuesday. Maussan told the congressional session in Mexico City: "They are beings, non-humans who are not part of our terrestrial evolution and that after disappearing we do not [think] there is a subsequent evolution."

He added that the specimens, which were found in mines in Cusco, Peru, had been carbon analyzed by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. "These beings are around 1,000 years old, of antiquity."

Carbon dating by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) found the bodies, pictured with three-fingered hands, no teeth and stereoscopic vision, were more than 1,000 years old, Maussan claimed.

Today, at the initiative of the George W. Bush Institute, U.S. presidential foundations and centers for thirteen presidents since Herbert Hoover released a statement expressing concern about the health of American democracy. The statement notes that while the diverse population of the United States means we have a range of backgrounds and beliefs, “democracy holds us together. We are a country rooted in the rule of law, where the protection of the rights of all people is paramount.”

“Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and respect for human rights around the world because free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home,” the statement reads. “But that interest is undermined when others see our own house in disarray.” Without mentioning names, it called on elected officials to restore trust in public service by governing effectively “in ways that deliver for the American people.” “The rest of us must engage in civil dialogue,” it said, “respect democratic institutions and rights; uphold safe, secure, and accessible elections; and contribute to local, state, or national improvement.”

The centers for Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all did.

Late Monday morning, the offices of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Washington, D.C., were stormed by liberal protesters, who demanded that government funding for AIDS research and medication be extended.

The protesters, four men and three women, refused to leave after a warning from Capitol Police, were handcuffed with zip ties and arrested for unlawful entry, according to the Post.

Caution - video of event may contain vulgar language of protestors -

CPI inflation continued to rise last month, going up 0.6% for all items (3.7% from last August)


Oil prices are up 24% since May, and gas prices are up over 34% since Biden took office

Commodity inflation continues, with the prices of heating oil, copper, aluminum, etc. all up in the last 6 months.

Rents have risen 7.8% sin the last 12 months, and raging inflation continues in the housing market. Health insurance premiums are expected to rise 7% next year.

With bad news everywhere, and inflation going in the wrong direction, the Federal Reserve will have to continue hiking rates aggressively to get things under control.

Don't believe any headlines that try to tell you this is only because of gas prices, and that the core CPI still looks good. That is nonsense--there is inflation all over the economy, and the Core CPI will be going back up in the next report.

Inflation-adjusted incomes are down dramatically, and down over the last 3 years


Many economists expect a recession to hit in the first quarter of next year, after miserable holiday sales numbers. I expect it to be deep, with dozens of failing regional banks, and a hurricane of layoffs

welcome to the 1970s ...

Lauren Boebert escorted out of “Beetlejuice” musical in Denver after “causing a disturbance”​

Boebert campaign manager says congresswoman was just “enthusiastically” enjoying Sunday’s show​

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was escorted out of a Sunday night performance of the “Beetlejuice” musical in downtown Denver, accused by venue officials of vaping, singing, recording and “causing a disturbance” during the performance.

The [incident] report quotes one of the ushers: “They told me they would not leave. I told them that they need to leave the theater and if they do not, they will be trespassing. The patrons said they would not leave. I told them I would (be) going to get Denver Police. They said go get them.”

The report said after the two patrons were escorted out and reached the building’s vestibule, they resisted leaving and said “stuff like ‘do you know who I am,’ ‘I am on the board’ (and) ‘I will be contacting the mayor.’ ”

Boebert, [her manager] wrote, encourages everyone to see the play and its “fantastic cast, tremendous visuals and plenty of loud laughs” — but, he added, “with a gentle reminder to leave their phones outside of the venue.”

Kyle Lee Whitmore, 39, of Crockett, Calif., was charged Monday with two counts of human trafficking, two counts of pandering, one count of pimping and four counts of forcible sexual penetration with an object, according to the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office.

Whitmore, who was arrested last week, worked at Diablo Valley College in Contra Costa County as an instructor of communication studies. He was also a track coach at the school.

This may seem to be a stupid question, but is the Holy Spirit alive? Is it correct to talk to the spirit and thank it etc?

Hey, here's my sermon from last Sunday, on Galatians 5:16-24.

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14th Sunday After Trinity
A brief sermon from our English services at Kitaosaka Evangelical Lutheran Church
(Pre-recorded for web)

The Rejected Stone
Lutheran Church
Osaka, Japan

SCRIPTURE: 'One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” … About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. '- Luke 9:18,28-31

LESSON: The Lord teaches us the significance of prayer in achieving our divine destiny and purpose. He went up the mountain to pray, probably without any intention or knowledge of being transfigured! Just as in verse 18, where Jesus prayed alone and later shared with his disciples the revelation of his death and resurrection, Moses and Elijah came to discuss with him the details of his departure to heaven. They sought to enlighten him and provide further insight into his impending death and resurrection. First, this shows that the Lord Jesus was fully human when He was on earth, stripped of His divine ability of omniscience. But because He prayed consistently and fervently, He established a clear, unhindered, and parallel channel of communication with Heaven. Secondly, as a lesson for us, we must learn to pray without ceasing. The effective (consistent, potent, powerful, ready-for-service) and fervent prayer of the righteous avails much!

PRAYER: Lord we pray for the grace (divine help) to be diligent in prayer.

Is everyone settled with the safety of gmo foods?

What misconceptions make you beat your head on a wall because it feels good when it stops?

1 - The canon was decided by Constantine at the Council of Nicea. The canon was not even a topic of discussion at Nicea.
2 - The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox are just Catholics without a pope. That is if Catholics and Protestants even acknowledge our existence....
3 - The Roman Catholic church determined the canon. No, the pre-schism church determined the canon in a series of recommended books to be read publicly in church.
4 - Luther split from the Catholic church in order to get married. Nope, Luther was worried about being executed and initially rejected marrying Katherine Von Bora.

Any other favorites?

John 3:1-12 ESV


So, what does it mean to be “born again”? Well, the first time we are born is by physical birth. But to be “born again” is a spiritual birth. The first time we were born we were born in sin, with sin natures, in the image of Adam, who was the first man to sin against God. Yet when we are born again, we are now born into the likeness of Jesus Christ with spiritual natures. But first we must be crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin so that we can be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, no longer to live as slaves to sin.

[Romans 3:9-26; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22,42-49; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 4:17-24]

Now, I believe there are some misconceptions being taught here by some people based off faulty interpretations of this passage, largely because they are not reading the passage in its context. For Jesus was clearly contrasting physical birth with spiritual birth. And when we are born of our mothers, we are born of water. The water breaks and then the baby is born. There is absolutely no cause to bring water baptism into this passage of Scripture, for it does not fit the context. Verse 4 speaks of being born of a mother’s womb, and Jesus then said we have to be born of water and the Spirit.

And then Jesus continued by contrasting physical and spiritual birth again. The first time we are born, we are born of flesh. But when we are “born again,” we are born of the Spirit, again, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. By faith in Jesus Christ we die with him to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness. The old self was put to death in order that we might no longer be enslaved to sin but now to live as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So sin should no longer be what rules our lives. God/Christ should now be the one to rule our lives.

Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was saying, though, and many people professing faith in Jesus Christ don’t understand what it means to be “born again,” either. They think if they profess faith in Jesus Christ that it means they have been “born again” and that it now guarantees them heaven when they die and full forgiveness of all sin regardless of how they live. But to be born again means dying to the old life, by faith in Christ, and then raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23).

So, the new life, the “born again” life, is not to look just like the old life, which is the one born of the flesh, born of woman. It is to be opposite of that with regard to flesh and Spirit. Although we still live in flesh bodies, and we are still tempted to sin, sin is no longer to be what we practice, our habit. Now righteousness and obedience to our Lord are to be what we practice. We don’t put on new garments over top of the old ratty garments we are wearing, for the ones closest to our hearts are still the old ratty garments. So the new garments become just for show, to look good on the outside.

Thus, “born again” is not some status we wear while we still live in our old ratty garments, still doing the same old stuff we did before we were “born again.” Now I am not saying we will become instantly perfect, for not one of us will be absolutely perfect until we get to heaven, provided we do go to heaven and not to hell. But the Scriptures teach that “born again” means a new life in Christ, which is a changed life, with a new mind, and a changed heart, which is not like the old life. Now we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh.

For Jesus said that unless we are born again, of the Spirit, we cannot see the kingdom of God; we cannot enter the kingdom of God. And Jesus made that more clear when he said in Matthew 7:21-23 that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father in heaven. For many will stand before God on the day of judgment claiming him as Lord, and their deeds they believed they did in his name, and he is going to say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because they refused to obey the Lord.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

When I Go Home

By G. M. Eldridge

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4

In the moment He appears
And the light from heaven shines,
I’ll forget ev’ry fear,
Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.
Then I’ll see Him as He is
And I’ll know Him as I’m known.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

Ever present is the tho’t
That a moment waits for me
When unworthy as I am,
His glory I will see.
I will empty all my praise
Before my Father’s throne.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

If the trial I endure,
And your presence I can’t find,
Be near me, Lord, I pray,
Bring back unto my mind
That your promises are firm
And I’m never on my own.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

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There will be a series of devotions written not by me, but by a former chief warlock Ben Alexander to tackle some very thorny issues.

Here is his website:

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BE BLESSED AS YOU READ THESE DEVOTIONS, PLEASE SHARE THEM.
Please listen to the sermons at the bottom, also pray for the countries shared.
If you aren't already subscribing and you wish to, please email me at keitherichobkirk@hotmail.com


I have heard this question asked many times in my lifetime. While the answer is quite straightforward, NO! a Christian cannot be demon possessed, there are other things that by demonic intervention, can affect a Christian. Let's look a little deeper into this situation.
这个问题我一生中被问过很多次。虽然答案非常直接了当：不！一个基督徒不可能被鬼魔附身，还有其他的事情，通过鬼魔的干预，可以影响一个基督徒。让我们更深入了解一下这种情况。

When a Christian receives Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit enters that Christian's body, soul and spirit. God has claimed that person for His own and as a result, demons cannot occupy the same place as the Holy Spirit. Satan knows this and that is why he tries so hard to get to people first and have his demons or demonic influence control or affect that person.
当一个基督徒接受基督作为他们个人的主和救主时，圣灵就会进入这个基督徒的灵、魂和体。上帝已经为他自己的缘故夺得了这个人，因此，鬼魔不能占据与圣灵相同的位置。撒旦知道这一点，这就是为什么他如此努力地首先靠近人们，让他的鬼魔或鬼魔的影响控制或影响那个人。

Even though the Holy Spirit has entered the "new Christian," demons can certainly try to plant thoughts or to affect the thinking process of an individual. I remember a story that a famous evangelist told about a day he was in his office and he was in his quiet time reading and studying. From out of nowhere, he stated vile, lewd sexual thoughts came into his mind. He was absolutely taken by surprise by this but knew just what to do. He went into the office next door, which was his associate's office, and asked him to pray with him to banish these "darts" from Satan. With the prayer offered, the darts ceased at that time and his mind was able to get back to the studying and reading he needed to be doing.
即使圣灵已经进入“新基督徒”，恶魔肯定会试图植入思想或影响个人的思维过程。我记得一位著名的福音传道者讲了一个故事，讲的是有一天他在办公室，他正处于安静的阅读和学习时间。不知从哪里冒出来，他说他脑海中浮现出卑鄙下流的性方面的念头。他完全被这件事吓了一跳，但他知道该怎么办。他走进隔壁的办公室，那是他的同事的办公室，请他和他一起祷告，把这些“突发的强烈念头”从撒旦那里赶走。随着祈祷的进行，这些搅扰在那时停止了，他的思想能够回到他需要做的学习和阅读上。

Now I do not think that Satan is behind every bad thing that happens to people, or that every bad thought comes from the devil. But I do believe the devil and all his demons are looking for people that they can affect with their "darts" and look for the weakness in that person and send their "darts" precisely at that point. Many times he is successful. We see over and over again and again, "good" people failing sexually and becoming involved in immoral situations. Even some of our friends, relatives or acquaintances have been affected. Some tell about it to others and in doing so are asking for help in the situation. Others do not tell and let themselves get further and further into trouble. Before they know it, they have committed sin and they have their lives in shambles.
现在我不认为撒旦是发生在人们身上的每一件坏事的幕后黑手，也不认为每一个坏想法都来自魔鬼。但我相信魔鬼和他的所有恶魔都在寻找他们可以用“搅扰”影响的人，寻找那个人的弱点，并在那个时候发出他们的“搅扰“。很多时候他都很成功。我们一次又一次地看到，“好人”在性方面失败，陷入不道德的境地。甚至我们的一些朋友、亲戚或熟人也受到了影响。一些人向其他人讲述这件事，并在这样做的过程中寻求帮助。其他人不告诉别人，让自己陷入越来越大的麻烦。在他们意识到这一点之前，他们已经犯了罪，他们的生活一团糟。


Look at Peter and what he did and how he was affected. Peter was a saved person. He was a "rock" for Christ, but he still denied Christ three times. Why? Well, it certainly wasn't reasonable to think Peter went from being such a "rock," to being a wimp for Christ, in such a short time. He had to have been affected by some sort of demonic suggestion or demonic involvement.
看看彼得，他做了什么，他受到了怎样的影响。彼得是一个得救的人。他是基督的“磐石”，但他仍然三次否认主基督。这是为什么呢？嗯，认为彼得在这么短的时间内从一块“石头”变成了一个基督的懦夫，这显然是不合理的。他一定受到了某种鬼魔暗示或鬼魔介入的影响。

In the case of Ananias and his wife selling their property and lying about how much they got and how much they gave, Peter himself asked them why they had allowed Satan to fill their hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit. They were Christian believers, but they lied and were swayed from the truth and the good of what they were doing. That is satanic influence. Many of you, I am sure, have had thoughts come into your mind and you cannot figure out where they came from. Where does temptation come from? Well, you know it comes from the devil, so it also shows that we have to be on constant guard and have our "shields up" at all times. As one author puts it, "Demons cannot live in Christian hearts, but they perch on Christian shoulders and whisper in Christian ears."
As we realize the demons and Satan himself can be literally "perching on your shoulder," we also must realize we cannot just go through each day doing the same old thing and not growing in the Lord and realizing his power. We need to constantly build our "arsenal" of defense, by studying His Word, memorizing His Word and giving the Holy Spirit within us the weapons to help fight our fight against this formidable enemy.
在亚拿尼亚和他的妻子卖掉他们的财产后，谎报他们得到了多少和捐给教会多少的情况下，彼得亲自问他们为什么让撒旦充满他们的心，以至于对圣灵撒谎。他们是基督信徒，但他们撒谎，偏离了真相和他们所做的善事。这是来自魔鬼撒旦的影响。我确信，你们中的许多人都曾有过这样的想法，但你无法弄清楚它们是从哪里来的。诱惑从哪里来？好吧，你知道它来自魔鬼，所以它也表明我们必须时刻保持警惕，随时准备好我们的“盾牌”。正如一位作者所说，“魔鬼不能生活在基督徒的心中，但它们栖息在基督徒的肩膀上，在基督徒的耳边窃窃私语。”
当我们意识到魔鬼和撒旦自己可以“栖息在你的肩膀上”时，我们也必须意识到，我们不能每天都做同样的事情，而不在主内成长，不认识他的权能。我们需要不断地建立我们的防御“武器库”，通过学习他的话语，把他的话语记在心里，并以圣灵同住作为武器，帮助我们对抗这个强大的敌人。

Christians, unfortunately, think just because they have turned their lives over to the Lord and had the Holy Spirit come into their lives, that they are safe. Satan loves to hear this. He has a good chance of wrecking that Christian's life, because he is so powerful. Christians are not building their arsenal. Christians are not "in training" to ensure they are ready to do battle with demons or the devil himself. Christians today seem to do just enough to stay "status quo." The reading and praying that the majority of Christians do is just enough to keep their knowledge and battle expertise at the same level as the day they gave their lives to the Lord.
不幸的是，基督徒认为，认为只要他们把自己的生命交给了上帝，圣灵内住到了他们的生命中，他们就安全了。撒旦喜欢听这个。他是如此强大，这正是他毁掉那个基督徒的生命的大好机会。基督徒没有建立他们的武器库。基督徒并没有“接受训练”以确保他们准备好与鬼魔或撒旦本身作战。今天的基督徒所做的事情似乎只够保持“现状”。大多数基督徒所做的阅读和祷告只足以使他们的知识和战斗技能与他们把生命交托给主的那一天保持在同一水平。

The research that goes on nationally supports this statement. Even our Christian community at large, watches more television every day than reading or praying. Our young people, generally speaking, are the same - little Bible time or prayer throughout the week, but they have all their socials, extracurricular activities and the like, but they are not growing in the Lord and strengthening themselves for the battles ahead.
在全国范围内进行的研究支持这一说法。即使是我们的基督教社区，每天看电视的次数也比读经或祷告的次数多。一般来说，我们的年轻人都是一样的——一周中很少有圣经时间或祷告，但他们有所有的社交活动、课外活动等，但他们并没有在主里成长，也没有为未来的争战而强大自己。

People, we must realize that Satan has a plan for our lives just as God has a plan. Both are going to fight for each and every one of us. Now God is the stronger of the two, we know that, but He also tells us what we need to do and how to do it and what will happen if we do what He tells us to do. However, if Satan can interfere with that advice and get the person off track and keep them off track, he will probably win the battle.
人们，我们必须意识到撒旦对我们的生命有一个计划，就像上帝对我们有一个计划一样。两者都将为我们每一个人而争战。现在上帝是更强大的一方，我们知道这一点，但他也告诉我们需要做什么，如何做，以及如果我们做他告诉我们做的事会发生什么。然而，如果撒旦能干涉这一建议，让这个人偏离轨道，并让他们保持偏离轨道的状态，他很可能会赢得这场争战。

Most all of us know what the plan of defense is. We have a full set of armor ready and available for each and every one of us. God says with this armor we are to face the enemy and stand. Now, God has fashioned a plan of defense. We are to gird ourselves with the truth. It is a belt to guard our middle part. It is what God has spoken. This is what will strengthen us mightily. We must wear the breastplate of righteousness of integrity, of moral rectitude and right standing before God. This covers the area of the heart and lungs. No arrow of the enemy can penetrate this perfect protection. Other parts are also accounted for in that our feet should wear the good news of the Gospel; it makes us firm footed and mobile against the enemy. Then we should always have our shield of faith, confidence in the entire work of Christ on our behalf. This can turn away ALL enemy attacks, even though they may be flaming missiles.
我们大多数人都知道防御计划是什么。我们每个人都有一套完整的盔甲，它为我们每个人随时准备着。上帝说，有了这套盔甲，我们就可以面对敌人，站立得住。现在，上帝制定了一个防御计划。我们要用真理的带子来束腰。这是一条用来保护我们中间部位的腰带。这就是上帝所说的。这将极大地加强我们。我们必须佩戴正义、正直、道德的胸铠甲正站在上帝面前。这覆盖了心脏和肺部的区域。敌人的箭无法穿透这种完美的保护。其他部分也被解释为，用平安的福音当作预备走路的鞋穿在脚上；它使我们在对抗敌人时步履坚定，行动灵活。那么，我们就应该永远拥有我们信仰的盾牌，对基督为我们所做的全部工作充满信心。这可以击退所有来自敌人的攻击，哪怕它们可能是燃烧的导弹。

Our head is a vital spot; a shining helmet is provided, the helmet of salvation. We have the offensive equipment in the sword, the Word of God, the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, with these we can strike out against the enemy. However, with all of this, we need to consider prayer as a supporter of the whole armour of God. Sounds simple, doesn't it? If so simple, then why are the majority of Christians not outfitting themselves with God's armour? Well, I believe this again is part of the devil's plan. If he can keep our lives so jumbled, so busy, so busy, so confusing, then we will "not have time" to get the armour or be able to put it on. The outcome? Sin! We are doomed to come under the full attack of the devil and his demons.
我们的头是一个重要的部位；提供了一个闪亮的头盔，拯救的头盔。我们的宝剑有进攻的装备，即上帝的话语、圣经、圣灵的话语，有了这些，我们就可以打击敌人。然而，有了这一切，我们需要将祷告视为上帝盔甲的支持者。听起来很简单，不是吗？如果这么简单，为什么大多数基督徒不给自己穿上上帝的盔甲？好吧，我相信这又是魔鬼计划的一部分。如果他能让我们的生活如此混乱、如此繁忙、如此忙碌、如此混乱，那么我们将“没有时间”穿上盔甲。结果如何？犯罪！我们注定要受到魔鬼和他的恶魔的全面攻击。

It is interesting to see some of today's society believe in things they cannot see, smell, taste or feel. Today we are told of the different rays from the sun that can go into our eyes and damage the nerves and lose some of our eyesight. Yet, we respond to a scientist, who tells the general public this is what they have found and to do what they are told and buy certain sunglasses to protect their eyes and wear sun screen to protect against the "cancer inducing rays." Yet, mention to some Christians that there are demons running around trying to affect them in some way and they will look at you as if you have a third eye or the like.
有趣的是，看到当今社会的一些人相信他们看不见、闻不到、尝不到或感觉不到的东西。今天，我们被告知来自太阳的不同射线会进入我们的眼睛，损害神经，并使我们失去部分视力。然而，我们回应了一位科学家，正是他告诉公众这是他们所发现的，并按照他们的指示行事，购买某些太阳镜来保护他们的眼睛，戴上防晒屏来抵御“导致癌症的射线”。然而，当我们向一些基督徒提及，有恶魔四处奔跑，试图以某种方式影响他们，他们会看着你，好像你有第三只眼睛或之类的东西。

Christians must realize they are in mortal danger without the armour of God. Satan's time is running short and he knows it. He will be "pulling out all stops" in an effort to get back some of the most dedicated Christians we have. He will be working overtime to derail new Christians; another group that if you tell them about demons, they are not spiritually mature enough to understand what you are talking about.
Jesus knew about demons and about Satan. He conversed with demons in casting them out and even conversed with Satan when He was tempted by him. Jesus knew the power of Satan and his demons. Even though the disciples were given power to cast out demons, there was the one time they could not cast the demon out. This occasion supports the fact that demons are very powerful entities. This particular demon, Jesus said, had to have a different type of approach to get him to leave the person. Folks, we just don't give enough credence to the fact that Satan and his demonic army are very powerful adversaries and must be recognized and dealt with on that basis. When the world saw Saddam Hussein do what he did in Kuwait and the world said enough is enough and we must do something against him, nobody underestimated him. General Schwartzkoff certainly did not underestimate him. There were huge forces of troops and equipment sent in. Many countries' forces were amassed to ensure there would be enough power to do what was necessary. In the same light, each and every Christian needs to realize the power of the devil and his demons. They ARE there. They ARE here. They DO put thoughts into your mind, your brain, into your thought processes.
基督徒必须意识到，如果没有上帝的盔甲，他们将处于致命的危险之中。撒旦的时间不多了，他知道这一点。他将“竭尽全力”，努力找回我们最虔诚的基督徒。他将加班加点来破坏新的基督徒；另一个群体认为，如果你告诉他们关于恶魔的事情，他们在精神上还不够成熟，无法理解你在说什么。
耶稣知道魔鬼和撒旦。他在驱逐魔鬼时与魔鬼交谈，甚至在被撒旦诱惑时与撒旦交谈。耶稣知道撒旦和他的恶魔的力量。即使弟子们被赋予了驱逐恶魔的权力，但有一次他们无法驱逐恶魔。这个场合支持了一个事实，即恶魔是非常强大的实体。耶稣说，这个特定的恶魔必须有一种不同的方法才能让他离开这个人。伙计们，我们只是不相信撒旦和他的恶魔军队是非常强大的对手，必须在这个基础上得到承认和处理。当全世界看到萨达姆·侯赛因在科威特所做的一切，全世界都说适可而止，我们必须对他采取行动时，没有人低估他。施瓦茨科夫将军当然没有低估他。派遣了大量的部队和装备。许多国家的部队都是为了确保有足够的力量来做必要的事情。同样，每个基督徒都需要认识到魔鬼和他的恶魔的力量。他们在那里。他们在这里。它们确实会把思想融入你的脑海，你的大脑，融入你的思维过程。

Yet, if we know this and take the appropriate action, we can be the winners. If you could only have seen and talked with the people that I have who have been controlled by demonic forces, you could see the first-hand proof of demons and their work. Some of the tragedies of today, with mothers or fathers killing their babies, or fathers sexually abusing their children, or other like horrors, are being blamed on a newly discovered type of "syndrome." Well, I am going to tell you point blank, there may be some syndromes floating around that lawyers or juries can blame these horrifying tragedies on, however, I believe there is only one person behind all of these things and he is the devil himself and his accomplices.
So, while I gave you an absolute NO! to answer the question, "Can Christians Be Demon Possessed?" I hope I have shown you how Christians can be affected in every aspect of their life by demon induced thoughts or suggestions. It is a very real happening and one which can lead to one's spiritual death. Through Satan and his demons' works, a Christian formerly headed for heaven, can be derailed and end up in a fast lane headed for hell.
然而，如果我们知道这一点并采取适当的行动，我们就能成为赢家。如果你能看到我身边那些被恶魔势力控制的人，并与他们交谈，你就能看到恶魔及其作品的第一手证据。今天的一些悲剧，母亲或父亲杀害婴儿，父亲对孩子进行性虐待，或其他类似的恐怖事件，都被归咎于一种新发现的“综合征”，我相信所有这些事情背后只有一个人，他就是魔鬼和他的同谋。
所以，虽然我给了你一个绝对的否定！为了回答“基督徒会被恶魔附体吗？”这个问题，我希望我已经向你展示了基督徒如何在生活的各个方面受到恶魔引发的想法或建议的影响。这是一个非常真实的事件，可能导致一个人灵命的死亡。通过撒旦和他的恶魔的作品，一个以前走向天堂的基督徒可能会脱轨，最终走上通往地狱的快车道。

Now, I also warn you not to get paranoid and think every thought you think is being affected by a demon. But do be aware that where you do not have the spiritual armour on, there is the possibility that you could -have thoughts being planted by "spiritual darts" from the enemy.
现在，我也警告你不要变得偏执，不要认为你认为的每一个想法都受到了恶魔的影响。但要意识到，在你没有精神盔甲的地方，你可能会被敌人的“精神飞镖”植入思想。

The answer to all of this is fairly simple. Jesus gave us His way of dealing with things and what we should and should not do. If we approach things with the attitude of how Jesus would react to your situation or what He would do in this situation, you are on safe ground. Like I mentioned before, put on the armor and Pray, Pray, Pray, and then Pray some more.
所有这些的答案都相当简单。耶稣给了我们他处理事情的方式，以及我们应该做什么和不应该做什么。如果我们以耶稣对你的处境的反应或他在这种情况下会做什么的态度来处理事情，你就安全了。就像我之前提到的，穿上盔甲，祷告，祷告，然后再祷告。


Invest your time in prayer; it pays dividends that are out of this world!!!
把你的时间花在祈祷上；它将给你带来好得不得了的收获！！！

God Bless,
上帝祝福你

Ben



SOAK IN SCRIPTURE

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CHINESE

以弗所书 6：5-9 基督是我家之主-主仆关系

Rev. QINGJIANG ZHANG | Ephesians 以弗所书

纽约以便以谢基督教浸信会

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ENGLISH

A Mighty Man of God

Pastor Simeon Western

Northside Baptist Church

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Yabba dabba do.

I know you are but what am i?

Deuteronomy 29:9-14:

"You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD (YHVH) the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officers, all the men of Israel, your children and women, the proselyte who is in the midst of your camp from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water, to pass into the covenant of YHVH your Elohim who seals with you today, in order to establish you today as a people to Him........Not with you alone do I seal this covenant, but whoever is here, standing with us today before YHVH, our God, and with whoever is NOT here with us today."

The grammar starts out plural (Atem) "you all" or in Texan "Ya'all" but Moses also uses the singular form of you. This is one of his final speeches as he gets ready to die, but before that, elects his successor (Joshua) to lead the people into the Promised Land. What is he saying here? He is saying that the covenant of God is a covenant relationship with ALL people, of ALL types, both genders, all professions, all job descriptions, Adonai does not leave anyone out. All Persons included (plural) to establish "Amekha" (people) as a singular, united people. As ONE nation.

If this speech were intended for us, (and it is) it would probably read; "You are standing today, all of you, before God, all you mayors, governors, city council members, sanitation workers, clerks, plumbers, HVAC workers, engineers, lawyers, day-laborers, etc... To enter into covenant with God.

The Mosaic covenant was based on obedience to the commandments, God's Torah, but it was also based on blood sacrifices, the blood of clean animals, whose blood "covered" sin for a year, and after Yom Kippur, for another year. All the animals sacrificed were "shadows" of "who" would come in the future to pay the price of sin, once and for all time; Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ). No wonder Paul said that the "New Covenant" was a "better" covenant, not based on the blood of animals, but on God's own blood in human form.

"standing with US today..." that might include "Elohim" who is the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. and who are those who are NOT there?
Were YOU there? I wasn't, and neither were you. We were all in the endless mind of God who had a special plan in time for all of us. NOW is our time, back then was the time for Moses.

Entering into a special relationship with God through Yeshua is for ALL people, 24-7. Back then, they looked forward to Calvary, and we look back towards the cross. God saw the faith of those who were with Moses. God sees our faith today and will see the faith of those who will follow us. There is no excuse NOT to enter into a covenant of faith. We have ALL been counted in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Deuteronomy 31: 1

"I am 120 years old today, I can no longer go out and come in..."

This speech was made on Moses' birthday, whenever that was. The Bible doesn't record exact dates for birthdays, however, we know that Moses was born for a special reason and purpose. God divided his life into 3 parts; the first 40 years, the second 40 years, and the final 40 years. The first 40 were in Egypt as a prince and probably Army commander. Then, for 40 years, he was a shepherd working for Jethro, his father-in-law, (quite a change) from commanding troops to commanding sheep. Then, the final 40 as God's chosen leader to take Israel out of Egypt and lead them to the border of the Promised Land. Imagine that, he "began" his ministry at 80 years of age, before that, he was in training.

"Going out and coming in" We might say that in those 40 years, we went "out" to the tent of meeting to intercede before his people, and he "came in" to the camp to convey God's messages. That might be one way we could look at that statement.

Yeshua "went out" from Heaven and "came into" our lives to pay the price of sin. As He left "for Heaven" again, he ordered his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to all nations. He has left behind leaders, rabbis, pastors, ministers, etc to do HIS Work and teach his WORD. That includes all of us.

There will be time when we will celebrate our last birthday in this world, yet continue our existence in the World to Come. Joshua (Yehoshua) or "Yeshua" took the people over the border, Yeshua will also take us over the border from planet Earth to planet Heaven, are you ready for that day?

Shalom.

Just returned back to El Salvador from a trip to Houston. I like the weather here better. Needed to get some papers for Salvadoran residency, I am here to stay. This Friday starts "Rosh HaShannah" or "Yom Teruah" the day of shofar sounding" get ready, the King is coming!

I'd like to here pose the following question for discussion: to what extend the Spirit of God dwelled, or at least worked, in men prior to the Spirit of Truth being sent by the promise of Christ to the believers, but primarily to the holy men of God that lived even before the law, such as Enoch, Noah, Job (who must likely lived prior to the giving of the law, besides not being part of Israel anyway), and the Patriarchs. John once plainly inputted in His gospel account how during one of the feast days when Jesus spoke with the Jews of the Holy Spirit: that He (the Spirit) was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified; thus giving rise to the question of the extend of the work of the Spirit of God on His servants throughout ages past.

We do know, however, of clear examples of people under the old covenant partaking of His Spirit in one way or another -- if not in a more familiar sense to us -- such as Moses -- as seen from His desire for the Lord to put His Spirit on all His people and that they all may be prophets, also with David -- seen by when he entreated the Lord not to take His Holy Spirit away, and with Saul -- the same Spirit that left him and came upon David, and other instances where the Spirit came upon certain man under certain circumstances. Besides this, it was clear that, although not coming upon all personally, yet He did abide among them collectively, as Isaiah spoke of how the Israelites rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit that he put within him (Israel). Now although none of this may show that the Spirit dwelled eternally and personally on all His people, the point of this, however, was to show that the work of the Spirit was undeniable back under the old covenant, so as to help set the stage for the main question.

Now before I get there, I must clarify here that by no means am I am trying to imply that the measure of God’s gift under the Christian dispensation hasn’t been poured out more abundantly through Christ with regard to the Holy Spirit. For even the disciples -- who being of the number of those that waited on the Messiah and the kingdom of God and so should of been partakers of the same work of the Spirit as all the godly did under the old covenant -- were not able to receive some of the most important things of the gospel, such as the resurrection of Christ and the nature of His kingdom to come. This is seen plainly when Christ told them that He still had much to tell them but they were not able to bear it now, but once the Spirit of Truth would come, He would guide them unto all truth and bring to remembrance all the things He told them. Therefore to receive the culminating work of God in Christ and His doctrine -- to understand the scriptures that witnessed these things, to see His kingdom that is not of this world, and to perceive the refining work of Christ in purifying His people, and the things to come, as a quick overview, all this being poured out on all flesh -- even on him that is least in the kingdom of heaven, and the distribution of gifts unto all to the furtherance of the kingdom of Him that led captivity captive; this gift of the Spirit given freely in full measure, was indeed only after the glorification of Jesus Christ unto those that believed.

But mine main question here concerns the time before the old covenant (though we may still include here the Patriarchs), that is, by what wisdom and strength were they able to walk with the Lord and so receive the testimony of righteousness. For if Enoch prophesied against the ungodly and spoke of the judgement of God, Noah in like manner persevered in righteousness in the face of all corruption and also preached through the ark, and of Job it's clear enough from his own words of what level of integrity he was able to achieve, so that I again ask: was this all of themselves that they were able to choose good over evil -- so that the fallen state of man after Adam's sin was not a hindrance unto them to please God without the aid of the Spirit of God, as through understanding and wisdom? If not, then why do we now need the Spirit's aid in being able to understand all the ways of righteousness to work good and overcome evil, and they on the contrary did not, but through the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were able to do good? Granted, I know that their righteousness was short of His glory and that they needed a Redeemer -- even the best of man for that manner; but what I'm trying to get at here is how were they able to show the work of the law written on their hearts and follow after the spirit of the law without the aid of Him through Who's Spirit we now do what they did without Him, if you indeed think they did it without Him?