Deborah_

"Did I really mean it?" is the wrong question to ask. It's far too subjective - whenever you feel low, you'll convince yourself that you didn't. (And even quite young children can become Christians, by the way - my daughter was only five)

You want to look for objective evidence. Either it's there, or it isn't. No arguing about it.

If you are genuinely saved, the Holy Spirit will start changing you. That's how you know.

Can't say exactly how, because everyone is different.

I became a Christian when I was 17. I didn't know what I'd done at the time, but I knew that something very strange had happened to me because four days afterwards, I noticed that I had stopped arguing with my younger brother. But I didn't know why. I also became addicted to reading the Bible. Six months later I went off to university and in the first week I went to a Christian Union evangelistic meeting. The preacher's message could be summed up as, "If you don't ask Jesus into your heart, you will go to Hell!" Oh dear, I thought, I've never invited Jesus into my heart so I'd better do it now! So I tried... but I couldn't do it, because I discovered that He was already there.

There's always an interplay in our bodies between the physical and the psychological. As a general rule, stress does make symptoms of illness worse, whatever illness it is.

On the other hand, severe acute stress can block out symptoms temporarily. I recently read about a couple of guys who were trying to escape a war zone in a car. One had injured his back and was unable to get in or out of the car without help. As they drove, the car came under fire and the fit guy jumped out and ran for his life, forgetting about his companion. Reaching the safety of a ditch, he looked round - and his friend was right beside him. 

The Kingdom is, basically, where Jesus reigns. So there's more than one sense in which the Kingdom can 'come'. Obviously it will come in its fullness when Jesus returns, but it's present on earth now, wherever His people are.

So personally, I agree with Other One. I think Jesus was referring to Pentecost. Then the disciples witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the preaching of the gospel to people from all nations, and the beginning of the Church - all proof that Jesus was enthroned at God’s right hand.

We don't do it on our own. God sends the Holy Spirit to empower and direct us in the task. 

If we try to spread the Gospel in our own strength, without relying on the Holy Spirit, we get into deep trouble!

"Believe in the Messiah" is a rather vague statement. All Jews believe in A Messiah. 

Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Needless to say, that goes along with believing that what He says is true. And genuine belief leads to commitment - in other words, following Him and obeying His teaching.

On 2/14/2024 at 12:44 AM, faithfull-prophet4040 said:

This is the question - Jesus says be kind to your enemies, and I totally agree and live by that, but what if your enemy was possessed, and there was nothing YOU OR OTHERS COULD DO TO CAST IT OUT, and the person did wicked things too you, and plots against you to hurt you, and just flat out is terrible to you or I should say the demon does them thing's.  I Guess my question is should you still give bread to him and drink  and shelter too him and show him love love? I just don't know in that situation if loving THAT enemy is right... It just seems like a person should just keep praying for the person, and encouraging others to do the same, but that's it. Because helping an enemy is one thing, praying for a demon possed enemy is another  but helping the trully wicked rhat rebelled against God seeems wrong. What would Jesus do IF he wasnt going to cast it out, yes I understand he WOULD cast it out of the person in reality, but if he wasnt going to then what would be the other option, would he be kind to the demon or not since he says be kind to his enemies, I would say no, what's your opinion?

When Jesus says, "Love your enemies", He's referring to human beings. No exceptions. However, "loving" them can take many different forms. In some circumstances, calling the police may be the right thing to do (a criminal conviction may be what leads them to repentance and faith). Also we mustn't forget our obligation to love our families and neighbours - which usually means taking a stand against crime and violence.

As for demon possession, if that really is the case (and it's easy to label someone as 'possessed" when in fact they're mentally ill or there's some more ordinary reason for their behaviour), then there's no such thing as a demon too strong to be cast out. There's no record of Jesus (or the apostles after the Resurrection) not casting out a demon. The problem isn't the demon, but us. 

The problem with hypothetical questions is that they can be formulated with internal contradictions, which makes them unsolvable.

Fishing can be a fruitless occupation, whether you’re using a net or a line. After hours of working or waiting, you may catch nothing at all - or what you do catch may not be what you want. It may not even be a fish; unfortunately our rivers and seas are so full of rubbish now, that a fisherman’s catch may consist largely of plastic debris!

Galilean fishermen in the first century didn’t have to contend with plastic waste, but they were used to throwing away a large proportion of their catch because it was unsuitable for human consumption in one way or another. And when Jesus’ disciples started “fishing for people” they would find it a similar experience - because not all those who make an initial response to the Gospel (and not even all those who get as far as joining a church) will actually turn out to be genuine Christians.

To some extent we can weed out the people who obviously don’t belong; but even so, it’s inevitable that our churches will have a mixed membership. Only God knows who is truly ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ - and He won’t remove the ‘bad fish’ until the Day of Judgement. “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.” (I Corinthians 4:5)

In the meantime, we need to remember that church membership is not a guarantee of eternal life. Even in an apparently well-established congregation, there may well be some individuals who do not believe - and so the preaching of the Gospel shouldn’t be confined to “outreach” events.

There is also an implied warning to anyone who thinks that merely attending church will count in their favour on Judgement Day. The one criterion for entering the Kingdom is faith in Jesus; without it, you are an unbeliever… and you will suffer the fate of the unbeliever.

14 minutes ago, kwikphilly said:

Wholly Moley!!!

Do you fish? Speaking of fish,how did the little fish thingy become a Christian emblem? The fishes multiplying? Fishers of men? You're pretty good with trivia- any tidbits of how and when thst began?

The early Christians used the Greek word for "fish" (ichthus) as an acronym: Iesous Christos Theou (h)Uios Soter = Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour. And so the fish became a Christian 'secret sign'

10 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Today, in our American culture, we would probably call Biblical hierarchy and firstborn privileges favoritism. As I mentioned, this seems to be a Hebrew-Jewish tradition and custom, perhaps not applicable to the Gentile, but I am not sure. It appears to have been an American custom until recent historical times with the firstborn male.

Thus far, I have found no Biblical precedence for the Gentile to emulate this tradition and custom. I have always strived to love all my children equally, but it seems you love them differently and for different reasons.

The custom of giving a double portion to the firstborn wasn't unique to Israel; it was pretty standard throughout the Middle East at that time. So it wasn't something that God had instituted, it was just a cultural tradition that Abraham's family continued to practise. 

Other cultures have other traditions, although most give preference to the eldest son in some way. But this 'preference' related to distributing the inheritance, it wasn't connected to the degree of love that the parents had for each of their children.

It's interesting that the patriarchs often overrode this tradition, or were even instructed by God to do so. Jacob was preferred over Esau. Jacob later gave Ephraim (Joseph's youngest son) a greater blessing than Manasseh (the elder) (Genesis 48). And Jacob's three eldest sons forfeited their privileges by their scandalous behaviour, so the blessing of being "eldest" was passed to Judah (Genesis 49).

11 hours ago, itty-bitty lamb said:

Is there a right or wrong way to be buried when we die for a Christian? i have some people in my family who want to be cremated, and then my husband wants to be cremated and his ashes scattered over the ocean. i have always wondered if it matters to God how we bury our bodies? What are some people's opinions on this?

My husband used to be the verger of an Anglican church, and one of the things he had to do was manage the graveyard. It has put me off being buried, I can tell you!

In the UK, burial land is in very short supply. You can only "own" a burial plot for 100 years - after that, what's left of you may be dug up and relocated.

My husband and I are both going to be cremated. Then our ashes will be "scattered" in our local cemetery. ("Scattered" is rather a misleading term here; they won't be literally scattered, just buried in an unmarked place. However, the cemetery keeps a record of exactly where they are; we were able to bury my Mum's ashes in the same place as my Dad's, although there was 12 years between their deaths.)

There's no Biblical prescription for how we dispose of our bodies. A number of methods are mentioned in the Bible - including cremation (Saul and his sons were cremated).

On 1/3/2024 at 2:53 AM, Charlie744 said:

Why do you think God had Moses write the Torah rather than have Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and perhaps even Joseph write one of the earlier books of the Bible? 

The alphabet was invented in Egypt in around 1800 BC, while the Israelites were enslaved there. Before that there was only picture writing (cuneiforms and hieroglyphs). Picture writing is cumbersome and takes up a lot of space - it's not an appropriate vehicle for recording God's word accurately. Also, it's so complex that very few people could learn it - it wasn't within the reach of ordinary people like Abraham.

I find it truly amazing that the tool needed for recording God's word was invented at just the right time (and the right place) for Moses to make use of it.

I had my booster this week.

Where did you read that? When it said "higher chance" did it mean "higher than in the first 90 days" (which is to be expected because immunity wanes over time) or "higher than before you had the vaccine" (which seems highly unlikely to me).

53 minutes ago, farouk said:

@AFlameOfFire In relation to the subject you mentioned, what I meant was that among young ppl the most effective form of bc is prayer and Bible study. Perhaps our minds were not exactly on the same track, but this is what was meant, simply.

The most effective form of contraception (birth control) is an aspirin tablet... held tightly between the knees.

(old contraception clinic joke)

Piracy is a form of theft - so, yes it is against God's law.

However, many books are much cheaper to download than to buy in printed form. And there are some (mainly older novels that are out of copyright) that can be downloaded legitimately for free.

17 minutes ago, Dennis1209 said:

Someone mentioned the 1950s. My wife was massaging my injured shoulder the other day and said, "Oh, you still have your scar on your shoulder from your childhood vaccination." Neither of us could remember what that was for, smallpox, T.B., maybe?

TB is the one that often leaves a scar

On 10/16/2023 at 1:21 PM, ChristB4us said:

That is what had happened to Peter in Acts 4 when Peter and John were arrested, they were interrupted in preaching to potential believers that after they were released, Peter & John had told those company of potential believers what had happened and the new believers prayed that they would have the same boldness to preach as Peter & John had done and they were saved.  We can know they were new believers by what they did after that, by how they sold everything and laid it at the apostles' feet to distribute it evenly among that NEW community of believers.  So what they had prayed for, Peter & john were not filled again with the Holy Spirit when the new believers got saved for when they were wanting to preach like them.

So you think that the group of believers in Acts 4:23-31 are exactly the same as the new believers in Acts 4:4? The passage doesn't't actually say that...

Also, in verse 31, it says specifically that all the people meeting in that place (which would include the apostles!) were filled with the Spirit.

I'm afraid I don't find your arguments convincing.

On 10/16/2023 at 1:03 PM, ChristB4us said:

How can a believer seek a continual filling of the Holy spirit when it ignores this warning from Paul not to seek such a thing?

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Paul is telling us here not to seek a different spirit or a different gospel.

17 hours ago, ZippZapp12 said:

Hey,

I would like someone to explain how God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit work together? Do the Son and Holy Spirit ever get to choose to do anything out of their own will or do they always submit to the Fathers will? How does the whole process work?

 

In John 15:16 Jesus says I chose you, but in every other verse he says he does not do anything but the Fathers will.

In 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, it is said that the Holy Spirit decides who he will give spiritual gifts too. Does this mean that the Holy Spirit can do as he want?

Thanks

This question can't be answered in just one sentence. This may help:

https://deborahsbiblestudies.wordpress.com/the-trinity/8-three-in-one/

8 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

The bema was not a judicial bench where someone was condemned; it was a reward seat.

However, the word bema is used for judicial benches as well - such as Pilate's judgement seat where Jesus was condemned. 

I don't understand what you mean by "treating God like the third person" - can you explain?

If they are emryos, then they must be fertilised (otherwise, they would be frozen ova/eggs).

But they can't survive and develop into people unless they are implanted into wombs - and even then, probably most will not develop or will be lost through miscarriage. Sadly, most frozen embryos end up being destroyed because they are "surplus to requirements".

So the logical choice is to save the 5-year-old.

On 9/13/2023 at 8:12 PM, Open7 said:

Ezekiel 18:20 says that ‘The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son’. But I know also that in Exodus 20:5 it says how God visits the iniquity of the fathers to the children of the 3rd and 4th generation etc.

In Exodus, God is referring to communities (which include nations). It's in the plural. Culture is transmitted down the generations almost as consistently as genes - a kind of herd mentality, if you like. Warlike tribes generally continue to be warlike (unless something major happens to them), and idolatrous nations generally continue to be idolatrous. But in Ezekiel, it's all about individuals. Individuals always have the choice, whether to conform to their sinful inheritance or whether to repent. And if they repent, God forgives them. 

https://deborahsbiblestudies.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/the-sins-of-the-fathers/