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Greg Bradley

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  1. In order to receive the mark of the beast, one will have to declare their allegiance to the beast and freely choose to worship him, which means you will no doubt have to deny Jesus as your Lord and God. There will be nothing sneaky about receiving the mark of the beast. So, don't worry about getting implant chips nowadays as they are just identification markers. They might eventually be used as the means for the mark of the beast, but without your open public denial of Christ, they are just ID chips.
  2. Can an alcoholic be a Christian? If a Christian is defined as a follower of Jesus, then anyone who is in bondage to this world can follow Jesus. The sins in our lives hurt us more than anything else. Our sins prevent us from connecting with God as He wants connection. If someone is addicted to alcohol and he is making progress to overcome the alcoholism, then his heart has a real love for the Lord, more so than for the alcohol which is a physical addiction. Do we have to become perfect before we can follow Jesus, or is it that our Lord is at work perfecting us with daily little steps? If we confess our daily sins before Him, He is faithful to forgive us our sins. The purpose of this forgiveness is to set us free to hopefully move closer in our hearts toward our Creator who created us not for destruction, but for life. So, look to what progress you are making and don't get utterly discouraged when you fall. Everyday has a new beginning with God, a fresh new start with Him, that you might become the loving person that is His design for all of us.
  3. Welcome JohnDi, You are anguishing over your desires being disappointed. You desire Lindsay. The reason for dating is to discover who each of you are. Are you joyful in knowing the whole Lindsay? If not, then lose the desires, because you are desiring the one not meant for you. The anguish you feel now, is telling you to let go of Lindsay. Much of life is about letting go of things and for Christians, it is letting go of the things of this world. JohnDi, desire good things and keep your heart free to see the truth in all things. Trust God to bring the right person in your life. And if Lindsay should have a change of heart, you need to be free enough to see what are the real reasons she has changed. Don't try to make the relationship work, let it unfold to discover if she is indeed the one for you. So, step back and look at her in the light of God's Truth. Agape, my brother in Jesus, Greg
  4. Hello Marcus, Welcome to Worthy. Since, you have your 5 posts already, you can send and receive personal message from your profile page. I have sent you a personal message regarding your battle with evil spirits. I hope you check it out. Agape, Greg
  5. Hello and welcome to Worthy. As brothers and sisters in Jesus, it is okay to relate to each other without the notion of eventual marriage. It's a thing called friendship. Look at your friend as a friend and love him with an agape love that has no strings attached and no expectations about the future. Focus on his "true" needs above your desire for a serious relationship with him. You don't need to be in a serious relationship to help him if he is willing to be helped. I encourage you to stay with this Worthy website and get your five posts so you can create a thread for discussion. At you age, you are going to get a lot of good perspectives from older brothers and sisters who have "been there and done that". Gleam from their experiences, but let God guide you and lead you with all you hear. God bless you.
  6. Welcome to Worthy Tuk, Do 4 more posts and you can put your question into the proper forum to get lots of counsel and advice. As a quick note, sounds like your wife and church are locked in a spirit of legalism, meaning they are looking at the letter of the LAW and not seeing the heart and God's Spirit of the LAW. We are not to segregate ourselves from communicating with others. If your family members are willing to listen to you, then keep the lines of communication open, so that you can share the Loving side of Jesus with them. By segregating, we show a lack of love on our parts which will be interpreted by others as being judgmental Christians. Tuk, open your heart to our Lord and let Him show you the way to be. Put your question into the proper forum here, and listen to good counsel as God oftentimes uses our brothers and sisters to speak to us. God Bless you, my brother in Jesus, Greg
  7. Hello Walla, You've brought up a worthwhile question, for sure. I'm sure that every Christian, sooner or later, will be faced with a situation where it appears the Lord has slammed a door in their face. I've gone through quite a few situations where the door was slammed in my face and it's amazing that my nose isn't as flat as a pancake. When it happens, of course, one's mind searches for all the possible reasons why God might do such a thing. In every case of mine, the Lord had something to teach me on a personal level. Many of those doors were slammed so hard, I became destitute, homeless, penniless, without friends, etc. It was God's way of getting my attention and humbling me and softening my heart for what He wanted to show me about MYSELF. Ouch!!! I always thought that I was doing the right thing, that I had the right attitude, that there was no good reason why God should humble me in such a dramatic fashion, but looking back I can see why and how His intervention was perfectly orchestrated and perfectly timed. I had internal issues, things like a deep core depression that I wasn't even aware of, like the fact that my natural compassion for others had been destroyed when I was a child, like I had a hidden hatred for someone that I was transferring toward God (not hating God, but resisting Him big time), etc. God had lessons to teach me that by only experiencing the hardships that I went through, could I truly understand the light that He was bringing to me, to set me free. Through it all, I have learned that God is more concerned with our inner self and our relationship with Him than our outward activities. He is grooming us to be the Loving creations that He has purposed from before this universe was created. What's a slammed door in your face when compared to the blessings of greater intimacy with God that results from lessons that might require some hardship? No comparison! After each lesson was learned, God was faithful to pull me out of any pits that I was in. I think when Christians start focusing on the things in their lives, be it houses, jobs, relationships, and even ministries, thinking that those things are so important, their attention gets devoted more toward things than God. Believers can do all kinds of things for God thinking of themselves as righteous, but God desires intimacy with us first and foremost. If something happens where it seems that God is shutting doors in your life, and God isn't telling you why, isn't that a sign that your relationship with God needs more intimacy to be able to hear clearly from Him? Hmmmm! Is this a 'duh' moment? My parting advice: If a door hits you in the face, humble yourself before the whole house falls down on you.
  8. To all my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, I'm going to say some things that will rock your understandings of "Falling away", "Born-again", "Salvation", and "Eternal Life". What I'm hearing in this chat thread so far are the typical notions of receiving Christ to become born again and because you said the "sinner's prayer", you are saved and have eternal life and you can never lose your salvation because God won't allow it to happen. There are many assumptions within this last sentence and Biblical evidence dispels those assumptions. Because this is a multiple topic subject and because all of the concepts in quotations are intertwined, if anyone is to understand what the concepts really mean, it is best to deal with one concept at a time. So, I'm going to address the "Born-again" concept first. I'll start off by saying, "Just because you are born-again, it doesn't mean you are automatically saved and automatically have eternal life." Okay, I just ruffled a few feathers and some of you are now crying out, "Heresy! This guy needs to be stoned to death!" Well, I'm glad this is not Old Testament times - LOL. Let's start with some Scripture: (Romans 3:10-18) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. What is the Apostle Paul saying here in Romans? He is describing our natural human state of being. He is describing the human race that is in a fallen state because of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eve. No one in a fallen state, without the direct intervention of God Himself touching that person, has the inclination to even seek God!!! All of you reading this (and me included) were all born in a fallen state, having no desire toward God. If you can accept this fact, then here's a question for you: How could you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior in your fallen state? Your natural inclination according to Romans 3:10-18 is to reject and resist God at every level. Jesus gives us that answer in: (John 6:44) "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…" The word translated as 'draw' comes from a Greek word which more literally means 'drag'. It puts a better understanding to heart when we read the more literal translation: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me drag him…" It more accurately describes what our true condition was before accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. (John 3:3-8) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Being 'born-again', 'born anew', 'born of the Spirit', they all mean the same thing, so let's not get hung up on which is the best wording. The Greek most literal translation into English is 'born from above'. The point that Jesus is making is that the Holy Spirit comes to enter us and how it happens should be of no concern to us. The purpose of the Holy Spirit entering us as our new birth, is not to change our flesh, but to give us sight to see the Kingdom of God, and to give us an inclination to seek God. The point that I'm making is that we all had to become born-again before we could see that Jesus is the Christ and God. The Kingdom of God is everything that God IS, including Jesus being in and of that Kingdom. The notion that we accept Jesus and then we become instantly born again does not comply with Scripture. You were born-again before you ever came to accepting Jesus to be your Lord and God. Okay, what does that have to do with "Falling away"? If you can understand that being born-again is not by our choice, it is the sole discretion of God, the Father, who determines who will be born-again and when it will happen, then you can begin to understand that being born-again does not instantly make you 'saved', nor does it instantly give you 'eternal life'. Being born-again is merely one step in a process of getting to the place of salvation and eternal life. So, to answer the tough question, "Can a born-again person reject Jesus?" The answer is yes, because that person despite being born-again has yet to accept Jesus. "Can a born-again believer reject Jesus?" Yes, again, because we still have our free-will even after saying the 'sinner's prayer'. "Can a born-again believer throw away His salvation?" Well, who said he was saved in the first place? If you believe you are saved right now, every time you sin, you throw your salvation away, but by the grace of God and the forgiveness of Jesus and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, hopefully, you rebound in the hope. As I mentioned, we are all in a process with regards to Salvation and Eternal Life. In our human nature, which is still very much alive within us, we want to "know" that we have Eternal Life. We don't like hanging in mid-air, so the well-meaning theologians try to convince us and themselves that through the cause and effect of saying the 'sinner's prayer', you are saved and have eternal life, but God has given us a better way for any assurance that is desired: (John 14:21-23) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. Can you feel the manifest presence of God in your heart? It is God's way of giving you a sure assurance that His promise of Eternal Life will be given to you. For those of you who cannot feel God in your heart, don't be discouraged. Not everyone will feel the manifest presence of God, because not everyone will reach this point in the process of salvation. As long as you, as a believer, are seeking the Kingdom, God will continue to hold you in His hands and honor His promise of Salvation as you hold onto Him. He will strengthen you with His Spirit when you need it. Anyone who simply has a figurative relationship with God is in danger of falling away. When those who think of themselves as Christians are confronted with persecution and the Mark of the Beast, those with figurative relationships will likely buckle and fall away. But, those Christians who are strengthened by God's Spirit because their relationships are truly personal and intimate with God, they will stand in their Faith and not fall away. My prayer for all of you is to experience John 14:21-23, if you have yet to experience what Jesus promises. I can tell you from firsthand experience with our Lord, that He is faithful and He Loves us with so much graciousness, it goes beyond our comprehension. Ask Him to show you His Love for you. In His Love, Greg
  9. Hello Firestormx, I believe that we are saying the same thing, but apparently you do not like my usage of the word "Infilling". What I mean by infilling is the depositing of the Holy Spirit for our new birth, a depositing of God's Spirit that never leaves us while we are here on this earth. Obviously, a second infilling is never needed. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, is a different type of manifestation of the same One Spirit of God. So, I think we are saying the same thing, but perhaps I have misunderstood your original question of "So why did the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit twice after the resurrection?" I took that question to mean that you were wondering about if the disciples got a double born-again experience. If I am being confusing to you, please rephrase your question to clarify it for me, ok? If you were asking the question rhetorically, meaning that it should be obvious that there is a difference between the two receptions of the Holy Spirit, then I apologize that I did not recognize that. I would like to clear this up, if you don't mind responding to this reply. Thank you, Always with Agape, Greg
  10. Hi Firestormx, You asked a very valid question concerning John 20:22, and it brings up some interesting points about God's Truth. In the Gospel according to John: Jesus answered and said unto him (Nicodemus), "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). The Kingdom of God is everything that God IS. That would include the fact that Jesus is God. Anyone who is not born-again cannot see that Jesus is God. This brings up a question: Did the disciples at any point during Jesus' earthly ministry know that Jesus was God? The final disciple to physical see Jesus in His resurrected body was doubting Thomas. Thomas was not around for the John 20:22 experience. But later Jesus appeared to Thomas: Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. (John 20:27-28) Thomas had to be born-again in order to know that Jesus was God and be able to make that statement. When did Thomas become born-again? Jesus answers that question for us in John: "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." (John 3:7-8) It stands to reason that all the disciples were already born-again before the John 20:22 experience. Luke tells us: And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) We now have the context of John 20:22 being explained by Luke 24:49. The Bible explains itself quite often. Jesus was giving a prophecy, not concerning being born-again as a first infilling of the Holy Spirit, but rather as the receiving of empowerment by the Holy Spirit. The point is that the Holy Spirit has multiple functions in our lives. You could look upon the breathing of Jesus upon his disciples as a sealing of the promise to come. So, to answer your question: No, the disciples did not receive a twice infilling. You could look at it as an activating of an extra function of the Holy Spirit. As an additional note, you are right, God is not a respecter of persons, but He is sovereign to give or withhold anything from anyone's life and when He gives something to someone, it is always in His perfect timing for that particular person. We can ask for all the gifts and empowerments of the Spirit, but God is wise to know what we need and what we can handle. Every promise from God is conditional. There is nothing that gives us entitlement to reach up into the heavenly and pull anything down to ourselves. We are totally reliant upon God and His graciousness to bless us. And believe me, He wants very, very much to bless us, if we'd only open our hearts fully to Him. May God richly bless you, my brother in Jesus, Agape, Greg
  11. Hello Mike, I can appreciate that you are feeling called by God to become a pastor. You have asked for advice, so let me point out a few things. I won't question whether or not you are actually being called by God to become a pastor. If God is calling you, then He will make it happen. The point is to not strive about it. Striving is trying to make something happen by your own strength, willfulness or determination. Whatever God purposes, He will accomplish in His own timing and by His chosen method. So, there is no need to strive about becoming a pastor, because in all likelihood, your efforts will probably be conflicting with God's Will for your life. If you want to hold onto your feeling of being called to be a pastor, then hold onto it and rejoice that God is in control. Being a pastor is a very unique calling. In its purest definition, a pastor shepherds his flock. He is devoted to the edification of his flock. Ideally, he should spend enough time to get to knowing each and every member of his flock, their needs, their hopes, their relationship with our Lord, their callings and how he can help them. If your flock is about 100-200 believers, it will consume all of your time to minister to them. You will have to become a servant to all of them, not someone who is exalted on a pedestal. The most important thing about being a pastor is what I have read in most of the replies to your question thus far: The consensus is clear that your relationship with God needs to flourish first. Your testimony of what God has done in your life is what your true ministry is about. Your lifestyle will speak louder than any sermon you could possibly give. Having compassion for all who you encounter is a big key to impacting people. We are called to a lifestyle of Love and without that Love, we end up spinning our wheels just like what is mentioned in the Book of Revelation concerning the church of Ephesus. Mike, open your heart to be shown by God what He wants to show you first. It won't be how to become a pastor. It will be how to really connect with Him, how to walk in the empowering of God's Spirit, how to hear clearly from Him. When you walk daily in agape, having no fear and feeling the very presence of God within your heart, then people will see that God is truly within you. God will draw them to you because He will be drawing them to Himself. When that day comes, you'll be ready for a flock to be entrusted to you and God will make it happen, if that is indeed your calling. So, Mike, don't even worry about being a pastor. As it has been mentioned by others, spend your time now, learning how to minister to whoever you run across by allowing God to be your Teacher about Grace, Love and forgiveness. But, don't just learn about it, live it in the Spirit of God. That's why we have the Comforter. God Bless you, my brother, Mike. Agape, Greg
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