Logostician

Why would extraterrestrial life affect what I already know to be true? I don't know if there is life anywhere else in the universe. I also don't know the precise workings of the smallest subatomic particles in a single atom. And neither do the most learned scientists in the world. But I know Jesus. He created the universe and will create a new universe. If there is extraterrestrial life, it will come to end, as it will in the world we live in, and at the same time. Whether any of this life will partake in the second creation depends on the existence of a relationship with Jesus, as it does with us. Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. This verse refers to jews and gentiles. But if Jesus has others created in the image of God on other planets in the universe, that he has called, and are his sheep of different folds, that's fine with me. Although I think it is highly unlikely.

All Christians are possessed by the Holy Spirit, after freely giving themselves to Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit does not share His space in your heart, soul, and mind with demons. Our God is a jealous God. We belong to Him, and Him only. You can be oppressed by demons, but not possessed. If you are oppressed call out the name of Jesus, and the demons will flee. There is power in His name. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Luke 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Let your conversation be with Jesus. Do not converse with demons, even to rebuke them. Follow the example of the Angel Michael. Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

The best use of free will is to freely give up your will, and seek the will of God. As always, Jesus is the ultimate example of this. John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. Christianity is following Jesus. Literally. He leads. We follow. Step one is accepting him as Lord and Savior. The following steps are an eternal life of followship (new word I just made up) and fellowship.

Jimmy Carter was not a good president. But he was a good Christian man. This is what he should have been honored for. Because, in the final analysis, it's the only thing that matters, and the only thing that we take with us from this life.

Jesus was born (in the flesh) to die, so we could live. He is eternal. We are not. Unless we embrace him. Completely. He lowered himself to come down from heaven, and be among us, to lift us up to his perfect kingdom and company. Eternity in a sin filled world would be meaningless, like unto hell. But eternity in the company of Jesus is everything.

Jesus Christ was convicted by selfish worldly men who saw him as a threat to their power. So I guess Trump is in some really good company.

Here is a short, and far from exhaustive, list of countries where being a Christian can make you a second class citizen, imprisoned, or executed: North Korea Somalia Libya Eritrea Yemen Nigeria Pakistan Sudan Iran Afghanistan Grace and faith are not cheap for Christians in these countries. They are strong, and hold their faith dear, even though it may cost them their freedom and their lives. They are today's martyrs for Christ. In the USA we sometimes forget that this martyrdom occurs outside the safety of our country, except for the missionaries who go to these countries, and are equally targeted for imprisonment and execution as they spread the gospel throughout the world in fulfillment of prophesy. Pray for evangelists and the hearers in these countries. That God may keep them strong in the face of their persecutors. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

My current name will pass away. I don't know what my new name will be. But I know it will be the right name Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Luke 17:11-19 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him THANKS: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Leprosy is a biblical symbol for sin. The Samaritan, who is outside Judaism, is only made "whole" when he shows his faith by thanking Jesus. All of us healed of our sin by Jesus need to thank him. Don't be one of the nine out of ten that didn't come back to thank Jesus.

I think that the most important thing about the Parable of the Prodigal Son is that we are all him, at some times, in some ways. We have all sinned and fallen short. But God's grace is a freely given, and eternal gift of boundless love. He mercifully forgives, and joyfully receives us. I don't look down at the prodigal son. I'm him. I celebrate the awareness that Jesus is the one who sticketh closer than any brother, even when we falter.

Not to be trite, but evangelism can be likened to a team sport, and the Church to Team Jesus. When one person comes off the field, another one comes in. And the best part is that we have already won. We don't do it by ourselves. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Thank you for correcting my error. Watchman Nee's, "The Normal Christian Life" and CS Lewis, "Mere Christianity" are two of my all time favorite books. The lives of these two inspired men couldn't be more different. CS Lewis was a well known and esteemed author at Oxford University in England. And Watchman Nee led a highly persecuted life for his Christian faith, including imprisonment. I respect all Spirit filled evangelists, but there is a special place for the lesser known sufferers for Christ in my heart, like Watchman Nee, because of the suffering of Jesus Christ himself. Be well.

Watchman Nee's "Mere Christianity" is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read.

I do. But I want Jesus to return a whole lot more. We are in this world but not of it. We are concerned with the state of the world because we are in it. We are called to draw people out of this world, and into the Kingdom of God. But our destiny is not in this world. The Kingdom of the King of kings is our destiny. And he has already overcome the world. Don't let the anxiety of the election season trouble you too much. Don't let end times events trouble you too much. Jesus is on the throne, and in charge of all things.

In this life we are lower than angels because, in our mortal state, we are not in the absolute presence, and eternal communion, with God. We continue to live in a world with temptation to sin. But that will change: 1 Corinthians 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

You have some good observations here. Satan wants to sit on the throne of God. Ezekiel 28:14 names him as a once "guardian cherub" who gazed upon the throne of God, and grew jealous of the one who sat on the throne, and fell because of it. And Satan will be given power for a short time. The dragon, beast, and false prophet, are a Satanic parody of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The deadly wound of the beast, that he survives, is a mockery of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The name Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12) means morning star, which is a mockery of true Morning Star (Rev 22:16) which is Jesus. Everything Satan does in the last days is crafted as a counterfeit and mockery of the true God. And many worldly men will believe a lie. But some will be saved during the tribulation. It will be the final wake up call to accept the Way, the Truth, and the Life, or believe a lie, and father of it, and fall with him. The way to life is narrow and strait because it goes through one man, who is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Not because it is difficult or arduous for the follower of Christ, except for worldly opposition. In the last days of the one world satanic order, this opposition will intensify greatly. Many will die for their faith in Jesus, joining their martyr kindred of millennia past. But eternal life awaits those who will die for him. I think the rapture will occur before the tribulation, because those who already believe have nothing more to prove. But if dying for Jesus is necessary, so be it. He died for me.

Peace is a rare commodity in this world. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. Only the Spirit of God restrains evil and gives peace. When Adam and Eve fell from grace. The Spirit of God no longer provided peaceful unity with God. And man, apart from God, quickly demonstrated his weakness. Cain killed Abel. And we've been killing each other ever since. The Spirit of God continues to restrain, but not eliminate evil, or else the world would descend into immediate chaotic evil. But the evil without God needs to be known, so the peace with God will be pursued. David was not allowed to build the Temple of God because he had fought wars and shed blood. God said that Solomon would be the builder of the Temple, and there would be peace under his reign. And there was worldly peace in Israel. But Solomon engaged in activities, like multiple wives and concubines with foreign women that were less than pleasing to God. He had the worldly peace, that God provided, but inner peace from his relationship with God diminished. True peace comes from a close relationship with God. The true peacemakers are the evangelists who help to bring people to God. There will be wars in this world until Jesus returns. And the worst of them will be just prior to the end of this world. But the peace of Jesus Christ, and his Spirit in us, is now. We are in this world of war, but not of it. Peace is not the absence of war. It is the presence of God in us. And God Almighty has promised an end to wars, pain, suffering, and death, which we await, when he renews all things. Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

One of your links references Paul and Barnabas in their missionary work. It's worth noting that these two had a "sharp disagreement" over a return missionary tour, which focused on whether or not Mark would come with them. This is in Acts 15. The disagreement was so strong that they split up, and Silas accompanied Paul. My only reason for bringing this up is to emphasize that even the most powerfully Spirit filled people can disagree strongly. And the Spirit of God can lead them in different directions. But those directions will still come to a common destination, which is Jesus Christ. I don't seek agreement from others on too many things. And I don't try to force my beliefs on others. But Jesus is Lord. There is no compromise in me on that. And there never will be.

Precisely true.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Christ lives in me. Jesus sees himself in me. The Father sees his Son in me. To be acceptable to God, God must see himself in me. The Spirit of God is in me. This is the only way to please God, and be fully united with God. Works apart from God are meaningless.

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The heart is key here. It means love. Satan doesn't love Jesus. The demon believe and tremble. They have no love for Jesus, and know that their judgement is set. You can't just believe that Jesus is. You need to commit to him in a loving relationship above all else. John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. If you love someone completely, then you trust them completely, you heed them. If they are the master, and you are the servant, you follow them joyfully. You will not be able to follow Jesus perfectly in all things, but you can try. Jesus gives A's for effort. He's in charge of the results. Matthew 18:2-3 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. A small child loves and trusts his parents unconditionally. He takes his parents hand and follows them. Love and trust are what makes us children of God. John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. Loving God is the key. The first two Commandments are about loving God and sharing that love with others. All the other commandments are contained in these two. So it's really rather simple to understand what pleases God, and what Jesus really wants from you. He wants your love. And unlike worldly possessions, we will take our love with us into the Kingdom of Heaven

I respectfully disagree that Christianity is a religion. Religions involve rites and rituals. Hence the notion of doing something over, and over again, or "religiously". Judaism is a religion which is based on ceremonial and moral law. But But Jesus is the end, or fulfillment of the law. Catholicism is a religion that has many rites and rituals which only serve to distract the focus from Jesus, although they do recognize Jesus as Saviour. I don't mean to denigrate Judaism or Catholicism by calling them religions, I simply mean that I rely solely on the one with the power to save. Jesus. And his spirit leads me in a more perfect way than any rites or rituals ever could.