Its Okay said:

I am interested in prioritising following Christ even at the cost of losing divergent traditions, unhealthy ingrained thinking, bias steeped in pride etc.

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The forum uses multiple sections to achieve this goal. If you're looking to prioritize following Christ through practical means, the Daily Devotional section and the section on Spiritual Formation and Disciplines may be what you are looking for.

Usually what I've found to help with thinking matters such as unhealthy ingrained thinking and pride is a good debate. Spending time in the Discussion and Debate (Christians Only) sections will help you overcome these vices. I recommend the Christians Only section because you are looking to grow in Christ through debate, not evangelize unbelievers, which the other D&D section is for.

Its Okay said:

I believe obedience to God’s Son is the definition of being a Christian, but the topics on offer, seem to be more about validating religious traditions and personal convictions. Am I getting this wrong?

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Romans 10:9 does say that you need to acknowledge Jesus as Lord to accept the Gospel, and thus obey Him, but you seem to be missing the other half of the thought, which is to believe that God raised Christ from the dead. It's not just about obedience to Christ's commands, because that can lead to works-based salvation - you need to believe that Christ's death paid for your sins, and that is the only atoning sacrifice that is sufficient to pay our infinite offense against God.

As for the topics, it depends on which forum you're looking at. While we do have a lot of activity in our congregational subforums, I don't think a lot of the other topics are about validating convictions or traditions. That's not why this forum exists.

Its Okay said:

Where do we get down to business, the basics, the simple teachings of Jesus separate from distractions like politics and media and worldly education which soon enough will disappear like dust in the wind? I just wanna discuss Jesus’ actual words, what they meant and the relevance today. Can you point me to those specific conversations?

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Either Daily Devotionals or Christian Scriptures should be what you are looking for. I would recommend starting a topic in Christian Scriptures with the words of Jesus that you wish to discuss.

Here are a couple of threads in Christian Scriptures which discuss the words of Jesus:

There's more where those came from. Enjoy.

tonychanyt said:

Ep 5:


Was Paul teaching that a husband needed to earn his wife's respect?

No. Paul taught mutual love and mutual respect between the husband and wife.

Col 3:


Wives, if you want to "earn" your husbands' love, respect them and submit to them.

Husbands, if you want to "earn" your wives' respect, love them.

The point wasn't so much about earning love and respect as about mutual love and respect. Paul pointed out the ways: Husband, love your wife, and she will be inspired to respect you. Wife, respect your husband, and he will naturally love you. These are the two approaches to achieving mutual love and respect between husband and wife. Paul described complementary obligations rather than a conditional "earning" system.

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As happy as I am with your recommendations, for clarity I'd like to add some nuance to the common interpretations for the various NT verses dealing with the husband/wife relationship.

Although in the English language one might correctly say that from an NT perspective both husband and wife are supposed to love and respect one another, the Greek wording that Paul is using to describe the 'love/respect' for husbands towards their wives and vice-versa is clearly asymmetrical and different depending on the direction.

E.g. Paul says husbands should 'love' their wives - and he uses the Greek word ἀγαπάω (agapaō) (G25) for that (Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:19). However when speaking about wives should love their husbands he is using a different Greek word φιλάοἰ (philandros) for that (G5362) (Titus 2:4). It is up for interpretation what to make of that but still significant - these words are not full synonyms.

The asymmetry becomes even starker in the 'respect' verse in Ephesians 5:33. Only modern translations use the English word 'respect' to translate the Greek word φοβῆται, phobeitai (G5399) yet nearly ALL older English translations use the word 'fear'. Observe the following for this Greek word 'phobeitai':

• in the NT this word is universally translated as 'fear' except for modern translations in Ephesians 5:33 - modern translators somehow didn't consider this translation to be acceptable or befitting from the 20st century on-wards to describe the relationship between husband and wife.
• our English word 'phobia' is directly related to this very word
• the verb φοβῆται, phobeitai (G5399) by definition is an asymmetrical word that can only be applied in the direction from the subject to the one who rules/subjects; e.g. from the one in submission towards to the one in authority/power. That is why the NT tells us to 'fear' (Greek: phobeitai) God and tells wives to 'fear' (Greek: phobeitai) their husbands. By using this very word Paul is directly confirming the concept of Patriarchy - he couldn't have written the reverse: a husband is not commanded to 'fear' (Greek: phobeitai) his wife - because would be the Biblical framework upside down.

So in summary: while in English the words love/respect may be used symmetrically for husbands/wives - this usage obscures or even whitewashes the fundamental difference Paul is teaching for the relationship between the marital partners.

Let's face it - in modern Western churches it is common now to downplay or even deny the Patriarchal aspect of Paul's teaching because it has become so incompatible with modern Western society and its values.

And even when it is still taught, a common argument is: respect/submission towards the husband is conditional to him being a good man. That line of reasoning however would also mean that a husband's love towards his wife also is conditional to her being a good woman. (Both are obviously false statements).

Paul's writings make it plausible husbands need the exhortation to love their wives; and wives need the exhortation to respect/submit to their husbands. I suspect Paul highlights the typical weak points for both sexes.

We are now living in these later times that the Scriptures speak of, and this passage of Scripture is just one small portion of all the teachings on the kinds of things we will be faced with in these last days before the return of Christ. For there will be false “christs” among us, and not all of them will literally call themselves “the Christ,” but they will want to be worshipped by other humans as though they are “the savior” of all humankind. And there will be false shepherds of the people who will lie to and deceive the people.

And I personally see many of these “false christs” as false images of the true and only Christ of God. And these false images are being presented in preacher’s sermons, in some people’s daily devotionals, in videos (especially the short ones), in memes (short messages in one picture), in movies, in TV shows, in cartoons, in “Christian” songs and poetry, in “worship” lyrics, and via the teaching of Scriptures OUT OF CONTEXT and thus twisting them to say whatever they want them to say, much of which are lies of the enemy.

There is something that I am watching closely, for it has the appearance of falseness, for it does not fit with our present culture, even with our present “church” culture. And that is that many prominent men in the political world or in the world of big business or in the news media are all of a sudden professing faith in Jesus Christ, it would appear. And then we are receiving videos and pictures of very large crowds of people purportedly in spiritual revivals and in genuine worship of Christ, and having their lives altered.

But if this was honestly taking place, it would be reflected in changed hearts, minds, behaviors, and lifestyles, which would begin to be evident on people’s social media posts, and in preacher’s sermons, and in the life of “the church,” as a whole. And there would be people being honest and repenting of their sins and wanting to make restitution for wrongs committed, and broken marriages restored, and estranged families being brought back together, and the true gospel would now be being taught predominantly.

I personally am not seeing such a movement of God taking place at this time, not here in America, anyway, and it does not fit with what the Scriptures teach regarding the characteristic traits of these final days before our Lord’s return and with true biblical revival of human hearts and souls. But all this could be a front for the appearance of a false “christ” and a false gospel message which is presently permeating the American church. So, we who are servants of the Lord need to have discernment in these matters.

One of the things that we need to check for is how they are presenting the character and actions of Jesus Christ when he lived on this earth. Are they accurate to the Scriptures? Or are they teaching subtle lies intended to lead us to what is false? Are they teaching that we must deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands? And are they teaching that if we continue in deliberate habitual sin, and if we are not obeying our Lord, that we will not inherit eternal life? If not, they’re withholding truth.

So, this requires that we are testing whatever we are hearing or reading, or think that we are seeing, against the Scriptures taught in context. For we are to see that no one leads us astray. For many false teachers and prophets will arise and lead many astray. And the love of many will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24:13-14). But it must be the true gospel.

For we need to understand this, that in these last days before the return of Christ there will come times of difficulty. People will be “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV)

And I believe that “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” in their lives is really where so much of the church in America is today, and where so many professing Christians are today. And so this is why we must test everyone and everything against the Scriptures, taught IN CONTEXT, and in prayer, praying for spiritual discernment so that we are not captivated by the lies of the enemy, and so that we are not being led astray from our pure devotion to Jesus Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives.

[Matthew 24:1-51; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 2 Peter 3:1-18; 1 John 2:18-25; Jude 1:17-23; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 6:9-14; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Revelation 18:1-24; Revelation 19:1-21; Revelation 20:1-15; Revelation 21:1-27, etc.]

For, if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord, it will result in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin, and us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves (addicted) to sin, but now as slaves (servants) of God and of his righteousness. Sin will no longer be what we practice, but righteousness and godly living and obedience to our Lord’s commands will be our practice, by the grace of God, and in the power and wisdom of God, directed by God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Though Your Sins Be as Scarlet

Frances J Crosby, 1880
William H. Doane, 1876

“Though your sins be as scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they be red like crimson,
They shall be as wool!”
“Though your sins be as scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow.”

Hear the voice that entreats you,
Oh, return ye unto God!
He is of great compassion,
And of wondrous love;
Hear the voice that entreats you,
Oh, return ye unto God!

He’ll forgive your transgressions,
And remember them no more;
“Look unto Me, ye people,”
Saith the Lord your God!
He’ll forgive your transgressions,
And remember them no more.

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At the top of her lungs
She cried out in exasperation.
Nothing was working out
According to her expectations.

Life was not giving her
What she thought life was all about.
Life was giving to her
What she had hoped that it would not.

So her expectations,
She learned, were not to be realized.
And all that she hoped for
Was now only to be fantasized.

Her thinking about life,
It seemed, was so unrealistic.
Her thinking must now change,
So that she does not go ballistic.

A change of mind she needs
Away from that on which she now feeds.
Belief in Jesus Christ
Will yield a life which to Christ now heeds.

For by true faith in Christ
She can die to that life of confusion.
So a new life in Christ
Will bring that old life to its conclusion.

Now this new life in Christ
May change not all her circumstances
But her trust now in Christ
Gives peace now in Christ which advances.

An Original Work / April 20, 2023

Glory to God!

AveChristusRex said:

They will be in my prayers. Sancta Maria, Ora Pro Nobis.

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Thank you.

This charge is not just to Timothy. All of us who profess the name of Jesus are to be those who “wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.” All of us are to resist the devil, and flee temptation, and draw near to God in full assurance of faith. All of us are to put to death, by the Spirit, all evil, all sins, so that we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us to run by our Lord Jesus, who is the author and perfecter and finisher of our faith, a faith that comes only from God, and not from us (Hebrews 12:1-2; James 4:7-10).

And when I say that this faith comes from God and not from ourselves, I am not saying that we have no part in it. It is just that the faith to believe in Jesus originates with God, it is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ, it is gifted to us by God, and it is divinely persuaded of God. So it is going to align fully with God’s will and purpose for our lives which is expressed for us in the Scriptures (OT & NT). And Jesus taught that to come after him we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands (Luke 9:23-26).

The faith to believe in Jesus Christ does not originate with human flesh. Thus, we can do nothing in our own flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. This faith, therefore, is not of the will nor of the flesh of man, but it is solely of God. So he is the ONLY one to define what this faith looks like. And the faith to believe in Jesus, taught in the Scriptures, teaches us that Jesus died on that cross so that we will now die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands.

[Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23]

But not only that. It teaches us that if we profess that we are in fellowship with God, but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, we are liars. And if we claim that we are in relationship with God, that we know him, but while we do not make it our practice to walk in obedience to his commands, we are liars. And it teaches us that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God. Many professers of faith in Jesus will be told to depart from the Lord, instead (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Hebrews 10:19-23; Colossians 3:5-10; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 6:10-20; 1 Timothy 6:11-12; John 6:44]

But not all who profess faith in Jesus Christ accept this biblical teaching on the subject of what biblical faith looks like from the perspective of God and the Scriptures. Many want to believe that they can make verbal professions of faith in the Lord Jesus and now all their sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and heaven is now secured for them when they die, but regardless of how they live. And they view God more like a genie in the sky there to do every good for them regardless of how they live.

And so they go on living in sin, and for self, and for selfish and fleshly and ungodly desires. Yet they will claim the promises and blessings of God over their lives, and they will expect God to be there for them, to grant their every request, and to meet their every need. And they will still anticipate that heaven awaits them when they die, and they will convince themselves that God will not judge them for their sins. But they blaspheme (profane, disrespect and show irreverence to) the Lord by their wicked behaviors.

And it isn’t as though many of them do not know the truth of what the Scriptures teach. Many have learned the truth from childhood on up, but have rejected the truth in favor of the lies so that they can continue in their deliberate and habitual sins. And I believe God has shown many of them multiple years of mercy in continuous calls for repentance and for changed hearts and minds, and yet they still refuse his calls, and they continue in their sins. And this will end in death, not life, if they do not change course.

So, if you are one who is still living in disobedience to the Lord, still addicted to your sins of choice, even though you have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, please read the Scriptures in their full context, for they do not promise you eternal life with God. They promise that you will NOT inherit eternal life with God unless you change course, and you truly repent of your sins, and you deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his commands, in practice. So please take this to heart.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Paradise Valley

Lyrics by Noah White, Music by Virgil Stamps (1935).

As I travel thru life, with its trouble and strife,
I’ve a glorious hope to give cheer on the way;
Soon my toils will be o’er and I’ll rest on that shore,
Where the night has been turned into day.

As I roam the hillside, or I list to the tide,
As I pluck the sweet flowers that grow in the dale;
A faint picture is there of a land bright and fair,
Where perennial flowers ne’er fail.

Tho’ your garden is rare, it is naught to compare
With the flowers that bloom in the garden above,
In the midst of it grows, Sharon’s perfect sweet Rose;
‘Tis the wonderful Flower we love.

Up in paradise valley By the side of the river of life,
Up in paradise valley, We’ll be free from all pain and all strife;
There we’ll live in the garden, ‘Neath the shade of the evergreen tree,
How I long for the paradise valley, Where the beauty of heaven I’ll see.

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Do they limit the number of children one can have like China does?

That's unfortunate.

Praying for a mass conversion of Japan and those in the far east.

Thanks for posting!

stevevw said:

But I seen a doco on Musk and believe me he wants to get to Mars.

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My pastor believed that God wants to restore life on all the planets. The issue with Mars is that NASA does not agree with Musk about this. Although a lot of people have left NASA and are working for Musk now. My niece is a PhD chemist at NASA. That in and of itself causes me to question how capable the people at NASA are. That branch of the family (my brother) pride themselves on being "functional" alcoholics. But I know how functional they are and I can see where real functional people are quick to want to go work for Muck.

NASA does not support the idea of using a nuclear explosion to restore life to Mars. The concept of using nuclear explosions to terraform Mars has been proposed in the past, but it is highly controversial and poses significant risks, including the potential for harmful radiation and the destruction of any existing Martian environment.

It's important to recognize the contributions of the talented teams and experts who work under him. Musk has publicly acknowledged the efforts of his teams, but his prominent role means he often receives much of the attention and credit.

Look at his $50,000 house in Texas at Space X. He bought a Boxabl house and the next thing you know people say he owned the company. Boxabl is glad for all the attention and they are selling so many homes they can not keep up with the demand.

At this point he does not care about money, he does not care about power. He had a job to do and he wants to get the job done and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

tonychanyt said:

They could no longer work together to continue building the tower as a single cooperation. They formed different language groups and spread to different parts of the earth.

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As populations settled in different regions, their languages began to change and adapt independently, leading to the formation of diverse language families.

Tellyontellyon said:

You are incorrect with your appraisal, and come across as a little paranoid.
I'm not an academic, but the wiki on Santa Muerte didn't make them sound like killers.

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Look it up on Youtube ........................................................

Richard T said:

Will Russia really stop if we appease them?

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Of course, it is all about money and Trump is a businessman. He lets people make their money and he gets his. Democrats like to play Robin Hood. They take money from one person to give it to another. Musk does not mind being the biggest taxpayer. But it cooks his cookies that there is so much waste in the money that he gives the Government. He thinks two trillion dollars a year is being wasted and he wants to straighten that out.

I often realize that I can be more driven than I think. The journey to inner freedom is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process throughout life. It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that I must never stand up for myself, thinking I somehow deserve poor treatment. This can be an unconscious process, as my inner voices disguise themselves in many forms. Fear of what others will think of me often keeps me from speaking up, creating a psychological prison that is hard to escape.


Over the years, I have learned to be gently blunt when I am grounded. However, when I am not, my bluntness is something I try to avoid. Prayer has been a great source of inner healing. It is not just about asking for something but understanding that God is one with us, even though it is easy to be blind to that reality. Over time, prayer has made me aware that I need to speak up for myself and not worry about what others think. If I can’t stop worrying, I speak up anyway. I have found that I need to swim upstream to grow into freedom, allowing me to face myself and understand that I am responsible for my situation. Blaming others is useless.-Br.MD

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All Becomes New said:

What do you think is the cause @Vambram?

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IMO, there are probably multiple causes leading to an increase in suicides by military Servicemembers. But, if we can have better morale, closer and/or better friendships amongst each other along with increases of emphasis about the importance of having real faith in the Lord; then I believe we will be able to reduce the amount of suicide in the military.

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Ephesians 1

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED

What happens when a person truly trusts Christ for salvation?,
One of the things, is that he/she receives the precious Holy spirit, who is their teacher, guide and comforter.

One of the things that the Holy spirit does is to seal us, to authenticate us in the sight of God.

When you have a piece of porcelain from a world famous factory, it will usually have the makers or artists mark on it, it is the same with us, we are sealed with God's seal or stamp, we are his.

God has purchased us as his prized possession, he now seals us, remember that the Spirit of God is fully God, he can and does do this, the seal is the guarantee we will receive the inheritance.

One day we will receive our full inheritance, it is a sure thing, there should be no doubt in our minds.

I come to all these verses and they are my favourite verses in the whole bible, their focus is on God and what Jesus did for us on the cross.

They go back to the dawn of history and look forward to heaven and to the glorious realisation that we will be his forever.

They are reassuring words for the believer, but also thay are words to motivate you, to share and proclaim what Christ has done for you.

It's truly awesome, but it's no good keeping it to yourself.

I pray as we delve deeper into Ephesians, these truths will resonate in your heart and mind.

God bless you

Keith

EPHESIANS 1

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
THE BEST INHERITANCE

If salvation, redemption and adoption weren't enough, we now come to the promise of an eternal inheritance. Jesus mentions this in John 14:1-3 and Peter must of been thinking of this, when he wrote these words under the urging of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our parents and other relatives leave us money, but that inheritance will not last, the inheritance we received through Christ, never loses it's value, it remains constant.

As I have read this passage, I realise one thing, God doesn't have to do any of this, he makes a deliberate choice, he gives all these blessings, simply because of his love and mercy towards us. The counsel of his own will, he does these things, not to glorify us, but to glorify himself, our salvation , our redemption, adoption and inheritance are about Him and always will be.

God does all things for us glory and our good, he saves us that we should bring praise to his glory and supreme majesty.

Heaven is our inheritance, intimate fellowship for eternity is our privilege, we shall see his face and serve Him forever.. amen.

We are heirs of this promises and joint heirs with Christ, have we received our inheritance yet?

No, but we will, it defies description, it simply blows our minds to even think of it.

If you have this inheritance, then you want others to have it too, this is a motivation to share the gospel. Do you know Christ and have this inheritance?

Let's finish with this amazing verse from Romans 8, rejoice Christian, you are an heir and a joint heir with Christ.

Romans 8:17
King James Version
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.


Next time the devil, tells you that you are worthless, tell him this you have an inheritance that lasts forever, that's how to answer him.

God bless you

Keith

Who am I?

I am an ordinary Christian just like you and me, I love to study the scriptures and share what God shows me. I am from the UK, and at present live in Nanjing China. I am an English teacher. I have been saved from my teenage years, am now eligible for Pension.
I believe the whole of the bible, especially love the five Solas of the reformation.

I am saved by GRACE alone by FAITH alone in CHRIST alone through the WORD OF GOD alone for the GLORY OF GOD alone.

James 5:​

KJV
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he who converts the sinner from the error of his way
shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
NKJV
19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way
will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

“do err from the truth”; “wanders from the truth”.
In spite of the softer terms ‘err’ and ‘wander’ James here is dealing with deception.
[G4105]: planao=deceived, led astray.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you.
He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

Matthew 24:
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders
to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan,
who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

‘Save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins’.

1 John 3:​

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.
He who does not love his brother abides in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that
no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 5:​

16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask,
and He will give him life for those who commit sin not to death. There is sin leading to death.
I do not say that he should pray about that.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not to death.

Dale said:

It is widely believed, or assumed, that God cursed Adam, or Adam and Eve, in the third chapter of Genesis. It follows that this curse has been inherited by the human race. Actually, Genesis never says that God put any curse directly on Adam. This is particularly clear if we consider that God does curse Cain in Genesis 4.

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The curse was upon the ground. I have yard full of weeds to show that. So the curse (of the ground) extended to all of mankind.

17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

Eze 8:

16 He brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.

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These people shamelessly worshiped idols on sacred ground.

17 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose.

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What did this expression mean?

The exact meaning of this phrase is uncertain, as it is not used elsewhere in the Bible and has no clear parallels in other ancient Near Eastern literature. There are a couple of guesses:

1. Some pagan gods were associated with sacred trees or poles. Their worshippers might put a branch to their nose as a ritual.
2. It could be a gesture of contempt similar to "thumbing one's nose." People were defiantly engaging in idolatry right under God's nose at the entrance of the temple of the Lord.

In any case:

18 Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

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The expression "put the branch to their nose" meant people brazenly engaged in idolatrous practices, provoking God's anger.

Is the woke era over?​

Democrats have just suffered a thorough electoral defeat and are wondering what went wrong​

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., removed her pronouns from her bio last week. It was a small shift but a perceptible one.

The Democrats have just suffered a thorough electoral defeat and are wondering what went wrong. The most impactful ad of the election season focused on the far-left trans madness and had the tagline "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you."

Democratic political strategist James Carville blames the loss on "wokeness," and there’s an impulse to optimistically proclaim "the era of woke over" because of President-elect Trump’s decisive victory.


This article covers numerous aspects of the Left-Wing nonsense.

The Left are starting to turn on their own, in their epic failure for the American people.

Mk 4:

21 Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?

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When you have the light, let it shine. Don't hide it.

22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

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If there is darkness in you, you can't hide it anyway.

23 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

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Pay attention to what Jesus says.

24 He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear.

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Jesus emphasized the importance of listening and responding to his parables/teachings.

With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you. 25 For whoever has will be given more.

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Positively, be receptive and obey it. As you apply Jesus' words, you will be given more understanding. This is our daily sanctification and spiritual growth. The more portion you exercise your spirit, the more portion will be given to you. The more we live out Jesus' teachings, the stronger our spirit is.

But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

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Negatively, when you hear Jesus' words but you don't act on them, you will experience growth stunting in your spirit, even shrinking or negative growth.

Be attentive and responsive to God's Word. Practicing his truth leads to greater spiritual enrichment and growth. You can't hide the light in you. Be warned. If you hear and do not practice, your spirit will stagnate, and you will eventually lose your Paraclete. You can't hide the darkness in you. Our spiritual growth is directly tied to how we steward the truth we've received. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

China is pulling some economic maneuvers that could greatly weaken the dollar.

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Police are searching for a thief who entered the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street in Manhattan on Nov. 20, 2024, and stole a gold rose that memorializes a priest who perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. | Credit: Courtesy of NYPD

Police are searching for a thief who entered a Manhattan Catholic church this week and stole a gold rose that memorializes a priest who perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Police said in a release that on Wednesday afternoon an individual entered the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street and “removed a gold-plated metal rose from the 9/11 memorial inside without permission or authority to do so.”

The suspect on Friday was identified as 21-year-old Deikel Alcantara. The incident was being treated as an act of grand larceny. In New York State, grand larceny involves the theft of property worth at least $1,000.

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