Bro.T said:

Jesus brought grace when he came in the flesh, but example of grace was in the days of Noah. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:8), And Noah and his family was saved. Not save from eternal life, but saved from the flood. This is why Jesus had to come. Paul says in Hebrews 9: 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 26 for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Now Paul said in (Rom. 3:23-25) (v.23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (v.24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (v.25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

So the bible tells you to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2 :36-38). And by doing so you come up under his precious blood and then you are saved from your sins that are past, not present or future sins but for sins that are past. We were all locked under death by Adam’s sin, even the second death, which is the lake of fire. But when Jesus became (he was God in the beginning) man and died for the sins of the world, he gave us access back to the tree of life (himself) which Adam had caused us to lose. That’s what grace is, our free gift our access back to the tree of life but that’s another lesson for another time.

So by coming under the blood of Jesus being baptize, you are saved from your past sins. And if you are saved now, it is on a day to day basis. Because for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 23:3), and if you continue to live you will sin again.

When the bible speaks of laws we no longer have to keep, it is speaking of the sacrificial laws and Priesthood laws. These animal sacrificial laws were a school master pointing us to the fact that Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins. Since Jesus died we are no longer under a school master, (required to offer up bulls and goats for our sins).Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. This animal sacrificial law was only a schoolmaster.
(Gal 3:24)

Now we must believe (have faith) Jesus died for us (Hebrews 10:4,9-10) 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 9 then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

This doesn't mean we don't have to obey God's moral laws of conduct. That would be like a man getting paroled from prison and then ignoring the same laws that sent him to prison in the first place. Jesus only died once, so if we willingly break God's law, after accepting Jesus, our reward will be eternal damnation

It is the willful sinning that you need to put in check. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (Hebrew 10: 26, 27)

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Bro you write Noah and his family found grace from God but not eternal life. Well considering God gave Adam & Eve coats of skin being the first sacrifice of animals and of the prophecy given to Eve of the serpent bruising our Lords heel but with the serpent having his head crushed and considering they also had sacrificial offerings just as Abel’s offerings pre-flood. Then I think it is much wiser to consider that they believed in eternal life from a future redeeming Saviour. Noah made an animal sacrifice upon entry into the new world . It is highly unlikely that they viewed that sacrifice only as being saved from the deluge but also of a coming redeemer they would bring them eternal life too. Just as all post flood sacrifices just as Abraham’s sacrifice in the wilderness when the Angel of the Lord intervened all the way up to temple sacrifices. All were a promise of things to come that a Saviour would save us from our sins as the final sacrifice So the question must be asked why would the blood of Christ be only sufficient for PAST sins and not also for PRESENT and FUTURE sins of which the Bible clearly says his saints are sealed until the day of redemption and of who can break the seal of God. No power on earth can do so. Not even ourselves or any other principality for that matter. What you put forth makes no sense and what you are promoting is a works based religion Bro as to the book of Hebrews you quote. It is very true that the continuing sacrificing of beasts that we no longer need, because Christ was the perfect final sacrifice for forgiveness of sin and Christ being the one and only final priest as we need no other to assure us of our salvation. You must also remember this book Hebrews was specifically meant for the Jews. Meaning to warn them if they continue wilfully on with temple sacrifices and reject Christ’s sacrifice that there can no reconciliation from Gods fiery indignation and judgment. And that would not long be forthcoming as seen in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple completely.. Now the law was certainly was once our schoolmaster it pointed all to the sacrifice and the hope of a final sacrifice which we now find in Jesus Christ. The law is still a moral code to giude us but we are not relying on it to bring us to eternal life. Christ has already done that And finally Bro as to wilfully sinning . Well God does correct his children in many ways . But how do you evaluate wilfully sinning? You must remember it is not just a physical problem it’s also a spiritual one with the many thoughts that wilfully come into our minds everyday . As Christ said we commit sin even with our minds . So again you would have the same problem . Saved today and perhaps lost later on in the day, or maybe tomorrow or whenever saved again only that is of course if I or someone determines one to be saved or lost and that not be wise. Bro do remember we are still in our carnal nature which is yet to finally transition over upon death do we are all going naturally sin in some capacity until the perfect day cometh . And do remember we all have been brought at a great price. By the blood of Christ ❤️ and who can break the seal of God. Is the power of sin superior to Gods power ? . Yours Kathleen

Dan Perez said:

AND what do you say about other believers and you. are not !!

dan p

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When it comes to having sin and our sin being of the devil we ALL remain in the same boat

The difference between believer and unbeliever is that we are supposed to see WHY

223. A thousand and one
There are thoughts, money, hatred, fear, lack of faith that, among other things, barricades that are difficult to overcome and even bypass. There are a thousand and one impediments, but only one way to lead us to God’s Heart. When we decide to walk the road toward God, he himself removes impediments, blockages, barricades, rocks.
We have just shared the importance of taking the right path with God, but it is just as important to follow the road of fraternity with our contemporaries. Jesus tells us:
“What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?” Luke, chapter 11, verse 11
Who among us would want to offer something other than Jesus and his message to people?
We can continually sow the Love we receive from God. And if we gave ourselves the challenge of bringing only one new person to the Church in the next year, we would contribute to that person’s faith. Even by praying for him, and without his knowledge. We will have increased the prayer in our city and in our life. Let’s pray for a person who isn’t going to Mass. Whatever the result, don’t seek to know the result, but rest assured that Jesus will have visited him.
Every person has God in them, since God created them. Often the person is ready to hear that God is in his life. He’s waiting for someone to tell him. Said in a wise, fair and simple way, often a person cannot resist the invitation to recognize the presence of God in him. It’s easy to reveal to him the joy that he has from God.
The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s evangelize, Normand Thomas

The Liturgist said:

That is called the Baptism of Desire, or in the case of the Baptism of Blood. It is inadvisable to delay baptism relying on that, especially for an adult (I don’t believe children will be penalized by their parents refusing to baptize them due to the errors of the Credobaptist movement opposed by our friends @Ain't Zwinglian @ViaCrucis and @Jipsah with such eloquence, but for an adult to delay baptism seems to contradict the Nicene Creed. Even the Quakers who did not engage in physical baptism believed they were being baptized spiritually and connected it to an ecclesiastical context.

Intentionally avoiding baptism or delaying it was a common vice in the early church due to a belief that one would not be forgiven for sins committed after baptism, which even affected Emperor Constantine, but it is clearly wrong, and it is rejected now for the same reason it was rejected then.

The person who has not received Baptism has not received the sacramental grace and has not been born again of water and the spirit. Baptism enables one to safely partake of the Eucharist and will also remove any demons that might be oppressing someone (in a liturgical church at least, since we include a prayer of exorcism in the liturgy).

I would also note that baptism like the Eucharist is extremely enjoyable, and is an example not of an unpleasant ritual but of Christ dispensing his grace to us in a way that gives us pleasure now and delivers us from death in the future. The sacraments, when done properly, are not drab rituals but are means of accessing a joy that is beyond description.

In my childhood, I was blessed to receive the Eucharist for the first time around age four (had I been an Orthodox I would have received it from infancy). I remember being amazed by how delicious it was I attempted at home to recreate the taste using the exact same bread and juice without success. I later discovered that even in rites where the Eucharist is formulated with slightly different matter, for example unleavened bread in the case of the Roman church or in the case of the Orthodox, our liturgical rites which usually use fermented bread except for the Armenian Apostolic Church among the Orientals, the surreal taste is still the same - it is because I am not consuming ordinary bread and wine, but the very Body and Blood of Christ our God.

Thus, what I don’t understand about the anti-sacramental position is why people would object to doing what is both scripturally commanded by Christ of all Christians in the case of Baptism and the Eucharist (with limited exceptions for those unable to be baptized before dying, for example of martyrdom), and which is at least in the liturgical churches, extremely pleasurable.

What is the logic of “Oh, let’s not spend an hour or two listening to the most beautiful music with the most beautiful words ever written before experiencing pleasure given by God as a gift directly analogous to the nuptial bliss of Holy Matrimony”? It baffles me that anyone would wish to deprive themselves from that.

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In our Synod, one of our Parishes in Oakville called, and recently installed, a former Latvian Priest (Pastor) in their Parish. He had been serving the Lutheran Church of Australia, until they voted to ordain women. He was instrumental in organizing the new confessional Synod there, (which we in LCC also support and are in fellowship with). LCMS is now in fellowship with the Mission Province of Sweden (so we also are in defacto fellowship, although no formal declaration of fellowship has taken place with LCC and MPS. We have, however, 4 years ago, at our Synod Convention in Edmonton Alberta, Canada declared fellowship with the Mission Diocese of Finland (Parishes in Lapland, Iceland, and Israel). They are also in fellowship with the Ingrian Lutheran Church (Russia and Siberia, who have a parish in Turkey).

Unity does not just happen, it is, as the article says, "Our common faith and the bearing of a shared yoke is a wondrous matter. Our Diocesan Assembly met in Helsinki on 11 November 2017 where our stand on the ecclesiastical fellowship with the LCC was brought forward for due consideration and discussion. The resolution to sign this agreement on full ecclesiastical relations was reached . We rejoice in this outcome."

This is what true unity looks like IMO:

Hans Blaster said:

If those that like the same theories you do support "naturalistic and material worldview" why are you having a problem with my "worldview"?

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Sorry I should have said those who disagree with alternative theories are usually those who take the materialist worldview. Simple logic says that their worldview won't allow such transcedent possibilities.

You don't believe there is a God or gods or anything that transcends naturalistic causes right. So how could you even contemplate including such possibilities as a priori. Whereas I or others being theists or those supporting transcedent consciousness will be open to such possibilities. I am surprised you don't know this. Its been an issue in modern society for a while now.

Indigenous Worldviews vs Western Worldviews

Science Must Embrace Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge to Solve Our Biodiversity Crisis

Hans Blaster said:

I couldn't figure out what you were trying to say.

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It means what it says. Western material science (naturalism) is often used to dismiss alternative ways of knowing. Refer to the above articles.

Hans Blaster said:

No one used "woo" yet. (It is a term usually used for new age spiritualism, not pseudoscience.)

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Hum I have seen plenty of examples of Woo and pseudoscience being used interchangably. Quantum woo is often called pseudoscience. Wiki seems to use all these terms for the same thing lol.

Quantum mysticism, sometimes referred to pejoratively as quantum quackery or quantum woo,[1] is a set of metaphysical beliefs and associated practices that seek to relate spirituality or mystical worldviews to the ideas of quantum mechanics and its interpretations.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Quantum mysticism is considered pseudoscience and quackery by quantum mechanics experts.

Hans Blaster said:

My primary point is that nothing you've presented as "alternative theories" requires supernatural or spiritual things for them to exist. Nor have you even made supernatural or spiritual claims.

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Thats right. I am not envoking aliens, God or gods or magic in a supernatural sense. Merely alternative knowledge that can be derived by other means besides the material processes claimed.

Whether thats like indigenous knowledge where knowledge has come from some higher level of existence in what is called spirituality or some transcedent state or something like that. Something only experiences within nature can bring such knowledge. Working with nature and having passed down this knowledge and then it was lost in many cases.

This is anthropology and cultural aspects of human thinking and behaviour that the material science cannot tell us about. Just like consciousness and the experience of colors as with Marys example. Some that is a real aspect of humans just as their biological reality but in experiential terms.

Hans Blaster said:

You keep invoking advanced technology (or at least relative to what is assumed in the "mainstream narrative"), not supernaturalism. So why should it matter that any proponent of any historical theory is open to or opposed to non-natural aspects of reality?

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Because fundementally how a person sees the possibilities comes down to their metaphysical beliefs whether they like it or not. I am not saying that a Christian or someone who is open to something beyond cannot use the science. This is an important part that grounds most things.

But when the science is used to smack down alternative possibilities is when it becomes about metaphysical beliefs. An atheist or materialist who only believes there are naturalistic causes and nothing transcedent of this as far as fundemental reality will restrict things to such a worldview as a logical extention.

The only chance of alternative ways of knowing reality as a possibility is if the person is also open to this metaphysically. Otherwise they demand that only empiricle evidence epistemically. Alternatives are either discounted or completely defeated by the science and dismissed as crackery or superstition ect. Old make believe stories passed down but nothing real as far as fundemental knowledge of reality.

Hans Blaster said:

(Do you just not want the ideas you are supporting to be tested? I am at a loss here to figure out why this matters at all.)

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I am all for these out of place examples to be tested. I even gave some of that testing showing evidence fo advanced knowledge and tech. Yet no one has challenged this.

I gave plenty of examples of our of place signatures that cannot be explained by the traditional tools in the records. There are many, many examples. Too many to fob off as done by sheer pounding, splitting and copper saw cutting and abrasions.

Hi,

I wrote a song about my experiences above, and got an AI agent to sing it.

Login to view embedded media

Always in His Presence said:

I’m lost in this diatribe. What does this have to do with the topic of the thread?

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It specifically relates to clerical celibacy and confession.

What you’ve got to understand is that the Roman Church, the Orthodox and the other liturgical churches can only be explained in the context of their historical narrative, in the same way that Protestantism requires the context of Medieval Catholicism to be understood. So the only way to provide a fully useful answer to any of your questions requires an immersive study of scripture, mystical theology, Patristics, Liturgics and ecclesiastical history. Without focusing on these, in equal measure, there isn’t an answer.

Strong in Him said:

And the word "Apostle" means "sent", so Barnabas was an Apostle, Acts 13:2-3. Junia was outstanding among the Apostles, Romans 16:7.

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And they were members of the Seventy. Only St. Paul, who our Lord selected, and certain early Greek bishops like St. Dionysius the Aeropagite, were not connected with the early church, and they were not Apostles but episkopoi.

This is why we no longer use the title Apostle.

In Orthodoxy Apostolic Succession is not defined on the model of St. Augustine of Hippo but rather St. Cyprian of Carthage, who clearly said a heretic cannot pass Apostolic succession. Thus a bishop has valid Apostolic succession only if ordained normally by three bishops (in emergencies this has been waived) in apostolic succession from non-heretics. Thus Apostolic Succession could not flow through a Valentinian, Donatist, Paulician or Bogomil.

If some liberal churches continue to deprecate the value of the Trinity and the Incarnation (I recently was disgusted in March when an Anglican priest in the C of E claimed the story of the Annunciation - the Virgin Birth, was one lacking in relevance for modern congregations) and go the way of the Remonstrants, the church founded by Arminius which has since abandoned Trinitarianism as doctrine and instead has each new member write their own creed, then there will be no Apostolic Succession in those churches - it will have been forfeit according to St. Cyprian.

As far as personal prayer ( because there is such a thing as corporate prayer, church prayer, prayer groups too), I've had tremendous results with prayer, just stopping what I'm doing at the time, standing, looking up and let it flow from the heart. Many times prayers have been answered from that approach, just as you are. It makes me think of the book of Job, God instruct Job to stand up and be a man , as they communicated!!! My suggestion, just don't make it a public scene, it's your private conversation with God. Don't worry about the formality or wording, the Holy Spirit is with us to make the delivery clear. Assuming one is reborn of the Spirit. The important matter is to get it out and from the heart.. From scripture there is something to be said about a prayer space behind closed doors. A prayer room or as scripture says a closet. The meaning here though is alone with God.

In times of hard grief, bedtime prayers for the peace of the Holy Spirit have fully taken me over to where I get a solid 6 hours or so of sleep, then toss a bit from there or just get up.

Forgiveness, in prayers for others. Put aside any bitterness, give it to the Lord first, then make your request be known.

CerebralCherub, encourage you to keep searching, reading Scripture and pursuing God. Our prayer life is part of our armor which is God's armor (Eph 6:10-19) and when based on His Word, it is our sword. (Eph 6:10-19).

Michie said:

Seal originally created in 1916, inspired by Stephen F. Austin family coat of arms

The capital city of Texas has announced an official brand redesign and logo to be the town's new symbol, saying that the existing city seal that features a cross "does not promote the City's distinctive values and mission."

Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax unveiled a new brand logo for the city Thursday, a move that he said is aimed at unifying both the city's brand identity and its people.

"For the first time in Austin's history, we will have a logo to represent the city services and unify us as one organization, one Austin," Broadnax told reporters.

Continued below.

Austin reveals new 'brand' logo because city seal with cross 'doesn't promote' town's values

The capital city of Texas has announced an official brand redesign and logo to be the town s new symbol, saying that the existing city seal that features a cross does not promote the City s

www.christianpost.com

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What a perfect set-up for The Babylon Bee. Imagine the following in the Bee:

AUSTIN: City officials unveil new logo of a pitchfork; say it represents city values.

MarkRohfrietsch said:

A former Pastor wanted to move the baptismal font to the rear of the Church, so parishoners could, if they chose to, remember their baptism with it. We got no traction on that whatsoever. Such was deemed too "catlick". LOL However, since that time, we have seen an ever increasing number of members, old and new alike, making the sign of the cross.

So much negative influence in North America from reformed evangelical and pietist Christians as well as Masonic and Orange lodges. German Lutherans and Catholics were in a minority in this part of Upper Canada, being a British Colony. Only in about the last 50 years have we began to see a return to the fulness of our Liturgical heritage.

So much easier in Europe, our Sister Church in Latvia and their new Archbishop:

View attachment 369640

Baby-steps as they say; someday.

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Beautiful vesture.

Also, don’t forget the Church of Sweden, unlike the Church of Denmark, always had a high church element connected to Uppsala, and the confessing Mission Province is in that tradition. To a lesser extent Norway and Finland also have had high church elements.

The real problem has been pietists in the parishes, but in Sweden and Norway at least, historically the pietists were sufficiently uncomfortable as to found what is now in North America the EV Free church.

However it looks like the Norwegians went in a more Pietist direction at some point - currently my main hope for Western Rite Christianity in Norway is the Norwegian Catholic Church, an Old Catholic jurisdiction in communion with the Polish National Catholic Church (which unlike the NCC, exists mainly in the US).

In Sweden and Northern Germany I think the future will heavily depend on Christian immigrants of Suroye ethnicity, from the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Church of the East. They are making substantial efforts to assimilate into the local culture while preserving the Aramaic language for worship, while completely eliminating Arabic in the case of the Syriac and Coptic Orthodox (their approach in the US as well - the idea is that the youth should know the traditional language of the church and the vernacular language, but not the language foisted upon them by the Saracens - there are to be clear Arabic Christians who have always spoken Arabic, mainly in the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Church of Jerusalem (whose territory extends into Jordan), the Church of Sinai (technically a part of the Church of Jordan) and the Melkite Catholic, Roman Catholic and Anglican churches In the area. And Arabic Christianity is extremely beautiful. However it is not the original language of the Suroye (Assyrians and Aramaeans), nor of the Copts or Maronites (who are possibly descended from the Suroye but had a schism with the Syriac Orthodox a long time ago, and migrated to Lebanon and claim a Phoenician ethnicity). The Maronites unfortunately are the only one of the churches I’ve mentioned that was predominantly Syriac Aramaic speaking but which now has no speakers left, but there remains an interest in Aramaic among the Maronite Catholics.

dms1972 said:

Hi,

Just asking for prayer for my mum who is 93. She has a few health issues, more discomfitting than serious, but she had abcess on her neck recently, and had been taking antibiotics for that, and is going to have it seen again at the hospital next week. The other thing is just that she has a bit of fluid retention in her ankles which makes them swell a bit and what seems like a bit of bruising on her leg, but she doesn't remember hitting it, so were are just hoping that improves.

We are grateful for the help she is getting and the medication she has. I try to encourage her with reading some excerpts from christian books.

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Whenever someone says they’re going to take antibiotics, well I know that doctors don’t always take time to tell them they will also need probiotics. Some yogurts oe Kiefer have them.

I hope she gets any that she needs, and I pray she will be fine.

PloverWing said:

And don't get me started on whether an abstract concept like "sin" exists. (People do sinful acts, but in what sense do abstract concepts exist? Does "round" exist? Does "tall" exist? Does the number 8 exist? Philosophers want to know. )

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Well...natural philosophers may argue about the nature of gravity, but I don't recommend they walk off a tall building.

Xeno.of.athens said:

Does the bible urge Christians to be kind to animals?

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No.

By hand the best diamond cutter(s) in the world are sitting on street curbs in India.
By hand the most renowned stone cutters remain "invisible" to onlookers today.
It would be way too embarrassing for the truth to be known. (that "no-bodies" , very poor in this world, are way better than the rich and famous and popular who continuously are being always promoted (for money))

linux.poet said:

Gracious Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus,
I pray for Your children in Pakistan that are affected by the flood. I pray for Your provision for them, that Your name may be glorified, and that the country of Pakistan may see that You support them in spite of their harsh conditions.

Please help those affected to have warn clothing and shelter to stay warm, and send the Lord of armies to protect the women and children. Lord Jesus, now is the time to act to save Your witnesses and ambassadors. Go! And guide Pastor Waris on how best to respond to this crisis!
In Christ’s Name,
Amen

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Amen Amen!

linux.poet said:

Hi pastorwaris,
Thank you for the update. I’m going to move this from Prayer Wall Discussion & Inspiration to Persecuted Christians, as we are talking about a group of persecuted Christians in Pakistan who are being affected by the flood. This kind of thread posting style also is a match for there.

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Thank you so much for this. May God Bless you more and more!