• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

I see the pain of the cross inside of my own heart

Wow, super cool. Nice to encounter you here on CF. I also saw a literal demon while in the mental hospital, but as a sort of remote viewing vision. It was really hideous, and I'm positive it was a spiritual vision. Currently in a season of desolation. God feels far away, and I was very sick these days. I began to hate myself for my past, a past I had no idea how I caused, and it was very painful. If I die this year, I would be very grieved.
Then stop worrying about it and seek God. Ultimately, when we all die, if we are meant to, then we are. But you don't 100% know that God is telling you this right now, it COULD be a means to draw you closer to Him. So use this time, to seek him, turn from sin, repent and walk in obedience. God will 100% be there for you, there's no need to worry or stress. Just let him guide you.
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Pastor Joshua Broome, Former Porn Star, Shares Biblical Advice for Overcoming Lust in Marriage

Joshua Broome, a former porn addict and adult-film star turned pastor, took to social media to warn that marriage isn’t “a safe place to keep lusting” or “a clean outlet for an unclean appetite.” In a June 4 Instagram post, the author of “7 Lies That Will Ruin Your Life” shared Bible-based advice for husbands about cherishing, not “consuming,” their wives.

The real danger of pornography and masturbation, Broome wrote, is the lie that “sex is something you take for yourself, from an image, on demand.” Instead of just looking at dirty images, he said, “You are training your heart to consume. And a heart trained to consume does not switch off at the bedroom door. It walks in with you.”

Joshua Broome, 43, worked in the adult film industry for six years before coming to faith in Jesus. Now a husband and father of four sons, he often talks about the importance of purity and the destructive nature of pornography and sexual sin.

“If you have spent years training yourself to consume people, you do not get to flip a switch on your wedding day,” Broome told men in his June 4 post. “You will project what you practiced. A screen taught your eyes to take, to rate, to use. So now the woman in your bed becomes one more thing to use.”

Continued below.

Episcopalians prepare to celebrate 50 years since landmark resolution on LGBT inclusion

ADVISOR HAT

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This thread is closed. Please read the Statement of Purpose which includes this:

Homosexuality, Same-Sex Marriage, Bisexuality and Transgenderism/Transexualism: Discussion of these topics must comply with the sitewide rule barring the promotion of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, bisexuality, and transgenderism/transexualism. Discussion and debate should only be directed toward political, legal, historical and civil rights issues, and should not be directed toward the morality of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, bisexuality or transgenderism/transexualism.

This means you can discuss the legal, historical, political and civil rights aspects of homosexuality, but not the morality.
Please read the flaming rule regarding other Christians.
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Kennedy Center

Kennedy Center criticizes musician who canceled show after Trump name added to venue​

The venue's president, Richard Grenell, said he would seek $1 million in damages “for this political stunt.”​

Speaking of political stunts...


Judge tosses Kennedy Center suit against musician who canceled Christmas Eve show

The dismissal on Friday was granted under Washington's Anti-SLAPP laws, which are designed to prevent meritless lawsuits intended to silence opposing points of view on matters of public interest.
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Average consumer now carries $6,329 in credit card debt. 'People are stretched,' expert says

Money is a sometimes casualty of war.
Money or currencies?

I can't think of one currency that hasn't been devalued through war; but then isn't devaluing currencies often used as a weapon of war?

Ancient Rome devalued their money by adding less valuable metals to their coins. I read that they devalued their money so much, that there came a point where they wouldn't even accept their own coins for payment of taxes.

People don't like outside forces controlling them, and exploiting them for their resources, their time being their most valuable resource.

The more that Empires grow, the more money that it takes, to raise the armies needed, to subjugate those who are being exploited.

Last I heard, the official number is that the US dollar is worth 3% of what it was worth when it was minted in silver. In reality educated sources purport that it is worth less than 1%.

Empires tend to go out violently. The power hungry are resistant to just simply letting go of their power. History leads me to believe that the current Empire is in it's death throes.
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Seeking Godly Counsel on Boundaries, Stewardship, and Honoring My Marriage

Whenever I try to discuss this with my spouse, it unfortunately escalates into an enormous fight.
"Do all things without complaining and disputing," (Philippians 2:14)

So, God wants us to relate "without" arguing, right? So, whatever in us can cause us to argue . . . do not trust that, but get rid of it, and then see what God has you doing with Him in His peace >

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)
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Wesleyan-Arminian Basics.

I have not adopted the Calvinist/Wesleyan-Armenian, or any other popular religious sect that existed in the world God placed me in, but I think your questions are great, and would like to share my understanding. I hope you don't mind.

I appreciate your willingness to engage my questions, but I am seeking to understand Wesleyan-Arminian theology, which your understanding will not reflect.

However, my DMs are open to anyone, if you would like to explore this elsewhere.
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Let Us Use Them

Romans 12:3-8 NKJV

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

One Body in Christ

As followers of Jesus Christ we are all one body, the body of Christ. But we are all different. We are all uniquely who we are individually. God didn’t make us all the same. He didn’t gift us all the same. And we are not all called in the same way to the same exact ministries. And even if we were all teachers, our teaching style may differ one from the other. For God did not make us to be clones of each other. He made us uniquely who we are by his design, for his purposes. And he is not going to use us in all the same ways.

Yes, in the gatherings of the church, the biblical body of Christ, i.e. those of genuine biblical faith in the Lord Jesus, there needs to be law and order. We need to have overseers to make sure things are done in order and according to the will and purposes of God. But just because a man is a pastor, elder, deacon, or overseer, it does not make him superior to the rest of us, and he should not treat us as though he is a cult leader who we must follow blindly wherever he leads us. Overseers must lead by example, not by an iron fist.

Also, in today’s world, many of these pastors, elders, deacons, and overseers are not following in the ways of the Lord, but in the ways of the flesh. Jesus is not their commander in chief, but they are following business models for how to “do church.” So many of them are not leading the church, the body of Christ, in service to the Lord, but they are teaching them lies, and they are training them in the ways of the culture and not in the ways of the Lord. For many of them are acting just like cult leaders.

And so many gatherings of the church are not biblical gatherings at all. One man serves as king over all, and he does all the preaching, and no one is testing what he is teaching to see if it is of God or not. The people are not given opportunity to minister to one another, for the “pastor” is considered the sole “minister.” And he is raised up above all the rest. So he is more like a cult leader almost to be worshipped as though he is a god. And what he says goes whether or not it is of God and is biblical and righteous.

Not a Business

So, please understand that the church is not a building or an organization incorporated under the state called “church.” The church is the biblical body of Christ comprised of all who are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ via dying with Christ to sin, and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as servants of God and of his righteousness. And all of us are given gifts of the Spirit and assignments from God called our “body parts,” and all of us are necessary parts.

So our gatherings should not be for the purpose for all of us to sit in pews or in chairs and in rows while we all listen to one man do all the preaching and one small group of musicians do all the ministering in music. But, in an orderly and biblical way, we should be ministering to one another, using the spiritual gifts given us by God in our body parts assigned to us by God. All of us should be speaking the truth of God’s Word to one another in love in order to help each other to grow to maturity in our walks of faith in Christ.

We are to be those who are exhorting one another daily so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And we are to be stirring up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another. And we are to be addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, with each body part doing its work. For when each part is working properly, the body grows and builds itself up in love.

We are All Necessary!

So God did not design his church, the body of Christ, comprised of all who are of genuine biblical faith in Christ Jesus, to just be bench warmers while only a select few get to do all the ministering. We are all necessary to the proper working of the body of Christ. And the Bible teaches that in the last days that both men and women will prophesy (preach, proclaim the Word of God) and will dream dreams and see visions (Acts 2:16-18). So we need gatherings of the church where each part is able to do his/her work.

And this is why the Lord put me on the internet 22 years ago, so I would have a voice, so I would have a place where I could minister using the spiritual gifts given me by God in my body part assigned to me from God. And here I am able to connect with other Christians (other body parts) and we can and do encourage one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. We each have a voice and a place where we can be used of God to share his gospel message and to help each other to grow in Christ Jesus.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

The Peace of Christ

Based off of Colossians 3:1-17; Ephesians 5:19-20
An Original Work / October 31, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


Let the word of Christ dwell in you,
As you teach with all wisdom,
Teaching one another to not
Think on earthly things;
Think instead on things above,
Where Christ sits with God, in love,
Saving us from all of our sins,
Cleansing us; made new within.

Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts,
As you sing songs unto Him;
Speak to one another with psalms,
Hymns, and spir’tual songs;
Always giving thanks to God,
In the name of Christ, His Son,
Who gave His life up for us all,
And gave us eternal life.

Let the love of Christ within you
Rule in your hearts; grace within,
Purifying you from your sin,
Make you whole within.
Forgive as the Lord forgave.
Show His kindness ev’ry day.
In word or deed, whate’er you do,
Glory give to Jesus Christ.

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Let Us Use Them
An Original Work / June 7, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood - Corpus Christi (OF)

The Morning Offering (OF)

Daily Quote...“Receive Communion often, very often…there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing…” — St. Therese of Lisieux

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ readings & commentary (OF)

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ readings & commentary (OF)
Other Titles: Corpus Christi

We Have the Holy Spirit—Why Do We Need the Eucharist? Readings & commentary (OF)

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for June 7, 2026, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. (OF)

Sunday Reflections, Corpus Christi, Year A. 7 June 2026 (OF)

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood - Corpus Christi (Cycle A) Bible study (OF)

Daily Gospel

Unless – A Homily for Corpus Christi (OF)

Corpus Christi: The Gift of the Holy Eucharist (OF)

Divine DNA (OF)

You Can Obtain a Plenary Indulgence on Corpus Christi Sunday - Here's How to Do It (OF)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus – Short Meditations for June. June 7 — The Sacred Heart at Bethlehem

Sermons for Everyday Living - The Origins of Corpus Christi 6/7/26

Corpus Christi - The Body of Christ
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Second Sunday After Pentecost (EF)

Morning Prayers

Divinum Officium

Daily Quote..."The Jesus of the Gospels is surely not convenient for us." - Pope Benedict XVI

Second Sunday After Pentecost commentary (Gueranger)

Second Sunday After Pentecost propers & commentary

External Feast of Corpus Christi on Sunday propers

Fr. Leonard Goffine's instruction on the Second Sunday After Pentecost

Heavenly Life on Earth: The Secret of the Second Sunday after Pentecost

In Illo Tempore: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi Patristic readings

Daily Gospel

The Sacred Heart of Jesus – Short Meditations for June. June 7 — The Sacred Heart at Bethlehem

Saint Robert of Newminster Abbot

Saint Claude Archbishop

God Has Prepared Heaven — Why Do So Many Refuse It?
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Audio version of Gueranger
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TreVeyon Henderson on Pride Month: Christian Love Looks Different From the World’s

Pride itself is a sin, unless you are taking pride in the cross.
For Christians there is no pride in self. We are to sacrifice self-glory for Gods glory in Christ.

The world sees pride in human achievement and self as a good. An outward sign of success. A feeling of superiority of self over all else. Of human good works over Gods.

In fact like Christ Christians should hide their good works and not display them as a means to virtue signal to others about being good. To even sacrifice self to death for the sake of others and Gods kingdom.

Christ said the world will hate Christians for His sake. So, I think we should rejoice that we are hated for Christ by the world. It means we are being like Christ.
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Do you have any Interesting stories to tell ?

Darren suspected Gary was an addicted gambler and anticipated he would enter the hotel casino. But Gary walked right past it. If not the casino, what could it be? Something even darker?

A few steps ahead, right there in the hotel corridor, a glowing neon sign read MAFIA — practically screaming organized crime. Gary pushed the door open and went inside.

Darren felt a wave of fear. So that was it. Gary wasn’t a gambler at all. He was worse. It looked like he was involved with criminal activities.
(To be continued at A Tiger Among Cats)
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Secretive religious sect The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has ordered its members to purge their homes of pets (also did so in 1960s)

PEB's (used to Plymouth Exclusive Brethren but now prefer Plymouth Brethren Christian Church) is the Australian slang for them.
Not so secretive as they have a formal website Home | Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and charity arm, they have a whole private school system for their own kids in Australia. They are also known for giving money to the conservative side of politics and even handing out how to vote cards.

There was a congregation in my home town, a rural Australian city of 10K, 6" fence around the chapel, they would arrive in a convoy of 4 or 5 cars into the centre of town and preach the gospel publicly by reading of the KJV sections and shouting in KJV language at people.

They are a split of a split of a split in the Exclusive movement each one getting further from historic Christianity this group used to be referred as the Taylorites after an early leader but are now run by the Hale family out of Australia.

I have had several personal connections to the PEB's through my life, if you go to the website they present a polished image but I have the seen the pain they have caused various people in my life.
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Our Bodies a Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1-2 NKJV

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Living Sacrifice

This word “beseech” is not a casual word to be overlooked. For literally it means to exhort, to intreat, to urge, to implore, to encourage strongly, to urgently ask for or to request or to admonish, all of which are to be taken deeply seriously. So this is not a casual request, but this is urgent, critical, and regarding life and death. And to exhort is to insist. And to admonish is to caution and to warn, as well as to reprove. And to intreat is to plead. So this is of a critical nature that we pay close attention to what is said here.

So, what does it look like if we, by the mercies of God, present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God? Well, it means first of all that this originates with God, by his design and purpose, and that this is not something we can do of our own will or in our own strength and flesh. It is only because of God’s grace in sending Jesus Christ to the cross to put our sins to death with him that any of us can now deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in walks of surrender to him in obedience to his commands.

So, only by God’s grace, and by his divine persuasion, can any of us turn from our sins and now follow Jesus and walk in his ways and in his truth and righteousness. And this is what it really means to present our bodies to him as living sacrifices, for to sacrifice is to give up something, in this case it is to give up our flesh and our sinful practices and our stubborn wills to now surrender our lives to the will of God and to his service. It means to put self on the altar of sacrifice to God so that he now has command of our lives.

Holy Living

And to be holy is to be different, unlike the world, because we are being transformed by God into the likeness of Jesus Christ, by his grace, in his power, via our full cooperation with his work of grace in our lives. And his grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say no to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For we are now clay in the hands of our Potter God who is shaping and molding us into his likeness.

And when we have, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, denied self, died to sin, and we are now following our Lord in surrender to his will, in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living, in practice, then we are acceptable to God. And all of this is our reasonable service to God in our worship of God. And to worship God is not done just with the raising of hands and the singing of songs, but true worship of God involves death to sin and obedience to his commands in holy living – all in his power.

Transformed and Conformed to God

And if we are no longer conformed to this world, that means that we are no longer living and following after the desires of the flesh and worldly living. We no longer follow after the pattern of the world, but we now follow Christ in being who he wants us to be. Rather than imitating the world and its desires, we imitate Christ and we obey his desires for our lives. We do not prefer the world – the lusts of the flesh and of the eyes and the pride of life – but we prefer holiness, honesty, faithfulness, and obedience to God.

For if truly we are transformed of God in the renewing of our minds, so that by our actions (behaviors, habits) we prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, then our lives (our lifestyles) should reflect Christ and his will and purpose for our lives. Our lives should no longer reflect what is wicked, immoral, dishonest, prideful, selfish, and unfaithful to our Lord, as a matter of life practice. And this is not claiming absolute sinless perfection, but that in practice we serve Jesus Christ.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Living Sacrifices

Based off Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:11-14 NIV
An Original Work / September 14, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


Oh, holy ones, I counsel you,
In view of God’s mercy,
To give yourselves to God in love
As living offerings,
Pleasing to God, holy in love.
This is your true worship.
Do not conform to worldly lives.
Let God transform you today.
Then you’ll be able to
Test and approve of what
God’s will is – His pleasing
And perfect will. Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you – Offer yourselves unto God.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –
Do not be conceited.
Humble yourselves before your God.
Do not be self-righteous.
The strength you have to live in love
Comes from your Lord God, so
Live your new lives in pow’r of God.
Be changed in heart, mind and will.
Do this because of what
Christ did for you when
He died on the cross to save
The world from sin. Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you – Humble yourselves before God.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –
Count yourselves dead to sin,
But be alive to God in Christ.
Do not let sin reign in
Your earthly lives so you
Obey its evil desires.
Offer yourselves unto your God
As those who’ve been born again.
For sin shall no longer be
Your lord and master.
Give of yourselves to God
For righteousness. Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you – Be alive to God in Christ.

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Our Bodies a Living Sacrifice
An Original Work / June 6, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

7 reasons why many churches only have a few true believers

I'm sorry but this doesn't form a coherent sentence in English. Could you please restate your comment?
AND. I HAVE BEEN to 7 DIFCFERENT ASSEBELIES IN 89 NINE YEARS and it seemed to be something

with some under current , like the dresses , an d the positions of women and the. preacher could not be divorced.

it was always something different and have seen many PREACHERS. come and go. ??

And should have checked my post !! hope this is better !!

Just to let you know that I am. A DISPENSATIONALIST and PRE- MIL. and PRE-TRI. and most have never heard

of them. !!

dan p
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God's Word Has Not Failed

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” (Romans 9:1-3 ESV)
“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8 ESV)
“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29 NIV)

Bible verses on biblical Israel:[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Matthew 21:43; John 8:18-19,38-47; John 10:16; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

Physical Birth vs Spiritual Birth

Now, I am not going to get into all the history behind this, for I believe the Lord wants me to focus on one main specific topic which can be applied to the church today, as well. And that has to do with what constitutes genuine faith in the Lord and who are the ones who are the children of God, God’s chosen people today. And what is the present day criteria for being a child of God and an heir according to the promise God made to Abraham?

Paul made it a point to point out that he was speaking of his “brothers” according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit. They were the Israelites of the Old Covenant, and Paul was deeply concerned for them, because most of them did not believe in Jesus Christ, the promised seed of Abraham, and the Messiah who was to come and who did come to the Jewish people. So they were not part of Spiritual Israel.

And we can apply a similar principal to “Christians.” Just because someone claims to believe in Jesus and to be a Christian, it doesn’t necessitate that is the truth, in reality. For just as the Jews who did not believe in Jesus were no longer the spiritual children of Abraham and part of Spiritual Israel, so those who profess faith in Jesus but whose faith is not biblical faith, and so there is not the evidence that true faith exists, are not the children of God.

So, it is not by lip service only, nor by physical birth, nor by being physical descendants of those who worship the one and only true God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – that we are or that we become children of God and heirs of the promise God made to Abraham, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. Only if we belong to Christ are we Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise God made with Abraham.

Belonging to Christ and Biblical Israel

So, what does it mean to belong to Christ? It means we are his possession and we are no longer our own, doing whatever it is that we desire to do, but now our lives are given over to the Lord in death to sin and in walks of obedience to his commands in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives. He owns us and now we are his possession, and so we are no longer the ones in charge of our lives, but Jesus is. So we now follow him.

Jew and Gentile alike, by physical birth, are only biblical Israel and heirs of the promise God gave to Abraham and to his seed by genuine faith in the Lord Jesus via dying with him to sin and now being raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And only those who have died to sin and who are now walking in obedience to our Lord are God’s children and biblical Israel.

It doesn’t matter if we prayed a prayer to receive Christ, and/or that we were baptized, or that we went through catechism, or that we joined a local institutional “church,” or that we attend “church services” weekly if all that we are doing is going through religious exercises but we have not surrendered our lives to the Lord Jesus, died with him to sin, and if we are not walking (in conduct) in obedience to his commands, by the Spirit.

And if a Jew by physical birth has not done the same, i.e. surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus, died with him to sin, and is now walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, by his grace, he is not part of Spiritual Israel, the Israel of God. But all Gentiles whose faith in Jesus Christ is genuine are part of biblical Israel, and we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise God made with Abraham and his seed.

We are God’s chosen people, both Jew and Gentile by spiritual birth via genuine faith in the Lord Jesus. We are his holy nation who are heirs of the promise God made with Abraham. All who do not believe in Jesus Christ, who have not died with him to sin, and who are not walking in obedience to his commands, are not the children of God, and are not heirs of the promise. The only way to God the Father is through faith in Jesus Christ, his Son.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

In Harmony

Based off Romans 12:9-21; 1 Peter 3:8-17
An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


Love each other truly. Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil. Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor. Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction; Praying faithfully.
Honor one another. Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people who are found in need.
Do not be conceited. Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion in humility.
Keep your tongue from evil. Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another. Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous; Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil – Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear. Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord. Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another. Live in harmony.

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God’s Word Has Not Failed
An Original Work / February 18, 2025
Reposted on June 6, 2026, w/slight editing
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus said she had five husbands, and was with another.

John 4:16-18 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."

I now believe that the physical part is the marriage, not the ceremony. Like water baptism is a public testimony of the one true baptism with the Holy Spirit, likewise, the marriage ceremony is a similar public testimony of an already established fact. But Scripture is not clear in this matter, so I hold that belief with a theological grain of salt.

It appears Jesus is either saying the same thing, that she had slept with five men and was living with (but not yet slept with) another, *or* , She was ceremonially married to five husbands while sleeping with yet another. The reason why I would shy away from the second example is that it would be easy to say that she was a widowed, or even divorced, or both, which, if I'm not mistaken, either one would release her from the obligation of that marriage. The point being, she would not longer have five husbands. The logic only fits if she's sleeping with the five and that is considered marriage in God's eyes, and as a result, she would still be bound through marriage to all five, thus "five husbands". *Or*, yet another wrinkle, some would point to the fact that Jesus said that she was right in that she had no husband, the point being that she slept with five men but did not marry any of them, like the 6th and current one. That would require a different translation than Jesus claiming that she had five husbands, putting the focus on her not having five husbands.

Just wondering what other people's biblical thoughts are on this matter are.

Dave
AND DR BULLINGER SAYS. it is 4 + 1 . repestents REPRESENTYS MANS WEAKNESS and Helplssnessa

The ONE Reprtests. GRACE. and STRENGTH

dan p
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