So the communion (the eating the bread cookie and drinking the cup of grape juice)
and the benediction (the simple saying of 2 Cor. 13:14) are often given in church services.

In my church, we haven't had it for 6 months. The reason is because our part-time pastor
is not ordained. It appears that only ordained pastors can deliver communion and the benediction.

Of course it is always nice to have communion and/or given a benediction at the end of service,
but why do some people seem to need it like it is a requirement to their spiritual survival or sustenance?

It is always a blessing to have it but I don't feel less blessed if I don't. Communion is a sacrament, not
means for salvation. The benediction is just a nice blessing given but I don't believe it has any more or
less power than if you used any other verse or prayer to bless people.

Can anyone explain where some members got their deep-seeded reliance or dependency on these?
It just surprised me.

please say a prayer for sleep thank you

I'm going to make y'all jealous

Matthew 4:17 ESV
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

Why is it that Christ did not start his ministry saying, "You all need to be baptized," and instead said the above?

Acts 16:30–31 ESV
“Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.””

Why was the condition for salvation belief in the Lord Jesus and not baptism?

Mark 16:16 ESV
““Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.””

Why didn't Jesus say, "whoever is not baptized will be condemned?"

I can only assume that someone can be saved without being baptized. Of course, this does not mean that baptism is "bad" or that we should not be baptized. All it means is that baptism is not as fundamental to being a Christian as faith is.

Now, I know people are going to appeal to church history here. But consider...

1 Corinthians 1:14 ESV
“I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,”

So the question becomes, "Who baptized these people?"

And if Christ Himself never baptized anyone but calls everyone to repent, what does that say?

If we are alone with no social life, what do
For my part i don't want to seek in church

Proverbs 14:2, 5, 25 ESV


In America, many people profess to be Christians, to be believers in Jesus Christ, but they don’t all know the Lord. They are not all serving him with their lives. Many are giving lip service only to him, but their hearts are far from him. For some of them, Christianity is just a religion of choice, but it doesn’t mean that they are in relationship with Jesus Christ. Many profess him with their lips but by their lifestyles they deny him.

Deception abounds in America, too. Liars are everywhere – in the government, in the church (or just the institutional church), in the world of medicine, in the media, in the news, in sports, in entertainment, and in other religious or civic institutions, etc. In fact, pastors are even being trained to be liars, in some cases, for they are being taught how to market their ”churches” to the world, and this involves some deceptive practices.

My husband and I were church planters twice. Both times we had to go through training. The second round of training I remember well. We were told that when we start out we are going to attract a lot of “needy” people, and that we are to use them, because they will help us to get up and running. But once we are going good, we are to discard the “needy” people because they will drag us down. Ouch!

Proverbs 14:6-8 ESV


And then my husband and I were searching for an institutional church many years ago and so we visited this one IC. The sermons were good, and so I complimented the pastors on their sermons. But this one sermon I had a question about, so privately (including my husband) I inquired of this one pastor about something he said. And, bottom line, he told me that in his training he was warned about people like me, people with strong convictions, that he was to encourage me to go someplace else.

But if I decided to stay and continue at “his church,” I was to sit back and keep my mouth shut, and I was to let him be God’s voice to me, he said. He was to be God’s voice to me, not God. Walk away from such situations as this. No human is to be God’s voice to us. We can learn from other humans, and they may teach us things we did not know before, but they are not to replace God in our hearts. We are not to listen to men in place of God. God is to be our only God, not any man on this earth.

There are so many “pastors” of “churches” these days who are not following the Lord Jesus but they are following the teachings of man and marketing schemes for how to build their churches and humanistic training to let them know who they want in their “churches,” and who they are to discard. Manipulation and trickery are used in these “churches,” too, to get the people to do what they want them to do. And many don’t see it at all.

Proverbs 14:15-16, 22 ESV


So, we need to be people who exercise wisdom and discernment. We need to be people of God who test everything we hear against the teachings of the Scriptures to make certain that what we are hearing is the truth or not. We need to be those who ask questions, for if we don’t, then we can be deceived. And we need to make certain that the preaching we are listening to is indeed the word of God taught in context and not the teachings of man.

We are not to be those who just readily accept whatever sounds good, for whatever sounds may be a lie, not the truth. And that is one of the dangers of “memes” on social media, some of which have religious content. They are quick little messages or images which give off a quick impression but they can be very deceptive and twisted, too. From some of the ones I have read, I can tell you that some of them are intentionally deceptive. But we live in this “fast food” generation where people want their spiritual food quick, too.

So, be people of discernment who ask questions, and know what the Scriptures teach in context so you are not easily deceived. Test everything you read, see, and hear against the Scriptures (in context), for lies abound out there. Ask the Lord to direct you to what is truth and to make you aware of the lies that are being spoken. And then follow the truth of God’s word even if you may feel sometimes as though you are standing alone.

[Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 24:11-14; John 10:1-15; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:3-23]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

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

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

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

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

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"During the final rounds of voting Friday, Trump placed calls lobbying the remaining holdouts to drop their objections."

The night before taking the oath of office for her second term, Noem learned that her Social Security number and those of her immediate family were leaked by the Jan. 6 committee.

Among the hundreds of records posted online by the committee laying out the timeline of the events leading up to the storming of the Capitol was "a spreadsheet with nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers associated with visitors to the White House in December 2020." The list included several high-profile Republicans.

The Democrats allowed the law to be broken and Supreme Court justices and their children to be put in danger. They allowed innocent conservatives to be handcuffed and chained and in some cases unjustly imprisoned. President Trump's taxes were released, the taxes of American citizens are supposed to be private. This was done because Trump is Joe's political opponent. Third world dictatorships treat their political opponents in such a manner. This social security number release should really not be a surprise. This is how it was in Germany, they first took over the press and eliminated free speech, then the rights of the Jews were completely taken away, not enough people stood up, and then more and more people were put under Nazi control. If this continues be aware that eventually only a small elite class will rule and the Democrat constituencies the hard left panders to today will be find themselves oppressed, only a small number of elite will rule.

I can hardly write anything here anymore - because of that Google Vignette. Why do I not get any help?

I recently read an article on the psychedelic drug known as DMT, of which the ancient Amazonian elixir known ayahuasca is derived from... But pure DMT, when smoked, apparently does something very, very strange...

Apparently 47 percent of people, who report to having used DMT, come into contact with a sentient being whom which speaks to them, and many of them report this sentient being as something that looks similar to a "mechanical elf". The experience is often reported as being "more real" than our own physical world's reality. Another common theme associated with DMT use is the seeing of fractals.

The science part begins here. How is it, that different people report seeing the same kind of being communicating with them..? Even if our DNA is 99.9% similar amongst all of humanity, wouldn't our life experiences dominate what one sees on a DMT trip? But if not, then what is the significance of the "mechanical elf" in regards to our genetic makeup?

...How did it get there?

What is the difference between revenge and justice? Is wishing Justice for somebody's murder the same thing as wishing revenge? For example, is the death penalty for murder justice or is it actually revenge?

Stupid question I know. But this is been a topic I've been seeing a lot on Facebook.

California’s Robert Garcia will be sworn into office with the Constitution – and a priceless vintage Superman comic.

The comic is one of several sentimental items that will be underneath the Constitution when Garcia takes his ceremonial oath. The copy of “Superman” #1 will be joined by a photo of Garcia’s parents, who died of Covid-19, and his citizenship certificate, according to a Thursday tweet from Garcia.


“I’m looking forward to being sworn-in on the U.S. Constitution,” the Democrat wrote. “Underneath the Constitution will be 3 items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who passed due to covid, my citizenship certificate & a Superman #1 from the @librarycongress.”


I know some people have been pearl-clutching about this, but I see this as a sincere move.

While I may not have the same viewpoint as a religious person (and perhaps there's some "law of nostalgia" this is perceived to be violating?), if a non-religious person is being sworn into office, I'd rather see them place their hand on something that has meaning to them vs. pretending to care about a belief system when they actually don't.

If a person's an atheist, do you want them placing their hand on a bible to just give an insincere nod to your belief system simply to pander? Or would you prefer them to be upfront and honest about how their beliefs differ from your own? Personally speaking, I'd prefer the latter, but I can't speak for religious people.

I can hardly write anything here anymore - because of that Google Vignette. Why do I not get any help?

Why?

They are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.

If we are always before the throne for eternity...whats the point of the new earth? Why create an entire earth when we could just be kept in heaven before the throne?

After a conversation came up in the "What's on your mind?" thread (What's on your mind?) I think we can have a discussion from both genders about our experiences being single (whether positive or negative).


I'll start with my experience:

I was saved when I was 19. There was only one single guy at church. Long story short, he picked someone else. I've tried online dating. It was unsuccessful and I am repulsed by it now.

I will admit that I was clueless and foolish back then on what I wanted in a guy. I focused on looks instead of personality, values, and beliefs. That's one of the reasons why I wasn't able to get a man back then.

It's hard to find single men at church. They date young and marry young. Even though I was young myself, I had missed the boat on getting a man (however I do believe God has someone special for me in the future, so it's not a permanent thing). I know some churches are against having a singles group for various reasons. The last church I was a member of, their explanation was "we have more important things to focus on". This was coming from a big and rich church. I tried another church that did have a singles group, but stopped going due to a non-Biblical teaching they promoted in a sermon.

I did date a guy that was not a Christian last year. I know that's wrong. We had started out as friends then slowly crossed the line of being more than friends. I regret being with him and I have repented. As of now I am not dating.

Are any of you members of the Dallas St Seraphim OCA Cathedral? I’ll be visiting there shortly. (If you feel like private messaging me instead, feel free!)

What bible do the Eastern Orthodox use? Do you have study bibles?
I ask because several times in the threads here it is repeated "You need to read it in the Greek". So I am curious to know which bible is used and if there are study bibles to help in this area?

'As the negative impacts of Biden's lawless immigration policies continue unabated, the burden of the Biden administration's failure falls on local law enforcement who lack the resources to deal with the crisis,' DeSantis said.

Hi everyone-

I found something on YouTube awhile ago, it is trance music! It is a techno/dance hybrid and is very positive and uplifting, it has an anointing, I can feel it when I listen! Audrey Gallagher is one of the best trance artists, if you want to listen a link to some of her music is here:

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Have you noticed The Mediterranean Sea is shrinking…

Africa is too far North…

https://www.google.com/maps/

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 says the following: “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of ca new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

Is not the “letter” referred to here the letter of the Law of the Old Testament, which is a minefield of possible sins one can commit by not following the Law? The inference of 2 Corinthians 3:6 appears to be that the letter of the Law is the stick, and the Spirit is the carrot.

Is the New Testament without threats of punishment due to the commission of sin? Romans 3:23 says “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” what exactly those sins are, are barely mentioned in the New Testament. There are at least twelve sins listed in Mark 7:21-22. These sins are covered in the Laws of the Old Testament. But the general definition of sin in the New Testament is defined by Romans 14:23 which says, “...For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” So, as long as you have faith in God, you will not sin and you will be blessed in all the days of your life, both here and in God’s Kingdom. How much different from that is Deuteronomy 28:1-14 which describes the benefits of abiding by God’s Law?

In the Old Testament, faith in God comes through the Law, but in the New Testament it comes through love. The Old Testament gives you a command to have faith, but the New Testament implies a choice, leaving it up to you as to which path you want to take. But all the 500 some-odd Laws of the Old Testament have invariably been melted into the proclamation of faith in God in the New Testament. So faith in God includes things mentioned in the 500 Laws, and much more. Faith comes from love, of which there aren’t enough words in the universe to list what love is made up of, whether that love be for God or for others. We only know that love for both God and others is necessary for our faith in Him.

In certain respects, the Letter of the Law is faith in God by numbers, but faith in God through Christ arises to being based on pure feeling, which is what love is.

I have looked at different ways to witness. I have always had conversations and have used other means to witness. However, I would like to look more at online witnessing but I am looking for suggestions for the best ways to do that.

Im a British Expat in Chengdu and im into my second day of alcohol recovery after a major relapse that almost cost me relationship and im done with alcohol after 8 years of heavy drinking which is easy to do when you have alot financial and personal freedom. Im looking to getting back into my faith and living a new lifestyle so i just want to introduce myself as a new member and looking forward to a better future.

"Eat to Beat Disease" by Dr William Li

"...explains the science of healing and prevention, the strategies for using food to actively transform health, and points the science of wellbeing and disease prevention in an exhilarating new direction." From the Amazon listing

Includes - Based on research lists which foods help with what area of health concern.