Willa

You will not be denying Christ by going for the cure. People were saying Christ was coming soon while the Bible was still being written. Some thought He had already come and they had been left behind! That is why Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians. But the time of His coming is closer now than in was before. I just doubt that it will be this year. Only the Father knows when He will come, but in the end times false prophets will be predicting when He will come. 2 Peter 3:11-14 NKJV Therefore, since all these things well be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God--13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; Romans 13:11-14 And do this knowing the time, that now it is hight time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

People are basically selfish. People use others for their own advantage and rarely seek the benefit of others. The reason acts of heroism make the newspaper is because they are not commonplace. We become like what we focus on, according the psychiatrists. So if we focus on Jessie James, or the person who abused us, we become like that person. But if we focus on Christ we grow to be more like Him. Praise God! Heb 12b:1b-2 NKJV let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disposing the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 2 Cor., 3;18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

He has caved to the liberals as well.

Perhaps if we started hollaring religious persecution, marching to We Shall Overcome and having mass sit ins like the Alinsky crowd does the press would take notice and government might as well. We sit quietly by and watch, doing nothing. People are fighting in court but the Supreme Court is shooting it all down. Our courts are kicking God out and think they answer to no one.

Read the book of Job again. No one is guaranteed a life free from trial, persecutions or infirmities. The Complete Word Study Dictionary by Zhodhiates gives Makarismos for Rom. 4:6 as the blessed state imputed to the man whom God counts righteous apart from works, as in Abraham in 4:9. In Gal. 4:15 Paul is speaking about how in the infirmity of the flesh he had preached the Gospel to the Galatians. They had joyfully received him and the Gospel in spite of his weakened state. Makarios means to be indwelt by God throught the Holy Spirit, and therefore, to be fully satisfied in spite of the afflictions of life. (Loosly quoted for brevity) Being fully committed to God and walking according to the Holy Spirit results in righteous living. We are sanctified, or set apart for God's use. We are but earthen vessels, clay pots, who contain this tresure of the Holy Spirit within. We all have revelations, but some are more accurate than others. Blessings, Willa

We are delivered from generational curses when we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. He became a curse for us when He died on the cross according to Galatians because "cursed is every man who hangs on a tree." While this curse is referring to not keeping the law perfectly, the same principle applies. Jesus took those curses to the cross. We are free, indeed!

Thank you for the reminder. So do I thank God for all the smoke from forest fires surrounding us (but not nearby)? I guess that I can be thankful that my asthma/bronchitis is slightly better today, the infection is decreasing in spite of the unhealthy air warnings. I can thank Him that my blood sugar that has been way high from the prednisone is starting to come under control. I can thank Him for all the people on Worthy who have been praying for me.

Satan certainly started the ball of evil rolling. But some stuff just happens because of circumstances. God doesn't protect us from all evil, but i do believe He is opportunistic and makes the most of circumstances to teach us and refine us. Sometimes it is our own bungeling that we miss the last step in the dark. Sometimes we are the victim of a drunk driver or we are distracted by someone vomiting on us while driving. Stuff just happens. That doesn't mean that satan directly caused it or the God sent it into our lives. I do believe that God forsees it all and has a plan to make it work for good in the lives of believers. God has sent judgement on nations. Satan does try to thwart the efforts of those who spread the Gospel. God may also intervene in peoples' lives as He did Saul's on the road to Demascus. But I don't believe that this is the norm. Many people are tempted on the way to church, for instance, and arrive with a bad attitude. Pastors ususally are attacked in some way during sermon preperation or just prior to Church. God gave permission for Job to be afflicted but set limits to which satan still had to abide. God is still in ultimate control. We can entrust ourselves to His hands.

My understanding is that Jesus spoke Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic. It was Paul who used Greek. Perhaps I am wrong.

I have heard the theory that the original book of Enoch was lost and a forgery took its place. But most believe that God preserved what is necessary for us to have as Cannon. The writer may even have thrown in something from a popular book of the time, like we often quote Ben Franklin's or Shakespeare's maxims. An example of this is when he quoted from The Assumption of Moses, which was written in the first century AD. He was using these as examples of what we should or should not do. That does not mean the books are Cannon. Jude was also one of the last books to be received as Cannon, along with Hebrews (because it was not signed) and 2 & 3 John. This means it had been received as Cannon and widely circulated in some areas but others were not familiar with them or their authors so parts of the church were slower to accept them. The disciples of the apostles had to validate them for them to be accepted. Any person who is filled with the Holy Spirit can discern truth from error. There is consistency which runs through all Scripture. It reveals the character of God. So when we find a book which shows our God to be immoral or in some way contradicting that character, it stands out like a sore thumb. It is not unusual for a spurious apocryrphal writing to have moments of great insight interspersed with heresy. Consistency is everything when it comes to accepting cannon.

I don't see being"slain in the Spirit" to be biblical. I believe it is a response of the flesh. If people lock their knees while standing they will faint, for instance. But otherwise it is a good exhortation. Perhaps I would have not chosen words like violent but used powerful instead. We are told in Revelation that satan was overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. The enemy fears these. Even singing praises to the Lord has great power in the face of our enemies. It is a great blessing to rest in God, ceasing from our own efforts and trusting in Him. Thank you for this reminder.

I was having trouble logging in. It wasn't taking my password. But it finally worked! I sent a message under contact us and perhaps they fixed it, but I am also using a different pad this time. Sure am glad I got on either way.

OK, now I know that most of you don't read my posts. Hubby is always telling me to get to the point. Sometimes I have several points and sometimes there is no point. I do try to edit for repetition, but can often do better. I am rarely succinct. Some of our minds don't work that way. But I will probably keep on posting just to annoy you all. So there!

Normally I pray for the person at that moment. Otherwise sometimes I forget. Then I continue to pray as the Spirit puts people on my heart later.

I agree with you, brother. If we come to them asking questions we are not condemning. If we come to them reasoning with them in love, we are not condemning. I hate it when preachers scream at people that they are going to hell. My pastor does not bring up hell unless they refuse to receive Christ. Then he tells them that there is judgement to come for those. In our country for the last fifty years we have been taught in public schools that there in no right or wrong. So many people do not believe there will be a judgement. It must be explained to them that God is also a just and holy God. He is not a Santa Clause who grants our wishes if they have been good. Nor do they go to heaven if the good outweighs the bad they have done. They don't have to get saved again if they sin--they just confess it and God cleanses them from all unrighteousness--1 John 1. And for the unknown sins and unintentional errors that don't hinder our fellowship with God or our brothers, the Blood of Christ continually cleanses us from all sin. God works righteousness in us as He changes our hearts, motives and attitudes. But Christ gave us His righteousness when He took our sins on the cross. That is the righteousness that gets us into heaven, not our own. Any changes in us are wrought by God and are not of ourselves either. He conforms us to the likeness of Christ and refines us like gold, removing the impurities. Praise His holy Name!! Even faith is a gift of God and not of ourselves, so no one can boast. He is such a marvelous God. God allows us to understand the parts of the Bible that we need to know. So unbelievers will understand their need for salvation and that they need God's help because they can't be good enough. They will understand that God loves them and Jesus died for their sins so that they can be acceptable to Him. But they won't understand all the mysteries till they are born again. Then they will begin to understand the church. Must go now. Blessings, Willa

Let me emphasize verse 4 of 1 Corinthians. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. There is nothing new or modern about this. I will not argue this to death, but I do want to add that praying in tongues and praying in the Spirit are one in the same thing, and Paul does encourage us to do this in Titus and Ephesians as well---praying at all times in the Spirit. You have the choice of not doing so, and no one is required to do so. But "God don't make no junk". The other gifts are simply better because they benefit the whole church. None of the gifts is to be scorned. I do not necessarily consider this my gift, but I do respect it. This has been argued so many times it is beating a dead horse. It never accomplishes anything or unites the Body of Christ. I would much rather speak of things that bring unity to the body in the spirit of love. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord, and one part of the body cannot say to another "I have no need of you." And when one hurts, we all hurt. Blessings, Willa

The Bible is generally a closed book to those who have not been born again. The "natural man" does not receive the things of the Spirit. Those who turn to the Lord in faith as their Lord and Savior receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us the meaning of Bible Truth. . I am not sure about that, that the bible is for believers only, I know that many Moslems the least have believed after reading the bible. They read the bible as unbelievers. The same thing in the question above, People with the vail, some how they are informed of the Gospel of Jesus and as the holy spirit is working with them ( in their ignorance of course) and not only the holy spirit, but other spirits try to persuade them not to believe, and the holy spirit to believe. When they accept the guidance of the holy spirit and believe the vail is gone. The blind see. We can see, that is not only important to inform about the Gospel, but what tehnic we sould use in every peculiar situation. To some one who believed in God the need for Christ, to Asians different tehnics got their differents believes, to Greek orthodox, the knowledge that they have peace with God through Jesus Christ, to remove the fear of death, and so on.......your input? Should they come earnestly seeking the truth, God will give them more. But if they read the Bible to prove Christians wrong and to mock Christ, they will continue in blindness. Yet no one can truly understand the Bible without having first received Christ as Lord and Savior. They will only be convicted of sin of unbelief, righteousness and judgement. God does use different ways of leading us to that understanding of sin, righteousness and judgement. Campus Crusade uses an illustration of a carnal "Christian" who has a chaotic life in which self is in control: no desire for Bible study, a lack of prayer, no love, joy and peace. They then compare that with the Spirit filled life, in which all those things exist and Christ reigns in their lives. It draws many people to understand that while they are taught they have it all since they were baptized as infants and confirmed, they may not be living a Christ filled life; then they start from scratch, inviting Christ into every area of their lives and asking to be (re)filled with the Holy Spirit. It is very effective for those who believe they are saved by rituals and not by faith alone.

The Bible is generally a closed book to those who have not been born again. The "natural man" does not receive the things of the Spirit. Those who turn to the Lord in faith as their Lord and Savior receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us the meaning of Bible Truth. I so agree with Ezra. Before being born again, the Holy Spirit may be drawing us to Christ, but He first reveals sin of unbelief, righteousness and judgement to unbelievers. He may draw people to read the Bible prior to salvation, but it is not until they have turned to receive Christ's forgiveness and worship Him as the risen Lord, that they are born again. Then the Comforter (Helper, Advocate) begins to lead us into ALL truth and enlighten God's Word to us. 1 Cor. 2:14 NKJV But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. JN 14:17 The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you. Jn 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;

You left out the key part of the "key teaching", which I added in bold face. Paul advocated praying in tongues or in the Spirit in private, rather than in church. v. 2: For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God--.

1 Cor 14:5a NKJV I wish you all spoke with tongues-- v. 18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; v. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. The point he consistently makes that it is better to prophecy and edify the church. He concludes with verses 39-40. Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophecy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.

Seattle has raised the minimum wage to $15. per hour!!! Small business are shutting their doors and entrepreneurs are shutting down. Should this spread to eastern WA where wages and cost of living are much lower, much of the east side will be bankrupt. Dishwashers have been calling for a "living wage" for 20 years. This is ridiculous. Supply and demand should set wages as well as job performance. Those who are lazy should not be getting as much as those who are diligent and productive.

Jesus quoted psalms 22 while hanging on the cross, dying. For the music director; according to the tune “Morning Doe;” a psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 6But I am a worm, not a man; people insult me and despise me. 7All who see me taunt me; they mock me and shake their heads. 8They say, “Commit yourself to the LORD! Let the LORD rescue him! Let the LORD deliver him, for he delights in him.” This part was literally fulfilled during Jesus' death: 14My strength drains away like water; all my bones are dislocated; my heart is like wax; it melts away inside me. 15The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; my tongue sticks to my gums. You set me in the dust of death. 16Yes, wild dogs surround me – a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 17I can count all my bones; my enemies are gloating over me in triumph. 18They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for my garments. The Roman soldiers cast lots for His cloak. They were taunting Him and telling Him to deliver Himself from the cross. Psm 22 is also largely a prophecy about Jesus. Godly men in your Bible looked for the coming Messiah and believed that, as with Abraham, God would in His grace provide a sacrifice and have mercy on the. So they were rescued from sheol when Jesus arose from the dead and taken to be with Him in heaven. In Job 19 25 he said:25As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that as the last he will stand upon the earth. 26And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God, 27whom I will see for myself, and whom my own eyes will behold, and not another. My heart grows faint within me. He was speaking of the resurrection and of the time when Jesus would come to the earth. I am asking you to trust in your redeemer as Job did, Abraham, Jacob-Israel, David, and all the Old Testament saints. They looked to the Messiah to be their Redeemer. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Suffering Servant. He will also fulfill the prophecies of the coming King of Israel. Do you need your sins to be forgiven? If you do, ask Him to come into your life, forgive you, cleanse you, and make you the person person He wants you to be. He will give you a new heart and put His Holy Spirit in you. Ezekiel 36: 25I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. 27I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations. Blessings to you and to Israel. Willa

So, for them it is not required to accept Jesus. I am Jew and I think I know the commandments do not require that. I think we agree then that the requirement of accepting Jesus is not global. There are exception. OK? The problem is that you do know the Law, and that you have not kept the Law perfectly as God requires. Moreover, you need to receive Jesus as your Messiah, and to lean on Him as your Savior. If you have heard the truth about Him and reject Him, you will be judged more strictly. Isaiah 53 speaks entirely of Jesus. v. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was despised and we did not esteem Him. 4. Surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him strike, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every on to his own way; and the Lor has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Read the whole chapter. It all was fulfilled by Jesus Messiah, Who will come again to reign over Jerusalem. He claimed to be I AM, in John 8. He said "before Abraham was, I AM. These are the words from the burning bush of Moses. He came first to die for your sins that your might receive forgiveness. He purchased you on the cross, paying for you with His own blood, as your near kinsman redeemer. He only offered His grace to me, a gentile, because He was rejected in Jerusalem. Thus He fulfilled the prophecy to Abraham that through Him all the nations would be blest. Read Isaiah 42:1-9, which also speaks of Jesus. He began His ministry by reading Isaiah 61:1-3 and claiming to be that Person. Bless you. We have many Jews here who have received their Messiah. Shalom!

Most believe that little children of Christian parents are being taught from an early age. 1 Corinthians 7:14 says that the children will be sanctified by the believing parent. The children of unbelieving parents may come under my previous post of being judged by their consciences and thoughts. Infants and severely retarded people we leave in God's hands. He is a merciful and holy God. Many thing that they will not be judged if they are under the "age of reason" or about 12 years, but I don't find that in Scripture.

Romans 2:13-15 NKJV (For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. For when the Gentiles who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law unto themselves, who show the works of the law written on their hearts their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or excusing them.) This means that those who have not heard the Gospel will be judged by whether they kept the moral law of the 10 commandments. They will be judged by whether their consciences and thoughts have accused them or excused them of their actions. We all will be judged by what we know, and we will be justified by relying on Whom we know and follow--Jesus Christ. So many of the Catholics who have left the church are haunted by guilt from their childhood teaching. They may never know they are saved, because of being taught from childhood that salvation is only possible through keeping the 7 sacraments, praying to dead saints and doing good works, and that means regularly attending the Catholic church. It is terrible bondage. People who continue to pray to dead saints rather than to God are not maintaining a relationship with the Living God. They may never have learned to walk in the Spirit. Some people who post here, like Gray Wolf, have such a tortured heart. I have great compassion on them. Some even pray to their dead relatives which normally are familiar spirits, and this is forbidden in the Old Testament--it is an occult practice.