Flsnookman

It is funny how different people are. I would far prefer a Sunday of straight bible teaching. I don't dislike p & w but it isn't my favorite part of church. A friend told me it isn't called "let's please Dave" it's called praise and worship lol it isn't for me it's for Him.

I would agree we as humans have selective memory. I think it goes along with our need to feel like we are important. That to me is odd because God says we are very important indeed and that should be enough for us but it often is not.

I am a Jesus freak

Wow Hoddie, that is a whole new can of worms indeed. Again, my 2 cents. I believe in the original text the words used when the angel described mary meant she was "highly favored", a catholic will say this means sinless and one can make the argument for both sides. As to sola scriptura, since the bible itself uses sources from outside the bible we can conclude that other sources can be used however it is in deciding which of these should be used where we run into a lot of issues. I believe most catholics are saved and I also believe the catholic church is false and more interested in keeping power than anything else. I was raised catholic and have known and know many wonderful Jesus loving catholics. I have also had a priest try and tell me I was still a sinner when I am in fact the righteousness of God in Christ. Then again i've had quite a few baptists and pentacosts tell me the same thing so...I think when we focus on what we believe other believers are doing wrong instead of focusing on our own walk with God we are being lead astray. I guess that was closer to a quarter then two cents lol, sorry. Oh since someone might be interested where the bible quotes unbiblical sources here are a few... The reference to "He shall be called a Nazarene" cannot be found in the Old Testament, yet it was "spoken by the prophets" (Matthew 2:23). This prophecy, which is considered to be "God's word", was passed down orally rather than through Scripture. In Matthew 23:2-3, Jesus teaches that the scribes and Pharisees have a legitimate, binding authority based "on Moses' seat", but this phrase or idea cannot be found anywhere in the Old Testament. It is found in the (originally oral) Mishnah, which teaches a sort of "teaching succession" from Moses. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul the Apostle refers to a rock that "followed" the Jews through the Sinai wilderness. The Old Testament says nothing about such miraculous movement. But, this critic writes, rabbinic tradition does. "As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses" (2 Timothy 3:8). These two men cannot be found in the related Old Testament passage (cf. Exodus 7:8ff.) or anywhere else in the Old Testament. In 1 Peter 3:19, the Apostle Peter describes Jesus' descent into Hell, drawing directly from a Jewish apocalyptic book, the Book of Enoch, which is not part of the Biblical canon in Catholic or Protestant churches. In the Epistle of Jude 9, a dispute is mentioned between the Archangel Michael and Satan over Moses' body, which is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, and is drawn from oral Jewish tradition. In the Epistle of James 5:17, when recounting the prayers of Elijah described in 1 Kings 17, a lack of rain for three years is mentioned, which is absent from the passage in 1 Kings

I think it's especially important when reading Romans the we remember that paul did not write it with numbers..I mean there was no Romans 7:9...It was a long letter. What I mean is the we must read it the whole way through for proper context. The entire bible is like that but I think it's really key in Romans as it is there our true identity is revealed.

While I do believe dietary restrictions are part of a covenant I was never a part of I also know that in Acts 10 Peter's vision is NOT concerning what we can or can not eat. Read the entire story. Again, I believe we can eat what we want and that old covenant laws do not apply as we are no longer under the old covenant (and unless you're a 2000 plus year old jew you were never under it anyway) I just would not want anyone to miss the actual message in Acts 10.

I think perspective has a lot to do with it, yes many things have changed for the worse but a black man in the south would say many have changed for the better as well. This world is ruled by satan until Jesus returns, it will continue to degrade but we as Christians must not let that stop us from reflecting the love Jesus has shown us so others may see it. I think the Word says we are to remain focused on that which is good and noble. Difficult indeed these days but then again also difficult when the words were first written.

He might say Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

I believe spiritually we are already in Heaven. Phi 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,