Sister_in_Christ

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ. Does knowing the actual date make us love the Lord and therefore love others more? If it does than I should spend the time to look into it. Mark 12:30-31 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

A christian government would never ever have allowed slavery or abortion. People are sinful and corrupt. Government involvement vs people helping people is like the difference between orphanages and foster to adopt homes. You can feel great about having huge orphanage homes, but that is not what kids need. They need a family to call their own. People helping people out of the love in their hearts. Love is not involved when people are forced to give high taxes for programs where the business leaders of these nonprofits are making 6 figures and some trickles down. That should never happen. Churches, communities and people have the responsibility to help others. Abortion is very much like slavery. People treating life as their own personal property. Just as getting rid of slavery was top priority in the 1800's, we need to get rid of abortion before God chooses to get rid of the US for having it legal. If God has his wrath on us for spilling innocent blood, than all the other things you mentioned are not even going to matter. Legalized murder is an abomination and a crime against humanity. God knit each child into the mother's womb and made the mother a temporary caregiver, to protect. This was God's idea. Not mans. Honestly, If there is a poor person in your area and you, the churches and the community do not care for that person, that is 100% not the fault of the government. Government is never to take the place of family, community and church. The church in our area spends much effort feeding, clothing, teaching and providing help for the poor, single mothers, elderly widow and orphans. We have adopted 2 children out of foster care and we have been blessed by this. I pray others would take these older kids in. The babies are adopted so fast that there is a long several year waiting list. But the 6+ yr old kids whose parents are drug addicts etc need homes!! I wish we could take more. A great song that addresses helping the poor etc is "Matthew West Do Something" on youtube.

Food aid is supported by churches and salvation army everywhere. So supporting food aid never has to be cut when you do not involve government. Government was never ever meant to be who fed and clothed the poor. It blesses everyone when people help people and you can put a face on it. Love is what is needed most.

This was in response to the post that she was not voting for either party. So we should not have opposed slavery? I do understand your thought process, however. I am not voting for a person as president. All of us are sinful and make bad choices. I am voting against abortion. Clearly there are other topics out there to care about, but when your house is burning down, your first priority is to put OUT the fire. Then worry about the other details.

Maybe we should go back to the health care, food aid and government programs of Jesus day. Government was not involved at all. It was the church and families that were meant to take care of each other. When you rip away tax dollars and give to others, that is NOT what God wanted. There is no love involved. The giving is to come from God's people. Welfare is grossly misused. Yes of course people will still continue to sin even if it is abolished. We could say that about any of our laws on drugs, drunk driving etc. Yes people still take drugs and drive drunk. People even with laws, people even still rape, murder, rob and steal. The point is that once a nation makes something legal, than that nation is endorsing that as to not being harmful. That is a lie. The women who have had abortions suffer harm the rest of their days whether they admit it or not. Unless they find the power of healing from Jesus Christ they have greatly sinned against God by taking the life and spilling innocent blood. We should never endorse that as a nation. As a nation our Supreme Court made slavery legal. That was a crime against humanity and God. Making something legal affects the entire country and will bring harsh punishment upon the country.

Abortion is an abomination. No more to be said. Slavery was an abomination and people that wanted to keep it would say anything at all to try and sling mud so that they would not have to give up their way of life. I cannot be part of making something so evil, legal. If something is legal, that means that it is not harmful. God is the author of life. Period. We do not get reliable news. I got to listen to President Trump on the radio today. He was not interrupted. I fact checked him and I was amazed at what we do NOT hear about on any news station. He has done plenty for the poor and for trying to keep dangerous drugs, sex trafficking and criminals out of our country. His job is to protect. You need to look into actual documents over what has happened and NOT rely on any of the major networks. Even Fox is getting pretty sketchy in what good things about the president that they leave out. People can talk all they want. Look at their actions and actual votes. Go to https://www.isidewith.com/ You can go through every single issue and get into it on the surface or in depth. President Trump is who he is but God has a way of using people that we would least expect. Which one of us could have taken the beating that he has been taken. Which families out there could take having so many constant lies and hate thrown our way. Look, he is not who I voted for in the 2016 primaries. I voted for Ted Cruz and I had a problem voting for Trump in 2016. I did it, but I didn't like it. This time I will wait outside in the freezing rain for hours to vote for him if need be. I can only then hope that Ted Cruz or another intelligent Christian will run in 2024 I pray that President Trump would gain humility and apologize when he says things in ways that do not glorify God. It is hard for a rich man and we should all rally for him to have the Holy Spirit fill him with truth and wisdom. For that matter I also do still pray for former presidents Obama and Clinton and their families. To God be the glory if they would see abortion for the abomination that it is.

I am praying that you get the answers that you are seeking from a reliable source. I know with the pandemic it may be a difficult time to seek out a bible teaching church. For quick references you might want to try the website www.gotquestions.org Some of my favorite pastors to listen to are: Ravi Zacharias ( he died not too long ago, but his teachings are on you tube), Francis Chan. My husband enjoys Max Lucado. Beware of any preachers that promise that life will be easy. Read John 16: 31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” So even the disciples who spent much time with Jesus did not at first trust Him. BUT, when Jesus resurrected and appeared to them and then to over 500 + people at one time they trusted. The resurrected Jesus ate and spent with them. He was not a ghost. He ate. John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Believe really means trust. Trust in what Jesus/ the bible says is true. Do not make up your own rules because the bible tells us that we cannot even trust our own desires because we are selfish and do not understand what is best for us sometimes. Read the book of John first. Then James and 1 Peter, 2 Peter. Please ask questions. And Pray for wisdom. God will give wisdom when you ask. It is a promise. But you must be still and listen. Blessings to you Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. "

Nothing is free. Jesus Christ paid the price for every single abortion. Some work all their lives and some do not work at all, yet all can get the same reward because God is such a giving and loving Lord. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard 20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” This is ALL that is required to be in the special presence of Jesus Christ. Believers meeting to worship Jesus Christ our Lord. This is church. Not a fancy building with a paid staff. I pray that you can read the bible and put away any man-made notion of what church is other than what is stated by Jesus and in Acts. God has made it beautifully simple. Church can be anywhere at anytime!

Psalm 40: 1-3 "I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord."

I would NEVER take that chance of being separated from God forever. Even if 5 million Christian scholars told me that I would go to heaven, I would NOT take that chance. I guess the question is, can you purposefully break a commandment, ask for forgiveness for the sin that you are about to commit and still go to heaven. Or if you do something under the influence of mental illness or substance are you held accountable for it? These are all too complicated. So do not take this chance. Nobody's opinion on this matters because none of us can say with 100% certainty that a person that commits suicide goes to heaven. So it is more prudent for the person contemplating it to assume that if they went ahead with it, that they would permanently be separating themself from the Lord God for eternity. Weigh that out before murdering yourself and trying to control when your last day is. Romans 12:21 " Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." He alone should determine our coming into the world and our leaving of this world. None of us knows what tomorrow brings. Eternity is FOREVER... we cannot comprehend. But even the most painful life here on earth is a very finite limited time compared the perfection of heaven for eternity. Heaven is what makes ALL suffering worth it. Suffer well and be an encouragement for those suffering less than you are. End the race well my brothers and sisters in the faith !! Allow God alone to determine when your last day on earth is. Hebrews 12: 1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Pray for those protesting. Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Jesus said to love our enemies and they certainly are acting like our enemies. So I say we try doing the most good. Let there not be ONE kid left in foster care without a Christian family that will love him or her. There are many ways that we can focus our energy on doing good. Let us act like people who believe and trust in God 100%..

Does anyone know of a website that asks you questions in plain english (without using the official terms) to find out what denomination you align most with? We have been without a church now since we have moved. We desire to do home church as Francis Chan had started in the Multiply Movement. Sadly, though we have tried to make many friends in our area, they all either already have a church or do not attend a church and do not seem interested. For 50 yrs I always had a church family and now I feel like an orphan ( plus my parents have not talked to me since Nov 2016 and my husband does not have family, so really it is like being an orphan). We have visited a few bible believing churches, but just do not feel the Holy Spirit leading us to join any of them. Here are some off the cuff thoughts. Some are better than others perhaps. *As far as end times.... it is going to be whatever it is going to be. Though end times is certainly interesting, I honestly do not feel a need to nail anything down since God seems to always do things in very surprising and amazing ways. When someone tells me their end times version is 100% the correct one, my response is to ask how then I am to love the lost any differently because of this end time version. My thought is that we or the lost can die at any second.... so would THAT be an unexpected "end time" that would sort of forfeit any concern then for nailing down a specific end times version? Let us act like every second could be our last chance to tell someone about Christ or pray for the lost. * God is the author of ALL life. Abortion is an abomination.... which is of course linked to fornication, sex trafficking and adultery which I would think accounts for the largest percent of abortions. * believers baptism only ( not sure that I think anyone under 18 should be baptised unless they can truly acknowledge that they are a sinner in need of a savior) * I have not experienced the gift of tongues, casting out of demons or healing though I think if God wants it to happen it can certainly still happen. For Matthew 7:21-23 to make sense, then there must still be the capacity to heal and cast out demons. The healing that I hear of seems to be mainly from discomfort or ambiguous things. But interestingly God used Francis Chan to heal a deaf sister and brother in an unreached people group not too long ago. That was amazing and I believe that it happened. To me tongues would make more sense if the person we spontaneously able to speak a different actual language to communicate to a person. I can do prayers in my head to God anytime and anywhere, so there is no real reason to pray out loud in an unknown prayer language as I hear some do (without interpretation) except to make myself look religious to do it outloud ( did that sound too sassy?) * I believe that doing what James 1:27 says in taking care of widows and orphans is paramount and MORE important than using up all our energy worrying about meeting in expensive buildings with a paid staff, praise team and children's programs. It is more important than discussing things that are debatable. If we as a church got excited about making sure every kid has a Christian home to go to and then those who do not physically take in a kid are praying and trying to think of resourceful ways of helping (food, clothing, haircuts, tutoring etc). Then the world would take note of our TRUE love for others. * Marriage is between one man and one woman. I am sure there are many more things to list, but I believe the bible is 100% inspired by God. God is a Trinity. We need to repent and trust solely in what Jesus Christ did for our salvation. There is nothing we could ever to do earn it. We do good works to show Jesus thank you for His selfless gift. Jesus Christ will return one day.

Praying that God would give you a godly mentor to listen to you, pray with you and even help you organize so that you do not feel overwhelmed. Life is messy, but it is worthwhile to get involved in a local body of believers. I pray that things will fall into place. As far as BLM, I do not want to to tell you what to do...but if someone asks me if "Black lives matter"... I say, you are asking the wrong question. The question is should anyone be treated unfairly because of who they were born as... NO of course not! I hope and pray that Jesus Matters to all those you encounter. 1 Colossians 1: 15-17 "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." And when you do encounter evil remember Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Be loving to others because that is how all people will know you belong to Jesus Christ. Praying for you right now.

I hear you and am praying for you. I just checked this post today on July 30th. You are priceless and NOT worthless. First spend time with the Lord reading His words to you. I would stop listening to the news. You know all you need to know about taking precautions. There is a balance. Be safe, but also do not stop loving others by talking over the phone, facetiming or even meeting and staying far apart. Do nice things for others even if it is just reaching out and encouraging them or complementing or thanking them. When we do things for others it helps to take the focus off of ourselves. What music are you listening to. Listen to encouraging CHristian music. Listen to For King and Country on youtube. Watch the videos and here the words of Priceless. Also JOY. Take care!! Praying for you brother in CHrist!!

Proverbs 27:1 " Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." When it comes to politics I go with the sentiment from John Quincy Adams, " Duty is ours, results are God's". Before a primary, to find out which candidate I align with the most, I go onto www.isidewith.com and fill out all of the many questions in depth on every issue as well as weighting how important each issue is to me. I realize that when it comes to helping the poor, widows and orphans, God was speaking to us, the church, and NOT to government. Government is meant to protect and NOT to be the loving arms of the church. Because we, the church, are to deeply have love for others. Person to person love out of cheerful giving and absolutely not from taxes. Personally I cannot imagine voting for a candidate that is pro-abortion and anti-Israel. To me that would be like voting for slavery. With abortion we are treating life given by God alone as if it were our own personal property to destroy at will. God can use whoever He wants to accomplish His purpose. The bible has gone out of its way to show us the flaws and sin of those God used. That is to give us hope that God is totally in control, not us. President Trump with all his flaws is still the better choice as far as caring about the things that God cares about. Hard to believe and it reminds me of Jehu in the bible when he was used by God to get rid of Ahab and Jezebel. Jehu was not a godly man and yet God used him. In 2016 I really wanted Ted Cruz to win. I dislike Trump's personality and held my nose in 2016 when I voted for him. I was also concerned Trump would not be faithful to those things he campaigned on. But, I was wrong in my concern, because he has gone above and beyond in trying to keep his promises. I know many people who are much more enthusiastic to vote for him in 2020. There is NO other option that is pro-life and pro-Israel and now also pro-police and protecting our country. To God be the Glory and whoever God has as president, I will continue to pray for all those in leadership positions. Love people and do not hate. Pray for your enemies. Romans 12:21 " Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Pray without ceasing!

Hello, I know that as believers, God lays different things on our hearts so that a variety of things may be accomplished for His will. But it breaks my heart that there can be so many churches filled with believers and yet also so many children that need a home. I am concerned that fear is holding Christians back. If God can create the universe from nothing, He can handle you taking the leap and welcoming His child into your home. God knit this child into his or her mother's womb. God knew this child before they were formed. This child is not an accident. You will be blessed by God for trusting Him and caring for one of His own. I am so thankful that we did not allow fear to stop our family from adopting ( once through Bethany Christian Services -international adoption for a special medical needs (cleft lip and palate) child of 4 yrs and once for a 4 yr old through foster care with a local Salvation Army). Believe me when I say that we were scared and had many fears. We thought of every bad thing that could happen. This stretches you in a very GOOD way. Our faith has grown enormously BECAUSE of our trusting each day, pressing on and living through some of these hard experiences. God will bless you within and through any difficulties. God is SO good!!! If your life circumstances prevent this full time possibility, then please know there are PLENTY of things you can do to help. Both children that I took in were 4 yrs old at the time. I had one friend come by with a big pan of lasagna and some hand me down clothes and toys. That was almost 9 yrs ago now and it still makes me cry with thankfulness when I think of how very much that meant to me that she would understand that I needed some help. Please seek out to help support someone by letting them know that you are there for them. Some days can be emotionally difficult to take in a child that comes from hard places. Respite care: If you cannot have a child full time. Then please contact a local agency, like Salvation Army ( who we used) and do the paperwork, clearances etc to become a respite care home. This is when you offer to help foster parents by taking a child for the afternoon, day, weekend etc when the foster family has a situation where they need child care. The most popular excuse: " I could never foster to adopt or just foster because I am afraid of getting attached and then having them leave." I used to think this way. Then you meet the child that desperately needs your help and you are seriously humbled to know that you almost did not help because you were so worried about YOUR feelings. If you have older children ( I had a biological child that was 8 yrs old at our first adoption), please do not worry about their feelings because they need to also learn the lesson, that you must trust God and do God's work, knowing that GOD is in charge. You cannot promise it will be easy. But, it is better to help one of His children, then to NOT help because of fear. Do not fear man. Fear God. If you have any concerns, questions or simply want me to pray for you as you begin this journey, please ask!! Love & God Bless you all, Tina PS If you think of it, please pray for these children waiting for a home. To know that there are so many Christians in America professing how great God is, but none of them are willing to take you into their home, will be a harsh reality for them to figure out as they get older. Pray that people's faith in God will prevail over their fears of man.