linux.poet said:

I too am sorry for your loss.

Gracious Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus,
Please comfort BPPLEE in the face of this loss, and stand by him in this moment of grief. I pray for strength for whatever paperwork and arrangements may be needed for whoever has to do them. Please help BPPLEE to go home back to where he lived before this caregiving situation occurred.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen

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Thank you

Maria Billingsley said:

This means we put on the "full armor of God" and make disciples from this harvest and grow His Kingdom. Any diversion from His mandate would not be in His will.

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Hello Maria thank you.
Alas, it's long ago since i diverged.
i stand contented with my giving example (when the behavior is really exemplary )
and i excuse myself of my little zeal by saying to myself : people have already made their choice of mind and beliefs. Trying to force their mind would only make them dug their heels in their positions

Maria Billingsley said:

Be blessed.

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Be blessed as well

The outrage machine fired up over American Eagle’s advertising slogan — but not over Margaret Sanger’s own words about “bad stock” and racial targeting.

Finally!

The children of Margaret Sanger have awakened to the horrors of eugenics. It’s about time. Seriously.

When people are blind to malignant evil, it usually takes something more earth-shattering than the typical manifestation of the evil to shake them from their moral torpor.

For the left, that constitutes a social media meltdown over American Eagle and its model, actress Sydney Sweeney, accusing them of being Nazi eugenicists for an ad campaign featuring Sweeney in their jeans that says simply, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

That’s it. A play on jeans/genes, and we have the reincarnation of the infamous Nazi, Dr. Joseph Mengele. For as long as the modern left has existed, they have been blind to the eugenics behind Margaret Sanger’s entire eugenics project at the Birth Control League, renamed Planned Parenthood.

When Sanger began her Birth Control League, her newsletter, The Birth Control Review, had as its tagline, “Birth Control: To create a race of thoroughbreds.” They have ignored her Negro Project, aimed at convincing Black Americans to curtail their reproduction and limit the sizes of their families.

Continued below.

Here’s a secret: bald men always know when it’s raining first. No hair to shield us — we feel the first drops before anyone else.

And lately, I’ve been feeling those drops. Not on my head — in our nation.

A few weeks ago, 45,000 people packed Angel Stadium for our Harvest Crusade. So many came that the fire marshal locked the doors. One guy climbed a fence to get in. Why? Not for a concert. Not for a celebrity. For the Gospel. By the end of the night, 5,500 people had made professions of faith in person — and another 1,000 online.

Now, I’ve done these crusades for 35 years. But this year? This felt different.

Gen Z is not supposed to be doing this

The data told us Gen Z was walking away from Christianity. Instead, they’re walking toward it.

• Bible sales are up 22%. And it’s not grandma buying them — it’s Gen Z and young adults.
• Young men are converting to Christ at higher rates than young women — for the first time ever.
• And as Charlie Kirk says, “They don’t want fluff. They want the unfiltered Gospel of Christ crucified and the power of the resurrection.”

Continued below.

In this episode of The Inside Story, Billy Hallowell sits down with Leah Klett of The Christian Post to unpack Lifetime's bold move into the faith-based film space.

With big names like Chrissy Metz, Alexa PenaVega, Kat Graham, and Paula Patton leading four new inspirational films, this marks a notable cultural shift.

Klett shares exclusive insights from her interviews with the actresses and explains why Hollywood is finally waking up to the power of authentic Christian storytelling.

From Alexa’s answered prayers to Paula’s redemption story, this conversation explores how faith is growing in influence inside Tinseltown:

Continued below.

This is a prayer, asking the Lord that he would redeem (deliver, rescue) his servant from the oppression (injury, persecution, cruelty, harassment, false accusations) of other human beings. For, if you are a follower of Christ, who is obeying the will of God for your life, according to the Scriptures, as guided by the Holy Spirit, you will face such opposition as this from other humans, often from others who also profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are following the teachings of man and not the teachings of the Scriptures.

And this can be very oppressive. And if our faith is not strong, and if our dependency is not totally in the Lord, but partially in humans, we might be in danger of retreating and of not fulfilling God’s call and his purpose for our lives. So this isn’t just about being rescued physically from human oppression, but this is about being delivered spiritually from human oppression so that we do not give up the fight and run away, and so that we remain steadfast in keeping the commands of our Lord, forever.

Sometimes when we are faced with oppression, and when we are being judged falsely and accused of what we did not do, and persecuted for the sake of righteousness, our countenance may reveal a certain sadness in our hearts, and we may not be cheerful, for we are troubled in our spirits. And then the countenance and character of God shines upon us in renewed joy and strength and purpose as he reminds us of the teachings of the Scriptures and of his calling and purpose for our lives, and of his power.

For those of us who are committed to serving the Lord with our lives, and to following his ways and his commands, and to obeying his calling upon our lives, we should also be those who literally shed tears of grief over the many who profess the name of Jesus with their lips, but who do not obey him with their lives in living holy lives, pleasing to God. It should grieve us that so many give lip service to God but who are still walking in sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord in surrender to his will for our lives.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

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

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Make Your Face Shine Upon Your Servant
An Original Work / August 5, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Introduction from Jon Haidt and Zach Rausch:

It has been true for hundreds of years: older generations worry about whatever new technology young people are using, and whatever new media they are consuming. This is why some people believe that the current wave of concern about social media and smartphones is overblown, like earlier concerns about violence in comic books and music lyrics. These skeptics say that no new norms or laws are needed.

But during all previous waves, most young people liked the things they were doing (as far as we know).1 They were grateful to have access to radios, TV shows, comic books, and rap music. They did not create organizations to fight back against these industries for harming kids.

How do members of Gen Z feel about smartphones and social media? Are they grateful to have gotten them in middle school? As we (and several others) have shown using surveys, the answer is no. Many members of Gen Z have deep regrets about growing up attached to these products. They see the damage done, and there is a growing movement to push back.

Continued below.

The discovery of artifacts can change modern perspectives of ancient times.






Take, for example, the Antikythera Mechanism—a 1901 discovery by Mediterranean Sea divers found among the ruins of a shipwreck. The Mechanism consisted of a complex system of bronze gears, predicting astronomical events and even tracking the cycles of the ancient Olympics by accurately calculating the positions of the planets and eclipses. Astonishingly, the Mechanism was found to be 2,000 years old and is considered now to be the world’s first analog computer!

Another artifact discovery occurred in the mid-14th century—one which, ever since, has stirred great debate over its origin. New evidence supports that it too has existed for two millennia, changing our perception of what actually was captured at the moment of its creation.

Continued below.

NBB said:

Idk what NAR is, no God puts apostles etc, people can't make calling for themselves if God doesn't want.
Ok, anyway have a nice day.

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The NAR is the "New Apostolic Reformation" set up by C. Peter Wagner and consists of (supposedly) hundreds of apostles and prophets associated with the Vineyard (John Wimber), Kansas City "International House of Prayer" (Mike Bickle), Morningstar Church (Rick Joyner), and many other churches who claim apostolic authority. They (among other Pentecostal and Charismatic groups) make many "prophecies" that don't come to pass, and therefore they prove themselves to be false prophets.

Anyone who claims to speak for God what is not contained in the closed canon is a false prophet or false teacher which are clearly warned about in the NT, because God did not speak to them. When a person says "thus says the Lord" when the Lord did not speak is misusing the name of the Lord, and are thus taking the Lord's name in vain. Anyone who stands in a public setting and does anything purporting to be God speaking or the Holy Spirit speaking when God is not speaking is taking the Lord's name in vain, because by their actions they are misusing the name of the Lord.

People who do these things rely on other peoples' ignorance. They are blind guides, and anyone who follows them will fall into a pit.

So then, no, God is not "putting" apostles in place, because the foundation has already been laid, and there is no more foundation that is needed. What the churches need is pastors who actually have a Biblical worldview (and real knowledge of the Bible) and who speak the truth from the scripture, and not the performance of theatrics to draw people who lust after sensational events and hype because the gospel doesn't satisfy them.
Do you agree?

The Vatican signed last month a memorandum of understanding on interreligious dialogue with Azerbaijan, alarming critics who accuse the Azeri government of ethnic cleansing and practicing “caviar diplomacy” by exerting cultural and economic influence to shape Vatican policy in the South Caucasus region.



Cardinal George Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, pictured on Dec. 7, 2024. © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.

The agreement was signed July 25 by Cardinal George Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and Azeri authorities.

The memorandum commits the signatories to hosting joint events that promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and cooperating in the field of religious education.

The development comes less than two years after a military offensive by Azerbaijan led to the dissolution of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, an area internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but historically populated and controlled by ethnic Armenian Christians until 2023.

The 2023 offensive prompted the flight of more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians and left hundreds dead. Human rights groups and Armenian leaders have described the exodus as a case of ethnic cleansing.

In his remarks to Azeri authorities at a July 28 ceremony, Koovakad referred to a landmark 2011 bilateral agreement between Azerbaijan and the Holy See. He described the agreement as “a valuable instrument for promoting the principle of religious freedom,” which demonstrated “respect for a minority religious community and how Christians and Muslims can live together in harmony.”

Referring to the 60th anniversary of Nostra aetate, Vatican Council II’s declaration on religious freedom, Koovakad said that “new areas of shared commitment have emerged, such as the desire to care for and protect the environment and the need for an ethical use of artificial intelligence.”

“Concrete gestures of cooperation on such important issues will contribute to the construction of a more peaceful world, a desire that resides in the heart of every man and woman of good will,” said the cardinal, who was appointed prefect of the interreligious dialogue dicastery in January.

Continued below.

Standing before the casket containing the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena in Rome, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney told a packed basilica of young jubilee pilgrims that holy relics are “not just a quirky Catholic thing — they are a quirky God thing.”

The Australian Dominican archbishop delivered the homily at the closing Mass of the weeklong public veneration of Frassati’s body during the Jubilee of Youth, a celebration that drew 1 million Catholic young people to the Eternal City.

“It’s a quirky thing, that Catholics so honor their dead and the remains of the dead,” Fisher said. “I was asked once by a radio host, ‘What’s this thing with Catholics and bones?’ I explained that the relics of saints are sacramentals: Sites where God imparts graces of healing and strength through the intercession of the faithful ones whose relics they are.”

“Through ‘this Catholic thing with bones,’” he added, “we honor the person who was and look forward to the person who will be again — but now purified, restored, glorified.”

“In reverencing the remains of our loved ones and especially the saints, we proclaim our faith in the holy Catholic Church and the communion of saints, but also in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting!”

Continued below.

Word on Fire announced Monday that a new documentary by Bishop Robert Barron is underway that will showcase the beauty of Catholic cathedrals and how they guide the faithful to the divine.

In the announcement, Barron — who also serves as bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota — explained that the inspiration for the documentary came after the tragic fire that destroyed part of the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

In April 2019, Notre Dame’s iconic roof and spire were engulfed by a fire, the causes of which have yet to be determined. Its main structure was saved, along with many of its priceless contents, but the restoration project was monumental, amounting to almost 700 million euros ($740 million). The historic cathedral reopened on Dec. 7, 2024.

Barron recalled that the response from people all around the world was “intriguing” to him and he “had a sense that people knew the fire was threatening to destroy something of great spiritual value — even if they were not faithful themselves.”

Continued below.

I should stress that this is not a defense of the Russian position. (The ”pro-Ukrainian” faction might be tempted to think so). This guy rightly weighs all sides and doesn’t end up on one side or the other. It’s pretty much impossible to be fairer than this.

rjs330 said:

Well you wanted me to.look things up, I guess you can to. I would suggest starting with threads earlier this year regarding tariffs. Lots of good links there.

I dont know. When did they?

I did, thats how i know it was more.


Those are all good points. But they are also an opinion.

I'm not a blanket tariff supporter because I do think they could cauae problems. But I also dont k ow for sure if in the long run they will be good or not. So, I dont know and neither do you. Let's just leave it at that.

You aee convinced you are right. Im not convinced you are right or wrong. I've heard smart people say they are going to be good in the long run. Ive heard smart people say they are going to be bad.

So I'm not going to say its going to be great. Im also not going to say its going to be bad.

And at this point becauae ive heard both sides present good points. I'm not going buy one or the other. Call me a centrist.

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Ok - you're honest about your position.

I guess the practical problem now is this: those who believe in tariffs think they have to be high enough to cause jobs to come home again.

That's the Trumpist argument in a nutshell.

So the questions to ask as all this unfolds over the next few years - and there are probably more because I'm a newbie to economics - are:-

1. Are various manufacturing jobs that the tariffs were placed on coming home?
2. If not - why not?
3. Has it just caused inflation?
4. Was Trump using this all along as yet ANOTHER means of ripping off the poor to give tax cuts to the rich?
5. How is the wealth disparity between rich and poor? Even though I'm not a 'everyone should earn the same' socialist - there are studies that show CRAZY EXTREMES in wealth disparity are actually negative in terms of mass health impacts.
6. What is the national debt like after years of Trump and his "Big HORRIBLE BILL" that gave massive tax cuts to billionaire mates - while cutting millions from medicaid? Etc.

PSALM 23: "A verse-by-verse understanding" (part 6)

VS 6: "GOODNESS AND GRACE WILL PURSUE ME EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, AND I WILL LIVE IN THE HOUSE OF ADONAI FOR YEARS TO COME" CJSB
(Complete Jewish Study Bible)

"SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF YHVH FOREVER" KJV
(King James Version)

As we come to the end of this Psalm, composed by King David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We see the emphasis on "goodness and grace"
"Chesed" (covenant grace) and all that is "good" following us and being a part of our lives. Even though there are valleys and dark times in our lives, there will always be times of "goodness and grace". Grace is something that is given to us that we don't deserve. We deserve "Hell" and be separated from God because of our sin. But the "grace of God" is salvation through Jesus Christ, "Yeshua HaMashiach." This is the "goodness" that God has given us. In Hebrew, it is simply the word "Tov" (meaning "good"). Therefore, the Hebrew reads, "good and grace." When we navigate the "valleys of dark shadows and impending death," we can think of "goodness and grace."

We will live in the "House of Adonai" forever. That is the maximum expression of "goodness and grace." When all is said and done on Earth. When our bones creak, and the skin wrinkles, and when the hearts beat their final beats, we will leave behind this world and be ushered into the World to Come. We will pass over into future eternity, where time has no essence, sort of speaking. The New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God will be our future home. and someday, it will come down to sit on a "New Earth". God's House is our house. We are sons and daughters of the Most High God "YHVH" and as sons and daughters, we receive the inheritance of our "Heavenly Father." So, I think we can put up with all the "stuff" that goes on in this world. When we get "down and out," just think of God's "good and grace" that will follow us here and into the hereafter.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a better understanding of Psalm 23 now.

probinson said:

This is a weird take. I'm not sure why think you need "legal evidence" to see evidence of cognitive decline. Biden's cognitive function was not "just fine" (is that a legal term?), and anyone objective with functioning eyeballs could see that.

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If we're talking about whether or not Grandpa should be driving by himself, that may be the case. But, if you're going to invoke the 25th Amendment, then you'd need more than just a functioning eyeball to justify removing the President of the United States from office.

Otherwise, while President Biden certainly had slowed down due to age by the end of his term, that's hardly the same as saying that his cognitive ability has been impaired so severely as to render him unable to perform his duties. That decision needs a heck of a lot more justification.

-- A2SG, this isn't to say he wasn't too old...he was. But that's not the same as claiming mental incompetence....

probinson said:

It's always interesting to me to watch the narratives change in realtime. In just a few short months we went from "Their federal funding is just a fraction of their funding" to "THEY CAN'T EXIST WITHOUT FEDERAL FUNDING!!!". Of course, now you're supposed to forget the original claim But most objective people won't. And this is why trust in media is at historic lows.

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Curiously, I don't see that argument being made in this thread.

Not really news though, he mistook the finishing time and was a bit rude about the music, but he apologised. End of...

JustaPewFiller said:

That sounds like something you'd see on a British sit-com.

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Yes! There is a funny side to it!

In context, this is speaking of God’s judgments against his people Israel, of the Old Covenant, for all their wickedness whereby they had forsaken the Lord and they had offered sacrifices to other gods, and they had worshiped the works of their own hands. But translated to today, this could well be speaking of the adulterous and idolatrous church who have rebelled against the Lord, and against the teachings of the Scriptures, and who have become like the world in order to attract the people of world to their gatherings.

And this could well be speaking to the servants of the Lord today, who speak his truths from the Scriptures, and not the lies which are spreading so rapidly. For I believe the Lord is calling his servants, witnesses, and messengers to speak boldly to the people the truth of the message of the gospel of our salvation and to refute the lies of the enemy which are leading so many people to follow a false god and a false christ and a false gospel patterned after the desires of human flesh and not after God’s holiness.

And we must be bold (still loving) and determined (committed) to speak the truth and to refute the lies, even at the cost of being hated, rejected, falsely accused, disdained, mistreated, ignored, cast away, persecuted, abandoned, and ridiculed for teaching the truth of God’s word, including even being threatened with death if we do not stop speaking the truth of God’s word. I personally was threatened with death twice for speaking the truth of what the Scriptures teach about the Jewish nation which rejects Jesus Christ.

Since the lies are what are so popularized today among so many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and since the truth is largely what is being cast aside and rebuked and trashed, if we are the people of God who are spreading the truth of God’s word, we are also going to be trashed, rebuked, cast aside, and treated like we are the enemy by people who deny the truth of the Scriptures in favor of a half-truth twisted and distorted false version of the gospel which pacifies human flesh and will not put sin to death.

So, this is not an assignment of God for the faint-hearted, the vulnerable, the weak, and the easily persuaded. We must be like Isaiah who have “set our face like flint” (Isaiah 50:7) with unwavering resolve, determination, and steadfast commitment to obey the Lord and to speak the truth of God’s word even in the face of all opposition and even threats against our lives. We must be so committed to the truth, and to speaking the truth, that we will be willing to have the whole world hate and reject us, if it comes to that.

Why? Because we love God, we believe God, and we believe the Word of God. And we care about the souls of other humans, but not just their souls, but we care about them as people, and we want to see them come to know God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – in all his fulness, and in all his truth and righteousness, and to be set free from their slavery to sin so that they can now serve the Lord with their lives in walks of surrender to the will of God, in walks of obedience to his commands, for the salvation of lives.

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

Should I Not Preach Jesus

Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13
An Original Work / July 4, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.
I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.
I make myself a slave to ev’ryone
To win their hearts to Christ.
All this I do for my Lord Jesus,
And for the sake of His Name;
Do it for the sake of His gospel,
So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;
Written down for us as examples
To keep us from setting our hearts
On evil as did those of old.
Do not worship other gods of man;
Do not give your hearts to them;
Not partake in immorality.
Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are
Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.
God has given his word to warn us,
So through faith we will not fall.
No temptation has o’ertaken you
Except what is commonplace.
God is faithful to not let you be
Tempted past what you can bear.
He gives the way of escape.

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As a Pillar of Iron
An Original Work / August 4, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Hentenza said:

Which is why your interpretation does not hold water. By using the pronouns “we” and “our” John is including himself in the conversation. So if you say that those verses refer only to those walking in darkness then you are saying that the Apostle John walks in darkness.

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You just need to understand that he was writing about two different kinds of people.
One kind walked in the light/God.
The other kind walked in darkness/sin.
We can't walk in both at the same time...as there is no sin in God.

timewerx said:

The Bible is clear about the direct guidance or teaching of the Holy Spirit not through a person.

1 John 2:27
And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His TRUE and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.

Anyone means anyone. Including people who may have the Holy Spirit.

"as you have been taught" - past tense.

All we need to do is remain in Him.

It's a problem with many churches (and probably the vast majority of it) are seemingly unaware of it or unable to grasp the reality of dealing with Christianity without the tangible stuff, like riding a bicycle without ever removing the training wheels. They needed to see something or touch or hear something to know that it's real.

Click to expand...

Yes everyone has this truth in them. But what happens when someone does not fully know the scriptures, the teachings. Here we are having a sort of disagree, though I don't think we are. But if there was a disagreement this shows that people disagree on what is the truth.

So I don't think we can say whenever someone claims to be speaking the truth in Gods spirit that its actually the truth. That is exactly what the wolves are that Christ warned the disciples about coming into the church and fooling even those already saved who are weaker or less knowledgable about the teachings.

In the early church as now there were those going around teaching false ideas like Gentiles still had to be circumcised to be saved. But others denying Christs trinity and other truths.

Acts 15:1-41
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

Thats why Paul says

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 1:11
For which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,

2 Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

1 Thessalonians 4:8
Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

2 Timothy 2:2
And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

1 Timothy 4:6
If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

timewerx said:

I often seek confirmation with another friend who has the same conviction as I do. We scrutinize what we hear to make sure it's the Holy Spirit. We debate but not for the purpose of winning but solely for scrutinizing, testing what we hear. It's all done out of love and uncovering the truth.

Click to expand...

Yes and I think the bible says this, to check if something is supported by scripture. To even reprove or rebuke a brother who may have sinned. It seems to me though especially today we have all these different interpretations being claimed as Christs truth.

I think more than ever we have to be on our guarge about deceptions. Especially in an age where everything is seen as relative to the person and where we have even churches claim contradictory teachings.

timewerx said:

There's no matter of rank nor "who got there first" nor who's older nor younger.

Click to expand...

Surely theres a 'rank' in the sense of what is the truth or not. We can rank at least some false claims as unbiblical or contradicting Christs truth.

timewerx said:

Have you heard about "Power Difference" or "Cockpit Gradient" in aviation terminology? It's the gradient in hierarchy or authority between crew members in aircraft cockpit. Steep gradients have been directly attributed to many crashes. It's when a less senior and/or younger/less experienced crew hesitates to question the actions or state of mind of their superior(s) even if the crew dynamics is mostly positive or amiable. And since people makes mistakes, the mistake can be left undealt with and allowed to propagate and eventually cause harm.

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Of course the members must also be on the watch for false prophets and teachers. Paul mentions that the church members were his reference. They had already qualified Paul as the real thing. Though that doesn't mean that they make mistakes. But they should be minor as an overseer has to be above reproach and virtually an expert on the teachings. But the biggest qualification is that they see Christ in them.

If the crew is spotting something wrong then its out of the ordinary and really something the pilot should have spotted even before the crew. So its sort of a two way check and balance and when all are aligned with the truth no one has need to spot something wrong.

But this does not deminish that the pilot is the authority by matter of his credentials and being the captain in making important decisions when something does go wrong.

The crew and passengers don't suddently take control of the plane and polit and overthrow them. In fact in these situations the crew becomes the pilots allies in caring and supporting the passengers and they all work together within a unified plane or church.

timewerx said:

It's not just a theory anymore when certain things lead to great harm.

It sure is good to have some order, structure, or even a hierarchy. What most Christians don't realize, these arrangements are only meant to be temporary. Despite our best intentions, it does not always lead to where the Lord wants us to be and even cause great harm.

John 15:15 isn't just between Jesus and ourselves. But Jesus is also setting an example on what we should do. A disciple is someone who studies and trains, eventually to become like Christ Himself and John 15:15 is something we should do to those under our care.

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I think you hit the nail on the head when you said Christ is always the example. Ultimately He is the overseer and shepherd and example we all should be looking to.

Beyond the spotlight, Hogan was involved in various charitable endeavors, particularly those focused on helping children. He co-founded the Dreamseekers Foundation to support Native American children's education and worked closely with organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, fulfilling wishes for over 200 children. He was also recognized for his work with the 50 Legs Foundation, a charity that provides prosthetic limbs to amputees.

Michie said:

The summer hasn’t done much to break the heat that Democrats are feeling from voters. The party of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is about as popular as a rush-hour traffic jam, according to the latest surveys. Unfortunately for Minority Leaders Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), time hasn’t helped the dismal approval ratings — nor, most Americans would point out, has the party’s supposed “self-reflection.”

In the eight months since Election night, Democrats have spent countless hours and dollars on meetings, strategy sessions, focus groups, and autopsy reports only to turn around and ignore the lessons they teach. “Woke,” “weak,” and “out of touch” were how one survey described the party that paid for the poll. With the GOP eating into the once-impressive margins that Democrats enjoyed with Hispanics, the working class, and white men, Schumer and company are looking at a pretty dismal approval rating — just 35% across those key demographics.

Equally as frustrating, there’s little to no hope in the base that things will change. Asked how optimistic they are about the future of the party, dejected Democrats have all but resigned to their fate in the political wilderness. Only 35% think things will turn around in the future — an almost 20-point drop from the 57% last July. Much to Jeffries’s and Schumer’s displeasure, congressional Democrats are taking a severe beating in the polls. A late June YouGov/Economist survey found a sharp drop in Americans’ approval of their House and Senate members: a -32 favorability rating, compared to -15 when Donald Trump took office in January.

Continued below.

‘Woke,’ ‘Weak,’ and ‘Out of Touch’: The Crisis of the Democratic Brand

The summer hasn't done much to break the heat that Democrats are feeling from voters. The party of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is about as popular as a rush-hou

washingtonstand.com

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Yet, the Democrats are ahead of Republicans. The Washington Stand only carries credibility among far right leaning voters.

Michie said:

Pro-life groups are celebrating President Donald Trump's decision to reverse a Biden-era policy that allowed abortions to be performed at taxpayer-funded veterans' hospitals.

In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register Monday, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to reverse a ruleimplemented by the Biden administration that authorized taxpayer-funded VA hospitals to perform abortions and provide abortion counseling in cases of rape and incest, as well as in instances where the mother is experiencing a medical emergency.

The Biden-era rule was implemented in 2022, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision resulted in several states passing near-total abortion bans. The rule enabled VA hospitals in states with near-total abortion bans to perform abortions in the aforementioned cases.

Continued below.

Trump to reverse Biden-era policy allowing VA hospitals to perform abortions

Pro-life groups are celebrating President Donald Trump s decision to reverse a Biden-era policy that allowed abortions to be performed at taxpayer-funded veterans hospitals

www.christianpost.com

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Amen and Praise the Lord.