saved24 said:

My young niece tried to commit suicide yesterday, and has had depression her family found out. Pray for her sister too who has anxiety and sometimes turns to alcohol. Praying for a new home for her, my suicidal niece, and that she gets Christian counseling

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Dikaioumenoi said:

The connection to verse 20 doesn't exclude verses 25-26 or 35-36. It explains what triggered the entire discourse. The arrival of the Greeks in verse 20 is the narrative catalyst:

"Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip... and asked him, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.'" (John 12:20-21)​

​

John deliberately isolates this event: "Now there were some Greeks..." (δὲ marks a narrative transition). He draws attention to them as a separate narrative unit before Jesus speaks again. The significance of it is that this is the first explicit mention of Gentiles seeking Jesus in John's Gospel. Up to this point, Jesus' ministry has been almost entirely within Israel. There had been occasional foreshadowings of Gentile inclusion (e.g., John 4:42), but this is the first time Gentiles are physically present and requesting audience with Jesus.

Jesus "answers them" (ἀποκρίνεται αὐτοῖς) in verse 23, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." The Greeks' arrival is what provokes this declaration. It is the event that marks the shift from "My hour has not yet come" (2:4; 7:30; 8:20) to "The hour has come" (12:23). So the arrival of these Gentiles signifies the transition from a Jewish-restricted mission to a universal one. Everything that follows Jesus' declaration in v. 23 unfolds as His theological exposition of this turning point.

Verses 25-26 develop the implications of His glorification (the necessity of death leading to life), while verse 32 gives its climactic significance: He being "lifted up" will effect a drawing of all kinds of people: Jew and Gentile alike, not Jew only. That's why John mentions the Greeks at all. They are the narrative signal that the redemptive focus is expanding beyond Israel.

The logic of the discourse is:

vv. 20-23 - The Greeks arrive --> "the hour has come."
vv. 24-26 - The principle of life through death (the grain of wheat).
vv. 27-33 - The meaning of Christ's death: the cross as the means of universal (not Jewish-only) gospel appeal.
vv. 35-36 - The closing exhortation: believe in the Light while it is among you.

The meaning of "draws" (ἑλκύω) and the scope of those drawn are not determined by the exhortation. In this context, the verb concerns the inclusion of all kinds of people; that is, kinds without distinction, not individuals without exception. Jesus is announcing the ingathering of both Jews and Gentiles into one redeemed people, not the universal salvation (or attempt at it) of every individual. Moreover, the semantic core of ἑλκύω is forceful or powerful, not merely inviting. The core idea it expresses is the decisive movement from one state or sphere to another. Thus, when Jesus declares, "I will draw all people to myself," He is not describing a mere attempt to persuade; He is proclaiming the certain efficacy of His redemptive work: the power of the cross to extend through the gospel to all nations and to bring people of every kind to genuine faith in Him. If that "drawing" is taken to refer to individuals without exception, the text would be teaching universalism.

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boughtwithaprice said:

I have prayed and thought of this thread and the reasons I wanted to discuss it here. We all want to worship our Lord Jesus Christ. He states, I am the Alpha AND the Omega, the first and the last.

Revelation 1:8

8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty


Baptism is a sign for His believers.
Matthew 28:19-20

Baptism is described as the circumcision of Christ.
Colossians 2:11-12

Water was present on the first day. Genesis1:2
Circumcision was to occur on the eighth day.
Leviticus 12:3

Water is important to God as He says it is life giving. See scriptures

Psalm 1
Isaiah 35
Isaiah 43
Isaiah 55
Isaiah 58
Jeremiah 17
Ezekiel 47

John 4
John 7
Apocolypse (Revelation) 22:1-2

John 7 describes the Holy Spirit as the river of living water, while revelation says the river flows from the throne of God AND the Lamb
Filioque?

Scripture tells us that there will be theological disagreements and variances of understanding, yet it says whatever we do, we do from the heart as for God and not men (paraphrase) Col 3:23

We are not here to lord ourselves over one another. The Sabbath came after creation, not at the beginning. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, not the end only. The Sabbath was a sign of the Old Covenant. Jesus chose water to represent the New Covenant and told us we must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of Heaven. John 3

Water represents the first day of creation and baptism the circumcision if heart on the eighth day. The Sabbath is not to be profaned, but it has been fulfilled. We are no longer limited to worshipping God in the temple on the Sabbath, but can now worship Him in spirit and in truth any time and anywhere. Matthew 18:20

Life comes from Christ, not obeying the Old Covenant. Galatians 3:11


People may disagree with the Catholic Church due to their personal opinion, but the teaching of the Catholic Church is thoroughly based in Scripture.
Calling her the harlot of Babylon or Sunday worship the mark of the beast is presumptuous and misleading. The sacraments all point to Christ whom we worship. Our honor of Mary amplifies the Word of God as described in Gen 3:15. Mary says that her soul amplifies the Lord. She does not detract from Him

There is no scriptural cause to oppose the Catholic Church. Personal opinion may give one cause, but personal opinion does not a scriptural reason make. 2Peter 1:20

Pray for the salvation of all men for the greater glory of God the Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit

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peaceful-forest said:

Can you post the article here for us to read?


I've never heard that criminals use it. But it's possible. My experience has been they use Gmail or they try to make their email address look like it's from a legitimate source (like Microsoft or a bank).

I have Proton myself and I love it. I have one of the paid versions and I have multiple email addresses just for one account. I know on one of the paid subscriptions, you can do a custom email domain if you want to. You can look into that.

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Is Proton Mail Sheltering Cyber Criminals? High Court Pushes for Nationwide Ban - The420.in

The case, triggered by a series of online scams and untraceable threats traced back to Proton Mail IDs, has reignited the global debate on privacy versus public safety.

the420.in

essentialsaltes said:

Speaking of name changes...

Sources: Trump wants Commanders' new D.C. stadium named for him​

Well, at least it's not RFK Jr.

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Michie said:

At the Basilica of St. John Lateran on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV urged Christians to build the Church on “solid foundations” rooted in Christ rather than on “worldly criteria” that demand immediate results and overlook the value of patience and humility.

Celebrating Mass for the solemnity of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica — the cathedral of the bishop of Rome and the oldest church in the city — the pope reflected in his homily on the meaning of this feast and on the Church as a living temple built of “living stones.”

“The millennial history of the Church teaches us that with God’s help, a true community of faith can only be built with humility and patience,” he said. “Such a community is capable of spreading charity, promoting mission, proclaiming, celebrating, and serving the apostolic magisterium of which this temple is the first seat.”

The pope drew on the image of the basilica’s physical foundations to speak about the spiritual foundations of the Church. “If the builders had not dug deep enough to find a solid base on which to construct the rest, the entire building would have collapsed long ago,” he said. “As laborers in the living Church, we too must first dig deep within ourselves and around ourselves before we can build impressive structures. We must remove any unstable material that would prevent us from reaching the solid rock of Christ.”


Continued below.

Pope Leo XIV: Build the Church on the solid foundations of Christ

At the Basilica of St. John Lateran on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV urged Christians to build the Church on “solid foundations” rooted in Christ.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

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essentialsaltes said:

The biggest winners of Biden’s green climate policies? Republicans.​

The Inflation Reduction Act, which contained the largest climate investment in US history, would “throw money at woke climate and social programs that won’t work — including over $350 billion for ‘Green New Deal’ initiatives,” Hudson said in a statement after IRA’s passage.

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essentialsaltes said:

LINK
The face of a new era in American manufacturing is here, just off Interstate 75, tucked into this northwest corner of Georgia.
That’s where you’ll find the Qcells plant that pumps out 32,000 solar panels a day and has a total panel production capacity of 5.1 gigawatts. For context, officials note, the peak capacity of the Hoover Dam is roughly 2 gigawatts.

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​

The biggest losers of Trump’s trade policies? Republicans.​

Michie said:

A British pastor was warned by a police officer that a Bible verse displayed on the back of his campervan could be considered “hate speech” if reported. The conversation occurred at a petrol station and was described as advisory.

Mick Fleming, 59, a former drug dealer-turned-pastor who now lives in his van, had John 3:16 prominently displayed on the vehicle. The verse reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

The incident took place late last month in Burnley, a town in Lancashire, where Fleming was approached by a police officer who tapped him on the shoulder and offered what the pastor described as a friendly warning, The Telegraphreported.

The officer reportedly told him, “A bit of advice — the writing could be seen as hate speech in the wrong context. I am just giving you a heads up.” Fleming said the officer emphasized that the warning was not part of an investigation or arrest but was intended to alert him that the display might lead to a police inquiry if someone filed a complaint.

Fleming recounted the exchange on his YouTube channel and posed the question to his audience about whether a Bible verse such as John 3:16 could reasonably be considered offensive.

Continued below.

Pastor warned John 3:16 Bible verse display may violate ‘hate speech’ law

A police officer warned a pastor that a Bible verse displayed on the back of his campervan could be considered hate speech if reported The conversation occurred at a petrol station and was described

www.christianpost.com

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RainySunflower said:

I follow Watchman River, and he has a point. ^^ Every time I open any of his videos, literally at least 6-7 articles which prove end times point. ^^ So yeah, The Great Frying is coming soon. ^^

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timothyu said:

How quickly it became an unfruitful olive tree

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