Leaderboard

I was dismayed to discover that C.S. Lewis promoted the belief of Purgatory.So much for any credibility He may have had.If you believe in Purgatory you have NO understanding of Christianity.I would really love for somebody smarter than me to come up with a better analogy than this but isn’t it kinda like saying “ I believe jets can fly, but I refuse to climb on board unless it goes no higher than ten feet” Jesus paid for our sins but not really—— we must pay for some that slipped through the cracks.What an insult to the entire underpinnings of our faith.Satan loves it.He invented it.

Yielding Ourselves to God the Right Way The Bible plainly teaches us that we are not our own.... we are His. He is our owner, having purchased us with His own blood. How far our present day Christianity has drifted from this concept. When Jesus met Paul, who was then Saul, on the road to Damascus, this point was made perfectly clear, so much so that Saul made this statement. "What would you have me to do, Lord?" With that one profound statement, willful Saul became servant Paul and the rest is history. We all know we should be more yielded to God, and our spirit is willing, more often than not. But we know as well how hard it is to stay in that state, for our flesh is weak, and the things we want to do, we do not, and the things we hate, the things we want to avoid like the plague seem to come to us easily, just as they were described by Paul in Romans 7. So we end up living in a battlefield, but it is not a battle with the enemy, but with ourselves. We end up experiencing the battle of the black dog versus the white dog, and it never seems to end. But is that what God willed for us, when He called us to His kingdom. Did He not promise to make us overcomers? Did He not assure us that He would make a way of escape in every single temptation? What good is that way of escape if our black dog is bound and determined to see that we do not take it, and instead give in to the desires of the flesh? What good is the whole armor of God if we find a traitor living inside the armor? There must be an answer, something we have missed.... and there is. Listen to the voice of God Himself as He gives us the answer through Paul himself. "....but yield yourselves unto God, as those who are alive unto God." There. There it is. There is the answer which has eluded us. Yielding ourselves to God is good, but even with honorable intentions, we will still fail..... unless our shield of faith is held up as to who we really are deep inside. You see, the truth is that we are no more a mixture of black dog and white. We are no more both children of this world and children of the next. We are new creatures and Paul tells us a great truth in Romans 8. We who are His are no more in the flesh, but in the spirit if Christ dwells in us. We owe the flesh a big fat nothing, no matter what we have been taught, no matter how we have lived up to this very moment. We owe it NOTHING.. Your old nature, my old nature, they are dead, no matter how fleshly you or I might have lived, even up to this very moment. And God asks that we believe that amazing truth, stand on it, and fight the good fight of faith from that perspective. Truth sets free ONLY when it is mixed with faith in the hearer, only when it is continued in, no matter how the enemy rails against us. The black dog is dead. Not slowly dying. DEAD. He asks that in our weakness, we believe that truth, for it is that truth that promises to set us free indeed. Blessings to all, Gideon

For about 30 years of my life I was a Christian that had relationship with Christ, that was turbulent at best. Knew that I knew Him, and also knew that He knew me. Could never overcome my desire(s) for sin. I could do “ok” for a month sometimes even more. But I’d find myself always choosing to sin once again. It got to the point where I screamed and screamed, but it never did any good. I would once more choose to sin. It finally got the the point where I told God, in not to friendly words “that He was unfair, for He put put me in a no win situation, I had come to see that if I was to continue to live, I would continue to choose to sin. No, if, ands or buts. I was evil at heart I would willing choose sin if given a choice. I screamed at Him that as long as I lived I would sin! I told Him I knew I was wrong/evil but “I” was the problem, “me” would choose sin. I told Him that since I could not stop myself from choosing sin, the only way for me to stop, was for me to kill myself. I told Him that I’d rather be punished for 40 years of sinning than 50, so my death had to happened. I told Him, I knew it was wrong, but it’s the only thing I could do to stop myself from sinning. So I took a gun and started practicing putting it up to my head. Crying the whole time. Telling Him how mean and unfair He was, because He put me in this position. Called Him all sorts of names. Was so angry at Him. I couldn’t even talk nicely to Him. Being so firmly convinced that only my death would end my sinning. So I cried some more and screamed some more. In the space of about three days God made me to understand that which I had wished for, my “death” was exactly what my salvation in Christ consisted of. He made me to “see” that when He died, He took “me” all of me, with Him to death. Which meant, that I had what I wanted “my death”. I “saw” that it was a accomplish fact. This put such a smile on my face and a joy so deep in my heart I couldn’t believe the joy and peace, and knew it to be true. That when “Christ died I died” and I was free from “me”. For I was my worst enemy, I was the one who would choose to sin. But “I” had died, so it was just a matter of reckoning it so. Have I been sinless since than? Sad to say no. I found myself deliberately choosing to “not” reckon myself dead on a few occasions. Lost all my peace and joy, but I knew how to get it back. It most definitely was a dark and long road back, but I “knew” that if I just continued to reckon myself dead the darkness would lift and the joy of God would return. It made me so miserable that to “not” reckon myself dead, became a scary and deadfull thing. Still need to fight the fight of faith, to continue to reckon myself dead, but as long as I do. Victory over the “old man” is a certainty. Just thought I share how the Lord has worked in my life. Hopefully it will encourage someone to know there is hope for victory over sin. In my life it was when I was willing to die rather than sin, when God opened up this truth to me. When I was willing to give up the life of this world rather than sin. Oh the blessing and fellowship with Christ has been a ongoing pleasure. Bring conformed to His image is the only thing of any importantance now. Or as it’s says in scripture; “nothing profits but the new creation” much love in Christ, Not me

This is not the first time in history a child has asked that question. The Vatican has had many years to come up an answer that is both sensitive and truthful. Jesus doesn’t leave us without answers so we have to lie.

Actually, whenever the Lord does a work in our life, it's a nice feeling of being clean. And an increase of peace because of getting something right with the Lord. But no one can boast because it is not of our own. And expect the work will keep going on until the day we are called Home.

It's both Yowm....we need both. The Word made flesh dwells among us by His Spirit....He is alive, not dead and we have a living relationship with Him. His sheep know His voice. But we need to know the written word well and test everything against it and in light of it.

Thanks for your testimony and I had the same experience years ago about Christianity....I had just got home from church and the sermon convicted me of ANOTHER sin I had committed....(my church taught if you sin after salvation then you are a backslider)...so I went to the front, got prayed for, rededicated my life for the umpteenth time....so when I walked in my house I threw myself on the floor and cried out to God and said I give up...this Christianity thing is just too hard and no matter how hard I try not to sin I mess up. Well that day God spoke to me for the first time....(LONG story)......and let me know that He was my Father and no matter how many times I mess up He would never stop loving me and that as a loving Father He would correct me and chastise me as needed but that I was His child and it was His job to raise me up into a mature adult in Christ. I love my Father!!! I never suffered condemnation again after that....conviction, yes, but not condemnation.

You mean catholic theologians. Show us ONE Scripture where Elizabeth states that Mary was the mother of God, or says Mary is or was the mother of God. One would be enough? I know the catholic rosary, which is of pagan origan repeatedly says, holy Mary mother of God, but that's an RCC pagan tradition of repetitive prayer.

Papua New Guinea is experiencing a tremendous Pentecostal Holy Spirit revival where entire villages at a time are being converted by the power and promises of the full gospel of salvation. The head pastor is Godfrey Wippon who was working down under in Australia at our public broadcaster and was baptized in water and the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Godfrey needed to return to PNG as his mother was dying and went back to her village. She was on her deathbed and Godfrey laid hands on her and prayed for her healing. She was miraculously healed and raised up in front of the entire village population looking on. So when Godfrey preached Christ Jesus to the village they as a community [clan/kinship structure] all got baptized by full immersion and sought to also be baptized in the Holy Spirit. These signs shall follow them that believe ... how true it is and also necessary to confirm and uphold the spiritual truth of the gospel and Christ Jesus as the risen Lord and God in nations experienced with the activity of spiritual powers and witchcrafts. For in the Third World spiritual power like black magic and the witch doctor is very real, and all fear the power and dangers of magic. The miracles and cleansing through believing and embracing the full gospel of salvation challenges traditional tribal beliefs and removes the fear of witchcraft, etc. from such people. Raising the dead, healing the incurable, giving sight to the blind, and so on is powerful and declares a wonderful truth that Jesus is the true and living God to be worshipped. Papua New Guinea has gone from one man and one village to now hundreds of villages and some 50,000 plus Pentecostal speaking in tongues saints - extraordinary > Fiji > Vanuatu > Solomon Islands > New Zealand > Bougainvillea > Indonesia > Asia http://www.revivalcentresofpng.org/

I am of The Revival Fellowship a Biblically obedient Pentecostal church where we submit to the scriptures and conduct ourselves decently and in order. > we preach the full gospel of salvation and omit no verses concerning the Kingdom of God and the need to be converted. > repentance from our lives, etc. > full immersion water baptism confessing one's faith in salvation and in our Lord Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice. > baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Bible evidence of speaking in tongues [praying in the Holy Spirit]. > becoming a member of the body of Christ > a new creation > a person with a testimony. > worship meetings are conducted in accordance with 1Corinthians 14 and at each worship meeting we conduct the operation of the three voice gifts of the Holy Spirit as Paul writes of: > up to 3 gifts of diversity of tongues > each such gift followed sequentially by the gift of interpretation > then up to 3 gifts of prophecy. We are very straighforward, and we do not worship through excessive praise and worship music nor entertainment, but rather through the reading and living of the Word of God. No one gets slain, nor falls over, nor acts silly, etc. The Bible clearly writes and teaches us that when believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit they simply speak in a new tongue and enjoy the revelation of truth. Then converts need to learn and grow in walking in the Spirit and in overcoming the flesh. This is an ongoing process of learning and becoming more mature; grounded and stablished upon the Word > being a doer of the Word > being led by the Spirit and ultimately one ought to have the fruit of the Spirit evident in our lives and all that we do in the name of our Lord.

Nowhere in Scripture are we told that Christ's substitutionary sacrifice only served to atone for a part of the just punishment due every man for his sin. There is no mention of the purifying flames of Purgatory. This is but another Catholic invention – one concocted by the Popes to provide a market for the selling of indulgences during the Middle Ages. Hebrews 10:10, By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. V. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 2 Cor. 5:21, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 1 Peter 3:18, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

2 Timothy 3:16, ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: Matthew 22:29, Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. Mark 12:24, And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? Therefore search the Scriptures not the teachings of men; John 5:39. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. Romans 15:4, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Romans 16:26, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 2 Timothy 3:15, And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Peter 3:16, As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.

It says ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN TO US BY GOD. That's why we do not need anything else. 2 Timothy 3:16, ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: Matthew 22:29, Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. Mark 12:24, And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? Therefore search the Scriptures not the teachings of men; John 5:39. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. Romans 15:4, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Romans 16:26, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 2 Timothy 3:15, And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Peter 3:16, As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Thank you for this counsel. We have definitely felt that what we see are mere symptoms. Every time we wanted to complain about this or that situation, we always felt led to keep digging. We are currently seeking His voice for our next move.

How do you feel about binding and rebuking demonic influences in people? This is pretty obvious that there is division and strife operating here..and the fact that it is so bold as to act out in God's House is evident it has been growing in strength for a while now....Gossipers and backbiters....time for Pleading the Blood of Jesus in that place....command those spirits to leave....and Loose that Holy Spirit to spread His love and fruits through out each member....that's what I would do....and pray and intercede.... Mercy, a friend of mine just pointed out that I am making it sound like laying hands on them and casting the demons out.....no no no....just quietly and privately walk through the church and use your authority over any hindering and divisive spirit in Jesus name....the just loose the spirit of love.

I'm not saying you were wrong to bring it up- I was saying the back and forth debate about praying to Mary & the denial of it was nonstop. The purgatory doctrine could have a thread all it's own. Yes Davida, I agree, as the praying to Mary, praying to dead people, praying the rosary=repetitive prayers...displaying countless statues in churches of Mary, Joseph, Christ Jesus, Apollo,, Zeus and other pagan Gods along with the displays of much pagan symbolism's... Yes there is so much of the RCC that needs to be exposed to the light of day for what it truly represents. I figure i was not to much of base with the OP topic headline: As Idolatry goes hand in hand with the belief of purgatory, I was looking to see what those defending the RCC had to say about purgatory? And when you pray to dead saints to get your loved ones out of purgatory, I figured it bared mention. The belief in purgatory completely destroys Christ Jesus giving himself up on the cross for the remission of our sins. that in itself should point to this religion as being FALSE=ANTI CHRIST The RCC is filled with so much idol symbolism. That too is IDOLATRY . Just look at the VATICAN=place of divination. All over the VATICAN can be found esoteric symbols and statues of pagan Gods. If that is not idolatry than i do not know what is.

I have not read Gandalf's post yet, and usually he is very thoughtful with his answers. But while I agree with Melissa that it is commendable of you to be so patient with that church, my initial response to this question is very plain and simple: Leave. Unless you feel a very specific leading to stay for some reason, that is not somewhere where you are ever going to grow any time soon. I would just have a nice meeting or dinner with your friend and with a very heart-felt explanation inform her that you two need to find someplace you can grow, and right now that is not the place where you can do it. Don't feel so obligated to others that you sacrifice your own spiritual welfare for them. This is a habit with many believers, but it is taking self-sacrifice past the point that one should. What could happen if tragedy strikes and you truly need some strong Christian fellowship to get you through? Where will you be then?

ABSOLUTELY! But only in my dreams.

Okay, sister, well one of my favorite things to do is spiritual warfare and intercessory prayer and prayer knows no boundaries nor recognizes any distance....I will also pray for you as well that God will give you a clear instruction as to His Will and Plan for you in this town and church.....God Bless!

All sorts of stuff. From collision with a planet, to financial meltdown to war. I dream a lot. And they are often quite vivid. I often go to bed looking forward to the night's "movie". I've been blown up by a nuclear blast, smashed into a concrete wall at 100 mph, fallen from a tall building onto concrete, shot in the chest at point blank range by a shotgun, floated through empty space with no suit, you name it. For me, dreaming is your internal hard drive doing it's daily de-frag. Your brain makes of it what it can. I think visions are different.

I definitely hear what you're saying. Please believe me that as it stands now we don't have much capability to act. I don't want to say its name in public. If you want to pray for it, just call it PG's church.

Hi, Yes attitude seems key to me, for that refreshes the spirit. ( Corinthians 16:18 or there about ) But; all that is in the Lord's will for me has not necessarily been received at first by a happy spirit within me. Instead His will for me has been followed often enough to be aware of it by either perceived necessity, or resisted by personal pride. Often enough only after submitting my pride has there been birth of a great pleasure in the doing, giving, contributing, sharing. That starts out as chore becomes desirable pleasure for me, and I guess is part of a fuller sanctification. Maybe that is so with others as well.

There is more Yowm. This is how the Lord brought me so I might walk in newness of life before Him. No more falling and repenting, falling and repenting. Little foxes (sins) still get in the house but no more the ones that lead to death. Much love in Christ, Not me

He wont be able to, it's not in Scripture

Good Day Mishael Where in the above that I quoted from you is such written in the Holy Bible? Please provide chapter and verse.

Yes, we are to pray to NO ONE except God.

It is not wrong to collect tithes...as for those ministers who purpose in their heart to take for their own gain and not to profit the ministry then God will deal with him....but what is most important to consider is why does God Word mention tithing? Everything on earth belongs to Him...He isn't poor...He owns the cattle on a thousand hills....so why does His Word teach us to tithe? It is to store up in the warehouse for the dispersment at times of need....I would love for God to just rain down money from heaven every time there was a need that had to be met.....but He doesn't...How did the Jews build the Holy Temple? It wasn't free all that gold and stuff....the laborers had to be paid... Also Tithing is tied in with reaping and sowing....and we are taught to give with a cheerful heart.... …6Consider this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.… People love to give to God...to the furtherance of the gospel...so for those who struggle with it then don't....God isn't a beggar or a thief...He won't take from you what you are not willing to give. God Bless.

Yes it does, Exodus 20:4, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Deut. 5:8, Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

I do believe that God orders our footsteps and He may have ordered yours to this very place for this very reason....sometimes it takes an outsider to see what is really happening....

Mary is not the mother of God. Mary is the mother of Jesus, the man. As the Word (John 1:1), He had not beginning, no mother, as a man (John 1:14), He had a beginning and a mother. This and Mark. 3:31-35; shows Jesus warning not to put His mother in a position above what she is....His earthly mother only. And Mary was not sinless as the RCC teaches, she had sin and needed forgiveness as we all do. Luke 1:46-47, And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, V, 47, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

I will do this in a minute when I have the authority in a situation. In this case, we are total outsiders, and I can’t confront things on the pastor.

It sounds like you are prudently following God on this.

Thank you for this advice. We are definitely not growing in terms of church members.

The reality is that any ministry that is shrinking and characterized by strife is likely very unhealthy. It's going to take a serious move of God to fix what is wrong before it will become healthy and start growing again. Sadly, churches in this situation often see lack of numbers as the problem and think that the solution is to get more members. They are often unwilling to look at themselves and ask God what needs to change in themselves. Indeed, anyone who dares to point out that fighting and strife might be what keeps people away are shouted down as being part of the problem. I've seen this first hand in a few places. Over the years, I've been in many ministries and churches that have had problems of various types. One thing that is usually true is this. There are usually a couple deep rooted issues (or maybe one) that are the real source of the problems. The vast majority of what is seen are symptoms caused by a few root causes (or maybe one). There've been times I could make a difference, but some times I could not. I first learned this in a church we joined 5 years into the aftermath of a nasty split. Everyone was fighting over everything. Membership was a revolving door. We eventually gave up and left ourselves. It wasn't until years later reflecting on this that I realized most of the problems flowed from the old-timers being spiritually and emotionally hurt during the initial split. The long term members who stayed with the church after the split felt betrayed and abandoned by the pastoral staff during the split. Indeed, a few associate pastors had left and a number of people followed them. The old-timers had been deeply hurt and wounded and no one in leadership afterwards stepped up to acknowledge this or help them heal from it. The net result of this pain was that a root of bitterness took hold. They hit a point where they couldn't bring themselves to trust another pastor. The pastor when we joined was the 5th senior pastor in 5 years. There were people who'd publicly talk nicely about the pastor but behind closed doors would gossip and backbite about him between themselves and trying to convince new members not to trust the pastor. For them, it had become about protecting "their church" from outsiders. All the backbiting, fighting, bickering, complaining about the past, etc. was due to this deep-seated spiritual and emotional hurt. They simply could not bring themselves to trust a pastor or outsiders (as they thought of any new members that supported that pastor). We eventually gave up and left. Everyone was so busy fighting over things that no one ever took a deep breath, stepped back, and tried to look at the big picture. My counsel would be this. First, prayerfully consider leaving. Sometimes God puts us in a situation to make a difference; sometimes not. If you cannot make a difference there and it is affecting you negatively, consider getting out. Perhaps ask yourself, if you knew what you know now, would you have joined in the first place? I'd also ask the serious question, where did most of the old members go? Is there a spiritually healthier church where your attempts to reach out would be encouraged and responded to? The bottom line though is what God wants you to do going forward. If you feel that God wants you to stay and make a difference, I'd recommend that you prayerfully ask for God's discernment as to what the real problem is. My guess is that much of what you see are symptoms of a few root causes. It might be associated with the pastor, it might be associated with one or two board members, it might be associated with a few very influential members or families, given that there are a dozen members, maybe most of them. There may have been something that happened a decade ago that people are still hurt and angry about. The pastor might be lacking in self-confidence, scared of leaving, and being hounded by a board member or two. There might be a distrust of younger people due to some mistake that happened ages ago. Until God gives you clear discernment and insight as to the real root issue, there's not much that can be done. Once you have a clear spiritual sense of what God is revealing about the real situation, He may then give you a course of action that can make a difference. It might be that there are one or two people that you need to break the ice with and become friends, and that will start to spread. Perhaps giving a particular book (as lead by God) to the pastor as a gift might do something. Perhaps there is some type of spiritual battle that needs to be fought in prayer. I've seen God turn ministries around in miraculous ways. I've seen ministries just wither and eventually die because they didn't want to change in ways God wanted them to. I feel for you because I've been in similar situations. It can be tough at times.

Just a note, I used to be part of an internet group that did research on different weapons..... They took up the sling that David used to kill Goliath. To make a long story short the style and length of David's sling has the same knockdown power as a 45 semiautomatic hand gun. The projectile speed is slower but the size of the normal things used in the sling was much greater. Basically it works out that people who used the sling every day as David would have are deadly accurate in their aim...... even up to 50 yards and longer shots. Basically Goliath didn't have a chance with David's expertise as using his weapon. The story of David and Goliath isn't one of a miracle, it is one of David's faith in God. "Who is this Philistine who taunts the God of Israel" (something like that) David was appalled at anyone doing that.

The problem with the 'pre-tribulation' position is that it is against what scripture plainly teaches. They falsely believe that the 'church' will be ushered out before the 'Great Tribulation'. They rely on a few verses to supposedly support their position. Like 1 Thes 5:9...."God has not appointed us to suffer wrath"..........and Rev 3:10...."keep thee from the hour of temptation"................... just to name a few. The 'Great Tribulation' and the 'Wrath of God" are two distinct 'trials and judgments'. One is against the Jews and Christians (Great Tribulation)...the other is against unbelievers who refused to repent (Wrath of God). Scriptures tell us that we MUST go thru tribulation to enter the Kingdom of God: The Bible says: “In the world ye shall have TRIBULATION” (John 16:33). “We must through much TRIBULATION enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). “We glory in TRIBULATIONS also: knowing that TRIBULATION worketh patience” (Rom. 5:3). “TRIBULATION, or distress, or persecution” shall not separate us from Christ (Rom. 8:35-37). We are to be “patient in TRIBULATION” (Rom. 12:12), “joyful in all our TRIBULATIONS” (2 Cor. 7:4), and faint not at TRIBULATION (Eph. 3:13; 2Thess. 1:4). The Lord “comforteth us in all our TRIBULATION, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any TROUBLE [thlipsis — tribulation]” (2 Cor. 1:4). Jesus spoke of those who receive the word but do not become rooted and “when TRIBULATION or persecution ariseth” they give up (Mt. 13:21). Look at the 'great tribulation' that 100's of thousands of our brothers and sisters are facing daily in places like the Middle East, Africa, North Korea, China and others. They are being persecuted, butchered, tortured, raped because of their faith, the likes of which we can't even begin to imagine. Where is the 'Pre-tribulation' rapture for them? How come they have to go thru tribulation? Here in the west, we are being lulled to sleep by smooth talking ministers telling us ...."Oh don't worry, we won't go thru any tribulation. God will rapture us out before it begins" .............. It's absurd!!!!! Why are we better than them? Most of us are 'pew sitters'. We go once a week and listen to a sermon about (how nice things are) This is why there will be a 'great apostasy'. It's a great falling away. The sheep who are being numbed down won't have a clue. They'll say...."well my preacher said we won't face the antichrist"......."so if the preacher was wrong about that, what else is he wrong about".......and they'll fall away, millions of them. Saying that Mathew 24 was written for the Jews only, well, you may as well include all of Mathew, and Mark, Luke and John too. since there was 'no church' yet. And 'church' isn't mentioned after Rev 4....so the rest of Rev, you may as well disregard that too. The bible is getting smaller! Is there anything else that we should 'cherry pick', you know, to conform to our "view" of scripture?

Oh finally I can reply to comments, I figured out I needed to have additional posts. Thank you for your reply. I really like what you said that maybe it's more about something God is bringing something to the surface that He wants to heal in me. The thing is I'm confused over my feelings of this bothering me for good reason OR is it something me myself needs to work through. thank you so much for your encouraging reply. I've been thinking a lot about what you said, that he isn't hiding anything and I know what he's saying and doing. I guess what bothers me is that he chose to work on the bike with her alone. I feel that he should not do this with his past. I would never interact with another man alone even if my husband was in another room. But again maybe this like previous poster said that God is bringing this to the surface to heal me. Our marriage things don't ever seem to get "resolved" things seem to get swept under the rug. The hard part about this is that my husband sees nothing wrong with it and I get that maybe there isn't but he gets upset when I go to church, not always but a lot of the times and has told me that he has no idea who I interact with there and has asked me if other men have talked to me, but he denies he is bothered if I was with another man alone. I feel he says he isn't because he knows very well and is confident that I wouldn't therefore he can't compare. I agree that it is a dangerous thing but I also don't want to distrust him over everything either. I think I would definitely have issues if I wasn't here and they were here alone, or if he was going to her house to do it ect. I agree that past relationships should not be in our lives at all and they are not.

Okay enoob57....you presume to know what is displayed in "our" present assemblies....speak for your assembly not mine.......the fact that you have not experienced the supernatural power and anointing of the Holy Spirit in your life is sad......but as for the rest of us who have we give God all the Glory for answering our prayers and manifesting His presence in our midst. And scripture does say that signs and miracles can come from Satan.... how quick people jump on that train and say this is the only one who has power to perform miracles today. This is what the Pharisees and Sadducees accused Jesus of...that His power came from Beelzebub...Jesus had the perfect answer for them. But isn't it ironic that people can believe in Satan's power and ability to perform signs and wonders in the last days but not God? SMH...... http://revelationofjesus.net/important-questions/can-satan-perform-miracles.html "Some believers have decided that since Satan will work miracles at the end of time, the safest plan is simply to reject all miracles. But miracles and signs are a fundamental manifestation of the power that God gives to His people when they believe in Him. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17,18)." I have been respectful to you....not calling you names, making accusations or any thing derogatory....you do not reciprocate that same respect towards me so as I first stated I don't mind sharing back and forth but I prefer not to participate in striving against a brother or sister in Christ. I am an honest person about my faith and my beliefs and I supply scripture to support my beliefs. I am done with this debate.....moving on....I will leave this as I agree to disagree.... God Bless....

Yes sir justino. What I meant was asking GOD for a sign of His being real. Remember even ahaz. When GOD said to ask of Him a sign, Ahaz even said I will not tempt the Lord God. Then GOD said behold I shall give thee a sign and Course that pointed RIGHT TO JESUS. A virgin shall conceive..............

Statues and drawings, idols and icons, have been made or illustrated since man first doodled on a rock. And they have been moved defaced or crushed from as early as the day after. Are statues and icons of any kind, at any place, necessary or desirable? What socially redeeming value is to be found in a statue or icon? The silliest statue I go by is the one of a greater than life size John Wayne at John Wayne Airport. It is a monument without justification of any kind whatsoever.

I think a problem, too, is that not many with the ability to receive revelation from God concerning prophetic utterances have been restored to the church as well. The previous verse (1 Corinthians 14:30) makes it clear that exercise of the gift of prophecy was to be accompanied by revelation, similar to how the gift of speaking in tongues was to be accompanied by the gift of interpretation (so that all might learn from the utterances going forth, as your verse points out). Prophecy and tongues are closely related in that they are like pure utterances from the Spirit. Revelation and interpretation are related in that they are more mentally-oriented, where what is communicated is then assimilated mentally for the benefit of the entire congregation. So all of it becomes a necessary part of the process, leading me to believe that the FULL array of the gifts need to be in operation in any given church on any given day, not just prophecy. Defenceless absolutely. I have had on-going arguments with people at other forums about their claim that the Spirit of God only speaks words of encouragement, when nothing could be farther from the truth. Any quick glimpse of scripture makes one come away with an awareness that prophecy was most often used by God to warn His people of impending dangers, both spiritually and literally on occasion. It is the same today, and any church that rejects the Spirit of prophecy (for whatever reason) rejects the Lord's ability to warn them of what the enemy may be doing in their midst, and the possible judgments that might ensue if certain members do not repent. This was happening all the time in the New Testament period. I quote this verse all the time, which when understood to be especially applicable today, makes the following verse you quoted all that much more important: We need to be desiring the gift of prophecy and praying for it incessantly. It is extremely important to the life and vitality of the church. If it were not, he would not have given this command.

(Worthy News) - An Islamic State terrorist attack against Christians in Quetta Sunday has led one Christian leader to warn that Pakistan has never been more dangerous for non-Muslims than it is now. "It increasingly looks like the IS is targeting the Christian minority in particular, for want of better reason, simply because Christians are an anathema, pariahs in their own country," said Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christians Association. Around 6 p.m. Sunday, as Christians departed a church service in Quetta, three gunmen on two motorbikes drove by and indiscriminately opened fire on people walking along Essa Nagri Road. Witnesses said they heard the terrorists shout "Allahu Akbar" as they sped away. [ Source: CBN News (Read More...) ] The post Islamic State Guns Down Churchgoers in Ongoing Terror Wave Against Pakistani Christians appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

@Yowm @Your closest friendnt Thank you for those lovely responses. I wonder if I haven’t been “attoning for my sins” by sacrificing and doing “the right thing”. I’ve been a little distracted and life has been busy, I think God is telling me that I shouldn’t be doing good things (ministering etc.) out of a sense of responsibility. I.e I’m sacrificing my time etc to do things I don’t really want to but I feel obligated to because it makes me a good Christian. Mmmmm.... I’ll be praying into this.

You could stop this sin tonight and still “go to Hell”....if sin sends us all to Hell, Heaven is going to be a very lonely place. If you see yourself as a hell-deserving sinner, you are halfway home.Turn in faith to the one who shed His blood so that you can be as justified before God as any of the rest of us wretched sinners.If, from your heart, you can cry out “ Lord Jesus , have mercy on me a sinner” He has promised He will show you mercy and give you the Spirit that will change your life.Believe a promise of God—that is what faith is.You do not have to change before you come to God.But if you chose to turn to God—— Watch Out! He just might change you.God bless you.

Hi, Sacrificial love looks like the result of putting God first in all matters, physical and spiritual, keeping in mind what the saint in Christ Jesus battles against is not mere flesh and blood and earthly authority of kings and principalities. Within the Bible are advance alerts/warnings of the trials and consequence of putting Jesus, who is God, first in all matters of one's life, and in putting life itself forward, not for self, but instead for the cause of Christ Jesus. It is not a mantra calling for everyone to be filled with the gift of martyrdom and then up and dying. Instead, it is the warning that life for a Christian is not easy and in fact can and will be rather hard to maintain as it is seriously difficult in many circumstances, as is alerted within Luke 14: 24 through 33. The Cost of Discipleship Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. There is sacrifice to be made by being a Christian, and one must be willing to make it! To carry one's own cross as Jesus did, means family an even one's siblings and parents will not see the Christian the same way as they did before. They will not necessarily welcome the change. In fact they might shun, and even kill socially if not physically a new born again Christian over it. Employers may fire, a friend may turn away, and family disinherit, communities may no longer do business or trade. Just as the high priests and officers rejected Jesus and screamed for Barabbas* to be freed, so will the elation over one's being turned about to repentance by the Holy Spirit onto being born again in Christ Jesus will be one side of two extremes to come, and the other side must be withstood, tolerated, and done so even in meekness, for Christ's sake. It is the manner of the servant of Christ to give up all that was previously sought out as good for self first for the greater testimony that Jesus is Lord God and savior. As the good servant, each born again saint must also understand he or she will hear the cry of "crucify him" in many ways, much as Jesus did from the crowd, from even the high priests and officers of the order that does not bow before Him, that are not of Christ. For all who reject Jesus will also reject his servant. With that alert and warning, the person that sees, via the reveal by the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is Lord, God, and savior, will know the cost of obeying that call. The servant of Christ Jesus must be willing to put God first at all cost even the flesh, in all situations, and not count the cost as anything but joy for the privilege of making that sacrifice day after day after day, no matter how loud the crowd of nonbelievers chants against, rails against, and even physically strikes out against, the very faith in the gospel of Jesus. The bond-servant must be willing to stay and stand in faith of Jesus the Son of God. * Barabbas means Son of God

Good Afternoon Friends We have a new article to share with you all on Fasting, specifically steps for fasting as a beginner. I hope you enjoy the article! Be Blessed, Nick & Leah 7 Easy Steps For Fasted Prayer For Beginners Fasting is one of the greatest weapons we have for spiritual battle when teamed up with prayer. Here are 7 easy steps for beginners to fasted prayer. Throughout the entirety of the Bible, we see the power of fasted prayer. Fasting is still one of the greatest weapons we have for spiritual battle when properly paired with prayer. Maybe you have thought about fasted prayer in the past but never got around to it. I just recently started taking my fasted prayer seriously and have already seen its effectiveness. First of all, fasting may not be for everyone and if you have a medical condition of any kind or are at all concerned about the physical effects of fasting, please check with your doctor before doing so. Nowhere in the bible does it say that fasting is a required to live a fruitful life in Christ. Although media fasts and fasting from material things we pay too much attention to can be extremely beneficial in its own right, the type of fasting I am discussing in this article is a fast from food. For married couples who cannot do a fast from food, Paul does discuss a different kind of fast that can be done for a short time to devote yourselves to prayer. This is discussed in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. For many, fasted prayer has probably been something that you have thought of doing at one point but never got around to because you were not sure where to begin. My prayer is that this article can get you started on a journey of powerful spiritual battle. Here are 7 easy steps for fasted prayer for beginners! 1. Start small For those who have never fasted before, the idea of going for any period of time may seem daunting. But remember it’s not a race and it’s not about how long you fast, it all comes down to your motives behind the fast. God doesn’t reward fasted prayer based off of how much you deprive your body, it’s all about the heart. So honestly examine what would be a good start for you, is it one meal? A day? A week? Make sure to pray about how you should begin your fasted prayer journey. Over time, you can increase the length of your fasts if you feel the need or if something is pressing on your heart. 2. Plan The Fast It is important to not just bring your food intake to a screeching halt. You also want to know how long you intend to fast for ahead of time. This is where planning comes in. Remember first and foremost, fasted prayer is something that should be done for no other reason than to humble yourself before God and to take the focus off yourself and put it on your prayers. “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:16 After you pray about how long your first fast should be, you should begin to plan exactly when you will start your fast and exactly when you intend to finish. If you plan to just fast a meal at the beginning this may seem irrelevant but it’s good to put into practice for when you begin to fast for extended periods of time. When you know exactly when you intend to end the fast, you can more easily turn your focus away from the next meal and aim it toward heaven as your lift your prayers to God. 3. Pre Fast Prayer Before you begin your fast it is important that you first get your heart in the right place and to ask God to open the eyes of our heart to not only the areas of our own lives that need spiritual warfare but also the lives of others. Recently I have been fasting for just 24 hours each week and it has really been transforming my prayer life. Before I fast each week, I pray the day before just asking God to show me what I should bring to Him in fasted prayer and to reveal those around me who need deliverance and healing. This allows me to go into my fasted prayer with even more intent and focus. Not only does it give fasted prayer more direction, it also helps us to realize how important fasted prayer is and gives us even more motivation to do it. You can even keep a list of people and circumstances you want to pray for. 4. Preparation For The Fast After planning out your fast and praying about it, it is time to prepare physically for it. I myself have been intermittent fasting for years a part of my diet regimen and follow a fairly strict diet as it is, but for most pre-fast diet preparation is extremely important. Remember that fasted prayer is not about losing weight or depriving yourself of food, it’s about dedicating time and focus intently on prayer. Even with this in mind, it is still important to remember that it can be a big shock to the body, that is why step number one, start small, is so important. No matter how long you intend to fast for, the safest way to start fasting is to clean up your diet a bit ahead of time. This doesn’t have to be a drastic diet change just simply being cautious of what you are eating the week prior and decreasing your intake slightly will be enough to help ease into the fast. 5. Fasted Prayer When I first started fasting and praying, I was not sure if I should pray in the middle or at the end of my fast or if it even mattered at all. Initially, I set up an hour block near the end of my fast to dedicate to prayer. This will be entirely up to what you feel God putting on your heart. Honestly, I ended up just praying continuously throughout the day because God kept putting people and circumstances on my heart. This has become my favorite aspect of my fasted prayer journey, when I go into my fast I feel like I am going into battle, putting myself aside to pray for the needs of many. You will quickly find that your prayer will go far beyond the list you made from your pre-fast prayer time. 6. Drink Plenty of Water This fast is from food only you still want to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. For some, this may take some getting used to since most people don’t drink nearly as much water on a daily basis as they should. It is important to keep in mind that though you may not usually consume much water in general, without getting water from food and other sources, drinking water is crucial. Though hydration is extremely important, don’t stress out about trying to find out exactly how much water your body needs. An easy way to stay hydrated is just to drink a large glass of water every time you would typically have a meal or whenever you feel hungry. The best part about water intake is it is actually fairly hard to drink too much, so just go off of how your body feels and you shouldn’t have any issues. 7. End the fast slowly At the end of your first fast, you may be eager to head to your favorite fast food joint and order the entire menu. Bad idea. It is really important, especially if you have fasted for more than 24 hours to ease back into food. Otherwise, you could end up making yourself sick or at the very least feel extremely uncomfortable. I would say to keep it simple. Just start first by having a salad and a big glass of water. Then maybe some bread or a light snack. Remember that unless you have been fasting for weeks, you aren’t “starving” so just take it easy as you reintroduce the food to your body. You may find that you want to extend your fast when you reach the end. If this is the case, don’t just keep going aimlessly. Take time to pray about extending the fast and then plan it out before you continue. Fasted prayer can seem extremely intimidating at first and many people put the idea aside without even giving it a try. Maybe you are reading this article right now and you have thought about trying it yourself but never got around to it. Now is the time! Just follow these simple steps and adjust them where needed. Remember, fasted prayer is a personal journey and it is just between you and God. The length of time or how hungry we feel isn’t going to “enhance” our prayers but as we humble ourselves and put aside our fleshly desires we can bring our focus to the heart of prayer and overcome spiritual barricades in Jesus name!

There are these christians who go door to door asking people to attend their congregation and i went and one of their followers who owned a company ran me down with a truck and put me in a coma when i came out of the coma i was denied a lawyer and put on the street with epilepsy for 2 and half decades Toronto has refused to let my case be heard but canada has allowed a transvestite have their case heard 20 years later http://cfjctoday.com/article/601709/bc-woman-brain-injured-crash-baby-gets-almost-12-million-damages would you be able to speak to the christian lawyer canada to have my case heard? They are very familiar with this subject I have been complaining for more than 20 years Thank you

Sorry I don't know how to help you with legal matters. All I can suggest is that you tell a lawyer your story.

That is so sad. And then there are those that pray up a storm - yet nobody is healed. Travesty. I believe it is at the bedrock of who they really are that counts. I see that Yeshua is calling for purity now more than ever - I think He winked at us for so long, and we have become ineffective. Sloppy, laissez-faire. Our houses are replete with ungodly items; we buy things that might seem innocuous, yet could bring disrepute. I see that our society of believers constantly strains at gnats of scriptural word-play and endless arguments, but deny the power of Him who gave them the WORD. We lack power because we lack commitment. And He cannot be mocked this way. Holy Spirit is a nurturing and very clean Person. Totally pure and whilst Yeshua will cover our sins in abundance, I see that He cannot/will not tolerate that which brings irreverence to Yahweh. Society has really polluted us by degrees I think. Almost like the boiled frog syndrome. There is still much hope on the horizon though. We just have to wade thru the garbage to get at it. And then recognize it for what it is.

Islam itself seems like a strong delusion, cult-like..........it holds its adherents captive to keep them from accepting the gospel. The devil's work to keep Ishmael and others from the love of Christ......it deliberately confuses the bible. Nevertheless, nothing is impossible with God......and many Muslims do come to faith in Christ, even by the Lord working sovereignly through dreams and visions. I wish we would hear of more Jews receiving Jesus too.....it's sad beyond words when Jews accept Jesus only to get taken captive to the false doctrines of our time.......which is all leading to antichrist sitting in the temple proclaiming himself to be the Messiah. Nevertheless, the Lord always has a remnant, and the way to life really has always been about the few, since ancient times. We will see the remnant of Israel turn to Christ in the end, when they look upon Him who they pierced, praise the name of the Lord. I always ask Him to make it a large remnant.