please see Joe caught lying "I think you're in the clear"

But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth [John 4:23~24]

please pray for me(sangeun) and all of my family members(jeolja dohan junghee nosun hochul jieun zzomi) with the bible verses above, that me and all of my family members worship Jesus in spirit and in truth and to worship Jesus gathering all together forever.

Hello friends, i'm new here. my first time on christian forums.
my name is Paul, i'm 33.
my faith and religion are a huge part of my life.
i am happy to be a member. i look forward to interacting.

i joined christian forums to strengthen my faith every day, make new christian friends and also hopefully join in a bible study group.

Philippians 3:9 (NASB20)
and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This righteousness that one needs to be found having, for it being, the very life of Christ itself…. For this is the free gift of God to mankind, Christ’s righteous life being brought to life in one, this is the life that must be manifested in one if one would be of the mind to get an abundant welcome….

For the manifesting of which comes not through one’s own effort, but by one recognizing one’s absolute need of it and the absolute impossibility of manifesting this life on one’s own…. For in the recognizing of one’s need, births the needed faith, and then the faith is the conduit to the life itself… For it is this free gift of the life of Christ in one that does produce the necessary righteousness if one has the will to maintain one’s trusting in God, which manifests the truth of the statement; ‘a sick one seeing their need of a doctor’…. For when one sees what one truly is, that being, nothing but disorder on legs, then one runs to this free gift that is being held out to all, for it is held out to all, but one seeing one’s need of this free gift, illuminates the gift….

For to the one that sees their need, this running, this fighting, this working out of one’s own salvation before God becomes one’s very life, all things take a second place to it…. For it is a free gift…. For the one that sees that this free gift of the life that produces righteousness is to be expressed in all of the doings of life by recognizing the faith that is capable of producing it… For that one’s need will grow a faith that will settle for nothing less, because the need sees the doing of righteousness in all things is God’s will in all things, then it sees how all but this will is of the disorder….

For fighting the fight to keep on trusting is the working out one is called to…. To not shrink back into doubt and fear when one’s human reasonings are throwing a fit, for this is the time of the greatest growth if one will soldier on to reap the fruit of righteousness that is waiting for the trusting one, which fruit will be discovered to be the very joy of one’s life….

For the righteousness of God is open and offered to all, the one that accepts this offer, and to the degree this offer is accepted, oh happy day, for that one will most assuredly receive Christ’s life to the degree the gift is accepted….


Be blessed in the need that does the accepting, Not me

In nuclear engineering a brief explantion of "critical mass" triggering an event like an atomic explosion is -

In nuclear engineering, a critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction.

In the Bible there is such a similar matter with the rapture of a critical mass of Christians who are watching and ready.
I submit that in the past to thousand years of church history some individuals and small groups have probably been ready to be rapture.
The died in hope which was not in vain.

At the end of this age a critical mass of such will be enlarged and as a remnant will be raptured.
The majority of the saints, however, will pass through the great tribulation. Their taking to the Lord in the air will be latter.
Allow me to try to prove this. Some have referred to this as "Selective Rapture."

So background here.

I am a widower as of this year. Just a few months. My late wife, the honest Gift from God was taken from me. I am dealing with the grief and adjustment through several means. Griefshare, diving headfirst into Gods word, and a widows / widowers support group.

I am not now, nor am I certain I will ever be interested in another relationship. I am relatively youngish for a widower at 53, and the thought of spending the rest of my live without someone to share it with bothers me greatly yes. We have no children, so at home it is literally just me, and our pets.

I have been talking to one of the Widows from the group that has been struggling as well, praying for her, encouraging her etc...

Now this particular widow is a Christian woman, but of a different cultural background, and so I may be misreading what she is saying, but in our conversations as of late it would seem she has set her sights on me as a potential partner / dating / marriage. As in she wants me to meet her mother, calls me dear etc... I need to not be too specific as I don't want to identify her straight out but she is of a Pacific Islander background.

Mind you, if I were just plain old single, I would be overjoyed at the attention, but given that I am a widower, and how recent it has been I am very uncomfortable with the contact with this woman now. I know I am no longer married as we crossed the 'till death do us part threshold, but even just the direction conversation has gone feels like I am being unfaithful to my wife.

In our group conversations, and to her specifically I have stated repeatedly that I am unsure if I will ever be comfortable with that sort of relationship again, but given all other factors now is not the time. And yes people ask. I know people that remarried not much longer after their spouse died.

I know everyone grieves at their own pace, and like I said, if I were just plain old single, her values, her personality, and yes she is an attractive woman, I would be thrilled, but now is not the time. I do not wish to give her false hope that I might start pursuing her, and I do not want to lead her on.

I am not used to this sort of thing as I have been married more or less my entire adult life. And this is causing me a huge amount of concern.

So the question I have is, how do I make sure my boundaries are understood and respected, or even approach the subject in the chance that this is a cultural misunderstanding?

In a pathetic move, the White House just released talking points people can use when "talking to their uncle." Of course, most of this is fake news propaganda and/or misleading.


In reality, this should be the only "talking point" that matters this Thanksgiving:

Login to view embedded media
I figured this video was a good recent example of conservative push back against the claim that the Orthodox Church no longer teaches against contraception. It reminds me of this quote from Palamas, because no one speaks this way anymore:

“For the physical impulse to reproduce is involuntary and does not obey the law of our mind, although some do bring it forcibly into subjection, while others chastely give rein to it solely for the purpose of betting children.” (Homily 52 Par 7)

I figured this is a worthy discussion.

Looking at history and all it's atrocities, people always wonder why the Christian masses simply "went along" (although there are numerous examples of the few who sacrificed themselves)? But most of these events took place in Gov'ts where the people didn't have much of a say such as Stalin, Pol Pot, Hitler, Mao...
But in America, we constantly have Christians who will vote for politicians who will make every effort to continue infanticide in our country because they value other issues as more important to them.
Not looking to argue...just trying to understand what the mindset is from those who feel this way? How do you justify this? Am I the one being too legalistic?
Thanks

repent in Bible = change of mind/direction, Bible says repent and believe the gospel for salvation, not "repent of your sins (works)" Acts 20:21 "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." God repented more than anyone in the Bible and he doesn't sin.

if you falsely believe and say that repent means "of your sins" to be saved you have 1. added to Gods word 2. believe that Christs death, burial, resurrection wasn't sufficient for sins 3. added to salvation 4. called God a sinner (he repented over 20 times) 5. made salvation works based (follow the law to be/stay saved) which is a false gospel

I believe in repentance for salvation, the biblical repentance not the false "of your sins" works righteousness salvation. and people will falsely accuse you of not believing in repentance when you preach this and then they will falsely throw verses like Luke 13:3 at you, which says nothing about turning from sins and in fact is just talking about physical repentance saying you will likewise perish (Luke 13:3-5). they will hit you with these verses out of context to silence you from preaching grace through faith salvation, it hinders soul winning.

Also they will claim you that you teach license to sin, turned grace into lasciviousness, encourage and glorify sin and falsely claim that you don't believe in repenting of sins at all, but this is a lie, I believe in repent of sins, but not to be saved! Repent of your sins is works,

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Repenting of sins is a daily thing, not apart of our salvation, after salvation we still must die daily, take up our cross, choose to walk in the spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, however we will never be sinlessly perfect until our flesh dies and we go to heaven, Apostle Paul still struggled with Sin, all the apostles sinned after they were saved, yet they all preached against sin, and they never once lost their salvation. Peter denied Christ multiple times and didn't lose his salvation, King Saul, Samson committed suicide and never lost it, Judas committed suicide after he "repented" but went to hell because he was never saved.

Salvation is simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31, entire Gospel of John), if you believe then you sins are covered, if you haven't believed in Christ or believe in your works/repenting your sins or adding anything else to Christs death, burial, resurrection to save you, then you're not saved. this is not "downplaying" or condoning or even encouraging sin at all, this is just explaining the biblical reality of salvation and separating the free gift of eternal life offered freely by Jesus, from our works that we do after we are saved.

Voters encountered problems casting their ballots at 70 of the 223 vote centers in Maricopa County on Election Day, November 8, 2022, resulting in long lines and concerns that ballots ended up not tabulated or “misread,” and commingled with ballots that had already been tabulated. Averaged together, the problems occurred in areas where Election Day voting was more than 300 percent Republican versus Democrat. Of those 70 precincts affected, 59 were in heavily Republican-voting areas, and two were Republican-leaning but not heavily, with only nine from Democrat-leaning or solidly Democrat areas.

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Jim O’Connor, who has led the effort to stop the use of electronic voting machine tabulators, said that county officials must resign due to the problems.


Hopefully the courts will review the situation and see if another election is warranted.

The Calvinist way of thinking says that man is unable to choose good, that he/she is totally depraved, and God must select them for enlightenment. THat they have no ability to reach out to God. But that is not how Paul describes it. He shows clearly that man can "will" to do good, although the power not being present.

Rom 7:14-24 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Here we clearly see, the nature of the unregenerated man, he can "agree with/delight in the law of God", but has no ability to carry it out. It is this will that activates salvation. By desiring God, a man is pulled away from the unregenerated nature, to the empowered nature, one where the Spirit of God helps overcome dark desires.

Our choices lead to salvation or damnation, our choice to either accept or reject the hand given to us, that pulls us from sin.

John 14:20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

Note again the order of John 14:20.

1. God shows us His commands and the command of faith
2. We either accept or reject it
3. If we accept it God enlightens us, comes to us, and makes His home with us
4. If we reject God's commands no enlightenment happens.
5. God desires however that all come to the truth, but not all respond

Calvinism runs contrary to this stating:

1. God gives His commands
2. Man hates and can not receive them, man has no ability to respond
3. God chooses to save a few by enabling them to have faith, regenerated they can now obey
4. God leaves the rest blind, not desiring their regeneration
5. God only desires a few saved (those he wills), and wills the rest damned

But it is not that God desired or willed man to be wicked, or come into judgment. But man did not respond in the way God desired, he responded contrary to His expectation.

Gen 6:5-8 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Chesapeake police say the suspect behind a mass shooting at a Walmart just off Battlefield Blvd. is dead.

It’s still unclear just how many people were killed or injured in the shooting, but police say there are multiple of both. A police spokesperson told WAVY’s Michelle Wolf that no more than 10 people have died.

Police are still going through the building and people are asked to steer clear. The call reporting the shooting came in at 10:12 p.m. Tuesday.


Prayers for all involved and for the families that lost loved ones.

Fentanyl-laced pills being smuggled into the U.S. are becoming stronger and deadlier, according to a federal study that found that a majority of them now contain a fatal dose.


The Drug Enforcement Administration’s lab found that an average of six out of ten of the fake-prescription pills that contained fentanyl have a fatal dosage of the synthetic opioid.

Our food is pretty much toxic. I don't eat junk food but eat a VERY limited diet. I have a hard time consuming food because the poisons in the food are becoming worse. Even my interest has been gone for years so I eat to survive & that's it. I try to use organic as much as possible but still can't bring myself to eat much. I eat a simple generic diet with no frills. I have a list of roughly 10-12 foods that are edible. I've also been intermittent fasting for many years & eat OMAD starting at 1-5 p.m. Anyone else?

BUSINESS INSIDER

A Christian petition against Donald Trump's 2024 bid has amassed thousands of signatures​

A Christian organization which launched a petition protesting Donald Trump's 2024 presidential run has amassed thousands of signatures so far.

The petition was launched on November 16 by Faithful America. The group says it is an online Christian community founded in 2004 that is "organizing the faithful to challenge Christian nationalism and white supremacy."

At press time, 14,904 people had signed the petition — just shy of the organization's goal of 15,000 signatures.

In its petition, the group called on Christians to "speak out" and "make it clear that Donald Trump does not share our values and will never have our votes."

"We don't know much yet about how the 2024 election will play out, but one thing is certain: Another Trump presidency would be a disaster for our country," the organization wrote on the petition.

"In a speech laced with fearmongering and lies, Trump made it clear that he intends to double down on the fascist tactics that led to the deadly January 6 Christian-nationalist attack on our Capitol," the group added.

Faithful America also said in its petition that the Bible teaches "love, equality, and dignity," which it says are values that Trump's MAGA movement "clearly rejects."

Nathan Empsall, a reverend and the executive director of Faithful America told Newsweek on Monday that Trump had "weaponized religion" in his last two campaigns for president in 2016 and 2020.

"Neither the country nor the church can afford another four years of this charlatan's fascism, racism, misinformation, or ego," Empsall said.

Faithful America's position comes at a time when several of Trump's evangelical allies have either held back from backing him or have publicly slammed him.

More...

MSN

www.msn.com

OB

Please pray that my wife and I can have a pleasant Thanksgiving. We went to Walmart and I discovered when we arrived that I left my wallet at home. I went home to retrieve it while she shopped. She had to stand for awhile until I returned and now is experiencing pain in her legs. We have been quarreling in general. Please pray that this situation turns around and we can have Thanksgiving together.

There are some Baptists that believe. Anyone who believes a single work has anything to do with being saved will be damned.

And some believe that those who don't believe in eternal security will also be damned.

Some Baptists also tend to be very strict. So even though they believe they are saved through no works at all, they still strive to do good, work hard, and avoid sin. Same with Calvinists.

If it was true that works were part of being saved. Would a Baptist or Calvinist be at any risk even if they did the good works anyways.

And would the Calvinist be at any risk for having the incorrect view about predestination if they were wrong?

Or a Baptist who was uncertain whether people had any choice in the matter of being saved or not?

According to the NY Times, the USA has seen a dramatic rise in evangelical preachers making prophesies, particularly concerning the political affairs of Trump and the republican party.

Prophesies are not new, of course, with doomsday prophesy groups, almost exclusively Christian, failing to see the world end on the predicted date.

In the last ten years, prophesies have emerged focussed on the the re-election of Donald Trump and the so called red wave which would see the Democrats swept from power. Now I am not from USA so couldn't care less about their politics. I'm more interested to know how those who believe prophesies, reconcile their faith in both their religion and their preacher, when the prophesy does not come to pass.


Login to view embedded media

Hello Friends,

I am interested in some discussion around what was lost during the fall.

It seems as if 'to the innocent all things are innocent' applied to Adam and Eve, created good, yet fell.

That begs the question as to if total depravity of man, if you believe in it, is part of the curse of the fall.

This then leads us to conclude that after the fall, man was not fully human, having lost the innocence of Adam.

In Christ then, our humanness is fully restored?

Finally the conclusion is that the unsaved are not fully human ???

Bare with me - I am presenting questions - I am sure about the vast chasm between our so called righteousness and the Holiness of God.

But I am unsure about the concept of total depravity and what that means, given the way God described Job and the favour Noah found.

The reason I am raising this is because total depravity can lead to believers failing to act as they perceive all their efforts as essentially unrighteous.

“CBS News is now reporting on what Democrats told you for two years was a, ‘conspiracy theory,’” tweeted Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt, Texas Republican. “The Hunter Biden laptop is not Russian disinformation, it’s a real and very uncomfortable truth for the Biden White House.”

There are many types of Christian denominations so how do we know which one to follow? I personally have been to many types of churches of varied denominations & I’ve felt at home with all of them for different reasons. Lately, I’ve just been following the Bible and not attending a church.

You see it often and regularly. Christians who either have an image of Jesus hanging on their wall at home or have a picture of Jesus as their profile picture on social media. There are also Christians who bow down before an image of Jesus (or Mary).

My question is: Is that reprehensible to make an image of God?

Paul said in Acts 17:29: "Because we are descended from God, it is absurd to think that we can represent God in statues made of gold, silver or hewn stones. These are, after all, only creations of our art and our imaginations."

Isn't that a clear statement?

My other question is: Why do people always tend to make an image of God? We see this already in the early times of mankind and until today it is still common. How do you explain this phenomenon?

is the inability--on both sides--to compromise. Compromise is not a dirty word. It's a necessity. Making deals is how our government was designed to work. At times, our political leaders will have to give something up in order to gain something else. Of course, this is far from perfect. Our Constitution was a product of compromise. (And obviously, it's most glaring deficiency was the inability to end slavery.) Somehow, we have to get over the notion that making a concession is a capital offense. Donald Trump was on the mark to choose this as a campaign song:

Login to view embedded media