daq said:

Calling @RabbiJames for a thread title spell-check!

I'm pretty sure you can simply edit the OP and the thread title box will appear at the top of the edit page.

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Thank you, Toda raba

I think that when things are going well in our lives that it is easy to sing praises to God and to thank him for all his many blessings to us. Yet, when life kicks us and knocks us down; when severe trials come our way; when we are faced with great persecution and rejection from those we love, including from the family of God; when illness or heartache come our way; and/or when it seems there is no end in sight to these trials, it is then harder to give praise to God. Yet, it is most necessary and healing at those times that we do.

In fact, our Lord Jesus gives us songs of praise and joy during these times to heal our wounded hearts and to soothe our troubled minds so that we get our focus off the temporal and onto Christ Jesus, our Lord, and to what is eternal - the salvation of human lives, and our worship of God.

We Will Sing!

An Original Work / December 4, 2013
Based off The Psalms

I will praise You, Lord, among all peoples.
I will praise You for all that You have done.
I called to the Lord, and He heard my cry.
He turned weeping into a song of joy!

I will sing praise to my Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God evermore.

I will praise You, Lord, for Your mighty works,
For Your love is great, reaching to the heav’ns.
O my Strength, I sing my praise unto You,
For Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

I will sing praise to my Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God evermore.

Shout with joy to God all who’re on the earth.
Say to God, “O how awesome are Your deeds.”
The redeemed sing praise to their Savior, King,
For He saved them all in His righteousness.

We will sing praise to our Lord all our lives;
We will sing praise to our God evermore.

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Clearly, I have been misunderstood. Let me rephrase:


The duty of those secret service agents that day was to protect Donald Trump. They failed to do their duty. It doesn't matter what excuses they can come up with or what shadowy conspiracy they might have been the tools of or what they might or might not have heard from local LEOs. They failed. All by themselves without any help

The Scriptures, at least here in America, are available in many languages and/or in multiple translations and transliterations, and can be purchased at most bookstores, or wherever books are sold, or in libraries, or they can be heard read to them in videos or in audio recordings, or they can be read on the internet in multiple locations. So, at least here in America the Scriptures presently are very available to the public. And it isn’t just Christians who read them, either. Even non-Christians find them interesting to read.

And all people can understand some of what they teach, in a general sense, regarding what is obvious. But for us to really hear from the Lord, not only to understand what the Scriptures are teaching, but to know how our Lord wants us to apply them to our lives, this is where it involves the Holy Spirit, especially if the Holy Spirit is wanting to use any particular passages of Scripture to reveal to us God’s calling on our lives or to show us how those passages relate to what is presently going on in our world and nations.

The Scriptures are not to be read for intellectual knowledge, but the spiritual truths which are contained within them are to be learned by us and applied to our daily lives, by the Spirit. But the Holy Spirit may teach us a lesson from a passage of Scripture which, in context, was meant for a specific group of people at a particular time in history, and he may take that lesson and show us how that is to be applied to our lives today. But this must not go against what the New Testament teaches us.


Let me give you an example of this, the story of David and Goliath. Goliath was a giant and he was a Philistine, and the Philistines were enemies of the Israelites, and so they were preparing for battle against them. And long story short, David, who was young, volunteered to fight Goliath, but not with the king’s armor, but with a sling and a stone, in the power of God. He said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.” David “put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.” (See 1 Samuel 17)

Now, in the New Testament we are taught to not take revenge on our enemies, but that we to love our enemies and pray for them and do good to them and to say to them what will benefit them spiritually if they will believe in Jesus. So we are not to take this that we should go hand-to-hand combat with those we regard as our enemies. But there is a spiritual lesson here about how we should deal with our enemies. We should not run away in fear and defeat, and we should not use physical weapons of warfare, either.

Instead, we are to rely upon the Holy Spirit within us to guide us in what we are to do and say, and we are to follow the teachings of the New Testament Scriptures under the New Covenant. And we are to operate in the power of God and not in our own flesh, and not according to our own reasoning, but in the wisdom and counsel of God’s Spirit living within us. And our enemy is Satan and all those who work for him and who teach lies to the people and who lead people to follow after false gospels which lead them to death.

So, in the power of the Spirit we are to fight off those lies and expose them for what they are, and we are to speak the truth of God’s word to the people, some of which are hard truths that many people do not want to hear and do not want to accept, and so many of them will fight against them. But all this is done in the power of God’s Spirit and not in our human flesh. And so those who are not of the Spirit will not receive them, but those who are of the Spirit should receive them as being of the Spirit.

Now one more thing here that the Holy Spirit just spoke to me about and that has to do with David refusing the king’s armor because it did not fit him and because God was going to fight for him, believing that God would deliver him. When we feel that we need a king to rule us to fight our battles for us against enemies that the king has determined are our enemies, but who may or may not be our enemies, and he does so with physical weapons of warfare, we are going against the teachings of the Scriptures.

And not only that, but we are putting our trust in other humans and in our military to fight what are truly spiritual battles of warfare which should be fought only in the power of the Spirit in the ways of God, and not in the ways of human flesh. We are, in essence, taking on the king’s armor instead of relying upon the Lord to fight our battles for us his way. So don’t look to other humans to be your solution to what ails our nations and this world, for they may turn out to be the enemy who are fighting against us Christians.

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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Alessa_the_jaz said:

These past few months I’ve been slacking and somewhat grew bitter about my life and my relationship with god. Ive grown bitter and have been living in unrepentant sin. I think that I’ve been actively hardening my heart again but I’m trying to stop it now.

I’ve been trying to return to god after years of being away and I recently talked to a pastor. I’ve still been debating with myself on a lot of things but I think I hold worldly sorrow/false guilt. It’s still guilt but it’s temporary I think. I’ll constantly remind myself of what exactly I’ve done and remember but I know that’s not repentance. I’ve hurt a lot of people in my life and this pastor said to trust god to restore the damage and help those who I’ve hurt and to trust that Jesus can still cover those sins even if they have hurt other people or if there’s some condemning verse about it. I do know that it’s a common belief that if you still care then you haven’t blasphemed the Holy Spirit or anything however what if I truly don’t care? I’ve been neglectful of my spiritual situation and my relationship with god for years and i ‘stopped caring’ for some time. I stopped walking in the ways of god and stopped acknowledging my sins, instead I pursued them and I didn’t care for the consequences or if they would estrange me from god. I don’t think I am sincere and I don’t think I care but I truly want to care. I think there’s a huge chance that I’ve dulled my conscience and use this ’false guilt’ to at least make me care a little, otherwise without it

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Often, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. The fact that you're here, that you're asking questions and trying to get better, shows that you do care, even if you don't feel it. God sees your effort, and He's not condemning you for it.

If you have repented of your sins, then you are forgiven. No questions asked. No matter how bad you feel, God is with you. Just because you don't feel anything doesn't mean you're not saved (I'm struggling with that right now, and its hard to keep remind8ng yourself, but it's important to know.)

I think mental health issues can also come into play at times, so maybe you're struggling with some of that, too.

Healing/ getting better takes time, but luckily, God has a timeline for your healing and sanctification. Trust Him, and make a conscious decision to love and stay in contact with Him, even if you feel nothing. What we feel doesn't determine our faith, and God doesn't condemn us for lacking strong feelings at times. Love is action, not just feeling. And sometimes, "action" is just doing your best to learn, pray, and take care of yourself and others.

I'll be praying for you

God formed me in the womb of my mother
He planned I would serve Him and no other
He spoke to me one day through a sermon
He wanted me, wanted me to hear Him

I sat on that hard bench in pavilion
At camp which is stationed in Vermillion
I left sin and Satan’s life dominion
No longer was I earth’s flesh civilian

Citizen of heaven now my station
The joy of which now to my elation
My Lord Jesus Christ now my salvation
My fellowship with Him now my haven

My age then was prob’ly six or seven
I knew I was on my way to heaven
My sins now I knew were then forgiven
My life was for God to live to please Him

Now skip nearly fifty years to future
Called of God to now use a computer
With Lord Jesus Christ as now my tutor
And Holy Spirit there me to nurture

Called of God to write down what I’m learning
From His Word in promises and warnings
And of the things His Word now instructing
And of his love and grace now informing

This is my call of God, it’s my mission
To share with the world God’s call and vision –
The life He now has for us to live in
In holiness, freedom now from our sin

So, walk with him daily in obedience
Don’t delay but let it be immediate
Leave your lives of sin, don’t be deviant
Follow Christ in all ways, be expedient

An Original Work / May 29, 2022

Unqualified said:

yes we talked about that scripture before. There must be a whole lot of Christian’s who have become on the rocky and thorn soils to not have this ‘kept’ you are speaking of. Of which you are speaking @Notme . I do see it in the the few though. Isn’t God always narrowing down His flock!? those who do not believe fall away. but those who persevere have this protection you state. The keeping and the freedom. Very good outlook.

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This being kept that scripture is speaking of is only the being kept that comes through faith by the power of God… All other being kept regardless of how outwardly successful it might seem to be, is still a work of self… For only that which comes through faith has God’s smile on it, for it being Christ’s life coming to life….

For all believers are kept to salvation, it is a matter of how much keeping one experiences in the ever present now, which can only be accessed by the believer’s faith….


To the ever present now, Not me

So, when Jesus Christ was about ready to leave the earth and to go back to the Father, prior to his death and resurrection, he told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them, and that one day he would come back to receive them to himself that where he is there they may be also. And so he told them, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:1-3,26).

Now we who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-gifted faith in him have the Holy Spirit living within us, serving as our teacher, counselor, guide, encourager, helper, and the one who pricks our consciences and convicts of sin and who warns us of danger and who leads us in the way of righteousness and holiness. He also gifts us with spiritual gifts which we are to use within the body of Christ to encourage our fellow Christians in their walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

[Mk 13:11; Lu 2:26; Lu 4:18-19; Lu 10:21; Lu 12:11-12; Jn 14:26; Jn 15:26; Jn 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2; Acts 20:23; Rom 8:9,14; 1 Co 2:14-16; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 12:1-31; Rom 12:1-8; Eph 4:1-16, etc.]

But God reveals to us the things of God which are not evident to human flesh and only via the Holy Spirit, and in ways which are not of the flesh and which cannot be determined by the flesh. These are things which are not seen with our human eyes nor heard with our ears audibly nor are they things that we can even possibly imagine. But God speaks to us through his Spirit in our inner beings revealing to us the things of God which we cannot know in any other way. They are not intellectually discerned.

Now there are people who deny totally the gifts of the Spirit, if the gifts are not things which can be determined and controlled by human flesh. And then on the other end of this we have people who abuse the gifts of the Spirit and who teach them erroneously and who are leading many people astray to follow after even demons who disguise themselves as angels of light and as servants of righteousness. And so we must exercise much spiritual discernment in what we believe is of the Spirit or not of the Spirit.


So, what is this saying? We are not to automatically shut out everything that we cannot see or control or discern ourselves, or even what is absolutely plain in the Scriptures, if we read them in context, unless the Scriptures clearly teach that what we are seeing or hearing or reading or perceiving is not of God. For Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to indwell us to teach us the things of God, even things which we cannot see with our physical eyes, but which are to be spiritually discerned. But we should test everything and abstain from evil.

So, how did I know that God was calling me to this ministry 20 years ago? I can’t find it in the Scriptures, not with my name on it, anyway. No human being suggested it to me. And I did not think it up of my own accord. The Holy Spirit spoke to me through his word in Habakkuk 2:2-3 that I was to write down what he teaches me from my time spent in his word, and to write it on a tablet (my computer) and to give it to the internet (the herald) so that the herald could “Run With It,” the name then given to my blog.

And so that is what I did. I wrote what I understood and what I was learning as I was learning it to the best of my understanding of it. And little by little my understanding began to increase, and I learned so many things I did not know before, and so many things that were absolutely spiritually discerned. And I learned, too, of the things that I had learned incorrectly, and where I had been deceived or brainwashed, and where I needed to accept the truth and to reject the lies. It was the Holy Spirit revealing these things to me.

How can we know our calling that God has for us individually in the specific gifts and ministries to which he has called us if we are not listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice within us? There is no way that I would have posted over 8,000 documents on the internet in nearly 20 years or written the things the Lord has given me write or to speak or to sing, including songs, poems, memes, devotions, short books, and video talks, if I was not being led by the Spirit and gifted of the Spirit and called and equipped of God.

So, yes, read the Scriptures every day. Read them in context so that you interpret them correctly. But read them under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, allowing the Spirit to speak truth to your heart and to counsel you in the way he would have you to go. But let him speak truth to you within your spirit. Test what you hear against the Scriptures to make certain it is the Holy Spirit you are hearing, but don’t quench the Spirit because someone has told you that the Holy Spirit doesn’t speak to us that way.

There is so much evil going on in this world of ours and in the USA and among our political leaders and our church leaders, and so many people are being deceived by the voices of men because they are not testing what they hear or read against the Scriptures and in prayer, letting the Holy Spirit reveal to them the things hidden that are deceiving people’s hearts and minds. So, please, ask the Lord to reveal to you the true character of all those who are running for the office of president of the USA.

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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God bless Idaho.

tonychanyt said:

1 Cor 11:


Strong's Greek: 2168. εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteó) — 38 Occurrences

The English term *Eucharist" comes from G2168.


Are Protestants allowed to receive the Catholic Eucharist?

Catholics believe in transubstantiation. If you don't, you are not a member of the Catholic Church. Officially, you are not allowed to participate in the Catholic Eucharist. Canon Law 844 §1:

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His Body and Blood is reserved for members of His Church, and no one else. All are invited but many reject Him for the sake of their own ideas.

Qubit said:

Looks like folks here are still on the Milk.

I was hoping for a Meat of the Word discussion, but it is what it is.

Like I said earlier, the verses exist that describe the Forbidden Fruit in stunning detail.

You folks are not ready. I will bow out of the thread now.

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Hello Qubit. Please don’t generalize … as I am an open receptacle to receive truth from God. If it doesn’t resonate with me now, I have learned to not immediately reject or accept a teaching. There are many here, including myself, who read, process and wait for “The Truth“ to set me free from the bondage of man centered teaching. So. If you are so inclined, please continue to move forward with the teaching you offered.

blessings …

Yeah, I seriously doubt that the move actually has to do with the new law. Texas is simply a more favorable business environment for him.

I would like to give my two cents.

The Early Church Fathers within the First and Second Century, stand firmly on the side of free will. I have written a free book on this at The Way and Free Will

Basically they state, regardless of any foreknowledge God may have man has genuine free will with regard to salvation.

Justin Martyr (110-165)

But lest some suppose, from what has been said by us, that we say that whatever happens, happens by a fatal necessity, because it is foretold as known beforehand, this too we explain. We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, and chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Since if it be not so, but all things happen by fate, neither is anything at all in our own power. For if it be fated that this man, e.g., be good, and this other evil, neither is the former meritorious nor the latter to be blamed. And again, unless the human race have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions, of whatever kind they be. But that it is by free choice they both walk uprightly and stumble, we thus demonstrate. We see the same man making a transition to opposite things. Now, if it had been fated that he were to be either good or bad, he could never have been capable of both the opposites, nor of so many transitions. But not even would some be good and others bad, since we thus make fate the cause of evil, and exhibit her as acting in opposition to herself; or that which has been already stated would seem to be true, that neither virtue nor vice is anything, but that things are only reckoned good or evil by opinion; which, as the true word shows, is the greatest impiety and wickedness. But this we assert is inevitable fate, that they who choose the good have worthy rewards, and they who choose the opposite have their merited awards. For not like other things, as trees and quadrupeds, which cannot act by choice, did God make man: for neither would he be worthy of reward or praise did he not of himself choose the good, but were created for this end; nor, if he were evil, would he be worthy of punishment, not being evil of himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made (Rev. Dods 1867, Justin Martyr - First Apology - Ch 43)

... Furthermore, I have proved in what has preceded, that those who were foreknown to be unrighteous, whether men or angels, are not made wicked by God’s fault, but each man by his own fault is what he will appear to be... (Rev. Dods 1867, Justin Martyr - Dialoque with Trypho, Ch 140)

I said briefly by anticipation, that God, wishing men and angels to follow His will, resolved to create them free to do righteousness; possessing reason, that they may know by whom they are created, and through whom they, not existing formerly, do now exist; and with a law that they should be judged by Him, if they do anything contrary to right reason: and of ourselves we, men and angels, shall be convicted of having acted sinfully, unless we repent beforehand. But if the word of God foretells that some angels and men shall be certainly punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be unchangeably [wicked], but not because God had created them so. So that if they repent, all who wish for it can obtain mercy from God: and the Scripture foretells that they shall be blessed, saying, ‘Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin;’... (Rev. Dods 1867, Justin Martyr - Dialoque with Trypho, Ch 141)

Irenaeus [A.D. 120-202]

1. This expression [of our Lord], “How often would I have gathered thy children together, and thou wouldest not,” (Mat 23:37) set forth the ancient law of human liberty, because God made man a free [agent] from the beginning, possessing his own power, even as he does his own soul, to obey the behests (ad utendum sententia) of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God. For there is no coercion with God, but a good will [towards us] is present with Him continually. And therefore does He give good counsel to all. And in man, as well as in angels, He has placed the power of choice (for angels are rational beings), so that those who had yielded obedience might justly possess what is good, given indeed by God, but preserved by themselves. On the other hand, they who have not obeyed shall, with justice, be not found in possession of the good, and shall receive condign punishment: for God did kindly bestow on them what was good; but they themselves did not diligently keep it, nor deem it something precious, but poured contempt upon His super-eminent goodness. (Rev. Rambaut W. H. 1867, Against Heresies - Book 4 Ch 37)

This shows that the early church believed in genuine free will, the fact that God "may" have foreknowledge, does not negate free will in man. Genesis suggest that God does not have foreknowledge (in a Calvinistic sense):

Gen 6:5-7 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."


The BIble also shows us this free choice, men are given two path ways based upon their response to God:

And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction, Then He tells them their work and their transgressions—That they have acted defiantly. He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. (NKJV, Job 36:8-12)

The city is Rome, it is stated right in Revelation chapter 17.

And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

LoricaLady said:

Christian dad of 4 gunned down in front of family by Muslim neighbors​

By Christian Daily International/Morning Star News, Tuesday, July 16, 2024

A Pakistani soldier stands guard on the roof of a Methodist Church during the Easter service in Quetta on April 21, 2019. | BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images
LAHORE, Pakistan — A Catholic father of four children was gunned down by Muslim neighbors last week after he objected to their harassment of Christians in the area, his family said.

Marshall Masih of the Patiala House area in Lahore was the sole breadwinner for his elderly parents, wife and four children — the oldest 10, the youngest 18 months old. He was 29.

Marshall Masih was killed on July 10, 2024 in Lahore, Pakistan. | Christian Daily International-Morning Star News courtesy of family
His sister Goshi Yaqoob, 33, said his family was asleep at 4:25 a.m. last Wednesday when four armed Muslims led by Muhammad Shani and Azam Ali entered their house from the rooftop after cutting the iron grill.

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“The assailants broke the door of my brother’s bedroom on the first floor of the house and held him and his family hostage on gunpoint,” Yaqoob told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “They then opened indiscriminate fire on him, riddling his body with 16 bullets in the presence of his wife and minor children.”

Yaqoob was at her parents’ house at that time. The sound of gunfire and the screams of her sister-in-law and children woke her up, and she rushed to their house, where she saw four men heading to the roof. She went to her brother’s bedroom.

“I was horrified to see his blood-soaked body lying on the floor while his wife and children were huddled in a corner crying frantically,” she said, breaking down in tears.

Neighbors awakened by the screams helped the family take the critically injured Masih to the hospital, where he died from bleeding and the wounds to his organs, she said.

Masih, known as Bunty, had filed a police complaint against Shani two and a half months ago after repeated, unsuccessful attempts to dissuade him and his cohorts from regular aerial firing in the area and harassing Christian women, she said.

“Though the police arrested Shani and recovered illegal weapons from his possession, he was freed after a day without any case,” Yaqoob said. “Instead, the police pressured my brother to stop pursuing the matter. The Muslims were offended that a Christian had taken a stand against their criminal activities, and by killing him in cold blood, they have shown that our lives do not matter.”

Christians held a protest outside the office of the Punjab province chief minister the same day demanding swift justice.

“But our pleas have fallen on deaf ears, and so far none of the accused murderers have been arrested,” she said.

Her father, a retired sanitation worker, is 75 and recently underwent heart surgery, and the family is concerned about the future of Masih’s children and young widow.

“My brother was the sole provider for the family, but with his untimely death, we are clueless as to how his young widow and four children will survive now,” she said. “Our entire world has crumbled after this incident.”

She appealed to the provincial government and to Christians for support.

“We are in dire need of help. My father’s meager pension cannot support the family, especially the education and wellbeing of the children, as well as the legal battle to bring the killers to justice,” she said. “I appeal to the government to give education scholarships to the children and urge my fellow Christians to help us in whatever way possible so that we can get justice from the courts.”

Masih ran a small grocery store out of his house and had a good reputation among the 20 Christian families living in the area for more than three decades, his sister said.

“We are three sisters, and Masih was our only brother, the youngest of the four siblings,” she said. “He was a God-fearing Catholic who worked very hard to provide a livelihood for our parents, both of whom are heart patients, and his family.”

Rise in violence

There has been an increase in violent crimes against Christians in Pakistan since attacks on multiple churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala on Aug. 16, when two brothers were falsely accused of blasphemy. Some of the attacks have also been attributed to the Israel-Palestine conflict following the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, as Christians are seen as being sympathetic towards Jews.

On Nov. 9, 20-year-old Christian Farhan Ul Qamar was allegedly shot dead by a Muslim Muhammad Zubair in his house in Talwandi Inayat Khan village, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot District, Punjab province, in the presence of his parents. Qamar’s father said Zubair showed hatred for Christians and Jews, mistakenly referring to the family as Jews as he ranted at them before allegedly killing the Christian.

A 14-year-old Christian boy was gunned down by Muslims in the Mandiala Warraich area of Gujranwala District, Punjab province, on Feb. 5, in an attack purportedly motivated by the Jaranwala incident.

The victim, Sunil Masih, was standing in the market with some family members when the assailants arrived on motorcycles. They allegedly shouted that no Christian in the area should be left alive and opened fire, killing Masih on the spot while others barely managed to save their lives.

Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.

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I will pray for these persecuted Christians.


Catholic Prayer: Traditional Prayers for Persecuted Christians | Latin Mass Society
Almighty, everlasting God, look with compassion on all those who suffer persecution for justice’ sake. Grant them grace to carry their cross with patience in the name of Thy beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let the chalice pass from them is such by Thy holy Will: yet, in all things, may Thy Will be done. Grant to those who persecute, light to see the truth, and the grace of mercy and forgiveness, for they know not what they do. Mary, Mother of Jesus, Comfort of the Afflicted, help thy children in their time of bitter trial. O Lord our God, by the sign of Thy holy cross deliver us from our enemies.

Protestant (Lutheran) Prayer: Prayers
Heavenly Father, in the midst of our sufferings for the sake of Christ grant us grace to follow the example of the first martyr, Stephen, that we also may look to the One who suffered and was crucified on our behalf and pray for those who do us wrong; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

wing2000 said:

Wrong party. The King's Coronation is tonight in Milwaukee.

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No, the King is still sitting on the throne; the other is the usurper.......who will survive?

The hymn in Ephesians 1 makes it clear: God ‘chose us in him before the foundation of the world.’

Yesterday's Second Reading, Ephesians 1:3-14, deserves some attention, particularly for its pro-life relevance.

The text is actually a hymn that may have preexisted St. Paul’s epistle and which he incorporated into it. Priests and others familiar with the Liturgy of the Hours know this text because it regularly appears among the hymns in Evening Prayer.

But how is it a pro-life text?

This hymn is a celebration of creation. It’s not a celebration of the kind in vogue today, e.g., a paean to “Gaia” or “Mother Nature.” No, it is a celebration of the doctrine of creation, that what exists comes from the hand of God, is intended by God, and is good. Judaism and Christianity — in contrast to the religions of Antiquity — recognize that God is Creator and Redeemer, celebrating him both for the work of creation and his concrete deeds in salvation history. If you want proof, read Psalm 136. It first (vv. 4-9) celebrates God’s work in creation, enumerating particular acts because “his love endures forever.” Then, with the same refrain, it details (vv. 10-22) God’s works in forging a people for himself, starting with the Exodus. It concludes with God’s care for the individual person praying the Psalm (vv. 23-26).

Now, the Ephesians hymn is very Christocentric. Creation isn’t just a “nice thing” God decided to do before declaring “it was good.” No, God created to bring us into relationship with him, so that, when creation reaches its perfection, it will be when all things are “summed up in Christ.” The centerpiece of creation is the person.

That person-centric focus of creation is vital because it is a radical corrective to today’s mindset. Creation does not exist so that it can have an optimal temperature not exacerbated by carbon emissions. Creation does not exist for a pristine planet of fungi, babbling brooks, and a few cavemen human beings whose “carbon footprint” has been mitigated by an attempted return to the Stone Age. Creation exists for persons … and that is just what Ephesians 1 says.

Continued below.

Right off the bat, "Soros' Vanguard" is a clue that this is nonsense. Soros doesn't own Vanguard, nor is he even a shareholder beyond whatever investments he may have there. Vanguard and Black Rock are the two largest investment firms in the world. They're likely to have their fingers in everything.

Second, the fintel.io page only goes a week or two prior to the shooting. What does the historical data on short volume and prices look like? DJT has been shorted a ton.

Third, the firm claims this was a filing error and they shorted 1,200 not 12 million shares.

Praying for all the abused and for healing inside the Church.

bling said:

I agree you start with where you agree, but will move on to where you disagree. I can agree with a lot of what Muslims say and teach and they can agree with me, since we use a lot of the same words, but with different meanings. I go back to the assumes and the assumed meanings they have. They are not going to be picking up stones, but often feel very uncomfortable.
Sometimes you can only set a seed of contingent, that hopefully at some later date will under some stress cause them to come back to you. This has happened with my experiences.
Do you listen to them the way you want them to listen to you?

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Yes. I think we have similar things in common. We of course would have differences.
I am trained to talk to people of all kinds of faith, and to do that, the first priority is to understand what their views are, and then to use their "language" in conversing with them.
For example, rather than say "Bible", when speaking to Muslims, I would say, holy writings, or the Torah, and Prophets, and Psalms.

Incorporating what Paul said, in the ministry is very important. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

bling said:

At the prison I taught in and also with my friends in communist China at unregistered churches there is this "in or out"/committed or not committed. The raids by the communist will result in taking only baptized believers, so if you are there and not baptized they might take your name and just let you go.
In prison we had four groups of 14 or so prisoners (some committed Christians and some prisoners just there listening [it could be for just something to do]). There was no week, partial, or nominal "Christians" in prison (you were in or out/ committed or not committed/baptized or not baptized).

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bling said:

Being baptized was a sign to the world of being committed in those locations.

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Yes. This is why it is important that persons understand that being a Christian involves more than saying "I do", but involves "performing deeds in keeping with their repentance". Acts 26:20

The IbanezerScrooge said:

Is that, like, Republican math?

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How 2012 of you!

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Christians Persecuted by Voodoo Priests​

[8] prayers in [1] nation have been posted for Christians in Benin.

In Benin, local politicians are often strongly influenced by voodoo priests. In one part of the country, voodoo practitioners have convinced police to arrest four pastors because of songs they heard Christians singing during worship services. The complaints about the Christians' songs have interrupted the services and activities of roughly a dozen churches in that area. Read More.

• Jul. 18, 2024 | India​

  Christian Wins Fellow Inmates for Christ​

  [4] prayers in [1] nation have been posted for Poonam.
  
  While meeting for prayer on June 28, 2023, Poonam Bind, her parents and another sister in Christ were arrested on charges of converting Hindus. They spent the next two months in jail. Poonam and the other Christian women with her used the time to minister to the other 150 female inmates in the jail and led many of the women to place their faith in Christ. "I realized God had a wonderful plan for those people to be saved, and so I was there," Poonam said. "I saw how people were treated and troubled and how badly they needed Jesus in their lives." She continues to disciple many of the women who came to Christ in the jail. Read More.

• Jul. 18, 2024 | Tunisia​

  Churches Face New Restrictions​

  [4] prayers in [1] nation have been posted for Christians in Tunisia.
  
  Christians in Tunisia are finding it harder to gather and worship the Lord together. Front-line workers say the Tunisian government has banned Christians from meeting in hotels or other public gathering places without official pre-approval. "Only foreigners and officially registered NGOs [non-governmental organizations] are allowed to meet in those facilities," said a front-line worker. The worker added that one church leader has been harassed and "can no longer lead weekly services on Wednesdays and Saturdays." Read More.

Chrystal-J said:

Here's a quote from it: It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.

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Thank you

SavedByGrace3 said:

You are right. I guess I was trying to imitate MSM and the DNC. My bad.

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You’re still doing it.

I am in the process of finding a new church home so have seen some of these things first-hand. Some tiny churches full of seniors really are wonderful communities of faith, and I have met some beautiful folks who use their extra time to do a lot of praying. But before I retire in 15ish years most of the members will probably have gone to be with the Lord.

So I have been mostly visiting churches that have active children’s programs. These still tend to have a lot of older members (who I love to spend time with), but are more likely to still be viable when I am old.

Back when I was an evangelical it was easier to find truly intergenerational churches. Now that I don’t at all fit there and am looking at mainline congregations it is a lot more difficult.