Willa

"THE TRUE SOURCE OF PEACE IS IN THE SURRENDER OF THE WILL". LETTER 6 of "LET GO" by Archbishop Fenelon. "Nevertheless, not My will be done but Thine." Many of Fenelon's letters deal with the total peace that only God can give. It is the sort of internal peace we get when we trust God even though the world is crumbling and in turmoil around us. "SURRENDER IS NOT A HEROIC SACRIFICE BUT A SIMPLE SINKING INTO THE WILL OF GOD". LETTER 34. It is letting go. He goes on to say: "Let me tell you what real surrender is. It is simply resting in the love of God, as a little baby rests in its mother's arms.-- "Surrender consists not in doing great heroic deeds about which self can brag but simply in accepting whatever God sends, and not seeking to change it (unless it is His will that it be changed).--Surrender is the source of true peace; If we aren't at peace it is because our surrender is not complete." Fenelon deals with humility and death of self. Sometimes his letters cut like the two edged sword of the Holy Spirit. They have always brought me peace. Archbishop Fenelon was archbishop to the court of Louis XIV.

The Masonic religions are similar to the Mormons. I don't consider them compatible with Christianity. My father in law was a master mason and a shriner. I was at his funeral and inherited his ritual book. They promote a works based religion. If you advance in degrees and follow their regulations you go to heaven.

When I see tree climbing cubs I always wonder where mama bears is.

Yes, our secret to success is God's grace as well. We have added a high school to our school and 10 portable buildings. A new sanctuary is being built so that the gym we now meet in can be turned over to the school. No one asks for or talks about money. God provides our needs. We still have 4 services on Sunday and a Wednesday sermon, prayer requests, questions and answers. The sermons are still based on a book of the Bible, word upon word, precept upon precept. We are not packed in as tightly as we once were but allow for more space between rows. So there may not be as many in attendance, but we are still adding many by baptism, mostly adult men. What we lack in committees is made up for by individual members reaching out to others in the community as the Lord leads them. We celebrate the goodness of God.

The fact that Jesus is here makes all the difference in the world.

lol. my ooops.

Another oops. All music and videos must be put in the video section and pre approved by staff. Nevertheless, welcome and blessings, Strict Machine. I love Gospel blues. Blind Willie is a classic. Also love Mahalia Jackson's spirituals. She puts the soul back into soul music.

We go to heaven because we trust that Jesus blood was given to erase our sins. Salvation is a free gift from God. Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Rom 4:5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. People can only die for their sins when they refuse God's free gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

I also struggle with how this all works out. Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. Joh 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Then we are told that even saving faith is a gift from God. Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, This all leads me to believe that God sets us up and arranges circumstances that help us to believe. He enlightens us and convicts us to see our need for a Savior. He helps us to believe in spite of all that we are taught in school or in our homes to the contrary. Moreover, often He doesn't tell us that He has anything to do with it but lets us think it is all our idea and our doing! The Bible tells us otherwise. Jesus said "If I be lifted up I will draw ALL men unto Myself". So we all get the chance. But we all also have the freedom to harden our hearts in sin and unrepentance, to reject and refuse His loving grace. Act 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Joh 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. Joh 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. Then I encounter a verse like: Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. Then I have to go through the verses again and rethink it all. I used to have a pastor who said that we think we have chosen to follow Christ and be saved till long after when we look back and discover the God did it all. Joh 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit Now read Eph 1:3-1:14.

NEVER! You should see the toys they buy for their babies, grand babies and great grand babies. Of course they have to try them out before the kids get them. Their own toys just get more expensive.

My former pastor once skateboarded from class to class when he was in seminary. God gave him the honor of leading his highly regarded seminary president to receive Christ as his Lord and Master. Your greatest risk is to your body and bones. But you may find amazing opportunities to witness to hurting kids.

Yes, all peoples and races have a common origin. God does not see our physical attributes but looks on our hearts. He sees us as saved and relying on Him or not saved and living independent of God.

It is heartbreaking to watch churches break up in this way. Many new believers are lost for eternity. I have attended many churches of greatly differing beliefs. Each time I would go to the pastor and tell him what I can't agree with. Each time they would say, "that's OK, you are still a Christian!" So I left a liberal church to join a conservative Lutheran Church, then an Assembly of God, then a Baptist church, and finally a Calvary Chapel where they NEVER ask for money. I stayed in each 15 to 20 years. And each one supplied something I needed in my life both personally and doctrinally! God's school of hard knocks is to put us among that hardest sinners for us to forgive and love, and to keep doing it until we fall on our faces because we know we are totally lost and without hope. We can't love filthy sinners like He does! Then He refills us with His Spirit and slowly teaches us to listen to His voice and to walk in the Spirit. It was learning to determine or to be willing to forgive the unforgivable sins of others, the way that Jesus hung on that cross and did. To do this God had to remove my own self righteousness, which was far worse than their adulteries, etc. Self-righteousness removed me from God's grace. Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. Luk 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' Luk 18:13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." God wants us to compare ourselves with the righteousness of Christ Who only did and said the things God gave him to say and do. Then He wants us to cry out to Him for help because no man can do this. He wants us to realize that only CHRIST IN US can live the Christian life. Mat 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, Mat 6:15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1Jn 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1Jn 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; I had always pointed these verses to a hate filled person I knew; that day God pointed them at me.

Yes to all. Yes, Jesus ate fish. He even ate fish after his resurrection! Luk 24:40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Luk 24:41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" Luk 24:42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, Luk 24:43 and he took it and ate before them.

Welcome to Worthy, BPPLEE. Obviously, God has changed His mind. This happens most often when people change their minds about God and about sin. That is what it means to repent.

Happy Pacha to you as well.

You sure play piano better than I can. (envy)

They had disobeyed God's spoken word so they knew evil. Period. We have no need of knowing the extent of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan lied when he said God knew both good and evil. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Only satan and his minions knew both and he became evil because of his pride. We avoid pride by being thankful. Being curious about sin, or forbidden fruit, just gets us into trouble. It is temptation. We can't seek God with all our hearts, souls, strength and minds if we are curious about evil.

I haven't seen any around here since covid.

Jesus, the Logos made flesh, is the expression of the invisible God. Logos is therefore much more than what we can comprehend. That Logos spoke everything into existence. I also don't thing we can condense Him to human logic.

Origen was a heretic.

When I was first saved I placed myself under the law. It was horrible bondage and by doing so I removed myself from God's grace. It took` several years to shake myself free from that. It was like I was never saved. It was not till I learned to walk in the Spirit that I was totally set free. You may worship on whatever day you want and obey in whatever way you see fit. Just don't impose these things on others. Each of us answers to our own Master.

I am not Jewish and I walk in the Spirit. Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. We have been over this time and time again with you. Act 15:24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, "You must be circumcised and keep the law"—to whom we gave no such commandment— Act 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: Act 15:29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

I use the NKJV, the ESV and the AMPC. First version I read was the Amplified Version in 1958. I couldn't understand KJV or ASV due to archaic language, and I still don't read them. My parents bought the RSV for me in 59, which I could read better but it is a poor translation. ESV is much better, readable, and often translates progressive verbs better. It is a conservative translation that includes many verses the RSV and NASV left out or marginalized, depending on the edition. I no longer use the NIV but I still refer to the Amplified early editions and occasionally the NASV. Young's literal translation, and the Literal translation, as well as an interlinear that are translations of the Textus Receptus are preferred. Some of the later editions are gender neutral, which is fine when changing man to mankind. Some have really changed it calling God a she. Just because it is newer doesn't make it better. It is better to read a version that you will read, and through which God speaks to you, even if it is a bad translation. One just has to remember that it may not be as accurate or reliable. But what good is owning a Bible you never read?

Church fathers included all the disciples of the 12 Apostles. Doctrine can only be based on the Apostles and Pauls words or the words in Scripture, which is the Apostles words written down. All is inspired by the Holy Spirit or God Breathed. There was no need to use any tradition once the New Testament was written. Nothing can be added to Scripture. I follow the Bible.