Lol

Are we talking about one entity, or more than one? An actual being/s or symbols?

Muslim families are raising their political profiles as they join the parental rights debate, most recently in Montgomery County, Maryland, where the school district has approved a host of books on homosexuality and transgenderism for the pre-K 5 curriculum and removed an opt-out choice

This case filed in NY yesterday, 5/15/23, by an employee of Rudy Giulani for the following reasons:

In that lawsuit one can read text messages by Rudy clearly enacting sexual harassment, however in this case we read this nugget:

Now granted with Rudy it's kind of hard to tell if that was him, or the scotch talking in his scheme towards Ms Dunphy, but surely if Rudy were Hunter Biden and Trump his father Joe, Comer and Jordan would be all over this. With that said, I don't think it would be beyond the pale to imagine something like this between Rudy and Trump, who has no sense of right and wrong if he stands to personally benefit. Personally given the way Trump did abuse the pardon process, this needs a looked at and legislation passed so ALL pardons go through the pardon process and reel in the abuses enacted by Trump.

I'm not talking about an MDIV, just like an MA. I don't know anyone who has done it in real life. Although I have amassed a lot of book on theology (about 200 systematic and history/ philosophy) I'm not involved besides going to a church. I see that a lot require 3 letters of rec too. I'm interested in academic stuff not being a pastor. Are introverts discouraged because they are not very outgoing and highly involved? What exactly are they looking for? It seems inherently gnostic to basically make it so difficult to be accepted and learn, hidden wisdom only for the initiated people.

2 Timothy 2:15-19 ESV


What is “irreverent babble”? Do you know? I have a general idea, but I am going to look it up because I am not entirely sure of all of its meaning.

Well, to be irreverent is to be disrespectful, mocking, ungodly, profane, and blasphemous, particularly to God or about God, or to those who are the Lord’s servants, or to those who are deserving of honor and respect. And respect is “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements” (source Google). And babble is chatter, or talk, gossip, chat, and conversation.

So, in our conversations with others we should never be irreverent and disrespectful to God nor to his true servants nor to anyone deserving of respect. And we shouldn’t even treat the disrespectful with disrespect, although at times we may have to be strong in our words to those who are treating God and his servants with disrespect and in a way that is dishonoring to them. But we should speak the truth in love, not hate.

So, what is the danger of this “irreverent babble,” besides the fact that it hurts other people? It is that it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. In other words, how we talk to and about others, and how we treat others, and how we talk about God, and how we treat God can impact other people and how they treat God and how they treat other people. So we need to watch what we say.

It is especially offensive if you are giving honor and praise to the ungodly, and if you are treating the ungodly with enormous respect and value while you dishonor God and his servants by your speech and by your actions. But this happens a lot! Have you ever noticed, particularly on social media, how professing Christians will honor sports figures and actors and politicians, etc. while they will display lack of respect to God and to his servants?

And the more that this happens, and the more that it is accepted, the more that it spreads like gangrene and it leads many people astray. And it is spreading like gangrene in the Christian culture in America, though not impacting everyone, but seemingly impacting the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ. For so many professing Christians feel that they can dishonor God with their lives and that they can blast his servants.

But all this is while they raise to superior status those who are lying to them, who are manipulating and tricking and deceiving them. So the ungodly are getting the praise and honor while the godly are being devalued and disrespected. For the godly are being treated as though they are trash to be discarded while the ungodly are being raised up and considered worthy of honor and respect, not in all cases, but this is happening a lot!

But we are not to be like that. We are to be people who honor our Lord with our lips and with our actions, and who do so in front of other people, too, and who are not ashamed of Jesus and of his Word. And we should be people who honor the Lord’s true servants and messengers, too, who are bringing to us the truth of the gospel, for our good, and who are not telling us lies, which are for our detriment, and not for our good.

And we are to be workers for the Lord who are approved by God who have no need ever to be ashamed of our Lord or of his gospel that he taught. But we are to be those who are correctly handling the Word of Truth, to the best of our understanding (and in context), so that we are leading others to the truth and not to the lies. For it is the truth which sets us free from addiction to sin and which empowers us to live righteously in obedience to our Lord.

For not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the ones DOING the will of God the Father in heaven. Therefore, the Lord knows those who are his, and they are those who have departed from iniquity so that sin no longer has mastery over their lives. And they are those who are walking in righteousness and in obedience to the Lord, and who are not walking in deliberate and habitual sin against God.

[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]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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Hi all,

For along time now I have been praying that God will help me and guide me to my future husband.

I have had my eye on one guy in the church that I have liked and we been friends for awhile now, but have only recently been liking him more. He does not know that I like him.
The thing is my other friend has been praying for me as well and so decided to invite a group of us around there place and that included the guy I like, but then he couldn't make it because he had a bad cold and was unable to make it.

And my friend who has been praying for me said maybe this is a sign from God or an answer, that he made him have a cold to give me the answer ? Does God do that ?

The revelation of the Mystery.

An exposition of Eph. 1:3-14.


I. God’s secret will having now been revealed. The Apostle Paul’s Post Acts. 28:25-28 Ministry.

The joint-heirship of the allotted inheritance of His image: the creation, call, and mission; for the investiture of the cosmic Kingship of the corporate one New Man; with the purpose of the ordering of the Cosmos; which will result in the appointed seasons of Israels restoration, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom.

See post on Adamic vocation, an intro to this study if you haven't read already.
Keeping all these things in mind, lets now read the text:

3 Praise be God (hallelujah[1]), and the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us[2] with all the blessing in our spiritual union with Christ in the Heavenly realms,

4 in as, He has, decreed[3] us in Him before the disruption of the order[4], that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love; having determined us for entrance into the inheritance as His glorious ruling sons [5], through Jesus Christ,

God has blessed us in our union with Christ as joint heirs to the allotted promise of the preeminent first-born inheritance over the order of all creation in the heavenly realm; and by our spiritual co-enthronement with Christ (Eph.2:6), we are imparted through the spirit, with the authority of Christ’s exaltation; God having decreed in Himself, before the disruption of the ordering process; that we, the members of the church, which are the body of Christ, would be victorious over the forces of darkness (Eph.6:10-16). In order that He may righteously redeem us into His inheritance, as His first-born glorious image, far above all the rebellious heavenly spirits. Enthroning us as His ruling sons for our faithful sacrificial service, for fulfilling the stewardship that He gave to us (Eph.4:11-16).

This can only be accomplished by our staying connected in dependence to our Head (Col.2:2-3, 6-7); for Knowledge, wisdom, and holiness; His love working through our faith, producing the fruit of righteousness, and a well pleasing walk before God in sacrificial service (Col.1:10-12; Eph.5:1-3).

We will be an offering to God, by our walk and love of service (Phil.1:29; Col.1:24; Rom.15:16), this will be a gift offering for His theophany (cp. Ex. 40:6, 29 ,34), in the person of Christ in the heavenly realm: “He will be made manifest, and we with Him” as the body of His glory, at the right hand of God (this is not the hope of the rapture[6]); we will have then received the reward of the inheritance(Col.3:24), the prize of the high calling (Phil.3:11), for our faithful service, sharing in the exalted glory of Christ’s firstborn inheritance over all creation, as God’s glorious overcoming corporate image (Eph.2:15; 4:24; Col.1:15-18; 3:10).

according to the good pleasure of His will, 6a to the praise of the glory of His grace, The good purpose of Gods will, is His partnership (with His lowly trusting imager) in establishing the order of His kingdom over the powers of chaos (the high rebellious spirits), He does this by the wisdom He gives to them to perform this task; in righteous sacrificial service, for the restoration, love being the bond of perfection. He is rewarding them with the inheritance of firstborn right, which grace and victory gives praise to His glory (Eph.1:12;14;18; 3:19-21).

6b which He has highly favored us in the Beloved. 7 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, The Greek word translated “highly favored” (G5487) is only used in one other place in the N.T. and is the same word used of Mary, she being lowly (Lk.1:28, 48), was the channel that God chose to bring in the appearing of Christ upon the earth, providing the lowly tent of his dwelling (Jn.1:14; Phil.2:7-8). Likewise, God has chosen to use us as the channel for the appearing of Christ in the heavenly realm, who is presently hid in the light of the glory of God (Col.3:3-4;1Tim.6:16), we, being the body of His flesh, are the glorious temple of the dwelling of God (Eph.2:22-23; 5:32). The body of His glory, the temple garment of His priestly glory (Phil.3:22-23). Christ paid the price for our sin, freeing us from the realm of death; to now empower us to overcome the powers of darkness, that He may delivered us unto our inheritance on the day of redemption, as His purchased possession (Eph.1:13-14; 4:30).

8 with which He has been abundant toward us in all wisdom and understanding, (making us competent to perform the service of God’s stewardship)

having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He has purposed in Himself,

for a dispensation [7] for a corporate task given to us (for the investiture of Christ’s heavenly kingship, i.e., to head up all things in Christ), for re-establishing the ordering process of the creation,

of the fullness of the appointed seasons from which God’s glory will then fill up the appointed seasons, to head up all things in Christ by subduing all things under the supremacy of Christs headship, filling all the cosmic geographical locations with all the glory of God’s presence, those both in Heaven and on Earth (i.e., God’s presence establishing order to all creation through His image; i.e "fill and subdue" Gen.1:28). This is what for God has decreed in the hidden counsel of His will; for the investiture of the corporate one new man, for Christ to be made manifest in the heavenly realm and we with him(at God's right hand); which is first necessary, for Him to then later appear to every eye, as He heads up all under His sovereignty during the appointed seasons, God’s glory filling the all creation as His holy temple, extending the Eden blessing.

11 in which also out from the heirship we have, out from the decree of His determination (from which we are to be holy and without blame before him in love, for entrance into the inheritance as His ruling sons, vv.4-5) according to the purpose[8] of Him who works all things according the counsel of His own will

By His power God works all out all the trails of this world, and the enemy to our perfection, empowering us by His love in the spirit through faith, to overcome the corruption, persecutions, and afflictions of the enemy, and evil order of this present age; that Christ be made manifest, and we with Him, in glory, as Gods conquering image, at His right hand (Col.3:1-4;Tit.2:11-14). Which will result in the restoration of the ordering process.

12 that we who first trusted in Christ, (before the fullness of the appointed seasons) should be to the praise of His glory, Our reward, and function as His image, to manifestation to all creation, all the power, grace, and kindness of God’s person.

13 in Whom also, you, having heard the word, that of the truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and after having believed, you were marked with the Spirit of the holy promise,14 the earnest of the inheritance, for our redemption as Gods acquired possession, to the praise of His glory. The Spirit of God empowers us, by testifying with our spirit, that we are the children of God, assuring us, of God’s love for us, and the hope that lies before us (cp. Rom.8:15-18, 23-24). The Spirit of God is the seal of our inheritance as God’s paid possession; and is the power of God toward the perfecting of us, for the day of redemption (Eph.4:30).

The function of the image is to reflect the glory of God to all creation, which function is to summons the praises of creation to God, and this will be the function of the corporate New Man in the ages to come (Eph.2:7). In how God has not only favored us in allotting us such an inheritance, but also what He has chosen to accomplish through us now, for the ages (Eph.3:9-11), and we will forever be the emblem of the glory of His praise in what not only has done for us, but also what He has accomplished through us which will result in His glory filling the earth (Eph.3:19-21)

---

[1] The function of the image: summing up the praises of creation to God.

[2] We have been endowed with the spiritual authority over the powers of the kingdom of darkness, no longer under their subjection (Eph.2:6).

[3] In the O.T. we have the example of God's purpose is choosing out the one (i.e., Abraham, Israel, Gen.12:3) out of the many so that through the one, He can restore His blessing back to the many (i.e the Nations). God's choosing-out is corporate and is not referring primarily to individuals. When Paul uses the words chosen and predestination in Ephesians, he is referring to God’s choosing out of the New Man (church) as a channel to restore His blessing to the cosmos (see context, Col.1:14-22) and Israel, at the time of its entrance into its inheritance on the day of redemption (which event has wrongly translated adoption, it is rather a future corporate event, and hope of the believer, i.e. Rom.8:23; 9:4).

[4] When we do a word study of the Greek word used here foundation has the meaning of breakdown or overthrow (see below); the word used for world here is cosmos, meaning the order, this brings us to when Satan, influenced Adams disobedience in not obeying Gods voice, disrupting, or overthrowing the commission given to Adam of extending the Eden blessing to the rest of creation.
The following is a list of the usage of katabole in its English translation (kataballo--verb form) in the Old Testament LXX (O.T.: II Sam. 20:15, cast or thrown down; II Kings 3:19, shall fall or cut down; 3:25, felled or cut down; 6:5, felling; 19:7, fall (by the sword); II Chron. 32:21, slew or cut down; Job 16:14, breaketh; Ps. 37:14, cast down, 73:18, cast them down; Ps. 106:26, overthrow; 106:27, overthrow; 140:10, cast; Prov. 7:26, cast down; 18:8, go down; 25:28, broken down; Jer. 19:7, fall; Ezek. 6:4, cast down; 23:25, shall fall; 26:4, shall destroy; 26:4

[5] see previous post on the true meaning of adoption in the Greek.

[6] The Parousia hope is pre-acts 28. After Acts 28 it is the appearing in glory, at the right hand, not the coming in the clouds (cp. Col.3:1-4).

[7] Oikonomia translated (dispensation) which is an administration of a household or estate, in the context of the book of Ephesians God’s household is not only the church, it is also all of creation, as its creative purpose was in Genesis, and will be in the consummation of the reconciliation of all things (Col.1:14-22), so here we have the administration of God to bring order to the cosmos, where His presence will shine on all creation. The revelation of this mystery was given to the Apostle Paul as the chosen steward of this administration, to instruct the other members of the family (the church) the proper instruction (in all wisdom and insight having made known unto us) that is needed to performed the task of bringing order to the household, first in the members of the church resulting in the day of redemption, which will be the investiture of the corporate one New Man on the thrown of God “the appearing” which will result in the appointed seasons in which order will then be established in the cosmos (1 Tim.6:12-16).

[8] The word here for purpose (G4286, Eph.3:9-11) is translated bread (Mt.12:4). It was the shewbread (12 loaves in the holy place symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel) of God's presence where the priest had to shine the light of the menorah on the bread constantly, which is symbolic of God's blessed presence shinning on the people from the service (intercession) of the priest, where the people would receive provision from God.
It’s use here is to show that it is part of God’s purpose of revealing His glory in how His lowly image that trust in Him can overcome the high rebellious spirits and be greater than them. Also, with these words use with the appointed seasons (Israels Prophetic feasts; four having fully come, three remain, trumpets, the day of atonement, and the feast of tabernacles). By the offering of our service, God’s light will again shine on the nation in their national restoration, and redemption. From us being first filled, and redeemed, then the prophetic clock will begin concerning Israels appointed seasons.

The call to a vocation began to take shape when at age 15 he visited a terminally ill patient with leukemia at a hospital in the city of Cinco Saltos along with a parish priest.

After nine years without priestly ordinations, the Diocese of Alto Valle de Río Negro in Argentina on May 1 celebrated the ordination of Father Alexis Oser, 27.

Bishop Alejandro Benna of Alto Valle presided over the ordination ceremony, which took place at the cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in General Roca, the city where the new priest will carry out his ministry.

The last ordination for the diocese was that of Father Vicente Alberto Bó in 2014, who died in 2021 from COVID-19.

Father Oser’s mother works in a hospital as an orderly and his father is retired from the oil industry. He has two siblings, and although his background is Catholic, his family was not practicing the faith.

Continued below.

A lower court said the redrawn district amounted to racial gerrymandering that helped a Republican beat a Democrat​

A three-judge panel in January said the plan by the Republican-led legislature split Black neighborhoods in the Charleston area to create a “stark racial gerrymander.” After the changes, Rep. Nancy Mace (R) coasted to victory over a Democratic opponent, securing what has become a Republican-dominated 6-to-1 congressional delegation in the state.

The judges found that South Carolina’s mapmaker tried to keep the African American population below a certain target in the district, treating Charleston County “in a fundamentally different way than the rest of the state.”

After the panel rejected the map, South Carolina asked the Supreme Court to step in, saying that maintaining Republican dominance was the reason for the changes, not race. ['Oh, we certainly were gerrymandering, but it wasn't racist.']

The justices are separately considering a case that challenges a lower court’s decision that Alabama must create a second congressional district, out of seven, in which an African American candidate would have a good chance of being elected. The charge there is that the Voting Rights Act is violated when minority voters are packed into one districtand then spread in small numbers among other districts so that their voting power is diluted.

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I just came across this guy in the last few months but I really like his scientific critical thinking

In a recent interview, Pope Francis addressed the question of celibacy and the priesthood in the Catholic Church. He said that it’s a discipline that he does not intend to re-examine: “I don’t feel ready to reconsider it yet, but obviously it’s a matter of discipline, which has nothing to do with dogma. Today it’s the case and tomorrow it may no longer be. . . . [A] “time may come when a pope, perhaps, will revisit it.”

That’s a common view: Priestly celibacy is a “discipline,” or an “ecclesial law,” and thus it is not a doctrine that must be preserved forever. It can be repealed.

In his 1967 encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (On the Celibacy of the Priest), Pope Paul VI stated that priestly celibacy is a “brilliant jewel” that the Church has “guarded for centuries,” and “retains its value undiminished even in our time.” (¶1) Eight times he refers to celibacy as a “discipline” and sixteen times he asserts that it is a “law.”

In its Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, the Second Vatican Council observed that “celibacy is in harmony with the priesthood,” and, therefore, is to be preserved as a “discipline” and “law” of the Church. (¶16). Although the magisterium has ardently praised priestly celibacy and authoritatively upholds its continuance, I believe that it is more than simply an “ecclesial discipline,” or a “Church law.”

Obviously, it is not necessary that a man be celibate in order to be ordained to the priesthood. In Eastern Orthodoxy, it’s common for priests to be married, though they must be married prior to their ordination. Orthodox priests, however, must refrain from sexual intercourse a day or more before celebrating the liturgy. Eastern Orthodox bishops must be celibate.

Continued below.

Video Talk

2 Timothy 1:8-14 ESV


All of us who believe in Jesus Christ are to be ministers of the gospel of Christ. We are all to proclaim (preach, herald, prophesy, speak forth) the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9; Romans 1:7-8). And we are all to speak to one another for our encouragement, and so none of us will be led astray by false teaching and by sin’s deceitfulness (1 Corinthians 14:3-5; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Colossians 3:12-17; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25).

We are all to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16). And we are to be those who are making disciples of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to obey our Lord’s commands under the New Covenant (Matthew 28:18-20). And we are to be the Lord’s witnesses (Acts 1:8). And we should all be those who are opening the eyes of the spiritually blind and who are turning them from darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18).

We are not to be those who are ashamed of Jesus and of his words or he will be ashamed of us and he will deny us when he returns (Luke 9:26; 2 Timothy 2:12; Matthew 10:33). But we are to share in suffering for the gospel of Christ, and suffer we will if we are proclaiming the truth of the gospel and not the diluted and altered gospel message that is so popular today here in America. For the truth of the gospel is being rejected and so are its messengers, but we must remain true to the Scriptures.

And we are to follow the pattern of the sound words of Jesus Christ and of the NT apostles which teach that we must die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with Jesus Christ, our Lord. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness, holiness, and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, then we will not inherit eternal life with God. So we need to be telling people that, for many are believing that they don’t have to obey the Lord and that they can continue in deliberate and habitual sin and still go to heaven.

[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]

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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Of course, in films the evil guys almost always lose.

“Today the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Supervisory Special Agent we represent was informed that he and his entire investigative team are being removed from the ongoing and sensitive investigation of the high-profile, controversial subject about which our client sought to make whistleblower disclosures to Congress. He was informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice,” Mark Lytle and Tristan Leavitt wrote.
We need to hold people accountable, these kinds of actions will continue until there are actual consequences.

There will be a debate between Dave Farina, who has over 2 million youtube followers, and Jim Tour, professor at Rice university. Jim is well known, and often despised, for his Christian commitment and OOL views. Please pray for Jim. Also pray that the debate does not degenerate into a demonstration against the truth. Too many believe that the louder you shout the truer it is. Jim's view is the minority, of course. The debate is scheduled for the 19th of May.

www.tourvsfarina.com

Last night I was praying for some criminals on my son's street to turn to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. While I was praying for them, a smell of something rotten appeared in the room. It was a sickening smell. When I stopped praying for them, the smell instantly went away.
Also, I was upset with the criminals for disturbing the street so badly. When I received Communion, I instantly felt sick. I repented of my negative thoughts and the nausea went away.

I just don't know what to think of these happenings, especially the rotten smell. Never had anything like that happen before. Any ideas as to what's going on?
Also, please say a prayer for my protection from anything evil.

Thanks

Curious since after some reflection I’ve been thinking moving to somewhere where there’s a higher Orthodox population would be better outside the US.

My job allows me to be remote. Curious about y’all’s experience, advice here.

A bit of background on Dave Farina. Yawn: YouTuber “Professor Dave” Rants about ID | Evolution News

There will be a debate between Dave Farina, who has over 2 million youtube followers, and Jim Tour, professor at Rice university. Jim is well known, and often despised, for his Christian commitment and OOL views. Please pray for Jim. Also pray that the debate does not degenerate into a demonstration against the truth. Too many believe that the louder you shout the truer it is. Jim's view is the minority, of course. The debate is scheduled for the 19th of May.

www.tourvsfarina.com

Please pray that my friend's heart surgery will go well in Jesus name.

In the last devotion titled, “But I Received Mercy,” we read this in 1 Timothy 1:12-14 ESV:


Paul (formerly Saul) was a Pharisee and a persecutor and a murderer of Christians. But then Jesus saved his soul from hell, and he transformed him in heart and mind, and he gave him the mission of opening the eyes of the spiritually blind in turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they could receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (see Acts 26:16-18).

And so Paul became a great man of God who surrendered his life to Jesus Christ and who suffered greatly at the hands of other people in order to bring the truth of the gospel to the people and in order to refute the lies of the enemy of our souls. And he warned against false teachers who swerve from pure hearts and good consciences and sincere faith, and who wander off to vain discussion, to talk about matters they really know nothing about, in practice, and who are blowhards (braggarts, egotistical, and swindlers).

These braggarts and swindlers (cheats, tricksters, fakers) are long on talk but short on action, and oftentimes they are described in the Bible as those who are lawless, disobedient, ungodly, unholy, profane, murderers, sexually immoral, and those who practice homosexuality. They are enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine and is contrary to God’s moral laws. They are usually people without conscience, without morals, without restraint, without compassion, and lacking in kindness and concern for other people, because they are all about self and self-pleasure.

And many of them profess to be Christians, and some are even pastors of church congregations (or the gatherings of what is falsely called “church”). And some are husbands and wives and children and sisters and brothers who are mistreating their parents, siblings, spouses, and/or children. For when you deliberately and habitually sin against those you claim to love, that isn’t love, and you shouldn’t call it love, for it is hate, and it is willful. And it is abuse, and if this is you, and if you are making excuses for why you continue on this vein, then shame on you. You are without excuse!

1 Timothy 1:18-20 ESV


So, this really is the charge to all of us who profess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives. We should all be waging war against the enemy of our souls and against his lies and against false teachings and false teachers who are leading people astray by the masses. And we should all be living holy lives in dying daily to sin and to self and in walking in daily obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And we should be those who are steadfast in holding on to the truth as Jesus and as his NT apostles taught it to us.

Not one of us who professes faith in Jesus Christ should be like those described in the previous section of this writing who are living immoral and ungodly lives and who are deliberately sinning against God and against others, even those who they profess to love, and without conscience, and with no genuine desire to change their behaviors, either. We should not be those who reject the truth of the gospel and who turn to an altered gospel message so that they can continue in sin unhindered.

We should be those who long for our Lord and for his truth and righteousness, and whose desire is to do his will, to please him in all that we are and do and say.

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

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

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

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[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]

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Watch a “Calvinist” preach the Gospel of Grace:



We are unworthy of Christ. And we have great worth because of Christ. Christ died for us not because we are worthy, but because we are unworthy and there was no other way for us to be made worthy. It wasn’t a fair trade. The Son of God dies, the rebel lives. That’s not fair. That’s grace.




In Him,

Bill

“This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff,” Connolly said in a statement.

The U.S. Capitol Police identified the man as 49-year-old Xuan Kha Tran Pham, of Fairfax. He is facing charges of one count of aggravated malicious wounding and one count of malicious wounding.

“At this time, it is not clear what the suspect’s motivation may have been,” Capitol Police said in a statement.

In an interview with a CNN reporter, Connolly identified the two staffers as a senior aide and an intern on her first day on the job. He said the attacker also damaged the office, shattering glass and breaking computers.