JD Vance’s Catholic conversion is part of young conservative movement​

The Republican vice-presidential nominee and Ohio senator was raised nominally evangelical, then dabbled with atheism before converting in 2019.

In his conversion, he is part of a cohort of rising young conservative figures who are bucking the general trend of young Americans to reject institutional religion — and many, experts say, are choosing Catholicism. Catholicism, religion analysts say, exudes the confidence and staying power of a two-millennia-old hierarchical institution — not to mention the world’s biggest church — at a time when so much seems unstable.

Vance has said he looked for a philosophy that incorporated doubt, embraced scientific advancements like the theory of evolution and also came from somewhere “more ancient,” he wrote in 2020 in the Lamp.

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Looking to what he wrote in the Lamp.

[E]volutionary theory in some form struck me as plausible, and though I consumed Tornado in a Junkyard and every other work of Young Earth Creationism, I eventually got to the point where I couldn’t square my understanding of biology with what my church told me I had to believe. I was never so committed to Young Earth Creationism that I felt I had to choose between biology and Genesis. But the tension between a scientific account of our origin and the biblical account I’d absorbed made it easier to discard my faith.

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Making evolution-denial or globe-denial a central facet of one's religious denomination may not be instantly fatal, but it is a recipe for failure. When kids learn better through exposure to the evidence-based reasoning supporting the globe and evolution, that's an impetus to drop the religion entirely, not just the erroneous dogma.

I would decide this on a case-by-case basis by considering the following factors:

1. Has he repented?
2. How long ago was the adultery relationship?
3. What was the duration?
4. What is the impact on the congregation and the pastor's family?
5. 1Tm 3:2 An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.

David committed adultery. He repented (2S 12:13). God did not remove him as king.

Should a man be a pastor after committing adultery?

Probably not.

Can a man be a pastor after committing adultery?

I think so, as long as he repents and his congregation knows about it. He will be unlikely to commit adultery again.

There's so much conjecture and added wordage in AMP. Why would anyone read it?

Peace in Christ.

There are 2 resurrections….one for the “dead” who have mortally perished and one for the “living” who will never mortally die …having an age-lasting life (aka “eternal life”).

The “dead” mortally perish. They had believed in Christ but did not hear the truth of the gospel as their “preachers” that they listened to had no knowledge of it. The truth of the gospel had been hid from those who perish….the “dead”.

Jesus makes the distinction of the resurrection between the 2 groups who believe in Him to Martha.

John 11:
23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

The “dead” who believed in Christ but mortally die shall be resurrected AT THE LAST DAY OF THIS AGE (at the “last trump” moment). Though they die, they shall live…rising again at the last day. He is the resurrection and the life for both groups...the dead and the living.

25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

But Jesus makes a distinction between that first group (the “dead” who have died) and the last group (the “living” who LIVES and believes in Him).

This group that “lives and believes” in Him shall NEVER DIE INTO THE AGE.

They will continue to live into the duration of this present evil age that we are living in TO THE LAST DAY of this age.

They participate in the “first resurrection” as they will never mortally die and will reach the “last trump” moment where they will then put on immortality. They will completely circumvent death by living and believing in Him TO THE LAST DAY.

26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die- into the age. Do you believe this?”

Both groups (the “dead” and the “living”) believe in Christ, the Son of God. One group never heard the truth of the gospel and had perished. Yet, He is Lord of both groups. He is Lord of both the dead and the living.

27She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Again, Jesus makes this distinction between both groups of believers in John 6.

Jesus will not lose anything….even the “dead” for will raise them up AT THE LAST DAY of this age. This is the will of the Father who sent Him.

John 6:
39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

AND this is also the will of Him who sent Jesus. He says it twice indication this is the will for the other group of believers….the “living” group.

This group “sees” (understands) the Son and believes in Him so that they have an age-lasting life (aka “everlasting life”). They hear His testimony. They hear the truth of the gospel that had been hid from those who believe in Christ but are mortally perishing

Jesus keeps them...the living group... mortally standing TO THE LAST DAY. They never perish in their mortal bodies and make it to the last day where they put on immortality.

40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have age-lasting life (everlasting life); and I SHALL BE STANDING him up to the last day.”

There are 2 resurrections. One for the dead and one for the living.

Christ “the firstfruits” are the “living” who participate in the “first resurrection” and continue to mortally live TO THE LAST DAY of this age. The 2nd group…the “dead”… are not raised until He comes again.

1 Corinthians 15
22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.

Then the end of this age will come when He hands over the kingdom to God AFTER He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. The last enemy to be destroyed at the very end of this age is death.

24Then the end (of this age) will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.
25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

There is the distinction of the resurrections of both groups. Both groups are “changed” according to their status.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom/government of God. This is the “living” group (the flesh and blood group) who never mortally die. They are to be “changed” from their mortal status into immortal “at the last trump” of this age in order to enter into the next age to inherit the kingdom/government of God.

The “perishable” are the “dead” who had mortally perished. They are to be resurrected AT that last trump moment. They are changed also: raised imperishable in order to enter into the coming age to inherit the kingdom/government of God.

1 Corinthians 15:
50Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

The “living” group does not “sleep” like the “dead” who had mortally perished. “we shall not all sleep”….like Lazarus did.

The dead who had perished mortally shall then be raised imperishable.

We shall not all sleep (as the living never die) but we all (both dead and the living) shall be changed in order to enter into the next age where we inherit His kingdom.

51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—

52in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

2 groups of believers. One perished but shall be raised imperishable AT the last day of this age. The ‘living” group of believers though will not perish but will continue to live (being “mortal” means that they are “liable to death”…but have not died_. They will be changed by having their mortal bodies put on immortality.

53 For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”h

55“Where, O Death, is your victory?

Where, O Death, is your sting?”

I have no problem with new legislation that would

1 limit the term of Supreme Court justices to 18 years
2 enforce a code of ethics on the Supreme Court justices.

In past decades, most Americans understood what it was to be immoral,
and so a code of ethics was not seen as necessary to write down and
legislate, for the Supreme Court. Now, that has changed. I have no
problem with this type of new legislation.

I have no problem with term limits, for Supreme Court justices.

But, Biden, and MANY Americans, are not understanding some of the
decisions of the Supreme Court (such as about presidential immunity, and
even the constitutionality of the "right" of abortion).

Regarding presidential immunity, the Supreme Court came up with guidelines
under which lower courts could decide whether a former president was covered
by "immunity" from prosecution, for "official acts" they did when in the office
of President. These guidelines were...

1 The act must be done as part of the "responsibilities" of the President,
under the Constitution.
2 Lower courts would decide what specific act would qualify as an
"official act" of the President
3 Acts of the President that were done, meeting the first 2 requirements,
had immunity from prosecution.
4 The former president was to be assumed innocent, until proven guilty.

***** NOTE THAT NONE OF THESE GUIDELINES IS RADICAL.
***** NOTE THAT THESE GUIDELINES ELIMINATE MOST OF THE RIDICULOUS
CLAIMS OF IMMUNITY, THAT DONALD TRUMP IS CLAIMING TO HAVE.

For example, Trump suggests that the President has immunity for killing his
political opponents.
Is this a consitutional responsibility of the President? NO!
So, can this be called an "official act" of the President? NO!
Would this be considered murder under the fair rule of law in America? YES!
So, the President could be prosecuted for murder, if he assassinated his
political opponents.

The assertion by many people, that the Supreme Court HAS DECIDED that the
President has complete immunity from prosecution for all acts that he declared
to be "official acts" when he was president, IS A CRUDE MISUNDERSTANDING
OF WHAT THE SUPREME COURT DECIDED.

I think, that on this point, Biden misunderstands the decision of the Supreme
Court regarding immunity and the President. And, it is evidence that Biden
should NOT run for president again.

NOTE: I would also say that ALL American citizens who hold the same
misunderstanding about the Supreme Court's decision about immunity,
ALSO are not competent to run for president.

Stop the knee-jerk reactions to the decisions of the Supreme Court!
Just because you may not like some decision of this Court, that does not
mean that the decision is wrong, or MERELY politically motivated.

The Bible doesn't prescribe specific verses to be read at funerals, but here are some ideas:

• "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
• "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.'" (John 11:25-26)
• "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
• "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2 Corinthians 5:1)
• "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Preconditions:

1. Take care of your dependents financially.
2. Fulfill your financial responsibility of your home church.
3. Don't go against your conscience in your purchase.
4. Ask God about the purchase.
5. Bless others with your purchase. Share it occasionally.

If you can satisfy the above conditions, then go ahead with it and thank God for it.

By the way, I didn't just make these conditions up. I followed them. In 1991, when I first got my well-paying job as a professor, and before I had a wife, I bought a red-hot RX-7. It ran on a Wankel engine instead of the usual piston engine. I let some of my Christian friends use it on occasion.

Predestination I believe is the plan God has for those who will believe, not the plan to “make” people believe. I take two of the passages regarding Predestination (our destiny in Christ), and give it meaning.

Eph 1:3-12 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us [both Jew and Gentile, mankind in general (1John 2:2, 1 Timothy 4:10, 1Timothy 2:3-6), those who will believe] in Him before the foundation of the world [His plan was laid out before creation], that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined [created a plan for] us [both Jew and Gentile, mankind in general] to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself [God purposed the cross before creation], that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things [Jew and Gentile, those who will believe] in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined [having a plan laid out for us] according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.



Rom 8:29-30 For whom He foreknew [would trust in Christ (John 14:15-26)], He also predestined [planned] to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined [those He planned salvation for], these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

The Early Church made it clear that Foreknowledge is not fore-choosing. Using the terms foreknew, and foretell. Making statements like:

Justin Martyr [A.D. 110-165]

... 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... (Justin Martyr - Dialoque with Trypho, Ch 140)



Foreknowledge is not seen as fore-choosing. But rather knowing some people will be a certain way.

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;’... (Justin Martyr - Dialoque with Trypho, Ch 141)


The word of God knows some will be evil, but God did not make them that way. They are able to repent. Justin also states, as do many, that free will is not overridden by foreknowledge, and that salvation is not fatalistic.


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 (Justin Martyr - First Apology - Ch 43)

1 Corinthians 7:

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

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Nine times, Paul stressed that God called us to believe in this passage.

Kindly pray that I will pass my training at work today and have good rapport with all my supervisors Amen

^

Silence - a sonnet

As introvert I must confess to be
A one who tends to shun the madding crowd,
And often in soft morning reverie
Enwrapped in sweetest silence can be found.
The Word that aptly lays upon our minds
Tall visions of the sweep of grandest deeds
May also, in the silence, choose to bind
Our hearts to stillest voice among the reeds.
Our souls may quake when Horeb’s thunder churns,
May look for hail and fire from the sky,
But then from cave of hiding may discern
The gentle sound of Heaven drawing nigh.
In silence and in solitude I wait
To hear those shuffling sandals at the gate.

Dispensationalism usually consists of people who see a distinction between Israel and the church. Some feel this distinction happened at Acts 2, others at mid Acts, and some at Acts 28. What is called "right division" usually takes a mid Acts position and can see an overlap between the gospel of the kingdom offered to Israel and a revelation of the mystery of the age of grace offered to gentiles. The idea that there can be two gospels seems to be supported in Galatians.

Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

That the gospel of grace was called a "mystery" may be because if the nation of Israel had received the kingdom, the church would not be needed.

This perspective can aid in bible study in that many have had difficulty trying to apply some of what is written to Israel to Christians today. A book like Romans can be seen as written to mostly Jews trying to understand the gospel of grace. The first letter to the Corinthians can be understood as written to mostly former pagans who were still attempting to use their practices in a Christian context.

We live in a day and time in this world of ours when I believe we are seeing these things now revealed before our very eyes in real time. Are we living in a time of massive rebellion against our Lord and against law and order and against what is morally pure, upright, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands? Absolutely! If you don’t see that this is where we are, and you are a Christian, please pray and ask the Lord to open your eyes to see what all is going on in the world and in our nations.

Now please understand what this is saying here. The coming of this lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.. So if you are one who is just playing “Christian” but you are not on fire for the Lord and dedicated to serving him with your life, you may be among the deluded.

The ones you may think are godly and on your side and telling you the truth may be exactly the ones serving Satan and lying to you and deceiving you into believing their lies. The ones you are convinced are the ones coming to “save you” may be the ones truly coming to destroy you. That is what deception does. That is what a strong delusion does. It convinces you that the lies are the truth and the truth is the lie and the good guys are the bad guys and the bad people are the good people. So pray for open eyes!

And don’t look to other human beings to solve your problems or to save your nations from what ails them. For what ails this world and the people who live in it is sin. And sin is running rampant in our day and time so that we now live as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and the days of Noah. And the only Savior that this world has is Jesus Christ. So we need to be looking to him and calling on his name and following him in obedience to his commands if we want to escape being deceived and going to hell.

For even though the lawless one opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God, he is going to come by the activity of Satan with false signs and wonders and with wicked deception, and so he may disguise himself as an angel of light and a servant of righteousness and a follower of Jesus Christ in order to draw you to himself so that you will believe him, and so that you will put your faith in him to save you.

And then realize that the temple of God has not been a physical building ever since Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Jesus is that temple and all his followers (in truth and in righteousness) are his temple, which is the church, the body of Christ. And Satan’s lawless one has already set himself up to be worshiped as though he is God, and has seated himself already in the temple of God, the church, via the 501c3 corporation status of “the church” under the state. Now most “churches” are businesses.

And all he has to do is to put on a false persona that he is indeed a Christian and many Christians are following him as though he is of God when really he is of Satan. And this evil spirit has infiltrated these gatherings of “the church” for some time now and have convinced most to dilute and alter the gospel to make it more attractive to the world, and to pattern their gatherings after the world to attract the world to their gatherings in order to blend the world in with Christianity so that they are partnered as one.

The Holy Spirit is still constraining this lawless one to a point, but he has been let loose on the church for some time now, I believe, under disguise, because so much of what is called “church”, which includes professing Christians, has rejected the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives and in their churches to make room for the ungodly and in order to market their gatherings to the ungodly so that the ungodly will want to attend their gatherings, feel at home there, and come back for more worldly “church.”

So, it is “the church” who is pushing the Holy Spirit out of the way in order to make way for the lawless one so that their gatherings will attract the people of the world so that their numbers and their businesses will grow. And so many of these market-driven churches are shutting out the Holy Spirit and any who take God and his word seriously, for they are being warned about people like us who have “strong convictions” that they should invite us to go somewhere else where we will be “a better fit.”

And so we have all these gatherings of “Christians” which are called “churches” which have become houses of entertainment to attract the world, which are following marketing schemes and tricks and goals for how to “draw in large crowds” of people from the world into their gatherings. So they alter and dilute the character of Christ’s church, his body, and himself, and the character of his gospel to make them more acceptable to human flesh and to the people of the world. The lawless one is on the throne!

So, please pray that the Lord will open your eyes to see all the deception and all the lies and the liars in the government, in the news media, on social media, and within the gatherings of the church so that you don’t end up following after the lies and not the truth, and so you don’t end up in hell and not in heaven because you refused to love the truth and so be saved, and because you did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

[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 2:3-6,24-25; 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]

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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Sincerity of faith, what does that look like? –
Believing in Jesus, doing what He says.
Looking in your mirror, what do you look like?
Walking with Jesus Christ? Or spiritually dead?

From your sins repented? Or still live in sin?
Walking in obedience? Saying “No!” to sin?
Walking the narrow road? Or on the broad way?
Doing things the right way? Or doing your thing?

What does your life look like? Pleasing Jesus now?
Or choose you your own way? Not to Jesus bow?
Jesus died for your sin, so you would repent,
So you’d walk in His way, now in righteousness.

If you want His heaven, have your sins forgiven,
You must turn from your sin, walk in obedience.
No more time for playing. Sin is not a game.
Let Him change your life now, never be the same.

An Original Work / September 12, 2022

This is a picture of what the church and its leadership should look like. We who profess faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior should be those who are walking by faith in Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in sin. And we should be growing to maturity in Christ in our walks of faith, and not be stagnant, and not be those who are going backwards and who are falling back into sin and into worldly desires.

And we should be those for whom God’s love is growing in us to where we are now loving God and the people of God and the people of the world more and more like Jesus and according to the Scriptures. For this is agape love which prefers to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. This love prefers what God prefers which is what is holy, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to his commands.

And the leadership of our churches should be those who are honoring and encouraging those who are living holy, morally pure, honest, upright, and godly lives to the glory of God and in obedience to his commands in steadfastness of faith. When they see a believer in Jesus dedicated to the Lord and to his service who is ministering to the body of Christ and who is sharing the truth of God’s word, they should be praising the Lord for that.


Sadly, in our day and time, it appears that the truly righteous in God’s sight are being treated with disdain while those who are still walking in sin are often those who are being honored and lifted up. For it has become a badge to wear if you profess faith in Jesus Christ while you still walk in sin. But if you literally are one who is not walking in sin and who is following the Lord in obedience, then they often will chide you as being overly religious.

I am not saying it is this way in all cases, but it does appear that it is in the majority. The gospel has been so altered and diluted to appease human flesh, and to not offend the ungodly, that holy living is not something much honored, but those who confess that they are still “struggling” (regularly giving in to sin) are often the ones honored, instead. It is like everything is being turned upside down these days, flip-flopping good and evil.

And so those who are living righteously, in obedience to the Lord, who are walking in his ways and in his truth and righteousness, are the persecuted, even within some (or many) of the gatherings of what are called “churches.” For we take God and his word seriously, and because we are following the Lord in obedience, and because we are speaking the truth in love to the people of the world and to our fellow professers of faith in Jesus Christ.

But those of us who follow our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living, and who are not walking in sin, are considered by God worthy of (fitting to) the kingdom of God. We will inherit eternal life with God if we remain steadfast in such faith until the very end. But those who are still walking in sin, and not in obedience to our Lord, will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, even if they do profess his name with their lips.


Now this is the kind of prayer that our spiritual leaders should have for their people who are walking in obedience to the Lord. For the Christian faith is a walk of faith which is supposed to last until we die or until Jesus returns to take his faithful bride to be with him for eternity. So we have to keep on in these walks of faith, which require walks of obedience to our Lord, and that we no longer walk in sin. And God requires works of us, which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them, as his workmanship.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; John 15:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; James 2:17; 1 John 3:4-10]

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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If the Lord is your portion, he is your inheritance, your source of security, your all sufficiency, your Lord (Owner-Master), your Savior (from bondage to sin), and your all-in-all. He is the love of your life, your husband, your Father, your brother, your friend, and your companion. For the Lord is God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. So he is your counselor, guide, teacher, encourager, and helper, too, who teaches you God’s ways.

And if the Lord is our portion, then we are those who want to obey his commands, but not “want” in the sense of just saying we want to obey him, but in the sense of we will make obedience to our Lord our practice, our lifestyle, our habit. And we should be those who are thinking on the ways of the Lord every day, throughout the day, who then turn our feet (our walks of faith and obedience) to obey our Lord’s New Covenant commandments.

We should not be people who put off obeying the Lord, who neglect the commands of the Lord, who become lazy and slothful, and who go after the things of this world and of the flesh rather than us chasing after the Lord and his commands, with the full intent to obey them and to put them into practice in our daily lives. Even if the Lord gets us up at midnight to obey him in some way, we should do that and not resist him.

Even if we have enemies surrounding us, treating us as their prey, who are the wicked who are against us and our walks of faith and obedience to our Lord, we should not give in to them out of fear. We should not forget the Lord and his commandments. But we must obey them, even if it means being hated and rejected and cast aside as worthless, even by family members, friends, neighbors, and others who profess faith in Jesus Christ, including some pastors who are worldly and not godly, but of the flesh.

So, we should then seek out others who can say that this passage of Scripture describes their commitment to the Lord, though perhaps not in absolute perfection. I am not absolutely perfect in every way. But I am walking in obedience to my Lord and not in sin. And all of us should be dedicated to our Lord and to his service and to walking in obedience to his commands in holy living and no longer in sin. These are our companions.

We who are described here, who love the Lord Jesus, who are following him in obedience to his commands in holy living, are those who can claim God’s promises. Again, this is not saying we are perfect people or that we may never sin (see 1 John 2:1-2), but that we are those who are honoring Jesus Christ with our lives and who take God and his word to heart to obey it in his power. We are the ones who can claim the promises of the Lord.

For the Scriptures are clear that if we walk in sin, in deliberate and habitual sin against God and against our fellow humans, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God unless we turn from our sins to now follow Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his commands and in holy living. For Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands.

[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 2:3-6,24-25; 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]

Video Talk

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Teach Them

An Original Work / May 24, 2012
Based off various scriptures

Open up the blinded eyes of
Those who walk in sin’s darkness.
Turn them to the light of Christ
And to His righteousness.
Turn them from the pow’r of Satan.
Turn them to the peace of Christ,
So they may receive forgiveness
And eternal life.

Teach them to put off their old selves
And their former way of life,
And to put on their new self,
Reborn to be like Christ;
To not copy worldly customs;
Be transformed in life and mind;
Obey freely His word in them,
Pleasing unto God.

Teach them how to love their neighbors
Truly as they love themselves;
Be a witness; share the gospel;
Satan’s lies dispel;
Comfort all who mourn in sadness;
Share Christ’s love and joy today.
Do this through your life and witness
For your Lord always.

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Nick Zentner is a geology professor at Central Washington University. I often watch his videos and learn a lot of Pacific Northwest geology from him. In this video, only about 14 minutes long, Nick showcases the Frenchman Coulee in central Washington which was carved out by the Ice Floods some 12,000 years ago. The basalt the makes up the Coulee is about 16 Million years old and came from Eastern Oregon roughly 150 miles away.

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PARASHA: “Pinchas” (mouth of the serpent) NUMBERS 25:1-29:40.

Yes, this is another "long-winded" message. Take your time. No one reads a book in one sitting. read a little, then come back to it later and finish. There is a lot of information here that I would like to look at.

The name "Pinchas" can be derived from the letter (Peh) which means "mouth" and "Nachash" (serpent).

This Bible study portion starts with somewhat of a surprise, a promotion in rank for an execution committed, and rather suddenly. Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron was a Levite. During the time of the “weakness and falling away of the men of Israel, He took matters into his own hands and slew Zimri and Cozbi, who were committing fornication in the sight of all Israel, yet Adonai rewarded him for this and gave him an “everlasting covenant of peace (Brit Shalom) and an everlasting priesthood” because he was “Zealous” for his God because he made an “atonement” for Israel”.

to understand this, we must go back to Parashah Balak. King Balak wanted Balaam to curse Israel, yet Adonai did not do this, as Adonai prohibited this. Adonai already blessed Israel, and who Adonai has blessed, no man can curse. However, as many past rabbis and sages believe, what happened afterward was indeed a tragedy. Even though the Torah does not record this, because of the events that followed, we can conclude that this is what might have happened afterward.

Perhaps, Balaam went to Balak and told him that even though he could not curse Israel, the children of Israel could bring a curse among themselves by disobeying God’s commandments and going after other gods. The Torah says that b’nei Israel went after the Moabite prostitutes and went to worship their god “Baal-Peor” thus bringing down the wrath of YHVH. The result was a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites until Pinchas took action and took a lance and thrust it through the bellies of Zimri and Cozbi, thus “staying” the plague. As Adonai called it, “making an atonement for the children of Israel’ “Blood” for “blood”

How can we relate this action with Yeshua/Jesus? Man has sinned against God, and sin separates us from HIM. There had to be an atonement, "blood for blood" HIS sinless, pure blood which was shed, for our sinful blood. The blood of Zimri and Cozbi "satisfied and ended the "wrath of God" (even though they were not in any way "holy") Pinchas thrusted the "lance" through their bodies. The Roman soldier "thrusted" the lance into the side of Yeshua! Out poured blood from both Zimri, Cozbi, and Yeshua. The blood of Yeshua, though, poured out pure and sinless, yet HE paid the price of sin for Zimri, Cozbi, and all of us who have fallen short of the glory of God.

Yeshua/Jesus thus made a "Brit Shalom"(A covenant of Peace) between the Father and mankind with his own sinless blood, taking our punishment and giving us eternal life with HIM. All we have to do is accept it by accepting HIM as LORD and Savior, being "born again" (John 3:3)

We can see why this action might reflect his name "Pinchas." (Mouth of the Serpent). When a serpent opens its mouth, one can see the fangs which yield poison. The serpent will strike and the fangs will be embedded into the victim, causing death. The "fangs" of Pinchas was his lance, which he used to end the lives of Zimri and Cozbi and to stop the plague.

We find this a very “rash” thing to do, yet, we need to understand that Israel was under a “theocracy” and not a “democracy”. Their ruler, King, commander-in-chief was YHVH himself. God calls the shots, makes the rules, and decides outcomes. Under our “democracy,” we have presidents, kings, senators, governors, etc. who make rules and vote on rules and outcomes. Try being “zealous” for God today the same way Pinchas did would land us in prison very quickly.

Another thing we must remember is that we ALL have two natures, the “Yetzer Hara” (The evil inclination, or the sin nature) and the “Born again” spirit-filled nature that comes when we accept Yeshua as Messiah and LORD. Both live inside us, and some things can “trigger” that old sin nature and cause havoc and misery in our lives. In the case of the Israelite men, it was the arrival of the Midianite and Moabite prostitutes, and not only did they bring a curse upon the encampment of the Israelites, but they also brought death to 24,000 of the population.

Now, it seems like a large number, but if we realize that the Israelites probably numbered 2 or 3 million, then that number is quite small. We need to also realize that not ALL of Israel went after “Baal-Peor” only the ones that went after the prostitutes. One can also ask a question; “Can one change his or her nature of being?” To answer this question, we need to look at a story.

A king once had two sons. To test them, he asked them that question. The first son said; “Yes, one can change his or her nature.” Yet the second son said; “No, one can never change his or her nature.

The king said; “Go out and prove your statement, you have a week.” So, both sons went out and after a week, they returned to the palace. The first son came near the king and queen with a large cloth bag. He put it on the floor and out came a cat. The cat was dressed in fine linen and had a servant’s hat. The cat got up and walked on its two hind legs and lifted a small silver tray towards the king and queen. On the tray were two chocolates. The king and queen smiled and marveled at the cat and accepted the two chocolates. Everyone applauded! How wonderful!

The second son said; “wait a minute.” Then he took a small cloth bag and emptied it on the floor and out ran 5 mice. When the cat saw the mice, it dropped the tray and ran after them on all four paws. “You see,” said the son, “the cat went back to its old nature, it only needed a “trigger”. You can dress a cat in fine clothes and teach it a few tricks, but it will always be a cat, and cats chase mice according to their feline nature.

We will always have our “old nature of sin” with us, and it will rear up its ugly head, as Rav Shaul (Apostol Paul) testifies in Romans 7:14-25. Only physical death will free us from the “old sin nature” Every day it is a constant battle. The spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit.

Now back to the action of Pinchas. His faith and love for the Torah and God were backed by “action”. We could take other examples. A cat lover walks by a group of mean kids who are teasing a cat, pulling its tail, and just giving it a hard time. The cat lover could just say; “poor cat” and start to cry over it and continue walking…or…the cat lover could run up to the mean kids and push them aside, grabbing the cat and taking it to safety. The cat lover not only showed love and compassion for the cat but also showed an active and positive “action”.

The same can be said about protesting against the murder of the unborn through abortions, many people will write letters and let their voices be heard, instead of just feeling sorry for the unborn who are murdered inside female wombs.

Later on, in this Parashah, we see that Moshe intercedes for Israel when Adonai tells him to go up Mt. Abiram and take a look around because he will die there. Adonai appoints “Yehoshua” as Moshe’s successor, to lead the people into the promised land. We see two leaders now, “Pinchas” who is granted the title and inheritance of “High Priest” for his action, he symbolizes the “Kana” (Zeal) for Adonai, and Yehoshua, who is given the “Ruach Elohim” to lead the people. Yehoshua is the same as “Yeshua” for HE is the one who leads US in our lives today. Yeshua also showed “Kana” when he drove out the money changers in the temple, he used a bit of violence, yet not for “religious” reasons, but for the “love” of HIS father and for respect for HIS HOUSE. Today HIS HOUSE consists of all “Kehilot” (assemblies) of born-again believers all over the world, not buildings

There are other ways one can show “zeal” for YHVH today; Loving his Torah, obeying his commandments, teaching his Word to those who would listen, loving our neighbors, supporting our local body of believers, voting for government officials who also uphold biblical standards. Pointing out sinful ways to sinners (in a loving, not condemning way) and pointing them to a personal relationship with Yeshua our Messiah. We can also show zeal when we lead believers away from false teachings, from false doctrines and there are many out there. Many young believers and trapped inside false cults that "claim" to be Christian.

Chapters 28 and 29 deals with the review of the sacrifices and offerings that the Israelites would offer to YHVH. Remember that they are about to cross over the Jordan to possess the promised land. There they would be “permanent residents” and the fight would continue to cast out the Canaanites (another reason for the census) to see how many “fighting men” the nation consisted of. Every element of the offerings and sacrifices illustrates who YESHUA is and what he stands for;

2 lambs per day, fine flour with oil; Yeshua who is the Lamb of God, who is the BREAD of Life, who has the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) within him. The oil symbolizes the Spirit of Elohim and the “anointing by the Spirit on ALL believers. Wine was also used to pour over the sacrifices, the “wine” symbolizes the blood of Yeshua that ran down the cross, out of his veins for atonement for all who believe and accept his sacrifice for sin.

Bullocks were also sacrificed, the bullock symbolizes “strength” as the ancient symbol of the letter “Alef” was in the form of a bull. Adonai is “strength” yet he allowed himself to become “lower than the angels” to walk as man and be a willing sacrifice for sin. The goats remind us of Yom Kippur, one was set free and the other sacrificed, reminding us that our sins were “cast away” from us as well as dealt with on the cross. The sacrificed rams remind us of the “ram” that was in the thicket when Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. That ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac, just as Yeshua was offered as a blood sacrifice in our place.

Have a blessed week all of you who have finished reading this.

Harris will make the choice before August 7th.

Which VP choice would help Harris most in winning the presidency and why?

Which candidate would hurt her chances?

The following seem to have the inside track: Cooper, Shapiro and Kelly.

As an aside, the VP debate should be fun to watch.

This link says it all in a clear and concise way.
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As far as becoming a Christian I believe it is as easy as... If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10:9

After that the Holy Spirit will guide the new Christian to... Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15

From there the new Christian is encouraged to obstain from fleshly desceptions and to pursue the will of God, encluding... For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

And to the end to see a wonderful Spirit formed within the Christian... - My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. - Galatians 4:19

I personally have no denominational recommendations and personally visit a variety of churches. It is always nice, though, to run into someone who has progressed well along the way. Here is a gentleman who has worked his way into a conference superintendent and continues to study and in Christian Ministries.

Terron Gentry serves as the North Georgia District Superintendent of the CHC. He has served as Christian Education Director, Church Planter, and Senior Pastor. His ministerial experience totals over 31 years serving in these areas. He is pursuing his MBA at Lee University and is currently enrolled in the undergraduate program as Christian Ministries with an emphasis on Business. Terron feels that because of our rich Pentecostal Heritage along with our Common Ground Initiative, we will advance the Kingdom of God together! - About - North Georgia Congregational Holiness Church

My mother had a breathing emergency when she was in the doctor’s office. I had to take her into the walk-in connected with the hospital today because it’s Sunday. She almost stopped breathing in the office today. She caught a virus and she has pre-existing conditions. Thanks be to God that it happened there. I really thought she was going to die before my eyes. I ran out and said there was an emergency and they rushed in to help. After she was stabilized we had to go to the hospital for x-rays and lab work. We got the x-rays but we will have to get the labs tomorrow as they were overwhelmed with a 5 car pile up. It was terrifying and we are all exhausted. Prayers appreciated.

Thank you!

The following scripture seems to quite clearly be talking about salvation, and man's free will. Why is it that some people insist that Jesus was not speaking about it in that context.

Mat 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Irenaeus [A.D. 120-202] who wrote many passages on the free will of man, in the following he states man is a free agent regarding salvation, and God does not force or coerce a man into either a saved or damned state, writting:

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. (Translated by Rev. Rambaut W. H. 1867, Against Heresies - Book 4 Ch 37)

Ah, a classic from the 2000s. Tenth Avenue North was on the Christian Radio back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. No autotune, just emotional chords and wholesome lyrics.

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By Your Side (2008) Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

[Verse 2]
Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching
As if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child?
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run?

[Chorus]
Cos I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

[Verse 3]
Look at these hands at my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

[Chorus]
And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Here at my side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

[Bridge]
Cos I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, yeah I'll love you
I'll never let you go, no, no

[Chorus]
And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Here at my side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Here at my side
My hands are holding you, oh