What does it mean when a Protestant Church is in full Communion with another Church?

In my hometown, an Evangelical Covenant Church pastor is also pastor of a United Methodist Church-Presbyterian Church (USA) merged-congregation.

It is my understanding the ELCA is in full Communion with the Episcopal Church, the ELCA is also in full communion with the Reformed Church of America, UCC, PCUSA, among others.

Does it mean they share sacraments? Ministers?

God bless

NEWS Sri Lanka | 05 September 2023

16-YEAR-OLD STANDS FOR CHRIST IN SRI LANKA​

Malith was 11 years old when he realized his decision to follow Jesus wasn’t popular in the part of Sri
Lanka where he lives. At the same time, he also learned he had a talent for thinking up and designing
new inventions.

He created a solar-powered, glow-in-the-dark glove and won a trophy for the best innovation in a school
contest. Yet the next year when he asked his class teacher the dates of the same contest, she told him:
“There is no competition this year.”

“They fear that if they have connections with me, the teachers will start to look down on them, too. They don’t even look at my face when I pass by.”
16-YEAR-OLD MALITH

Click to expand...

But two months later, Malith discovered the competition was indeed held—however, he had not been
allowed to participate. And that has been the case for the last five years.

“I am not allowed to participate in any competition because I am Christian,” he says.
But Malith is not only a Christian. He’s a believer who boldly stands up for his faith.

The exclusion from school activities and competitions began when Malith refused to participate in
Buddhist rituals. When his teacher asked him to join a Buddhist activity, Malith didn’t mince words: “I
am a Christian, and I cannot participate in these rituals.”

Open Doors partners tell us he is the only Christian student from the school who takes this kind of bold
stance. Most Christians in his school, instead, choose to hide their faith out of fear of being judged or excluded.

“They are afraid they will be looked down on by teachers and other students,” Malith explains. “They
fear that if they have connections with me, the teachers will start to look down on them, too. They don’t
even look at my face when I pass by.”

The teachers also discriminate against Malith. He is often unjustly punished and even beaten by his
teachers. “Sometimes they reduce marks in my exam papers for no reason,” Malith shares.

He remembers the time when he asked permission to stay home from school because he didn’t want to
participate in a Buddhist activity. Although his request was approved, the following day at school, the
principal humiliated him in front of other students, ordering him to join all religious activities from that
day on.

But once again, Malith stood firm. “We have a right to follow our own religion,” he said, in front of the
school.

The 16-year-old knows he is staying true to his convictions and is living faithfully. But that doesn’t make
him immune to the pain of being left out and isolated. Like any teenager, Malith wants to belong and be
accepted by his peers.

“When I’m sad, I quietly pray to God in my heart,” he says, adding that his heart is to spread the gospel
in his school.

Malith understands Jesus’ words in Matthew firsthand:
“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
(Matt. 10:22).

Open Doors field partners have met with and prayed for Malith and his family. He has also participated
in Open Doors “Standing Strong Through the Storm” persecution preparedness initiative, as well a legal
awareness seminar led by our field partners. Both have empowered him to stand for his faith as he
continues to encounter persecution.

“If we participate in other religious activities, it’s against the Bible, therefore I cannot do those,” he says.
“Being a Christian is a lifestyle.”

Pray with your brother Malith today:

• Malith is facing an important exam this year. Pray for courage and wisdom for it and pray for his career plans. Though he lost interest in innovation when the contest became a pain point, Malith is looking at a career in engineering.
• Pray that his teachers’ actions don’t discourage him from his future plans.
• Malith has a heavy heart for some children in his school. “Even grade six children are addicted to drugs,” he shares. Pray with him for these students … that he can be a light for Christ.
• Pray that the oppression of Christians students like Malith would decrease.
• Pray that Christians who are afraid to stand for their faith would not be swayed in other directions.

The Proud Boys leader was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the U.S. Capitol breach. His co-defendants were previously sentenced in this matter with similar lengthy prison time.

What impact does these heavy sentencings have on far-right extremism? Or on anyone considering doing this sort of thing next time?

Is it a deterrent?
Dose it galvanize the base because they see it as overkill?
Or another message being sent?

I believe this will be used as an effective deterrent. Many of these guys were weeping in Court, them and their families begging for mercy. I believe these people are experiencing mega regrets, realizing they won't be with family and friends for years, and now they have to worry about prison life. I don't believe most think it was worth it, and neither will others after seeing the results. I also like the message it sends to other countries, we take attacks on our democracy very seriously.

Children’s Prayer Sheet
It’s not only adults who can pray for our persecuted family. Every month we produce a prayer sheet aimed specifically for children. Each sheet has specific activities and prayers which will help children learn more about how persecution affects children in other countries. You can visit our Children’s Prayer Sheet page China
Thank God for the release in China of Uyghur pastor Alimujiang Yimiti after 15 years in jail in Xinjiang province. Pray for him and his family as they readjust to life together.

China​

Pray for veteran democracy activist and Christian Zhu Yufu who was recently barred from visiting his terminally ill sister in Japan. He remains under house arrest in China after 16 years of detention at home and in jail.

China​

Officials in China broke up five separate meetings of the Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church in May and interrogated church members. Pray for this congregation: their church was banned in 2018, their building confiscated.

China​

Prominent Christian lawyer Li Heping and his wife, Wang Qiaoling, were forcibly evicted from their Beijing home in April. Pray that God will answer Wang’s prayer that they can ‘live and work in peace and contentment’.

China​

Pray for Christian lawyer Yang Hua who has been fined £32,000 for buying and selling second-hand books. He is well known for defending Christian human rights cases in China, including that of Early Rain Covenant Church.

China​

Pray for Xu Feng, principal of Maizi Christian Music High School in China, who was arrested in 2021 and charged with ‘illegal business operations’. His lawyer reports Xu is suffering allergies due to poor nutrition in jail.

China​

Thank God that Pastor Pan Yongguang and 59 other members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church in China (also known as the Mayflower Church), who spent months in exile in South Korea, have now been granted temporary asylum in the US.

Judge Denies Meadows’s Request to Move Georgia Case to Federal Court​

Georgia prosecutors leading the criminal election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump and 18 of his allies notched a victory on Friday when a judge rejected an effort by Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s former White House chief of staff, to move his case from state court to federal court. [R]emoval to federal court would have given him key advantages, including a jury pool that was more favorable to Mr. Trump.

The setback for Mr. Meadows came in the first of many rulings that are expected for the defendants who are seeking to have their cases moved out of state court. Mr. Trump has not filed for a removal to federal court, but he is widely expected to do so.

However, the ruling, by Judge Steve C. Jones of the Northern District of Georgia, does not bode well for any of those efforts. “Meadows had the strongest of the removal cases,” said Norman Eisen, who was special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment. “If Meadows has failed, then there’s little hope for Clark, or for that matter Trump,” he added, referring to Jeffrey Clark, a defendant and former Justice Department official who has also filed to move his case to federal court.

In the hearing on Mr. Meadows’s request, Fulton County prosecutors argued that he had overstepped the bounds of his chief-of-staff duties by acting as a de facto agent of Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign. They noted that he had arranged and participated in the now-famous Jan. 2, 2021, call between Mr. Trump and Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, in which Mr. Trump said he wanted to “find” roughly 12,000 votes, enough to reverse his election loss in the state. But Judge Steve C. Jones decided that the actions ascribed to Mr. Meadows in the indictment were not within the scope of his federal duties.

In addition to racketeering, Mr. Meadows is charged with one count of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer for his participation in the phone call with Mr. Raffensperger, the secretary of state. Prosecutors accuse Mr. Meadows of having “unlawfully solicited, requested and importuned” Mr. Raffensperger to engage in the illegal act of changing the certified vote returns in the state. When asked to characterize the conversation with Mr. Trump and Mr. Meadows, Mr. Raffensperger said, “I thought it was a campaign call.”

---

Note that Meadows was recently caught in a lie under oath, which tends to make judges and juries angry.

How long until he flips on Trump?

I was invited to be a surrogate grandma at a friend's daughter's school yesterday. It's a religious school in a red, red, red state.

I have been to lots of grandparents' days in my time, but this one was different. We were all herded into the large cafetorium, where we waited for the children to arrive. When they arrived they brought us donuts, and then we looked at all the items at the school book fair. None of the books were inexpensive, but that was OK. Parochial schools need funding. We waited on very long lines to pay our bill, and that was it.

In the good old days (before school shootings) we would go to the classroom, look at lovingly compiled portfolios of their work, then on to the auditorium to hear them sing and dance for their families. We got to know the teachers.

I learned that this school has full-time police protection from the local police department. They posted pictures of the police officer in the playground, in the hallway, installing hidden cameras in the ceiling, even guarding the chapel services, standing in the back, waiting for a deranged shooter...

I then learned that most schools, public or private, have security or police protection (the officer was at Grandparents' Day wearing what appeared to be a kevlar vest.) I am glad that steps are being taken to protect the children, but I am seething, incensed, to the boiling point that it is due to the selfishness, greed, and anger of gun owners, who look at any less traumatic ways to keep these children safe as interfering with their rights.

Children should be able to go to schools that aren't on lockdown each day, surrounded by police in kevlar vests. They should be able to have little celebrations here and there that parents and/or grandparents can attend.

A black minister friend of mine says that even though the police presence is friendly and supportive, many black children have had so many bad family experiences associated with the police that they are traumatized by the police presence.

This school is multi-ethnic, on a peaceful tree-lined street with beautiful gardens. It is about as suburban as you can find.

Why do children have to pay the price for the selfishness of gun owners who reject any and all safety precautions?

Let's say the police officer's salary and benefits come to $75K a year (we're in the South, remember.) And there are 200 children in the schools. That comes to $375 per child--$375 that could be better spent in many other educational ways. And this is every single public and private school in our town, the adjacent town, and others.

I just wanted to share this letter of hope and strength from a survivor of the Nazi's.
It has given me strength and I hope it will speak to you as well.


“CORRIE TEN BOOM & THE RAPTURE”
(She wrote this letter from China to America’s Pastors in 1974)

My sister, Betsy, and I were in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck because we committed the crime of loving Jews. Seven hundred of us from Holland, France, Russia, Poland and Belgium were herded into a room built for two hundred. As far as I knew, Betsy and I were the only two representatives of Heaven in that room.

We may have been the Lord's only representatives in that place of hatred, yet because of our presence there, things changed. Jesus said, "In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." We too, are to be overcomers – bringing the light of Jesus into a world filled with darkness and hate.

There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.

In China, the Christians were told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured." Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, "We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution, rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes, – to stand and not faint."

I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is no way to escape it. We are next.

Since I have already gone through prison for Jesus' sake, and since I met the Bishop in China, now every time I read a good Bible text I think, "Hey, I can use that in the time of tribulation." Then I write it down and learn it by heart.

When I was in the concentration camp, a camp where only twenty percent of the women came out alive, we tried to cheer each other up by saying, "Nothing could be any worse than today." But we would find the next day was even worse. During this time a Bible verse that I had committed to memory gave me great hope and joy.

"If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part evil is spoken of, but on your part He is glorified."
(I Peter 3:14)

I found myself saying, "Hallelujah! Because I am suffering, Jesus is glorified!"

In America, the churches sing, "Let the congregation escape tribulation", but in China and Africa the tribulation has already arrived. This last year alone more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa. Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation.

Several years ago I was in Africa in a nation where a new government had come into power. The first night I was there some of the Christians were commanded to come to the police station to register. When they arrived they were arrested and that same night they were executed. The next day the same thing happened with other Christians. The third day it was the same. All the Christians in the district were being systematically murdered.

The fourth day, I was to speak in a little church. The people came, but they were filled with fear and tension. All during the service they were looking at each other, their eyes asking, "Will this one I am sitting beside be the next one killed? Will I be the next one?"

The room was hot and stuffy with insects that came through the screenless windows and swirled around the naked bulbs over the bare wooden benches. I told them a story out of my childhood.

"When I was a little girl, " I said, "I went to my father and said, "Daddy, I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to be a martyr for Jesus Christ." "Tell me," said Father, "When you take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?"

"No, Daddy, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train."

"That is right," my father said, "and so it is with God's strength. Our Father in Heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He will supply all you need – just in time…"

My African friends were nodding and smiling. Suddenly a spirit of joy descended upon that church and the people began singing, " In the sweet, by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore." Later that week, half the congregation of that church was executed. I heard later that the other half was killed some months ago.

But I must tell you something. I was so happy that the Lord used me to encourage these people, for unlike many of their leaders, I had the word of God. I had been to the Bible and discovered that Jesus said He had not only overcome the world, but to all those who remained faithful to the end, He would give a crown of life.

How can we get ready for the persecution?

First we need to feed on the Word of God, digest it, make it a part of our being. This will mean disciplined Bible study each day as we not only memorize long passages of scripture, but put the principles to work in our lives.

Next we need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the Jesus of yesterday, the Jesus of History, but the life-changing Jesus of today who is still alive
and sitting at the right hand of God.

We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is no optional command of the Bible, it is absolutely necessary. Those earthly disciples could never have stood up under the persecution of the Jews and Romans had they not waited for Pentecost. Each of us needs our own personal Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. WE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO STAND IN THE TRIBULATION WITHOUT IT.

In the coming persecution we must be ready to help each other and encourage each other. But we must not wait until the tribulation comes before starting. The fruit of the Spirit should be the dominant force of every Christian's life.

Many are fearful of the coming tribulation, they want to run. I, too, am a little bit afraid when I think that after all my eighty years, including the horrible Nazi concentration camp, that I might have to go through the tribulation also. But then I read the Bible and I am glad.

When I am weak, then I shall be strong, the Bible says. Betsy and I were prisoners for the Lord, we were so weak, but we got power because the Holy Spirit was on us. That mighty inner strengthening of the Holy Spirit helped us through. No, you will not be strong in yourself when the tribulation comes. Rather, you will be strong in the power of Him who will not forsake you. For seventy-six years I have known the Lord Jesus and not once has He ever left me, or let me down.

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him", (Job 13:15) for I know that to all who overcome, He shall give the crown of life. Hallelujah!"

If Jesus was thin/slender when he began his 40 day fast , how is that healthy?

I thought our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. How can it be healthy to fast 40 days ???

Is prolonged fasting a sin ?

Why did Jesus fast that long ? Why did Jesus promote fasting ?

Is it because eating wheat is unhealthy and fasting counters the negative effects of consuming bread ???

This question "what happens after a person dies?" is both theological and apologetic.

But what happens when a person dies; is there medical research to shed light on this? Philosophy perhaps has a word to say? Science - physics, examination of energies and matter - do they have something to enlighten the matter?

Why is death and its aftermath of and in itself not a major research question?

How do you persevere through prayer when your mind tends to wander and it "feels" like you are going nowhere?

For example:

"Heavenly Father, thank you for XYZ, please have mercy on XYZ.....**mind goes blank***..."

Hi everyone, just wanted to introduce myself, I'm aNewMan, i'm literally a new Man, but not a new Christian. I'm living for God now whereas in the past I was not because I was immature spiritually. Life has been a journey the last few years but God has been faithful. Thanks for listening.

So I was thinking of ways to encourage my brothers and sisters in their walk with God, and this will be one such feeble attempt to do so.

Luke 17:5 (BSB)
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

How many times have I asked the Lord to increase my faith when I felt like I was lacking? How many times have I failed a test of faith just to get down on myself and think if I had just been a bit bolder or courageous. Well how do we increase our faith?

What did Jesus do in response to the request presented to Him?

Luke 17:6 (BSB)
And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Notice Jesus didn't say, "You're request is granted." Well why?

Faith is like a muscle, I'm sure we've all heard that at some point. We all have some measure of faith already (Romans 12:3), you wouldn't be a child of God without faith so you have faith somewhere lurking inside you. So what do we do with that?

First a story. I spent 3 years of my younger adult life jumping out of airplanes. Why? I was young and rather lacking in sense. It was terrifying at first. I used to tell myself, no way would I ever do something like that. But I became familiar with my equipment, I observed others who were more experienced jumping, I trained in proper technique, and my confidence grew. Finally it came time for me to jump out and wouldn't you know it... I refused! No no, just kidding, I did! I jumped and my parachute opened and I landed safely on the ground.

What does that story have to do with faith? It has everything to do with faith! I had faith in that parachute to do what it was supposed to do. I did my part, it did it's part. My confidence in that parachute became stronger as I trained with it. That is how we MUST approach our walk of faith! We must approach it from that direction.

Become familiar with your equipment.

Ephesians 6:13-18 (BSB)
Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

Lots to unpack here, but to save time and stress on our eyes from reading, let me encourage you to familiarize yourself with the "Armor of God" Learn each and every piece and how you are to use it. Armor only does us good if we are trained in it's proper use.

So what is the armor?

1. Belt of Truth
2. Breastplate of righteousness
3. Feet prepared to do the work of the kingdom (share the gospel)
4. Shield of faith
5. Helmet of salvation

What are our weapons?

1. Sword of the Spirit! - The Word of God, we MUST read, meditate on and study the Word of God.
2. Prayer!

Now that you know your equipment, watch others use it!

1 Corinthians 11:1 (BSB)
You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

You can observe leaders in your church, watch videos of faith online, listen to a podcast, read faith inspiring stories from the Bible (this one is actually the most important I think). But it's important that you watch other people step out in faith and watch how God takes care of them.

Lastly, now that you've learned your equipment and you've observed others using it, you need to train.
1 Timothy 4:7 (BSB)
train yourself for godliness.

Well to train you need a guide or manual to show you the proper way of doing things.
Get into God's word! Remember the Word is your sword! It is your weapon! Jesus when He was tempted by the devil quoted scripture back to resist. Paul writes in Romans that faith comes from hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17). As you read stories of the faithful throughout the generations, observe how they walked through stressful and overwhelming situations, but God was with the the whole time! Let it build your faith.

Also when training, you need someone to observe you and give you advice on how you can do it better.
So pray! Ask the Lord to help you and show you His ways! Fully commit to Him and to do whatever it is He shows you! When you know you've made a mistake (which happens during training), admit that to Him, ask Him for forgiveness and then keep going.

So in conclusion, to build our faith we need to know what has been offered to us for living, the Armor of God. We need to observe and fellowship with other faithful believers who can encourage us by their example. And we need to train ourselves! As you persist in these matters, you're faith will grow, and you will find yourself becoming more bold, confident, and courageous in the Lord to the point where eventually you will also be able to say:

Philippians 4:13 (BSB)
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

God bless you!

The priest, Lawrence Hecker, has been at the center of state and federal investigations of clergy sex abuse and a deepening scandal over why church leaders failed to report his admissions to law enforcement even as they permitted him to work around children until he quietly left the ministry in 2002.

Psalms 143:9-10 ESV


For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, who are our enemies? They aren’t just people who are mean and hateful and nasty to us and who do obvious evil to us in order to willfully cause us harm. Many are those who outwardly appear to be our friends, who seem “nice” and kind and caring and thoughtful, and who are friendly and charming and fun and engaging, and who know how to make us feel good about ourselves and how not to feel bad about ourselves. And so they are usually well liked people.

So, if they are so nice, why do I say they may be our enemies? Because “nice” is not necessarily telling the people the truth they need to hear, but often “nice” is lying to people by telling them what we know they want to hear, but that may send them straight to hell. For if someone is “nice,” they may be enjoyable, pleasant, amusing, polite, friendly, and acceptable (by worldly standards), but they may be charming, which can mean deceitful, manipulative, enticing, appealing, persuasive, seductive and bewitching.

So, just because someone appears “nice,” it doesn’t mean at all that he is our friend and not our enemy who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. So we need to pray for much spiritual discernment to spot those who are our true enemies so that we do not fall prey to deceiving spirits and end up believing the lies that will send us to hell, and not the truth that will keep us out of the gates of hell and which will send us to heaven, provided we believe and we live the truth, which is then evident by what we do and say.

So we need to pray to be delivered from our enemies, but that also engages us in being spiritually discerning so that we do not fall into our enemies’ traps. And then we need to pray for the Lord to teach us to do his will and to lead us on level ground. But that is only going to take place in our lives if we are spiritually discerning and if we are students of the Scriptures who are getting our truth primarily and directly from the Scriptures, in context, and who are not relying heavily on external sources to tell us what is truth.

Mark 13:21-23 ESV


Now, this doesn’t have to mean that they are saying, “Look, here is the Christ!,” meaning a literal person that they are calling “the Christ” who presently exists on this earth, though it appears that is what is intended. But they could be saying, “Look, here is the Christ!,” in the way in which they are describing Jesus Christ to us, as to his character and nature, as to his will for our lives, and as to his teachings and his promises and his warnings, etc. So, this could indeed also include mischaracterizations of both Jesus Christ and his gospel message, for this is HUGE today!

For a false christ doesn’t have to be a literal person living presently on this earth, but it could be that people are teaching “another Jesus” and a “different gospel” and a “different spirit” other than what the Scriptures teach (2 Corinthians 11:1-4). And via these lies and mischaracterizations of Christ and of his gospel message many people are being led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ to follow after this “another Jesus” who is not the true Jesus of the Scriptures, but it is a lie created by humans. For even “the elect” of God can be led astray by these charmers and their lies.

So, this brings me to something current that I have just discovered, and so I am just beginning to research this subject, and this is just another false teaching that you can add to the list of so many other false teachings that are out there which are leading many people away from the truth to follow after the lies. And this is called, “The Bible Project.” But as is the case with all deception, the lies are so cleverly blended in with the truth, and there is enough element of truth in what they say, that many people end up believing the lies, largely because they are not discerning the lies.

Now, on a surface level, “The Bible Project” may appear godly, and it is well done, for it is similar in nature to “Veggie Tales,” only not geared for children but for all people, although it is animated. But so much of it is a twisting of the Scriptures and of God’s divine nature and will for our lives, and of the divine character of Christ and the teachings of the gospel of Christ. But these videos take deception to another level, I believe, for now we are entering into what I believe is the rule of the beast and his one world religion where we all join hands across the globe and sing, “Kumbaya.”

And “Kumbaya” typically refers to the act of joining hands together and singing “Kumbaya,” which usually means to ignore our differences and for all of us to just “get along” with one another. And this is the theme I was seeing throughout these videos which I watched, albeit I have only watched two of them. And then I watched another video discussing the wrongness of what “The Bible Project” is teaching in these animated videos – videos which are supposedly presenting the truth of the Scriptures. But from what I have seen so far, it is a very twisted truth (see video links below this devotion).

Okay, so what are my main objections so far? The first thing I noticed was that the author(s) of these videos does not teach the wrath of God but rather teaches against it. So when he presents the gospel message, the wrath of God is absent, and thus we are not saved from hell and eternal damnation at all, nor are we delivered from slavery to sin, it appears. But it seems, although it is not made really clear, that Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was so that we could all get along together and have no more differences which divide us but so we can all live in harmony in a heaven on earth.

The whole thing to me spoke of the rule of the beast and his one world government and his one world religion with the rule of the antichrist and the suppression of truth, and the suppression of differences of beliefs where we are being forced to all get along with one another by destroying all which divides us. And this reminded me of when Obama was president of the USA, for this was one of his central messages, along with the pope, and they were “singing a duet,” so to speak. But this is where things are all headed. So we must be spiritually discerning people who separate truth from lies.

The Truth

[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]

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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The Bible Project

What’s Wrong with The Bible Project?
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The Significance of the City in the Bible (and God’s Plan for It)
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How God Deals with Evil without Destroying Humanity
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of the Nativity of the Theotokos

Your Nativity , O Virgin, has [proclaimed joy to the whole universe ! The Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, has shone from You, O Theotokos ! By annulling the curse, He bestowed a blessing. By destroying death, he has granted us eternal Life.

I believe it will be the downfall of the U.S. I've seen a great difference in our city since the borders were open. What. Possible good reason could they have. States are suffering financially, morally, violence is rampant. I just don't get it. A politician said in the news today that the country is moving up in every way. My words.. who is going to help the cities that have taken them in and are struggling financially? I would like to know how the citizens feel about it.

Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For he who has died is freed from sin.

Freed is (in Greek) δεδικαίωται and that word means be righteous.

1Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Here "justified" is in Greek ἐδικαιώθητε and it means made just.

These verses are not about an imputed righteousness, at least not primarily and exclusively.

In church history there really is a first heresy. It involved circumcision and obedience to the Law of Moses.
Acts 15:1-21 DRB

It troubled the Church in Syrian Antioch, it came from the Church in Jerusalem, it involved people from the "Pharisee party" (think Conservative party).

It led to a Church council, a letter containing instructions from the Apostles and Elders who attended the council. It changed the way the gospel was to be preached.
Acts 15:22-35 DRB

And what you you think we deal with today, as if the council never happened, for some. We deal with some people who want believers to get circumcised and obey the Law of Moses, observe Sabbaths, New Moons, feasts, and keep Kosher.

In Genesis 4:26 the scriptures state that at the time of Seth's birth, people began to call upon the name of the Lord. That was the first form of prayer, prayer at it's most basic and pure form. Simply calling on the name of God.

So in ancient times, a person's name was way more than just a means by which to identify one person from the other. A person's name revealed their character and conduct. Jacob was named such as a deceiver, but after wrestling with God he was renamed as Israel. Abram became Abraham. Etc, we get the point.

Well the point of this thread is to open up the discussion to the community.

Here is what I'm looking for:

1. What are some names of God?
2. How does that specific name relate to us now?
3. How can we pray to the Lord in the relation to the name?

This is meant to be edifying and encouraging to our prayer lives. So please don't take this too seriously so as to become engaged in controversy here. Share a name of God you know from scriptures and what it means. Perhaps share a specific story in scripture that connects the name to God's character and how you believe you, I, and others can pray that name back to God for His blessing! By all means, you can use a name someone else has used as well.

I'll start:

A Democratic official who called for dismantling the police at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests was singing a different tune after being carjacked and viciously beaten in her driveway in front of her children.

Shivanthi Sathanandan, second vice chairwoman of the Minnesota Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party, posted a photo of herself with blood streaking down her face, saying she suffered a broken leg, bruises, cuts, and deep lacerations on her head in the attack.

Ms. Sathanandan went on to demand consequences, saying “we need to get illegal guns off the street, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city and,” changing into screaming all capital letters, “hold them in custody and prosecute them. Period.”

Noah, Abraham, Moses obeyed YHWH implicitly because they believed in YHWH. Their Obedience was from a humble and contrite heart, the kind of heart that God promises not to despise.

Saul, Pharisees, Sadducees obeyed God out of pride in their birth, role, and alleged surety of salvation. God did not accept their obedience, he despised it.

Jesus says about his disciples
John 15:11-14 DRB

What would you do with this? Do what you will with it. Use your imagination or go by the book.

I love this tune.

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