Widor1

I love this response ? Thank you for sharing!

Hi ElizaOC, I'm sorry you are feeling frustrated. I usually find for myself that the times where I don't feel like praying/don't want to pray are the times that I need to pray the most. God can handle your frustration, so it is ok to tell Him about it You are not alone in your feelings about the church. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a local body that focuses on the word, a relationship with Jesus, and serving as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Don't give up searching, no matter how frustrating and hopeless it seems. They exist, and we need fellowship with other Christians. Maybe instead of focusing on the ways the church is failing, pray about God changing your heart, asking Him what YOU can personally do for His kingdom. Ask Him to remove your anger and frustration, and I promise you He will. Jesus said we must take up our cross and follow Him; set aside your disappointment, and pick up your bible. Keep looking for a local body that is following Jesus, and you will find one. Mat 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Mat 7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you... Will be praying for you... God bless

Praying ❤

Praise God! Only a matter of time before Israel turns back to Him. Come Lord Jesus! Zechariah 12:10-14: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves."

A Christian should follow Christ.

It took a few times of making the same mistake with men before I learned that I can only change what I do. The worst part about the whole thing was that they were without Christ, and I was very far from Him. My heart was hard and full of anger at what they did. Mar 11:25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Mar 11:26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." If you constantly place blame on others, how can you forgive them? How can you come before God and say you are clean? God is very personal, and when we come to Him, He is only concerned bout what we do. They will have to answer for what they do, but that has nothing to do with me. I did not seek another relationship until I was right with God, and when I did I made sure to find someone that was also right with God. And we have been happily married for over three years

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, Rom 1:19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Rom 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Hello Zion! I have a very good friend who I've known as a sister in Christ for more than ten years. She started telling me about this second baptism a few months ago, had lots of studies on it and was just thrilled to share this new revelation to me, telling me that I needed to be baptized this way. The thing is, if all of scripture cannot contradict itself, we know there is only one baptism, and she was unable to explain these verses to me and how there are two baptisms: Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; Eph 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; Eph 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Like Hawkeye said, a person is saved when they believe (in their heart... that is the key!) that the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead and confess it with their mouth. We receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit after that, and the physical dunking in water is a symbol of our belief. It is simple enough for even a child to understand. There are people in the world that try desperately to make faith something that you have to earn... if you do these things, etc. Once we believe on Him, we decrease and the Spirit increases. We try to get out of the way so the Spirit can teach us all things and mold us into Christ's image. With some it takes a lot longer than others... some of us are just really stubborn and don't want to let go of our need for control Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We can do nothing apart from Christ! It is a beautiful thing. The Holy Spirit abides in us completely, and He is faithful to continue working in us forever. 2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2Co 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.

So, if Jews cannot believe in Jesus Christ, that must mean Paul, Peter... heck, all the Jews that followed Jesus weren't saved. Right? Am I reading this correctly? Joh 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. Joh 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

In my very limited experience, anyone who says they are humble probably isn't. What does humility look like? There is only one example that is true, and that is Jesus Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to happily obey God, when that could mean forgiving someone who has deeply wronged us; to pray for everyone's repentance, which includes those who commit atrocious acts); and to truly want God's will, even if that means dying a violent death for Him. At our cores, people are selfish. The world in which we live is evidence of a fallen creation full of selfish people. The only hope we have is in Jesus Christ. Sometimes even the most seasoned Christians can become weary, because we know that this world is passing away and we anticipate a time when everything is perfect. But God continues to work on our hearts and transform our minds throughout the rest of our lives. He is faithful and His love never ceases!! Excellent post

I agree that Melchizedek will probably be a mystery until we get to heaven. But the lesser being blessed by the greater... seems that God plays this out a lot throughout the bible! Isaac was named by God to be Abraham's heir, even though Ismael was his older son; Jacob received the blessing of Isaac that was meant for Esau, the older son; David was the youngest son of Jesse, who became Israel's king; and so on. Jesus mentions this a lot: Mar 9:35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Mat 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Mat 20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen." Mat 20:27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— Mat 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mar 9:35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Luk 13:30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." God is after the heart, not status, age, money, etc. By nature, we are selfish and self absorbed. We are determined to be right in an argument, to be first in line at the grocery store, to have more than everyone else...that is humanity in a fallen creation. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit we are being molded back into the way God designed us, or rather, or hearts are being changed to mirror God's heart. Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. We are capable of putting others before ourselves when we put God before all. Mat_5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mat_5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Mat_5:5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Mat_5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Mat_5:7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Mat_5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Mat_5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Mat_5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mat_5:11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Mat_11:6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Mat_13:16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; When we truly desire to be the lesser, we will be blessed by the One who is the greatest of all.

Ah, but now we have the Holy Spirit with us, who teaches us all things. There are many churches teaching wrong doctrine, and/or not acting like Christ. The Pharisees in the bible took God’s law and made that an idol over God, who was actually right there in person with them! Think of it like works without faith, like in James. Today, there may be Pharisees who put the law above God, to the point that they take Jesus out. But God knows who belongs to Him, and the Holy Spirit will lead them where they need to be. Jesus can rescue anyone at anytime, anywhere. As for JW’s, I know very little about what they believe. What I do know about the religious doctrine they follow is that it is not the truth, and deep down they probably know it too. That may explain why they don’t want to interact with anyone outside of getting them to become a part of that doctrine. Joh 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. We are all at different stages in our walks with God. He is constantly changing us and molding us to be more like Christ. That being said, there are probably many believers who have been guilty of “Pharisee-itis” at one time. But the Holy Spirit is at work. We are not perfect, but we are being made holy. Heb 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Welcome to Worthy! Here's something. God, being all-knowing, still created humans knowing what they would be capable of, what they would do to hurt each other, before they took their first breath. God, being all-loving, died on a cross for the people that put Him there, knowing that there would still be people years later who reject Him. Would you die for someone who hated you? Would you have a child, knowing that he/she would commit murder as an adult? There are endless ways to try and mold God in our image, to make Him finite and tangible so we can try and relate/understand the "why" questions. The point is, God's ways are not our ways. Because He is infinite, there are some things that are beyond our understanding. But His words and actions reveal His character, from the beginning when He created the heavens and the earth, to the moment He said He is coming back. Luk 18:27 But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus said He came for the lost sheep of Israel. Thank God He has not given up on the Jewish people. It is statements like this that turn Jews away from the Gospel of Grace. Please be careful. For one, I specifically and clearly stated this as a foundation for the case that I was making throughout my post. It is the basis for considering the greatest offense to the cross would be from the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 23:37). I made this very clear throughout my post. For two, I have been through things that are inappropriate to share on a site like this. Horrible, horrible things, and at the end of the day, these things don't give me a exemption from repentance card. As a victim of severe injustice, I still have to repent of my sins. I call someone who cannot repent because of what you are suggesting keeps the Jews from the Gospel of grace, fickle. Forgive me if I misunderstand, but from what I have been reading the case you have been making is that the Jews are not and cannot be God's chosen people because that would mean that they do not need salvation of Christ, correct? What I am suggesting, if you will read my earlier post to you, is that no one can be saved without Jesus, while the Jews are still considered God's chosen people. Mat 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! You continue to speak about the greatest offense to the cross and to Jesus, and I am not sure where you are getting this from. Can you please post scripture? I have posted the chapter and verse that you mentioned above. This verse comes at the end of a speech that Jesus is speaking to the multitudes, after the Pharisees and Sadducees had been trying to prove Him wrong and plot against Him in chapter 22. He is telling the multitudes (which includes his disciples and Pharisees, as He was in the temple) to do what the Pharisees say to do, but do not act like them. They like to make a show and be seen as all knowing and important. But God cares about what is inside, and not what is outside. He says in verses 11 and 12 that anyone who is greatest shall be the servant, anyone who exalts himself will be humbled and those who are humble will be exalted. Israel as a nation had become like the Pharisees, wanting to outwardly look righteous but not being so inwardly. Jesus does not say anywhere in this section that He was offended, nor does He say that this is the greatest offense of the cross. This verse 37 IMHO is merely God mourning Israel's heart condition. There is clearly a lot of love in that statement as well as sadness. Offense implies anger, resentment, revenge... things that Jesus is not about. He WILLINGLY laid down His life for all who will believe on Him, WHILE they were still sinners. No one, in their entire life, has ever deserved the grace that He provides, NO ONE. And He still did it anyway. Could He have done that if He was offended? I don't know what you have been through, nor you me. But I can tell you it took me almost almost 17 years to believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, because people who claimed the title "Christian" did not behave as Christ towards me. I am a Jew. All I can tell you is Jesus is the only cure for any and every hurt, including those who do not recognize that they have wronged you. I will be praying for you.