pokemaughan

Are we referring to just the seven books, or to the other things that were excluded (such as the Gnostic gospels)? If just the seven (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees....BTW, I'm Catholic, we keep those in), they're also known as the deuterocanonicals, which helps distinguish them from other books that might be more or less spurious but often get lumped under "Apocrypha." I'm actually very curious about Catholicism. What in the world is it? PM me to avoid hijacking... Thanks for your answer though. There has to be a darn good reason why they were excluded from the normal Bible.

What is the Apocrypha? As far as I can tell (which isn't much), it looks like more books of the Bible. What is it?

Which Bible translation do you favor, and why? I personally favor the KJV. It's deep and poetic, it was written very scrutinously and reviewed 14 times over, approved by a God-ordained king... it is the direct word of God for us English-speaking folk. Not to mention, of all things, IT ISN'T COPYRIGHTED! All other translations are. Who in the world copyrights God's word?! That's my opinion on the KJV. Keep in mind I'm new to Jesus' family, so my experience is little. But from what I've read, KJV was made to be exact English translation of the Hebrew/Greek. I also have a NLT and NKJV. I think it's good to have more than one, for cross-referencing and understanding things. As far as the poll, sorry if I typed some wrong, or missed a few. There's quite a few out there!

Christians are exhorted to do the right thing, and that means to marry according to the lawful practice of society. Christians who opt out of a proper legal marriage are harming their witness and in essence, living lawlessly, in rebellion. God will not bless something taken in selfishness. Yep yep, very good.

Very good point. Thank you.

Alright, I've been wondering about marriage, as some of you have noticed. Some of thoughts I've had were questions about what marriage truly is, biblically. In this world, marriage is a piece of paper, a ring, and a ceremony. Adam and Eve had no such thing. And today I was reading in Genesis 24:27, which is about Isaac and his God-given partner, Rebekah: 'Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife...' Along with this, I remember verses that say if you 'lay down' with a prostitute or woman or whatever the case, you must marry her. On top of that, there's of course the 'The man shall go to his wife and they will become one flesh'. So I guess my question is, what really is marriage? I want to say that it is caused when you 'lay down' with someone, but sex before marriage is frowned upon. But again, marriage seems to be more worldly than it does biblical now... is there anything in the Bible that points to how two become married? Anything about a wedding being the event, or sex, or etc. It's confusing business. I'd hate to put my faith in a worldly ceremony, if that's not what marriage is caused by.

I definitely agree with this...God made us sexual beings, and the hormones involved with that have an important role to play...but they don't stop functioning just because we're not married yet. I mean, if I look at myself when I'm hormonal and pregnant, I wonder that I had any self-control at all when I was unmarried and craving sex! Hormones have a powerful effect on the brain. I can think of times when I practically felt drunk the hormones coursing through me were so strong (you know, that feeling when the world blurrs and you can only focus on what you're feeling, and it's like there's this palpable heat between you)! That's why it's SO important to take responsibility (because being hormonal doesn't alleviate us of responsibility!) BEFORE you're in that position, to make sure you're not going to get somewhere where you COULD compromise...once you're there, it's like trying to stop a train by sheer force of will. Wow, you're exactly right. Good stuff, Iryssa.

I wrestled with the sinner's heart today... it's tough work! I was nervous and shakey the whole time, but God kept driving me on. I'm just asking for some advice on how to approach this kind of situation better next time. Here's the conversation, in an instant messenger: little miss m α n f α

If she's going to drag you down, it's not worth your eternity. But if you look at it like an oppurtunity to establish a discipleship with a sister in need, then there could be something there for you. Ultimately you can't stand half on the Rock, and half in the sinking sand... so it could be God's will that you pull her out, or it could be God's will that you are tested in your faith. No one can honestly tell you one way or the other- it's up to you what you decide to do. I myself would want to help someone who has slipped from the path... but I lack the capacity to lead someone right now. I can hardly keep myself up, nonetheless another person. So ya... every situation is tailored to YOU and YOU only. Read the Bible, pray for help, and make a decision. Don't wait around for a miraculous sign- God gave you the capacity to make right decisions, through counsel and the Holy Spirit. I hope that wasn't too confusing. God bless, brother

Boy I come here a lot! Thank the Lord for all of you loving people. Okay. So recently I started feeling pressure from all I'm involved in... I'm serving at my church's community center, working my way through Changed into His Image (a christian workbook), and trying to read the Bible every day. But now I feel responsible to do all these things, and if I don't feel like doing my workbook or reading the Bible (even though I know I won't regret it), I feel guilty and bleh. As I am a new follower of Christ, I obviously do have a bit to work to do... getting grounded in my faith, learning about my Savior and God, and changing into a more godly person. Most days I really don't mind working at it... but recently, like I said, I've just not felt up to it. I want to feel more free... in a way where I can read the Bible when I really want to, do my workbook when I want to, etc, instead of it being a chore. Same thing with talking to God- I don't want it to be a ritual, I want it to be a casual spontaneous conversation, with no obligation. In all this I want to keep my priorities in order... but I still want to be able to do normal things (video games, talking with the girlfriend, relaxing) without feeling guilty because I'm not reading the Bible or talking to God all the time. This thing has been bugging me sense I was born again. I still don't know how to live! When I started off, I was running towards self-improvement, excited about everything; and now I just don't feel the same way. I'm worn, I guess. I've been told that there's no such thing as a 'break' from being christian... which is a no-brainer... but I feel like I need a break from my biblical chores. (reading Bible, doing workbook) I look at it, and it doesn't seem that hard, but I still don't want to do it all the time. Just like math homework- it's not necessarily difficult, I just don't feel like doing it! I'm kinda rambling here... but hopefully someone can decipher this nonsense and help me!

Hahaaaaaa

Thanks everyone

Hmm.. I see. Well, as a young man, one of my obstacles is becoming not just a man, but a husband. And say I'm with a christian girl, and we mesh quite well... we're both still growing and helping eachother, and keeping the relationship godly and god-pleasing. I want to say she's 'the one', but you know. There's always that 'what if' part of my brain, firing on all cylinders.

How did you married people know that you were with that right person? I'm just kinda curious how you knew. Like, 'He's definately the one, or she's definately the one,' etc Orrr, did you not know? Was it just that the relationship seemed right, and you clicked, so you figured it was God's will? Just curious

No sir, you didn't. You still have your 'old nature' inside of you- and that thing is going to contradict you the rest of your life. The prophet Paul calls the 'old nature' The Flesh. You are always connected to it, until death, at which point you leave that and can become 100% sanctified (free from sin and all evil). God bless you, brother.

Ask for forgiveness, and it will be given to you. Afterwards, any self-disgust or guilt is just the devil trying to bring you down. Rejoice in the mercy of God. He's ready to wipe your slate clean- you just have to ask.

Just thinking about it made me chuckle. I can hardly walk two feet in high-heels! (yes I'm a man, but I like to goof off!)

Good! Continue to push forward and pray for help. God will see you to the end.

It's definately satan, that's for sure... but it's also obvious to me that God is allowing it to test you. My advice is to tough it out. Stand strong with the Lord as your protector and warrior, and the devil will flee. The devil wants you to feel down and not be productive... so you have to do the opposite! Ignore his doomed ways, and step forward in the name of Jesus!

Today has been a bad day for me... Nothing bad happened, really. At least outside of my head. You see, sometimes I get a strong feeling of dread and doom. Just a wave of 'what's the point' and I feel I have nothing to look forward to... that my dreams and wants are far-off and unreachable. I'm not suicidal, but I certainly feel pretty boxed in. I mean, there's nothing wrong with me... I have a great mom, great girlfriend, great church, a couple of good friends, a promising future... yet I still feel so down. On top of that, I'm still REALLY struggling with sexual impurity and all that... I find myself doing things I shouldn't, and hating myself through every second of it. But I keep going back... what kills me is I know what to do, or what I should do, but I choose not to anyways. Bleh... just a depressing day. Can anyone help?

Did anyone go and see Joyce Meyer at one of her conferences? I did today, in Indianapolis at the Conseco Fieldhouse. It was amazing! I got to sit on the event floor in the second row, behind Joyce's husband. It was great fun... at the one I went to, she talked about not complaining, but rather thanking God in every circumstance- because it confuses the Enemy, and allows the Holy Spirit to work. The more you thank our God Almighty, the more he'll work for you! Amen!!

Well, like I said, maybe you do need to talk to a doctor about a possible anxiety issue. Think about other stressors in your life. Is it just when you think about this relationship that this happens? Also think about your diet and exercise regimen, things like your caffeine intake, and your overall health. I have talked to a doctor.. he gave some pills to take whenever I get anxiety, and they don't do anything. They don't even make me drowsy anymore. He just said to get counsel and pray... I don't know what to do.

Our relationship is long-distance... but we both believe in sexual purity. I mean, she's christian, I'm christian, everything seems promising and peachy. But I still have anxiety.

Yep, you won't only be pleasing God by waiting, but you'll also be blessed with the most fulfilling sex you could ever imagine with your wife. It's worth the wait.