PlanetChee

17 hours ago, Churchmouse said:

Why don't you guys take a hint from peoples user names. The name NOTSOLOSTSOUL speaks volumes to the mindset of this person, to me. Arrogance has a language all it's own and I hear it load and clear from how this thread was configured and the placing of the situation ..   It just blows my mind when people go out on a limb to answer the loaded questions of someone whose agenda isn't to listen but to instruct us in the so-called errors of our ways. What part of brush the dirt off of your sandals doesn't anyone get here?

I rebuke your efforts to slander this child of God who knows themselves to be a soul not so lost as to meet your judgement of their worth. 

How dare you think to instruct anyone here to turn from this child of God.

14 hours ago, notsolostsoul said:

I don't see his reasonings and I would like to. I just wish it could be explained.

He has revealed much to me, but somethings he hasn't clarified for me as of yet.

Thus the reason I question. Maybe someone can break it down for me one day.

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." 

At one time asking questions concerning the faith in Christ would result in arrest, punishment, and even death. At one time it was forbidden to own a copy of the gospels or the bible itself. 

Ask your questions. God puts them on your heart so that you may follow his leading unto the answers he has in store. Ours is a relationship with the most high power in all creation. Following it blindly is what leads ego's to fill the gaps lacking knowledge with their own inventions in imagination. And that is what arrested people, tortured people, and burned , beheaded, or hanged them. Because they did not all think alike about what was thought to be appropriate when thinking of God. 

I find if I let myself relax and do not think of what is the right way to go about understanding God and his word, I find he speaks the answers to me in different ways over time. 
God is a spirit and we are rightly told we must worship him in spirit. Which necessarily means, absent of the material ideology the mortal worldly mind conjures to arrive at an answer for itself so that we feel right about what we accept on faith. 

Our right, our world, is not in any way able to relate to the innate presence that is eternal spirit. God is literally everything because God is the first cause of all that became what it is. We accept God is creator but how often do we excuse he couldn't have made that. Or, this. Or him. Or her? 

Humans are egocentric by nature. We have to have an answer to everything so that we somehow feel empowered and in control of all that is. We even invent a three letter word , God, and think that within those confines eternal omnipotence must fit. That is why we need saving from ourselves. This worldly thinking. And the confines of human mind and ego. 

The why of the story of David? Only God knows. 

From his story we I believe are to glean advice, wisdom, and warning of what transpires if we believe we can play God when we don't happen to appreciate the road he's put us on. 

In martial arts, in fighting disciplines of all sort, there is a discipline that becomes apparent in the beginning. After awhile it becomes intrinsic to the student. No mind. 
The disciplined instruction passed from the Sensi , instructor, unto the student is reiterative. Then through practice it becomes intuitive. 

We are all created in God's image and likeness. We can be no less than part of the source of everything else. If you're seeking to understand God through parables and songs in the Bible you can become confused. Because everyone will read them uniquely and extract a different message from the tale. 
It is a relationship you are looking for. Not a blueprint. We are to read the Bible to glean doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. However, we are to enter into relationship with God by allowing ourselves to first feel worthy of union with our creator. 

David's story doesn't pertain to you personally. The overlapping message of his experience is what is to teach you about God. And about the mortal ego that thinks to act selfishly and as god . In David's case in that particular parable, arranging the death of Uriah. Due to his lust for Uriah's wife. Selfish indulgence. God put Uriah and Bathsheba together. David tore them asunder. 

His own guilt did the rest. What we think of ourselves and our worth consciously or subconsciously is what affects our union with the power that is inside us; God. 

That old adage? Let go and let God? Isn't easy to do being humans are control oriented. If you relax and let go over time, trusting God, having a dialog with him in prayer, or stillness, it becomes easier. And then you can see the steps he has planned for you. And the message behind ancient stories meant for you today in the Bible written in yesteryear. 

God's bounty is in your every breath. Trust you are worth his best. Because he thought you were before the creation of eternity. That's why his holy and sacred son knows your name and called you to him. Because the father knew you before stars were born.  

Learn from the Bible parables. But trust you are alive to write your own story with God's help. 

On 5/18/2017 at 11:31 PM, Cletus said:

That is kinda funny when you consider most of the 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. 

Does that mean the Saudi government sent them forth?

What better place for our President to start in cultivating a peace between such Islamists and the rest of the world. America in particular. 

Quote

^"9 Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts (transgressions, sins),
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.

I believe the prayer means us to encapsulate ourselves in the words and the feeling of security in Christ himself. As if we're making a phone call to the most high. Be in the words, surrounded by the power that gave them life and meaning. Progress through the stanzas and feel the armor of God encompassed within the prayer fill and penetrate your being so as to go forth in your day within the hallowed shade of the Father. 

But that salutation is false. You are not theirs faithfully when you criticize their tradition. Why would they care what a critic thinks of their devout worship of Jehovah? And why, if secure in your own heart of hearts in the Father God, would you make any effort whatever to hold anyone elses heart of faith up to your judgment? 

What blessing is there in life to stand in the shadow of the cross and look outside its measure toward others and shout for their attentions; "You're wrong! You're wrong!You're wrong!" 

When all that accomplishes is to show how unfriendly and broken your own heart is. The peace of Christ surpasses all understanding. Save for realizing God works to change people's minds in his direction. Not us.

Find peace. 

1 hour ago, Allroses48 said:

The book of Enoch was mentioned even in the beginning of Genesis. Hebrew authors first verbally memorized history and events, then wrote them down on tablets, then on parchment. Just because our known existent copy was copied in 300 bc  doesn't mean that's the oldest copy. We have both historical, archeological, anthropological as well as biblical and non biblical writings that the events of the nephilim and giants occurred. Tribes all over the USA alone have world flood stories and the tribes I work with have stories of violent cannibalistic giants that tried to destroy them. These are only a few tribes, except these giant stories are throughout USA as well. 

Yes, I agree with this. 

Jesus recited parables in his ministry that were well known to the people to whom he spoke. Those often included wisdom from the book of Enoch. 

On 1/4/2017 at 0:13 AM, Seanc said:

I'm sure this has been discussed many times but the few active discussions I saw went off topic with evolution and such so I decided to start a new thread. 

I have been reading different apologetic books and pondering an answer from an atheist perspective(which I am not).

To start off I believe that C.S lewis explains best in that objective morality is not instinctual. His example goes like this: You see a man drowning, he's a stranger. Two instincts come up. The first being the "herd instinct" to save the man. The second is the "survival instinct" to keep yourself safe/alive. The second instinct is the stronger of the two but morality pushes you toward the weaker one. It tells you that you ought to save the man because it is "right".

The other point he makes is that its more than just a "social convention" that its more than just what is taught to you and that if you can judge two different peoples morals and say one is better and the other lesser then you are implying there is a Real morality or a Real right independent of what people think. 

So my question is and I'm basing this off a question I was posed with is would we only lean closer to what "you" were taught? Does it surpass my understanding and learning? Is it objective? 

Before I submit this I want to say that I believe in an objective morality but I need help to further understand it before i even try to explain it to someone else. Anyone got an answer?

C.S. Lewis was an atheist first. Then God turned his heart and he became an evangelist of sorts. He journeyed where you are on the road asking your question from. Pondering the answer from the atheist perspective asking the Christian as one not atheist. 

Objective morality from a human perspective is impossible. 

21 hours ago, notsolostsoul said:

Why would God anoint, make suffer, bring to power and then destroy him?

David a man after God's own heart.

God knowing all and controlling all, surely knew David would be all the things he turned out to be.

So does God set people up to fail?

Being after God's own heart, will it still lead to torment?Meaning even after being forgiven will we still suffer the consequences of our actions/sins?(BEMA)

Did Jesus' death remove us from suffering at the end?

Is repenting pointless if we still have to pay for our sins at the end?

 

Everything is to bring God glory. Just as he planned the lives of everyone, and that he knows everything without exception, it is all to comport with God's planning. 

Ephesians 1:9-11 

Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

God can do all things. 
Praying with everyone else for your dad. 

Praying with everyone else for your wife and her pain to subside. 

Yes, Amen!

Praying with you all. 

I will also pray for your grandma. 

I am so glad I found this. I was going to make one myself. Prayers for Mr.Hanegraaff. I very much enjoy his program, The Bible Answer Man. 

His faith during this time is even greater than before. The C in Christ is greater than the C in cancer.   That is a blessed truth for anyone who suffers this dread disease. 

He updated with his diagnosis here. The Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff discusses his cancer diagnosis and faith in the Lord

As you can see there are other links following his progress as he fights. He said in that communication to us that peace has enveloped him. He knows that every breath he takes in this life is given by God and written in God's book of life as his destiny. 
My prayers go out to Mr. Hanegraaff and his family. May God's will be that he has more years with us as an inspiring resource for the word of a precious and powerful God. 

It's great to see you all praying for him too. 

On 5/8/2017 at 1:26 PM, Absolem said:

Is it possible to live a sinless life in Christ Jesus? I'm talking about no mess ups at all.

No, I don't believe it is. Our human nature makes us prone to sin. But as the redeemed in Christ we are no longer sinners as we were when we were dead in our transgressions. We are redeemed and our sins are no longer counted against us because they were imputed onto Christ Jesus on the cross. Praise his holy and sacred name.