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I always keep these short and sweet, and I will just repeat what I experienced here in Toledo at the Cherry Street Mission yesterday. Amen. As I walked into the mission I saw (in a vision) what looked to be vendors selling to the homeless people in the hallway where you walk to the bathrooms. I say that because they were actually excited to buy from them. Then I looked in the cafeteria, and saw it had become a huge conference room for dynamic Christian speakers. The homeless people were actually serving (working with the kitchen staff) themselves and the general public during their conferences. It (had become) was a message of truth center, and it was a conference center as well.

Hi everyone I hope you're all doing well during quarantine! I'm extremely bored and have no motivation to do pretty much anything ? I'm an extrovert and really miss talking to people! My boyfriend is a key worker doing 80 hour weeks so we barely even have time for a phone call. If anyone wants to send me a message I'd appreciate it, even just to chat I was wondering if anyone knows of any FaceTime sermons or prayer groups going on online? I've looked on Google but can only find pre-recorded video sermons and tbh I can't focus on them. I need real interaction otherwise I just zone out I'd appreciate any suggestions you might have ? thanks ❤️

The Deception of Religion "Church" is arguably the most misunderstood and abused word in the English language. ("the church, Which is HIS BODY" Eph. 1:22-23) That goofy-looking building with a steeple is NOT a 'church', it is a man-exalting tradition stemming all the way back to the Tower of Babel. "Christ is NOT divided", Christianity IS! (Satan knows the rules of warfare- DIVIDE in order to conquer!) The church is Christ dispensed as the Spirit into His believer's spirits!!! The PERFECT wife would be someone who is genetically IDENTICAL to her husband! Being identical to Him, she expresses Him perfectly, yet being a separate entity, she can RETURN His love. THIS is how the Lord is building HIS church. THIS is the PURPOSE of ALL of CREATION: that God would build (Eve being built out of Adam is a type of this) a counterpart/wife <WHO chooses to belong to HIM> for Himself for eternity future!!! Christianity, the Religion BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS In this section I must implore you, the reader, to set aside your natural concepts. I must re-emphasize that such concepts will lead you to consider good as always being from God, causing you to be fooled by Satan's master work. If you want to see things from the spiritual point of view‑ the reality behind the outward appearance‑ you must lay aside personal opinion in order to have an open mind, especially in the subject that we will now consider. All that I ask is that your evaluation of what I have to say be objective, rational, and honest. It is not my intention to criticize any individuals or to question their sincerity‑ that is between them and the Lord‑ but it is necessary that I expose certain categories of people, so if the shoe fits so be it. From this point on, understand that whenever the term "Christianity" is used in this book, it does not include Roman Catholicism; Christianity will refer to all organized religion that is ostensibly following Christ and that does not contain any heretical teachings or practices. Catholicism is not even a Christian religion. Author's Note: There are two women at the end of this age who claim to have a relationship with Christ. One woman is the pure, holy, spotless, and without wrinkles bride of Christ. Nothing indicates her size; only her purity and singleness of heart are portrayed. The other woman is a great harlot with many daughters. She claims Christ as her husband, but is in reality married to the satanic world system. She is depicted as great, powerful, world‑wide, rich, and full of fornication and idolatry. At the time of the uploading of this book (2000), the most accurate estimates are that the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church has an HIV‑AIDS infection rate somewhere between 8 and 11 times that of the general population. This is pure, and this is holy? Again, which of these two women is the accurate depiction of the Roman Catholic Church? COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!!! THIS IS THE DESPARATE PLEA OF OUR HUSBAND TO ALL OF HIS LOVERS TO SEPARATE THEMSEVES FROM ALL OF THE WORLD SYSTEM!!! WHY??? SO THAT THEY BE MARRIED NOW IN THEIR BEING TO HIM!!! Who are the harlot daughters of Babylon? In order to realize the answer to this question, we must realize the Scriptural implications of the word 'harlot.' According to Ezekiel Chapter 16, Jeremiah Chapter 51, and Isaiah Chapter 47, a harlot in the eye of God is one who claims to belong to God but is in actuality unfaithful due to prostituting herself to the world system. A harlot in God's eyes, then, is anyone who pollutes the things of God by mixing them with the things of the world. There is, however, one very important difference between the Old Testament descriptions of Israel's harlotry and the descriptions of this New Testament harlot. Whereas Israel was an unfaithful wife who could legitimately claim God as her husband, the Lord has never recognized any claim made upon him by Babylon. Consequently, He refers to her as "that woman," "the great whore," and "a woman." Babylon can never legitimately claim to be the Lord's purpose or intention. If you are a believer in Babylon, most likely you have been told that as long as you are saved, everything is okay: you will be raptured to heaven before the Tribulation starts and live happily ever after. Do you know what the main purpose of the Tribulation is? The main purpose of the Tribulation is not, strictly speaking, to punish the world. The judgment of the world occurs after the Tribulation. Why does God allow the bad time of the Tribulation to occur‑ is God cruel? Certainly not! The main purpose of the Tribulation is to mature in Christ the majority of Christians, who have allowed so many things to interfere with their spiritual growth. As we will see in Chapter Nine, most Christians will still be here on the Earth during the Tribulation. Do not accept the lie that as long as you are saved, your problems are over. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Rev. 18:4 Intl. Greek) 1. Religion is man's attempt to please God with his own capability. The source of religion is the self (the natural man), the expression of the fallen nature of man's flesh upon his corrupted soul. 2. In total opposition to religion is Jesus Christ, the complete God and perfect man. This is God's provision for man to believe into and receive in order to fully meet every requirement and desire of God‑ to thoroughly enable man to become fully one with God in life and nature (but NOT in His Godhead) in order to co‑inhere with the Triune God for eternity. 3. If my dear brothers and sisters in religion were in reality following the living, present person of Christ Himself they would not be divided. Instead, they have become captives of an evil counterfeit system. Their hearts have deceived them into ‘doing what is right in their own minds’- resulting in worshipping God according to their concept and preference. Even the unbelievers know this, their accurate observation is: "If Jesus Christ is real, then why are there so many kinds of Christians?" "Come out of her, my people" is His urgent call. Do not try to improve or change her, come out of her. The oneness among believers is what we value the least, and what Satan fears the most. My dearest eternal family (those in Babylon still), will you forsake your opinions and preferences so that the Lord can use you as material for the fulfillment of the greatest prophesy in the Bible: "I will build my church". Open up to and pray over John 17:20‑21 to the Lord and may He impart this ultimate desire of His heart into your heart.

My questions are how do others that can't eat gluten deal with communion for a church and other church events, like morning tea and church lunches? We have just started looking for a new church and dont really know how others deal with explaining the whole cross containmation thing? would love some ideas of how to bring it up and tips on what others do in these situations? and How do others deal with family members and friends that dont understand your needs and will think you crazy and off with the pixies even though you have to be gluten free for health reasons? I have family ( inlaws) in the past that are not very understanding of my diet and keep offereing gluten foods. (I am gluten intolerant and have been for the last 4 years and just had my youngest child who is 11 years old diagnosed with celiac disease, my mother also has celiac dissease) I am in desperate need of prayer and advice on these things, As I don't want to come acoss as being over the top or rude with dealing with it.

I used to go without fail. Then illness meant i stopped for several weeks. Instead i read my bible daily, pray and do my own study and prayer. I make time for it and treasure it. Now i find myself asking, do i really want or need to go to church on Sundays? I found people there irritating and tedious. I was always rushing to get there, being roped in for various duties and being ignored and sidelined for other roles that i would have loved. The pastor was a pompous man, not inspiring, just did his job. I sat next to people who fidgeted, were ignorant and closed minded about God's Word. They chatted as if it was a social club. I was growing fast as a passionate Christian but getting little support. I enjoyed the hymns best and preaching kind of. I never felt the pastor truly spoke it from the heart. Now i think - who needs it? I don't. How was all that bringing me nearer to God? I prefer to have a leisurely get up on a sunday. Pray. Read Bible in the bathroom while my bath runs. Pray as i bathe - why not? Prepare a nice early roast and be all relaxed listening to hymns or watching 'Songs of Praise' later instead of a rushed mad thing! Enjoy my Sabbath. So, my motivation to attend church has gone. I intend only to go for special occasions. Am i wrong? Is it God's command to collectively worship? Or is that just a personal choice?

We had recently here as Worthy had a spirited discussion about homosexuality and discrimination in the church. The nature of the discussion did not allow for too much thoroughness in related issues, and the theology around them. I was cruising YouTube this morning, and coincidentally, this topic came up in the recommended for you suggestions, probably because I have watched some Walter Martin videos. Anyway, I found them informational and helpful, in understanding some of the issues and background to these topics. There are several views represented, and they are moderated, so it does not get out of control. So, for you consideration are the following four videos:

Edit:(sorry my question was not clear enough) Should I a Christian attend an Orthodox Church? My roommate is orthodox and I go to church with him almost every Sunday. Should I keep doing this? I don’t really have the ability to go to another church since I don’t have a car and I live in an area with not many Christian churches.

Is it a sin if I don’t attend church? I have the ability to go to a church (it’s not very far) but I choose not too. It’s just not for me, I’d rather pray, read, and praise God on my own. If it’s a sin then I’ll happily go.

good day everyone I am new here, I just want to throw out a question that has been perplexing me for a while, I am apart of a well known organization which i wont say for privacy reasons. But my study has lead me to disagree with one of our church fundamental beliefs how do deal with this problem,whats the proper channel to deal with it because i felt has if I have gone about it the wrong way.

I do need to clarify what I mean by Church. I'm referring to the common American format. You have praise and worship, one pastor who preaches a sermon, and congregation that checks there good Christian card every Sunday. Is this what the Church was supposed to be?

The Church’s Purpose: “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord; In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.“ (Ephesians 3:10-12) Here the purpose of the Church is revealed as displaying Wisdom who is Jesus Christ the Lord God (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:18, Colossians 2:2-3, 1 Corinthians 1:30), and His Gospel (John 6:40, John 3:16-18, John 14:6). That we are ambassadors, “So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" (2 Corinthians 5:20). The purpose of the church is to display and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and show Him to the world. At the same time our purpose is to be God’s family and know Jesus (Philippians 3:8-10).

Judgment begins with us.....and if it begins with us then let us as Christians first become those who are pure in heart and who walk upright in obedience to His word before going out to correct others..... What judgments should the church expect from the Holy Spirit? Revelations 2-3 addresses the seven churches of Asia....these are the judgments I believe are the ones the church must come to address and repent of before we can claim to be His Bride...IMHO... I enjoyed this teaching on the seven churches....http://randalldsmith.com/the-end-of-the-world-seven-deadly-sins-revelation-2-3/ These are excerpts from that teaching....... (1) Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) - the church that had forsaken its first love (2:4). Neglected priorities-placing other things more important or above God: 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: … 4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. …” (2) Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) - the church that would suffer persecution (2:10). Fear of persecution-people fail to witness to others for fear of persecution: 2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: .. 10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life…” (3) Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) - the church that needed to repent (2:16). Compromise of principles-allowing false teachings, etc: 2:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: … 14 ‘But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 ‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth… “ (4) Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) - the church that had a false prophetess (2:20). Tolerating immorality: 2:18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: .. 20 ‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ..” (5) Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) - the church that had fallen asleep (3:2). Spiritual Apathy:3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. …” (6) Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) - the church that had endured patiently (3:10). Dwindling Stability, where we won't push to deliberately build the body of believers: 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: …8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. …” Faithful, but barely hanging on – that is the truth behind thousands of churches and literally MILLIONS of anemic and sickly Christians. Alzheimer’s Christian: Remembers only selectively what God has done before, but fails to be able to connect with what may be happening in the Kingdom around him today. Autistic Christian: Stuck on a phrase and often inappropriate in responses. Unable to connect to anyone that has no special training to understand them. Epileptic Christian: Not in control of all energies expended. Seems passionate but strangely disconnected from the body, randomly expending great energy not directed by any leadership or head. Leprous Christian: Unfeeling toward other parts of the body and infectiously causing a spreading numbness of insensitivity that kills good growth. Obese Christian: Ready to sit and eat with no real intent to get up and DO anything, they become expert food critics of the messages they hear. Burned Christian: Because of an experience that often has nothing to do with the current body they are in, they are in constant need of careful handling and touchy care. Anorexic Christian: Unable to see themselves as God says they are, they continue to self inspect for every flaw, totally overtaken in their own issues. Heart Diseased Christian: Unable to function normally because of other contributing behaviors that have weakened their endurance. (7) Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) - the church with the lukewarm faith (3:16). Lukewarm/Luxury Distraction-focused more on themselves: 3:14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked…” 1 Peter 4:17 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? Hebrews 12:5-8 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. So I humbly submit this topic not to condemn but to bring awareness to our need to judge ourselves rather than what others are guilty of in their walk with God. Your thoughts please....

Hello everyone. I'm a long-time member who pops into Worthy when I have the time. I'm a strong believer who has done my best to support the body of Christ for many years. Now I'm having a major problem, and I hope my fellow Christians can help. I'm trying to keep this anonymous. We recently moved to a new town. In need of a new church, we asked a local friend if we could join her church. She was excited for us to join. On our first visit, we were slightly disappointed to find a very small church (I mean like 10-12 members) which had used to be much larger before it started dying out. Everyone in leadership was older than 45. Very conventional, very repetitive, and very very routine. We're not the sort of people who reject small churches because they're small. We are not "customer" type members who want a church to please us. We believe in serving where we are needed. The pastor kept saying he was praying for growth, and he said that we seemed to be an answer to his prayers, so we agreed to stick around and see if we could help. By help, I don't mean that we want to teach a class or sing on the worship team. I simply mean that we wanted to make some friends, get involved in some fellowship, and labor where we might be needed. Unfortunately, in the past several months since, we've come to see why this church can't grow. There is so much immaturity that it's stunning. The pastor and his wife get into arguments during worship practice, then they talk about each other before service, and they're still in a bad mood during service. I've actually witnessed the pastor's wife come stomping into the fellowship hall, complaining about the pastor to another member, and start slamming dishes while she set up coffee and donuts. This should give you some idea of how the sermons go. This is the church's behavior across the board. There is always some petty spat going on between members, and it usually leads to some new childish policy. Church members come together for 2 or 3 hours Sunday morning, go through a well-worn routine, and then leave. We've invited people out to lunch, and we got no takers. When we asked about setting up a home group, we got a list of excuses that people were too busy or couldn't go across town. All these months later, we are no closer to having real friends there. We're not being fed, we have no friends, we feel like we're surrounded by children, and we never know when we're walking into another soap opera. And we can certainly forget about teaching a class or singing on the praise team because the old members are doing just fine without us. Church leaders tell us over and over that it's a sin to criticize pastors. I am sure that this pastor is depressed and overwhelmed. The last thing we want is to judge him. But what are we supposed to do? He's always too busy to meet with us. If we just stop going, we're quitters. If we tell him he may need counseling, we're critical. How do you take someone aside for a (loving) conversation about a problem when they're too busy for coffee, too overwhelmed for more bad news, and probably unable to do change anything?

I’m not sure how I feel about this and maybe it’s just because of my ignorance so please don’t be offended or take it the wrong way. The church I’m currently attending has couple of associate pastors and during service when they pray (opening prayer/during service/communion/etc), they read off prewritten prayers (in their own words). It’s okay that they prepare prayer for service ahead of time and have prayers prepared as well but reading straight off the paper? I don’t know.... For some reason it bothers me more than it really should. I feel like as leaders of the church it’s kind of strange for them to do that. From time to time, members from the congregation (those who hold somewhat a leadership role within the church) do the praying and they all take their written prayer and read them striaght off the paper. There’s somewhat of a leniency towards them, for pastors to do that? Its kind of their job or rather part of their job (it’s our job as well to pray but that’s a different topic). Personally I think it’s weird and strange for pastors to do this. I’ve never seen pastors (other members) do this at other churches (the church I’m currently attending is Presbyterian if that changes anything). To me it’s like a surgeon bringing in notes during surgery. It’s fine if they prepare, write down what ever they need to do before the actually surgery but to bring it in the operation room? It just feel half hearted or not prepared. To come up I’m front of the congregation during services with a piece of paper, especially pastors, it’s unsettling for me. I have a negative view of this and don’t really know how to or what to feel about this.

There are numerous historical, linguistic and archaeological evidences that back up the veracity of the Bible. For example, it is quite easy to walk where Jesus, King David, Solomon, etc. walked in the Bible, and there are often even churches built on the most famous sites. In addition, there are literally thousands of manuscripts from the New Testament that prove our current Bible is accurate. Lastly, the Bible has been proven over and over again archaeologically. In fact, I know of two scholars who went to Israel with the express purpose of disproving the Bible and ended up becoming believers in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Hi there, I am writing a book on the Ascension gifts found in the New Testament. Does anyone here have any worthy and scholarly resources to recommend?

How do you bring God into the little moments of your day?

I have been struggling with this for quite a number of months, actually about two years. I was really happy to meet someone who I have been with for the past 15 years, who loves going to church and discussing the Bible. However, about 2 years ago someone new popped up at our church, and since then I have observed unsettling behavior from her, and from my boyfriend. I often catch then glancing at each other. And I know, what exactly does that mean? right? I kept trying to tell myself it's just me, I'm making it into more than what it is.. but.. it's a constant thing.. and I've also observed her purposefully trying to gain his attention... It's been unsettling because it's been going on for a while now, she knows that my boyfriend and I have been together(still are together), my boyfriend keeps talking about our future together but doesn't stop the behavior, and I feel like I've done all I can to search and question myself going so far as seeking counseling, thinking it's me.. I've even gone so far as to outright ask my beau if there is something going on (and as any man would do I suspect, he said no) but I'm feeling like is it going to take me confronting her?? This is Church!!! not a school yard or a club... CHURCH.. I really wish someone else would say to me or slip me a note at least, that they see it too.. but the older women love her because she drives them to church, the other congregants love her cause she cooks for the church.. I feel like I am bested at all sides and am really hurt by this. I am feeling like I am slipping down a rabbit hole that honestly I don't want to go down.. I just want Jesus, I just want to be in a relationship with Jesus as the core and honesty at the helm. I have thought of approaching our pastor friend, but he's friends with her too and like usual, I don't want to come off looking like a paranoid, jealous obsessed person, I just want truth and closure to this.. what do I do??

Psalm 59:9 - "O my Strength, I will watch and give heed to You and sing praises; for God is my Defense." The soul that is not recollected in one appetite alone (the desire for God) loses heat and strength in the practice of virtue. Affirmation: I WILL CONCENTRATE THE STRENGTH OF MY APPETITES ON GOD ALONE. "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars." - Isaiah 45:2 As we are yielded to the Lord, He makes the path straight before us. Once we understandour CALLING in Christ He equips us for the journey. At times we have limited vision of the path ahead and what we are going through, but the Lord has the big picture and He calls us to trust in Him. He takes even our failures and disappointments and reconfigures them to work together for good. God invites us to hold onto the promises He has given us in scripture of our inheritance in Christ, our right standing with God, and to believe He is able to do the impossible for us.Hold onto faith as small as a mustard seed, because that alone is enough faith to see mountains move and giants fall. We need to deal with any area of unbelief in our lives. Faith and unbelief both come by what we are hearing or giving attention to. We choose to have faith come into our heart by "hearing and hearing" the Word of God. The power of God is unleashed in the lives of those with true faith. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 "Truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move and nothing will be impossible to you." - Matthew 17:20 NASB James 3:8 - "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Affirmations: I BOLDLY DECLARE THAT MY TONGUE IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. MY WORDS ARE SEASONED WITH GRACE, AND MY LIPS ARE CONSTANTLY GIVING THANKS TO GOD! THIS IS WHAT MY TONGUE SPEAKS BECAUSE IT IS SUBMITTED TO THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Well, it is just about the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. For those not familiar with that, it is a time in church history, where people were waking up to how far the church had degraded since it's inception. A reformation was needed, because church leadership, to a great degree, had become corrupted. Church positions were basically for sale to the highest bidder. The church was allowing people to buy indulgences, basically a license to sin, and shorten one's time in Purgatory. These could be used for yourself, or to shorten the time of a deceased loved one. Purgatory was basically seen as a place where a person paid for their sins by suffering until their sins were paid for and they could attain to heaven. In other words, the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross was deemed inadequate - definitely not the gospel, nor in the Bible. Church leadership (and by that I mean the Pope, Bishops, Cardinals, all the way down to priests) was falling prey to pride, sexual sin, hunger for power, greed and the like. The Bible was not yet in the hands of common people, nor was it necessarily in a language that ordinary people could understand, Christians were totally dependent, on what their leaders told them the Bible said, and what the Bible meant. That was a very quick summary of the conditions that had developed in the first 1500 years of the church. It is not my purpose to lecture anyone on church history, nor am I qualified to do so. I just wanted to give a quick background of what lead to the Reformation. Generally it is held, that the Reformation began when a German monk (Martin Luther) nailed his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle. That can be debated, but it was certainly a pivotal event. Now, the main thing I came to do, was to open a discussion about the five "solas" of the reformation. These are 5 ideas, that sort of embody the spirit of the Reformation, the main things that were seen as needing to be addressed and focused upon in the church as it existed at the time. Luther's hope, was not to attack the church, or start a new denomination, nor anything of the sort. His hope was to start a bit of a dialogue or debate, an opportunity for the church to do a little self examination. Sola, comes from a Latin word meaning alone or sole. The solas are these: SOLA SCRIPTURA SOLA FIDE SOLA GRATIA SOLO CHRISTO SOLI DEO GLORIA Sola scriptura, is the idea, that only the scripture, is ultimately a trustworthy source of information about spiritual matters. The traditions of the church, lack any real authority. Likewise, the leadership of the church, was also not authoritative, and must be subservient to the word of God. Sola fide, is the idea that salvation comes by faith alone, not by works, God grants salvation, and believers do not earn it by doing good deeds. Sola gratia, is closely related to sola fide. It is the idea, that mankind does not earn, cannot earn, and can never deserve salvation. Salvation is a free gift that God bestows to believers, totally apart from any merit of their own. Solo Christo, addresses the subject of and object of the faith of believers who will inherit salvation. Our faith is in Christ alone. There is nothing or no one in which we place our faith apart from Christ. No faith in works, nor the church, nor Mary the mother of Jesus, not the saints, not our prayers or rituals - our faith is in Jesus alone, regarding salvation. Sola deo gloria, informs us that all glory, is due to God alone, no one else gets credit or glory for what God has done for us. Of course, this implies the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as the one true God. They could be stated, that the scriptures alone, authoritatively teach us that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. That is what I have to say, to start this topic. If anyone chooses to, they may add to the discussion, elaborate, offer scripture, etc. I just thought it fitting, at this time of the impending 500 years anniversary of the Reformation, to offer some thought and reflection on what it was/is about.

My subject is because I would like to know how to refute Adventist doctrine since I have been attacked for a long time by people close to that religion.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is the only canonical church in Ukraine recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. 39 percent, that is, the majority of Ukrainian Orthodox is parishioners of the Moscow Patriarchate. There is another denomination - the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), which did not get the status of canonical. The UOC-KP is considered an alternative Orthodox (in religious terminology this is called "the schism", split of the church). How do the churches of the Moscow and Kiev Patriarchate differ in practice and why the first one is recognized as canonical? A person who goes to Ukrainian churches once or twice a year to put a candle on, will not find differences, but they are significant. The Moscow Patriarchate, for example, does not accept a free interpretation of prayer, inventing new icons or frescoes. For the clergy and parishioners of the UOC-MP it is inadmissible to pray for the peace of the conditional enemy-more precisely, they do not define enemies in principle, which can not be said about the UOC-KP. Also, the Moscow Patriarchate holds divine services in the Church Slavonic language, and the Kyiv Patriarchate in Ukrainian, translating the Holy Scripture in its own way. But the key difference is that the founder of the UOC-MP is Jesus Christ. The Church is in unity with the Universal Orthodoxy, with common ordinances, whereas the Kyiv Patriarchate recognizes only those ordinances that are pleasing to him. It was in order to undermine the unwanted faith, Ukrainian politicians developed a bill that oppresses the UOC-MP. Moscow Patriarchate decided to oblige to obtain from the state consent to the appointment of priests and abbots right up to the regional level. In such a situation, the threat of destroying the parishes of the country's main confession is an excuse for distraction. Political technology is clear: national radicals, hiding behind icons, will demand the closure of "pro-Moscow" temples throughout the country. Ukrainian citizens will stand up for their parishes, priests, spiritual guides. Examples, when the temples of the UOC-MP captured the banned in Russia nationalist groups, is already enough. In different regions of Ukraine radicals attack cult buildings, beat parishioners and forcibly transfer temples to the Kyiv Patriarchate.

Shalom, everyone. I think I may have started something like this a year or so ago, but I still feel that it is important to explore and correct, if possible. Down through the last 2,000 years or so, we have made some MAJOR changes to terminology that I believe we as a people once knew and now have changed the meanings of those words into something that is now totally foreign to the first century meanings. Among these words that are so foreign to their original meanings are the following: I believe that we should work toward a paradigm shift back to the original meanings of these words. There are others, of course, that could have been listed, as well, but these are the fundamental ones. And, I believe they are fundamental because to some they are especially "holy words" that "one should not touch" as far as trying to correct their meanings. The major six are the ones in the circle: salvation, gospel, kingdom, Christ, church, and heaven. I started with angel and heaven, but one could start anywhere, because it is truly a "state function." That is, it doesn't matter how you get from point A to point B; it will take you the same amount of time and effort to make the journey. Let me start with a few basics: Will = want. When one asks, "What is God's will for my life?" he or she is actually asking the same thing as "What does God want for my life?" This may break down into more particular questions, like: "What does God want me to do for a living?" "What job does God want me to have?" "Who does God want me to marry?" "Where does God want me to live?" Faith = trust. "To have faith in God," one must learn "to trust God." Connected to this is the adjective and adverb forms of the words: "To be faithful" = "to be trustworthy." When we say, "God is faithful," we are saying that "God is trustworthy!" that is, "He is worthy of our trust!" A "faithful" spouse is a spouse we can trust to be consistently devoted to us. A faithful person or a trusty person is one we can count upon. Faithfulness = trustworthiness. There are certain words that are used in church or in synagogue on Sunday or Shabbat that have SYNONYMOUS COUNTERPARTS in life during the weekdays in other scenarios and workplaces. Let's start with some fun. What are some other words that you use in church that have a different word you've noticed using in secular areas of your life? Let's see how many we can come up with.

Shalom (Peace) to all. Marilyn had said (to wingnut-) in "ERRORS of the POST TRIB. view" under Prophecy/Eschatology: Her short outline provides the information that she divides the children of Israel into two groups: Those who receive the promises given to Israel and those who are NOT included in Israel's inheritance. I believe this division to be rather forced and extremely insulting. Here's why: Notice the ones who are NOT included in Israel's inheritance consist of "Rebellious Israeli people who disobey God" and "Israeli people who come into the Body of Christ." This almost makes the two subcategories on a comparative level. Ironically, many JEWS feel they are synonymous, but should WE feel that way, too? I don't think so. Second, since this is an outline of JUST the children of Israel, she is implicitly making a distinction between the children of Israel and those who are NOT children of Israel, frequently referred to as "Gentiles," suggesting that they have different prospects. She continued in a separate post: (bold-facing mine) Taking her advice, I've started this topic. This topic gets into prophecy and eschatology, but it's deeper than that. So, I decided to open this thread in Doctrinal Questions. If the Moderator feels it would be better placed somewhere else, please feel free to move it. I don't disagree with her basic conclusion that the "elect" refers to Israel (as the "chosen seed") especially in Matthew 24, but I must disagree with the highlighted portion. She concludes that Israel will have the rulership on earth over the nations, and that those who are born again shall have the rulership over the universe. ("Over the UNIVERSE?" That's a HUGE dominion and is probably MUCH greater than we, all those born again, could handle! And, we would be spread very thinly over a VERY GREAT area!) While there is a difference between Gentiles and Israel outside of the Messiah Yeshua` (outside of Christ Jesus), there is NO difference between the two groups WITHIN the Messiah. Essentially, that makes THREE groups of people: 1. The Gentiles outside the Messiah, 2. the children of Israel outside the Messiah, and 3. believers (children of Israel and Gentiles) within the Messiah. Paul describes the last group in Ephesians: Ephesians 2:11-22 11 Wherefore remember, that ye (the Gentile Ephesians to whom Paul was writing) being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ (outside of the Messiah), being aliens from the commonwealth (citizenship) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God (outside of God) in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus (in the Messiah Yeshua`) ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh (close) by the blood of Christ (the blood of the Messiah). 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (two) one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off (the Gentile Ephesians), and to them that were nigh (the children of Israel). 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye (the Gentile Ephesians to whom Paul was writing) are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints (the holy ones; that is, the ones consecrated for God), and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself (Yeshua` the Messiah Himself) being the chief corner stone (capstone); 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. KJV The point I'm trying to make is this: When we are made "one new man," we are not putting the Jews (or more generally, the children of Israel) "into the Church," but rather God is accepting the Gentiles into the household of God, Yeshua`s Israel - Yeshua`s Kingdom to come, making them fellowcitizens WITH the saints, the children of Israel, who were consecrated by God for Himself. The "Church," or rather the "churches," are simply groups of people that gather together for the same purpose. The Greek word, ekkleesia, was also used for the town council of Ephesus (interesting coincidence?) in Acts 19, particularly verses 32, 39, and 41. In the KJV, the word chosen to translate this simply called it an "assembly" instead of a "church." However, ekkleesia is also found in Stephen's sermon in Acts 7: Acts 7:2-41 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia (between rivers), before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he (God) promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. 7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 Now there came a dearth (famine) over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. 14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. 15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, 16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. 17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. 20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: 21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. 30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. 36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38 This is he, that was in the church (Greek: ekkleesia) in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: 39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. KJV Thus, the FIRST "church" was the congregation of the children of Israel that surrounded Mount Sinai when Moses received the "lively oracles" or the "living words" of God to pass on to us. Thus, going back to Ephesians 2 above, the Gentiles who are grafted into the Olive Tree (Romans 11) are "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints (the holy ones; that is, the ones consecrated for God), and of the household of God." Thus, we who are Gentiles are no longer "aliens from the commonwealth (citizenship) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God (outside of God) in the world!" There was a song I used to sing as a kid, "Every Promise in the Book is Mine." Its words are... Every promise in the Book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line, all the blessings of His love divine; every promise in the Book is mine. Later, I used to believe that this was not true, that there were some promises made to Israel that didn't belong to me as a Gentile. Now, I've changed my mind again! As a Gentile who is accepted into the household of God and is now a citizen of Israel, a recipient of the covenants of promise, the promises ARE mine! Through the blood of the Messiah Yeshua`, I am also a member of the tribe of Y'hudah as Yeshua` is! (You are, too.) The bottom line is this: Even believers in the Messiah have a part in the Millennial Kingdom of God here on this earth. We are PART of those who live and reign with Him, and that's not off in "heaven" somewhere; it's right here on this earth before the Millennium ends with the Great White Throne Judgment. When Yeshua` gave His parable (Luke 19:11-28), even we who are the Gentiles who are grafted into His Olive Tree (Romans 11:16-25), are recipients of these evaluations and rewards. Luke 19:11-28 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. (Yeshua` HIMSELF said this! Does this sound out of character for Him? It's NOT! These are HIS words!) 28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. KJV So, I find NO difference between the two. To the contrary, I believe that we ALL will participate in the Messiah's Kingdom right here on this earth during the Millennium.