Marcelo Brüderlein

There is so much strife among Christians because we are blinded by excessive intellectual study of the Bible and don't understand that love is above all.

Wow, that woman was 5 when the Titanic sank! I'm gonna tell my aunt Margaret (100) that she's still very young.

We are creatures of habit! We Christians must develop good habits.

I think that the gift of tongues still exists, but in my 30 years as a believer I never heard anyone manifesting it. I believe that in Azuza Street (LAX 1906 - 1915) God poured out his Spirit on those believers and they really spoke previously unknown national languages, but what I hear today in my church is just gibberish.

Long ago members of my denomination were advised not to have TV sets in their homes. Those who had TV sets were labeled disobedients and looked down upon. It was funny when a member wanted to tell others something they'd seen on TV; they would always start saying something like: "yesterday I went to visit my grandmother and she's not a believer. Her TV set was on and I happened to see ... bla ... bla ... bla..."

This is excellent advice! Set aside some time for Bible reading each day and God will bless you greatly.

I said LIMITED capacity to evolve. Some species have to evolve so that they don't become extint.

Evolution is a fact - living beings do evolve -, but it doesn't answer the question: "where did we come from?" It's evident that God created all living beings and gave them a limited capacity to evolve. By the words "limited capacity" I mean animals cannot become human beings.

In my country we have just about the same problem. The end of times is coming.

My suggestion to gays is this: Don't focus on the sexual issue - rather pursue holiness. Remember that all of those who accuse you are not sinless - many of them may commit bigger sins than yours! Be holly, ask God to sanctify you, love your neighbor, love your enemies, be honest, help the poor, trust God in all situations, be patient, be truthful, forgive others, meditate about the word of God day and night, pray as much as possible, etc. When you are close to God you'll feel that carnal pleasures are not at all important and it will be easy for you to let go of them. Or maybe God will show you that you can be happy with someone of the opposite sex.

In a sermon, a Spirit led preacher is God's spokesperson because God tells him what is to be preached. In this case I think the preacher should never be interrupted. If, however, the preacher is obviously not being guided by the Holy Spirit then it depends on the local church customs and manners. In all my years as a believer I've never seen anyone interrupt a preacher.

You're right - Christians must be full time servants.

I think it's a good idea to wear wedding rings just to tell the opposite sex that we are not available. For a year or so after our wedding, my wife and I didn't wear any rings, but later on we decided that the rings were necessary to reduce the probability of getting into trouble.

I'd like to add the following: A CHURCH THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT ANY CANDIDATE DURING VOTING CAMPAINGS

Every life is precious because it is created by God. I never have enough of admiring my cats - they are wonderful creatures! Human life is even more precious because we were made in the image and likeness of God. Paul said: "Consider others better than yourself", but this doesn't mean we must have low self esteem. Remember Jesus' words: "Love your neighbor AS yourself ". He didn't say: "MORE than yourself".

My church (denomination) is excellent with respect to reverence and communion with God, but it does not fit the bill with respect to Bible study. I won't find such communion of heart and Spirit anywhere else and this is the reason why I stay there. I don't visit (physically) other denominations very often, but I frequently visit many of them through the Internet. I also feel the need to interact with Christians from other denominations -- I think it is healthy to listen to different points of view.

Thank you, Morning Glory! ... and I believe I wouldn't be doing a good job for the cause of Christ if I wore coat and tie to every church service. Total adherence to a dress code makes the church look like a cult and scares away outsiders. Thank God I'm not alone in this battle.

The church I attend highly recommends coat and tie for men, knee length (or longer) dress or skirt with modest blouse for women. I wear coat and tie only in my home church because it's mandatory for orchestra members. In other churches of my denomination, where I don't have to play, I wear dress pants, collared shirt (no tie), a pullover (in cold weather) and leather shoes. I once sent a letter to the head bishop questioning our dress code, and his answer (by phone) was: "If you go before a judge you have to put on coat and tie, and God is much more than a judge". I then argued that judges look at the outward appearance and God looks at the heart. The head bishop then gave me several other reasons to wear coat and tie and I decided to stop arguing. I don't think that the coat and tie code brings any spiritual benefit for the church. It's just a quick way to show that "you've been converted". In my first years as a church member some brothers thought I was not completely converted because I never wore coat and tie. Many brothers think they are pleasing God when they face hot weather, sweating all over the body. Anyway, dress code is important - we can't go to a wedding wearing tank top and flip flops. But, the coat and tie code is extreme and unnecessary.

Excellent topic! My son was kicked out from a "Christian" school because he had ADHD and would kind of disrupt the classes. The school was worried about winning awards and wanted all students to be "perfect". So we took my son to a non Christian school where he was welcomed with open arms, love and patience. If that "Christian" school had such a competitive mentality you can imagine its influence over the students: most of them were worried about winning medals and counting them. I think Christian schools should basically aim at building a cooperative spirit among their students, but they must also prepare them to face this competitive world.

....and will judge all who fail to give Him this glory.