Sandalwood

I haven't seen a horror film in over 20 years. I could come up with a whole list of scriptures why they are not good for Christians, but I'll just say this: I think it's sick to be entertained by watching someone simulate the stalking and or murder of others, which is what happens in a lot of these the last I knew.

Who said Muslims were Christians? Not me. I found the remark disdainful that all Muslims are superstitious and suseptible to Satanic illusion. I think the word delusion was meant. I have some Muslim friends; they are not all part of extremist groups. They accept the Psalms as sacred scripture. The people I know would agree that we both worship the God of Abraham. In the case of Jews, the God of Sarah as well. In the case of Muslims, the God of Hagar as well. It's easier to have open dialogue with people if you find out what they believe after you have met them instead of lumping them into a group and thinking of them all as the same. Yes, doctrine is important, but love more so.

I am really disturbed to see negative comments about other types of Christians and Muslims. No single person on earth is 100% doctrinally correct. It is complete hubris to think otherwise. Also, we are called to speak the truth in LOVE, not contempt or disdain. A jinn is simply a demon. As Christians, we know they exist. Someone growing up in the Orthodox tradition is just as certain that what they have been raised to believe is right, just as a Protestant or Catholic is. Let's try to understand where other Christians are coming from and get along.

Yes, Christians should act like Christians....sort of. To me, this means to love and seek after God continually/continuously and to love your neighbour. Those who are newly saved and just learning to seek God might have many behaviours that are contrary to the Christian life. But if they are continually growing and letting the Spirit guide them, then they are doing what's right. After I came back to God, I stopped sinning intentionally, but I did (and still do!) many things wrong. I can honestly say though, that when the Spirit points out to me something I need to change, I set about struggling to do so, with the Spirit's help. There is fruit in my life though, little fruit at first that keeps growing as I keep following God. "You will know them by their fruit". Fruit can take time to grow. If all someone's faith is is a set of 'beliefs' and nothing else, I'd try to help that person find a deeper Christian life. I believe people can be saved simply from a faith in Jesus even if they never do anything else, but what kind of life is that?

When I've heard this said, it's mostly been with cynicism. I guess we could be like the prodigal son and pray, "gimme my inheritance right now!" Look what happened after that lol. But even then, God will use our circumstances to our good.

There is a bible example that I think shows that this pastor is in the wrong. One cannot buy or sell graces of God. In Acts 8, a man tries to pay Peter for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter replies, "Do you think you can buy God's gift with money?" We cannot buy or sell this or any other gift from God, including deliverance from a problem. Jesus is our intercessor, who allows us to go directly to God. While it is extremely beneficial to have others pray for us, it is not required that we go to God through someone else, ordained or otherwise. I hope this helps you.

I have heard Orthodox Christians exclaim that Protestant Christians are really missing the boat when they claim that we are saved by grace through faith alone. They claim that is not all there is to it. Both the Protestants and Orthodox are correct! Yes, faith is all that is needed to be 'saved', but who wants to just be saved from eternal strife and that's it? It's the continual seeking after God that should naturally develop out of salvation that transforms us into Christlikeness while we are in this present world, and that is also a very necessary part of our salvation. I have come to know that God doesn't just want us to be saved for the next world, but this very one as well. 'Faith without works is dead', i.e. a bunch of beliefs with nothing to show for it is just...a bunch of beliefs. Most Protestants I've encountered don't believe that once you have faith and get saved you're finished growing as a Christian. But it can sometimes sound this way to others. Like Kierkegaard wrote, if you really believe this stuff, you should live in a drastically different manner and people should notice! To put it in my own words, I think that my salvation only began that moment I first called out to God; I think of my salvation as an ongoing process; I don't want to just be saved from hell, I want to be saved from so much more. Daily, I try to 'discern my salvation with awe and reverence'. Sometimes I fail though.